travelerscurse | for whatsina

for whatsina_name

It's so strange, being back.

Ishgard hasn't changed in hundreds of years, strange to think it would have changed since he'd been here last, but then, everywhere else he'd been has changed just in the time he's been there. So it's strange to be walking streets he knows from his childhood but with eyes that are so different.

Beside him, Emmanelain chatters on about the different facets of city life. He had made sure Haurchefant knew to petition his former family with as much discretion as possible. They, of course, had simply said their son had died and they were certain some fugitive from Uldah couldn't be him anyway. He hadn't expected any differently. He feels like that person is dead and he breathes on as someone wholly different anyway, but it's strange, to be being shown around the place he grew up in by a member of one of the High Houses, someone his parents would have killed for him to be friends with just a few short years earlier, as though he were a stranger to this place.

He has always been a stranger to this place.

Dressed in Gridanian fashion and tanned lightly by the sun, he doesn't expect there's anyone here who would recognize him. He'd been barely more than a ghost when he left, hardly a warrior of anything. But as they pass through the Jeweled Croizer and Emmanelain gets caught up talking to some girl he's been trying to woo, there's a sudden, strange sensation at the back of his head, something like and unlike the Echo, and he turns, eyes scanning the busy street for... something. Someone.

(For some reason, unbidden, he remembers the night of the Calamity, giant pieces of some other part of Eorzea raining from the sky..

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This time, it's Gustavain walking through the streets of Sharlayan with a different gait than normal and a surprise.

His is a little less... wholly willing of a surprise than Phillip's had been, but he's also not particularly bothered by it, to the point where, when it first happened, his only thought had been well... Phillip's going to LOVE this one. From there, the first stop being the marketboard had been obvious. And now, Phillip's here at one of the only bars in Sharlayan (not part of the official tour, of course, and mostly (literally) underground) ostensibly to meet Gustavain at some point.

But in any body, Gustavain is a showman, and so he can't just wander up to the table. No no, he has to make an entrance, coming slowly down the stairs into the bar. "His" eyes are hidden under the hat, but they're fixed on Phillip, all the same, a weight he may be able to feel.

Phillip doesn't have a clue what's going on, but he knows that Gustavain's surprises are usually well worth the suspense. He's seated at one of the high tables in the back, in view of the door but tucked away, part way between his actual style and attempting to blend in. Now that he knows just how much Gustavain enjoys him dressing up, he is going to take full advantage of it every chance he can get.

He feels the eyes on him before he sees the figure, looking over and watching Gustavain's entrance- like seemingly everyone else in the bar is, only he gets to see the mage heading straight towards him, and his smile turns a little smug as a result. He's purposefully not looking at aether, trying to allow the surprise to stay that way, but he at least is pretty sure this Gustavain returning the favor- though he hasn't figured out that it's not just the clothes that have changed.

The way Gustavain walks is definitely different and even if the outfit doesn't necessarily make it obvious that there are... additional assets happening here, Gustavain has never been quite this trim. But then, that could also be a trick of the light. So too the slimmer lines of his face, when he sweeps off the hat to reveal a familiar set of eyes under it.

"Is this seat taken?" her voice is on the deeper side for an Elezen woman and she's quite tall for one as well, but it's also unmistakable that that's what she is, now that he can see her face.

Gustavain is usually elegant enough, a by-product of his upbringing combined with the body control needed for singing and playing instruments, but there's also always something a bit boyish about him, grandiose. Something sits more masculine about the woman across from him, but the boyishness seems more androgynous than rough-and-tumble, like this, and the extra willowy-ness in her limbs makes her seem almost ethereal.

Phillip's eyes widen ever so slightly as he begins to put two and two together, but, just as Gustavain suspected, there is no sign of him having any problem with this. Instead, he grins.

"It is now," he says, making a sweeping gesture towards the seat as an invitation to the young woman, transparently taking the time to appreciate her new look. He hasn't a clue how it was done, but it certainly wouldn't have been simple...

She laughs to that and it's musical, more dainty but the heated look she gives him is definitely one he's familiar with, as though anything were in any doubt anymore. She sits gracefully, but the way that she crosses her one leg delicately over the other shows off just to him that the skirt she's wearing underneath that otherwise covering overcoat is tiny. She leans an elbow on the table and sets her chin in her hand,

"Good. I'd hate to think there was anyone else here more worthy of your attention," she even grins a little more haughtily, though there don't seem to be any major personality changes to speak of. There's just something about how Gus's energy sits in this body that's different and it seems somehow even more alien than seeing him in Dark Knight armor had been the first time.

"Never, darling." Phillip manages to slide his seat a bit closer without drawing too much attention to the action. His eyes flit down to her legs and he definitely noticed the length of that skirt, made all the more obvious when he lets hand rest on her leg, the bared skin between cloth and boot, gently thumbing over her.

He takes another long moment to appreciate her, the cloak hiding some of her shape but there's still plenty to look at it. "You seem a bit different. Change your hair?" he teases, blue eyes darting up to meet hers with a mischievous glint.

It's particularly amusing because Gustavain's hair is one of the only things left unchanged. Her eyes sparkle when Phillip takes the bait and brushes his fingers over her skin. She laughs again and shakes her head,

"I'd make you guess, but it would be a very short game," she quips back, "Ran into an issue with an Aetheryte. They're not precisely sure what happened," or how to reverse it, but Gustavain will cross that bridge if it becomes necessary. He's never particularly fancied himself anything other than male, might once have even freaked out about this entirely, but he's had enough time to come to grips with being a very specific and special sundered soul, who has undoubtedly resided in many different bodies over the thousands of years since, presumably on multiple worlds at that. What's one more? "But it was this or serious aether poisoning. I chose in the heat of the moment, but I still think it was the right one." The grin deepens,

"They're trying to figure out how to reverse it, but when given the option to sit around and feel freakish about it or to surprise you, the decision wasn't particularly difficult." She grins. It is serious, this is a problem... but when has Gustavain ever been at their most serious when faced with a serious problem?

Phillip leans in a bit more, to press a light kiss to her jaw. "I'm sure they'll figure it out," he assures her, because while he only barely understands the concept of gender, he's aware that it is a big deal for others. At least Gustavain seems to have opted to try and have fun with it. "Though if you're worried, I'm sure I could find some way to distract you until they do."

Hells, if they weren't in a public space where Gustavain wasn't already on thin ice, his hand would not be what found its way to his lover's leg.

She leans into him, moves closer with that grin he knows means trouble.

"They can take their time," she purrs out, and then, just as daintily as before, delicately uncrosses legs. It's a blatant invitation. And, if he can think clearly at all in the moment, the reason for the rest of her coverings becomes much more clear. Although anyone watching her come down the stairs might know her thighs are bare, the angle she's sat at hides that from the rest of the world now. Everything about her looks like she's covered, the longer sides of the robe making her look not much different from everyone else in the colder climes here.

"And I believe I'm the one distracting you, not the other way around," she points out, grin deepening slightly.

Oh-- well if she's going to be like that...

"And you are extremely good at it," he murmurs, unable to help the urge to close the distance between them and catch her in a slow, tender kiss. Since she's so kindly extended the invitation, his hand slides further up her leg, finding its way beneath that skirt up to brush against her undergarments, a gentle exploration to start.

Her lips are maybe little more plush than normal, but nothing truly different. Still, it likely feels different psychologically all the same. Her soft noise of pleasure into the kiss, for his ears only, is certainly different.

"Well. I learned from the best," she teases back, spreading her legs just that tiny bit more, leaning back a little in her chair, her eyes going heavy-lidded. She gasps very softly, just an inhale of breath, really, at the light touch. It's different already and there's a little bit of trepidation over whether this was a good idea, to tease about this out here in public. But she's also not about to back down now...

Phillip has every intention of making sure she decides this was an excellent idea. Despite his general attitude about... everything, he is capable of being discrete, especially when it is part of the game. The way he leans in from the outside makes it look like they're just having an intimate conversation, clearly people who are attracted to each other if nothing else. The important part is that the location of his arm is also concealed, hidden from view by her form as he presses his fingers up against the sheer fabric to stroke over the folds that lie beneath. The touch grows firmer, his eyes glancing up periodically to Gustavain's face to make sure he doesn't jump too far ahead, to a place where covering will be too difficult.

She's faced herself mostly to the wall for this exact reason-- there's no way to hide the way her eyelids flutter at the touch, her mouth going just a little bit slack, another little gasp riding her breath. But he's the only one who can see the change in her expressions like this, which means the wicked little grin she gives him is all his as well.

Leaning back just a little in the chair lets her move her hips just the tiniest bit without making it obvious, just enough to press back against his fingers the tiniest amount, which she does almost immediately. It's loud in here as well, enough that he can hear her if he's very close, but enough to swallow any stray noises at the very least, and surely that also has to be a reason for this location or else Gustavain would likely have picked somewhere like the Last Stand or suggested a picnic or something.

The most notable thing in this interaction now, though, aside from the obvious, is that there's nothing teasing about the way he's doing this. While Gustavain has certainly been the one who's pushed for several of their more wild encounters, there's usually a bit of a tease to it, almost like he's goading Phillip (for all they know that there's no goading actually necessary). This is... remarkably straightforward, beyond the surprise factor.

They have been past the stage in their relationship where they've needed the games for a while now, but thorough a combination of Phillip unlearning old habits and the fact that they both seem to like said games means they still often come up. Still, Phillip finds that he's just fine with the lack of them here, just enjoying the 'simple' pleasure of riling up his lover's new body in public, with no one any the wiser.

He presses a soft kiss to the corner of her slackened lips, anyone watching would think that it just them sharing an intimate moment, with no insight to just how intimate it was getting. It isn't difficult to push aside the undergarments to expose her, Phillip letting out a heated sigh of his own as his fingers slide between the warm folds, tips rubbing gently over her clit.

She lets out a pitchy, breathless noise that travels no further than his ears, when he starts to touch her in earnest. It's hard to tell if just the thought of this has been enough to rile her up or if she'd done some explorations on her own ahead of this-- with Gustavain, either is possible-- but she's definitely aroused already, his fingers slick just from the first, tentative touches.

She shifts in her chair again, spreads her thighs a bit wider in invitation, as though she needed more of one, and then jolts with a little gasp as his fingers make contact with her clit. It's not unpleasant, not exactly too much, but she's not used to it and she hisses through her teeth in warning as her hand jolts on the table where she's leaned it.

Whether he backs off and tries again or not, though, she does seem to slowly get used to it, though it's likely only experience that tells him the way her teeth are gritted isn't pain in the slightest.

He doesn't stop entirely, but he does slow the pace a little, give her more time to adjust to the sensations. His fingers don't try to press any further in yet, instead just rubbing against the inner folds, letting her adjust to the sensations there with periodic attention to her clit, attention that becomes a bit more frequent when she seems to be getting used it.

"Is it like you expected?" he asks, plenty cheeky because he's quite sure Gustavain had little idea of what to expect, but he is clearly taking great pleasure in the introduction.

She shakes her head slightly to the question, but doesn't speak right away. Her reaction is still sharp every time he goes for more directed attention to her clit, but her hips roll more (in as much as she can move them at all) the more he teases his fingers a little inside her. She wouldn't be able to say which feels better, though, if he'd asked. The one feels more involuntary, like levin, but the other makes her want to squirm, a vague thought back to that collar coming to mind and the way it had felt to have her aether scrambled a bit combined with a lower setting.

"S'too different for me to have been able to anticipate," she admits, though there's nothing that suggests she wants to call this off in any way, "To be honest, I thought it was going to be too strange to be good, at first."

"Well it certainly seems like you're enjoying it," he hums, leaning in for another kiss. He can't help it, he adores the way she squirms and gasps under his touch, it's impossible to not kiss her. "Though I suppose it could just be my incredible charm."

Then is, of course, when he slips a finger deeper inside of her, pressing against the warm inner walls. It's just the one fingers, so there's hardly any stretch at all, but the pressure is something else entirely.

"I am," she "admits" though it's always somewhat less of an admission with Gustavain than it should be. He knows how to play a part but he's not a very good liar, not in bed anyway. She bites his lip a little in retaliation for his remark about his charm, but she's muffling her moans into his mouth a moment later when he pushes in deeper.

He can feel her clench down on even that one finger and she can't move enough to really bear down like this, but he can feel her muscles working like she's trying to anyway.

"Fuck," she says, when she's grown used to the sensation enough to trust her voice, "Oh, this was a terrible idea. Should have lured you somewhere where you could have fucked me properly instead..."

His mouth on hers is so hungry, giving away just how much he adores every part of this, his free hand sliding up her side and seemingly aching to touch her more completely. Like Gustavain, he is not tied to his lover being in one particular form, but the newness of it is captivating, making him want to milk every bit of pleasure from his touch as he can, even more than normal.

"There's always time for that," he murmurs against her, dragging that finger out a bit before pressing back in, at a truly tortuous pace, "Unless you'd rather we move now?" He pulls out again, this time letting it linger just inside her, a clear taunt.

Her breath is shaky against his skin as she ducks her head to hide her expression a bit more,

"If you stop now, I can't promise I won't make a scene," she says, low and wicked, hips still trying to tilt more into his touch, "But when we get somewhere private, you had better be ready to have me on every available surface and twice on whatever my favorite turns out to be."

She sounds perfectly serious.

Oh, he would never have doubted her seriousness, and his grin is plenty wicked in return. "Oh, I think I'm more than up to that," he purrs in response, lips catching against hers once more as he pushes his finger back in her with more force. He can't have her making a scene, after all...

She can barely kiss him properly around the way she's muffling her moans in his mouth, the sound high and desperate when he drives back into her. Gustavain is never particularly reserved during sex, but the newness of everything drives every thought out of her head other than this in a way that usually has to be reached for at least a little more. It surely has to remind Phillip of how she'd been with that Allagan tech inside of her, but there's nothing here this time but him.

She's clearly close already, even though truthfully they've barely started, a heady combination of this being so new and the entire situation being appealing blending the mental and the physical together into something she's not even trying to resist-- but unlike in her normal form, she's not sure how to chase this one. It's not going to stop her from trying, mind you, hips starting to rock without caring if someone can tell what's happening over here anymore as long as they don't try to stop them.

He'll adapt to swallow her moans as much as possible, the reverb of them against his lips almost as good as hearing them. There is very much a part of him that is looking forward to dragging her off somewhere properly private, so neither of them feel the need to keep this hidden.

He will try to make it easier, allow her to chase a little bit easier even though he's very much still trying to push her there himself. He slides a leg next to hers, giving her something a bit more to brace on, while his free hand settles on her hip to keep her steady as his fingers continue their merciless movement.

It takes her a bit longer than it might have in a more familiar body but it's still not long before she makes a slightly choked noise (both in trying to be quiet and in trying not to bite him while she muffles herself, mouth pressed hard to his) and clenches down on his fingers. A slicker slide in the motions right after sex isn't something new, but the way that it happens is and it leaves her reeling, a shudder in her legs that says that, if they were somewhere where she didn't have to at least somewhat control her reactions, she might be able to just go again, without any kind of pause.

She will get oversensitive quickly like this, though, will eventually push his hand away, but he can get a few more squirms and bit of a squeal out of her if he wants to push it before that happens. Either way, she's dazed and pliant in his arms in the aftermath, doesn't seem inclined to talk but giggles, an unexpectedly girlish sound.

for whatsina_name

Some spoilers through the beginning of EW

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