Selvaggia & Lius: May 9

Selvaggia says: -Are- you alright? Obviously you're not going to be the happiest after spending a night being stabbed, but...
Selvaggia lets her voice trail off, chewing on her lower lip and fiddling with her rings as she speaks.

Lius sighs, running a hand across his face. "Th'time apart is jus' startin' t'get t'me."

Selvaggia lowers her eyes. "I miss you, too. Hell's bells, if not for Garrett, you know I'd be with you no matter where you went."

Lius shakes his head, staring straight ahead. "It's nae as easy t'get int' th'Division as it woul' be back in Vigil. Specially now tha' th'Sarn't is heading up recruitment."

Selvaggia says: Don't you need medics and medical assistants? I work better with you than anyone you'd have to train for the position.

Lius says: It's nae m'place to call. We 'ave a child, an' ye donae 'ave th'combat experience t'drop int' a fight in cloth.
Lius says: At leas' th'pirate hooker has armor t'save 'er ass when she fucks up.

Selvaggia says: Isn't that what training is for? I've never dropped before, but I'm not exactly a slow learner. You know this. And Garrett... we've plenty of family he could stay with.
Selvaggia is trying so hard not to sound like a horrible mother. Baby? What baby?

Lius says: -Every- drop migh' as well be a suicide mission. Ye'd really leave Garrett withou' both parents?

Selvaggia folds her arms across her chest to hide her shaking hands. "Well, the alternative you seem to be implying is simply unacceptable."

Lius remains sternfaecd. "In yer eyes. Leavin' our son withou' bother parents is nae somethin' we can do."

Selvaggia says: And leaving us by ourselves, that's so much better?

Lius says: Fer him it is, an' tha' is wha' matters.
Lius says: I cannae simply walk away from this, Selvie.

Selvaggia says: And I can't simply -let- you walk away from this -family-, Lius.

Lius says: Ye donae 'ave a choice, neither do I. This is wha' th'Alliance needs of me.

Selvaggia says: The Alliance needs you to leave your wife? I've no -qualms- with you being sent on missions for long periods of time, but to simply leave and not look back?

Lius says: Wha' time am I able t'spend at home, Selvie?
Lius says: One of -two- medics.
Lius says: I donae get leave, neither does Aveta. We 'ave t'remain with th'troops, because of shit like wha' happened t'me.
Lius says: Wha' happened t'Afterburn.
Lius says: Wha' happened t'Orgo.

Selvaggia says: You are in -Stormwind- right now, Lius.
Selvaggia says: All of that happened -here-.

Lius says: Exactly, an' our home is nae short trip away.

Selvaggia says: There's no reason that Garrett and I can't have an apartment in the city and get to see you when they let you sleep.

Lius says: So tha' people can find out who m'wife is, an' tha' she is in th'city? Nae.
Lius says: Ye'll both end up dead.

Selvaggia says: If people haven't figured out yet that I'm your wife, they are, quite frankly, too daft to pose any real threat.

Lius shakes his head. "Do wha' ye will, Selvie. There is somethin' yer goin' t'ave t'accept in time, love, as much as it hurts. We will be droppin' by next week."
Lius says: Think on it while 'm gone.

Selvaggia unfolds her arms and grabs Lius by the tabard. Smoke wisps up from where her hands catch. "Let me make this entirely clear to you, Lius Brethil: you are -not- leaving me. I don't -care- about the danger and the separation or any of the other excuses you're using to justify this to yourself. -Everyone- else in my life has left me. Everyone else is dead or hates me. I will -not- lose you as well."

Lius glares, a little bit snapping in dat brane. "There's reasons o'my own, aye. I seem t'be focused on keepin' our son safe, an' makin' sure 'e still 'as atleast one parent in th'future, an' ye seem t'be focused on yerself. As usual."

Selvaggia 's eyes narrow significantly. "I'm focused on this family. Us staying together with you going on drops won't deprive Garrett of both parents and has a high chance of not even depriving him of one. You -aren't- doing us any favors by running away so you don't have to miss us or so that you can feel like a bloody -hero-."

Lius says: A high chance, Selvie? REALLY? Because I almos' fuckin' died las' night, an' tha' was nae even on a drop. If ye'd stop bein' so fuckin' selfish abou' every little thin', ye'd see tha' I am tryin' t'HELP ye an' m'son.

Selvaggia 's grip on his tabard tightens; dat smoke gets smokier. "I am -allowed- to be selfish when my husband decides that he wants to up and leave without even -talking- to me about it! This isn't -helping-, no matter what you think. This is running away because you're afraid and because you hurt. And if you're being attacked not even on drops, what's you going away going to change, hmm? Do you think that's going to make things any better?"

Lius says: Do ye understand 'ow often these people go after family?

Selvaggia says: AND HOW IS THAT GOING TO CHANGE IF YOU LEAVE US?
Selvaggia says: Garrett is still your -son-! And unless you've decided that you don't love me anymore, if they want to hurt you, they'll -still- come after us.

Lius says: They'd 'ave t'find ye firs', which woul' be far easier t'do if ye live in fuckin' -Stormwind-.

Selvaggia says: We don't exactly make a secret of where we live anyway, and besides, isn't this noble enemy of yours the -thane- of Darkshire, which is -right down the fucking road-?
Selvaggia says: Who was it last night, then? Was it the Delahan Division? The Twilight's Hammer? Some strange mafia that's taking over the streets now?

Lius says: Ye think tha' band of fuckups is the problem?
Lius says: We strike out against enemies I cannae even speak of, nae t'anyone tha' is nae a Ghost.
Lius says: The Delihams are a joke in comparison.
Lius says: An' I donae remember las' nigh'. Faronne said it was a bandit.

Selvaggia says: And you somehow think that leaving us is going to make this -easier- or -less dangerous-?
Selvaggia says: Open your bloody eyes. Look around. Half of Westfall is a -crater-. There -is- no safe place any longer.
Selvaggia says: And if these people you go after are the threat you say they are? It won't matter if I change my name to Petunia Pipsqueak and go live in Northrend. They will hunt us down to get at you.
Selvaggia says: And frankly, if that is the case, I'd rather live the last months of my life -with- my husband instead of with him pretending he's nobler than he is.

Lius brings his hand up to his head. "Yer husband is fading. An' honestly, one of th'things tha' ties in t'this, is I'm nae sure ye can make th'needed change with me."

Selvaggia says: Needed change? Fading?

Lius says: Are ye nae tired of only 'aving ME as a friend, Selvie?
Lius says: I get hurt, an' people in th'Division donae a give a shit because of how we are.

Selvaggia 's frown deepens. "So we stop being so angry and bitter at the people whose lives depend on you and on whose lives you depend. I'm not exactly the social pariah that you think; caring for an infant makes it rather difficult to get out and socialize."

Lius raises a hand to his ear, his eyes rolling.
Lius says: We'll talk more in a bit, Captain says 'e 'as somethin' t'talk t'me about.

[Lius walks off, leaving Selvie to bawwww]

Lius says: Well.

Selvaggia is surrounded by several charred rat corpses. Her face is tear-streaked but otherwise impassive. "Well."

Lius says: I am now th'Medical Officer.

Selvaggia says: Congratulations.

Lius flops back, not looking too pleased about his promotion. "So wha' do we do?"

Selvaggia looks up at Lius, clearly in agony. "You're asking me now? You -know- what I want to do. I'm with you, Doc... for better or for worse. Isn't that what we promised?"

Lius says: I am tryin' t'do th'right thing, 'ere.
Lius says: After we actually deploy, do ye know 'ow rare it will be tha' I get t'see ye?
Lius looks upset. This is a first.

Selvaggia also looks upset, tears starting to track again. "I'd rather take those rare times than never. I'd rather fight and try than give up simply because there's a risk involved."

Lius says: A risk? It's inevitable. Do ye think we're called wha' we are jus' because it fuckin' sounds cool?

Selvaggia says: Obviously, it's not inevitable. Haven't you deployed already? Haven't you been fighting trolls? Isn't that where my birthday gift came from?

Lius says: An' every time I 'ave nearly died. At some point, tha' arrow isnae goin' t'miss.

Selvaggia says: We all -die- eventually, Lius. Even if I don't come with you, your death would probably kill me, unless you've forgotten.

Lius shakes his head, pulling his mask up. FUCK EMOTION. "Yer bein' hard headed, an' I am tryin' t'do th'right thin'."

Selvaggia moves across the way and pulls Lius' mask down. "You're hurting me. This isn't the right thing. Don't you trust me to be able to protect myself or at least -learn- to? Don't you think that if anything came after Garrett, it wouldn't be more than a pile of ash before it came within three steps of him? And do you honestly think that you leaving is going to convince anyone that you don't care... that you don't still love us?"

Lius says: It woul' make ye less of a target, less of a factor.

Selvaggia says: It wouldn't. You're not -that- good of an actor. And even if you claimed to hate me, to want nothing to do with me, nobody would believe for a second that you felt that way about Garrett.
Selvaggia says: It's too fast of a switch. It would look too suspicious.

Lius says: I donae know wha' is left t'discuss, doll. Jus'...time, I guess. We'll see wha' happens. As I said, we deploy next week.

Selvaggia looks at Lius almost sternly, though her firmness can't stop those tears. She looks absolutely pitiful. "Do you honestly -want- to leave me?" she asks in a hoarse whisper.

Lius sighs, dropping his head to his hands. "I need t'change, Selvie. I -need- to."

Selvaggia slips off the bench and drops to her knees, resting her head on Lius' lap whether he wants her there or not. "Why do you think that having me in your life would stop that? Why do you think I wouldn't change with you?"
Selvaggia says: I -love- you. I have for nearly a year. You made me feel like I belong somewhere. If you need to change, I'll change with you. That's what marriage is.

Lius says: I cannae ask ye t'change, Selvie. Ye 'ave t'do tha' on yer own.

Selvaggia says: You're my husband. If anyone has a right to ask me to change, you do. And why do you seem to think I'm so averse to the idea?
Selvaggia says: I've been versed in societal graces since I was very young. I know how to be polite and friendly and typically manage it.

Lius shrugs, doing his best to be LIUS about the whole situation. "I drop soon, an' when an' if I return, we will see where we stand."

Selvaggia says: You didn't answer my question.

Lius says: I didn't.

Selvaggia looks up at Lius. "Then please do, and if this time before you drop is going to be the last time we have, please at least do me the kindness of making it a sweet memory."

Lius only smiles, tilting her head up to go in for a kiss.

Selvaggia leans fully into the kiss, arms around his neck, clinging to him as if she'll never let go.

Lius pulls his head away. "Ye 'ave yer memory. I 'ave t'report in, now."

Selvaggia drops back, stunned, as if she's been slapped in the face. She doesn't say anything; just stares at Lius in naked disbelief.

Lius says: Jus' remember, I am nae leavin'. I am droppin'. When I return, we can speak withou' tha' looming over my head.

Selvaggia still looks stunned, pained even. She nods slowly. "I won't change my mind," she says quietly.