More than just the jaglion's looks, Deldrach's personality is just something that Vandal, quite frankly, can't get enough of. There's this quiet sort of intensity there, a storm under her pelt waiting to burst, looming in the horizon with untold strength and power that she's curious to see, to experience. Deldrach has many facets to her and she's curious - so curious - to discover each and every single one that it's become a nagging need. There's more to Deldrach than meets the eye, she knows this, she just doesn't know how to find it.

Vandal's not the smartest when it comes to girls, admittedly. She isn't sure how to go about getting a reaction out of them outside of what she's already been doing - which, granted, isn't always the smartest idea to begin with. It doesn't help that she's powered by impulse that she's never really learned how to control. It's something that takes up a huge part of her life, for better or for worse. Her impulse has a life of its own, almost, and she's powerless to try and stop it once it's taken hold of her attention.

She's creeping into Deldrach's room in the middle of the night, prowling, black pelt blending well into the shadowy darkness. Her neon eyes scan her surroundings curiously until she sees the glint of the other's saber not too far away from where she's probably sleeping, not that Vandal could tell. It's probably a stupid idea, but a part of her argues that it's not going to do harm to anyone. Besides, she just wants to look at it and try to decipher why it's such an important piece of Deldrach's life. She's noticed that the saber is something that never leaves the jaglion's side. She wants to find out why, and she's too shy to ask her directly.

She doesn't even think about the consequences when she's picking the blade up with her talons and scanning it quickly with her eyes. Her plan is simple enough. Pick it up, inspect it, put it down, then disappear - it'll be like she was never there at all... but things don't always go Vandal's way, and she'll likely be in one hell of a surprise.

[member=185]deldrach[/member]

Vandal's convinced that she's close to getting away with it - things are quiet as she's observing the glint of the sword's in the dim light, a flash of neon-green as the glow from her chest hits it just right. She leans closer, trying to uncover its secrets, but she hears a scramble of noise and just the lightest touch of a nose on her own and she knows... she knows she's absolutely, negatively fucked.

The reaction is almost instant. The maned wolf shrinks back and ducks her head submissively, ears folded backwards and limbs kept close to her body, taking up the least amount of space possible. There's nothing for her to say - nothing for her to do - she just lowers the blade as slowly as she could next to Deldrach's paws and backs up until her rump is pressing against the wall, not that it put much distance between them in the first place. She has no excuse, really. Curiosity and impulse had gotten the best of her, and now she's at the mercy of the jaglion who's already towering over her.

She wonders who will mourn her when she's gone.

Vandal lowers herself even more, pressing her belly against the cold floor and lowering her muzzle, looking up with guilty green eyes at the woman she'd just wronged. Thinking back to it, maybe it wasn't the smartest of ideas (far from it, actually), but it was her choice that led her here and it's her consequence to take with as much dignity as she has left. The only thing left to do, she figures, is do what she's told until Deldrach lets up on that glare - that hot glare... Get your head on straight, Vandal!

A lopsided grin spreads on her pointed maw but it doesn't quite reach her eyes, too limited by the nervousness, guilt, and fear swirling in her system. It's a heady mix, one that she subconsciously thinks that she can drown in, get lost in - the thrill of fear, the thrill of not knowing what will become of her, the thrill of the unknown. She doesn't even notice the tip of her tail tap, tap, tapping the ground excitedly. It's a whirlwind. It's a mess. It's breathtaking.

She's so fucked.

"H-hi, Del! I - uh, I'm sorry."

;; i can't help but imagine the metal gear solid snake sound effect i'm

Clang!

Vandal's entire body jolts at the sudden intensity of the sound, of the blade meeting the other side of the room so loudly that she thinks her ears might be ringing. If she hadn't been afraid a second ago, she definitely is now, sinking as low as her body would let her. Deldrach inches ever so closer, Vandal inches not-so-subtly back until she thinks her hindquarters might begin to bruise from how hard she's pressing herself against the wall. The way her body curves, the twist of her head, slightly exposing the neck - submission, asking for forgiveness. Instinctive. She's sorry, she's sorry -

Don't apologize. Explain.

"I - I was curious, and I d-didn't know how I was going to approach you about it because you seem really interesting and I - I like you but I don't know how to talk to you half of the time other than trying to get a rise out of you which isn't what I want all the time, and I thought it could help me learn more about you because you never go anywhere without it and - " Vandal stops, presses a talon against her lips, and shrinks back again before letting her talon fall. Any other situation, she would've kept pushing, kept smirking, kept teasing - but Vandal doesn't know Deldrach as much yet, doesn't know how she'll react, doesn't know what the jaglion will do to her.

Deldrach stands with so much raw power under her dappled pelt, it terrifies her and excites her in one fell swoop. There's this thickness to the air, this pending hum of danger rumbling in bass tones that's shaking her to her very core - it's a tremble that goes deep beyond flesh, deep beyond muscle; right in her very bones, she feels it clattering with... with something close to exhilaration, a fragile sort of breathlessness at the intensity and power of it all. She waits. She waits. She knows Deldrach will likely decide her fate.

; bls bls your response was perfectly fine!! mine's just eugh, mostly me being sleepy

Vandal watches the silence between them grow. There's this fragility in the air that she's scared to break with every shaken breath that she takes, spilling past her lips as she begs for it not to splinter beneath the tension of the moment. She can hear her heart stuttering, beating, pounding in her ears each second Deldrach doesn't speak, and for a moment Vandal considers fleeing, licking her wounds, and forgetting that she'd even tried - forgetting that she'd even spoken at all... but then Deldrach speaks.

Deldrach speaks, and something in Vandal's chest squeezes with every word slipping through her teeth. It sounds almost like a confession, and Vandal truly wonders what burdens the jaglion carries - not just what burden, but how she can help carry it. Tentatively, slowly, she straightens her body and takes one step forward, nails scrabbling lightly against the floor. Deldrach told her that she was a horrible person to like, Vandal's heart thinks otherwise.

"I don't think so," she starts, ever so slowly, the beginnings of a dance. She takes another step, another breath - another breath to savor. May it help her find courage. May it help her find strength. May it help her find bravery in the face of the very real possibility that she'll fuck things over all over again. "I - I know I don't know you completely yet, but I want to... I want to know who you are, and I can wait however long it takes until you feel comfortable around me."

There's a soft smile on her muzzle again, carving slowly but surely across her trembling features. The rune on her chest glows ever so brighter in the darkness, spilling across her fur, setting the space around them alight in a dim but comforting glow. "I like you. It's how I already feel - and whatever I need to do, I'll do it. Whatever I need to prove, I'll prove it. I know I can't ask you to trust me based off that but..." She's quiet for a moment, contemplating, thinking, breathing into the silence between them until, "If it's alright with you, I'd like to try to earn it."

Vandal waits with a patience she's sure must look a little odd on her face. Many don't see her as a patient person, and she doesn't blame them - she's reckless, she's uninhibited, she does what she wants for the sake of fun without thinking about the repercussions. That's who she is, at the base of it all, just a hungry soul seeking thrill, wanting to live life to its fullest...

And yet there she stands, in front of Deldrach, with neon eyes glowing with patience, waiting, waiting and brimming and glistening with tears left unshed in the divots. Her words fill the air with more confessions and truths, and she reaches out to grasp at them with careful but strong paws - she holds them tight to her chest, treasures them. She treasures each truth in her grasp and nods at the end when Deldrach has said her peace.

When she notices that the jaglion has been crying, it's then that her own tears spill over, tracing wet patterns across the rise of her cheeks as her lips wobble into a lopsided smile. Her movements, slow and precise, bring her ever closer but not enough to overwhelm - just enough that she can lower her head, tentatively trying to get her to look up, look at her, look at Vandal to see the acceptance vivid in her eyes.

"You like me..." It's not so much a question as it is a revelation, but she knows there are more pressing matters to confirm; she plucks that truth from the heavens and holds it too. "I won't ask yourself to change for me, Del, I like you the way you are. You drew me in - you pulled me close without either of us knowing and now - now, here I am." Her voice crinkles with the softness, the breathlessness of her whispered proclamation in the low light. She tilts her head to the side. "Do you want to try this with me? Step by step? Del, no matter how long it takes, I can wait. I will wait."