I come here in the hopes of a pleasant reunion with you before I'm sent out to a mission once more, and you immediately shove an experimental serum at me.
[he is laying it on thick.]
I feel the love.
[he is laying it on very thick.
silverash crosses one leg over the other, having made himself comfortable by using gnosis' bed as his personal armchair... just without the arms required for him to show just how much he owns this space, while still seeming effortlessly relaxed. but he's sure the sentiment is there, with his tail sprawled all over the bedding and surely shedding little hairs here and there for gnosis to find later and collect, especially when he's planning on getting even more fur everywhere. well, if gnosis would even let him. it seems his former cto has only one thing in mind today, and it's something not aligned with the only thing that silverash has in mind.
what a shame that is, but given silverash's set of skills, he's sure he can negotiate.]
[ the love: the long, lean line of gnosis' back as he perches over the sheathe of documents beneath the splay of his hand. his pen continues unabated to silverash's barely-veiled complaints, the lamplight doing not much else but to illuminate the single point of gnosis' focus. the trouble with having a cat, he thinks to himself, is that you have a cat. they meander, they don't come when they're called, they show up when they're not wanted, and they shed.
gnosis knows that silverash knows that gnosis is going to have a deeply unimpressed time at discovering snow leopard hairs in everything he owns for the next two weeks, but that's a thought barely worth parsing. it is silverash. it is gnosis. this is the way between them, and it's also why gnosis keeps a lint roller in the second drawer to the left. ]
Take one ampule of the serum now, and the second one in twelve hours. [ gnosis says, his pen continuing its persistent scratching across the page. he is immersed in result calculations and methodology refinement, the reporting of which he finds useful as a post-lab debrief. he doesn't even bother to look up. ] Use the 14-gauge needle. Then, take seven milligrams of the nifurbendazole, and lie down. I trust that you still remember your basic medical training?
[of course silverash remembers. such an important piece of knowledge to have-- only fools would purge such a thing from their minds. but why bother telling gnosis something that he already knows?
he wonders, what would gnosis do if he were to get up and rub his chin on the liberi's head to scent mark him? only one way to find out. but first, he does as gnosis asks, because there was never any doubt that the feline would. just as gnosis would do anything he asked, so would silverash, because that's just how they are. it has always been both of them against the world-- the "world" back in the day being kjerag. silverash makes no indication that he cares about the prick when he slides the needle into his upper arm. it might be on the large side, but the scars on the snow leopard's skin are evidence that he can take much, much more than that.
he sets the small kit on the bedside table when he's done and stands, moving to lean his broad chest against gnosis' back and rub not just his chin but also his cheek in the man's hair. feels a little dry-- has he been bathing properly?]
Are you not coming to bed? [an implication that he has no intention of lying down until gnosis comes with him.] How am I to enjoy my time here without you?
[ the liberi inclination to groom and be groomed is an outdated instinct tracing back to biological imperatives that worked for a climate and culture that the current world order no longer relies on. gnosis knows, however, the cavernous workings of his own mind better than anyone; you could not control yourself if you did not understand yourself.
silverash slides his chin and cheek across gnosis' hair, and gnosis allows his eyes to half-lid as the endorphins begin their slow wake-up call. he thinks, it will take weeks to wash off the pheromones so that every passing feline no longer scents him. this is not, however, a problem so much as it's a mere footnote. it is, after all, the way things are. ]
Are you not able to follow simple instructions? [ but the clinical, absent-minded rebuttal is just that - another performative throwaway that exists between gnosis and silverash. his right hand reaches up to card the side contour of silverash's face, a brief wordless admonishment, before it drops back down onto his papers. his left hand continues to write. ] And don't give me such drivel. You stopped by the Victorian bunkers on the way here. They will be impossible to speak to in the coming weeks.
[ a different kind of enjoyment, though whether from their inherent wariness of silverash or because he's managed to win three of them over in a truly obnoxious way remains to be seen. it is, however, none of gnosis' concern. ]
[gnosis' caress of his cheek is far too short, and it causes silverash's mind to work that much harder to come up with yet another plan to make the liberi abandon his work and come to bed.
he begins to thread his fingers through dark hair, only just barely brushing feathers, but he does pause at the beads and feathers that all members of the clan wear.]
When has that ever stopped you from performing as you always have? [anyone close to silverash has had to learn to deal with him and his eccentricities. as a rich, highborn man, raised the way he was and schooled the way he was, and a feline, there are a lot. part of that is gracing others with his presence and watching how they deal.
besides, networking is an important part of running a business.]
Has Gnosis Edelweiss finally lost his wall of ice and become vulnerable to the words of others?
[ greedy cat, covetous towards ruin. gnosis ought not spoil him. but the night is quiet, the research had born fruit, and silverash's hands are warm through the dry, brittle strands of his hair - gnosis allows it. there's a little noise of derision there as he continues his report. ]
Now that you have spoken such an absurd premise aloud, does it seem any less farcical? You seem to enjoy the sound of your own voice tonight. [ if there was ever such a thing as rolling your eyes without moving them, gnosis would be embodying it right around now. ] I have been assigned to the mission in Victoria; I wish to communicate with those Operators as little as needed. They now have questions, and it will be your fault. What do you have to say for yourself for setting up such a waste of my time, Enciodes?
[as he pretends to think, silverash leans most of his body weight against gnosis, tail creeping into the liberi's lap. ah... it's warm, for a man with such a chilly disposition. it's a comfort, especially when he thinks the effects of the serum are beginning to kick in. if gnosis meant for it to give him some vertigo... well, it worked.]
If you were to keep me company in bed, I shall shield you from prying questions. [he tucks his fingers behind one of gnosis' ears, brushing over the tender skin.] I am, after quite valuable to any squad-- I only need ask and I'll be added immediately.
[ the crucible of silverash's self control, gnosis thinks, is a manmade contraption that he would like to take apart someday, pry open the steel jaws of its machinery so that he may examine the ruthless workings of its churning gears within. he feels, rather than sees, the press of silverash's chest against his back, broad and warm and terribly annoying in jts unsolicited weight, and would have sought to move it had it not been the faintest flicker of an errant pulse.
gnosis' pen pauses for the first time tonight. he turns his head, deliberately allowing his lips to skim along the pulse point of silverash's neck. indulgent, exploratory. ]
Is that the only symptom so far?
[ he doesn't need to name it. after all, silverash has never failed to follow along. ]
Yes. [he doesn't even attempt to lie, or hide it. why should he? that would be a true offense to gnosis' perception.
especially when the room feels like it's swimming, even if his vision still holds steady, for now. his head feels like a half-filled water balloon specially made for higashi's summer festivals, that wobble and bobble with every movement. he tilts his head into gnosis' questing hand and the water rushes to the lower side, turning him dizzy.
if this is just the first symptom, whatever the liberi has managed to cook up will not be pleasant. on the other hand, if he's put out of commission with just this, a bruising to his pride notwithstanding, silverash might just be able to sleep through everything else.
silverash takes a deep breath to steady himself, then leans over to nibble at one of gnosis' fingers.]
Won't you come to bed and nurse me back to health?
[ both of them are aware of the stakes. a night mission, kazdel in flames. an aslan ascending. that silverash is involved at all bears political considerations. but before that - silverash's life in gnosis' hands. silverash takes a deep breath, and gnosis feels the air drawn as if from his own lungs into the broad caverns of silverash's chest. he listens for a moment, noting its depth, then lets his fingers flicker at silverash's offending mouth.
still, if it's beginning, then he ought to take a closer look. ]
If only you cared for your health as much as your mouth claims you do. [ he says. he takes off his glasses. the thin, red rims rest on the last segment of his unfinished report, similarly abandoned as he takes silverash's hand into his own. he pushes him into bed, then slides off the white of his labcoat, leaving behind the black of his inner, embroided vest. ]
[silverash allows himself to be led, half because this is a rare treat from gnosis, and half because his vision is swimming, making putting one foot in front of the other difficult. closing his eyes, he's just going by feeling now, from the hand around his own, and the directions he's being given.
in bed, he still doesn't attempt to open his eyes, but he does blindly tug his tail into his arms, fingers sinking into the plush coat.]
Will you tell me now, what this serum was meant to do? [and why a robust feline like silverash was needed to test it.
well, it's perhaps because silverash is quite robust, and resistant to many illnesses.]
Surely you're not planning on making people ill. Whoever managed to anger you that much?
Whoever would dare but you? [ and the unsaid: who else would gnosis allow? he is ice beneath snow beneath ice, the worst parts of kjerag distilled down into cold and fathomless frost. gnosis wouldn't burn if held to the torch. but those years ago, he had grown up side by side with a cat that had a mind as sharp as a scalpel and hands as warm as a hearth. he had made a decision, back then, and the edelweiss did not go back on their word.
tonight, he slips onto the bed, his knees carefully straddling silverash in such a way that he does not disturb the long curl of his tail. ]
The Sanguinarch, or so he is called, utilises his Arts to disrupt blood cell membranes, causing them to erupt and feeding him with ever-growing amount of ammunition. [ this, he explains, with uncharacteristic patience. his medical penlight is at hand as he tilts silverash's head back, carefully pulling up the lids of his eyes one at a time. the pupil dilations are there, as expected. his cool touch ghosts the side of silverash's neck, measuring his pulse. ] It's a troublesome ability. The serum counteracts that by tempering your body to it in two, incremental doses, limiting his effects to outside of the body.
[ satisfied, his penlight is set by the bedside table. ]
The serum has been tested; the results are within an acceptable range of side-effects versus protection. However, as you know, the way biological-based serums interact different depending on race. [ gnosis observes silverash from his perch, like something about his experimental condition could fascinate him. ] The serum has yet to be tested on a feline. I selected you.
[with the soft click in the air making one ear twitch, and the way gnosis moves him, silverash can tell that his face is being examined. but he can't quite see, he only sees a light-coloured blur pass over his vision and then all he can see are blurs of grey once more.
does that keep him from attempting to grab at gnosis? of course not. he reaches out with one hand first until his palm finds a liberi's wide but delicate chest, and rubs a circle on it.]
I should feel honoured. There are no other Felines as robust as me, are there?
[only two or three could give silverash a run for his money in certain situations, but this particular feline is secure in his ability to fit into any squad for just about any role.
and neither of those people would trust gnosis at all.]
If anyone else were in my place, they might have expired by now... Ah, at least I can still feel you. [even if his hand feels as if it were full of fur, the sensations muted as if someone were touching his tail rather than his bare skin.]
[ obedient and indulgent, gnosis thinks. silverash is in a mood tonight. gnosis is too, but for different reasons. it begs for a reward. he strips himself of his vest as he hums, dropping it by the side of the bed so that silverash's fingers find purchase against the thin layer of his dress-shirt beneath, warmed by his bodyheat.
then, he catches those fingers so he can examine them. ]
Loss of sensation is a common, temporary side-effect. [ and because he can, he raises silverash's hand so that it rests on the side of his neck. gnosis runs cool; silverash's hand is like that of a miniature sunburst. kjerag, a land locked in ice and frigid blizzard, had produced a sunlit monster beyond parallel. ] Are you able to feel my pulse?
[even without concentrating, he can feel the pulse under the skin of gnosis' neck, but when he closes his eyes... he thinks he can more than just feel it. in the relative quiet of the room, he can hear it, a steady beat underneath the sound of their breaths and the shifting of fabric.
hearing the pitter-patter of the liberi's heartbeat is nothing new to silverash, when his hearing is sharp, and they spend not an insignificant amount of time together. but there's something about it this time around that's particularly interesting to silverash. is it because gnosis pointed it out to him? is that why it feels more real than the guiding hand on his?]
I can feel it, more stark than your hand on mine.
[silverash sits up, making his head swim, but ever-opportunistic, he uses the dizziness to lean into gnosis, finding his neck as accurately as a houndbeast that's managed to dig up prey from a hole in the ground on its master's command. he snuffles and chuffs, and licks a stripe over gnosis' pulse with his rough tongue.]
[ the rough edge of silverash's tongue draws itself up the lean line of gnosis' neck. biological reactions are not beyond him; he shivers, his eyes narrowing as he considers the prognosis. an accelerated timeline, but that is to be expected. those of warmer blood react quicker to the serum; those of colder blood tend towards inertia, a longer timeline to inoculate.
he leans into the gesture with a sigh, cradling silverash's cheek with a flicker of a gesture, brushing back the flyaway silver strands of hair gathered there. ]
Operator Warfarin's sarkaz cells were utilised in the development of the serum. The first dose tempers your body; the second inoculates. The side-effects you feel in the first round are the only side-effects that are induced; you need to ride them out, as it were.
[ gnosis finger digs into the side of silverash's mouth. he feels for the pinprick of fangs there. ] You will want blood, and sex.
[blood and sex, gnosis says, and silverash freezes. if he administered this to other test subjects, what happened to them? who did they have sex with? did gnosis give them his own blood? share his own time?
silverash gives a great deep rumble against the liberi's neck, pushing his fingers away.]
Blood and sex, you say. [he presses his open mouth against the pulse, as if to eat it whole.] Who else sampled your blood?
[felines have a tendency to be possessive, after all.]
[gnosis is testing him, he knows that. he's poking and prodding to see what he'll do, just like any scientist would. silverash fists a hand into the liberi's clothing, one strong yank away from just ripping it off.]
I'd give them a... good questioning.
And then question you for choosing them.
[technically, he can ask gnosis questions right now. but he doesn't want to. he wants to remind the man who exactly he belongs to, and who is the only one who can have any part of him. silverash opens his mouth and bites into gnosis' unprotected neck without anything in warning.]
[ silverash's teeth sink in, and gnosis' hand fists in his hair on instinct. it's not the first time, nor the last time. felines have a tendency to bite when excited. silverash's excitement is a tempered thing, carefully molded into presentable slivers to an outside world dancing on the palm of his hand. to express himself how he wishes, to whom he wishes, is an entirely different matter. it means something.
gnosis closes his eyes. his breath shudders. the pain is made manageable by canines sharpened past the point of sanity - the secondary side effect of the serum has manifested, then, to his advantage. he lets silverash mouth his with something like indulgence. ]
Preposterous. [ he says, at last. it feels good in a way that pain shouldn't. the sarkaz truly are monsters. ] That you would think I would allow any of them to touch me; you truly have been away for too long. I had been looking forward to observing you myself.
[if silverash had been just huffing, now he growls. only the tiger ancestors could roar like an aslan amongst the felines, but silverash is certainly trying to give a good showing for the snow leopards.
his anger is just piqued with the way gnosis just brushes off his concerns and needs to ask him more questions about the experiment. he bites down harder, until blood starts trickling into his mouth even more, the scent invading his nose, and he starts lapping it up with his rough tongue, pressing against the skin to urge the blood to flow even more. he feels something almost akin to hunger and thirst at the same time, which is impossible, he'd just had dinner before coming here.
when he's had enough, silverash pulls away from the wounds his fangs made and nips just underneath gnosis' ear, panting hotly against the skin.]
Don't change the subject. [as if he hadn't gotten distracted with the blood now in his mouth.] Who did you administer this to, and who took care of them?
[ a feline's tongue is rough in nature. the hooks of his tongue scrapes against the pale, long line of gnosis' throat, scraping blood in lapped mouthfuls in a way that's entirely foreign. gnosis struggles with the potential of a mess. a feline's tongue ought to be able to clean the most of it, but his skin feels sticky in its aftermath, warm in a way that suggests burn rather than mere fever. bloodloss is an issue, but that concern is faraway in the back of his mind, a mere alarm to be triggered if needed than something actively needed to be monitored. it is silverash; he would not harm him.
however - gnosis' eyes roll. ]
The blood has addled your head, Enciodes. I believe I was clear: I would not have allowed any of them touch me. To that end, I recused myself from the hands-on documentation of side-effects. I had them paired with appropriate operators that could satisfy their needs. [ but the way he runs his hand through enciodes' hair is fond nonetheless. ] Have you known me to make such a mistake? Really. I couldn't accept less than you.
[gnosis will have to forgive silverash's possessiveness, when that's always been his personality. snow leopards might not be the most territorial of felines, and had been known to yield space to others, but silverash refuses to follow in their footsteps because those are deadly mistakes.]
Really now. [silverash's tail thumps up and down on the bed again and again-- the sign of an agitated feline. and given the massive length and weight of his tail, the sound and impact are not insubstantial.]
Never choose another test subject then, aside from me. [then he presses his face right into the liberi's, until they're almost nose to nose. perhaps the scent of blood smeared around his mouth is a little off-putting.] Better yet, only have experiments with me.
[ it's not the first time silverash reeks of blood. it won't be the last time either. blood is a primordial element of the body. it's gnosis' blood that stains silverash's lips. his neck aches in a way that's entirely unfamiliar; it does not, in fact, feel terrible, but gnosis suspects that it's the influence of sarkaz cells. anti-coagulating substances, pleasure-inducing pheromones. silverash would've been deadly without either of those; with, he is devastating.
gnosis raises a brow. ]
No, Enciodes. [ he says, because he is fearless, and he has never feared silverash. there will never been a time wherein he will start. ] You are a poor subject for the majority of the experiments I choose. I would have you dissected on a table, and it still will not provide value. It seems that the serum corrodes self-control.
[ the half-moon of gnosis' eyes narrow into something like a smile. he kisses those bloody lips. ] How rare. You're never as vocal as this. This is an unexpected boon.
Gnosis... [if silverash were more in control of his faculties, he'd immediately understand that gnosis is just being gnosis. as it is... he considers every little comment that isn't effusive praise to be intentional provocation, and oh, does he allow himself to be provoked.
he growls under his breath, meeting gnosis' mouth and refusing to be parted from it for long. when the liberi breaks away from their first peck, silverash chases it relentlessly with forceful gestures, with an outstretched tongue, pushing at gnosis' chest and shoulders.
if he manages to get the man on his back? so much the better.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[he is laying it on thick.]
I feel the love.
[he is laying it on very thick.
silverash crosses one leg over the other, having made himself comfortable by using gnosis' bed as his personal armchair... just without the arms required for him to show just how much he owns this space, while still seeming effortlessly relaxed. but he's sure the sentiment is there, with his tail sprawled all over the bedding and surely shedding little hairs here and there for gnosis to find later and collect, especially when he's planning on getting even more fur everywhere. well, if gnosis would even let him. it seems his former cto has only one thing in mind today, and it's something not aligned with the only thing that silverash has in mind.
what a shame that is, but given silverash's set of skills, he's sure he can negotiate.]
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gnosis knows that silverash knows that gnosis is going to have a deeply unimpressed time at discovering snow leopard hairs in everything he owns for the next two weeks, but that's a thought barely worth parsing. it is silverash. it is gnosis. this is the way between them, and it's also why gnosis keeps a lint roller in the second drawer to the left. ]
Take one ampule of the serum now, and the second one in twelve hours. [ gnosis says, his pen continuing its persistent scratching across the page. he is immersed in result calculations and methodology refinement, the reporting of which he finds useful as a post-lab debrief. he doesn't even bother to look up. ] Use the 14-gauge needle. Then, take seven milligrams of the nifurbendazole, and lie down. I trust that you still remember your basic medical training?
no subject
he wonders, what would gnosis do if he were to get up and rub his chin on the liberi's head to scent mark him? only one way to find out. but first, he does as gnosis asks, because there was never any doubt that the feline would. just as gnosis would do anything he asked, so would silverash, because that's just how they are. it has always been both of them against the world-- the "world" back in the day being kjerag. silverash makes no indication that he cares about the prick when he slides the needle into his upper arm. it might be on the large side, but the scars on the snow leopard's skin are evidence that he can take much, much more than that.
he sets the small kit on the bedside table when he's done and stands, moving to lean his broad chest against gnosis' back and rub not just his chin but also his cheek in the man's hair. feels a little dry-- has he been bathing properly?]
Are you not coming to bed? [an implication that he has no intention of lying down until gnosis comes with him.] How am I to enjoy my time here without you?
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silverash slides his chin and cheek across gnosis' hair, and gnosis allows his eyes to half-lid as the endorphins begin their slow wake-up call. he thinks, it will take weeks to wash off the pheromones so that every passing feline no longer scents him. this is not, however, a problem so much as it's a mere footnote. it is, after all, the way things are. ]
Are you not able to follow simple instructions? [ but the clinical, absent-minded rebuttal is just that - another performative throwaway that exists between gnosis and silverash. his right hand reaches up to card the side contour of silverash's face, a brief wordless admonishment, before it drops back down onto his papers. his left hand continues to write. ] And don't give me such drivel. You stopped by the Victorian bunkers on the way here. They will be impossible to speak to in the coming weeks.
[ a different kind of enjoyment, though whether from their inherent wariness of silverash or because he's managed to win three of them over in a truly obnoxious way remains to be seen. it is, however, none of gnosis' concern. ]
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he begins to thread his fingers through dark hair, only just barely brushing feathers, but he does pause at the beads and feathers that all members of the clan wear.]
When has that ever stopped you from performing as you always have? [anyone close to silverash has had to learn to deal with him and his eccentricities. as a rich, highborn man, raised the way he was and schooled the way he was, and a feline, there are a lot. part of that is gracing others with his presence and watching how they deal.
besides, networking is an important part of running a business.]
Has Gnosis Edelweiss finally lost his wall of ice and become vulnerable to the words of others?
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Now that you have spoken such an absurd premise aloud, does it seem any less farcical? You seem to enjoy the sound of your own voice tonight. [ if there was ever such a thing as rolling your eyes without moving them, gnosis would be embodying it right around now. ] I have been assigned to the mission in Victoria; I wish to communicate with those Operators as little as needed. They now have questions, and it will be your fault. What do you have to say for yourself for setting up such a waste of my time, Enciodes?
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[as he pretends to think, silverash leans most of his body weight against gnosis, tail creeping into the liberi's lap. ah... it's warm, for a man with such a chilly disposition. it's a comfort, especially when he thinks the effects of the serum are beginning to kick in. if gnosis meant for it to give him some vertigo... well, it worked.]
If you were to keep me company in bed, I shall shield you from prying questions. [he tucks his fingers behind one of gnosis' ears, brushing over the tender skin.] I am, after quite valuable to any squad-- I only need ask and I'll be added immediately.
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gnosis' pen pauses for the first time tonight. he turns his head, deliberately allowing his lips to skim along the pulse point of silverash's neck. indulgent, exploratory. ]
Is that the only symptom so far?
[ he doesn't need to name it. after all, silverash has never failed to follow along. ]
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especially when the room feels like it's swimming, even if his vision still holds steady, for now. his head feels like a half-filled water balloon specially made for higashi's summer festivals, that wobble and bobble with every movement. he tilts his head into gnosis' questing hand and the water rushes to the lower side, turning him dizzy.
if this is just the first symptom, whatever the liberi has managed to cook up will not be pleasant. on the other hand, if he's put out of commission with just this, a bruising to his pride notwithstanding, silverash might just be able to sleep through everything else.
silverash takes a deep breath to steady himself, then leans over to nibble at one of gnosis' fingers.]
Won't you come to bed and nurse me back to health?
no subject
still, if it's beginning, then he ought to take a closer look. ]
If only you cared for your health as much as your mouth claims you do. [ he says. he takes off his glasses. the thin, red rims rest on the last segment of his unfinished report, similarly abandoned as he takes silverash's hand into his own. he pushes him into bed, then slides off the white of his labcoat, leaving behind the black of his inner, embroided vest. ]
Lie down.
no subject
in bed, he still doesn't attempt to open his eyes, but he does blindly tug his tail into his arms, fingers sinking into the plush coat.]
Will you tell me now, what this serum was meant to do? [and why a robust feline like silverash was needed to test it.
well, it's perhaps because silverash is quite robust, and resistant to many illnesses.]
Surely you're not planning on making people ill. Whoever managed to anger you that much?
no subject
tonight, he slips onto the bed, his knees carefully straddling silverash in such a way that he does not disturb the long curl of his tail. ]
The Sanguinarch, or so he is called, utilises his Arts to disrupt blood cell membranes, causing them to erupt and feeding him with ever-growing amount of ammunition. [ this, he explains, with uncharacteristic patience. his medical penlight is at hand as he tilts silverash's head back, carefully pulling up the lids of his eyes one at a time. the pupil dilations are there, as expected. his cool touch ghosts the side of silverash's neck, measuring his pulse. ] It's a troublesome ability. The serum counteracts that by tempering your body to it in two, incremental doses, limiting his effects to outside of the body.
[ satisfied, his penlight is set by the bedside table. ]
The serum has been tested; the results are within an acceptable range of side-effects versus protection. However, as you know, the way biological-based serums interact different depending on race. [ gnosis observes silverash from his perch, like something about his experimental condition could fascinate him. ] The serum has yet to be tested on a feline. I selected you.
no subject
does that keep him from attempting to grab at gnosis? of course not. he reaches out with one hand first until his palm finds a liberi's wide but delicate chest, and rubs a circle on it.]
I should feel honoured. There are no other Felines as robust as me, are there?
[only two or three could give silverash a run for his money in certain situations, but this particular feline is secure in his ability to fit into any squad for just about any role.
and neither of those people would trust gnosis at all.]
If anyone else were in my place, they might have expired by now... Ah, at least I can still feel you. [even if his hand feels as if it were full of fur, the sensations muted as if someone were touching his tail rather than his bare skin.]
no subject
then, he catches those fingers so he can examine them. ]
Loss of sensation is a common, temporary side-effect. [ and because he can, he raises silverash's hand so that it rests on the side of his neck. gnosis runs cool; silverash's hand is like that of a miniature sunburst. kjerag, a land locked in ice and frigid blizzard, had produced a sunlit monster beyond parallel. ] Are you able to feel my pulse?
no subject
[even without concentrating, he can feel the pulse under the skin of gnosis' neck, but when he closes his eyes... he thinks he can more than just feel it. in the relative quiet of the room, he can hear it, a steady beat underneath the sound of their breaths and the shifting of fabric.
hearing the pitter-patter of the liberi's heartbeat is nothing new to silverash, when his hearing is sharp, and they spend not an insignificant amount of time together. but there's something about it this time around that's particularly interesting to silverash. is it because gnosis pointed it out to him? is that why it feels more real than the guiding hand on his?]
I can feel it, more stark than your hand on mine.
[silverash sits up, making his head swim, but ever-opportunistic, he uses the dizziness to lean into gnosis, finding his neck as accurately as a houndbeast that's managed to dig up prey from a hole in the ground on its master's command. he snuffles and chuffs, and licks a stripe over gnosis' pulse with his rough tongue.]
no subject
he leans into the gesture with a sigh, cradling silverash's cheek with a flicker of a gesture, brushing back the flyaway silver strands of hair gathered there. ]
Operator Warfarin's sarkaz cells were utilised in the development of the serum. The first dose tempers your body; the second inoculates. The side-effects you feel in the first round are the only side-effects that are induced; you need to ride them out, as it were.
[ gnosis finger digs into the side of silverash's mouth. he feels for the pinprick of fangs there. ] You will want blood, and sex.
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silverash gives a great deep rumble against the liberi's neck, pushing his fingers away.]
Blood and sex, you say. [he presses his open mouth against the pulse, as if to eat it whole.] Who else sampled your blood?
[felines have a tendency to be possessive, after all.]
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his hand, rebuffed, carves instead through silverash's hair. perhaps the liberi's tendency towards grooming was not lost in him after all. ]
If I were to name such a person, what would you do to them, Enciodes?
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I'd give them a... good questioning.
And then question you for choosing them.
[technically, he can ask gnosis questions right now. but he doesn't want to. he wants to remind the man who exactly he belongs to, and who is the only one who can have any part of him. silverash opens his mouth and bites into gnosis' unprotected neck without anything in warning.]
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gnosis closes his eyes. his breath shudders. the pain is made manageable by canines sharpened past the point of sanity - the secondary side effect of the serum has manifested, then, to his advantage. he lets silverash mouth his with something like indulgence. ]
Preposterous. [ he says, at last. it feels good in a way that pain shouldn't. the sarkaz truly are monsters. ] That you would think I would allow any of them to touch me; you truly have been away for too long. I had been looking forward to observing you myself.
Can you drink it?
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his anger is just piqued with the way gnosis just brushes off his concerns and needs to ask him more questions about the experiment. he bites down harder, until blood starts trickling into his mouth even more, the scent invading his nose, and he starts lapping it up with his rough tongue, pressing against the skin to urge the blood to flow even more. he feels something almost akin to hunger and thirst at the same time, which is impossible, he'd just had dinner before coming here.
when he's had enough, silverash pulls away from the wounds his fangs made and nips just underneath gnosis' ear, panting hotly against the skin.]
Don't change the subject. [as if he hadn't gotten distracted with the blood now in his mouth.] Who did you administer this to, and who took care of them?
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however - gnosis' eyes roll. ]
The blood has addled your head, Enciodes. I believe I was clear: I would not have allowed any of them touch me. To that end, I recused myself from the hands-on documentation of side-effects. I had them paired with appropriate operators that could satisfy their needs. [ but the way he runs his hand through enciodes' hair is fond nonetheless. ] Have you known me to make such a mistake? Really. I couldn't accept less than you.
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Really now. [silverash's tail thumps up and down on the bed again and again-- the sign of an agitated feline. and given the massive length and weight of his tail, the sound and impact are not insubstantial.]
Never choose another test subject then, aside from me. [then he presses his face right into the liberi's, until they're almost nose to nose. perhaps the scent of blood smeared around his mouth is a little off-putting.] Better yet, only have experiments with me.
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gnosis raises a brow. ]
No, Enciodes. [ he says, because he is fearless, and he has never feared silverash. there will never been a time wherein he will start. ] You are a poor subject for the majority of the experiments I choose. I would have you dissected on a table, and it still will not provide value. It seems that the serum corrodes self-control.
[ the half-moon of gnosis' eyes narrow into something like a smile. he kisses those bloody lips. ] How rare. You're never as vocal as this. This is an unexpected boon.
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he growls under his breath, meeting gnosis' mouth and refusing to be parted from it for long. when the liberi breaks away from their first peck, silverash chases it relentlessly with forceful gestures, with an outstretched tongue, pushing at gnosis' chest and shoulders.
if he manages to get the man on his back? so much the better.]
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