[video]

[blastiafreak]

Let's get one thing straight: I'm forgetting these curses ever happened, got it? You all should do the same!

[What Rita has failed to notice--but what's pretty obvious to anyone who looks thanks to the green tank top she's wearing--are two or three small fading bruises on the sides of her neck. The genius mage still has some hickeys as a souvenir.]

Comments

[not here]

[stargathering]

[ ...Unless Rita contacts him.

Why would she not cover her neck? Tyr almost buries his face in his hands. A better question might be why he was stupid enough to leave hickeys in the first place... ]

[text]

[blastiafreak]

[And against her better judgement, she is going to contact him. It's not until much, much later, but she wants to be absolutely sure he gets the message.]

Forget everything.

[text]

[stargathering]

[ Yeah, he got that, Rita. All her has to say is: ]

OK. Wear a scarf.

[text]

[blastiafreak]

[It's a good thing this isn't video so he can't see her blush, or even hear her squeaky voice.]

Estelle got rid of them.

[Then, after a while-]

Did you have to leave marks?

[text]

[stargathering]

You seemed to li [ ERASED SO QUICKLY. His own face is red, but he responds to the first part of her message. ]

Good. I hope most people didn't notice before that.




And no.

[text]

[blastiafreak]

...I think it's a little late for that.

[Rita isn't sure what answer she was hoping for, but that one frustrates her. And flusters her.]

Then why did you?

[text]

[stargathering]

[ ...He won't even answer that for a few moments. ] Did you explain to anyone?

[ On Tyr's end, he bites his lower lip as he thinks of how to answer that. It was just because she liked it... And of course he didn't at all. Nope. ]

It was a curse. The answer is more obvious than you think.

[text]

[blastiafreak]

Of course not. What about you?

[She's still unsatisfied with the answer--probably because she's just frustrated at the situation in general and not at all because she remembers liking it. She fumes for a while, feeling so hideously awkward about this.]

I know it was a curse. There's no other reason.

Re: [text]

[stargathering]

There was no need. [ He hasn't spoken to Katara since...

Tyr will that that at face value. ] That's right. It was all a curse with cursed emotions. [ He thinks. Hopes. ]

[text]

[blastiafreak]

Good. There was nothing else to it. We weren't ourselves.

[Rita doesn't even want to think any further than complete denial, so she keeps her messages curt.

After another short while:]

Heal the scratches. Or keep them covered.

[text]

[stargathering]

That's right.

[ He can't believe she said that. He blushes anew, remembering how the marks looked when he washed himself. She's one of the few people in months to see his bare chest, but she doesn't need to know that. ]

You don't need to tell me. I'd keep myself covered with or without your orders.

[text]

[blastiafreak]

Yeah.

[The flush on her face hasn't gone away since this conversation started--or even since she realized he left marks for people to see.]

I just wanted to make that clear.

[text]

[stargathering]

I got it. [ He can't believe he left marks on her. He can't believe himself. At least they're gone, though. ] Take care, Rita. Remember that none of that happened.

[text]

[blastiafreak]

[Rita can't believe this whole thing. She almost finds herself wondering if he left any bite marks on her, too--Did Estelle see those?!]

I'm already forgetting. [Total lie.] Just make sure you do, too.

[text]

[stargathering]

[ He doesn't think he left any bite marks. He can't look now, though. ]

I have already, too. Good night.

[text]

[blastiafreak]

[And Rita's sure not about to ask him to check.]

Right. Later.

[She feels like she should say something else. Or maybe she should just stop. She can't decide, and it's frustrating.]