God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Lost in his mind’s aimless wandering, Cain had almost forgotten that he wasn’t alone in the dark room. His awareness returned gradually, starting with the subtle warmth radiating from the figure lying beside him and building into a sudden, acute consciousness of Evangeline’s presence just inches away.

His heart began to beat faster as the reality of their situation shifted into something that made him much more physically awaren of the intimate position.

There was practically only an empty thought separating them both.

Cain swallowed a gulf of nothing quite heavily.

’These circumstances just keep getting more and more difficult to explain.’

They were both lying on the same bed, close enough that he could hear the soft rhythm of her breathing and catch the faint scent of lavender and... blood? that seemed to cling to her body.

The scent was sickly sweet and reminded him of a certain bloodsucking flower from all the way back.

The faint lighting in the room did nothing to hide the wonderful form of the decadence laid forth before him. The dreary musings of his heart, the weight that had been occupying his thoughts moments before suddenly felt less pressing when brought into contrast with the simple fact of her proximity.

The simple way the amber lamplight caught the curves of her profile as she stared up at the dark ceiling seemed to be calling out to him.

He shook his head and tried to calm the acceleration in his pulse by focusing on more pressing concerns. Despite his uncomfortable state, he still would rather respect the current dynamics between them.

They had already shared a kiss or two, and by now, even if his head was thicker than the coat of the {Anchor Sovereign Beast}, he could tell that there was some sort of chemistry between them, perhaps far greater than any he had ever felt.

Still, he knew very well the nature of the circumstances surrounding them— now was absolutely no the time to indulge in the flesh!

Still...

His tumultuous mental efforts proved largely unsuccessful, since each attempt to redirect his attention only seemed to heighten his awareness of the warmth and softness beside him even more.

With a groan of frustration, he gave up the pretense of philosophical contemplation and turned onto his side, positioning himself to face her directly.

She was already looking at him when he completed the movement, her Ruby red eyes holding an expression of calm attention that suggested she’d been watching him work through whatever internal struggles had been occupying his mind.

That straightforward gaze of hers made him wonder how long she’d been observing his shifting expressions and whether his emotional state was as transparent as it suddenly felt.

"You looked like you were having quite an intense internal conversation again over there," she said softly, her voice carrying that familiar note of subtle amusement mixed with genuine curiosity.

"Something like that," he replied, finding himself suddenly uncertain how to explain his current thoughts without being labeled a perpetrator

"Just trying to make sense of everything that’s happened recently." He eventually settled on h just playing it cool.

"And did you reach any useful conclusions?"

"A few. Though I’m not sure how comforting they are." He shifted position slightly, the movement bringing him fractionally closer to her on the shared bedding. "Mostly just acknowledging that I’m probably not as different from Anathe as I’d like to believe."

"I see... Self-awareness can be uncomfortable, but it is a bit more useful than the alternative."

"True. Though I suspect there are aspects of this situation I’m still not seeing clearly."

"Such as?"

Before he could formulate a response to that question, she spoke again, her tone shifting to something more direct and personal than their previous exchange.

"Tell me more about yourself, Cain."

The request caught him off guard, partly because of its randomness and partly because of the intensity behind it. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged, the movement causing a subtle shift in the way the lamplight played across her features. "I simply want to know you better. You’re someone I find both remarkably simple and incredibly difficult to understand at the same time."

"I think you’re more of an enigma than I am," he replied, though the response felt automatic rather than considered. "I never know what you’re thinking or what you’re planning to do next."

"That’s hardly unique to our relationship," she said with a soft laugh. "In the end, we truly just might be two complex souls bound together for eternity. Two sides of the same coin, forever coexisting but unable to see eye to eye. A sword and its shadow..."

Cain sighed and shook his head

"You really are an interesting girl. I’ll give you that."

Interesting was just scratching the surface.

Her eyes that seemed to contain boundless depth were also cold like two balls of frigid Hell.

He could sense that beneath her supple skin was a litany of compact muscle that could move her body from zero to a thousand in a split second should she please.

He had watched her destroy a beast, using the shadows to tear it apart as it boiled in its own flames...

She was a scary, scary girl.

But she was also elusive and mysterious, making him yearn to know more about the alluring enigma herself.

He was constantly conflicted.

"Is that all you find interesting about me?" She said softly.

Cain felt the room suddenly became hotter than usual. He cleared his throat, trying not to focus on the crevices of her naps that traced down all the way to her—

"Among other things," he said finally, his voice lower than it had been moments before.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to thicken around them, charged with solemn tension that was irrevocably damning in nature.

And much to his despair, Cain found himself totally willing to fall right into the pits of such damnation.

’Tis’ the downfall of every man.’ he almost seemed to hear those words reverberating in his very soul.

Silence...

’Fuck it.’

Cain decided to jump the gun. He began to lean toward her, closing the small distance that remained between them. She didn’t pull away or show any sign of resistance.

Their lips met in a kiss.

The kiss deepened as her arms moved to pull him closer. In an instant, Cain felt himself enveloped in warmth that felt as inviting as it was frigid.