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[outstandingbalance]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, 10000SPIDERS. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 *** 10000SPIDERS has joined 008.01.989.15 <10000SPIDERS> This is a placeholder.

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[outstandingbalance]

[She hadn't wanted to offer or bring it up directly after killing him, but she does relax some as she reads the message.]

I could come by, if you want. Not doing anything more important.

[crowedthedead]

[Being alone after is the worst. It took him a bit to get home, but he managed, and he's not sure he wants to see anyone else right now. He needs a little bit before he can lie convincingly.]

i'd like that

i'm at home, roommate's out

[outstandingbalance]

I'll be over in twenty minutes.

[crowedthedead]

i'll order a pizza or something

[outstandingbalance]

In that case, I'll bring the beer.

[Then she's out the door and on her way—pushing aside her anxiety about seeing him again after murdering him and moving quickly. It's easy not hurry when she thinks about Soeki waiting on his own.]

[crowedthedead]

[By the time she gets there, he has indeed had pizza delivered, and he looks... okay. Tired, with dark circles under his eyes, but that isn't so unusual. His winter weight is pretty much gone, leaving him a little leaner. He's wearing soft pants and an oversized hoodie, and he opens the door with a tired, but genuine smile.

He means what he said, or what he thought, he can't remember if he ever got it out - he doesn't want hard feelings over this.] Hey, come on in. I got pepperoni.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha squeezes in through the door, her legs bunched close to her body to allow it. She pulls a bottle of beer out of a paper bag and offers it to him. He looks like he could use it.]

Sounds perfect.

[crowedthedead]

[He moves aside to let her in; in the living room, he's already shoved the couch back against the wall to clear some more floor space. And he will very gratefully take that beer, tipping it at Natasha with a smile and a,] You're the best.

[He pops the top off with his teeth and takes a drink.] To get the elephant in the room out of the way, I'm not like, traumatized or upset or anything. Well I mean I am traumatized, but not specifically from that. I was fucked up years ago. [He waves a dismissive hand, going to open the pizza box.]

I just don't want things to get weird, I guess?

[outstandingbalance]

Nothing's going to get weird. At least... [She shrug a little, because now isn't the time to lie to herself or to him.] No weirder than it already is.

It's not like this is normal.

[She pops the cap on another bottle of beer with one claw They're useful for that.]

But we've done okay so far?

[crowedthedead]

My family business back home is exorcist for hire, nothing is "normal" in my life. [He takes a slice of pizza and flops down on the floor, cross-legged, beer in one hand and slice in the other.]

We have done okay so far. That's- what I wanna keep the same. So yeah. No weird feelings about this. [He takes a bite.]

It was way better than drowning, honestly. I don't even remember it.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha drifts closer, threading her fingers through his hair and scratching his scalp lightly with her claws in a show of physical affection and reassurance; it came a little easier than saying the words aloud. She remembered Soeki had liked that before.

And maybe she craved the contact a little herself.]

Good. Don't think about it too hard.

[A pause, then she adds:]

How's your neck?

[crowedthedead]

[The reaction is pretty immediate, his shoulders drop, his eyes close, and he tilts his head to allow better access. The claws scraping through his hair, light on his scalp, it's pretty much exactly what he needed, and he's just glad that the whole killing thing hasn't taken physical contact off the table. He can't quite hold back the little sound of contentment.] Shit, that's good. Is it weird that I like to be petted, basically? It's weird. [He doesn't care.]

Definitely not thinking too hard about it. It's- weirdly okay? Like it feels like I slept wrong for a few nights but it's not a big deal.

[outstandingbalance]

It's not that weird. Most people like being touched, at least sometimes and some ways.

[She continues steadily, relaxing incrementally herself. It's no weirder than the fact she's glad he allows her to touch him, right?]

Too bad I'm not in the position to offer a back rub.

[crowedthedead]

Yeah. [He echoes back, breathing easier now. He wasn't... tense, before, per se, but any lingering tensions are leaving him, draining out.] You never know how much you've gotten used to being touched all the time until you're lacking. [Hey. Whatever works for them, he figures. If he likes it, and Natasha likes it, then who cares?]

Believe me, this is good. I'm good with this. [With all of it.]

So what's it like, being on the next level?

[outstandingbalance]

A lot harder to get cuddly when you look like this. [Natasha says wryly, offhand, putting off the answer to his question a few more seconds.]

Powerful, I suppose. I don't trust it.

And no one warned me that it'd be visible the first couple of days—I ended up staying in. Not something I wanted to advertise.

But... definitely stronger since it happened.

[crowedthedead]

[He laughs quietly and shakes his head once.] I could give it a shot anyway? I think I'm double-cuddly, enough for both of us.

[Soeki breathes out, just taking in the moment right now.] Good powerful, bad powerful? I mean I guess it probably isn't great considering. Tells you she's got some actual power, though.

I haven't seen much on this end. Not so much in the way of power, anyway, but like... a lot of people are really devoted to the Fourth.

[outstandingbalance]

I'm not sure yet. I don't trust it. Not my normal strategy—I'm not that kind of fight. We'll see how it plays out though.

[She smiles though, bringing the conversation back around.]

Does that make you a teddy bear?

[crowedthedead]

I guess that's all we can do. As long as you don't go all cult-leader on me.

[The comment about him makes him grin, though.] I've been called way worse things than a teddy bear, so. Sure.

[outstandingbalance]

Just as long as people aren't calling you them where I can here them. [It's more an affectionate joke than a statement of actual protectiveness. Soeki can take care of himself. Mostly. And most of the times Natasha has found it to be otherwise, he's brought them on himself—like his scuffle with Illya.

There is a real sentiment in there, though. She scratches his scalp again lightly, enough used to her claws by now that there's no danger of breaking his skin.]

Don't tell me people are picking on you?

[crowedthedead]

[He can take care of himself for the most part (at least where insults are concerned), but he does appreciate the sentiment, and smiles a little more warmly, leaning into her hand.]

Nobody here really. Which is weird? Honestly I kind of miss it. My sister used to call me demonfucker.

[outstandingbalance]

I can make fun of you more if you want. I'm not sure demonfucker is my style, but I could come up with something.

[He gets an arch smile with the offer.]

[crowedthedead]

Hey, I'll answer to whatever you wanna call me. I mean, I'm the one who didn't throw away the "office bitch" sign. [He loves that little thing. He doesn't always display it where the clients can see it but he loves it.]

Besides, Eira would probably like, launch herself at you like a tiny deadly cannon ball if you took her name for me.

[outstandingbalance]

You know, I'd almost like to see that.

[Meet Soeki's sister. Possibly wrestle. Sounds fun.]

[crowedthedead]

No you wouldn't. [He pulls his sleeve up a little bit, shows her the curving white of an old scar on his arm.] This is where she bit me so hard she had to take me to the ER. On the bus. Our dad was pissed. [He tells this story the way you'd tell someone about the time you broke your arm when you were 8 while climbing a really awesome tree.]

[outstandingbalance]

I'm a spider monster with KGB training, and you don't think I can handle a biter?

[She says it fondly, teasing him. And his sister, really.]