[ Jamil likes his sleep. Waking him in the middle of the night for anything less than an emergency? That way lies madness. Unfortunately, it doesn't make Kalim any less of a night owl, so concessions have to be made for the sake of everyone's sanity. ]
Okay, Carpet. Nice and gentle. Think zen.
[ Who knows how a carpet is supposed to understand the concept of zen, but it... actually doesn't do a terrible job of it? Liftoff isn't the usual frantic jolt directly into the night sky. Instead, they rise -- nice and smooth -- to drift off over the tree tops surrounding Pomefiore dorm. And the breeze is nice, for all Vil's insistence that it wouldn't help his head. ]
Where'd the headache come from? [ Because if anyone could pinpoint the cause (or at least find someone to blame) for a headache, it would be Vil. ] Too much wine? That always does me in.
[Despite being tired, Vil is still a little too put together to snort at the fact that Kalim only left a text message. He presses a hand flat against the flying carpet and rests the other on his lap, just a little wary as they rise and start slowly sailing over the trees. Even if he's been up this high for flight class and personal leisure, that's been with a broom under his full control.
So excuse him as he glances down at Carpet a few times before getting comfortable.]
Do you really want to know?
[Though he asks, it's immediately clear he intends to answer, sniffing with something akin to indignation. He hasn't been able to gripe to anyone, given the time of night.]
It's so idiotic. I was listening to playback of a script reading on my phone and my Magicam notifications were inexplicably on for some reason. My ears were still ringing ten minutes after I pulled out my headphones.
[It's really dumb. Technology is dumb.
And now he has a headache. And it's so persistent that he can't sleep.]
Nothing idiotic about that. It happens to the best of us.
[ And for whatever it's worth, Kalim is attempting to be more subdued for the sake of Vil's headache. No less chipper, of course; just quieter. Inside voice, as Jamil would say. ]
Ah! I've got just the thing. Here--
[ Kalim folds his legs to sit on his feet, then pats his lap with both hands. ]
Lay on your back and rest your head here. No funny stuff, I promise!
[It's very idiotic, Kalim. He sent a very angry ticket to Magicam support and texted his manager. He even dramatically fell on his chaise and everything like some stricken diva. Ugh. What a waste of what could have been a productive evening.
Vil looks blankly at Kalim when he seems to offer some sort of solution, watching him shift on the flying carpet. When he realizes what Kalim is doing, he lifts a hand to stifle an escaping laugh.]
You're offering yourself as a lap pillow?
[It's so...
Charming? Cute? Innocent? No, he hardly thinks Kalim is innocent, but this comes as much closer to that than if this had been offered by someone like Azul or Leona.]
I was thinking of lying down anyway, but--
[He looks skyward for a moment, to the moon and stars. Even if Kalim was the type to try snapping a candid shot, it would look pretty horrible in this lighting.
Oh, to hell with it. He's overthinking this, and that's not helping his headache at all. He shakes his head and carefully scoots over to Kalim. It's not like Carpet is particularly small, but it wouldn't take much maneuvering to have an arm or leg dangling off the edge.]
[ No, what's really idiotic? Being fully aware of exactly what ratio of the wine/hookah combination will make him feel like crap the next day, and proceeding to ingest (and surpass) it throughout every single party anyway. But if humans were meant to only make good choices, they wouldn't have been blessed with free will.
Kalim just grins -- all naive good nature -- while he holds his hands up to wiggle his fingers. ]
None! And I promise my hands are clean too.
[ Not only that, but they smell of amber and rose. Vil can catch a hint of it when Kalim presses his fingerpads to each of Vil's temples. They rest there a moment, allowing Vil the opportunity to either duck away or accustom himself to the touch, before they start to move in slow circles. ]
Jamil does this for me sometimes when my head is hurting. It helps a lot. But I'll do my best not to mess up your hair.
[These are your housewardens, Crowley. Sensible and patient and responsible and totally aware of their own vices, the whole lot of them.
Vil still combs a hand through his hair before he carefully, elegantly settles his head on Kalim's lap, feeling at once somewhat embarrassed and pampered by this entire situation. When Kalim's hands touch his temples, his own hands immediately start rising as if to stop him ... before realization dawns and he calms down a bit.]
...Just avoid tangling anything and it should be fine.
[He isn't unfamiliar with massages, but he tends to take care of his own body maintenance, so it's something of a revelation to have his temples massaged by someone else.]
I hope you don't make a habit of having headaches. I know you and your dorm party hard.
[It would be more difficult for anyone second year or above to not know about Scarabian parties.]
Hee hee~ Headaches pass, but great memories last a lifetime.
[ It's as sound a justification as any, thanks. ]
Besides, if you work hard, you should play hard. Don't you think?
[ And not at all hedonistic!
But Kalim is good with his hands. They don't dawdle for long at Vil's temples. They drift back slowly, circle by circle, sink carefully through Vil's hair, until he's pulled back far enough to cradle Vil's head in his hands instead. That's a much easier position to guide his head to one side, pillowed against one palm while Kalim works his way down the exposed side of Vil's neck, then glides firm fingertips back up to his head again. ]
Great memories last a lifetime only if you don't overindulge and forget it all in the process.
[Even if he is supposed to be relaxing, it doesn't take much to draw that chiding tone out of Vil. He lifts a hand to tap Kalim right in the middle of the forehead before letting both hands settle, folded, on his stomach.
After that, he lets Kalim attempt whatever it is he is trying to do with this massage. Maybe it's the breeze, maybe it's the calming scents that stick to Kalim's clothes and skin, or maybe it's the way those fingers move with obvious care and surprising patience, but Vil shivers and practically sinks into the flying carpet before long. Kalim must have been on the receiving end of a lot of massages to know how to apply pressure so gently and deliberately.
He sighs at the eventual question, more out of acknowledgment than any negative feeling. The fingers returning to his head from his neck help him recognize that his headache is diminishing.]
[ That means it's compliment exchange time, right? Empty flattery isn't Kalim's forte, though. He means every word with his entire heart, and he has irrefutable evidence! Given how his fingertips are scrubbing delicate circles over Vil's scalp, he'd have to be willfully ignoring the silky smoothness slipping through his grasp.
That's entirely what keeps him focused enough for gentleness, after all. It's too easy for Kalim to get carried away in a swell of excitement, and everything is so exciting! But Vil's hair centers Kalim every time he pushes his fingers through. There's no reason not to point it out. ]
Your skin too. You take such good care of yourself!
[ So stated, while he delicately repositions Vil's head to the opposite side, and then repeats the slow procession down to his neck. ]
[For all that he doesn't comment on it while in the presence of the other student leaders in the school, Vil appreciates the enthusiasm that Kalim brings to just about everything he does. Perhaps Kalim isn't as observant or magically capable as his peers, and he often needs to be directed to get that energy focused in a productive way, but he is by far the most personable of the leaders.
All of that to say that perhaps it isn't a bad thing that Kalim came all this way just to help him with a headache. Even if it wouldn't be ideal, he could see himself falling asleep with this treatment.]
Of course I do. Who do you think I am?
[The words lack the sternness they would have under normal circumstances, as Vil is quite relaxed at this point.]
You could do it too. With discipline.
[Probably not with the same level of success, but the thought is meant to be encouraging.]
[ At least one of those things is definitely true, if his hands are anything to go by. Vil can feel it every time Kalim's fingers ghost over some errant bit of exposed skin, soft and warm, gentle and unassuming. So, disciplined? Maybe not. But Kalim gives in such an undemanding way, and that counts for something in this school. Maybe nothing good, but certainly something.
Even now, having softly scrubbed his way over Vil's scalp in the most diligently thorough manner possible, still he gives. Jamil likes his hair played with, so it seems like a safe assumption that anyone with long hair would enjoy it. It's no great chore anyway, to comb his fingers through Vil's hair, slowly, root to end, over and over while he stares smiling at the night sky. Like Vil is a temporarily-docile housecat, and Kalim's simply grateful for the chance to pet him for a while (even if he comes away bleeding in the end). ]
Your makeup always looks perfect too! I don't know how you wing your eyeliner like that, I always make a mess. Jamil always smacks my hands like, "Stop, stop it, give me that, you don't know what you're doing!"
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[ Jamil likes his sleep. Waking him in the middle of the night for anything less than an emergency? That way lies madness. Unfortunately, it doesn't make Kalim any less of a night owl, so concessions have to be made for the sake of everyone's sanity. ]
Okay, Carpet. Nice and gentle. Think zen.
[ Who knows how a carpet is supposed to understand the concept of zen, but it... actually doesn't do a terrible job of it? Liftoff isn't the usual frantic jolt directly into the night sky. Instead, they rise -- nice and smooth -- to drift off over the tree tops surrounding Pomefiore dorm. And the breeze is nice, for all Vil's insistence that it wouldn't help his head. ]
Where'd the headache come from? [ Because if anyone could pinpoint the cause (or at least find someone to blame) for a headache, it would be Vil. ] Too much wine? That always does me in.
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So excuse him as he glances down at Carpet a few times before getting comfortable.]
Do you really want to know?
[Though he asks, it's immediately clear he intends to answer, sniffing with something akin to indignation. He hasn't been able to gripe to anyone, given the time of night.]
It's so idiotic. I was listening to playback of a script reading on my phone and my Magicam notifications were inexplicably on for some reason. My ears were still ringing ten minutes after I pulled out my headphones.
[It's really dumb. Technology is dumb.
And now he has a headache. And it's so persistent that he can't sleep.]
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[ And for whatever it's worth, Kalim is attempting to be more subdued for the sake of Vil's headache. No less chipper, of course; just quieter. Inside voice, as Jamil would say. ]
Ah! I've got just the thing. Here--
[ Kalim folds his legs to sit on his feet, then pats his lap with both hands. ]
Lay on your back and rest your head here. No funny stuff, I promise!
no subject
Vil looks blankly at Kalim when he seems to offer some sort of solution, watching him shift on the flying carpet. When he realizes what Kalim is doing, he lifts a hand to stifle an escaping laugh.]
You're offering yourself as a lap pillow?
[It's so...
Charming? Cute? Innocent? No, he hardly thinks Kalim is innocent, but this comes as much closer to that than if this had been offered by someone like Azul or Leona.]
I was thinking of lying down anyway, but--
[He looks skyward for a moment, to the moon and stars. Even if Kalim was the type to try snapping a candid shot, it would look pretty horrible in this lighting.
Oh, to hell with it. He's overthinking this, and that's not helping his headache at all. He shakes his head and carefully scoots over to Kalim. It's not like Carpet is particularly small, but it wouldn't take much maneuvering to have an arm or leg dangling off the edge.]
No funny stuff.
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Kalim just grins -- all naive good nature -- while he holds his hands up to wiggle his fingers. ]
None! And I promise my hands are clean too.
[ Not only that, but they smell of amber and rose. Vil can catch a hint of it when Kalim presses his fingerpads to each of Vil's temples. They rest there a moment, allowing Vil the opportunity to either duck away or accustom himself to the touch, before they start to move in slow circles. ]
Jamil does this for me sometimes when my head is hurting. It helps a lot. But I'll do my best not to mess up your hair.
no subject
Vil still combs a hand through his hair before he carefully, elegantly settles his head on Kalim's lap, feeling at once somewhat embarrassed and pampered by this entire situation. When Kalim's hands touch his temples, his own hands immediately start rising as if to stop him ... before realization dawns and he calms down a bit.]
...Just avoid tangling anything and it should be fine.
[He isn't unfamiliar with massages, but he tends to take care of his own body maintenance, so it's something of a revelation to have his temples massaged by someone else.]
I hope you don't make a habit of having headaches. I know you and your dorm party hard.
[It would be more difficult for anyone second year or above to not know about Scarabian parties.]
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[ It's as sound a justification as any, thanks. ]
Besides, if you work hard, you should play hard. Don't you think?
[ And not at all hedonistic!
But Kalim is good with his hands. They don't dawdle for long at Vil's temples. They drift back slowly, circle by circle, sink carefully through Vil's hair, until he's pulled back far enough to cradle Vil's head in his hands instead. That's a much easier position to guide his head to one side, pillowed against one palm while Kalim works his way down the exposed side of Vil's neck, then glides firm fingertips back up to his head again. ]
Is this okay?
no subject
[Even if he is supposed to be relaxing, it doesn't take much to draw that chiding tone out of Vil. He lifts a hand to tap Kalim right in the middle of the forehead before letting both hands settle, folded, on his stomach.
After that, he lets Kalim attempt whatever it is he is trying to do with this massage. Maybe it's the breeze, maybe it's the calming scents that stick to Kalim's clothes and skin, or maybe it's the way those fingers move with obvious care and surprising patience, but Vil shivers and practically sinks into the flying carpet before long. Kalim must have been on the receiving end of a lot of massages to know how to apply pressure so gently and deliberately.
He sighs at the eventual question, more out of acknowledgment than any negative feeling. The fingers returning to his head from his neck help him recognize that his headache is diminishing.]
You're rather good at this.
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[ That means it's compliment exchange time, right? Empty flattery isn't Kalim's forte, though. He means every word with his entire heart, and he has irrefutable evidence! Given how his fingertips are scrubbing delicate circles over Vil's scalp, he'd have to be willfully ignoring the silky smoothness slipping through his grasp.
That's entirely what keeps him focused enough for gentleness, after all. It's too easy for Kalim to get carried away in a swell of excitement, and everything is so exciting! But Vil's hair centers Kalim every time he pushes his fingers through. There's no reason not to point it out. ]
Your skin too. You take such good care of yourself!
[ So stated, while he delicately repositions Vil's head to the opposite side, and then repeats the slow procession down to his neck. ]
no subject
All of that to say that perhaps it isn't a bad thing that Kalim came all this way just to help him with a headache. Even if it wouldn't be ideal, he could see himself falling asleep with this treatment.]
Of course I do. Who do you think I am?
[The words lack the sternness they would have under normal circumstances, as Vil is quite relaxed at this point.]
You could do it too. With discipline.
[Probably not with the same level of success, but the thought is meant to be encouraging.]
no subject
[ At least one of those things is definitely true, if his hands are anything to go by. Vil can feel it every time Kalim's fingers ghost over some errant bit of exposed skin, soft and warm, gentle and unassuming. So, disciplined? Maybe not. But Kalim gives in such an undemanding way, and that counts for something in this school. Maybe nothing good, but certainly something.
Even now, having softly scrubbed his way over Vil's scalp in the most diligently thorough manner possible, still he gives. Jamil likes his hair played with, so it seems like a safe assumption that anyone with long hair would enjoy it. It's no great chore anyway, to comb his fingers through Vil's hair, slowly, root to end, over and over while he stares smiling at the night sky. Like Vil is a temporarily-docile housecat, and Kalim's simply grateful for the chance to pet him for a while (even if he comes away bleeding in the end). ]
Your makeup always looks perfect too! I don't know how you wing your eyeliner like that, I always make a mess. Jamil always smacks my hands like, "Stop, stop it, give me that, you don't know what you're doing!"