The words landed softly, without any pressure, which is why they landed the way they did.
Elaris stared at him.
Rex kept his eyes on her, and he didn’t add anything. He just left the statent in the space between them, where she could do whatever she wanted with it.
"No," she said after a while. "It shouldn’t..."
She raised her fist again, but this ti it was different. More of sothing else and less ga.
"One," she said.
"Two," Rex said.
"Three."
Both players chose rock this ti, resulting in another tie. Thanks to Rex’s foresight.
For a long ti, Elaris looked at their hands, which were the sa reaction as before.
"I’m starting to think," she said slowly, "that you don’t want either of us to lose."
"Hm? What do you an by that?" Rex said, "I fully intend to let one of us win."
She turned her head up to look at him.
"Which one?" she asked.
Rex t her gaze with an intensity reserved for significant monts. The slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth was the closest he had to revealing any emotions.
"Put your fist up," he said. "And let’s see who’s the one that could break the tie streak."
Elaris held his gaze for three full seconds, looking like soone who had just made a choice and was now living with it.
’Can this young man truly predict his opponent’s movents?’ Elaris wondered. ’All of my husband’s magic was countered by him, as he seems to know exactly what will happen.’
’But... there’s no magical ability as advanced as that, except for being blessed by the Goddess of Ti.’
"And I do need to keep in mind that he’s a reincarnator, so he’s sohow special.’
Then she held up her fist.
"One," she said in a low voice.
"Two," Rex said. His voice was different from before; it was lower and more deliberate, like how he spoke when he wasn’t doing anything.
She didn’t turn away.
"Three," they said at the sa ti.
Rex and Elaris both picked scissors this ti, so it was a tie again. The air between them felt charged, and the unspoken tension intensified with each passing mont.
’Yeah... ’I started to think that Rex can at least predict my actions, and honestly, that makes him really strong,’ Elaris said, breathing hard as the effects of the alcohol began to take hold.
Rex’s eyes got sharper, and his voice got lower and more serious. ’Now’s my chance...’
He took a step closer and said, "Elaris, can I ask you sothing?"
She raised an eyebrow and smiled playfully. "Depends on what you want to know," she said, her voice full of laughter and sothing else.
Rex kept going, not giving up. "In all your years with Therion, have you ever felt like sothing was missing?"
"Like there was a piece missing from the puzzle, even though it looked like it fit perfectly on the surface?"
Elaris’s laugh was deep and musical. "You’re a brave one, Rex," she said, putting her glass down and walking toward him.
She moved around him slowly, like a lioness stalking her prey. "You think you can just... get to tell you my deepest secrets with a few well-placed words and a charming smile?"
’She’s giving in just like that, but I need to take control as usual in this kind of situation.’ Rex turned with her and kept his eyes on hers.
"I think," he said, his voice low and rumbling, "that a woman like you deserves more than just polite small talk."
"You deserve to be truly seen, acknowledged in all your complexity and depth."
Elaris stopped for a mont, and her eyes showed an emotion he couldn’t quite put his finger on. ’W-what is he...?’
’That look...’ Elaris felt sothing was wrong, and then her eyes imdiately looked down at Rex, where she noticed a massive bulge behind his pants. ’T-That’s...?!’
’Is he going for that talk...? Or... tch... I’ll have to challenge him then, and I know that he’s going to act all innocent about it.’
She leaned in close and whispered, "You want to know if Therion and I have a bad sex life?" Her lips almost touched his ear.
She pulled back and smiled wickedly. "How scandalously delicious for a young man to ask that."
’So she’s like one of those, huh?’ Rex thought. ’Like hell I’ll let her take over the situation...’
’Act tough all you want, but I can already see a lot of weakness in you.’
"Heh? Who said that I have to know that kind of thing about you and Therion?" Rex asked while lifting his right arm. "But... if you said it yourself, it seems like there’s sothing happening between both of you in bed, huh?"
"Eh...?"
’S-Shit...! What am I even saying?!’ Elaris thought she just ssed up. ’My head’s so dizzy that it starts to make express what I really feel these days...’
’The alchohol from the wine and the frustration I get from the ga by always having a tie are teaming up in my head... grrgghh...’
Rex looked her in the eye, and even though it was a light mont, he looked serious. "Well, whatever, I just want to know if you’ve ever felt... unhappy or maybe unfulfilled."
"Like there was more to life than the gold-plated cage you call ho."
Elaris looked at his face, and her smile slowly faded. She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Rex... you know what? You’re right," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"There have been tis when I’ve felt like a ship lost at sea, drifting aimlessly without a compass or a destination."
"I was going through the motions of being the perfect wife, mother, and grandmother, but I felt empty inside."
"It felt like there had to be more to life than this... this existence that felt more like a well-rehearsed play than a real connection."
She stopped for a mont, and her lower lip trembled a little before she caught herself and took a deep, calming breath. "But I’ve never had the guts to say those things out loud... like to admit that even in my gilded cage, with all the luxuries and comforts a woman could want,"
"I still felt... unfulfilled." She looked up at Rex, her eyes full of unshed tears.
’There she is... I love an honest woman like that,’ Rex then said. "Does your husband rarely give you affection or stuff?"
"Well, now that he’s an old man, he obviously doesn’t have ti to give affection with all the work and training." Elaris held her cheek. "Though I’m an old lady myself... Nightwing won like us are blessed with a bit of immortality that allows us to stay young and live longer."
’Oh no... stop... why did I start telling this young man about everything...?’ Elaris thought, and she could feel her legs shaking. "Even though he is the most hated man by my grandson and has just defeated my husband in the field of magic, I still feel drawn to him."
’I can’t stop thinking about what I felt at night... being lonely with a sense of desire...’
’And I don’t know why, but this young man... really starts to let express it even more.’
Rex’s eyes lit up with a sudden, naughty thought. As he looked at Elaris, a slow, sexy smile spread across his face.
He said, "You know, I have an idea to make this ga a little more... fun." His voice beca playful and almost secretive.
Elaris raised an eyebrow, even though she didn’t want to be interested. "Oh? And what could that be?" she asked, sounding a little wary.
’Ah yes... the ga... I need to focus on it.’
Rex got closer, and his breath was warm on her cheek.
’He’s... so close to ...’
’No way, right...? A young man probably can’t see desirable.’
He whispered, "How about we call it a Strip Rock Paper Scissors?"
Elaris’s eyes got a little bigger, and a look of surprise and sothing else, sothing that looked almost like excitent, crossed her face.
"Strip Rock Paper Scissors?" she said again, this ti with a hint of a laugh. "That’s a pretty big change from the norm..."
Rex nodded and smiled even more.
"Yes, but think about it, Elaris," he said in a low, convincing voice. "It would give you the chance to break free from what people expect of you."
"To take charge and stand up for yourself in a way you never have before."
He stepped back, giving her room, but his eyes stayed on hers. "You could start by taking off sothing small, like a piece of jewelry or a scarf."
"Sothing that reminds you of your old life and self. Then, with each round, you could let go of another piece until..."
He paused for a mont, allowing the unspoken aning to linger in the air between them. "Until all that remains is your true self, which is naked, unadulterated, and free."
Elaris’s breath caught in her throat for a mont, and her cheeks turned red as she thought about the idea. It was shocking, it was brave, and it was everything she had never thought of before.
But there was sothing about the way Rex spoke to her, his tone, and the way he looked at her with such raw, unfiltered desire... It made her feel sothing she had never felt before.
She glances again at his impressive bulge, and it truly compelled her to accept the challenge imdiately. "Right... but I need to ensure this is profitable for ."
’I’ll make sure that Nightwing’s na can be fixed by winning this!’
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