O/O with Nyx

(Lmaooo)

Farah studied Mara, though her gaze wasn't as hostile as it had been before. Then Farah spoke without realizing exactly what she was saying. "I can't tell if you're lying or not."

The pair descended into silence until they reached what Farah assumed would be her new room. Her eyes tracked the key card until Mara handed it to her. She blinked with confusion, then reached out and pinched it between her fingers. How was this possible? As Mara spoke, Farah picked up on her blush and the hint of embarrassment in her mind. Why was she embarrassed? This place was… spectacular. Or was she embarrassed to give it to Farah?

"I don't understand," Farah said cautiously. She spoke every word as if in a second, Mara would snatch the key back and laugh while having Farah hauled back to her old, disgusting cell. "All of this is… for me? And I'm free to leave and return as I chose? Why are you doing all of this?"

Farah's demeanor softened at Mara's words. "Oh… alright… thank you, Mara," she murmured quietly. She smiled faintly back and took the key from Mara's fingers. While she was confused and especially wary of this new room, it was certainly better than her old one, and she didn't want to deny it.

She took a few steps in and inhaled firmly before beginning to look around.

(If you want to get to… what I know you want to get to lmao… we could do a mini timeskip. Say about a week? That way Farah could be comfortable and more used to Mara.)

(Okay, I’m good with whenever you decide to start going with it lol)

Farah listened as Mara spoke while also curiously observing her new living space. Of course her needs would be within reason. She was here if her own accord. She’d surrendered to the villain, who… wasn’t acting very villainous at the moment.

Farah turned to speak to Mara again, but the girl was already gone. Though Farah did feel a mixture of complex emotions emanating from her as she hurried off down the hallway.

(That sounds good to me! Whatever floats your boat lmao)

(You could just do to the next significant moment Farah and Mara interact.)

(Okay! :))

(You’re good! I’m fine about length ❤️)

Needless to say, Farah was surprised to receive the letter from Mara asking her to come to the roof. “To show me something?” she murmured to herself. “How does she know I won’t just jump off when I have the chance?”

Still, Farah’s curiosity got the better of her, and she was on her way to the ladder in a heartbeat. Her steps up the ladder were swift and sure, and just as she stepped onto the roof, a gentle breeze ran through her hair. Not expecting a surprise like this, Farah had left it down. It flowed all the way down her back even though she had braided a bit to keep it away from her face.

Her eyes locked on Mara, and she approached the other girl with the letter in her fingers. “Something you wanted to show me?” she asked without the usual hostility in her tone.

Farah watched a rosy blush paint Mara’s face, and she couldn’t help the surprise she felt. She knew the other girl wasn’t blushing because of the cold since it had only just happened when… when Farah spoke to her.

Slowly, Farah inhaled and sat down beside the girl with enough space between them that they weren’t touching. “Yes,” she agreed. “I never truly did like the city. It’s too crowded and noisy. My abilities overstimulate easily, which is hard to manage in a place like that.”

She inclined her head toward Mara, her eyes and expression soft after she’d just shared her vulnerability. “Mara… why did you really want me to meet you up here? I haven’t seen you in days, since you left me in my new room, and now this, out of the blue?”

Farah offered a small smile at Mara's agreement. Finally, something the women agreed on. It took them long enough to find out that for all their years of fighting in the city that neither of them liked it.

Though the softness in Farah's expression immediately vanished when Mara revealed the real reason for her summons. Farah's eyes studied the little chip, then Mara's face. "Oh my God," Farah whispered. Without thinking, her hand gently covered Mara's free one, and she stroked the back of the other woman's hand with her thumb. "How did you find it? Why was it there? Why hasn't it gone off?"

Farah immediately pulled her hand away as Mara flinched. She didn't want to make the other girl afraid of her. In fact, she was starting to want the complete opposite.

She covered her mouth with her hand, unshed tears pooling in her eyes. Once Mara was done, Farah lowered her own hand to speak. "You are not the monster," she whispered. "They are. That's horrible. I can't believe they did that to you. It didn't hurt you to take it out, did it? Maybe I can help you. What kind of information do you need?"

Farah watched Mara closely, and a rush of sadness flooded her at the girl's words. Mara wasn't a monster. She'd been forced into being a monster. God, Farah could see it so clearly now. But then, as Mara continued, Farah stilled. Her words were directive and emphasized in a way that made Farah question her meaning. Did Mara mean that they'd been made to fight and oppose each other in all ways possible? Or… did she mean something else entirely?

Farah pondered all of this, but before she could speak, the topic changed again. "Oh," she whispered quietly, still looking at Mara even as she watched the city. "I'm glad you weren't in any pain. Though… I do wish you said something. I want to help." She hesitantly reached for Mara's hand again and took it in her own this time. "I want to help you."

Farah winced at Mara's reaction to her touch. Making the girl uncomfortable only made Farah uncomfortable as well, and the hero was about to pull her hand back away. But she froze as Mara took her hand and even held it a bit tighter. The tension Farah felt dissolved immediately, and her expression softened.

Though at Mara's words, Farah scoffed lightly. "Mara," she murmured, thinking over her next words carefully. "The way that I look at you has changed too many times within the past two weeks. I believe that, for the first time, I can see you clearly now. Nothing will change that now."

Gently, Farah lifted her free hand and put her fingers under Mara's chin to tilt her head toward Farah's, forcing their eyes to meet. "And no one is ever too far gone," she whispered.

The intake of emotions all at once was so sudden Farah barely felt it coming at all. In a heartbeat, she could feel Mara's racing heart and her stolen breath. Hesitance. Understanding. Fear. Wonder. Curiosity. Confusion. She picked up snippets of Mara's thoughts and emotions, but the most stinging word played over and over in Farah's mind after she heard it: intimate.

Farah came back into herself with a snap, and she suddenly realized how intimate of a position she had initiated. With a startled jerk, she pulled her hand out of Mara's and drew her fingers back from touching Mara's chin. Where her fingertips had been touching the other woman's skin felt electrified.

"I'm sorry," Farah blurted, scrambling to her feet and backing away. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have…" She shook her head and hurried for the ladder without finishing her sentence. God, what would Mara think of her now?

As Farah walked away, she winced and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She felt horrible. She knew she shouldn’t have done that to Mara only to yank herself away before anything real could happen. But… did Farah want it to happen?

Yes. The answer flew into her mind so quickly it shocked her. Yes, she had wanted something to happen, and yes, she had wanted to kiss Mara. Farah sighed softly. But the further she got away from Mara, the more she felt the other woman’s emotions. Embarrassment, hurt, and confusion overwhelmed Farah, so much so that as she reached for the ladder, her hand drew back. And she felt something else, something more veiled. Doubts and, at the root of them, desire. Mara did want her, on some level at the very least.

Without sensible reasoning, Farah rushed back over the rooftop, hurriedly knelt down beside Mara, and cupped the other woman’s face ever so gently in her hands. “I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I believe that we both misinterpreted the situation. Let me see if I am right.”

With that, the hero leaned in and kissed her enemy.

Farah’s heart broke as she took in the tear tracks on Mara’s cheeks. She absently stroked her thumb across her soft skin to wipe them away. Though a wave of nausea and stronger confusion overcame her, Farah knew that what she was doing and what she felt were important and true.

As Farah kissed Mara, she was hesitant and gentle. If Mara didn’t want this, she could pull away any time. But… if she did want this… that meant—

The woman’s touch on her chin to deepen the kiss made Farah weak. But she had her answer. So, putting it all on the line, she accepted the motion Mara offered and moved her lips a bit more over Mara’s. The passion was building in Farah, but before she could act on it any longer, she broke away, gasping for breath. Her lungs were burning with desperation, and she gazed at Mara with softened brown eyes.

“Yes,” Farah murmured, a small knowing smile on her lips. “I do believe I was right.”