Unconsciousness discussion

Diffido's room is located near the top of one of the castle towers but is quite spacious nevertheless. Soft, midnight black carpet covers the floor, and dark, wood panels make up the walls. The single door entrance to the room is slightly off center, too far to the left. The queen-sized bed is on the center of the back wall, and crimson sheets cover the mattress. A black comforter is spread over the sheets, and the pillows are encased in gray pillow cases. Two, fuzzy blankets -one navy blue and one gray- are on the end of the bed, and a nightstand sits on each side of the bed. A stereo system sits on top of them for when Diffido wants to listen to her music, and the drawers hold pens, bookmarks, knives, and other trinkets. A moderately sized fireplace is directly across from the bed on the opposite wall, and the wood mantle above it displays a small, silver cat figurine, two candles, her first sword, and several animal figures carved out of wood. A large pallet with blankets and pillows sits on the floor near the foot of the bed, and three more -two of them slightly smaller- form a semi-circle around the brick fireplace. Several, even smaller pet beds and a scratching post are scattered throughout the room. To the right of the fireplace is a desk where Diffido stores most of her sketchpads, art supplies, many different kinds of puzzle books, pencils, pens, her letters from Rowan, and a few balls of yarn that her cats like to play with. A short bookcase is on the back wall to the right of the bed and holds her favorite books, and a few notebooks. A dark red armchair and small, round table sit next to it, and a pair of double doors on the right wall lead out to a small balcony. On the left side of the room, a vanity rests on the front wall and has Diffido's jewelry, hairbrushes, perfume, nail polish, and makeup. A walk-in closet is located on the left wall and is equipped with a full-length mirror. A small bathroom is next to it, and it has black tile floors, gray walls with a sprawling red and black tree painted on, sink, shower, cabinets, and a bathtub.

Diffido was lying on her stomach on the end of her bed, her elbows propped up on the very edge of the mattress, so that the book she was reading was at a comfortable level. A small frown rested on her face as she tried to get into the story but couldn't. Finally giving up after a few more minutes, she set the book aside and hopped off the bed, looking for something more interesting to do. No wonder the royal family is so horrible. The alternative is they'd kill themselves out of boredom. Scoffing quietly to herself, her eyes fell on her cat figurine sitting up on the mantle, the slightly amused expression on her face fading into one of melancholia. Unable to do anything but stare at the little statue for a moment, she felt like she'd been drained of all energy and a giant weight was pressing her chest and shoulders down. Forcing herself to snap out of it, she frowned slightly as she heard a quiet noise approaching her door. Uh-oh, my door isn't closed all the way... The door cracked open slowly, just enough to let her Bengal tiger, Isolde into her room. A small smile graced Diffido's lips when she realized it was only Isolde, and she stroked the tiger's head gently. Isolde purred softly and head-butted Diffido, pushing her backwards and onto the carpet. "Aww, sometimes I wish you were still a baby." Diffido laughed softly to herself, continuing to pet the happy animal. They settled down on Isolde's bed on the floor, and Diffido started working on a sudoku puzzle, calmer now that her friend was here and laughing or smiling a little whenever Isolde rubbed her face on her or head-butted her.

Timor had been roaming around the castle after having been out for the last few hours taking care of Dreamers, considering going back to his room to watch a movie or clean his rarely used weapons, when he had caught sight of Diffido's pet tiger Isolde stalking towards the girl's room. Since that meant that two of his favorite things would be in the same place - if Diffido was in her room - at the same time, the teen veered off to shadow the large feline.
He grinned, hearing the girl's voice as Isolde nudged the door of Diffido's room open, though he kept out of the line of sight of the open door. Timor crept forward, just enough to look through the open crack by the door frame... This would have looked extremely creepy, since he was grinning wide enough to expose quite a large amount of his sharp teeth and fangs... and since his eyes were glowing reflective from the light inside the room. His smile was born both from the slight flutter in his stomach at how freaking cute it was seeing the large tiger next to his partly feline bride, and because it was just always fun to have someone know you weren't right there next to them.
Once the felines' interactions together had settled down, Diffido going back to whatever she was doing, Timor pulled a rubber band out from one of his pockets and took careful aim; letting the small piece of rubber shoot across the room to bop the side of the girl's head. He then popped his head inside the room. "Hello, gorgeous..."

Diffido had one hand on Isolde's head, petting the soft fur there, while she finished a sudoku puzzle she'd started yesterday. As she was concentrating, a weird feeling pricked at the back of her mind, like she wasn't alone, but she decided to ignore it, content to be cuddled up with her favorite animal among pillows and fuzzy blankets. Smiling softly at the thought of all the tiger hair that was on her black pajama pants and crimson tank top, she rested her head on top of Isolde's for a moment, closing her eyes, but flinched a little when something hit the side of her head. Picking up the rubber band, her left eye twitched in irritation. She didn't have hear Timor's greeting to know who shot this at her. "Hello, darling..." Came the heavily sarcastic reply. Her sharp claws sliced through the band easily, and she got up from her position on the ground, slightly uncomfortable since Timor had never seen her in just her pajamas with her messy, raven hair cascading over her shoulders and touching her hips and waist. However, a small flash of something black by the doorway caught her eye, and she tossed the rubber band at Timor, having to hold back a smile when her little, mischievous, black and white tux cat, Arawn, leapt up into the air and batted at the broken rubber wildly, rolling over on his back on Timor's feet as he played with his newfound toy. Turning her attention away from the smaller cat, Diffido folded her arms. "Did you need something?" She asked curtly, not thrilled at the interruption.

({grins} I actually have a character in another group called Arawn... people are constantly spelling his name Arwan. {rolls eyes in slight irritation})

Timor smirked at her reply, pushing the door open wider. "Why, you must be warming up to me... What a warm greeting! But you really did interrupt me; I was talking to Isolde." He grinned as she tossed the rubber band back at him, his ears flicking back momentarily in slight surprise when one of her other cats came flying through the air to intercept the sliced rubber. Timor's eyes lost their reflective sheen as he smiled down at Arawn, amused that the cat seemed to be enjoying using his shoes as a cushion.
His eyes flicked back up, the silver orbs flaring reflective briefly at her tone, the teen grinning easily. "Nope. Thanks for asking, though. You're such a delightful hostess...!"

((Cool! I love the Celtic myths.
Ew, I hate that. There's just something really nice how Arawn is spelled, and then for some reason people have to go and ruin it.))

When Timor opened her door further, she shot him a warning glare, daring him to so much as cough into her room. She'd never allowed him in before and wasn't about to start now. "You know I never mean that seriously." She couldn't resist rolling her eyes at his remarks. "I call you 'darling' to mock this idiotic situation we're in." Crossing her arms again, she sighed, a faint smile tugging on the corner of her lips for a second when he informed her that she had been interrupting him. "Good." She replied to that, secretly amused at his comment. At the mention of her name, Isolde butted her head against Diffido's right calf, pushing the empress forward slightly.
When Timor thanked her, she scoffed. "Hardly. But if you didn't want anything then why are you up here? You never come see me in my room."

({nods and grins}
{nods again}Quite right...)

Timor placed a hand over his heart, giving her a teasingly pained look. "You wound me with your cruel words, madam... Oh, the agony..." He couldn't help himself, his contorted features smoothing back out into a grin. "And yes, I do. However, a man can always hope that meanings will change..." Timor smirked, pleased at the small smile that had flashed across her features, before rearranging his expression again - this time into one of irritation and slight anger. "Good?! You just interrupted me, and you think that's good?! Tsch... Someone needs lessons in manners..."
Timor raised an eyebrow, a smirk growing on his face once more. "I came here because I wanted to. This is part of the palace... which is my personal property. Are you telling me that I'm not allowed to move around in my own personal property?" He raised his chin, letting some of his noble training out to play in his haughty stance.

((Besides, Arwan is too close to Arwen from Lotr.))

Diffido smirked at his teasing remarks, a small spark of amusement flickering in her eyes. "I can't stop you from hoping, but just know it's futile." She replied, slightly teasing and slightly serious at the same time. A small smile flashed across her lips for a second at the sight of Arawn, who had finally tired of the broken rubber band and was lying down on his back on top of Timor's feet, purring loudly.
At Timor's comment about manners, her attention snapped back up to the emperor. "And you think you're the one to teach me?" She fired back, a little annoyed but also amused. "If you think I'm so unrefined and ill-mannered, why did you marry me then?"
Her slight happiness vanished when Timor went on to talk about the castle being his personal property. "Not this part of the palace." She glared at him. "I'm empress, and this palace is just as much mine as it is yours. Except this part, since it's mine." Mimicking his stance, she huffed in irritation, not brightening up even a little when Isolde scooted over slightly to rest her head near Diffido's small, bare feet.

({blinks and grins sheepishly} I never liked Lord of the Rings...)

Timor cracked up mentally at the thought, but kept a lofty smile on his face as he replied, "Of course. I was taught by some of the best tutors in the lands." He had, though he hated every one of his lessons on manners. "To balance out my obvious perfection, of course. It would just be mean to the empire to have two spectacularly elegant rulers; they would have far too much to have to strive towards." Timor winked, chuckling. After all, if either of them was closer to perfection... it would definitely have to be Diffido. He knew how broken he was, and could see how little his staff liked him.
Timor's eyebrow went up at Diffido's words, the teen silently enjoying her irritation and the fact that she was trying to mirror his stance - which didn't work as well when you were six inches shorter than the person you were trying to out-noble. "I agree, the palace is just as much yours as mine... but that still doesn't mean I'm not allowed in here. You refused to honor my restrictions... so why on earth should I honor yours?" Timor was, of course, referring to the infamous time that Diffido had gone down into the Dungeon - the one place in the palace that he had specifically told her was his area only. He no longer really minded that she had, since the entire purpose of that restriction was just to keep her from seeing what he had thought would repulse her, but that wasn't the point.

((I always really liked it. It was Narnia I didn't like as much, but that's not surprising since Lotr is very autistic. *shrugs*))

Diffido's left eye twitched in irritation as she silently wished Timor would shut up already. I'm going to cut out his tongue if he doesn't quit talking soon. Scoffing at his remarks, her eyes shot daggers at him. "And how do you plan on teaching me?" She inquired, slightly curious and trying to ignore his comments about perfection. Sensing her distress, Isolde rubbed her cheek on Diffido's ankle, purring softly to try and catch her attention. However, Diffido was too busy being angry at Timor to notice, or if she did, she didn't care at the moment.
"That's hardly the same thing. I don't go in your rooms." She snapped, crossing her arms and plopping down on Isolde's bed with a frustrated huff. Well except that one time I wanted to see what his room was like... "Besides, I thought you were a gentleman. You should know better. You can't expect someone as unsophisticated and untamed as I am to know not to be nosy. It's common knowledge that the low-status nobility tend to be nauseatingly vulgar, barbaric, and intrusive. If you wanted a wife who didn't have a brain and would be your little marionette, you shouldn't have married me. There are unfortunately plenty of senseless, scatterbrained, petty, shallow women in the nobility who would look absolutely repulsive on your arm." Scowling down at the carpet, she wriggled her fingers in front of her, and Arawn bounced over to her, the broken rubber band in his mouth. With a cute meow, the fluffy cat jumped up into her lap, chewing on the piece of rubber contentedly. Diffido sighed, relaxing a little to stroke her cat softly.

Timor shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "I figure the best manner of teaching is just being an excellent example. So... I'll just be my own, wonderfully delightful self, and hope that you'll absorb some of my excess..." he waved one hand around vaguely, unable to come up with a good word. "-delightfulness."
He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, even though he currently had felt no sexual attraction towards anyone - though Timor had a feeling that if he ever would, it probably would be towards Diffido - and he knew full well that Diffido had less than no interest in him, putting on a leering expression just to mess with the girl. "Such a shame it is, too..." Settling down, he returned to a more solemn expression, leaning up against the door frame. "But it actually is different, since I've told you that you're free to come and use my rooms at any time - whether or not I am currently using them. That invitation has been open since you arrived here, which means that it - like the rest of the castle - is open for your use."
A short flicker of wearily lonely pain flashed across his face before he managed to get his expression back under control as he glanced around her room; the teen's heart hurting slightly as he noted how much more... alive, her room looked than his. It doesn't really matter that my rooms are bigger... they're just... cold. Cold and lifeless... just like me. That's a bit depressing... An unconscious grimace twisted his lips down. I was made to be a robot; a mechanical, unthinking and unfeeling machine... not a teen. No wonder Diffido dislikes me so... she's stuck here, with me... instead of being out with someone as alive as she is.
Silver eyes flashed reflective at Diffido's lecture, since she hit on a rather sore subject for the teen. Those were close to the exact words his parents had used, though they had said 'gorgeous' instead of 'repulsive'. Timor honestly didn't want a doll for his wife - he teased, but he didn't really mean anything by it. One side of his lips curled up in a silent snarl, Timor looking in that moment as dangerous, dark and broken as he really was inside, the young emperor unmeaningly taking a step forward inside Diffido's room towards the girl - the boy seeing his parents there for a moment instead of his wife. At the time, he had been disgusted with them for wanting his life partner to be a ditzy noblewoman with no will or brain who could easily be manipulated by her stronger husband ... but recently Timor had realized that his parents may have just wanted two puppets, to make certain that even when they had officially retired... that they could still be the ones 'pulling the strings', so to speak.
Then, his eyes sharpened and lost their sheen, and Timor just... drooped; looking suddenly exhausted before pulling himself together and stepping back out into the hall with a cold smirk. "Quite so. It was my mistake." He took hold of the handle of the door, getting ready to close it. "If you'll excuse me."

Diffido's lips morphed into a momentary smirk at his reply to her question. "Well if you have so much delightfulness, it'd be foolish of me not to relieve you of some." She teased back, her mood brightening slightly. At Timor's rather suggestive eyebrow wiggle, she raised an eyebrow back and faked an astonished gasp, clutching her heart with one hand. "But my lord, how forward and completely repulsive of you! I should be disgusted and want nothing more to do with you but at the same time enamored and infatuated while my silly, little heart flutters and does somersaults and other stereotypical phrases used to describe the sickening feeling called 'love'." She replied, using heavy doses of sarcasm. "For you or for me?" She inquired, referring to the 'shame' comment. She wasn't sexually attracted to him either, but she didn't completely dislike him. She was just very, very confused about her feelings, because though she hated the royal family, here she was married to one of them. And it was honestly becoming harder and harder to imagine things any other way, but what scared her the most was her lack of a desire for things to be any different. No, it's just your mind trying in vain to trick you into being happy, you idiot. Though she would rather die than admit it, interacting with Timor like this cheered her up a bit, especially since besides her pets, he was basically her only company and the only one she felt might ever be able to understand her. Eventually. Someday. Maybe. Oh, who was she kidding? Timor married her to spite his parents, and that was the end of it. There was no romantic or sexual attraction between them, and everyone knew it. Whatever. At least she still had Isolde and Arawn and the rest of her pets.
Her amused smirk had vanished while these thoughts were going through her head, and all she could do was agree with what Timor said about his rooms being open to her. "So... you wouldn't be mad if I decided to use your library?" She inquired suspiciously, frowning slightly. Her frown only increased when she noticed a strange expression flicker across his face. Was that loneliness I saw? Or am I imagining things again? She jumped up to her feet when he stepped forward into her room, her lips curling up a bit to show her sharp fangs. However, she relaxed her lips when he stepped backwards, frowning again in confusion. Suddenly, her cold hand whipped out and grabbed his hand that was on the handle, probably the first time she'd ever actually touched him. Her claws pressed down into his skin gently, not hard enough to puncture it, just enough to leave a few indentations that would last a few minutes. "No." She said sharply. "I won't." Pulling him inside her room, she closed the door and plopped down on Isolde's bed, tugging him down with her. Adjusting the pillows so one was between her side and the end of the bed, she turned to Timor, perplexed as to why he'd suddenly stopped their playful banter and turned to leave. "Why?" She asked, referring to his strange mood swing.

"I know, right?" Timor exclaimed, grinning as he puffed his chest out in faux stuffiness. "I practically ooze it..." He grinned, sharp fangs gleaming in the light, chuckling as he enjoyed Diffido's theatrical speach. "Wow... you know, it would have been a lot quicker and easier to just flip me off..." though, his words were accompanied by soft applause - Timor giving her the 'traditional' polite applause instead of the harder and louder natural applause, his gloves dulling the soft sound even further.
"Both, I'd imagine." Timor smirked, scratching his jaw. It was always a pain, trying to sooth an itch when he had his gloves on... The teen tugged off the right glove, huffing slightly in relieved delight as his claws annihilated his itch completely. "And no, why would I be? They are part of my rooms. The only real reason I don't allow anyone else in my rooms is because I hate having my books stained, ripped or torn - which always seems to happen to the books in the public libraries that I've gone to- and it irritates me to clean my rooms back up after others move things around." He raised an eyebrow as something occured to him. "Though, how you would know that I have a library if you had never been in there before is beyond me..."
Timor completely froze up, his jaw dropping slightly and his ears flipping flat in utter bewilderment, when Diffido yanked him back into her room. He barely noticed the marks on her hand, and her hand was really just about the same temperature as his, but his shell shock at her actions left him stunned and somewhat speechless for several minutes.
"...ah..." He blinked, his eyes wide and his ears still flat, then cleared his throat and tried again. "I think that should be my question..."

Diffido bowed in a very over-exaggerated manner in response to his applause. "I know, but mocking society and 'love' are some of my favorite things to do. Besides, I flip you off all the time anyway, and I'm starting to get bored of doing it now."
She tilted her head to one side, listening quietly for once as he told her the real reason why he didn't like people in his rooms. "But isn't that why you shouldn't let me in your rooms? I mean, I wouldn't mess up your books because I hate when people mistreat them, but I would definitely rearrange your furniture." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Just saying, you might regret that invitation at one point or another." I wonder how he'd react if I glued all his furniture to the ceiling, so they'd be in the same spots, just upside-down... She smirked slightly as the mischievous thought entered her brain and decided to save it for later. I am definitely doing that someday. It's not like I really have anything else better to do with my time.
When he realized that she had no way of knowing he had a library, she flashed a small, mischievous smile at him, giving him the biggest puppy dog -er, kitty cat- eyes she could muster. "I'm just a curious, harmless, little kitty cat..." She mumbled, her pleading, yellow cat eyes looking up into his own eyes.
She chuckled quietly when he was unable to speak at first, secretly ecstatic that she'd finally done something to make him lose his cool. "I asked first." She crossed her arms, sounding more than a little childish.

((Uh-oh... I just realized I made their timeline really weird. I'm sorry!))

Timor laughed at that, the teen highly amused. "Very true. I've been wondering how long you were going to stick with that gesture..."
"Eh, I can deal with one person in my rooms- it just got infuriating when there was a constant stream of people coming in and out." He smiled crookedly, smoothing down his jacket. "I may have done several things that I regret, but leaving the entire castle open for you is not one of them." I may get annoyed when you do your worst to my room on a day we get into a particularly nasty fight in the future, but a little bit of cleaning will give me time to calm down anyway. Probably. "And in any case, I only have three pieces of furniture; I don't think it should take any great measures to get everything back in place."
Timor broke out laughing hard enough to lose his balance and slam up against the doorframe at Diffido's words and actions, his rumbling chuckles echoing loudly down the empty hall behind him, even though he had to admit that holy cow she was freaking adorable when she did that. "That would work so very much better if you hadn't just been scowling at me a few minutes ago... kitty." He continued to laugh, unable to stop. Eventually, he was able to calm down, beginning to gasp for air.
Timor's ears tentatively began to unflatten, the teen eying Diffido nervously. "Um... why what, then?"

({chuckles and grins} That happens... I almost messed with the timeline myself earlier; having Timor 'take back his remark on Diffido's manners', when his compliment on her manners had technically happened in the future... )

((This timeline is so weird. Crap... Why do I mess up things? I tried writing, and it was really bad and weird and confusing. I'm just gonna skip to what they're currently doing. This is also probably going to be a short post. I'm sorry!!))

"Why were you going to leave? And what caused your mood to change?" Diffido inquired, playing with the fringe of one of the blankets with her fingers. "Because I'm the moody one, remember?" A faint smile flickered across her lips as she teased him, but it quickly disappeared when one of her claws got caught in the tangled fringe. Growling softly in irritation, she tugged it free but continued to play with the fringe anyway, though she knew she'd only get her claws stuck in it again sooner or later.

({shrugs} I just generally figure that most new paragraphs are set a little forward in time... And seriously, don't worry about it..!)

Timor's ears finally returned to their normal positions. "I was going to leave because you didn't seem to really want me here, I'm tired, and I actually kind of want a bath come to think of it..." he took an experimental sniff towards his armpit, his ears flicking back again briefly at the faint odor that his wolf-half-strengthened nose smelled under the top layer of his clothing. "Nngh..." Timor put his arm back down hastily. "And you just reminded me of someone I don't want to be reminded of, that's all. Besides, in all this talk of me choosing you... you could always have just refused me, you know. That is a choice that women have." He smiled faintly at Diffido's joke, his smile solidifying into a small smirk as her claws got stuck in her blanket. Timor raised his left hand, which still held his right black leather glove. "Gloves do come in handy..."

Diffido tilted her head to one side, listening to all his reasons. Shrugging at the first few, she bit her lip, thinking for a moment. It was true she hadn't really wanted him up here at first, but she actually didn't mind it as much after a while. Maybe the fact that she'd kept herself holed up in here for the last few weeks had something to do with it. After all, she hadn't even gone downstairs to eat; she'd just had one of the servants bring her something occasionally when she was in the rare mood to eat something. Speaking of food, her features settled into a slight frown as she tried to remember when she'd last eaten. It was either yesterday or the day before, but she should probably eat something soon. Or maybe not. She wasn't in the mood right now.
At the mention of a bath, she perked up a bit, thinking that it didn't sound like a bad idea. "A bath sounds nice..." She remarked quietly, but quickly added to the original comment. "And that was not me trying to get naked and take a bath with you." Wrinkling her nose at the thought, her claws gripped the fringe tightly and got stuck in a giant knot of tangled threads. "Who did I remind you of?" She inquired curiously, tugging at the fringe and trying to undo all the knots. "I didn't." She replied, referring to his comment about women having a choice. She scowled, but it was aimed more at the fringe than at her husband.
When Timor held up his glove, she shrugged, heaving a small sigh. "I don't like gloves very much. My claws tear through them too easily, and they get in the way of everything."

Timor coughed, not covering his laughter well. He finally gave up and just grinned at Diffido, "Certainly it wasn't..." His laughter returned at the look the girl gave, the teen relaxing slightly once again.
His grin faltered at her question, before shifting to one of his more practiced false smiles. "That would require me thinking about them to reply, so I won't." Timor flashed his sharp teeth in another short, very fake smile before plopping backward on Diffido's bed and staring blankly up at her ceiling as thoughts of the people he really didn't want to be thinking about ran about in his head.
"Of course you did." Timor frowned, not appreciating the only reason he could think of for her 'not having a choice'. "I may have been hurt, maybe even offended," Like I am right now... "-but I would have accepted your choice." His lip curled back up in a snarl, his ears flicking back halfway. "I do have a few lines I won't cross, believe it or not."

At first Diffido was not amused that Timor found her comment so funny. She scowled at him, but relaxed her facial expression into a tiny smile after Timor finally just let himself laugh. "Shut up..." She growled, not really meaning it.
"Them?" She raised an eyebrow but decided not to push the subject, seeing as he was already very distressed about it. However, she wasn't dropping the issue forever. She would definitely be bringing the topic up again in the future whenever they happened to run into each other next, because let's face it. Diffido had hardly seen him lately, though she never saw him much to begin with anyway, and probably would continue to hardly ever see him even after this. Except when they were torturing people.
"I did not have a choice." She scowled, hopping up on the bed next to him. "We both know who I was previously betrothed to, and that would not have ended well for anyone. But thanks for not forcing me..."

Timor stuck out his tongue - which, due to his canine half was actually surprisingly long - and wiggled it teasingly in her direction. "Make me...!" He licked his chops as he withdrew his tongue back into his mouth, before sticking it right back out again as he yawned widely.
"Mm..." Timor hummed, simultaneously showing that her questioning comment was correct... and also avoiding saying anything else. One of his arms went up, tracing lazy patterns on the tiny details on her ceiling.
He flinched slightly, not having realized she knew about that. "Ah... I see." Timor's snarl instantly disappeared, his eyes flicking down in a momentary spurt of guilt - though his expression remained calm. "I didn't think of it like that..."

Diffido stuck her tongue out back at him, trying her best not to show how amused she secretly was. She hissed at him, revealing her sharp canines, and her ears flattened out as she growled at him. "I said shut up!" She teased, grabbing his long tongue with her claws as he yawned. Triumphantly sticking her tongue out at him again, she grinned elatedly. "Cat got your tongue?" She smirked, not wanting to let go of it. But eventually, she released it from her claws and lay down on her back.
Diffido shrugged at his last remarks, noticing that he seemed more relaxed now. "Eh, I would've just killed him and moved on." She shuddered slightly, thinking about how that nobleman had looked at her at social events once the betrothal had been arranged. "Filthy man whore..." She muttered under her breath, her canines slicing into her lip.

Timor yelped in surprise as Diffido caught hold of his tongue, though once he realized what was going on and heard her joke he began laughing even harder. "Ahpewentwy...." he mumbled, having a hard time talking. "Ah cah thay aah thith hath eber habbened bethore..." His shaking with laughter unfortunately ended up leaving several long scratches along his tongue from Diffido's claws.
Once she relinquished her grip on his tongue, Timor swallowed a few times to get rid of the excess blood before continuing to chuckle. "You couldn't have waited a few seconds? You ruined my yawn; I didn't get that satisfying feeling that comes once you've gotten over the crescendo of a yawn..."
"Good plan," he agreed, not seeing any problems with her solution. "Should I be worried?" Timor teasingly placed a free hand over his throat.
At Diffido's low mutter, Timor pulled a mock terrified face and rolled off the bed, placing one hand out in front of him as he turned to face her again. "I guess so..." He made his next chuckle sound weak, struggling to keep his expressions correct. "Wow... you really take my comments hard, huh? And boy, what an opinion... and just because I didn't take a bath yet today doesn't make me filthy!"

Diffido smirked as he struggled to talk while she held his tongue, having to hold back a chuckle. "Sorry, not sorry." The empress shrugged when he commented about wanting to finish his yawn. "Opportunity knocked, so I answered the door." Licking off some of the blood that had gotten on her claws when she accidentally cut his tongue, she rolled her eyes at him. "Psht. Not really. I might kill you if you walked in on me bathing or tried to kill me first, but it's not likely in general."
"I wasn't talking about you..." She snapped, slightly ticked that he'd heard that comment. Not really wanting to discuss the subject any further, she stared up at the ceiling, lost in her own thoughts. Ngh, those lascivious looks he always gave me at balls and horse races when Timor's stupid parents had to arrange that betrothal... If it weren't for them and Timor's grandparents, I could have been happy and maybe even kind of normal, but no. Timor's parents weren't satisfied with us being reduced to almost nothing. They just had to take it a step further and try to kill us off again, even though this wasn't even their fight in the first place. So wrapped up in her own, angry thoughts, she didn't notice that her claws were digging into her hands and leaving long scratches in the palms, blood trickling down her wrists and forearms.

"Let me guess... you told him we don't need any Avon products, right?" Timor cracked, smirking as she cleaned her claws. "That's a relief... though it's a disappointing thing about not being able to pop in while you're bathing."
Timor frowned when his joke didn't help Diffido cheer up, only seeming to make her even angrier. "Sorry..." His frown deepened as he watched her claws slowly sink into the palms of her hands, Timor's eyes going reflective as crimson oozed down her arms. The teen leaned over, staring hard at her, his mouth opening to bare his fangs... then he honked her nose several times, making the best honking noises he could. "Beep beep beeeeeeep... Wakey wakey, majesty. No one's allowed to hurt you while I'm around... which really includes you as well. You mind cutting it out?"

Diffido smirked at Timor. "Have you already forgotten the previous discussion we had about baths?" Even though she was only participating in their playful banter, she did mean what she said about the baths. She was never going to let Timor visit her while she was taking a bath, see her with less than a tank top and pants on, or touch her anywhere except maybe her hands or hair sometimes. No, not her hair. She absolutely loved it when her hair was played with, which was the reason why Timor could never touch her mane of raven locks. No one could have even the slightest bit of power over her. She'd die before she let that happen, especially with Timor, because once he started stroking her hair, she wouldn't be able to kill him until long after he'd stopped.
She was so lost in her own little world of hateful thoughts that she didn't hear Timor's apology or notice him leaning over her. Before I was even born, they took everything I could have had. A chance at happiness and maybe even normalcy, my family- Her thoughts were interrupted by Timor's attempts to cheer her up. She flinched away from him when he touched her nose, jerking up to a sitting position on the bed. At his following remarks, her anger only continued to rise. How dare he try to be protective of me! I'm hurt in the first place because of his family. He has no right to act like he gets to keep me from getting hurt. I can protect myself well enough, and I don't need him swooping in and screwing things up. When he made his last remark, that did it. "I am cutting it out!" She snapped, sinking her claws further into her skin and dragging them down towards her wrists to make several, long scratches. Jumping off the bed as she made those cuts, she ran into her bathroom and sank down on the black tile, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes. Blinking most of them back, she watched as a few teardrops escaped and fell onto her fresh cuts, mingling with the streams of blood on her forearms. Holding in a sob, she pulled her claws out of her forearms and brought her right index claw up to her left shoulder. She punctured the soft, pale skin there and made random patterns of lines and swirls. Then she clawed the royal insignia on the outside of her shoulder and cut the words whore and property next to it. Not holding back the tears anymore, she let them fall freely onto her bathroom tile and stared at her blood-soaked claws in despair, shaking slightly from both trying to hold in her sobs and a lack of food. Look at me now. I'm pathetic. I shouldn't even be here. I don't even belong at my old home anymore, and I'm not wanted here either. I'm just a fucking waste of space that sits up in this room all day doing nothing. I shouldn't be empress. I should be out with Rowan, but after this I doubt he'll want anything to with me. After all, he wants to overthrow the emperor and empress, and I'm the empress. But is that really surprising? That your family wants nothing to do with you after you married into the family that completely destroyed yours and their lives? Besides all that, you're just pitiful, stupid, and useless. You should just kill yourself now and do the rest of the world a favor, you goddamned slut.

((We should totally make him come visit her sometime when she's taking a bath. He wouldn't see her or anything; it'd just be super awkward and give Chloe more reason to hate me.))

(He would probably freak out and panic if he ever actually did anything like that; he's mostly just talk, no follow up. Plus, Timor really is a gentleman - born and raised - despite everything...)

(Hey, does her bathroom have a door, and if it does... did she close it?)

((I meant like it'd be on accident.

Yeah, it does. *rereads post* No, she didn't.))

({grins} Yes, I know...
{smiles crookedly} This is going to be very interesting...)

((Oh, okay.
Indeed...))

(When they got married, did they 'seal the deal', so to speak, or no?)

((Probably not. Diffido would have most likely tried to kill him if he tried.))

({nods in relief} Alright, thanks...)

Eh... Bad choice of words there, Timor. Great. There is going to be no way to clean this blood up... Honestly, why would she do this? Timor's eyes never lost their reflective shine, the teen swallowing down the saliva that had begun to flood his mouth at the strong copper scent filling the room. At least Diffido went into the bathroom; that should be easier to wash. He didn't even try to stop her this time, since there was a distinct difference between the two injuries she had received; one was an unconscious act that did absolutely nothing but hurt her, while these ones were an act of release - the other teen letting her feelings out with her blood. This wasn't quite the girl just hurting herself, though Timor disapproved of the sloppiness and swirls; it was, in his opinion, far better to make more controlled, simple strokes to avoid accidentally cutting too deep. His expression turned to a dark scowl as he read the words there, Timor unable to stop the low growl that rumbled from his throat. Honestly. This girl and her theatrics... most are adorable, but this isn't one of them. She isn't thinking at the moment, is she? He quickly removed his jacket with a soft sigh, folding it neatly and placing it on the bed before doing the same with his vest and shirt; revealing striped, scarred pale skin. Timor then walked into the bathroom, following Diffido. "You should at least think before you do something like this." He gestured towards her shoulder, lips curling in disgust. "Carving ugly falsehoods into yourself is stupid. You most certainly are not a whore -unless you were before we married, which I doubt; I have sincere doubts on whether you have even had sex, and it is rather difficult to be a whore if you are still a virgin." Which I happen to know from personal experience... though you really don't need to know that. "And yes, you may be property; you are now mine, and will probably be so for quite some time. However, you seem to have forgotten something." Calmly and carefully, Timor pressed the claw of his right index into his own left shoulder; first slicing out a perfect royal insignia, then slicing in the word 'Property' next to it. "I am yours, your property... and will probably be so for quite some time." That's the honest and complete truth... and now I really can't think of anything else to say... I've got to get better at things like this. Comforting is not my forte... Crud. He pulled a black handkerchief out of his back pocket, setting it on her knee since he had his doubts that she would accept it from him at the moment, before awkwardly trying to lick the excess blood off of his arm so he could put his shirt back on as he walked back into Diffido's room. When he realized that really wasn't going to happen or work, the teen sighed slightly and merely buttoned his vest back on; figuring he would just cup a hand over his wounds when he left her room and put on his jacket - so that the palace wouldn't get to see what kind of shape their emperor was actually in under his fancy clothes.

It was definitely a good thing that Timor hadn't made any effort to stop her. If he had, well, in her current state, Diffido might have completely lost it and tried to attack him. So lost in her self-deprecation, she forgot all about Timor and the fact that he was still in her room, not even noticing when he followed her and growled at what she'd clawed out into her shoulder. Her right index claw moved towards her stomach unconsciously where she'd cut similar words in before, debating whether or not to continue hurting herself as endless, hateful thoughts streamed through her head. Your family wants absolutely nothing to do with you. You're an embarrassment and a disgrace; no one cares about you, you foolish girl. Even the man who married you. The only reason he puts up with you is because divorce is messy and he needs an empress. No one could ever love you or even come remotely close to liking you, so get over yourself, you worthless whore! She was practically screaming at herself during that last thought, and her left claws gripped a handful of her hair tightly, pulling on it harshly in her anguish. You're not innocent, refined, pretty, elegant, graceful, poised, intelligent, or good. You're not any of the things you're supposed to be, and you don't deserve to be empress. You don't even deserve something as sweet as death. You're a broken, worthless, wretched, vile, depraved, demonic, useless, murderous, bad, bad whore of a girl! Finally she let it all out in one, long, ear-piercing howl that reverberated through the bathroom and into her room and the hallway outside, her claws digging into her palms again as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks in a steady flow.
Panting slightly from her howling just moments ago, she flinched slightly when Timor started speaking, frowning a little at his words. When he commented on the words she'd clawed out into her arm, a low growl escaped her throat, memories that she'd tried her hardest to block out replaying in her mind. "And what makes you think I've never had sex?" She snapped, her lip curling up into a snarl at the unfortunate memories the topic brought up.
As soon as he agreed that she was his property, she hissed at him, ready just to slit his throat with a swipe her claws, but she calmed down a bit when he started cutting into his own flesh, curious what he was trying to accomplish. Tilting her head to one side, she met his eyes for the first time since he'd entered her bathroom and didn't really know what to say as he informed her that he was also her property and left her with a handkerchief. Stunned for a moment, she just sat in silence, staring at the black handkerchief on her knee. Hesitantly, she picked it up and wiped away the tears on her cheeks, sniffling quietly. She took a few shaky breaths and stood up, her bare feet padding almost noiselessly on the tile as she followed Timor back to her room. However, she leaned against the doorway to the bathroom, not wanting to drip blood all over her room. Her small form trembled slightly as she tried to calm herself down enough to breath, and as she watched him put his vest back on, she felt a sudden, sharp pang of sadness. Is he going to leave me like everyone else? I don't really want to be alone right now...
No, you should be alone. You always have been, and things aren't about to change now just because you had to go screw up and act like such a pathetic weakling in front of him. It's better this way, and he can't care about you very much after that pitiful display, you idiot. Knowing that was the truth, she just stared silently at her bloody claws, the tangy scent tempting, but she felt too lifeless to do anything about it. Everything seemed almost surreal right now...

Timor winced and hissed in a breath at Diffido's cry, the loud noise piercing his canine ears like jagged ice picks even after they folded back and he covered them with his hands, Timor whimpering slightly as his human ears were also left ringing after receiving no protection at all. Ow... owowowow... Seriously! The theatrics... are not appreciated in any way at the moment! OW..!
He hadn't quite recovered yet by the time that Diffido snapped at him, the teen's cheeks darkening slightly in embarrassment at the question. "It's kind of... customary..." Timor cautiously removed his hands from his head, ready to replace them instantly if it looked like she was going to let another screech like that go again. "Isn't it?" Maybe that's just an imperial custom... Though I thought it applied to the other noble families as well. This is why you should look things up before just accepting them to be true, Timor. Nngh... Great. Well, I feel awkward now...
Timor smirked at Diffido's hiss, though the expression was mostly automatic; his normal pleasure at getting a rise out of the girl absent for the moment. When she met his eyes, the reflective sheen slowly faded; leaving his eyes as icily silver as usual.
Timor glanced back at Diffido after he had put his vest back on, noticing her shaking and remembering that the servants had not been up to bring her food for the last day and a half - he had ordered them to report when she wanted food ever since one had mentioned that her eating schedule was highly irregular and difficult for the kitchen to be prepared for a few weeks ago. And I'm certain that blood loss isn't doing her any favors at the moment either, especially not on an empty stomach. He frowned slightly, trying to figure out what to do. I can't exactly go out like this... Though I suppose it wouldn't kill me to clean a blood stain out of my shirt later. It's not as though I haven't done it before, is it now? Timor removed his vest again, putting it on top of his jacket on the bed, unfolding his shirt and pulling it on. With that, he nodded politely in Diffido's direction and slipped on out into the corridor, figuring that giving her a few minutes alone wouldn't hurt the situation any anyway, and headed down to the kitchens. About ten minutes later, Timor returned with a heavy tray of hot food balanced carefully on one hand, the other holding a small pitcher of water. While the young emperor wasn't generally a waiter, Timor figured that Diffido probably couldn't have cleaned everything up yet and saw no reason for the staff to be privy to any of what had happened inside. He was fortunate that the door was still open enough for him to be able to nudge it open the rest of the way with his foot, the teen then quizzically looking around the room for somewhere to put his load down. "Madam, our meals have arrived... born with great grace and agility by one of the more handsome servers in the lands, if I do say so myself. Where, um... where do you want me to put this?"

Diffido just watched Timor leave, wondering why he left his vest and jacket on her bed if he was leaving her. Whatever... She shrugged weakly to no one in particular. Feeling a pounding headache coming on, she grimaced, holding her head with one hand. Not wanting to get her hair all bloody, she washed her hands and claws off in the sink, having to scrub for a few minutes to get all the blood out of her claws. Drying her hands off with a black, hand towel, she angled her arm under the sink faucet to wash some of the blood off her shoulder. When she was finished, she pressed the towel firmly to her shoulder to stop the blood flow and sighed heavily at the crimson liquid on her floors. That's going to be a pain in the ass to clean up later... Her eye twitched a little as she dragged her feet into her room, cursing when she tripped over her own foot. Luckily the bed was close enough that she just flopped onto it. Curling up in a little ball on top of the blankets, she hugged her black, fuzzy one to her chest, using Timor's jacket as a pillow. She closed her eyes, not wanting to be awake at the moment, hoping the pain would disappear by the time she woke up. However, Timor returned before she could drift into unconsciousness, and she sat up wearily, still clutching her blanket tightly. "Um, it doesn't matter, I guess... How about the tray on the bed and the water on the nightstand?" She suggested tiredly, surprised that he'd actually brought her food. I should probably eat something. And then I can go to sleep... Happy with her solution, she scooted over a little to make room for Timor to sit next to her, leaning against her pillows. "Thanks..." She said quietly, her lips twisting up into a small but exhausted smile.

Timor grinned, exposing his canines. "Certainly, mademoiselle." He carefully set the tray on the top of the bed, trying not to spill any of the food, and made a quick trip into the bathroom to grab a dry washcloth to use as a coaster before setting the pitcher down. Once that was done, Timor nodded in satisfaction and sat down on the bed, having to be careful not to tip the tray by making the mattress unlevel with his weight. His nose twitched slightly as the scents of the freshly cooked food wafted through the air, the teen's eyes going slightly reflective as his mouth began to water. Mmm... that smells really good..! Still, his manners kept the emperor from tearing into the meal, Timor instead gesturing for Diffido to pick out what she wanted first.

Diffido's eyes scanned the tray, taking in all the hot food he'd brought her. Wow... that's a ton of food. How are we going to eat all this? Even though she was exhausted and wasn't feeling all that hungry, her stomach gave a low growl, and she promptly glared down at it, wishing it would shut up. Heaving a small sigh, she got situated in her spot on the bed as Timor carefully set the tray down and sat on the bed beside her. "You brought a lot of food..." She murmured, half to herself and half to Timor. She really didn't want to eat right now, though her stomach certainly did, but refusing the food would be rude. So when she realized that Timor was waiting on her, she picked out a croissant and some steaming soup, nibbling on the pastry and occasionally dipping it in the soup. "You don't have to wait on me." She said quietly, shrugging a little. Finishing off her croissant, she dipped a few crackers in the soup almost wearily, really wanting to curl up and sleep for a long, long time. At least that way I wouldn't have to deal with all this pain... Although nightmares regularly haunted her sleep, she still preferred them to being awake, and sometimes in her sleep, she dreamed of Rowan, her older brother. Lately she'd been really worried about him, though she wasn't sure why.
Realizing that she was lost in her own little world, she snapped back into the present, wondering if she should say something or not. "Um... you know you didn't have to do all this, right?"

Timor smirked when Diffido's stomach growled, amused at her obvious irritation at the noise. Well, if you don't want to hear it, you should be eating regularly. He eyed her for a few seconds after she spoke, a slight hint of unease at how little she was eating curling in his own stomach. However, Timor quickly just shrugged that off as his own hunger; he hadn't taken many breaks over the day, and torturing Dreamers with their worst nightmares was hard work. Easing a plate of heavily spiced potatoes, sausages and green beans off of the platter, Timor picked up one of the spoons - he had a tendency to eat just about everything with spoons when he didn't have to be proper - and dug in, snapping down his food fiercely... though somehow, he still managed to look neat and somewhat proper while scarfing.
Glancing up, slightly startled, when Diffido began talking again, Timor licked his chops absentmindedly; an automatic habit, even though he rarely had food stuck to the outside of his mouth. "There are very few things that people really have to do... Most of what people do believe that they have to do is necessary to sustain life, though... Breathing, sleeping..." he gestured towards the tray, "-eating. None are something that you have to do... you can stop doing them at any time. It just makes your demise a lot more likely. However, it's nice to keep living, so..." Timor gulped down another quick bite, since now that he had started he was absolutely ravished. "So... yeah. I know I didn't have to do this, but it's nice to keep on living. It's also nice to have you keep living from my perspective, so it was just the smart thing to do."
The teen glanced back at the tray briefly before going back to eating, beginning to wonder if he would have to make a second trip down. I should have had a servant bring another tray or two up, and just have had him leave them at the end of the corridor... Oh well.

Diffido continued sipping her soup, smiling very faintly at his use of a spoon to eat. I like using spoons too... She thought tiredly. The soup was so hot that it burned her tongue, but she didn't really mind. She liked the way it made her stomach feel all nice and warm for once. Watching Timor eat with only the slightest of interest, she debated spooning one of his potatoes onto her plate but decided not to, since she didn't have the energy to do it. Also, that would be rude, especially since he'd gone to all the trouble to bring all this food up here for her.
Her cat ears perked up a bit when Timor started talking again, and her tail twitched slightly behind her, brushing against Timor's arm or thigh every now and then. "I guess so..." She shrugged wearily in response. "Is it really that nice to keep on living..." She mumbled to herself, wishing that she could sleep right now. At least then she'd be away from all this for a while at least. Finishing off her soup, she peeled an orange and quickly finished it off, her tail swishing back in forth in delight, accidentally hitting Timor's arm softly. When she finished it, her eyes flicked across the tray, looking for a little more food to satisfy her empty stomach. She spooned a moderate serving of noodles onto her plate and finished off those as well, her stomach feeling warm and full now. Leaning back against her pillow, she sucked on a lemon slice, curling up under her blanket a bit next to Timor. Her eyelids started drooping a little, but she fought them up and set her lemon aside. "We need dessert..." She thought aloud, her tail flicking Timor's hair. Now that she had some energy, she was feeling a bit more lively but was still kind of tired. "And wine." She added. Wine was not usually her alcoholic beverage of choice, but some reason she was in a wine mood today.

Timor's mental focus was basically completely focused on his meal, but, every time Diffido's tail tapped or touched him, one of his ears would swivel slightly and an almost unconscious smile would twitch his lips up briefly. "It's probably better than the alternative, in my opinion. Since no one knows that can tell us for certain, it's better to be safe than sorry." He gulped down the last few cubes of sausage, scraping the plate clean of bits and pieces, before taking the rest of the noodles after Diffido had served herself. The teen finished those up before Diffido had finished hers, going on to peel several boiled eggs and generously cover them in spice before devouring them as well; getting some more protein in his meal.
Timor glanced back at his wife when she put in her request, blinking in surprise at the second item. He honestly hadn't really thought about the fact that most nobles had a taste for wine - drinking it at about the same rate as the commoners drank water - and that Diffido might be the same. Timor's parents had been in that count as well, the two rulers having a high tolerance for the drink, and both had been amused at how easily Timor was able to get drunk. Timor... wasn't. He hated the pounding headaches that inevitably followed, disliked his lack of control of what he said and did, and didn't really care for the taste either. However, when it was well watered down and flavored with fruit juice, Timor could deal with it... and he didn't have any particular feelings or opinions on others having wine. "I'll be back..." he said, carefully slicing up the last boiled egg he had peeled and leaving it on a plate on the floor for the animals, then gathering the rest of the empty dishes and heading out.
About seven or eight minutes later, he returned once more; bringing another tray up as well as a bottle of well aged wine and two glasses. This time Timor knew where to place things; putting the wine and glasses on Diffido's bedside table and setting the tray on her bed.

Diffido bit her lip at his comment, flushing slightly in embarrassment. She hadn't meant for him to hear that. Her ears twitched, and her tail lashed back and forth a few times, hitting Timor in the face once on accident. "Sorry!" She apologized quickly, grabbing her tail firmly and holding it in her lap. When it had calmed down, she released it, watching as it lazily swished around a bit and tapped Timor's leg every now and then.
When Timor cut up the boiled egg for her pets, she added a few, small sausages and snatched the last orange off the tray to save for later. Arawn immediately bounced over to the plate of leftover scraps, followed shortly by Ianira, and the two, smaller cats dug in, making room for Isolde's large head when the tiger leaned over to gulp down a piece of sausage. Diffido rolled off the bed after Timor left the room and crawled over to Isolde and her cats, giggling softly when Isolde tackled her, the tiger licking her face enthusiastically. Diffido didn't mind being slightly crushed by the weight of her Bengal tiger, but Isolde rolled off her after a moment, butting her head into the empress's good shoulder. Diffido petted the tiger gently, purring with Isolde as the tiger groomed her hair. This went on until Timor came back, the empress not noticing her husband had returned at first. When set everything down, she hopped up and immediately stopped purring, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. She sat back down on the bed, getting comfortable under her blanket, and offered some of it to Timor as well. Ianira jumped up on the mattress with a cute mrrp and settled down in between the emperor and empress, hoping some more scraps would fall off the tray. "Thank you." Diffido said politely, delighted that he'd actually brought up both dessert and wine but still slightly flustered that he'd caught her behaving so childishly.

Timor froze when he entered; struck by what could only be described as an overwhelming urge to 'awww....'
He kept quiet out of a desire to keep his head on his shoulders, though a large, slightly goofy grin spread over his features as his ears twisted back at the unbelievable cuteness of everything happening inside the room. Diffido was purring... which had to be the most adorable sound he had heard for a long time.
Timor sighed slightly, disappointed, when Diffido caught sight of him and stopped purring, but got over it and continued on.
"Certainly, it was my pleasure," the teen replied, his attention switching between the pretty kitty on the bed and Isolde, the poor boy's private love for cats going slightly spastic at being this close to both of the girls. Timor grinned, winking at Diffido with a chuckle. "I'm not kidding; dessert is awesome!"

The corners of Diffido's lips turned up slightly in a very faint smile for a moment, but it quickly disappeared. "I think so too..." She shrugged, suddenly feeling very shy and embarrassed, especially after he'd caught her purring. Sliding off the bed, she walked over to the nightstand and poured two glasses of wine for her and Timor, diluting both of them slightly with a little water from the pitcher her husband had brought in with the first tray. She handed Timor his glass and got back on her side of the bed, taking a sip from her glass. "That's nice..." She mused, taking another sip before setting the glass down on the nightstand. "I don't usually drink wine." She stated, half to herself and half to Timor. Looking over the tray of dessert, her eyes lit up. So. Much. Chocolate! Sensing her excitement, her little black cat, Ianira, mrrped and stretched out with her head on Timor's thigh and her tail and hind legs on Diffido's leg. When her eyes caught sight of a little, glass bowl of M&M's, she couldn't help it. She let out a small purr of delight, savoring the taste of the chocolate candy. "Thank you!" Her tail twitched rapidly against Timor's arm, and she had to resist the urge to rub her cheek on him.

Timor held back a grimace as she handed him his goblet, taking a small, polite sip before putting his glass down on the floor out of sight (and hopefully out of mind for a while). "Me either," he replied, hiding another grimace as he waited for the taste on his tongue to dissipate.
He abruptly lost all concern about the taste in his mouth as Diffido let out another purr, Timor's ears perking forward as he grinned widely in delight at having finally pleased his companion. "You've got a thing for chocolate, huh?" I'll have to remember that for the next time I screw up and tick her off...

Diffido's left eye narrowed slightly at him as she watched him sip his wine out of the corner of her eye. He must not like wine that much. That's a bit strange for a prince... Smirking a little to herself, she took another sip of her wine before placing it aside on her nightstand. She'd never really had much wine before she became empress, but she'd acquired a bit of a taste for it after several balls and other social functions as empress.
She scowled at her blankets when Timor commented about her chocolate addiction. "I do not have a thing for chocolate." She crossed her arms childishly, a little flustered that she'd been purring again. Sometimes being part feline really sucked. Her ears flattened down to her head slightly as she popped a few more M&M's in her mouth, looking over the rest of the desserts. "Don't you like chocolate?" She inquired, tilting her head to one side and letting her ears perk back up. Growing up, everyone in her immediate family had been in love with chocolate, and it was hard for her to imagine anyone not liking it, though she'd met more than one person who didn't.

Timor's grin widened further at how immature Diffido was acting, chuckling softly to himself. "Of course not. What could I have been thinking?" A mischievous glint sparked in his eyes as he moved to pick the tray up. "I'll just take this back down to the kitchens and have them fix up something else, then..."
Timor's own head tilted slightly as he considered Diffido's question. "Do I like chocolate... Well, it depends, I guess. I like some things that have chocolate in them, like candy bars or trail mix... and I like things that are chocolate flavored, like ice cream or candy... but there are very few chocolates that I really like by themselves."

Diffido heaved a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes at Timor as her husband tried to tease her. "Can you not?" She snapped, grabbing a few more pieces of the chocolate candy to eat. "I'm not in the mood right now." When her chocolate was taken away from her, she tended to become irritable and agitated, often snapping at whomever was closest at the moment. "You were thinking that we needed dessert, and the best kinds are or have chocolate in them, capiche?" Her claws gripped his arm firmly, forcing him to set the tray back down on the bed, he hand accidentally brushing against a slice of cake in the process. "Now... pick something and eat it." She demanded, licking off some icing that had gotten stuck to her claw. "Cake maybe?" She inquired, tilting her head to one side again, her kitty cat eyes appealing themselves to him as she purred faintly and licked the frosting off her claws.
"You've just had bad chocolate." She mused after a moment of silence on her part. "You need to eat more of it." Satisfied with her solution, she tucked her legs underneath herself and fixed the fuzzy blankets, spreading the navy one over her and Timor and smoothing out the soft gray one at the end of the bed for Isolde's head and Arawn plus any other of her pets that decided to show up. Speaking of, her white cat, Eirlys, bounded into the room and hopped up on the bed, curling up next to Arawn. Eirlys's name meant 'snowdrop', but she was one of the more laid back cats, preferring to cuddle rather than play. Diffido stroked both cats with her foot for a minute before tucking it back underneath herself, watching Timor curiously.

Timor smirked smugly back at his wife as she grabbed his arm, the teen highly amused. "Si, si, signora..." His smirk twisted up into a full out grin as she licked the icing off of her claw, the teen wishing he had a camera.
"Yes, ma'am!" he teased, saluting smartly before glancing over the tray and picking up a large slice of angel food cake, scooping out a huge dollop of strawberry ice cream to set beside that before topping everything off with a light sprinkling of finely chopped strawberries. "Cake sounds good..." This was actually the dessert that he was given on his birthdays, one of the only truly nice things his parents did for him on a regular basis, and so had a lot of happy memories attached to it.
Timor glanced back over at Diffido when she began speaking again, chuckling as she theorized over why he didn't like much regular plain chocolate. "Your idea to get me to stop not liking plain chocolate is to have me eat more? That's... um... interesting." He scooped a piece of cake and ice cream up with his spoon, savoring the taste and texture for a few seconds before swallowing when the bed bounced slightly - Timor twisting to ruffle Eirlys's ears and tug lightly on her tail (his way of showing affection for the fully animal cats - he would have done it to Diffido as well, but he didn't think that would end well and didn't think that offending someone over a gesture of affection was really smart) before going back to eating.