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Post by Nephele on May 23, 2023 20:19:16 GMT -5
The next few days were spent travelling to the Pale City in the Frost Gale. Nephele gave one last goodbye to Sky Peak Village, and after gathering their things she and C'Leena left into the cold. Unsurprisingly, neither of them had terribly appropriate clothing, so Nephele helped find them coats and cloaks appropriate for the weather ahead. Extreme heat or cold were both bad for Nephele, though she only knew that out of principle. She'd never been in extreme heat or cold until she began to travel with C'Leena, but as always she was an exuberant ball of excitement as they walked.
After the first three days of walking, Nephele and C'Leena were flagged down by a horse-drawn wagon, thankfully not of the wealthy variety. The old dwarvish man running it was kind enough to give them a lift through the Coldwood, a forest of thick, frost covered trees, where he'd drop them off before his trek back up to the Bleak Fort. They acquiesced, as quite frankly Nephele found walking in snow was somehow worse than the hot sand. Why, she even had to keep her shoes on. How ridiculous was that? (She did, however, take them off in the middle of the night while C'Leena was asleep. It was a terrible idea, but she'd never admit it.)
The rest of the journey on foot wasn't too bad, in fact the wagon ride cut off at least a week. By the time that they had checked into an inn, Nephele threw all extra layers of clothing on the floor and stretched her arms high above her head. She was oddly sluggish, though it wasn't too surprising. Nephele was naturally cooler blooded, weirdly enough. C'Leena had likely picked this up by now, and if she were to check she'd find she was at least 20 degrees colder than her.
Despite this though, Nephele was stubborn, fighting any form of drowsiness and shaking out her hands. "Gods that was positively awful, is it always that cold when it snows? It's so pretty though, I wish I could bottle it up." The nymph suddenly yawned, shaking her head. She wasn't tired, having just slept, but her body was screaming at her right now. "How are you feeling? Tired? Are your limbs doing alright?"
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 23, 2023 21:37:45 GMT -5
C'Leena was in hell. Or at least, she would be if hell had frozen over. She had never been good with the cold; having lived in Australia, in a city where everything let off a certain amount of heat. She was a hot weather gal through and through, so she was miles out of her comfort zone. The only thing stopping C'Leena from complaining was Nephele being good company. If Nephele wasn't there, C'Leena would be actively losing her mind.
Getting picked up by the dwarf was a lifesaver, and C'Leena and the dwarf; who was named Thorin, as she had come to learn, actually got along quite well, spending the trip in a 3 way conversation. After Thorin dropped them off and continued on his way, C'Leena offered that she fly them the rest of the way, which was met with a swift and certain declination, claiming that the distance was concerning. Fair enough, but still. C'Leena didn't try to persuade her again.
The night of Nephele cashing in far more than what was owed (She's not complaining whatsoever, it was a great night), she did some sneaky shit. Her plans for this trip differed from Nepheles, but she hopes that it'll go smoothly anyway. While Nephele was asleep, she bought a few things and got everything sorted, all without Nepheles knowing. The sheer fact that C'Leena can be stealthy while her arms and legs are made almost completely out of metal is frankly impressive, even more so since she can't feel how much pressure she's exuding.
Nightly after then, she'd look at her purchase, thinking on her options. Nephele and C'Leena had been dating maybe five months at this point. This is something C'Leena wants to do, but is it too soon? Every societal norm and standard back on earth says that this is wrong, but it feels right. For the most part, C'Leena had been following Nepheles lead, but over time she felt like it was the other way around. Jeez, she really is the lead in the relationship.
Every night after looking over her purchase, she'd place it back into her space-pocket rift-thing, and despite her borderline hatred of the cold, Nephele curled up against Nephele. Unsurprisingly, she felt true comfort when she was with her. There was a certain chill that Nephele had that C'Leena had begun to associate with her directly, and it was the only temperature of cold that she loved.
The next few days went by without a hitch - mostly. At some point, her wings made an appearance without C'Leenas beckoning, which made her feel even colder, cause she can feel though those wings for some fuckoff reason. Magic bullshit makes her feel through wings, but not her prosthetics? What kind of cruel twist is that shit? Suffice to say, C'Leena wasn't too happy about that.
Making it into the Inn was a godsend. Inside the common room, there was a fireplace near the stairs going up to the rooms that C'Leena gave a wide berth, eyeing the dancing flame warily. The warmth was appreciated, but the source very much wasn't. Entering the room after Nephele and watching her discard all coats and warm clothing made C'Leena chuckle in disbelief. "Your ability to deal with the cold is frankly impressive, petal."
C'Leena herself was wearing something custom made since she had money to spend and not enough common sense to not spend it. Back on earth, she had plenty of hoodies, and she wanted one here, too. With some discussion with the tailor and a lot of confused remarks from the tailor himself, C'Leena that very same day (Don't ask how the tailor did that. C'Leena is chalking it up to more Magic Bullshit) was walking out with a black cotton hoodie with a fur lining on the inside of the hoodie. It was stupidly warm and C'Leena was pleased as punch with her purchase.
On top of her hoodie, she had a coat on that was also stupidly warm. She seemed happy enough, but still, the cold seeped past her clothing which wasn't too fun.
Walking over to the discarded clothing, she picked them up and began folding them. Why? She doesn't know. Will she stop? No, no she won't. "I've never seen snow before this trip. I lived in a city, which was in a valley. The valley itself created a sort of insulation where all the snow melted into rain before making it to the ground. So back then, it was either straight up ice or rain. I do have to agree though, it is very pretty."
A kind smile formed on C'Leenas face upon hearing Nepheles.. Not really 'concern', but her little check up with C'Leena. "More cold than anything. Arms and legs are still fake last I checked. Maybe next time. Although the one upside is that I can't have burning calves when they're made of metal." C'Leena is unsure what her prosthetics are actually made of. It's definitely some sort of metal, but Nephele hasn't had any adverse effects from being in prolonged contact with them, so it's not steel or iron. Her attempts at finding out proved futile, so she stopped and simply accepted the good luck.
"How about yourself? You seem buggered beyond belief." C'Leena asks, finishing with folding up the clothes. She puts them into a neat stack on the small desk in their room. The room itself bigger than their one back at Sky Peak Village; this one having a small coffee table and 2 comfy looking chairs as well as the bed and desk. It's not a huge improvement, but it's still appreciated. The window rattles quietly as the wind blows past, a light whistling sound muffled by the walls.
Then C'Leena remembers something. Her memory of the day before and the day of her panic attack are a bit of a blur. A lot of what Nephele showed her with meditation is evading her mental probes, which annoys the hell out of her. She should remedy that. "Slightly off topic, but can you run me through your meditation at some point, please? Due to some.. events," C'Leena rubs the back of her neck, only now flipping down her hood to do so. Her hair is a bit of a mess and far longer than what she prefers. She also seems greatly discomforted by talking about her episode. "A lot of what you told me is evading me. I remember the gist, but not enough to be able to do it myself. Would that be possible?" She asks, frowning slightly as she turns and looks at Nephele. They won't be here for very long, most likely spending a day or two here before continuing on their journey.
Despite knowing that Nephele most likely wouldn't mind showing her again, C'Leena feels bad for having to ask again. You'd think that something with such a profound impact on her would leave a lasting impression, and she remembers the after effects clear as day, but everything before that is missing almost. It's driving her absolutely mad.
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Post by Nephele on May 23, 2023 23:11:17 GMT -5
Nephele beamed at the praise, a smile on her face as she watched C’Leena fold their clothes. The nymph was personally not the best at that, rather preferring to just throw it in her bag and be done with it. The way C’Leena was folding their clothes with such care shouldn’t have made her so fond, but it did. “Thank you dearest. I’ve seen snow before, but I stayed away from it growing up. My mother claimed it was ‘too dangerous’ to be around when it fell.” Nephele had grown more comfortable speaking about her mother in the time they were moving into the Frost Gale. Apparently, she had more stories to tell when she was freezing half to death.
“It seems like we’re both experiencing it for the first time together!” Nephele flopped down onto the bed, sitting down with a sigh. She seemed genuinely excited about the idea, smiling up at the ceiling with her hands planted behind her. She'd never been so happy to be indoors before. Every experience they had was beautiful for her, especially with C’Leena there. “That’s good. I’m fine, I think. I feel a bit tired, but I’m alright. It’s just my body temperature, I’ll be alright once I warm up.” This final sentence was accompanied by another yawn that was quickly covered by her palm.
She felt odd, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle. It wasn’t like she was getting sick. Briefly, Nephele entertained the idea of C’Leena finding out she was sick, giggling to herself. She’d already been pretty upset about hearing her coping habits those few months back.
After hearing C’Leena’s concerns though, Nephele was narrowed in. She immediately directed her attention to her girlfriend, frowning.
“Of course. When do you want to do it?” Nephele’s frown was more of a pout now, concerned she was even asking. “We could do it inside this time, since it’s so cold. I often meditate in water, it helps me relax. We could rent out a bath and use warm water.” Then Nephele sat up.
“Do you know what’s causing it? Not the specific circumstances, as we both know those. Is your stress a thing of memory, feeling, or physicality?” As she asked this, Nephele pointed to her head, chest, and hand sequentially. Nephele looked ready to stand up again, like she was ready to spring up and comfort her at any moment.
After their last night in Sky Peak Village, let’s just say Nephele was paying a little more than a lot of attention to C’Leena’s body. This wasn’t for any nefarious reasons (…mostly, shut up), as she had realized that there were a lot of parts of C’Leena that she should keep an eye out for. Everything from her scars, her mannerisms and body language, absolutely everything was important. For one, C’Leena was human, and needed more sleep than Nephele did, celestial modifications or not. She was smart and curious, but also impulsive. Too impulsive. Being able to hear and see her tells were important to her.
Still, Nephele knew not to pry on too much, just to figure out the situation and how to address it properly.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 23, 2023 23:45:01 GMT -5
C'Leena took her jacket off and folded that, too before placing it next to Nepheles clothes. "Too dangerous? I guess in a sense. Hypothermia is a bitch and a half." She mostly mumbles to herself. She never had anybody come into her office with a frostbite case before, but it's not at all good and often needs amputation depending on how bad it gets.
It was also really nice to see Nephele happy. It's not often that they experience something for the first time together, so C'Leena is going to try to make the most of it. Perhaps pelt her with a snowball or two. C'Leenas smile turns a bit sinister at the thought before quickly returning to the kind smile. Nepheles own yawn also caused C'Leena to yawn, which she did while also saying "You motherfucker." It was her go-to response whenever someone else causes her to yawn, and Nephele has not been exempt from that, being called a motherfucker countless times in the months they've been together.
Upon hearing that Nephele just wants to warm up, C'Leena took her hoodie off and practically threw it at Nephele with a look that brooked no argument. The hoodie was already incredibly warm from C'Leenas body temperature, and the fur lining made it all the better. Her little giggle for seemingly no reason also confused C'Leena. "What'chu giggling about?"
Her smile drops slightly at the next subject as she furrows her brow, having to think the answer through. Psychologically, stress has a documented ill effect on memory, so her fuzzy recollection makes sense with how severe the episode was. Outside of that, she's not entirely sure. "I.. don't know how to answer that. Memory and stress don't really go together, so I guess a memory thing? Again, I'm not sure." She shrugs passively. It's sweet that Nephele worries about her, though.
C'Leena walks up to Nephele and curls a finger under her chin before kissing her. "I'm all good right now, petal, I promise. Thank you for your concern. Although that bath sounds pretty good, honestly. Any time in particular you thinking?" She asks. Those events aren't exactly a subject she wants to linger on, so she switches it. Probably not the most subtle thing ever, but compared to some of her other segues? That was smooth as butter.
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Post by Nephele on May 24, 2023 0:26:43 GMT -5
“Oh, nothing. Just thinking.” Nephele sang, half laughing and half staring at the wall evasively. She knew C’Leena didn’t believe her, she just did it to mess with her.
Nephele nodded along, still concerned as her brain worked to find a solution. Again, she didn’t ask anything more, just listening as C’Leena talked. The change of topic was heavily noted, but she chose to ignore it. Nephele let herself be distracted though, the kiss to her forehead soothing the pinch in her brow as she sighed into a smile.
“If you’re sure, love. I am feeling weirdly stiff, we could go now if you’d like.” Nephele responded in kind after a moment. She wanted to ask a question, and she lifted her hand up to run her fingers through C’Leena’s hair, careful. “We could go together, if you’d like. I can wash your hair for you.” There was no ulterior motive to Nephele’s tone, simply an offer. She could tell that C’Leena wanted it cut, maybe she’d take her tomorrow.
Nephele had never had to cut her hair, but she used to prefer it shorter. Now though, she was really liking its length, never having grown it passed her shoulders before. It was now resting a few inches above her hips. She wondered how long it would take to grow to her ankles, and if she would even like it by then. Decisions, decisions…
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 24, 2023 1:03:34 GMT -5
"Shit, alright sure. In that case, go get yourself sorted, I'll rent the bath." She says easily. She playfully flicks Nepheles nose when she avoids her question.
The sheer length of Nepheles hair was.. Quite something. She'd always find loose strands of hair in places that don't even make sense. It makes her happy that she prefers her hair shorter. It looks like hell to have to wash all that hair. Although she could help her as well. "If you're offering, I could help you out as well. Looks like a nightmare and a half to wash all of that."
C'Leena stays still for a while, lost in Nepheles eyes (again) and enjoying the sensation of Nepheles hand in her hair. It was quite soothing, honestly. The certain chill that Nephele gives off only amplifying that feeling. She smiles lightly before taking a step back. "I'll be back. Go get sorted, mkay? Be back in five." She repeats.
She heads to the door and walks out, only being out for about 2 and a half minutes at the max. Still giving the fireplace a wide berth, she rents the bath, gets herself sorted and meets back up with Nephele. Walking in, she closes the door and almost immediately takes her shirt off with no hesitation which, in it of itself is huge. Every time that C'Leena has taken off her shirt and revealed her scars, there has been hesitation. Truthfully, C'Leena feels extremely comfortable with Nephele, even more so now.
"Good to go?" She asks, before glancing at Nephele. "You'll get your looks in soon, jeez." She says playfully. Shes not even certain that Nephele was looking, but it's fun to tease her anyway.
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Post by Nephele on May 24, 2023 1:40:00 GMT -5
“Yes, my dear.” Nephele smiled, thankful for the help and giggling brightly as she realized why she had taken so long to move. In truth, she never had to brush through her hair or wash it save for a few times a year. It wasn’t something she found necessary, but now that she was growing her hair out it was starting to become meddlesome. Watching C’Leena leave, Nephele blew her a kiss, and began to prepare herself.
She dug through her bag and withdrew a ratty comb made of fish bones, one she was gifted years ago. Sighing, Nephele snapped one of the hanging “teeth” of the comb off, looking it over in satisfaction. By the time C’Leena was back, Nephele was revving to go, still rolling her shoulders as she tried to get her stubborn blood to flow.
Once they were in the bath, Nephele was finding herself relax. She will admit that she looked at C'Leena a little bit, mostly in surprise at her ease. That didn't just happen. Nephele’s face brightened at the prospect of C’Leena being so comfortable around her. She hoped that she could continue to ease her into that vulnerability.
When C’Leena called her out though, Nephele had to pretend she wasn’t embarrassed. In fact, she even took the extra time to stare just a few seconds longer, before looking C’Leena in the eyes then looking away, a bashful grin on her face that betrayed her calm words. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She then began undoing the laces in her bodice, stripping out of her clothes without a care and breathing a heavy sigh of relief at the feeling of no restrictions. This was always when she was most relaxed, just free to be with the elements. Granted, they were indoors, but she wasn’t keen on diving in a frozen lake. Also, her body felt different now, with her hair grown out. This was probably the closest she’d looked like a pure nymph in, well, ever.
“Should we start with you? Between us I don’t know who needs it more.” Nephele asked, thoughtful as she reached up to run her long nails through C’Leena’s hair, checking to see what she was working with. She didn’t mind going first, but her mind was wired to relax her girlfriend right now. Whatever she needed could wait.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 24, 2023 2:51:17 GMT -5
C'Leena just playfully tsked at Nepheles blatant lie before she continued undressing herself. Picking her own gear up, she moved it a bit of a distance from the bath just to avoid splashing water on them. Turning when Nephele approached her, C'Leena looked at the sheer length of hair that Nephele had compared to C'Leenas neck length. And you know what? C'Leena isn't shy about it; she took an appreciative look over. It would be borderline insulting for her not to.
Looking back up to Nepheles eyes. "Let's get you done, since there's a lot more to do, yeah? C'mon hon." She beckons as she takes Nepheles hand and leads her to the bath before helping her in, and then hopping in herself. Generally, this is something she'd take her prosthetics off for because water and electricity don't mix and it was an engrained habit to do so, but she had things to do here.
Positioning herself behind Nephele, she takes a moment to gather up her hair and pick up the supplied small bucket for this exact purpose. She gently shifted Nepheles head back as she began the process of washing her hair. Something that would only really be noticed now would be the rather faint surgical scars that run underneath and between her breasts. They had been glazed over previously, as whenever she had both her shirt and bra off in front of Nephele, she had either been sewing up a wound or they were getting down to business.
For a bit, she works in silence, careful with what she does. She takes the fishbone comb from Nephele, gives it a mildly confused glance and begins combing her hair. After a bit, she speaks up. "Just a question that popped into my head: Do the fey have different traditions when it comes to marriage?" She asks in a straight tone, as if she were asking about the weather last week. She is curious about it; she's always found whatever Nephele told her about the fey to be incredibly interesting.
"Which also reminds me: I don't really know much about the traditions of... anybody. I don't know if the humans here have the same traditions as the humans that I know. Man, there's still so much left to learn." She says the final part more to herself than to Nephele. She continues gently combing through the length of Nepheles hair, quietly apologizing if she gets caught in a small knot or she accidentally pulls on her hair. She hadn't done this in years, so she feels like anybody would when doing something they hadn't done in years. She felt nostalgic. Hell, maybe if Nephele agrees, she might be able to braid it. She was never particularly good at it, but she was at least passable.. Or at least that's what Rose told her.
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Post by Nephele on May 24, 2023 3:43:20 GMT -5
Letting herself get led to the tub, Nephele took careful steps into the water with a happy sigh, something in her immediately relax. She hardly made a sound as she stepped in, and she wiggled around a bit to get comfortable before peeking up at C’Leena, scrunching up her nose in an attempt to make her laugh until settling down.
No one had really touched her hair like this in years, but Nephele was pretty good at hiding her nerves so long as she wasn’t looking at anything. So she closed her eyes, with C’Leena gently combing her hair and catching minimal snags. Her hair was on the curly side when wet, the whisps of vapor dampening and stopping altogether once C’Leena got to work. Nephele had to force herself to stay still, wanting to lean up into her hand and altogether make this a twice as long experience.
C’Leena’s question takes a moment to process, Nephele’s eyes slipping open with a languid “hm?” sound as she tried to make sense of it. “That’s an interesting question. Where I’m from, marriage is usually celebrated for days on end with food and drink, with music that can be heard for miles.” Nephele explained, blinking heavily. “There are so many different types of fey, it’s hard to determine specifics. However, the courting methods are pretty universal.” Nephele paused as C’Leena caught a snag, wincing minutely and brushing off any apologies.
“Nymphs usually don’t find life partners, as we’re bound to the water most of the time. Those who do find their soulmate.” Nephele twirled her finger through a stray hair, before passing it back to C’Leena. “One thing that I often hear is the presentation of songs, one for each partner. Usually there is the tying of the souls, which used to be a literal spell linking the lovers together. In recent years though, the lovers will simply wade through the river of the nymph and once they’ve come back up…well, what they decide is for them and them only. Some become a spirit of the nymph’s waters, some take the nymph and never come back, a select few will even consummate the marriage during the ceremony, if you can even imagine. It simply depends.”
Nephele doesn’t think to ask why, too engrossed in the topic now. She felt sad, knowing that C’Leena was in the dark for so much. “If I’m honest, I don’t understand the humanfolk up here either. Their traditions for courting are much more formal. However, I know that usually elves present shiny items to their preferred mate and dwarves braid their lover’s hair. It’s interesting to learn about, I must say.”
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 24, 2023 4:14:59 GMT -5
C'Leena looked at Nephele who was scrunching up her nose. Before she even got in, she furrowed her brow and cocked her head in confusion, before chuckling lightly to herself and softly shook her head. God, Nephele is so weird sometimes. Climbing in, she got to work.
C'Leena listened intently. Her eyebrows rise a smidge on hearing the consummation part and she quietly laughs through her nose. The fey also seem very centered around music. Is that why it means so much to her; It's a cultural thing? That would make a lot of sense, honestly.
Then Nephele mentioned the human formalities, and something in her mind makes her think that it's probably not all that different. "Oh god, yeah. Formalities all the way when it comes to us - at least from where I hail. Suits and dresses, organized procedure and hell, even with non-religious marriages, the actual marrying of people is done under the name of god. It's all very formal, but the few marriages I've attended were actually really sweet.
"There are all sorts of little rules for marriage, as well as a lot of legal stuff. Little crap like 'Seeing the bride in their dress before the ceremony is bad luck for the marriage', and the whole legal thing of taking on the others last name. Again, very formal stuff, but very sweet when done well." She only now truly realizes just how complex marriage is. "Jeez, there are a lot of rules."
In this, she also got the answer she was looking for, and she smiled. She continues combing through her hair as they dip into comfortable silence once again. Soon enough, she finishes combing through, and she pours some more water into her hair. She leans forward and rests her chin on Nepheles shoulder as she quickly removes all the loose hair from the comb and puts the concerning amount of hair off to the side. "Jesus, you could knit a damn cat with that much hair." She says before wrapping her arms around Nepheles waist, handing the comb back to her. "Done and done, my dear. You have so much fucken hair." She comments before speaking again. "I can't guarantee it'll be any good, but I might be able to braid your hair if you're keen for that. Rose would nag the shit out of me to do it when our mum couldn't. Wasn't the best, but she said it was good so," She shrugs. "That's if you want it braided. Thought I'd offer."
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Post by Nephele on May 24, 2023 12:19:25 GMT -5
Nephele nodded, finding these specific rules interesting but also strangely tedious. The legal things were no surprise, as she had grown to learn about them in her time in the Crescent Isles. Marriage as seen by the fey was mostly a construct, and above all else another excuse to party (like they needed any more). They seemed to like the idea of most otherworldly traditions, and chose to take only a select few things to make it feel more official. Nothing was set in stone, but Nephele’s mother had stories of satyr weddings that frankly, she thought no one but they should know.
Her body involuntarily shuddered at the memory, and then refocused on what C’Leena was saying. She rolled her eyes at the cat comment, though she knew C’Leena wasn’t wrong. She thought it was entirely too sweet of her to offer, and she took the comb back with a happy smile. “If you’d like to then I don’t mind at all. Do what you wish.”
That’s when Nephele had a thought, and her face fell for half a second. As quickly as it had happened though, she quickly restored her expression into something neutral. There was no time for thoughts like that, not here. She feared that her pessimism often caught hold of her when she was starting to feel really happy, a most irritating quirk of her stupid mind. She’d address it later, maybe even write about it in her journal.
She unintentionally shifted back a little bit, wanting to be closer to C’Leena as she lets the chaotic thoughts of her mind die out. She reached her hand up to pull C’Leena into a kiss, quick but gentle with her fingers coiling through her hair. When pulled away, Nephele sighed, looking her in the eye as any previous thoughts that lingered drifted away slowly. She paused to stare, a million thoughts within her eyes as she resulted in shaking her head. “Thank you.”
She didn't elaborate further. Well, when did she ever, really.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 24, 2023 13:50:32 GMT -5
C'Leena went into the kiss enthusiastically, despite being concerned for her. She didn't miss the hiccup in her features. "Why are you thanking me? Something wrong?" She asked, not letting her concern flood her own features. She wrapped her arms around her just a little tighter as she shifts back. C'Leena looks back into Nepheles eyes, getting lost in them for the millionth time. It's almost concerning how easy it is for her to map the stars and re-map them whenever Nephele looks at her.
Feeling like she might not get an answer from Nephele about what was going on, she decided to move the conversation further. "I'll braid it after it dries, mkay?" She smiles kindly, leaning her head on Nepheles. Despite appearances, she truly was concerned for her. Years of being a doctor gave her the ability to hide her concern when she needed to, and this was one of the times where she utilized that skill. It's never a common occurrence for C'Leena to use it around Nephele, but it felt.. appropriate here.
C'Leena absently brushes some loose hair from her face before poking Nepheles ear again. The first time she did it was more of a test, but now it's just for fun. It's cute to see it twitch like a cat. She never really owned a pet before, but she knew cats did that ear twitch thing sometimes if you poke them. As C'Leena does so, she chuckles lightly. "You're cute." She says passively.
Shes not in any rush to get finished, so for right now, she keeps Nephele in her arms and as close to her as possible. Something went through her mind that downed her mood, and C'Leena aims to raise her spirits back, even a little. Her mind drifts to her purchase sitting in her space pocket. They still have a good while to travel she thinks, so she has time. C'Leena hopes the time ends up being right.
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Post by Nephele on May 24, 2023 14:48:03 GMT -5
“No reason. Just love you.” Nephele said, choosing to deflect with something she knew was true. The last thing she needed was C’Leena hearing about her insecurities in such a nice place. As extra emphasis, Nephele kissed her again, honestly wishing that C’Leena could read her mind. Well, she could, but asking her to was a whole other field of complications. So she smiled, ignoring her feelings for now.
“Flattery will get you absolutely everywhere with me, dearest.” Nephele sang, standing and gathering up her hair and twirling it up in a bun atop her head, tucking it in without the use of a hair tie. It was heavy, but nothing she couldn’t handle. “Now let’s switch. We’ve got all day, but I’d like to have some peace of mind before we lounge the rest of the day away, yes?”
There were very little blemishes on Nephele’s skin, save for the scar in her thigh and three spoke shaped scars on her lower abdomen. As she had told C’Leena, it was from when she was nearly gored by an iron rake back in the Moonglades when she was little. Those scars would probably never fade, but at least she wasn’t shy about hiding it anymore.
They swapped positions at this point, with C’Leena positioned where she was previous. Nephele ran her fingers through her hair, thinking out loud. “Alright, here we go. Your hair is such a lovely color, I don’t believe I’ve ever said that before.” Then Nephele reached for the bucket, before pausing. Then she was grinning as an idea developed. C’Leena had hardly seen her use magic before, she might as well see if she still had it in her. So she filled the bucket, as C’Leena had, pouring it over her hair.
As she continued though, Nephele’s mind began to work. Pouring some of the water into her palm, instead of it slipping through the spaces in her fingers it began to take the form of her hands, like particularly viscous gloves.1 She used her fingers to finger comb the water through C’Leena’s hair, massaging her scalp and washing through it.
1 Shape Water
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 24, 2023 15:23:31 GMT -5
C'Leena didn't pry. Nephele didn't want to talk, she doesn't need to. Although, she'll never say no to more kisses. "Love you too, petal." She chuckles upon hearing that flattery works wonders for Nephele. While she already knew that, it's another thing to get confirmation. "Noted." She says with a smile.
C'Leena wasn't at all subtle with her looks. Her eyes did linger on the scars, primarily the one on her thigh that she got at the volcano. She still slightly blamed herself for that one, but she'd never say that aloud. Switching spots with her, she settled herself and was about to say something when Nephele complimented the color of her hair. The combination of the compliment and being caught off guard tore the words from her mouth.
"..Huh?" She said after a moment of not-entirely processing what was said to her. "Thank you?? It's really common on earth so it's nothing special." For some reason this had thrown her off kilter, so now she was mildly flustered. At having her hair complimented. I can already hear you making fun of me, Rose. Shut up, I don't see you in a bath with a hot nymph. Her little tirade does put a smile on her face. C'Leena would've won that argument easily.
Her flustered state is broken by a curious tingle on the back of her neck. She turns her head and looks at Nephele, then down at the blatant magic use. Her eyes are surprised as she glances between her hands and Nepheles eyes. "When in the cinnamon-toast FUCK were you gonna tell me you knew magic? I thought you didn't do magic!" She says in an incredibly excited tone. She fully turns around, their previous task nearly forgotten as C'Leena takes Nepheles hands in her own and looks at them with curious eyes.
"Do you know anything else? No, wait, you needed to do something with this. When did you even learn how to do this? This is so damn cool!" She continues bouncing between questions and statements, her ADHD entirely on the 'Hyperactivity' portion of the acronym, and it shows. It's not often that Nephele sees C'Leena hyper fixate on something other than her work, and it's a nice change for C'Leena, too.
"This is Sea Domain, right? What are the limits of this? I'm not really familiar with this domain - more of a Space domain gal. You already know that, why am I telling you? Fucked if I know. God this is fucking sick. When were you going to tell me you could do MAGIC?"
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Post by Nephele on May 24, 2023 16:01:22 GMT -5
Nephele was expecting to be bombarded with questions, but she wasn’t expecting the sheer amount of excitement bursting out of C’Leena in waves. Her eyes were wide as saucers as her girlfriend basically attacked her with questions. It was…unfairly adorable. Too cute, in fact that Nephele had to drop her spell to focus, the water being taken over by gravity once again as it splashed back into the tub. At her last question, Nephele had to hold in her laugh, snorting in her effort to keep it in. “U-Um, sorry-!” Nephele gave up pretty fast, letting loose a high-pitched giggle that rang through the bath. It was an unmistakably happy sound, and she shook her head. “Oh you’re adorable, Cee.”
Nephele had to take a moment to compose herself, knowing that C’Leena needed answers or she’d probably spontaneously combust. “To answer your questions: I’ve always been able to do this, or at least I think I was. If I did learn it was when I was a toddler. I’m not too sure what else I can do, it’s been ages since I’ve used magic.
Limits, I’m unsure of. I can also create water, withdrawing from the vapors in the air and bending them to my will. I’m the offspring of a water spirit, did you really think I knew nothing?” Nephele asked, jesting but actually a bit surprised. She was glad C’Leena didn’t think it was strange though, not like she probably ever would. “I don’t like to use magic, but I can still use it. A large part of me is made of magic, it wouldn’t make sense if I couldn’t use it.”
Nephele was growing overwhelmed, though that wasn’t exactly unwelcome. She was happy that C’Leena was so invested.
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