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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 28, 2023 23:51:20 GMT -5
Nepheles question on if her joints could freeze up was a pretty good question, and C'Leena frowned. "I don't know. Yesterday they were fine and it wasn't unlike today. Heres hoping I don't lock up and you leave me here." She chuckles lightly as they begin their trek. Nepheles concern is sweet, like usual. At least that part makes her smile.
In the blistering cold, they begin walking. The snow crunches beneath their feet, as with each step they sink a few inches into the snow layering the ground. The wind whistles by, carrying snowflakes through the air and obscuring vision slightly. The weather is somewhat calm today. Hoping for a better day seems like a waste of time, so moving now is as good a time as any.
Their travels take a few hours. They keep a decent pace as they mostly walk in silence, the wind and various coverings making conversation difficult. Despite the silence, it's a comfortable one. C'Leena has never been one for silence, but this feels oddly nice. Wasn't that something her dad suggested she look out for? No matter. C'Leena mentally thanks the old man for his wisdom and continues walking.
Soon enough, they find shore, and a dock with a number of sailboats. Most are cargo ships, loading or offloading cargo to most likely be sent to The Pale City, but there is one with a different flag flying overhead. That particular ship will help get C'Leena and Nephele over the waters and to Eclipse City. Walking their way down the docks and to the man standing by the plank leading on board, C'Leena speaks up.
"Hey mate, you fellas ferrying people over to Eclipse City?" She says, voice raised to be heard over the busy activities of the docks. The man looks up at C'Leena and glides his eyes over the pair, his eyes lingering a moment longer on Nephele. The man is layered up, much like Nephele is with face coverings and gloves and everything in hopes to keep warm. Judging by his mild shivering, it's not working.
"..Aye, we are. Not for free, mind you." He says in a gravelly voice. He extends a shaking hand, where C'Leena places some solars, which the man takes and jerks his head up the plank, granting them access. Giving her thanks, C'Leena walks up the plank with little issue, but a lot of caution. Walking up the plank, there are a few crew members walking about, preparing for sail. A young-looking fella walks up and beckons the two women to follow him.
Leading them away, the kid(?) leads them below deck where a number of torches line the walls. Inside are a couple of families and a few others keeping to themselves. They're all sitting near or under the torches, trying to gather what little heat they can. C'Leena, for mysterious reasons, is suddenly very happy with the cold. C'Leenas discomfort is apparent as she shifts herself slightly closer to Nephele, eyeing the flames warily.
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Tradesfolk
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Post by Nephele on May 29, 2023 1:26:15 GMT -5
Nephele is having an amazing time. As cold as the weather was in the frost Gale it was such a beautiful place once you got over your sleepiness. Nephele often found herself holding out her hand, trying to catch the falling snowflakes with a twinkle of childlike wonder in her eyes. Due to her temperature, she found that she could hold them longer in her palm to look at them and marvel in their patterns. It amazed her that they were all so very different, sometimes walking over to C’Leena and showing her with an outstretched palm.
Once they made it to shore, Nephele found herself relieved, still not the biggest fan of the blistering winters. She gazed in awe at the sailboats, exhaling a soft sound on the wind as she gazed up and up at their sails. As C’Leena asks for passage and pays the man, Nephele’s attention is dragged away as they are maneuvered below the deck.
Nephele just barely registers C’Leena's apprehension behind her, feeling her inch closer to her back. She just barely caught the movement in her peripheral, but it didn't take a genius to figure out why she was upset. As if it was her cue, Nephele reached behind her and carefully grabbed C’Leena’s hand in hers, the iciness of her palms a stark contrast and distraction from the heat emitting from the flame. There is a high chance that she would be cold for a majority of this, but if it gave her Peace of Mind for just a little bit, the nymph was happy to oblige.
For Nephele herself, she was getting quite a few stares. This wasn’t unusual, as most fairy creatures were not found in these parts, especially not one of water or ice like she was. Also, she just looked plain strange. Despite this, she was suddenly very invested in leading C’Leena to a good spot. She opted to walk them towards a spot near a torch, though it was some distance away so they can move to and from it if they wished, and she still kept her entire focus on her girlfriend. Having C’Leena face her, Nephele sat them both down, cupping her hands to her chest.
“Relax, dearest.” Nephele coaxed, soft and warm despite her temperature. “We made it, didn't we? Nothing will hurt you here if I have anything to say about it.” She then kissed C’Leena's hands through the scarf, still trying to warm up herself. In all honesty she was probably feeling terrible, with her temperature having dropped at least 10 degrees since they started their journey, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 29, 2023 3:42:00 GMT -5
C'Leena was, in every meaning of the word, terrified. Sitting near the torch is really fucking with her, but she's trying her best to calm herself for Nepheles sake. Controlling her breathing is laborious and finding a way to slow her heartrate is tedious, and it takes her a while to get a handle on herself. Her mini panic attack draws even more eyes, but soon after, she finally gets a handle on herself.
"Okay.. Okay, I'm good, we're okay." She says quietly to herself, holding onto Nepheles hand for dear life. She hasn't been able to get over her fear of fires and but due to where they are and who they're with, shes 'choosing' to suffer in silence. Once they sit down, C'Leena gets as close to Nephele as possible and holding onto her hand. Shes still scared, but calm-ish. Suddenly, she has an idea.
"Uhm, Nephele? Could you show me the meditation thing, please?" She asks in a somewhat shaky tone. "We don't need to move, I'll be okay. I just need something to distract myself with." She might as well make this into something to work on her fear. She really wants to see the beauty in fire again since it used to be one of her favorite things prior to the accident.
"I'm sorry for this, petal. It's so stupid, I shouldn't be panicking like this." She apologizes, moving herself just that little bit closer to Nephele.
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Post by Nephele on May 29, 2023 12:23:04 GMT -5
C’Leena's request briefly takes Nephele off guard, but it barely takes a half second for that feeling to go away. “Of course, dearest. Do not apologize for feeling fear.”
Nephele pulls down her scarf, revealing her face as she did her best to calm C’Leena down. Quite frankly, the nymph could care less about the people that they are sharing space with. People are naturally nosy so she couldn't really blame them for sneaking a peek, but her focus was completely on C’Leena and her reactions alone. “Do you remember the breathing exercise I taught you?” They were barely any inches apart, their legs flush together and Nephele rubbing her thumb across her knuckles softly. It was gentle and calming.
“If you don't, just follow my breathing.” Nephele placed C’Leena’s palm to her chest, much like she did the last time she had a panic attack in that clearing and the Dragon’s Cradle. “In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. Like this.”
Nephele began to initiate the exercise, not having to exaggerate as much as last time as she was fairly certain that C’Leena could still see her and feel her. It didn't seem to matter what position Nephele was in, as she could find herself slipping into a meditative state easily, her eyes growing unfocused as they slowly began to morph into the galaxy unbeknownst to either of them. Clusters of stars and bright yellow and orange nebulae began to slowly scatter within their depths, and all the while Nephele counted under her breath to calm her girlfriend.
“Never apologize, stay with me, okay? You are safe, I am here.”
Nephele took care to whisper, knowing that C’Leena was also reacting to the sheer amount of people here as well. Her voice had slipped into that strange siren-like cadence, cool and grounding. She chose not to speak too much, as some of the children nearby were watching Nephele with wide and curious eyes, whispering to their mothers and trying to get closer. Hopefully that wouldn't backfire anytime soon. She fixed C’Leena's hair, a small gesture to let her know that she is present, and she began a metronomic tapping on her chest to calm her down again.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 29, 2023 14:45:14 GMT -5
C'Leenas breathing is ragged. Not nearly as bad as the panic attack the other day, but still not good whatsoever. The second that Nephele places a hand on her chest, C'Leena's hand comes up and covers her hand, holding on tightly. Her eyes lock onto Nepheles as they begin to flicker into her natural smoke gray, then into the gold before returning to the gray and settling. She seems unaware of the change.
She begins pacing her breathing with Nephele, focusing entirely on her. The wandering eyes and curious families aren't even ignored - they simply don't exist in C'Leena's mind. There is only Nephele and her in this moment. Her breathing remains ragged for a few minutes before finally slowing enough to follow the rhythm properly.
Listening to Nephele speak helps ground her as she slowly but surely dips into the Limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her eyes remain open and locked on Nephele as she slowly but surely absorbs what her senses are telling her all at once. The sounds, the smells, Nepheles hand tapping lightly on her chest. This time, she's able to sink into the trance-like state much quicker.
They remain in the state for a good while, simply looking at one another while they're in their own little worlds. The sudden tingling in her fingers forces a hitch in her breathing, but the trance isn't broken as the sensation very slowly strengthens with time. The couple continue for what feels like no time at all, but is, in reality about 3 hours before a nearby child got too curious for their own good and waved a hand between the pair.
C'Leena was first to react, the sudden input snapping her out of the meditative state. She looks at the kid, who seems to be a very young human child. "Hey mate. Whats up?" She asks casually. The child looks startled at C'Leenas sudden consciousness, and takes a step backward. It takes him a moment to respond, before speaking in a small voice.
"You and her were looking at each other for a long time. I wanted to know if you were okay." He pauses before speaking again. "..You looked scared before. Are you okay, miss?" C'Leena was mildly taken aback by the kids honesty and concern, which morphed itself into a kind smile.
"I'm okay, lil' man! Thank you so much for your concern, it means a lot!" She responds in a voice almost entirely dedicated to children. "She helped me heaps, so everything will be alright." She motions toward Nephele, her smile widening as she speaks. Her endless gratitude is left unspoken, but is obvious.
"Oh, okay. Goodbye!" The kid says suddenly, before turning heel and going back to what seems to be his family. C'Leena turns back to Nephele, her smile still wide and kind as she leaned forward and planted a delicate kiss on Nepheles lips.
"Thank you, petal." She says quietly, resting her forehead on Nepheles. C'Leenas hands go up to Nepheles cheeks, and she recoils slightly from the unexpected cold. Despite her flinch, she has a goofy smile plastered on her features as her hands return to Nepheles cheeks, her thumbs idly rubbing against Nepheles skin.
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Post by Nephele on May 29, 2023 15:07:44 GMT -5
Nephele is used to time passing her by when she is meditating, and a newfound thing is that when doing it with C’Leena, it seems to go by much faster. It's almost shocking how easily they're able to dip into a rhythm of nonstop beats and breaths, nearly matching each other's heartbeat in this synchronous state. Nephele can probably count the number of times she has blinked within this interaction, even between soothing words of affirmation. Most days, she could do with being disrupted from her meditation, as she was so used to living in the wild or out in the open that it was natural for her to come down.
However, when she realized it wasn't C’Leena's voice snapping her out of it, Nephele jumped a bit in her seat. It wasn't enough to be all too noticeable to anyone except for probably C’Leena, who was still holding on to her. She blinked several times, barely processing the conversation had between the child and her girlfriend, only catching the tail end of C’Leena's statement and the little boy's goodbye.
Her eyes came back down from their trance-like state, the nebulae dispersing as the natural stars began to take bloom in her eyes once again. She shook her head, and once she was fully focused the first thing she saw was C’Leena's smile. It worked, she realized. Her smile was wide as she saw that most if not all the fear and apprehension had mostly bled out of C’Leena's body language. Thank goodness. Nephele was nearly speechless, and then she was kissed, and her eyes sparkled like a million diamonds, matching C’Leena’s smiling expression as she was brought back to their own galaxy.
“Of course,” Nephele breathed, laughing quietly under her breath. When C’Leena recoiled at the temperature of her face, she couldn't help but laugh a little bit louder. “Sorry, dearest. Feeling better I presume?”
Her hand had flattened against C’Leena’s chest, listening to the strange word of her mechanical heartbeat. She truly loved the sound, giving the effect of that tranquil white noise whenever Nephele used C’Leena 's chest as a pillow. Her heartbeat had levelled out at this point thankfully.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on May 29, 2023 16:09:18 GMT -5
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm better. Thank you." Her voice is soft as she simply feels Nephele. The last time this happened, her episode caused her memory to become foggy at best, and outright missing at worst. So to C'Leena, this is a first time experience. Nepeheles skin feels smooth and awfully soft. For real, though. How does she do this? Jeez, my skin is either scarred, hard as a f'kn rock cause of sheer muscle or both.
C'Leena dips into another kiss, this time it lasts far longer. She will never, ever pay back what Nephele has done for her. At least she can hopefully make a dent into that debt soon. She remains in the kiss for quite some time, but eventually she does break away, quietly saying "I love you so much, Nephele. You do so much and ask for nothing. I've no idea how I can repay you." She knows the response she'll get, but she doesn't care. She's racking up quite the debt, here.
As time passes, C'Leena and Nephele find themselves against a wall, with Nephele leaning against C'Leena, sat between her legs and with her arms wrapped around her waist. The trip takes a couple of days, where they chat, meditate and generally just bide their time. Sometimes they'll head up to the main deck and watch the horizon and get some fresh air. The trip goes smoothly, and before they know it, Eclipse City is in view.
Currently, they're stood near the bow of the ship, watching the city crawl toward them. It'll take about 10 more minutes for them to arrive to port. C'Leena is stood behind Nephele, arms draped over her shoulders. "You ready, dal'n?" She asks quietly. She knows that Nephele wants to visit her mothers grave. Nephele said that she was good to join, so she'll do exactly that.
Her mind drifts once again to her Space Pocket. As they get closer, anxiety builds slowly but surely. I won't back out of this. I won't let myself.
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Post by Nephele on May 29, 2023 16:58:29 GMT -5
Nephele sighed, tilting her head slightly but not enough to completely obstruct C’Leena 's hold on her face. “Your presence will always be enough. Never apologize, Cee. Didn't I tell you that already?” She then does something she hasn't done a while, leaning forward slightly and rubbing her and C’Leena's noses together in a gentle Eskimo kiss. The last time she had done something like that was within the first week of them getting together, and more accurately the day after. So much had changed since then, and it elated the nymph to know that things would keep getting better.
Nephele doesn't sleep for most of the journey, choosing to just ramble on and on about anything and everything that she remembered about the western region of Charon. Often she found herself lulling C’Leena to sleep with her noise, whispering gently of tales within the city they were trekking to and singing a soft hymn to lull her to rest. The weight of her girlfriend leaning against her inspired a three hour nap, like her personal weighted blanket.
Coming up on Eclipse City, Nephele finds herself experiencing a fluctuating balance of excitement and pure nerves. She was excited, because she got to show C’Leena, her favorite person in the world, one of her favorite places in the world. However, the looming dread of where they needed to go afterwards was something fierce. She could also feel the waves of anxiety wafting off of C’Leena as well, unsure exactly what was causing it but feeling it nonetheless. Her hand lifted to grab and squeeze one of her hands, feeling its weight and feeling comforted.
“I think I am.” Nephele replied, the pillars of the oncoming city, a place she considered a beautiful memory, keeping her attention forward. Just a few more hours, and Nephele and C’Leena would find the place there had walked through ice and snow for. The nymph was ecstatic, terrified, but ecstatic.
Nephele looked up at C’Leena, then she saw someone that she had to show the entire world. With her heart hammering in her chest at the revisited adventure, Nephele nodded, the grin on her face a product of nerves and happiness. “Let's go.”
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