[At first, Kaede's tail kept swishing at its end; she wanted to protest--of course they didn't get along, that whole week had been a waking nightmare, of course she was going to be irritable and touchy even in dreams.
But they'd just be excuses. And the pulse of warmth she felt whenever Chariot spoke about Akko was unmistakable.
With a grumbling sigh, she nudged Chariot's forehead with her own, and her tail finally stilled.]
...okay.
[After a long moment, Kaede blinked up at her Bonded, reminded of something.]
...one of the places that was burned, by the harbor, they sell charms against the command spells. Tattoos. I was thinking of getting one here, once the building is fixed up. [The Chimera carefully nudged Chariot's hand until it rested on her side.] Did you...want anything on it?
[Kaede already had a vague idea, but her opinion wasn't the only one that mattered.]
[ Inkchanted. She knew it from the description. She and Cu weren't particularly close, but she'd worked with him enough before to be familiar with it, and how that specialty of his was helping others. But... ]
[The Chimera rumbled, the sound more felt than heard.]
But if you want something, it's important to me too.
[Two can play at this game!!
But, fine. She could explain what details had come to mind.]
I...was thinking of a broken chain. Or one of those silk ribbon restraint...things, all torn up.
[She didn't know what Gleipnir was named, but she did know from very recent experience that she Very Much Disliked a restraint spell that looked like it.]
[Kaede made a contented noise in return, her softer feathers ruffling up.]
Something to resist the command spells. And...something to help with fire, but I think those should be separate.
[Briefly, her expression turned more serious. She knew Chariot hated those spells, but it needed to be said.]
If you need to...command me, for any reason, you can. [Probably. Kaede had never gone so Feral she couldn't be called back just by normal means, but.] We're Bonded, and you have something of mine. [Some of her feathers, gifts, a piece of her heart.]
[ When she spoke next, it might have seemed without listening too deeply that it was something said thoughtlessly, like a reflex. ]
I'll never have to do that.
[ But the Bond made her meaning much, much clearer, the depth in those words, and what it meant for them. She'd never have to because her faith in Kaede was strong, a colossus against the scourge of uncertainty. To her, there was nothing more obvious than the fact that no matter what became of Kaede, of her mind, her will...
Chariot's voice would always reach her. That was magic all its own. And it was magic she'd stake her life on, every time. ]
[She'd expected the silence. And, to a small degree, expected that answer.
She didn't expect the "have to," though. Kaede started to object, ears flattening. But what she felt, it made her protests still before she'd even thought of them. They weren't just superficial words to soothe a worried mind. There was conviction behind them, a solid confidence--Chariot know this, as surely as she knew her own name.
Kaede's voice, by contrast, was low and small as a whisper.]
Are you sure?
[Her hand twitched against Chariot's, claws twining with gentle fingers in an anxious curl.]
You know what I can be, and...you're sure?
Edited (The wording was bothering me) 2020-02-25 22:37 (UTC)
[ Honestly, she's even a little surprised at herself. But after all they'd been through together, what had become of them, developed between them, her faith in Kaede really was... unshaken. Even Nyu's protests back on that day couldn't dissuade her. She'd rested within the inside of Kaede's heart, even with the darkness that dwelt within, and found herself knowing who Kaede was even beyond what she'd done.
She was someone who deserved her love, her faith, even if Kaede didn't believe it. ]
[A tremble started in Kaede's shoulders, spreading down her back and to the ends of her fingers. There it stopped, the Chimera's hands curling tight against Chariot's, the arm looped around the Witch's back drawing her ever closer. An echoing shiver started in the Bond too, but halted--soothed away by Chariot's presence. A steady calm, a warm light to guide her steps, undeterred and undimmed by Kaede's doubts and hesitations.]
...ah.
[It was a small word, in a small voice. But it was only the visible point of what lay beneath--something Chariot knew. Something she had showed Kaede it was safe to let others close enough see, too. Not many, not at all. But more than nothing, and far more than her isolation would have allowed. Her gratitude glowed back in the Bond, difficult for Kaede to exp5ress but there all the same.
The Chimera sighed through her nose, pressing their foreheads together again, and giving voice to a purrlike rumble. Her feathers fluffed up and became soft, her tail calming its fitful twitches and draping over the other woman's knee.]
[ Chariot let herself be drawn in like that, pressing a warm kiss to Kaede's cheek, flooding the Bond with her affection, blanketing Kaede in it, wanting to hear more of that soft rumbling. Every bit of Kaede's affection was a delight for her, the language her unique anatomy spoke to show love... ]
And I always will be, so it's better you get used to it, hmm?
[A little thrill trembled through the Bond, at the kiss and the wave of affection Kaede still wondered at. The purring interrupted, briefly--with a few, short notes of what sounded like a laugh, if they'd ever left her throat.]
Guess I'll have to.
[The rumbling resumed afterwards, Kaede nestling close to her Bonded so as much sound, as much energy passed between them as possible. She'd heard a cat's purrs could help someone heal, but more importantly, Chariot seemed to like the sound. On the ship to Dorchacht, a dozen-odd sleepy moments when Kaede had begun to drift off curled up next to Chariot, now. If it brought her joy, it was the least Kaede could do to return the favor.]
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no subject
But they'd just be excuses. And the pulse of warmth she felt whenever Chariot spoke about Akko was unmistakable.
With a grumbling sigh, she nudged Chariot's forehead with her own, and her tail finally stilled.]
...okay.
[After a long moment, Kaede blinked up at her Bonded, reminded of something.]
...one of the places that was burned, by the harbor, they sell charms against the command spells. Tattoos. I was thinking of getting one here, once the building is fixed up. [The Chimera carefully nudged Chariot's hand until it rested on her side.] Did you...want anything on it?
[Kaede already had a vague idea, but her opinion wasn't the only one that mattered.]
no subject
Well... shouldn't it be what you want?
no subject
But if you want something, it's important to me too.
[Two can play at this game!!
But, fine. She could explain what details had come to mind.]
I...was thinking of a broken chain. Or one of those silk ribbon restraint...things, all torn up.
[She didn't know what Gleipnir was named, but she did know from very recent experience that she Very Much Disliked a restraint spell that looked like it.]
no subject
That sounds wonderful for you... [ Fitting, sincere. But of course, it wasn't just the design... ]
And the enchantment?
no subject
Something to resist the command spells. And...something to help with fire, but I think those should be separate.
[Briefly, her expression turned more serious. She knew Chariot hated those spells, but it needed to be said.]
If you need to...command me, for any reason, you can. [Probably. Kaede had never gone so Feral she couldn't be called back just by normal means, but.] We're Bonded, and you have something of mine. [Some of her feathers, gifts, a piece of her heart.]
no subject
[ When she spoke next, it might have seemed without listening too deeply that it was something said thoughtlessly, like a reflex. ]
I'll never have to do that.
[ But the Bond made her meaning much, much clearer, the depth in those words, and what it meant for them. She'd never have to because her faith in Kaede was strong, a colossus against the scourge of uncertainty. To her, there was nothing more obvious than the fact that no matter what became of Kaede, of her mind, her will...
Chariot's voice would always reach her. That was magic all its own. And it was magic she'd stake her life on, every time. ]
no subject
She didn't expect the "have to," though. Kaede started to object, ears flattening. But what she felt, it made her protests still before she'd even thought of them. They weren't just superficial words to soothe a worried mind. There was conviction behind them, a solid confidence--Chariot know this, as surely as she knew her own name.
Kaede's voice, by contrast, was low and small as a whisper.]
Are you sure?
[Her hand twitched against Chariot's, claws twining with gentle fingers in an anxious curl.]
You know what I can be, and...you're sure?
no subject
[ Honestly, she's even a little surprised at herself. But after all they'd been through together, what had become of them, developed between them, her faith in Kaede really was... unshaken. Even Nyu's protests back on that day couldn't dissuade her. She'd rested within the inside of Kaede's heart, even with the darkness that dwelt within, and found herself knowing who Kaede was even beyond what she'd done.
She was someone who deserved her love, her faith, even if Kaede didn't believe it. ]
I love you. And I know what that means.
no subject
...ah.
[It was a small word, in a small voice. But it was only the visible point of what lay beneath--something Chariot knew. Something she had showed Kaede it was safe to let others close enough see, too. Not many, not at all. But more than nothing, and far more than her isolation would have allowed. Her gratitude glowed back in the Bond, difficult for Kaede to exp5ress but there all the same.
The Chimera sighed through her nose, pressing their foreheads together again, and giving voice to a purrlike rumble. Her feathers fluffed up and became soft, her tail calming its fitful twitches and draping over the other woman's knee.]
You're too kind to me.
no subject
And I always will be, so it's better you get used to it, hmm?
no subject
Guess I'll have to.
[The rumbling resumed afterwards, Kaede nestling close to her Bonded so as much sound, as much energy passed between them as possible. She'd heard a cat's purrs could help someone heal, but more importantly, Chariot seemed to like the sound. On the ship to Dorchacht, a dozen-odd sleepy moments when Kaede had begun to drift off curled up next to Chariot, now. If it brought her joy, it was the least Kaede could do to return the favor.]