crescentview | ⛄️ winter catchall

[ M-21 would insist (if asked) that he's not a dog. He was human for a long time before he was a werewolf... at least in theory, even if he doesn't have most of those memories himself.

But she's very good at that voice. He lowers his head a little, chastened. ]

Uh, it's... my hand?

[ Smooth evasions are going very well. Unfortunately he's also afraid of crushing the feather, so there's only so many places he can put it. Which is to say, basically none. ]

[ Smooth evasions are... being attempted. And made to feel a little bit ridiculous, fully wolfed-out as he is. And so her hands remain at the sides of his face, now smooshing his cheeks together just a bit. ]

I know it's your hand. I am asking if there's something in your hand... It's what you fought the Goddess about, isn't it?

[ ... ]

M... You didn't steal something from the Goddess, did you...?

Edited (same icon twice...) 2023-03-05 02:25 (UTC)

[ This is probably getting more ridiculous by the moment, with his little fur stripes being mooshed as she squishes his face like that. He blinks once as her first guess lands right on the money. And then several more times as the second does not. ]

I didn't steal it. She gave it to me. ...You think I could've pulled that off?

[ Maybe he should've tried theft...? It's pretty flattering that she thinks he could manage that. ]

[ With all of the affection she can muster (which to be fair, is a lot): ]

Well... Um.

[ ... ]

You could have if you had me with you. Wait— no, we're not stealing anything from the Goddess! The point is... Please don't get yourself into fights if you can help it, M... What if you got hurt and I didn't know? I...

[ Her hands loosen against his cheeks, but remain gently pressed there. ]

We're partners now, so...

[ The important takeaway from part of this is that he should involve her if he's planning any heists. He'd probably laugh at that... if it weren't for the genuine worry in the way she looks at him. He lets out a tiny sigh and reaches up to cover her hand with his, belatedly letting the transformation slip away as he turns human again. ]

...I'll be more careful. I said I'd try not to make you cry. Wasn't planning on starting a fight this time.

[ this time... ]

I know, but... we wouldn't have met without the Goddess, you know... So try not to pick a fight with her too much.

[ She leans forward and presses their foreheads together. He sure is shirtless and soaked still, and they ought to get him inside before he catches a cold, but... ]

And whatever it is you fought with her about and got from her... You don't have to hide it from me, okay? I promise I'll understand...

[ She has no idea it could even be a feather. She's assuming they fought over a regain or something. ]

Ngh. I'll give her credit for that much.

[ Well... this wasn't exactly how he was planning on raising the subject. Actually, he kind of hadn't planned past this step at all. Just that they needed that feather, and he'd wanted one as soon as he could in case he really did need to pull a heist.

He hesitates a little longer, closing his eyes as he leans his forehead against hers. Without opening them again he pulls the feather from behind his back and holds it between them. ]

I was going to tell you later. It's, uh...

[ She feels him shift his arm and pulls back just a touch so that she can look down, and... It's... ]

A feather...?

[ With her stellar roll of an 8 for recognizing what this is, it appears to her... A pure white feather. This is what he fought with the Goddess about? A singular pure white feather. It's certainly a very pretty feather, but...

...Wait. Wasn't there something about the ceremonies and...

Oh. It's not just a feather, isn't it? It's the feather. The one that's used to propose marriage... Her hands finally fall away from his face, only to come up to her own as she covers her mouth, covering the way she's gone completely slack-jawed. ]

M...?

[ Does... Does he know this is the feather?? ]

[ He watches her expression, tensed as if he might still flee. Is that the good kind of surprise on her face or bad? The blush is probably good. But it could mean all kinds of things. ]

Yeah. From the goddess.

[ Which she probably already gathered, based on the way he was dropped off here. His thoughts are bolting in every direction like startled rabbits and he doesn't know which one to chase first. ]

I know it's, uh. Really sudden. That's why I wanted to talk to you first. Or... or plan something fancier. But when I thought about running out of time, I just...

[ Well, it has been over 48 hours...

Her eyes remain fixed on the feather even as M-21 speaks, and for a moment she feels as if her head is spinning. He went to get a feather from the Goddess. He fought with the Goddess to get this feather. What does that mean? Did the Goddess... disapprove?

And above all of that, is the simple fact that M-21 wants to marry her. He wants to marry her. She's never really thought anyone would want to marry her. There's a part of her that knows that they have to do this in order to go home, and maybe that's his biggest motivation, but...

It really is sudden. Just a few months ago, before coming here, she had been heartbroken. She hasn't even told him much about that at all. And— what are they going to do, after this? Time is running out. If neither of them want to go back to each other's worlds, then... That would be the end of them, right there, wouldn't it? They would leave this place, and never see each other again, and... There's so much they haven't thought about.

But at the same time, she can't help the way that her heart feels like it's bursting at the thought of marrying him, and the thought that he wants to marry her. When she thinks of someone she would want to get married to... M-21 is right there, putting a new bouquet of flowers up for her in their kitchen, promising not to make her cry, to take care of her when she forgets to take care of herself, keeping her warm at night. ]

Then... Let's get married.

[ That's it?? ]

I... It is really sudden, you know... We haven't talked about it. And... There's so much to think about... But... I want to be your wife. If you're really sure...

[ It feels like time has come to a standstill as he watches it all play out over her face. Is she trying to think of a nice way to reject him? ...Is she too nice to reject him? That's a terrible thought. He's still wrestling with that one when she just comes in with, "let's get married."

Let's get married.

It echoes in his head — he very nearly misses her next words as he replays that to himself two, three times to make sure he heard it right. Get married. Just like that. It could be that easy? ]

[ It could be that easy. She wants to be his wife. Strange, and inexplicable, when he barely knows the first thing about being a boyfriend. How is he supposed to be a husband? But she believes in him, because that's what she does. She sees the best in people. And if she thinks he can do it, then... he'll just have to do it.

She wanted to give him new memories. Happy memories. But if he had to say it, every morning he wakes up and sees her face is yet one more. If he can have that from now on, wherever the two of them go after this... ]

[ He clears his throat. Tries to wrestle his expression under control again, with mixed success. And finally reaches over to carefully take her hand in his. ]

...Yeah. Let's do it.

[ Now?? Maybe that's not possible. But... she said yes. Why not now? ]

We can deal with the rest later. Where we're going after this. What happens next. ...As long as you're with me.

[ He's... He's going through a face journey. Was she too presumptuous? Too quick? Should they have planned to just talk it out, for now, before agreeing to anything? Any one of her friends from home could have told M-21 that Ori has a tendency to jump right into things when she's feeling strongly about something - and goodness does she feel strongly about him.

Now it's her turn to feel as though time has frozen, although her face feels anything but, and only grows warmer with each passing moment. Nearly forgetting to breath, cursing the way her heart is pounding in her ears. ]

[ And then... He agrees. And she can't help but loose the breath she's been holding in this whole time as an airy little laugh. They're... They're going to be husband and wife. M-21 and her. Together... At a time when she thought she would never be anyone's wife, this quiet, aloof man showed up in her life with a cup of coffee. And now she's going to be his wife...

Maybe it's okay if she tends to jump into things emotionally. The unknowns don't feel quite as scary with M-21 at her side. He may not understand how much he really brings into her life, but it's alright. She understands. He's a steady force, stalwart and buoying. Her makes her laugh. And always puts her first...

A warm, impossibly fond smile spreads on her lips, something probably equally funny as his. ]

Right. We'll figure it out together. Because that's what partners do...

We will. We've got time.

[ ...Technically, the deadlines haven't changed. But it feels like an infinity stretching out in front of them. They're partners. They don't have to have all of it solved right away when they already have the most important part settled.

He smiles back at her, hoping it doesn't look half as giddy as he feels, and holds up the feather between them again. All of his irritation at the goddess is completely forgotten in the moment. If he had to do it all again, shout all of that in front of the whole damn town, it still would have been worth it. ]

...Then I guess this is yours. And this.

[ But he's still glad they don't have an audience this time when he leans in to steal a kiss. ]

[ The deadlines haven't changed. But if she gets to spend the rest of their time here living in their sweet little house, with their sweet (?) little cat, and their sweet little coop and barn animals and her mess of a greenhouse as his fiancee and then as his wife... That would be the greatest of gifts for her. A kind of life that she never thought she'd get to have, and she gets to share it with M-21.

Maybe he isn't so successful at not appearing giddy, but Ori is more than happy to see him visibly expressing an Emotion. It warms her heart, and makes her feel like she's making good on their promise to make memories or him. This has to be one of the better ones thus far, right? If she has her way, she'll make him smile more and more in the days ahead of them.

Her hands come up to scoop the feather out of his palm and into both of hers; and of course she kisses him back duly, her happiness practically overflowing out of her heart and into their kiss. It feels simultaneously like too short of a time and an eternity whenever they finally pull away, and she glances back down to find that the feather has turned into two silver rings. ]

Oh. The feather turned into rings... Want to put them on each other?

[ M-21 is still smiling a little to himself from the kiss, his eyes half-closed in smug contentment. He has to blink himself alert again to cast a glance down at her hand, where two rings sit as promised. ]

...Huh. She really thought of everything.

[ He hates to admit it, but he might actually owe the goddess some thanks. Maybe he'll drop one more offering off with her before all this is done. For them meeting, if not for the ridiculous manipulations that so unceremoniously rearranged his life. He picks up the smaller of the two rings and reaches for Ori's hand. ]

Yeah. Then this makes it official.

[ Not that it wasn't already. But official official, where anyone else could see. How much ribbing is he going to get from his friends about that? Well, they probably had enough of their own stuff to juggle right now. ]

[ She offers her hand easily in his, unable to peel her gaze away from this sight. They're going to put rings on each other, and her heart feels so full.

Though she can't help but wonder... ]

What did you tell the goddess, anyway...?

[ And more importantly, why did she give him a hard time about it... ]

[ M-21 sneaks a little look up at her face, then back down at what he's doing as he slides the ring carefully onto her finger. Of course it fits like it was made for her.

Honestly. Magic isn't half bad. ]

Uh. She just... wanted to make me grovel a little. [ There's a slight pause as he mentally replays some of that conversation in his head. ] ...I might've called her old when we first got here. Think she's still mad.

[ Her smile only widens, reaching her ears at the way the ring fits so perfectly on her finger, her heart doing another little flip in her chest. She's going to be a wife? His wife! ]

W-Well, I'm sure she's lived for longer than most any of us, but...

[ M-21 calling a powerful goddess 'old...' Why doesn't that surprise her in the least? She can't help but chuckle, hearing about it now, even as she's pulling her hand back so she can pick the other ring up from her palm and reaching for his in turn. These rings are like a promise that they'll get married, aren't they? ]

So, she made you grovel? And you refused, so you tried to fight her instead? [ ... ] You fought a goddess... To try and get this feather, to ask me to marry you?

[ He fought a goddess... for her. ]

Ah... What am I going to do with you, M-21?

Right? That's how goddesses work.

[ He feels so validated. Even if he knows full well that he was the one in the wrong then. Well, he had his own reasons at the time too. He lets her take his hand, his fingers flexing just a little nervously.

He can't wholly put it past the goddess that maybe it won't fit or something, just for a last second surprise. ]

...Yeah. I tried to do it properly first, with an offering and everything. But when I thought she was going to say no, uh...

[ Well. He wolfed. And tried to fight a goddess for her, impotently as it was. He's glad she missed that part — it wouldn't have made him look cool at all — but he gives her question a smug little grin. ]

You're going to marry me. [ Apparently!!! ]

[ Several things slot into place in that moment. Firstly, that the ring fits M-21's finger just as well as Ori's ring does on hers. Second, that M-21 wolfed out because... He was worried that the goddess would refuse. She can read into that, right? She can believe that it was out of a fervent wish to ask her to marry him, just like him getting fired up at the auction was out of a fervent wish to be the one to take her out on that date? Of course she doesn't know how the fight really went, but...

The fact that there was a fight at all, for these... She presses their hands - now freshly adorned with matching rings - together and simply stares at them before her gaze finally lands on that smug look on his face. Gods. She offers a hopelessly smitten look back. ]

I am, you're right...

[ She laces their fingers together. ]

I love you.

You... you do?

[ M-21 blinks, staring for a long moment at their joined fingers and the rings sparkling faintly in the light together before he looks up at her expression again. It's unfair how soft she can always look, or the way she can still steal the breath from his lungs with a smile or a few words.

She loves him? She loves him? She did agree to marry him, but...

The recollection of everything he'd said to the goddess crashes over him all at once. "Tell me how much you love her as much as your love can allow"... and he hadn't even really thought twice about it. Now he's blushing in earnest as he looks down again quickly. He's already said it in front of the goddess. It can't be that impossible for him to say it again. ]

...It's the same for me. I mean... I love you, too.

[ Ori levels a bemused look at him for his initial reaction. Of course she loves him - she just said that she wants to be his wife, didn't she?

But... She also knows how hearing those words can shake one's world to its core, how wonderful it can be to hear it for the first time. Ori knows this, because it's exactly how she feels in this moment, too.

And for M-21, who lacks memories from his life before he became an experiment, wouldn't that hold especially true?

He fumbles a little bit on his words, but she knows before he corrects himself what he means. Perhaps she knew well before this moment. Maybe she'd known it even back then, when his friends talked to her at the auction. Maybe the two of them have been expressing their love for one another not so much in words but in actions, especially in the last few weeks.

Still... it feels right, to say it now. She pulls their joined hands towards her and kisses his knuckles fondly before letting go. ]

...We should get you inside. I won't have my husband-to-be getting sick!

[ How does M-21 take to being the princess carry-ee for a change? Because Ori is leaning back a bit to cast an Enhance Ability spell on herself, bolstering her strength before she tries to pick this werewolf puppy up to carry him into their house. Strangely enough, his second time being carried at the whims of a powerful woman today! ]

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