crescentview | ⛄️ winter catchall

[ It feels like a quaint, wintery afternoon on the Mori farm...

Ori's shop is closed today so that she can prepare for what will undoubtedly be a frenzied month, what with everyone's impending weddings looming on the horizon. She's been spending it in her greenhouse to urge plants and flowers to grow quickly with her druidic magic. Yes, it's a quiet, peaceful afternoon, with just her and her flowers in her greenhouse...

...until from just beyond the glass, she sees a a giant, 10 feet tall water wolf, with her boyfriend scruffed in tow. And watches as it crosses over their now-empty garden and dumps the man at their front door.

She would be immediately coming out of the greenhouse and running over, but with a 7 she manages to trip on her way out... (Which hopefully gives M-21 enough time to hide... something—) But soon she's on her feet again and making her way over, not even bothering to take off her gardening apron and gloves. ]

M—!?

[ Ah, the water wolf is gone... Wait, what happened to his shirt!? ]

Wh— What happened? Are you alright?

Ori? You're home?

[ Ohhh, he should have timed this better. In his defense: M-21 didn't anticipate being ferried home by a gigantic wolf. He should have had plenty of time to tuck the feather in the pocket of his coat or something. But no.

He fumbles it in a panic at the sight of her, jamming it quickly behind his back, hidden in one large and still-furry hand. It hasn't occurred to him yet to transform back as she comes dashing over to him. ]

...I'm fine. It's nothing.

[ Nothing, except him being soaked and shirtless and as fully transformed as he gets, sitting in a clumsy sprawl at their front door. Very normal. ]

I've been in the greenhouse...

[ Wait. That's not important. He's— he's fully transformed, which she hasn't seen before. She feels as if he wouldn't have transformed unless there was an emergency or something dangerous, so she isn't convinced at all. She also feels that this is certainly A Good Look, but she won't say that out loud...

Instead she kneels down beside him and reaches out, resting her hand gently against his chest, where skin meets fur. ]

...But you're transformed.

[ M-21 straightens a little as the realization sinks in. He hadn't transformed back into a human while he was flailing pointlessly against the water wolf, and now she's seeing him in his full semi-monstrous form for the first time. She's probably seen stranger as an adventurer, but... he studies her expression a little uncertainly. ]

Yeah. I, uh...

[ His smooth lies are evading him a little when "I just transformed to try it out" doesn't really explain the wolf. He gives a little huff. ]

...Was fighting that wolf thing. [ ... ] Don't think it's coming back.

[ What he'd find in her expression if he looks and thinks hard enough isn't any kind of fear or hesitation. It's worry. Worry over him, as her gaze roams down his body in search of. Um. Injuries. Definitely just injuries...

Her brows hitch up at his answer. ]

You were fighting it? What for?

[ Definitely just injuries, right? She can feel for herself that he's just fine. As much she wants. He relaxes a little as he watches her watch him, stretching out a tiny bit under her regard. ]

It started it. [ Sort of?? ] Got in an argument with the goddess. We've never gotten along.

[ Well, maybe she would feel how just fine he is as much as she wants, but...

Haha, it sure sounds like M-21 just said he got in an argument with the Goddess. The Goddess who is powerful enough to bring them all here and inflict all sorts of strange curses on people. That Goddess. He got into an argument with her... ]

... What!?

[ With her eyes widening, her hands come up to frame his face. In an idiot sandwich. ]

You're saying that you fought that wolf because you got into a disagreement with the Goddess? M-21, what if you got seriously hurt!? What on earth is worth arguing with her about like that?

[ Oh, he's in the doghouse now. M-21 freezes in surprise, his eyes meeting hers now that he's fully idiot-sandwich-pinned.

Oops. ]

It was nothing. [ Well. He can't call it that, so he immediately backpedals: ] I mean, it wasn't, but-- look, she got the reaction she wanted, so it's fine. I think she's happy now anyway.

[ Since she gave him the feather... which he is now trying to find a better hiding spot for behind his back. ]

Huh? Reaction? What are you talking about?

[ She's not mad, just... disappointed...

And also confused, because he's backpedaling and doesn't understand why M-21 is going off seeking out the Goddess and picking fights with her in the first place. Unfortunately for him, Ori does notice him shifting his arm behind his back. ]

...What's behind your back?

[ Said very much in that kind of voice that a dog owner uses when they're trying to figure out if their dog got into something they weren't supposed to. ]

Edited 2023-03-04 23:24 (UTC)

[ 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...

⛄️ winter catchall

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