Pookastone Scowle In the wake

For @Skoll, backdated to the night of May 25th or 26th

There were still issues that needed to be addressed, though they hadn't seemed nearly as important before. Maybe they weren't even important now, but her mind was finally working again, and she knew it would not rest until she spoke to Skoll.

Exiting the den in search of her mate, Celandine was unsuprised to feel the light splashing of rain upon her shoulders. While bothersome for now, it would mean that their medicine den could be stocked that much quicker. Macha, and Nellie would be pleased. Still, the leader could not help the sigh that escaped from her lips. 

She hadn't gone more than a few tail lengths from the den before she called, because he didn't usually stray too far. "Skoll?"

While Celandine had been tending to the cubs, Skoll had taken a moment to stretch his limbs. The rainfall, while somewhat nettlesome (seeing as he often liked to lay with the little ones while their mother was out in the cold), the cloud cover was welcome. He did not need to squint during the day or worry about much in the night when most creatures sought shelter in the downpour as he guarded the den.

He was unearthing the cover to a dug-up cache, ensuring that the nook between the tree roots had been truly emptied, when his name came to him through the rain. His ears came up and he shook the dirt from his nose before he returned back to the den site. A low woof was offered in return as he approached, taking care in navigating between the gnarled trees and boulders.

"Celandine," he hummed, drawing near to her as to offer a proper greeting, the lowering of his head and a respectful lap of his tongue to her chin before nuzzling his face lightly to her shoulder. His voice was soft and collected, as if he had been anticipating her call for some time, "What is it?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Celandine's features softened as Skoll ran his tongue across her chin, and buried his face into her shoulder. Already, the alpha's reason for calling on him seemed less important, and even more so as her pale muzzle dove into the fur along his neck. A satisfied hum vibrated the soft skin of her throat. He had been correct. This did feel right

"If we're going to do this, then we should both know what to expect." Her voice was smaller than usual, and slightly muffled against his neck. "I need to know what you want, and I need you to know what I want." Rules, or guidelines. Dealbreakers. In her mind, if those things were laid out now, they could avoid a great deal of pain in the future."

(This post was last modified: Jun 08, 2018, 08:20 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

"If we're going to do this," she spoked into his fur, "then we should both know what to expect."

His breath caught in his lungs. Once upon a time, these were things he might have said. Specifically to Piety or to Hecate, but only when they got too bold. For as long as he could remember, he had always wanted to have rules in place. Now, here was Celandine, reminding him of this. "I need to know what you want, and I need you to know what I want." He slowly backed away from her, if only to take in the fullness of her face, to admire her eyes and to watch her lips as she spoke.

"I want to be solely yours," he began, taking a seat and settling in for what could be a lengthy talk. "And I don't want to share you." His shoulders relaxed slightly and at his back his tail had given the ground a soft thump, "I want you happy." There was a small smile on his scarred maw, "I want... I want to be sure that I will never lose you again. How is that to start?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

"I want to be solely yours," Celandine felt her heart skip a beat as she exhaled a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. That would have been her first condition had he not beat her to it. 

Bright eyes danced across Skoll's features while he continued, lingering on each detail as if she were trying to burn his image into her memory. Months ago, Celandine would have chastised herself for clutching so tightly to each syllable that fell like honey from his lips, but there she was, unable to look away. 

When his words came to an end, Celandine found his gaze again. The hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips, as she considered all he said. "Good, because I don't like to share." At some point the fae must have rocked backwards onto her hindquarters, because she was seated. "And you won't have to share me either."

"I want us both to be happy." She stressed the word to make sure he understood. "If you want me then I am yours, but I won't beg for your love, and attention. I won't trap you, or manipulate you into it. I ask you to do the same."

(This post was last modified: Jun 09, 2018, 04:16 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

He could feel his heart lighten upon hearing her response. The fact that she didn't like to share made him glad; it was more than nice to know that he wasn't the only selfish one in this relationship. Perhaps that is what he needed all along. She needed to be an equal, a mirror, the two of them both on one side of the same coin.

For her to expand further and clarify that she wanted the both of them to be happy made him think. For once, he wasnt selfish; and, to consider this in regards to Celandine, it evoked something familiar, a once lost calling rediscovered: his devotion to a powerful woman, his superior, a Leader, a queen.

She told him that she was not going to beg for his love and attention; and, she was not going to trap or manipulate him. Flashbacks of his life prior to coming back home were triggered and brought to the forefront of his mind. He had wanted that once - he craved being fawned over and dominated - but his former lovers had shown him how easily the victim broke under the pressure of it all.

"Maybe I'd enjoy that," he teased, his tail waving twice before settling down. But, all jests aside, he gave a small nod, "But, you have my word."

He supposed it was his turn, and after a thoughtful silence, he proffered, "I do not need to be your equal, but I want to be regarded as your mate." This could have been a final proposal of sorts, but with just how far they had come since that first 'I love you,' he decided to reveal his heart fully to her, "I am done with searching. I have found the one I've been looking for." He gave her a knowing smile, "And I want to be certain that you're okay with my past."

"My ex-lovers might not ever return, but I have killed and I have fought. I believe I was once a wanted man, perhaps still am. I require your protection as an acting Leader and, in return, I can and will kill for you. You have my experiences, my advice, what little plant knowledge I possess, what beliefs I carry, what world views I've adopted... Should you ask me for it, I am willing to share everything I have all with you."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

The other corner of her lips pulled upwards at his jest. Had she been younger, she might have indulged him, but now it was all she could do to laugh. "If only you should be so lucky."

As his words veered towards more serious matters, Celandine found herself intrigued. "I'll never regard you as anything less." He wasn't just a subordinate, and he surely wasn't one of her play things. She never would have let things go on this long if she viewed him like that.

She thought that he would end with his next statement, but more words continued falling into the air between them. Tilting her head ever so slightly to the side, Celandine listened to his past, or what little information he offered of it. The pale fae found herself fascinated by all that he said, but her curiosity was forced into silence. There would be time for such questions later. For now, she simply nodded. "Should your past come back to haunt you, it will be handled." It would have been handled regardless of whether or not he would kill for her. "But you're not a toy. I won't play with your life. If there ever comes a time in which I need to take you up on that offer, then we will take care of it together." She wasn't opposed to playing with the lives of others, but he was off limits now. The woman had already lost enough. She wasn't going to lose him too.

Her turn. "I'll never make you choose between Morganna and I. I would like for you to offer me the same courtesy."

(This post was last modified: Jun 09, 2018, 11:07 AM by Celandine.)

Have you seen my OOC preferences?

To find his proposition to become mates accepted meant that he was walking on uncharted territory. It should have been familiar, having had lovers before Celandine, but this time, it was different. He felt different; the power shift went both ways, reciprocated, without one attempting to dominate the other. She went so far as to clarify that she knew he wasn't a toy. He wasn't a plaything to enjoy before discarding when the boredom came over her or when she found that she actually had no use for him. In fact, she wanted him to realize that, while she considered his offer, they would take care of whatever threat against them. Together. Not her with Morganna... him and her.

What was more, she gave him more words to mull over, to further believe that she was serious. She wanted to be secure, and she wanted him to also understand that she was not just his Leader but his sister's Co-Leader. Just as Skoll would never need to choose between his sister and his mate, Celandine should never have to be placed in a situation to choose between the Archer siblings.

"You have my word," he half-rumbled, his smile never leaving his face as he looked her over. As if walking over thin ice, he gingerly moved forward, scooting as close as he could manage to nuzzle his face into her ruff. The rain gathered in his fur and saturated it, but it collected in hers in perfect droplets. He wanted to soak it all in, to bask in her immaculateness.

"Anything else on your mind?" He couldn't bring himself to pull away from her. To have this moment to themselves was something he wanted to remember for always. The beginning of something new. With her. "What more can I do?"

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Her eyes never left his face, drinking in the angles of his maw as he spoke, and the rain as it coursed through his fur. Every line, every detail was perfect. He had always been handsome, but now he was hers, and she was his. He had something that nobody else could ever claim, a part of her that had remained nearly untouched until now. Skoll had her vulnerability, and her confidence. Trust wasn't something that Celandine gave freely, or generously. Words were easily tangled and manipulated, or taken back at one's discretion. Words weren't tangible, or affixed to any sort of law, and yet when he gave her his word, she believed him. How strange. 

The woman watched as he moved towards her, slowly, deliberately, like any wrong movement might send the sky crashing down. It was electricity, and tension, but it always was with them. Celandine wondered if that would ever cease, but with her muzzle buried in the damp fur coating his chest, the Argyris wasn't sure that she cared. "I want you, Skoll. All of you. Always." Bruised, and broken parts. Everything.

Have you seen my OOC preferences?