#herbtm

With her whicker basket nearly full, the woman whistled for her horse to come so that she might return home. However, movement in the underbrush caught her attention. It was no secret that there were all manner of creature in the forest. Even with the spell broken, freeing the king from his beastly form, magic still filled the land.

Is it the scars she’s thinking of, Ryu wonders as she helps pull him to his feet, or the beating?

He hadn’t missed the way her expression changed when she saw his hand, covered as it is in jagged, rough lines alongside band-aids around his fingers. How she might’ve looked when he’d been jumped by a group of teenagers in masks earlier is another question; he’d been too busy trying to keep his more unsavoury nature in check as they kicked him to notice anyone watching. (Adults can be punished-- children, however, don’t know any better.)

“Thanks for the thought,” he manages behind bloody teeth all the same. “I just wish those kids had the same idea.”

He’s out of money now. His wallet, dropped on the ground, has been stripped of all the cash inside. He confirms this when his bandaged hand lets the woman’s go and picks it up to open it.

Ryu’s brows twitch, but all he does is slip it back into his pocket and lift his free hand to wipe his bloodied nose against his sleeve.

 @herbtm​ + travis  (  @quarrytm​  )  sent: [  SAFE ]  our muses are caught in a heavy rainstorm together and seek shelter in an abandoned building or cave. 

             with every passing minute,  the noise of the pelting rain grows louder.  the addition of a thickening fog makes it even more difficult to see more than a few feet ahead from where she stands at the edge of the covered porch.  if it were up to her,  she would be content to continue trudging through even with a storm.  but she supposes all the mist would cause hinderance if she had been all alone.  however,  she isn’t—in fact,  she is far from it.  she can hear gaea moving around just inside the broken down cabin,  commenting something about trying to find towels.  and it’s no wonder,  their clothes are soaked and she can sense the building annoyance rolling off travis in steady,  familiar waves.  magnolia pays little heed.  instead her hand extends out into the open air to watch the raindrops gather on her palm.  

she doesn’t mind the chill.  she sort of likes it,  lips curling into a subtle smile.  she feels like a living thing.  and her body almost feels like hers when a shiver runs through her.  the reverie of the moment is interrupted by a sudden,  light weight falling about her shoulders.  brows lift and she glances down as gaea wraps a faded towel around her.  magnolia retracts her hand from the rain to grasp the edges of the fabric,  turning around with a renewed smile.  stepping closer,  she presses a quick kiss of thanks to the other woman’s lips.  when she draws back,  there’s a lingering fondness in her eyes.  

“Jinan did, actually. He asked that I made sure you received them,” Haruto states simply. His brother had mentioned that there was some sort of joyous occasion for Gaea, but he knows the elder well enough to know that he sent them simply because he cares about her.

With the engagement, it’s become rather difficult for him to do these little things he’s enjoyed doing for the woman for so long, so Haruto silently agreed to help facilitate this.

𝐇𝐄’𝐃 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓 a word, leaving Gaea and Brand at their camp. Cooper hadn’t intended to be gone so long, rule of thumb to be back before full fight fall. But the man had lost track of time. He’d been exploring. Hopefully what he brought back would be enough to quell Gaea’s fear.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Cooper said softly. Hands rested on the woman’s arms before he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I lost track of time but hopefully,” he released Gaea to retrieve a small pack. “This will make up for it.”