#ndhoggr

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 when Neuvillette retires to his private residence, he knows better than to be fooled. He passes the threshold with little ceremony, divesting himself of his coat and draping it over his arm. Ahead are the stairs where he could settle for the night, but to his left is living room, where unsurprisingly, he finds his guest in the midst of his pillows, dozing perhaps or preoccupied with matters beyond his ken.

"Shouldst thou continue to labor under thine own thoughts ere long thou shalt wound something up here" He taps a claw against her temple, words tinged with the upturn of his mouth. "The world will still be anew in the morn, little bird. Let us rest, to greet it when we are ready." And off he carries her, to the mess of blankets piled on the bed, the perfect little nest for a dragon and his dragonling. They are both overthinkers in their own ways, he knows what it looks like when she's spinning her wheels with no reprieve. Whatever worries she has will be laid to sleep under the new blanket of snow, and he will dust them off in the morning for her. Where she won't have to chew on them on her own.

nights like this are a precious rarity. the world is rarely so silent, noise seemingly always trailing alisaie like a pesky shadow. with her chin tucked against her knees and eyes glued to the falling snow outside, she wishes her mind could be so quiet. the storm became a curtain to her worries, a whirlwind of waiting for tragedy, am i doing everything i can, am i doing the right thing. despite that, the red mage appreciates the moment. cerulean gaze focuses on the flurries gathering ‘pon the branches, an ivory blanket brightly reflected by the moonlight overhead.

for as vigilant as she is, there’s no immediate reaction to nidhogg’s presence. she’s used to him and the aether sometimes shared with her. alisaie still stares at the tree line, yet her shoulders visibly relax with his chin propped over fluffy white hair. “ who’s to say i haven’t already done permanent damage ? hm, but that’s another worry for another day. “ it’s easier to make light of it — they both know as much. she leans back to rest on him, pale lavender eyelids growing heavier with exhaustion. “ i wish it weren’t so infuriatingly difficult telling myself to shut up. wait — “

before she can allow herself the luxury of sleep, alisaie pulls a woven bracelet from her pocket. there’s a few mistakes in her craft ; she’s never made one quite so big, but the smooth colors - black, red, and sterling string - hide any errors quite well. “ i’ve made these for a few of the scions. my chosen family, i suppose. hopefully you like it. “ alisaie’s lips quirk into a smile, reaching to put the bracelet on his wrist without hesitation. pleased with her work, she finally nestles amidst the blankets to rest.

ㅤㅤhow quickly she indulges in him , lifting her hand as if to touch him but keeping it hovering . she holds it above his heart , never touching , never crossing unseen imaginary boundaries she builds herself . he closes a gap , and she reciprocates only so far as the gap collapses . never further , never more , desperate to remain selfless despite her rising selfishness . ㅤㅤit pulls a sigh from her nose , deep and aching , like she'd kept it in her mouth for days . her head turns , rubbing flesh against scale and scar , and something ancient aches unforgivingly in her chest . ㅤㅤit's not enough to be touched alone . not enough to simply be seen . she wants , and she wants in ways that is not possible . ㅤㅤit's as if he is reassuring her , a witness of something she tries to run & flee from , and yet it does nothing more but pull the scab of longing and she is hungry .

@ndhoggr: Following behind him like a lost puppy...

𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 of wonders most strange. Quite often in those scant moments when free from his duties, would he make his way to the sea, leaving footprints across the muddy sands and sharing company only with the gulls and the creatures left in the wake of the ebbing tide. He takes nothing home but the memories and the yearning in his heart to wander deeper into the waters.

Save for but the one exception. Though when this particular wonder is no creature of the water, he thinks it an acceptable transgression. Even if in the bending of his own self-imposed rules, has he been met with a new host of challenges. It is the way of things in the world, when nature seeks to balance itself in equilibrium. Thus, he accepts these tribulations with as much grace as he can muster.

For so long he’d thought himself an outsider, remote and distant from the rest for what he is, what he must do. A solitary creature choosing to remain apart. He’s beginning to now understand that perhaps he is far more of an abnormality than he’d originally assumed. It’s not often he finds himself sharing in the company of others, much less a fully-fledged dragon. Even if the origins of said dragon is as foreign and otherworldly as the traveler descended from the stars.