#somata

“I should tell you,” Stell babbles, stopping his hand before it can touch her. “Just so you’re aware. My… features… go further than my head.”

Kai nods, “I mean, I’ve seen your freckles if that’s what you—?”

“Not my freckles,” Stell purses her lips. “I wish it were that simple. But there’s… more fungus — I mean, godlike features further down my body. Nothing like this,” she gestures at her horns, “but bumps, ridges… gills. Things I don’t want you to touch and panic about.”

Back in Aedyr, the times Stell had been intimate with anyone were mostly furtive trysts where she was still clothed or conveniently in the dark. Those that were not involved the rare partner who could stomach the sight, or more often than not, a person with a previously undisclosed fetish. 

“Envoy,” Kai chides her, low and soft. “You could have anything down there and it wouldn’t make a difference to me.” He shrugs, “Because it’s a part of you.”

Stell gawks at him. 

He has no right to say something so lovely so easily; not now when they’re together out of necessity rather than choice.

Kai clears his throat, “You know, while we’re on the subject — do those growths have… sensation? Like if they break, or even if someone just…”

He taps demonstratively upon his own bald scalp. 

“There are nerves and blood vessels in them, so yes,” Stell answers uneasily. “Found out the hard way. But you don’t have to worry — they’re tougher than they look.”

“I figured,” Kai hums. “Otherwise they’d be all gone given how often you bump your head.”

He seems pleased when Stell chuckles at that. 

“Nevertheless, I’ll be careful with all parts of you,” Kai continues. “Now, if you don’t mind… it’s a bit warm in here.”

He tugs meaningfully at his vest.

“Ah, please. I mean, of course,” Stell mumbles, shuffling backwards a few inches.

Kai efficiently removes his arm wrappings, boots, and belts; shucking his vest afterwards so that it’s only his deep-cut shirt and trousers beneath. Stell’s core tightens at the show.

“I’m flattered,” Kai says dryly.

Stella realizes too late that she has been staring at his chest a bit too intently. 

“Forgive me,” she mutters, as if this wasn’t expected as part of his help. She wipes at her face. “It has been a while since…”

“Since…?” Kai prompts her after a moment, tossing his garments aside. 

“I’m… look, I swear that I’m not a virgin. At all,” Stell laughs nervously. “It’s just… I don’t do this. Not with the light on, and not with people I’ll see again. And not for… years, now.”

“Oh?” Kai says, but not unkindly. “I’ll admit, I’m surprised. You seem confident enough. You didn’t even bat an eye the whole time we were in the Mermaid.”

“Courtship doesn’t come easy to someone with mushrooms growing out of them,” Stell scoffs, plucking at her shirt to fan herself. “It is hot in here, isn’t it?”

Kai looks delicious in just his shirt and trousers, and with that whale-shaped pendant resting against his falling and rising sternum…

“I get it, you’re nervous,” Kai murmurs. “But want to know a secret?”

“What?”

He grins at her, flashing sharp teeth, “So am I.”

Stell wants to devour him. 

“Thanks,” she laughs. “I suppose at the end of the day it’s just sex, isn’t it?”

There. Finally, she said it plainly. Tonight is simply sex. Coitus. Copulation. Every living thing does it to reproduce, whether it’s a kith like her or a gods-damned mushroom with its gods-damned spores. It’s perfectly natural, and the fact that she will also derive pleasure from it is purely incidental.

“...yeah,” Kai hesitates, his hand drifting up to cradle her head. “Just sex.”

“Right,” Stell sighs.

Aside from lingering glances and occasional brushes of hands, nothing seems to be different between Stell and Kai on the trail. They still fight just as well beside each other when attacked by wildlife, corrupted phantoms, or dreamthralls. They still exchange jokes and stories with their companions as they have always done, eliciting groans, laughter, and occasionally thoughtful silence.

Their first night on the trail, Stell simply gives Kai a furtive kiss goodnight before leaving him for her tent. For a long minute he considers following her in, but the last thing he wants to do is be presumptuous. At the end of the day, no matter what this is between them, she’s the Aedyran envoy and he’s just… him. He has no plans to change that dynamic in front of their friends. 

The same can’t be said for everyone else.

“Oh dear,” Yatzli sighs theatrically the following night. “It seems my tent has torn straight through! How could this have possibly happened?”

The tear is somewhat jagged, as if someone had hacked a small dagger through it.

…or a pair of dainty sewing scissors. 

“That’s too bleste bad,” Marius chimes in with uncharacteristic sympathy. “You’ve got so much stuff. Where will it all go? In case it… rains.”

He waves vaguely at the arid environment.

“I’d offer to shelter you, but I’m afraid there’s no room in my tent,” Giatta tuts. “I barely fit on my own.”

Even she only seems halfway sympathetic. 

“I never considered we might need a spare tent,” Stell frets apologetically. “We could try to patch it up?”

“In this light? At this hour?” Yatzli sounds scandalized. “Oh no, dear. That won’t do.”

“Alright,” Stell rubs at her temples. “Then we’ll try tomorrow. Until then, how about you stay with me? There should be plenty of room for you.”

“Oh darling, you’re very sweet and all, but a classy lady like me needs her personal space,” Yatzli pouts. 

Kai shoots her an exasperated look, only to earn a significant glare in return.

Ah. 

He gets the message. 

He waits until later when no one else seems to be looking to sidle up to Stell. She had been occupying herself with reorganizing her potions, and at the very least she seems to brighten at his arrival.

“Hey.”

His voice cracks. 

Like a teenager.

He clears his throat and tries again. 

“Hey, so… there’s enough room if you, well…” he stammers. “That is, if you’d like to…?”

He must be as purple as a plum with the way Stell huffs a laugh, rubbing at the back of her neck.

“Yatzli’s devious, isn’t she?” 

“Like a siren,” Kai mutters. “Can’t believe she ruined a perfectly good tent!”

Stell snorts.  

“Honestly, she might’ve been plotting this all along. She did point out before that mine was bigger than hers,” she sighs. “Well, it’s not like I planned to sleep under the stars tonight. I’ll go grab my bedroll.”

Kai feels his heart leap.

“Thank you,” he blurts.

With a surprised laugh, Stell’s eyes glitter back at him. 

By the time they arrive back at the camp in one of the further ruins, their three other companions are boisterously relieved to see both of them in one piece. Even Marius gives Kai’s shoulder an affable punch on the way to shove a bowl of food into Stell’s hands. 

“Never do that again!” Giatta scolds Stell, pecking a grumpy kiss to her cheek. “You’re limping. Are you injured?”

Stell waves away her concern, taking an enormous bite of porridge before loudly changing the subject to their strategy of approach. 

Yatzli steals Stell away to chat about what she has dug up on the ruins surrounding their camp. After she has run out of breath, however, the orlan finally falls back onto her heels to in the sight of Stell. 

“Ondra’s titties,” Yatzli pouts. “I was worried about you, darling!”

“I know, I know. It was reckless of me to go out alone,” Stell sighs. “Even if there wasn’t a storm there are almost always xaurips in the area. They attacked that merchant and I when we were in the cavern…”

“Yes, Kai told me about your hold-up,” Yatzli drawls. “I don’t suppose a xaurip did that?”

She taps upon her own neck, and Stell’s mortified expression must be telling enough. 

“Well,” Yatzli smirks. “Who knew that all one needed to do was trap you both in an ancient ruin? I would have tried that one ages ago.”

“Yatzli,” Stell hisses, rubbing at the bruise Kai had sucked upon her skin. 

Yatzli’s wicked, teasing gaze softens. 

“Enjoy it, darling,” she urges Stell. “Every second. Every year. And never doubt that you deserve it.”

Taken aback, Stell returns her smile and glances up to meet Kai’s bashful gaze over Yatzli’s shoulder. He gawks back at her for a second too long, prompting a snort from nearby. 

“Oh good, can we stop pretending we don’t know?” Giatta says with amusement. 

“Fuitu meu,” Marius groans. “Please. I’ve had to deal with those two making bleste cow-eyes at each other for weeks now.”

“Now, now, dearies,” Yatzli giggles, winking over her shoulder at a flustered Kai and his steadily more purple cheeks. “What's an adventure without a little romance?”