clan.

Dahut wonders what the people who saw her as a naive angel would think of this. His whole body is incredibly warm. “If it’s you, I’ll be good…” Moaning against her lips, he melts into her touch as his body shudders with release, completely enraptured by the confidence she deserves. As he tries to catch his breath, he continues clinging to her, his skin flushed.

"Thank you," she says quietly, reaching around and squeezing his hand as he begins the trek back to their home, pushing her carefully so as to not jolt her out of her seat. "Let's get some rest. I... don't think I'll be experiencing any more scares for tonight. So we can sleep like dead fish or something." She smiles weakly, knowing it's not the greatest joke she's ever cracked, but humor is probably the best way to deflect yet another near-death experience.

This shared intimacy is fun, and comforting -- Nadia never wants to leave his side. And this... is a new side she gets to explore, playing with the water. The ocean has always called to her, but she's rejected that call out of fear.

Nadia squeezes her tail around him playfully. "No one's here... and nobody's around for a few miles. Don't you dare hide your cute little noises from me." Maybe there is a perk to being in this form, after all. Multiple perks, in fact, if he really does enjoy the different sensations that she has to offer. There's not really a surefire way to suddenly overcome her disgust with herself, but Dahut is making it easier for her. She leans down to nuzzle her face against the top of his head, then squeaks when she tickles herself with her whiskers. Still a little weird. "Oh...? You wanna take a bath together?"

Nadia squeaks, flushing slightly as he teases her whiskers. This is... not the original purpose of her whiskers, but it's not like she can control how much sensory input she receives from them. "I-I don't know," she mutters. "I haven't been in this form as an adult... um. T-Tail feels nice, whiskers kinda tickle..." Dahut does look tiny compared to her, though. Selkies aren't really predators, but seeing the way he smirks up at her from below is... stirring a hunger inside her.

The sounds her body makes are worrisome. It has nothing to do with disgust, though. Dahut is simply concerned about her well-being. The claws that dig into his back... don't feel bad, but it's not really the time to mention that, he thinks. Not when there's so much more to fret over. Surely all that blood can't be normal? She's okay, right...?

"...You feeling all right?" Dahut asks. Like she had feared, she's only become half a seal. That means he can still appreciate her cute features, right? "There's a lot of blood. Is it painful...? I could help numb your body a bit..."

Shaking his head, Dahut uses his hand to tilt her head back towards him. She's got little whiskers and fangs... how interesting. "Heh..." He can't help himself, his curiosity getting the better of him as he slips one finger into her mouth, tracing over her sharp teeth. "Hey, don't hide your face, those whiskers tickle, haha..."

He's looking at her. Being scrutinized so lovingly when she had expected him to recoil, even vaguely, is... doing something to her, actually. With this partial transformation, she can hear the way his heart stutters. Dahut's scent is so soothing, too. He already smelled good to her when she had regular senses, so with this marginally heightened advantage, it's a bit overwhelming...

“Oh… I see.” The thought of finding her grotesque in any form had never crossed his mind. “Hey, way to imply that I’m super shallow,” Dahut teases lightly, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I’ve always liked you because of your spirit, not your body,” he murmurs. “Didn’t we have this conversation already? It was your perspective on life that made me fall for you…”

Dahut beckons her. Despite every instinct of her that screams at her to dive into the ocean and never return, she crawls up to his arms, burying her face against his neck as she breathes in his magic. "Dahut..." Her arms wrap around his torso, and their chests press together. This kind of intimacy, where they don't need to pleasure each other but can still be wrapped around each other, makes her heart skip a beat.

Hesitantly, Nadia begins to take in his magic. That is also intimate, in a different manner, the way that the sensation of him gently enters her body. Despite herself, she shudders, and Nadia can feel the pull of the nearby ocean commanding her to come.

Normally, a selkie transforms by shedding its seal skin to morph into its human form. Because Nadia was born deficient and weak, her transformation sequence happens in reverse. Her skin and bones crack and melt, painfully, to elongate her body so that she can shed the human skin. Nadia whimpers, her nails morphing into blunt claws and digging into Dahut's back subconsciously as she bears the suffering of this grotesque, incomplete transformation.

Her hands grow little webbings in-between her fingers to resemble flippers, and her legs morph into a seal's tail covered in blood-soaked fur. She's much taller like this, too, and little fangs poke out to tease the suggestion of sharper teeth. The sand is soaked with blood, but even the ocean greedily laps at their legs, erasing the traces of this distorted magic.

Dahut's heart hurts looking at her suffering. "If you can transform, and you can't swim, that will be enough to help... help your magic get a little bit stronger. I'll make sure you're safe." He can't help but think there's something else holding her back, but he doesn't want to assume.

She's aware this isn't the type of situation where either of them would have perverse intentions. Mechanically, her hands move to unbutton her own shirt, allowing the fabric to slip off and land in the sand. But she doesn't move to remove her bra, instead, she tucks her knees to her chest and hugs herself, keeping her gaze on the waves.

Mathis smiles. "Hmm... I would, too. Though I think it would be a bit tricky to do something public... if Adolphe and I manage something like that, you'll be invited. I'd like to get to know you better, too."

Dahut feels a twinge of guilt that Nadia matches his stoicism, and he nods as the others filter out of the room. He'll be sure to let Lucas know if his plan doesn't work. If it doesn't, he doesn't know what else to try. "You're stable enough for a little while... so it would be better to take you home for the... procedure. If you're feeling up to it, we should try as soon as possible..."

I hate it. I hate this body. And I hate my other body, too. "I just don't want you to be hurt for my sake," she replies steadily. If he won't die but will still get tired out, that's better than the worst-case scenario. Nadia falls silent for a moment. She's... throwing a tantrum in her mind, which is equally vexing. She should be more mature than this. Dahut won't leave her, but she doesn't want to transform even having that reassurance.

"You and I have that in common too," Mathis says shyly. "I have always been a bit of a romantic... even when it was impossible for me." Mathis has grown used to being a therapy animal for the people he cares about, but he doesn't mind so much anymore. "No need to apologize..."

He flicks his ears against her hands while they remain there. "Your brother's probably better at staving off bullies than I am," Mathis chuckles. "...I understand being helpless," he murmurs. "I'm still surprised I'm able to talk to you, here and now. I hope we can continue to..."

Nadia would love the opportunity to chat with Mathis over tea and snacks about romance. But she doesn't want to take away his free time when he already has such a busy schedule... she already feels bad that they had to come here all the way for this. "I'm glad you get the chance to have a nice love life, too" she comments idly. "It's thanks to Mister Adolphe that I could have my own... so I want your romance continues to be filled with exciting things. Hehe... I already teased Sister about it, but I'd love to go to a wedding, one day..."

She turns her head to look up at Dahut, giving a small nod. "Okay. Sor... thank you." Don't make him feel bad. Be grateful for your life. Evidently, she's able to match Dahut's calmness as well. She doesn't expect him to panic, anyway, and is grateful that he doesn't look like Lucas, who quite literally looks as if he's expecting her to die at any given moment.

As Dahut takes care of her injections, she makes eye contact with Adolphe and smiles. "Thank you for your help again, Mister Adolphe."

He nods briefly, arms folded across his chest. "Get better. Call on me anytime." If Dahut is going to be doing some fancy magic thing with Nadia, probably best to give her some privacy. "Here, you'll probably need permission to discharge. C'mon, Lucas, only you can do that for her."

"... Right." A bit reluctant, but not putting up much of a fight, Lucas allows himself to be dragged out of the room by Adolphe, the others in tow after saying their goodbye.

Mathis chuckles. "There's no reason to apologize for things that aren't your fault. It's unfair for both of us, but you seem strong... eventually, maybe they'll respect us. Perceptions don't shift overnight." He's a bit embarrassed that she's so positive about his efforts, which are only possible with the help of everyone.

The human grimaces. "... Yeah. Didn't sound very fun."

"We come from a family of shapeshifters." Lucas turns to Dahut, deciding that he should probably hear the full explanation. He doesn't mind the others in the room hearing about it anyway, though Nadia might have some mixed feelings. "Typically, the Proust bloodline produces werewolves as a testament to our strength... but because Nadia was born with frail magic, her magic core developed into that of a selkie. Yet... that wasn't enough for these cruel gods, was it?" Wryly, Lucas glances off in the direction of the Institute. He sure would like to run in and throw Scien into a whirlpool, if possible. "She could only manage a partial transformation, but that weakened her even further... so it was decided that she would focus solely on her human form instead. Suppressing her magic may be the habit developed from that..."

Adolphe tilts his head, not quite understanding this entire concept. "So... are you worried about the pain or something? Since you mentioned your transformation."

"That's one concern I have," Lucas murmurs. "I fear that if she has not managed a transformation in all these years, her magic may... burst. Like popping a water balloon."

This talk of trying to encourage her to transform is mildly distressing. "I like your writing," she says confidently. "And the way you describe romance makes my heart flutter. I plan on having that kind of romance with Dahut, eheh..." Ah, the way Mathis offers his ears tells her that this is not his first, nor will it be the last, occurrence of people wanting to pet him.

Nadia is conscious, but he has to set his emotions aside for the time being as Adolphe rolls up his sleeve. "Did the doctor say it was similar to before? An issue with magic?" His hand hovers over Adolphe's vein. "I'll make sure it doesn't hurt." On the off chance Adolphe is squeamish about needles, he quietly infuses some magic into the syringe that will make the spot he draws blood from numb, then carefully inserts it into the human's vein.

Unless they manage to open a pathway to the human world again, it's unlikely that a miracle cure will be created. "Something like that. I'm not an expert in magic, but apparently her magic shifts with age. And..." He frowns slightly. "They said something about conflict between forms. That she's been subconsciously suppressing the origin of her magic in order to stay in her current form? Dunno what that means."

Nadia overhears the conversation but decides to stay out of it so Dahut and Adolphe can focus on their tasks. "Oh, you don't need to apologize for that... you've been busy helping all of us live a more peaceful life." She giggles softly. "I'm, um... sorry about the rumors. They're true, but I had it handled..." Still, her eyes look a little sad. "Unfair that they haven't given you the proper respect, though..."

When he has free time, which is hardly ever, Dahut continues to attempt to synthesize Adolphe's blood on his own. He has samples, data, and documentation of his DNA, yet he still can't figure out how to recreate exactly the miraculous substance that has helped Mathis, Nadia, and others. Every day he doesn't figure it out feels more and more dire. What happens if Adolphe suddenly dies? Does Nadia die along with him?

He appreciates the continued notes from Nadia and contacts her on the transmitter when he can, but he's still very serious about his missions, so not even the thought of fooling around with her can distract him. Of course, he'd like to. But he's not going to become someone who shirks his job for sex. Nadia would be disappointed in him if he did, anyway.

In the evening, he receives a call on the transmitter. Dahut expects it to be from Nadia, then freezes when Lucas's voice comes through instead. He sounds panicked. And Ceres takes over on the other line, letting him know where they are...

As she expected, Adolphe immediately says that he's on the way with Mathis without asking further questions.

Lucas and Ceres are allowed back in the room once Nadia has been stabilized. She's not conscious, but Lucas gently speaks to her anyway, telling her that Dahut will arrive soon, so she should stay strong for all of them.

Adolphe and Mathis make it to Nadia's hospital room just before Dahut does. Of course, Adolphe is more used to the crude manner of doing things (aka dripping his blood directly into someone's mouth), but he's not sure if he should repeat the same endeavor when in the past year, they've shifted to Nadia receiving monthly injections of his blood instead.

Nadia remains unconscious, but her heart beats at a steady rate. When Dahut arrives just a few minutes after Adolphe and Mathis does, however, it seems that his presence alone has awoken her for a few extra minutes.

Her eyes flutter open. Instead of the apology she wants to say, she tries to smile instead at all the worried faces in the room. "I'm alright," she says quietly.

Nadia arches an eyebrow. Just Sister? Well, she's going to let Salome know too, if the witch happens to be nearby while Ceres is teaching lessons at the orphanage.

As the two walking together to the Institute and part ways, Nadia claps her hands on her cheeks to focus. A proper apology is given to the lion-beast that she had yelled at, though she remains firm on her beliefs and desires to prevent future tragedies. While her classmates don't all unite with her immediately, at the least, it seems like they heed a part of what she has to offer. The fact that she had gotten angry at them had broken the illusion that she's simply a pretty face who doesn't know anything.

It's a bit tense, but Nadia doesn't let it get to her. She wants to be diligent in her studies, but her primary motivation for that is actually for her own sense of accomplishment. Having Dahut's and Lucas' stamp of approval feels good but ultimately isn't necessary for her to reach her goals.

True to her inner desires, Nadia slips little notes under Dahut's office door whenever she passes by. There are still some mischievous desires of her to mess around in there, but she refrains. Someone should pat her on the back for self-control.

Nadia messages Ceres to confirm whether she's at the orphanage or at home. Ceres replies that she's at the orphanage to help Salome with some chores since the witch is currently out completing political duties. Seems complicated, but Nadia is happy that everyone's able to do what they wish to do in order to continue making this country a better place to live.

Nadia greets the children who are staying at the orphanage. The only ones still here from her first memory is Isaac. Giselle and Milo are attending university on their own, and Nina and Tania had been adopted by a beastfolk family recently. A lot of things have changed about the orphanage, but it seems like they still come back to visit and share stories with the current children who are staying here whenever they can. Nadia has also heard that Giselle and Milo are doing their best to share more positive perspectives of the beastfolk, especially Milo who — apparently — has aspirations of being a translator. Pretty obvious as to who inspired him, but his foster siblings try not to tease him too much.

Ceres prepares tea and snacks for Nadia, who cheerfully accepts and begins to tell Ceres all the fun stories of her journey to court Dahut. Of course, she has to give an... appropriate version of the story in case the other children of the orphanage peek around to eavesdrop. Nadia is so happy that she gets to exchange romantic stories with Ceres now! But of course, that comes with a nagging question, such as—

"So, when are you and Brother going to get married?"

Ceres chokes on her tea. "N-Nadia..." The blonde smiles nervously. "That's a bit too soon to think about, right?"

Nadia pouts. "It's been years! You know Brother's never going to ask first. He's never made the first move." Clearly, Nadia is referring to when she had to tell Ceres directly that Lucas has pined for her all this time because of their shared diary.

Ceres thinks back to when Lucas had, contrary to Nadia's expectations, indeed made the first move on Ceres, and it hadn't started off with a sweet love confession. However, the version of the story that they've told Nadia has been... filtered. Lucas didn't want Nadia to view him as an ingrate who had been thirsting for Ceres all those years, so they had collaborated on a more... picturesque version of how they had decided to make things official.

"Well..." Ceres pats Nadia's head gently. "Maybe I will think about it after all. I suppose we aren't getting younger."

Nadia leans into the headpats happily. "I'll be your officiator! Oh, hmm, but maybe I should be your bridesmaid, instead? Say, would Mister Adolphe have to play the father role and walk you down the aisle to hand you off to Brother? He's never given Brother trouble about your relationship, right?"

"... Well, no. But..." Ceres blinks slowly. "I can't see Adolphe, uh, trying to intimidate Lucas into treating me well." There is no person in this world who can overcome Lucas except for the two women sitting together at this table, apparently.

Nadia sighs. "Well, Brother and Dahut don't get along very well, I've learned yesterday. That's a shame. But it was Brother's fault for trying to tease Dahut, hmph." Not like Nadia is going to stay mad at Lucas, though. She'll just tease him mercilessly on other things, per usual.

As the evening time arrives, Lucas comes to the orphanage to pick Ceres up so that he can escort her home. When he spots Nadia, he's surprised and then immediately states that the three of them should walk Nadia back to her apartment.

Nadia hums. "Well, I'm fine with that. At least that'll let Dahut to not worry about me." She begins to type out a message to her beloved, hoping to her feet in excitement. "Hopefully he won't have to stay up too late to—" As she types, her transmitter slips from her fingers, shattering to pieces on the floor, and Nadia blinks slowly in confusion.

"Nadia?"

"Um. That's weird." She stares at her fingers, which... are shaking just slightly. When she tries to flex them, she winces in pain. "S-Sorry about the mess. I'll clean it up..." She kneels to retrieve the metal pieces, but her heart throbs painfully in her chest. The world spins, and Nadia realizes too late that it's because she's falling to the ground.

***

Lucas had never thought that he'd be in this position again. It's been years since Nadia's condition had worsened to the point where she needed to be hospitalized, hooked up to dreadful monitors that merely remind him of a time that should have passed a long time ago. His precious sister is... unconscious, but her heart beats steadily at the least.

Ceres places a transmitter in his hands gently, patting his back. "... You should let Dahut know," she murmurs.

"... Right." If Ceres weren't here, Lucas is certain that he would have fallen apart. But he has to make sure to be a good brother for Nadia, and that includes keeping the person she loves in the loop. With trembling hands, he decides to call Dahut instead, understanding that a message about this is not nearly enough to convey the gravity of this situation.

"Hello," he says quietly. Not like Nadia will wake up if his voice is a little too loud, but... well. Lucas' strength feels like it's faded significantly. "Nadia is in the hospital. She collapsed just now, and..." Lucas closes his eyes. "Well, I know she would want you here. And... I would also like you here as well. We're at—"

The heart monitor that had been beeping steadily suddenly accelerates, then flatlines. Lucas' eyes snap open, and a few nurses rush in to hurriedly administer treatment to Nadia while simultaneously ushering Lucas and Ceres at the room. Fortunately, Lucas is still able to hear what's going on from outside, his ears twitching in apprehension as he nearly breaks the transmitter in half.

As the two of them sleep through the night and wash up the next morning in order to get ready for work, Nadia receives a transmission from Ceres. It seems like Lucas had told her about the news she had shared last night and is congratulating her.