Nyx Nyghtingale
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Blood & Chlorophyll Ch. 13
🕑 Added 2024-11-22 18:00:09 +0000 UTCAlicia had never slept better in her life, neither as a Human nor as a Dryad. After making a nest of blankets, and dragging Katrina inside of it, sheâd done her best to avoid falling asleep instantly, but had failed miserably. As excited as she was to share her first real night with Kat, she was equally as exhausted from all the training sheâd done with Tabitha.
When the sun started rising, Aliciaâs body attempted to rise as well. This happened no matter what Alicia tried, but thankfully it was easy enough to get back to sleep. While she was awake, however, she took the time to appreciate her current situation; completely wrapped around an unconscious, and breathtakingly gorgeous, Vampire. Alicia had no idea how heavy a sleeper Kat was, but she decided to take a risk and adjust her position slightly. Apart from a small grumble, Kat didnât seem to mind.
Alicia cuddled even closer, resting her head in the soft spot just under Katâs shoulder and closed her eyes. She felt Katâs chest rising and falling as she slowly breathed, enjoying the calm tranquility of the moment.
She also noticed that, unlike most other partners sheâd had before, theyâd seemingly cuddled all night. In the past, mostly with Aiya, Alicia had gotten used to cuddling up at the start of the night, then calling it quits once it got too toasty to continue. For some reason, cuddling with Kat wasnât overheating her like she was used to. In fact, Katâs skin was refreshingly cool, as if she were the cold side of the pillow.
Wait, sheâs a Vampire, which means sheâs undead! No wonder sheâs not producing any body heat. Although, if sheâs dead, why is she still breathing? I should ask her when she wakes upâŚ
After a soft giggle, Alicia closed her eyes to try and get back to sleep. Of all the possible benefits and detriments of being undead, she would have never guessed âperfect cuddle partnerâ would have made the list. She squeezed her girlfriend just a little bit harder and fell back asleep.
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Before long, it was time for Alicia to properly wake up. She could tell from her branches it was close to noon, and there was a limit to how late she could sleep in while the sun was shining.
As much as it pained her, she pulled herself away from Katrina, though not before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. The Vampire stirred slightly, then quietly mumbled âMorning AliciaâŚâ
âItâs still noon, sleepyhead, go back to sleep,â Alicia said.
Katrina mumbled something unintelligible, nodded, and turned to her side. It took every ounce of restraint Alicia had not to squee with excitement over how cute the Vampire was.
She merged with her Heart Tree, but before departing for her morning drink, she took a moment to examine how she felt. Katrina had mentioned the possibility that sleeping outside her Heart Tree might be bad for her, and the idea was worrying. At the moment, thankfully, Alicia felt well-rested, but she decided to continue monitoring herself each morning to keep an eye on things.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and her spirits were high. She stretched her arms over her head, her aching bones creaking and cracking, and immediately felt the bitter reminders of her training yesterday.
For hours, Tabitha had drilled her on the basics of close quarters combat; how to position her feet, how to hold a weapon, things like that. To her credit, the Foxgirl had been very patient with her, and had definitely been pulling her punches. The more Alicia had learned about fighting, the more she recognized just how fluid and precise Tabithaâs movements were. When Alicia had started with ORC, her basic training had mentioned that a personâs base ten attributes, commonly referred to as their Ten, always reflected who they were before the Change, but there were certain limitations. The common understanding, partially thanks to a study done on various Olympic athletes, was that peak Human performance capped out at an Attribute level of 20, at least before the Change. With that in mind, Alicia was absolutely sure that some of Tabithaâs Ten were above that; she was simply too fast.
As the Dryad walked further away from her house, she texted Tabitha to give her a quick update.
Alicia: Morning! I just got up, so youâre welcome to come over whenever you like. Kat will be asleep until dusk, obviously.
Tabitha responded with a simple thumbs up emoji.
When Alicia reached her river, she eagerly sank her feet into the water and started drinking. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and happily soaked up the sun.
Feeling the water flowing around her legs, she thought back to her conversation with Elias. Theyâd spent hours talking about how to alter the topography of the neighborhood, and it occurred to Alicia that she should probably put together some kind of a map so they could start planning.
I should have Katrina fly up and take a picture! That way weâd have an up-to-date image we can use for planning, and I can send it to Elias.
After taking in all the sunlight and water she needed, which took several hours, Alicia got up and started her day in earnest. She wanted to start preparing for Eliasâ visit, which meant returning to her previous task of ripping up all the gravel and concrete in the area.
Over the last several years, sheâd managed to disrupt much of the stone herself by using the local plant life. Whenever a particular remnant of civilization grew weak enough, and she was able to break it into smaller pieces, she would move them to a spot outside the neighborhood that sheâd turned into a makeshift dumping site. It was far enough away to be spared the ravages of her nature reclamation project, and close enough to a road that she was able to schedule regular pickups. Of course, given her perception of time, and relatively weak stature, the pickups only happened two or three times a year.
Most of the street in front of her house had been completely stripped of asphalt, which Alicia had greatly appreciated during last nightâs training. The path from her home to the river was also similarly bare, though not to the same degree. It was on that path, in a space that had previously been a three-way intersection, that Alicia and Elias were planning on setting up a small pond.
To start, Alicia connected with all the plants that she already knew were present. She examined how they were growing, if they had found any lingering bits of concrete, and what the soil in the area was like. After not finding any surprises, she summoned a plethora of creeping charlie, complete with lush purple flowers, to mark the edge of the pond. She had to extend the radius a few times, as she was measuring purely with her eyes, but eventually she had an area that seemed appropriate for a mermaid.
Next, she sat in the middle of the designated area and once again reached out to the nearby plants. One by one, she snuffed out the various weeds, roots, and vines that had taken up residence underground. After another hour had passed, Eliasâ plot of land was free of living plants, which would make excavating much easier.
Alicia considered pausing here, wondering if Elias would have Class Features that would make moving all the dirt easier. However, the more she thought about it, the less she wanted to use the System. She thought about the Key Dungeon, about everything Tabitha had taught her last night. Delving wasnât just about clever use of Features, it was a grueling test of strength, wit, and endurance. If she had a shovel, clearing out this dirt would be a great way to keep conditioning herself.
She walked home, rummaged through the gardening equipment she hadnât touched in years, and grabbed a shovel.
During her training last night, while Katrina had been practicing her new spells, Tabitha had explained that people could still train and condition themselves like they did before the Change. With enough time and effort, every one of a personâs Ten could be improved without the aid of magic or Leveling up. While the System made quite a few physical feats of prowess much easier, there was still plenty of space for hard work and determination.
Of course, Tabitha had brought it up as an excuse to keep smacking Alicia with a stick, but it was a helpful lesson all the same. Plus, getting used to stick smacks would hopefully make it easier to withstand the assaults of Dungeon monsters.
Alicia spent the rest of the day digging. She was amazed at how much more energy she had during the day, and she now understood just how helpful her Solar Regeneration Feature was. She regretted that the Dungeon was underground, and that they were delving at night, but she knew Katâs help was worth far more than consistent regeneration.
When her phone went off shortly before sunset, she planted her shovel in the ground, crawled out of her hole, and decided to take a break.
Tabitha: omw!
Alicia: Great! See you soon!
With a smile on her face, Alicia looked over everything sheâd accomplished today. Although it was nowhere near completion, sheâd made a sizable dent in the ground, and she was proud of her work. She took a quick picture, sending it to Elias.
Alicia: Got your timeshare started!
Elias: XD
Elias: Sorry to miss the groundbreaking ceremony lol
Alicia: How was your day? Lake doing alright?
Elias: Nothing crazy. It was pretty windy, so the lake was a little aggressive. Iâm a bit winded, but otherwise business as usual. Iâm just trying to get ahead on my work so itâs easier to take time off.
Alicia: No monsters or anything? I feel like I remember hearing about monsters in the Lake
Elias: Yeah, people think thereâs a Dungeon out in the Great Lakes somewhere, but normally that stuff doesnât wander too close to shore. When it does, the aquatic Guilds are pretty quick on the draw
Alicia: Well, Iâm glad Iâve got someone to keep me up to date on current events
Elias: Hey Iâm just calling it like I sea it
Alicia: Itâs a shame youâre so busy, you sound really tide down
Elias: The trick is finding ways to streamline my work
After several minutes of giggling to herself while she continued texting Elias, Alicia started wondering where Tabitha was. The Foxgirl had texted a while ago, and Alicia was fairly sure she should have arrived already. She quickly checked the time, then looked away from her phone to see if Tabitha had arrived yet.
When Alicia turned around, she found herself face to face with the snow-white fur of their Mage Knight. Alicia yelled in surprise, dropping her phone before falling backwards into the pit.
âTabitha! Why are you sneaking up on me like that?!â Alicia yelled, huffing as she crawled to her feet.
The Foxgirl was laughing hysterically and had to wipe away a tear before she finally responded. âOh wow, that was priceless. You should have seen the look on your face! Itâs nothing personal, Alicia, I promise. I wanted to test how aware you are of your surroundings. You failed, by the way, but I think falling into a mysterious pit is punishment enough. What is this thing, anyways? You girls setting up some mud wrestling? Heck, if you are, can I set up a camera for my fans?â
Tabitha held out a paw, which Alicia grabbed before hopping out of the pit. âWeâre doing no such thing! For your information, Kat and I are taking things slow. This is something Iâm working on for Elias.â
âWhoâs that? Friend of yours?â
Alicia paused for a moment, running over everything that had happened last night. âShoot, thatâs right, we never told you. Elias is a registered delver, one of the ones we contacted, but he canât help us delve because heâs a Mermaid. However, weâve been talking, and I mentioned that Iâve got a river nearby, so he suggested setting up a small pond so he can come help us out. Heâs a Geomancer, so heâs got some healing abilities he can use to help us recover in between delves.â
âHey, thatâs a good idea! The more the merrier I always say. Granted, that normally has a different context in my line of work.â There was a brief pause, during which Alicia couldnât stop herself from picturing what Tabitha might have meant. It must have been obvious, as she caught Tabitha smirking at her moments later. âIs it cool that I talk about work? I know I can be a bit prickly at times, but Iâm not trying to make things too awkward for you.â
âNo, itâs okay! Iâve just been pretty sheltered since the Change. Before Katrina ran into me, I hadnât seen another person in years. I work for ORC, though, so Iâm caught up on all the new laws and everything.â
Tabitha tapped a claw on her chin for a moment, lost in thought, before speaking up again. âI guess that makes sense. Iâve never worked with ORC, personally. I was a camgirl even before the Change, and my Race is pretty normal, all things considered. I didnât need to change anything about my life, other than investing in some hardcore robot vacuums. Biggest difficulty for me was the huge influx in new cam workers after sex work was legalized.â
âIs camming all that different from before the Change? Itâs still just, like, playing with yourself on camera, right?â Alicia asked. Sheâd watched her fair share of cam shows before the Change, but she didnât know much about the industry.
âItâs harder to find a selling point. Before, so long as you were either hot or had a distinctive look, youâd find people that wanted to watch you. Now? There are tons of Races literally designed to be as sexy as possible, so competition is really stiff. I almost quit a few times because, like, how am I supposed to compete with Succubi that have to constantly host orgies just to survive?â
âWhat did you do about it?â
âWell, this had been true since long before the Change, but often sex work is only about sex like, half the time. The rest of the time people just want company, they want intimacy theyâre not getting elsewhere. Iâve known escorts that get paid top dollar not to sleep with people, but just hold them and play with their hair. I try to lean into what makes me different; I donât have incredibly high Charisma, and it wonât increase by leveling up. However, Iâve got crazy muscle definition from my high Agility, and thatâs why I get a lot of people asking me to do parkour streams. Other than that, itâs mostly about connecting with your audience, giving them someone they can goof off with regularly.â
âTabitha, thatâs so beautiful! I had no idea cam work could be so touching!â
The Foxgirl laughed to herself. âI mean, there is also a lot of touching. I did get crazy lucky in one aspect; I was camming when the Change hit.â
âWait, like, you caught it on camera?â
âOh yeah. Full HD, hour long show. I start as a Human, just doing my thing, and halfway through I turn into this. I was already turned on from all the masturbating, but my entire body changing like that? I came so hard, and now itâs easily my best-selling video. Iâll give you a discount if you want to see it sometime, you know.â
This time, Alicia was completely aware of how heavily she was blushing. âI-Iâll think about it!â
With one last, hearty laugh, Tabitha slapped Alicia on the back before jumping in the pit. âYouâve got to make yourself less fun to tease, Cherry Blossom. Iâve got half a mind to ask if you two are poly, but I have a feeling you havenât had that conversation yet. Why donât you join me in the ring and weâll review everything we went over yesterday.â
Alicia nodded, eager to change the conversation, and joined Tabitha in their impromptu fighting ring. She grew a pair of staves again, throwing one to the Mage Knight, and they started practicing.
Although still sore, Alicia could feel her muscle memory kicking in. Several small movements that had given her trouble yesterday now felt easier, and she was more confidently able to keep up with Tabithaâs attacks. She did her best to block with her staff when possible, but she had also gotten better at managing her barriers. Whenever Tabitha outmaneuvered or overpowered her, she was able to grow tiny barriers from her body to absorb the strike.
As Tabitha had explained yesterday, the barriers worked best as a second line of defense, or as a way to protect distant teammates. However, while Alicia still lost HP when her barriers were hit, they had several large advantages over blocking the attack with her actual body.
Most importantly, her barriers had no critical weak points. A barrier that shatters from a blunt strike, while still costing HP, has no other downsides. That same attack, however, might easily break a bone and cripple Alicia for weeks. Similarly, bladed weapons might be able to inflict poison or slice open vital arteries, and the barriers could prevent that as well. They were the perfect tools to absorb any number of potential injuries.
Aliciaâs mind was racing as they continued sparring. She had to mind her own footwork, stay balanced, hold her staff correctly, but also watch Tabithaâs movements and look for patterns. Whenever she fell behind, and Tabitha slipped past her defenses, she had to summon a barrier to absorb a strike on her thigh or waist.
They were in the middle of a particularly lengthy exchange of blocks and parries when something unusual happened; Alicia heard a voice in her head that, oddly enough, sounded like Katrina.
âHey Alicia, could you come home? Iâd like to test something.â
In her confusion, Alicia lost focus on her fight with Tabitha. Before she could snap back to her senses, the Foxgirl had spun behind her and struck at her feet, knocking her to the ground. She tried to gasp in pain, but landing flat on her back had knocked the wind out of her.
âGotcha!â Tabitha cheered. âYou were doing pretty good until the end there, what happened?â
âOwwwww, that really hurt!â Alicia groaned. âAnd Iâm not completely sure, but I think Katrina just like, sent me a psychic message? She wants me to come home.â
The Foxgirl reached down, offering a hand to help Alicia up. âAlright, well I wonât count that against you. Ordinarily Iâd say you should be ready for anything, but weâre still new at this and, if anything, itâs her fault for testing new spells without warning us. Câmon, letâs go see what Fangs is up to!â
Alicia jumped back to her feet, then decided to continue using her staff as a walking stick as they returned home. She was growing strangely fond of having a staff, both as a weapon and for general use, and hoped she would remember to bring one with the next time she traveled away from her Heart Tree. Once she made it home, she opened the front door and called out for Katrina.
âKat, you up? I got your message!â she said.
âOh! Thatâs amazing!â As Kat responded, Alicia realized the Vampire was still upstairs. After a moment, she appeared at the top of the stairs and started walking down. âWhat did it sound like?â
âUm, like a voice in my head? I donât know if thereâs another way to describe it.â The girls kissed quickly before Alicia continued. âOf course, it distracted me and let Tabitha throw me to the ground, so I didnât get a lot of time to examine it.â
âAlicia, Iâm so sorry! I didnât know you two were practicing!â Katrina leaned in, hugging Alicia tight before checking for injuries. âYouâre not hurt too bad, are you? Did you get lots of time in the sun today?â
âIâm fine, Kat, really. I had plenty of time earlier to let my Regeneration do its thing.â
âMan, youâre lucky,â Tabitha said, âIâd kill for some Regeneration. Plus, normally that Feature requires a bunch of food to power itself, but all you need to do is sunbathe? Talk about winning the Change lottery.â
âI mean, all Races have their downsides; Iâll never be able to travel, for one thing,â Alicia said.
âIâm pretty sure Vampires get some kind of latent Regeneration type thing since weâre undead, but I wonât bore you with the details of how much I hate my Race.â Katrina squeezed Aliciaâs hand as they talked, and thankfully Tabitha didnât ask for any elaboration.
âYeah yeah, I know. Everyone gets something different. I really shouldnât complain, two of my Ten are in the twenties, and with a few Spells, I can make it four,â Tabitha said.
âIâm sorry, back up. You can get FOUR of your Ten above twenty?!â Katrina said, clearly shocked.
âI mean, yeah. Beastkin always get crazy Attribute levels, I thought you of all people would have known that.â
âOkay, but that many Attributes above twenty is insane! I think I understand why your fans pay you to tackle parkour courses, Iâll bet thatâs incredibly impressive.â
Tabitha smirked, then winked quickly at Katrina. âOh, is someone interested in watching my shows? Maybe Iâll let you choose my outfit next time; my most popular ones are a blue bikini with way too many straps, and a gold bikini I wore for my collab with TheSexiestSlayer.â
Katrinaâs eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped as Tabitha finished talking. âHold up, you did a show with TheSexiestSlayer? Seriously?!â
Alicia, feeling a little out of her element, pulled Katrina closer and asked, âShould I know who that is?â
âSheâs probably one of the most famous streamers in the world! Sheâs a Greater Succubus with some obscenely high Charisma score, itâs like forty-something, but sheâs also an incredibly skilled gamer and cosplay creator. Personally, I think sheâs one of the reasons that camming became as commonly accepted as it is today, once sex work became legal, obviously.â
âSo, sheâs like⌠super pretty?â Alicia asked, a little nervous.
Thankfully, Katrina found the subtext in the question. âWell, yeah, but thatâs not really the point. Sure, the System gave her a ridiculous Charisma score, but honestly, I never really watched her shows for that. Sheâs worked with delvers in the past, and itâs pretty significant that she became as well-known as she did. It was the first time a sex worker got, like, super famous.â
âIf sheâs ever in town again, Iâll see if I can set up a meet and greet. If youâre interested, that is,â Tabitha teased.
âHow about we cross that bridge when we get to it,â Katrina said. âBesides, it might never happen, and weâve got a Dungeon to tackle. You two need to get back to your sparring, and Iâve got more spells I need to create.â
âRight, your spells!â Alicia said excitedly. âWhat was the one you used on me?â
âI havenât named it yet, but if itâs working as intended, it just lets me send a short message to whoever I want. Itâs not the most common spell, but Iâve seen enough people get similar magic to understand how it works. The closer someone is, the less mana is required. On the flip side, with enough mana, I could theoretically reach anyone, anywhere in the world.â
Katrina jumped back up the stairs, quickly grabbed her guitar, and rejoined the group as they prepared to return to their training.
Once back outside, after quickly showing Katrina the pit sheâd started for Elias, Alicia returned to her practice. At this point, while she still put everything she had into improving, the novelty of learning to fight had started to wear thin. During one of their short breaks, she thought about the timeframe they were working with, about how they only had a few weeks to beat the Dungeon. They were going to need all the time they could get, which meant delving and fight training were going to be a part of her daily life for the foreseeable future.
Thankfully, even as practice became more routine, it was obvious that Tabitha was a great person. Had Alicia not known about her cam work, she still would have guessed that the Foxgirl was great with people. It seemed effortless for her to read Aliciaâs movement, switch up methods when Alicia was growing tired of a specific move, and offer breaks when needed.
Alicia, for her part, had begun wondering if her Dryad physiology might offer any unique benefits in combat. She began experimenting with her ability to control plants, trying to shift the terrain to her advantage and trip Tabitha up. While her control only extended so far, and she couldnât exactly summon vines to instantly trip Tabitha, she felt confident it was something worth exploring. She also remembered that she was able to grow roots from her own body, and had started rooting her feet to the ground whenever she wanted a stronger stance.
In the background, Katrina continued providing music for the training combatants as she iterated on her spells. The music wasnât quite as performative, she frequently stopped and restarted sections as she wrestled with her newly discovered magic, but it was beautiful to listen to nonetheless.
By the end of the night, Kat had cemented two new spells in her repertoire; a Scan and a quick, magical push that would hopefully keep enemies away from her. She practiced her scan on Tabitha, with the Foxgirlâs consent of course, and spent a solid minute marveling at her incredible Ten; she had 25 Agility and 21 Dexterity even before applying her own Attribute Boosting spells.
As excited as Alicia was to see Kat so excited about delving and exploring her magic, the Dryad began feeling a twinge of jealousy; this was the second time tonight that Kat had gushed about another girl.
She had a feeling Tabitha noticed something, as they ended training earlier than they had yesterday. The Foxgirl gave her a big hug, squeezing her tight and congratulating her on her hard work, then returned home to give them some space.
âWhew,â Kat said as they walked inside, âwhat a night! You get a lot done with Tabitha? It seemed like you were making great progress, though admittedly I was spending a lot of time with my own practice. She seemed impressed, if nothing else.â
âUm, yeah it went well,â Alicia said quietly.
âAlicia? Hey, is everything alright?â
Alicia paused, not entirely sure how to voice her thoughts. She wanted to be open about what she was thinking, but it had been so long since sheâd engaged with these kinds of social dynamics. âI-Iâm not entirely sure how to phrase this, but⌠I guess Iâm feeling a little self-conscious right now. Itâs really cute seeing you get excited about all this delving stuff, but seeing you rant and rave about that streamer, and then about Tabithaâs TenâŚâ
There was a small moment of hesitation before Kat responded. Her eyes were unfocused, darting back and forth across nothing in particular, and Alicia suspected she was combing through her memories from the last few hours. âShoot, Alicia, I⌠I didnât mean it like that, I promise. Iâm thrilled to be with you, Alicia, I really am, and Iâm sorry I made you feel that way.â The two hugged tightly as Alicia buried her face in Katâs shirt.
âIâm sorry to bring it up, this is just all so new to me, and I guess I got a little used to having you all to myself. Itâs my first time dating post-Change, and everything is so different now,â Alicia said. âI donât want to ruin our first week as a couple by getting all moody like this.â
âHey, donât say that.â Kat moved closer, cupping the side of Aliciaâs face and tilting her head higher. Their eyes met before Kat spoke up again. âYouâre amazing, and I want to hear these things. Tell you what, how about we go sit in our floor bed, and you can share everything youâre worried about. Honestly, isnât the start of a relationship the best time to do this?â
Alicia nodded quickly. âO-okay.â
Once the girls were back in Aliciaâs bedroom, they sat on their massive pile of blankets and looked at each other. Katrina spoke first, gently grabbing Aliciaâs hands. âTell me everything, Alicia. I want this to be the best relationship weâve ever had.â
âI donât know, I guess Iâm just a little jealous. I was talking with Tabitha before you woke up, and she told me how camming actually got really difficult after sex work was legalized. About how hard it is to stand out against Succubi and all the other Races that get huge Charisma bonuses. When you got all excited about Tab and that Slayer person, I think maybe I was a little nervous that youâd rather be with someone like that. Someone with a crazy Ten thatâs super popular and stuff.â
Katrina squeezed Aliciaâs hand tight, only speaking up when she knew Alicia had finished. âYâknow, I donât think itâs come up much, but Iâm a pretty introverted person. Yes, in recent years I shut myself off because of my Race, but even before the Change I wasnât very sociable. You want to know my favorite thing about us? I can be myself around you.â
âWell, yeah, but maybe you could do that with Tabitha too,â Alicia said, sniffling.
âPlease, Tabitha flat out admitted she likes to push peopleâs buttons. I donât want a relationship to be a challenge, I want it to be comfortable and supporting. Plus, dating someone famous sounds like it would be so much work. When you and I went to the Dungeon Camp, no one knew who we were, and I loved that.â
Alicia didnât say anything at first, instead, turning away from Kat before leaning back into her lap. âI have heard that dating celebrities can be a challenge.â
âAnother thing? Once people get a high enough Charisma, it becomes supernaturally powerful. Like, you physically canât stop yourself from staring at them, and that honestly sounds really stressful.â
âI sometimes have trouble not staring at you, Kat,â Alicia admitted with a smirk.
âAnd I only have nineteen Charisma! Imagine someone with forty; how are you supposed to get anything done when youâre living with someone whose very presence is practically a mind-altering drug? With how much the Change rewired my brain, Iâve had more than my fill of unnatural urges and desires, thank you.â Katrinaâs hands settled on Alicaâs shoulders before she continued. âIâm happy with you, Alicia. Iâm not trying to change the topic away from your feelings, Iâm sorry if it seemed like that. I think Iâm just trying to say that a personâs Ten isnât who they are. Someone with thirty Wisdom might not be kind, someone with thirty Charisma might not be empathetic. Itâs not a fluke that weâre together, and I would choose you again in a heartbeat. Even if TheSexiestSlayer were here.â
Alicia found herself giggling, and she pulled Katâs hands closer in a makeshift hug. âI never really thought of that, I guess.â
Katrina leaned down, gently kissing Alicia before speaking up again. âWas there anything else?â
âUm, actually, this isnât something I was worried about, but since weâre talking about the relationship⌠Tabitha asked me earlier if weâre planning on being monogamous.â
âSeriously?â Kat asked, and Alicia nodded in return. There was another pause before she continued. âThat certainly sounds like her. Iâve always been monogamous in the past, but that was more from circumstance rather than personal choice. In theory, Iâm not against it, but⌠I really donât think this is the right time to make that decision. We only just got together, Alicia, and I want to focus on you. This is my first real, honest relationship since the Change, and I still donât know who I am when Iâm not alone. Because of you, I think Iâm starting to figure that out, but itâs a process that needs time.â
The girls squeezed each other, and Alicia could hear the weight in everything Kat was saying. Before she responded, she took just as long to collect her thoughts. âI think youâre right. Like you said, Iâm used to being alone too. It wouldnât feel right to add someone else to the mix when we still donât understand who we are as a couple.â
Kat squeezed Alicia tight. âHow about, if Tab asks again, we just say weâre focused on us right now.â
âI like that.â Alicia sat up again, grabbing Katâs face and eagerly kissing her. âLook at us, being a real couple and talking about feelings and relationship dynamics and stuff. Thanks for listening, Kat. I was kinda nervous to bring this all up, and I appreciate you taking it seriously.â
âAnything for you, Alicia. And, moving forward, Iâll try to be more mindful when Iâm talking about delving stuff. Do you want to cuddle up and get some sleep?â
Alicia nodded quickly, then got off the bed to free up the blankets. After rearranging everything back to normal, the girls crawled under them and got back to cuddling. This time, rather than burying herself in Katâs shoulder, Alicia was the little spoon for the night. Just like yesterday, the stress from all her sparring practice caught up with her pretty quickly, and she knew she would be in for another sore morning. With Katrina holding her, everything felt right, and she fell asleep within minutes.
â
"Ugh, Nyx, relationships are hard."
You mean your talk with Alicia? I thought it went pretty well.
"I feel so bad! It's been so long since I've dated anyone, and I've got to learn all these Post-Change dating rules now!"
I mean, even before the Change, relationships worked best when people just talked about their feelings. As long as you keep doing that, I think it'll be alright.
"Maybe I should get her some flowers or something... wait, would that be rude?"
What if you just played her a song? And, speaking of, isn't that why you're here?
"Oh, shoot, that's right. So, today's song is La PeregrinaciĂłn by Ariel Ramirez. It's short and sweeet, and honestly it's probably not as dynamic as this chapter is, but I still think it fits. To me, this song feels appropriately busy for everything that's going on. We're sparring, learning magic, practicing delving stuff, all that stuff. This song doesn't start strong, it moreso fades in, which I think is fitting, and then the melody is very active without making too many strong decisions."
It's a lovely song! Thanks for stopping by, as always.
"Wait, you're thanking me? Alicia might be rubbing off on me..."
Well, I think it's great. See ya!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DK-BVGo3to
Nyx
Comments
AFanofRoses
It's a shame that this story about characters who go through life-altering experiences and have to figure out how relationships work after being isolated for so long is so far removed from the real world. If there was any similarity between our world and theirs, I might just learn something from Katrina and Alicia.
Nyx Nyghtingale
Once again, I forgot to add the post-chapter banter and song. I just edited it to add that section in, sorry for the delay!
AFanofRoses
Boo yah!
Nyx Nyghtingale
Aw dang it, not again. November's got me all scrambled, I'll get it up later today!
AFanofRoses
Where's my song, Nyx? I finally remember to listen to the chapter with its musical accompaniment, and this is the thanks I get? (I'm being sarcastic, not every chapter needs a song if you don't want to add one)
