Reservations before the Theater

Log Info

• Title: Reservations before the Theater
• Emitter: Aryia
• Characters: Aryia, Venom
• Place: Fernwood Pub, Aryia and Venom's Rented Room
• Time: November 15th, 2021
• Summary: During dusk, Aryia bounds into her room with Venom catching up on some sleep. She's elated, and she shows off some of the mul'neissa and celestial magics she had picked up. Things move on to Aryia wanting to show Venom how she does what she does, imparting some teachings learned from her previous mentors by going through a meditative exercise. Guided deeper into silence, Venom faces the depths alone. Yet find their star was never gone. Tender words are shared, and they make plans for an actual outing.

Fernwood Pub, Aryia and Venom's Rented Room, Nightfall.

The room is packed away completely. All the tailoring equipment is squared away, as well as the books and journals for practice in boxes. There's a jangle of a key at the door, there being a ta-tap tap tap in greeting before the dor clicks unlocked.

Excitedly skipping into the room is a beaming mul'neissa. It had been a couple of days since the two last linked up. "V!" she hisses outloud after shutting the door. "Hellloooo~" she waves wide, wiggling her fingers. Her eyes are torch-bright. <Handspeech>

The Acanian is tucked in the corner in the way of hers when she's breaking her outrageous demand for sleep into smaller, more reasonable chunks.

She's still in 'Venessa' mode, though her Dragonspitter is lain behind her legs, while her chin rests on her knees.

As her North Star rises over the confines of their joint room, the glimmer of her dark eyes bely lingering sleep, even as she sighs a fond, "Hello, honey...!"

Jacket and boots are tossed aside before the door was flicked locked, Aryia skips over towards the bed, leaping onto it and landing right in front of V. She plops her chin right down on the other's knees. She's smiling broadly. "Hello Blossom!" she subwhispers, leaning forward to steal a peck off their lips. "You sleep okay?"

Certain lips have a particular anticipation as Aryia's find them.

Venom's kiss is gentle, perhaps still a little sleepy, but warm, and her free hand lifts to stroke through the ivory locks, "Slept enough." she replies.

her hand draws foward, lightly booping the tip of the dark nose, "How are you, love?" <sildanyari>

Aryia softly sighs at the kiss, eyes fluttering closed as her hair is brushed out. There's a soft, near-silent giggle at the boop. Ears wiggle twice, like her nose was a button. "I'm good! Really, really good...!" she quietly whispers, leaning in to nudge her forehead against V's. "I learned how to do something...!" <Sildanyari>

Venom's smile grows more wakeful, just in time for her giggle as it seems she's found a new function access to Aryia's ears.

Hee!

The news about Aryia's discoveries perks her up and she cants her head, "Oh? Something with the light?" she wonders, glancing to her love's hair.

Aryia opens her eyes, smiling warmly up at Venom as she hug's the human's knees, swaying lightly back and forth. There's a low, amused chuckle. "Yes! And something else!" she chirps quietly. "I figured out how to do something really neat!"

The elf steals one more peck before pulling away and holding up both hands.

She focuses for a moment. In. Out.

One hand shimers faintly of moonlight. The other spilling shadows from it, it pluming against the bed and slowly rolling off it to the floor. The penumbra of the shade is tinged with moonlight.

Hands move to say more, throwing faint lights and shadow around. "Do you want to see?" she asks, grinning wildly. <Handspeech>

Venom gently traces the curves of Aryia's cheeks with her fingertips, a challenge with her rocking, but she endeavors to persevere.

The peck throws her off, but she sighs a happy note, so there probably aren't any hard feelings, there. She turns curious eyes to either hand as Aryia holds them aloft, a brow arching in increments as light finds one, and darkness the other.

"Fascinating!" she breathes in a soft, exultant <Kulthian>.

"You can do it at will?"

Aryia wiggles the shaded hand in a 'so-so' manner. "Only when I'm about to do something!" she gestures. "I figured out how to make a bright light. But also... I figured out my mul'neissa magic! The dark! Ready?" Her shadow dripping hand raises high, more shadows pouring from it in perparation. They cling to the ground instead of vanishing away.<Handspeech>

Venom eases forward some to watch as Aryia explains, nodding, though the look in her eye indicates she may be trying to find a parallel of some sort through what she knows of artifice. Still, she smiles, and her hands extend to gently take those of her love for a brief squeeze and she nods, "Show me!" she whispers eagerly.

Aryia squeezes the hands in hers. She leans forward to whisper-hiss, "Okay! Lights... out!" The hand wreathed in shade cease for a moment as the light in her eyes dims a touch. Then, shadow spills out from Aryia, flooding the room from the ground up. She's smiling, even as the shadows fill up, up, up and...

The entire room is plunged in darkness. The only thing visible was the shadow elf's eyes. And her glowing moonlit hand.

There is a part of the Acanian's mind that absently notes that the mystic nimbi her her love's hands have no tactile resonance, but the fact that Aryia is calling upon such opposing manifestations at once is impressive.

She smiles, though this becomes more curious and introspective as he shadows continue to build and wash out the details of the room, save the glow of Aryia's hand and eyes.

Very, very handy, that.... "When did you crack this?" she wonders.

Aryia giggles silently as she leans into Venom. It there was no real artfice angle to it, no incantations, no gestures. It just that it was, and will be. Wholly herself.

"A few days ago," she softly answers back. "But... watch... this...!"

The glowing eyes slip off the bed and bounce a bit to be in the center of the room. The singularly glowing hand motions, "Mind your eyes!" <Handspeech>

Feel it, breathe, and pull.

The lightshow grows tenfold, so bright. So, so bright. There's a pulse on the ground, a wave of biolumencent moonlight going over everything. It doesn't banish the dark, no. Still the dark sticks to the walls, the bed. All the way out to the edges. But on those edges, in the penumbra, was brilliant, bright moonlight. And everything within the shade, the moonlight eclipse, is lit up as if it was a full moon.

Aryia is grinning madly, her hands thrown to the ceiling in a display of 'ta-daaa'!

Can't blame a gal for trying....

Venom's musings continue, even as she cuddles her North Star close for a few moments, before, even as the Acanian had the night she brought the distant night sky to her lover's eyes, Aryia is taken with her new epiphany.

As the dark elf slips from the bed, she rocks forward, leaning closer to observe what it may be that she intends to-

Eyes...?

FLASH! Ah-ahhhhh!

Th world is suddenly awash in brighter light than Venom would previously have expected possible, and it's only via the thoughtful warning of her guiding light, that she had managed any miniscule warding preparation of her peepers to the new luminance.

Still, she has a startled moment, and, duly dazzled, she blinks spots out of her eyes as she wills them back to her dear one, admittedly asquint for the moment.

"...wow...!" she breathes, to borrow Aryia's take on her own moment.

Aryia giggles, spinning around on the spot, flaring her arms out and tittering. Like a halo around her, the light touches all in the room. It was bright, dazzling, pure. "I feel so ALIVE!" she gestures happily, the last sign thrown into the sky in as she does a little skip. <Handspeech>

The dark eyes of the human do, in some measure of time, acclimate themselves to an extent to Aryia's display, and the squint relents to a more curious gaze in time for Aryia's pirouette.

Venom recognizes the delight in her love's expression, the amusement, though the finer ephemerals of the whys are still a little out of her reach.

For the moment, it's enough to know that her love is happy, and her lips curl up at the corners as she rises from the bed to meet the aftermath of the skip with a fullsome embrace, "You're learning so much, so fast now..." she croons gently, then leans in to kiss her brow.

Aryia stops her bouncing about to smile bashfully and fold her hands in front of her, the mute silently giggling as she gets a kiss on the bro. "... it's a lot. I... think it has to deal with me being a mul'neissa. But..."

She steps closer to Venom, still hissing softly. "... thank you. For... being with me. You helped me figure out a lot, you know?"

Venom smooths the snowy locks back and hugs her close, "I think most of that credit belongs to..." she pauses, canting her head a little with a brief pursing of her lips as she catches herself.

Aya may be like Slip.

"Your friends." she continues, "But... I'm glad I could help a little, at least."

Aryia hugs Venom back, her closing her eyes from her hair being threaded. Her not catching that little hiccup. And that was a good catch on the enigma's part.

She shakes her head. "You're included in that. You've helped me so much..."

She stands in the hold for a long while. Both of them in the shaded room, lit up like a spotlight on just the two of them.

But the mute slowly inhales, then lets the breath leak out. The eclipse slowly receding way until nothing but their room was left. Back to the way it was.

There's a long silence. "... V. I... think I want to try and teach you something."

Venom gently strokes along Aryia's back with one hand, while the other holds her close, taking in the unique atmosphere of the moment as the elf assures her of a greater role in her learning than the broken blade could, herself, justify.

They're only similar, after all, and she has a fraction of the life experience of her love, so it stands to reason there are perhaps nuances and unspoken inspirations she may have put forth. She'll need to know more about it, to better do so in the future, of course, but for the moment... this tender moment, it seems, Aryia has plans, already.

V's head cocks at the offer of teaching her, and she wonders the nature of, "What do you want to teach me?"

Aryia revels in the tenderness, the closeness. Her like a sponge for affection as she loops her arms around her lover. It was hard to tell what she pulled from. Difficult it was to imagine the drop these few months had been compared to the complete bucket of painful memories that was the mul'neissa's current lived life.

She slowly inhales. "... I want to show you how to do what I do..." she intones, nuzzling her head against a shoulder before slipping back to sit on the bed. She pats the spot in front of her.

Venom holds her so long as she seems to want her to, the tenderness filling the yearning absence carved out of her in the years of the Metal's honing.

She can be... she is... free with her.

Honest... within her understandings. Both with Aryia, and with herself.

The one is less unsettling than the other, to be sure, but time, and her Guiding Light may correct that in due course.

In the meantime, however, she relaxes her embrace as the subtle tensions of Aryia's body indicate preparedness to move, larger, human hands lingering contact upon the graceful figure of her love as she withdraws to the bed.

She turns her eyes briefly toward the dark elf's hands before the whisper brings her focus to her lips, instead and she nods, once she's absorbed her words to their full.

She joins her at once upon her direction, eyes filled with questions, but not chancing a question just yet.

Once Venom sits down, Aryia shifts around to be behind the human. A leg on either side of her lover, and a chin on a shoulder so she could speak without problems. She loops her arms around the other's waist, and she leans back slightly, her back against the wall, and V against her. Supported. Comfrotable.

In.

"... this is really hard, so don't... be discouraged," the mute's sub whispered tones forewarn before continuing. "I was told that... everyone has a will inside them. Close your eyes. When you fight with your body, what do you draw on to do it?"

Venom sits and watches as Aryia chooses to change positions once she's settled, her expression subdued, but alert.

Her dark eyes track Aryia until she's shifted out of her angle of observation, then glances to the lay of her feet to either side. They lid as the slender arms encircle her waist, drawing her back. They sidelong toward the pressure on her shoulder as her hands cross to alight on Aryia's forearms.

A disclaimer first, ticking up the end of an eyebrow.

The directive: close her eyes.

Compliance.

A question, then, likely to establish baseline parameters, and the dynamics of it take Venom a moment or two to consider the angles before returning what she thinks is the answer, "Training and discipline." <Kulthian>

As one sensation is taken away for the enigma, Aryia softly sighs, and stills. Her presence becomes all encompassing, which in turn, melds to a singular sensation. And her whispered winds were the only disturbance, however subtle it may be.

"No," she returns, her tongue getting used to the strange syllables. "Training and discipline are the answers to the equation of how. But it does not solve for 'what'. When you push yourself, I've seen you do it, what drives you?" <Kulthian>

There's a subtle tension that washes accross Venom's shoulders almost instantly as it's made clear her answer was not the right one.

Wrong is bad.

It's short lived, but clear, and as Aryia's words try to clarify the answer, in lieu of what something within her likely expected would have been a more... punitive manner.

The tension fades, but... never quite leaves her frame while she processes the clarification.

"Completing the mission." she answers. <Kulthian>

The tension is felt. The tension is there. Ready for punishment for the wrong. To correct. Yet... none comes.

And the winds comes from the other side. Soft. Encouraging. Melodic.

"Is it? Does completing the mission push you to your limits? Does it draw out the depths of your soul and flood your veins?"

The answer to that isn't pondered, instead the winds come from both sides. "Mine, is my memories. Of you. Of my sister. Of my friends. My past. Those fuel me. I think of them. And reach past them. I know my will. Is completing the mission yours?"

The encompassing presence closes in. The quiet winds almost crystal clear. "Or is freedom what drives you?" <Kulthian>

Venom's frame holds to it's low tension yet, something so deeply ingrained that the woman herself may not even consciously consider the response directly anymore.

The feel of Aryia shifting positions... of the warm wash of her breath from the other side, tempers it some, but it nearly dissipates as Aryia gives a personal take on her question instead.

There comes a stillness, a silence as she tries to read past the intangibles at work.

"I was built for the mission." she replies at first, a surety in her tone that spoke of rote verse that bordered on the dogmatic.

The span of a heartbeat, the ticking of her engine.

Another.

The tension builds again to it's low ebb, and her voice sounds less certain, "I... only have an answer that appears to be... in error...?" <Kulthian>

Aryia continues unimpeded. More warmth, more encouragement, more inspiration, more insight.

"My sweet Blossom. You may have been built for it. But this... error. Do you think your answer is the right answer? Is it what your gut tells you? Or is it what's been ingrained in you to say?" <Kulthian>

In. Out. The entire time she's been breathing steady and calm.

Like the broken blade's mind, the gears shift. The winds change. As does the tongue. "Everyone has spirit. Their will. Their desires. Their passions. Breathe. There are no wrong answers. Only you. In. Out."

"Focus on your breath. The pulse of your heart. Relax. Still your mind. Your thoughts. Let the sensations of yourself fill your attention." <Sildanyari>

The Night Blossom isn't forthcoming on the query at first.

There's a shift, her chin dipping slightly, a swallow, then, "... I don't know...." she whispers, her voice troubled.

A breath.

Focus on that.

In.

Out.

Pressure and warmth. Aryia. Love. Safety. Concern. Trust.

The quiet place, that isn't entirely unfamiliar, though her forays there are usually more directed, even shallow than Aryia is suggesting.

The answer unknown? A machine is supposed to have an answer regardless of the input. And yet - "That is okay. You are uncertain. Something to meditate on," the North Star intones. No pain. No reprimand. It simply is.

The twinned breathing fills their conjoined space for... time? Who keeps track of such. There is only the draw of breath. Then- "There is a flow in all things. A stream. A pool. It connects mind, body, and soul. Don't think. Don't recall anything. Let your thoughts still. Nod when you have done that."

A broken machine.

Or simply Meat with a purpose.

Venom's breathing continues, taking the gentle words as redirection. New instruction to follow:

Reallocate for later consideration.

Her conditioning still seems to expect some sort of rebuke, but the steady breathing, and gentle whispers of her love seem to return her unconscious tension to it's lowest ebb.

In.

Out.

The stillness in the levels Aryia suggests, takes Morbid's weapon time of some significance to finally achieve, but ultimately her chin finally dips slightly in compliance.

In. Out. Patience. Intimacy. Closeness. Each beat of tension felt through their hands. Each troubled breath sensed by long ears. Everything was fine. It's okay. She's here. It's just them.

Winds inhale. Then continue to intone. Softly. Gently. Like rolling leaves through a barren forest. "Good. There's... a sensation, on the base of your skull. It goes to your chest. And splits. Off to your shoulders, then your arms, then your fingers. It also goes from your waist, splitting off again down your legs, to your toes. Keep your mind clear... and when you feel all of you, nod for me. "

It doesn't come.

The beatings.

Nerve locks.

Cruel endurance trials.

None of the usual standbys Venom's training has conditioned her toward, instead.... understanding, gentle coaxing and companionship.

Ultimately bypassing the ingrained response to the instinctual base buried beneath.

The tension... finally.... leaves.

More breathes, many more, pass as Venom's self awareness attunes itself to the levels required, the absence of background noise demanded, and further still for her to be certain of what she has...

Many, many more.

Until...

Compliance.

Still that gentle, serene pressure was there. Reminding that the North Star was there. And nothing harmful was to come to train in anything. It was just them. Their breath. The sensation of feeling all of one's being. The quiet place was deepened. More and more. Until -

"How you picture this may change. It has been described to me as a river. I see it as a pool. Regardless, there are layers of your being. There's the base, the slow moving one. It shapes the others. It gives endurance. Strength. For me, it's my reason to live."

Winds shift. In. "The next is faster moving. Like the heart of a river. It gives power. For me, it's passion."

Out. "The last, the surface, moves quickly. It's impulse, sensation. What you feel right now. My voice. Your heart beat. That sensation in your skull."

Ever present, ever soft, ever guiding light murmurs quietly to the closed blossom. "When you feel it. Nod for me..."

Now one can see how deep that quiet place can go, the North Star lighting the way down.

Venom's awareness, her sense of self, such as it is, has a certain burden of experience to wade through. The imagery not immediately condusive to her enforced vision of herself makes the perception muddy, and so, there is a long period of stillness from the Acanian as she tries to see the layers, paradocily making the determination more difficult.

It's only after a delay that may dance along the border of troubling, that she nods again.

Aryia has patience. Despite her not acting like most Sildanyari, it's moments like these where simply sitting still, waiting, for seemingly a too-long period of time, shows. She had time. She had all the time.

And still, that Star continued to light the way. Never going to quick. Never back tracking. And never snuffing the light to cast the blossom into darkness

In.

Out.

"Good. Feel those parts that swirl within you. Focus on that flow on the surface, that sensation I said earlier. Let the swirling of the other layers slow... let it still. Be aware of what all makes you. From the riverbed, to the surface. Let it still..." She intoned, in tranquility, the lover's voice felt as if it came from both no where and everywhere. It was just simply there. Like her presence. Like her light.

The human continues to breathe, her eyes closed to the world while Aryia continues to coach her through the steps to awaken the dormant mysteries within her.

Patiently.

Calmly.

As ever, her guiding light.

Even when she's a little slow on the uptake.

She tries to allow herself to percieve only the indicated strata, the soft sound of her love's voice steering her toward the one in particular.

She nods.

And now here came the hardest part of all.

The quiet wind peters out to a mere breeze. "From the surface... is how you get sensation... it comes in."

"What goes out, is your will... turning... into action..."

In. Out.

"... let the inward flow cease. Still it... let the only flow be... your will."

The guiding Star stops, holding the light above depths that it could not travel. The voice, presence.

It has...

to fade...

away...

"... I'm still here. Don't be afraid..."

... but is never gone.

Silence...

Silence... everywhere...

But not alone.

Not with Aryia.

The esoterics at work beneath the surface are a new experience for the Acanian woman, and, as her awareness soaks into the final layers of synesthesis, she hesitates for some moments, but ultimately gives a dip of the chin.

...

...

...

"Open your eyes," the quiet wind requests, gently squeezing a hand to carefully disturb the surface after letting the Night Blossom experience the depths of that quiet place, it having for more to it than just a place for safety.

Aryia is there. She's curled herself to wrap completely around Venom's trunk with leg and arm. "... the surface is... impulse. Quickness. Reactionary. Below that, power. And at the bed... what drives you. Your endurance..."

There's a squeeze of a hug. "... practice that. Learn to get to that quiet spot. And you'll be surprised with what you can do..."

The dark peepers open slowly on the dark elf's invocation, and Venom turns her head slightly to the side to try and regard her lover, as her hands return to life, stroking along the slender limbs enveloping her.

"It... was a lot to process." V remarks softly, "... thank you for not..."

She hesitates, then shakes her head.

Her North Star wouldn't do that, it's pointless to bring such a thing up.

Instead, she smiles thoughtfully, "It's an... odd feeling."

Aryia could be seen and felt resting her head against the human's back, her eyes closed. Still breathing evenly. "It... is..." she murmurs, then easily says, "... I'm not going anywhere..."

Finally, she pulls her self to sitting upright, untangling herself and freeing V from the warm shackles. "It is, isn't it?" she smiles softly, slipping around to finally be in front of her lover. "Odd... but not bad? It's just there. I... enjoy the feeling. It's a lot... so, I write a lot of it down. How it feels for me..."

A closed eye smile greets Venom. "I'm proud of you. You did a good job."

The brunette nods a little on Aryia's first affirmation, humming a soft note of contentment as Aryia settles against her, soaking in the comfort, the warmth of her.

When Aryia eventually opts to change positions, Venom shifts and leans tither and yon to allow her lover to get free to go where she wants to be.

Oh... that's a good place...

Calloused, if gentle hands rise to cup the elegantly formed, if cruelly treated cheeks between them, "Not bad."

She doesn't immediately offer anything about chronicalling her emotions to Aryia's admission, but given her propensity for notetaking, it's not unheard of that she might, to some degree, do so after a fashion as well.

The kind words, the praise, puts a twinkle in her eyes and a brief, almost bashful tuck of her lower lip behind the upper for a moment before she blushes, "Thank you, Beloved..." <sildanyari>

Aryia drops her face into the hands easily, like so many times before, her nestling into it happily. "Good. Not bad..." she echoes, resting gently in the grasp, lightly swaying from side to side.

Torch-bright eyes open once more, catching the rubor elicited. One that was copied onto her own visage. "Y... You're welcome..." she mumbles out, successfully mirroring the bashful expression of the other. <Sildanyari>

It's a lingering pause between Aryia's reply and the invevitable kiss Venom leans in to plant on her lips. She is both enthusiastic and tender and her arms slip caressingly back to enfold Aryia in an embrace.

It's somewhat surprising, yet not wholly unexpected; the kiss something Aryia all but melts into, arms looping around V's neck as she gladly lets herself get drawn in.

She holds it for a long, gentle moment before parting just a smidge. Enough to speak, but still close that the words could felt on her lover's lips. "... you're downright adorable when you blush, you know..." she intones at nary a whisper.

V holds te kiss for a while, perhaps to make up for all the time it took to struggle through Aryia's lesson.

Or, as likely, because it's Aryia.

She hums a lazy chord of contented notes between their mingling mouths until time eventually comes that they come up for air.

A meaty weakness, that, truly. Gods only imagine what would happen if they figure out a bypass to that whole requirement.

As it breaks, she smiles fondly into the moonlit pools with a small, but sunbright smile bowing lips awash with the warm breeze of her lover's words, "...do... you really think so..?" she returns, in a sort of curious tone.

Only the gods could imagine.

The torch-bright eyes blink a few times before there's a sort of wily, lopsided smile on her lips. "... of course. Adorable." Kiss. "Cute." Peck. "Pretty." Smooch. A quiet, honest, youthful giggle follows after it, the mute positively radiant. "I wonder how many times you do so under your veils..." she whispers aloud.

A ring of sustenance or two and then...

Yeah, Gods only imagine.

Venom's cheeks flush and she fidgets a little, a hand lifting to cup Aryia's cheek again at her smile. It buoys her from the dark places her questions take her, or, at best, the emotional cage of her on-mission compartmentalizations.

She sighs softly, answer each peck with the soft preparatory purse of her lips, though she blinks and cocks her head a little on the final musings.

"I... don't know...?" she's forced to reply, then.. maybe since they're still rather feeling things out, she wonders, "What.. do you think of them?" in a soft voice.

Aryia nuzzles into the hand, her softly smiling up at the dark pools. The question gets her smile to turn shy, her looking away briefly. "Before.. um... we started being together. I always thought they were so... neat. Like, um, mysterious. Cool. I liked them. And I still do."

Venom smiles some and gets a slightly bashful look in her eye as Aryia does, but nods to her love's words.

A nod, and a thoughtful smile, then, "I... like that they help keep things mysterious. Sometimes the mask gets..."

BLUSH.

"Inconvienient. I may have to come up with a better system."

Aryia blinks, her catching the flush, and her smirk returns. She reaches up, pinching a red cheek playfully before patting it. "Yes, it does get in the way sometimes. And it's so hot under it..."

Feeling incredibly playful and jubilant, the elf slips off Venom and trounces through the room to V's things. She rifles around before pulling the veils and poncho out, her throwing them on. It all was way too bulky on her, but her vivid bright eyes illuminated the inside of the hood. She raises her hands swaying a bit from side to side to make the veils swish and sway. "How does it look~?" she motions with her hands. <Handspeech>

Venom sighs and nods, "Yes, it does." she admits, "I drink a lot when I can." There's a little stroke through the snowy hair before Aryia opts to go visit her equipment.

This is met with a pair of curiously widened eyes leveled at a diagonal to each other.

The completed image gets a giggle and she rocks forward to her knees before swinging a foot out to go examine her paramour more closely, "It hides more of you than I'd like, honey..." she croons in a playful tone.

She carefully draws the veils up and back, exposing the elven features, then leans closer, so close, whispering, "With a little resizing..., maybe some different colors..."

Her head cocks, "How does it feel....?"

Aryia strikes a few poses as Venom strides up to her: fists raised, a few jabs to the air, a high kick. Each jostle making the hood slink further down her face before everything is obscured, and the underside of the veils are lit like a hooded lantern.

The veils being pulled up does reveal scarred elven features, them having been dusted red from the subtle compliment Venom gives.

Then V gets really close. Grey nostrils flare. And she clears her throat, glancing away. She quietly whispers, "... it feels... okay, I guess. I'd have to get used to it..."

She looks off to a box with the tailoring supplies. "I... might have... um... gotten some supplies for... something like this..." she taps the tips of her fingers together, her eyes looking up to the ceiling to avoid looking at Venom from her admittance of possibly, probably, potentially copying her style.

The poses get a bit of an actual, subconscious grin on Venom's face as the difference in fit starts to compound itself with Aryia's theatrics.

With the Mul'niessa glancing away, she darts in for a quick peck, "It's a lot more comfortable without the leather." she advises, then eases back out of hairsbreath distance.

The confession arches an eyebrow and the Acanian turns toward the tailors' box, "Really...?"

A blink, then back toward Aryia, "Maybe we can find fashions that go with it better that might be more comfortable to... just be... us in...?" she ventures.

Aryia blinks as a kiss was stolen, her refocusing back on the thief that yoinked it. "Perhaps... we can modify it to not use all the leather..?" she throws out there, glad that V was staying so close so she could subwhisper. "... um... y.. yes.." she murmurs, looking back at the box.

The last touch makes her blink at Venom. "... you... want me to make you clothes...?"

...

...

Her hands move briskly, almost as fast as the strikes they tend to deliver. "V THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!" she exudes, grinning wildly before the veil falls back down to obscure her face. She pulls the hood and veils back, only to hope over to the wardrobe. "What do you like to wear? Dresses? Suits? Something comfy? Oh! I can make some lounging clothes! Or would you want something that's just big and bulky to doze around in?" she rapid fires, elated at the prospect of doing such a thing. <Handspeech>

Smoochins'

The Acanian has that coquettish, vaguely demure smile at her lips in the aftermath and she takes her North Star's words into consideration, "Maybe. At least the..."

Fidget. Ahem.

"Mess with those spiders... showed me that there's too much risk to leave just my nose to breath with."

She looks down, now, "I'm.... sorry I couldn't be more help, there... I never had that... contigency come up, before...."

The flight of hands draws her attention and she puzzles over her answer for some time, feeling a little relieved by Aryia's exhuberance, "You already know my body" a more loaded straight line could rarely be had, "and you know how I need to move. Plus... you enjoy making things, right?"

She doesn't have a lot to go on for the styles in question, but, "I haven't worn a lot of dresses but... if you like them, maybe...? I trust you."

Aryia simply shakes her head, waving off the apology. "It's okay. Now we know. Plus, we're a team, right? I dealt with it, and you saved me from that half-dragon lancer." A torch-bright eye winks.

She cocks her head to the side. "Of course I know your body." The last sign hovers in the air. Then moves before her brain could filter it. "I measured with my hands, remember?"

Pause. Blush. Palm to face.

A sigh to calm herself, as well as to remove the foot from her mouth. "... yes, I know how you want to move. I... actually make all of my things now with that in mind. But uh, a dress... okay. Just to be ourselves in..." she ponders, tapping her chin while eyeing Venom with a slightly professional eye. "... do you want... comfort? Or style?" <Handspeech>

Venom blushes a bit, and her fingers curl slightly, flexing noncommitally, then she gives a somewhat awkward grin, "You were very thorough." she returns, experimenting more with banter as she is getting more accustomed to doing the 'people' thing.

Blink, "Is one dress enough to be ourselves in?"

Browarch.

The banter make the mute woman's face turn a nice shade of scarlet. As if to complete the back and forth, she gestures with small signs, "... I told you everyone has the right equipment."

Cough cough.

Aryia blinks as well. "... I can make two," she commits simply. "Maybe we could... no... that wouldn't work unless you're Violet... I was going to suggest going to a seamstress and try on things there, to get an idea of what /you/ might like." <Handspeech>

Ahem. Blush.

"Yes. Yes you did." Venom replies softly, cupping her love's cheek again and tracing a little circle with the pad of her thumb.

She thinks about that for a while, then, "It would make for some quality time between us. Being seen as that couple." she returns with an approving nod.

Aryia's warm face finds itself easy in the cupping hand, her leaning into it with a soft sigh. "Yes," she says in that quiet hiss. "And... quality time between... us." Regardless of being seen with Violet, it goes without saying. "I think you might enjoy it. I'll enjoy seeing you in different outfits. And... perhaps vice versa..."

Venom hmmm's softly and strokes her hand back, brushing the playful ear on that side to start to lightly massage the spot behind it, "I'm happy being with you, doing... whatever."

Whatever though, has tiers, and... certain tiers are of course, more highly prized, but that's a given.

"What would you like to see me in?" she wonders curiously.

Aryia gently exhales through her nose. She'd be humming contently right now, if she could as her eyes half lid from the motion.

The question gives her pause. She thinks, an eye half closed with both staring off. Thinking. She tilts her head one way, then another, blushes some, shakes her head at another. Then- "A sundress would look nice on you. But its too cold for that nowadays...." she answers in a whisper.

"And you? What would you like to see me in?" Aryia asks, returning the question.

Venom's brows furrow a touch, "Sun dress....?" she parrots dubiously, then shrugs, "It sounds more... of a summer style."

She thinks, then, "I... don't know." to the second question, "I'm not used to... thinking of things like this."

Hrm.., "The suit you got was nice... but something you're comfortable in may be best."

Aryia taps the tips of her fingers together, her looks off to the side. "... yes I know, but you asked," she mumbles with a light flush. "But maybe... some kind of... halter dress? With a jacket for the cold... they have no sleeves, attach at the neck, can make go smooth down and flare out at the waist..." she murmurs, gears already turning in her head. Bits and pieces of her past were showing now, old information coming to light from the dredges of her memory.

The mute blinks. Then smirks some. "... oh? You like the vest and slacks? I like wearing those. They're comfy."

Venom seems to be trying to visualize that, but nods, "That could be workable. And the jacket could have pockets for extra equipment."

With the smirk, she blushes a little, then nods, "I do..." and she glances sidelong at the floor, "Though... I had... a little problem at first... with the shirt. It looked...."

Like metal.

"Yes, that too," Aryia softly chuckles, doffing the poncho finally and folding it away along with the veils. Her brows pinch at the mention, her looking over at Venom with a tilt of the head.

She looks back to the vest hanging in the wardrobe. Then back to V. Back to the vest.

...

Ding. "Ooooh. I'm sorry. I just like shiny silver. Didn't know it reminded you of that."

Venom frowns after following the look to the vest, and she steps forward, laying a hand on her chest, "No, it's not..." she falters.

A shake of the head, then, there are subtle ripples in her expression and she shakes her head again, "I don't... you couldn't have known... not then." She sighs, "I... didn't want to make it an issue. It makes you happy. I don't.... want to take.. that from you."

The elf blinks once. Twice. Then- Snap snap snap. Her fingers click. "Hey. V. Look at me."

A moment passes as she waits for dark pools to meet her lit ones. "Remember what I said before? If something makes you uncomfortable, just let me know, okay?" she softly whispers, stepping into Venom's space and looking up at her. "Some things make me happy, but some things that make me happy don't make you happy. So we work together, and find something that works. Like Violet."

The human looks back to Aryia as she's snapped at, still seeming somewhat uncertain of herself, "Like Violet..." she parrots softly, then, "Are you sure you're alright with that...?"

Aryia gives a sharp nod, certain of herself. "It's a compromise that lets me take you places while keeping you safe, and less worried about outing yourself."

Venom nods, and sighs, leaning in to hug Aryia and kiss the top of her head, "Alright... I'm... sorry, Aryia." she says quietly.

Aryia accepts the kiss and embrace, but doesn't melt. She's studying Venom. "Why are you sorry?" she fishes out.

Venom has a little frown at her lips as she softly replies, "I feel like I'm taking something from you."

She sighs, then, her eyes drift shut, "I just... need to get used to.... to this, I guess...."

A soft sigh, a quick kiss. "V," Aryia whispers. "Are you? I want to drag you around and have fun with you on the streets and with our friends. If anything, I'm taking things away from /you/. I should be the one that is sorry."

She shakes her head, squeezing the hug. "It's okay. I... need to get used to it too. Hence why I wanted us to take it slow."

"Hey."

A warm smile. "I love you."

Venom's arms hold Aryia close as she's hugged, and she lays her cheek against the top of her head, "I... no. You're trying to.. show me how... real people are with each other."

She kisses her crown lingeringly at the fond words, then, "I love you, too."

Aryia rests her head against the other's shoulder, the warm, fuzzy feeling flaring up at the gentle words. She smiles into the other's shirt, one hear flicking teasingly against the underside of Venom's chin.

She chuckles softly. "You think I'm any better at showing how real people are with each other? I'm just lucky to have a number of decades to get the gist of it..."

She holds the hug for a long moment before lightly pully away. Torch bright eyes smiling as she looks up at her lover. "So... what now..?" she queries, curious.

Venom makes a happy sigh, lips quirking a little bit as she feels what must be an eartip batting against her, "I think you have more experience." she grants in a whisper, then gives her a little squeeze.

She draws back a little bit, head canting, even as her chin dips to face her way, "We saw what people did, but we didn't always understand why..."

There's a little perk of a shrug to her shoulders, and she hmmm's, "Maybe... a nice dinner. Or... there are theaters, maybe we can watch a play?"

The offer makes Aryia's eyes literally light up. A light gasp, and a grin. "Really? Oh, I would love to do that...!" she whispers excitedly. "A play sounds good! A-And we can get dinner afterwards!"

She bounces a bit on the spot, elated about the prospect. "People do it to spend time together, and to make memories..." she attempts to answer the failure to understand.

Venom smiles thoughtfully and nods, "Really." she says gently, combing Aryia's hair with her fingertips, "Let's make memories, my beloved North Star." <Sildanyari>

She gives a bried closed-eye smile, then kisses her forehead before her expression gets demure, "But first, I'll have to do my hair..."

Aryia's expression grows bashful, her burying her face into Venom's shoulder and nods into it, sighing softly from the peck. "... I'd really like that..." she near silently says back. <Sildanyari>

She pulls back, grins, and bounces on the balls of her feet. "I can help you...!"

Venom's smile closes her eyes anew and she nods as a little rose highlight crosses her face, "I'd like that, thank you...!"

She straightens, and her hands slide down her shoulders to gently clasp her love's hands, "I'll get my things together if you want to pick out an outfit." she offers.

Aryia squeezes the hands in hers, the mute positively radiant now.

"... okay!" she firmly nods, and sets off to dress up Violet.

-End Scene-