Silver Creek epiphany

founding thread, uuuhhhh--- she can't walk the borders so i guess she's like gathering herbs or some shite idk

Slowly, she begins to settle into the rhythm she once enjoyed here. Womanly duties: herbs and care. The smell of estrus lingers faintly in the air, coming from Lilah's den. She has not yet visited the woman, though Grayson had encouraged it. Even the whiff stirs something within her, something she can never enjoy here. Better to stay away.

Padding along the edge of the creek, she pulls moss from the nooks and crannies where snow cannot touch. It is a testament to the plant that it can thrive even in this weather. Just like Addison herself, it endures. She balls it up with practiced precision, moving along, engaged in mindless work. She falls into a state of bliss; she has always found such comfort in tiny tasks.

But every so often, she thinks of the witches. The way they had touched her, with not pain but pleasure. The places they'd found, inside and out. They had plied her with drugs and laid her back, running their mouths along each and every curve of her supple flesh. . .

Addison bows her head, shaking it slowly and coming back to the drab reality of Rosings. Hell is not torture, it is desire in its most chaotic and unbridled form. Purity, simplicity, chastity--that is where true virtue is to be found. By returning to her brothers, she has risen above temptation, and put her soul above the wants of her body. She will forever be blessed for that alone.

The moss is cool on her hot tongue, the rationality to temper her passions.

he spotted her, gathering moss, as she should've been doing. silently, grayson wonders of her travels outside of rosings. where had she gone? what had happened? he wondered if he should press her -- or if it would only damage their relationship to pry. women were such dainty creatures -- even addison, who was among the most stern and hardy women he'd ever met. grayson modeled those he met after her -- how could each woman be more like her? he wondered. 

"addison," he called out to her, approaching with lengthy strides, "how are you settling back in?" he offered her an affectionate nudge to the shoulder, his pale gaze searching to grab her own.

Grayson is much more amenable company than Harrison, and she turns to him with a smile, leaning into his touch before pulling back again. Very well, brother, she responds softly, dipping her head. I am glad to be back among family and to be useful once more. She noses the moss into a misshapen ball, then lifts her head again, licking her chops.

And you? Addison asks gently. How do you fare? When will I become an aunt? But she must not push it. Spring is still waiting in the wings; there is time enough yet for procreation. Still, the Odolf witch has never been a patient creature.

"oh just fine," said grayson with a tilt upwards of his chin. regardless of the upcoming breeding season, grayson had already made numerous choices in women. quite a few caught his eye -- and he caught all of theirs. he wondered, silently, who he'd end up pulling in the long run... though he already had his decision made. he also wondered who addison might end up with -- he'd already been match making in his head but... well, the odolf brood deserved nothing but the best.

he smiled then. "i'm glad you're glad," he said with a flash of his teeth, tail swinging, "and you're collecting herbs -- have you spoken to daivya?" women were bound to talk, he figured. but if anything addison could talk to daivya about their gardens and caches.

She shakes her head. I've not had the pleasure of making her acquaintance, Addison responds. Is she a healer? She is good with herbs but only knows the basics of practical healing. She lacks the empathy that would make her a fine medic. Perhaps a shrill, battlefield nurse, but even then. . .

I hope to keep us well-stocked throughout the winter, she says, eyes drifting away. I want to help make this a good home for the next generation. Better even than the one in which we grew up. And that, for anyone who knew Aaron Odolf, is saying something. He had crafted quite a legacy. 

Well, they will do so tenfold.

chokes on own lateness

"she is indeed," replied grayson with a wave of his tail, "soft-spoken and well-groomed." things grayson found likable in any woman. even addison, who was colder than his typically lot, he valued as a woman for these two qualities. never mind the darkness that loomed beneath her breast, addison was the definition of a woman. look at her. 

he nodded then with a smirk, though his features resembled that of a scowl. "better than anything our father would ever see," he agreed in a lofty purl, giving his sister a fond nudge to the cheek, "rosings is thankful for you, sister. i'm glad that you've returned."

She nods smartly, pleased to know that Daivya will be of little trouble. It seems the new healer knows her place. There is no room for any Cyclone-esque antics here, especially not as the breeding season begins. Addison does not relish the prospect of giving the ladies another Talk.

The Odolf witch smiles and dips her head demurely as Grayson nudges her cheek, gaze raking the ground. I am thankful for Rosings, she says, not entirely untruthfully. The coven had given her many things, but it had also been a harrowing experience. It is good to be home. The structure our family provides has always been so valuable to me. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Wouldn't you? a voice in her head croons. She ignores it.