Hushed Willows world enough, and time

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera did look up into his face, and she did see the worry that lay just behind his eyes. She felt it too. Eleuthera had dedicated her life to preserving the willows and the memories of her mothers, but the idea of actually acting upon it frightened her. Truly, she hadn’t thought she’d be tested in this way: torn between her ancestral home, and a man of the road who called her towards what she truly loved most. The world was a funny thing, these days.

She placed a cold, liver-colored nose against his jaw, and held it there. “Kink, I would love that —" she took a breath, knowing and appreciating that he was not forcing her to make that decision right now. She simply couldn’t, not with so much at stake. “but I would feel so lucky to have you here," Instead, he was offering to stay her; shelter her under his aegis and this pleased her, deep inside, in so many different ways. “I can’t leave. Not now. I… made a promise."

As expected, the guardian of the willows arrived in a flurry of suspicion. Eleuthera had expected this, and even had prepped Kincaid for this a little bit, so she wasn’t surprised. He introduced himself as a friend, which awoke the butterflies in her stomach (any type of relationship with the man was enough to fill her spirit). The lilac woman bumped the road hound’s hip with her own, hopefully conveying that a bow or a lowered stature would likely help his cause here. She wouldn’t think any less of him for it. 

“Orlaith," Eleuthera greeted, meeting her question with the warm smile that Kincaid’s calling deserved. There was really nothing else she could add at this moment, except for “A good friend, " and waited to hear if the firewoman would become the flaming inferno she knew her to be, or settle to smoldering embers. 

quick post so that maybe we can see how Orlaith is feeling, and make a determination about where Kin is for this thread? If we feel like that needs another round or two, i’m game.