Stavanger Bay only our love hath no decay

skellige had found her in times of need, always. even when she was unaware of it he was present, and deirdre found herself thinking more and more of him, as of late. he occupied a great space of her thoughts, and in any time she had to spare--when not adding to the medicinal stores--deirdre had begun to make him gifts. she explored the shores of donnelaith and had found a body of caves, there, and from these caverns dark and deep she extracted stones that reminded her of the ocean, bloodstone by name. a wise owl told her of its mystical properties; and, thanking it, deirdre took these stones with her.

the making of the gift took some time. a raven dark as night needed her aid; she did so, and requested from him three feathers that he could spare. he gave her what she wished for, and deirdre then moved to find sap within donnelaith, taking the stones with her. she knew the raven by name: he had told her that with these three feathers, he would aid her thrice when called. but it was not for herself she brought these feathers, but for the man she had been thinking frequently of.

she placed the feathers upon the stone with sap, and waited until they dried. once they did so, she placed enchantments of good fortune upon them before placing them beside her. the next evening she would take them to skellige, but her presence would charge the spell further.

deirdre woke, early. in her mouth she carried these stones with their feathers, and she paused near the bay before placing them at her feet and then, she sang for skellige: i am here!

The call did not fall on deaf ears.
 
The swarthy titan had taken to the waves. There had been word of an orca nearby who had found the bay a home for herself, and the leviathan was interested in the presence of one so dangerous and pure. More so, Skellige had found himself with an obsession: the jagged Blackrock. The dangerous stone had been sitting in the depths for ages – he could feel it – and the aura around it spoke of great power. The wraith had found himself transfixed by it, and would swim as far into the depths as his limbs would allow just so that he could gaze upon it. The great mystics had granted him the rock as a sign.
 
Using his lengthy limbs to draw him toward the shore, the titan stepped into sand with heavy breaths. He had not seen the orca in the water, but he was bound and determined to find her. The beast shook the loose droplets from his coat and lifted his skull to peer in the direction of the summons. He had not expected that Deirdre would visit so soon, with all of the drama that had taken place in her homeland. Still, her voice was a welcome sound to his ears and he trudged through the sands toward her call. His coat was still heavy with the ocean and as his pace quickened, there were pale specks of the earth that stuck to him, painting his lower half a beachy brown.
 
Once his dark russet gaze had caught sight of her, he slowed the rush in his limbs and drew himself forward with an inquisitive glance. There was an object at her feet that had captivated his attention for a fleeting moment. Dark feathers painted and sea-colored stones that glistened in the sun. He flicked his coral-colored tongue along his lips and nose before he drew his crown upward and gazed upon her. Skellige was intrigued and bemused all the same, but he knew that she would explain the reason for the odd collection that she had retrieved.
 
More than his curious nature toward the objects, he realized that he had missed her presence on the beach. As much as she had implored that she belonged to the thick green wood, Skellige could not help but to imagine her ruling alongside him over the bay. Sadly, it would remain nothing but a false image in his mind.

he arrived before her, and though she yearned to break past his borders to greet him deirdre was patient for him to arrive before her. he took his time, once she was in his sight, and deirdre withheld the desire to shift anxiously. before long he was but feet away from her, and deirdre inched forward--past his borders--to nose him fondly. it had been a while since she had been with him, upon the bay; she was older, now, and thought of these days with a strange sensation in her belly. it was nothing she could identify, but she was bashful--the brief little touch caused the sensation to intensify within her, and she smiled as she withdrew back to the things she had brought him.

these stones reminded me of your ocean. these are many different colors, for the ocean seems to change its shade whenever the light hits it a new way. the stones are talismans--they are meant to bring good fortune, she informed him excitedly, her eyes moving from rock to man. there are three feathers attached to them, one for each stone--it is from a crow whom calls himself muordoch. he was injured, and i healed him. in turn, the crow gave me three feathers to aid me three times. i give these feathers to you; you have aided me, saved me, many times, and you have given me solace, with words and presence alike. she looked back to him, hopeful that he would enjoy these gifts.

Deirdre broke into an explanation of the treasures that she had brought. The swarthy titan listened carefully as she pointed out the individual stones and then proceeded to explain what the bird feathers would be used for. He was surprised that a dark crow would offer to perform three tasks, but they were tricky birds and were quick to save their own necks when they were in peril. It was safe to assume that the bird had been captivated by the wolf healer – she had a way about her. Still, for her to bring him the inky plumage in hopes of offering a gift; it was strange for him to imagine why she would deem it necessary to repay him for the actions that he took when her life was in danger. He was a warrior – it was his nature.
 
“The gifts are not necessary,” he told her in a gentle growl, drawing his ears forward atop his crown. The dark russet of his gaze roamed over her figure and he thought to himself how much she had grown since he had first met her. It had been several months since their first encounter, but she was quickly fleshing out into a woman. Still, he wondered, if when she was a true adult… if she would still wish to make him her own, or if she would have found someone else to woo with her delicate charms.

not necessary, she conceded with a warm smile, though i did desire to give them to you. her tail waved behind her. much had been occurring as of late, but she wished, also, to make time for him. he brought her great joy, and it showed in the lifted edges of her lips and the brightness within her eyes. for a moment, she worried if they did not please him, and worriedly, she breathed: do you like them? i can bring them back... it did not occur to her that he might not enjoy them, and she fretted, quietly, over this.