Blacktail Deer Plateau i'm pulling down stars just to make you glow

the memory of the lightning eyed wolf haunted saarthal more than she thought it would. the sharp-edged, knife like smile stabbed at the corners of her mind, and brought with it a wave of unwanted emotions. but if the frostfur-diangeli was being honest with herself, what was bothering her (right now, at least) was less the memory of the smile (though that had contributed significantly to the heavy down on saarthal's mood), and more the way varinril's eyes had shifted that day to that...well, not shifted, really, given that it had all happened in saarthal's mind but. still. it wasn't everyday such things happened, at least not to saarthal who prided herself to be a wolf who was flirty and gregarious and was never upset and most definitely did not wallow and dwell. which happened to be exactly what she was doing.

so, tonight when the sky was black and clear and littered with distant flickering lights, and saarthal found herself awake and wandering, she was almost unsurprised to find herself tracking down mallaidh's scent. if she was going to get out of this, whatever this was....she just wanted to see @Mallaidh. a stupid part of her thought that would solve her problems. maybe if she looked into tree girl's eyes and saw rolling waves at midnight instead of silver green, things would even out and she'd be fine again.

right? right. yeah.

Each night is more restless than the last and she always unpeels herself from Varinril for a little while, stretching her legs and enjoying the night sky stretching out above her. If the world above her is clear, the longer she spends out in the open. Tonight, after mosey around aimlessly in a familiar path, she weaves through tall trees and chases the moonlight breaking through, illuminating the forest floor below. She enjoys the time alone, observing things in the most peaceful way she’s ever found. Her thoughts may still run a mile a minute but sometimes she can sort through them a little easier, sometimes she can hear the music of her mother and it leads her exactly where she needs to be.
 
It’s been months, now, since the incident. Every so often she’ll get a headache but it passes by the end of the day. The music never stops, though, and only comes in varying tones and volumes but it is always the unrecognizable of a tundran mother she shouldn’t have to miss so much.
 
Saarthal’s scent catches her attention, dialing down the call of music. Her ear twitches in one way as if still trying to listen but she is curious to possibly have a follower. Her tail sways back and forth and she pauses, turning to locate the direction and move closer until she stumbles across the path of the ashy girl, a smile on her face.

mallaidh appeared to find saarthal before she could find her, and the sight of the other girl caused a quirk in the frostfur's lips, a lopsided grin resting lightly on her features as she trotted forward with a "hey!", only slowing to a stop around a feet, or half a foot away from her friend. "tree girl - i missed you!" saarthal greeted brightly,  an impish edge to her smile as she sought out mallaidh's eyes. a wild strange mixture of elation and dread settled in the pit of her chest when the colour did not change - it's okay, i have the whole night - but she shoved it aside; now wasn't the time for this.

after all, she hasn't seen mallaidh in a while and - "let's go on a date," she announced, emitting a confidence she did not quite feel. "i never got to take you out that day, and it's a nice night and, um, i've got a place and -" saarthal paused, chewing her lip lightly as her gaze sought out mallaidh, and damn the girl is reallly cute. a pink tint coloured saarthal's pale cheeks and she ducked her head, momentarily embarrassed. she recovered quickly, however, and half a second later returned to smile brightly at mallaidh. "unless you've got anything else to do?" and saarthal really tried to sound casual, but there was an unmistakable edge of hopefulness in her voice.

The cheerful greeting causes her tail to swish faster, brushing against her hocks but she stops so close and she has to resist the urge to pull away. The other girls in the group hold such little concern about their affection and intimacy. Saarthal’s bluntness might be a breath of fresh air if her attraction had been ignored or tossed aside, or if she’d been criminalized for feelings but she’d grown up with loving parents and had been raised in a back led by queer women. None of this should be a shock but, somehow, it still is.
 
Mallaidh’s ears fall back when she’s called tree girl but she smiles awkwardly, hoping to mask how little she is fond of the nickname. The last thing she wants is to be reminded of something embarrassing; the way it makes her stomach churn, despite how much the others find it funny. But, for whatever reason, Saarthal still wants to take her on a date. Maybe she and Blixen should have done something like this, given each other a chance to talk. The fiery girl knows so little because she’d never been one to open up.
 
You always run away.
 
The girl breathes a sigh and nods, her smile fading a little.
 
“I don’t have anything else to do,” she says, letting the smile spread back across her face. My dear, my dear, she hears in singsong behind her and she looks over her shoulder to see nothing but the trees surrounding her.  When she swings back around, hiding the concern from her worried brow, offers her acceptance: “where is this place?”

but saarthal had always been perceptive to the pains and sensitivities of others, even if she had a huge capacity to be stupidly oblivious in other scenarios. so, it wasn't hard to note the way mallaidh's ears swept back or the somewhat embarrassed smile that'd adorned her face at the nickname which saarthal herself adored to bits, but noted not to use again - not for sometime, at least.

a wide grin, full of relief tugged at saarthal's lips at mallaidh's acceptance, "that's great," she said, a tad bit breathless. the corner of her mouth dragged downwards for a moment - just a tiny bit - however, when the taller girl glanced over her shoulder as if searching for someone, waiting for someone to appear and spirit her away from this situation. an uncomfortable feeling lodged itself in the back of her throat, a strange churning sensation settling in the pit of her stomach causing her skin to crawl and it was stupid because maybe mallaidh had just heard a strange noise and was just checking to see if anything strange was out there, but the words slipped out anyhow, uncharateristically nervous, teeth working into her lip because saarth was never known for being good at hiding her feelings, "is everything alright?"

you know what? fuck that shit? whoever she's waiting for - if she's actually waiting for someone..she better fucking not be, i mean, i hope she isn't, but if she is, i'm gonna kick their butt. i'm gonna KICK their butt back to...wherever they came from - this date is gonna be - oh god, i hope it goes well, i have no idea how this works. welp, haha, i'm probably getting it all wrong, already hAHAHhaA. saarthal was determined to make this night work out, if only because the weather conditions were great and it'd be a waste not to have a perfect date night: the sky was an open midnight swathe, clear of clouds and sprinkled with brilliant glitters of starlight. everyone was a little bit more loose-tongued at night, as well, secrets prone to exposure when the air was quiet and the world seemed silent, as if time had stopped for only them which was awesome for deep talks, something the frostfur diangeli loved. okay. maybe it was just a little bit idealistic...

"it's a secret," saarthal's eyes glittered with mischievous intent, tail wagging eagerly between her hocks as she danced forward, then stopped, inclining her head as a roguish smirk tugged at the tips of her mouth. "it's not far away," she reassured, smirk softening into a gentler smile, "i think you'll like it." she sucked in a breath and padded off, though not before a quick glance back to to make sure mallaidh was coming.

Music is one thing, often blending into the background. The faint sounds of words in the distance had only been thought to be memory filling in. Sarthaal hadn’t heard it, or seemed to notice, and so she tries to brush it off as best she can. “Yeah, yeah,” she says quietly, feeling uncertain, “just thought I heard something.” It’s nothing, right? Just her imagination, only because she hit her head (she thinks).
 
Saarthal refuses to give any indication of where they’re going and Mallaidh tilts her head a little, a smile shining through the previous anxiety. Somehow, it feels special. Secret. One she can share. Her whole life has been a secret but these girls are the most she feels open to (albeit having… not been open, actually). They’re like her in a lot of ways and it’s comforting. Where secrets have ruined her former life, she can’t help but feel the allure of this one and so, as Saarthal trots off, Mallaidh quickly picks up the pace and follows along.

saarthal pushed the probing thoughts, bordering on jealousy, away to the side. she couldn't afford to think about that now and simply gave mallaidh what she thought was a reassuring smile, though in all honesty, it probably looked more like a half grimace than anything. 

ANYWAYY. mallaidh was following, so all was going mostly according to plan. yes. finally. ok. a few more steps, left turn..um, or is it right? no, left. okay. saarthal bit her lip, navigating expertly around a few clumped trees, squeezing through a gap between yet another few trees before finally arriving before a thick curtain of...you guessed right: trees. between two large ones was a tiny opening, camouflaged by thick overhanging branches and leaves. 

"um, so, it's kind of my secret go-to area," saarth turned and nervously explained, eyes darting everywhere but mallaidh. "it's not really a lot compared to...other places, but, it's kind of special -" she blushed dark red, cheeks flushing, aware of how stupid that sounded. "-yeah, um, i guess - see for yourself." swallowing the rest of her words, saarthal's ears slid back against her skull as she pushed forward, past the curtain of leaves and into the clearing.

it was surrounded on all sides by tall, yes, trees, branches intertwining and twisting together on the very top, shading the clearing on the edges while leaving a near perfect circle in the centre of the little hideaway, allowing a brilliant view of the night sky. moonlight, bright and otherwordly shone through the circular hole in the canopy above, casting the forest floor in ethereal silver strands. to saarthal, it was a secret hideaway fortress in a fairy wonderland. nervously, the roman skipped to the centre where her pelt shone and flickered a near pure white from the pale strands of light from the sky that'd illuminated her fur. "um-i have food...if you're hungry!"

the more she looked around, the less impressive her hiding spot looked. mallaidh probably thought she was a joke, now. fuck. "or we could...um, come lie down?" she sank down onto her haunches and gestured at the spot next to her. here, they would have the perfect view of the night sky.

Why does she have to make everything so awkward? Saarthal’s grimace doesn’t seem satisfied with the answer but it’s all she has and she can’t shake the feeling it simply isn’t enough. Hi, yeah, I’ve been hearing the song my mom used to sing to me for a while now. Probably because I hit my head. It’s totally normal.
 
Mallaidh tries to shed the anxiety, following behind the other wolf. Pale green eyes focus on the greyscale girl and less on her surroundings. She stumbles once or twice, recovering quickly, and she doesn’t notice all the trees (probably a good thing) but she does expertly maneuver when the path becomes narrow, opening up to a secret spot, just on the other side of the brush. Her mouth opens to object, that maybe she should keep this place to herself—she can close her eyes on the way back, forget about it all together—but she doesn’t have the chance as Saarthal moves forward, pushing herself inside.
 
With a deep breath, she follows too.
 
From one dimension to another, Mallaidh is certain she’s transcended elsewhere.
 
“This is…” she trails off, not quite hearing the offer of food. She isn’t hungry, anyway. “This is beautiful,” she says, looking around the small clearing, a perfect size for two wolves. One glance up and she feels her heart soar, a localized view of the sky that gives her so much more detail.

nope. her heart wasn't racing at all. it definitely wasn't pounding hard against her ribcage at 150 miles per hour, trying to explode or slip through its cracks or whatever. no, no — her paws weren't trembling with nervousness as she watched mallaidh step through, trying to gauge her reaction, is it good, bad? did she fuck up. oh, god, i fucked up. asdfdhjfhdj, fuck, anyone but her and..m- i mean, fuck no.

but, oh. mallaidh seemed to like it, and saarthal perked up instantly, and though her words were flirty in response to the 'this is beautiful' because she would not be saarth without it, there is an obvious note of genuine sincerity lining the sentence, and the smile tugging at her lips is softer than it'd ever been before, soft and gently sweet, "like you." saarthal swallowed, took a breath to try to calm her racing heart and asked quietly, "come lie down, beside me?"

she lay down, copper eyes facing the sky, wondering if mallaidh would come close. "i come here when things get too overwhelming," saarth began, absentmindedly wondering why she was sharing this in first place, but realising a moment later that she was already too far gone, too drunk on the moonlight and crisp night air and just mallaidh in general that she kept blabbering. "it helps me calm down...and i know we're not going to stay here forever, i mean, i don't know if we are and um - i guess i don't know if we're going to be a 'we', as in our group...not us, haha, um, maybe we'll separate though i don't want to, or you'll kick me out, or um - sorry. i mean - i'm trying to say that i wanted to share this with you because it's special and, like, i don't kn-, um, i mean it's beautiful, the sky, isn't it - my father used to teach me all about the stars and constellations and navigations and you're beautiful as well," and here, she turned to meet mallaidh's eyes somewhat desperately, though she quickly averted her gaze again, "and i wasn't lying when i said i wanted to know you better and i know i'm like, nothing, next to you but-"

saarthal cut herself off and swallowed, falling silent. welp. she just probably made this awkward as fuck. yay, me. go, me. "um, i thought we could spend time to get to know each other, tonight. it's clear, and i guess, romantic? i don't know and um - fuck, i'm sorry, i'm blabbering."

The yearly is oblivious to the tension in Saarthal. She’s only pulled out of her trance when the other girl compares how she looks to the sky and her cheeks flesh red, hidden by dark fur, but her ears twitch upon her head. Compliments are few and far between and Saarthal’s abundance of them causes a new flutter of her heart every time. 

Blixen certainly isn’t anything like this. 

Each step closer brings a harder heartbeat, threatening to lodge in her throat but her legs move automatically, as if they know exactly what they’re doing. She’d like a little heads up at least for the brain because she feels as if she’s swimming all the way down so much she barely catches the blubbering scenario. As Saarthal rambles on about anxiety regarding the future, spilling out uncontrollably, she hears all her same worries with a new tone. They don’t have to have it all together (Saarthal surely doesn’t), but as long as they’re together they’ll be stronger for it. They may eventually one day part ways but hopefully not for a while yet. In the meantime, Mallaidh’s makes herself comfortable in the designated spot and waits for the girl to take a moment to breathe.

“I don’t really... know how to answer all that, um... thank you for sharing this with me,” she tells her first with a smile. “I can see how it helps.” Her tail thumps against the ground a few times and stares across at her fiery copper. In them, Blixen’s reflection swims through and she looks back and forth between her eyes. “I’d like for all of us to stay together, you know? I think we work well together,” she adds but her answers feel inadequate compared to how much she’d been talking and how little she actually covered. Her own mind swims with similar burning questions and the desire to quell all her insecurities. 

However, she mentions getting to know one another, Mallaidh isn’t sure what to make of it. She enjoys her friends company, and Varinril, and she often thinks about Blixen still. But that’s part of it, right? Getting over the hurt and confusion? She thinks of Aviana, briefly, before she leans in to close the distance. She’s never been very good at romance.

"you're sweet," saarthal smiled softly, turning so as to meet mallaidh's silvery green gaze. the colour didn't shift and though she still had the whole night, a part of her was secretly delighted - a joy born from fear and apprehension and excitement. "cute," she murmured quietly in afterthought, lips tilting up on their own accord. there was a brief second where her eyes flickered to the sky, copper orbs reflecting the flashing white lights in the night sky above before they landed back on the other girl once again.

just to see mallaidh - finally - inching closer. saarth's breath hitched in the back of her throat and she swallowed thickly, blinking because god, she's beautiful and i really like dates and in the back of her mind, the memory of an assertive, dominant max in charge flitted over her mind because she still wasn't over how hot it was and maybe she should take her out on a date as well because like...damn girl BUT dude, get your shit together, you're on a date with the ever so elusive mallaidh who you have a mini, not so mini crush on, you need to charm her now because you're probably going to need like a dozen more secret clearings and trees and wait several years to get her on a date again.

"storytime!" the words came out a bit breathless and she turned to look at the sky (because what the fuck is going on? like, really?? and i'm gonna talk so it's not awkward and weird and yeah) "my dad told me that the stars, the constellations they form, they're put there by the gods to commemorate heroes or tragic, heroic events. sometimes, the soul of the heroes are put into stardust and placed in the sky," a softness overtook the roman's features, the tense facial muscles slackening and relaxing as the memory and familiarity of the sky and home flooded over. "i remember wanting to be a hero because i wanted to be in the sky," saarthal glanced over at mallaidh, a reflective smile adorning her lips, "i guess it was because looking at the stars at night always reassured me, like there was someone above looking out for me, a hero, you know, to save me. i wanted to save others too - i know, it's stupid," she laughed, the sound amused and light-hearted and just a tiny bit melancholic. "anyway, i'm anything but a hero so..." saarth trailed off, absentmindedly staring at mallaidh, quietly mapping out her face with attentive copper eyes whilst almost subconsciously leaning closer. 

"you're a hero, though, mallaidh. knowing you're around...i know we can count on you, we all know we can count on you. but, you know, you can count on us, too. your burdens...they don't have to be yours alone. heroes need to share the weights of their worlds too or they wouldn't survive. and we're here for you. i'm here for you. and you don't have to be alone." 

she was acutely aware she was rambling. her train of thought miles away from their previous topic. but there was something about mallaidh's eyes, and the pressure over her chest was too strong, forcing all the too sweet, too real, too vulnerable words out.

Mallaidh isn’t used to such compliments from anyone but her mother. She doesn’t remember much of Teaghlaigh anymore and Drageda’s view on affection… was maybe not the norm. The pack had been eye opening for what can and can happen, finding other women with similar attractions as her the norm, and she wouldn’t change the experience for anything. But as Saarthal offers words, Mallaidh feels the pull to get closer, eyes trailing down the length of her nose. She doesn’t exactly know what she’s going to do but she’ll figure it out when she gets there.
 
Storytime!
 
She’s startled back a little, ears falling back and looking away—it takes her a second to look up—and she tries to shake the sudden flush that warps through her senses. Saarthal is halfway through the story when she realizes she missed the transition and she looks up, sheepishly trying to hide the embarrassment.
 
“It’s not stupid,” she says, quietly, glancing over. A hero is the last thing she’d ever considered herself but her mother’s words linger in the back of her mind. The other voice angrily shouts at her, the exact opposite her friend is trying to convey. She’s certainly not a hero, unlike Saarthal, opening herself up like this when it’s easier for Mallaidh to shut it out and pretend it doesn’t exist. It’ll get too difficult and she’ll run away again and again and again. “You’re just as much of a hero as any of us, especially me—” she inhales a sharp breath, “I’ve fucked up a lot and I’ll probably fuck this up too.”

it's not stupid. saarthal blinked, a strange lump settling in the back of her throat as the words register in her mind, mallaidh's voice echoing over and over again like a broken but beautiful record on repeat, something she wouldn't mind hearing forever. "if you k-" her voice caught in her throat and she glanced away, copper eyes searching the night sky, its familiarity quietly reassuring her. "if you knew me, know me - you wouldn't think that," saarthal managed a soft smile, edged with a weary sort of pain and turned back to mallaidh, "i'm the last thing anyone would call a hero." it was almost derisive, the way she said it.
 
"i've fucked up a lot too," she said honestly, quietly maintaining eye contact. "hell, i've pretty much fucked up everything i've ever touched. every relationship - not even romantic ones, just, every single connection i've ever had, i've fucked it up. they're all gone, probably all hate me now. i can't do anything properly, i mess everything up. dude, i even messed up my own existence, i -" saarthal broke off, throat closing around the words. she couldn't say it. not yet. not now. just - can't. "look, if anyone's gonna fuck this up first, i guarantee it will be me. but i want to try. with you. mallaidh. i like you a lot, and i'll probably, very likely, fuck up, and maybe you'll fuck up,  and we'll fuck up together and it'll be fine, i don't know, but i'm willing to try. i want to know you - even just friends first, if you want, maybe, whatever, and then, i don't know, as something more, whatever happens, i just-, yeah. "

Even though Saarthal looks away, Mallaidh finds her eyes falling back on her. She doesn’t particularly like way the girl speaks about herself, but is she not doing the same? A frown sits upon her lips and she leans forward and gives her a gentle lick on the side of her muzzle. Something encouraging, something to prove her wrong, but she certainly doesn’t have the words to try and make her believe otherwise.
 
When she pauses, struggling to get the words out, her pale eyes focus and watch her expression. The stress the other is going through resonates deeply within her and she frowns, glances down at her paws, and softly sighs. As much as the greyscale girl is opening up to her (albeit somewhat vaguely), she can’t find it in herself to do the same. It is not lack of trust but she wants to shed the past and get rid of it but at the same time she clings to it and can’t find enough of a balance between the two, so shutting down completely is the easiest thing to do.
 
However—but I want to try, with you—her ears fall back against her head and her eyes dart up from her paws, somehow not expecting this at all. The dating and official spot, she hadn’t realized were… serious, but she searches Saarthal’s face for sincerity. Mallaidh thickly swallows, shifting her weight to consider.
 
“I… don’t know if I’m ready,” she starts and anxiously shuffles her posture but she doesn’t move away from her. “I didn’t think I was ready with my last girlfriend, but… we kinda sucked at talking to each other,” she starts. Blixen talked a lot about her faults, similarly to Saarthal, but it’s not the same. She opened up to her for a reason, and to give her a chance to return and she feels compelled to do the same now. If she’s going to be happy, if she’s going to have someone to love, she can’t repeat the same ugly patterns again. “I abandoned my last pack because of my ex, because I couldn’t face her. She wanted more from me than I knew how to give and I’m not… good at these things. I like you. A lot, but I think I need to figure out some things,” she pauses and licks her lips, looking down.
 
Mallaidh lowers her head to the ground, pressing her nose against one of Saarthal’s front legs to keep close. “I think I could figure them out if you were around, though, and maybe…”

saarthal tried not to, but the craving for affection, for contact, for touch from anyone was too strong, and so she gave in to the urge without much of a fight, leaning into mallaidh - even if the lick lasted less than a few seconds, far less than she would've liked. she swallowed, and along with excess saliva, desperate words spelling out her need for closeness, affection - love - were forced down her throat to be destroyed in the acidic pool of her stomach, suppressed until its inevitable resurrection.

saarthal supposed she was being a bit hasty, moving into the realm of sincerity and honest intentions a little faster than normal but, well, normal was overrated. as far as she was concerned, she wasn't normal, either. she was broken - born broken, born with a love for her own gender far stronger than any other. she was lucky, she supposed, the thought lined with reluctancy and bitterness but rang true as the earth itself, lucky because in a way, she had a choice. she could fall for a wolf of another gender, supposedly, a choice many did not have. a lump rose to the back of her throat and saarth felt an urge to throw up, to spew her guts out onto the floor for the world to see. to choke on her bile and convulse...it was not uncommon for these urges to arise when such thoughts crept to the surface of her mind.

saarthal could avoid it all and find a cute boy and settle down. but, she was born to satan's plaything, anyway, and nothing she was going to do was going to change that. she wasn't going to stop staring at girls or wish she was with them or whatever. if she was going to hell, if she was really an abomination...she was too tired to fight back she'd prove them right, more than right. so right they wished they were the ones choking on acid. 

so, she swallowed the urge to vomit as well, swallowed it down along with everything else until it all felt numb and just the same, and mallaidh's eyes glowed a little more than they had before, comforting in a way that burned a sweet ache into the pit of her chest. "i need to figure some things out, too," saarthal responded quietly, unusually subdued, "i think we all do. but, just - there's no need to rush, take all the time you need. i'm not-i'm not going anywhere and i don't-" she sighed, muscles giving away to the strength of gravity as she slumped quietly to the ground closer to mallaidh. "i'm not going to ask anything of you. whatever you want to do, whatever you want to be, whatever you want to give or not give - it's your choice. i'm not going to-. being by your side right now is good enough for me."

it's not it's not it's not the muscles in her face worked and then relaxed. "let's cuddle," saarthal declared instead, her trademark impishness taking over as a desperate need to move on from this topic washed over her in a wave of bruising pain the size of a tsunami. "i'm craving affection," she said with a straight face and an utterly serious tone, "and it's too romantic a place and night to not cuddle, especially when the cute girl is teasing me by pressing her nose against my leg," mirth seeped into her voice, dancing through the soft muted embers of her eyes as she regarded mallaidh uncharacteristically softly, playful and expectant.

Mallaidh lets Saarthal sort out her thoughts as best she can, most of them vocal, and she wonders how the girl can speak so freely. It’s jumbled and a mess but Mallaidh has a hard enough putting words to what she says, keep them bottled up for another time but it’s made clear that she is given freedom to figure things out and they’ll stay friends. The greyscale girl promises to stand beside her and she smiles, happy to hear it. Blixen wanted too much too fast because the world revolved around her and she’d easily been kept her lips sealed despite everything that happened to her.
 
The request is granted before she even has a chance to fully explain, leaning into the girl shoulder to shoulder and pressing in. “You talk a lot,” she observes the obvious though her smile stays—it is not the teasing sort, enjoying the sound of her voice. Her nose moves along and she licks the underside of her muzzle and eases into a comfortable position as her company allows.

mallaidh leans in before saarthal could even complete her sentence. she swallowed, lip quirking up involuntarily and shifted to better accomodate the other girl, completely unabashed about the way she leaned easily into mallaidh's touch. there was nothing she could to do about the rapid beating of her heart, however, but whatever - she'll just have to own it. "sorry," saarthal laughed quietly, grinning toothily, "i don't usually- i mean, i do, but i ramble when i'm nervous." 

here, she aimed a kiss at mallaidh's crown, smiling absentmindedly. "being around cute girls make me nervous."

“Don’t be,” she says with a smile, a thump of her tail. “I like it.” It’s comforting, in a way. She doesn’t have to be the one to fill the space. She’s never been great with words and this evening only proves it to be true.
 
But Saarthal leans in and presses a kiss to her forehead. Pale eyes close and she slumps a bit into her. Blixen was often too self-absorbed and though they had moments together, this feels entirely different. For once, Mallaidh doesn’t feel like she has to worry all the time. The music from earlier has left her ears but she doesn’t realize it yet, finding a lulling pull  as she makes herself comfortable next to her friend.