The Tangle when you grow older and all those boys grow tired of you
i'm still here, but all is lost
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Ooc — remus
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#1
All Welcome 
LONG OVERDUE MY DEAR @Mallaidh

come hell or high water she is going to have a day with mallaidh. this isn't the same -- or it doesn't feel the same to her -- like when they'd avoid each other before. she doesn't really think furi is avoiding her, anyway, there's just a lot going on and she -- well, she wants to see her friend. who she is, naturally, still completely head over heels for. some quiet part of her has decided that there's no real need for fuss over it, them, whatever. blix will be obviously but silently lovestruck for the rest of time if that's what it takes, even if furi never...returns it. (again?) 

she seeks out the other girl, announcing with more cheer than is strictly necessary, "come with me," and steers her toward the tangle. mallaidh has always liked the tangle as far as she knows so it makes sense to blixen to bring her along to scope it out, given it's the only other neighboring space besides the sound, she thinks. there's no way this could possibly be a bad plan at all!
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#2
Her brief interaction with Heda outside Drageda is enough to… feel like she isn’t going to get kicked out. The ice may thin beneath her feet but she still has a home. She’s done something good (sorta) while at the same time something bad (also, sorta) and by result, continues to avoid Blixen anyway.

It surprises her when she shows up out of nowhere, deciding on where they are going and leads her away. Her cheeks burn red but she does not skip a beat, following along out of Drageda and into the tangle. They haven’t really spent any time here together, it’s mostly where she goes to clear her mind, but Blixen has a purpose in her step and Mallaidh doesn’t question it.

Except, Blixen kind of sucks at navigating them and picks the worst spot to penetrate through. Mallaidh doesn’t say anything, letting Blixen figure it out for herself. Plus she gets to watch her back side work her way through the thicket.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
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#3

once they're actually walking together, a strange, awkward silence falls on them, unlike their usual companionable silences -- has it been too long since they were together alone, she wonders, or is she just doomed to be a bundle of nerves for the rest of her life? she's not an anxious creature the way furi is at all, but lately... there's so much to say and so much she needs to do

she channels her nervous energy into their path, only the tangle is dense and confusing and blix has never been able to make any sense of it. furi doesn't chime in so she assumes she must be on an okay trail, but after the fourth time she finds herself trapped by thick vines entangling her legs, she wriggles and huffs, a low frustrated noise. "you're so good at navigating through here somehow," she says, half complaining, half admiring, "how the hell do we get through?"
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#4
Hope you don't mind a bit of PP? <3

Eventually, Blixen gives up. Her own limbs are a little tied up but she can pull away easily, coming around in a cartoonish up and down through the underbrush. With a dip of her head, she chews at a vine that snaps loose, freeing her friend from most of her bonds.

“Well,” she starts, looking forward and then behind her, trying to decide which is the best way to go. The gloom of the day, a storm on the horizon, isn’t doing much to help but she turns to the right and squirms her way through thick leaves and over a twisted branch. “This way,” she tells her and no longer looks back. Blixen’s only hope is to follow her exact footsteps, weaving in and out of the brush.

It’s a little work but she comes out onto the other side. The river starts to become louder and a quick redirection puts her out in a vacant spot, easy to move around without getting caught.

“I’ll have to sh—” she begins again, quickly cut off when she realizes her friend isn’t behind her. “Blixen?”
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#5
never<333

mallaidh frees her and takes off before she can orient herself. blix tries to keep up but she could not be more abysmal at it, losing her within what feels like seconds. how on earth does she move so fast when she's nearly twice blix's size? 

a little frustratedly she presses forward, taking a stab at where she thinks her friend has gone. she can hear sounds all around her, rustling and the distant thrum of running water, and a muffled voice she assumes is furi's, though she can't quite make out the words. it's better than nothing, so she surges after it, hoping to essentially strongarm through the thick barricade of foliage. 

it does not go as planned. the twisted branch furi easily goes over catches her; she careens into the vines, her panicked squirming only tightening their grip on her until she spills out near furi, still bound to the tangle, and entirely upside-down. 

"hi," she says sheepishly, resigned to her fate.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#6
Mallaidh goes back in, weaseling her away until she sees a blur of red swinging dramatically from right side up to upside down. “Oh!” she blurts, startled, “wh-what did you do?” She can’t help but laugh as it bellows out of her, somehow carefree and lost in the scene played out before her. Her leader, from one pack to another, stands… no, hangs from dangers of the tangle.

“Okay, um, this might hurt,” she says, moving around and putting her two front paws on the log so she can reach at the vines. Easily, she snaps through one section of vines that entrap one limb and then, when she reaches the second, she frees it quickly but not before the rest of them snap, sending her friend all the way to the ground in a thud. “Sorry, you can’t really move too fast if you don’t know what you’re doing,” she tells her with a smirk, stepping over the brush and brushing her nose against Blixen’s cheek before nudging her and urging her to come along.

Once she helps her up, she stays in place so she can better instruct her.

“So, when you take a step, you gotta move lightly. You pay attention to how it feels. If it tightens around your paws, it’s gonna get you,” she explains as if the place is a living, breathing thing. In a way, it is, and if she can show the others how to get around as she can, they may enjoy it here after all.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#7

she feels like she should be more annoyed than she is, but seeing furi laugh as she comes closer eases a little of the tension she's been carrying. really blixen could stay like this forever, watching her friend rescue her from her tangled prison, a soft smile on her mouth. "my hero," she teases before being unceremoniously dropped to the ground with a yelp. mallaidh's nose on her cheek makes it better as she gets up, following easily and trying to listen to her instructions.

"okay," the fleimkepa says, expression a little dubious. for being as petite as she is, blix has never been a light walker -- stealth is not her forté. still, she tries, paying attention to the feel of the vines as they brush her ankles. "is it all like this?" she asks, glancing from her feet to mallaidh (and only stumbling a little bit). she hasn't said out loud her exact reason for making furi explore with her yet, but her own protests against the tangle are beginning to melt away with the graceful movements of her companion. she just looks so... at home here. blix wants to capture that image forever and hold it against her chest. she can't do that, but she can... well. we'll see.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#8
She is slower, this time, making sure Blixen is behind her. Each step is careful, pronounced, so the red girl can follow exactly where she puts her feet and mimic the same actions.

“No, not really. A lot of it is, especially this side, but there’s several clear spots. And if you can get to the river, there’s plenty of space on both sides that you can walk freely,” she explains. There’s a lot to it and if you can get through the narrowed spaces, you can travel the territory freely. Plus, the heart of it has enough open space they could probably hunt some poor creature that managed to get caught the trap. “It’s kind of rocky to the north, like the cliffs, but… it circles down, instead of facing the ocean,” she tries to explain though she isn’t sure how good of a job she’s doing. She enjoys the thick of the forest. There’s nooks and crannies she can weasel her way in for comfort. The other part is less explored but not entirely unfamiliar.

Once they’re finally through the barrier, she stretches her legs and turns around, helping her friend out if she needs it.

“There’s a spot up ahead, it’s… there’s one big twisted tree and nothing else around it,” she explains though she’s doing no justice. Instead, she falls silent, moving so they locate the large, windblown looking tree in a large, surprising clearing heart of the forest.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
Ooc — remus
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#9

mallaidh makes it look so easy, if she wasn't busy trying to watch their footsteps, blixen would be distracted by the fluid grace of her movements. she's always thought her friend was beautiful, but somehow she looks different than she did before she left -- more confident in her body, maybe. a sort of natural looking elegance to her steps that blix lacks, despite being seemingly built for it. blixen is .. not clunky, but brusque in her movements, much more heavy-footed. 

she listens to mallaidh's descriptions as they walk, her tongue running along her teeth in thought. actually, strategically, the tangle is interesting -- the dense and difficult vines offer a sort of protection from external forces. and true to her word, they finally make it through the natural barrier, the open inside of the tangle finally revealing itself to her. she's always been too impatient to make it this deep. "woah," blix murmurs, taking in the sight of the clearing and then the tree, weirdly beautiful as it is. she noses at the base of it silently, intrigued. after a few moments she lifts her head and fixes mallaidh in her gaze. "you really like it here, yeah?" blix asks, because about 90% of her thought process here is contingent on that fact -- and once it's confirmed she'll explain her plan.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#10
Unlike the fallen trees in Drageda, Mallaidh does not mind sharing the secrets of this place. She hadn’t really been thinking before and she finds a weird sort of eagerness to include her friend. Besides, there’s plenty of places for her to spend by herself here should Blixen take it upon herself to spend more time here.

”Yeah,” she says and looks back, watching her investigate. ”I don’t really remember a lot about where I’m from but... I feel like maybe it was kind of like this,” she tells her. Mallaidh never really put much thought to it before but she remembers a little, certain scenes plucky from memory that incites a little deja vu here and there.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
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#11

well, fuck, that settles it. "i think we should live here," she says abruptly, then clarifies, blushing, "the new branch, i mean. we can't take the sound but i still want to be close and --" if you love it here -- "i just think it makes the most sense." and it does, honestly. they'll get to stay close to drageda, close enough for blix to be comfortable. furi will be happy (and let's be real that's her main priority), and the actual layout of the tangle is an advantage to them, especially with hostile enemies so nearby.

she peers at mallaidh anxiously for her reaction. "i mean, if that's -- what do you think?" blix asks, shy suddenly. she feels.. transparent, as if her thoughts are clearly written on her face. it's not that she's tried to obscure anything from her friend, on the contrary, but in a different light, this is essentially blixen's way of proposing -- oblivious, well meant, shortsighted and opaque.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#12
Mallaidh blinks when Blixen pipes up, announcing they should live here. Her mouth opens to say something (an objection? agreement? she doesn’t know) but quickly snaps her teeth together when she further explains. She hadn’t expected them to recover so quickly, and here? Her ears twitch upon her head before they fall back against her head, thinking about it. She’d just shared the secrets to the territory and she wants to turn it into their home?

At first, she doesn’t want it. It’s her home, as much as it can be, and she actually opens her mouth to object this time.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she says, instead, which… surprises her. Home, she thinks and feels her heart twist in place. It’s close to the ocean, which she enjoys, but away from the heart of Drageda and the anxiety that comes with all of that. “Yeah,” she adds, as if to confirm, before she steps up and presses her nose against Blixen’s cheek, offering a gentle kiss there.

“There’s… one more place.” She spins quick on her heels, moving the way they’d come from earlier. The path is relatively clear with one spot she has to snake through, hoping to leaving a big enough hole for Blixen to fit through. On the other side is a large clearing, a few vacant dens of life long since lived but one in particular with moss draped around the opening. Mallaidh offers a single look back before she dips her head, crawling her way inside to a large den that is surprisingly spacious.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
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#13

maybe its too much -- furi's protective of her spaces, blix knows that. she's opened her mouth to take it back (haha just an idea no presh we can find somewhere else) but mallaidh beats her to the punch, not rejecting but agreeing. "oh," blix says, the air escaping her in a sigh as she receives her cheek kiss, "y-yeah." she can recognize now that it's a big deal, mallaidh agreeing to share somewhere so important; she wishes she'd asked in a smoother way, but all that matter is that approval in the end.

blix is floating on cloud nine, warm and happy and easy to persuade to follow. the den mallaidh leads her to looks cozy, perfectly hidden in the heart of the tangle, and instantly stamped into her heart as home. whatever lingering annoyance at the tangle she feels is gone in the face of furi disappearing inside the mossy entrance. she follows, eager to press close as she's allowed, her voice oddly quiet as she says, "thank you." 

after a moment she adds, "i could stay like this forever," because she can't help but feel a little sappy basically all of the time she's around mallaidh.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#14
She turns around as Blixen slips inside and leans in close. Mallaidh takes in a deep breath and her eyes close, pressing into the smaller frame. She’s riding a whirlwind of emotions as a place she loves turn from something that is hers to something that is theirs. It looks over them that it is still Drageda, which is not really the problem, but that Blixen makes the decision for them, for her, sets her heart a flutter.

A lump forms in her throat and she swims through a weird fog. Most of what is happening feels right but something hangs out deep, on the tip of her tongue, that she can’t quite find words for. She can’t tell Blixen how she felt in Artaax’s arms, having spent so long thinking they simply weren’t compatible. This time, they shared something she doesn’t think Blixen can compete with.

Her stomach turns over in knots, her breathing hitching in her throat.

”Me too,” she murmurs, blocking out any unsavory thoughts that might interfere with this moment.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
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#15

it's hard. it's so hard -- she'd spent so long trying to puzzle through every misstep she'd made with furi before, her obliviousness, her single-mindedness, every moment she failed to connect the dots right in front of her. their time apart forced her to grow and to really work to earn mallaidh's affection, but she's scared still. scared she'll do something wrong or miss her cue, scared she still won't be enough. and could anyone ever be enough? blixen is slow but she's starting to understand how mallaidh is -- so full of love and want that no one person could be everything for her. is that something she can deal with? she isn't sure, but she's tired of feeling defensive, and she knows mallaidh doesn't like that, either. maybe one day she'll be enough, or maybe she'll have to learn to share.

right now she doesn't want to worry about either. the vulnerability she feels, the fact that right now mallaidh seems so.. receptive to her--blixen can't hold back from acting on it. don't think about wildfire or her kid siblings or artaax or nomi, don't think about the sound or the captive or even leading the new branch. instead there is: mallaidh. "furi," breathed into the space between them, fragile as glass. 

blixen leans in closer, moving slow -- too afraid to push too hard, too fast -- and returns mallaidh's cheek kiss, grazing gently against the plush fur of her jaw, dropping her head to nose at her neck if she can.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#16
It is not the first time she and Blixen have been close—physically—but it’s different this time. I’ve spent nights together, they’ve shared kisses and touches and kept each other warm but… they’ve never…

Her chest burns and she closes her eyes, feeling each new kiss as Blixen gives them to her. Aviana had been confusing, Blixen is confusing, and as much as she wants to know what she’s doing, she doesn’t. Artaax is different, there’s a undeniable drive deep down that told both of them what to do, but how does she do the same for Blixen? Or vice versa? Her exploration of Aviana during her heat hadn’t really led her to answer once she’d been cut off, didn’t have a single question answered despite how many bubbled up to the surface. Does Blixen know more than she does? Mallaidh, who has been head over heels for just about every girl she’s met, doesn’t have a fucking clue.

“Will you…” her breath trails off, turning her face and nuzzling hard against her to try and show what she wants. “Will you show me?” she murmurs into her red fur, tail flipping behind her as she presses kisses against her chest, her neck, and up under her chin.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
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#17

furi yields to her, no, returns her touches. there's no instinctual drive here necessarily, she's right, but there's -- something. wildfire had confirmed, once, that she and nomi had sex, so blixen knows it's possible -- and honestly even if it wasn't she's so determined in this moment to make mallaidh feel good she thinks she could invent lesbian sex if need be. as far as she knows, her and furi are both equally inexperienced, which makes it seem easier somehow. it's up to her to figure it out for them.

"yeah," blixen murmurs into mallaidh's throat, "yeah," and runs her mouth down slowly, nibbling gently at her shoulder, her chest, her sides. loathe to separate even an inch of skin from her, she shifts slowly, entwining herself around mallaidh's limbs, rotating until she can gently mouth at her thighs, teasing, bluffing past her own hesitancy.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#18
At some point, she’ll stop comparing Blixen to Aviana or Artaax just as she had when she’d been in the other Drakru’s embrace. The other woman had experience on her, misleading her through the whole process. It will be better if she and Blixen can figure it out on their own, using their lack of experience as a guide. Maybe if Aviana had not invited her in, she’d worry they could not do this, but Blixen moves anyway and she tries to focus on that.

She thinks of Artaax and his gentle ministrations. Blixen is much more desperate and hungry and she finds she likes that, too. So much of herself is bound somewhere deep and if she only allows herself some freedom, she might find it, but right now she lets her friend search for it for she is much too exhausted to do the digging. Most of her life is spent in question and Blixen has never once had to do that, as far as she knows, and though she is nervous, there is a confidence Mallaidh can’t deny. A confidence she wishes she could have but likely never will.

Mallaidh sighs, turning her head a little. She wants to watch but she closes her eyes, feeling where Blixen is instead of seeing. Aviana had not returned anything for her, and Artaax… well. Artaax is forgotten. A low growl rumbles in her chest, arching her back slightly, and allowing her friend the freedom to do as she pleased.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
718 Posts
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#19

what she lacks in experience or knowledge, blix makes up for in enthusiasm and a dedication to getting more noise out of mallaidh, that tiny growl like a sudden flame against her frayed nerves. she doesn't ask for anything in return -- doesn't even think too -- her only focus is furi under her mouth, furi against her fur, furi, furi, furi.

[...]

when at last she parts from her -- not enough to fully separate, but rearranging herself to press close against her side -- she hides her face in mallaidh's scruff, her expression decidedly shy for someone who's had their mouth on nearly every square inch of their companion's body. "how was..?" blix trails off; she hadn't, presumably, been kicked in the face so she thinks she did a pretty okay job, but a little -- it'd just be nice to know for sure. and to cuddle more.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall
we don't need another ruler
all my friends are kings
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#20
Damn.

Her back legs tremble while she comes down from on high and Blixen pulls away. Mallaidh turns her head as she comes ‘round and up against her, nose into her mane. Other than what little experience she has, she hadn’t known what to expect, and it may have been awkward at first but there is no denying Blixen got a crescendo out of her.

When she can’t keep her leg from crumpling, she drops her rear and turns slightly. Blixen’s words seem foreign and Mallaidh rumbles a growl. She gestures downward with her nose and lowers her front legs, hoping to curl and tangle into one another.
i'd give anything to hear you say it one more time
that the universe was made just to be seen by my eyes
i'm still here, but all is lost
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#21

there's no words but mallaidh's reaction makes her giggle, pulling easily toward her -- friend? lover? -- as she drops. she mumbles something vague in trig as she settles against furi's chest, embarrassing sweet nothings she doesn't bother to translate. with her legs tangled in furi's it will be some time before blix feels like rising again -- really, she'll stay close like this, a little nervous but mostly filled to bursting with happiness, as long as mallaidh will let her. eventually they'll make their way back to drageda and blix won't even mind stumbling through the barrier of twisting roots. her mind is made up.

yeah, the tangle's definitely where they've got to settle.
and there's nobody there to catch us when we fall