So Holly, You've run home through the cold and the snow. It was a bit before you stopped running full out, realizing that you no longer had a pursuer. I don't know how easy it is for you to get cold, but you're pretty chilly right now. You sort of took the way back to the apartment complex that you remember, more or less. Instead of walking all the way on pavement, you cut across the snowdrifts towards the apartment building and through the sparse trees on the apartment's grounds.
And you trip and fall into the snow, your foot caught on something.
When you twist and look, you find a slender hand, nearly as white as the snow, laying near your foot, the fingers flexing minutely. Turning more reveals the slender bare arm and similarly slender bare body and the long black hair. Myrii is lying in the snow. She looks exhausted. Her eyes are closed when you first see them but they open partly, golden slits. Her lips twitch into a faint smile.
"Holly." She says slowly, a little sing song, as if she was half-asleep or drugged.
What do you do?
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"My...Myrii?" Holly says with shock. She drops to her knees in the snow, pulling Myrii into her arms with concern, turning her over in her own lap, so her face is looking up. With a gentle brush of her dark black hair out of her face, Holly asks her, "Myrii? Why are you away from your pond? Are you looking for Dora? How can I help you?" Holly's rubbing Myrii's shoulder, tears already welling up.
"You...she...went away. Off the island. Too far. Magic... turning on me for not being near her like I should be. Hurts. I...came here... find her... you. I'm... cold."
You realize she is... she's icy. She's always been cool to the touch, but this is different.
"Oh Myrii, I'm so sorry," holly says as she bends down to kiss her forehead, looking into her friend's alien eyes. "Dora is busy serving the Fairy King. She stole the dagger and I lost her. But I'm here now, Myrii. Of all the places you could be, you found me. That means something." She looks at her frail, cold form, knowing that a jacket won't warm her.
"Did you... uhm, did you say you came to find me? Too?" Holly asks nervously. Then, she says quickly, "I'm Wishborn, so my blood is magic. Maybe you can share a bond with me?" Holly reaches into her jacket pocket to pull out her tiny second-hand mini leather-man's tool and pries out the thin blade. She quickly slices into her left thumb. When blood wells up, she sucks on it for a moment, until there is a bit in her mouth.
Bending to Myrii, she says, "Here, take my blood, a kiss, my love. For you, my friend. Please, take all you need." Then she closes her lips over Myrii's, and wills herself forward, giving of her power to her, wishing to help Myrii, her fairy friend and lover. It is a chaste kiss she offers, lips to lips, a tongue darting into her mouth to share the blood, a desperate act in the cold, lonely snow.
She breaks the connection with some effort and pulls back, breathing heavily, her golden eyes fully open and looking at you now with an expression of awe. She touches your cheek. Her eyes troubled.
"Oh, love... thank you. You are so generous, so good to me." She glances away.
"i am sorry to burden you. I should not have come here but I could not resist any longer."
Holly's eyes widen when the force is pulled from her, but she forces her eyes closed and relaxes into the kiss until Myrii pulls back. Myrii touches her cheek, and Holly opens her eyes to look down at her, "Myrii, you are no burden. You are my friend. I love you."
She continues to pet Myrii softly, her body starting to feel the chill of sitting in the snow. With teeth starting to chatter, Holly asks, "D-do you... do you n-need more?"
She slowly, tiredly sits up.
"I don't have the reserves to keep a glamour up... I was so foolish to think I could fight this for long. Let us go to your dwelling.
Holly nods, "Yes, let's get you inside. I'll take you to Dora's house. We'll wait for her there." She stands, removing her jacket. With a small smile, she offers to help Myrii stand with her, then wraps the jacket around her. "I think of you all the time, Myrii. I have really missed you. I love you the way you are. But the others won't understand, you uhm, being naked." She gingerly zips the jacket up, thankful that it is long and roomy.
The cold forces Holly to wrap her arms around herself as she leads Myrii home. She'll urge her along, trying to sound chipper, and talking to her with chattering teeth, "M-Myrii, we got the knuh-knife. Can you help with that?"
When she sees you shivering she hugs you against her and that's how you walk most of the way to the apartment, which isn't far since you are just on the edge of the parking lot. You're fortunate that you don't run into anyone, either in the lot or on the way in.
"The knife?..." She says wrinkling her brow. "The... oh... the shadowblade?" She shudders.... one hand going to her gut... and looks worried. "The king asked her to do something with the shadowblade? He... he probably asked her because she's human... A fairy wouldn't be able to touch it."
You get in the door, unlock it with your key, and make it inside. Myrii is looking around uncertainly, hugging herself in the jacket. Looking like a fish out of water.
Myrii's embrace helps Holly stay a little bit warmer. She fumbles for the key a bit with the cold, then pushes the door open. Once inside, Holly quickly closes the front door and stamps her feet to get rid of the snow. Warming up, Holly beams at Myrii, "Welcome to my foster family's apartment!" and throws her arms wide in presentation.
Holly takes Myrii by the hand and walks her into the living room, "This is where we sit and watch TV sometimes, but I mostly read. And over here is the kitchen, where we make food and sit down to eat and stuff." She leads her to the short hall and opens the door to the bathroom, "In here is the bathroom, with the bathtub and shower and the, uhm, the toilet." Then down the hall to Teddy's room, "This is where Dora sleeps. Do you want to come in and see it?"
"How long has it been since you were in a human house, Myrii?" Holly asks curiously.
"This is Theodora's room? And.... only you and Theodora live here?" She shakes her head, a hand touching the blanket curiously. Her voice is quiet.
"I don't know how long it has been... what is the year? Dwellings have certainly changed. I had seen them from the outside but not given it much thought."
"Dora's mommy lives here, too." Holly answers brightly. "She's working. She works a lot, so we can have food to eat, and a place to live. She gave me my very own room." She shares the date with Myrii, lets her do the math, or not.
After a moment, Holly intakes a sharp breath, "We should, uhm, get you some people clothes, Myrii. Dora's mommy, her name is Peggy. She would, uhm, freak out if I was standing her talking to a pretty naked girl. I mean... I don't mind, of course." Holly smiles a little at her friend, then adds, "But I don't know when Peggy will be home. I thought we could stay here and wait for Dora. I can make you some popcorn. Are you hungry or thirsty or anything?"
She blinks. "Clothes?" She smiles a little, steps close to you, touches a cheek. "I was rather hoping we wouldn't need them for a while. I have rather missed you." She leans in and kisses you, softly. Pulls back sllightly and plays with your hair. "Do not trouble yourself for my nourishment. For the Fae eating, like sex,is mostly for pleasure. For all that, I am a good hunter. Perhaps your Peggy will not have to toil so hard if I provide our food."
Holly's jaw drops open slightly when Myrii reveals her age. She's pulled from her shock by Myrii's lips and the kiss causes her to make a soft sound of approval. She giggles at the thought of Myrii the hunter and says, "I do not think Peggy would want you bringing handsome young men around for food, Myrii. Or squirrels, either. Humans like their food very long dead and processed into unrecognizable chunks."
Another kiss later, Holly shuts the door to Teddy's room with her heel, still facing Myrii. When she comes up for air, she asks like she just remembered hearing it, "What do you mean you'll miss the water? Did something happen to your pond? Is it frozen... or something?"
"Frozen?" She whispers between kisses. "Well, yes... but that is not unusual. I will miss the water because I will be living with you and Theodora, my little doll."
Myrii's touch causes Holly's eyes to flutter for a moment. The fairy knows exactly how to kiss, every sensitive spot on Holly's neck. In a dream-like voice colored with arousal, Holly stammers, "Wha-what do you mean? Why are you liv-living with us? I'm not sure I... will ever be able to, uhm, explain this to Peggy." Despite her verbal protestations, Holly is unable to stop Myrii's kisses. She even ducks her head to help Myrii remove her shirt, then reaches out to touch her as well.
As Myrii urges Holly onto Teddy's bed and begins kissing and slowly undressing her, Holly's eyes flutter and she sucks in a breath and exhales slowly with a little groan of pleasure in the back of her throat. She looks down at her fairy friend and says, "Maybe... uhm, maybe you should persuade me some more?"
Holly smiles, reaching down to run her fingers through Myrii's hair softly, "I'm... I'm almost convinced it would be a good idea to keep you here. hee hee"
MC, I'm cool to fade to black, or for Teddy to walk in. Your call, but Holly is NOT going to say no to Myrii.
"By all means, little wish, I shall make my case as thoroughly as I am able."
And she does.
Your shoes are at the door, and maybe your coat, or at least I can see where you were stamping the snow off your feet, so I know you're here, and I call out. I guess you're - you've been alone here with Myrii for a little while now, so ... anyway, I call out to you, though it's kind of tentative, and only like a minute or so after you hear the door.
Teddy's voice snaps Holly out of her trance. She was lost in a haze of pleasure, staring at the popcorn ceiling, blissfully counting the little white balls like stars in the sky. She slips out from under Myrii, turning over in Teddy's bed so fast that she falls to the floor with a whump. Frantic to get herself presentable, Holly crawls on the floor to fetch her pants and shirt, calling out, "I'm... hold on, Dora. I'm changing and stuff!"
If Teddy gives her a moment, Holly will put on her pants and shirt, nothing underneath, no socks or shoes, and rush out the door, pausing only to give Myrii a quick smile and say, "Thanks. More later?"
She skips into the living room to see Teddy and says breathily, "Hey, uhm... we have a guest. In-in your room. Myrii. She has to live with us now, the bond hurts too much for her to be away from, uhm... from you."
"But - no, that's impossible. Mom wouldn't ..."
I say it, but I'm starting to get up, looking toward the little hall, and it's obvious I'm, like ... eager? Eager to see Myrii? Or something like that. Hungry, maybe.
"... Myrii's actually here?"
Holly nods in response to Teddy's question, "Yes... she's uhm, naked. But nobody saw. I found her outside, she was FREEZING!" Holly offers a hand to Teddy, then pauses. She swallows, looking at Teddy's chest, not her eyes.
"I'm sorry about the, uhm, the house. What I did. I wasn't a good sister. Or even a, uhm, a good friend." Holly says quietly. She looks up furtively, "I'm not as strong as you, Dora. The knife was... it was. Calling to me. I was bad."
But I don't mean it ... it's not okay at all. I don't know if you can tell, or not. I don't want to talk about it, though, and I'm distracting myself, my eyes straying back toward the bedrooms. And yeah: there she is, tall and slender, liquid eyes on the two of us. (Naked too, sure, but how else should she be?) I see her there, and I'm suddenly feeling, I don't know, sort of ashamed? Ashamed that she should have to come here, to this crappy, mundane little apartment - and that I'm still so glad to see her, mainly because of the wreck I've made of my crappy, mundane little life.
I give you a glance, Holly - I'm not sure why - and then I'm like, to Myrii:
"H-hi. Are you okay?"
She gives you a smile, Teddy. One tinged with anxiety. "I am much better now, and happy to see you." She glances away. "I'm sorry to impose on both of you."
"Okay ... I mean, it's okay. What's, uh, going on?"
And I'm looking back at you, Holly, like what is going on?
"You left the island and the magic... our bond... attacked me. I was already exhausted from our customary few miles of separation so it hit me very hard indeed. Had Holly not found me when she did... I suppose I might have frozen to death. Which is an odd thing to contemplate when one is used to immortality."
She pauses. She says softly... almost apologetic.
"I... We can't be apart any longer, Theodora. I must stay with you now."
I try and clear up what happened, this is just a misunderstanding:
"I - we didn't leave the island? We went to, um, Deputy Cross' old house, and there was - well, it was pretty messed up there, so I don't know, but we're definitely not doing it again. You don't have to worry, um, that ..."
I'm kind of turning what she said over in my head, and I sort of catch up now, and I'm stopping and asking, "Did you really - you nearly died, Myrii?"
"Died? I don't know."It hurt... it felt like I might. And I was so cold. I haven't been cold since I was mortal. I had forgotten how miserable it was." She frowns, brow wrinkling. "But... I... I felt it. You went away not long after nightfall. You were moving fast... and North, I think. I felt when you returned too, but I was too weak at that point to search you out. It took most of what I had to get here."
My heart kind of stops, because like that was enough to, to do whatever it was that happened? And just automatically, I like pull her in and hug her, to apologize. What's going on? This can't -
I'm saying, "All we did was go across to Ellsworth, I didn't even think anything could ... I know I've been to Ellsworth since, uh, back then. I've been to Bangor! Has - has this been happening every time, Myrii? Why didn't you say something?!"