She tucked her head under his chin, leaning into him for support, and he felt his chest squeeze, a little overwhelmed with the sudden depth of the conversation. He tucked his chin against her, breathing deeply and reflecting on the promise he'd just made, grateful that she'd hidden her face for the moment so he didn't have to control his expression; he was pretty sure he looked startled and maybe bewildered, and he didn't want her to think that he was uncertain or thinking of changing his mind. It was the certainty that was startling, maybe. "S'ok," he muttered, and he might have been saying it to himself as well as to her.

Beejoux wrote:

He let her stay like that, supporting her, and Merry let him do it. Let herself be held like that. Let the weight of his words sink in along with the weight of what she'd experienced. She just needed a moment. She d be fine.

She was fine.

After long moments and a heavy breath she drew her headback again, lifted it to nuzzle along his cheek. Murmuring a soft, "I'm sorry." Near his ear. "It's okay," she echoed his words back to him. "Just a lot, that's all."

prolixity wrote:

By the time she was drawing back to nuzzle at his cheek, he had gotten his expression more under control, and he could smile for her. "It's okay," he repeated with more certainty. "You had an interesting night, huh?" What was it like to be touched directly by the forces that drove the swamp, and perhaps the whole world? More unsettling than the weird things that they'd experienced in the caves, perhaps. That hadn't left him feeling as though he had a purpose or a calling of any sort. It'd be strange and heavy to have that settled on him suddenly. He could understand why she was feeling odd.

Beejoux wrote:

He asked it in the perfect way, at the perfect moment, to pull the doe from the unsure places her mind had delved into and brought levity to this strangez new situation.

She blinked, then laughed, butting her head up under his chin before letting it settle against his back instead. "Yeah, you could definitely say that." Interesting was an understatement. "How was your night?" Had he woken when she'd gone? And how even had she departed?

Mysteries.

prolixity wrote:

He leaned against her as she settled her chin on his back, and his tail twined itself around her foreleg. "I slept heavily," he answered. "No dreams I remember. Bit chilly when I woke up, though." He'd been puzzled that she was gone, then alarmed, although it would take quite a bit to get him to admit to that second part, now that she was back. Usually he was a lighter sleeper, and her departure should have woken him; it occurred to him to wonder if the forces that moved the swamp had touched him as well, if more gently. That was maybe a little unsettling to think of.

Beejoux wrote:

Well that did make sense. He didn't seem to be as tired as she was feeling. Though truthfully she wasn't at all sure what she'd experienced had happened in the living world, it could have been an incredibly vivid dream.

But then how had she ended up elsewhere?

It was a lot for Merry to try to wrap her head around, and she wondered if maybe she wasn't meant to know all the swamp's secrets.

"Are you hungry?" Food sounded good, and then a lengthy nap, she thought. Maybe she could talk him into laying with her, she quite enjoyed the feel of his tail around her ankle. Consume had always been a good kin to cuddle with.

prolixity wrote:

"I'm always hungry," Consume replied with a laugh. It was rare indeed that he would turn down a chance to eat. "Are you?" Did it make one tired to fly, to change shapes? He might ask, but he might reserve those questions for a later time, when she was more comfortable. Had she missed sleeping, in her night's encounter? She might be tired.

Beejoux wrote:

"Yeah," she confirmed, lifting her head and straightening a bit so she wasn't leaning quite so solidly against him. Ready to start heading back to the den she was sharing with him.

"Something to eat, then some sleep." She chuckled softly, shaking off some of the lingering unease. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful to the Motherfather, it was just a a lot to absorb. Merry liked changed, but this change was rather large.

prolixity wrote:

"I'll catch something for you, or pick something," he offered, ears flicking. "Y'want meat or fruit?" He bumped his shoulder against hers gently, then started back the way he had come to return to their shared den. He intended to stay with her throughout the day, unless she wanted some time alone. She'd adjust to this newness, of course, and he would too; but for the moment he thought he would stay close.

Beejoux wrote:

She hummed a soft note as she followed him, mulling over her choices. "Is both an option?" Deciding was hard, and honestly she'd be happy with bit of meat and a bit of fruit. Surely that'd put a little pep back in her step, right? "If not, fruit, I think." Hopefully, whatever he managed to find for her, he wouldn't be gone too long. She didn't want to be alone, not right now.

prolixity wrote: