Night Sky, totally zoning out while she waited for Meryl, jumped when she shouted, head turning quickly in her direction, her eyes wide.
"Meryl!" Shouted back excitedly. Then, her brows furrowed and she pushed herself to a stand. "Gods, what is all of that--" better question, spoken as she hurried toward her, reaching for the closest basket she could grab - "Why didn't you tell me you needed help carrying it all?"
Meryl flexes her arm now freed arm, as if to show off some muscle. None of it is even visible beneath the jacket she wears. This is to say nothing of the relieved sigh that spills out the second it seems that Night Sky isn't paying attention.
"I wasn't sure what you'd love the most, so I went a little overboard. At least there's a lot of options?" She toddles over to the spot that Night Sky has chosen, then sets her load down. "It's not too much, right?"
Night Sky followed alongside her. At this point, if Meryl was going to drop the baskets she would have already, but habit had her hovering just in case - that, and she wanted to be close the second she was free, a hand coming up to press her palm to Meryl's cheek and lean in to give her a quick peck on the lips.
"No. It's perfect." She replied, urging her to sit on the blanket she had already laid out. "Thank you. I'm glad you came - not that I doubted you would, of course. It's just nice to see you. Nice to have you to myself." And it was quiet, too, up on the cliff, save for the sounds of nearby waterfalls. "Did you see the flowers on the way up?"
Meryl makes sure all three baskets are set up around them, easily reached from any spot on the blanket. It just so happens that Night Sky manages to catch her on the way up. It's a wonder she doesn't startle and fall over, let alone the fact that she manages to return the kiss.
She isn't going to survive the night, she already knows it.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else - " Meryl's voice sounds sheepish. "The flowers were - really pretty. Yeah."
She didn't get the closest look at them, considering her distractions, but she'd grabbed a few peeks!
"Me either." Night Sky forcefully shoved down the voice in the back of her head that told her that there probably were superior alternatives to being here with her, even in Somnius. Not now. Not tonight. It was going to be a good night dammit.
As per usual, the dryad sat close enough to bump her shoulder against Meryl's, voice low like she didn't want to disturb the silence too much. "It's one of my favorite spots." She said, "I'm glad you like it."
She motioned to the baskets. "Show me what you made. I'm excited to try it all."
"Well, before you get too excited, it's not all handmade." Does she sound a little disappointed about this? Maybe. "I don't think I could make a macaron if I tried. And there's no way I'd be able to cut meat this thin. But - "
She says this as she pulls each item out of the basket, laying the feast out for Night Sky to take in.
"The main course is all me. I... hope poultry is okay? I figured a nice vegetable would go well with a starch. And something to bring it all together, too."
Her speech out of the way, and with every item now displayed, Meryl finally feels the faintest inklings of embarrassment.
"If it's too much. Or if it's not good, just tell me, okay?"
"I couldn't make most of it if I tried, so you're doing better than me." She laughed, eyes wide in awe at the array of food before her. It smelled heavenly, and given how she had made sure not to eat for a while before they met, Night Sky may very well have been drooling.
She also may have been tearing up. "It's great." She murmured, leaning over to kiss Meryl's cheek. "And I'm sure it will taste great, too." She plucked a strawberry from the first basket and took a bite. "You know," and swallowed, "not to bring the mood down, but back home... I was sick for a long time and couldn't taste much. Everything I ate tasted like ash and smelled like nothing. Even if it tasted awful - and I'm sure it won't - it'll be amazing because you made some of it, and I'm glad I can appreciate it properly."
Meryl's chin tips upward, a grin starting to form on her lips. Shy as she could be, she certainly did love her praise. And Night Sky was being very forthcoming with it.
That smile does fade when the dryad's background, her struggles come up. Meryl glances down at the food, then back up. "That's horrible. I... can't imagine."
After chewing on her lip for just a moment, she reaches down to fold a bit of meat around a piece of cheese, then holds it up for Night Sky to take a bite of.
"We'll have to make sure you get at least a bite of everything, then!"
Night Sky looked from the offered food, to Meryl, and smiled. "You're going to be carrying me down the trail at this rate." She teased, opening her mouth to take that bite - making sure her lips grazed Meryl's fingers before she pulled back. "Now when you say everything, does that mean I get a bite of you, too?" She winked.
"But...?" She replied, still leaning in close, chest lightly pressed into Meryl's shoulder. At least she was clothed this time? "Think you can add to it, or is it too late?" She pouted. What a shame that would be.
( Night Sky laughed and kissed Meryl's cheek before easing back, seemingly not upset by the insistence that they eat first. It would be a shame, truly, to have all her efforts go to waste.)
Of course. ( She picked up another piece of fruit and popped it in her mouth, idly picking at the other meats and cheeses on offer while they spoke. ) So other than making us a feast, what else have you been up to?
"Oh, well." Meryl picks up grape and chews on it idly. "I'm working on putting a business together. A publishing agency, in fact. It's what I used to do back home, and I think it might really help out here, too."
"A publishing agency? Like - for books?" Sorry, she was a wood-dwelling fantasy creature who only recently kind of learned how to read in general. They have whole businesses for publishing? It's not just some guy breaking his wrist scribing things?
She shrugged. "Same old. Spend a lot of time in the castle garden getting high on moonglow." Like an absolute bum. "I've been visiting Livio to see how his garden is growing."
"Maybe, eventually!" She hums to herself as she pulls up another few grapes. God, she loves having readily available fruit. "But mostly it'll be a newsletter for now. A good way to keep up with updates from around Somnius, right?"
Meryl's brow pinches, and she makes a note to ask about this 'moonglow.' For now, she's more distracted by the much more pleasant topic of Livio. Oops.
"I don't see why not. You'll probably have to come over and read them to me though, since I can just barely scrape by these days." Literacy was for the birds. She supported Meryl though!
She chuckled, swallowed the cheese and bread she had in her mouth before speaking. "I didn't realize you two knew each other." She said. "I probably shouldn't be talking about other people on our date, but let me say - he sounded pretty fond of you."
"Do you not know how to read?" Mery lsidles up all the closer. "If you want to learn, I can teach you. I mean, I probably wouldn't be that good at it but..."
She threads a hand into her own hair, pushing it back idly as she thinks. "It'd be a reason to spend more time together, right?"
Naturally, her cheeks flush at Night Sky's words. She shouldn't be surprised but -
"Of course he is." A huff. "I'll be honest he was... one of the people I was thinking of. When I hesitated with all of this."
"Red Son has been teaching me." She said. "But he's busy with the forge a lot, and I hate bugging him while he's working so - if you wanted, I wouldn't mind." Like she needed an excuse to spend time with her - be it far from her not to take it though.
She smiled, genuinely pleased by the admission. "Yeah? You should go for it. I asked him on a date and he said yes. He's kind of in the same position I am - boyfriend, free to see others. You know." So clearly it wasn't a terrible option. "Assuming it's, uh... not a one and done for me and you, though, if you did..." She still wasn't sure where Meryl stood on all that. Maybe she didn't feel like juggling multiple relationships - which would be totally fine.
"It's a plan, then." She will be the best teacher. Definitely. They won't get distracted or anything.
See, what Night Sky says is all well and good, but Meryl puffs up all the same. She has a perfectly valid reason for it, she thinks.
"He didn't tell me he had a boyfriend." Her cheeks puff out in aggravation. She was going to have to scold him for that one. Rude. "But um. Yeah. Maybe I will. Because..."
She inhales, fidgeting just a little.
"I think I'm okay with seeing multiple people. As long as that's still oaky with you."
"Oh." Oops!? Sorry Livio! "Maybe they just started dating? He only mentioned it when I asked him on a date, so..." go easy on the poor guy, Meryl.
Anyway! Night Sky leaned into her again, more shoulder than chest (you're welcome) to gently kiss her cheek. "Of course, sweetness. I want you to find as much love and joy as you can, with me or anyone else you want." Especially with her, obviously, but that was a given seeing as they were on a date. "Sorry if I'm being kind of - uh. Blunt, I guess. I just like to know where I stand. Last time I didn't make it clear I was interested in being someone's girlfriend I- well. Let's just say it wasn't pretty."
"Hmph!" Clearly someone is agitated about this. But that's a problem for a different day.
For right now, she has a very cute, well. Girlfriend, as it were, to deal with. Mostly in leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. Nice and sweet.
"I'm sorry that happened... But I'm glad you're being blunt with me. Otherwise I'd probably be fumbling around all over the place. I'm kind of a mess, too. If you hadn't noticed."
Night Sky closed her eyes and hummed softly, her smile never fading from her lips. Odd how easily that had worked out - just being honest and upfront instead of assuming and guessing. She would have saved herself so many tears and miserable lonely nights if she had done that sooner.
"It's okay. It worked out in the end. Taught me a lesson, too, to just be honest about my feelings." And if Meryl had gone in the opposite direction, she probably wouldn't have minded as much because of it. Thankfully, she didn't. Her eyes fluttered open again. She reached for a small piece of fruit and offered it to Meryl's lips. "We can be messes together."
There's only a brief moment of hesitation before Meryl leans forward. This time, it's her chance to be a little bold, lips briefly closing around Night Sky's fingers before pulling back to take the fruit. She hums softly as she chews it, then swallows it down.
"I like the sound of that." It makes her heart thud heavy within her chest. "And we already know that I like you, so -"
At least Night Sky doesn't make her feel as humiliated as she could be. Everything she says is so gentle and thoughtful.
Night Sky's hand hung in the air even after the fruit vanished, her eyes honing in on Meryl's lips, her mind wandering far and wide just from that little taste of boldness she offered. She barely heard the first comment - only registered the question a second later than she should have and quickly snapped to attention.
"After that? Like I don't know if I'm going to make it through the entire meal without trying to skip right to the last course." She laughed "So. Good. I'm - really good, Meryl."
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"Meryl!" Shouted back excitedly. Then, her brows furrowed and she pushed herself to a stand. "Gods, what is all of that--" better question, spoken as she hurried toward her, reaching for the closest basket she could grab - "Why didn't you tell me you needed help carrying it all?"
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Meryl flexes her arm now freed arm, as if to show off some muscle. None of it is even visible beneath the jacket she wears. This is to say nothing of the relieved sigh that spills out the second it seems that Night Sky isn't paying attention.
"I wasn't sure what you'd love the most, so I went a little overboard. At least there's a lot of options?" She toddles over to the spot that Night Sky has chosen, then sets her load down. "It's not too much, right?"
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"No. It's perfect." She replied, urging her to sit on the blanket she had already laid out. "Thank you. I'm glad you came - not that I doubted you would, of course. It's just nice to see you. Nice to have you to myself." And it was quiet, too, up on the cliff, save for the sounds of nearby waterfalls. "Did you see the flowers on the way up?"
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She isn't going to survive the night, she already knows it.
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else - " Meryl's voice sounds sheepish. "The flowers were - really pretty. Yeah."
She didn't get the closest look at them, considering her distractions, but she'd grabbed a few peeks!
"It's beautiful up here. Really."
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As per usual, the dryad sat close enough to bump her shoulder against Meryl's, voice low like she didn't want to disturb the silence too much. "It's one of my favorite spots." She said, "I'm glad you like it."
She motioned to the baskets. "Show me what you made. I'm excited to try it all."
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She says this as she pulls each item out of the basket, laying the feast out for Night Sky to take in.
"The main course is all me. I... hope poultry is okay? I figured a nice vegetable would go well with a starch. And something to bring it all together, too."
Her speech out of the way, and with every item now displayed, Meryl finally feels the faintest inklings of embarrassment.
"If it's too much. Or if it's not good, just tell me, okay?"
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She also may have been tearing up. "It's great." She murmured, leaning over to kiss Meryl's cheek. "And I'm sure it will taste great, too." She plucked a strawberry from the first basket and took a bite. "You know," and swallowed, "not to bring the mood down, but back home... I was sick for a long time and couldn't taste much. Everything I ate tasted like ash and smelled like nothing. Even if it tasted awful - and I'm sure it won't - it'll be amazing because you made some of it, and I'm glad I can appreciate it properly."
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That smile does fade when the dryad's background, her struggles come up. Meryl glances down at the food, then back up. "That's horrible. I... can't imagine."
After chewing on her lip for just a moment, she reaches down to fold a bit of meat around a piece of cheese, then holds it up for Night Sky to take a bite of.
"We'll have to make sure you get at least a bite of everything, then!"
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[She will save them both the embarrassment of flexing again. Mostly because she is too embarrassed by Night Sky-]
I - uh. Well. I didn't have it on the menu, b-but...
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She forces herself to swallow. To push the sapphic thoughts away for the time being.]
Why don't we - uh. [A deep breath.] See how we're feeling after we finish up?
[It's not a no. More of a "please let's enjoy the food I lugged up here before letting it go to waste.]
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Of course. ( She picked up another piece of fruit and popped it in her mouth, idly picking at the other meats and cheeses on offer while they spoke. ) So other than making us a feast, what else have you been up to?
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She tilts her head, just a little.
"What about you?"
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She shrugged. "Same old. Spend a lot of time in the castle garden getting high on moonglow." Like an absolute bum. "I've been visiting Livio to see how his garden is growing."
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Meryl's brow pinches, and she makes a note to ask about this 'moonglow.' For now, she's more distracted by the much more pleasant topic of Livio. Oops.
"I didn't realize you two knew each other."
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She chuckled, swallowed the cheese and bread she had in her mouth before speaking. "I didn't realize you two knew each other." She said. "I probably shouldn't be talking about other people on our date, but let me say - he sounded pretty fond of you."
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She threads a hand into her own hair, pushing it back idly as she thinks. "It'd be a reason to spend more time together, right?"
Naturally, her cheeks flush at Night Sky's words. She shouldn't be surprised but -
"Of course he is." A huff. "I'll be honest he was... one of the people I was thinking of. When I hesitated with all of this."
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She smiled, genuinely pleased by the admission. "Yeah? You should go for it. I asked him on a date and he said yes. He's kind of in the same position I am - boyfriend, free to see others. You know." So clearly it wasn't a terrible option. "Assuming it's, uh... not a one and done for me and you, though, if you did..." She still wasn't sure where Meryl stood on all that. Maybe she didn't feel like juggling multiple relationships - which would be totally fine.
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See, what Night Sky says is all well and good, but Meryl puffs up all the same. She has a perfectly valid reason for it, she thinks.
"He didn't tell me he had a boyfriend." Her cheeks puff out in aggravation. She was going to have to scold him for that one. Rude. "But um. Yeah. Maybe I will. Because..."
She inhales, fidgeting just a little.
"I think I'm okay with seeing multiple people. As long as that's still oaky with you."
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Anyway! Night Sky leaned into her again, more shoulder than chest (you're welcome) to gently kiss her cheek. "Of course, sweetness. I want you to find as much love and joy as you can, with me or anyone else you want." Especially with her, obviously, but that was a given seeing as they were on a date. "Sorry if I'm being kind of - uh. Blunt, I guess. I just like to know where I stand. Last time I didn't make it clear I was interested in being someone's girlfriend I- well. Let's just say it wasn't pretty."
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For right now, she has a very cute, well. Girlfriend, as it were, to deal with. Mostly in leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. Nice and sweet.
"I'm sorry that happened... But I'm glad you're being blunt with me. Otherwise I'd probably be fumbling around all over the place. I'm kind of a mess, too. If you hadn't noticed."
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"It's okay. It worked out in the end. Taught me a lesson, too, to just be honest about my feelings." And if Meryl had gone in the opposite direction, she probably wouldn't have minded as much because of it. Thankfully, she didn't. Her eyes fluttered open again. She reached for a small piece of fruit and offered it to Meryl's lips. "We can be messes together."
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"I like the sound of that." It makes her heart thud heavy within her chest. "And we already know that I like you, so -"
At least Night Sky doesn't make her feel as humiliated as she could be. Everything she says is so gentle and thoughtful.
"So, um. How are you feeling right now?
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Night Sky's hand hung in the air even after the fruit vanished, her eyes honing in on Meryl's lips, her mind wandering far and wide just from that little taste of boldness she offered. She barely heard the first comment - only registered the question a second later than she should have and quickly snapped to attention.
"After that? Like I don't know if I'm going to make it through the entire meal without trying to skip right to the last course." She laughed "So. Good. I'm - really good, Meryl."
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