as i embrace the stars, <@stellaroned>

[moondrank]

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― tall tails

[moondrank]

(as expected, some things rarely, if ever, change. it hadn't been long since this newer and much more drastic transformation of his once he received the core flame. with it came newer....things, but perhaps not that new when a change to their morning routine had arisen. what started originally as something that felt accidental, became not one with dan heng awakening to his tail wrapped around stelle often. for something that was supposed to be one off, it certainly was not in the protective hold that it's had around her waist.

was he dreaming of something else, something newer than the dreadful nightmares of that man's face looming with a desire to murder him and take away what he held dear? the answer might be more of a surprise. he doesn't always dream of sweeter things, although that isn't a surprise for dan heng and his broader history. the things he's gone through, the memories that once were there and now not from his going forward to never again be ensnared by what he once was.

but he's quiet this morning, typical, his aforementioned tail comfortable in its usual spot while he debates on if it'd even be worth the effort of untangling it. they're still sharing this bed. this room, these baths, getting too used to it won't necessarily help when they're back on the express, and yet....

it's reached a point it would feel stranger if he didn't wake up to her curled into his side while his tail keeps a firm hold around her waist. unusual, but he also found it easier to sleep than he would have in the past. there were no bad dreams, nothing to cause him to desire to stay awake for lengthy periods as a distraction from the memories or worse than that which could haunt his sleep. his thoughts are cut short when clear blue catches movement beside him. stirring, or she's pretending to sleep from the grip on his tail by her hands. the movements close to petting from how he feels bare fingers tracing along the scales of it.

really, stelle? he can tell when she's faking.)

If you're awake, I doubt it's that comfortable to lay like that for you.

(with a tail wrapped around her, the pull of it close to his body, though it wasn't tight enough to be uncomfortable for stelle. there was that, but they did have to start the day sooner rather than later. lying around wouldn't change much even if they had free time for a change. he couldn't remember the last time they did, not from how long they've been on this planet. especially not from how their journey had taken a turn in everything that happened, as exhausting as it was, a moment's respite won't kill him.

at least if he would allow it.)

[stellaroned]

Good thing I'm still sleeping, then.

[ the internal contradiction of her statement aside, there's another proof of her lucidity in her voice, which has only the usual soft degree of rasp. if anything, she's just shameless in being caught.

objectively, dan heng's tail doesn't make the best plushie in the world. she'd felt the coarse scrape of scales against her side more than once when her shirt rode up and the grip around her waist became like sandpaper. but as long as she strokes with the grain instead of against it, they're polish-smooth.

the truth is, though, that even if they weren't, she'd still be doing this. she wants to familiarize herself with all the differences that a thousand years have made, big or small. their time in amphoreus hasn't left a lot of room for indulgences, especially of late, so she'll certainly steal this one.

she ducks her head, curling up tighter around the tip of his tail, nudging her nose against it. ]

Guess you're stuck a little while longer. Wouldn't want to wake me.~