☠ ❣❣ Content Warning ❣❣ ☠

SUPER EXPLICIT Mature Themes (talking pure smut here), references to graphic violence such as murder and torture, mentions of suicide, flashbacks and references to cannibalism (from the context of a species who has to eat corpses to survive), and sanity break threats.

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Ellen Bailey:

Ellen had been a little nervous, initially, to make the move to Snow Haven. Her first big move since being forcibly removed from her position at her last precinct. It was telling that Ellen, someone who got antsy when she wasn't working, had taken not even one, but more than one year off work to stay in NYC with her parents and work on her detective's exam. For the first time in her life, she was scared to go back to work. Scared of what would happen next.

But Snow Haven turned out to be just the sort of place she needed. A quiet tourist town, with no serial killers running amok, and Hot Springs to boot. Of all the places she lived, she had never lived in one that had hot springs. That was a perk Ellen could get behind. Nothing beat getting off a long shift at the precinct, wander over to the Snow Pond Spa, and sink into the heavenly waters for a good soak. Mmm.

The blonde had also been integrating with the locals much easier this time around, thankfully - it probably helped there was no bad blood between the town and the police here - and she had already been told where to find the better Hot Springs on the property. The ones that were much more private and harder to find, that tourists rarely made the trek out to. It was a walk, but worth it for the peace and quiet.

Ellen ended up at the far reaches of the Snow Pond Spa, the furthest out the facility reached, where the woods nearly bordered the water's edge. There were even more Springs if you walked further down the path that were considered public property, but she was still new enough to the whole venture to stick to a place that had electricity and benches.

As predicted, she was completely alone. Ellen quickly stripped of all her winter gear, down to her TWO-PIECE SWIMSUIT and hurried into the water before the chilly winter air could get to her. Ahhh. Actually perfect. How could a place get any better than this? She found a comfy spot and slid down until her chin barely brushed the water and everything from her chin down was submerged, and closed her eyes.

It was easy to be so relaxed and zoned out in the Springs that you could almost fall asleep. That's what she assumed happened when a strange gurgling sound met her ears, and Ellen opened her eyes to see a bubblegum pink bubble floating about 6 inches from her nose. At least, a bubble was the best way to describe it.

She gasped, and almost as if it were waiting for her to notice it, the bubble popped and sprayed its contents all over Ellen's face. She jerked, sputtering, and flailed and scrambled her way out of the pool until she was half out of the water on the edge, coughing and sputtering and wiping her face. But when she pulled her fingers away to look at the pink mess, there was… nothing there?

The blonde stared down at her fingers, mystified, and shivered at the cold wind now that she was half-out of the pool.

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Aerallis Tithiros:

Valentine's Day had rolled around again. Last year, she'd been under the influence of a love potion and ended up taking a red-headed human to the Tavern. It had been her mistake, venturing into a nightclub as she had, and it wouldn't be one that she would repeat during the month of February. February... She wouldn't let herself think of what could have been. If she hadn't died, she'd be spending Valentine's with Alena and Camille. She wouldn't let her mind remember that it was Camille's second favorite holiday. Wouldn't let herself feel the dagger-deep pangs that came with the memories. It'd been a year already... Preparations were almost done.

But she couldn't push back a meal for another day. The hunger had set in, making her pace in the cabin. During the winter, she tried to hold off as long as she could and stock up when able. Her supply of nibbles had run out. It was due time for a hunt.

The club was out of the question. Instead, she'd go elsewhere that had brought much success in the past. The springs. Couples would certainly make trips there today, she was sure. The sooner she could get in and out, the more she could avoid whatever possible shenanigans might be happening in the town - assuming an event similar to last year was taking place.

Aerallis never approached the more public springs. She hung back, checking each of the private pools - gauging occupancy and the number of people present. Today it seemed that most of the Inn's patrons were sticking to the public pools. A small collection of humans loitered the private pools; couples, she was sure, all sticking together even if they were on separate ends of their respective springs. One pool, however, only had one occupant. A blonde, human female. She couldn't see the woman's face.

The ghoul crouched in the shadow of the trees, observing for the time being. She was alone. It would be an easy kill. A violet light illuminated from the black gem on her glove. Her shadow writhed and stretched, curving and slithering along the ground as tendrils. Inky black fingers expanded to the spring, allowing the tendrils to slip in, slowing inching toward her prey by crawling along the floor. The human gasped in surprise then and the tendrils paused. She hadn't seen them, she couldn't have. Whatever had caught the woman's attention suddenly had her flailing and sputtering, climbing out of the water and onto the edge of the spring, coughing.

She was wearing a two-piece swimsuit. It was barely a blip on her radar. Aerallis didn't recognize it. If she had recently fed, she might have. Instead, all she saw was a distracted meal. It was the perfect time to strike. Shadowy tendrils rocketed out of the pool in a slosh of water and made a beeline for their target - aimed to wrap around her and lift her into the air - high enough that her feet couldn't touch the ground. The ghoul sprinted from her hiding place, pulling the onyx ring from her finger. Doombringer's dark hilt extended in a flash. Just as she wound back her sword arm to make a clear horizontal cut across the woman's backside, a bubblegum pink bubble fluttered in front of her vision. Her glove hummed, sensing magic.

Oh no, it was happening again. The town- No no no no no! She tried to move backwards and cease the swing, to get away from the floating thing. As though sensing her trying to escape, the bubble burst and spewed it's contents all over her face and torso. Aerallis pinched her eyes shut. 

"God damn it, not again!" The ghoul screeched, stumbling backwards. Her motion had completely ceased. Doombringer clattered to the ground and the tendrils unbound themselves from Ellen's person, letting her fall freely back into the water. They writhed behind the former singer, as though feeling their creator's panic. She wiped at her eyes and face, as though to rid herself of the wet substance. But she didn't feel wet. What...?

Aera's eyes clicked open and she stared at her hands, and checked her chest. There was no sign of liquid. "What-" Had that been what the blonde had seen? Ah- the woman- Her attention returned to the pool as she bent to scope up her sword. Dark tendrils curved over her shoulders, ready for another strike.

She was ready to prevent her target from leaving. What she didn't expect was the face that rose out of the waters.

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Ellen Bailey:

The stillness after the sudden bubble attack was almost unnerving, but Ellen didn't feel nervous. She didn't even remotely question the fact that a bubblegum pink bubble appeared in front of her face, popped, splattered her with goo, and the goo was gone as soon as she scrambled half out of the water. Because the blonde basically had an equivalent of an extreme blind spot when it came to magic. Even when it literally smacked her in the face with goo.

I must be dreaming. The pools really are that nice. So easy to drift off. She thought to herself, with a dismissive mental shrug. This wasn't the first lucid dream she'd had since arriving in Snow Haven, so it didn't surprise her in the least to have another one. She wasn't often a dreamer, and certainly not a lucid one. She was starting to enjoy these crazy, fantasy-filled dreams.

A cool breeze sent chills across her now exposed skin, and she hurried to slip back into the warmth of the hot springs. What she did not expect was writhing black tentacles to rise from the depths of the water and lash out in her direction. The blonde squealed, between a shout and a yelp, and pinwheeled backwards, but the shadow tendrils wrapped around her waist and hauled her into the air before she had time to react. In a blink she was dragged, flailing, into the air.

What the hell?! It was almost too bizarre to be frightening. Since when was there a tentacle monster in the water holding her up in the air like she was a character in Scooby Doo? Did Snow Haven secretly have the Creature from the Black Lagoon in their waters? Ellen squirmed and kicked, passing her hands uselessly through shadows that were somehow physically holding her up and yet completely intangible. And with her back turned to the action, she had no idea what - or who - had her in its grip.

She heard the screech from behind her, but couldn't crane her head far enough behind her to see whether it was the thing or someone else that made the noise. She chose to assume it was the monster - since this was a dream, and all. 

"Hello?! Can you please put me the hell down?!?!" Ellen shouted over her shoulder.

Something made a clattering noise on the stone that surrounded the spring pool, and just like that, she had her wish: the tentacles around her waist vanished. Ellen plummeted back the short distance to the water, with a big, belly-flopped splash. That was not what she meant!!

The blonde surfaced quickly - the pool was just deep enough that her freefall was harmless, although it did sting a lot - sputtering and wiping water from her eyes as she tried to get herself re-oriented in the right direction to be facing the Cthulhu monster. (Ellen was not a big fan of horror or monster movies and did not have many descriptors for monsters in her arsenal.)

"That wasn't what I meant, asshole--" She started to yell, only to abruptly cut herself off and stare, open-mouthed, at the thing at the edge of the pool. Because the thing… wasn't a thing at all. It was a woman. And not just any woman. No. The woman had tendrils poised over her shoulder. She was, somehow, the most beautiful thing Ellen had ever seen, and the farthest thing from a monster imaginable. And, more importantly… she had the face of a woman who was supposed to be dead.

"... Aerallis?" The name fell from her lips in a mix between confusion and wonder. There should have been shock. A lot of questions. Anguish at the presence of her dead friend, a life cut short. But any alarm at the sight of her deceased friend playing the role of tentacle monster in this dream passed through her mind like smoke. Drifted in and out, and was gone.

Instead, Ellen marvelled at her. It had been… years since they had seen each other. Since Aera left on tour, since Ellen moved away, and since Aera died under mysterious circumstances. She looked like she hadn't aged a day. Really, she didn't look much like herself; too gaunt, too pale, looking more like she was… well, cosplaying a monster for one of her shows.

It was exactly the kind of makeup and outfit she would've worn at one of her shows, so Ellen wasn't all that shocked by her appearance. Rather she was moved by how… ethereal she looked. More like an exotic angel than a monster. Had Aera always been that beautiful? Well, she had always been beautiful to Ellen when she was alive, but on a level like this?

"Um…" Ellen fidgeted with the fringe of her swimsuit, feeling her cheeks grow hot under the other's stare. What exactly do you say to your deceased friend cosplaying a tentacle monster? 'Hi, you're super gorgeous as a ghost monster thing and I am actually in love with you'? Her romance novels never prepared her for something like this.

"It's good to… see you… again…" Her tongue felt thick and useless in her mouth. Really, Ellen, shy now, at a time like this? She chided herself. "I expected wings and a halo and not like, shadow tentacles, but… shadow tentacles are more your style. Probably. But I… um… like it either way. It's a good look. Sexy. I think I'm in love with it, really."

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Aerallis Tithiros:

No, this... Couldn't be happening. The woman that looked back at her from the springs, the one she'd just strung up and had been about to kill and eat, the woman she'd tore herself away from and left in Bear River to face the small town's murder mystery alone while she went on tour... She wasn't supposed to be here. Not in Snow Haven, and certainly not right here, in the Springs on the receiving end of her attack. And yet, she was here. Enough time had passed since then that it didn't hurt anymore to wonder what might have been. She'd convinced herself that she'd never needed Ellen. That the blonde cop had never been her savior or the light of her life, or a best friend that she'd fallen madly in-love with.

In the time they'd spent apart, she had blissfully, mercifully, forgotten about her unrequited love that was never meant to be. "... Aerallis?" And all it took was one look, one word from that damnably gorgeous woman in her stupid sexy bikini for every feeling that she'd buried deep within herself to come crashing back in, coloring her mind with every memory they'd ever made, like they'd never been buried at all. 

"Ellen..." She shouldn't have stayed after the bubble burst. She should be running back to the cabin until the day passed - what was one more day to be hungry with the town and it's bullshit running amuck again? Aerallis shouldn't have let herself be seen by someone that would recognize her, much less have remained where she was. Instead, she was transfixed by just how damn good Ellen looked there in the water, and how the lighting seemed to cast a crown of light upon her head, making her every bit the fucking queen she had always known her best friend to be... And at how goddamn elated she was to see the human that she thought she would never see again.

A lump formed in her throat. Shadowy tendrils rose over her shoulder, bending over each other, but she paid them no mind. For a fleeting moment, they looked like angel wings. They bled into her own shadow, out of sight and out of mind, when the black gem lost its glow. Ellen wasn't looking at her as if she were seeing a ghost, but in confusion and... Awe. And she knew, she knew in the back of her mind that it was this fucking place playing its tricks again for the second year in a row, but it didn't matter. Ellen was back. Ellen was here. Nothing else mattered. Like a schoolgirl, the blonde fidgeted. Aerallis remembered a time when her friend had done so over a man while they were at a bar, celebrating her birthday, and how she'd wished - even back then - that Ellen would look at her that way instead. She hadn't then. But she was now.

In true Ellen fashion, she fumbled for words even while flirting. Her Queen was so cute. "You? In love with this?" Aera gasped in mock disbelief, thumbing the edges of her white top and pulling it down with a crooked grin. "I should've worn this sooner, then." They were talking as though nothing had happened. As though Aerallis hadn't died. It should have been weird. "Why are you still in the water when you could be up here with me? Get up here, your Majesty." She knelt then, extending her hand to the other with a gentle smile curling the edges of her mouth. "You should be in a castle. And luckily for us... I happen to have such a place."

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Ellen Bailey:

It had been discussed before how Ellen's face was a traitor, and her emotions played out in various shades of red across her skin. Because her Irish blood had no filter when it came to the color of her cheeks. All it took was meeting the gaze of a woman she wasn't supposed to see again, to hear that melodic voice say her name again, and Ellen's face turned scarlet from the flight of butterflies in her stomach.

As if in response to her words, the shadow tentacle monster things hovering over Aera's shoulder flared briefly into the shape of angel's wings, and then faded away. Ellen brushed her blonde hair behind her ears, loose and wet now from having been dumped into the water, as the other woman straightened her outfit. Teasing her. As if they had last spoken only a week ago, and not the years it had been.

She swallowed again. "Definitely… definitely suits you." Her voice felt too thick for her throat, and sounded dull and boring compared to the angelic tones coming from Aera's mouth. It must be because this was a dream, that the voice sounded so clear, so lovely. Like it had been lifted straight from a recording of one of her albums, and dialed up to an 11.

Why was she so nervous? She wanted to melt under that dark-eyed gaze, wanted to hide her face in her hands. It wasn't like Ellen to be shy, not with Aera of all people. She finally forced herself to wade back towards the pool's edge. Shivering as she stepped out of the water. Was that because she was cold in the slight breeze, or because she was hot, flushing under the other's stare?

"Your Queen isn't dressed for this." She said, giggling breathlessly. "I expected a soak in the hot springs, not a battle with a tentacle monster-- what are you doing?" Wordlessly, when she was close enough, Aera sank to her knees, in the pose one would expect from a chivalrous knight, hand raised in deference. The blonde tilted her head, a warm, amused smile playing across her lips. She said she had a castle, eh? Castle in Snow Haven… fit for a Queen.

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Aerallis Tithiros:

Watching the blonde wade through the water towards her was perhaps... The most provocative thing she'd ever seen - and she'd seen a lot. She knelt, eagerly grabbing for the other as Ellen rose from the pool to stand. It's warm here and she had half a mind to push her back and join her, to pin her back against the pool's edge and do as she pleased. Yet it was also a public area, and she didn't want to share. "Your Queen isn't dressed for this." Indeed she wasn't. She would need to be warmer for the walk back to the cabin. If Aera let her walk at all. "Bowing to my Queen, your Majesty." She says, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. Ellen in a one piece was too... Too easy, too appealing. It'd be too easy to shred to pieces, too easy to scratch her skin. She swallows thickly at the thought. "We do. Too much..." As she rises, her arms extend; one arm at Ellen's ankles and the other at her neck, scooping her up into her arms. "My Queen shouldn't have to walk." She explains, looking at the human with warm, affectionate eyes. But there's something else in them. Something strange, something festering that doesn't belong, buried beneath the haze of love and affection that and reawoken and taken hold. "Where did you leave your clothes?"

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Ellen Bailey:

Ellen is of half a mind to believe that she really is a Queen in this strange dream world, where her best friend is alive and kneeling in front of her. The feel of her hand in hers certainly feels real enough, and Aera answers as if it was only common sense. At her command to take her to the castle, Aera rises; what the blonde doesn't expect is to be swept off her feet in the process. It isn't like this is the first time Aera has ever done this, but Ellen still squeals and wraps her arms around her neck. "Wait, but you'll get wet too." She complains, to deaf ears. The warm, affectionate look in Aera's eyes is enough to send another wave of butterflies through her stomach, and Ellen can only smile back. All thoughts of what happened moments earlier with the being dragged in the air and fending off the tentacle monsters from the deep have already faded. Along with the strange thing hidden deep in Aera's gaze that Ellen only thinks she can see because this is her best friend. That is noted but the importance fades. Aera is back. That's all that matters. "Over there." She points to a changing area just a little ways up the path, with a heated locker room, that currently has all her clothes as well as the winter gear she had worn in here.

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Aerallis Tithiros:

"I don't care," She replies, and she doesn't. The ghoul doesn't really feel the cold, even as the wetness from the human seeps into her clothes and spreads across her skin. Ellen smiles back at her; if she were a knight and Ellen her Queen, she would fight a thousand battles and slaughter as many as were required before returning home again, to be welcomed back by the arms of her beloved empress. It spurs her to movement in the direction that Ellen points with haste, settling her down in front of the locker room. But she lingers, not wanting to let go; her hands plant firmly on the human's shoulders. "Do you have any other clothes?" She asks curious. "I don't want you to be cold when I pick you up again." And even then, she doesn't let go. When her Queen opens the door, the ghoul holds it open and helps herself inside, closing it behind her. She doesn't turn around. It's been too long, it's been insufferable - if a dream was to afford such a sight, then she would greedily accept it. Though she wasn't sure if it was a dream or reality; part of her wanted it to be real, while the other part shoved that thought away with both hands. It couldn't, shouldn't, be real. It would ruin everything that she aimed t achieve, potentially. But... There was nothing else for her to lose, the other half argued. So why not. Why not take a chance? Why not do as she pleased? Why not follow her dead heart, granting it's final wish before it was gone forever? And yet... Why would Ellen be here, anyway? Because she wished it so?

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Ellen Bailey:

Aera rushes them with some speed over to the locker room. But Ellen is scarcely put down than the singer's hands are firmly on her shoulders. She giggles at the concern. "I have all my winter gear. Coat, hat, gloves, scarf, etcetera," she says, if that's what she was asking, and then grabs her belongings from where she stowed them and heads towards the changing room. All the while Aera moves with her as if her hands are glued to her. Ellen isn't even upset by it. It's adorable, and amusing, and she can't say that she wants her to let go, anyway, considering that until a few minutes ago her best friend was long dead and gone. She steps into the changing room and sets her towel, clothes, and outerwear on the bench inside. She looks over her shoulder at Aera standing there, blank expression but standing reminiscent of a knight at the door. Silly, knights are supposed to stand on the other side of the door. But the blonde only shrugs and turns her back to the door, tugging first her hair from the wet ponytail so the long blonde hair falls loose around her shoulders, then tugging at the bikini strings top and bottom and discarding the wet fabric off to the side. It's not cold in the changing room thanks to the heated interior, so she grabs up her towel to dry off and drape the towel over her shoulders to keep her wet hair from getting everything else damp. She pulls on panties and jeans first, then sweeps the towel up and over her hair to wrap it before she slips on bra and long-sleeved pullover. Socks and boots follow, then off comes the towel from her hair to quickly and sloppily wind the still-damp hair into a bun and stick up into her toboggan, and then on goes the rest of the outerwear. Ellen is quiet and works quickly, nearly humming in excitement to find out where and what this mysterious castle is.

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Aerallis Tithiros:

The stall offers some form of privacy, and she stands firmly behind Ellen, only a breath apart. Her hand only moves to allow her best friend to remove her swimwear, and her eyes follow the curves and dips of her body even as Ellen dresses. It feels like a sin to cover such perfection. It had called to her, longing and tempting - or maybe it was a voice in her head - and everything within her roared to act, to push her against the wall and take her, claim her while her panties hung limply from her fingers. But she doesn't. It's still not private enough. And it's not grand enough. A queen shouldn't resort to changing rooms and stocking rooms. A queen deserved a castle, and only a castle. So her eyes drink in what her touch doesn't, burning all of the lovely imagery into her memory. She does, however, note the heat; it blows against her, too, dying out bits of her clothes that had been made wet. Aerallis wrings out the water from her clothes, and let's the heat do the rest until Ellen is ready. Her hands is back on the woman's shoulder when she's changing.

"Grab all of your things." It's a soft demand. "Are you alone?" The ghoul asks. Because of she wasn't, she was about to be.

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Ellen Bailey:

Fully dressed, Ellen turns back around to find Aera exactly where she had been before, only a breath span away. Except perhaps a tad more dry. Aera's hands are immediately on her again, and again, Ellen can say she really minds. In fact, her heart flutters at each touch. She may be the Queen, but she is obedient to the demands of her knight. "I have them." She motions to the weekender bag in her hand when told to grab her things. "and I was." Not that it would have mattered; with Aera here Ellen would abandon everything in an instant to be with her. She motions to the stall door. "Let's go. Your castle awaits."

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Aerallis Tithiros:

A grin curls the edges of her mouth as she opens the door. But she doesn't let Ellen go more than a step outside, oh no. The ground isn't good enough for her to walk on. Aerallis scoops her up into her arms again, keeping a form hold. "A Knight and a steed in one," The ghoul muses. "How fortunate." She places a kiss upon the blonde's forehead, lips tingling and chest fluttering at the gesture. If her heart still worked, it would be thundering against her ribcage. And for a moment, she thinks that maybe it's a good thing that she's dead. That's when it clicks; it's not a dream. If it were, she would be a mage again and she could just teleport them there with a small of her fingers. But she can't. The only source of magic on her person is the glove on her right hand. What the fuck? There's a moment of recognition, but it's fleeting. And just as she thinks it, she dismisses it. It doesn't matter. Ellen is here, squealing in her arms, and that's all that matters. Without another word, she carries her lady love into the woods, where she shifts the human into her back, her hands taking the woman's belongings. With her arms free, she's able to hop between the trees at a faster pace, keeping hold of Ellen's legs as she does so. When finally she clears the woods, her feet land in the snow and she takes off into a run. Past the tall oak, the watchtower and down the path. For a ghoul, it doesn't take long before the cabin comes into sight. It's just as she's left it. All of the snow had been burned away from the house, the path clear for Ginny come come down if needed. Finally reaching the house, she's sets her Queen down about fifteen feet from the cabin, and motions for the human to stay put - don't follow.

There are cameras on them, traps rigged to spring if another step is taken. She skirts around the house, and returns a moment later, motioning for the blonde to join her as she approaches the front door. "Your castle, my lady." She says, gesturing to the door as she unlocks it. Opening it, Aera pushes it aside and leaves it open for her Queen to enter - if she was done looking around, of course.

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Ellen Bailey:

Ellen giggles, but before she can disagree or explain that Aera is in no shape or form a beast of burden, she has been swept into her arms again. And any words cut off at the feel of lips on her forehead. A shudder crawls down her spine at the contact, the butterflies present in her stomach take flight again, and she is shocked at the tingling warmth that spreads through her. Aera carries her out of the locker room, away from the springs into the woods. Her things are taken from her and she is shifted to sit piggyback. It feels strange to do, since she's so much taller than the other woman. But Ellen doesn't so much as protest or comment. She is completely calm. Her trust in Aera is absolute. The knight knows the way to the castle. Likewise she is unperturbed by the method of travel, except maybe some giggling by the way her stomach does flips as Aera goes from tree to tree. The dream is a dream so how they arrive at he cabin is no matter; only they do. Ellen takes in the cabin, awestruck by its resplendent beauty, and remains where she is set down as instructed. It's a beautiful winter paradise, a castle indeed. She steps forward once her knight reappears and the castle is opened. "It's gorgeous, Aera," Ellen murmurs, in utter delight, as she rushes in through the open door to take it what awaits inside.

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Aerallis Tithiros:

The ghost closes she does behind her, following as Ellen looks around. "There's a hot tub and a sauna outside, also." She notes. They're lucky. The other ghouls are out of the house today, out doing runs and other things, supposed to come back with supplies later. Aera was also supposed to do the same, after she'd hunted. So much for that. "I'm glad that you like it." She had too, when she saw it. It was out of town, in the middle of nowhere, where no one would notice her or her group. And in an area that she's could get to hunting areas easily, both for food and for targets. Perfect. Exactly what she needed. Aera takes Ellen's hand in her own, threading their fingers together as the other looks around. She gives her love a tour of the inside, and brings her back to the living room afterwards, sitting on the couch and pulling her down with her - on her lap. "Ellen, my Queen," The ghoul coos, nuzzling her golden hair. "What are you doing in Snow Haven?"

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Ellen Bailey:

Ellen pauses long enough in the entryway to shed her outerwear - the castle is warm like the locker room and she doesn't need them any longer - before Aera's fingers intertwined with her own. She is given a quick tour where Ellen is endlessly delighted at each turn. They then return to to living room. Ellen is again amused as she is pulled into the smaller woman's lap. But she sits without complaint, making herself comfortable. Her name and title falling from those melodic lips are enough to make her shiver. "I passed my Detective's exam." Ellen replies, beaming with pride. "Snow Haven was one of the first places to accept my transfer request. Plus... Well, I didn't know, but your castle is here, so... I made the right choice."

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Aerallis Tithiros:

Passed her detective exam? It'd been mentioned in posting before, she remembers. Not about taking it again, but that she'd failed it before. Aerallis squeezes her close, pressing a kiss to her cheek. The contact leaves her tingling, wanting to do it over and over again. So she does, showering the blonde with affection. "I'm proud of you." She whispers, this time nuzzling the human's neck. A mistake. Ellen's scent invades her senses and seizes them. It's heavenly, a reminder of homely comforts that she could not longer have in addition to her natural perfume... She feels her mouth watering, feels her jaw clench and her teeth aching to sink into the tender skin. But it's Ellen. Her best friend, her secret love. "A fine choice you made," She sighs against the blonde's neck, letting her feel her breath. "My Queen deserves a reward. You can have anything you want."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Cool lips press into her cheek as Aera squeezes her. Ellen snuggles into the embrace, and then is sent into a fit of giggles as she continues to attack her cheek with kisses. This feels so natural, so much like home and better times. She belongs here, like she's never belonged anywhere else. Her heart flips in her chest at the whispered words. The soothing warmth that flows through her is strong enough to make her feel a little emotional. She never expected to be able to celebrate passing her exam with Aera. "Me too." She whispers back, and reaches up to wrap her arms around Aera's neck to hug her. With their height difference Aera is at the perfect level to nuzzle into her neck. Goosebumps flare up across her skin, and Ellen shivers at the puffs of air against her skin. The last time Aera had done that... Had been the day of the incident. And unlike back then, she... Doesn't want to move away. "I don't need anything." Her response is swift and automatic. She rests her head on top of hers. "The only thing I could have wanted was to have my best friend back, to be able to see you again, and... You're here. So you've already granted my wish."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Warm arms wrap around her neck. Ellen hugs her and she snuggles into it, gently squeezing her back and it's right and natural, like she'd never left, never abandoned her at all. Like she never died. Butterflies soar through her stomach again. The blonde doesn't move away from her. Goosebumps spread across her skin where she touches, shivering at the puffs of air. It's like that day. No. It's better. Ellen tells her that she doesn't need anything, resting her head on top of hers, that all she'd wanted was to have Aera back. Her chest swells with emotion. Aerallis wraps an arm over her chest and waist, hugging her tight. It's almost everything she'd wanted to hear. Almost everything. For a moment, she doesn't say anything else, perfectly content just to hold her. "Ellen." She stops squeezing, leaving feathery kisses up from the blonde's neck to the curve of her jaw. The ghoul pulls back slightly, bringing a hand to gently grasp Ellen's chin, turning her head to force her to look at her. Brown eyes search her green ones.

"I love you." It's not spoken platonically, as it had been before. It's raw and emotional and powerful, and her voice trembles with the words, speaking them nervously, as though it's a confession and not something she's said many times before.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera only squeezes her tighter at hearing her wish fulfilled, and Ellen burrow her face in her hair. The silence that falls between them is warm and comfortable, full of contentment and happiness, and she is just as content to let it continue and just stay in the moment. There is something that her subconscious registers as off, in the stillness... But thanks to the surge of emotions brought on by the haze of the love potion, it doesn't reach her conscious thought and she doesn't notice. Ellen draws back when Aera moves underneath her. She shivers as kisses are trailed up her neck to her jaw. Without realizing she had turned her head a little to allow better access to those lips that seem to get warmer each time they press into her skin. An idle thought passes in the back of her mind why she is so comfortable allowing her to do this, but it quickly vanishes as her chin is gently turned to meet Aera's warm gaze. She did not expect the words to follow, but somehow they just seemed… right. I love you. Her chest suddenly aches at the truth ringing in her best friend's voice. For a moment each beat of her heart hurt, a mixture of pain and euphoria, and a soft smile makes its home on her lips even as she suddenly wants to cry. "I love you, too, Aera." it comes out at a murmur, soft and low. It isn't spoken as a playful endearment or an expression of platonic friendship, as it had so many times in the past. This time is as real and raw as it is from Aera.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Butterflies spread throughout her body with the murmured words, sending waves of warmth across her limbs, into her chest, her dead heart. I love you, too. They're words that she'd wanted to hear, spoken genuinely rather than platonically, from the blonde's mouth for what felt like forever. Words she'd fantasized hearing, words spoken by a fake many times before. And for a moment, as she leans her forehead against the human's, she believes them... The love potion's haze attempts to smother it and block it out, but it can't. Ellen would never mean it that way. It had been the whole reason she'd... Never taken a change, why she kept her distance. Why she took refuge in another form of comfort. Why she still took refuge in that fake form. Ellen said it now and meant it, but it wouldn't last. Just like with Joan before, eventually this effect would wear off. It's an iced dagger through her chest, chilling her, even as she desperately wants to believe it despite the ache. Water fills her eyes. Before they can trail down her cheeks, she moves out from under the blonde completely, and repositions herself upon Ellen's lap, straddling her waist. Her arms are on either side of the woman's head.

"I've always been in love with you." The admission is as freeing as it is painful. The secret is out. It's free, at long last. "I didn't lie to you, that day. You are all I've ever needed... And I want you. I tried to bury it. Tried to leave it behind. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake my love for you - no matter who I was with, no matter where I was. I still want you."

She leans closer, hooded eyes a powerful cocktail of love, of adoration, of want and desire. A storm is brewing in them, and she whispers, a dangerous hiss through clenched teeth. "No one can save you from me. Not this time."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera presses her forehead to hers, and for a long, quiet moment, they each revel in the strength of their words. Ellen isn't... surprised that she feels this way. It's been years since they last spoke, and since Aera passed, she has done a lot of thinking on why their relationship had fallen apart before the end. Maybe she wasn't quite to the level of wanting a full blown romantic relationship, but she had been forced to admit what she felt for Aera was stronger than just that of platonic soul mates. Her biggest fear would have been losing the friendship, but that had happened anyway... So what was there to lose now? But as Aera moves back again, there are tears in her eyes, and it isn't for the same reason as Ellen as she looks... Hurt. The blonde frowns, confused, obediently letting Aera shift them until she is on top. Ellen's confused stare becomes sympathetic as the former singer explains - it had always been love. The day of the incident wasn't a one off and it wasn't a lie... The blonde winces as Aera admits she couldn't stop loving her no matter what, and even with the haze has the clarity to realize that's probably why Aera started avoiding her not long after that day. Ellen rests her hands on Aera's thighs. Her best friend's gaze had gone dark, a dangerous cocktail of emotions swirling through them, but the blonde is neither alarmed nor afraid. She looks calm, if not a bit emotional herself. "That's a strange choice of words. I didn't need saved from you before. We've been over this. And I don't need saved from you now." She shoots back, gentle but firm. "Does it look like I'm trying to get away? No." She squeezes her thighs reassuringly, raising her chin. "It's been a couple years, Aera. Things are different now than they were then. I said I love you. I've never felt like this with anyone. And never since I lost you. I... I needed time."

She swallows, trying to force back the growing lump in her throat. "You know I've -- never been with a woman. Romantically or physically. I -- I want you too, but..." Heat creeps up her neck to her cheeks as she admits it. "I need you to be patient with me. Please, Aera."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Ellen's hands on her thighs sends a jolt through her and she shivers, clenching her teeth to stop herself from making a sound. It stokes a tiny spark across her skin, melting straight across her abdomen. Her touch feels like fire.

"And you're still as ignorant then just as you are now." While there is an undertone of affection in her voice, her tone is firm and sharp. "I'd have used any spell that I could to have you then, and I would have, if they hadn't taken you away. Just like the one that I used to pull you away from the door and back to me." Her mouth forms a dangerous smile. "Or did you forget about that?"

She frowns with the words that follow. Her dead heart clings to them desperately. The water is back. Aerallis doesn't wipe them away, and they fall hotly over the smooth, pale planes of her face. The unfamiliar, small something in her eyes writhes and coils, but it remains unidentifiable. If she were alive, she might have believed those words. And she wanted to. But she doesn't, and her love constricts in her chest like tiny daggers among butterfly wings and warmth.

She presses against the human, forcing her back into the couch. "And I am no longer capable of being patient." Without waiting, she closes the space between them, capturing Ellen's mouth with her own. It's fireworks and electricity, soft but demanding, sugar and spice. It's ravenous and desperate, love and fury. She pours all that she is into the kiss - a broken but wanting heart, hopeless in its search for the affection it craves, when there's so much love to give. So much love, so much yearning, all for one person.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen is still calm even as Aera seems to grow more upset. Even being told that Aera would have used a spell just like the one she used to get her away from the door, doesn't seem to faze her. "No, I haven't. Ilosti told me you two could do things but we needed to talk together, and then we never did." She shoots back, again, ignoring the dangerous smile that has twisted Aera's mouth. Why is she so upset? Ellen's feelings are so strong and so clear, and she's telling her honestly, but all it seems to be doing is making the other more upset and angry. She can feel the cushion behind her head wrinkle underneath Aera's fingers. Ellen raises her hands to cup Aera's cheeks, trying to wipe her tears away. "No, Aera, I'm trying to tell you --" Ellen tries to soothe her, sounding a tad frustrated, as Aera insists that she can't mean what she's saying, but the noirette cuts over and continues and says that she's... Dead. Of course she is. Ellen knows that. She didn't think Aera had suddenly risen from the grave. Until she goes on to state that she had. Ellen frowns, but not in alarm - it's in deep concern and confusion. "Aera...?" She's speaking words that make no sense in combination. What's a ghoul? A mage? Magic? They sound like DND terms rather than real life. This is a fantasy, she knows, but she had never imagined Aera would be any other than human (aside from being an angel, that is).

Ellen is forced back deeper into the couch, trapping any attempt to move, and Aera crashes their lips together. It's a spark to start a wildfire, a jolt of electricity traveling through her veins and grounding straight in her core. Her hands are still on Aera's cheeks, and her hands slide around to entangle in her hair, drawing her closer.

She doesn't meet Aera's fierce or ravenous passion - hers is soft, gentle, slow, kindling to the inferno. She pushes back against being trapped in place, so she can show her she isn't responding because she is being forced to but because she wants to. She tries to force the truth through her lips. Ellen isn't going to change her mind. She loves her, there is no need to be panicked or angry. Everything is going to be okay.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

So her sister had revealed that they could "do things" and had intended to tell her about the supernatural world, she assumes. Except that conversation never happened. The younger mage hadn't filled her in after she'd died, either. Their secrets, their truths, remained hidden. Until today. Ellen had always viewed the world through rose-tinted glasses. Now, she would rip those glasses away, reveal the ugliness that laid ahead - that would follow, forever. She doesn't listen. The blonde doesn't know what she's talking about, doesn't understand. The words rush out, cold and true, and her love's green gaze turns with confusion. Of course, it all sounds crazy. But- But none of that seems to matter with her hands cupping her face. All rational thought leaves her when the blonde's hands slide around, entangling in her raven hair, pulling her closer. She returns the kiss, gentle and slow, to stoke the flames. Its too slow, too soft, and her lips are like honey, too sweet. She remembers, even though she'd tried to forget. She remembers the first time she kissed those lips, how she tasted, how she'd frozen. Ellen wasn't frozen now. The human pushes back against her, returning the kiss, as though she has something to prove. That she's doing it because she wants to rather than because of the potion. A pang runs down her spine as a chill and she shivers, her arms wrapping around Ellen's neck, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. She sighs against the others' lips, seeming to slow, to calm. Aerallis opens her mouth, tracing her company's bottom lip with her tongue as though asking for entry. More. She needs more, more of her taste, her smell, everything - needs it like the air she needs to take in to talk, the air Ellen needs to breathe.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It takes a long moment but her message finally seems to sink in - Aera shivers on top of her and pulls her closer, allowing the blonde free so she isn't being crushed into the cushion. And then she sighs against her lips, and some of that fury that seems to be fueling the force of the kiss fades. Aera calms, some, which to Ellen is a good sign. The blonde relaxes, and focuses instead on the sweet taste of her lips. She had been a little too panicked the very first time they kissed to remember what it was like. Aera is sweet with a hint of spice, a touch of something foreign and unusual which sends small thrills down her spine. Her mouth opens without hesitation at the request - not the demand, thank goodness - for entry. The haze gives her all the confidence and self-assurance she needs when she would ordinarily be reserved and nervous. Ellen leans in deeper into the kiss. It feels so natural and so right, that she hopes it'll help calm Aera further. This is okay. They're okay.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

There's no hesitation, her partner opens her mouth at the request and she takes the opportunity as soon as she can, as if Ellen would disappear at any moment. The human leans into it, the kiss deepening as she tasted her lips, her tongue, the inside of her mouth, exploring every part that she could and burning it into her memory. It's sweeter now, like honey and winter, and she shivers again. They're pressed flushed together, yet it still feels too far apart. Her hands slide from her neck to her shoulders, tracing her sides. The awful edges where she ended and Ellen began. Beneath the layers of clothes was a holy grail that she had to find, with her fingers, with her lips, her tongue. Anything, just to touch it, to touch her in a way she hadn't been before. Yet even as her hands slipped beneath the hem of Ellen's shirt and sweater, digits breezing and feeling heavenly, heated skin, a deep unsettling loneliness takes root. The kiss is sweet and still slow, agonizingly slow, and she tastes - she tastes just unreal. Something out of this world, far beyond her reach. And unbidden, something undesirable rises from her mouth, the taste and action stimulating her in a way it hadn't when she was alive. It triggers a drool response, but for now, she's able to otherwise swallow and ignore it...

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen never really fantasized about her best friend, not in this way, like this, and yet somehow it all feels like this is exactly how it's meant to be. As Aera's tongue explores her mouth, Ellen occasionally finding the bravery to do the same in return, heat slowly begins to flush across her skin and her pulse begins to pick up. The calm she has been radiating mostly for Aera's benefit shifts, drawing more heat, slowly becoming more passionate, and she unconsciously arches into the ghosting fingers. Aera's touch is blessedly cool from the warmth building just under her skin, a cool breeze in the tantalizing heat. What thoughts can make their way through the haze war with each other - she knows why and how Aera is still so cold even as she thinks it, because it has already been explained, but pondering over all that requires a time and place that is not here and not now. One hand of her own untangles from the hair at the base of the scalp they lodged themselves in, trailing down Aera's body. Nothing is off limits to her wandering palm, tracing all the planes of her figure, marvelling that she can when she lost the opportunity forever lost to touch her best friend again. Until her hand settles near her waist, sliding along the fabric covering her lower back, and her arm can wrap around her, dragging her closer. All to communicate that this isn't a trick and Ellen really does want her. It isn't a passing fancy or a one trick pony that will disappear when the haze does. It's not like that, or so she tells herself...

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Her body arches into the ghoul's wandering hands, heat pulsing beneath her fingertips, and the ability for conscious thought bleeds out of her figure. Emboldened by the silent encouragement, her hands slide up further, tracing circles across her chest - across her collarbone, shaping everything that she can. Warm, soft, enticing - her Holy Grail, at last. One of Ellen's hands unwinds from her hair, embarking on an adventure of her own. Her hand leaves nothing off limits, and her breath hitches through their kiss. Small shocks tear through her, igniting embers and sparking lightning, sending bolts through her frame, until finally Ellen's arm wraps around her and she feels herself dragged closer. Closer, as if doing so will bypass the divide of their bodies and allow them to finally, truly, be one. Aerallis shudders. She's a killer, cold and wrathful. A hunter that a cop like Ellen would be praised for locking up. If it meant capturing and keeping the blonde's attention... She would murder half the town, leaving love notes on their headstones. She would fill the graveyards until Ellen was utterly and completely hers. She can feel the quickening of her pulse and smell her softness. The ghoul presses back against her, carnivorous and lusting to capture her against the couch. Aera moans into the kiss, body trembling as it continues, her senses and all that she is filled with the object of her affections. She has to swallow to keep saliva from rising to uncomfortable levels, deepening the kiss further. No... She would never hurt Ellen.

But she would grind against her bones until their marrows mixed. Would eat her slowly, honey sweet and all encompassing, filling, a part of her forever. The sheer intensity of her desire for such a thing shakes her to her core. The taste, the smell, the touch... If it continues, she'll- Aerallis startles, interrupting the kiss with a gasp. And as if responding to her desire, drool begins to dribbles in excess. She has to cover her mouth and tilt her chin up, swallowing. No. No no, stop. She can't think that way. Ellen isn't- she's not- she can't-

She doesn't breathe, swallowing the feeling along with the excess saliva. The haze has settled, but her body, it seemed, was trying to remind her. She was hungry. Only when she licks her lips does she take in a breath, her hand sliding up the middle of the blonde's chest and stopping at her throat - where she can feel her pulse, her heartbeat even stronger. It's a rhythmic, intoxicating dance.

"Ellen..." It's slow and soft, like their kiss had been. A gentle smile adorns her lips. "I love you... I love you, so much. I never thought that I'd see you again... Don't... Go away, okay?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera responding to her wandering hand is everything she could have dreamed it to be... which, this is, a fantasy unfolding and becoming reality in the same moment, one after the other. Aera's hands are still moving across her own body and she can feel the other woman's hands warming from the heat of Ellen's body. Her pulse thuds through her veins, desire licking at her core and following Aera's fingers. The kiss deepens, and for a moment Ellen has to remember how to breathe through her nose. Sparks glow behind her closed eyes, and she can feel Aera swallowing against her lips -- Ellen tenses, startled, and her eyes fly open as Aera suddenly pulls back with a gasp, covering her mouth. She blinks a few times, panting, struggling to regain her focus and relearn how to breathe, and frowning at Aera. Wait, what happened? Is she okay? Her arm is still snugly around her waist and she squeezes, but otherwise stays silent and waits. Aera's hand comes up to rest on her throat. She's happy she can't see herself, because she's sure she looks quite a sight - her cheeks flushed a deep red, her lips rosy and slightly swollen, eyes hooded and dilated, and her hair all mussed from Aera's hands. She's also trembling, just slightly - from nerves or adrenaline or what. It's so minor Ellen doesn't even notice it's happening. Aera doesn't explain what happened... only smiles at her gently, which Ellen immediately returns, relieved that she looks calm and the crying has long since stopped.

"I love you too." She takes her other hand from Aera's hair, instead resting her hand on top of the one at her throat and interlacing their fingers together. "I was trying to tell you... I won't go anywhere. I promise. I'm yours, Aera. You're my everything. I just needed some time to realize that."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The squeeze around her waist feels grounding, keeping her there in the moment. The results of her touch, her kiss are everything she'd dreamed they would be; her love was trembling, skin flushed, kiss swollen lips rosy and dilated eyes hooded, sending yet another shiver down her spine when she looks at her. And every part of her feels as though it's on fire from where she's touching the other. Aera is sure that she's in a similar state, minus the flushed skin - and indeed she is. She didn't have to catch her breath like her partner does. She says it again, those magical words. Butterflies flutter within her chest again. Ellen places one hand over hers as it rests against her throat, entwining her fingers. Somehow, it's a perfect fit, like it was always meant to be there. Ellen promises that she won't go anywhere, she's hers and just needed time to see it. Aerallis hangs on them and they're everything she'd ever wanted to hear. She smiles brighter, but it doesn't reach her eyes. The only thing that waits in the recesses of her gaze are an hallow sadness and something cold, something lonely. She said that she wouldn't disappear... Yet the ghoul looks at her as though she expects her to at any moment.

"Mine..." She echoes, as if it were the only thing that mattered. The hand on her throat squeezes both Ellen's hand and either side of her neck, emphasizing. Testing. It was fleeting. Wasn't real. She didn't care.

She stirs, her body humming with the thought. "Mine," She repeats again, gaze unfocused. Yes, exactly. That's exactly what she needed to do. "Yes... I need to make you mine. Need to mark you. Claim you. And you should do the same." Then she pauses, considering something that the human can't see. "You'll stay with me? Forever?" She asks, leaning in. "What if that means not being human anymore? Could you live with that?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It doesn't matter that it has been years since they last saw each other. Doesn't matter that something about Aera is different, whether or not whatever fantastical stuff she said turns out to have some sort of truth to it. They are soulmates, in a way, bound together. It's likely caused by the haze, but she feels hyper-sensitive to every movement, every noise, every shift in expression on her love's face. So she notices. Ellen's smile fades a tick as her words, at first, seem to be understood... and then it's like that same shift from earlier happens again. The returning smile doesn't touch Aera's eyes, and the light and warmth in those dark eyes seem to suddenly... fade. The blonde tilts her head, her own gaze reflecting confusion. She doesn't understand these mood swings. Why does this keep happening? How does she keep upsetting her? More importantly... why does it seem like Aera doesn't believe her when she says I love you? Aera squeezes her hand interlacing with hers, but by virtue of where it is it also puts pressure against her throat. Ellen doesn't register any alarm about this, seeing as she can still breathe unimpeded.

"Yes." She responds to the first murmur of 'mine', encouraging even in the confusion, wanting that happiness that was there a second ago to come back. It hurt to see Aera get upset and to not understand why. But Aera doesn't seem to hear her, muttering the word again, unfocused. It sounds like she's partially talking to herself...

Ellen stays quiet. She doesn't know if she should assume the marking and claiming Aera is talking about is your standard fare, love bite sort of stuff. She doesn't get a chance to ask. Aera suddenly snaps back into focus, leaning in. The blonde opens her mouth to reaffirm the first two questions, but before she can, Aera continues with... more than doesn't make any sense. Not being human anymore? What does that even mean? "I don't... understand." She finally says, after a beat, sounding both confused and a little upset. Upset that Aera was upset and that none of this made any sense when they were supposed to be happy and reveling in each other's company. "Why are you asking me that?" What else other than Human was there?

"If you're asking me to die for you... you already know the answer. I would have. But you're already dead, Aera. There's no point in it being us both." Yes, the idea of the tragic, star-crossed lovers made sense in a story - Romeo & Juliet was her favorite Shakespeare play for a reason - but the thought of this dream asking her to make that leap has sent her heart into her throat. Which Aera can likely feel in her pulse.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"Yes." Ellen encourages. Aerallis didn't seem to hear her, to focuses on something else. But she seems to still when she catches sight of her loves' confusion. Ellen, her Ellen, is confused. She doesn't understand what it is that the Italian is asking. But that's okay. They have time. She can make her love understand.

"I told you," She says, as though it's obvious. "I'm not human. I never was. But what I am now... As long as I stay fed, as long as my head remains in tact, I will live forever. A human can't live that long, my love." Turning her into a Ghoul like her made the most sense. But it wasn't the only option. As a human, Ellen had choices. "I'm asking... If you would consider immortality to stay with me. For as long as possible."

Because... If she wouldn't... Three ghoul wanted to save herself the heartache now, sooner rather than later. "You don't have to decide now. But it's something that I want you to think about. I want to be with you forever, Ellen Bailey... But depending on what you choose, you may have to give up on things that you want. Like children of your own."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Her explanation doesn't do much to help make sense of the question. 'What I am now', she says. "You mean the Ghoul thing?" Aera is claiming that she can live forever... but how can she live forever if she's already dead? She still doesn't understand that part. Aside from that, the question is more about whether or not she would choose to... live forever, with Aera. Which the answer was of course yes. The problem is, it's impossible and Aera is dead. Ellen frowns as she continues, the gears clearly turning... and then she freezes when Aera mentions, so casually, it might also mean no children of her own. Until this very moment, that entire dream - the marriage, the house, the baby (or babies) - had been entirely forgotten. It hadn't mattered because nothing outside of being here and being with Aera mattered. Yet that casual mention was enough to send the intention for that life crashing against the haze. It doesn't break through, because the love potion is stronger than that, but it reminds her why she had never entertained any thoughts of Aera as more than a friend to begin with. Why she didn't think she could ever be with a woman at all. Suddenly, the answer she had been so ready to give - that yes of course, she didn't understand but she was willing to give up humanity and accept immortality (however one did that?) if it meant staying with Aera - wasn't so black and white. Her attention is pulled back to Aera by the hand on her cheek, and she refocuses, nuzzling into the hand as the thumb strokes her cheek. Once again Aera leans in until their lips are close enough that Ellen would swear her lips tingle like static electricity is jumping between them.

"... Of course. I will. I guess. I still don't get it, but... I will. If that's what you want." Anything if it would make it so Aera stops getting so upset.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"Yes," She confirms, easily. Perhaps too easily. "I am a Ghoul." And she waits. The silence that settles between them, while comfortable, is deafening. She knows what the possible consequences are for what she's asking, but Ellen doesn't. Aera can only hope that the mention of children is enough to drive home the severity, the importance, of what it is that she's asking. And it seems to. Ellen freezes. The gears are turning. She has options, the ghoul thinks again. She could be something else. Anything else, capable of bearing kids... But they would never be Aera's. The one reason why Ellen never would have entertained a relationship to begin with, until she knew about the potion. The other refocuses on her, nuzzling into her palm. It takes a moment, but she says 'of course'. Like it's obvious. Aerallis frowns. "It's not about what I want. You have options that we can go over later. It's a big decision, one that deserves more time than a few minutes. I don't want you to chose and regret it later." She rocks forward, resting her forehead against her love's. Her hand releases the human's throat, and she brings their joined hands to her face, kissing the back of Ellen's palm. Lowering their hands, she presses a kiss to her lips, slow and tender at first.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera is so confident that she is a... Ghoul. Whatever that is. It invokes visions of zombies and undead things in her head when she thinks the word, or Vincent Price muttering about goblins and ghouls on a Michael Jackson song. Ellen is quiet as Aera insists that she needs to think carefully. It's a serious, heavy decision. "I understand." She murmurs, as Aera presses their foreheads together. She doesn't, really, but she does understand how important is is to Aera that she take this seriously. If it'll keep her from getting upset over and over... "I said I'll think about it. I promise." Aera finally releases her throat. Her lips press against the back of Ellen's hand and Ellen smiles softly. The soft kiss when Aera moves in is much more Ellen's speed, and she melts into it. Slow and tender and tantalizingly sweet. She leans into it, squeezing her hand and her arm around her waist to bring Aera back against her.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She'd think about it. Good. That was as good as it would get, for now... When their lips meet, the blond melts into it eagerly. Aerallis returns the hand-squeeze, letting out a gentle sound of surprise as Ellen pulls her back against her. She arches into the human, the hand cupping her face slipping down to her neck and back, tangling in golden hair. Her passion builds, kisses becoming more urgent, becoming harder. Her mouth opens once more, tongue sliding against the other's lower lip again for entry - more urgent this time, needing more of the thrill, the taste, to be consumed. The moment she's able, she adds her tongue to the mix. It's the lazy exploration of practiced lovers rekindling their flame, slow and sweet, then urgent and ardent.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen grins against Aera's lips, hearing the surprise and feeling her arch against her. The blonde hums in the back of her throat. But she doesn't get the slow and sweet for very long - the heat is already building between them again and Aera requests entry again. Ellen opens her mouth, obedient, and Aera is immediately exploring again. Still, again, Ellen is moving at a slower, more cautious pace than the heat and passion Aera is pouring into her, feeding her energy, slowly stoking the flames of desires licking at her insides. Aera might not be willing to give her the patience, then Ellen will go along, but she's going to do it at her own pace. Stubbornly so. The love potion gives her the confidence, not the experience.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Carefully, she fists the woman's hair and gives a tentative tug, listening for any sounds of protest. If the human makes a disapproving sound, she decreases the pressure and tries again. And if that doesn't work, she'll simply use her hand to reach the result that she wants. Should there not be any, she would pull a tad harder to force Ellen's head to tilt back, giving her access to her neck.

Her lips trail feathery kisses from her beloved's mouth to the corner of her lips, then to her jawline and down the length of her throat with the ghosting threat of her teeth. Then she ventures back up along the other side of the blonde's neck, pausing to nuzzle into the crook of her neck... As she opens her mouth, she blows cool air against the others' skin, and closes her mouth around the patch that she'd chosen. She's careful not to break skin, but uses enough pressure and suction to leave a mark.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen might have protested at her hair being tugged on; but the haze is too strong and she is too compliant to protest. She only grunts as her head is angled so Aera has full access to her neck, and the lips leave hers to travel down her jaw to her neck. The motion is reminiscent of the same one Aera used on her the day of the incident... Only this time Ellen isn't trying to force her best friend away. Heat spreads across her skin where her lips touch, and Ellen shivers, gasping, goosebumps rising when cool air is blown across her skin. Aera apparently remembers how she reacted then, judging by her actions. Ellen arches against her with a low, groaned hiss at the bite. A jolt of pleasure stirs the desire already burning inside her, and the hiss becomes a whimper as teeth tug at her ear before those teasing lips find their way back to her mouth. When their lips meet again Ellen is much more needy, more passionate, swallowing the sound Aera makes with her own tongue, exploring the other's mouth in turn. The arm around her waist fidget with the hemline of her shirt, slipping underneath to press her palm flat against bare skin, and tracing upwards with lazy, ghosting fingers.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Things might have turned out differently for the two of them if she'd reacted then as she did now. Aerallis had never forgotten that day when she lost all hope, her memory clinging eagerly to what she'd done and how Ellen responded. She can feel the goosebumps with the tip of her tongue, her gasp earning a shiver and a soft sigh. Her response to being bitten is everything she'd wanted and more, the hiss becoming a whimper that pools red-hot need through her core. Aerallis moans into the kiss, met with a sense of urgency that the blonde hadn't had before. As though emboldened again, the arm around her waist slips beneath her top. She shivers from the heat of her palm, a wave of goosebumps left in the wake of ghosting fingers. The ghoul lets her, arching against her touch to encourage more of the handsy exploration as she meets her passion and urgency. Aera's skin is warmed now by the steady contact with the human, cheeks tingeing a slight pink from the persistent heat. It's wonderful and welcoming, and she leans into it, fingers untangling from golden locks. Her hand slides back to Ellen's shoulder and slips down, palm floating beneath the human's arm, fingers curled at her elbows. A guide of sorts. Her torso is littered with scars, but all of them are old and soft, unable to detect with touch alone.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen drinks in Aera's moans with her lips, her tongue. As the goosebumps raise under her fingers she is pleasantly surprised to notice that much of the chill has finally faded from Aera's skin, warmed by the contact between them. There is a hand at her elbow and her love arches into her touch, and emboldened Ellen moves her other hand to also trace along the bare skin underneath her top. Her hands are trembling but again she is too busy focused on the passion of the kiss, greedy and desperate as need burns away the bundle of nerves in her belly. Ellen's hands trace a slow route upwards if left to their own volition, slow and soft as they coast up across her back, her abdomen, towards her breasts, although they will also go wherever the hand on her elbow guides them.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Sensing the trembling, her fingers gently press against Ellen's skin, thumb stroking the long of her arm as if to sooth her. After a moment, they resume floating, ready to guide as needed - a set of training wheels for the experience, if needed. She doesn't stop the woman's hands as they trace upwards, coasting across her back. Aerallis shivers when she feels fingertips breeze across the small of her back and the height of her shoulders, just under her hair. Another moan, low and soft, hums against her mouth as those fingers travel over her torso, towards her breasts. The pads of her digits find the woman's elbow, pressing but not guiding, as they find their destination - as if to say, 'there'. They don't move, prickling with anticipation to see what she'll do. With her other hand free, Aerallis rests it on Ellen's thigh, drawing small circles across and down but no further. Her kiss becomes more urgent still, adding pressure to match the greedy, desperate passion of her partner and drinking it in. Feeling her start to come alive like this, because of her, is exciting, and she urges for more.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera's hands are a grounding presence to her nerves that she doesn't even know she has, soothing and gentle. The moan hummed against her lips draws a sigh from Ellen, content and wanting in the same breath. Her hands stop wandering as her fingers skirt along the soft curve of Aera's breasts. The pressure on her elbow tells her to stop there, the destination. Ellen slides her palm over the soft, smooth mounds, kneading gently, testing. It's a strange concept to be so familiar with a woman's body, being a woman, but having never touched someone else this way. The kiss is deepened, her passion being met with some urgency, the other's fingers coasting along her thigh. Ellen's hands become more deliberate, squeezing and teasing as she fondles her, a small moan making its way from her throat. And the pads of her fingers ghost over her nipples, once, before returning and rolling them, feather light and gentle, between her fingers.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Her breath hitches, not from the warmth or at the knowledge that she's being touched, but from who is doing it. Gentle kneads bring forth a softer pitched short hum of approval. Ellen doing this, being this close, nervous yet wanting, had never seemed like it could be a reality. It had only happened through a spoken wish indulged with eyes like amber, and in dreams. Both merely an echo of what would never be, yet now, was. Her urgency is meet with equal passion and she melts into it. Fire sparks beneath the human's fingers as they squeeze and slide and fondle, feeding the coiling flame in her belly. The ghoul arches into her touch once more as the pads of alien digits ghost over already pebbled peaks. She shakes when they return, rolling not only them but the hums that crest and break into light moans trapped against her partners' lips. Her nails scrape and dig into the woman's thigh, a silent encouragement.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera's reactions are delicious against her lips and tongue and only serve as kindling to feed the fire coiling through her veins. The way she shakes on top of her, the noises that escape from her lips... Ellen bucks her hips upward in a grinding arch as nails dig into her thigh, a soft and gentle moan pulled from her own throat. She is dizzy from the passion and heat and Aera encourages it, stokes it. Driven by her love's responses, Ellen's hand lose their gentle, tentative exploration and become more deliberate. Desire sends little shivers of pleasure arcing across her skin. And she directs that into the movement of her fingers. She used to love hearing her sing. Making her sing is a totally different matter...

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She expects the deliberate direction of her love's hand, but what she doesn't expect is... "Mmn!" The buck of her hips in a grinding arch, earning a surprised moan that cuts off into a hiss, feeding the hungry need. Aerallis teeth weigh heavy upon her bottom lip, biting gently and pulling it back slightly before she releases, letting it smack back in place. Both of her hands withdraw from their places, nails trailing up the blonde's sides, hiking up her shirt in the process. She's already trembling and they're both still clothed... The whisper of her name rolls off Aera's tongue between kisses. She presses Ellen back into the couch and trails off again, lips breezing over the skin of her neck, leaving small love bites on the way to the base of her throat. She shouldn't be the only one making noises. Nails travel downward, digging harder into her thigh, wondering if the human's response will be the same. She nuzzles into the crook of her neck again, and the sounds she makes are right against the others' ear, moaning and humming softly. Her mouth opens, wrapping about the skin between her neck and shoulder, clamping upon a muscle and applying a little more pressure than before - still careful not to break the skin.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen isn't normally the type to be into marking with teeth. She just doesn't get that physical with lovers. But it's somehow different, with Aera. It was the same before, too. The gentle tug on her lower lip causes another light moan. The deep kiss is finally broken; Ellen takes a second to breathe, panting, her face flushed a deep rosy red from the heat of their passion. She arches into hands that push underneath her own shirt. The assertion of needing to take it slow, to be patient, is being burned away. Warm pleasure washes over her at the sound of her name from her love's lips, followed by the feel of teeth at her throat. Ellen's moan is louder now, not muffled by the kiss, but just as soft. The response is the same; the blonde arches up again at the sharper bite of nails into her thigh, and her hands slip away from Aera's chest to coast back down her sides and rest on her hips, as an anchor. She's doing her best not to squirm, biting her lower lip at the sounds so close to her ear - but that goes out the window as Aera finds a new spot on her neck to leave a mark. "Ahh-!" Ellen moans a soft cry. She twists underneath her as best she can, being pressed into the couch, rocking her hips upwards while dragging Aera's hips down to meet hers. "Aera..."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

A deep need surges through her at the sound, expanding like a forest fire as Ellen arches up again. Her hands slip away, anchoring on Aera's hips - though who they're an anchor for, the ghoul isn't sure. She leans heavily against her partner, her grip easing with the utter of her name for a fleeting moment, slanting them both slowly sideways and towards the cushions. Then her teeth are back on the same spot, darkening her mark for a few moments longer, until she's satisfied, knowing that it will stay - at least for a little while. As she releases her neck, one of her hands presses flat against the couch to steady herself above the other until Ellen's back is flat against the cushions and she's able to shift, stretching out on top of her. Feathery kisses ghost downwards rather than up, against her throat where she can feel Ellen's heart beating, and down to her collarbone. Her free hand slips fully under the blonde's shirt, gingerly skirting the edges of her breasts, her bra. One of her legs positions itself between her love's, pulling up to press the cap of her knee against her center.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera presses closer and easily shifts them so she is no longer imprisoned by the couch cushions and they are stretched out on the couch. Ellen pants, whining softly in the back of her throat, pressing up against her. Heats courses across her skin and it feels as though Aera's body is stealing it from her in turn and reflecting it back. The slow pace has shifted and become nearly agonizing in its sweetness. Ellen's lips press together, determined. She wriggles as one hand slips under her shirt again, encouraging her to take it off rather than just tease underneath it; and her hands, squeezing Aera's hips before releasing, grab the hem of her love's top and tugs it up, intending to take it up and over, if Aera lets her.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Encouraging hands slip beneath her top and squeeze her hips, then move to clutch the hem and tugs it up as though intending to take it off. It's all a motion that registers through the haze, but barely; she doesn't lift her arms to allow her love to remove it, and instead uses her anchoring hand to pull it back down.

"Turn the lights off first." Her voice wavers between worry and desire, wanting to be skin on skin without being seen. Instead, the worry seems to come out as some kind of shyness - one thing she's never been, especially with Ellen. As if to distract her, her knee rubs against the hearth of her heat. Her hand coasts over the left soft mound of flesh, fingers tracing the skin beneath the edge of her bra.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Her arms barely lift before there is a hand stopping her, forcing them back down. With an effort Ellen manages to refocus her gaze, a small frown curving her pressed lips. Aera sounds shy, of all things, and suddenly says the lights need to be off. Why?? That seems incredibly unfair. She wants to be able to see her. Also, how the hell is she supposed to turn off the lights when she's pinned on the couch? Ellen doesn't move her hands, her expression bewildered, and looks for a moment like she isn't going to take no for an answer -- but Aera moves her knee and she lets out a strangled noise as a wave of pleasure rolls through her core. She squirms underneath the fingers coasting along her bra and once the blonde remembers how to breathe, she scoffs. "Fine." She grumbles, and switches Aera's hemline for her own. Intending to curl forward enough to be able to tug her pullover over and off. "Can I at least take mine off?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

For a moment, it doesn't seem like she'll take no for an answer. But the motion distracts her. Aera's body practically hums from the noise, continuing it. Ellen squirms and it's white and stars and hot, everything is so hot- A shudder runs down her spine. Then she grumbles, and she feels the human's hand switch from her top to her own. The Italian releases her hand. Aerallis pushes herself up, straddling her partner as she curls up. Eager hands help her remove the first layer of clothing, dropping it on the floor. Her eyes wander over the exposed skin and she has bite her lip to stop herself from whimpering, drinking in the sight of her. Her flushed skin, the color and material of her bra, the curves of her body from her shoulders to her waist... The ghoul swallows thickly, leaning forward again to kiss her, arms wrapping around her waist. Her fingers find the back of the others' bra, at the straps holding the two sides together, and pinch to release the clips. "Can I take this, too?" For her, it's a familiar motion, one she's done a hundred times. Trembling fingers follow the curve of her arms up to the straps of her bra, thumbs hooking under them and slowly aiming to pull them down.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

There doesn't seem to be any objection to removing her own clothes. Thank God for that, because her pullover was thick and her skin was flushed hot enough to be uncomfortable and her heat was being drawn from her to Aera and being reflected back. She is allowed to sit up enough to pull her top up and over her head. Aera's lustful stare roams over her. It's just as hot as if it were her actual hands, and goosebumps shiver across her arms. Ellen smirks and tosses her top off to the side, and she melts back into her love's embrace. Her kiss is sweet, and the cooler air of the room is a relief against her flushed skin. She hums an affirmative to the question - and giggles as Aera is able to unhook her bra in about a second flat. So fast! A lot of men can't say the same. Her straps are slid off agonizingly slow, and Ellen forces herself not to tear it off and toss it away on her own. Just tries to catch her breath and let Aera have her moment.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Slowly, the straps lower as she pulls them down, letting her hands slide down her beloved's arms until finally - with Ellen's permission - she removes it and tosses it on the floor with the pullover. Her hands immediately coast over her partner's belly, moving upward and spreading, shaping the precious mounds. They curve over and squeeze, grope and fondle, testing to see what her love likes and doesn't like, before her fingers lightly pinch the peaks, rolling them between her digits and gently pulling to add friction. Aerallis sinks into the sweet kiss. It's warm. They're both warm, the leather beneath them is warm - everything is warm and she's sanguine.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera's hands waste no time in beginning their exploration the moment the bra is tossed aside. Ellen shudders at the motions, alien and familiar in the same breath. The moans puff out against Aera's lips as she fondles and pinches. It's so many sensations to take in at once that she can't hardly make sense of where she ends and her love begins. She basks in the attention, squirming at the ache slowly forming between her thighs, but her own hands return to wandering for a lack of anything better to do with them. She just wishes they could shed the rest of these pesky clothes and be tangled together as one. "I love you." Ellen murmurs, sliding one hand back into her love's hair, and moving her lips to press kisses to her cheek and her jaw back towards her ear.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Wandering hands return to her form, soothing and touching, leaving goosebumps in their wake. The heat radiating from her is pleasant, enticing. Almost as enticing as the sounds against her lips. "I love you." Aerallis whispers, closing her eyes to kisses on her cheek. They move to her jawline, towards her ear. She shivers, increasing the pressure between her fingers as they roll over stiffened peaks. Aera pushes back, laying Ellen back against the couch. Her knee returns to her hearth, rubbing against it. She has half a mind to rip off the rest of the layers and take her, to make her squirm against her mouth, her fingers, to be so close together that they might melt into one another. But this is their first, and she wants to take her time...Wants to see how much her love can take before she begs, before she explodes.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen's lips continue to press kisses even as she's pushed back down to the couch. Shivers crawl up and down her spine on a steady rate of pace now. She can't stop the soft moans that pour from her lips now at the pleasure her love is stirring inside her. She works her way down from her jaw to her neck. She doesn't notice - hasn't noticed so far, or perhaps simply chooses not to - that unlike her own throat, there is no pulse in the carotid artery where it should be, no heartbeat. Doesn't matter. Her own heart is pounding hard enough for the both of them. Ellen's tongue slips from between her lips to taste a small patch of skin, then settles her mouth over it, grazing gently with her teeth, sucking in.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

It's increasingly difficult to focus on the tasks at hand when her warm mouth breezes from her jawline to her neck. The lips against her throat earn a harder, longer rub with her knee but she doesn't stop. Every nerve in her body is alert, awake and hyper-focused on just where it is that Ellen has ventured. The pooling need is streaming into a river. Her tongue slides across a patch of skin and Aerallis nearly freezes, biting her tongue to stop herself from making any sound. To not be obvious. When she thinks that maybe it'll pass, that she wouldn't possibly use her mouth in that way, she feels the parting of her lips and the hot breath over her skin and everything goes still. The moment her teeth graze over the ghoul's skin, her entire body shudders before she can stop it. A higher-pitched moan leaves her. Both of her hands go to either side of Ellen, to keep herself propped up slightly as she lays against the blonde. She's done it, she's found it. Her spot. The spot. With the very thing that could bring about her undoing in one snap of the jaws: Her teeth. Fuck.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She felt Aera freeze on top, and even though the knee between her legs almost made her lose her train of thought and forget what she was doing, Ellen was able to keep to the course. The noise from Aera's lips - the closest thing to a cry she's come so far - almost makes Ellen jump too. She wasn't expecting that and she lets go for a second, worried that she had somehow managed to hurt her in some way or had done something wrong as Aera has to hold herself up on her hands. Ellen pulls back some, just to catch a glimpse of her love's expression - but the look on her face clearly isn't one of pain and all the pieces click into place. Oh. Oh. Immediately she returns her mouth to Aera's neck, curious, as if to test whether or not she was right, drawing in another patch of skin between her teeth and instead of grazing actually applying just a touch of pressure.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

When Ellen pulls back to look at her, the ghoul's brown gaze is unfocused and hooded, but hungry, flooded with desire and adoration. Her skin is flushed thanks to the heat from her partner. She's biting her lip as she pants and the hair on the back of her neck is standing at full attention, arms covered in goosebumps. Every nerve has been lit on fire. She knows that she's doomed the moment takes the sight of her in. The blonde immediately dives back in. Aerallis lets out a strangled 'mmnf' of protests, trying to close off access to her neck by pinning it against her shoulder, but it's too late. She's already there, sucking another patch of skin into her mouth, between her teeth. The Italian's skin tingles with anticipation. Instead of grazing, she applies pressure, sending an electrifying, all encompassing wave of pleasure through her body - and all thought of taking her time, savoring it and making her squirm, go completely out of the window. The muffled cry against Ellen's shoulder is immediate. Aera arches down against her, shivering. The cry turns into a dark, throaty hum and her knee makes another long, rubbing.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It was only a glimpse, but a glimpse was enough. Ellen would not be dissuaded until she knew for sure; it was a pitiful attempt to keep her away anyway, like Aera didn't really want to. Sure enough, it draws the same reaction, more intense even as Ellen increases the pressure of her jaw. Unknowingly and without intending to she has stumbled across a tool to drive her lover absolutely wild, and suddenly the comments from earlier about marking make sense. Ellen releases the patch between her teeth as her love grinds down into her, her knee drawing a sharp inhale as another burning wave of pleasure washes over her. She smirks as she places a gentle kiss where she bit her; she can't help it. It's her spot, her ace up the sleeve, and she's about as pleased as a cat with cream to have stumbled across it so early on. "Aera~" The blonde nuzzles into the crook of her neck, cooing her name. Her hands have returned to the hem of her shirt and Ellen pushes up again, testing if she is less shy now. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier~?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

When the pressure increases, Aera shudders and squirms, her moans louder. She pants, fingers digging into the leather. It's a spot, a trigger, and she was a loaded gun. Ellen had pulled it, the trigger, firing off a shot that shattered the already frayed ends of her restraint. Her love releases her and another shudder engulfs her whole body, skin and nerves singing from the bite still. Damn. It hadn't taken that long for her to find it at all. She's so pleased with herself. Now that she's armed with the knowledge, there's very little that the Italian could ever do against the tactic if she wanted to take her time when her partner didn't. If there was a next time. Ellen's hands are back at the hem of her top, nuzzling into the crook of her neck and cooing her name. Many times had that been requested by her lovers in the past. Every time, it had been denied. She'd done well to never let any of her partners undress her. Never. The most skin she'd ever shown around other people was through her bathing suit. She'd never let anyone see... But this was Ellen, the light of her life, her soul mate. With the pleasure still humming through her and the thick haze that accompanies it, she thinks that maybe... Just maybe, it would be okay. There's a slight growl in her throat as she pushes herself up, taking Ellen's hands and placing them on the rim of her bottoms as she straddles the human's waist. Her eyes were hooded and dark with desire. Keeping eye contact, the Italian slowly pulled her shirt up and over her head, tossing it aside without a care. If the blonde's gaze left her own and let them wander, she would see dozens of scars caused from sharp lashings - as if from a whip or flog. Along her side was a longer, deeper scar... The kind created after being slashed with a blade. They ranged in size and width, but they decorated her torso, some of which vanished under a black and red lace bra.

But she doesn't stay upright long, and lays back atop her partner, moving Ellen's hands to her back towards her bra.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It works! Ellen hums with a sort of excited contentment as Aera sits back up with a growl and guides her hands to her bottoms. Aera never breaks eye contact with her as she lift the hem of her shirt. "Nngh." Fuck, if that isn't sexy. Of course she immediately drops her gaze to explore at will the moment the top is tossed aside. Aera has never been in any state of undress Ellen has ever seen, so this is new territory that she hasn't seen even as just a best friend. Guaranteed if this situation occurred under any other circumstances the sight of the scars would have brought any activity to a complete halt - especially the one that appears to be a blade slash. Ellen would have gasped in shock at the sheer and painful number of them and worried over her best friend, all other thoughts lost. As it were, Ellen gave a quiet gasp and stared at them, not in horror, but as if she was entranced by them. The information that there were scars entered and then immediately exited her brain courtesy of the love potion-induced haze. She isn't given long to marvel over the sheer beauty of Aera's body, because soon they are pressed skin to skin and Ellen's hands are guided to the bra clasps. The blonde hesitates a moment. She... doesn't know if she can undo it as quickly or as smoothly as Aera had done with hers. But her fingers move of their own accord and just like that, the clasp is undone. Ellen giggles, drawing her fingers back across the planes of her shoulders to her straps, and slowly sliding them down.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She feels and hears the click of the clasps coming undone. As Ellen pulls them slowly downward, the ghoul shrugs them down further, hooded eyes fixated on her best friend and soon to be lover. The haze gives her courage and smothers what fear had previously peaked through like an unwelcome guest. She doesn't feel vulnerable or hideous, or even uncomfortable in her own skin with her torso exposed. And it's... New. Powerful, uplifting, primal and sensual. She embraces it. Once she's free of her bra, Aerallis rocks her hips forward to push her love right back where she wants her, hooded eyes watching with avid interest. Her hands clutch the rim of Ellen's pants, where she would pinch them together to release any button or clip. She waits to see if her partner fights it or protests, but if she doesn't, Aera lifts herself and slides her hands to the sides of her pants, tugging them down sharply. It would only take two solid tugs til she had them free, leaving Ellen in only her panties. She would eye them for a moment, running her hands up along her love's bare legs and thighs before her thumb hooks under the rim of them. The coil of desire tightened painfully in her belly. She ached with need. Her gaze returns to the blonde's face as she licks her lips - slow and elaborate - while pulling the fabric back and letting it smack back in place. They were in the way, were of the devil and she wanted them gone. Preferably for good.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen locks eyes with Aera as she pulls down the bra and tosses it aside to join the rest. Her hazel green eyes are equally as hooded, filled with desire, but she's also just... happy. Happy to see her. Happy to be doing this. Mischievously happy over her discoveries. There's love in her eyes. Pure love. She bites back a moan as Aera, now also nude from the waist up, rocks her hips forward. At this point, while there may be jumbled nerves somewhere in the distant haze, she is long past that point; Ellen lifts up her hips and wriggles to assist in taking her slacks off. Fuck pants, get them off. There is a brief thought that flits across the haze that she wishes she had been wearing something more appropriate than plain black panties for this, but it wasn't as if she set out for the day to end up here. Need coils in her belly as fingers trail up her thigh, hook into the band, and snap the elastic. Ellen's lips twitch into a wicked smirk again as her love's eyes return to her. She reaches to slide her hands along the rim of Aera's bottoms in turn, tugging on it with a snap. She tilts her just a tick to the side. You too, you first, her smirk says.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

In retrospect, her human takes the rim of her bottoms and tugs on them with a snap. Aerallis smiles at her, warm and gentle but impish. She takes the hint, and arches, lifting her hips to slide off her bottoms and her panties, discarding them on the floor. There are scars on her legs too, but they're not as numerous or as large as the others. She crawls back to Ellen, sliding her hands over her legs and thighs again. Pushing her dark and light hair to the side, Aerallis momentarily settles between her legs, pressing kisses up along and inside her thigh. Her gaze flicks up as her lips press against the top of her covered mound, and then move to the rim just above it. She takes the middle rim of the undergarment in her teeth and drags it down, drinking in her scent. Her hands assist at the back as needed while she moves back, pulling them free of her legs and dropping them, too, on the floor. "Ellen," Aerallis purrs, grabbing her ankles and pulling Ellen towards her. She wants to ask. Wants to set a goal, to make it as best as she can, for as long as she can. "In a twenty four hour period... What's the highest number of climaxes you've had?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The impish smile that meets hers causes Ellen to giggle again. Aera wastes no time in removing not only her bottoms but her panties, too, leaving her totally naked. Her heart does little flips in her chest - it's obvious that even with how flushed she was, a rosy blush blooms on her cheeks just looking at her. Gorgeous... like a goddess... Her love settles back between her legs and Ellen shivers with need. Her eyes slide closed for a second, but pop back open with a quiet cry as soft lips press against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. Just in time to make contact as her lips rise slightly higher. "Ah!" She presses the back of her hand to her mouth, desire sending a flush of heat through her core. Her blush grows deeper but she can't tear her eyes away from the vision of her panties being removed with her teeth. She arches her hips to make it easier to slide the fabric away. Just like that, they are both naked. Her name rolled out with a purr sounds so heavenly... and Ellen squeaks as she is dragged forward by her ankles. Her eyes widen at the bold question. What-why-she couldn't--? Need and a touch of embarrassment tumbles around in her voice as she looks away. "... six..." She mumbles. Surprising herself by giving the honest answer, or even answering at all. She has a bad feeling, based on the look in Aera's eyes before she looked away, that she has a very specific purpose for wanting to know the number... and she can't decided whether it's a good or a bad thing.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The sound of her Queen's giggle sends makes her chest flutter. Some of the knots that had woven earlier are coming undone, allowing the warmth to flood every part of her being. Ellen covers her mouth with the back of her hand, and she has to swallow the need to move it, to tell her that she wants to hear it and that it would be a crime to hide them. But her task required all of her attention, allowing only her eyes to be free. Somehow, her partner's race turns an even deeper shade of red. Vermillion now. Her gaze smothers, elated. Elated that she can cause that kind of reaction, elated to be doing this at all, elated to just be with her. But fortunately or unfortunately, her love demanded physical expression. This is different from all the times before, driven by need, by wanting to feel a connection yet ending it hallow, by wanting to feel loved - even if it was fake. This, here with Ellen, it's real and just looking at her, embarrassed as she mumbles, makes her dead heart full. She's so cute... Wait. Six? Only six, that was it? Well... For someone that had only been with men, she guessed it made sense. It was about average, supposedly, though for some women, that number was lower. Aerallis's smile is dark, soft but seductive as she presses a kiss to the inside of her leg. "Oh, love..." She purrs, "I'm going to get you much higher than that."

She crawls closer to her, kissing her way up and letting her nails scratch up and down her thighs until she's settled between the woman's legs again, propped up with a blissful sigh. God, she just- she smells so sweet, so heavenly. It almost makes her draw a blank. If she tastes anything like how she smells... She licks her lips at the thought.

"How do you like it? Tell me what you like, what you want me to do. I want to know." Aera nuzzles her leg, planting another kiss upon her thigh and up. "Or I will do what I want."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen's eyes flinch closed as those lips press to the inside of her leg again. But they quickly open, shooting Aera a look at the words purred out of her mouth. Much higher...? "I don't know if I can stand much more." She giggles, sheepish. Her top was after a good number of hours, she can't imagine having the stamina to go that long. Bare flesh on bare flesh leave Ellen already writhing as nails and lips work up and away until they reach her inner thighs once more. She swallows the lump in her throat at the words that follow. Aera is clearly much more experienced of the two of them here. There is a faint worry, nearly smothered completely by the haze, that she will do poorly or make a fool of herself in front of Aera. That would be the worst. She could tell her how she likes it... or.... She is almost just as curious as to what the "do what I want" actually means. She shivers at those lips again, her thought stalling. "Um..." It take a monumental effort to focus. "I kinda want to... See what you can do..." It... Actually comes out a touch shy, nervous.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She grins at the answer. She didn't think that she could reach sixty-three, ever, especially not in her forties, and yet it had happened. "You'd be surprised what you can handle with the right person." Aera smiles, "And if you can't, we can work on it." The haze doesn't allow her to think that it won't happen again. Of course it would, they loved each other. Why wouldn't they? Aera isn't worried, about how either of them would do. She knows herself enough to know what she likes, and has the experience to guide her partner through it. Rather than tell her what she likes or what she's in the mood for, Ellen shyly tells her that she... Kind of wanted to see what she could do. The ghoul chuckles, lifting herself and hovering over her again. "As my Queen wishes." She cooes, cupping her cheek to guide her into a gentle, loving kiss, hands once more palming and teasing her breasts. Once she feels her partner melt into it, she kisses down her down, her neck, her collarbone. She chooses to go left, kissing the top of the delicate mound, shaping it with her hand. Using her hand, she guides it still, and dips her head. Her tongue circles the peak, slowly at first until it flicks over her nipple once. Twice. Her other hand massages her other breast, lightly pinching and pulling as she boxes the other into her open lips.

Aera's lips closes around it, sucking it in. Her head bobs with the movements. There's pressure from the suction alongside the flicking of her tongue over the peak until the pressure builds more, trapping it between her tongue and the roof of her mouth. She sucks and her tongue rubs - quickly - with the back and forth motion of her head adding even more friction, a small taste of what would come later.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Her doubtful expression clears some at the soothing words from her love. She's right - they'll have all the time in the world, now, and whatever lack of tolerance or stamina she has now can be built up over time, she supposed. It's the same with any kind of skill, isn't it? Ellen lifts her head to meet Aera's kiss, nuzzling into the hand on her cheek and feeling shivers crawl down her spine at the use of the honorific. She had never imagined her old nickname used in this capacity. There's nerves and tension running as an undercurrent to the haze that threaten to break through, but under the gentle, assuring pressure of the lips on her own, and the hands on her breasts, bit by bit she is able to relax into it. She can barely make herself breathe as hands, lips, and teeth find their way across her breasts. It isn't the first time by a long shot her breasts have been teased or played with, but undoubtedly it's never felt anything like this. Ellen swallows, moaning, her back arching off the couch at the flood of sensations spiking pleasure straight into her core. Her hands entangle themselves in Aera's hair for lack of what else to do, petting, fisting, in turns. "Aera..." She moans, her eyes sliding closed. She is nearly dizzy from the force of her panting; her hips rock in a back and forth motion towards her love's body.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Aera half-hums and half-moans as her partner arches against her, the sound of her moans fueling the inferno spiraling in her gut. Hands entangle in her hair, petting and fisting in turns as she continues the assault. Ellen moans her name, her name, God, hips rocking towards the ghoul, needing attention. She sighs, happy and eager, releasing some of the suction to let her teeth add another texture, a different kind of pressure around the pebbled peak. It only lasts for a short while, testing to see if it's something that her love might like, before switching back. Aerallis slides one arm underneath her human, her Ellen, and pulls her closer. After a minute and a half, she pulls back and releases the skin. As it settles back in place, she trails kisses from her left breast to the right, to give it the same attention. Freed from it's post, her free hand coasts downward, tracing her curves. She lets her nails breeze down to Ellen's thigh and over, across her hips, above her core. And slowly, her fingers slide along the inner curve of her thigh, teasingly brushing against her folds but not yet touching them. Aera's legs thread with the blonde's, but in such a way that it leaves her hearth exposed and within reach. A trap.

She trembles with excitement, two fingers moving to the top of the other's mound and sliding down between her lips, feeling the slick - the amount a testament to her arousal. She moans into the kiss, touch slow and steady. She doesn't ease past the entrance, but teases to do so, and then her fingers ease back up, adding pressure as they slip over the sensitive nub. She's testing which one of the two her partner likes more.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It's been an extremely long time since she's done this, the dance of discovering what a new lover does and doesn't like. Never in a million years did she ever envision it to be Aera she was doing it with. And yet it all feels so right and perfect. Her body responds of its own accord, the thud of her pulse a steady hum in her ears. The addition of nibbling teeth sends a fresh shock of electricity under her skin. Ellen twitches, a gasp melting into a moan, Aera's arm a steadying presence on her back as she's drawn closer and her head bobs to the other side. Her skins telegraphs the presence of each electrifying inch her hand and her nails trace down her body to dip between her legs. Ellen rocks against them, or tries to, but Aera has somehow nestled between her thighs in the act of threading their legs together, and she can't twist in the way she wants. A small whine huffs from her throat. The first touch of fingers slid deftly between the folds is like an electric shock. Color rises higher in her cheeks, if that's possible, and Aera's responding moan vibrates through her like an aphrodisiac of its own. She's soaking wet to the point of near embarrassment to how easy it's been to drive her wild. Ellen tightens her fingers in her love's hair, hardly breathing, her hips twitching at the slow and steady movement touch. It's the slow tease of the fingers as they ghost with some pressure over the sensitive nub that causes another spear of pleasure to her core, and the blonde cries out, soft and hissed.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Under her lips, she can feel the thrum of her love's heartbeat - a steady but thudding cadence thundering in her ears. The thought of taking it slow, of taking her time and having patience seems worlds away. Ellen twitches with the induction of her teeth and she notes it. It wasn't something that she thought the human would be into and, deciding that it needs further experimentation, employs it again on her other peak. And she's soaked. To think that she could drive the blonde so wild... It sends a stream of fire through her system, straight to her core. The other's fingers tighten in her hair and she feels the twitch of her hips along with the teasing. A soft, hissed cry escapes her when Aera breezes over a certain area, and the ghoul knows she's ready. There, that's the one, and she's happy to indulge her Queen. Adding slight pressure with her teeth, all her fingers run the length of her folds, gathering her slick and retreating back to the eager nub. She finds it easily, pressing firmly into it with three fingers and rubbing up and down against it, slow at first but gaining speed.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen didn't think teeth would be something she was into either; it hasn't necessarily been in the past. But Ellen was also a gentle, sensitive lover under normal circumstances. She isn't the type to want to 'claim' someone by marking them. With past lovers there may have been some love bites but they were never long lasting or enough to bruise... This is all wholly different. Her attitude is completely different. Aera is the one doing it, someone she loves and trusts completely, and each graze, nibble, and soft bite courses need through her bloodstream in a surprising way. There is a slight pressure from her teeth as warm fingers run the length of her folds before they return to that sensitive bundle of nerve endings. Ellen's eyes squeeze shut even tighter, her head falling back to her shoulders, and grinding her hips against those fingers as best she could. Pleasure radiates with each rub of her fingers and she moans, loudly, unable to help herself. "Fuck, Aera," She groans, ready to cry her love's name over and over again.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Using her own teeth wasn't usually in Aera'a list of things that she was into. Normally she preferred to be the one being bitten, but not marked and on the rare occasion that she did bite, she never made a point to mark either. But Ellen... It's different for her, too. With Ellen, she wants to leave as many marks as she can, as dark as she would allow so that they would last; so that everyone would know; so that she would look in the mirror, or at them and remember this moment, remember these feelings, remember when she became Aera's and Aera became hers. She isn't really the jealous or possessive type, or at least she hadn't been before until a certain cop came along. She resumes sucking, the pace of her fingers ramping up with each stroke. Each of her love's moans is a shiver blast straight to her core. But it's the way her name is groaned and the grinding of her hips that makes her moan, high and soft. Her fingers increase the pressure a bit, picking up the pace. The arm around the blonde holds her flush against the ghoul, an anchor for both of them, as she chases the first climax.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

There had been a faint worry in the back of her skull behind the haze that at this point it was all going to go wrong; either it would be too strange for her to continue or she would be somehow uncomfortable. Silly, all things considered, and thankfully the haze had suppressed any conscious thought of the worry. It really wasn't much different than if it had been any other lover (in fact, it probably feels better) and anyway, she couldn't imagine anything involving Aera to make her uncomfortable. It's a lot to take in all at once. Aera certainly isn't teasing, thank god, because she didn't know if she could mentally take it if she had. As it is, the pressure increases and the pace picks up with each pass. She is too turned on already from a combination of foreplay and the love potion that it's only a few minutes before the cresting waves of pleasure are nearly at their peak. Ellen writhes underneath the onslaught. "Aera, oh god, I'm so close--" Her moans quickly turn to cries. Good lord but she isn't usually this noisy, either.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Close, so close. The Italian groans, continuing the onslaught as Ellen writhes against her. Her moans turned into cries. God, but was she always this vocal? She doesn't mind it, not at all - is kind of in-love with it, actually - but she couldn't help but wonder if this was normal for the human or if it was because of her specifically. The ghoul fights the urge to bite again, to feel the thrum of her life pound in her chest and her breath to quicken to short shallow gulps in her throat. She stays exactly where she is, unrelenting. Her eyes flicker open on occasion, watching her love's expressions with avid interest. When she seizes for the first time, she continues a tiny bit longer to draw out the wave of pleasure before coming to a complete halt, lifting her head to place a kiss against Ellen's throat, her cheek, her mouth. And it's an intoxicating explosion of red and pink and haze and stars, a swell of mirth, pain, pleasure and euphoria all mixing together. She shivers. More. She wants more of that, of this, of them. "I love you." Aerallis whispers in her ear, hugging her close and nuzzling against her head. Her other than doesn't move, giving her love some time to rest. After a minute, her fingers slide against her folds again, coating themselves in slick. Her fingertips tease the entrance, hand lowering into position.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen clings to her love as the cresting waves of pleasure reach their great heights, and then come crashing down over her. She gives out one strangled cry as the climax comes. Her toes curl as her muscles reflexively seize, drawing Aera closer to her. Heat races through her veins, followed by a flood of cold, in a dizzying euphoric haze that felt all the stronger from the love potion coursing through her veins. It takes her a second to let go of the breath trapped in her lungs by her convulsing as the high begins to fade. She pants, sucking in air, shifting her grip to squeeze Aera closer to her as she nuzzles. "I love you too." She practically purrs. Ellen basks in the afterglow for what feels like an incredibly short amount of time before fingers are coasting against her again. The blonde focuses bleary hazel green eyes to Aera's, barely.

"Wait--" She manages to find her voice, feeling the stirring of anticipation already ghosting through her core at the fingertips oh so close. A shiver crawls down her spine. "Shouldn't it be... your turn?" That only seems fair.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"Wait--" Wait? Aera pulls back slightly to look at her, her hand paused and fingers poised. Did she need to rest a little longer? Why had she stopped? As her lover shivers against her, her mouth arranges into yet another mischievously seductive grin. Ellen asks if its supposed to be her turn. She chuckles. "No." The ghoul replies, matter of factly. "You wanted to see what I was capable of, remember? And since you didn't tell me how you like it or what you were in the mood for... I'm going to do what I want." She practically purred the words, watching her expression. The middle and index fingers slide further down, following the curve of her mound, into and past her entrance. Her hand follows the motion, other fingers spreading to accommodate, until her knuckles kiss the lips of her folds. "And what I want is to make love to you." As if to emphasize her point, her fingers retreat and then plunge back inside, curling to press against a certain sweet spot that she begins to attack.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The seductive grin on her lips and the chuckles tells her the answer before Aera actually says it. Ellen blinks, clearly confused, until the purring voice of her lover begins to explain. Her cheeks then burn (though hard to notice with how flushed she is), a mixture of slight embarrassment and turned on by how sexy that was. She bites the inside of her cheek and sucks in a breath as fingers follow the promise in her words to do what she wants.

"But--" A quiet whimper escapes her throat as they're buried deep. The rest of the protest, argument, dies on her lip. Not that she had much of one to begin with.

A shudder passes through her at the motion that follows. Ellen groans, her head falling back to the couch and spine curling up, at the beckoning motion of the fingers. It's so soon after the first one that everything seems to vibrate within her, a hum boiling under her skin. Sweat beads on her forehead. The repeated attacks shoots sparks through her core and little sparking stars across her vision. One arm comes up to ostensibly wipe the sweat away, but just covers her eyes instead, her hand closed into a tight fist.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Ellen's cheeks burn vermillion again. It's such a pretty color on her. With her blonde hair and green eyes, it makes her look like a shy goddess or a saint. A blishing queen. She grins at the thought, keeping the attack slow as her lover whimpers. Her human shudders again, groaning, head falling back into the cushion and her body arching. Aera is pushed so far passed the edges of being turned on that her moan comes out as a suggestive, wanting growl. But Ellen covers her eyes. Why? Was she embarrassed? Was it too much? She lays a kiss upon her raised forearm, a silent question against her skin. She doesn't stop her motions though, letting her love coast on the pleasure for the time being.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It is a little bit of embarrassment, a little bit of this being A Lot just in general, and a little bit of getting some relief from the searing, dark eyed gaze of her lover, who she could swear was nearly growling now as an undercurrent to the moans. As much as she might play the part, Ellen isn't really a Queen and to be seen with such lust and adoration and put on such a pedestal for the first time in a very long time is such a turn on it's hard to handle. Add into it that this is her long dead best friend... There is a questioning kiss on her forearm but the motions don't stop. Leaving her floundering in a steady wave of pleasure fanning the aftershocks of her climax into a new heat of its own. Ellen continues to whimper, her hips and legs twitching; after a breath to steel herself again, she drops her arm back to Aera's shoulder where her fingers proceed to dig in, nails scratching out a pattern. Still gentle, but with enough of a threat of a bite.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Her whimpers only encourage her to continue, watching her expressions as she does so. Ellen's hips and legs are twitching. Aera licks her lips, beginning a slow ascension of the pace to assault the sensitive spot within. Her lover's arm returns to her shoulder, nails beginning to dig in. She shivers, too focused on her task, on the sounds she makes and the way her mouth moves to put any thought into the pattern being scratched out. The Italian closes her eyes, leaning her forehead against the blonde's. Another minute later and she's built up to a pace that's both swift and hard, yet somehow still loving as she lays kisses upon Ellen's forehead, cheek and mouth - moaning with her moans and sighing with her sighs.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera is relentless and dogged in her pursuit, deaf to the moans that basically teeter on begging from Ellen's lips and the nails digging into her skin. She is overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the pleasure bursting in her core so soon after her last climax; really it feels more like a continuation at this point! She'd be thrashing if she wasn't pinned down - which Aera seems to be able to do with relative ease their legs tangled together as they were, keeping her writhing in check. Ellen hardly notices Aera leaning her forehead against her and pressing kisses into her skin. She barely has time to comprehend how close she is again, already. Her eyes are squeezed shut and she bites hard on her lip to muffle her cry as the next wave rushes up and crashes over. A long shudder wracks her frame before her muscles seize, rhythmically clenching and unclenching around her fingers.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Two. The next one seems harder and more intense; Ellen's eyes are squeezed shut, teeth heavy on her lip with a muffled cry. She feels her love's muscles seize, clenching and unclenching. Aera stops, shivering and groaning. Wow. Keeping her hand still, she lays a kiss to the blonde's forehead and cheek, silent as she lets her lover rest.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Her lungs seem to burn from the effort of breathing as the tension of a second climax bleeds from her muscles. She slumps back down to the couch, gulping lung fulls of air. Nuzzling weakly into the kiss still pressing kisses to her cheek and forehead. Good lord. Aera was trying to kill her. Already a third of the way to her total in a ridiculous amount of time. Ellen can't seem to find her voice to speak just yet, and so simply pets Aera with shaky fingers, threading through her hair.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Shaky fingers pet her, running through her hair and she leans her head into them slightly. It was a bigger climax that time, it seemed, and she was practically gulping in air. Aerallis lays flat atop her, resting her head on Ellen's shoulder, content to let her rest... For a time. But even as she nuzzles her beloved's neck, her lungs don't take in air. She's not breathing at all, has no reason to. It's become like a second nature now and hasn't registered through the haze that it could be unnerving for the human. That was okay though. Ellen was breathing enough for the both of them. It's... the most relaxed she's been in some time, though how much time, she's not sure. And yet... Something still pricks at the back of her skull, twitching and seething, even when smothered by the haze. The potion has too strong of a hold now to allow it to bleed through.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Just as before, Ellen doesn't or chooses not to notice - or the haze chooses for her - that as Aera nestles comfortably over top of her and rests her head on her shoulder, she isn't breathing. That there is still no pulse. Truth be told, her own heartbeat and panting are hard enough for the both of them and even if she had been breathing with a heartbeat of her own, it would've been difficult to notice. It takes about a minute for the aftershocks to subside and for her panting breaths to return to a somewhat normal pace. Ellen lifts a hand and wipes sweat from her forehead. That was like... a particularly intense workout. Or a high energy dance routine. A sort of satiated tiredness fills her limbs. The blonde giggles. "Wow. How lucky am I, to be in love with you." She wraps her arms around her, squeezing into a hug,wanting to cuddle for a few moments longer.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She doesn't note the time that goes by, only that it's not long after that her lover catches her breath. Her human giggles, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing her into a hug. Aerallis giggles, snuggling into her embrace. No... She was the lucky one. Ellen had no idea. Maybe she should. Ilosti wasn't around to stop her from telling her love about Akasha. About Ma'luum. About all of it. But her mind grinds to a halt at the thought of her sister. The seething is back and the haze struggles to smother it, mute it, block it out. Her legs twitch. Her jaw locks, teeth nashed harshly together. Then it stops. The haze smothers it again and she lets out a long exhale, content. It must be because Ellen is here, she thinks. Because her Queen is pretty magical, for a human. Air fills her lungs as her lips purse with which to speak. "And I with you." She says, dark voice loud enough for only her love to hear, as if it's a secret between them. Aera presses a kiss to her cheek, then lifts her head to claim her mouth again, soft and sweet.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen's eyes open for a moment as she feels Aera twitch against her; but she opens them just a moment too late, because Aera only sighs and snuggles further into her embrace. So Ellen's eyes slide closed again. A content, warm smile curves up her lips at the murmured words, cradled as if a special secret. Her eyes open just far enough to see and be able to meet the kiss. Slow and affectionate, honey sweet. She could stay like this with her forever, she thinks. A perfect dream.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

It's a spark, a musical note lilting through her mind. Her kiss is memories of a better time, filled with the same high as she had when on stage, performing for thousands of people clapping and screaming and singing along... She sighs, melting into it. It's her sanctuary. No, she corrects herself as she pulls back enough to rest her forehead against her lover's, this was. Ellen was. She always had been. It used to be a danger, this feeling, and perhaps it still was. But now, love was pleasure, it was pure, the only treasure that she had left. It makes her fingers itch for movement. They hadn't moved, hadn't exited, only ceased their motions. For the most part, the clenching has stopped. Perhaps... Her lover had forgotten, for a moment, that they were still inside of her. She smiles softly, dragging her fingers out slowly... Before plunging them back in, to remind her lover that they were still there.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen's smile is nothing but warmth and happiness as their foreheads rest together. She tilts her chin up just a tad to brush their noses together, Eskimo kisses, with the soft exhale of contentment. She hasn't forgotten. She just hasn't tried again to ask her about flipping, hoping to be able to steal a little bit longer because she half suspects she's going to be told no again. Ellen gasps at the slow movement, eyes flying open as they plunge back in. A shudder rushes down her spine. "Aera!" She squeaks, wide eyed into that deceptively soft smile. "Wait a sec --"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Her lover gasps at the movement, eyes clicking open. She shudders again, squeaking the ghoul's nickname. Aerallis only smiles at her, brushing her nose against Ellen's in an eskimo kiss before pulling back - just enough for the blonde to see her. "No?" She cooes, dark and sultry. The motion repeats once. Twice, testing. "That's not what your body is telling me..." Her tone is a lyrical purr with the tease.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

There's no way. Again? Already? Aera seems unfazed, and even looks like she is enjoying herself. The dark and sultry tone, with the soft smile inches from her, cause more shivers to race down her spine. "No," She responds hastily, trying not to have the sensations displayed across her face. Its too much ammo for the mischievous singer. "No, it's just... Should be your turn..."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The singer chuckles. She can tell that the human is trying to hold it in as she tries to tell her that it should be her turn. Aera only grins, beginning the motion again as she presses against the blonde, slow and coaxing. Daring to break her down. "Later." The ghoul tells her. "I think that you like being doted on. Tell me I'm wrong."Except she can't lie. Aera will know if she lies. Her best friend has always been a bad liar.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She bites down on her lip, shivering, resisting the urge to squirm as the motions begin anew. Slow as to not be too overwhelming, but enough to threaten to snap the threads of her objections. "Nngh." Ellen bites back the moan in protest. They both know she can't lie - clearly from how she aches for the motions again, Aera is right. "Y-yes, fuck, it's just... so much..."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

A moan begins, and she bites it back in protest. She's shivering. Her walls are practically trying to pull her digits further in... And who is she to say no? Aerallis grins, arching her hand up a bit to get a better angle that would allow her to venture deeper and hit the inner spot easier. The slow motions continue. The noirette pulls her lover closer, cradling her against her body with one arm as she kisses her cheek, her jawline, her lips. "That's okay, love." She whispers, nuzzling the blonde. "Stop trying to hold back. I'll take care of you."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The blonde levels a narrow eyed gaze to that grin. The angle change sends a jolt of heat spreading through her, and she can't stop herself from grinding a little against those fingers. "You're too much." She complains, and lifts her hands to slide back into her lover's hair so she could capture her lips for a longer kiss. Teeth graze along her bottom lip, a light nibble asking for entry. Slow and sweet but lustful in its endurance.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Almost as though she listened, Ellen grinds a little against her fingers. There we go. She complained that the ghoul was too much and she chuckles. For the human that hadn't done this in a while, who probably hadn't been doted on so heavily like this before, that was probably true. Soft lips crush her own. Hands slide back into her hair. Aerallis sinks into the kiss with earnest, slow and sweet but hungry. She obeys almost immediately, opening her mouth with a groan. Her fingers pick up the pace slightly, meeting the same pace as the grinding.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera chuckles at her complaint, but Ellen is serious. Although she doesn't know why she's surprised; in their friendship, relationship, whatever, Aera has always been over the top considerate. Showering her with anything and everything she could need, like a match made in the heavens. Suppose she could look back on it now and see it was really love and not just affection that spurred her. Ellen grounds herself on Aera's lips, lazily exploring her mouth and massaging her fingers through her hair as a way to distract from the growing, burning pleasure crawling through her core again at the actions. If not she's afraid of losing herself into the haze, reduced to nothing but a quivering mass of raw nerve endings.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

It doesn't take her long to add her tongue to the mix, the kiss a lazy but passionate exploration. Aerallis returns it, pouring love and lust into it in equal measure. The stimulation continues, quickening in response. She wants her lover to cling to her, to lose control. Wanted her to be a shaking, soaked mess by the time she was ready to taste her, and really drive her wild. She's no longer conscious of their edges, nearly forgetting where she ends and Ellen begins. The maddening need to be one, to be as close as possible, to consume and be consumed, is momentarily sated. It served as an outlet, to channel the feelings that had been trapped with nowhere to go for too long. It felt like a weight being lifted off of her chest. A needle threading together the pieces of a heart shattered long ago, weaving together to finally, mercifully, be whole.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen meets the passion being poured into the kiss beat for beat. The threads of her control pull taut, fraying under the strain of the haze and the relentless pursuit of her lover. She whines into the kiss as the stimulation begins to increase. How can she be this turned on still? The desire and passion hasn't abated one bit, somehow, and she still hasn't been allowed to even touch Aera in return in any meaningful way. She can't help but to grind against her fingers, pleasure sparking like lightning across her synapses, struggling to keep her focus on the kiss and her breathing even.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

A mischievous grin curls the edges of her mouth when Ellen whines. The grinding picks up, the rate of her breathing increases. Aerallis giggles softly, moaning into her mouth to encourage the break of control that she seems to be clinging to. The assault continues, unchanging but prepared to shift when she feels it's needed. Her own desire coils deep and twitching in her abdomen. She's barely conscious of the slick creeping down her thighs, until a sweep of air from the ceiling fan above feels cold against them. The ghoul shivers. It's never been like this, not ever. It's because of who it is. She knows that even without the haze, and kisses her harder in retrospect.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen can tell what she's doing, if the mischievous grin against her lips didn't give it away just before she began to moan into the kiss, sending her heart flipping in her chest... but she's nearly too far gone to bring herself to care. She can't stop it - she doesn't want to, anyway - and at this point the burning heat in her core has reawakened into an inferno. She just wants a relief from the waves of pleasure that feel more like the creeping flows of a volcano the third time around. It's slow to build but raging hot, flushing her skin as her heart races under the onslaught.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

There's less resistance now, their kiss more demanding than it had been prior. "Good girl." Aera whispers, increasing the pace once more - harder now, striking the inner spot with each pass and rubbing it. Her partner is still soaked, coating her knuckles and most of her palm, making the friction smoother.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen moans to the whispered words, her voice swallowed as her kiss turns deep, ravenous. The pace is once again at a fever pitch, harder, intentionally stroking across the spot that sends sparking stars across her vision. She grinds down against her fingers as best she can, desperate, her blonde hair sticking to her forehead from the sweat beading there. The pleasure mixes with the desire and passion coiling in her core and she can't stand it, not again.

"Fuck, oh, Aera!" She cries, writhing in time with the motions, her fingers twisted into a vice grip in her lover's hair.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Aerallis keeps up the pace, the kiss broken as her partner releases a cry, writhing in sync with the motions. God, she loves the sound of her voice. Ellen's fingers have her hair in a vice grip and she moans again. It turns into a growl as she rubs against the blonde, leaving love bites on her neck and shoulder. Another chase had begun, for both of them.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The kiss broken, Ellen's moans are once again out in the open. She can't hold them back. It feels so good it nearly hurts, pleasure shocking her raw nerve endings like static electricity underneath the skin. Add to that the growl from her lover as they rub together, a shiver rolling down her spine; she gasps as teeth nip at her neck and shoulder, scattering marks across her skin. She wishes desperately for that slow volcanic flow to reach its peak already. She's at the point of begging for it. "Please, please, Aera, fuck, I can't stand it." Ellen groans, arching off the couch to grind harder against her love.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Each moan sends a shiver down her spine, encouraging her to continue. She responds in ways that Aera had only dreamed of, arching off of the couch to grind harder against her hand, practically begging for release. A triumphant, suggestive grin contorts her features. "Tell me what you want." It's a demand this time, lyrical and teasing. She needed to hear Ellen say it. Yes, god, this is exactly what she wanted. Fuck. And now that she had it, she was going to savor it, licking her lips in anticipation.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen doesn't hesitate, groaning and a writhing mess. She's got no qualms on the third go-around, not that she had any before. "I want -- I need to come, please, Aera." Her tone is low, murmured just for her lover's ears. Pleading for that crescendo only Aera could give her. Ellen will obey like a puppet on a string if it can bring this sweet torment to an end and give her release.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

At the request, something seems to snap; her fingers grind against the spot and the palm of her hand rubs against her clit, adding pressure until she's sure by her lover's noises that it's good. But she's still learning Ellen and her needs, and isn't sure if that will be enough to get her over the edge - though she hopes that it is. It allows her grin to grow bold, eyes hooded. "And how would you like me to give that to you? Like this?" She asks, sounding teasing and far more confident than she feels.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera suddenly shifts, and a wave of delicious pulses of pleasure beam straight to the spot inside her that her fingertips are grinding against. Ellen cries out; her muscles are already starting to contract and she knew she could feel it, too. Her lover's purred, teasing words are an extra shock to her system, so by the time her palm rubs into her it's too much to take. Hyper-sensitive with nerve endings on fire, she loses it.

"Yes, yes, oh god YES." She responds, with a loud cry, and the fever pitch finally reaches its grand height. The blonde teeters on the edge for a moment, but the building pressure on her clit is more than enough. The fiery waves crash down over her and she seizes, not bothering to muffle her cries this time.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Her muscles contract, inner walls clenching and unclenching, squeezing and pulling her in. She can feel it happening before the human cries out, still grinding, chasing the waves, the heat. Aerallis moan-growls again, shuddering as the human cries out, her own body humming and tingling. It's the sexiest thing she's ever heard, and it rings loudly in her ears. "Fuck, Ellen. Yes." At last, Ellen's body seizes and the ghoul's movements still, hissing out a moan along with her love. For a moment, she hovers and then lays flat against her lover, drinking in her scent while she plants a kiss upon her neck.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Her entire body stays tense for a long moment, and then with a heavy moan, collapses back down to the couch. Aera hisses a moan alongside her, then is silent, dragging the blonde's limp form closer to her. There is only the sound of Ellen's ragged breathing in the stillness, although she can't hear from the pound of her heartbeat in her ears. She doesn't know how it is Aera can build her up so quickly and so easily... It feels like the aftershocks hardly fade before she's back at it and the lust and the intensity are just as strong as before. Once again she pulls Aera back into her arms, squeezing her into an embrace. This time though she nudges her love's arm with her knee, poking her to remove her fingers this time. Ellen's thighs are practically soaked aaaand she doesn't want a repeat of last time.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Ellen squeezes her into an embrace again and she lays her head against her chest, listening to the thundering of her heartbeat. If hers still worked, she imagined it would beating just as hard. The blonde's breathing is still ragged as her knee nudges Aera's arm. Picking up on the message, the ghoul carefully slides her fingers out and pulls her arm back up, hand curling away from the both of them.

Although she's nestled against her lover, her eyes are pinned on her hand and the silver threads that connected her fingers when she spreads them. Her hand is much wetter than she thought; there are rivulets down her wrist, making a slow crawl down her arm.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

This time Ellen is given a reprieve - she grunts as the fingers are slowly and carefully removed. It is a strange feeling, a combination of relief at getting a small reprieve and an ache of being empty after so long and so many in a row. She sighs, then, her panting not quite as desperate, and lifts her arm to wipe sweat from her brow again. That done, her eyes slowly open, hazy and unfocused - to see Aera staring at her own hand. Her own gaze is drawn inexplicably towards it. Her expression becomes a mixture of bewilderment. Her hand is a mess and she can't hardly comprehend that all of that comes from her alone. Whew. That must be what it's like to have three orgasms so close together like that... well, at least she'll get a breather for a moment so Aera can clean that off-- Ellen's cheeks immediately explode in a deep red blush as Aera brings her hand to her mouth to... lick it clean. Yeesh, her poor cheeks weren't getting any kind of a break... as soon as they began to cool off something new appeared to throw her off balance. She shifts some, transfixed for a long moment as butterflies whip through her stomach, before she glances away, slightly embarrassed. It's just because it's Aera that it's... incredibly sexy and erotic to watch her do that.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Aerallis hums as she finishes, licking her lips as she lays her hand on her belly. She barely noticed that Ellen had shifted, let alone had been watching her. Her head leans towards Ellen's, nuzzling her. But her mind is elsewhere, intoxicated. If that was the state of her hand... The rest of her must be an absolute mess and she shivers at the thought. It was a mess that she'd made. So it was the polite thing to do to... Clean it up herself. Yeah. Yeah, that was it. She needed to clean up the mess and claim her reward. Mmm. Her body hums with the thought, yet she remains cuddled up next to her lover, relishing the closeness, the feeling, the sight, the sound, from the rise and fall of her chest to the pounding of her heart against her ear, everything. Aera lays a kiss upon the base of her neck. "Good girl." She purrs again.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The brief thought flashes across the haze as she sees Aera lick her lips out of the corner of her eye, to wonder how those lips would taste now that she had licked her hand clean... but even with the haze Ellen isn't brave enough to make that suggestion, nor does she want to encourage it and risk being pounced on again while she's still trying to remember how to breathe. Still, the skin on her neck tingles where her lover's lips lay kisses again, and she swallows thickly at the purred words that follow. Her stomach does little flips and she feels a strange sense of pride, as if she were being praised for obeying orders. Which is a little bit weird. She'd not exactly ever felt this way about being called a 'good girl' like she were some kind of pet. When she tolerated that phrase at all, that is. She hums in the back of her throat, cuddling Aera closer and nuzzling her. "You're amazing, Aera." She whispers near her ear. "God, but I love you."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"You're amazing, Aera." Ellen whispers by her ear, cuddling her closer and nuzzling her. Aerallis shivers, returning the nuzzles with a giggle. "I love you, too. So much." She cooes, before propping herself up slightly to be able to see her lovers' expression. It's something she needs to see. Her brown gaze is warm and as full as her heart (chest?) feels with love, reflecting her the soft tug of a smile ghosting her lips. Without missing a beat, she moves a lock of golden hair from Ellen's face with her other hand as she asks, "You taste heavenly... Did you know that~?" She doesn't imagine that the blonde is the type that would know that, unless someone else had told her. If it had the effect she hoped it would... That pretty vermillion color would be staining those cheeks again.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen giggles in return. It's indescribable to hear her say 'I love you'. She didn't think she had ever felt like this when past lovers said it... not even Richard. And Aera had told her, dozens of times, but it had never had this meaning. From the depths of the ocean to the tops of the sky. She relaxes her cuddling grip a little as Aera adjusts to prop herself up, absently moving some hair from her face. She's sure her hair is a mess-- Without missing a beat as if on cue the blush coats her cheeks in a fiery red as Ellen stares at her owlishly. An explosion of butterflies in her stomach, and her heart flips. Then she whines, burying her face in her love's shoulder. Damn her Irish blood!! It was too easy to make her blush... especially now, saying things like that.

"Why would you say something like that?" She grumbles, embarrassed at the boldness - as if she hadn't just been a writhing mess underneath her multiple times.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The owlish look that Ellen gives her earns yet another giggle. Then she whines, and there's butterflies in her stomach and in her chest, and a comfortable warm haze blanketing her mind. She pets her lovers' hair as the human buries her face in her shoulder, obviously embarrassed by the question. Like she hadn't just been writhing underneath her, begging for release. So fucking cute! "Is that a 'no'?" Aera shoots back, teasing once again. Her hand slides down her head and cups her cheek, stoking her face with her thumb. "If so... Kiss me and find out."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The teasing doesn't stop there even as Aera pets her, almost sympathetically... until the words that follow. Ellen is startled for a moment because for a second it's almost like she's read her mind as the pets coast down and then a hand cups her cheek. How could she have known that she was just thinking-- Ellen is so startled she doesn't resist her face being lifted from its refuge against her love's shoulder and she meets that warm, love-filled, mischievous gaze. Still, embarrassed or not, teasing or not, there is no denying the thought had been on her mind. And it may not have been something she would suggest herself - and had in fact literally just been thinking to not do it in order not to fuel another round so soon - the blonde falls easily into temptation. She leans forward without another word to steal Aera's lips for a hungry, curious kiss.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She doesn't respond, not verbally. Aera searches her green eyes, seeing some kind of gears turning - not knowing to what. The ghoul half expects her to be too embarrassed to do it, for her cheeks to burn more. She doesn't. She doesn't flinch or shy away. Instead she seems... Curious, and she leans forward, capturing the singer's mouth with surprising hunger. The Italian's eyes flutter shut, returning the kiss in earnest, matching her hunger. The taste is still there, mingling with traces of her own saliva. After a few heartbeats, her tongue trails along Ellen's bottom lip, requesting entry, to further sate her curiosity.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The kiss is of course met in earnest, and after a few heartbeats Ellen obediently opens her mouth when requested. The taste is still on her lips, and especially strong on her tongue as she curiously explores. It isn't the first time she's tasted herself on someone else's tongue, of course - but the first time with a woman, and the first time with Aera, which changes everything. A mischievous smile tugs at her own lips as the kiss deepens, and she tastes around the inside of Aera's mouth. This is a dream, and the haze smothers the worst of the embarrassment, so of course she has the confidence to pull back just slightly and confidently purr, "Well, your mouth tastes heavenly with me in it."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Aera allows her to explore to her hearts' content, happy to be doing it at all. Each kiss is so... Surreal. It had seemed so impossible before that even now with the haze, it feels like an out of body experience where she watches someone that looks like her kiss the woman of her dreams. Yet she feels everything; every sigh, every exhale that tingles her face, every breath she takes and every flick and twist and pass of the tongue, even the warmth of her lovers' skin against her palm. And tastes everything. For a moment, it seems as though the ghoul would follow her when the blonde pulled back, but she doesn't, left in a dreamy daze. One that ends with the confident, almost alien purr that rolls off of Ellen's tongue. Her eyes refocus and she looks at her partner, and giggles.

"Yes, it certainly does." She coos back, stroking her love's cheek with her thumb again. Aera isn't at all embarrassed or shy about it. "I think I prefer it this way." Chuckling, she settles back against the human's chest, burying her face in the crook of her neck. She's confident now, but... Ellen could use a bit more rest.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Of course, Aera is not perturbed in the least at her words. She only giggles, stroking her cheek with her thumb, and Ellen nuzzles into her hand. "I think I maybe do too." She hums back, before Aera curls up again in her arms. Ellen cuddles her close. Never in a million years would she have thought she could be doing this again. Not even any of the other stuff, just... being with Aera again, like this, giggling and hugging and just being in each other's presence. She hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye, before... The last time she had seen her had been shortly before she left on tour. No matter what she did after - even going as far as pestering Ilosti about it - their schedules never did match up to where they were both in town and free at the same time. She squeezes her tighter in her arms. As if suddenly remembering there was a chance this could end. "Aera... You won't leave me again, right?" Ellen murmurs.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She hums at the comment, cuddling close. Feeling her heartbeat, her warmth... Just being on the couch with her, being close to her again also feels... Surreal. She'd fought like hell to stay away, to kill or hide her emotions away - for her safety as well as Ellen's. Aera thought that by keeping her distance, Akasha wouldn't have anything to cling to, to take advantage of or use against them - against her, specifically. Indeed, she hadn't. Carina had vanished also, so there was nothing to use against Ilosti either. And maybe that was why the ambush happened - because the Goddess had grown tired of waiting for something better to appear. Ellen squeezed her tighter, and the ghoul clings to her from the murmur. Aera had no intention of seeing Ellen again, of risking it, until that. The human was the only one she wanted to talk to. Wanted to run to, cry with. Kaelene and Sark's deaths had sparked a change. She had changed her mind while walking a trail with her sister, their bodyguards nearby. She told Ilosti that she wanted to go back, to see Ellen again even at the risk of putting a target on her. And then... She'd died with a love that extended even from beyond the grave, and rose as a ghoul, knowing that then, she could never go back. Snow Haven was supposed to be the last stop. Build an army, help that army to be a family, get revenge... And then sleep forever where no spell could ever reach her again. That had been her plan. And now, as if to say 'no', fate had put Ellen back in her path. On a love potion, no less. One last fantasy fulfilled. It was almost cruel. Aerallis squeezed her lover close, laying a kiss on the base of her throat again. "No." She replies quietly. "Never again."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen knows she can't really believe it... But at least now she has the luxury of pretend. Relief floods her at the quiet reply, the kiss to her throat. "Good." She hums, content with that answer. She has already made all her promises and it doesn't bear repeating again so soon - but she still meant every word, and she was happy that Aera finally listened and believed it in kind. "I missed you. So I'm glad." She continues, as if by way of explaining the otherwise random question. She gets to hold her best friend in her arms, discover and reignite the flames of love, and make love together. Like something straight out of a fairytale. This was one sweet dream, all things considered.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"Good." Ellen hums. Aerallis remains silent, settling back into the comfortable haze, content to be here in the moment and not... What had come before. She nuzzles the blonde when the words come. I missed you. It's a stab, a sharp pain in her chest. But she smiles, a dozen emotions flickering across her hidden gaze. Euphoria, agony, love, regret, guilt... It twists and blossoms in her bosom, fluttering outwards like the wings of a butterfly. Aera closes her eyes. "I missed you, too." Somehow, her voice manages to be level, a contented sigh. She doesn't ask the same of Ellen. Instead, her fingers thread through golden hair, combing it absentmindedly. The powerful, almost painful, coiling need that had swollen her belly moments before seemed so dull now, replaced by something else. Something that was, at least for the time being, stronger. "I'm sorry." She says it after a minute or so of silence, breathing it out as if it had been trapped on the tip of her tongue since this all began. Another weight lifted from her chest. "I never wanted to leave you. I... I didn't think you were capable of loving me the same way that I loved you, and I couldn't..." She trails off, licking her lips again. There were so many things in the gaps in-between, but she doesn't voice them - by the will of the haze or her own, she's not sure. "I'm sorry. I missed you, too. More than you could ever know."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The weight of these revelations and confessions don't hold the same weight as perhaps they should - and it's the dreamy haze she finds herself in to blame for that. Aera says she she missed her too, and Ellen only smiles in content bliss, leaning into her fingers as they comb through her hair. Her eyes close, soaking in the feeling of her love in her arms and enjoying the respite she's been given. And then she... apologizes. Ellen's eyes open, and she glances at Aera. A gentle, sympathetic smile appears. "That's okay. You don't have to be sorry." She settles back down, shifting a bit to be more comfortable on the couch. "I didn't know whether I could ever be with a woman, back then, so, if you were in love with me I can see why you couldn't have stayed. I only wish you would have told me. Since Richard..." She frowns lightly, and shakes her head as if to be rid of the thought of her ex. "Well, I need things spelled out sometimes. And I would have never done anything that would risk losing you." She cuddles Aera closer, nuzzling her, her eyes still closed. "But past is past. You came back. There's no need to be sorry anymore." Ellen says is soothingly and dismissively, as if that is the final word on the matter.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Didn't have to be sorry, she said. She did, but it's only a small blip on the radar. What came after doesn't hit as hard as it should either, the haze is to blame for that as it continues to settle heavily in her mind. There isn't another stab as Ellen says that she wishes Aera would've told her. She hadn't planned to, but... It could have slipped out if she had been able to go back. The ghoul squeezes her at the mention of the ex's name, and Ellen doesn't finish the trail of thought. She continues, cuddling closer and nuzzling her. Aerallis cuddles into the embrace, accepting the dismissive words. "You're right." She murmurs, sighing contently. "I have you now. Right here." Aera hugs her waist. "That's all that matters." It wasn't. She shifts and rise a bit, pressing kisses to her collarbone, her neck, her jawline, her mouth. Then she pauses, pushing a strand of golden hair behind Ellen's ear. Aera showers her face with kisses for a moment, stopping heartbeats later with a chuckle. Gentle fingers stroke the blonde's cheek lovingly, a soft smile tugging her lips. "I love you, Ellen." She coos, leaning in to give her lover an eskimo kiss. "Do you need a minute longer?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen hums an affirmative softly as her love murmurs that she's right. The past doesn't matter. It's the here and now that's important. Besides, there's no need for sad thoughts or apologies - the blonde hadn't intended to bring up old wounds. It was a momentary worry that Aera would disappear from her life again - and thus soothed away, she no longer cared about it. The hug doesn't last long; once again she loosens her grip as Aera lifts her head to pepper her skin with kisses. Ellen's eyes pop open again; her love's lips move away before she can capture them for a longer kiss. She's left giggling herself, and scrunches her nose under the kiss attack to her cheeks. "I love you too." She smiles back, warm and overflowing with love. Ellen tilts her head against the stroking finger and considers. Frankly, there is a satisfied burn in her limbs and she could curl up and take a nap right now. But equally lurking is still the hot flames of desire and lust, ready to be stoked back into an inferno thanks to the comfortable, dreamy hazy. "I think I'm okay." Her lips curve mischievously, eyes sparkling.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She pulls her arm out from under the human, and lifts herself to hover atop her as Ellen says those magical words again. Butterflies flutter in her stomach. The blonde tilts her head against her palm, seeming to consider. "I think I'm okay." The mischievous curve of her lips and the sparkle of green eyes is all it takes to re-ignite the raging inferno that had been coiled in her belly prior. Aera grins, leaning down to capture her impishly grinning mouth, beginning soft and slow, adding pressure over a few heartbeats. Her hand slips away from Ellen's face and returns to the couch. Aera breaks it after a minute, eager for what comes next, and kisses her way down her love's body, her own easing downward to keep up, until she's off of Ellen completely. She moves her hair from her face and sweeps it back with her fingers, then hooks her arms under the blonde's legs. The ghoul pulls Ellen's lower half up towards her with relative ease, providing better access to her still drenched thighs. Rather than a kiss, she bites the left inner thigh gently, gaze locked with the cop's. Her tongue follows, lapping up the fluid until none is left on her thighs, alternating between licks and bites at random. Once she's "clean", the singer blows cool air against the damp areas teasingly, kissing her way up until she reaches the hearth after lowering her back to the couch and settling between her legs. She doesn't go for it immediately, kissing and nipping around the mound, moving her hair out of the way whenever it becomes a nuisance. If she had known certain things were going to happen, she'd have brought a hair tie.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

All it takes is that responding smirk and lips on her own and the coil of desire flares back to life in her belly. But the kiss doesn't linger; it's only a minute before Aera begins moving. The goosebumps spread across her skin near immediately as Aera begins her descent down her body. It takes her only a moment to realize the destination that she's going for - if it wasn't more immediately evident by her hips being easily repositioned for better access to her nether regions. It is as predictable as clockwork that her face blooms into a deep red blush as the realization hits that's what is to come next - and Ellen cries out softly, surprised, as Aera locks eyes with her and then gently bites her inner thigh. The pleasure bursts up her leg and she twitches. She is trapped between wanting to cover her face with her hands in embarrassment and being transfixed as Aera uses her tongue and her teeth to clean her thighs. It settles with her covering her mouth with her hands, muffling her sounds. She twitches more at the cool air teasingly blown, goosebumps rising in its wake. The pleasure boils in her core and Aera hasn't even touched her properly yet. Ellen's hips rock forward, no longer pinned down, nervous but anxious and desperate for her to stop teasing.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Ellen covers her mouth, muffling her noises, and the ghoul chuckles. Unfettered, the blonde's hips rock forward into her mouth with a sound of surprise from the ghoul. She was already wanting the teasing to stop, it seemed. Aerallis grinned, moving dark hair behind her ear as her free hand hooked around the woman's thigh and over her torso, palming her breast. If she didn't want to be teased anymore, the singer was happy to oblige; she makes one long, light stroke of her tongue from the bottom of her folds to the top, watching her features with interest.

It's followed by another, heavier that time as she drinks in all of the spilling sweetness, the tip of her tongue flicking the sensitive nub at the top. Closing her eyes to focus, her tongue encircles the bundle of sensitive nerves before flicking it once, then twice, then repeatedly - starting slow and ramping up.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera makes a noise of surprise as she rocks her hips, and the vibration of sound is so close that it feels almost like a feather light touch. Ellen twitches, a soft moan escaping her lips, pressing herself further into the hand that palms at her breast - and that soft moan turns into a gasp as the tongue languorously moves from bottom to top between her folds. A shudder crawls through her at the raspy feel of the tongue drinking her in. Each flick of the tongue causes another twitch, nearly an involuntary flinch in her legs due to the sheer sensitivity at this point. And then her mouth settles there, Ellen inhales sharply, and white hot stars seem to burst behind her eyes at the first suction.

"Oh, fuck," She hisses, her back arching off the couch and her head falling back. The rasping texture and the pressure combined with her tongue sends shockwaves straight to her core. Her entire body suddenly feels like it's on fire, making the infernos from previous feel like a match next to a wildfire.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

There's a soft moan from the first pass. She can feel her partner's legs twitching on either side of her, can feel the shudder of her body as it passes. The hissed curse rivers straight to her core. As Ellen's back arches, she adjusts, unmoving from the spot. The hand over her breast squeezes while the onslaught continues. The ghoul adds more pressure, praying slightly further against the mound and allowing the suction to increase. Soon her human is practically thrashing, a low sob building in her throat and she hums in triumph, adding vibrations to the mix. Her head bobs still, a push and pull adding to the pressure and suction. She moans, low and long, feeding off of her partner's excitement. Her other hand wraps around Ellen's leg and over, fingers touching the top of her mound and pulling back to allow her to breathe. The air helps to fan the fire coursing through her veins, a momentary reprieve from the hot coil of desire burning in her gut.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The vibrations rattle through her core and only add to the burning, tingling sensations racing through her body. Pleasure spears her again and again, to the point where each pulse of her heart feels like spasms through every vein. It's the closest thing she can equate to pure ecstasy. Her hands fall from her mouth to dig into the cushions, anything to keep her grounded under the onslaught. The hands on her seem to bleed heat, reflecting her own body heat back at her as if reflecting trails of fire across her skin. Ellen clamps down on her bottom lip, trying not to cry, shuddering and writhing underneath her.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She hears the leather scrunch from squeezing hands, but doesn't pay it any mind. She's on a mission, focused, swallowing the buildup of saliva and juices before they get to be too much to handle. The notion makes her pause for a second and the suction to move to the back of her mouth before coming back, harder than before. Her tongue begins to rub against the nub, not having enough room to flick. Aera's lips curl back slightly to cover the tips of her teeth, preventing unwanted hard pressure where it didn't need to be. Ellen shudders and writhes under her, and she moans again, muffled. This is good. It was right. Just a little more...

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It's barely another minute of the non-stop pressure and rubbing before Ellen is teetering on the brink once again. Everything all together is an assault on the senses and her nerve endings are already raw and ragged from the earlier attack. This time she doesn't have to be teased into it when it all becomes too much to bear - she begs for it on her own volition.

"Please, Aera, let me come, I'm so close." She pants, hardly able to find her voice, grinding her hips forward.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

This time she doesn't have to tease and the plea comes anyway. Aera hums, swallowing again and keeping up the same pace. Another hunt begins. The hand on her breast retreats, wetting two fingers on the folds. They find her entrance and push easily inside, curling upwards once again as they had before. She doesn't ease into it slowly, meeting the pace of grinding hips.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She is given no more forewarning than a hum and her hand removed from her breast before digits push their way past her folds. The fingers immediately settle deep within her, meeting the pace of her grinding hips and writhing form. The pleasure buries itself deep within her core and soars to a new height. Pace is matched beat for beat. Between mouth and fingers, she is completely undone, and loses it. She pushes herself harder against the motions, grinding against her love as her muscles seize and she rides her climax to its end.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Ellen pushes harder and she nearly growls, engulfed by the heat. Her body seizes again, she can feel the walls squeezing before it happens. Aera continues the ministrations for a few seconds afterwards, drawing out the wave longer before she ceases, pulling back and sitting up.

"Good girl." She licks her lips, not nothing to wipe her face. There's so much slick that it's practically to her ears - proof of a job well done. "One sec, love." She says, sliding off of the couch and leaving the living room. It takes her only a moment to wash her hands and face, then toweling off. Mostly clean again, she returns to the living room and settles beside her liver, scooping her into her arms. The singer holds her against her chest, placing a kiss upon her forehead. That made four now. Only two to go before a better record was made.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She seizes again, twitching, as Aera continues the onslaught for a few seconds after the cresting peaks hit their grandest height and crash down. Again her heart does small flips at the crooned words, but Ellen is too spent to open her eye; so she only hums in acknowledged reply as her love gets up from the couch. For a second she shivers in the sudden chill and the separation - but then being able to stretch out on the couch without someone else's heat on top of her is a relief, and she does so, draping one arm across her eyes and resting the other on her abdomen. Aera isn't gone for very long - in fact, it seems like it's barely a blink... because Ellen manages to doze off in the stillness - and she stirs, snuggling into Aera's embrace as she returns. "Welcome back." She murmurs, kissing her cheek, and leaning into the lips pressed to her forehead.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The arm under her comes up, petting blonde hair. Aera smiles at the kiss on her cheek, pulling her lover close. Her other arm drapes over the human's waist as she rests her head against Ellen's. "Thanks." She whispers, nuzzling into her hair. Being back by warmth was magical... It's all she wants. Part of her wants to carry Ellen to bed and have more room than the couch could offer, then shower and cuddle up together in bed with hot cocoa. Maybe even watch a soap, like old times. Or a movie. But damn does she fucking miss hot cocoa... It sounds like a dream. "Hey, would you like to jump into the shower with me? Once you've rested, of course." She offers. "Or later."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The blonde opens her eyes, lifting her chin so she can look into Aera's eyes, stroking her cheek with the back of her hand. There is nothing but pure love and adoration in her gaze as she smiles up at her. The invitation of a shower sounds amazing - it feels like any relaxation she got from the short time she was in the hot springs is long gone after the exertion her body has gone through in the last stretch of time, and the idea of being able to wash her sweat-soaked and love stained skin is a heavenly idea. Plus if Aera is there with her... "I would love that." She giggles, and takes a moment to stretch - mostly to test if any of her muscles still worked. They seemed fine, relatively speaking. "We can go here in a bit. Plus I bet there's more to this castle than the couch." Her smile shifts into more of a grin.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The ghoul leans into her touch, smiling gently as butterflies flutter in her belly. Aera gazes at her with a cocktail of adoration, love and mirth in perfect harmony. Ellen doesn't offer to switch turns again, and a part of her relaxes. She doesn't consider that her lover could turn it in her in the shower. The blonde stretches, smile changing to a grin. Stars that smile... "Lots more. I have many rooms to show you." Thanks to Rosalyn, Sage and Morgana, they were living the good life in the house. With their help, the theatre room had been remade, with the addition of a gaming room and drawing tables for the kids. And of course, the master bedroom... And attached Master bathroom...

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Come to think of it... Ellen hadn't paid attention to the room they were even in, let alone anything past the entryway when she removed her outerwear and shoes before being dragged inside. "I should hope so. Otherwise it wouldn't be much of a castle, would it..." She teases, glancing around the living room to take it in.

She is somewhat surprised to look around and realize it isn't a replica of Aera's home back in Bear River. You'd think in a dream, it would be... but it seems nice, nonetheless. Her lips quirk into another mischievous smirk as she glances back to Aera. "I'm sure you're most interested in actually showing me the bedroom, hmm? Since we didn't make it that far..."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"No, it wouldn't." She chuckles. There's so much to show. They had all worked rather hard to put everything together. For the longest time, she'd been just going through the motions. Sometimes she still was. Other people made her care just a little about what the house looked like. Tonya especially had an eye for decorating. Rosalyn was clueless, but happy with the results. And it gave Aera an excuse to paint again, in a few rooms. But aside from that, she hadn't really done anything artsy in a long while. Ellen looks back at her with a mischievous smirk and she chuckles. "I'm interested in whatever you want to see. But I do have a bitchin bathroom." With a tub big enough for three people and a walk in, sliding glass shower. More than enough room for extra activities. But she doesn't think about that.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen chuckles, with a look in her eyes that clearly states she doesn't believe Aera for a second that the first thought on her mind wasn't the bedroom. Also, how on brand was it for Aera to have a fabulous bathroom? "I want to see all of it, silly. First of all, it's not every day your best friend moves into a castle. Secondly," She puts on her haughty, drama queen voice. "is not every room the Queen's?"

The voice drops quickly; she never does it for very long. "I believe I must survey all that is in my domain, if I am to reign here. But first that would require washing some of this sweat off... and clothes..." She cuddles closer to her love, as if she needed a reminder they were both still stark naked.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Aera disregards the look completely, interesting chuckling at the signature Queenly tone that she never knew how much she missed til it rang in her ears again. Stars, but she loved it. Ellen tells her that she must inspect all that she surveys, hinting that a shower would be required. It feels like her heart jumps into her throat. The ghoul swallows thickly. Her lover chuckles closer to her, and she lays a kiss upon her forehead again. Ellen kiss the corner of her mouth. "Alright. To the shower, then." Carefully, she untangles herself from her love and rises, standing again. Rather than allow Ellen's feet to grace the floor, she pulls her human into her arms and carries her, bridal style from the living room out to the hall, taking the last door on the left. It's open already, and she judges it further with her foot, helping herself inside. But the room... Doesn't feel like Aera. There's too much white. Not enough band stuff. It's too plain. It's barbones, really, without any artwork or pictures. Only a bed with a dark gray comforter, a black frame, and a white shag rug beneath that peeks out on all sides; two matching bedside tables; a closed white window shutter and a white hamper for clothes. At the foot of the bed is a small white leather chest, closed. There's a scentsy lamp plugged into the wall, radiating the slight scent of lemon into the room. The cabin walls, too, just like the doors, are white. It's a complete 180 from the houses she opened in both Kiri an me Bear River, filled with blacks and reds and grays. She carries Ellen through the open door to the right, through a closet big enough to fit a queen sized bed, and finally into the bathroom.

It's large for what it is, but not as big as the master bathroom from her old house. The floor and wall of the shower are blue and white tile in a stone pattern, with a large shower head coming directly from the ceiling at it's center. Six feet from it is the tub, big enough for three people and deep enough to come to the shoulders while one was sitting down. There are built in seats on all three sides. And next to the door is a stone double sink. Aera sets her down, gesturing to both. "We could take a bath instead, if you wanted. Completely up to you, your Majesty."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen waits for Aera to get up so she can scoot to the edge of the couch and rise herself, but before she can do so, she is swiftly pulled into her love's arms and picked up bridal style. This isn't the first time Aera has done this to her, but she still squeaks and flings her arms around her to steady herself. She doesn't know if she'll ever get used to getting picked up by someone who is so much shorter than she is... and now Aera makes it seem even easier than it was before. Again, the room that greets her eyes as Aera carries her through the bedroom isn't... what she expected. But she isn't surprised. The room is entirely too stark white, but it's reminiscent of an angel... or a spirit in general. The room felt like it could belong to someone who was dead. Which Aera is... regardless of the truth of the whole 'Ghoul' thing, which Ellen still did not have the brain power to devote to working out. She isn't allowed back on her own two feet until they are in the master bathroom proper. At least it isn't nothing but a sea of white... there's some blue, too, thank goodness. Ellen stretches again, wincing a little as she flexes the joint where her leg meets her hip bone from the awkward angle her legs had been in for a while. "Mmm... we can save a bath for later. We've done entirely too much reclining." The blonde says, after a lingering glance at the tub. "Plus you have a rain shower? So jealous. It's big enough we can both fit under."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Save the bath for later. She could do that, when she was better prepared with chocolate strawberries, wine and plenty of candlelight. Maybe some rose petals. All for her love, of course. It's been so long that she doesn't really remember the taste difference in wine tastes - only the knowledge of what paired best with what. Aera had glanced at her when she stretched, noting every curve, every dip, every line from a different angle than earlier. Beautiful. She noted the lingering look at the tub. "Yeah," The ghoul replies, glancing at the shower as she making her way to the door, sliding it open. "It is, thankfully. I love this thing." When she wasn't soaking in the hot tub to get warm, she was in the shower or the tub. Reaching inside, she turns the knobs on the wall for just the right temperature and closes the door to wait.

She'd consciously turned the C knob more than she usually would, not wanting to scald Ellen with the temperature that she liked. She made sure to test it before before the go ahead, but still made sure to stop her lover before she stepped inside, telling her to test it to make sure it was okay.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen lets Aera fuss with the shower, content to wait, taking in the bathroom. It isn't as spacious as the old one, she notes now. And then her attention catches the mirror, and her own reflection. Her eyes widen a little. First, she hardly recognized her own expression in the mirror - her skin is still slightly flushed with a rosy glow, radiating a happiness she hadn't seen on herself for a long time. But there is also the marks... The original, darkest one is the most prominent, but there are hickeys dotted across her neck and collarbone. Good lord... What a sight. Aera then pulls her toward the shower. She seems particular about the temperature, but Ellen is absent-minded and only waves her off that it's fine. She's been taking especially hot showers since coming up to Snow Haven anyway. It feels fine. She steps under the water with a delighted sigh and just let's the water wash over them and the heat to seep in as deep as her bones. Her thumb traces circles across her love's hand as their fingers are laced together. But her other hand has come up to rub at her shoulder and her neck... and the mark there.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Aera hadn't really been looking at her front, or any of the areas that she'd marked earlier really. When she lowers her head and turns her gaze on her lover, she lets her eyes wander properly for the first time since they'd started. Brown eyes land on all of the dark marks dotting her skin, including a few she'd left on the inside of Ellen's legs, and especially around her neck and collarbone.

She spots the original mark as her love rubs it, and bites her lip. "Oh." She mutters. Of course, she'd known it would be dark, but not... That shade or that large. Wow. Maybe she'd gotten... A little carried away. Maybe.

"I'm not apologizing for those, I hope you know that." She admits, releasing the blonde's hand to wipe her eyes and soothe back her dark hair. But she's grinning, proud of her work. Ellen was going to have to wear turtlenecks for a while. Or scarfs. She giggled at the thought, turning around to let most of the water hit her back.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Her gaze refocuses from her thousand yard stare to her love, who looks extra pleased with herself, also looking at the marks. She gives her a look of mock disapproval, but really there's only amusement in her eyes. "I wasn't asking you to." She points out, chuckling, and drops her hand from her neck. Aera turns around and seems to look towards the corner cubby where the soaps and shampoos are located, but Ellen's gaze is now firmly locked onto Aera's form. In comparison to Ellen, Aera's skin is in near pristine condition - because her love would not give her an opportunity to shower her with love and affection in return. Maybe she assumes Ellen is too tired or has given up trying... but that would be wrong. Or maybe that she had been sufficiently distracted to forget about the ace up her sleeve... but that would be wrong, too. She hadn't forgotten... only biding her time. Ellen slips behind Aera, pressing into her back and molding their forms together. Her arms wrap around her, briefly squeezing around her waist, before her hands creep up to circle and palm at Aera's breasts. She hovers over her, shielding a spot on the back of her neck behind her ear from the rain shower over her, hot breath whispering against her skin. "The only reason I look like this and you don't is because you didn't let me..." The blonde complains, although her voice is more of a sultry purr. She presses a light kiss to the spot she's eyeing. "I think I owe you... some payback..."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"Good." The Italian coos, working the water through her hair. Threads of white sift into view from the finger combing. Her eyes are closed when Ellen moves behind her. They flutter open when she feels the other's form press against her own. Aera leans back against her, content, til the arms that wrapped around her venture upward, palming her breasts. She shivers, both from the motions and the sultry purr, stars. Goosebumps spread across her arms. Another shiver runs down her spine from the kiss, and she rubs back against her lover. Her body is still on high alert, and hot - and not from the water. "Ooh, do you~?" She hums, curious and teasing.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She can feel the shiver rolling down her love's spine, the goosebumps under her fingers. It feels good to have her love on the receiving end for once. Everything feels heavenly, the stream of the water, the breasts in her hands, the way Aera rubs back against her. Ellen hums back in the affirmative, but doesn't speak. Instead her tongue slips from between her lips and trace from the spot behind her ear slowly down her neck until she's about halfway past her throat. Meanwhile her hands continue to knead and fondle her breasts, tracing across the pebbled peaks. Everything is excruciatingly slow and teasing as she kisses the spot she's chosen and then slowly open her mouth to settle there. With a gentle suck she draws the skin between her teeth, tracing with her tongue, and begins to bite down until the pressure is significant enough to leave a mark.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Rather than words, Ellen traces a spot on the back of her neck with her tongue, just behind her ear. She gasps and her eyes slide closed again, chest arching into her lover's touch. Her hands ease back, finding the blonde's thighs and hovering there, just needing the contact. She hums with delight, skin tingling in anticipation as she feels her love's mouth settle over the spot she'd chosen. It's slow and teasing, causing shivers. She knows a bite is coming, and that still doesn't fully prepared her for the pressure of teeth on the back of her neck. Pleasure blossoms from the spot and spreads tingling fingers throughout her frame, stoking the flames of desire once again. It's different from the first experimental bite. Aerallis shudders and moans, hands grabbing hold and squeezing. The singer bites her lip to muffle the string of sounds, hummed moans and giggles mingled with delight and pleasure.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera's every reaction is delicious - the long awaited dessert after a big meal. It only serves to further fuel her fire as if none of before had even happened. She doesn't know why her lust in this dream seems so insatiable, but she doesn't care to think about it too much. The way she shook from pure need, the noises that comes out of her mouth… Aera's voice had always been angelic to her; she loved to listen to her sing. Now her tiny gasps and moans are music to her ears. Except the former singer is biting her lip, muffling those noises. That can't be tolerated. Ellen sucks on the spot gently for a moment, but doesn't do much but to leave a red mark that'll fade. Instead she releases the spot and moves further down, with more soft kisses. Stopping at the crook where her neck meets her shoulder. The blonde enjoys the feel of her love arching under her hands, rolling the peaks between her fingers, and the water cascading across her back. "Aera..." She hums, mischievous. "Sing for me~" And then she bites down on her neck, hardest so far, intending to leave a mark as deep as the one Aera had left on her in the same place and wanting to hear her cry out.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

It'll leave a mark. A small one that will quickly fade, but still a mark - one that she won't cover. Ellen releases the skin and kisses down to her neck and shoulder, earning hums that were mostly swallowed up by the sound of the shower and a steady rub against her front. Pleasure continues to roll through her in waves. The skin of her neck liters with goosebumps before the human even bites her. "Ellen..." The name is a dreamy sigh accompanied by a softer, hummed moan. The last time she'd been touched like this, she'd been alive. A mage. "Aera..." The blonde hums. It's the mischievous tone that catches her attention. The sing comment is a warning, spurring tingles across her shoulders and down her spine, and then it happens. Ellen's teeth are heavy upon her neck and everything is white hot, explosive stars followed by a sharp, trembling cry of pure desire. Her entire body seizes and shudders, devolving into continuous shivers, mouth agape with shaken, broken moans. Oooh, fuck. This was it, she was doomed. This was how she would really die.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The cry is everything she hoped it would be. Music to her ears, song of the heavens. Ellen groans, squeezing her tighter against her as she writhes. She sucks the skin harder into her mouth, soothing over it with a raspy tongue as she does so. Her jaw releases pressure for a moment, only to bite down again, wondering if she can make Aera sing again without even moving from the spot. This is definitely a tool Ellen should have never been given. To turn her into such a mess with only one action... Ellen's fingers itch. She releases one of her breasts in order to slowly slide down Aera's body, lightly tracing the scars as she goes, with a final destination to end between her love's thighs. Her hand is trembling as it travels. Nerves linger under the haze of excitement for reaching to touch a place she's never touched on another person; worried, perhaps, that her inexperience won't make it nearly as pleasurable for Aera as it had been for her. But it doesn't stop her - she focuses on worrying the skin between her teeth and settles her hand to ghost across the curve of Aera's thigh and drag her nails lightly across her inner thigh approaching her mound.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Being pulled tighter against her lover's form, the rolling of her peaks in excited hands and the eager mouth biting into her neck is enough to be overwhelming in the next of ways. But she's wobbling on weak knees, leaning fully into Ellen for support. Her hands float grasp Ellen's shoulders to try and hold herself up, but there's nothing to her grip. Every second that ticks by throws oil to the fire, growing it in wild spurts. Her legs tremble. Her lover's jaw releases pressure for a moment, and before feeling returns to her body, the pressure is back. Aera doesn't cry out. She whimpers and moans, shaking with need, as pleasure spears through her and straight to her core. Her knees nearly buckle under the intensity. If it weren't for Ellen practically holding her up, she'd have greeted the tile. One hand ventures away from her chest and she realizes with a start where it's destination lies. She can barely feel the trembling of Ellen's hand through her shudders. Consumed by the haze and the pleasure radiating from beneath those blessed teeth, she's barely even capable of thought other than a slight fear that her knees will buckle at any moment. But she's conscious of what will come next, letting out a hissed intake of air when nails drag lightly across her inner thigh. That hand continues to go further down, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake and she can't fucking think, rubbing back against Ellen again absentmindedly, encouraging more. What she was going for was certainly more. But the angle was going to be challenging for her, even if she was looming over the singer. The continued touches makes her breath hitch and quicken, hips already squirming. Damn it, she shouldn't have been so damn obvious about looking to be bitten. It was far too much power for Ellen to have.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen supports Aera's weight at first without even noticing - they are molded together back to chest, and she only has to shift her arm slightly to pin the other to her in a motion reminiscent of a dancer's pose. She is lost to the sounds Aera makes, the whimpers, moans, and cries. Practically quaking in her embrace. It isn't until her fingers brush along the top of the public bone and Aera's hips begin to squirm that Ellen somewhat comes back to her senses. Mostly because the way they're angled, her mouth auctioned to her neck, her reach doesn't extend much further than where they're at. Hmm... Maybe they should've gone for the bath after all... Foreplay is fun, but the real thing is difficult to do in the shower proper. Not to mention she suddenly realizes Aera is hardly able to stand on her own two feet. At this rate they're both going to end up stretched across the tiled floor of the shower, and who wants to do that? Ellen hums in thought, the vibrations radiating through to the love bite as she slowly releases the pressure of her teeth, still soothing the spot with her tongue. Her hand continues to trace the lines of her mound and inner thigh, but no further. Hmm, decisions, decisions... Ellen kisses a trail up to her love's ear. Her breath whispers hot and heavy across it, close so as to be heard over the water. "You want to maybe come back to the shower?" She nibbles on her ear. "We'll need another after this anyway..."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Fingertips ghost closer, but no further than her public bone. Her partner has met the limit of her reach, and it hardly registers to the ghoul, lost to her lover's ministrations. Any thought that she could've had is scorched away by the vibrations against her skin, and Ellen slowly releasing her neck, soothing what would definitely be a dark mark later on with her tongue. Warm hands trace the lines of her nethers and inner thighs, and though still shivering, Aera is able to breathe. Her brown eyes are unfocused as her consciousness slowly starts to come down from a pleasure high. She hums with the trail of kisses, still leaning on her human for support. Hot breath tickles her ear. The singer understands the question... But she's still so lost wandering through the haze that all that comes out is, "Okay." Ellen had too much power over her now. Slowly, the shivering ceases for the time being, and she comes back to her senses, turning the water off. Had she grabbed any towels? No? Fail, one track mind. Fail. But she doesn't need them, she realizes... She's still wearing the glove. She'd been so focused on Ellen that she'd almost forgotten about it. It doesn't cover her fingers, but is looped around her middle finger. The red gem activates. All of the water on her body evaporates in a few seconds, rising off as steam. Her hair takes a few ticks longer. Then she touches her lover's arm to give her the same treatment - creating a surface heat that evaporates the water on her skin, in her hair. Aera's hand is noticably warmer. The glove isn't even wet. Now they stand, dry, in an otherwise still damp standin shower. To think there was a time that she refused to use magic around this woman... Hah. It seems almost silly now. "There. "

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She waits until it seems Aera will stay steady on her own two feet before releasing her. Reluctantly. But they don't need to trip over each other turning off the water and making their way back to the bed with slippery tile in the bathroom. Ellen wasn't even thinking about the towels, to be honest. She still feels hot enough that the water will feel good in the cooler air of the house, like the heat from her own skin will evaporate before they reach the bed sheets. It's only the second actual display of magic Aera has used, and the first since the reveal; it can be forgiven that Ellen flinches when the gem in the glove - which she hadn't noticed Aera was still wearing any more than Aera herself - begins to glow and then suddenly the water rises off Aera's body in a cloud of steam. It's an astonishing handful of seconds before Aera touches her arm and then she flinches again at the strange warmth that races over her skin, zapping the water into steam. Ellen blinks repeatedly, looking down at her hair drawn over her shoulder, which is completely dry. It would have been like the shower hadn't been on at all if not for the fact that the walls and tile were still damp, and the door still steamy. It feels extremely dreamlike... and her attention quickly moves on to other things.

"Cool." She says, and then decides to flip the script before Aera can take the chance - she scoops the little Italian woman into her arms bridal style, grinning, and hurries them back through to the bedroom. She lays her love out on the bed, stretching out beside her, drawing her in to a deep kiss.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Before she can think to do anything else, the blonde sweeps her off of her feet and into her arms. Aera giggles, wrapping her arms around Ellen's neck. The human carries her through the bathroom and back to the bedroom, laying her on the bed. She stretches out as the other gets up to join her, turning towards the blonde just as Ellen draws her in, lips crushing her own. She hums into the kiss, draping an arm over her waist.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

This is much better. The bed is much more comfortable than the couch, more room to move around... and safely in a horizontal position to make the groping easier. Ellen folds herself over Aera, threading their legs together, much of it an exact copy of what Aera had done to her before - she draws her deeper into the kiss, humming, her hands already wandering once again.

Only the kiss doesn't last long before she moves, kissing her cheek before nipping lighting at her jawline and moving back towards her neck, the other side this time, as her hands track further south. One hand stops at her breast again; the other returns to its circling of her inner thigh and mound, probing with a soft touch but not dipping past the outer folds.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

It feels similar to what she had done; threading their legs together, moving into a position on top of her partner, luring her into a deeper kiss. Ellen hummed as she did so, earning a soft 'mmph' from the singer when she deepened the kiss. She wasn't sure how much more foreplay she could take, already starting to squirm again. Thankfully, it seems that her love is just as eager to continue as she is. Her skin tingles beneath her lovers' hands, trailing goosebumps behind them. The kiss at her cheek sent her dead heart a flutter, and the light nips where drops of fire through her bloodstream. Her partner moves to the other side of her neck this time, hands southbound - one once again finding a home at her chest and the other resuming what it had in the shower. Only now, it's a bit bolder in its exploration. A soft touch probs the outer lips and she shivers with a light hum, once again conscious of just how drenched she is.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The nerves under the haze want to take control, cause her to hesitate. It wants to take her out of the moment to think and worry - but thankfully the dreamlike haze is there and fends it off easily. It isn't as if this is some stranger. It's just Aera. And she's a woman, not some foreign creature. She traces her outer folds, shivering to her love's shivers, the slick cool on her fingers. It's basically just like exploring her own body for the first time. Worse comes to worse and she ends up clumsier than a teenager reaching third base for the first time, at least she can distract Aera with bites, right? Bold, still nipping at her throat and neck, the blonde runs her fingers along the drenched slit from bottom to top. Teasing the entrance and the sensitive bundle of nerves at the top without settling on either, as she explores another woman's body for the first time and listening for what Aera likes.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Aerallis never really let any of her lovers touch her, not in the same way she touched them. Even Thora, until the werewolf started letting the singer call her by the blonde's name. She'd been the last person to touch her in... Years and now, here she was, shivering under anothers' touch for the first time. And it was Ellen, the real one. Butterflies fluttered as her heart flipped, rising to her throat. Fingers continue to trace her outer folds, coating in slick. Bolder still, those fingers run along her slit from top to bottom. She shivers again. She hums with the teasing of her entrance, and her breath hitches once her lovers' fingers grace the sensitive nub peeking from its hood. It's different. She's never allowed it, even to those that had gotten physical with her, and she's not sure if penetrating digits can get her to climax. But rubbing was another story. Yet the thought of either makes the beat of butterfly wings race.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

At least she has the memory of what had just been done to her to draw on; Aera's wandering hands feel etched into her skin, now, and Ellen is subconsciously copying the motions. Her love shivers and hums underneath her, the noise of encouragement, restocking the flames of desire within her soul. Ellen presses her lips to a new spot on Aera's neck. Aera hums from the motion of her fingers, but it's her hitched breath the blonde is most interested in. Her fingers well lubricated by now trace back up and circle the bud. It's not meant to be teasing, so Ellen is quick to slide one, then two fingers over it. She starts with a soft pressure to figure out what her love prefers; if she seems up for it she'll increase the pressure at a steady rate, keeping the pace even and slow, for now.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Her skin tingles under her lovers' lips, but it's hard to focus on that feeling when slick fingers encircle the hooded nub. Aerallis takes in a hissed intake of air, biting her lower lip to stop herself from moaning. It doesn't work. Ellen works quickly, pressing two digits against her, circling as she had done previously to gauge what the human liked. Fast learner. The pressure works; her mouth opens in a long, soft moan and she shivers, back arching and hips rolling back against her love's hand for more. The pressure increases and she whimpers. Her hips move of their own volition, meeting the pace set by her partner. The hand resting on the human's waist moves to squeeze her thigh, grounding herself.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Luckily for Aera, Ellen is also too focused on her hands to do more than press light kisses to her throat and neck. The blonde rides the rolling of her hips and the arching of her love's back from the bed. The noises from that mouth... It's a song created just for her, special, and Ellen takes all the time in the world to drink it in. Her pace remains unchanged after she finds the right pressure, until she judges from the noises and Aera's bucking hips that it has reached the point of madness; then Ellen picks up the speed, mimicking any techniques that had been used that Aera might like in return, and running the tip of her tongue along her collarbone. Hunting for another spot to leave a mark.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The pace stays the same and the cliff steadily comes closer, but it's too slow of an approach. Aera squirms, groaning and buckling her hips faster in frustration. Mercifully, Ellen gives her what she wants, picking up speed. She moans and shivers, breath becoming short and baited, shallow gulps of air. Her nails dig into skin, head thrown back. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck," She repeats it slowly like a chant, a prayer, approaching the cliff rapidly.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen is so hyper aware of every hitched breath, every moan, the squirming underneath her. Amazing to be on the giving end for once and able to feel the pleasure building into a fever pitch that Aera had no doubt been able to feel in return. Shivers crawl down Ellen's spine in return. She wants to hear Aera sing. Once it seems like her love is balancing on thr edge of the cliff is when she makes her final strike, settling on a spot and opening her mouth to sink her teeth in, sucking gently and forming another mark, another bruise to last.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

At last she reaches the cliff, feet breezing over the ground as her body shakes. She's close. She's so damn close. The movement of her hips is desperate, drinking in the friction where she needs it most. Aera teeters on the edge. That's when her lover chooses to strike. Teeth sink into a different spot and the frayed strings of control snap. Her muscles clench almost immediately, the shivering becoming shaking as she plunges over the edge and into tidal waves below. "Oooh!" Her mouth opens in a long, half-moan and half-groan of pure ectasty, eyes rolling back as her legs close to discourage further movement. A shuddering moan leaves her, feeling another mark in the making. The shaking ceases and she floats, weakly clinging to her partner even as she slowly starts to come back down. Her eyes refocus and she blinks, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. She couldn't do it again. Stars, she couldn't, she'd lose her fucking mind. It's... It's been a while. Fuck. Fuck, but that had been... God.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen's responding moan is muffled thanks to her mouth locked on the other, thank goodness, because her hear is near Aera's mouth so all she can hear is the beautiful sound of her love sing as she cries out in ecstasy. Legs close around her arm and she stops obediently; but is slower to release her jaw until she is sure the bite will stay. The blonde nuzzles into her, settling into a more comfortable position as an arm wraps around her waist. Her hand slides up to rest on her pelvis and her other arm slides under Aera's neck to pull her into an embrace. "How was that?" She teases, but is also genuinely curious. To determine whether it was adequate payback, of course.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Ellen nuzzles her and she returns them, wrapping both arms around her and squeezing gently. One of the human's arms slide under her neck, pulling her into an embrace. Aera rests against her, perfectly content, basking in the afterglow. She presses a soft kiss to her lover's cheek, grinning at the curious yet teasing question. "You heard me." She mutters, resting her head on Ellen's arm, leaving just enough space between them to allow her to see the blonde's face. "You know how it was." She teases back with a wink.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen giggles and cuddles into Aera's embrace. It's strange that she's not listening to her breathing return to normal... It went back so quickly... "Your song is just as beautiful with this as it is usually." She murmurs back, chuckling to the wink. "I love to hear you sing this way~"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

There's no need to catch her breathe. As soon as she's over the edge, there's no need to breathe until it's time to talk. Her lungs fill with and deplete themselves of air easily. She isn't even thinking about it as she smiles at her giggling lover. Aera pulls up a hand to stroke her cheeks with the back of her palm, moving golden hair from her face, searching her eyes. She'd missed this. Looking at her. Seeing her reflection in those eyes. The ghoul smirks in retrospect, narrowing her gaze as her lips quirk into a sly grin. "And I love the way you say my name this way. And there way you beg..." She shivers and chuckles. "But most of all, I love seeing this... Different side of you."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen's brow furrows, her own lips quirking into a smirk of her own. Even though she knows she's being teased, and will not be driven off the subject, her cheeks still tinge red... Because it's impossible not to blush. Her skin is so obvious. "I'm not normally this, uh, noisy." She admits easily enough. "Your song inspires me, I guess. Although I also wouldn't let my lover take me four times in a row before they would even let me touch them." Her lips purse into a small pout that quickly fades. Yeah, this whole experience was atypical for her in general; Ellen is used to a much more mutual give and take than a back and forth. But this being Aera seems to explain all that... Everything about her is magical, down to her very presence here, so. Ellen can't say that she doesn't love it. Her smirk fades a little to a more genuine smile. "Sorry it took so long for you to see it. We'll have all the time in the world now, though." She leans in to kiss her cheek.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She's blushing again and the ghoul grins. She loves those flushed cheeks. The Italian giggles. Wasn't normally that noisy, huh? She'd take that as a compliment. Song. Stars, she was so flowery. "Although-" Ellen starts and her grin practically spreads from ear to ear. That, Aera was used to. She had almost always been a giver, not a receiver. But it seemed like that would change now. She cups the others' cheek and smiles. "And you loved every second of it." Aera teases, stroking her pouting cheek with her thumb. How was it possible to be... So in-love with someone? Her eyes radiate warmth and love. If nothing else existed outside of this room, she would live the happiest life still. That feeling was as strong now as it had been back then. It'd been too much to bury. Too painful... To ignore forever. She'd been so empty without it, going back through the motions again. That was over now. She returns the smile as Ellen leans in to kiss her cheek. Aera turns her head just in time, catching the corner of her mouth instead. Her hand guides the human further to her lips, capturing her mouth for a longer kiss. Then she rests her head against her lover's chest, nuzzling against her skin. All the time in the world... Yes. "I love you." Aera murmurs, just loud enough to hear. Her heart flips. It's so freeing to say.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen can't help but giggle at her love's knowing and unapologetic grin at being called out. "Loving it is beside the point." She fake-grumbles. Yes, she had loved every overwhelming second of it. But it didn't mean she would let it go. The love in her eyes is strong enough to vibrate in the air between them, almost like a humming undercurrent to match Ellen's own heartbeat. Ellen is so deliriously happy and content. This is more than she could have ever dreamed of. Her best friend back, as a lover no less, and the love burns fiercer than anything she's ever known. Whatever memories of the love she thought she had with Richard is like a snuffed candle in comparison. Her cheek kiss is thwarted by the head turn, and Ellen is drawn into a longer kiss. Soft and loving. Once again she tries to pour her heart through her lips: she loves her, and she isn't going to suddenly wake up and change her mind. "I love you too." She murmurs back, whispered, like a secret between them. And squeezes her tighter in the embrace. The stillness is warm and comfortable... And Ellen suppresses a tiny yawn.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"No, it is the point." She chuckles, unwavering. If her lover thought it wouldn't happen again, she had another thing coming. Because it would. Multiple times. The kiss is soft and loving, each party pouring her heart and soul into it, hoping that it would reach the other. All thought that it wouldn't last has left her. Thanks to the haze, she has accepted it for what it was, ignoring the slight throb in her chest that says otherwise. It's gone with the whispered words, leaving only butterflies and tingles. Laying against her, she finds that she doesn't want to move. It's comfortable here, in her lovers' embrace, and she sighs contently, closing her eyes. "Shower later," She mutters, pressing a gentle kiss against her skin. It's too comfortable to move. So she wouldn't. A nap sounds perfect.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera echoes the words that are hovering in her mind as they lay there, tangled together, mutually sated, warm and comfortable. Ellen doesn't need to be told more than once; the blonde makes herself more comfortable and squeezes Aera to her. Hugging her basically like a teddy bear to her.

" 'Kay." She mumbles, her eyes already shut and ready to give in to the desire for sleep that has been poking at her since round two.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Sleep takes them easily. It isn't something that she needs as a ghoul. More of a luxury, a semblance of normality. It's a dreamless sleep, but when she wakes, blinking through a haze that had settled heavily over her, Ellen is the first thing she sees - peaceful and silent. The coil of desire is back and curious, she nuzzles her lovers' neck, peppering it with kisses and bites, listening for a reaction. Her hands wander, massaging her breasts and rolling soft peaks in her fingers. How long would her human stay asleep with the teasing? It seems like the most important question at the time and required immediate testing. For science, as Thora often said.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen is a heavy sleeper, even for naps; combine that with how physically exhausted she is, and the emotional strain she doesn't know she's going to because a thick haze blankets everything and shuts out all beyond the love and adoration for the one in her arms, and the blonde is out. Dropped into a dead sleep and snuggling her Aera like a teddy bear.

Some time later, the rise from sleep is slow and bleary, but Ellen wakes enough for her body to respond to the teasing caresses. But she isn't fully awake yet, in that half-asleep state that's still so close to dreaming. Small, quiet, hummed moans work their way from her throat, and she arches into her love's fingers.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

There's a response. Quiet, hummed moans and arching into her hands. Aerallis watches her features for a moment. Still asleep, but not enough to be dead to the world. She can work with that. She pinches and pulls the peaks and continues to nuzzle, selecting an unmarked spot on her love's neck. Her mouth closes over it, teeth sinking into the skin as she sucks it into her mouth to leave yet another mark, silent except for the sounds that Ellen makes.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The blonde's breathing begins to pick up, but it's still not enough to fully rouse her from sleep until Aera finds that untouched spot on her neck. "Ngh!" Ellen squirms, her eyes sliding open as the mark is left on her skin. It takes her a second to focus her sleep-addled gaze, to register what's happening. "Aera..." She mumbles, shivers crawling up and down her spine at the feel of her hands. "What're you doing...?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

That wakes her up. Her partner squirms at the bite. Aera doesn't let go. Doesn't answer to the prompt of her name, or provide an answer to the obvious question. Instead she sucks harder, continuing to give her chest the attention it deserves. One hand moves to travel down the human's side, nails scraping skin as she does so, til she reaches Ellen's thigh. Her nails run up, fingertips heavy upon the pebbled peak they'd left, and then trace back down.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen sighs as Aera continues her ministrations, arching into her love's hands, the motions of her fingers. Desire coils inside her, reignited from the embers like the fire only needed to be stoked to roar back to life. At this rate there isn't going to be a space unmarked left on her neck. "Aera..." She softly moans her name. Wasn't there supposed to be a shower...? Oh well, this is partially her fault for interrupting the shower earlier.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The soft moan of her nickname is a flame straight to her core, just as it had earlier. As far as she was concerned, the shower could continue to wait. She still had at least four more to give and her fingers itch at the thought, her other hand circling around to trace the inside of her thigh, then the shape of her mound - something the blonde had done to her just before the nap. There's still so much to learn and explore and not a lot of time. Aera releases the skin, dragging her tongue over the spot to sooth it. She continues to kiss and nip at other spaces of her neck, even the collarbone and shoulder, savoring the taste of her skin. Until they'd both left puddles on the sheets and covered in sweat, she wouldn't stop.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Apparently Aera has no intention of pausing or even allowing her to wake up properly as there is no verbal reply to anything she says... and the physical replies are just to stoke the flames burning back into an inferno in her core. Well... Ellen isn't complaining. The blonde stretches, feeling the ache in her muscles and shaking off the last of sleep, and then shivers trace up and down her spine as Aera mimics the moves she had just used on her earlier... but that wasn't fair, she was mimicking Aera -- her thoughts stall out, the moans deepening. Well, rest assured - she'll let her have this first one while she's first waking up, but she isn't the only going who's going to be writhing around on the bed this time. And then she gives herself over to the desire and need reawakened in her bloodstream.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Their lovemaking continues for sometime, though she's not sure how long. Doesn't care how long. At some point, it stopped being bright outside. And finally, after puddles and sweat, Aera carries her love back to the bathroom, personal goal reached. But she doesn't bother messing with the shower, not when they're both blissfully sore again. She starts the water in the tub and sets the blonde in it. The water warms quickly and she climbs in, immediately taking Ellen's hand and threading their fingers together. At first, it's relaxing just to be in the water with her, pressed into her back. When she grabs the sponge, it becomes intimate, the ghoul refusing to allow the human to wash herself. She scrubs her head with shampoo and conditioner afterwards before passing the sponge to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Hours pass, stretching so long that they might as well have been days. Ellen has no idea where her stamina and endurance are coming from, but she is able to withstand the onslaught Aera subjects her to and still return it in kind. The shower doesn't come until movement is sore and burns even with satisfaction, and even then it's not a shower; whiiich Ellen does not object this time. Nor does she object to having everything handled for her. She is the Human here, after all. Ellen cuddles herself close to Aera as they lay together in the water. She might have objected to being scrubbed down, but at the moment she's too content and spent to care. However, she doesn't need any prompting to take the sponge and turn the scrubbing to her love, washing her in kind. Complete with the peppering in of kisses, of course, because Ellen can't help herself.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She giggles with the peppered kisses, returning a few of them to the blonde's cheeks and mouth, while Ellen cleans her in kind. She shivers at the ghosting of fingertips until finally, they're clean. That's when she notices her hair. The ends over her shoulder are white, not black. Only an inch or two from her roots remains black. And her stomach is empty. The ghoul is hungrier, but the haze smothers it. Mutes it. Both clean, she flicks the latch to drain the tub and rises, stepping out and grabbing a towel, offering a hand to her love. But the towel isn't for her; as soon as Ellen is out of the tub and standing next to her, Aera pats her face dry with the towel, using it to cup her face and kiss her. Then she moves to the rest of her body, leaving a kiss to each segment as she does so, patting her dry and scrubbing her head with the towel, wrapping it tightly around her hair with a giggle. Only afterward does she reach for her own to dry off. Dry and back in the bedroom, the ghoul pulls the sheets and covers off of the bed, replacing the linens with new ones, then pulls her love atop it. "Golden Girls or another nap?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen hasn't been left so breathless and giggling in... forever. Still, this is certainly going to be a battle over who can shower who with the most affection. And it's a sore point that Ellen already knows she's going to lose. But Aera can't always keep her from showering affection upon her in kind, she wants to be able to do it too! But Aera is the one who's been hurting for so long... so, fine. Other than squeals and giggles at the teasing patdown while getting dry - not even able to towel up her own hair - Ellen lets her do it without a fuss. Back into blessedly clean fresh sheets feels like heaven. This is heaven - this white room, Aera's white hair, she had been wearing white when they met again - it was all pointing towards her own personal nirvana. Ellen immediately pulls Aera back into her arms once she's settled on the bed.

"Ooh, my favorite." She giggles. But the giggles are interrupted by a yawn. She knows either option is going to end in another nap regardless. Still... getting to cuddle up with Aera in bed and watch her favorite sitcom is just like old times (minus the still being naked). "Yeah, let's watch it." She agrees, kissing her love on the cheek.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She doesn't protest when Ellen pulls her back into her arms. She settles into them easily, leaning back against her, comfortable already. Her partner giggles and she smiles, one hand clasped over her love's and the other already reaching for the remote on the next stand next to the bed. "Okay." Aera giggles at the kiss on her cheek, turning on the TV. The roku screen comes up and she selects Sling, quickly navigating to an episode of their favorite sitcom, settling in place and dropping the remote back on the nightstand. It's... It almost feels like a stolen evening, the one they were supposed to have when the event happened - minus the soup and well... Clothes. The ghoul pulls a blanket up over them, letting out a contented sigh. The haze has settled thickly again, almost smothering, and yet... She looks up, kissing her partners' cheek. "Ellen..." This time when she looks at Ellen, there's something else in addition to love. She's looking at the human as though she's scared that she'll disappear. The theme song has started. "I love you." Her hands squeeze her blonde's and she gets comfortable again. They're not even half-way into the episode before sleep claims her again.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

They snuggle down into bed, and for a moment Ellen is struck by an overwhelming sense of nostalgia from the familiarity of it all. The setting is slightly different but right now is... everything she would've wished her future to be. She couldn't see it before, but love is made sweeter by loss, and she is so, so thankful to have been given this one day, this one night, this one dream to get a chance to redo it all. If she could reach back through time and share this knowledge with her past self... how different would her life have been? The blonde can read the look in Aera's eyes even through her own haze. Again it's the worry, the disbelief. Ellen tries to force everything she has through her responding gaze. So resolute in its belief that nothing can change this. They're bound together, forever. "I love you too, Aera. So much." She squeezes her hands tightly in return. As love struck as she is, it's a vow she would never break. Their love is everything. Forever. The Golden Girls plays on until the auto-player flashes the prompt to see if they're still watching, but they've both fallen back into dreamless sleep.

During which, the love potion - which has always had a time limit, a ticking bomb, counts down to its end. The magic can't stay forever. And so it fades.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

It's the thick haze that lays over her mind that allows her sleep to be dreamless. But all good things must come to an end. The comforting, cozy haze cracks and crumbles away and what lied beneath springs outward, kept in a box for far too long. She's back in the morgue, pulling out a body for another easy meal. It's easy. Mindless. She has to hurry. Before it's too late. Has to get out of the morgue. Get back home, because who knew how much time had passed. But she needed to be full. Needed to be alert. So she needed to feed. When she's done, she closes the slide and ventures to the next. Pale. Petite. Brunette. It doesn't click. Aera was reaching for the neck when her eyes find the corpse's face, settling there. "Too... Late." It's familiar. Soft. It's one she's kissed. It's the one she'd needed to go back to. The one she was too late to go back to. "Too late." She repeated, feeling the corpse's neck - stretched and broken. "Too... late..." Imprinted ropes. Suicide. Water wells in her eyes. "Too late. Too late." She repeats it, maddeningly, covering her neck. It's Camille. She's too late.

And she's too hungry.

It doesn't process. The ghoul rises, getting out of bed and leaving the room quickly. It's nightfall. She can already hear movement from outside. They're out already. Aerallis heads outside, too hungry to care about being bare or about being cold, where she knows a meal is watching if she needs it. She does. And Morgan, seeing her, is happy to help. The phage, returning from a hunt, also shares her meal, healing the mage so that the ghoul can eat again.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen's mind swims up to consciousness as if pushing upwards through syrup. She didn't want to wake up; she felt like she could sleep for another 24 hours before she recovered her strength. But hunger pangs in an empty stomach after hours of intense physical exterior demand to be sated, and slowly, the dreamless sleep slips away. She opens her eyes slowly, bleary and unfocused, and then winces at all the white. Ugh, her apartment shouldn't be this bright... the bed is empty, so it takes her a long moment of thoughts sluggishly trucking down the tracks to connect several things together. This is not her bed. This is not her apartment. And the ache in her body tells her... It was not a dream. Unlike with other magic, at least in this case, there is no luxury of a powerful memory agent. Her mind has not tried to lock the events away in a black miasma of missing time. It still feels like a hazy dream to look back on, but all the memories are there. All of them. Delayed, perhaps, on returning in full force, but there is enough still there to wash the sleep from her mind, inhaling sharply. Ellen pushes up on an elbow, gritting her teeth at the ache in her limbs, and looks around - only to startle as she realizes the figure sitting at the end of the bed is there. She hadn't heard her at all... "... Aera." Ellen sounds remarkably calm - and also hoarse from too much use. In the face of the overwhelming, she had retreated behind her training. Secure the scene first. Collect. Analyze. "That... wasn't a dream. Was it. You're... actually here." She swallows, choking back emotion.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The ghoul who had been warm and loving, joyous and happy in her company just a short while before, is not the one that looks back at her. Her features are cold and stoic, unreadable. Her eyes are cold and focused, pupils no longer dilated. Instead they're fixated on Ellen like the eyes of a predator. But there's something in those eyes that's twitching. Something hot and seething that magic could no longer contain. Rage. Not at the human in particular. She's completely still, unbreathing. Only her eyes move, following the human's movements. Ellen shouldn't be here, let alone in Snow Haven. She'd reconnected with Ilosti. And she'd go to her, tell her what she'd experienced, if she left. Aerallis couldn't let her do that. The blonde sounds calm, retreating behind her training. The corners of her mouth twitch. She hated when Ellen did that. Her voice is hoarse. But she doesn't deny it. She says it more like an observation than a question. The ghoul doesn't relax. Suddenly, her chest expands as she takes in air.

"Yes." She says after a moment's pause. There's no emotion in her voice.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

For a moment, looking at the creature before her, Ellen wonders whether or not this is the dream. Aera is so still as to be unnerving. There is no sound of breathing whatsoever. And that cold look on her face, in her eyes, is so alien and unfamiliar against what now lies in her memories. Chills crawl down her spine. Ellen swallows, her mouth dry, and pushes herself to a sitting position with some small difficulty, holding the sheet to her chest. She can see on her periphery all the marks Aera had left into her skin. Irrefutable proof of what happened. But that has to be thought about later. Processed later. Aera replies only with a single word. The intake of air to do so is painfully noticeable in the otherwise still form. "I can't believe it," Ellen murmurs. "You're actually... Here, I wasn't dreaming. In Snow Haven. The springs..." Her head aches in a pulse of pain, and she puts one hand to her head. The shadows, Aera had controlled the shadows like they were living things, oh god-- She refocuses on the figure before her thoughts spiral out of control, still calm. Her defenses are slowly coming up under that cold, alien stare. "If you're here... But everyone think you're gone, does... does no one know?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

It was all going so well... The recruitment, the preparation, everything. Revenge was close. So close. And then she could go back to sleep. Or would have. That had been the plan. The ghoul's eyes narrow at the mention of the springs. This... This complicated things. Ellen... Complicated things. She hadn't come this far to feel this now; the wanting, the urge to tell her everything, to laugh, to cry, to think that maybe she could live with this, that they could now that nothing was in the way... The want to confess, properly. To love. Her being here... She could ruin everything that Aerallis had worked to build. It would be better to eat her, now, before things got complicated. But even now, she knew that she couldn't. Not to Ellen. Not unless... It couldn't be avoided. Even without the potion, she still wouldn't have killed the blonde in the springs. She'd have dropped the human and moved on to another target before Ellen saw her. The blonde places one hand to her head. It must hurt. There was a lot to process. Yet she remained calm, thanks to her training. Her chest squeezes, seeing her this way. She wants to ask, wants to know. Did you mean it? But when she spoke, that wasn't what came out. Her guard was already up.

"I was gone." She interrupts, matter-of-factly. There's an edge to her voice, something that matches the look in her eyes as she says it. "No one knows. And it will stay that way."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen tenses as Aera cuts over her, blunt and matter of fact. She lowers her hand slightly from her temple; her fingers are trembling, the nerves that had been earlier suppressed finally free. She had said it several times now, and the proof was in front of her, undeniable - even if she could try to hand wave away being unable to feel a heartbeat or hear the breathing before, she isn't breathing now except to speak. But Ellen doesn't want to think about it. Someone can't be dead and alive. Reanimation? Ghouls? Magic, being real? How could any of this be reality? She stares into Aera's eyes, searching them. They suddenly seem so different. That cold, calculated, rage filled gaze is so alien on her best friend's face. It doesn't make sense. And Ellen furrows her brow, frowning, at what unmistakably sounds like a threat. What on earth? What is happening? "Why?" Ellen shoots back. It doesn't have nearly the same power it should, considering how hoarse her voice is. "Do you have any idea -- how hurt everyone is? The news -- when they found you -- and your sister..." The grief lurks on the edge of her detached calm, grief and frustration. Her calm slips as it compounds the confusion already rampant through her head, and she presses her hand to her chest in a fist.

"I hadn't even heard from you in months, I didn't get to... to say... and you're pretending to be dead?" Ellen swallows, taking a breath, and when she speaks again her tone is now also flat. "Explain it to me. What is going on?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Why? She wouldn't understand. She could, maybe, if it was explained in its entirety... But it wouldn't be. She couldn't let her know. Not the whole truth. Not yet. If ever. There it was, again, the complications. It was already starting- Her eyes narrow again. Of course she knew. Rosalyn and Morgan had been fans. Had been at shows. They knew that the singer had been a mage, and to see her as a ghoul had been heartbreaking for them. Morgan had shown her the interviews, the articles, the pictures of loved ones morning her death. Pictures and interviews of her sister... Who still had the audacity to look and come across as still mourning her, the one she KILLED, after she'd been reported to have been the one to have found Camille. It feels like her blood is roaring in veins. But it's quieted by the edging of grief in Ellen's voice.

They hadn't talked in months before that but she didn't know. She didn't know that the singer had planned to-

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen doesn't realizes her words have been misunderstood until it's too late. All she can do is recoil back as if within the space of a blink Aera has moved from the end of the bed to be on top of her, arms on either side, trapped in place. Her face is so close that even her hair blocks out all but those dark eyes on her own. Her entire body clenches, despite the ache in her muscles, poised to fight back if necessary, a primal uneasiness crawling across her instincts responding to a predator so close - more pain lances across her head, why does she need to fight back, it's Aera, why would Aera hurt her - but all Aera does is force her hand under her shirt, press her palm flat against her chest where the heartbeat should be. There is none. Ellen tries to yank her hand away, breathing hard through her nose, her own heart racing. She knew, but without the haze of the potion to color the shock it pierces like an arrow through her chest. Her eyes begin to water, trapped under the heat of her best friend's intense gaze, and she swallows desperately against the lump rising in her throat. "Is that what happens?" Her voice shakes as she is desperate to regain her composure. Trying to shrink away from the steel trap she's been placed in. "You come back from the dead as a... as a... Ghoul and you get to go on letting everyone think you're dead? Is that how it works? Is there some secret code that means you can't tell the people who care about you that you're not actually gone?"

Confusion, heartache, traces of fear, rise her voice until she's threatening to yell. "You are pretending Aerallis, if no one knows you're alive, o-or whatever you would call it. Why didn't you - why haven't you - why did you let us think you were gone?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Her voice is shaking. There's water in her eyes. Her words are laced with confusion and heartache and traces of fear. Aerallis has to bite back the urge to gather her into her arms and sooth her, to promise that everything was going to be okay. And all it does is... Her hands close into fists. "Because as a ghoul, I have the element of surprise." She says, softly. "I'm not here hiding. Sark and Kaelene's killer is here and so is mine. My loved ones are being watched. I can't approach them without revealing myself and being at risk again." Her voice is steady. Calm. Precise. But the edge remains. She would rather let everyone think she was dead. It was preferable over the truth. It was easier than the truth. "I'm here for revenge. My being here will remain a secret. I will not risk my advantage. Do you understand?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The element of surprise? Ellen stares, uncomprehendingly. She already knows what Aera is going to say before she says it - she was murdered, and so were the others, and they will have their vengeance. She will have her revenge. This is a revenge motive. And it also sounds like - Aera knows who killed her. The lump grows larger. She may have been out of the job when Aera was killed, but she still had friends in New York in the NYPD, and the deaths of Kaelene and Aera were high profile enough that there were colleagues poking into the cases, and she was able to do so by proxy. No one had any leads. Both cases had gone cold. And maybe from grief and a little bit of bitterness, she hadn't really pursued it more beyond that. It was easier to grieve as the ex-friend and not as the cop. She is silent as Aera asks the question. Struggling to get her breathing back under control, struggling not to burst into tears. Where did the calm go? Aera was too close. No, she doesn't understand. It sounds like some grand conspiracy. Loved ones being watched? "Who - why - " She lifts one hand to push on Aera's shoulder, get her to back up, the other still clutching the sheet to her chest. She gathers the fragments of her thoughts and drops her voice back to a normal level. "Who is trying to kill you? Who wants you dead so badly that they're watching your loved ones?" Am I included in that? she wants to ask. It burns her tongue, but she doesn't. "Why aren't you involving the police?" She had never gotten the impression that Aera had ever been against the police force - it had been something she loved, being sensitive to a person's innate prejudice against cops, that she could be completely herself in the singer's presence. Whether it was ballerina or cop. So why would Aera prefer to go on a vigilante rampage? "I would have helped you. I can still help you." She insists. "You don't need do this, Aera."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

More confusion. A hand pushes against her shoulder but the ghoul doesn't move. She needs to hear confirmation that the secret would remain here, in the cabin and with her, not to be spoken. To anyone. Especially not to Ilosti Tithiros. "The police are involved." She says, quickly. "Garth is working with us." As far as that went, that was all Ellen needed to know. "Do you remember Akasha Bloodmare? She went to your station with cookies. Said she was a friend of one of the victims."It had just been the older mage. It had been a pleasant exchange, seemingly. Ellen had brought it up once. It had been nice to be recognized for her efforts, to have an extension of gratitude and remorse from the so called "friend" that had punched the cop. A wound Aera had treated. It had been the first time she'd ever used magic on the human. And after being told that, Aerallis had stared at her in silent, masked horror. Told Ellen to keep her distance from that person. "That was a lie. She wasn't a friend. She wasn't there to show you gratitude. It was a message and it hadn't been meant for you. As long as you were close to me, she was watching you, too. And I couldn't risk your safety. That was the main reason that I cut ties with you. That and..." She trails off. They both know, now, what hangs in between. Akasha didn't know that she was alive. As long as things stayed a secret, like they were meant to, that would still be the case. There was no longer a risk to being involved with Ellen, as a friend or... "A human can't help with this... You will not change my mind. So I'll ask again." She keeps eye contact, searching. "Do you understand? You have to keep this a secret. You can't say anything to..." She swallows thickly, wanting to bite off the word. She doesn't. "Ilosti... And keep your distance from her. For your own safety."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera doesn't budge, but Ellen doesn't give up pushing. She increases the force, which would at least move any normal person a little bit if they weren't pushing back to stay in place. Aera isn't and yet... she might as well be pushing against a brick wall. She suddenly stops, drawing back, realizing this could be another sign of Aera's new... condition. The name startles her. "He's what?" She asks, although she understood perfectly the first time. How can he be involved... but Aera has moved on while Ellen still flounders under this news. The other name - Akasha Bloodmare - sparks less recognition, but the blonde still nods in a short jerking motion of acknowledgement. The kind woman who brought cookies. She was the only one who had had good things to say about the case and the efforts of the police around the massacre when relations between the precinct and the public were breaking down. Ellen stares, the confusion tinged with a growing horror as Aera reveals the meeting. A message, not meant for Ellen. The strange expression Aera had when she told her about it those years ago now made sense. But why didn't she tell her then? Suddenly it feels like everything she thought she knew about Aera was... wrong. A lie. As if struck for the first time by the sheer magnitude of what she doesn't understand. The secrets her friend kept from her. Magic, being a mage, being targeted, the... confession..., her death, her resurrection. Like her ignorance is now being shoved in her face as it is demanded again that she keep the secret. Ellen can't remember the last time she felt this... lost, this hopeless. Her head aches.

Aera doesn't want her to say anything to Ilosti, which that at least the blonde can understand. Ilosti would stop at nothing to get her sister back. But Ilosti is... the only one she can go to. The only one who might be able to help her make sense of this mess. "Who would I tell?" The frustration leaks out in her tone. "I don't know anyone here - you were my closest friend, I would be going to you, and instead you're telling me - all these things you kept from me." How could she? Lie so blatantly to her face, about so many things? She doesn't understand. The confusion hurts. She feels so stupid. Like she had been frolicking in danger all this time and had no idea. And the one person closest to her in all the world... thought it was better to cut her off than explain things. She looks away, squeezing her eyes shut, to avoid the burning ice of her best friend's gaze. To keep the urge to cry from bursting forth. "You're not concerned about my safety." She spits out. "If you were, you would have told me back then. You wouldn't have lied. I'm not useless, I can take care of myself!"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"Who would I tell?" Ellen says, frustrated. The ghoul frowns. It's not the promise that she's looking for, that she needs in order to let the human go. The human focuses instead on what she hadn't been told, as if it were that simple. Akasha, Ma'luum, their past wasn't just something that be... Shared on a whim, shared easily. She had wanted to tell Ellen. She'd wanted to tell Ellen everything, wanted to share the pain, the feeling of being lost. Her sister hadn't. It had been their story to tell, not just hers. It wasn't something that Ilosti wanted to share with anyone and Aera had respected that. She shouldn't have. They had, however, planned to tell her about what they were after the incident. Things just hadn't happened that way. Ellen looked away from her and her chest squeezes again. She frowns. Her fingers dig into the sheets, the mattress, when the human spat out that she wasn't concerned with her safety at all - because she hadn't told her. What the fuck did she know about what she was or wasn't concerned with?! Nothing! She didn't know a damn thing, that had been the fucking point! "I never lied to you. How dare you. Do you think I liked keeping things from you!?" She spits back, unflinching. Her entire body seethes, jaw locked. Aerallis pulls back and slides off of the bed, distancing herself from it and everything else in the room to stop the temptation to throw or break something. "It was never that simple. I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you everything. Only you. Akasha and everything related to her isn't just my story to tell. Ilosti never wanted anyone to know and I respected that."* Lotta good that did. She could tell her everything, now. About Ma'luum. About Akasha. But what good would that do? "We planned to tell you about what we were. About the underground. It just didn't happen that way."

She looks back at the human, eyes smoldering. "Don't you think for a second that I was never concerned with your safety. I had made up my mind to go back to you when-" Aerallis stops herself, grits her teeth, and turns away. It didn't matter. It didn't matter anymore. She'd been stopped from going back. She hadn't been meant to.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She can't see the rage, but she can feel it, radiating from on top of her. How dare she? Who is the one who has the right to get angry, here?! Ellen doesn't open her eyes. She can't see the alien look in her eyes anymore, the anger, the ice. Aera suddenly moves off her, storms away, ranting about having wanted to tell her. She buries her face in her hands. The tears are on the verge of falling. Her last tendrils of control are threatening to snap, and she can't get the calm back - her stress level is so high. "Lying by omission is still lying!" She's back to a near-shout. "I wouldn't have asked you to spill your secrets to me, but for fuck's sake Aerallis I am a cop, if you were being stalked through me you should have told me!!" She doesn't care about knowing about the underground - whatever the hell that is. She doesn't care about the magic. In fact, it might've been preferable not to know. But to think that Aera had cut her out of her life, without even so much of a courtesy text to say so, because of a misguided sense of responsibility for Ellen's 'safety' and a confession... it hurts. Shaken down to her core at having the rose-tinted glasses ripped off so violently. "How can you ask me - how can you ask me to pretend like you're still gone - " The words tumble out as she curls in on herself. "I've already lost you once... and you want me to lose you again? After... after all this? I can't just... I cried for months and you care more about your vigilante justice than even telling me what's going on!" And that does it. The tears slip past her squeezed shit eyes. "I can't forget. I can't do it. I love you, Aera. Don't ask me to do this."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"It wasn't that simple, Ellen!" Aerallis is shouting, the seething rage an undercurrent to her tone. "You're human, cop or not. You couldn't have done anything!" And without explaining, there's nothing that she can do to really drive that home. Akasha had practically owned the mafia in Bear River, and the mafia had owned the police force. Anything and everything that the Goddess did, the police and the mafia both swept under the rug. Missing person cases left unsolved and uninvestigated because of it. The only reason she knew is because Ilosti had been in the mafia. It gave them better access to information; something that had been shocking to learn of, towards the end of the small town in Montana. It was how they knew to leave Bear River. It was how Ellen was made to leave Bear River, though the full extent of those details had never been shared. All that mattered was that Ellen Bailey hadn't been there when the town was wiped out. Though how the mafia even knew that was beyond her. But it didn't matter anymore. What did matter was that the family Ilosti had been with, Trinity, was here. Tonya was part of it. She was her insider to the family's operations now. What comes next... She's silent, stopping in her tracks and looking back over at the human, with her hands over her face. There's a change in her scent. There's grief and... She couldn't say that it was a lie, nor could she say that that was true. It was the grudge, the rage that kept her moving but- That wasn't what knotted her chest. It wasn't what drove her to connect with others. It wasn't why her heart, even in death, ached. She smells water before she sees the ragged rise and fall of her chest, before she hears the tears in her voice. And despite herself, it climbs over her walls and settles next to the dead heart in her chest. It breaks all over again. This. This was why she hadn't wanted to see Ellen Bailey again. Why she couldn't. Why she complicated things. This hold-

The dangerous, damnable, wonderful hold... The pull, the draw towards and to her. She wasn't asking Ellen to forget, or to treat it like it hadn't happened - though... Part of her thinks it would be preferable. Easier. Except it wouldn't be. It had happened and there was no going back. She would never forget. And the human says she can't either. "I can't do it. I love y-" She starts and Aera covers her ears. Can't bare to hear the words, the lie. They're a lie. "No! The ghoul shouts, half in desperation and half in agony. "Don't say those words to me. You're only saying it because the potion made you think you did. You don't mean it."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera's shouts fall on deaf ears. Ellen tries desperately to hold the tears back. What does her being Human have to do with anything?? Until today it had been the default! The thought scares her, that there is a force so outside her control that she can never hope to understand, that tore her best friend from her, and what? She is expected to shut up and sit down and just accept her orders? She freezes at the at the desperation suddenly in Aera's tone. She raises her head from her hands, looking at the petite woman with her hands over her ears. So that was all... that was all magic, too? A potion? The bubble in the springs... her chest aches so much. Now she is being a liar? Talk about daring!! "Are you kidding me?!" Ellen shouts back, sitting up with no regard for the sheet, her voice cracking from the force of holding back her tears. "That wasn't... a trick, that wasn't... that wasn't magic. I really... I really do love you." No, no, no, there's no way everything that she felt since Aera appeared before her at the springs could have been fake. The thought is horrifying, because it still feels so real. "It's not fake. It's not!"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She winces at the shout in retrospect, at the crack in her voice from trying to hold back the tears, from the near desperate attempt to say that it hadn't been magic. Except it had been. Aerallis could tell that neither of them were under the influence of the love spell anymore, there's no haze and her pupils were no longer dilated. So why is Ellen still saying it? Like she believes it? Like she still feels it? It was cruel. Her heart couldn't break anymore, or so she thought. But it does. The blonde repeats the words and she squeezes her eyes shut. "Stop it!" Aera cries, sinking down to her knees, to the floor. She can't... She can't take it. She can't do this. It's not real. The potion just made her think that she did, there was no way she felt that way. And even if she did, things couldn't be- She was a ghoul. Ellen's morality and sense of justice would never accept what she did to stay alive. What she chose to do to stay alive. Ellen couldn't love a murderer. "You don't- You can't- Not... Not in the way that I do. Yours is platonic, it's not-" Yet she remembers. She remembers the admission, the raw and powerful moment that Ellen spoke them, how she explained that she hadn't realized it then but did now. Like the potion forced her to see it, rather than creating it. Aera shuts it out. "The potion wore off, you can't still feel that way. You can't. I'm a ghoul..." She says, sorrowfully, still covering her ears. Every word hurt more. Broken before, when she thought that it was impossible. And breaking now, rejecting the love that she'd craved.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

There's no way. There's no way they're rehashing this same thing again. Did they not have this exact same conversation earlier? Ellen shoves the knowledge away that her dream - her perfect, beautiful dream - could have all been a trick. It can't be. How could it have been? The blonde watches, her heart cracking in her chest, as Aera sinks to her knees. With no regard to her current state, still naked, she shoves off the blankets and storms over, dropping to her knees and grabbing her love by the wrists. Trying to force her hands from her ears.

"You listen to me, Aerallis Tithiros." There is determination set into every line of her face, even as tears drip down her cheeks and her chest aches so much she struggles to breathe. "Don't you do this to me. Don't you shut me out again. You can't come back and then take this away from me! I don't care if you're a Ghoul, I care that you're you. I. love. you."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She hears the fabric of the sheets ripple, hears feet on the floor coming towards her. Aerallis pinches her eyes shut, unmoving as the blonde tries to move her hands from her ears. "Stop it. Stop it, Ellen." Ellen manages to pull her hands an inch away from her head and she twists out of the human's grasp. It wouldn't have mattered how much she tried to shut the blonde out, she still would have heard the words, the determination. "Don't-" She doesn't want to hear it. Can't hear it. "Don't you shut me out again." The ghoul flinches, grimacing. Tears slide down the smooth pale planes of her face. "I don't care if you're a ghoul, I care that you're you. I. Love. You." Warm arms wrap around her, try to pull her into an embrace. Aerallis's eyes click open and she turns, pushing against Ellen's shoulders to topple her over, to pin her to the ground.

"I care!" She admits it, finally, both to Ellen and to herself. "I could've given you kids as a mage. We could've had a family..." Her nails claw the floor, leaving deep gashes, as her hands close into fists on either side of the blonde. "I can't do that as a ghoul. You don't understand... I'm not... The same as I was. I'm different when I'm hungry. I can't eat the same things that you do. Ghouls eat people. People."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera tells her to stop, but Ellen can't let this go. She's shaking from the overwhelming info dump, the thought that her love may have been fake, the complete change of behavior from Aera... her head pounds and everything aches. It feels like her life hangs on the edge of a string, and if she gives up now, the string will snap and her life will crumble in front of her eyes. Aera tries to pull away from her, but she only grits her teeth and keeps after - until all of a sudden the pull becomes a push. No matter how hard she struggles back, her body is aching and tired and the Ghoul's strength is overwhelming. The world tilts and Ellen hits the ground with a grunt, Aera pinning her down again. She remembers... the mention of a family before. The warning that she may need to give that up. The lump in her throat grows larger as Aera spells out why. Except that doesn't make any sense. Aera is a woman, she wouldn't have been able to have the family Ellen was talking about before either. She starts to voice it out loud, but she is cut off. Her eyes grow wide as saucers. That primal fear crawls down her spine again. Ghouls eat... people? That she was hunting when the shadows dragged her out of the springs. Aera calls herself a murderer. That she kills people. Hunts people. How could she love that? How could she justify that? A silence falls between them as Ellen processes, mouth open to retort but with no sound. Her first instinct isn't horror - it's pity. Pity that it's something Aera has to do. And not being able to eat normal food anymore. The Italian, a proclaimed foodie. The horror is still there but it is crushed looking into her love's eyes, seeing the agony there. She reaches for her, cups her cheeks. "I still love you." It comes out at a murmur. It feels like a small part of her soul dies with it, but fuck, it's true. "I promised. I won't leave you, Aera."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She knows. She knows that it clicks from the widening of her eyes. The ghoul's chest tangles in knots and in the same breath, she feels... Relieved, closing her eyes. It's there, it's out in the open now. It was over as soon as it begun and it hurts all over again. The only sound in the room are Ellen's breathing and silent tears from both parties. It was over. Why wasn't... The cop shoving her away? She doesn't hear the quickening of breath. Doesn't smell horror, it's there but not outright. Not dominant. What? Aerallis's eyes click open, flinching at the feel of hands on her cheeks. And Ellen... Ellen still says them. Even then. The ghoul stares at her, dark brown eyes growing wide. Was... Was she insane? Did she not- did she not hear what she just said? She had to, right? There was no way she didn't. Unbidden, the response rises in her throat, dying to come out. She swallows them. There's a small spark in her gaze, swallowing up that rage. But it's fleeting and doesn't stick. "You should." The ghoul mutters, pushing Ellen's hands away and pulling back. She stands. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Snow Haven was one stop. One brief, final stop. That's all it was supposed to be. This... Complicated things. Could make them messy. And still, the knots in her chest unwove and fluttered. Aera glanced at the window. Nightfall still. Rosalyn was still outside then in her phagious form. It wasn't safe for Ellen to leave. There is time. Time to tell her everything. The ghoul sighs, kneeling to scope the human into her arms. She sets her lover on the bed again. Aera still needs the confirmation, the promise that she'll say nothing. It's something that she now knows she can get easily, if she wants it.

She rests her forehead against Ellen's, closing her eyes and squeezing one of the human's hands. "... Thank you." The Italian whispers. "I love you, too. But Ellen... Promise me that you won't tell anyone about me. Or the cabin. Okay?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It's a shock to them both. It violates most anything Ellen could stand for. The entire reason she became a cop. To stop violence, death. Aera just said she was a murderer. Actively has to kill to eat. And yet... the heart beating in her chest says it doesn't matter. This love is a be all, end all. It may be her downfall, but... she can't bring herself to care.

Aera looks like she doesn't believe her, but the blonde shuts her mouth and swallows, staring up into her eyes silently. But it gets Aera off her, with a mutter that they both know should be fact, but isn't, and before she can get up herself she is scooped up and set back on the bed.

"... Fine." She mutters. And then, as goosebumps rise on her arms, "Can I have my clothes, please?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

"Fine." She mentally sighs, opening her eyes. Finally. That was all she needed. Aera lets her go, placing a kiss upon her forehead. "Good girl." She hadn't meant to say it that way, but it comes out out of habit and she doesn't apologize. The ghoul pulls away, nodding. She pulls a large black shirt from her dress and tosses it at her partner, then leaves the room to collect their clothes still in the living room. They were in a neat pile on the couch. Kristin must be home, then. As she collects the pile, she catches sight of Garth and Tonya, staring at her. "What?" She says flatly.

The redhead blinks. "We can go outside if you still need time..." She offers.

Aerallis frowns. "Did the kids already make dinner?"

Garth nods. "Uh, yeah, they're sitting with Kris in the camper. Marilyn made shrimp scampi. Wh-"

A dish she'd taught the kid to make recently. Good. Ellen would be hungry. "Have them bring a bowl to my room, please. Human guest."

"Thanks." She nods, turning to return to her room. But she pauses. "How... Long have you two been here?" Garth says ten minutes, in the house. He's been in the camper since eight. Tonya only just arrived. But when she looks, it's Garth's face that gives it away. They've been here a lot longer than ten minutes. She sighs, heading back to the bedroom, setting their clothes at the edge of the bed. The ghoul walks around, sitting on the opposite side of the bed, looking at her. "One of the kids made shrimp scampi. I asked them to bring you a bowl." She raises a hand. "And... If you still want to know what's going on... I'll tell you."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen opens her eyes after she feels soft lips on forehead - and gives Aera a strange look at the words. A faint blush creeps up her neck but she doesn't say anything. Just catches the shirt as it's tossed at her and quickly slips it on. She stares after Aera as she leaves the room - and a second after the soft click of the door is when the tight grip on her control finally snaps. She slides off the bed to the floor, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them, clasping her hands on the back of her neck. She grits her teeth and just allows herself to hyper-ventilate for a moment, willing down the sobs that want to come out from her throat before she bursts into hysterics. It feels like... grief, all over again. Grief for her best friend, grief for their love, and grief for a life that has been irreversibly changed. This is all... wrong, somehow. How can it be a blessing and a dream come true and her worst nightmare all in the same moment? Brief flashes all jumble together and fall over each other. Magic is real. Aera was a Mage. Like, wand waving and Harry Potter, she assumes. Potions. Potions. The one she had used to heal her face when she got punched. The aphrodisiac. Getting pulled from the door. The glove. She could think of several things, things that she had dismissed or had been explained away, prior to the bubble at the Hot Springs. And other things, too. Not just Aera. Who is dead and eats people, let's remember. But things from her life in general. Supernatural. Preternatural.

Ellen lets the panic, the adrenaline, the confusion, run its course until she feels to a point where she can ground herself. Until she isn't going to be dizzy and sick the moment she raises her head. Compartmentalizing as she would do for her job, until it all doesn't feel like it's going to drown her. Her breathing slows, and she raises her head, resting it against the bed and propping her arms on her knees, squeezing her hands together. There are voices down the hall. Too muffled for her to make out what is being said, but there are people. Aera isn't... alone in the house? There are other people here? She drags herself up off the floor and sinks back on the bed. Rubs at her face, up and through her hair. She doesn't know if she has the energy to wonder whether or not anything and everything has been overheard. Does it even matter? She looks up as her love re-enters, arms laden, and sets them on the bed. The mention of shrimp scampi reminds her stomach that she hasn't eaten in... god knows how long, and after the... physical activities they went through, she is ravenous. Ellen watches Aera circle to the other side of the bed and sit down. Giving her space. She can't decide if she needs it, or hates it. And she doesn't answer the offer right away. Part of her needs to know, and needs to know now, before the unknown spirals in front of her like an enemy she can't escape. The other... just wants to go home. The cop side wins. "I don't want to know. I need to know." Ellen says dully, rubbing her temples. "So tell me. Please."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Even though the visade put in place when she reenters the room, she can tell that there's a lot running through the human's mind. Still processing. Ellen just found out that magic and the supernatural were real. She would give her all the time she needed. On top of that... Was the knowledge that her best friend and now lover was a ghoul that had to eat people. Something that should have made her bolt, yet didn't. Giving her space seemed like the right thing to do. Giving her an out, at least for today, felt like the right thing to do after she'd torn away the rose-tinted glasses. And in case she found that she didn't like the space... The ghoul set a hand between then, palm up. Her partner... Is that what they are now? They were in-love, sure, but... There hadn't been a title, just mutual feeling. She brushes the thought away. That could wait. The talk, if Ellen wanted to have it, couldn't. And it was something that Ellen said she needed. Her lips pursed with which to speak when there's a knock on the door.

"Come in." She says. Marilyn opened the door and peeked in, the spinning image of her mother with eyes like rain, a bowl cupped in her one hand and glass of water in the other. It smells perfect, just the way it should have. She doesn't have to see it to know that it was made just the way she'd taught her. The teenager brings them over with a grin, handing both to Ellen. "Thank you, Marilyn." The teen flashes the ghoul a smile, and darts over to give her a hug.

There is a lot to tell. She wouldn't mention who her killer was. Wouldn't share any details about her history with Akasha or Ma'luum. But everything else is just about free game. The problem is where to begin, and just how much Ellen wants to know. She runs a hand through her hair, glancing at the strands. Black again. "Where do you want me to start?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera places a hand between them... but Ellen doesn't take it. She only looks at her expectantly to begin, which it looks like she will - until there's a knock at the door. She jumps, startled, and immediately shuffles her legs - she still doesn't have anything on but the t-shirt, which is a little big on her, but just barely enough to be able to cover, and shit there are hickeys all over her - but Aera calls for whoever to come in before she can think to reach for her sweater or anything. It makes it worse when the one who comes in is a kid - or well, a kid to Ellen's eyes. She's definitely a teenager, maybe 15? and Ellen stares at her as she hands over the bowl and glass of water. "Thanks." She says, with a small smile, that fades as soon as the teen has turned her attention to Aera and rushes to hug her. Question marks dance in her eyes. She had been surprised to realizes there were people in the house, but, a kid too? She turns her gaze back to Aera once the door is properly shut - and is again startled to realize that Aera's hair had changed back to its normal shade. She... doesn't comment. Instead sets the water glass to the side after taking a sip and digs into the food. She's too hungry to really taste it. "Who all is here?" She asks, in between bites.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She doesn't bother to cover her lover for two reasons. One, Ellen can do it herself. And two, Marilyn is a teenager that had seen far worse. If it had been Millia or Ros, she'd have made more of an effort. She waits for Ellen to answer her question, watching her as she starts to eat. For a moment, she lets her focus on that. Her hand remains untouched. She keeps it there. First, the blonde wants to know who all is 'here'. Aera blinks. "Oh. We're a group. Only four of us live in the cabin. Me, Rosalyn, Morgan and Sage. Rosalyn is a phage, Morgan is a mage and Sage is a human. The rest live in the RV's behind the cabin or in town. I could name them all, but the ones who come inside are Garth, Tonya, Kristin and her kids. Kristin was a human that I turned into a ghoul."

Her free hand withdraws to her lap. "She has three kids. You just saw Marilyn, her oldest. She's an esper. Sixteen. Good kid. The middle daughter is Millia, who is ten, and the youngest is Roswald, who is six. They're both human. The kids tidy up the place and I'm teaching Marilyn to cook. I'm also teaching Morgan how to make potions and... Do things that I used to be able to do."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Four in the house, including Aera. seven, ten... Ten who come in and out of the house. Kids, the youngest being six. But there's more people than that. Ten is already enough for a group, as Aera called them, but she said 'the rest' like there's more. Enough to have RVs camped on the property, living in town. Ellen tries to make a guess at the number... 15 additional? Maybe more?

She casually says names of things - Mage, Esper, Phage, Ghoul - an even split of things she's heard, and hasn't. Other than Mage, she doesn't have a clue what the others could possibly be. Doesn't really know of anything about Ghouls, either. Never really heard of them as creatures outside of what Aera has said.

"No. Seriously?" She still can't wrap her head around him being connected to this... they haven't worked together, much, Ellen is new and Snow Haven isn't particularly busy to warrant the detective and sergeant working together, but he's been nice enough. To think he's been connected to Aera for who knows how long...

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The former singer makes an effort not to wince at the disbelief. "Seriously." She says, nonchalantly. Most of the ghouls in the group were ones that she'd personally turned. But she doesn't mention that, either. She doesn't expect the second question. But... It's a good one. "... No." Aerallis averts her gaze. "Rosalyn and Morgan are fans. They knew immediately. Aside from them, only Kristin and Garth know. Kristin's kids are only allowed to call me Aera when certain people are in the house. But the rest of them know me as Olivia. And in public, that is the name that I'm referred to as." Olivia was a name that had been commonplace around the station for the better part of a year now. Garth would mention the name a bit, here and there. Most of the other officers assumed that Olivia was the name of the woman he was seeing, since he went almost every night to see her after work - often taking food and other goodies. Even kids toys. And as a man of few words, he never cared to correct them.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen looks up sharply again, her expression shifting between incredulous and disbelief. "No... Oh, Aera, no, you're Olivia?" Olivia was commonplace not just from Garth - the precinct was small enough to also often work and share space with the local rangers, and Ellen knew well enough about the connection between the North Denali Outpost Station and Olivia Azio - seeing as Ranger Thomas was one of the few other women in their precinct, so despite her being ten years younger than Ellen, they had a good colleague relationship. It was pretty much assumed Ginny's Olivia and Garth's Olivia were the same, if not outright confirmed by the two themselves. And all of a sudden Ellen realizes where they are. She drops her bowl down to her lap with a clink of the fork against the side, looking around before looking back at Aera. "Oh my god, Aera, this is the old Wansley homestead?" It isn't really a question - that's the only place it could be. She covers her eyes with one hand, groaning, at all the ways she might have run into Aera before now. It was only because this place was so remote that they hadn't, really. "I can't believe you're Olivia. Ugh. I'm never talking to him again." The blonde huffs and returns to her food. "So." She says, after swallowing another bite. "Explain to me what all there is. Magic wise. You listed four, earlier. I assume there's a lot."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

A solitary black brow arched at the question. She knew that Garth, and probably Ginny, talked about her at the station. For Garth, talking about her was code to other ghouls in the station for a meal, if they needed it. But they were never led to the cabin. They were taken care of in other locations that needed bodies cleaned up. As for Ginny... Why she would talk about the ghoul at all was beyond her. Other than the cabin, she guessed. Oh. Oh. It seems Ellen realized it too, dropping her bowl to her lap, looking around before looking back at her. The noirette seems unphased. Shit. Ellen knew exactly where she was now. So much for secrecy. As her lover covers her eyes and groans, she frowns, looking off at the door. If Ellen had figured out where it was so easily just from that, that was a problem. That meant that Trinity definitely knew of the cabin's new owner, but had likely written it off as not important. And then the tension bleeds out of her shoulders. Garth was smart. He knew what he was doing and she trusted him to do it well. She chuckles. "I am indeed. Now you know." Ellen returns to her food, starting the next question. A natural one. What else was there out there? Her gaze goes once again to the door. "Y'know... You're lucky." She says, "Not every supe knows what all is out there. Most don't. But I do. There are... Mages, Phages,"

Aera looks up, counting them on her fingers. "Esper, Selkie, Aether, Vampires, Werebeasts, Phoenix, Dyrad, Ghouls, Shifters, Merfolk, Ghosts, Unicorns and Dragons. 15 supernatural species." Sixteen, if they were counting people with the black blood. But they were rare. Extremely rare and they were always one of the 14 living species. According to Ilosti way back when, one of the higher ups in Trinity was one such individual.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera seems unfazed that Ellen knows who her alter-ego is, as well as the cabin - she even chuckles about it. Hmph. Well this certainly isn't the castle that had been promised in the dream. And she can't believe Garth led them on for so long about Olivia being his woman. What a jerk. Her aggressive attack of the food slows, then pauses, as her love starts to count them out. Ellen's expression is a little dubious as it requires counting on fingers as she watches her. Although... it's not as many as she was thinking. No elves, dwarves, halfings, orcs... in fact it all sounded like fairly standard, urban legend stuff. Only a few she had never heard of at all. She clears her throat.

"And... you want me to... 'turn', to one of those." It's said matter of fact, because there really isn't another way that can be taken. It's quiet... said with a great deal more uncertainty than it had when she had promised she would think about it, under the love potion's effects. "That's... what happens? A, uh... Human can become one of those things?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

She's quiet after, letting her partner eat. It pauses as she lists out the species. Ellen clears her throat. The ghoul's gaze slides back to her. It's not her, but the blonde, that addresses the unspoken elephant in the room from before. She remembered, then, and she doesn't sound as certain now as she had before. "Yes." Humans were vulnerable. Becoming a supernatural would be of great benefit to Ellen, especially if she intended to stay by the ghoul as she said she would. "Humans are a jack of all trades. They can become anything. Humans can turn into another species in a multitude of ways, not always by a member of the turning species. Sometimes it just happens naturally." She shrugs. Being in Ma'luum, she'd heard it all - the kind of ways people turned. Good ways. Terrible ways. None of it really phased her anymore in theory and hadn't for a long time. But ghouls... Ghouls had always been a touchy subject. She'd reanimated two people in her life as a mage. Aera clears her throat.

"You have options... But I don't recommend vampire, phage or ghoul." Definitely not vampire. Vampires couldn't feed from ghouls, and if she bit anyone else... Well, there would be problems. "I would recommend werebeast, dragon, mage or unicorn."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera's gaze slides to meet hers. It is quickly explained that Humans can be 'turned' into anything. Options are ruled out and given from the provided list - and it's noted that one of those options is not what Aera said she was. Ghoul. Ellen listens impassively. Is that because she genuinely doesn't want Ellen to become like her, or because she's worried now that Ellen knows Ghouls have to each people? Aera searches her face with an almost worried look, telling her it's not something she needs to think about right now, but Ellen turns away and reaches for the water glass to drink from, rather than allow her to do so. She doesn't need to ask why Aera wants her to stop being Human. She remembers what she had said - Ghouls live forever. Ellen obviously could not. So some of those - maybe even all the ones Aera listed - are also things that could live forever. An eternal love. But she knows there's another reason.

She's said it plenty of times, most times subtle, some outright - there is nothing a Human could do against a magical creature. Ellen, as a Human, is so weak that Aera had preferred to cut her out of her life completely than risk her getting in trouble with the wrong side of magic. Whoever that was to Aera. Akasha, by the sounds. She had lied about the warning rather than tell her. 'A Human can' t help', she had said.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Rather than respond, Ellen turns to drink - likely in thought. It's noted that she doesn't respond to it at all and really, the ghoul can't say that she blames her. To her, becoming a ghoul was a last resort. A third chance rather than a second. Strange that she cared little for who she turned, but a lot about what her love could be. And... She knows Ellen enough to know that she would hate being a ghoul. So it was a last resort. The bowl is almost empty. She can see it from the corner of her eye. Ellen asks another question. Another she hadn't expected. Aerallis tooks at her for a moment, considering. "... A cult. A very large cult." And that is all she offers, for the time being. "That's a story for another time."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She can tell from the hesitation Aera had not expected her to ask that question. Well, that is the problem when you have a cop for a best friend, and that cop is suspicious that you are up to some shady stuff. Aera had said that her existence had to be secret. That she was out for revenge and vengeance against the killers. And yet she was part of a group. One where the majority didn't know who she was. And she had just confirmed, evasively, that she was building the group for some purpose that wasn't like "helping them out" or "create a family" or any other similar excuse she could've seen Aera giving. It was to take down a cult. It sounds like Aera has been building her own private militia. An army. For a revenge that is so critical she remain "dead" for that most don't even know her real name. She wonders... If she had not promised to keep her existence, and the cabin a secret, what would Aera have done? Ellen doesn't like it. Not one bit. It's another reminder of just how much she doesn't know, had been purposefully left in the dark about. It all feels interconnected - but also a life Aera had kept Ellen separated from until Fate forced her hand, like Ellen had kept Aera apart from her police work until the November Massacre forced her hand. "... All right then." She says, without a fight, keen to be off the topic herself, for now. She takes the last few bites of her food and then sets her bowl aside. "Last question," Ellen shifts some to face her. "Can I go home now? My car - we left it at the springs."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

The primary objective for creating the Blood Legion had been to make an army capable of taking out the Reine. Or at least, distract them enough so that she could take out their leader, and they could escape like phantoms back into the night. As a group that didn't exist, either Trinity or the Cult of Bane - who she'd seen the symbols of and confirmed that they were also in the woods - would be blamed for the assassination. Then, she could safely reveal her identity and destroy her final target. After that, she had planned to leave, her job complete. But now... That could change. Would probably change. Creating a family and helping others had come second. Depending on who she recruited depended on what her message for the Legion was. Up until today, and small snaps in time with Rosalyn and Kristin, she really hadn't been... The same person that she had been when she was alive, who would have been primarily interested in helping others and building a community. She doesn't try to defend herself either. Ellen had asked and she'd given her the truth. At the last question, she glances from the blonde to the window again. Still nightfall. And she's not sure what time it is. "... I wouldn't advise it," She says, still looking at the window. "Unless you'd like to see what a phage is, up close." Aerallis isn't afraid of Rosalyn or her phagein form. She could take her, if it came down to it, and hold her off. The monster didn't always view anyone but for her primary meals as friends, and after having just found out that the supernatural world existed, isn't something that she wants Ellen to be subjected to. "Garth and Tonya leave in the morning, after Rosalyn comes in. It would be better to leave when they do. I... Can leave you be for the night, if you'd like to be with your thoughts. Or, we can go with you. If you're determined to go home tonight."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Aera doesn't comment on the silence - although she's sure that she can sense that the line of questioning had a specific purpose. And that Ellen hadn't asked much else of any real substance beyond them - despite the thousand questions that press on her mind. Her head and her heart both ache too much to do otherwise. Aera looks out the window for a long moment before saying it's a bad idea - and Ellen is on the verge of protesting until she says why. "No, no." Ellen says, too quick, not wanting to know why that would be a concern but assuming it was for a bad reason. "That's, okay, then, I guess, but I do need my phone..." It was in her purse, which is still with her coat in the entryway. Her sense of time is all skewed... She has no idea how long she's been here. What time had she gotten to the springs? Had it been late enough for it to be this dark? The problem with Alaska weather in February, it could still be early evening, for all she knew. The blonde looks... conflicted as it's offered to be left alone. Ordinarily that would be unthinkable - Ellen never wanted to not be with Aera when given the choice, and now even more so, after years and a death between and nearly being driven away again less than an hour earlier. It feels strange enough to be so far apart on the bed. She just wants to curl up in Aera's arms and go back to sleep. Fend off what had gone from a blissful dream to a nightmare. But... She knows she won't be able to think if Aera's here. Her best friend can read her thoughts too easily... even setting aside whatever bonus she may have from not being a... human. Jesus, is that a weird thing to think. She hurts, physically, mentally, and needs space to breathe without feeling like her walls and guard are up, because... because she is a little bit frightened of that rage that never seems to leave Aera's eyes.

She drops her gaze to the bed, fidgeting. "Yeah... if I have to stay, I'd like to... be alone." She finally says, after a pause, but adds with a wry smile, "I don't have to steal your bedroom though, if you've got another place to put me."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Her phone? Oh, right. It hadn't been on her on the couch. It must have been in her coat, then. Finally, the ghoul pulls the hand that had been resting between them into her lap. "I'll get it for you." She says, returning her gaze to the door. Garth and Tonya were talking. That usually meant there was news, and since they were in the house, they were waiting on her to be available to talk. Rosalyn had eaten earlier when she did, which meant that she was patrolling the woods now, invisible. Part of the reason that Aera didn't want Ellen going back to town til the next morning, especially not without an escort. Phages are insatiable. Yet... All she wanted to do was stay here, in the room with Ellen. To curl back up with her, hold her til she fell asleep. She could talk with those two later. And although she had a feeling that that was what Ellen wanted too, that wasn't what she said. She wanted to be alone. Dark brown eyes cast back to her, seeing her wry smile. "You're not stealing it." The ghoul murmurs. "I'd prefer if you stayed in here and the bed could stand some actual use. I don't really sleep, anyway." Even alive, Aera had never slept that much - plagued by insomnia and terrible nightmares. The nightmares hadn't stopped after becoming a ghoul, after remembering everything. They'd only switched focus. And since ghouls didn't need to sleep... Well, it was kind of a blessing.

Wordlessly, she slides out of bed. "Lemme go get your phone." Aera slides out of the bedroom and back into the living room. Both Garth and Tonya look at her again as she grabs Ellen's coat from the entryway, and carries it back with her.

"Not yet. Just a moment." The ghoul tells them, walking back to her room. The redhead sighs. They're talking again when she opens the door and lets herself in, crossing over to the blonde's side of the bed. She lays the coat across her love's lap and rather than pull completely away, the ghoul cups her face, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. There's still butterflies. Still a spark. Still a love with a heartbeat of its own, thrumming between them.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen nods at the offer to grab her phone, a bit relieved. She can hear the faint murmur of voices as well - although without any distinct clarity - and she isn't in a mood to go introduce herself or have a conversation with anyone. The relief vanishes when Aera meets her gaze. She knows without Aera needing to say that her love had been hoping for the same, but doesn't say anything to Ellen's subtle rejection. "Guess that hasn't changed, huh?" She quips at the mention of the ghoul not really sleeping, the smile intending for it to be a joke - but she still feels a little bad for stealing the room. She leans over when Aera leaves the room, reaching for where the clothes had been put on the bed and going to sort hers from Aera's - except that had already been done. She remembers the number of people who are supposed to come in and out of the cabin and winces. Talk about a walk of shame in clothing form. No way no one else had seen them. Ellen sits back up when Aera returns with her coat, offering a grateful smile and a murmured thanks as she lays it over her lap - and then she is drawn into a kiss. The motion is so natural after what they've gone through that a light blush crawls over her cheeks, her heart fluttering. This at least still feels right. Her eyes slowly open to the lips on her forehead. "G'night." She murmurs, a soft half-smile on her lips. Then Aera leaves the room.

Ellen just sits there for a minute, eyes again closed. Then she digs in the pockets of her coat and pulls out her phone. The battery still has good juice left and it's just the ordinary notifications on the screen from having not checked it in awhile. It's later than she thought... the love potion had them under its spell for awhile, she guessed. A sudden, dizzying nausea rises in her throat as she stares at her phone screen. The temptation to do something about the suspicion and guilt burning in the back of her mind is stronger than she could have expected. She takes a slow breath, in and out, and pushes it down. There's no reason to be hasty or rush into a stupid decision. She had promised. She has no reason to break that. Yet. She sets her phone to the side and gathers her clothes, heading into the bathroom to use it, wash her hands and face, change. The sight in the mirror shocks her without the benefit of the dreamy haze, and she grimaces, touching the especially large one on her neck. Oh, man... they're everywhere. What the hell is she going to wear to work? There's still several visible even after she finishes getting dressed and pulls her sweater on. She groans. Okay. No more doing that. She makes her way back to the bedroom, settles on the bed propped up on the pillows. She prefers to do this with pen and paper, but she doesn't have any of her own so the phone will have to do - she navigates to her note-taking app and starts the long process of organizing her thoughts - set out in a documentation format, partially out of habit.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

Aera stands on the other side of the door for a moment, lingering with a soft sigh. Ellen needed time to think. She needed to give her time, and that was fine. The ghoul had other things to focus on, to worry about. When her eyes click open, they're cold again. She proceeds back to the kitchen, where the officer and the mobster were waiting. Garth looks up before Tonya does, nodding. "So, what's the news?" Aera already knows the routine like the back of her hand. There's something going on. The other two ghouls exchange glances, as if giving one another a confidence boost. "Rosalyn found another Phage earlier." Tonya starts. "She had an amulet and a mark. Ros says it was the same as those symbols you found with Ginny. The trail ran cold a little while ago." Oh. Shit. That was news. "Ros is still out looking for her."

Aerallis folds her arms over her chest. "Did she say where the insignia was?"

Tonya nods. "The hide over her stomach."

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

She gets as much as she can while the memories are still fresh, raw, in an attempt to untangle the messy knots in her head. Treating it like a case eased some of the anxiety because it's easier to view things logically with some distance, and the notes ended up split into fairly even categories of the magic world - the underground, she thinks it was called - and then all the mystery surrounding Aera herself. Eventually, though, her battery starts to drain and the words begin to blur together on the screen, compounding her headache. She rubs at her eyes; how long has it been since she had any caffeine? It'd be much easier to stay awake if she'd had any. This level of stress and exhaustion is nothing compared to some of the hours she's worked, but that was fueled by coffee... She gets a fresh glass of water from the bathroom sink, drains it, and then eventually has to call it quits. Ellen is deeply asleep by the time Aera joins her. She stirs only enough to reach for her, tugging her closer if she hasn't curled up close enough. Unusually, though, her sleep is somewhat restless; she normally wouldn't toss and turn hardly at all, but there are a couple points throughout the night that she does so. The Alaskan sun will be fairly high in the sky before Ellen finally stirs awake - unless Aera wakes her up first.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Aerallis Tithiros:

For the most part, she's awake for more than half the night, noting how her partner tosses and turns. It's not normal for her from what she remembers, and she pets her to soothe her until eventually, she gets comfortable and falls asleep with her arms around the other. Surprisingly, she isn't the one that wakes first, Ellen is. Aerallis is still asleep, twitching. Frowning. Mumbling, the words too low that they're inaudible. Trapped in another nightmare, as per usual. There's a knock at the door, however. The ghoul doesn't stir. "Are you two awake?" It's a woman's voice. "Garth and I are about to leave if Ellen still needs a ride."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen blinks the sleep out of her as she slowly wakes. She stretches - or tries to - before realizing the comfortable weight over her isn't the blankets... Aera has her wrapped up in her arms. She must've come back in at some point after she fell asleep... she tilts her head back some, expecting to meet her love's dark eyed gaze looking at her, but to her surprise she looks like she's... still asleep. It's a bit hard to tell, without the usual signs of breathing, pulse. That's different... there's been lots of naps and sleepovers (and sleeping off wine) and she can barely count on one hand the amount of times Ellen has woken up first. The blonde wriggles, gets herself free of her arms, brushing some of Aera's hair from her face. She's... twitching some. Frowning, mumbling. These are all signs that she recognizes, and she begins to shake her shoulder gently. "Aera--" Ellen startles at the knock at the door, stopping. Oh, shit, that's her ride. She chews on her lip, glancing down at Aera; but ultimately presses a kiss to her temple and then gets up without further disturbing her, grabs her coat and phone, and hurries to the door. She slips her coat on before she opens the door, buuut there are still marks on her throat that are clearly visible. She's just gotta own them at this point. "Hi." She greets the woman. "She's still asleep, but I'm ready to go."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Tonya Fox:

There's no response. She's about to knock again when the door opens and the house guest, who Olivia had named as Ellen, greets her. But it's not the Ellen she's expecting to see. "Oh." Tonya blinks. She expects someone sleek and petite, with platinum blonde hair that's almost white, blue eyes and a mischievous smirk. But who she sees is taller, more of a golden blonde, with green eyes. And a very different face. What the fuck? Were there two of them?? Two Ellen's? Did Olivia just have a thing for women named Ellen? Was it a fetish? Was that even a thing? Her eyes momentarily dart to- sweet jesus, this woman was covered in love bites. Wow. The other one never left with that many, damn. "Asleep, huh? Weird." The redhead shrugs. "Ah well. Let's roll." Tonya tucks her hands into her pockets, nodding to the door where Garth, already in uniform, is waiting. When he sees Ellen, he stares for a moment in disbelief, then clears his throat and opens the door for them. There's another redheaded woman outside, soaking in the hot tub with a blonde man and a brunette. "That time already?" The other redhead groans, soothing her hair back. "Yup. Have fun, Rosie." Tonya grins, tapping the side of the tub. Rosalyn sighs and rolls her eyes. "God damn it, Millia." The other two chuckle as the trio load into the cop car nearby, already running. The car has defrosted fully, resting in a freshly carved out path. It looks too perfect to have been done by hand, but not smooth enough to have been done by a machine. Tonya doesn't take shotgun, choosing to stretch out in the backseat instead. Her phone rings not even three minutes after Garth starts driving. It's the hubby. "G'morning handsome! I'm on my way home now, I promise. Yeah. Mhm. Okay baby. Love you, too. Bye." Garth clears his throat. "Soooo I see you've met Olivia." He says, glancing at her. Tonya giggles. "I didn't know you knew each other."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

The redhead doesn't introduce herself, but Ellen can make a guess and assume it's the previous aforementioned Tonya. The man at the door needs no introduction; they lock eyes, his in disbelief, hers pointed, until he looks away to open the door. She gathers the last of her things in the entryway, shoes and the swim bag she had had at the springs, and then follows Tonya outside. It looks... very different not under the fog of the love potion, and knowing what she knows now. The property is no longer the grand castle in the snow it had been, and Ellen looks over the area with a very different mindset, turning on her heel to look back and inspect the house itself while Tonya converses with some of the people outside. None of them address her so she doesn't say anything to them; she finishes looking and takes the front passenger seat in one of the SHPD's familiar squad cars. The blonde is quiet, looking between her phone and the scenery out the window, until Garth finally speaks to her. Ellen slides her gaze over to him. Her look is still pointed. She has still not forgiven him for the deception. The subject of many of the discussions around the precinct (ranging from when Olivia was ever going to make an appearance to whether or not he was even seeing her) turned out to be Aera. "Yeah. We... knew each other a long time ago. I didn't know... she... moved up here." She shifts in her seat. She hadn't had time to think about what Olivia's cover story was. Would it be weird to have an old friend from a while ago? Well... she and Garth can trade off on secrets, she supposes, considering she's sure that seeing her come out of Aera's room covered in hickeys was a shock. Ellen can still hardly believe it. She clears her throat. "My car is at Snow Pond Spa, if you could drop me off."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Tonya Fox:

Why is she giving him that look? Tonya notes it as she stretches, looking between the driver and passenger seats. Garth doesn't look bothered by it, but he's just as confused as she is. As far as they knew, Olivia hadn't known a lot of people. She was really quiet and could be pretty fucking scary. Frankly, she was glad when the woman got laid. And by the amount of bruises on Ellen's neck and shoulders... Good for them! "You're not the only one." The officer comments. "We had no idea when the house changed ownership. But honestly, I like Olivia way more than the family that was there before. And yeah, that's where she told us to go." He's looking at the road again.

"I like her too! But I'll like her more tonight, I'm sure. Thank goodness for Ellen."

Garth frowns. "Tonya, please don't tease Olivia, she'll put you on the floor."

"It'll be a lot more than once if you keep trying her life." He warns and she pauses. Yeah. Yeah...

"Shit... You right." There was a moment of silence as they passed through the trees.

"You're gonna do it anyway, aren't you?"

They chuckle. "Oh!" She bolts upright. "God, I'm the worst. Sorry, I didn't introduce myself." Tonya puts a hand on either seat, leaning forward to look at the blonde. "I'm Tonya. Nice to meet cha."

Then she clears her throat. "Olivia told us that you know about what we are. You're pretty important if she's telling you about the underground. But uh, are you okay?" Garth glances over at the detective, silent but curious.

"You can come to me if you need anything, of course. It's still a new world to me, too. I know how overwhelming it can be." He says.

Tonya nods, letting the seats go and sitting back in the middle. "We were both turned, so. If anyone gets it, we do. One second, there's only humans. The next, surprise - you're a ghoul and magic exists! Magic is so rude."

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Neither of them seem suspicious that Ellen and 'Olivia' are old friends. Just generally confused about an old friend appearing out of the blue. Okay, well, that's the story then. Hopefully they don't ask where they met, or how. How is she supposed to explain that, when Bear River doesn't exist anymore? To the point where if she wasn't actively thinking about it in connection to people she knew there, she sometimes caught herself not remembering she had lived there at all? It had been one of the things she realized last night - Thora must be something, too, because she had known Bear River was gone, and that's why she had said that ages ago. Magic was the reason all traces had vanished. The banter goes back and forth - jokes about Olivia getting laid, which would have made her blush if she had been paying attention - but she is lost in thought until Tonya suddenly introduces herself. Ellen smiles, sheepish.

"Nice to meet you." She looks between the two of them as Tonya calls her 'pretty important'. Her smile fades. "Yeah, I take it that it's a big deal. And, I'm okay." She waves a hand dismissively. She appreciates it, but Tonya is a stranger and Garth is a coworker - she didn't really feel comfortable discussing her 'experience' with them right now. Maybe once they'd gotten to know each other better.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Tonya Fox:

Ellen waves it off dismissively and they exchange momentary glances. Tonya doesn't buy that shit at all. But they're strangers and it was a personal experience, so. That was fine. For all she knew, she might not see this Ellen again. The other one didn't come around all the time. "Aight." And they drop it. She looks out at the passing trees, wondering. The other cop changes subjects.

"Random... bubbles?" The redhead looks back at her. Garth just sounds confused. "No. Can't say I did." He says.

Tonya, however, hums in thought. "Not me, but Sage and Morgan mentioned something about a random bubble last night. Something about being in love with Rosalyn. As if that's something we didn't already know." She shrugs.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

It was another thing that had come up in her notes last time. Aera knew that was happened to them had been caused by a love potion. But that didn't make any sense, because Ellen hadn't drank anything that could be misconstrued as a love potion prior to going to the hot springs. So... that meant that the floating pink bubble she saw, just before Aera appeared - that had to be it. It had splattered her with something. The question was... did anyone else have the same thing happen? And... could what Aera have been afraid of actually be a thing? The potion causing feelings that weren't really there? Neither of them seem to have any idea what she was talking about... until Tonya mentions two of the others saying they were in love with a third. But that seems to already be common knowledge. Still, it's a small relief that they weren't alone in what happened. She faintly remembers something like it happening in Bear River, too, hearing about it on the news after the fact. She had been out of town that day. Ellen's frown smooths away. "Huh. Okay. Must've just been something random, then. I just thought I saw some yesterday and thought it was weird, since it was so cold. Who would be out doing bubbles on Valentine's Day, anyway?"

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Tonya Fox:

Their company explains that she saw some yesterday and thought it was weird, since it was cold. Garth nods in agreement. However... The ghoul notes that she's visibly relieved at the mention of Sage and Morgan. Slight scent change. She didn't know anything about bubbles per say, but it was Valentine's Day and after last year, well. They hadn't wanted to take their chances. "Well... I don't know about bubbles, but last year some of the local mages dumped a big batch of love potion into the town's water supply. Happened to a bunch of people in my family." Garth startled. But she doesn't mention it happening to herself and the tension bleeds from his shoulders. She leans back and looks out of the window again. "Fuckin' teenagers, amirite?" Maybe it was connected? She sometimes never knew with this crazy ass town.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Last year? This is a yearly occurrence sort of thing? No, but it had to be the bubble. She had showered in the morning without issue and Aera hadn't gotten in the springs with her. It's the only thing that made sense. "Glad I wasn't here then." Ellen chuckles.

And she makes a mental note to ask around to see if anyone else had anything similar happen. Surely if this isn't a one off, it wasn't just the two of them. Someone ought to know. The blonde doesn't say anything further other than a laugh at the teenager comment, returning her attention to her phone and letting the car lapse back into silence.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Tonya Fox:

The car devolves to casual banter and conversation, and teasing for the most part, looping Ellen in on occasion. Mostly on Garth concerning Kristin and the kids. "Fucking ask her out already. I know you're into her." Tonya tells him when they're on the road.

The officer grins. "It's not like that." She groans. It's like that and she knows it. She knows these things. "I dunno who you think you're fooling, but it's not me."

He laughs. "Will you leave me alone, woman??" He chuckles.

"Nah motherfucker, you're stuck with me. Sorry bout cha life. " She waves him off, grinning.

"Lemme know if you need anything," Garth offers. "See ya."

But once they're out of sight, Tonya rolls up the window. "I don't need to follow her, right?" He shakes his head no.

"Nah." He doesn't mention that someone else had been assigned to, though. It wasn't that Aera didn't trust her.

She'd wanted to make sure no one else was shadowing her that could've seen.

⋘ ──── ∗•°♛°•∗ ──── ⋙

Ellen Bailey:

Ellen only partially listens to the conversation and the banter between them, although she responds when she's drawn in, a half amused smile on her face as she listens to the two of them go at it like they're old friends. Which they likely are. Although you can bet she's hearing the teasing Tonya throws his way - and that his real sweetheart is Kristen, who she hasn't met. But for the most part she's reading on her phone and keeps to herself. Not really up for being the social butterfly she normally is even with strangers. "Thank you guys for the ride. It was nice meeting you Tonya." She says, as she gets out. She nods to Garth's words. "Thanks, man. I'll see you. Tuesday?" That's when their shifts crossed next, if she remembers right. She waves as they pull off. Waits a second. Then immediately puts her phone to her ear. "Hi, Daddy." She chirps after the line picks up. It's 4 hours ahead in New York, which means her mother isn't home. Perfect for Ellen. That woman has a sixth sense and Ellen does not want to be kept on the phone for 3 hours. Not til she's had some coffee and sleep and has a made-up story to give her. "How are you? ... Yeah, I know Mom's at her book club. Can't a girl talk to her dad?" Ellen listens to the reply and chuckles. "You got me. Anyway, yeah, I was wondering if you could get Mom to do something for me. Can you have her call Jimmy and have him call me? I need to ask him a question but you know he won't pick up if I call. It'll be his secretary and she'll say he'll call back and blah blah, it'll be a week before I hear anything. He'll do it if Mom asks." Ellen slides into the driver seat and locks the door. She cradles the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she starts the car. "Perfect. Thank you. No, that was all I needed. Sure. Love you, Dad. Bye." She hangs up and types an addition to one of the notes in her phone, and then plugs it in to charge while she drives home.