Mazikeen
Gale meets her halfway and relief is a brief tremble that runs through her at the surety of the contact - so she holds him even tighter so he does not mistake it for anything negative. Mazikeen had been scared that Gale would never touch her again, that the last time would have been it and it would’ve given that moment all the more potency in her mind. She doesn’t care if it never extends past embraces or kisses again, because this is already enough to soothe away one of those fears she never could have vocalized.
As he holds her she changes her horns, not making them disappear this time but turning them into tight curls - like the faun horns he had when they first met.
There is a brief, flutter of concern that this isn’t him at all - but it is so easily cast aside when he reassures her and brushes aside some of her hair. Mazikeen so badly wants this to be real and she once again wonders why she lets herself doubt Gale so easily when he’s always proving that she doesn’t need to. But then, it’s not really him she’s doubting - it’s herself. Those unspoken fears and insecurities clouding everything - and so few of them have to do with the Curse it’s almost funny.
His mention of keeping the children safe causes her heart to squeeze and she knows she should tell him what she’s done.
But then he’s saying that she’s more important than he is and Mazikeen's shaking her head again before she presses her response as a gentle kiss into his skin. “Not to me.”
When she pulls back, she says with a soft fierceness “We’re not going to agree on this because I can’t bear the thought of you being hurt either. You didn’t ask to be Cursed and maybe there’s…” She hesitates, uncertain of if the darkness inside him truly sleeps during the day or if it still observes. It must observe, it had known exactly what it was doing when it was with her. So she shakes her head again, any possible plans she might share falling away. “I’m going to do what I can to make sure you don’t hurt anyone.” Aside from a few animals she had found with their hearts removed… but she’d prefer the Curse’s attention to be there instead of elsewhere. “And I’ll… I’ll try to include myself in that. And the babies.” Try, because she will break that promise for herself in a heartbeat the first time she thinks she can save someone else. And she'll break it for their children as soon as they're born and she leaves them in the cliffs.
Unless she can think of another plan. But those thoughts don't linger now.
There’s a ghost of a smile, even though she knows what she’s about to say isn’t actually all that funny. “If it helps, I’m not entirely sure I can die. So we don’t have to worry about that.”
As he holds her she changes her horns, not making them disappear this time but turning them into tight curls - like the faun horns he had when they first met.
There is a brief, flutter of concern that this isn’t him at all - but it is so easily cast aside when he reassures her and brushes aside some of her hair. Mazikeen so badly wants this to be real and she once again wonders why she lets herself doubt Gale so easily when he’s always proving that she doesn’t need to. But then, it’s not really him she’s doubting - it’s herself. Those unspoken fears and insecurities clouding everything - and so few of them have to do with the Curse it’s almost funny.
His mention of keeping the children safe causes her heart to squeeze and she knows she should tell him what she’s done.
But then he’s saying that she’s more important than he is and Mazikeen's shaking her head again before she presses her response as a gentle kiss into his skin. “Not to me.”
When she pulls back, she says with a soft fierceness “We’re not going to agree on this because I can’t bear the thought of you being hurt either. You didn’t ask to be Cursed and maybe there’s…” She hesitates, uncertain of if the darkness inside him truly sleeps during the day or if it still observes. It must observe, it had known exactly what it was doing when it was with her. So she shakes her head again, any possible plans she might share falling away. “I’m going to do what I can to make sure you don’t hurt anyone.” Aside from a few animals she had found with their hearts removed… but she’d prefer the Curse’s attention to be there instead of elsewhere. “And I’ll… I’ll try to include myself in that. And the babies.” Try, because she will break that promise for herself in a heartbeat the first time she thinks she can save someone else. And she'll break it for their children as soon as they're born and she leaves them in the cliffs.
Unless she can think of another plan. But those thoughts don't linger now.
There’s a ghost of a smile, even though she knows what she’s about to say isn’t actually all that funny. “If it helps, I’m not entirely sure I can die. So we don’t have to worry about that.”
