2018-08-06: Never Let Go
- Log: Never Let Go
- Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline
- Where: Taben's Peak
- Date: 6th August 2018
- Summary: Riesenlied recuperates from her envenoming, supported by Noeline.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is... nestled with Noeline at present, after returning from the rather horrid and unexpected battle at the tournament at Meribia. The Shadow Dragon Cult was one thing, and Yarobeleedt another-- but Boomerang and Luceid was on another level of 'surprise'.
Yet, they persist.
... for the most part, anyway; Riesenlied's kind of withering in and out of consciousness as she lies by Noeline's side, looking extremely flush and rather high in temperature. She might not have coped nearly as well with the poisons, knowing their opponent.
"Mm... Noeline... don't leave me," she begs quietly. Well, the upside is that she's much clingier than normal.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline has the other metal demon cradled on her lap, her fingers moving slowly through blonde hair; it might be a little bit indulgent of her, perhaps, but after the events of the past few days she's feeling very clingy herself. She's already had to pause from time to time to remind herself that Janey and Mikaia are safe, along with the rest of the children on Taben's Peak, and that they're both still here.
She's not much of a nurse, if she's honest, but the shortfall is made up for by the desire to look after Riesenlied; there's a cloth and a basin of water nearby, and she uses it to mop the other Hyadean's forehead every so often - more to try to help with Riese's temperature than anything else.
"I'm here," she promises, her voice low and soft. "I am not going anywhere - I swear it."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... oh, I'm so glad..." Riesenlied whispers, blinking and sweating as she does so, gasping. She drapes her hand a little closer, her head tucked in as she murmurs quietly, "I'm so glad everyone is."
A pause, as she feels cool water on her forehead and sighs quietly. "I'm so glad to be next to you, right now. ... mm." She leans in for an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Is Janey and Mikaia asleep...?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
The spy chuckles softly, but she can't really summon much humour into it - it's more out of relief than anything else, especially when Riesenlied answers her directly and confirms it was more than delirious mumbling. "... we managed to save them," she reiterates, and lets out a sigh. "And Janey did very well. ... she's sorry for some of the things that she said. She was grasping for anything she could," she adds, but isn't about to press the point if Riese herself doesn't remember.
She leans in closer to accept the kiss, then returns it in kind - once, twice, then in place of the cool water on Riesenlied's forehead. "They're sleeping. At least, I hope so," she adds quietly. "We made sure there's a lock for them to use, and I promised I'd check on them. We'll keep them safe."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied squints for a moment with a faint whimper, before laughing kind of meekly to remark, "... ah, I vaguely... no, I will hold nothing against her, of course." She sucks her breath as she nuzzles against that towel, then kisses and--
--well, blinks quietly and says, "Ah, um, am I infectious? Though you're a lot tougher than I am, so..."
The most random things seem to be cropping up to her head, it seems! "... the Ebony Wings said they'd re-double security, so..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
The laugh, even as quiet as it is, seems to significantly help; Noeline chuckles along with it, shaking her head as she smooths Riesenlied's hair back from her forehead once more. "I said she could make up for it by doing more than her share of chores for a while," she explains, a slight glint in her eyes as she adds: "She's even going to do her best to sit still for long enough to watch over you a while, once she wakes up."
"I will be fine. At least, as far as I can tell. Cetiri did what she could to purge some of the toxins, but she mentioned you should really take a little while to rest," she explains, shifting a little so as to better orient her partner's head in her lap. Noeline's gaze down is understanding and fond in equal measure. "Rest assured, even if you were, I'd still be here with you."
She tilts her head, quirking a smile as she closes her eyes. "They have - everyone's pulling together to help, and even Nall's pacing around like a wounded tiger. I should hope that we've seen the last of them, at least for a decent while."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied draws one leg up quietly and shivers-- sneezing just a little bit, though it's kind of stilted and doesn't come out. She swallows, then smiles wider as she says, "She's very strong. I'm very glad to have met her."
She sucks in a breath and listens as Noeline explains that Cetiri helped devenom her. "I feel a bit better, yes..." A pause. "I'm sorry," she whispers, like she hadn't quite heard what Noeline said to her at the end of that battle. "Should I... should I-- give up on some people? But..."
She sounds hesitating, her voice warbling a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline is silent for a long moment, just comfortably stroking at Riesenlied's hair - but her face, usually so guarded, gives away a lot of her thoughts as it shifts through uncetainty and upset and even a moment of quiet shame as she works at her lips. In the end, she lets out a quiet sigh, closing her eyes as she shakes her head.
"... I-- please, do not think for even a second that I was angry at you. Your ability to believe in everyone to the very end is what drew me to you in the first place - it is what continues to draw me to you," she explains, her voice a quiet but fierce whisper. "It is what has brought us this far, and it is what has opened lines of communication between us and the Guardians, in a way that we could never have hoped. I still believe in your path," she adds as she opens her eyes, catching the other woman's gaze in a moment of conviction.
Still, for once she's the one to relent first, looking remarkably small and young for an uncertain moment. "... I do not want you to give up on people. The regret and pain it would cause you would be terribly unfair. I promised to stay with you even if the whole world turned against us, and I absolutely will. I simply... wish it were easier, sometimes." There's another pause, and she sucks in a breath as she dips her head, and wraps her arms around Riesenlied in an embrace as she hides her face against the other woman's shoulder. "... I was livid, at Janey's kidnapping," she admits. "More than I ever expected."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied shivers for a moment again, tucking a little closer around the blankets to wrap herself around even tighter than she already is. It's like cold keeps sneaking in to bully her.
"... but it's 'the very end' that is a problem... and I acknowledge that. I am not just living for myself, but also for you, for Janey, for Mikaia, for Wayside..."
She hesitates. "Of course... I will try my hardest. But-- but-- I could do more to soothe your own worries. Try to not have you feel..."
There is uncertainty as she looks to Noeline. "Ah, we promised that... yes, I still remember it so fondly. We were... different people back then, considerably. We've grown a lot. For the better."
She smiles wider as Noeline tugs her in for a fierce embrace. "... I know. I was beside myself. ... is it a scary feeling?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... ... mm," Noeline says against Riesenlied's shoulder with her eyes closed, almost shy about it; she breathes slowly, obviously using the embrace to recharge a little and remind herself of what is most important to her.
"It-- really was unlike anything I've ever felt. Even if I worry over you a great deal, I know your strength. But, if it's Janey or Mikaia, all I could feel was a knot in my gut, and all I could see was red..." she trails off, and huffs softly to herself as she manages to find a better sense of humour. "I suppose it's a mother's worry, isn't it?"
She reflects on that for a quiet moment, then lifts up with a noise of relief; leaning in, she steals a quick kiss from Riesenlied's lips this time, unheeding of any toxins or poisons. "That promise is important to me. I will not break it - and I will not try to dictate your actions, not when I know full well how much pain it would cause you. I love you, and I believe in you," she promises again, but softer this time. "And so long as we can have moments like this every so often, that will be enough soothing for me."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... it's okay. I know you ... I know it isn't necessarily something you're used to," Riesenlied whispers, trying to be the guiding one for once. "But even if it is scary..." She giggles faintly as she nods. "Yes. A mother's worry. I think I have read it written as an adult's fear, in some texts. Fear for the safety of our children, their wellbeing..."
She swallows quietly, then blushes faintly as she says, "It's a concern that we can manage -- together."
There's a quiet pip of surprise as a kiss is stolen from her! Her breath is gone. "... I love you. It never-- I always find new emotions each time I say it, so I will say it again and again," she bashfully says.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline has the grace to not sulk too much at Riesenlied's estimation; when it comes to the children, she truly is still learning every day, and has very few doubts when it comes to her partner knowing much more than she. "It--... I suppose 'scary' really is the right word," she admits quietly, as if she hadn't considered it up until now. "I wouldn't trade them for the world, I think, at this point, but that feeling..."
She finds herself blushing gently at the same time as Riesenlied, swallowing a little as she nods. "... I do not say it terribly often, I realize, but... I do rely on and learn from you a great deal, you know," she mumbles suddenly feeling a little bashful as she starts to defensively grumble. "I suppose I should put it into words more, but-- I should hope it's obvious enough, at the same time."
Studying Riesenlied's face for a moment, Noeline bites at her lips, the colour rising a little more as she leans down. "... now or in the future, whatever you choose to do... I love you, and I will be right there with you at your side," she promises, punctuating the promise with a second kiss.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... I'm -- very proud of the progress you've made, of course. Though I'm learning, just as much as you are," Riesenlied has a bashful admission as she reclines to the side and whispers, "And that's half the fun of it. We're all growing together... as a family... us, as lovers..."
Her hair is splayed to either side of her, a little messy, her horns deflated against the pillow. "You've taught me a lot about self-confidence and identity, after all." Maybe referring to subconscious adventures...
"... I wouldn't have it any other way. Only when I'm with you, that I'm complete," Riesenlied answers, returning that second kiss back in turn with more ferventness.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... even if it took us long enough to get there," Noeline admits with a chuckle, but the moment of self-deprecation is short and hardly serious, not with the way she immediately shifts to carefully maneuver Riesenlied back to the pillows, and then slide down next to her with an arm loosely around her partner's waist. "... it really has been fun. It is a much different feeling to when I was alone - a different anticipation, a different contentment. A better one," she admits, in a rare moment.
Studying Riesenlied's face all over again, Noeline drinks in the sight, and there's a prideful note to her voice when she speaks. "... I am proud of you for that confidence. For having come this far. ... I can only hope I might be able to help you further. Really, sometimes I worry that I'm too short with you, by comparison-- or that I'm too quick to get frustrated. But, even so..."
Drawing closer, she returns the kiss wholeheartedly; her hand brushes at Riesenlied's cheek when they part, as she huffs with bashful warmth. "... I wouldn't have it any other way, either. I do not ever want to let go of this - I will not," she adds more privately, close enough for it to be all but whispered against Riese's lips before she closes the distance once more.