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[witheredpeonies]

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[somebodychildofanyone]

River dabs her eyes, but the gesture only unleashes the floodgates. "I. I. It didn't end there and I - I kissed her, like a lot, I thought, might as well see if there's anything to talk about and then, when I came down off the thrill it sounded crazy, I should have asked, and -"

The squeeze of her hand is desperate, and afraid.

We're all cowards about something.

[witheredpeonies]

Oh.

"Oh. I'm not mad, pet. I'm not mad and I'm not going to get mad. Your heart is too large for your chest, I think." The return hand-squeeze is firm, deliberate. Calm.

[somebodychildofanyone]

"Why not?" the elf half wails. "'m such a fucking hypocrite, 'm, so scared you'll ditch me for someone better, and then I-I do this shit and I don't want to blame whatever's got my heart in knots but how much of that is m-me and..."

"I wanna be, I wanna be the partner you deserve, I do..."

[witheredpeonies]

Annabel shifts positions, grabbing both of River's hands and holding them up against the back of the fainting couch while moving to her knees for a little height.

"Listen to me, River La Croix. If I don't get to be afraid of you being tempted off by someone else, then nor do you. I will show you the same courtesy, and let you know if there's other partners I choose to take, but even then, it's never going to be me abandoning you. We aren't doing that to one another."

[somebodychildofanyone]

The fierceness of Annabel's insistence catches River off-guard, and she lays there with her mouth open in shock, the tears at the corners of her eyes welling but not falling as if they're afraid to do so without permission. She sniffles, staring with wide green eyes.

Nods, just once. Some nameless feeling says River doesn't have permission to talk right now.

[witheredpeonies]

And Annabel leans in slowly, kisses River's cheek just below the outer corner of one eye.

"I mean it, every word."

[somebodychildofanyone]

River thought there weren't any more emotional dams to break, and she was wrong; relief hits her like floodwaters, relief and affection and wondering disbelief -

She pulls Annabel into a tight hug, burying her face in her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Can I stay?" River whispers. "I can sleep on the couch, m-make breakfast, lose at chess again...sneak out the back, s-so people don't get the, the wrong idea..."

[witheredpeonies]

"Let me walk you to the forge in the morning, holding your hand, you mean. So I can say hi to your apprentices and tease you before returning to work."

The self-flagellation will not be humored today.

[somebodychildofanyone]

That's an entirely different kind of red on River's face, and she mutters something; the words 'your chastity' are in there somewhere, the rest gets lost in the wilds of Annabel's shoulder.

[witheredpeonies]

"Try that again for me, pet?"

[somebodychildofanyone]

River rubs her face against Annabel's shoulder and pulls away so she can say, in a very small voice: "I didn't...want anyone saying anything about your chastity. I'm. I was pretty sure that's important to you, is all..."

[witheredpeonies]

"It's important to the culture I come from. But it is not as important to me, here, as you knowing that I am not ashamed of the relationship I have with you. The fact you're thinking like that means I've already failed you." Annabel lets go of River's hands, so she can cup her chin and look her in the eyes.

[somebodychildofanyone]

Gods be damned is River going to start crying again -

No! No. No. She shakes in a breath, her body stilling, slowly. Her eyes on Annabel's eyes, the light pressure on her chin all-consuming.

"...I'm ashamed of me sometimes," she admits in a whisper. "You haven't failed me. Not here in your home when I didn't call ahead or anything..." Deeper breath. Steadier. River's eyes close. "Hand in hand. And I'll make the cheeky bastards that call themselves my students forge our hoes for planting season too."

[witheredpeonies]

River closes her eyes, and that's when Annabel Lee goes in for the kill a kiss. And not a very chaste one, either.

[somebodychildofanyone]

The elf stiffens, but finds herself quickly; she hugs Annabel close, breath catching in her throat, warm arms against her lover's back.

Her heart is fluttering a mile a minute. Thoughts of where this might go race through River's mind. And yet...

...Just this is enough too. Annabel calls her pet, and right now River is content to be one. She is at her spectral lady's command.

[witheredpeonies]

It is a long, slow, lingering kiss, before Annabel pulls away, resting her forehead on River's.

"So, you're staying the night?"

[somebodychildofanyone]

Give her a moment here Annabel you've reverted River to the factory settings; her first Few Sentences are in her native language, far less musical without the air she needs to live. There's the dumbest, floatiest smile on her face, giddy and unguarded.

Emeran, Emeran - there it is. "Yeah," River murmurs. "...I think I made an assumption about your couch a bit ago and on reflection that was very rude of me."

An opening, an offer.

[witheredpeonies]

"Would you rather sleep beside me, where I can hold you to stay warm all night?"

For what it's worth, Annabel is actually talking about sleeping. Even if her reputation doesn't matter, on some level her actual chastity still does.

Wrap?

[somebodychildofanyone]

"It'd be my pleasure, Miss Whitlock," River agrees. "And my honor to test my sneaking-out-of-bed skills in an effort to make secret breakfast."

"Shall we uh...shit what's the word -" Her eyes roll up in thought, "- got it, retire?"