cuddlecity | a dream of spring (OTA with locked starters)

( Sansa has been taking care of Clary for a little while now and she hasn't wanted her new mermaid friend to suffer out in her garden pool. It's hardly ideal, being tied to water, and Sansa's done all she can to help make Clary comfortable. For the moment, she's bringing out a shawl for her shoulders and a comb for her hair; Sansa thinks she'll be able to do a decent job dressing it for her while Clary enjoys some tea and scones. )

Clary? I've brought you some things. I brought tea and lemon scones and something to help keep you warm. I'll also dress your hair for you, if you'd like?

( Sansa hasn't heard from Baby in several days. She hardly expects him to spend every waking moment with her - they're only just beginning to court - but to go a few days without even a text is a bit strange. She's tried to contact him once and there'd been no response. She's a bit distressed about the whole thing so she's thrown her energy into sewing; Sansa thinks she's gotten more embroidery done in three days than she has in three weeks. She's got a hoop with a floral design that she's working on currently and when she hears a rap at the door, she puts it away and goes to answer. When she opens it and sees Baby there, her face swings from a concerned frown to a smile and back to a little "oh" of surprise. )

Where have you been?

( Sansa has only been learning ballet herself for a few months but she's picked up so quickly that she can teach the beginning classes herself. She knows the simple forms well enough to teach them to other students and she loves the discipline and grace that ballet requires. It allows her to use her body to make beautiful shapes, to please others, to please herself. Sansa always likes when she has new students, too, and she tries to give each new person the time and attention she received when she first started taking. She might be an intermediate now but she's still learning too - it helps her be a better teacher. )

We're going to practice relevé now. We'll use the barre as support and eventually move off it, all right? You shouldn't be afraid of having your toes carry your weight.

( Sansa weaves in and out of her students, checking to see if anyone needs help. )

( The idea that there's a whole store that caters to the selling of tea is fascinating to Sansa and she makes a special point to go and shop for new teas each and every week. The ones here are far more exotic than anything she's ever had in Westeros and she usually gets her favorites and one new one just to try. This week, she's waffling between oolong and jasmine. She looks to the person next to her, tilting her head. )

Have you ever had jasmine tea? How does it taste?

Edited 2018-03-01 17:04 (UTC)

[ Of course, one of the first things he's doing after getting back into his own, adult, tall and lean and fantastic he didn't realize how much he actually liked it body, is to go see Sansa.

First, he eats a ridiculous meal at Dinah's, that doesn't involved pureed vegetables and warm milk. Then, he drives for a little while, just to regain this sense of self he'd lost for a while. And then, he drives to her house, wishing he'd had the thought to bring her some flowers when he knocks on the door.

She doesn't look angry, which is a bonus. He holds up his hands immediately, not daring to take a step forward. ]

I am so sorry. I didn't meant to disappear, it's just that... well. Have you heard about the wishing well thing?

( Oh, the wishing well. Naturally. Clary's still in her garden so Sansa is very aware of the wishing well and what it can do. She'd not gotten much from it, only a bag of chocolates. It had been very underwhelming. )

Oh, the wishing well. Clary's in my garden pool right now because she wished to be a mermaid. I only got a bag of chocolates, little ones shaped like teardrops with silver foils. It was not what I wished for but you can have some if you like.

What did you wish for?

I, um. I wished to 'be myself', which might not make much sense to anyone else, but does to me. [ Maybe he;ll explain to her what exactly he means by that, but maybe not while standing at her front door. ]

And it took very literally and... turned me into a baby.

[ What a stupid story, and yet, it's the honest truth. And it was te most frustrating time of his entire life.

But then she tells him what she wished for, and Baby can't help the way he grins, a little teasing, a little soft, definitely pleased. ]

Did you wish for kisses, Sansa?

( Sansa blushes a little. She had wished for kisses and she’s been found out now because that kind of chocolate apparently is known to Baby. )

I did, yes. It was something of a silly and frivolous wish, I know.

[ Yeah, sorry about that, but he totally knows all too well about Hershey's Kisses. ]

I don't think there's anything wrong with that wish, actually.

[ If he's surprised that she's not wondering about his own wish, and what happened to him, he doesn't show it. He'll be glad to leave that whole thing behind him, anyway. ]

Are you still wishing for kisses now?

( Sansa draws closer to him, closing what little distance there was to begin with. She touches his chest lightly with the palm of her hand and looks up (yes, up, for the first time in her life with a man) into his face. )

I was worried about you. I should have thought about the wishing well and how it made everyone's wishes go wrong. I didn't know if you left to go home or if you were just ignoring me or if you were hurt...I thought at least if you just didn't want to see me you'd have told me that so I wouldn't worry about your person. ( She pauses, briefly. )

So yes, I do want to kiss you. I need to make sure you're all right.

[Loki had spotted Sansa through the window, but before she's had a chance to greet her friend and possibly explain the new circumstances of her appearance (and her unexpected her-ness) Sansa asks her what she thinks of jasmine tea, as though they're strangers. Loki can't help but let that continue, at least for a little while.]

It smells like night-blooming flowers and tastes like a spring day, Lady.

[Is that mischievous smile familiar, even on this new face?]

[ He reaches out, hands on her upper arms rubbing gently as she expresses worries, and what she thought might have happened. He shakes his head, keeping his smile on. ]

No, if I was going home, I'd tell you. I'd just - I'd talk to you, about any of it. I promise.

[ And he means it, looking down into her eyes, sincere and earnest. It's exactly the kind of thing he'd never dare doing to her, leaving her in a lurch when she's just started to trust him.

Her next few words make him smile, reaching up to thumb at her jaw. ]

And kisses is how you'll make sure? Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I'm a more than willing participant.

( Sansa doesn't know this woman but her tone seems nice and her words are in the formal manner that Sansa herself is accustomed to so that puts her a bit at ease. )

Night-blooming flowers? How extraordinary. Do you care to have a cup of it with me, then?

( Sansa lets her eyes slide down coyly and huffs out a soft breath. He's teasing her, yes, but she's been teasing too. It's only fair. Besides, she's missed him, and being kissed is novel enough that she wants to do it all the time. )

It's a decent enough way to check if you're still breathing and if your heart beats, isn't it?

[ His hand slide, from her arms up to her neck, until he's framing her face with both hands, the smile on his face unwavering. They're still by her front door, but at least, it's not as cold as it used to be - and she's warm, when he leans closer, nose brushing hers. ]

It's a very decent way, yeah.

[ It's just a whisper as his eyes slip closed, and his lips touch hers. ]

( Sansa is pretty much a Disney princess. That's what Clary had decided early on, and she's seen no evidence to prove otherwise yet. The girl is bright and sweet and so very kind, and it's impossible that she doesn't talk to birds or have a travelling animal companion.

She finds the edge of the pool when Sansa arrives, smiling up at her new friend with pleased appreciation. ) You're amazing, you know that, right? ( The shawl, the scones, the companionship. )

You'd do that? Because I'm so envious of your hair dressing skills. I can barely make mine presentable at the best of times.

( Sansa laughs a bit at that and lifts a hand. ) Many in Westeros would disagree with you, I'm afraid, but I'll take the compliment as intended. As to hair, I got very used to having to style it myself after I left King's Landing. Yours is not so dissimilar to mine.

( Sansa seats herself on a rock that's close to the edge of the pool and takes a section of Clary's hair between her fingers, combing it. ) The Wildlings consider red hair to be lucky, you know. They call it being kissed by fire.

( When his lips touch hers, Sansa slides her arms around his waist and presses herself to him as close as she can manage. She wants to make up for the forced distance they've had these past few days and while their lips are touching, she wants to touch every part of him to ensure he's safe and whole and right here. She tips her head a bit, tilting into the touch of his hands, and slides her own low enough that her thumbs hook in his belt loops and her fingers are lower than she'd normally ever place them. )

You are too generous. I would be delighted to join you.

[She is even a little too formal, because she's struggling not to start laughing. Is it cruel to mislead her friend with her new face? Perhaps, somewhat. But she feels she knows Sansa well enough to suspect that Sansa may guess her secret before she even reveals it.

But then, there has always been an edge to Loki's tricks, so she'd likely be doing this regardless of the possible outcome.]

A table by the window, to enjoy the sun while we wait?

[And she offers her elbow, just the way Loki always does when walking Sansa from place to place.]

[ Baby lets out a tiny noise of surprise against Sansa's lips, immediately deepening the kiss a little at the feeling of her touch, unexpected and sending tingles right up his spine as he licks at the seam of her lips, the kiss already turning a little more urgent than their last one.

Not that he's going to push for anything more than this, but - yeah, he's missed this, and the taste of her, and the feeling of her in his arms, soft and eager and wanting. ]

( Sansa takes the woman's elbow and cuts her a strange look, struck by how familiar she seems. Is this some sort of trick? She's not certain. She's fallen off her game as to recognizing tricks here in Cadelle - mostly because she hasn't had to do it. Still - )

I feel like I must know you from somewhere. We've met before, haven't we?

( Sansa breaks the kiss after several long moments and just turns her face in against his neck, inhaling softly. She's missed him these past few days and while it hadn't been his fault, it has served to remind her that she's gotten attached to him in spite of herself. She shouldn't be having feelings, but she is, and feelings are inherently dangerous. Feelings get you hurt. )

I'm sorry, I just missed you. You'll stay for a little while, won't you? You'll stay and have tea with me, at least?

Kids used to call me Carrot Top and Pippi, so I'll definitely take kissed by fire. That's definitely more me.

( There's something soothing at Sansa fixing her hair, Clary leans back against the pool edge, eyes closing. )

Maybe when I have legs again you can teach me. So I can return the favour. We can make flower crowns.

[ When she leans in, presses close, Baby just holds her, a hand cradling the back of her head and the other on her back, gentle touches to let her know he is, indeed, here, and not going anywhere. If only he'd known, back then. ]

Yeah, of course. I've missed you too, and I'd rather be here with you than... not.

I know how to make flower crowns and how to weave flowers into braids. There's a lot of things a lady learns when she's sitting around trying not to be useful.

( Sansa laughs, a bit ironic. If only she'd learned the things she had needed to know instead of those things. It's all right. She knows them now. She finishes combing Clary's hair and starts to section it so she can braid it back out of her face. She would do waterfall braids if she weren't outdoors but as it is, she will save those for a later time. )

My sister never learned how to do them, though. She somehow decided learning how to use a sword was a better use of her time.

a dream of spring (OTA with locked starters)

a mermaid in the garden (locked to Clary)

silver threads and golden needles (locked to baby)

endless forms most beautiful (barred; OTA)

steep me in hot water and make me new (infinitea; OTA)

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