reznikolai | I N B O X

[When Friday afternoon arrives, Nikolai makes his way to Konoha's barn-turned-home in the midst of Emerald Park's sprawling fields. Thanks to his habit of taking his work home over the weekends, to keep at unravelling the problems posed by his current project, he has already wracked up so many overtime hours in the first month of his new job that his supervisor insisted he take off early today.

It may be for the best. The monthly transformation is hitting him harder than usual. Since that tumultuous first transformation, the end of every month has been relatively calm. He always gained the wings and tail, the horns and scaly skin, that fashion him into the likeness of a dragon, but his temperament remained unaffected.

This time, though... He was almost late to work every day this week, because he couldn't bear to leave Alina alone and so stretched out the minutes of their mornings together. More than once has found himself unreasonably agitated by anyone so much as approaching Constantin. The feeling grips him deep in his gut. He's had a hard time loosening it. Possessive and protective like, he supposes, the dragons in stories.

The solitary walk through the shifting landscape of the park provides a reprieve. With nobody around to trigger these invasive instincts, Nikolai feels more like himself. He would make his visit with Konoha brief. They'd eat and chat. He'd retrieve his shirt and pick up supper to bring home to Alina.

He knocks on the door. His hand, clawed and armored with blue-green scales on the back, is bare. Gloves and claws don't quite mesh... While he awaits Konoha's answer, he whistles a tune to himself.]

[There's no answer at the door, a stretch of silence, because Konoha... is running late.

Nikolai isn't the only one who isn't quite like themselves this week. It isn't like her not to be punctual, if not five minutes early. A keen nose might detect the smell of food from within the barn, perhaps the table is set, but the woman who is supposed to be hosting... Had up until a little while ago been desperately attempting to tend to herself in the only way a woman not biologically meant for self-pleasure could, trying to take the edge of her breeding cycle and its urges by herself upon discovering that the person who'd proven themselves capable of dampening them had disappeared from Sumarlok. Was she cursed? First the only centaur stallion in the city had lost his form, now this-

And time had gotten away from her until she looked up and noted the position of the sun through the trees, going for the device to make some excuse to Nikolai and reschedule only to realize she'd left her harness (and the phone within) back at the barn, panicking as she hurriedly freshened up at the river and redonned her clothing, shamefully rewrapped her "assistant", and all but ran back to-]

N- Nikolai, good afternoon- !

[She bursts from the trees in a barely controlled canter, pulling back immediately in a too-late attempt to look like she hadn't been rushing. To correspond with the chunk of emerald embedded on her haunch her hooves have become slightly daintier, cloven, the white socks on her bay legs more feathered with hair, a small ivory horn curving upward from forehead. But not only that difference- unlike most times they've met, she seems to be wearing some sort of fabric tied to drape over her rump for extra modesty like a skirt.

Also he's a... oh, this one she understands, at least! It's a dragon!]

I'm so sorry, I was tending to something and lost track of time... Come in, come in- !

[Even though the rather long rectangular box in her arms is further disguised with a cloth wrap, it's burning her up to be seen holding it in front of a man, or maybe that's just the residual glow on her cheeks from something else. Eager to hide it away before any questions are asked, Konoha tugs the heavy barn door open as if it were a paper screen and leading him in with an anxious smile.

And as she passes, a whiff of... strong potpourri? Coming from what seems to be a ball of dried flowers and leaves shaped into something vaguely ornamental and tied with ribbons to the dock of her tail. Just usual things.]

[Nikolai turns at the sound of hooves raining on the ground, in time to see her erupting from the treeline nearby. As Konoha approaches, he notes the changes in her appearance. A unicorn, he realizes. How very fitting.

His own changes are more drastic: turquoise leathery wings folded at his back, a scaled and spiny tail trailing on the ground behind him. Delicate horns curling back from his temples, sharp black claws curling from the tips of his fingers. He has had to invest in a very specifically tailored wardrobe to accommodate his monthly transformation. His shirt is backless to allow for his wings, his trousers designed with fastenings in back for his tail. His shoes are a size larger to leave room for his claws. And all the blue-green splashed over his body certainly limits his palette....

Grinning at Konoha as she arrives at the door, he comments:]

I thought unicorns only allowed pure maidens in their presence.

[And he is neither of those things, he would like to point out.

With his keen eyes, he does of course notice the oblong package cradled in her arms — cradled with the tight sort of carefulness that indicates she would prefer to shield it from view entirely. He has...an idea of what it might be. The shape of the box and the fragrant ball decorating her tail provide interesting clues. But he will pretend that he hardly notices it, and he's quite an excellent pretender!]

Whatever you've made, it smells delicious, Konoha.

[Honestly, Konoha has her doubts about how fitting it is she have these unicorn traits, despite several people telling her that it was so. After all, what was all that purity stuff about? She’s been a wife for a while now… and other people’s status wasn’t her business?

But that wasn’t the point! Mainly she just really wants to get that suspiciously large box hidden away, so she welcomes him in hastily as if just trying to make up for her being late, prattling on in answer about the safest topic first.]

Chiron brought pheasant this morning, so- ! Well, I don’t know what the Gem people call it, but it tastes like pheasant… then there’s ah, some pickles, bamboo rice, mountain vegetables…

[Despite how the interior of the barn seems largely designed for jinba bodies, with taller counters, a bed of hay in one corner made more comfortable with blankets, and all the furniture cleared largely to the edges of the space, there is a more human-sized table and chairs as well where Konoha had chosen to set the table.]

You take a seat and I’ll freshen it up- !

[And… shamefully tuck the di- box into a dresser under some clothing when she thinks he’s distracted or not looking, only then returning to the corner that has been made into a kitchen, the larder well-stocked thanks to her Emerald powers and the place where the barn’s few modern conveniences were allowed to reside. One microwave, one rice cooker, one refrigerator. All one needed!

As she bustles about with the last bit of prep and setting the dishes on trays, though-]

We don’t have unicorns in my world, by the way… I thought it was a kirin or something before someone told me… and I don’t… I don’t know about not allowing but when I change like this I can sort of… tell. Who’s a maiden or not.

[And who might definitely not seem like a virgin today. Her nose crinkles, even though it’s not quite a scent so much as a… sense… ?]

Wh- What about you, Nikolai? Can you fly or something… ?

Edited 2021-06-28 04:45 (UTC)

[As she sets to bustling about, Nikolai goes to take a seat as invited. If she isn't too busy fretting over her special assistant, Konoha might notice that his gait is...a bit different today. This month's transformation had brought on an additional change, one that's less apparent at first glance than wings and scales. He had woken up at the start of the week better endowed than usual. Not that he is usually lacking in that department, but now his length exceeds what any man reasonably needs. Or rather, what any woman reasonably needs... There was nothing to do but tuck it down a trouser leg and hope it wasn't too obvious.

He's also forced to sit with his legs spread wide, which is not his usual custom. Even though he'd avoided his most fitted trousers...there's a telltale bulge along his inner thigh if one cares to look. Thank the Saints for the cover of the table. His tail adds another degree of difficulty to sitting, forcing him to sit farther forward in the chair as well. Once settled in, he watches his hostess bustle about.]

Well, you must have a great deal of insight into people's private lives. [He laughs lightly.] And yes, I can! I flew much of the way here. Marvelously convenient, these wings are.

[The question gives his mind something to latch onto other than lingering thoughts of what Konoha might have been busy with before he arrived... The greed native to dragons seems to have bled into his appetite. A greed for manna that has proven difficult to satisfy despite his determined efforts with Alina. Ahem. He just hopes Konoha's mystic unicorn senses can't detect impure thoughts.]

It’s insight I really don’t want… It’s not my business who has… and it’s not like it’s a bad thing not to have done it yet…

[After all, she’d been a virgin herself until her marriage… sure sometimes she was startled by the discrepancy between what she saw and what she sensed, but-

Thankfully? for Nikolai, Konoha had been far too distracted herself with putting away her… would it be believable if she called it her shopping? If she said she’d just been running errands? Either way, it had been enough to spare him just a while yet something that Konoha normally might pick up on. She’s busy herself hoping that he hasn’t taken note of how sloppy the knot on her skirt was, her still slightly damp hair, or… actually, even she hasn’t noticed yet, but though she’d tried to wash afterwards it had been a hurried affair, and with her inability to reach certain things… a bit of a stain has begun to grow on the fabric draped over her rump, visible only when her tail flicks irritably and the ball of potpourri jingles along with it.

At least she can’t sense impure thoughts.]

I always said that if jinba were meant to fly we would have been born with wings… I hope I’m not jinxing anything…

[She really didn’t want to wake up with a… could emerald be anything with wings? A question for later. Instead, she bustles over with the trays, setting down one in front of him and one for her on the side of the table with no chair.]

Here… I’m sorry about the shirt, again… Thank you…

[This sort of thing was all she really had when it came to showing appreciation. This time, in the form of pheasant broiled hotpot style work leek and sweet potato, rice mixed with bamboo shoots, a few slices of various bran-pickled vegetables, and what seems to be mountain vegetation simmered in sesame. Very healthy!

And on his tray is a fork.]

[With little else to occupy his attention aside from a cursory examination of the surrounding room, of course he's watching her as she finishes arranging the trays of food. And with his keen eyes...he can't help but notice the hasty fashion in which her skirt has been fastened. The path of dampness beneath her swishing tail. With great care he fixes his gaze elsewhere. He swats away the memories that rise up, of her breasts sweet in his mouth, and her hand scrabbling at the front of his trousers, and her tail lifting—

Get a hold of yourself. His thoughts are usually so much more disciplined than this. The tray of food she carries to him provides a distraction.]

And I always said that if humans weren't meant to fly, I would do my damndest to find a way in spite of it.

[He surveys the spread of food appreciatively. After months of subsisting primarily on takeout and restaurant fare, he appreciates solid home cooking more than ever.]

Thank you. Don't fret about the shirt. I already assumed I'd never see it again. For all I knew when I woke up, I could have buried it in the sand or flung it into the sea.

[He chuckles politely. It wouldn't be the end of the world if he never got it back.]

Let's eat, shall we?

[Find a way to fly… Konoha can’t help but laugh a little, even as awkward as she’s feeling. That might just be the major difference between the two of them… and honestly, rather than find it alienating or scoff worthy… it’s admirable, she thinks. People needed individuals like that, like Nikolai, like her own boss Sha Gozen, who strove to innovate and explore and do things no one had before. Without that, things wouldn’t move anywhere, would they… and she’s content enough knowing that without people like her, those people might never get enough sleep or the right food or have the time to put those minds to work properly, so.

Everyone did their part, in the end.

Clapping her hands in the sort of prayer over food she was familiar with, what she says instead of her usual words is what she learned in his home, a quick (and pronounced best she can),]

Davayte yest.

[And she’s glad to eat (honestly she’s always glad to eat, she has two stomachs and a half ton body to keep moving), but she’s admittedly wishing she’d chosen a seat farther away. He isn’t… centaur adjacent at all, but he’s still a man, and though human men’s scent didn’t usually do much to trigger her heat… apparently dragon men… did. He smelled. Very nice. And you learn something new every day… but now it would be awkward to move, it’s fine, half-“seated” her skirted rump is to the ground now, only her tail flicking back and forth can betray her.

She’ll just hold the food in her chopsticks closer to her face between bites…]

I still can’t believe everyone forgot so much… that had to be some magic thing, I know I shouldn’t have gotten drunk…

[Not with her metabolism. And actually speaking of that… she has her network device back now so she fishes for it and flips through some photos of… well, a beach at night. And some… blurs? The thing that’s in focus she’d been actually attempting to take the picture of seems to have been a drink in the sand but behind that… the closer blur looks like Liem? But there are other blurs in the picture that are at minimum blonde…]

This isn’t you, is it… ?

[A warm smile steals over Nikolai's face when Konoha employs his native tongue. That dinner had had a bumpy beginning, but through it he gained a better understanding of Konoha. Despite his aversion to being bad at anything, he can admit it's a little bit funny to look back on now. The King of Ravka and the Sun Summoner nearly undone by hosting a dinner for a friend...

He shifts in his seat, trying to get comfortable, adjusting himself. His tail keeps bumping against the chair legs... It likely doesn't help Konoha's dilemma that his scent is stronger under the influence of the amethyst's transformation, his hormones more active, as if a fire has been lit underneath his skin.

Nikolai has sampled the pheasant and potatoes and is giving the rice a try when Konoha takes her phone out. He finishes chewing before leaning forward.]

Let me see... [He peers at the photo.] It may just be. That's one awfully handsome blur. I do vaguely recall spending time in Liem's company.

[He laughs then, recalling another detail he discovered the next morning while sorting through the abundant evidence on his phone.]

Evidently, I decided to start addressing him as "Father Lime" at one point.

[It was him, right? There was something about the silhouette, the colors, the shirt… that just made Konoha suspect it was so. When he leans forward she helpfully spreads two fingers over the screen to zoom in on the potentially Nikolai blur, passing poor Liem in the process.

Perhaps she should have picked a different blurry photo to preserve the poor man’s dignity, but… this is the one you could see the maybe-Nikolai blur best in, and also-]

Father Lime, oh no… That’s a horrible nickname!

[Considering her native tongue’s writing structure, the idea of it being a spelling error isn’t what she leaps to, instead covering her mouth with one hand to try and disguise her laughter.]

He’s not that sour- !

[By lucky coincidence, lime is a cognate in Russian...so the stupid wordplay checks out... In any case, Konoha's ill disguised laughter pulls a grin from him, and the somewhat roundabout conclusion she draws is just as good.]

You're thinking about it all wrong, dear Konoha.

[He reaches over to pat her wrist, given that both of her hands are occupied by phone and chopsticks.]

Limes provide key nutrients, especially when one is at sea for long weeks without fresh produce. And they pair well with with several varieties of liquor, to balance out the sharpness.

[He finishes with his countenance arranged in an imitation of a schoolmaster's pompousness.]

Altogether, the lime is a noble fruit.

[See, normally… that would just make her laugh more. And actually… okay, it does, right through the warm little tickle of synchrony on her wrist.

She knows he’s joking, but it sounds so vaguely like Liem somehow even though he’s talking about the fruit. Provides things that are needed, pairs well, takes direction well…

Oh, no, that’s a different detail.]

I’m so sorry, what was I thinking… ?

[Father Lime… No, still poor Liem. She can’t stop chuckling now even as she pulls her phone back to flip through the photos again, stuffs a bite of pheasant into her mouth-

… And promptly chokes on it when the next one in the roll makes her laugh even harder.]

[See, the metaphor is rather apt. Konoha's amusement is contagious — she's radiant when laughing. Nikolai finds himself smiling around his fork as he eats another bite of pheasant.

It seems that Konoha had documented her adventures that night, much like he had. His collection of "evidence", though, contains a few photos that shouldn't be shared in polite company...or in any company, honestly... As he waits for her to show him the next picture, he tries the greens. Everything is flavorful, different from anything he's had back home. Although there are some hints reminiscent of Shu cuisine, Konoha's cooking has a distinct quality to it.

—Oh, Saints, she's choking.

Nikolai is out of his seat at once — before he's even realized that he intends to stand. It's the dragon's protective instincts pushing him, like wind beneath wings. Coming around the table, he thumps at her back with his palm to encourage her to cough up the wayward bit of food. Somehow, his other hand finds its way to...her waist, just to steady her.]

I need to work on being less entertaining... Are you all right, Konoha?

[This is not something Konoha is used to doing. Normally, she had very good table manners, thank you? She was a mother now, too, she was always making sure to eat politely in order to show Komatsu what to do and not do, and inhaling your food was definitely no the "do not do" list! It's just that the next photo even the blurry Liem had gotten blurrier and it looked like all three of the blurs were running somewhere now and that had just struck her as hilarious because then she thought about limes running (and if Liem is a lime then what, Nikolai and the other mystery blonde are lemons and loquats???) and next thing she knew-

She doesn't know the universal sign for choking, but thankfully... it's obvious. Her first thumps hard on her chest while her other hand cups over her mouth, even then somehow conscious of not wanting to actually spit her chunk of pheasant across the table, but phew, Nikolai is there and within just a moment or two she coughs it back up into her palm, cheeks red from the brief physical panic of a blocked airway.]

Oh, I'm sorry-

[She mumbles that first, the fist thumping on her chest turning to a more gentle rub to settle her twin heartbeats, turning gratefully to offer a-]

Thank you, Nikolai, I'm-

["Fine"... was going to be the word she said. She's pretty sure it is. But in her language, that starts with a "d" sound, and so did,]

Huge...

[The word that actually comes out when her eyes catch sight of... is that- No, that can't be his genitals. She's felt them before! They fit properly into his pants before! They weren't partway down his trouser leg before?!]

[As she coughs out the errant bit of pheasant, he switches to rubbing her back in a soothing manner. He's about to suggest that she take a drink of water, but then—

That's not at all the word he expected to pop out of her mouth. For a second, he thinks he has misheard. Then he notices how her eyes seem caught on his crotch. So much for hoping that she fails to notice. Under her gaze, he feels a small squeeze of arousal, as if her mere attention enacts a certain pressure on him. Is she just surprised? Or does she like the sight of it? The bulge in his trousers provides plenty of cues to the imagination and leaves little for speculation... He cuts himself off with a sharp breath.]

Ah...

[For once, he cannot think of a single appropriate thing to say in such a situation. On the other hand, he can think of several highly inappropriate things to say, but he has the sense to say none of these. Also for once, his cheeks might actually be tinged pink in embarrassment. A rare sight to behold!]

You should drink something. [~~Because you're thirsty, girl. Hahahaha.~~] Here—

[Leaning over, he takes up her cup to offer it to her. She's perfectly capable of doing this on her own, but he finds he needs something to occupy himself with.]

[........................... She said "huge". She said "huge" instead of "fine"! No, no, no??? Way too many seconds after she should have realized this it actually hits her, and even then it's only because he moves to get her cup for her and that requires, well... moving. Which moves other things, and reminds her to jerk her head back up and catch sight of his face.

Is he blushing? Nikolai? Nikolai? That's... okay no it's not quite like Cardan blushing level, but she's already made that happen, so this was-]

Right- ! You're right! Sorry, I just-

[Was looking at his dick? Staring at his dick? It's not her fault, it's right there? Why is it so big? Why is she still apologizing??? That's way too many "sorry" in a row? She'll just hurriedly take the teacup... and almost spill it right in his lap. Only at the last second of a slow motion scramble correction does she pull it in close to make sure that the splash lands on her kimono instead of his pants. He came her to collect a shirt, she can't ruin more of his clothes- ?!

And also she needs... to stop. Just. Stop, clutching her cup and unable to hide that the red on her cheeks is no longer from choking, or that her tail is flicking little whispy patterns across the floor.]

Is that... A dragon... thing... ?

[It had to be right? She can't not ask... Wasn't it uncomfortable???]

[Saints...it would seem that their dinners together are destined to be plagued with awkward missteps. Luckily his hand still hovers nearby when she fumbles the teacup, and he helps steady her grip on it.

In a strange way, Konoha's ungraceful reaction helps calm him by contrast. By now, he has managed to quell his blush. He smooths his embarrassment over with a smile that's more practiced than what he previously wore at the table. Really, a woman taking notice of his, ah, assets shouldn't be cause for mortification. He was just...startled, that's all. And she's just...well, a woman who he once joined in a heavy petting session beneath a tree. A woman who is very much married and with a family of her own.

Belatedly, he remembers to retract his hands from her — the one bracing her hand around the cup, the other resting at her back. The pull of manna makes it easy to linger past necessity or propriety.]

So it would seem. [Then as a bit of a joke:] To tell you the truth, it's much less convenient than the wings.

[For lack of anything better to do with his hands, he brushes a speck of imaginary lint from his shirt and straightens it.]

[Most days, Konoha kind of enjoyed how synchrony, even the simple, platonic sort, could make clearer what someone was feeling. In only the way an honest woman could, she liked being able to make herself clearer (not to mention how incredibly rousing it could be during more intimate moments, to just sense things from a partner like that), but right now...

Maybe right now it wasn't the best idea, because before he retracts his hands the only thing she's broadcasting is heat. Heavy, frustrating, untended, unmollified by her "assistant"... heat. Everything else was easily lost beneath.

And she knows she shouldn't look. She does, even if the true reason she shouldn't is lost with the other drunken memories of Marilla. She tries looking at her hands around the teacup, but it's hard not to let her eyes dart over there (down there, then more down there), to betray her thoughts further with a sharp canine digging in to her bottom lip.]

I'm sorry, ah... you really should have let me...

[She forgets to say "deliver your shirt" somehow. Weird.

At this rate, though, she's going to crush the teacup in between her hands, and so she concentrates on just... getting that to the table. Sit there, teacup...]

I guess dragons can't really... be with human women very well, can they... ? Th- that makes sense...

[Something that shouldn't be any of her business. Sometime that a proper woman shouldn't imply aloud, even though she tries her best to make it sound like a joke, look at her, she's so evolved that she can make ribald jokes with a sea captain...

Who is reminding her very strongly in this moment that the man who had agreed to help her tamp down her breeding season instincts had left this world. That her roommate wasn't a centaur any longer. That her husband certainly wasn't here. That... she'd grown used to not having to weather the whole thing by herself anymore, and in a place like this...]

[He can feel Konoha's eyes on him, her gaze pressing into his skin with the same weight and heat as touch, as she says you should have let me. For a wild breath of a moment, his imagination runs unimpeded by reason, chasing after what she could mean. He remembers her palm pressed to the front of his trousers, fingers teasing his cock through the fabric, breath puffing hot against his hair. A stab of desire jolts through him.

Much like when one missteps and turns his ankle, and so proceeds with heightened care thereafter, this sudden jolt is also what returns Nikolai to his senses. Of course Konoha must be referring to how she'd offered to deliver his shirt to his house. Only...calming his imagination is well and good, but his body has already gone and bucked his cool control. Not a full mast situation, mind you, but noticeable given his, ah, generous endowment.

Right, he should...sit down. He's lingered too long at her side now, hand idly leaning on the edge of the table. With great care Nikolai takes his seat at the adjacent side of the table, attempting (in vain) to arrange himself in such a way that his burgeoning arousal isn't so obvious. To answer her, he renews his grin.]

Let's just say I've had to get creative this week.

[If his hostess has given ribald comments her blessing, then so be it. Speaking of anatomical challenges...he considers her over another bite of pheasant. Konoha would have a difficult time with a human lover, wouldn't she? It's not that this realization hasn't ever struck him before, but at this moment it feels particularly sharp. It must be a deep kind of loneliness, being the only of her kind here. She has her centaur housemate, but—]

You must know something about that, though...?

[Even as he says it, he isn't sure if he's joking or flirting or...what. A protective urge seizes him. He recognizes it as the dragon's instincts, but that doesn't make it any easier to tamp down.]

[Perhaps predictably, perhaps ironically… their minds momentarily have gone to the sand place. He should have let her, she says, and while she surely meant deliver his shirt, what her body means is take care of him. Oh, it would be so easy to touch him like that, and practically an act of mercy, surely, to use the fingers now more adept at such things to undo his trousers, release him into the care of her hands, her lips, her breasts-

Ah. No. He sat… He sat down. Right.

She actually has to shake her head to dislodge the lewd thoughts, her throat taut as she disciplines herself. But though Nikolai can sit and somewhat hide the sudden stiffening that Konoha had definitely caught sight of… there’s no hiding the way her tail twitches, arching upwards in a way that, were she not wearing that draped fabric, would already be threatening to expose far more delicate parts.]

Creative… Of course…

[She has to pull herself back on track, but surely it’s not… It isn’t her fault that back on track was a bit flirtatious seeming now, was it? After all, it was just conversation that. Happened to be the sort one could have with a sea captain! Or just any open-minded male friend maybe… ! There’s no preventing the blush that ruddies her cheeks to reply out loud to his insinuation, but even though she clearly had the option to try steering the conversation in a different direction…]

Ah… I suppose I do… It’s almost all humans here, and even Chiron is human-shaped now…

[Magic, don’t ask… But what it meant for her…]

I mean- I’m not complaining! You’re- Humans are just fine! It all… It all works out if we try hard…

[It just… for very obvious reasons took a bit more effort to receive the same pleasures. There was no way a human could provide her with the same sort of deep, dominating cover as a stallion of her own kind, and even worse than that, the difference in forms meant that to have them attending to one thing meant losing the touch of them elsewhere, she hated that…

Her fingertips press anxiously around the tea cup, her tail twitches again, as she steals a look at Nikolai as subtly as she can, her rambling tone taking her… maybe where she surely hadn’t intended, surely it was too much to pretend to be joking anymore, but…]

Size is only a problem when… I’m in heat…

[Nikolai sets his mind to eating, as if it's a complex task that requires his undivided attention. He pretends that nothing is out of the ordinary. He isn't aching softly with arousal at the table. He doesn't notice her tail lifting, her body's way of begging for touch, and that doesn't send desire pulsing through his blood. His heart is not hammering in his chest.

As Konoha rambles on, that protective urge growling somewhere deep inside amplifies in pitch. It unfurls, much like his wings right now. With a flex of his shoulders, his leathery wings spread wide without any input from him. An instinct, perhaps, to make himself appear larger. Capable of shielding her.]

I could help you.

[The words are out before he's even thought about what he means by them. It's the draconic instinct beating underneath his skin, heightening his perpetual desire to be useful, to solve problems, to be the one to set it right. It's his old loneliness, mirrored in Konoha. Here without her husband. Here with breeding heat and nobody to turn to. His whole being aches for her in this moment.

Nikolai's hand returns to hers, covering where it curves around the tea cup. His expression is as earnest as his voice.]

Let me... [He never stumbles over his words, but he does now. They're coming up faster than he can think better of them.] Let me take care of you, Konoha.

[Konoha did appreciate a man who wouldn't waste food. She should be doing the same, and yet suddenly she is just all too aware of how technology in Sumarlok made it easier to keep dinner fresh. She could reheat things in the "micro wave", she could store them in the "tupper wares", so actually, if she just left things right here-

Because how is she not supposed to notice when his wings suddenly unfurl? They were larger than she expected (the second thing that was) seeing them folded nearly against his back, and though he speaks...

It takes her a moment to realize what he'd actually said. Even though they'd almost done something more than just kissing, just a bit of touching, under the influence of those colorful powders during the Rag'n'boni festival... She had categorized that later as simply that. Something that wouldn't have happened otherwise. She was another man's wife, a child's mother, and perhaps more damning... a jinba, not a human woman. There were men who that meant little to and men who seemed very well aware, for better or largely for worse, and... she had considered Nikolai to belong to the latter.

So what is she supposed to say? Her body answers for her first. A noticeable shudder of desire that makes its way down her long spine. The way her tail twitches, the satchet of potpourri she'd tied to the dock in a futile attempt to hide the musky scent of her season bobbing along with it. His hand is right there on hers, and he's warm, and the little glow of synchrony is enough to potentially reveal how desperate she was.]

You would... ?

[Not just that, but how physically lonely she was in an empty bed she had grown used to sharing with a family, how ashamed that he might be smart enough to guess what she'd been doing before he arrived that made her late-]

Even if... Even if there's no weird powders around... ?

[... That's too specific, but. She thinks he'll know what she means. That there isn't that convenient excuse, something that the whole Gembonded population might encounter and understand as an explanation for a scandal, a sudden tryst.

There's a more important reason she should ask him if he's sure... but it's too far away, tucked into a forgotten corner of her mind that was hazy with Marillan drink and strange handfasting magic. Which left only her reason she shouldn't be doing this... but perhaps that reassurance could wait.

Until he answered her. Her fingers twitch on the cup, beneath his hands, betraying how badly she wants to make just the smallest turn of wrist to lace their fingers, enjoy the warmth he's offering... but she manages to hold herself back just enough to not. Not yet. Not until she was sure, no matter how badly she ached.]

[The difference in their species Nikolai considers as a distant afterthought. Although his awareness of the difficulties posed by their incongruous anatomy is heightened in this moment, as he considers her across the table and imagines how he would take care of her — it doesn't strike him as somehow wrong that they might couple. First and foremost they are a man and a woman. Besides, Konoha isn't the only one with a body out of the ordinary now...

There are, of course, so many other reasons why they should not proceed. Her husband and child. His...whatever he has made here with Alina. But these scatter to his peripherals. The core of him is consumed by the dragon's wild instincts. Through him pulses a heartbeat that urges him to protect the woman in front of him from the ache of loneliness.

Konoha gives so much of herself to others, always worrying over everyone else's hurts while hiding her own. She deserves to be spoiled. She has earned the right to be greedy. And who better to provide for her than a man into whom is presently grafted a dragon's inclination for excess?]

Yes, I would.

[Mixing gentleness with firmness, he pries one of Konoha's hands from the tea cup she seems to clutch as if it would keep her afloat, save her from drowning. He pulls her hand toward him and brushes his lips over her knuckles. Without pulling away even an inch, he looks her in the eyes. His gaze is liquid gold.]

So let me.

[It almost sounds like a challenge.]

[There aren't many words that Konoha has to express how important it was to her that... people viewed her as a woman, and not a mare, not even a jinba woman. Obviously she knew that there were moments when it was unavoidable, there really was no helping it, but...

The ache of loneliness and gratitude for the offer shows as easily on her face as every emotion she'd ever felt when he takes her hand and her gaze follows, catching the near hypnotic glow of gold in his eyes. Let me, he says, but in the depth of her heats, which at times felt so all-consuming, so unquenchable in a way more bone-deep than the urges of other worlds... it feels like she should be the one asking him that. The swallow of nerves and reasons to say no is slow and obvious down the line of her throat, but what slips out when she opens her mouth is,]

- Please.

[If he was like this... maybe it would be enough to dampen the urges that had been keeping her restless and awake at night. Except no, she shouldn't be thinking of it like that, it wasn't fair to him, yet still... her voice slips out low, a bit shameful as she curls her fingers around his. Squeezes a moment before she twists her wrist to run her thumb over the line of his jaw.]

I had... an arrangement with someone... but they're gone, now, and- I can't... Even when I try to take care of it by myself...

[At its basest... it was uncomfortable, to burn with arousal for so long, aching without relief beyond the temporary measures of awkwardly attempting to tend to her own needs with a body not designed for self-pleasure and a lewd toy that provided pleasure but not the sensation of mating. And undeniable... was the more emotional truth that... she had grown accustomed to being held, to being able to kiss and embrace whenever she pleased, and now, here-

Here, Nikolai was right next to her, offering her relief, and she can't... She can't find (or remember) a reason to say "no". To stop her gaze from drifting downwards, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth and nipping down with sharp canines before she pulls back up, her tail swishing with a twitch that echoes in her fingers.]

But you have... to let me take care of you, too...

[After all... though the last time she had touched him they had been interrupted... She hadn't actually forgotten where they'd left off, either.]

[As delicious as the food she prepared is, Nikolai has all but forgotten it. The hunger now opening wide inside him is not the kind that can be sated with food. He notices Konoha's gaze falling into his lap and he grins crookedly. His previous mortification fades under the heat of his desire, now that they've reached an accord.]

You can look all you want. [He kisses the inside of her wrist now, eyes fluttering shut a moment.] And touch all you want too.

[He's here for her. To help her, to protect her. And dragons are greedy things, of course, so his imagination gobbles up her offer to take care of him in return. He remembers all too well where they left off that time underneath the trees...

Nikolai rises from his chair to close the distance between them. With Konoha seated on the floor, their heights are more evenly matched. Sliding his arms around her waist, he slots his chin with her shoulder — an echo of how he'd held her as he sat astride her back. He must lean in at an angle to accommodate her body — he can't stand directly behind her like he might with a human woman — but that hardly matters. Her body is warm against his. As his cock presses into her equine shoulder, hot and hard and aching, he sighs low in relief.

A press of his lips against her neck. A caress of his palm underneath the curve of her breast.]

Shall we go to the bed...?

[He leaves other possibilities open. She is the expert in what she needs, and whatever she demands, he will follow.]

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warning for mentions of dragon dick

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getting nsfw? get out while you can

you’ve been warned!!

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