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"Oh that's no problem just a matter of.." Suddenly his wings shot out behind him, water beading and flying off behind him. There were two large flaps, sudden gusts of wind, and then the wings settled back against his skin with a light twitch.

Muka pulled away from her a moment, collecting their things. It was quicker and faster for him to do it, gathering up his pile of clothes as well as her dress and flowers. After them being folded into a neat bundle the strix scooped Needle up in his arms without as much as a warning. He always marveled at how light she was.

"Hold on tight." Muka giggled and leapt into the air, wings spreading as he took off. The flight, unlike the previous one, was almost completely an ascent. If Needle could tell, he didn't know, but the air got cooler and cleaner the higher they got. The breeze was stronger and the strix had to make turns in order to catch the cross breezes.

Eventually they settled on a balcony with large windowed doors. Muka unlatched them and allowed the ghoul to enter. Above them various bird minis slept and cooed in the open rafters but there seemed to be several rooms separated by thick heavy curtains instead of walls.

"I wasn't expecting company.." He clacked his teeth a bit and shuffled to clear debris from the floor with his foot. "Ah.. hrmm.." a thoughtful noise .

"Bedroom is over here." Muka took the ghoul's hand and led her to the left through some heavy curtains into a lavishly plush bedroom. Her bare feet would find a finely woven area rug only a few steps in that stretched over almost the entirety of the floor. Thankfully the curtains were also draped to form a cieling so the minis in the rafters were merely a distant environmental chittering.

Muka giggled at her, finding her words amusing. The strix took the clothes out of her arms, setting the flowers on a dresser and hanging his own vest and jacket up on a hanger by his wardrobe. He was also quick with her gown, finding a hanger and the special loops inside the gown to hang it up. While he seemed particular about the clothing, it was only because they both had expressed interest in keeping them.

He returned to Needle and took her hand, tugging her into the room a bit with a giggle. "They are just things." He shrugged. "They are replacable. I am lucky to have such nice company with me."

It was unclear if he was deliberately turning on the charm or if he just was more comfortable in his room and away from public eyes. He lifted Needle's hand and kissed it a moment before letting it drop again. The strix seemed to want to get things done suddenly. He moved methodically to the dresser and pulled open a drawer.

"Please get comfortable. I do not use the bed much.." She'd seen how he preferred to sleep. "Would you like something dry to wear?" His trousers were soaked through from his wet boxer shorts. Apparently the flight had invigorated him a bit and his stomach knots had been replaced with a bit of giddiness.

"Yes I think I have something." He hadn't glanced over to see her mask removed, but he did find a tank top in the bottom of a drawer. It was the kind meant to be an undershirt but he rarely wore those so it was almost new. There was a doorway at the back end of the room that the strix passed through, returning moments later with a fluffy black towel.

It was then he realized the her mask was wet and off of her face. He seemed tentative then, something personal of Needle that he wasn't sure he was meant to see or intrude upon. "Ah.. here you go. Is it alright? The mask?" he shuffled a bit, very much like a bird for a second, and then asked quietly.

"May I.. see your face without it?" His question was a soft coo, as if it were a forbidden topic or a secret of some kind.

Muka seemed suddenly nervous as well. His keen senses read her anxiety from every move she made. It made his bird-like pulse thrum faster and the strix almost held his breath until she agreed. The agreement made him grin, more than the usual standard smile. As her head lifted all he could think of was how delicate she seemed. Her eyes seemed small compared to the holes in the mask, so brown and... normal. His own golden eyes were like saucers, his mouth like a vise trap, compared to the pale delicate features of the ghost.

He wanted to reassure her somehow that it was alright. He wasn't sure how much her eyesight was already damaged from the mask but his own self consciousness nipped in the back of his mind. What if she didn't like how he looked? He couldn't remember ever thinking that thought before in his entire life and it was a bit of a shocking thought. What if?

The strix continued to smile, trying to look gentler if he could, and touched her cheek. "You are very pretty. With the mask.. without the mask." He giggled. "But thank you for sharing it with me." His thumb stroked her cheek a moment until he felt compelled. Muka leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, then his lips drifted down and kissed each of her eyelids. He wanted to respect her lifestyle and he choices. He felt priviledged even that she shared so much with him so far.

"Do you.. see me clearly now?" Muka was curious as to how much damage had been done to her eyesight from the mask. It had to strain being blacked out so much. He wouldn't know what to do without his own eyesight. It was very important to him as a beast-man. There was also perhaps a bit unease, that newly discovered self consciousness.

He cooed plasantly under her hands. His chest was the thinnest part of him and under her fingers his vibrating bones were very close to the skin. He was only just developing a soft patch of chest hair across his grey flesh. He was suddenly conscious of what to do with his hands and his brain whirred in an effort to think of something.

They ended up simply settling against Needle's waist, one hand cupping her subtle curve and the other sliding down to her hip. He was still above the fabric of the shirt she wore but his thumb brushed what was her hip bone. He realized that the soft curves and lines of a ghoul's body were so much different and very much appealing. He was soft in a warm snuggly kind of way but she was soft in a delicate, feminine and all together pleasing sort of way.

He very much enjoyed it.

"Why would I mind?" He giggled at the very idea. They both had agreed that kissing one another was pleasing. More than pleasing even, stirring every once in a while.

Muka pulled her forward from her waist where his hands rested. He maybe was a little bit quick about it, her needles momentarily pressing into him before the ghoul could readjust. He pondered the dynamics curiously, the differences from the last time. They were standing now so he had to lean down to her. He could feel the curves of her body through the shirt she still wore. The dry clothes were still set aside, waiting. Without his shirt his bare skin felt warmer and when her body pressed to him he seemed to get warmer. Since her skin was cool he could only assume it was a physical reaction of his own. It seemed that the more he thought about her in only that shirt, the warmer he felt.

Muka found Needle's lips much easier now that she could see and the mask, though unassuming, didn't bump him or hinder in any way. When his mouth closed on hers gently there was almost a relief to only feel her face against his own. He would never complain about Needle's mask but he could at least acknowledge the benefits of not wearing it. The strix didn't close his wide eyes but they drooped with a pleased hoot. After a few seconds, their lips met in a firm embrace, the flat of his teeth dragged gently across her bottom lip. Yes, he was still slightly afraid of biting her now that she mentioned his teeth again.

As usual he cooed as her hands slipped into his hair. Muka happened to like that quite a bit and pleased noises rippled through his body. When she nibbled him, he could feel her smile and felt she was teasing him. It made the strix giggle into her lips and in gently retaliation he nibbled back. As much of a nibble as he could manage. His teeth tugged at her lip, the sharp edge pinching a bit sharp. Thankfully it wasn't enough to break the skin. He still wasn't yet at the point where he found that okay.

After a sharp tug he released her lips, finding he needed to take a breath a moment. Had he always been this warm? Had he gotten this breathless before? His gut still burned, tightened, and he was definitely stirring but these new feelings mixed with the physical ones and it was catching the strix completely off guard. He'd only pulled back a hair, their lips still brushing but his breaths coming lightly against her mouth.

She sounded slightly concerned, confused. He was a bit as well but the strix probably had just as many questions as the ghoul in his arms did. He giggled, a default reaction, though it was more to getting caught in his pause. Enough to elicit a question in her voice that he didn't quite have an answer to.

"It's.." His eyes actually registered some confusion because he didn't have the words. "nice. But better than that?" Was he asking her or telling her? Ulmuka's voice warbled almost when he stumbled on the words. "I think I may feel some things? Is... that alright?" He couldn't explain it to her but this was part of their journey, correct? Their experiment?

His fingers on her waist tightened a moment. He was aware of his hands again and how he was doing nothing with them. He stepped his body closer, if that was possible, mouths still parted by only a hair. The strix's long arms circled her waist completely and pulled her body into his more firmly. Muka's heart was beating fast, much faster than before. He could feel his animalistic urges rising but the strix strove forever to be a gentlemonster and instead of giving in he just nuzzled Needle's face, their lips brushing gently but not quite a kiss.