|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 9:16 pm
 |
|
|
 |
Kelebek was.....alone.
She hadn't felt this way in a long time. There were always children and grandchildren coming and going. Her little grotto was always filled with family. Except not today. Everyone was gone. It was back to the way it was before.
The realization unsettled Kelebek, and it sat uncomfortably on her shoulders like a piece of seaweed she couldn't shake. There was no way around it. She needed to find someone to talk to.
But who? She didn't want to bother her children; they had lives of their own now, responsibilities to attend to. Anxo and Mnemo had been her companions for so long, and so had their daughters. They deserved a break from her. Pearl was doubtlessly off swimming in circles with Autumn. They were a handsome couple; young love in its prime!
And she definitely wouldn't be paying Turin a visit.
Sighing wistfully, Kelebek realized there was really only one other choice. Hjortur and she had been seeing a lot of each other lately, what with their children's affection for one another. There was no way around it. She was going to the palace.
Carefully winding her way toward the palace, she reminisced on previous trips here. Perhaps this one would be uneventful! Yes, wonderfully uneventful. She'd pop in for a chat, spend a nice afternoon with a friend, and come home in time for dinner. Unconsciously she took the long way into the palace, hallways no one used much. She didn't want to be in anyone's way, or cause any kind of fuss. She knew what kind of reputation she had. Turin was the Queen's consort now, and Kelebek knew he wouldn't want their history brought up any more than necessary, lest it reflect poorly on him.
At last she found Hjortur's place in the palace, and suddenly wondered what possessed her to come here. She could at least have sent word, or something. Who turned up unannounced? She ran a hand through her hair. Well, there was nothing for it now. She'd come all this way. She knocked hesitantly on the door, vaguely hoping he wasn't home, but also mostly hoping he was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 5:54 am
|
|
|
|
"I know they're becoming older, but you really should make sure to check up upon them often enough. Lately, I think I see more of Little Kerrianna than you. Tsk, tsk." There was a familiar amount of chastising, if one could even call it that, coming from within the room. The speaker was Vera and the one spoken to was, naturally, her son. It was truly a blessing of the sea for him to have (quite literally) found so many adorable and kind tadpoles to take into his own: they had forced him to come to terms with a reality he had tried for so long to reject. You might even call him a respectful member of naiad society at this point.
Well... Usually... With the children all but fully grown or living elsewhere, old habits were beginning to resurface. This old woman was no fool, she knew what went on in this place.
"I hear you were at another of the land-dwellers parties, and that you brought Autumn this time." Her tone deftly hid her intrigue, or at least painted it to be less than it truly was. She would never understand her son's interest with the surface, but it was quite enjoyable to hear of the different things that went on up there. It was clear her attention had shifted to one of bemusement, at least, until she heard a light knock upon the door. "Oh! Let mother get that for you!"
Much to the cries of protest, even one as she was agile with her age and made it upon the door before he could. As she opened it, she started. "Oh yes, yes, Vera here. Have you any business with my son?" She wore a kind, gentle smile as her eyes casually looked up the girl from head to toe. Couldn't fool old Vera here; she knew this young maiden! Kelebek, was it? If memory served her right, she was once lovers with the Captain (what had happened to them?). Lovely children they had... grandchildren even!
A normal pae would have probably been on their way, but not good ol' Vera.
"Kelebek, was it? It really has been far too long since I have seen you around here! Have you been well? Not getting into too much trouble I hope." she laughed, pressing on and hardly giving the other a chance to retort. "Were you looking for your daughter - sweet thing she is; I simply lo-o-ove working with her. I can go have a look about for her if you'd like. Must be around here somewhere..." she paused her mind drifting as she became preoccupied in her thoughts about where Mona could possibly be.
In not-quite the back of the room, Hjortur could be seen practically facepalming.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 8:59 am
|
|
|
|
Vera might as well have been in another plane of existence with how deeply her thoughts had drifted. Moana... Moana... where in the sea could Moana possibly be...? Hmmmmmmmm..... She was completely oblivious to anything else that was occurring like this until a light bumping of her side brought her back to the moment.
"I am here!" Hjortur said as he swam up, an apologetic look on his face as he gently bumped his mother from her thoughts. It became a smile for a moment before he looked at his mother, bumping her again lightly. "You have other things to attend to, ri-i-ight mother?" His smile had become larger and more stressed as he hoped to imply that she should go, not wavering until she got the message.
Blinking, Vera looked from Hjortur, to Kelebek, then back to him. A playful smirk came to her lips and she raised a hand to (almost) cover it, a mischievous glint shining in her eyes.
Clearly, she'd gotten the wrong impression about something.
"Well, I suppose I shall let you too be. If you ever need help finding Moana, Kelebek dear, do not hesitate to bother me." At that, she bowed her head lightly before swimming off, not without little giggles echoing in the hall as she did so.
Hjortur sighed and ran his hand through his hair as his mother made off, shrugging. "She means well, at least..." Letting his hand fall, he mover out of the doorway and motioned in. "Care to come in? You were looking for me, right?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 26, 2016 11:54 am
|
|
|
|
From the moment Vera has swam away, Hjortur tried his best to maintain a smile, but having seen how uncomfortable Kelebek clearly was, his own awkwardness seemed to change from hidden to near palpable. He moved to close the door behind her before glancing back, asking, "Would you like it to remain open?" Depending on her answer, he then closed it or left it open before swimming closer. "Please excuse the mess; I would have cleaned up if I'd known to expect you."
His apartment wasn't fully in disarray, but it would have been a stretch to call it clean. Small trinkets (of Autumn's) were skattered about from when he'd been trying to decide on a cute something-or-other that Pearl might like, and he'd yet to clean it up. Furnishings were minimal, but decorations plentiful. The walls held many parcels from drawings his kids had made back when they were younger. The styles of each varied considerably, from Kerianna's delicate hand to Autumn's more erratic style. Most depicted the family as would be expected, with the naiad members swimming about different places of Alu Spring, but there were a few here and there that showed a far different place. A beautiful land with winged pae. These were mostly high-quality drawings, and one of a blue angel spinning in dance with one of the twins, Calliope, was particularly crafted. Kelebek would easily recognize the angel as Thalia, and she'd likely recognize other members of Venus' retinue in some of the other pictures by the same hand.
Other than that, there were a few coral stands holding little treasures he'd been given or found long ago, including some impressive-looking armbands and a gauntlet, and a twisting stand adorned with shells held his handcrafted flute and another sort of wind instrument that appeared to still be in the process of being made.
Laughing at her rambling, he had to retrain himself from reaching forward to ruffle her hair. Instead, he started to pick up Autumn's things. "I don't mind the company at all; I take it your home has been as quiet as mine recently?"
Menelie Sorry for the wall of text!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 9:09 pm
|
|
|
|
Any awkwardness on Hjortur's part went entirely unnoticed by Kelebek, who was still trying not to panic. "Uh, no, that won't be necessary," she said, somewhat hurriedly and blanching a bit. It wasn't that she didn't want anyone to know she was here, but she knew how the rumor mill grinded, especially at the palace. If they were lucky, Hjortur's mother would keep quiet about what she clearly thought was transpiring between them, and Kelebek could sneak out when most palace inhabitants would be in their apartments for the evening.
"It has," agreed Kelebek with a nod. "And I didn't want to bother any of them by dropping....in.......unannounced." An awkward pause. "I'm so sorry, Hjortur, I should have sent word I was coming." She fiddled with a few strands of hair. "I'm not normally so thoughtless, I promise." It was mostly true...she did take care to consider all social consequences before acting, but occasionally her impulsiveness got the better of her.
After another long-ish pause, where she looked around his home, she smiled warmly and looked back at him. "You have such a lovely home!" It was rare to see a father keep such trinkets from his children. She already held him in high regard among men, but this made her esteem him even more. He was a good father. "Such distinct styles," she remarked. "How many children do you have?' she asked, looking back at him. She'd never met any but Autumn, she realized.
Daisicle Sorry for the wall of text, and for not responding forever. heart
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 1:35 pm
|
|
|
|
Whatever Kelebek had hoped of Hjortur's mother, she really should have known not to. The fish might have been doltish and bubble-headed, but she loved good gossip as much as any of the other handmaidens. Especially when it (could) concern her own family. That said, Vera was also well-known to misunderstanding even the simplest of things, so it was unlikely any of her friends would take whatever she said seriously.
For now, Kelebek was probably safe.
Hjortur couldn't help but laughing at the obvious misstep of the tongue. He looked over to her and brushed his hand forward, literally waving away her concerns. "Worry not, it really is no inconvenience. In fact... I could stay your timing could not have been better. Saved my headfin from the stern talking to I was surely about to receive."
As she began to talk again, he set the trinkets in his arms (they were near all of the ones that'd been on the ground) into a small chest. It looked to be handmade and of varying quality; the base was well-built, but the latter features seemed quite rushed. It was clearly the result of Autumn loosing interest in a project (and, indeed, one of the best features was his name written on the front, though it looked to be of a more feminine hand. Hjortur had commissioned one of the girls to write it as a jest at Autumn's laziness).
At Kelebek's comment, he smiled warmly and glanced to the pictures. "Thanks...~ Most of these are quite old; only one still sends me drawings, you see." The one who did so was obviously the one with the quality drawings; looking closely, you could see varying stages of improvement among them. "I've five; three girls and two boys." He motioned for her to come closer, and he picked up likely the only one with everynaiad on the paper (himself included). This was probably from some time back, with three of them looking no older than children, and many of the features relatively similar among all of them.
"This is Pippin, the eldest; I found her in the open water some summers back and simply couldn't let her alone." then a darker-colored one, "This is Kerrianna. She was one of the palace orphans, but she wanted to meet a handmaiden. Well, you know how my mother can be, so when I introduced her..." he laughed lightly and shrugged. "Pippin was not so happy about it, to speak lightly. She is now a handmaiden in-training." Next was a pair with some unique features that Kelebek likely had never seen before. "These two are the twins: Calliope and Daedalus. They live with their mother up above, but they still visit on occasion. Less so, recently... Apparently their grandmother has them busy with a difficult sort of training. Nothing I could understand; I am only a mortal, after all." Lastly, he pointed at an orange one. "And, lastly, Autumn. I needn't say more." At that, he laughed.
It was clear that despite the unique circumstances of his family, each was dearer than life to him. Not that he was of the sort to verbalize his, but his eyes didn't lie.
Menelie Haha, saaaaame. That was a bit more than intended. Also, lookit dis sexy naiad. Just gotta make his face a -tad- less boyish if/when I ever get around to inking it
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 8:59 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2016 10:32 pm
|
|
|
|
"Is that so?!" Hjortur seemed to perk up at that; so some of those up there chose to live elsewhere? That was promising. Maybe they'd decide they were tired of all that hectic business and come back down on their own. He wouldn't get in the way or try to influence their decisions either way, but it would be nice to see them more often.
Not that he'd ever say it out loud. He had a reputation to maintain after all!
Looking back over, he returned her smile with one of his own. "They sound lovely. I wonder if my two would know her then." For his own part, the naiad wasn't unaware of how close Kelebek had drifted to him, but rather he didn't want to make a deal of it. After all, given her personality, the best way to continue to keep her close enough that he could make out her scent was to say nothing at all. And a lovely scent was indeed about her...
Oh, it appeared she'd noticed on her own. What a shame. Laughing silently to himself at her sheepishness, he moved to set the picture back down, but stopped as his vision caught sight of her falling forward. Towards him. Shifting deftly, he rotated his body to catch her into his arms and to make sure that she wouldn't hit the ground instead (not that she was particularly in danger of doing so if left to her own vices). When stabilized, he had his left hand holding her wrist up just above her eyes and his right on her lower back to stabilize her. She was even lighter up close than he'd imagined, her scales endlessly smooth and warm to the touch, her hips soft and plump under his hand (as were her breasts against his chest).
He gave thanks to the spirits for their blessing.
Ahem.
"Are you okay?"
Menelie I call your awkward and raise 2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 7:56 am
|
|
|
|
Kelebek squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of bowling them both over and landing in an undignified pile on the floor. Why hadn't she been born with the gracefulness that was characteristic of their kind? He must think he so oafish...
A small realization hit that neither of them had hit the floor. In fact...
Kelebek opened her eyes. He'd caught her! It was easy for her to forget just how dexterous others could be; if the roles had been reverse and she'd tried to catch him, she would have just made a bigger mess. But Hjortur had saved her from making too big of an a** of herself, for which she was grateful. She did so want to impress him...
Before she could contemplate that thought too much further, realization dawned upon Kelebek that Hjortur was still cradling her in his arms. Oh dear. She put her free hand to her lips and made a small noise, but after that she was frozen. She figured she couldn't move without bringing some calamity of limbs down upon both of them, and besides that, her current situation wasn't entirely unpleasant. Not unpleasant at all. He was warm against her, much warmer than he'd been before, she was sure. He was all at once soft and strong, and how had she never noticed how his scales sparkled and shimmered? She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt like this.
Oh, wait.
Her temples ached with a sudden memory, and her skin flushed an even deeper pink than usual.
Surely he didn't have that in mind. Kelebek was far too clumsy and sheepish to be desirable to anyone, that much had been made fairly clear to her over the many tides. But if she were...she could think of a couple ways to while away an hour or two with him.....
A question finally registered on her earfins: was she OK?
"Yeah," she squeaked with a nervous giggle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 5:16 pm
|
|
|
|
Oh great tidal reef was she not the cutest fish he had seen in some time? His heart was practically melting from the little gestures she did. His love for Thalia stemmed from a natural chemistry they shared in their love for the outlandish, the extraordinary, the memorability. The ways their songs and dance effortlessly connected and continued to weave endlessly into the future. Since their meeting, she had always, and would always, hold him enraptured by those blue eyes.
With Kelebek, the warmth emanating from his chest was for wholly different reasons. Where Thalia was bold, she was sheepish; where Thalia was enthralling, she was comforting; where Thalia was loud, she was soft; where Thalia was charismatic, she was reserved. They were nearly opposite personalities, yet in this moment, her upturned eyes quickened his heartbeat in much the same way.
Was that a cough, or perhaps a squeak?
Regardless, rather than anything productive, her hands merely served to bring his attention to those pink lips of hers. How plump and soft they looked, much as some other parts of her felt.
"That's good."
His reply was short, but he did not let go of her immediately. Not when he could feel how her whole body flushed with an unmistakable warmth.
Some moment later he spoke again.
"Should I let go...?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 5:53 pm
|
|
|
|
Kelebek's previous anguished expression quickly turned to starry-eyed, lovestruck awe. He was smiling at her. Her heartbeat quickened. No one had ever smiled at her like this before--at least not one with all his wits about him.
Time seemed to stand still for her, an eternity in this moment. She drank in every detail, every feeling. The curve of his face, how his hair floated in the current, the pressure of his fingertips on her skin. Just incase this was a one-time moment.
Oh, how she hoped it wasn't!
It had been so long since she'd felt this way. Or, rather, she'd felt this ache for so long she'd almost forgotten what it felt like. But to have it reciprocated--at least in these minutes? This was a delight she'd never felt before. And it wasn't just how he was close and tempting enough to lean up and touch his lips...Kelebek realized that her heart swelling was a more emotional joy. These past tides she'd been spending with him while Pearl and Autumn frolicked in the waves together...she'd built a connection with him that she treasured.
Should he let go? The tides themselves could stop and she wouldn't want him to let go. Could she say that? Would that be weird? But of course she should say how she felt...oh to the depths with it.
"I don't know," she breathed with the same starry-eyed expression.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 7:24 pm
|
|
|
|
Hjortur quietly swallowed as he waited for her reply, the back of his neck feeling unusually cold relative to the rest of the warmth in the room. All it would take was one word from her - just one - and he'd let her go. If she'd ask, he'd even pretend that this hadn't happen. It certainly hadn't been anynaiad's intention, after all. Just a small, unplanned get-together between friends. Huh... they had actually become friends at some point rather than just amicable playdate parents, hadn't they? It was hard to tell when the change had occurred; it was probably a slow, progressive transition over time without any distinct event.
Perhaps today was becoming such an event, if his beating heart and her sparkling eyes were anything indication.
At her words, he loosened his grip on her wrist to slide his fingers halfway down her forearm before moving it to softly take hold of the one covering her mouth. He gently pulled it away and down, his eyes following his hand with every movement. Hers was still warm from her 'breath'. Now he could clearly see her face and each of those lovely pink and white scales that adorned it.
"How about now...?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 8:06 pm
|
|
|
|
Kelebek shivered at his touch, despite the warmth of his closeness, eliciting another nervous giggle that bubbled out of her lips as she wrinkled her nose cutely. The sensation was almost a tickle, but not quite. Like electricity traveling over her scales. She felt light-headed.
"Yeah," she murmured again, leaning slightly into his touch. Then her expression changed. "I mean, no?" She couldn't quite remember how the original question was worded. She stiffened somewhat. Here she went, messing up a perfectly delightful moment. She coughed and tucked a strand of hair back that had floating in front of her face.
"I'm sorry," she said sheepishly, "I've gone and ruined the moment, haven't I?" Suddenly she couldn't quite meet his gaze; the spell felt like it was broken. Kelebek felt like she might cry.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
