Chapter 17: Hearth and Home
Then it was Bella's plumage. Her claws softly carded through the feathers on my head, warm and soft. I fought to restrain the gasping breath, but it came anyway, hissing in through my teeth. Her hands stilled gently, each holding a feather carefully. The sweltering summer was gone, replaced by the soft warmth of a heavy blanket, my head cradled against Bella's chest, her heart beating in time to the rotors of the Ferryman in my dreams.
"Bella?" I mumbled, looking up at her. Her deep blue eyes glittered in the dark room, her claws slowly beginning to move again. Imathmaa's message was still open. I dismissed it with a slow, wary blink.
"Yes, Vidr?" she asked gently, adjusting to press closer against my body. One of my legs was trapped under hers, her breath gently fluttering along my forehead. Her body felt like a hot stone wrapped in blankets, no space left between us as she aligned another feather back into its place.
My mouth went dry as I held her gaze, suddenly all too aware of where my arms were. One arm was wrapped around her waist, pressed against her back, with the other buried in the crest of feathers at the back of her head, trapped under her body. The softness of her feathers sent a shiver down my belly, settling neatly between my legs. "What... are you doing?" I managed, despite the dryness of my tongue and the empty, gnawing nausea, to finally lift my gaze from hers to the thrumming ceramic bulb above us, radiating even more warmth.
"You looked cold," she mused softly. "Didn't think it'd be right to leave you alone, especially when you skipped dinner." I restrained the soft shudder that tried to run down my spine as she managed to work free a dead feather, popping free of its follicle like a scratched itch.
I stuttered for a moment, blinking, looking back into her eyes. Her arms settled around my neck, pulling me closer, practically drowning me in her plumage. "Could I... maybe get up?" I asked, tail twitching against the bed.
"When you let me go, sure," she chuckled softly, nuzzling her snout along the top of my head gently. I was quick to slide out from under her, ignoring the stabbing desire to return to her embrace. Just sitting up threw me into a dizzying headrush as my blood flowed everywhere my head.
"Mind heating up that dinner from last night? I gotta take a leak," I said once the world stopped spinning, lashing my tail as I stood up carefully, keeping my back turned to her, quickly vanishing into the restroom, the door falling shut behind me.
I heard her chuckle as she stood up, her voice muffled through the door. "I'll do that, Vidr," she called.
I leaned in front of the sink, rubbing my face as I grabbed the empty glass I left turned upside down next to the faucet. The sound of water filling the glass slowly drowned out the hammering rush of blood in my ears. The water was gone like a shot.
As I brought my chin down again, I churred pleasantly. Studying my reflection in the mirror, I looked more alive, my scales having regained their glossiness. The warding mark was almost lost amid the lines of my scales. Leaning forward again, I refilled the glass to knock back a second time.
With a huff, I adjusted the waistband of my shorts and stepped back out. Everything still felt cold compared to Bella's embrace. She was standing in front of the microwave, tail swaying gently behind her, my eyes following its curve up along her bare back.
But the sound of the microwave going off and the scent of food became much more enticing than Bella's plumage the moment she pulled the bowl free. I moved up quickly, taking it with a nod of thanks, and sat against the edge of the counter to drink the stew straight from the bowl, ignoring its scalding heat.
"Fuck me," I sighed, leaning back more, letting my eyes close as the nausea finally faded away.
"I would, but I don't think that counts as getting dinner," Bella chuckled. I grit my teeth in surprise, having forgotten she was there. There was a slight hesitance in her eyes as she slowly leaned against the counter next to me. "Sorry if I crossed a line, or anything," she finally said after meeting my gaze for a long few moments.
"This doesn't count, no. But... no. It's fine. Maybe you can make it up to me with an actual dinner tonight," I suggested, even if I almost bit my own tongue before the words came out.
She barked a laugh. "Maybe I will, Vidr." She leaned in, her soft plumage melting around my arm and shoulder, before licking along my jaw gently, leaving a stripe of rapidly cooling warmth against my scales that sent another shudder down my belly.
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My jaw shut with a soft pop, breaking eye contact. The necklace she wore stood out sharply against her plumage, a greenish-silver pendant etched with arcane runes. My gaze followed the curve of her belly longer than I wanted, ending at the tight-fitting underwear she wore. I sighed in defeat. "Do you have to be so nice to look at?" I complained.
"Obviously. How else am I gonna catch you?" she purred, chuckling gently. I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off by a chiming in my ears, echoing as The Selector's contact info slid into view,
"Boss is calling," I said, smile vanishing as I stepped over to the bed, picking up. "This is Vidr."
he said easily. Bella came and settled next to me, head tilted.
"Worst tattoo of my life, sir," I said coolly, tail lashing against the bed.
The Selector laughed. His voice became more serious as he spoke.
"Of course not, sir. What can I do for you?" I asked.
he asked, voice lower now.
"And what do you need from me, specifically?" I probed, glancing at the curtains along the wall. A dull grayish light filtered from behind them.
he explained.
"So what, just make sure no one causes trouble with the people in The Hearth?" As my tail swayed, it slapped against Bella's.
His voice had become more jovial again as he spoke, his tented hands practically audible over the call.
"I can do that, sir. During my little... vacation, and on my days off." I sighed, tired already just from the idea of how much work was ahead.
With those words, The Selector disconnected, silence reigning for a long few moments, one claw running along the runes carved into my neck.
"What was he going on about?" Bella finally asked.
"Looks like I'll be working for your father a bit. He wants me to help keep an eye on the people in The Hearth while he works out what to do with me. Apparently, it's snowing." I sighed. I went to lean against her, but fell onto the bed with a chirp of surprise, watching as Bella bounced over to the window to peer out with a little grin. The harsh grey light washed out the colors of her plumage. Pushing up, I looked over her shoulder.
Snow swirled like ash through the air, coating everything it touched. People trudged along through it, hands jammed into pockets. It was an inch or so deep already, the heavy clouds above showing no sign of stopping their torrent. "I love the snow," Bella churred.
"It's cold as sin," I hissed, shaking my head.
"Oh, that part sucks," she agreed immediately, pressing back against me, purring softly. "But it's so pretty."
"Sure. Maybe you should get dressed. We do a quick walk through The Hearth. See how everyone's doing?" I asked, one hand hovering over her shoulder. I pulled it away before she turned, head bobbing in agreement.
She grabbed her discarded clothes, tail flagging as she bent over to reach them, the sound of it popping softly and the soft shake of a heavy stretch. I stared, unable to help myself. I quickly busied myself switching into day clothes. Heavy cargo pants, a thick long-sleeved shirt, and my own heated vest.
Bella led the way out the front door, tail swaying behind her to the beat of a song only she could hear. My neighbors were all out, talking softly among themselves. It was easy enough to tell what the subject was; their gazes often cast towards the sparse windows, where the children were plastered to the glass. Though a few glanced at Bella and I, gaining a whole new topic of conversation.
Already, the community area felt colder, the humidity making the struggling heater all the more apparent. Bella swiftly dove into talking the ears off my neighbors. Asking about how their apartments were holding up, if they had enough vests. I chuckled, watching from a distance.
"So, you her next fling?" The voice came from next to me, a little nasally and sharp. I blinked, looking down with a low hiss.
"What?" I asked, staring at this shorter man. Dull blue scales with a black underbelly visible through the top of his shirt.
"Oh, just seeing if Bella's at it again," he snorted derisively. "She likes sleeping around." He stood with his arms crossed, staring at Bella intently.
"So what?" I shrugged.
" You don't go wearing used laundry, even if she has Daddy's credit card." His tone grew sharper.
"Piss off. Doesn't matter to me who her daddy is. How much money he has. Or if she's slept around before. Not like I haven't. Not a lot of room for romance in an Arcology." I hissed back, tail lashing. Even if something tightened in my chest oddly.
"Piss off? Just giving some friendly advice, asshole." The shorter man turned, giving a half snarl.
"Advice I have no use for, and did not seek out," I snarled back, standing up straighter, the feathers of my head raising. "I don't like your tone. Why don't you go warm up back in your apartment. Or go to work. Because her father is my boss. So do yourself a favor and run along, before I decide to do my job." My words dropped into a low, rumbling growl that made him backpedal.
I took a breath as the blue-scaled man quickly vanished into an apartment, its door almost closing on his tail. Bella came over after a few moments, as I smoothed my crest down. "Something wrong, Vidr?"
"Just some jackass who clearly doesn't like you." I rolled my eyes as I spoke, though I caught her glance at the man's apartment. She sighed heavily. "Nothing to worry about. I sent him on his way." I promised, before she spoke.
She took a deep breath, nodding. "Let's walk through the other floors. People here are just complaining about the heater. But the maintenance guys should be by soon. Then maybe we can get lunch?" She offered, tail twitching.
"Sure. Let's do that," I agreed, head bobbing. I pushed the tightness in my chest down. Nothing to be done now. Nothing to be changed in the past.