made to find you

KIADA

the harpy

Before the grand dinner plans, before the quest in Halo, Kiada finds herself back at the bakery. Auni is quick on her heels, slipping through the door with a bleat to announce their presence, before the girl follows through as she heads straight for the back. She hasn’t seen Amalia since before her trip to Halo, and after wanting some bit of peace and quiet, she decides maybe she’ll spend some time baking, spending the time with her motherly Shield despite having just lost her mother.

So she makes her way to the back, iceberg gaze alight and relatively calm all things considered, moving to wash her hands. “Ama?” She calls out, lifting her head slightly to scan for where Amalia might have been while she slipped in. “Was wondering if you wanted some help baking?” Comes the follow up request, moving to dry her hands and wait.

---

Set before PQ+ and family dinner ;D

she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Amalia

the shield of safrin

"Kia?" Amalia's voice rings out uncertainly from her customary place in the back of the shop. She has been preparing bulk orders to keep her customers content and fed while she is away from town; now as she steps out from back by the ovens there is flour on her forehead, streaked with sweat.

Still she brightens visibly at the sight of the Harpy, though without her usual ardent warmth, a shadow clipping through the passion of the Shield. She stops short of a true approach, the counter a physical manifestation of the barriers she feels between them. "Kia, I..."

From behind her Jyoti coos soothingly, swimming down from the upper rafters to greet the Harpy with starlight and love, an openness Amalia cannot quite manage given her current state. Fingers tensing on the countertop, you look up at her blue eyes. "I'm so... I'm so sorry."

you are slowly growing

but you are still growing

and that is enough

KIADA

the harpy

The uncertainty she hears when her name is called isn’t super relieving, but she does recognize it as Amalia, and instantly some relief spreads through her shoulders as she reaches the counter. There’s a soft smile on her face, but there’s sorrow in her eyes, especially when Amalia begins. And she can’t quite open her mouth to respond, to tell Amalia not to worry about it – because she’s safe, she’s fine, and with it Kiada finds some relief.

Jyoti is there, and Kiada reaches up to run her hands along the star whale’s smooth skin, before her gaze flickers toward Amalia once more with a small nod. “It’s okay.” She says quietly, because that’s really all she can do. It’s not okay, never would be, but all things considered it’s really the only thing Kiada can say.

She slips away from the star whale, sure that Auni can keep her company as she slips around to the other side of the counter, reaching forward to embrace the Shield. “I missed you so much.” She hums quietly – hoping Amalia wouldn’t say anything if the hug was a bit tighter than usual.

she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Amalia

the shield of safrin

It's okay.

Gods, if those words don't pierce the Shield more keenly than any arrow. They slice with an iron ferocity unmatched by steel blades, tear her to ribbons as surely as if she fell through shattered glass. Two words, and with them Amalia feels herself unraveling like a spool, the string that held her frayed edges together deftly torn away to leave her naked and afraid.

"No it's not." There are unshed tears gleaming in Amalia's eyes, an expression of pain and empathy and love stricken across her face. Of course it's not okay- not for Kiada, not for Amalia, not for either of them. Nothing is okay, nor should it be, and though she may hold herself together with bits of tape and paperclips she will not see the Harpy do the same.

So she takes the embrace with a feline ferocity, reaching out and pulling close her friend, her family, her child. One hand rests in the Harpy's hair; the other strokes upon her back, gently soothing. "I missed you too," Amalia whispers against Kiada's crown, holding her tightly and pressing a kiss to the girl's temple, her dark eyes closed. You don't have to be okay, Kia. It's not okay. And it's okay to not be okay.

you are slowly growing

but you are still growing

and that is enough

KIADA

the harpy

There’s glassiness in Amalia’s eyes that Kiada tries as much as she can to pretend don’t exist – she tries as hard as she can to not notice the way the hug is tighter, the fact that the ‘no it’s not okay’ coming through in a way that pierces her once again, all over again, far too much than she’d like. So she sends a feeling, an ‘I understand’ toward the Shield, but at a loss for whatever else she could say in response to it.

So she clings, to her motherly figure, the Shield. She can’t help the tears that brim along her eyes, upset and annoyed at herself because she thinks she’s gotten it under control when she absolutely hasn’t yet, her moods as volatile as everything else. She gives into the sensation of Amalia’s hand at her back, along her spine in soothing whispers, the kiss to her temple that Kiada closes her eyes for and tries to pretend that everythings okay.

I don’t know what else to do, Ama. She sends back, unsure what she should be doing if she weren’t pretending she’s okay. It’s easier that way. She’d wallowed and holed herself away when Ru’in died a second time, she’d done it time and time before that. She doesn’t want to this time, she wants to place the mask on, and pretend because maybe it would be easier.

she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Amalia

the shield of safrin

She clings to the girl, holding her tight in the haven of her arms. She wishes that she could do more, be more, fill the gaping hole she carries with some sort of comfort and light. But Amalia knows all too keenly the ache of loss, the way it haunts you and follows in shadows, never to be replaced. She cannot be Kiada's mother.

But she can be her friend.

"You don't have to do anything." Still stroking the Harpy's dark hair, Amalia opens her eyes. She doesn't know how to do this, but she is trying. "We don't have to talk about it. You don't have to look at it now. But... when you are ready to look at it, I'm here, okay?"

Another tight squeeze and she releases the Harpy, reaching up to caress her cheek. Shifting to a smile that isn't quite forced, Amalia raises a brow. "Deimos tells me you were busy during LongNight. That you brought someone back?"

you are slowly growing

but you are still growing

and that is enough

KIADA

the harpy

It’s relieving that Amalia doesn’t expect her to know what to do, how to get over it, how to go about talking about it too. She’s not ready, unsure if she ever will be, but that’s enough. She squeezes Amalia back, a small nod granted, a pulse of thankfulness shifting through the attuned bond for the Shield, before she’s pulling away and offering a small smile. She slips behind the counter easily, to join Amalia in whatever it is she’s making.

The question doesn’t take her much off guard, not as it might have if the situation were any different. “His name is Chulane.” She offers quietly, a flush creeping about her cheeks. “He’s very kind. Loves animals. Was a veterinarian in his home world.” Her gaze flickers up toward Amalia then, some semblance of happiness sparking beneath the icy blues.

“I met him before leaving for the season, actually. He had a bag of food for the place he was staying at and we bumped into each other and it fell into the street.” A quiet laugh leaves her with this, replacing the sorrow for happier topics.

she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Amalia

the shield of safrin

Amalia releases Kiada reluctantly, heart still aching for the Harpy, wishful that she had some ability to wipe the pain away. All she can do is offer herself as a bulwark against the dark, a shield to future hardship, a place to hide when the lights go out.

And t seems that even in these dark times Kiada has found herself some light. Smiling at the flush that covers pale cheeks, the baker leans in against the counter, her dough abandoned for the time being in favor of story time. "Dei says he's a leopard as well," she comments, raising an eyebrow and allowing her ears to shift to rounded, feline shape. "A sign of good character if you ask me."

Turning out her bread dough onto the counter, Amalia begins to knead. There's comfort in the rhythmic motion, the muscle memory ingrained so deep into her soul. "And what is he doing now? Still working with animals?"

you are slowly growing

but you are still growing

and that is enough

KIADA

the harpy

Despite Amalia’s focus slipping from the dough she’s working on – Kiada picks up, she works at it as she considers the comment Amalia offers – a small smile crossing her face with it. “I think he said he’s a clouded leopard.” She replies swiftly, before her iceberg gaze slips up to meet Amalia’s own flint gaze, a softer edge to her smile. “I certainly think so.” She agrees – offering flattery back to Amalia who had held the first leopard shift Kiada had seen.

But she moves to grab the ingredients to make Chulane’s favorite pastry, one that had resonated in her mind since he’d told her. She begins to work them together as Amalia’s next question reaches her and she takes a small inhale. “Yes and no. He’s with Halo’s council now… After Weaver… But, he has plans to help Halo make a farm to raise Ningo’s for food so they might have more resources.” Rather than the constant need for hunting. In Kiada’s mind, it was a beautiful idea – one that would benefit the snowy land quite well, but she still lifts her gaze toward Amalia again to see her reaction.

she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

Amalia

the shield of safrin

The pleasure that softens Kiada's fierce expression soothes Amalia's troubled heart. Smiling fondly as the girl recounts the plans that her new lover has, the Shield hitches her hip on the counter, watching as Kiada expertly takes over the kneading of the bread. "He sounds ambitious," she murmurs with a quirk of her eyebrow, tilting her head playfully to the side. Not a bad thing necessarily, but something the woman will hold close in case she has to protect against it.

Not that the Harpy needs her protection, but Amalia will give it nonetheless.

They settle into easy conversation and planning as the work continues, Amalia starting in on a second loaf as Kiada finishes the first. When they are done the Harpy has a great deal of food to take home, and the baker has a promise that her shop will be well tended. Pressing a final kiss to Kia's forehead, Amalia sees the girl off before shutting the bakery door, her heart a little easier for the heartwarming exchange.

{fin}

you are slowly growing

but you are still growing

and that is enough