[ How can a waffle be both sweet and savoury? He doesn't understand it, even as he takes another bite of his square-shaped waffle and frowns thoughtfully.
Perhaps he knows the answer. She's sitting right in front of him. He'd been taught that Grisha were evil, that they were sharp and horrible and so violent. But Nina sits before him with a small smile on her face and looks so utterly human. She appeared so human at the whale huts when she was asleep and he'd woken, used to sleeping for short periods of time. She's like a waffle, both sweet and savoury. He doesn't know what to expect.
He didn't expect—or want, but maybe that's not true—her to choose him over people she knew.
Although Nina had plans to take him downstairs at the inn and feed him waffles, she'd looped her arm with his and tugged him out through the front door and took a sharp right. She'd spotted some of her friends and fellow soldiers from the Second Army and, without much warning, had fled.
He'd followed, wanting to keep pace with her even though he didn't know where he was going. Matthias wasn't sure if Nina knew where she was headed. But a few streets away and a sharp corner or two that's rendered him lost, they've found themselves on the ground floor of another inn, sitting in the dining area. He's tried to broach the subject a few times with his interpretation of finesse. Didn't she want to see them? Isn't that why she's here, to reunite with those she knows? He'd been anticipating her to leave him behind, despite her promises that his couldn't be over. Everything good has an ending. Every story concludes sometime.
But Matthias doesn't want this to be over. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
He licks his lips before he tears at his waffle and drops the bigger piece onto her plate. While he's hungry, he can order something else, something cheaper on the menu that's more his style.
He regards her with a soft expression. His voice is just as gentle. ]
We're not going back to that inn, are we?
[ It worries him slightly. Nina should be able to be free. He doesn't wish to be a ball and chain and drag her down. ]
[ There'd been a time when Nina wouldn't have hesitated going to her family of the Second Army. Fedyor is one of her dearest friends, her mentor. She'd seen him at the inn, but she hadn't felt the rush of happiness at seeing an old friend. What she'd felt instead was barely restrained panic and dread because she knows that they'll never look at Matthias with the same kind and understanding eye that she does.
They'll see him only as drüskelle, just as Matthias had once only seen her as a witch. It's more complicated than that. It's two group of peoples who hadn't truly been exposed to one another.
Nina can't change their minds, but she can hold on to her Fjerdan and keep him safe. Smoothly, she leads him out the door and in a whirling, unpredictable path to keep anyone off their trail. Only when she feels confident they hadn't been followed, she chooses another inn and orders breakfast.
She's making easy small talk, mostly talking of the wonders of waffles. She can see the question in his eyes. When he finally asks it, his voice is heartbreakingly gentle with her. She appreciates it.
Nina only smiles softly and shakes her head. ]
No, we certainly are not. They would have never allowed you to live, and I'll not stand for that.
[ It's on the tip of his tongue to protest, but Matthias isn't quite sure what he'd say. Don't? Let them? Matthias didn't follow her to Ravka to wind up dead. He'd come to Ravka because he trusted her. That trust doesn't have an expiry date.
He hopes it doesn't have an expiry date.
He can't hear hearts or feel them the way that she can, but he believes—and knows, like he knows that Djel is with him even in a land so far away from home—that Nina's heart is true. She could've killed him the moment she stepped foot onto Ravkan soil, but all she's done is held on tightly and tried to prolong what's starting to become less and less inevitable.
But he can't help but exhale audibly through his nose. He wants to protest. He knows he wants to. But the words fail him. ]
You can't run from them forever, Nina. [ He says that gently, curving the corners of his mouth upward. No, he doesn't want her to go. ] You need your people.
[ Even if they're Grisha. Maybe especially because they are Grisha. ]
[ She's pragmatic. Nina knows that she's one of the Second Army's best spies. It's why the Black General has sent her out on all these far reaching missions. She's always been dutiful and loyal, for the good of all Grisha.
But there's more to life than that. There's living life for herself. It means taking Matthias' hand and holding fast. Life is too short, so they need to enjoy it while they can. She'll face the consequences of her actions one day, but today is not that day. ]
[ Yes. That should be his answer. If she had asked him this question when he had been paddling broken wood in the True Sea, he'd have regarded her incredulously. But now…
Matthias shakes his head. ]
They would think me a traitor.
[ Especially because he had multiple chances to kill her and didn't. Especially because he had the opportunity to return to Fjerdan soil and chose to grace Ravka instead. Especially because he likes her and her horrible sense of humour.
Rather than use a knife and fork, he tears into his waffle with his hands. Turns out, waffles are not only sweet and savoury but great for a distraction.
He hesitates, but not because of what he's about to say. It's finding the words. ]
I don't think I could go back. Not after what Brum did.
[ Leaving the Grisha to drown. Despite how horrible the tales had twisted them to be, they didn't deserve that. They deserved fairness. They deserved more than what Matthias ever got. ]
[ There's no going back for them. They were both anomalies of their own people. They'd look the enemy in the eye and saw more than witch and butcher. She's a traitor now too to her people. Kirigan will be incensed. She doesn't feel an ounce of regret in her about it. Knowing that she could never truly go home doesn't feel like such a loss.
She'd never truly had a home outside of her duty in the Second Army. Matthias is something she can have just for herself. To keep and be kept.
She eats another bite of her waffle, chewing contentedly. It pleases her to see him enjoy it too. She wants to learn his favorite foods. All his favorite things and the things he dislikes. ]
Then it's just you and I against the world, darling. I do hope you're okay with that.
[ He looks up at her so she can't misconstrue him looking down as doubt. This is the one thing he knows he wants. It's how his mother used to describe how it was with her father. She simply just knew. When you know, you know. It hadn't been the most fulfilling advice. Matthias had wanted something more tangible than that, but now he understands it.
When you know, you know. And he knows. ]
What are we going to do? We can't stay here, can we?
[ All her friends are here. All the people that his people have wanted dead are here. Matthias is certain Ravka is the most dangerous place for him to reside in.
He feels partly at fault for her not being able to come home. ]
[ It's like something has slotted into place. She feels a sense of utter confidence that she'd never quite felt before. She doesn't know what their future holds. It'll be difficult certainly, but as long as they're together, she's sure they can work it through.
When you know, you know. ]
Mmm, Ravka is clearly out of the question. Ravka too. Kerch perhaps? Novyia Zem?"
[ She's practiced at creating new identities, going to new places. This time, she'll have a partner. ]
We'll not travel as brother and sister obviously. People don't look as closely at married couples.
[ He hates the way his heart skips a beat at married couples. Does he envision himself as Nina's husband? No. Not at all. This was only meant to be a temporary alliance, something to get them both across the snow and to somewhere warm. But somewhere between the ice that had caved in beneath her and now, she's clawed her way under his skin.
If Matthias was honest with himself, he'd know she achieved such a feat the first moment he spoke to her on the ship. Calling him derisive names seems to do the trick. ]
They don't?
[ He puts the waffle down as he regards her seriously. ]
Nina… We are not getting married. [ He shakes his head incredulously. ] We can't.
[ Her tone is playfully teasing. She continues eating her waffle as if nothing is amiss. He's utterly adorable like this. So easily shocked, so easy to make blush. She hopes he never stops.
She has to bite back her giggle at how incredulous he is. It's as though Matthias has taken it upon herself to be her reason and logic. When she wants to take off with a harebrained idea, he's there to say, 'Nina, no!' ]
[ He furrows his brows at that. Pretend to be married? Why? Right, because apparently it's better to pretend to be a couple than brother and sister… Not that Matthias could ever believe she was his sister. He's well aware he looks at Nina in a way that isn't appropriate.
He shakes his head and opens his mouth to protest, but she's the one who's suggesting this to keep him safe. Marriage, whether fake or not, provides a layer of protection. That's everything he's ever learned about it. And Nina has done nothing but protect him—from the icy waters of the True Sea, from the lingering chill of the snow and water, from the Grisha she knows so well.
This should be easy. ]
You want to pretend to be married to me?
[ Why this is so shocking to him, he doesn't know. Nina likes to shock. She likes doing things that make his heart beat a little harder.
He eyes her for a moment before he curls the corner of his lip upward. ]
[ Marriage isn't something she's really thought about at all. Only with Matthias does it feel less ephemeral. She supposes that pretending to be married might be a good little try on for them to see how it fit.
There's a moment where she frets that this might be too much. It simply offends all his Fjerdan propriety, living in sin with her. She waits him and studies him. She tries not to focus too much on his heart. That feels like cheating.
His question that and soft, almost imperceptible smile fills her with relief. She gives a bright beaming grin as she waves her waffle in hand as she gestures animatedly. ]
[ Smiling, he shakes his head. Incorrigible. That's what she is. Absolutely incorrigible. And so very Nina, too.
It does offend his Fjerdan propriety, but Matthias has left Fjerda behind him. Perhaps he did the very moment she spat in his face the word 'slaver'. While marriage is something sacred to him… there's something a little intoxicating about being able to pretend to be her husband. He's already hers, but… This is putting a different label on it.
He won't be just her Fjerdan. ]
Do you think it will work? That they'll believe someone like you would marry someone like me?
[ Nina marrying a Fjerdan. Nina marrying someone all and literal and stubborn enough to not want to laugh at her jokes so loudly. He's so different to her. ]
[ Nina sets her waffle down and looks at him seriously. There's a knit to her brows with a slight frown tugging on her lips. She doesn't understand the question. All she can see is the good in him. His big and caring heart. His strong, warm embrace. His idealism and faith. ]
I think we're quite the handsome couple. The sweetly exasperated husband and his flighty, spirited wife. It's very us, don't you think?
Would people believe someone like her would be with someone like him? Matthias knows what he's done. She knows what he's done. People who look at them won't know that he once hunted her kind because her kind had taken everything away from him. They won't know the endless cycle drüskelle and Grisha live every day. Fear drives them.
Matthias is afraid now, but not in the same way he had been of Grisha before.
If he pretends to be married to Nina… Well, what if he likes it too much? ]
You forgot exasperating. Wiggles too much in bed. Claims all the sheets for herself.
[ And she's kind and wonderful and does things to his insides that he likes very much. ]
[ They both have done awful things. Nina knows her own sins. She's justified it for the good of Ravka and for the good of all Grisha. She knows Matthias has done the same. It feels like such a relief to throw off the yoke of their duty and expectations.
They can define their own destiny and identity. Discover who they can be outside of all that fighting and death.
Her lips curve into a smirk. Her elbows rests on the table as she cups her chin in her hand while she gazes at him. ]
Now I know for a fact you enjoy how much I wiggle in your bed. [ And for all her scandalous flirting, there's still a rosy flush at his compliment. ]
[ He laughs, flustered. She's not supposed to come to that conclusion! But expecting Nina not to do as she bids whenever she bids isn't wanting her to be herself at all.
Glancing down, he doesn't pick at the waffles again. He exhales softly, his shoulders shifting. There's still time for her to change her mind, to go back with her people and rejoin her life. She won't take it, though. Stubborn to a fault. Infuriating, too. ]
[ She smiles fondly at him. Even before he'd admitted to liking her, she knows he'd enjoyed the warm press of her body and how she wiggles against him. His expression turns more serious, so she follows his lead. This is important. She doesn't to make him feel as though this is all a game to her.
He's so important to her. She'd walked away from her country and duty for him with no regrets. ]
No. Much of my job is me on my own. It's easier that way. This is different. We're a team.
[ So, this is new for her. At least he won't be the only one fumbling around.
Matthias prides himself on his work ethic, on his ability to see his duty through and to do so with the most honour. But this? This isn't as simple as capturing Grisha. While he takes a piece of himself to every mission handed to him by Brum, this requires all of him. (This, at least, he won't look back on with shame.)
And Matthias Helvar doesn't do anything half-assed. Paddling and pushing a heavy piece of wood in thick furs should prove that. ]
We are a team.
[ She keeps his heart working. He kicks. They've proven how good they are together, even before he knew her name.
Still with a serious expression, he teases, ] You know, in Fjerda, the wife is expected to hold her husband's hand wherever they go or else he risks becoming lost.
[ Nina's beaming smile is practically incandescent. Hearing say it in return warms her once cold heart. They've been a wonderful team since the beginning, even before they've become what they are now. She knows that whatever they do next, it's going to be spectacular. There's a whole new world ahead of them to explore. She's seen a lot of it, but she knows he hasn't. Not with his strict druskelle training.
She wants to show it all to him. She wants him to experience all the good things that the world has to offer. She wants to see it through his eyes.
She doesn't expect his joke. His expression doesn't change. Matthias is very good at keeping a straight face when she isn't being scandalous. His teasing earns him bright giggles, so much so that she brings her hand to her mouth to the and muffle them from being too loud. ]
So Fjerdan woman do have some sense! Honestly, I'm relieved. Don't you worry, darling. I'll be sure to keep hold of that large wolf paw of yours!
[ But he suspects that he'll be able to hold his hand, anyway. It's strange to think there had been a time when the thought of holding her hand repulsed him. Now… it's all he wants to do.
She's done something to his insides, and he's concluded it's not because of her power.
He leans across the table, feeling an impulsive burst of playfulness. ]
It's a Fjerdan secret, Nina. You can't go around telling everyone, then everyone will be holding hands and it'll lose all meaning.
[ It's only meant for one Fjerdan. Him. And Matthias Helvar can be quite possessive. ]
[ Oh, she loves this playfulness about him. It softens him. His stern Fjerdan features are infused with joy. She wants to make him look like this always. When he leans over, she meets him. Her tiny paw extends out to him, palm up, and she wiggles her fingers at him in invitation. ]
Your secret is safe with me, min älskling.
[ The Fjerdan rolls of her tongue just as easily as Ravkan. She's got no care for the remaining waffle which says a lot of her affection for him. A sly smile tugs at her lips. ]
[ His heart flutters at that. Husband. He's never been a husband before, and never thought he would be. His life had ended when his village burned. All he had was the drüskelle. That was before Nina. Now he gets to be something—someone—more.
He smiles before he nods toward her plate. ]
Are you sure you don't want to finish your waffle, min fru?
[ Matthias figures if he's to be her husband, he's to ensure that she doesn't make any rash decisions, especially when it comes to her beloved food. ]
[ Without missing a beat, Nina picks up the waffle with her other hand. Her extended hand is still awaiting his paw to take it. She takes her job get seriously. She's going to keep hold on his Fjerdan hand, so that he may never be lost. ]
Who says I can't do both? Where shall we go then? Leaving the city might be the best idea. We can go to the harbor and see what boats are going where then choose from there.
[ It's a spontaneous way of deciding where to go. She wonders if it makes him itch in all his Fjerdan conservatism to just fly by the seat of his hands. ]
[ It does make him itch. Matthias likes plans. He likes knowing where he's going, what he's going to do there, and how long he's meant to stay. It's part Fjerdan customs, part drüskelle rules, part him.
Placing his hand in hers, he's gentle when he grips it. She's asking him to take a leap of faith, something that he's still not entirely confident in. What if he loses his footing and they go slipping into the icy waters again? Or she ends up injured or captured and taken away from him? What if he's discovered by his drüskelle brothers?
Matthias prefers plans. They keep things in order, people safe, and expectations clear. But everything to do with Nina has been an explosion of spontaneity.
He smiles softly at her as he considers her words. Everything in him wants a plan, but Matthias knows that's a luxury that perhaps they don't want. ]
We could go to Novyi Zem. There are no wolves there, but I have heard there are dogs. We could pretend to be farmers.
[ Where the weather is neither warm or cold. It won't favour him or her like Fjerda or Ravka would. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-06-17 11:14 am (UTC)Perhaps he knows the answer. She's sitting right in front of him. He'd been taught that Grisha were evil, that they were sharp and horrible and so violent. But Nina sits before him with a small smile on her face and looks so utterly human. She appeared so human at the whale huts when she was asleep and he'd woken, used to sleeping for short periods of time. She's like a waffle, both sweet and savoury. He doesn't know what to expect.
He didn't expect—or want, but maybe that's not true—her to choose him over people she knew.
Although Nina had plans to take him downstairs at the inn and feed him waffles, she'd looped her arm with his and tugged him out through the front door and took a sharp right. She'd spotted some of her friends and fellow soldiers from the Second Army and, without much warning, had fled.
He'd followed, wanting to keep pace with her even though he didn't know where he was going. Matthias wasn't sure if Nina knew where she was headed. But a few streets away and a sharp corner or two that's rendered him lost, they've found themselves on the ground floor of another inn, sitting in the dining area. He's tried to broach the subject a few times with his interpretation of finesse. Didn't she want to see them? Isn't that why she's here, to reunite with those she knows? He'd been anticipating her to leave him behind, despite her promises that his couldn't be over. Everything good has an ending. Every story concludes sometime.
But Matthias doesn't want this to be over. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
He licks his lips before he tears at his waffle and drops the bigger piece onto her plate. While he's hungry, he can order something else, something cheaper on the menu that's more his style.
He regards her with a soft expression. His voice is just as gentle. ]
We're not going back to that inn, are we?
[ It worries him slightly. Nina should be able to be free. He doesn't wish to be a ball and chain and drag her down. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-17 08:36 pm (UTC)They'll see him only as drüskelle, just as Matthias had once only seen her as a witch. It's more complicated than that. It's two group of peoples who hadn't truly been exposed to one another.
Nina can't change their minds, but she can hold on to her Fjerdan and keep him safe. Smoothly, she leads him out the door and in a whirling, unpredictable path to keep anyone off their trail. Only when she feels confident they hadn't been followed, she chooses another inn and orders breakfast.
She's making easy small talk, mostly talking of the wonders of waffles. She can see the question in his eyes. When he finally asks it, his voice is heartbreakingly gentle with her. She appreciates it.
Nina only smiles softly and shakes her head. ]
No, we certainly are not. They would have never allowed you to live, and I'll not stand for that.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-18 09:43 am (UTC)He hopes it doesn't have an expiry date.
He can't hear hearts or feel them the way that she can, but he believes—and knows, like he knows that Djel is with him even in a land so far away from home—that Nina's heart is true. She could've killed him the moment she stepped foot onto Ravkan soil, but all she's done is held on tightly and tried to prolong what's starting to become less and less inevitable.
But he can't help but exhale audibly through his nose. He wants to protest. He knows he wants to. But the words fail him. ]
You can't run from them forever, Nina. [ He says that gently, curving the corners of his mouth upward. No, he doesn't want her to go. ] You need your people.
[ Even if they're Grisha. Maybe especially because they are Grisha. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-18 10:39 pm (UTC)[ She's pragmatic. Nina knows that she's one of the Second Army's best spies. It's why the Black General has sent her out on all these far reaching missions. She's always been dutiful and loyal, for the good of all Grisha.
But there's more to life than that. There's living life for herself. It means taking Matthias' hand and holding fast. Life is too short, so they need to enjoy it while they can. She'll face the consequences of her actions one day, but today is not that day. ]
Would you go back to your people now?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-19 01:38 am (UTC)Matthias shakes his head. ]
They would think me a traitor.
[ Especially because he had multiple chances to kill her and didn't. Especially because he had the opportunity to return to Fjerdan soil and chose to grace Ravka instead. Especially because he likes her and her horrible sense of humour.
Rather than use a knife and fork, he tears into his waffle with his hands. Turns out, waffles are not only sweet and savoury but great for a distraction.
He hesitates, but not because of what he's about to say. It's finding the words. ]
I don't think I could go back. Not after what Brum did.
[ Leaving the Grisha to drown. Despite how horrible the tales had twisted them to be, they didn't deserve that. They deserved fairness. They deserved more than what Matthias ever got. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-19 02:53 am (UTC)She'd never truly had a home outside of her duty in the Second Army. Matthias is something she can have just for herself. To keep and be kept.
She eats another bite of her waffle, chewing contentedly. It pleases her to see him enjoy it too. She wants to learn his favorite foods. All his favorite things and the things he dislikes. ]
Then it's just you and I against the world, darling. I do hope you're okay with that.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-19 05:10 am (UTC)I am.
[ He looks up at her so she can't misconstrue him looking down as doubt. This is the one thing he knows he wants. It's how his mother used to describe how it was with her father. She simply just knew. When you know, you know. It hadn't been the most fulfilling advice. Matthias had wanted something more tangible than that, but now he understands it.
When you know, you know. And he knows. ]
What are we going to do? We can't stay here, can we?
[ All her friends are here. All the people that his people have wanted dead are here. Matthias is certain Ravka is the most dangerous place for him to reside in.
He feels partly at fault for her not being able to come home. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-19 08:01 pm (UTC)When you know, you know. ]
Mmm, Ravka is clearly out of the question. Ravka too. Kerch perhaps? Novyia Zem?"
[ She's practiced at creating new identities, going to new places. This time, she'll have a partner. ]
We'll not travel as brother and sister obviously. People don't look as closely at married couples.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-20 06:14 am (UTC)If Matthias was honest with himself, he'd know she achieved such a feat the first moment he spoke to her on the ship. Calling him derisive names seems to do the trick. ]
They don't?
[ He puts the waffle down as he regards her seriously. ]
Nina… We are not getting married. [ He shakes his head incredulously. ] We can't.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-20 12:19 pm (UTC)[ Her tone is playfully teasing. She continues eating her waffle as if nothing is amiss. He's utterly adorable like this. So easily shocked, so easy to make blush. She hopes he never stops.
She has to bite back her giggle at how incredulous he is. It's as though Matthias has taken it upon herself to be her reason and logic. When she wants to take off with a harebrained idea, he's there to say, 'Nina, no!' ]
We just pretend.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-21 12:27 am (UTC)He shakes his head and opens his mouth to protest, but she's the one who's suggesting this to keep him safe. Marriage, whether fake or not, provides a layer of protection. That's everything he's ever learned about it. And Nina has done nothing but protect him—from the icy waters of the True Sea, from the lingering chill of the snow and water, from the Grisha she knows so well.
This should be easy. ]
You want to pretend to be married to me?
[ Why this is so shocking to him, he doesn't know. Nina likes to shock. She likes doing things that make his heart beat a little harder.
He eyes her for a moment before he curls the corner of his lip upward. ]
Will you still make your jokes?
[ This is important. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-21 01:09 am (UTC)[ Marriage isn't something she's really thought about at all. Only with Matthias does it feel less ephemeral. She supposes that pretending to be married might be a good little try on for them to see how it fit.
There's a moment where she frets that this might be too much. It simply offends all his Fjerdan propriety, living in sin with her. She waits him and studies him. She tries not to focus too much on his heart. That feels like cheating.
His question that and soft, almost imperceptible smile fills her with relief. She gives a bright beaming grin as she waves her waffle in hand as she gestures animatedly. ]
Oh, they'll be even lewder!
no subject
Date: 2023-06-21 02:17 am (UTC)It does offend his Fjerdan propriety, but Matthias has left Fjerda behind him. Perhaps he did the very moment she spat in his face the word 'slaver'. While marriage is something sacred to him… there's something a little intoxicating about being able to pretend to be her husband. He's already hers, but… This is putting a different label on it.
He won't be just her Fjerdan. ]
Do you think it will work? That they'll believe someone like you would marry someone like me?
[ Nina marrying a Fjerdan. Nina marrying someone all and literal and stubborn enough to not want to laugh at her jokes so loudly. He's so different to her. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-21 01:08 pm (UTC)[ Nina sets her waffle down and looks at him seriously. There's a knit to her brows with a slight frown tugging on her lips. She doesn't understand the question. All she can see is the good in him. His big and caring heart. His strong, warm embrace. His idealism and faith. ]
I think we're quite the handsome couple. The sweetly exasperated husband and his flighty, spirited wife. It's very us, don't you think?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-22 12:15 am (UTC)[ He concedes quietly with a small nod.
Would people believe someone like her would be with someone like him? Matthias knows what he's done. She knows what he's done. People who look at them won't know that he once hunted her kind because her kind had taken everything away from him. They won't know the endless cycle drüskelle and Grisha live every day. Fear drives them.
Matthias is afraid now, but not in the same way he had been of Grisha before.
If he pretends to be married to Nina… Well, what if he likes it too much? ]
You forgot exasperating. Wiggles too much in bed. Claims all the sheets for herself.
[ And she's kind and wonderful and does things to his insides that he likes very much. ]
You also forgot beautiful.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-22 12:38 am (UTC)They can define their own destiny and identity. Discover who they can be outside of all that fighting and death.
Her lips curve into a smirk. Her elbows rests on the table as she cups her chin in her hand while she gazes at him. ]
Now I know for a fact you enjoy how much I wiggle in your bed. [ And for all her scandalous flirting, there's still a rosy flush at his compliment. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-22 05:34 am (UTC)[ He laughs, flustered. She's not supposed to come to that conclusion! But expecting Nina not to do as she bids whenever she bids isn't wanting her to be herself at all.
Glancing down, he doesn't pick at the waffles again. He exhales softly, his shoulders shifting. There's still time for her to change her mind, to go back with her people and rejoin her life. She won't take it, though. Stubborn to a fault. Infuriating, too. ]
Have you ever done this before?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-22 12:48 pm (UTC)[ She smiles fondly at him. Even before he'd admitted to liking her, she knows he'd enjoyed the warm press of her body and how she wiggles against him. His expression turns more serious, so she follows his lead. This is important. She doesn't to make him feel as though this is all a game to her.
He's so important to her. She'd walked away from her country and duty for him with no regrets. ]
No. Much of my job is me on my own. It's easier that way. This is different. We're a team.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-23 01:36 am (UTC)Matthias prides himself on his work ethic, on his ability to see his duty through and to do so with the most honour. But this? This isn't as simple as capturing Grisha. While he takes a piece of himself to every mission handed to him by Brum, this requires all of him. (This, at least, he won't look back on with shame.)
And Matthias Helvar doesn't do anything half-assed. Paddling and pushing a heavy piece of wood in thick furs should prove that. ]
We are a team.
[ She keeps his heart working. He kicks. They've proven how good they are together, even before he knew her name.
Still with a serious expression, he teases, ] You know, in Fjerda, the wife is expected to hold her husband's hand wherever they go or else he risks becoming lost.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-23 11:52 am (UTC)She wants to show it all to him. She wants him to experience all the good things that the world has to offer. She wants to see it through his eyes.
She doesn't expect his joke. His expression doesn't change. Matthias is very good at keeping a straight face when she isn't being scandalous. His teasing earns him bright giggles, so much so that she brings her hand to her mouth to the and muffle them from being too loud. ]
So Fjerdan woman do have some sense! Honestly, I'm relieved. Don't you worry, darling. I'll be sure to keep hold of that large wolf paw of yours!
no subject
Date: 2023-06-24 10:55 am (UTC)[ But he suspects that he'll be able to hold his hand, anyway. It's strange to think there had been a time when the thought of holding her hand repulsed him. Now… it's all he wants to do.
She's done something to his insides, and he's concluded it's not because of her power.
He leans across the table, feeling an impulsive burst of playfulness. ]
It's a Fjerdan secret, Nina. You can't go around telling everyone, then everyone will be holding hands and it'll lose all meaning.
[ It's only meant for one Fjerdan. Him. And Matthias Helvar can be quite possessive. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-24 10:11 pm (UTC)Your secret is safe with me, min älskling.
[ The Fjerdan rolls of her tongue just as easily as Ravkan. She's got no care for the remaining waffle which says a lot of her affection for him. A sly smile tugs at her lips. ]
Perhaps we should get started now, husband.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-25 09:35 am (UTC)He smiles before he nods toward her plate. ]
Are you sure you don't want to finish your waffle, min fru?
[ Matthias figures if he's to be her husband, he's to ensure that she doesn't make any rash decisions, especially when it comes to her beloved food. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-25 11:02 pm (UTC)Who says I can't do both? Where shall we go then? Leaving the city might be the best idea. We can go to the harbor and see what boats are going where then choose from there.
[ It's a spontaneous way of deciding where to go. She wonders if it makes him itch in all his Fjerdan conservatism to just fly by the seat of his hands. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-26 12:05 am (UTC)Placing his hand in hers, he's gentle when he grips it. She's asking him to take a leap of faith, something that he's still not entirely confident in. What if he loses his footing and they go slipping into the icy waters again? Or she ends up injured or captured and taken away from him? What if he's discovered by his drüskelle brothers?
Matthias prefers plans. They keep things in order, people safe, and expectations clear. But everything to do with Nina has been an explosion of spontaneity.
He smiles softly at her as he considers her words. Everything in him wants a plan, but Matthias knows that's a luxury that perhaps they don't want. ]
We could go to Novyi Zem. There are no wolves there, but I have heard there are dogs. We could pretend to be farmers.
[ Where the weather is neither warm or cold. It won't favour him or her like Fjerda or Ravka would. ]
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: