[ Her eyes return to him, her favorite sight. She knows that the Squaller is already preparing to direct the wind to the sails as the other crew members unmoors from the docks.
Soon, they'll be sailing far away from Ravka and Fjerda. They can be together without their people pulling them apart. ]
[ Nina isn't a wolf. Even though she can be, he doesn't want her to be. He doesn't want her to be like the women of Fjerda, docile and quiet and softer than they should be because it's been demanded of them. He wants her to be herself, brash and loud and unapologetic.
He takes a moment to think and bows his head so his mouth is against her hair. ]
Little Red Bird.
[ Birds are free to do as they please, but they always come back to their wolves on the ground. ]
I have always liked birds. And you are very much a bird.
[ She twitters in delight at the title. She loves it. Matthias, her wolf, is a romantic at heart. It's one of her many favorite things about him. She tilts her head to look up at him. The brightness of her eyes shine with the adoration she holds for him.
Nina's lips pull into a teasing grin as she feigns innocence. ]
Because of my lovely singing voice? [ Certainly not. She's terrible at it. ]
[ He laughs. ] Especially because of your lovely singing voice.
[ If he never heard Nina sing again, he'd be a sad, sad man. Djel wouldn't want that, surely.
He glides his hands up and down her back, peering over her head as though he's able to hide the fact that he's smiling. He's a romantic. He's showing too much of his hand, and he loves it. The crew around them are in the final stages of clearing the ship for sail. ]
[ She's teasing, of course. Nina doesn't regret this. She doesn't regret choosing him. She hums at the way his hand runs up and down her back. It makes her feel good, sending warm tingles all throughout her body. She looks up at him with a smirk. ]
But only because if I'd know you'd want me to behave then I wouldn't have suggested a ship to travel.
[ That's a lie. This is the best way to travel. It's faster than on foot. She can behave herself for the duration if it means his safety. ]
[ He cocks his brow, curling his lips upward. He shakes his head. The ship's anchor rises from the bed below the water. ]
A strange wish I do not have.
[ Now that she's given her name, he likes saying it. The syllables roll perfectly off his tongue, better than 'Grisha' ever did. It feels and tastes warm, and he likes that she's trusted him with it. ]
I only wish for Nina Zenik to be Nina Zenik… with only a little bit of petting on this ship.
[ He can't give her an inch or otherwise he's in big, big trouble. ]
[ Nina laughs brightly. There's few things she enjoys more than misbehaving. Misbehaving for Mathias is definitely above it. She reaches up and traces the shape of his lips with her thumb.
Her smile is indulgent just as much as it is mischievous. ]
Okay, Matthias Helvar, just a little petting. Nothing more, nothing less.
[ She plans on making him beg for more than just a little. Surely there's secret nooks somewhere upon this ship. ]
The thought doesn't startle him as much as it should, although it's there, accompanied by a flutter of his heart and heat blooming at his cheeks. He wants to see what she'd do if he did. But they're on a ship, and there are people about. And he's, well…
What is he now?
Free.
Anyone he wants to be.
So Matthias glances down at her, parting his lips slightly. Subtlety is a skill he'll learn from her. His bulk prevents him from slipping in and out of doors unnoticed, but he can learn; she's a good teacher. He parts his lips, touches the tip of his tongue to the pad of her thumb to work it into his mouth. All the while, he gazes down at her as innocently as he can muster. ]
[ She watches him. Nina loves seeing him blossom and become the person he's meant to be without the rigidity of his culture. He's utterly adorable with his soft rosy flush. Such a big, tall man to be blushing like that. It only adds to his charm. Her eyes queen slightly when he chooses to be bold. It's such a delight.
She feels the part of his lips. Feels the warmth of his breath and the velvety wet kiss of his tongue. It's absurd how affected she is by the smallest touch by him, but she swears it goes straight to her core. Her thumb is in his mouth, and Matthias has such a smug Nina Zenik gleam in his eyes.
Such a fast learner. ]
I shan't be blamed if a little petting becomes much more than that.
[ He murmurs it against the pad of her thumb. Even if he encourages it, she'll still earn his blame. She's the one who taught him how to be unburdened by propriety. She's the one who suggested heavy petting in the first place. She's the one who he wants to behave in such a way with.
Letting her thumb go, he inhales deeply and glances out at the water as though he hadn't been looking at her with bedroom eyes. ]
The water looks flat.
[ He lifts the corners of his lips up at that. He's so horrible at the seductive game sometimes, where he's hot one moment and cold the next. ]
[ Nina throws her head back and laughs. The sound carries on the wind just as the ship begins to lurch and move away from the harbor. She grips his arms to steady herself, but she's still laughing.
She adores his duality. His playfulness and his utter Fjerdan stoicism. Her hands reach up once she's steady to cup his face. Such a gorgeous jawline that should never be covered with a Drüskelle beard in her opinion. ]
[ The moment she grips him, he moves to steady her with a hand pressed against her back. She's been an anchor for him ever since the drüskelle captured her. Perhaps not in those first few moments when she'd regarded him with justified hatred, but every moment after.
This is it. With the ship moving, it means they're really doing this. Matthias inhales deeply, glancing out at the rippling water. He glances over his shoulder at Ravka, at this city he's only heard stories about. It doesn't look so bad, but he knows he'll never fit inside of it. ]
Maybe there will be a little heavy petting.
[ He looks down at her, curving the corner of his lips upward. ]
I wouldn't want you to be homesick.
[ And he selfishly wants the reminder that she's here, and that her being away from her home won't see her change at all. ]
[ Nina preens against him. She considers that a victory, his little concession. A little heavy petting can easily be turned into a lot of heavy petting. Maybe she can even find a place for the two of them to have a little nook of privacy where she can sink down to her knees and delight him with her clever mouth.
She smiles up at him. There's happiness and mischief shining in her gaze. She doesn't even miss a beat. ]
Matthias smiles and looks away from her, disliking how it's so clear on his face what her words mean to him. His home is gone, but he supposes that he had it all wrong. Fjerda was a place to claim. His home was lost long ago, only to rebuild itself before him now in a very exasperating Ravkan Grisha.
Sometimes he wonders if Nina was Djel's way of making him whole again. He keeps finding her, again and again. Wasn't that what the point of following Djel's waters? The water led him to Nina, and now it's leading him elsewhere to start anew. ]
You need to stop that. [ He needs to stop smiling, but he can't. He needs to stop blushing, but he can't. He looks at her again. ] You do all these things to my heart. You need to stop that.
[ It's easier to pretend it's her Grisha ways making his heart flutter when it's simply just Nina. ]
[ Indeed, her hands are in full view, but they both know that's not what he means. Not really. It makes her feel just as flushed and fluttery to know that she makes his heart do those things because of her words alone. She can make him smile like that. She loves how he blushes and looks away. It's the most adorable thing she's ever seen. She wants to make him smile like that forever if he'll let her. ]
[ He sighs dramatically, peering out at the water as the ship glides along it. Ravka's getting smaller and smaller. He's filled with the impulse to distract Nina from looking back, even though she hasn't indicated she's worried. Perhaps he is. Sometimes he wishes he could look back on Fjerda one last time and not take the sight of it for granted. ]
You are nothing but innocent—my mistake. I must have been thinking of someone else. Someone more mischievous and daring and incredibly exasperating. [ He lifts his brows and smiles. ] Very beautiful, too, but she can't know or else her head will grow bigger.
[ Nina preens. Because of course she does. It doesn't matter if that he's nit blatantly saying it's her. She knows he's only jesting. Her smile only grows brighter and brighter with each compliment he bestows on not-her. She beams up at him and reaches up to playfully tap his nose with her index finger. ]
I think it could stand to just be a little bit bigger. To at least have some room for such lovely compliments.
But then there would be no room for me in our bed.
[ He ignores his flush. He also ignores how easily those words had come to him.
Matthias peers down at her, shaking his head slightly. He doesn't try and stop smiling—it's near impossible not to. Perhaps playing her as her husband isn't such a bad role after all. ]
There's hardly any room for me now on the pillow. Your hair takes up all the space.
[ She reaches up to trace her thumb along the warm apple of his cheek. He's gorgeous when he blushes. She knows one day he won't blush as easily for her as he does now, but she'll enjoy it as much as she can. ]
Then I shall always keep my hair bound like a proper lady. [ She says so primly with a twinkle in her eyes. She could pretend to be a proper lady all she wants, but they both know better. ]
[ It was once a point of contention between them in the whale huts. It's hung over them as something they no longer speak about. Matthias still holds his Fjerdan principles, but he's learning when to be lenient. Allowing Nina to be herself is the better belief.
He leans down, walking his fingers to one of her hips to palm her hipbone. ]
[ She cackles a little too loudly. She's a wild woman indeed. She knows no propriety or prim manners. She laughs too laugh. She smiles too wide. She's got a terrible mouth on her. She speaks her mind and makes the most ribald quips.
She likes that he seems to like it. That she's never too much for him. Nina likes the way his eyes crinkle with fondness at her. She shivers at his touch and tugs him down for another kiss because she's a greedy girl. ]
[ He murmurs that against her lips, smiling, all the while knowing full well Nina Zenik will never be quiet. Even if he was to throw down a gauntlet at her feet, she'd fail in keeping her volume low, her voice a tiny whisper. It's what he's started to like about her so much. She's not afraid to take up space, not like he is. ]
You'll draw attention, my love.
[ Those two words make his heart pound.
With his arms wrapped around her, he pulls her to him and almost sways as though he's about to spin them. The sea shouldn't make him feel this wild, but Matthias seems to come to life without Brum hovering. ]
Oh, I like when you order me around, darling. It makes me tingle.
[ She croons it out in a husky tone. She loves delighting him and making him smile. She wants to make smile everyday of his life. She brightens at his endearment. His love! She's never been happier to belong to anyone like she does to him. She's no longer Ravka's or Second Army. She belongs to Matthias as surely as he belongs to her.
She giggle loudly again when they sway together. She's got to hold on right to keep them from toppling. ]
[ Because he doesn't wish to break the spell by worrying that she's misconstrued him. He doesn't wish to order her about. He doesn't wish for anything but for her to unfurl her wings and be free—and teach him how to run like he has nothing to worry about but staying beneath the shadow she casts on the ground for him to follow.
Worrying will only see her frown. Matthias had gotten drunk on her smiles and laughter in the whale huts. ]
That is how they ask to dance in Novyi Zem. [ He has no idea, but he smiles widely, sweeping her up into a clumsy sway. ] We sweep them off their feet and expect them to follow.
[ Nina has no care of anyone else around her. Not the crew, but the other passengers. Her smile shines upon her great wolf. She likes their little sway. She lets him lead as they sway in tandem with the sway of the ship. It feels a little bit like being intoxicating by good kvas. She feels like she's floating.
She takes his hand, so that she can do a little twirl for him. Nina draws back into him and dramatically tugs him down to dip her. ]
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[ Her eyes return to him, her favorite sight. She knows that the Squaller is already preparing to direct the wind to the sails as the other crew members unmoors from the docks.
Soon, they'll be sailing far away from Ravka and Fjerda. They can be together without their people pulling them apart. ]
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He takes a moment to think and bows his head so his mouth is against her hair. ]
Little Red Bird.
[ Birds are free to do as they please, but they always come back to their wolves on the ground. ]
I have always liked birds. And you are very much a bird.
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[ She twitters in delight at the title. She loves it. Matthias, her wolf, is a romantic at heart. It's one of her many favorite things about him. She tilts her head to look up at him. The brightness of her eyes shine with the adoration she holds for him.
Nina's lips pull into a teasing grin as she feigns innocence. ]
Because of my lovely singing voice? [ Certainly not. She's terrible at it. ]
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[ If he never heard Nina sing again, he'd be a sad, sad man. Djel wouldn't want that, surely.
He glides his hands up and down her back, peering over her head as though he's able to hide the fact that he's smiling. He's a romantic. He's showing too much of his hand, and he loves it. The crew around them are in the final stages of clearing the ship for sail. ]
No second thoughts?
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[ She's teasing, of course. Nina doesn't regret this. She doesn't regret choosing him. She hums at the way his hand runs up and down her back. It makes her feel good, sending warm tingles all throughout her body. She looks up at him with a smirk. ]
But only because if I'd know you'd want me to behave then I wouldn't have suggested a ship to travel.
[ That's a lie. This is the best way to travel. It's faster than on foot. She can behave herself for the duration if it means his safety. ]
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[ He cocks his brow, curling his lips upward. He shakes his head. The ship's anchor rises from the bed below the water. ]
A strange wish I do not have.
[ Now that she's given her name, he likes saying it. The syllables roll perfectly off his tongue, better than 'Grisha' ever did. It feels and tastes warm, and he likes that she's trusted him with it. ]
I only wish for Nina Zenik to be Nina Zenik… with only a little bit of petting on this ship.
[ He can't give her an inch or otherwise he's in big, big trouble. ]
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[ Nina laughs brightly. There's few things she enjoys more than misbehaving. Misbehaving for Mathias is definitely above it. She reaches up and traces the shape of his lips with her thumb.
Her smile is indulgent just as much as it is mischievous. ]
Okay, Matthias Helvar, just a little petting. Nothing more, nothing less.
[ She plans on making him beg for more than just a little. Surely there's secret nooks somewhere upon this ship. ]
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The thought doesn't startle him as much as it should, although it's there, accompanied by a flutter of his heart and heat blooming at his cheeks. He wants to see what she'd do if he did. But they're on a ship, and there are people about. And he's, well…
What is he now?
Free.
Anyone he wants to be.
So Matthias glances down at her, parting his lips slightly. Subtlety is a skill he'll learn from her. His bulk prevents him from slipping in and out of doors unnoticed, but he can learn; she's a good teacher. He parts his lips, touches the tip of his tongue to the pad of her thumb to work it into his mouth. All the while, he gazes down at her as innocently as he can muster. ]
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She feels the part of his lips. Feels the warmth of his breath and the velvety wet kiss of his tongue. It's absurd how affected she is by the smallest touch by him, but she swears it goes straight to her core. Her thumb is in his mouth, and Matthias has such a smug Nina Zenik gleam in his eyes.
Such a fast learner. ]
I shan't be blamed if a little petting becomes much more than that.
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[ He murmurs it against the pad of her thumb. Even if he encourages it, she'll still earn his blame. She's the one who taught him how to be unburdened by propriety. She's the one who suggested heavy petting in the first place. She's the one who he wants to behave in such a way with.
Letting her thumb go, he inhales deeply and glances out at the water as though he hadn't been looking at her with bedroom eyes. ]
The water looks flat.
[ He lifts the corners of his lips up at that. He's so horrible at the seductive game sometimes, where he's hot one moment and cold the next. ]
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She adores his duality. His playfulness and his utter Fjerdan stoicism. Her hands reach up once she's steady to cup his face. Such a gorgeous jawline that should never be covered with a Drüskelle beard in her opinion. ]
Not for long, darling.
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This is it. With the ship moving, it means they're really doing this. Matthias inhales deeply, glancing out at the rippling water. He glances over his shoulder at Ravka, at this city he's only heard stories about. It doesn't look so bad, but he knows he'll never fit inside of it. ]
Maybe there will be a little heavy petting.
[ He looks down at her, curving the corner of his lips upward. ]
I wouldn't want you to be homesick.
[ And he selfishly wants the reminder that she's here, and that her being away from her home won't see her change at all. ]
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She smiles up at him. There's happiness and mischief shining in her gaze. She doesn't even miss a beat. ]
Why would I be? My home is right here.
[ She pats his chest right where his heart is. ]
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Matthias smiles and looks away from her, disliking how it's so clear on his face what her words mean to him. His home is gone, but he supposes that he had it all wrong. Fjerda was a place to claim. His home was lost long ago, only to rebuild itself before him now in a very exasperating Ravkan Grisha.
Sometimes he wonders if Nina was Djel's way of making him whole again. He keeps finding her, again and again. Wasn't that what the point of following Djel's waters? The water led him to Nina, and now it's leading him elsewhere to start anew. ]
You need to stop that. [ He needs to stop smiling, but he can't. He needs to stop blushing, but he can't. He looks at her again. ] You do all these things to my heart. You need to stop that.
[ It's easier to pretend it's her Grisha ways making his heart flutter when it's simply just Nina. ]
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[ Indeed, her hands are in full view, but they both know that's not what he means. Not really. It makes her feel just as flushed and fluttery to know that she makes his heart do those things because of her words alone. She can make him smile like that. She loves how he blushes and looks away. It's the most adorable thing she's ever seen. She wants to make him smile like that forever if he'll let her. ]
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[ He sighs dramatically, peering out at the water as the ship glides along it. Ravka's getting smaller and smaller. He's filled with the impulse to distract Nina from looking back, even though she hasn't indicated she's worried. Perhaps he is. Sometimes he wishes he could look back on Fjerda one last time and not take the sight of it for granted. ]
You are nothing but innocent—my mistake. I must have been thinking of someone else. Someone more mischievous and daring and incredibly exasperating. [ He lifts his brows and smiles. ] Very beautiful, too, but she can't know or else her head will grow bigger.
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I think it could stand to just be a little bit bigger. To at least have some room for such lovely compliments.
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[ He ignores his flush. He also ignores how easily those words had come to him.
Matthias peers down at her, shaking his head slightly. He doesn't try and stop smiling—it's near impossible not to. Perhaps playing her as her husband isn't such a bad role after all. ]
There's hardly any room for me now on the pillow. Your hair takes up all the space.
[ And it had, once. In a dank whale hut. ]
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Then I shall always keep my hair bound like a proper lady. [ She says so primly with a twinkle in her eyes. She could pretend to be a proper lady all she wants, but they both know better. ]
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We both know you're not a proper lady, Nina.
[ It was once a point of contention between them in the whale huts. It's hung over them as something they no longer speak about. Matthias still holds his Fjerdan principles, but he's learning when to be lenient. Allowing Nina to be herself is the better belief.
He leans down, walking his fingers to one of her hips to palm her hipbone. ]
And I don't want you to be.
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[ She cackles a little too loudly. She's a wild woman indeed. She knows no propriety or prim manners. She laughs too laugh. She smiles too wide. She's got a terrible mouth on her. She speaks her mind and makes the most ribald quips.
She likes that he seems to like it. That she's never too much for him. Nina likes the way his eyes crinkle with fondness at her. She shivers at his touch and tugs him down for another kiss because she's a greedy girl. ]
Good. I'm yours, however you'll have me.
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[ He murmurs that against her lips, smiling, all the while knowing full well Nina Zenik will never be quiet. Even if he was to throw down a gauntlet at her feet, she'd fail in keeping her volume low, her voice a tiny whisper. It's what he's started to like about her so much. She's not afraid to take up space, not like he is. ]
You'll draw attention, my love.
[ Those two words make his heart pound.
With his arms wrapped around her, he pulls her to him and almost sways as though he's about to spin them. The sea shouldn't make him feel this wild, but Matthias seems to come to life without Brum hovering. ]
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[ She croons it out in a husky tone. She loves delighting him and making him smile. She wants to make smile everyday of his life. She brightens at his endearment. His love! She's never been happier to belong to anyone like she does to him. She's no longer Ravka's or Second Army. She belongs to Matthias as surely as he belongs to her.
She giggle loudly again when they sway together. She's got to hold on right to keep them from toppling. ]
Is this your way of asking me to dance?
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[ Because he doesn't wish to break the spell by worrying that she's misconstrued him. He doesn't wish to order her about. He doesn't wish for anything but for her to unfurl her wings and be free—and teach him how to run like he has nothing to worry about but staying beneath the shadow she casts on the ground for him to follow.
Worrying will only see her frown. Matthias had gotten drunk on her smiles and laughter in the whale huts. ]
That is how they ask to dance in Novyi Zem. [ He has no idea, but he smiles widely, sweeping her up into a clumsy sway. ] We sweep them off their feet and expect them to follow.
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She takes his hand, so that she can do a little twirl for him. Nina draws back into him and dramatically tugs him down to dip her. ]
You've quite the moves, husband.
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