[ 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. ]
[ It's lame. It's corny. It's everything Matthias never would say. But perhaps that's not right—that's what the old Matthias wouldn't say, the man who was born and bred to be a soldier, not a partner, not a person.
He dips her low, his hands steady against her back, never once letting her slip or daring to tease her with it. When he draws her back up, he pulls her toward her so she's almost against his chest. ]
Should we try and claim a bed before all of them are gone? My wife deserves a thin hammock than to sleep sitting up on a rickety barrel.
[ And maybe he's warming up to the idea of some heavy petting. ]
[ He takes her breath away when he dips her low. He holds her securely in his embrace. His gaze arrests her as though she's been ensured. Nina's lips part as she takes him in. She's enchanted. When he draws her back up, she can't resist leaning in to steal a kiss. She laughs against his lips. ]
Can a hammock support all of your heavy muscle, my love? I worry we'll collapse in the middle of the night.
[ One of the crew, the Shu woman, approaches them. There's an amused smile on her lips. ]
The captain has offered you private accommodations for extra coin if you'd like. It's small, but considering you two are newlywed, well. The Captain is a romantic at heart.
[ Matthias glances away, face flushed with heat as the crew member regards them with a pointed look. He'd foolishly thought they'd been stowed away in the shadows, unseen and unheard. Perhaps he should've known better. Matthias was tall and bulky, and Nina was Nina—a vibrant light, a shooting star even in the brightest days.
He tucks a hand into one of his pockets, knowing that he has little in it save for what they managed to find along their trek into Ravka. He nudges her with his elbow, wanting her to hold out her palm. ]
What do you think, my love? [ He murmurs it, finding he doesn't have to try very hard at playing the newlywed. ] Start our honeymoon today?
[ It's a surprising offer, one she hadn't expected. She's not going to miss out on it. She beams when Matthias rummages in his pockets. Eagerly, she puts out her hand for the coin to give. ]
We'll take it? Do you mind showing us to it?
[ She pats her beloved's chest with a teasing grin. ]
This one burns under the sun. We can't keep him out here too long.
[ At least his eye roll isn't for show. Finding a couple of coins in his pocket, he plops them into her awaiting palm before shaking his head and looking away, truly embarrassed despite wishing to play into it. ]
She tells lies.
[ The woman merely smiles, perhaps used to displays such as this. She accepts the coins happily and turns effortlessly on her foot before gliding along the deck to where the private accomodations are.
Matthias grasps Nina's hand, not wishing to get lost in the thin sea of people. While he'd been delegated the role of kicking, it was Nina how truly kept them afloat in the cold True Sea.
Leaning toward her, he murmurs, ] I hope no one will be offended we take it.
[ The woman smiles wryly. Nina is making sharp note of both her and the Captain. They pay for this kindness with coin, but she's smart enough to always be wary of everything. Her smile doesn't falter, nor does her playful, cheerful demeanor. She keeps hold of Matthias' hand as they're led deeper into the ship.
She quietly memorized all the paths and exits. She chuckles up at her husband. She doesn't answer because soon they stop at a door. The woman opens it to reveal the modest room with a single bed. ]
You have our deepest thanks. [ Nina gives her a beautiful curtsy and steps into the room. She doesn't release a breath until the foot closes behind him. ]
If they are, I'll know it. Hard for heartbeats to lie.
[ At the end of the day, that's what makes Nina dangerous. It's impossible to hide from the heart.
Matthias doesn't let go of her hand as he takes in the room. It's smaller than the room at the inn (which isn't a surprise), and it bobs with the water (which isn't a surprise), but it seems cozy, a little escape from the rest of the madness on the ship. A wooden table sits beside the bed, and the oil lamp glows brightly. There's a small window where the ocean spray spits against the glass. ]
What do you think? Are you suspicious about why they gave us this room?
[ The drüskelle drummed it into him to always be paranoid. Brum, for his confidence, was a man with a deeply buried paranoia. You could never tell who was Grisha by looking at them, not unless they wore one of those pieces of jewellery that indicated them more powerful than the rest. ]
[ Nina drops herself down on the bed. It's not very big. It's only big enough for the two of them barely. It'll be a tight fit. She'll be practically on top of him, not that he'll have any complaints about that. She sighs and offers him her hand to tug him down with her. ]
A little, but not enough to refuse. There's Grisha on this ship too, so I doubt they're discriminatory. Greed though, that's the real motivator for most people.
[ If she didn't offer him her hand, he'd remain standing awkwardly in the room. It's only inevitable he'd cross his arms and take up even more of the limited space.
Dropping down beside her, he doesn't try and keep any distance between them like he would if they were still in Ravka. His thigh rests against hers. ]
Hm.
[ Matthias sighs, back slouching, and looks ahead. ]
We should probably enjoy it, especially if we stay in Novyi Zem for a long time.
[ They'll only be able to pretend to be newlyweds for so long, especially if Novyi Zed happens to be the city for them to settle in. He hopes it is. Matthias knows he was never really meant for travelling all over the world, not even as a Grisha hunter .
He lifts the corner of his mouth up in an attempt to not appear too obvious that he's smiling. ]
I hear it's lovely in Novyi Zem. Sunny and by the water. They call their Grisha 'blessed'. [ The prejudice that extends to other countries does not include the Zemeni. Their only concern will be any Drüskelle or Second Army that might be passing through that could recognize them. With time, they can alter their looks and grow away from the people they'd once been.
Nina leans against her big wolf. She's tired, but she's content. The sway of the ship speaks of the freedom they're heading towards. ]
He doesn't shift away from her when she leans her weight against him. He takes comfort in it, liking that she's still there, a constant, warm reminder that he's not alone in the aftermath of all of this. They may be back on a ship, but she's not in shackles, and he's not walking away from her.
Weighing his words, he furrows his brows, and after a noticeable moment, he tries to speak without too much worry lacing his words. He fails. ]
Would you be safe?
[ They may refer to their Grisha as 'blessed', but even Matthias knows that may not mean much. ]
[ Her tone is rueful. There's truly no place for Grisha that's fully safe. In Fjerda, they're burned. In Shu Han, they're experimented upon. In Kerch, they're indentured servants. Even in Ravka, they are at the whim of the greedy, incompetent Tsar just as much as the Darkling is.
She hopes their destination will be different. It's easier to hide as a Corporalnik than Etheralnik. Her small science is much more subtle. She takes his hand and brings it to her lips for a kiss. ]
We'll take care of each other. We're safer together.
[ Watching her handle his hand, he exhales roughly through his nose and dissipates most of the tension lining his shoulders. He'll have to make sure that she's safe. Like how he'd kept his ears peeled for news of Grisha nearby, he'll need to do so for witch hunters and those who wouldn't take kindly to her.
Novyi Zem needs to be different. He hopes for it to be different.
He squeezes her hand before bowing toward her, a small smile playing on his lips. ]
I won't let anything happen to you again.
[ It's something he wishes to make up for. Being beneath Brum's thumb and Fjerda's hate is something Matthias knows he'll spend the rest of his life making up for. ]
[ Nina wouldn't have it any other way. She's always thought the Grisha were her family. Perhaps they still are, but in a distant sort of way.
Matthias is her family now. She'll protect him against everyone and everything. He is hers just as she is his. They've given up everything for one another. ]
I hope you don't regret it.
[ She says it quietly. It's a fear she has. Walking away from his country and people and his religion that's so ingrained into the thread of his being can't be easy. He's not free spirited like she is. She's afraid he'll wake up one day and realize she's not worth it. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-08-19 06:30 pm (UTC)[ 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. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-08-20 10:22 am (UTC)[ 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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Date: 2023-08-20 11:34 pm (UTC)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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Date: 2023-08-21 06:07 am (UTC)[ 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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Date: 2023-08-21 11:45 am (UTC)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. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-08-23 10:13 am (UTC)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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Date: 2023-08-23 08:18 pm (UTC)[ 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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Date: 2023-08-23 10:41 pm (UTC)[ 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. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-08-24 07:04 pm (UTC)[ 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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Date: 2023-09-02 10:28 am (UTC)[ 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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Date: 2023-09-03 01:16 am (UTC)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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Date: 2023-09-03 10:01 am (UTC)[ It's lame. It's corny. It's everything Matthias never would say. But perhaps that's not right—that's what the old Matthias wouldn't say, the man who was born and bred to be a soldier, not a partner, not a person.
He dips her low, his hands steady against her back, never once letting her slip or daring to tease her with it. When he draws her back up, he pulls her toward her so she's almost against his chest. ]
Should we try and claim a bed before all of them are gone? My wife deserves a thin hammock than to sleep sitting up on a rickety barrel.
[ And maybe he's warming up to the idea of some heavy petting. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-09-04 02:00 am (UTC)Can a hammock support all of your heavy muscle, my love? I worry we'll collapse in the middle of the night.
[ One of the crew, the Shu woman, approaches them. There's an amused smile on her lips. ]
The captain has offered you private accommodations for extra coin if you'd like. It's small, but considering you two are newlywed, well. The Captain is a romantic at heart.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-04 10:06 am (UTC)He tucks a hand into one of his pockets, knowing that he has little in it save for what they managed to find along their trek into Ravka. He nudges her with his elbow, wanting her to hold out her palm. ]
What do you think, my love? [ He murmurs it, finding he doesn't have to try very hard at playing the newlywed. ] Start our honeymoon today?
[ He ignores how hot he is beneath his shirt. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-09-04 10:17 pm (UTC)We'll take it? Do you mind showing us to it?
[ She pats her beloved's chest with a teasing grin. ]
This one burns under the sun. We can't keep him out here too long.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-07 10:08 am (UTC)She tells lies.
[ The woman merely smiles, perhaps used to displays such as this. She accepts the coins happily and turns effortlessly on her foot before gliding along the deck to where the private accomodations are.
Matthias grasps Nina's hand, not wishing to get lost in the thin sea of people. While he'd been delegated the role of kicking, it was Nina how truly kept them afloat in the cold True Sea.
Leaning toward her, he murmurs, ] I hope no one will be offended we take it.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-07 05:20 pm (UTC)She quietly memorized all the paths and exits. She chuckles up at her husband. She doesn't answer because soon they stop at a door. The woman opens it to reveal the modest room with a single bed. ]
You have our deepest thanks. [ Nina gives her a beautiful curtsy and steps into the room. She doesn't release a breath until the foot closes behind him. ]
If they are, I'll know it. Hard for heartbeats to lie.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-08 04:51 am (UTC)Matthias doesn't let go of her hand as he takes in the room. It's smaller than the room at the inn (which isn't a surprise), and it bobs with the water (which isn't a surprise), but it seems cozy, a little escape from the rest of the madness on the ship. A wooden table sits beside the bed, and the oil lamp glows brightly. There's a small window where the ocean spray spits against the glass. ]
What do you think? Are you suspicious about why they gave us this room?
[ The drüskelle drummed it into him to always be paranoid. Brum, for his confidence, was a man with a deeply buried paranoia. You could never tell who was Grisha by looking at them, not unless they wore one of those pieces of jewellery that indicated them more powerful than the rest. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-09-09 12:26 am (UTC)A little, but not enough to refuse. There's Grisha on this ship too, so I doubt they're discriminatory. Greed though, that's the real motivator for most people.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-09 09:10 am (UTC)Dropping down beside her, he doesn't try and keep any distance between them like he would if they were still in Ravka. His thigh rests against hers. ]
Hm.
[ Matthias sighs, back slouching, and looks ahead. ]
We should probably enjoy it, especially if we stay in Novyi Zem for a long time.
[ They'll only be able to pretend to be newlyweds for so long, especially if Novyi Zed happens to be the city for them to settle in. He hopes it is. Matthias knows he was never really meant for travelling all over the world, not even as a Grisha hunter .
He lifts the corner of his mouth up in an attempt to not appear too obvious that he's smiling. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-09-10 10:44 pm (UTC)Nina leans against her big wolf. She's tired, but she's content. The sway of the ship speaks of the freedom they're heading towards. ]
I quite enjoy being your little wife.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-23 11:56 am (UTC)He doesn't shift away from her when she leans her weight against him. He takes comfort in it, liking that she's still there, a constant, warm reminder that he's not alone in the aftermath of all of this. They may be back on a ship, but she's not in shackles, and he's not walking away from her.
Weighing his words, he furrows his brows, and after a noticeable moment, he tries to speak without too much worry lacing his words. He fails. ]
Would you be safe?
[ They may refer to their Grisha as 'blessed', but even Matthias knows that may not mean much. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-09-24 02:52 am (UTC)[ Her tone is rueful. There's truly no place for Grisha that's fully safe. In Fjerda, they're burned. In Shu Han, they're experimented upon. In Kerch, they're indentured servants. Even in Ravka, they are at the whim of the greedy, incompetent Tsar just as much as the Darkling is.
She hopes their destination will be different. It's easier to hide as a Corporalnik than Etheralnik. Her small science is much more subtle. She takes his hand and brings it to her lips for a kiss. ]
We'll take care of each other. We're safer together.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-24 09:32 am (UTC)Novyi Zem needs to be different. He hopes for it to be different.
He squeezes her hand before bowing toward her, a small smile playing on his lips. ]
I won't let anything happen to you again.
[ It's something he wishes to make up for. Being beneath Brum's thumb and Fjerda's hate is something Matthias knows he'll spend the rest of his life making up for. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-09-27 03:24 pm (UTC)[ Nina wouldn't have it any other way. She's always thought the Grisha were her family. Perhaps they still are, but in a distant sort of way.
Matthias is her family now. She'll protect him against everyone and everything. He is hers just as she is his. They've given up everything for one another. ]
I hope you don't regret it.
[ She says it quietly. It's a fear she has. Walking away from his country and people and his religion that's so ingrained into the thread of his being can't be easy. He's not free spirited like she is. She's afraid he'll wake up one day and realize she's not worth it. ]
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