t(-.-t) (the_warden) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-04-18 15:42:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, maia amell (the warden), morrigan |
“I’m glad you both enjoyed the show.”
Who: Maia and Morrigan
What: A date!
When: 4/7
Where: A ballet theater and then out in the wilderness somewhere
Rating: PG-13
status: complete
Maia eventually settled on a dress with a low neckline, black but with a but of a flower pattern along part of the neckline. She’d put her hair back into a loose braid and spent far too long in front of the mirror. During her Uni days she’d mastered the art of quick make-up, but that was then and this was now.
Still, they couldn’t be late for the show. It was ballet, a version of Romeo and Juliet.but with an all female cast.
And after the show, well she had plans and she hoped that it was the right kind of show for them and that the evening went well. After all they’d seen each other naked in the dreams. Just not here, and Maia didn’t know if they should make that leap yet.
Oh she wanted it, but should they?
Anyway. Running late. Drive!
Despite having a closet with suitable enough dresses for the theatre, Morrigan had gone out and bought a new dress. She had the odd need to impress Maia. Not that she needed to, Morrigan felt like she needed to put in the effort. Though that was undoubtedly the vain streak in her talking, but she always listened to it. So she started getting ready a good couple hours before she needed to leave, taking the time to ensure her make-up was just right. Her dress was a standard black dress with a low neckline and some faux-jewel accent along the side. Morrigan left her hair long, styling it so there was a gentle and elegant wave to it.
Once she finally deemed herself ready, she headed off, successfully getting out of the house without getting cat hair on her new dress. That in and of itself made the night a win.
Speaking of, she was more than a little nervous after that dream she’d had. She’d already seen Maia naked, but they hadn’t gotten that close to doing that here. They’d pretty much made out before Morrigan had dropped the Old God baby bombshell on Maia. So now Morrigan didn’t quite know what to do here. So it was breathing and finding a parking spot, then looking for Maia.
It was a nice dress. Maia caught herself staring at Morrigan as she got out of the car, her mouth a little dry. Making out, pressing her to the car, sliding a hand under that dress…
She snapped herself out of it and approached, all a bundle of nerves. “You look amazing.”
Maia congratulated herself on not stumbling over her words.
Running her gaze over Maia, it was difficult to keep her hands to herself. Yes, Morrigan wanted to pull Maia close, trailing her purple-painted nails over her skin. But she caught herself and attempted to maintain more decorum than she wanted to.
“As do you,” she responded, managing to maintain an even tone to her voice.
It would be too easy, Maia thought she could simply lean in and kiss her and they’d both quickly come undone. Instead, she took Morrigan’s hand to quell the need to touch her. It didn’t really help but she didn’t really let go either. She just needed to make it to the second part of the night. Not that she expected anything. But one could hope.
“Its ballet, I hope that’s okay with you.”
As Maia took her hand, Morrigan could swear her heartbeat sped up a bit. While the skin-to-skin contact was doing little to help with her feelings, she managed to only keep it to holding Maia’s hand.
“That is perfectly fine with me. It has been a while since I last saw a ballet.” She had an appreciation for the fine arts. And Maia was one of them.
Was Morrigan looking giddy? Maia thought maybe she was just seeing things. But her fingers tightened around Morrigan’s hand as she led the way into the theater. “I haven’t seen a ballet in years. Not since I was in secondary school, actually. But this one gets good reviews. It’s a bit of a lesbian retelling of a classic.”
Maia wasn’t seeing things at all. Morrigan was on the giddy side of things. However, she was trying to keep herself calm and collected as they made their way into the theatre. Looking at Maia, she arched her eyebrows a bit. “A lesbian retelling of a classic? Now that is a point of interest.” And also made her wonder if Maia purposely chose this show just because of the lesbian fact. And then she was wondering if Maia was trying to subtly highlight that rather eventful dream of theirs with this sort of subliminal message.
Though it was entirely possible that Morrigan was simply reading too much into it all.
The dream hadn’t actually been a reason for this show. She’d wanted something a little sapphic mostly because it had seemed like a good idea at the time and she’d feel more comfortable with Morrigan at that kind of show. Who wanted to see a Romeo with another woman when you could see a Romea. “That’s what I thought. Romea and Juliet.”
“Romea and Juliet has a better ring to it than Romeo and Juliet.” Of course, Shakespeare was probably uncertain if he should roll over in his grave or not in response to this. At the very least, Morrigan would be interested in seeing if they changed anything about the story with an all female cast. And regardless of anything, she was going to be watching it while sitting next to Maia. And that was the entire point of the evening, experiencing things with Maia.
Maia hoped the teens were a little less stupid but honestly she was a teenager once and hormones knew no gender. She brandished her tickets, and they were shown to their seats by an usher. “This is kind of exciting.”
Morrigan would argue that not all teens bowed to their hormones, speaking from personal experience. But Morrigan wasn’t exactly like most other people, a fact she’d known from a young age. Once seated, Morrigan glanced around at the theatre, then looked back to Maia with a smile. “Indeed it is. These are excellent seats, I must say.”
“Mm…” Maia totally pulled off the fake yawn and stretch to get her arm around Morrigan. “I think we can order some wine before the show. Would you like some?” One glass shouldn’t be a problem. She was more drunk on the way Morrigan’s hair had little tufts and curls at her ears.
Whether or not Morrigan knew that it had been a fake yawn and stretch move, she didn’t say anything about it. She did like Maia’s arm around her, she had to say. “I would, yes. Might be nice to sip on during the performance.”
“Right then.” Maia signaled a server, because this was that kind of theater, and ordered them some wine. “Could you imagine if dream us could see us now?” The Warden would probably find it hilarious. And perhaps be a little jealous. But then, Maia was jealous of her dream self too.
Morrigan had to chuckle a bit. “I do not think my dream self would fully understand what we are currently doing.” Which was something Morrigan had in common with her dream self. She wasn’t entirely certain what this was beyond a date. Did this mean they were actually together-together? Or were they still technically single? Morrigan decided to not think about the confusing aspects of this and just took things as they came for the time being.
That was a question to be answered later. If Maia could gin up the nerve she might actually ask. Were they or weren’t they? Will they or won’t they? Hopefully her picnic supplies would be there when they got there or this might get awkward.
Drink in hand, Maia wet her palette. “I suspect the concept of dating would be foreign in Thedas.”
Sometimes Morrigan did resent her lack of interactions with people so that she could better identify what was happening. But that was besides the point currently. She didn’t want to ruin the evening with her constant wondering distracting her from just enjoying being with Maia.
“I rather think it would be foreign there. The closest they could get to it would be courting.”
“Now that would be interesting. I’m afraid that wasn’t something I was taught much of in the Circle.” Because a mage wouldn’t be expected to court or be courted, of course. Who needed romance when a templar could take what they wanted?
“I was not taught it either, it was something I tended to observe and read about in my studies.” Flemeth certainly wasn’t the type to have been courted. And, honestly, Morrigan wasn’t the type to be courted either.
Maia smiled at her. “The mirror could be kind of a courting gift. At least depending on your outlook on it.” She had only half-intended it that way, mostly she’d wanted to give Morrigan something to make her happy, with no expectation of reward. Especially not the one she’d actually gotten.
“It could be, yes,” Morrigan said with a smile as she looked at Maia. “I did not tell you, but when I woke up from that dream, the mirror was on my bedside table.” And it was now something that Morrigan cherished and kept safely in her bathroom. It was safe from her cats accidentally knocking it over or anything of the sort.
“..really?” Maia perked up at that. It made her feel better that Morrigan had gotten something like that. It seemed so mundane, but was still important. You couldn’t put a price on the personal.
She took Morrigan’s hand and kissed it. “I have no regrets in finding you that mirror.”
Morrigan wasn’t the blushing type, but she was a little flustered when Maia kissed her hand. She did smile, though. “I am impressed that you found such a mirror. And very touched. I did not expect any gifts.”
“Perhaps I’ll surprise you some time,” Maia teased. Like later that night. If supplies were in place when they got there. (She might be a little worried about that). “Have I told you how lovely you look yet?”
“Who am I to say no to such a generous offer from a beautiful woman?” Morrigan responded to the teasing, though the compliment was a serious one. Considering Morrigan rarely gave such compliments to anyone, but Maia seemed to gain several of them from her. “Not since we first arrived.” Now it was Morrigan’s turn to tease.
Turning red, Maia ducked her head and actually giggled. She was so rarely thrown off by flirting but Morrigan always managed to make her lose it a little bit. “Well then I’ll have to make up for it. Because you are astonishingly fetching.”
Morrigan wasn’t quite at the giggling stage yet, but she would get there in time. For now, she simply smiled and was amused that she could make Maia turn red. “Thank you, that was the effect I was going for.” Because playing into her vanity was an excellent thing to do.
Shushing her with a quick, daring kiss, Maia settled back as the show started. She was instantly enchanted by the dancers, and found Romea to be particularly of interest. It brought something new to the tragedy, the star crossed lovers at odds not just for family but against society itself. It made the forbidden love aspect a little more modernized.
Daring though the kiss may have been, Morrigan didn’t dislike it. However, once the show started, she settled in and quickly found herself enjoying this new take on Romeo and Juliet. It certainly spoke to a modern audience, and it was a message that Morrigan enjoyed. Sometimes adaptations that diverted from the original stories were terrible. But this? This was a good one.
It was good enough that Maia wasn’t too distracted by the woman next to her, or the way her legs looked in that dress. She leaned against her, and at some point realized she had her cheek in Morrigan’s hair. And Morrigan smelled really good. “This is really good,” she whispered.
Morrigan certainly was paying more attention to the performance. Though she was becoming more aware that Maia was leaning against her. And she was fairly certain Maia’s cheek was in her hair. In fact, she’d started leaning back into Maia. “Yes, it is,” she whispered back.
Smiling, the Warden nuzzled lightly. She was a little warm and fuzzy from the wine and Morrigan’s proximity, and the dancers on stage were evoking a lot of emotion in her. She wondered if Morrigan would have an emotion too. That would be really nice, Maia thought.
There was definitely an emotion happening. Though Morrigan couldn’t quite define what that emotion was, but she was having it. There was a tingly sensation upon Maia nuzzling her a bit. She was relaxing a little, thanks to the wine. Taking a breath, she gently leaned her head against Maia’s a bit. It just felt right.
The show ended, as it often did, in tragedy, with Juliet splayed across her Romea. Maia found it more tragic than the traditional version, perhaps because the reality was more common in this modern world than in Shakespeare’s day, or even in Thedas. Though she was sure there was at least one similar story somewhere in the Circle library.
Her finger lazily trailed a circle around Morrigan’s shoulder, and she was loathe to move just yet.
The ending did stir something in Morrigan far more than the original tale ever did. The simple fact that Romeo had become Romea changed a lot of the dynamics. While one could potentially see Romea and Juliet still as hormonal teenagers, it also spoke to a truth about society that rarely was addressed the way it needed to be. And that moved Morrigan’s heart much like the way Maia’s finger traced a circle on her shoulder and the way she was close to her did. Though the latter moved her heart in a very different direction.
Morrigan was also quite honestly speechless for the moment and quite comfortable where she was.
Maia had to resist the urge to kiss her, even as the lights returned and the troupe came on stage for bows. She retrieved her arm from around Morrigan to give proper applause. They’d definitely earned it! “That was beautiful!”
And it was already by far the most romantic date Maia had ever taken someone on and she didn’t know what to do about that.
Morrigan also applauded, not sparing any enthusiasm. The performance had indeed been a good one, and she showed her appreciation. “I agree. Splendid!”
This was also the most romantic date Morrigan had ever been on, but she wasn’t thinking about that right now. No, she was more caught up in applauding the performance they had just witnessed as well as the swarm of emotions that came from it.
Grinning, Maia joined in the standing ovation. She glanced over at Morrigan, her grin only widening. She might have teared up a little bit towards the end and still felt incredibly emotional. But seeing that it had affected Morrigan, that she was happy and emotional, it made Maia’s heart clench. “I’m glad you enjoyed it…”
Morrigan was joining in the standing ovation as well. For someone who was always so very calm, collected and very difficult to read in what she was feeling, she was being very open and showing how she felt currently. It was uncanny just how tightly Morrigan held her emotions both here and in the dreams. But right now, she’d let go and was letting herself express her feelings.
“I am glad you asked me to come,” she responded, smiling at Maia.
It was a lovely sight. Maia fell harder just because of it. She wet her lips, and offered her hand. “Want to see if we can meet the dancers? We’ve got a bit of time before we should get going for dinner anyway.”
Even if she was starving.
“I would like that.” She took Maia’s hand. And she couldn’t quite understand how or why she was suddenly so emotionally free. It was weird to her. In fact, it almost felt wrong to not be so in control of herself. And yet she couldn’t even bring herself to do anything about it right then.
Maia nodded, and led Morrigan out of the theater. As she’d hoped, some of the troupe was mingling with guests. She didn’t know how they had the energy after the show. But she wasn’t going to complain. She was probably going to embarrass Morrigan by gushing all over the two leads.
It was curious how the performers had the energy to mingle with people shortly after completing a show. Especially one with such a demand of energy as the one they had just performed. She was also completely unaware that Maia might embarrass her, though she should probably know better.
Aaaand Maia gushed. She had such an appreciation about the show and ballet in general, and the ladies performance. Romea in particular had had such a stressful role, one typically reserved for a man, and had the muscles to prove it. Really, if Maia had come alone and wasn’t trying to pursue Morrigan she probably would have flirted.
As it was, she probably flirted a little.
While Maia gushed, and possibly flirted a bit, Morrigan gave praise, though not in excess. The dancers were all quite skilled, and the fact they managed to change such a well known story and it so gracefully? That was awe-inspiring. Morrigan wasn’t a know-it-all when it came to ballet, but she knew enough to know the performers were at the top of their art.
Even if Maia flirted with the ballerinas, she remained too enraptured by her date to really seriously flirt. “It was really lovely meeting you.”
‘Romea’ smiled at her. “I’m glad you both enjoyed the show.”
“You could say it really spoke to us.”
“Yes, it did. I believe it is something many people need to see and experience.” Morrigan could go into a long-winded rant speech about why more people should see this, but she managed to hold it in. After all, they were probably already aware of the reasons why it was poignant and people needed to see it.
“Good,” ‘Juliet’ smiled at them. “That makes me glad.”
Maia eventually led Morrigan away before she embarrassed them further. “I really think we need to get more people to see this show.” She hooked her arm through Morrigan’s. She wondered if this version of their families truly understood the tragedy. Or if there were people out there who wouldn’t understand it. Probably the kind of people enacting such tragedies in the real world.
“I agree, it is certainly worth seeing.” For all of Flemeth’s faults and Morrigan’s ire towards her, she had to think that her mother would actually understand what this version of the story was telling. Flemeth had actually been okay with the fact Morrigan liked women and men both. While not everyone would understand the message, quite a few people would. And there were some people who needed to see it.
It didn't seem appropriate to leave without sharing at least one kiss. Maia put her hand on Morrigan's cheek and snuck a quick, almost chaste peck on her lips. "I think we should make a habit of attending their shows, don't you?"
Like a tradition, just for them. It was romantic and Maia hoped Morrigan liked the idea.
She returned the kiss, not minding it at all. Morrigan never minded kissing Maia. “I do indeed. I am more than intrigued to see more productions of theirs.” And to see what other stories they may turn on their heads in this way. There was a passing thought of Hades and Persephone, but Morrigan would just wait and see what the future would hold there.
It was tempting to kiss her again and then never stop. Maia felt as though it were this special thing she wasn't supposed to have. Like Morrigan would slip out of her grasp, never to return.
"I think they have a season pass, I'll look into it."
She opened the door to the car for Morrigan, hand sliding down her back.
In the dreams, yes Morrigan would slip out of her grasp. But they both had duties there that would eventually pull them apart, and Morrigan was set on keeping the pain to a minimum. Here, though, was a different story. One that was pretty much the opposite of the dreams.
“Ah, excellent. We would make excellent use of that.” Feeling Maia’s hand slide down her back, Morrigan shivered slightly before she got into the car. “Where to now?”
Too bad for Morrigan that Maia was stubborn. It would probably end up making the pain worse. At least it felt like another chance in this life. She got into the car as well, then glanced at Morrigan. "I promised you a romantic picnic and an evening under the stars, did I now?" There was an impish gleam to her eyes. "I'm going to deliver."
Morrigan would probably wonder why Maia wanted her when there were plenty of other people that were better than her that wouldn’t hurt her. In fact, that was something she wondered even in this life. She wasn’t that nice of a person unless she liked someone, which was rare. But she wasn’t going to bring that up just yet. She blinked at Maia, a bit taken aback. She hadn’t expected that to be followed through on.
“Well then, far be it from me to hold up heading to the picnic.” She said with a smile. And, well, Morrigan was also hungry.
The heart wanted what the heart wanted and Maia couldn't really explain it except that Morrigan was special and she'd fallen for her, and hard.
Maia tuned the radio to something light and classical and started them on the drive, hoping her contact had left the basket in time, and not too early. It should keep cool long enough but you never knew.
It was a good thirty minute drive out of the city until she found the secluded little over look she'd spent a full week hunting for. And to top it off, it was a full moon. She parked, and got out.
During the drive, Morrigan listened to the music, though her mind started to race a bit. The swell of emotions from the performance were fading, and she was now starting to focus more on Maia again. This was falling so far outside of her realm of knowing how to deal with things it wasn’t even funny. And Maia had a picnic for them under the stars.
When they reached their destination, Morrigan got out of the car and looked around. She then looked up at the moon, then back to Maia. “You certainly chose an excellent spot.”
“I like the view,” she said, looking at Morrigan rather than the vista. Their spot over looked a tree-filled valley with a stream running through it. She tried to resist the urge to come over to Morrigan, to thread an arm around her waist. She failed. “I like the view a lot.”
And then Maia was being smooth, and Morrigan started to feel flustered. Especially as Maia came over and slid an arm around her. “I like the view as well.” Her gaze was also on Maia and she was trying to not be so flustered. But it was intensely difficult, especially when Maia was this close to her. She did slide an arm around Maia as well.
Was Morrigan flustered? Maia thought so, and while she inwardly flailed a little, she was in too deep to stop now. Her hand slid across Morrigan’s hip and she momentarily forgot there was a basket of delicious goodies and wine hidden nearby. With a blanket to sit on, of course. Really, all she could focus on was Morrigan’s eyes and the way she smelled.
Morrigan was definitely getting flustered. To the point where she was now starting to not trust herself to speak clearly. In fact, she was certain she couldn’t speak much at the moment. Not with Maia’s hand on her hip and the way Maia’s scent was filling her nose. She was finding her to be rather intoxicating at the moment. More intoxicating than any alcoholic drink could ever be.
She felt drunk, the moonlight in Morrigan’s hair and shining on her skin. Maia swallowed, her lip wavering before she leaned in. Maia hesitated for a moment, close enough to taste Morrigan’s breath and feel it’s heat. “Morrigan…”
When Maia leaned in, Morrigan’s heart started pounding in her chest. She wondered if Maia could hear it. Now she had no idea what to do about the way she felt. Especially when Maia said her name like that it was almost like all logic was quickly deserting her. “Maia…” She managed to respond in a heated whisper. And then she couldn’t stand it any longer and she closed the remaining distance between their lips and kissed her.
They’d kissed before. Made out even. But this felt different. This went down into Maia’s chest and gripped her heart and squeezed. It felt different from the dreams too. In the dreams it had been the kind of thing two people did when they didn’t know if they were going to survive the next few months. Here, that pressure didn’t exist. There was only Morrigan against her and the soft breeze beneath a starry sky.
She broke the kiss, reluctantly, “We should...eat.”
This was the sort of kiss that truly unmasked Morrigan. Or at least that’s how she felt. It went straight through her, and she felt as open and vulnerable as she had that night in camp in the dreams. The night she and Maia had spent together. But this had a different underlying sense to it. There was nothing threatening their lives here the way the Blight and all the other fighting along the way did in the dreams.
When the kiss broke, Morrigan was left a bit breathless. “Yes, possibly.” She managed to respond.
Maia laughed, light and airy, then guided Morrigan over to a clearing. She let go to pull out the basket and a cooler. There was a heavy blanket in the basket, one large enough to lay out on and roll up together if necessary. Maia tried to ignore that thought as she spread out the blanket. “Would you believe we’re having duck?”
“Duck? Did you hunt it yourself?” It was meant teasingly. Though Morrigan had to wonder what little fairy dropped the food and such here because Maia clearly hadn’t done it herself. Unless she’d dropped it off before the show.
“Not a bad idea,” Maia replied, spreading the blanket out and positioning the basket and cooler nearby. She had a little tray at the bottom of the basket for them to place their drinks in. There was wine in the cooler, as well as a nice dessert for after. Assuming she could survive that long. She felt suddenly and inexplicably shy as she took Morrigan’s hand to guide her onto the blanket.
This felt like it was getting serious. A picnic under the stars. It was romantic, if Morrigan actually let herself use that word. Romance was a foreign subject to her, but she was fairly certain, based on things she’d read, that this was a romance. Or at least the beginning of a romance. What were the expectations for a night like this? Morrigan didn’t know and it was sort of driving her a bit crazy, so she tried to push the thoughts aside as she moved onto the blanket and sat down.
“You certainly came prepared,” she commented, settling for a neutral-ish topic of conversation.
“A lady does try.” Maia sat next to Morrigan, and pulled out a few containers. They were aluminum and thankfully still warm. Lukewarm or cold duck would have been a little disappointing. Out there alone with her, it was a little strange. It felt private, like there was no one else in the world. She poured some wine, and then sipped from her glass and watched Morrigan. A grin passed over her face and she giggled. “This is kind of nice.”
It was definitely strange to be in a place like this and not have the likes of Alistair, Leliana, Zevran, Sten and so forth around the same area as well. But Morrigan didn’t dislike it. Quite the contrary, really. Even if it made her feel flustered and uncertain of what could potentially come out of her mouth. “Only kind of nice?” She queried with arched eyebrows. “I would say it is nice.”
"It's nice, then," Maia laughed again, then covered up her nerves by taking a too long swig of her wine. Bugger, but she didn't know what she was doing. And she usually knew what she was doing but those people didn't count. They weren't people she was interested in for anything more than a quick shag. Morrigan wasn't a quick shag.
Maia put a hand on her leg. "Very nice. Exceptionally so, even. I'm...really happy you came."
Morrigan seriously hoped she was more than just a quick shag. If that was all she was, then she wanted no part of it. But that wasn’t the feeling she was getting from Maia, so that was certainly a good thing. She sipped her wine and looked at Maia, suddenly feeling some nerves getting to her.
“I am very happy you asked me to come.” She liked spending time with Maia. Even if it was currently driving her up a wall because she felt rather undone and conflicted because of all the emotions she was feeling.
Maia wouldn’t have stopped them that day at Morrigan’s if it was just a quick shag. She felt suddenly nervous. Again. “There’s something I want to ask you. Feel free to ignore it, or splash your wine in my face. But are we a thing? Can we be a thing? Friends, who are girls, in a romantic entanglement?”
Whew, Maia was proud of herself for getting that out! She hoped Morrigan didn’t freeze up. Or throw wine at her.
And then Maia came out and asked the question. Now it was Morrigan’s turn to be nervous. She definitely liked Maia. She was even developing quite the attraction to her. But the question was a large one, and Morrigan couldn’t help but fear that she wouldn’t be good enough for Maia. It was frightful and she took a drink of her wine.
“I would like us to be a thing, yes.” Go for the blunt response. And better yet, there was no splashing wine in Maia’s face. There was no spilling of wine in general, either.
Maia realized that her hand was shaking, her wine swishing around a bit in the glass. She forced it to still as Morrigan’s words sank in. She beamed brilliantly. “Oh. That’s.. Yes!”
If they weren’t holding food and wine she would have launched herself and hugged Morrigan. As it was she reached over and squeezed her hand. Maia felt suddenly emotional. They were a thing. Which was a technical term. She finished her wine, and pulled her legs up to hug them and gaze at Morrigan. “I’d throw a fireball in celebration but I don’t want to start a fire.”
What was she doing? Morrigan didn’t know anymore, and it was a little vexing at how Maia could throw her so off-kilter. But here she was, getting into a relationship. Oh Maker, she had a girlfriend. It made her equal parts freaked out and happy. Because clearly Maia liked her back.
She smiled an actual, wide and brilliant smile. She’d worry about implications later. Right now, she was simply wishing to focus on the happy side of things. At the fireball comment, Morrigan lifted a hand and concentrated before a small ball of flame appeared floating above her hand. “Will this suffice?” She asked, the smile still on her face. Clearly someone had been practicing with her magic.
Vexing, Maia liked being vexing, especially to someone so beautiful and stand-offish as Morrigan. She could admit that that had been part of it at first, a desire to see such a person undone and out of control. But it had certainly evolved into much more.
“That suffices.” Maia laughed, drinking in the brilliance of Morrigan’s smile. She wanted to be all over her. But she was also nervous. “How’s the duck, love?”
Closing her fist, the fire extinguished itself. Best to not start a fire when they were having a picnic. And perhaps she was also showing off a little bit. Morrigan had been jealous of Maia getting her magic, despite the fact she’d set her curtains on fire, but that was something else entirely.
“It is quite wonderful. It has been some time since I have had it.” She said with a smile. “You made an excellent choice.”
It was exciting, Morrigan having her magic. Maia wondered if she could shapeshift yet. She wanted to learn. “Thank you. I wanted something a little unusual for us. And wait until you see dessert.” She dabbed her mouth with a napkin and shifted positions a little. Conveniently it brought them closer together.
“That sounds as though dessert is something out of this world.” Morrigan said as she ate some more. As Maia shifted closer, Morrigan eyed her a bit. She felt her pulse quicken a little at the simple act.
“Depends on which dessert you’re talking about,” Maia winked, licking her lips and running a finger along Morrigan’s knee. There was exposed skin there, and she shivered as she did so. “Though I hope you like decedent things.”
And then Morrigan was back to being flustered. But she didn’t pull away from Maia’s touch. It was entirely strange how she had seen Maia naked in her dreams and yet she was extremely flustered here. It was kind of unfair. “I do enjoy decedent things.”
"I've got these cupcakes, with fudge filling and cream cheese frosting. They're very rich. There's also a couple crem brulee cheesecake bars that looked really good." She'd had a hard time not just buying the whole place up, but most of her budget had gone to duck.
"What do you want to start with?" Her hand was still on Morrigan's leg. She didn't want to move it, ever.
Oh Maker, those cupcakes sounded delicious, but so did the creme brulee cheesecake bars. It was a difficult choice for where to start. “I believe the cupcakes, though that was a very difficult decision.” The bars could be had later at any rate.
And she certainly still wasn’t minding Maia’s hand on her leg. It was making her pulse race a bit more, if she were honest.
“Good choice.” Maia reached into the basket and pulled out one cupcake. She held it aloft for Morrigan to inspect, then offered it up for her to take a bite. All without letting Morrigan actually take it from her. “Tell me how it is?”
Of course as Maia held it for her, Morrigan had to chuckle a bit. She then leaned in and took a bite of the cupcake. It was a slow, somewhat drawn-out action, doing it on purpose of course, then she sat back a little and ate it slowly, a yummy sound coming from her.
“It is positively amazing,” she said. And, of course, there was some bit of the fudge filling and cream cheese frosting on her lips and chin.
Maia watched closely, feeling her stomach do flips as Morrigan slowly took a bite. She grinned stupidly at the yum sound and practically beamed. Quickly, before Morrigan noticed, she reached out with her finger to swipe some of the cupcake remains and then seductively licked her finger clean.
She watched Maia as she seductively licked her finger clean, and she swallowed a bit, feeling her stomach tighten a bit in response to that. Morrigan used a napkin to wipe the rest of the remains away from her mouth. “You made an excellent choice of dessert.”
“I honestly wasn’t sure, but I thought chocolate would be a safe bet. Assuming no allergies.” Oh wouldn’t that be horrendous. Maia blanched at the thought. “...there are no allergies right?”
“There is an allergy, yes,” Morrigan said, pausing briefly before an impish grin crossed her face. “I am allergic to people. I have no food allergies that I know of.” Yes, she did briefly drag out Maia’s fright because she thought it was funny. But if she did have a food allergy, she would have either asked what was specifically in the cupcake or upfront told Maia about them. She also would not have just eaten anything without asking first.
Maia’s heart actually stopped for a moment before resuming it’s thunder. She thwapped Morrigan’ in the leg. “Jerk!” But that was okay, it was a good joke, and Maia had a counter that she hoped would make Morrigan blush. “If you’re allergic to people, however will you be able to sample me?”
Morrigan burst out into laughter at the thwap to her leg. It was very close to a belly laugh. Hey, she couldn’t help herself with the joke. Though at Maia’s counter, Morrigan didn’t blush, but she did falter for words for a moment. “Perhaps it is simply something I must try and see what follows.”
Oh, that was such a lovely laugh that Maia fell suddenly and stupidly in love with Morrigan. Oh, she was already well on the way there and their dreams hadn’t helped matters, but that laugh was a beautiful thing. “Well then, we’ll have to find you something to sample.”
“Yes, we shall,” she responded with a smile. Seriously, what was happening to her? Morrigan never laughed like that, and she certainly had never smiled so much in her life since she’d met Maia. This was most disconcerting, and yet she didn’t dislike it. Which was the most disconcerting part of it.
It was so charming that Maia was at a loss for words. She moved the trays aside, shifting onto her knees and turning towards Morrigan. “I can think of something,” she whispered, as she leaned in to kiss her.
Morrigan felt her breath catch as Maia leaned in to kiss her. And she leaned in, meeting Maia and kissing her. Again, she felt the proverbial sparks as she kissed her. There didn’t need to be literal sparks lest they start a fire all around them. But these ones were safe for the environment and Morrigan was starting to think they were dangerous to her health.
Literal sparks would mean a premature end to an enchanted night, and Maia wasn’t willing to test that. She brought her hand up to Morrigan’s cheek, deepening the kiss and clearly taking more of a lead here than she felt like she had in their dreams.
Maia could kiss Morrigan all night, though.
Morrigan didn’t mind Maia taking more of a lead here. She was still on the tentative side of things. But she did enjoy kissing Maia. And she could also keep this up all night. A hand came up and she pressed it against Maia’s cheek, fingers lightly brushing against the soft skin.
She moaned softly, a nervous sort of whispy sound. Morrigan was soft, yet hard in some places, and she was so eager to be pressed against her that she lost her balanced and flopped on top of Morrigan. She burst out laughing, but wasn’t inclined to move.
There was a squeaking noise as Maia flopped on top of her. She couldn’t help but to laugh a bit, looking at Maia. “Well well, what have we here?” She asked, quite possibly quoting herself from the dreams on purpose.
Grinning from ear to ear, Maia shook her head. “I’m not sure, why don’t we find out?” She leaned down, kissing her again. She rolled onto her side next to Morrigan, but didn’t break the kiss. And she kept grinning as she kissed her, giddiness filling every corner of her body so quickly that she might have giggled into the kiss.
Morrigan kissed her back. She may have been a mix of disappointed and relieved that Maia rolled off of her. The sensation of Maia being on top of her was both frightening and exhilarating. There was also a smile on her face as she tentatively set a hand on Maia’s side. Yes, this was nice. Entirely frightening and enough to make Morrigan’s heart pound in her chest, but it was still very nice.
“Ooh.” It was both a word and an attempt to breath, and somehow Maia’s smile just got wider. She moved one hand into Morrigan’s hair and nipped at her lip. Her other hand slid down Morrigan’s side until it reached her leg. She felt bare skin from the way the dress had fallen and felt suddenly dizzy.
Her breath caught as she felt Maia’s hand move to her leg. It sent a jolt through her, one that was both pleasant and startling. Her hand remained where it was on Maia’s side. She was a little afraid to move it anywhere else. While she definitely wasn’t a virgin, it had been a while since she was last in this position with anyone. Let alone feeling this attracted to someone.
If someone had called Maia a virgin she would have laughed in their faces. She enjoyed sex, frequently and with a variety of partners, though she hadn’t gotten out as much since coming back to the OC as she would have otherwise. But she was also more than willing to stick to just one person, if that person was the right person and she had come down with the feels for them.
And Morrigan was definitely someone she’d come down with the feels for. The texture and warmth of the skin on her leg sent a shiver running through her, and she slid her hand up a little higher, stroking it in a circle as she reached Morrigan’s hip. Her lips moved against Morrigan’s and her eyes were closed but she still said, “You’re so beautiful.”
This was probably going to be the death of Morrigan. Actually no, Maia in general was going to be the death of her. She was certain of it. Especially if she kept touching her skin like that. It was not something she was really used to feeling, and it felt like a system overload. More or less. Either way, she never pulled away from Maia or wanted her to really stop. She slid her hand up a bit higher on Maia’s side, being bold.
“As are you,” she responded in a lower tone of voice.
Another shiver ran through Maia’s body at the tone of Morrigan’s voice. She kissed her again, with more heat and an undercurrent of electricity. Her finger trailed lightly up Morrigan’s hip, stroking across her leg and over her thigh. Was she coming on too strong? Did she really care any more?
She wouldn’t say this was coming on too strong. But Morrigan would stop if she wasn’t comfortable. Though that dream flashed through her mind again and she wondered just how far she was willing to go. They’d seen each other naked in the dream, but would sex here be let down after that? Suddenly Morrigan found herself worrying that she’d be terrible at it and Maia would change her mind on wanting a relationship with her.
Nevertheless, she kissed her back, matching the heat and feeling desire spreading throughout her body.
There were some advantages. Better access to shaving kits and generally a much cleaner lifestyle. Though making love to Morrigan in a fancy bed was a high priority, seducing her out here had felt apropos. Not that Maia was seducing her. Okay Maia had been trying to seduce her.
Her hands started to wander. She pulled her head away, looking down at Morrigan with heavily lidded yet questioning eyes.
Morrigan had to say there was something apropos about being seduced out here in the wilderness under the stars. It mirrored their own encounter in the dreams. Mirrored the nights spent around the campfire by Morrigan’s tent, since she tended to remain apart from the group. And she had to say, she liked the feeling of Maia’s hands on her, yet it also felt strange as it had been a while since she last had been touched like this.
The temperature was definitely rising, or at least it was for Morrigan. As such when Maia looked at her with that silent question, Morrigan lifted a hand to Maia’s cheek and gently caressed it. “I like this,” she responded softly. “Though perhaps remaining clothed is how we should proceed.” As much as this setting may be apropos, Morrigan would prefer the privacy of a bedroom for naked times to happen. Or at the very least either of their homes.
Maia’s hand inched to a stop, and she swallowed as she applied mental breaks. She didn’t move away, but she did stop. She had to adjust gears. As badly as she wanted to peel that dress off of Morrigan she wanted it to be Special and for the timing to be good. If Morrigan didn’t want to strip in the woods, then the timing wasn’t good. “Okay.” She leaned into the hand on her cheek.
She hoped that Maia wasn’t disappointed by that, but Morrigan wasn’t quite ready to take that leap. It was big enough that she’d said yes to having a relationship. Morrigan needed time to settle into things, and perhaps shake the doubts about engaging in sex with Maia. “I do not mean to be a downer,” she said in apology, gently stroking Maia’s cheek.
“No, it’s fine,” Maia breathed. She felt like she’d run into a wall. One she should have expected, honestly, but in her eagerness she’d ignored it. She shifted, laying down next to Morrigan and threading an arm around her waist. “I’m a wee bit eager. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
The comment about Maia being eager made Morrigan feel a bit flustered. She had a slower approach to sex in this life than she seemed to have in the dreams. She took a couple breaths and shifted a little closer to Maia. “Thank you, I do appreciate that.” Even if she wondered if Maia would now want to play the waiting game with her on getting to that stage.
Sex and sex with emotions were … different. Even Maia could acknowledge that. She leaned in, resting her face against Morrigan’s neck. Even just breathing in her scent drove her to distraction. Why had it been easier to get her in bed in their dreams? Was Morrigan nervous? Somehow, despite how frustrating it was, it made her fall a little faster. “It’s okay.”
Nervous was an understatement, though it was perhaps also accurate to say that she was also a bit scared. And now not only was she scared that she wouldn’t live up to expectations the dreams seemed to outline for them having sex, she was also scared that putting off sex would drive Maia away. But this was also not exactly an area where Morrigan exuded confidence in herself. She slid her arms around Maia, settling into the embrace.
“I am quite enjoying the evening,” she said after some moments. It was the truth and she was also hoping to turn the subject a bit.
“Mm. It’s a rather lovely evening, isn’t it?” It was okay, Maia could still salvage this evening. Even if her skin still sang every time it touched Morrigan’s. But the holding was nice. It was very welcome, actually, as she started to cool down. Maia had an idle thought that it would be nice to just curl up in bed with Morrigan and hold her. Nothing else. Well a few kisses, maybe. “I don’t particularly want to move.”
“Nor do I. Though is that not part of the beauty of the evening, that we do not have to move until we wish to?” Or unless the weather suddenly turned or wildlife decided to impose upon them. But regardless of anything, this was nice. Morrigan liked this holding Maia, and just relaxing.
Closing her eyes, Maia snuggled in further. “We can stay like this then. As long as you’d like.”
A smile crossed Morrigan’s face and she also closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of holding Maia in her arms. “I would like that.”
I love you. The words were on the tip of Maia’s tongue, but they never came. Instead, she smiled against Morrigan’s throat. Whatever the dawn might bring, they at least had this.