Mia is used to traveling and being alone, so it’s a bit of a surprise to her that she is feeling lonely now, a mere day after arriving at the campsite. Growing this attached to someone she just met wasn’t something that usually happens to her either, and yet here she is, feeling lonely while wrapped up in a blanket next to the fireplace with a half read book in her lap.
“I hope you’ll manage to get out of there soon.” Her eyes move to the cocoon just a few meters away. “Though we aren’t exactly in a hurry either. No one comes down here, and this place is well warded.” She leans back against the wall behind her, shifting underneath the blanket.
The tunnels are mostly safe for her to travel, though only alone. The cocoon would take too much energy to move around with her. So she was stuck here, waiting for her companion to emerge again, with no idea how long that might take. She returns to reading her book, but gives up after a few minutes, her mind straying every few sentences.
Letting out a sigh, she stands up and stretches before walking over towards Ada. She places a hand onto the shell of her cocoon. The warmth flowing through it is steadily pulsing, a clear sign of life. “Hey there, I’ll move you a little closer to the fire where my bedroll is.” She waits for a response but gets none. Ada’s been unresponsive since shortly after they arrived, most likely unconscious while her body changes yet again.
Lifting the cocoon with her magic, she quickly moves it over. The proximity will allow her to keep a closer eye on it, ready to respond if anything changes. She of course knows that’s not really the reason why she’s moving it closer to her sleeping place though. She places it down before taking a small sip of water. “I’ll have to get some rest, I didn’t sleep last night.” She pulls her bedroll a bit closer so that she rests against the base of the cocoon.. Before undressing and slipping in, she reaches out and gently touches the shell. “Good night.” Her hand drops away as sleep takes her not long after.
The next day Mia wakes up with a slight start, nightmares having plagued her in her sleep causing her to forget where she is. Her eyes take in her surroundings before finally falling on the cocoon next to her. The magic she had readied fades as she remembers what happened, where she is. “Good morning Ada.” Her voice is soft and quiet, the loneliness not taking long to return. “I do hope you’re still in there.” She holds out her hand, and with a short bit of concentration, a box with a few prepared sandwiches drop into her lap. “I am not sure if you’re worrying about me, if you’re even conscious right now, but I’ve got food and water here, so take your time. Maybe I’ll read a story to you while I wait.” She quietly eats her breakfast, cleaning up by storing everything back in her ring, replacing the box with a relatively thick book.
She glances over at the fire, its flames are almost out now, merely providing a pittance of heat, enough for the moment, but the light is not enough to read by. She summons a few pieces of wood and feeds the flames, the light brightening the cave again as she leans back against Ada’s cocoon.
“Shall we get started? I think you’ll like it. The author was born after the Genesis. She and her wife actually don’t live all that far from here.” She opens the first page of the book, it’s one she has read plenty of times, and adores all the more for it. She begins, her voice picking up, and her own loneliness forgotten, as she reads the story of a dragon, so mighty and grand, and yet so lonely in her mountain; how she sets out to find a partner, and eventually finds herself in a fae queendom, the place where she meets the one she sought. Not a dragon as she had expected, but the princess of the fae.
Mia reads for many hours before the tiredness returns to her and her reading is interrupted by a long yawn, she closes the book about two thirds through. “Well, we’re not quite done yet, I hope you’re enjoying it.” She places the book down to the side and places her hand on the cocoon again. “You better be doing fine in there. Turns out this old lady took quite the liking to little you, so I’d be rather sad if you were to disappear again.” She smiles to herself as she settles down to sleep again. “Maybe I shouldn’t feel like this yet, but I am, and I’ll still be if you ever do too.” A small sigh escapes her as she drifts off. The only reason she’s being this open about her feelings is because she’s fairly certain that Ada can not hear her. Pushing them onto the woman while she is still adjusting would be uncalled for, though it won’t stop her from accompanying her either, or from deepening their relationship, just at Ada’s pace and not hers.
Darkness takes me as my tails finish their weaving. I can feel the magic move throughout and around me. It is changing me, but the burn from my nightmare… My memories are missing this time. Instead, it feels like a gentle embrace, suffusing me with warmth and a feeling of belonging. I feel something make contact with my new accommodations. Mia, most likely. She speaks to me, reaches out to me, and I want to hear, to understand, but I can not, not really, not as a human would, I merely sense her intent, her worry, and I respond to reassure her. The contact breaks not long after, and time loses its meaning to me.
My consciousness is in disarray, I am me and I am more, and yet I am not, I am becoming more, and so is my magic, I am connected to it in a way I had somewhat anticipated, but not entirely. I can feel it as if it were me, I feel it devour the magic I have consumed, analyze it in its own strange way, take the bits it… I want; and incorporate them to become more. And yet, it is not a fully conscious choice on my end, I realise after having made it, it is an instinct I maybe always had, and never knew, or it is one that has come with all the changes I have gone through, but it matters little, the magic works, and my consciousness observes.
The cocoon is a gentle place, a place of peace and quiet, of warmth and belonging. It is a place where I feel safe; at least, knowing that Mia is there to protect it. I feel somewhat lonely, I can not tell how much time has passed, but I know Mia is still there, speaking to me, even if I can not hear her.
Time returns to me eventually as I find myself half suspended in a thick liquid. The drained blood of the octopus creature I had fought, its magic depleted now, its nutrients gone. One part of me insists that I should feel disgusted by it, but I remember the taste of it, what it has done for me. How can I hate something so delicious, so useful? I raise onto my currently two feet and step towards the edge of my enclosure, the liquid’s impedance easily ignored as it just slides off my skin, none of it sticking to me. Just a few steps and the membrane is there. It’s organic, alive, and I can feel it still. It is a part of me, created by me and suffused by my magic.
I form a claw at the tip of my finger. It had been instinct when fighting the octopus, an action that came to me as easily as breathing, and one I can also manually replicate just as easily. I barely have to touch the membrane with it, cutting through it like it isn’t even there. I stop the cut a few centimeters away from the liquid. Grasping the edges of my cut, I pull it apart, revealing a dimly lit cavern in front of me. A small fire is burning in a fireplace nearby, and Mia is sleeping just beneath me, leaning up against the cocoon I had been in.
Slipping out of the cocoon, I quietly step down onto the ground. Mia is beautiful like this, her face resting comfortably against a pillow, a few scales peeking out from underneath the sleeping bag. She has a few books next to herself, differing in size, though none of them particularly thin; a bit of guilt goes through me. I had left her alone here, and isolated myself from the world, causing her to be stuck by herself for days, or even weeks. I step closer towards her and lower myself down, unsure whether to wake her or to let her sleep.
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The choice is taken from me after a few moments as Mia’s eyes blink open slowly. “Ada? Is that you?” Her voice is raspy with sleep, it makes for a beautiful sound.
I nod affirmatively as I speak. “Yes. I’m sorry I-” My words are interrupted as Mia raises halfway out of her sleeping bag, the lack of clothes not going unnoticed, and wraps me in a tight hug. I return the hug after a moment, and we remain in a quiet embrace for a while.
Mia is the one to eventually break the silence. “I’m glad you’re fine. And you don’t need to be sorry, not about this. A warning would’ve been nice, but you’re still getting used to all this.” We break the hug, and her nudity comes into full view, a small surge of heat raising to my skin, and this time, I am aware of the patterns on my body, reflecting my emotions, my slight embarrassment, even though I know she is fine with this. The changes absorbing the octopus has caused are many, some from it, some merely finishing up what was still missing from the first time. One of the benefits is a change in awareness of my body, a decentralized nervous system is quite useful in that way.
She’s unbothered by my embarrassment, and takes a closer look at me while I try to figure out where to look. “You’ve changed, little one. Slightly bigger. Also… I am fairly sure you did not have hair before. Though I think there is an argument to be had about whether tentacles count as hair.” She grins at me as I turn to look at her again, deciding to just accept her slight exhibitionist streak. If she is comfortable with it, then I will be too. She is beautiful to look at, the scales on her body are clearly imbued with a part of her magic, the patterns of them ever so slightly shifting over time, I like to watch those.
I slightly incline my head in a nod. “A lot of changes happened in there, the hair is only the most obvious one I think. And, as for the warning… I am fairly sure I can decide whether to do this in the future, it was a necessity this time, I think, to finish what wasn’t done yet, and it probably accelerates the process of absorbing the magic, and the other aspects of what I eat.” I sit back onto my haunches as I consider myself for a moment. The heart being the center of the magic made sense to eat, but I am still not quite sure why I also wanted to eat the brain so desperately. Obviously there was some magic in it, like in all parts of the body, but it wasn’t comparable to the heart of the creature. Prodding at my magic is also of little help, it is not able to communicate in the way a human is, I can only sense an insistence on the brain being important, so I let it rest.
While I am thinking, Mia seems to also consider my words for a little bit, she has exited the sleeping bag entirely now and sits cross legged in front of me. Eventually, she looks over at me, and slightly inclines her head. “Well, that’s quite something, we’ll probably want to figure out what you can absorb and learn from the things you hunt, and if you can avoid the cocoon thing in the future… there’s a lot of potential here, and it honestly makes me want to explore more of my own magic as well.” She motions me slightly closer, and I gladly obey, my head leaning into her hand when she gently strokes her fingers through my new hair.
“Yours feels like it also wants to change. Not in the same way though, mine I think wants to consume, yours is just… wanting you to change, and it as well? Through your own ability? It’s odd, and I only get a slight impression when we are touching like this.” I lean further into her, settling myself against her front.
Mia’s arms wrap around my waist. “We’ll figure it out, I know that magic isn’t exactly static, I was much weaker when all of this began than I am now…” She falls silent for a few long moments. “I… wouldn’t have gotten hurt like that if I had been stronger, like now. But I can’t fix what they did to me, not by myself at least.” I lean back further into her, my tail wrapping around the both of us. “Maybe… maybe we can figure out how to break the curse… Sorry. I… there’s just so much potential here, I couldn’t help but be hopeful.”
“It’s fine, if I can help you, then I’d love to do so. It sounds like it bothers you a lot, what they did to you, if you ever wanna tell me more about it, I am here to listen.” My tentacles wrap around the hand on my hand, and give her a slight squeeze, alongside my tail. “But, for now… I don’t think I am strong enough, not yet. More hunting is going to help with that, I’m pretty sure of that.”Mia hums affirmatively, and we remain cuddled up with each other for a while longer before my eyes fall onto the pile of books again. “Have you been reading while I was gone?”
Mia pauses for a moment. “I was reading to you. I guess you couldn’t hear it after all, it was helpful for distracting me from feeling a bit lonely. I’d be happy to read them again, now that you can actually enjoy them too! They’re some of my favorites, and I guarantee you've not read these yet!” I can hear the grin in her voice. “They were written by a couple that was born after the Genesis, except the first one, that one was just one of them before they got married. I mentioned it while you were in there, but they live relatively close by, maybe we’ll meet them sometime.” She points a finger at one of the books, and her magic flows out and surrounds it, lifting it in the air and towards us. “I started with this one, it’s one of my favorites. But, for now, I should eat something; if you’re hungry I still got plenty for you too.” She reaches out and touches the book, making it vanish into her ring, just to replace it with a box.
Opening the box reveals a few sandwiches and boiled eggs, and easy food to carry around and not so heavy as to be an impedance during combat. Mia reaches into it and takes out a sandwich, holding it up for me to take. “You’ll like it, though it doesn’t have any magic in it, we do still have the snacks. Though you have them in the amulet…” She pauses as she speaks, and I can feel her shift behind me. I slightly turn my body to look up at her, and see her scrutinizing me. “It’s gone. Is it still in the cocoon?”
Looking down at myself, I confirm that the amulet is not, in fact, resting between my breasts where it should be. I disregard the heat coming to me as I process our proximity and nudity, and instead look over towards the cocoon. The amulet has very little magic presence, but I’ve grown familiar enough with it to sense it, concentrating for a moment I try to find it in the cocoon, just to find it inside of me instead. “I… I’m sorry. I think I might’ve… eaten? It… or absorbed it, like the Octopus creature? I think I can still use it, but… it’s gone…” Panic starts to rise in me as I realize I lost the present she had given me, even after all these years, the scars of my childhood come back to haunt me.
Mia pulls me tighter into herself, dropping the sandwich back into the box. “Hey, it’s fine. It’s a tool, the form doesn’t matter.” I let out a slight whimper at her words as her hand gently strokes across my belly. “If you can still use it, then it’s even better, no? Can’t lose something that’s part of you after all!” She continues holding me close to her as I slowly calm down again.
“Thank you.” My voice is quiet and subdued, but Mia seems to understand, and doesn’t press the issue, just giving me an affirming hum before motioning to the box with the sandwiches.
“Maybe they’ll help then, food always helps me at least.” She takes one for herself as I reach out and grab one myself. She has to lean back slightly to eat properly, which almost makes my tail pull her closer again, but I manage to restrain myself and we eat in companionable silence. The sandwiches are good, for normal food. A rich texture to each of the ingredients and the bread is nice and soft, though it is still normal food, it doesn’t satisfy me the same way that the octopus did, or the little snacks Mia had gotten me. But, for now, I should be fine. My body has absorbed a lot of magic, even with the amount I expended in the cocoon, I still have a lot more in me than I’ve had before.
We both eat another sandwich before we’re both done, and Mia stores the box again without getting up. “How rested are you, little one? Was that like sleep for you? I’m rested enough, though I wouldn’t exactly mind another few hours.”
I have to take a few moments to consider her words. “I’m not sure? I feel rested, but also not? My body is fine at least, but it feels like I’ve been awake for a week. I don’t know if I could sleep if we try.”
“Let’s try then, it won’t hurt, at worst we lose a few hours, which isn’t much of a difference at this point.” She releases her hold on me and opens up her sleeping back, before slipping inside it. I am unsure on what to do until Mia seems to notice and holds open the side of it, inviting me to sleep beside her, an offer I don’t refuse. She’s warm and cuddly after all, something I quite appreciate. I slip in next to her, turning to look at her, which earns me a smile. “Sleepy after all? We can cuddle if you want.”
“A little. And I’d like that, yes.” I turn on my side and shuffle back into her, my tail making it a bit more complex than I am used to. The solution I eventually end up with elicits a stifled sound from Mia as she tenses. When I turn my head to look at her she’s red in the face but shakes her head.
“I’m fine, don’t worry, just, be careful with the tail in the future, yes?” I give her a nod as a pattern of embarrassment flickers across my skin. I start to move my tail away when Mia wraps an arm around my waist again and pulls me into her. We lay there for a while before I can hear her breaths even out and her body fully relaxes; she’s kind of cute when asleep. It takes me a long while before I eventually join her in her slumber.
