[closed] fall and turn the white snow red

[morbide]

Who: Henry morbide & Tataru Taru seemstressed
When: 3/1
Where: Tataru's residence
What: A gift from the outpost, a check-in, and a burden from Henry.
Warnings: N/A

[Fortunately, Henry has a reason to be visiting her that isn't as selfish of him. He'd feel odd if he were to arrange a visit purely for himself, on his own accord, for something like... this. Which still fills him with — something, he can't place it, but it's uncomfortable. Beyond any desire to catalogue it, as someone who'd much rather ignore potent emotions than process them. He's uneasy enough to make him wonder if he should fake ill to get out of the engagement, because he's sure that this discomfort is akin to illness.

(But he walked past a man trimming hedges earlier and ended up stuck for minutes, trying to be good and unseen, in case the trimmers were for him. What part of him, he could never guess: his skin, numb to sensation, prickled in dreadful anticipation... until a crow pecked at his toe. How silly! he realized in retrospect. That kind of thing hasn't happened in some time, but this is the kind of thing he's been dealing with.)

But he has a pack of the things he collected for the Lalafell out in the distant Wilde, bound not by boxes or bags, but individual spells created with Abjuration to keep them sealed and away from each other. He compares the address to what she sent him about five times, doubting his own comprehension, before he knocks on the door.

The moment she opens it, he waves with one hand first, then both.]

Heya, Tataru! Lookie here, as promised: the goods, AND I've still got all ten fingers, no more and no less!

[Be proud! All fingers are there, and he didn't try to... grow any new ones??]

Comments

[seemstressed]

_{[For someone who's always smiling and joking around, the intensity in which Henry meets her gaze has Tataru slowing her chew full stop, nodding soon after. It's weird, how she suddenly feels like she's the one on the asking end...but it is what it is. Ever so polite she makes sure to swallow before she speaks again.]}

Deal...but in three month's time? Why so?

[morbide]

I've been without for longer than I should. Long enough to go "supernova," as they say! ...Did you know? I could've lost myself, while I was out there, in the Wilde. ...So anyway, I think three months should be enough time for me to recover, in case you hated being with me.

And then I can try asking you properly. Not like this.

[He doesn't like that he's practically begging her. Henry would much rather make it sincere, and make sure she's sincere about it, too. If he places a limit, at least that means there's a light at the end of the tunnel if she really doesn't want to be here...

Reassured, Henry takes a bite. His posture itself is much the same, but a careful eye will be able to detect that he's remarkably looser in disposition, tired and relieved all at once. Upon taking a bite, he smiles.]

Hey, this is really good! Just as I thought, you're a cook as sharp as her knives!

[seemstressed]

<sub>[There's something concerning about him stating the sorry state he was in so plainly. To think she could end up in the same position without a bond makes her uncomfortable, almost mad at herself for not taking it more seriously. It was that stubborn side of her that had her push it off to the side, not wanting to trouble anyone or burden them. It's the same for Henry then, isn't it, even if he seems to have pushed said time limit to the extreme.

Quietly she nods, somewhat touched by his insistence and consideration that if she really couldn't put up with him she'd be free of him. That he wanted to ask her properly and not out of desperation. She can respect a desire like that, even if she's suddenly determined to make this odd pairing of the two of them work out. It's a challenge and she'll rise to it.

She's smiling when he compliments the pie, taking another bite again herself. It's good to see him eat something proper.]</sub>

I'm glad you approve of it.

_{[It is pretty good, all things considered.]}

We should have it sorted as soon as possible then, what do you think?

[morbide]

Sorted out?

[Henry's really distracted by this pie! It sure beats hallucinations and the pressure of paranoia, to be so focused on something pleasant to the senses. Taste is one of the things he hadn't lost to the institution, anyway, and he shovels another bite into his mouth.]

You mean, a good use for those mushrooms? Not the trippy ones? I do like this pie a lot, but I remember you saying something-or-other about sou... — Ohhhhhhhh. The BOND.

[Earth to Henry... Why would it be about FOOD... He flushes suddenly and laughs, embarrassed. Much of his former disposition is lost to his satisfaction now.]

Yeah, we probably should. Who knows how many more wicked hallucinations of blood seeping through doorways I can tolerate before I try to do it myself? I know it's fast... Sorry.

[seemstressed]

_{[She can't fault him for being consumed by the pie. It's really good and all and if he hasn't been eating properly, well...food usually takes over one's thoughts, does it not? But no, it's not soup or mushrooms she's referring to, nodding once he catches on. Yes, the Bond. The extremely important thing that she's agreeing to and hoping she won't regret.]}

...You've been hallucinating?

_{[UHH...yeah, that's pretty concerning, for obvious reasons, and it shows on her face. Those big, violet eyes of hers blink across from him before she stuffs another forkful of pie past her lips. Oh boy...]}

Tomorrow. We'll do it tomorrow. _[Pause.] Is there anything we have to do for it to prepare? I'm afraid I'm not exactly sure how it works.

[morbide]

[Oh no, he's gone and worried her... He waves his fork around and shakes his head, talking with a bite stuffed in his cheek.]

Aw, only a little hallucinating! I've had worse, and it's pretty easy to tell. No biggie.

[Henry is great at putting people at ease...

Anyway. The Bonding ceremony itself... He recalls it being both informal and formal, but with a relative stranger, it was a bit stilted at best. He tries to remember anything they might need, and then...]

We have to have vows ready to go, that's for sure. But if you can't think of any, they've got some ideas there! And... that's it! You hold hands, they do some magic, aaaand... presto! Bonded.

[seemstressed]

...You needn't any mushrooms then, if that's the case.

_{[Haha. She's trying to make light of it...just because honestly what the fuck actually? Henry??? Definitely biggie. At least medium.]}

Vows?

_{[Ah, it's her turn to turn pink again, the color matching the color of the tunic she's wearing. So much for this not being like a marriage of sorts!]}

...Do you think we should practice first?

[morbide]

[Good point, Tataru! Maybe later. No more added hallucinations right now, at least.

Her response, as candid and full of disbelief as it is, earns an unfettered laugh out of the sorcerer. Even a blush! She's so cute that even as his laugh tempers out, it comes out like a satisfied hum.]

Aw, we don't have to. But if it would make you feel better, we could... I don't mind. Last time I just said some stuff about making sure my Bonded was safe and healthy, or as healthy as a Vampire COULD be. Stuff about giving him my health and my blood whenever he needed it... The good stuff, though I'm pretty sure I should say some different stuff for you.

[It's a good topic, anyway! Henry swallows another bite of pie, finding that he's almost cleared it, surprisingly. It's just that good...]

What kinds of things do you want out of a vow, Tataru? It could be as relaxed as we want, or it can be as thorough. I don't mind, but I think we'd better vow not to die... At least.

[Right now, he doesn't know what he'd do without a vow like that binding him to this place.]

[seemstressed]

Well, I don't want to be ill prepared...and I'm certainly not ready to die any time soon.

<sub>[Not that she can imagine being any less prepared than she feels right now. It's hard not to feel suddenly self-conscious. Whenever she's thought of vows she's thought of it in the context of marriage and considering all the teasing the two have done back and forth on the matter it leaves her pink to think about. So, what does she want out of this arrangement? Henry, despite his odd 'quirks' if you will, has always struck her as eager to please. Maybe that aspect of his personality could be useful to have around.

Speaking of having him around...it's probably best she keeps an eye on him, now that she thinks about it, especially knowing the conditions he's still living in. Is it too forward to ask? They're acquainted with each other, sure, but would it be going too far to ask what she's going to ask?

No point in holding back. Not when the whole situation's been sprung on her in such a manner.]</sub>

I'm not sure what I want out of a vow...but you ought to move in.

[morbide]

[He's fascinated by the colors her cheeks turn and the glisten of her round eyes, finding her... charming. Cute, like a small animal, but cute like Tataru. He's not sure how to sort the feeling, but he knows she's definitely cute.

Wanting to stroke her hair is probably because he's going nuts, thanks to no-Bond.

While it's a good thing that not dying is something they're both on the same page about, it takes him by surprise to be given the suggestion of moving in. He hums, as if giving it a moment will clarify for himself that he misheard the Lalafell.]

Move... in. Did I hear that? Wh... Ohh. So that we can check in on each other, right? Sure! I think you need somebody who will check up on you, and I'd be happy to do it.

[So it flusters him for all but a second, but Henry's good at handling news which shocks him, for the most part.]

Sounds like a good start. Hey, we could even entwine that concept into our vows! Make sure we're each in good health, from our minds to our wounds. Don't worry, though. I don't expect mental clarity, like ever, so I have a low bar for my own mental health. Shouldn't be too hard. But I'm gonna hound you to make sure you're getting enough rest!

[seemstressed]

<sub>[Don't worry Henry, you're not nuts for wanting to pet a Lalafell. It's kind of a thing. You're valid.

She nods, glad that he seems to have followed her train of thinking, even if the mention of his deteriorated mental health is cause for concern. While it'd be a lie to say that she doesn't pity him to a degree, the main reason to keep him close and around is to keep an eye on him. If this is something they're going to agree to do together, it's only fair they look out for one another.

His promise to make sure she sleeps gets a laugh out of her as she forks off another bit of pie, shoulders relaxing as she sits across from him.]</sub>

Sounds like a plan, then. _{[Making vows about that shouldn't be too difficult.]} I'll be hounding you in return to eat though. You're quite bird-boned, aren't you?

[morbide]

Yeah, I get that a lot. About my twiggy limbs. Not much I can do about it, but I won't complain about a few more bites of food...

[He's just like this... don't judge his constitution... he's a mage for a reason...

Henry tries to figure out more ways he can compensate her for her kindness, because that's all she's shown him since meeting him. Patience and kindness must mean that he can trust her, and he'll do whatever he can to make up for... whatever reasons she has to be nice to him.]

It's still kind of blowing my mind that you'd invite me to live with you, even if it's only practical. But I promise I won't leave this place the way I had mine... I can clean, and cook! Maybe I'm better at cleaning, but I can still help. I'll make sure you hardly notice me, and if you do, it's only because I'm helpful! I won't be TOO much trouble. ...I hope.

[seemstressed]

_{[He's genuinely so grateful, isn't he? That makes her smile softly back his way, happy to see that he's, well, relieved. Will this be easy? Probably not, but she's willing to put up with what might come with their arrangement.]}

You don't have to scurry about and hide, Henry. Make yourself at home here.

_{[She's not going to make him be a ghost in what will become a shared living space.]}

As long as you help me keep things tidy and reach the top shelves there won't be a problem.

[morbide]

[Henry laughs and pats the top of his own head with a "sad" shake of his head, but he doesn't seem all that upset, in reality.]

Reach your top shelves? Do I look all that tall to you? Even I hassle tall folks to reach for jars of eyeballs, cookies, and poisonous concoctions, nya ha! Those are the kinds of things I'm used to seeing on top shelves, anyhow. Good thing I never actually need a tall person, though. Since levitation. I just like to bug people.

[So, yes! He can help with it, even if he likes to rope tall people into helping him. He's far more relaxed despite his current condition, and continues to go on.]

I want there to be a rule that the tallest person in the house HAS to get things off shelves anyway, even if I have magic. It's a fun time.

[seemstressed]

If you wish to be the designated master of shelves I won't protest.

_{[It makes her laugh though. Okay, so he's not that tall but to Tataru everyone is.]}

Do try to keep jars of eyeballs and poisonous treats out of the kitchen though and in your room instead.

_{[Last thing she wants is to come across a jar that's looking back at her.]}

Ah, that's right. We'll have to get your room set up.

[morbide]

Yesssss.

[Fingers in a fist, celebrating small victories. Master of the shelves, Henry... who will act helpless when tall people are afoot, and beg them to get things from tall places! But he nods in agreement.]

Can't promise if I make a mistake, but I'll certainly keep any poisons off the table and off the shelves. Heck, they'll be out of the kitchen proper. You got it! [A brief pause, as he glances about the house.] ...What do you mean, room, besides? Do you mean... you have space for a room, just for me? Really?

[He keeps imagining that each of her rooms must already have some purpose, with how lived in this place looks already! And she has much to dedicate herself to. If he didn't get a room, he wouldn't have been heartbroken.]

[seemstressed]

_{[The fact he seems suddenly bewildered at the notion of having his own bedroom is kind of worrying...then again she's seen where he's currently living. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise to her.]}

Of course I do! Don't be daft. It may not be the fanciest set-up but most of the bedrooms here came furnished with a bed and a few other necessities. I wouldn't ask you to live here and not give you your own space, Henry.

_{[Sure, she's taken up one of the rooms and made it into a sewing room and claimed another as her own bedroom, but this was a house meant for more than two. There was certainly a spare room for Henry.]}

I'm afraid it might be a downgrade though - no hole in the ceiling.

[morbide]

[Henry laughs.]

Aw. What am I supposed to do without my daily reminder of how nice you've been to me, Tataru?

[He realizes how cheesy that was, really, and a hint of that blush from before creeps back onto his cheekbones, even as he continues.]

I know. I— I mean, I guess I should have known. [About getting a room, in a house like this, where Tataru's living by herself at the moment. Of course she'd have a spare room for him!] It makes sense. It's just, you know. Been in a war for years, make due with a tent you only sometimes get to yourself, sharing it with a groaning comrade-in-arms bleeding out from last battle's gory glory... Not used to living with people in a house.

[That's reasonable. Lots of people here have been fighting in wars. ...The creeping realization that he'll have to try to explain so much more about him in an attempt to scare her off prior to Bonding with him strikes him, and it's the most reluctant Henry's ever felt about self-disclosure. Henry, unwilling to talk about himself? Unusual. He doesn't want his problems to isolate him anymore.]

[seemstressed]

<sub>[It was pretty cheesy, but she doesn't mind a bit of cheddar now and then. She can sympathize with him more than he probably realizes when he begins to tell her of how long he's been living in a state of war for. It's something she's familiar with, due to Eorzea and the Empire's conflicts, along with Ishgard's drawn out Dragonsong War. All that strife, blood and sorrow she wouldn't wish upon anyone.

If she can give Henry a home, a safe place to live, maybe he'll blossom and heal from whatever traumas he's certainly harbouring as a soldier.]</sub>

There'll be none of that here, in this building, I can promise you that. You're to make yourself at home here.

[morbide]

Yay to not sharing rooms with groaning soldiers?

[It's still more than just the war... But he doesn't have the mental backbone to tell her right now. He's pretty tired. He'll save it for the walk to the Coven, he decides. Tell her about his perceived unsoundness of mind, tell her about his upbringing, his average dreams, the normalcy of being crushed under gloom and despair but smiling through it.

He doesn't think he'd have ever been able to put it into wars had it not been for the Shepherds, anyway. Perhaps being with them prepared him for this. ...Any moment of reflection Henry had passes quickly, and he slides his elbows on the table and leans his cheek onto his arm.]

Whew. We have quite a morning tomorrow, huh? ...Is there anything else you wanted to prepare for, or will saying some vows be as easy as pie? [A beat.] Lucky for us, even if we vowed not to trim our nails or something stupid, we could always try again after the time's up! If... you still wanted to be with me, that is.

[He doesn't want to be presumptuous.]

[seemstressed]

<sub>[He's really not confident in himself, is he? Tataru gets that, she's been there. Maybe not to the same extent that Henry's experiencing, but she knows what it's like to lack the confidence to think you're not worth something to someone else. That's not true though - everyone had merit and value, in some way. This morbid mage was no different.

Out comes a hand of hers to pat his gently as she reaches over the table. He may be smiling but it seems as good a moment as any to give him a little extra reassurance.]</sub>

Maybe in three months you'll get my ring size.

_{[It's teasing, of course, a callback to their first meeting.]}

I'll be prepared, I think, as long as I can find something nice to wear.

[morbide]

[Her comment about her ring size gets a wicked sort of giggle out of him, like nothing could elate him more. Then, she mentions ornamentation, and...

Henry hums.]

Oh. I'd better stop by my place and get better clothes than this, if we're supposed to dress up... What was I thinking? Of COURSE a seamstress would wanna look nice! And springing it on you like this... Yeesh. The least I could do is also be ready to dress my best.

[She doesn't have time to make an outfit for herself, much less two... He raises a finger.]

But we could save our best-best for three months, right? Riiight?

[Please be okay with his not-super-snazzy gothic charm...]

[seemstressed]

As long as we're presentable.

_{[She's got a few things half finished that she'd been working on - she'll just have to put it together tonight in time for the ceremony in the morning.]}

But you're right - I'll make sure we match for the real deal.

[morbide]

[DON'T WORK TOO HARD... GET REST! If Henry were already Bonded to her and caught even the slightest hint of such a machination, he'd be teasing her.

He laughs, a little flattered at the idea.]

Aw. That's sweet of you, Tataru.

[And sweet of her yet to put such faith in the longevity of their Bond. He wonders if she understands him yet, or if she's simply optimistic...

Henry folds his hands together.]

Soo, I think... I'll hurry on home. Gotta make sure I'm dressed the part in the morning. [He doesn't even want to begin discussing the prospect of... moving in, even as it excites him. She might change her mind, after all. To try to mitigate any bad feelings she might develop for him, he thinks of a way to prove his worth... Though it's primarily motivated by his gratefulness.] But you probably have some cleaning to do after all that cooking, right? Can I help, before I head on my merry way?

[seemstressed]

_{[There's a quick shake of her head as she hops off her chair, swiping her now empty pie plate from the table to set it in the sink.]}

No, no, you needn't do a thing. All I've to wash are these plates of ours, so you best prepare yourself for the morrow, like you said yes?

_{[Not to mention she needs a moment when she realizes, once he's gone, just what in the hells she's agreed to.]}

You'll have plenty of opportunities to help later.