Saturday, early evening: Journey to Soulwood

[mylandmyrules]

Nell and Gladio stepped through the portal shortly before sunset onto the grounds of Soulwood. The sun was setting through the trees to the west, beautiful colors suggesting a bright tomorrow.

As soon as Nell stepped onto the land its energy rose up to greet her. Even someone without Nell's connection to the land couldn't have missed it. Everything was suddenly a little more vibrant, the trees seemed to lean in close, the birds hushed then sang louder than before, and Nell positively glowed.

Her hair and face seemed more vibrant, and everything about her seemed to reach out and connect with the land until an imaginative person might have almost thought he could see the bright lines of force connecting them.

She pushed a wayward strand of hair off her face - was it the breeze or was her hair floating gently in the energy currents? -and took a moment to kick her shoes off and sink her feet into the dirt, eyes closing for a moment.

"Ain't no one watching us'uns here," she said, sliding back into the language of home, and smiled up at him, reaching for his hand. "Just we'uns and the land and its creatures. Welcome to Soulwood, Tall Man."



[Nfb for distance and for the lightly modded tall man in question.]

Comments

[sword_chocobro]

"I'm glad you wanted me to be here with you," Gladio said, that soft smile getting a lot of use that evening, and now it was accompanied with a gentle brush of fingers against Nell's cheek, where they'd drifted easily as they kissed, and that relaxation and contentment grew deeper, "so thanks for that, too. And, hey, you made dinner. S'only fair I treat you back with breakfast."

Not to mention the fact that he came to realize that his oatmeal might be the first time a man had ever even used that kitchen, and once he thought of that, it practically became a necessity.

[mylandmyrules]

It absolutely would be the first time a man had ever used that kitchen. His unfamiliarity with a wood stove might make the oatmeal nearly inedible, but Nell didn't care.

"Not like Cup Noodle is hard," she teased. "I just had to heat up water."

She stroked his face and kissed him again. "Will you make love to me?" she whispered. "Out here under the stars, on my land? I want to be with you here and then sleep curled up in your arms while Soulwood watches over us both."

[sword_chocobro]

"Yeah," Gladio had to agree with the incredible ease and convenience of preparing Cup Noodle^TM with a grin, "but you heat up that water better than anyone."

So, you know, suck on that, Scientia.

But that soft kiss and the gentle touch of his cheek that accompanied Nell's request settled those jocular impulses. And while the idea of Soulwood 'watching over them' initially sent an odd feeling up his spine, he knew how much deeper it ran than that, that there was so many facets to the meaning there.

At first, his only answer was to kiss her again, leaning into it with his arm tight around her so that he could shift their position, just that little bit, easily, comfortably, and full of intention. An intention made even more clear when his hand then trailed down the side of her body, to her waist, to loosen the clothing there enough that his hand could slide under to touch her skin, sliding then to her back. There was a soft groan of appreciation for the contact, although it was hardly anything new. He pulled away to drop his head to send the next few slow kisses along her neck, then returned to her lips for another moment. He pulled back only enough to murmur "It'd be my honor," before kissing her again, but even that return was fleeting, before he was pulling away again to start peeling away her blouse.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell's hands went up under his shirt, loving the feel of his skin under her hands. She shifted enough to help him remove her blouse before going back to tugging his shirt over his head. Her skirts were easy enough to wriggle out of, though she was happy to let him help any way he chose because mostly she just wanted to be skin to skin with him.

"Love you so much, Tall Man."

[sword_chocobro]

But helping Nell with her skirts gave Gladio the chance to pull back enough that the best way to return to her: with slow hands up her side and soft kisses starting at her stomach and making the path from there to her lips again. Granted, he would have needed to pull away for his own jeans, but, well, details, details. The important things was that it wasn't long at all before there would be nary a scrap of clothing on them, and he'd taken the scenic route back until he was murmuring "Love you, too, Bossy Woman" with a grin against her neck.