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“Rissa?” The mentioned demon turns around from her door. She had just gotten up, later than usual. Nerissa just felt so… exhausted. Even sleepier than usual, somehow.
She tries to stop an incoming yawn, only to cover the lower half of her face almost a second too late before her lips part.
“G’morning, Shiwowi~” She smiles, wings fluttering happily behind her. She blinked as Shiori stayed unmoving, quiet as she stared right past her. “Shiori?”
Nerissa turns to try and follow her gaze, finding nothing in their frankly blank ceiling. She turns to Shiori once more, tilting her head for good measure.
“Is something wrong?”
Shiori blinks out of it, flinching slightly.
“No no, it’s okay,” Shiori’s voice was almost whispery, dotingly high pitched and gentle. Her hand reaches up, and Nerissa doesn’t move, waiting.
Shiori’s fingers reached her ear, and only then did she feel what was wrong.
Out of the blue, Nerissa flinches away, covering her ears with a horrified look in her eyes. Shiori only looked worried.
One step of the archiver’s, and Nerissa was walking past her, on her way downstairs, brushing locks of hair to cover it up. Shiori couldn’t even say anything.
No no no no no-
Nerissa takes a deep breath as she mindlessly tries to brew tea. Hot water, cup, teabag, honey. She chanted it like a mantra to try to not think about the possibility.
No wonder she was so tired.
She needed to replenish her magic a bit more before constantly using it again, and it hits her now when she had no plans of staying over in the Ravencroft manor instead.
Which means..
“Ah-” Nerissa flinches as she spills her cup of hot water, feeling it splash on her hand. Almost immediately, she puts her hand under running water, staring at the way her nails already looked longer, sharper.
The very second the pain dissipated, she made her way back to her room. Not without cleaning up, but she could already hear the clinking of Bijou’s feet against the floor, and the conversation the twins were having.
She felt the need to hide.
-
-
Nerissa holed herself up in her room.
Shiori wanted to check in on her, but admittedly, she was afraid.
Seeing those elongated, almost elf-like ears brought back a horrible memory, one that played in place of a thousand good ones. She doesn’t know what to do.
She scoffs, weak. Nerissa had that effect on her, huh? On times when Shiori should know what to do, she could never anticipate Nerissa’s love.
But she tries anyway.
Slowly, she knocks.
“Rissa?” No response. “Do you need anything? I can go grab you some food, maybe pretzels or something else? Any requests?”
She hears muffled steps, the door opens and the sight that greets her is a cocoon of a blanket, wrapped loosely around the demon’s entirety.
“Pretzels would be nice. Some water too please, Shiori?” The archiver nods, jokingly saluting. Nerissa only smiled weakly. “Thank you, darling.”
The door closes again, and again, Shiori is stunned. As if in auto-pilot, she moved to get what Nerissa needed. Warm water, maybe the thermos and a cup too, along with some tea bags, and a bag of unopened pretzels. Maybe the chocolate covered kind too.
Maybe that’ll cheer her up.
She lingers by the door, taking a deep breath. Shiori tastes the way Nerissa’s magic spilled into the air. It was different. Unintentional. Like she can’t control it.
“Reese? I’m back. Mind if I come in?” No response once more, except for the low dragging of fabric against the floor.
She waits.
The door opens and Shiori takes in the sight of Nerissa’s red eyes, tired, dried tears go down from her eyes to her chin as if she was too tired to wipe them away. Nerissa sniffles, and Shiori has to fight the urge to cry.
Nerissa opens the door wider, and the archiver immediately takes the chance.
“Thank you again, Shiwowi…” A hand emerges from under layers of fabric to take the glass of warm water. Shiori places the thermos and everything else on her bedside table, sparing a quick glance to study the room.
Her feathers were everywhere. Frazzled, uneven. Her full body mirror was covered by an extra blanket. “Rissa?”
The demon only hums.
“Are you okay?”
Nerissa frowns, unsuccessfully hidden behind the lip of the glass as she pretends to take a sip.
“It’s fine, it’ll pass.” That was new. Usually, the demon even had the energy to exaggerate, to say she was dying, and to ask Shiori to nurse her back to full health. Theatrics they knew worked, but not because of how exaggerated they were, but simply because Shiori was going to take care of her regardless.
“You don’t say..” Shiori mutters, knowing she was heard either way. She takes one good look at her, trying to remember if she witnessed anything like this from her before.
But it seemed as though Nerissa was meticulous with this particular part of her. Shiori could see the shame in her eyes, the need to hide.
“What’s wrong?” Nerissa sits on her bed, and Shiori follows, kneeling in front of her. “Can you remove the blanket, Reese?” Slowly, she asks.
And just as slowly, Nerissa shook her head, biting her lip.
“No?” Shiori asks again.
“Mm-mm.”
“Okay.” Shiori doesn’t know where to touch to comfort her. “Do you want me to stay as you finish eating?” Nerissa nods, pleading eyes looking at her for a moment before turning to reach for the snacks Shiori brought with her.
Shiori takes the small smile Nerissa has when she sees the chocolate covered pretzel sticks as a win. Shiori - 1, Whatever’s hurting Reese - 0.
Nerissa squirms. “Don’t stare so hard, Shiori.” She reaches out a hand, thumb smoothing the crease between her brows. Shiori only sighs, but she doesn't stop staring at her.
Nerissa finishes up her tea, unable to keep hiding behind the cup as she emptied it. She sighs, long and heavy.
“Don’t.. don’t say anything, okay?” She whispers, and she watches Shiori nod immediately.
Nerissa forgets she was nude underneath, but she didn’t mind. Did Shiori…? “Shiori..”
“Yes?”
“I don’t have clothes on.” The archiver’s breath hitches.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yup.”
Nerissa slowly unveils the blanket from herself, and she sits, slouching if she could.
Shiori studied her figure. Her ears were elongated, as she saw, tips flushed. Her bodice was covered in feathers, gone in certain patches as if she plucked them herself. A limp tail extended from her lower back, and she hummed.
“Does it hurt?”
“No,” Nerissa hugs herself. “I just… I just don’t like it..” It felt irrational, but that was what she was having trouble with.
“What happened?” Shiori pats the patches, ink flowing from her fingertips to act like a salve. Nerissa hisses, but lets her.
“I exhausted my magic. I hide them, usua- Sh-Shiori-?” Oh.
Shiori blinks, Nerissa’s hand in hers, close to her lips like she kissed the back of it. And she did.
“Sorry. I didn’t ask.” Nerissa softens at that.
“It’s alright. You just caught me by surprise, is all.” Nerissa watches her plant kisses on her hand, her arm, standing up to match her height a little. Nerissa could feel the blush on her skin, warm. Bright. “You don’t have to ask to kiss me, Shiwowi~” The archiver huffs, less biting, if it ever was. Her bird had the energy to tease, even if she meant it.
“Do the others know about it?” Nerissa shook her head.
“I don’t want to show them..” She doesn’t know how to put them to words. The discomfort. The need to just... not see herself like this. Much less show anyone.
Shiori hums.
“If.. if your magic exhausts again, let me know, okay?” Shiori whispers as she leans her forehead on Nerissa’s shoulder, hands still playing with the demon’s fingers. “I want to help you,” she admits.
Nerissa leans her head towards Shiori slightly, a small smile on her face.
“Thank you, Shiorin.”
“Anytime, okay? I..” Shiori’s hold tightens as much as her throat did, a deep breath hitching as she took it. “I love you, Reese. No matter what you look like.” Nerissa chews the inside of her cheek, the rare admission almost pushing her to tears.
“I know it’s not about that but.. I thought you’d want to know.” Nerissa nods, a slight chuckle, garbled and choked up.
“Mm-hm, I understand. I love you too, Shiwowi~ Thank you.”
It’ll take a while to feel comfortable. If it even happens.
Regardless, Shiori will be there with her, every step of the way. Maybe the rest of the girls too, if Nerissa was brave enough. For now, though, as Shiori leaned away to take a good look at her, eyes widening before wiping her tears away as Nerissa laughed in her arms that she was okay, this was more than enough.