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Sassraa is nervous. She’s had a couple of fleeting partnerships as a much younger person, but their time as a puppet of Shoin has been long and damaging. They buried their pain and emotions all those years, keeping the embers of their personhood safely in the deepest part of themselves. Letting herself feel again, re-igniting that flame, hadn’t been easy. Allowing herself to be vulnerable on purpose, however, is something different entirely. She’s not sure she even remembers how courtship is done, and hopes Cel’s advice will bolster her.
The sun is setting and their shift ends, meaning it’s time. Sassraa takes a breath, and determinedly goes to find Tadyka, who is just finishing their shift on deck. The two kobolds had spent a lot of time with each other in Japan, sharing their pain and finding the path to recovery together. Sassraa’s sure there’s a connection, knows that Tadyka means a lot to her, only hoping that Tadyka feels the same way. They’ve agreed to share a meal with her, as they often did in Japan, but Sassraa’s still nervous about this meal. The ambience will be a little more intimate this time, signalling a question, an offer.
Sassraa greets Tadyka and the two kobolds head down to the hold. Sassraa haltingly takes Tadyka by the claw, leading them to a cubby hole, where a squat wooden barrel has been set with a tablecloth of sorts and a candle. Tadyka's neck frill slightly flushes with pleasurable surprise at the scene. They kneel by the barrel, Sassraa's frill flushing too, and talk softly in the warm glow about everything and nothing.
In the kitchen, Meerk and Natun are making an absolute bombsite of the place, pots and pans and knives and pestle and mortar and food strewn across every surface, and they're joking at each other while Zolf stomps about trying to clean up. But soon enough a steaming stew is wending its way to the cubby hole on a platter held above Natun's head, accompanied by Meerk carrying a dish of seasoned, deep-fried grubs.
Meerk and Natun are both grinning, and tell the pair slyly to enjoy their meal before skittering off back upstairs. Sassraa laughs and takes a grub, holding it to Tadyka's snout, smiling shyly. Tadyka's slender tongue snakes out and takes the grub, brushing Sassraa's claw as they do so. Sassraa isn’t sure if it was on purpose, and their neck frill flushes again. She takes a grub herself; it is delicious, creamy and rich with a crunchy and piquant batter. They eat their grubs appreciatively, licking their claws.
Cel had told them that feeding Tadyka with their hand might come across well, and it seems they were right. They're beginning to relax now, chatting and stealing glances. It feels so refreshing to talk to Tadyka about things other than their shared pain: the storm cloud Tadyka saw towering from the ephemeral white sea on shift; the new resin compound Cel’s teaching Sassraa to make… Tadyka’s so easy to share with, and fondness wells up in Sassraa.
They sniff the stew, its rich umami aroma making her salivate. She takes a steaming spoonful, the meltingly soft venison and rich wild mushroom complementing aromatic herbs in delicious union. They must remember to thank Cel for recruiting Meerk and Natun to cook for this. She suspects that their exuberant adventures in the kitchen are as much a date for them as this is for her.
Tadyka looks to be enjoying their stew too, and Sassraa is struck with how beautiful they look in the flickering candlelight, animated and sharp and soft and relaxed all at once. They reach their hand across the table and gently brush their knuckle along her face, feeling her contours and warmth, the texture of her scales. Tadyka’s spoon stops halfway to their snout and their gaze flicks to Sassraa's eyes, their neck frill flushing and even raising up a little. They both laugh shyly, a new understanding reached without words.
When their bowls are empty and bellies full, Tadyka stands and offers a hand to Sassraa who takes it without hesitation as they rise. Their claws clack on the floorboards as they take the three or four steps to the cosy nest of cushions in the other corner of the cubbyhole. Tadyka sinks down into the cushions, pulling Sassraa down with her. For a few moments that seem to stretch beyond time, Sassraa just sits, barely daring to breathe, their hand entwined with Tadyka’s. Then Tadyka’s leaning in, laying their snout alongside Sassraa’s, her breath on Sassraa’s cheek as theirs is on Tadyka’s. Their frills are both flushed, fanning out from their necks. Both of their eyes are closed and instinctually they bend their heads in further, gently rubbing together their sensitive neck frills, heads laid against each other. Sassraa can barely believe this intimacy is really happening; they've entertained fantasies about partnering with Tadyka since their liberation, and their whole body feels electric with anticipation and relief and joy.
They talk softly into the evening, claws interlaced, sometimes a head on a shoulder or a frill nuzzled. Eventually they become sleepy and Sassraa stirs as if to leave, but Tadyka stops them.
"You can stay, if you like."
"Don't you want to sleep? I thought your shift's in a few hours."
"Oh I do, but I thought- if you like-" They take a deep breath. "I offer you the knowledge of where I sleep. I invite you to share your slumber with me."
It's a formal, ritualised declaration of trust, intimacy and intent in their culture, and Sassraa is taken aback. This feels like the start of something important.
All they can manage as they gaze at her is a soft “I will, Tadyka.”
Sassraa settles back down into the cushions with Tadyka, and the two dragons curl up together that night, tails entwined.