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A chirping bird and the glow of the morning sun came through the small opening of their tent, waking up the elven cleric before any of her companions. Rei shifted upwards from her bedroll, the blanket over her falling to her lap as she pulled her hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and felt a rush of relief as she was adequately rested from the day before. However as soon as she was awake, the warmth of the ‘bed’ she shared with her lover beckoned her back under the blankets. As if she knew who the exact culprit was, she smiled as she looked down at the still sleeping Khanit, the barbarian still in a deep sleep with her arms stretched out from when she had been cuddling the other woman. There had been many times where, if Rei hadn’t been as strong as she was, she may have been trapped in Khanit’s hold, unable to escape. Thankfully this had yet to be the case, and Rei couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter at the fact Khanit’s face was the first one she got to see upon waking up.
“You deserve your rest” Rei whispered, dipping down to give Khanit a kiss to her cheek, again tempted to lay back down in Khanit’s embrace and sleep until the others roused them. Though she preferred to save those moments for when they could share a proper bed, instead of the huge tent the two rather large women filled up alongside a slew of armor and weapons. Rei gave a lingering stroke to Khanit’s cheek, smiling warmly as she watched Khanit lean into it in her sleep before she somewhat reluctantly pulled away, grabbing a bundle of her things and leaving the tent as quietly as she could.
She never minded camping, in fact, she found it fun at times it wasn’t too hot or pouring rain. Her team did a surprisingly good job setting up camp, as long as someone reminded Drik he needed to save enough food for the rest of them if he found himself hunting. While Aeren and Khanit pitched tents and gathered supplies such as extra firewood, Rei had found her own set of chores she enjoyed. She loved to tend to the fire, to make sure its warmth didn’t falter. She made sure they had clean water to drink or wash with as well as brewing tea for anyone who wanted it to relax after a long day. She offered even to try and wash the blood and filth from some of their clothes so much as to avoid any risks of infection or general stench. When they were between towns for days, it was a necessary effort. Then, if she had the time or supplies, she tried to make the group something a little more filling beyond charred venison with little to no salt added to it, or tasteless conjured bread in Aeren’s case. While she normally took responsibility just to make sure everything was cooked and edible, she had to admit at least to herself she very much enjoyed it when she was able to do more. The easiest option was to make vegetable and meat skewers, seasoned, salted, and cooked over the flame. Other times she was able to pull off something like a meat and vegetable stew, rich and flavorful as she got more practice under her belt. She even had increasing success making fresh frybread alongside the bulk of their meal, though it was difficult she wasn’t one to give up because it was hard. She always found herself enjoying the laughter and company around her as she worked, her friends acting as her own version of a family, something she hadn’t even properly had before her days at Coldharbour. Whether it was Drik chasing Aeren with a worm on a stick or Khanit and Drik engaged in a friendly wrestling match while Aeren tried to meditate, it left a certain warmth in her chest she hoped never subsided.
It was particularly comforting when they all just talked around the flames, learning more about one another, simply opening up. For Rei, it was harder at some times than others, but she knew everyone around her had their baggage. It was nice to simply not be alone, especially when she had been lucky enough to find someone who seemed to know her better than she knew herself at times so close. She probably wouldn’t be able to count the times she had leaned against Khanit as they sat just the two of them under the stars after the others had retired, not needing to say anything as she was comforted just by Khanit’s very being. Sometimes they didn’t even make it into their tent before falling to sleep in an embrace, as Khanit had told her Rei emanated a more comforting warmth than any flame could hope to. Rei’s response had caught in her throat as the blush on her face had done the talking.
However much to Khanit’s dismay, Rei stood firm in not allowing any intimacies to go beyond a certain point, at least when they were so close to the others and the only sound barriers were made of canvas and twine. Rei was much too mortified when Drik had thrown a cup at their tent in the middle of the night citing “Rei you’re too loud I can’t sleep”, effectively cockblocking Khanit from tent-based excursions, at least while others were nearby. While that hadn’t stopped the couple from slipping into the woods for a few more moments alone, Rei had come to love the different kind of intimacy that arose when they were so close in their closed-off tent. Rei felt as if she could drown in the feeling of Khanit on top of her, hands desperate to explore and touch and feel, restraining themselves just barely as their lips met in the darkness. Rei would let out whimpers and whines while her voice was muffled by Khanit, the cleric clutching onto her as they locked together, gasping for breath when Khanit’s touch drove her just a bit too far before she pulled herself back. There was only the shuffling of blankets and whispers of affection between the two, even if Khanit made her feel like she needed just a bit more. It was times like that she cursed her self restraint. Even the nights it was cold, somehow everything in their own little world was warm.
Rei blushed as she caught herself thinking about the night before when Khanit had kissed her till she felt faint while she pulled on her dress, fastening it at the top as she always did before she pulled on her stockings and boots. As the sun slowly rose into the sky she braided her hair as she always did, finishing her routine. The only constant was her armband to which she never took off.
Aeren woke up as Rei was boiling some water for morning tea, greeting her fellow cleric with a gentle smile as she offered him a cup of the herbal elixir. Though Aeren looked somewhat akinned to a teenage boy who just woke up, he graciously accepted and sat next to Rei to watch the morning sun rise with her. It was a calm moment of meditation for the two, even if they didn’t have to say much. All it took was a few clear thoughts to prepare them for the day to come. The sun was glowing above them around the time Rei decided to get some breakfast together for them. Aeren offered to help by helping her form the balls of simple dough Rei put into a pan of hot oil to let cook. The frybread was a success, able to make plenty of portions to feed a party large in appetite. Since it had no animal products as Rei had avoided using lard for Aeren’s sake, he was free to enjoy it as well with whatever jam or jelly they happened to have at the moment. It wasn’t long before Drik, awoken by the smell of cooked venison and bread, crawled shirtless out of his tent deadset on a meal. Rei already had an ample helping of rare venison from the night before and a piece of bread set aside for the absolutely starving argonian to devour before he said good morning. However, as soon as he finished, he looked like a new man.
“Good morning friends. I don’t understand why you two wake up so early.”
“I just prefer to be awake. Also Drik your undershirt should be dry.” Rei gestured over her shoulder without looking to Drik’s tunic that she had cleaned the night prior after convincing Drik he would like it better if she cleaned it.
“IT SMELLS GOOD” Drik exclaimed once he got his hands on it.
“Yes, Drik I hope you like it” Rei called back, only with a smile on her face.
Drik ran past her a moment later, wearing his dry shirt to go jump in the nearby river to catch more fish to eat.
Rei had been up for 3 hours before she decided to go rouse her lover. Leaving Aeren in charge of making sure Drik didn’t challenge a river monster or whatever fate may have in store.
Rei ducked back into the tent, sitting back on her knees and taking a moment to observe the other woman. Khanit had sprawled out to cover their entire joined bedrolls, her leg bent causing a tent in the blanket and her arms splayed out, entirely unimpeded. It was funny to see Khanit, the one who loathed letting the cleric free from her affections sprawled out so haphazardly, snoring away without a care. Rei couldn’t help but giggle even after seeing it time and time again.
“Khanit, love are you ready to wake up?” Rei asked softly, leaning down closer to the other, gently shaking her with one hand, but not even enough to jostle her.
“Hrrrng” the orc groaned and rolled over away from whatever noise that was. Rei sighed affectionately.
“Come on I need you to get up” Rei used a louder voice though it was still light and warm.
Khanit turned back a bit, now showing some recognition even though her eyes were still closed tight.
“I made breakfast” Rei tried to bargain.
“Later…” Khanit wasn’t budging.
Rei couldn’t help herself from leaning down and brushing her nose against Khanit’s and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Her fingers tucked some of Khanit’s hair away so she could get a better look at her. However, she didn’t realize she had left herself wide open…
“Oh!” Rei yelped as a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back to the bedroll, bringing her close to Khanit who then rolled over enough to rest her head against Rei’s soft chest as she held her there. When she spoke she sounded at bliss.
“Not yet…” Khanit nuzzled against her. “Stay longer…” she promptly fell asleep again.
Even in her barely conscious state, she recognized Rei’s scent. She reminded Khanit of cinnamon spice and baked apple and the scent of bread clinging to her made her find even more comfort in it. There was no way Khanit was going to let her go now that she had gotten her back into bed, now free to cuddle with her as she pleased. Khanit felt Rei’s fingers run through her hair, her nails the perfect length to let her comb through it. She could hear the cleric’s heartbeat steady like a drum, the lullaby of her heart being the thing that kept Khanit at ease even when nightmares threatened her sleep. She tightened her hold around Rei just a bit.
“5 minute…” she mumbled against Rei’s neck. Rei just sighed and snuggled closer, trapping them under the warmth of the blanket.
“Fine 5 minutes.”