Crafting Couches & Easing Adeline’s Anxiety

“Hmm...” Krvavy trails her gaze across the various markers marring the stone floor. “It’ll take up most of the room...”

“Y-yes...?”

“Oh, I’m just thinking out loud.” The barbarian nonchalantly comments.

Adeline awkwardly shifts her weight from one little bunny paw foot to the other. The hem of her sundress nearly brushes across the spot on her lower legs where dark-blonde fur transitions into olive skin each time that it swishes back and forth.

“Besides,” Krvavy casually continues after a few long seconds, “having such a big couch isn’t really a bad thing. It’s not like we have anything else to put in here. Though... it might be a bit of an obstacle to get around...”

“We c-can split it.” The Halfling voices her opinion, and then shrinks into herself as that, quite predictably, draws the Drakling’s attention. “H-here, there, and th-there.” She quickly gestures at three different spots on the floor with a shaky finger.

“Ahh...” Krvavy nods in understanding. “We’d have four couches in the shape of a ‘U’ instead of one single giant ‘U’ shaped one... The central table means that we still wouldn’t be able to walk straight from the hallway to the balcony... but that hardly matters... Having it split like that would make it a lot more convenient to actually get on the couches... saving us the need to walk around or jump over the back...”

The bunny-mouse girl breathes out in relief as her suggestion is easily accepted.

Krvavy crouches down in between some of the markings. She taps a finger into the stone floor before holding both of her hands up at different heights, moving them up and down as she tries to better visualize how tall the couch would be. “The backrests might make the areas behind them feel a bit cramped... Like a hallway instead of an open room... Well, that wouldn’t be a problem for me, but it definitely would be for you and Inanna...”

“W-wh-what if y-you sink this whole a-a-area in-into the floor...? J-j-just a little...!”

The barbarian pauses. “Of course!” She sharply exhales, pressing a hand into her forehead. “The kitchen ceiling isn’t anywhere near as high as the dining room, so we’ll have plenty of space to lower the couches and everything in between. It shouldn’t go too low though... We’d need to keep a fair bit of stone between the floor and the oven chimney or there might be some odd warm or hot spots... But the whole thing would have to sink down pretty far for that, and at that point it’d basically just be a big pit... Which would be weird to have in the middle of the room...”

Adeline continues to stand around awkwardly, not really knowing what to do with herself as the barbarian continues to think out loud. She idly glances off to the side, looking out over the balcony and into the grotto. Though she can’t exactly see anything but stone walls and the cave ceiling from here...

“See?”

The Halfling jumps a little as Krvavy suddenly addresses her with a wide smile.

“I knew that you’d be a big help here.” The Drakling approaches the tiny blonde and warmly pats the rather short girl on the head. “So far, this whole layout is entirely your idea. I would have gone with something smaller and less stationary. Like some smaller couches or loveseats, or whatever they’re called, that we can slide around the room as needed. Which I guess we could still do on the other side of the fireplace... though that sort of thing would work better if it was lighter, made out of wood instead of stone, so that’d be more of a job for Beryl than for me...”

A rich red hue fills Adeline’s round cheeks as the Drakling’s strong fingers ruffle her dark-blonde hair, making her loose bun look slightly dishevelled.

“Anyway,” Krvavy gently shakes her head and crouches down in front of the short Halfling. Her pelt loincloth just barely maintains her modesty. “I want to thank you for helping me out here. I mean, I know that I asked you to, but still. You could have done nothing but hang around and keep me company. Which, to be clear, I would have been fine with. But you didn’t just do that, and have actually been really helpful.”

The Halfling shudders and turns her head away, too embarrassed to meet the barbarian’s affectionate gaze. “I-I-I-I-I...!” She stutters out in a panic.

“I’m serious, you have a real talent for this sort of thing. Don’t forget, you helped design the kitchen as well. Which turned out amazingly, remember?” The Drakling’s other hand lightly caresses Adeline’s cheek, before cupping the adorably embarrassed girl’s chin. “And this isn’t just me being nice or trying to complement you for no reason. You’ve had some genuinely good ideas. Ones that I’m not entirely certain that I would have come up with on my own. At least not until after I’d already finished it all. I was more focused on just adding furniture, but you’ve been thinking more about remodelling the room instead. And that is turning out way better than what I would have done on my own.”

Adeline’s blush grows and grows with each word that passes Krvavy’s lips. She continues to quiver and shudder, almost convulsing as the ceaseless compliments cause her already crumbling composure to completely collapse. “Eeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiieee...” Her big hazel eyes shakily blink, sending streams of wet tears rolling down her round cheeks.

Realizing that she might have just broke the poor girl, Krvavy stops herself from pointing out how useful lowering the floor will be for getting stone to build the foundation of the couches. That feels like it would just be the equivalent of pouring fuel onto a fire. And so, instead of doing that, the Drakling simply pulls the tiny blonde into a tight hug.

It takes the utterly overwhelmed girl a few long minutes before she even begins to calm down. But, eventually, her tears do run dry.

“Sorry.” The barbarian sheepishly apologizes, running her fingers through Adeline’s dark-blonde hair, further ruining the bunny-mouse girl’s already loose bun. “I didn’t mean to... uh... embarrass you so much.”

The Halfling makes a sniffling noise as she slowly pulls her face away from Krvavy’s chest. “I-it’s okay...” She weakly squeaks out.

“Here, why don’t I go get a stool for you?” The Drakling gently brushes her thumb across the timid blonde’s wet cheek. “I think you’ve more than earned yourself a bit of a break, so you can just sit back and keep me company, alright? Though if you have any more ideas, don’t be afraid to share them.”

Adeline takes a deep breath and slowly nods her head. She awkwardly clutches at her floppy ears as the barbarian backs up, giving her some space. A look of longing fills her big hazel eyes as she watches Krvavy stand up and step away. Her lips quiver a little as she slowly turns her gaze down to the ground.

“Do you think this is tall enough? The cushions will add more a bit more height to it. About... this much, just like the bed.”

The Halfling gently furrows her brow as she looks over the stone foundation of the couch. After a few seconds, she nods her head.

“Great.” Krvavy gives the bunny-mouse girl a big thumbs up. “That means we’re nearly half done already. And to think that it isn’t even time for us to have lunch yet...”

Adeline idly twiddles her thumbs as she stands beside the kneeling barbarian. She can’t help but briefly glance back at the stool resting over near the fireplace.

“Do you mind sitting on this part here?” Krvavy taps a narrower part of the partially finished couch, where it curves into the bottom part of it’s vague ‘U’ shape.

A little bit of colour fills the bunny-mouse girl’s face as she does what the Drakling had asked. Her thick thighs squish beautifully against the solid surface, prompting her to begin nervously patting down and straightening her sundress in a futile attempt to distract herself from the fact that she is putting on such an alluring display.

“Thanks.” The Drakling gives the adorably timid girl a pat on the head, focused more on her work than the Halfling she is leaning over and around. “The armrest would be roughly here and the backrest there, so... this spot is definitely better for someone like you or Inanna, but it wouldn’t feel too snug for someone who is a lot bigger. Like Khalia. Or me. Though my tail would be a bit of a problem...”

No longer needing to stay seated, Adeline scoots forwards and all but jumps back onto her feet. The blush colouring her cheeks grows a bit brighter as that sudden movement causes the hem of her dress to rise up and flutter around her.

The barbarian grabs a brick from the nearest pile and places it down, spending just a few points of mana to merge the stone together. Another brick quickly follows the first and the armrest begins to take shape.

The tiny blonde slowly, and quietly, breathes out. Her shoulder slump slightly as she calms the beating of her heart. She takes a very small step back towards Krvavy, standing as close as she can without being in the way. And without her presence being too obvious.

Nothing but the sound of stone being placed atop stone fills the air as a comfortable silence surrounds the two of them. Well, comfortable for Krvavy.

Adeline’s anxiety just seems to grow and grow as the seconds tick on by.

The Halfling’s big hazel eyes worriedly look over the barbarian’s work. A handful of large stone rectangles, not yet smoothed and rounded out, fill what will soon be their living room. All of the work done so far came from the suggestions that she made.

A thin, fur-tipped tail tightly twists around Krvavy’s much meatier one, drawing the Drakling’s attention away from the stone bricks and towards the jittery girl by her side. “You doing alright?” She gently asks. “Not still embarrassed about earlier, are you?”

Adeline’s grabs at her floppy bunny ears, distractedly rubbing their soft and velvety fur between her little fingers. “Uhm...” The timid girl shrinks beneath Krvavy’s kind gaze. She nervously shifts her weight side to side while fighting a losing battle against the urge to hide behind her ears.

“It’s okay.” Soft words seem to do little to ease the Halfling’s nerves. “I’m not going to drown you in more compliments, even if you do deserve them.”

“D-d-d-do I...?” Adeline flinches at her own stuttered words. “D-do I?” She quickly repeats herself, keeping Krvavy from responding. “The t-t-trait th-that you g-ga-ga-ave me... i-it...” Her wavering voice cuts out with choked noise.

A frown fills the barbarian’s face, one which is luckily not seen by the bunny-mouse girl who is now fully hiding behind her ears. “Altruistic Assistance?” That question gets a shaky nod in response. “What does that...?” Krvavy trails off in realization before she can finish asking that question.

That ambiguously worded trait, which the Halfling got along with a part of Krvavy’s soul, does two things: it increases the experience gained by whoever Adeline is helping out in relation to how helpful she is and it makes Adeline more ‘effective’ at helping others out. It is, no doubt, that second part which the poor girl is getting worked up over.

“You’re worried about the suggestions you’ve given me. About if they came from you or that trait.”

Adeline shudders and slowly lifts her gaze, just barely staring past her bunny ears with wet, glistening eyes.

Krvavy takes a deep breath. She isn’t a particularly eloquent person. Which means that she has to really consider what she is about to say so that her words aren’t misinterpreted. And so that she doesn’t just come off as rude or callous either. Krvavy slowly exhales. “Well... I, personally, really don’t think that trait had anything to do with you coming up with those ideas.”

Confusion fills the tiny blonde’s face, intermingling with worry, fear, and embarrassment.

“Altruistic Assistance might be unique in what it does, but it isn’t unique in its nature. You aren’t the only one who my soul has... rubbed off on. Both Thea and Khalia also have their own unique traits that they got as a result of... that.”

Adeline jumps slightly as the barbarian’s big hand is gently placed onto her shoulder. But that bit of contact does seem to reassure her a little, even if it takes her a few seconds to recover from that small surprise.

“And while those traits all do different things, they aren’t entirely different from each other. As Inanna would point out, they share a pattern. A common factor. They are all built around aspects of who you are. They all focus on a part of your personality or character and... accentuate it.”

The Halfling shivers as the hand on her shoulder gives her a soft squeeze which slowly shifts into a tender massage.

“Khalia’s trait, Ardent Anger, focuses on her rage. She is an Orc, a Were-Beast, and a berserker. All three of which have rather strong associations with anger. Has that trait turned her into a feral animal that is always frothing with rage and consumed with fury? No. Khalia might be aggressive and excitable, but she isn’t angry all the time. In fact, she is hardly ever angry. She smiles and laughs even when fighting, when she is frenzied and supposedly overtaken with rage.”

The bunny-mouse girl slowly lowers her hands, only covering her mouth and chin with those floppy ears of hers. She hardly reacts at all the Drakling’s other hand comes to rest on her other shoulder.

“Thea’s trait, Carnal Compliance, focuses on sex. Specifically, it focuses on her ability to have sex more frequently and more intensely. Because, whether she’d admit it or not, that girl is just as much of a degenerate and just as much of a pervert as I am. Maybe even more. And has that trait turned her into a complete nymphomaniac who spends her every waking moment trying to get off? No. She has a high libido, sure, but she is in control of herself and those urges. Thea may have mellowed out and maybe even matured a little since the early days of when I got her, but she is still the same girl that I found in a cage in the middle of that bandit camp.”

The tiny blonde shudders and lets go of her soft bunny ears, letting them drop down away from her face. She makes a soft breathy sound as the Drakling’s reassuring hands move inwards, brushing against the sides of her neck before gently cupping both of her round cheeks at once.

“And your trait isn’t any different, Adeline. It is focused on you helping other people. It makes your help all the more valuable than it already is. But it doesn’t **** you to help others, does it?”

Adeline weakly shakes her head.

“No, you help others out when they ask, and sometimes even when they don’t, because you are a good person who wants to help people.” The barbarian slowly breathes in and out. “The ideas that you had for the kitchen and this new living room are your wonderful ideas. They came from you, not some trait. If you really want to attribute anything to that trait, then maybe, just maybe, it helped you work up the courage to voice your thoughts and get those ideas out into the open. But even then... I think it is fair to say you did that on your own as well, my little rabbit. After all, you are getting more comfortable around here. Slowly but surely, your are growing more confident.”

The Halfling’s lips quiver as she stares up at Krvavy. Her big hazel eyes are awash with a mix of emotions. Doubt. Relief. Anxiety. Joy. The flurry of feelings reflected in her expressive eyes rapidly shift and blend together, before being drowned out and silenced by surprised shock

Krvavy’s nose clumsily bumps into that of the Halfling as she leans in for a kiss. Their lips chastely press together. Adeline remains completely still, like a beautiful bottom-heavy statue, completely overwhelmed by this sudden intimacy.

A deep, red blush fills the timid blonde’s face. And it only seems to grow brighter as the kiss comes to an end.

“You are so adorable...” Krvavy quietly breathes out, her whispered voice hardly even audible.

But the bunny-mouse girl, with her big ears, hears those words. And they snap her out of this daze. “Eeeeeeiieeee...!” She weakly squeaks out, squeezing free from Krvavy’s gentle hands with a hurried lunge. Her embarrassed face is quickly buried into the barbarian’s bare breasts and her arms wrap around Krvavy as tightly as they can.

The Drakling easily meets Adeline’s clingy hug with one of her own, resting a hand on the back of the Halfling’s head while her other arm returns the girl’s embrace.

Krvavy slowly exhales. Her shoulders sag in relief as tension leaves her body. She lets her stressed mind go blank as she relaxes into this hug, thinking of nothing at all while enjoying the warm of another body pressed up against her own.

Eventually, after who knows how many minutes, their hug comes to an end.

Adeline squirms and wiggles within their shared embrace, prompting the Drakling to loosen her grip and let the girl go.

Rather predictably, the Halfling immediately grabs at her floppy bunny ears and hides her flushed face behind them.

A blissful smile plays at Krvavy’s lips. “You know...” she idly begins, still coming back to her senses. “I don’t think I’ve told you this, but... I love you, Adeline. You’re so sweet that... that it’s hard not to.”

The bunny-mouse girl freezes. She remains utterly still for a few long seconds, not even breathing. Her coiled tail twitches, its tufted tip brushing against the Drakling’s much thicker tail. She slowly, ever so slowly, peeks past the safety of her soft ears.

Krvavy sheepishly meets the timid Halfling’s unreadable gaze. “Sorry, that’s... probably a bit too much... You don’t have to –”

“I-I...!” Adeline hastily drops her bunny ears so that her little hands are free to grab onto the Drakling’s wrist. “Iloveyoutoooo!” She cries out, her frantic confession blending together and shifting into a high pitched squeak.

“Really?” Krvavy can’t keep the surprise off of her face. “I mean –”

“Y-yes...!” The bunny-mouse girl’s courage burns away as she pulls the barbarian’s hand up against her nearly flat chest, sharing the frantic beating of her heart. “Mhhhnhnnnnnhhhh...!” She cutely presses her lips together and makes an equally adorable whining noise

“This... isn’t to fast for you?” The Drakling’s doubts and concerns take advantage of her hesitation. “We haven’t spent all that much time together. Not really. We hardly even interacted before... before I needed to help you handle your heat. And then I left for the city just a few days after that...”

A slight bit of frustration enters the flurry of emotions filling Adeline’s expression. Having to put her thoughts and feelings into words is not something that she is even slightly good at, but it looks like she will have to try...

“I-I...” The Halfling’s hands tighten their grip around Krvavy’s wrist, her little fingers digging into skin and scales. “I-I-I se-see...” She forcibly shuts her eyes, scrunching up her whole face, and takes a deep breath. “I see you and the oth-others...” She slowly exhales. “How y-you look at them... H-how they look at you. The warmth... Th-the love... I...” the girl shudders and makes a faint whimpering sound. “I... want t-t-to b-be a part of th-tha-that... I w-want to love them... t-to love y-y-you... an-and be l-l-loved i-in r-ret-t-t-turn...”

The barbarian bites her bottom lip. “You... you can have that.” She quietly states, confidence returning with each word. “You can have all of that. And more.”

Adeline timidly opens a single eye. “Eeep!” She squeaks and quickly turns her head to the side, unable to muster the courage to meet Krvavy’s gaze.

A blush colours the cheeks of both barbarian and bunny-mouse girl.

“Well... I... I guess we should get back to it...?” Krvavy awkwardly speaks up after a few long seconds. “Or maybe we should just... go straight to lunch?”