Having Breakfast Together Once Again

“ELLFYYYY!!!!!”

Krvavy’s eyes blearily flutter open just in time for her already prone body to get tackled and squished into the mossy ground. “Hhhh...!” Air is pushed from her lungs as strong, fur-covered arms wrap around both her and the Dryad that she is cuddling closely with.

“Mmm... Good mornin’, sweet puppy~.” Beryl seems mostly unbothered by the sudden and rough awakening. Probably because Krvavy just acted as a meatshield for her...

“Elfy awake!” Khalia loudly barks out, her shaggy tail thrashing back and forth in excitement. “Nnnh...” she abruptly whines, struggling to restrain herself. “Is... Elfy okay?”

Beryl smiles, reaching a hand up to gently tussle the Were-Beast’s dark brown hair. “Yup, Ah... Ah’m all good an’ ‘ealthy.”

“Arwhhooooo!” Khalia immediately howls, letting her happiness and joy be heard by everyone with working ears. “Arrrrwhoooooo!”

“Aww, such a good girl~!” The tanned Dryad coos, her nimble hands dancing across the energetic Orc’s head as she encourages this excitement. “Such a good girl~!”

“Mngh...” A rather grumpy grumble emerges from deep within Krvavy’s chest, and goes completely ignored. Whether she likes it or not, she is awake now.

The Were-Beast’s paw-like hands hastily pull at the Drakling’s arms, prying them away from Beryl’s body. “ELFY~!”

The Dryad’s face flushes faintly as she is suddenly snatched up and lifted into the air.

“Rrghm... Green.” Khalia pointedly stares at Beryl’s verdant nipples for a few, long seconds. “Heh...hehah...hahahahAHAAHAHA~!” She cackles and laughs like the hyena that she is. “Elfy and me match~! Hahaahahhaehehaha~! Opposites~!”

Krvavy lazily pushes herself upright, glancing between the green-skinned Orc and tanned tomboy. A slightly amused smile finds its way onto her face as she sees exactly what Khalia is talking about.

“Hahahehhehaahehea~!” The Were-Beast pulls Beryl into a tight hug, mashing her large breasts and brownish nipples into the tomboy’s smaller tanned tits. In all honesty, those colours don’t quite match, but... they’re clearly close enough. “Hehhe~!” Khalia cackling giggles shift as she finds something new to be amused by. “Elfy little deer now~!” She repeatedly bumps her forehead and chin into the branch-like antlers atop Beryl’s head, making it quite obvious what she is talking about.

“Ya like ‘em~? Think they’re cute~?”

“Yes~!” Khalia buries her face into the top of Beryl’s head, squishing her cheeks between those antlers. “Yes~!”

“Alright,” Krvavy exaggeratedly sighs and shakes her head, holding her arms out expectantly. “Give me back my Elf.”

““Awww...”” Both Beryl and the Were-Beast whine in unison, playing up their disappointment as the Drakling is handed back to her Dryad.

Of course, Khalia isn’t one to stay disappointed for long, especially not if it is just an act. “Mate!” She loudly barks out, cuddling up to Krvavy’s side. “Happy now?”

“I’m feeling better.” The barbarian idly answers, wrapping her arms around Beryl’s waist. “Still a little cross though.”

“Aye, Ah’m sor–”

“No, you apologized enough last night.” Krvavy clicks her tongue, her expression softening as she meets Beryl’s gaze. “This is... I really have to leave soon, though I’d rather stay here with you...”

“Oh. Right... Even though this,” Beryl gestures at herself and the grove around them, “took a while ta grow, it is all still so sudden. Should’a gone through all o’ this right after we got back instead o’ wastin’ a week...”

“What’s done is done.” Krvavy simply states, slowly shaking her head. “Wait...” she pauses, brow furrowing as a thought pops into her head. “If you suspected that this ritual could have ‘freed’ you from the collars control... then could its influence have been trying to push you away from going through with it...?”

“Ach, Ah’m not even going ta consider tha’.” The Dryad replies in a rather forceful tone, surprising both barbarian and Were-Beast as she nearly hisses out those words. “My dearest love, Ah am not goin’ ta ‘ide behind any excuse. Ah was ‘esitant about this in the past, and Ah was ‘esitant about it again now. Tha’ is tha’.”

“I –”

A single finger presses down over the Drakling’s lips. “Tsk.” Beryl clicks her tongue. “Sorry, Ah didn’t mean ta sound so ‘arsh. Ah just... Ah’m not goin’ ta shuck aside all responsibility and act like Ah’m nothin’ but an innocent victim in all o’ this. Accursed collar or not, Ah still made ya and the others worry over me.”

“Elfy...” Khalia leans into her Mate, squishing her big breasts into the barbarian’s body. Her furred arms once again wrap around both Dryad and Drakling, but this time her hug is a lot more comforting and less constricting. “Rrghhnmghhn...” She grumbles, fluffy ear flicking in annoyance at her own failure to find the right words. To find any words.

Beryl closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, holding it in for a few long seconds before slowly exhaling. “There are so many different and better ways tha’ Ah could ‘ave gone about all o’ this.” She admits, her voice clear and steady. “But instead o’ bein’ open and ‘onest, Ah went behind yer back and sprung this onta all o’ ya. Ah made all o’ this ‘arder than it ever needed ta be. Fer tha’ Ah am sorry.”

“Hmph!” A bratty huff, almost exaggeratedly loud, echoes across the grove. “Did I just miss an apology?”

“No,” Beryl calmly states, turning her gaze towards the source of that voice. “Ya lot ‘ave been standin’ there just long enough ta ‘ave ‘eard wha’ ya needed ta ‘ear.” With gentle hands, she pushes Khalia back – giving the Were-Beast one last pat on the head – and pulls away from Krvavy’s embrace. “Now... don’t be strangers. Come on over.”

“Ugh...” Thea groans, glaring down at the relatively shallow river separating her and the others from the circular island that the Dryad’s tree stands up. Her soft-blue eyes narrow with annoyance as she looks across the submerged stepping stones, quite clearly wishing that there was a bridge here instead of open water.

Said water splashes as a pair of bunny paw feet hurry on through it. “M-miss Beryl...!” The Halfling shakily shouts out, tears running down her round cheeks as she all but throws herself at the tanned tomboy. Her little body is effortlessly caught and pulled up into a tight hug.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright. Ah’m alright.”

Krvavy reaches out and grabs the sack that Adeline is holding onto, taking it and letting the gentle girl fully hug Beryl back. It seems to be full of freshly baked buns.

“Eeeeeeeieeee...” The timid blonde softly squeaks and squeals, her bottom-heavy body shuddering as she gasps and does her best to not sob. That is easier said than done for a girl as sensitive as she.

“There, there...” The Dryad softy coos, running a hand through the trembling Halfling’s dark-blonde hair. “Ah’m ‘ere, ya don’t need ta cry... And look,” she tenderly lifts Adeline’s chin, gazing down into the big hazel eyes. “Ah ‘aven’t changed all tha’ much. Ah’m still me.”

“Mhm.” Inanna hums in idle agreement, carefully lowering a large tray with little legs down onto a relatively flat bit of ground. Plates and cups softly clink together as she pulls them from their respective stacks. The utensils soon follow, and in no time at all this makeshift table has been set with six spots crammed closely together. “In all honesty, I did expect a more significant change to your appearance.”

“This isn’t all tha’ Ah am. My body is quite malleable now.” Beryl replies, reluctantly pulling a hand away from Adeline and willing her bark armour to once again cover her skin. She flexes her dagger-like fingers, showing that wooden hand off to the others, before returning it back to ‘normal’.

“Y-your eyes...!” The Halfling squeaks in surprise. “G-glow...!”

A warm smile plays at Beryl’s green lips. “Aye, my eyes’ll do tha’ whenever Ah channel mana. Ah can also change ‘em back ta wha’ they used ta be, if wha’ Ah ‘ave now is a bit too spooky fer ya.”

Adeline simply shakes her head and squishes her face back into the Dryad’s tanned skin, returning to her clingy hug.

“Here.” Thea grumpily places a teapot down into the center of the wide platter. “The dog was supposed to help us carry all of this.” She grumbles out, glaring at the Were-Beast in question.

Khalia just turns her head away and looks off to the side, trying to act as innocent as she can while continuing to cling to Krvavy. But... she really just comes off as extremely suspicious and honestly a little guilty by doing that.

“Feelin’ better now, sweetie?” The Dryad trails her wood grain textured hand through the Halfling’s hair, making a slight mess of the girl’s loose bun. Her question gets a soft squeak in response. “Ah’m sorry fer makin’ ya worry so much.” She slowly sighs out. “All o’ ya, Ah’m sorry fer wha’ Ah put ya through. Ah’m –”

“Ugh, enough apologies.” Thea cuts the Dryad off, rolling her eyes impatiently. “We do not have all day. As the Dwarf would put it, Krvavy is already behind schedule.”

“Mm, yes. She was supposed to leave yesterday.”

“Wha’?!” Beryl’s long and pointed ears jump up. “My dearest love, ya should’a said so!”

Krvavy dismissively waves her hand. “It’s just a single day. That won’t change much.”

“Ach, yes it will! If ya don’t make it ta Raseyne in time, then ya’d ‘ave wasted a week ta get there and another ta come ‘ome!”

“Exactly!” Thea exasperatedly exhales, staring pointedly at the Drakling.

“A couple more minutes, or even an hour, hardly matters at this point.” Inanna plainly states, placing food onto everyone’s plates. “So there is not need to rush through breakfast just to send our love off slightly sooner.”

The bratty girl’s gaze snaps towards the grey-skinned shortstack, soft-blue eyes narrowing in betrayal. “Hmph!” She huffs out, pouting adorably.

“Tsk.” Beryl lightly clicks her tongue. “Ah suppose ya’re right. But, my dearest love, Ah’ll be cross if ya miss this opportunity, understood?”

“Yup.” Krvavy casually grabs a fork and skewers a thin strip of meat. It isn’t exactly bacon, but it is close enough. “I’ll just spend more time running instead of walking or jogging. I should get there just fine.”

“Aye, ya’d better.” The Dryad shakes her head and settles back down beside the barbarian, dragging Adeline with her. “Don’t want ya ta miss out on this because o’ me. Wouldn’t want ta disappoint Rina either.”

“Mm. Nor would we want to invalidate this past week of worry and stress.” Inanna idly comments, pouring tea into each of the six cups on the makeshift table. “The Countess’ offer is what ultimately pushed Beryl over the edge, so to speak.”

“Hmph, seriously?” Thea turns her mildly annoyed gaze towards the Dryad. “Are you really that clingy? This degenerate Dragon will not be away for all that much longer than usual.”

“Ah’d argue tha’ bein’ gone fer over a month is a lot more than just a couple o’ weeks. Two times more, really.” Beryl softly strokes the bunny-mouse girl’s floppy ear. The corners of her lips twitch downwards despite that. “But no, it wasn’t just tha’ our dearest love would be gone. It was... Ach, this is goin’ ta sound so stupid, but... Ah wanted ta give Krvavy some peace o’ mind while she is away.”

“Wow, you have done quite the good job of that so far.” The brat bitterly comments, sarcastically rolling her eyes as she finally sits down on the squishy moss.

“Aye. Ah... did not go about this in a smart way. And Ah ‘ave no excuse fer tha’. Ah fucked up, plain and simple.”

“Hmph.”

“Well, uhm...” Krvavy lightly bites the inside of her cheek. “I’ll always worry a bit, but... Yeah, having my own Dryad here to guard all of you does help. Not that there is any real danger here.” She slowly shakes her head. “And the Far-Speaking things also help. Hopefully they have enough range that I’ll be able to hear your voices every day...”

“Ugh... Great, I will never be free from your harassment, will I...?”

“Mhm.” The Dwarf completely ignores Thea’s bratty mumbling. “Have you decided on what piece of jewellery you would like to have?” She asks the former Elf. “We need to get it connected before Krvavy leaves.”

“Ach.” Beryl furrows her brow, almost wincing at that thought. “Can’t be a ring, not wit’ ‘ow my ‘ands shift... Maybe... maybe a piercin’? Puttin’ it in my ear is a bit too borin’ though – no offence.” Her dark eyes just barely catch a glimpse of the smooth black gem that caps the silver stud in Inanna’s earlobe. “Suppose Ah can try ta be a bit more adventurous... Can always ‘eal myself up if Ah don’t like where Ah put it...”

Krvavy takes a swig of her tea. “You know,” she struggles to lift her gaze up from her shorstack’s massive, and completely bare, tits. Luckily, Inanna’s copper-orange eyes are beautiful and captivating in their own right. “I thought you’d be a lot more curious about, well, this whole place.”

“Mm... I am. There are hundreds upon hundreds of questions I could ask. But seeking answers to those questions will take all day. Even longer, perhaps. And that is time which you do not have the luxury to waste. So I am holding back my curiosity until you leave.”

“Not even going to ask why it looks like there is sunlight shining down between the leaves of Beryl’s tree~?” The Drakling teasingly asks, biting down onto another strip of meat. Her emerald eyes gleam as she waits for her Dwarf to take the bait she so plainly left out.

“Not in this moment, no.” Inanna calmly shakes her head. “Besides, I already have an idea as to what the answer to that particular question is. It almost certainly follows the same principle which allows for a Dryad to ‘lock in’ a specific time of day or year for the area in and around her grove.”

A wide, triumphant, grin spreads across Krvavy’s face.

“Aye, tha’ sounds about right.” Beryl lazily shrugs her shoulders. “Just don’t ask ‘ow it actually works. The closest ya’ll get ta an answer is... magic. And, Ah should add, tha’ sort o’ influence is far beyond my power. At least as Ah am now. Maybe in a century or so... Ach, Ah probably wouldn’t bother wit’ tha’ sort o’ thing anyway. There is beauty in all seasons and in all times o’ day, after all, and Ah want my grove ta reflect tha’. Not ta badmouth the Dryad’s tha’ like ta keep everythin’ the same like tha’, bu–”

“EEEEEEEIIEE!” Adeline suddenly shrieks, jumping up and nearly flipping the short tray turned table. Though, luckily, one of Beryl’s vines is there to grab the table to hold it steady enough that only a couple cups fall over. Empty ones, thankfully. “EEEIEK!” The Halfling sharply squeaks as she trips over that tendril, falling backwards and thumping against the thick tree trunk behind her.

“Wha–?!”

“S-sn-sna-na-snake!” Adeline shakily stammers and stutters out, clasping a hand over her trembling heart.

“Oh, Ah’m sorry sweetie, Ah’m so, so sorry!” Beryl’s long ears droop down as she realizes what happened. Almost sheepishly, her vine grabs a bun and passes it into her hands. “This is just one o’ my vines. It’s not a snake. It’s a part o’ me. Should’a properly showed them off first...”

The Halfling gasps for air, her nearly flat chest rapidly rising and falling. She flinches slightly as the green tendril turns towards her, its tip splitting open so that its three finger-like grippers can awkwardly wave at her.

“You are scared of snakes?” Thea asks, the slightest hint of derision in her otherwise uncharacteristically compassionate voice. “Krvavy pretty much has one permanently biting onto her ass.”

“Rude.” The barbarian gently shakes her head, meaty tail curling at her side almost self consciously. “Those vines are a bit more unsettling than my tail could ever be. Especially with how they open up like a weird mouth.” With a sigh, Krvavy reaches over and grabs the vine in question. “Here, see?” She holds the thing out towards Adeline, causing the timid girl to flinch again. “It’s just a vine. A weird and kind of fleshy one. But still just a vine.”

Adeline takes a deep and very unsteady breath, reaching a finger out to gently poke the green tendril that jump scared her. ““Hhh!”” Both she and Beryl gasp and jump a little at that contact, though luckily Krvavy’s grip on the vine holds it steady and still.

“Sorry,” the Dryad apologizes again, “Ah’m still gettin’ used ta ‘avin’ these.” A faint green blush tints her cheeks. “Ah didn’t really think about usin’ tha’ thing: it was... instinctual. Just like reachin’ out wit’ my ‘and...”

Being able to touch the vine without having to worry about it touching her back seems to really help Adeline calm down. Her little fingers poke and prod at the almost rubbery thing, gradually growing more confident as she curiously squeezes and strokes the ribbed grippers.

Thea’s eyes narrow as she glares at the increasingly flustered Dryad. “Typical.” She sneers, pointedly staring at Beryl’s green nipples as they slowly stiffen into pebbly nubs.

“Mm. On the topic of fears,” Inanna casually moves the conversation on, completely unconcerned by the scene in front of her. “It would seem that yours did not come to pass, Beryl.”

“Aye,” the former Elf reluctantly sighs, slightly shuffling in place. Her tanned thighs rub together and her long ears twitch as she struggles to act unbothered. “And tha’ makes it feel all the worse... Ah... Ah ‘ave no excuse fer not ‘avin’ gone through wit’ this earlier...”

“Mm. Perhaps. Perhaps not. The results of the ritual were not set in stone. The fears that did not come true now could have come true in the past.”

Beryl simply shrugs her shoulders and lightly shakes her head. The serious expression filling her face melts a little as Krvavy leans in and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Ugh, enough of that.” Thea leans across the short makeshift table, slapping at the Drakling’s hand.

That noises causes Adeline to flinch and pull back from the vine. A few seconds later, Krvavy releases her grip on it as well.

“Eat.” The silver-blonde noble girl sternly orders, guiding the barbarian’s hand back to her plate. “We do not have all day.”

Krvavy smiles and shakes her head, taking the fork that her brat has shoved into her hand.