Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
Her world was broadening.
Veil wasn't enjoying the braiding process as much as she was enjoying the feeling of someone else playing with her hair . . . no, not even someone else. it was Torielle who was lovingly taking each strand, prepping each braid, wrapping each section, arranging it just so, allowing a masterpiece to be formed from what had previously been simple purple curls. And as the mare pulled away, and she could see the the effect, she knew it was the right decision to let Torielle be the one to play dress up with. However, that sly smile, the twinkling of her eyes . . . it only made the heat in her chest expand. Sweet Tempus, what was this woman made of that could cause her very touch to be electrifying?
Was that the special magic Torielle held? As she sidled up beside her, the star's wings gently ghosting against Tori's side, Veil found herself suddenly growing hot under that attention, under that star, under those words. Why could something so simple as accepting the offer to dress her sound so . . . . Romantic? Lovely? Flirting, they're flirting? Is that your girlfriend, sister? Tori and Veil, sitting in a tree. THe whispered, giggling voices flooded her head. And in a moment of wide eyed, star struck realization, the star stared up into those soft azure pools, and she felt her features heat in a blush, Okay. Well, at least she could still formulate words.
But surely this wasn't a crush? She was a star! Stars don't have crushes, right? THey're creatures of light, and energy and . . . and she was more than a star. The mare was suddenly talking though, and Veil pushed all of these thoughts and wondering, and energy-producing, star-throbbing thoughts deep down into her chest where she cold ponder on them later. Tori was talking, and that demanded all of her attention, as something gauzy and floating, and bells were mentioned. Veil followed easily as the mare led her around, nodding to a sudden display at the thought of something for her tail. Her eyes widened at the fabrics and she nodded, quite eagerly, eyes brightening at the potential, That sounds lovely! And they all look beautiful! The star agreed, before a silk is pulled away, sky blue, beautiful. Veil reaches out with a wing, using her feathers to lift it, to peer at it closely.
She nods with an eager smile, It's beautiful, and it reminds me of you're veil too. We . . . we could almost match." The star admits softly, a tiny smile as she shifts, her tail swishing, her wings folded up, and this time, that blush was back, but it was aided with a shier look to her eye, an embarrassed, but tender smile, the fluttering of her heart, as it picked up power at the thought of Tori's touch on her again, Let's try it on, then. She suggested quietly, trying to ignore the suddenly very friendly thoughts of Torielle's touch. The flush didn't die down, the mare suddenly shy, suddenly awkward, not sure how to ask for the help, not about to try to do it on her own, S-so . . . how do I wear this sort of garment? She asked, her voice dropping, her tone lower, softer, and those pink, galaxy eyes staring up into those blue orbs, as if they were the only thing that matter.
Okay, so maybe the star had a crush.
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Torielle Notes:: TOUCH THE BUTT
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
It had not occurred to the dappled mare that the soft sky colour of the silk she had proffered to her friend was similar to the veil she had tucked into her own hair. The way her flight feathers lifted the delicate fabric to inspect it made the woman’s heart flutter, the gentle starfall glittering underneath the sheer cover rather more complimentary than Torielle had first expected. A smile graced her lips as she nodded, watching Veil underneath a fringe of lashes, grateful that her own flush was well hidden beneath the dark soot colour of her features.
“Yes, I suppose we could,” she said softly. “We’d be a great matching pair, wouldn’t we?” The mare’s blue orbs twinkled at the thought, the way her lyrics formed suggesting more than sharing similar scarves in their hair. She swallowed down the songbirds in her chest as Veil meekly asked her how to wear the tail decoration. It shouldn’t have surprised her that the star woman would ask her help with this, too, and perhaps it didn’t and that is why she had led her towards the flowing trains.
“Well, um…” the woman flushed again and she was sure that this time the colour would radiate through the darkness of her coat and beam steadily like a beacon that declared her feelings loudly to anyone passing by. Though, she supposed to anyone else watching the two women it would have been clear they were dancing around the obvious. There were plenty of mares in attendance that were assisting each other in dressing for the festivities, but they did not cast longing looks or caress each other with a timidness that came with the fear of rejection. They did not reveal glimpses of stuttering hearts and uncertainty.
Not like Torielle did.
“It depends,” she said, clearing her throat of birds with minimal success. She held up the simple silk she had shown her friend. “This one, I think rests at the dock, either held in place by ties or with additional berets.” She turned to show Veil her own tail jewelry.
“You see how I have some hair braided around the base here? My coins are pinned into that braid and that is what holds it in place.” Her banner flicked lightly, causing the silver to shiver against the deep auburn locks they rested upon, trying not to linger too much on the fact that she had effectively shoved her rump into Veil’s face for inspection.
The mare turned around to face her friend once more, ears pinned back in nervous embarrassment as she averted her gaze. “So I think we would need to find some pins for this one, or a longer train that can come up over your hips and be held by weighted chains of some kind, as this one is admittedly rather short for your beautiful endowments.”
Her gaze caressed the curve of the star’s backside, the gentle slope of the woman’s hips and down the length of curling tresses that ended in a shower of galaxy dust. The mare tried to steady her heart, knowing that soon she would be asked to help place the train upon her friend and adjust it to perfection. She hadn’t quite recovered from the headspin braiding Veil’s mane had caused and the impure thoughts of someone who was most certainly not a celibate scholar raced through her mind. She fluttered her lashes, trying to banish them, lest the star somehow sense her thoughts and abandon the whole thing.
Torielle was a good friend, and she would quash these feelings if she had to in order to protect her friendship. Veil was too precious to her to let these romantic and lustful inclinations take that from her. She had many years of practice afterall, with Lorelei, the delicate pegasus she had left behind when Gaia had brought her to Novus. Perhaps that is part of what attracted her to Veil Nebula- they had similar traits after all. A deep devotion to their faith, a gentle way of being, far too trusting and loving and pure. In the same way that scholar had found comfort in her friend among the temple walls she called home for several lifetimes, she found serenity at Veil’s side. Perhaps that was the mare’s curse.
She loved too deeply, too freely. It had always been a topic of discussion among The Sages, her earthly attachments to those she cared for, her boundless pool of emotion that ruled her thinking. They had called her flighty, foolish, a renegade, disruptive. Yet, they did little to stop her other than admonishment- after all, she’d always held a proclivity for other women and when she had taken her oaths as every Sage before her, she had been made barren. There was no risk of her breaking her divine promise to Gaia and sullying her devotion in the eyes of her mentors.
And so Torielle was left to love whom she chose, unrequited. She would have been no stranger to rejection and would have happily swallowed any grief if it meant she could continue to walk in step with the souls who fascinated her. Veil fascinated her, enraptured her, stole her heart and made it sing in ways she had thought impossible, simply by being. No, she would not allow these errant thoughts to put her friendship in danger. She would behave herself, even if it meant the muscle would hammer against her ribcage until it bruised.
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
There was something bubbling beneath the surface, so close that Veil could feel it searing her insides, so far away she couldn't decipher what it might be. Instead, she focused on the interactions, inspecting the silk, lifting it softly with her wings, feathers splayed out to take in the way the fabric draped against her colors, her dust. Even as she observed it, there was still so much of her attention on the dusky mare at her side, her gaze turning to the antlered women when she agreed, admitting to them being a great matching pair.
Veil felt that heat searing her higher, carving out her inner cavity, bubbling at her throat, until she wondered if she might just explode from the sheer force of it all. The nebula laughs, despite the turmoil her insides were facing, shaking her head, hearing the small chimes of crystals against her skin, the soft tinkling of her own bells. I suppose we would, wouldn't we. She muses softly, and this time it's her pale pink gaze, twinkling with stars and galaxy far away in that rose-tinted that are veiled. Her gaze peers up through deep magenta lashes, as she smiles slightly, a sudden shyness as she wonders if they're still talking about just scarves and shawls.
Tori seemed to grow shyer, the same shyness that Veil herself found herself the victim of. The two seem to skirt around the potential fact of what may be there, what could be there. Content to hide between sidelong glances and stuttering words. Figments of imagination that could be blamed upon too much to drink, or too much heat in the air, the very festival obscuring the gaze, and passing fancy when there was none meant to be there. But soon Torielle is explaining, holding up that same baby blue silk, explaining where it would rest, held with ties, or other items, before turning, to show off the jewelry braided into her tail.
Veil would blame part of her next auctions on being just a simple star with no level of boundaries or personal space. But perhaps it was the presentation, the unintentional invite that could have been spoken to the universe, as those same flight feathers gently lift one of the bands of jewelry, trying to be respectful, trying not to be imposing, keeping her gaze friendly. How silly this felt, trying to keep up appearances, and struggling where other women were practically shoving their bodies against each other to show off jewelry, with none of the hesitation apparent as between the two women. No undertones to have to take into account.
She pulls her wing back, nodding to the explanation that Torielle offered, trying to keep that friendly repertoire, not misread a situation as it was given, So, it would be pinned into place in a similar fashion? Dear heavens, with her emotions afoot the way they were, could Veil handle a braiding like that, there? Her own tail swishes, scattering stardust into the air, as she quickly turns her gaze away, feeling that heat seer her dark cheeks once more.
What was wrong with her.
Tori suggested they find pins or a longer train that can be used, and it wasn't until that mention that Veil looked up curiously a slight smile, Perhaps something longer then. Flowing." She agreed, a sudden brightness back to her tone, as she begins to look curiously through the fabrics, But the same color. She added, still rather strung up on the fact she would match Torielle in the soft blue. We can weigh it down with all sorts of additional bits, you did express a desire to pin me up in more bells, did you not? She reminded with a soft smile, as she tucked her wings, shifting feathers slightly as they aligned into a resting position, I guess I'm at the mercy of your expertise, Tori. The star added quietly, What would you recommend we try first?
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Torielle Notes:: TOUCH THE BUTT
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
It took every ounce of control the mare held in her body not to melt under the gentle touch of Veil. Sure, all she had done was extend a flight feather to lift one of her strings of coin to inspect the decoration. But the sensation of having the stellar mare so close to… delicate regions made Torielle’s head spin violently. Her hide twitched as electricity crawled along her haunch. The star hadn’t even actually touched her skin, had barely caressed the auburn locks that held the jewelry she was looking at, and yet it rocked the dappled mare to her core.
It was a brief moment, but it threw the scholar’s heart into a stuttering rhythm for the remainder of her explanation, her mind trying desperately to convince her that the touch had meant nothing. A simple observational motion, curiosity from a galactic being who wanted to understand the function of the jewelry. Nothing more. No, nothing more.
She was thankful when Veil agreed to the longer train, breathing a sigh of light relief. Their friendship would remain safe, sacred, beautiful. The mare’s expression softened, a smile pulling at her lips as the star insisted on a matching colour. She really did like the idea of being part of a matching set. Torielle and Veil, Veil and Torielle, matching veils for Veil and Torielle. The thought ran circles in her head like children skipping to a rhyme, and it was pleasant enough that she indulged herself.
Bells chimed as they swayed between the mare’s antlers when she nodded. “Oh I would love to make you jingle with every step. They’ll hear you from miles away if I have my way with you,” her blue eyes sparkled as she grinned. No, No innuendo to be had there. None at all. Zip. Zero, Nada.
She wandered around the perimeter of the tent, searching for the longer trains. They were hanging in the back, behind the stall’s proprietor, high against the beams of the temporary structure. The stallion had a knowing look, and Torielle tried her best to ignore it, flicking her audits as she stared at the fabrics on display, concentration colouring her features.
Finally, she indicated an oblong piece with delicate beading and silver embroidery that looked like stars and moons. The border was thin and consisted of a navy blue pattern with alternating silver and black beadwork. Hanging nearby was a tangle of silver bells accented with pressed icons of stars, moons and tiny solar flares. As the seller passed the woman the items, he gruffly commented. “Those’ll look mighty fine on yer girlfriend with her, ah… sparkly stuff.”
Torielle was fairly sure she was going to burst into flame, but she made absolutely no attempt to correct the gentleman. Clearly he meant it in the platonic way, how mares have girlfriends. Friends. Who are girls. He was not making commentary on the obvious way that Tori danced around the songbirds in her chest and the longing looks she gave the woman at her side. She meekly took the veil and hips decorations, muttering a quick thank you before quickly returning to Veil with a smile, though the embarrassment was clear on her features.
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
The energy between them was fragile, new.
A world of unknown mysterious as silent and questioning as the universe, but as delectable as the first touch of spring. Veil reached towards her tail, the feather lifting the jewel, forcing her mind on observing the way the coins glint, and not on where she was touching. Silently forcing herself to not caress the hip within reach. To ensure she didn't bury her feathers into that very tail, to release the perfume trapped in those locks, to run her muzzle along the expanse of flesh at her dock. nibble upon her hips, nuzzle into her side. When had the thought of Torielle become so carnal, and primitive? She pulls away fast enough that the coins jingle as her feather lets them go, swallowing down the desire to let Torielle smother her entire existence until her star burned for only her.
Who was she kidding, it burned brighter already.
Torielle's touch ignited it as if she was the fuel that fired it up. As if the Nitrogen no longer was necessary, and she could live off the touch, the scent, the reassuring warmth of Torielle's presence. As if Torielle could ground her to earth, or place her among the stars. Torielle had become so much, in such a short time; and it made everything feel so new, feel so wild, and felt so . . . right. Like the gods had laid out a map, plotted the course, and thrust the two together upon a path of their own enlightenment. Veil would happily let Torielle enlighten her on any topic at this point. But, for now, the knowledge of adornments was enough. Already, the mare had gotten her style onto Veil's body, the bells and crystals chiming and glittering like pinpricks of stars within her dark mane, a friend dressing a friend was all it was. Wishing for more that she couldn't even name the feelings for would do little more than spiral her down into confusion and elation - and the two never failed to make her head spin, and her stomach turns into writhing butterflies.
It was safer to hide behind a friendly smile and touch when invited.
Until she could understand what it all meant properly, she would focus on the here and now - starting with letting Torielle dress her, even as she agreed to the long train, requesting a match in color - an equal to Torielle. Side by side, a matching pair. Not one and the other, but both. Both were good. Her smile lifted at the chiming of the bells, the sound unique to the other mare's nod. Oh Tempus, what does it mean when I know her movements by the pattern of chimes her bells create? She tries not to think about that, and instead she smiles with delight in the promise that she too could jingle. Perhaps in time, Torielle would know each movement she makes by the very pattern of her chimes. Ah, what better way to announce my arrival, than to chime . . . She agrees, though there was a slight skip to her tone as she pondered on why the terms 'have my way with you' made her star start flaring hotter, and her muzzle goes dry. Was it a threat, a promise; of something more . . . Was it wrong to try to peer into the meaning of such an innocent sentence? Hear her from miles away doing what - exactly? The dryness gets worse, If that's the way she prefers it . . . she ponders quietly, even as the star hides these thoughts with a playful smile, I guess we'll see if you live up to your dedication to do as you will with me. The star states quietly, gazing towards her lover her friend, they were friends; through half-lidded eyes. She'll ponder more on just how many ways Torielle wished to have her later.
These were dangerous waters when you're unsure.
Torielle meanders deeper in the tent, and like a planet orbiting their star, Veil follows, nosing her way through the racks as well, but her mind ignores the stallion selling his wares, her focus entirely split between watching the way Torielle moved, Damn her for bringing her attention to those enticing hips she STILL wanted to touch. and observing what they could find for her to wear. Until she caught sight of Torielle's face that was. The concentration was breathtaking, and Veil forgot the task at hand, instead she's simply watching Torielle. She could watch her for days, the way she moved, the way the veil fluttered against her neck, drawing the attention to the slope and curvature of her shoulders, the shine and shimmer of the bells upon her antlers. The sooty dappling upon her pelt that never failed to make her fur look so soft, Veil wanted to just cuddle into. Did Torielle know how perfect she was? Torielle wasn't a simple star . . .
Torielle was a constellation.
Fabric rustles, and Veil breaks her attention before she can be caught staring, blinking towards the stallion when he commented on 'girlfriend' the term unfamiliar, so she dismisses it to instead agree with him, Oh, That's lovely Torielle! She happily settles her star as Tori returns to her side, and after a moment of conflict, she bumps her shoulder against the antlered dame's, Alright, so, the train I understand enough, covers from about . . . . here. It's a moment of bravado, as her muzzle touches upon Torielle's skin, proving that fur to be as soft as she expected, tracing the line from her side, along those hips, And would fall down the tail? She asks, pulling her muzzle away before she could drown in that scent, in that touch, in that desire for more. But what exactly are the chains for? We can't wrap those around my tail if it's covered by the fabric. And thank Tempus, and his children; that the temptations were limited.
Who knew trying on clothes could be such a dangerous task?
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Torielle Notes:: Veil beat her. Veil touched the but first.
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
Complete electric shock. Absolute fire. The atmosphere crackled with that touch, something that couldn’t possibly have been so innocent, so simple. The horned scholar went rigid, attempting to calm the swell in her stomach and the ramming of her heart muscle against her ribcage. It did little to stop the shiver that rolled across her spine or the absolutely unladylike sound that slipped past her sooty muzzle. Torielle’s dark blue pools fluttered and she sucked in a ragged breath through her nares, head spinning frantically. The mare felt like she was falling and soaring and drowning all at once.
They had been dancing around things so carefully up to now. For Veil to be so bold, so confident in her touch… It flared to life all the impure thoughts that she had smothered down in her chest and the sensation rippled across her dappled pelt. Fiery auburn locks flicked at her rear, the faint clatter of coins against soft hair only partially grounding the woman.
Get it together, Tori. Get it together. Breathe. Just breathe.
The mare could feel the eyes of nearby patrons boring into her, waiting to see what she would do. Her lungs burned and she let out the breath she’d been holding in a rush of air, pelt twitching again, tingling like a thousand lightning bugs where Veil had trailed her muzzle.
“That’s… That’s right,” she managed to stutter, eyes still closed as she tried to gather herself. To ground and center, like she had been taught. But Gods it was so hard, sensing the closeness of the star at her side. The birds that had been trapped inside the doe’s body had nearly doubled, all twitterpated and feathers and trilling desire.
Torielle tried to clear her throat with moderate success. “The… the chains hang over your hips, to weigh the… uh, the veil down, so that it doesn’t move as much.” Her words are raspy, almost a whisper, her blood still surging through her ears, her rapid heartbeat making it nearly impossible to listen to anything else.
The mare takes another deep breath, filling her lungs to bursting and holding it for a long count of ten before letting it slowly, measured. The bells in her antlers swayed with the motion, and she could hear some sort of tittering as mares in the next stall over made some frivolous commentary about the clearly flustered woman. Gossip, of course, but not wrong in the least.
It took her another few moments before she chanced opening her eyes again to gaze upon Veil, her brightest star, her beloved friend. Tori resigned herself to not being able to snuff the flames of desire completely, content to let the fantasies in her mind smolder like embers.
Visions of your pretty face send me into hyper space
Caught up in a palentary world
Was it bravery, or foolishness?
To give into the temptation as her touch settled upon the other mare, running along those dapples. It took some self-control to not follow the lopsided circles those dapples caused, an eagerness to bury her muzzle into the side of Torielle, to just exist at that moment. TO pull herself away so they could do what they were meant to be doing. The stutter caused some archaic sense of pride to bubble up from her belly - to knowing that she had done that, that she had that effect. If she stepped closer. if she brushed her pelt up against Torielle's, would her musculature ripple? Would she shiver? Would she lean back? Was it proper to give in.
But Torielle seems to find her way back. Commenting on chains to hang over her hips, weighing the veil down, so it doesn't move. The words are still low, still occasionally paused, but . . . they have meaning, have proof the mare is coming back to her own, not as flustered as before. After a few moments, her eyes open, turning towards Veil, who is quick to try to squash the sense of pride with a friendly smile. Why was she prideful for making Torielle behave so?
She was certain that wasn't what friends did. Instead she found the veil they had been toying with, gently lowering it over her spine, distracting herself with comparing the way it looked by itself, before she gave into those selfish desires to bury her muzzle back against the other mare, to feel the heat of her skin against her flesh. Veil shifted, distracting herself by straightening a wrinkle, before awkwardly attempting to lay out the chains, Something like . . . . this? She asks, attempting to keep it all balanced properly, even as one side of the chain started to threaten a slide, from where it was off center and heavier on one end. She flicked her tail, feeling the weight of the veil just slightly in the way her tail had less room to move, but was by no means uncomfortable. The motion upset the cahisn a little more, as she was forced to catch them mid slide, Okay, so maybe not quite like that. But I do like the color. She mentioned, awkwardly attempting to straighten the chains better as she tried to hold her wings as flat as possible to be able to reach around them. You made it sound easier than it is though.
FROM THE MOUTH INSIDE THE MIND
@Torielle Notes:: She's just like 'I got this. We probably shouldn't touch again.'
Breathin' in you give me air, I'm living on your solar flare
Could you be my super nova girl?
It was foolish for the mare to assume anything about the delight that danced behind Veil’s eyes- right? Clearly it was nothing more than amusement that the star had caused some kind of fluster from a mere touch. Again, Torielle reminded herself that the starwoman was not of equine design, though she may have held equine form. The societal niceties and customs were not as impressed upon her as they had been to others at birth. She would not know that to touch her in such a way, while for all intents and purposes was correct in showing how the veil would lay across her own hips, could have been so… so… provocative. As wise and knowing as the woman was, especially now that she was reunited with the cosmos, there were certain things that she would only grasp with time. One of those things must certainly be the subtleties between salacious flirting and friendly gestures.
Torielle shifted her weight, her skin flushing hot with all the stares she felt glossing over her coat. Her audits flicked as she listened to snippets of conversation from the stalls around them. Only a few focused on the two women, and of those maybe one or two really understood the calamity of the situation. She tried to drown out the commentary by focusing again on Veil, trying (and failing miserably) to convince herself that her twitterpation was one-sided and all in her own head.
A bright laugh bubbled from the mare’s chest as she watched the star attempt to place everything herself. Though she had the right idea, the chains were a bit lopsided, and trying to maneuver around her wings without looking in a mirror was proving to be a bit difficult. It was very amusing, though Torielle could see in her periphery the stall owner watching them gruffly, muttering something about hoping the woman didn’t tangle or break the finer chains on the adornment.
“Here,” she said, stepping forward. “Let me help you then. As entertaining as it is to watch you struggle,” the doe giggled. “It’s something you’ll learn with practice. And I can’t imagine the wings help you any.”
Carefully, Torielle moved so that she stood behind the star mare. Her heart thrummed high in her throat and she tried to swallow it down back to where it belonged. When that didn’t work, she settled herself to not speak. She knew what she would need to do. Could she have done so with just the telepathy gifted to all equid creatures? Certainly. But was she more interested in returning the oh so kind gesture that Veil had extended to her previous? Absolutely.
The mare bent her head forward, very careful of where her antlers were in relation to Veil and to the rest of the stall of fine silks and jewelry. Her own bells rang out with the motion as she maneuvered the silk cover back into place. It had only slid off to one side because of the chain, which she lifted gently so as not to snag the light fabric. Once she was certain that the cover was draped properly, she found the centerpoint of the hip chains. She placed the center disk at Veil’s spine, smoothing the other chains with their weighted moon and stars along either side of her hips. Her vision was nothing but stardust wafting from delicate feathers, and the mare’s chest ached. It was then the woman realized she’d been holding her breath.
A terrible time to realize it, really. When she inhaled, her nares filled with the delicate scent of the woman, and juniper had never been more appealing. She nuzzled the soft curve of Veil’s hip, justifying the touch as fixing one of the more delicate decorative chains, before stepping back to admire her handiwork.
“There,” she spoke breathlessly. The woman gave herself as much room as she could manage with the festival continuing on around them. As much as was polite, and would allow her time to keep her mind from swimming into very dangerous thoughts.
It was a rare thing for the scholar to indulge in. Her fantasies were often brief, soft things kept to herself so that she might feel less alone in the darkest hours of night. When the sting of loss from her goddess was at its peak and she needed some simple distraction. Often it was just images of her and Veil talking. Of them wandering the Viride and pointing out all the beautiful birds in the branches, or the creatures that hid in the brush. The racey images that clouded her mind now were a far cry from anything she had allowed herself to explore in what felt like an eon. Lorelei had been the last mare to conjure such affections in her, and even then it had been a time when Torielle was much younger, more prone to dwell on such inappropriateness.
The doe swallowed, hard, resolving herself not to touch Veil again. To not sully their friendship with these desires. While the feelings themselves did not feel inherently wrong to her, she could not convince herself that the star woman’s actions were ones of deliberateness and not out of naivety for what they could mean.
Torielle’s heart trembled at the thought of needing to explain such things to her friend. What would she think, if she knew? Veil had been nothing but kind and accepting to her, to everyone she met, really. She was a star being- what use did they have for such frivolous earthly connections? Would it mean anything to her? The scholar tried to push those worries from her mind, knowing that they would show plainly on her features now. She needed to gain control of herself, before her desire to bolt surfaced and caused more confusion and potential hurt.
