snow on snow on snow [closed to hana]

[fairywren]

Snow may be falling, but that doesn't mean the dog doesn't need to be walked. Wren's a silhouette against it, big flakes that fall thickly and in swirls that quickly camouflage Inari's curious figure except for a black nose and eyes and threaten to cover up the dark of Wren's coat. There's almost - but not quite - enough cloud cover that the glitter of the crystals is smothered.

There's a quietness to it, a silent expectant feeling that only comes with falling snow.

It's getting cold quickly, though, too, and he cups his hands around his phone, pulling it out to text Hana as he waits for the dog to come back. Tell me you're not stuck feeding tigers in this, he texts with a small smile.

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[suisen]

Hana's no stranger to a fondness for oddities. Her bedroom in her parents' house (unless they've converted it to a sewing room by now) had been decorated with fossils and dinosaur models. The mourning jewelry and books hold her attention first, but the skull lyre repels her. Not so much because of its materials, though it doesn't help, but there are so many emotions tied to it. Strong emotions. Some feel old but some read new and as fresh as wounds. Quickly, she diverts her attention to the passenger pigeon.

A siren with a false mermaid's skeleton? Hana looks at him, an eyebrow raised and mirth sparkling on her aura. Aside from the lyre, she quite likes the wunderkammer.

Looking past him, Hana jumps at a flash of white in the corner of her eye and spins around.

You have a friend!

[fairywren]

He presses his lips together as she looks over the wunderkammer. He loves and would defend his interests, but most of the outwardly unsettling is toward the front -- no one, least of all Wren, can claim he's free of defense mechanisms.

He smiles, then, when she turns amused at the mermaid. I didn't know then! I like stories, he starts to explain, but his musing on people's need to believe in things is interrupted.

He smiles wider at Inari trotting over. The other lady in my life, he signs, amused and fond. She has a me, really. He's surprised she didn't come barking to the door, but Inari's hard to read. Right now she's curious and relaxed, and as she's often protective of, what he's realized is him and not the territory, he takes it as a good thing. This is Inari. He spells it out, leaning down to scritch her ears.

[suisen]

She had always been fascinated by animals, not just the cute ones. Their health, their form, has always been the source of interest for her. The ways that animals are the same and yet different from humans had sent her into Zoology programs and gotten her a degree in animal nutrition.

Hana raises another amused brow before bending to pet Inari's ears. It's quite fitting that the little foxlike dog has such a name. Do you know about Inari in myth? she asks.

Then she holds out opened hands, projecting calmness and friendliness for Inari to peruse along with her scent.

[fairywren]

He smiles at her over Inari's head, nodding. Not enough, he demures a little, though when Wren starts reading it can go on forever. I love trickster myth. Ravens, coyotes. He doesn't know the sign for coyote so he signs it like a very little wolf and spells it out afterwards. Foxes.

That got me to kitsune. That one he definitely has to spell. But there's always more to know, he adds. Inari, for her part, is wagging her tail contentedly, circling Hana with interest and letting herself be petted.

Looks like you have a friend too, he says with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Come sit? I'm going to try not to set the house on fire. He nods at the fireplace.

[suisen]

The speed that Wren had picked up ASL still amazes Hana and makes her that much more smitten with him. There's very little texting or lip reading, just communication in a way that feels as natural to her as breathing and with which Wren's gaining a lot of skill. For a second, she almost forgets what he says, too caught up in the happy feeling and in petting Inari's little ears.

I do make friends every now and then, she replies, smiling. She beckons Inari into a crooked arm and balances the palmiers with the other, her small carry bag set aside.

[fairywren]

Wren dives into learning anything, but sign language has been moreso because he has motivation. He's stubbornly determined not to need to be accommodated for or worked around by Hana because he doesn't speak the right language, and that's what it is, after all.

Sometimes he does feel a little out of his depth with grammar and word order, or at a loss, but he's getting there. He doesn't think she should have to be pleased to speak to someone the way she wants to.

He crouches down by the fireplace, arranging tinder and logs from a cord of wood he's glad he got on a whim. He bites his lip, hoping a little that he's done this right as he strikes a match -- at least the draft's going up - and watches the kindling, as if he can light it by pure willpower.

It takes, after a second and he stands up with satisfaction, coming over next to her to watch the logs catch. Apparently so. He steals the cookies from her to free her hands, set aside on the little coffee table that's currently also got his laptop still running Logic Pro shoved off to the side, and leans in to give her a kiss.

[suisen]

That doesn't make it the norm. There are certain people, like Levi and Adrian, who had gotten fluent. Other people could get by. Most had expected her to do all the work. It makes Hana truly, truly happy for Wren and the rapport they have. Especially when he's kissing her like this.

From now on, the snowstorm doesn't matter to her even remotely. They're together and cozy and she just feels...happy.

Smiling, she leans back and cups his face, gently tracing the bones of his face. I like this, she says. Not just the immediate and the physical. They feel right.

Thanks for having me over./i> She kisses him once, briefly,and then grabs acokie, stuffing it into his mouth.

[fairywren]

He presses into the kiss, the fire picking up in the fireplace, smiling into it. It's been a long time since something' -- besides music, anyway -- felt easy. No, not easy. Natural. Like he's not fighting against something. He can feel Hana's content glowing off her and it's just -- good and he wants to keep it.

There's something in him that wants to question that, but it's chased away pretty well.

He blinks slowly at her touch, tilting his head a little against her hand with a curious smile and spreading his hand out against her back where he has his arm wrapped around her. Me too.

Wren laughs as she assaults him with a cookie, then actually chews. "Mmm!" He blinks at the flaky buttery pastry, and the warm familiar safe feeling that comes with it and completely dispels any concern about snow or what it is that they're doing. These are amazing he signs at her, mouth full and eyes wide.

He tugs her to him and grabs the cookies to split between them, pulling them both onto the couch. Tell me something I don't know about you.

[suisen]

Hana smiles and tucks herself into his side, chewing on her cookie thoughtfully. There are a lot of things she keeps close to the chest, more out of habit by now than any secrecy. Most of what isn't known about her is neither happy nor fondly remembered. So she chews slowly, not bothering to disguise the thought she has to put into it.

I have two little sisters. Both hearing, she says finally. I haven't talked to them in five years. Not since she moved here.

She smiles and breaks another cookie in half and hands a piece to him and balances a tiny fragment on Inari's nose.

[fairywren]

It takes Hana a moment, and when she does decide, Wren can't read it fully. He reserves judgement in favor of settling his arm around her as she talks but the need to point out that they're hearing just begs more questions.

Your choice? It's casually asked as he takes the cookie piece.

Inari licks at her nose and finally tosses her head, gulping at the crumb gleefully: her curious look at Hana is more about if she gets any more.

[suisen]

Our parents, she explains. They haven't forgiven me. Aiko will be graduating high school soon, Hana estimates. They haven't sent an e-mail, a text. Nothing in five years.

I can be honest, but it's not a very happy story.

Grinning, Hana lifts up another crumb and holds it above Inari's head.

[fairywren]

He frowns. Okay, so he's currently in the process of not forgiving his mother, or trying not to. But - even if they have some reason, and even as an only child - he can't imagine estrangement extending to siblings.

For what? He can't help but smile though, as Inari sits up... and then bumps Hana's hand with her nose. Puppy love.

He makes a face. I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want. But, he adds, I'm here for not-happy . That's part of this, isn't it?

[suisen]

She nods and drops the crumb for Inari and then scoots closer to him, like his warmth can ward off the bad memories.

When I graduated from Gallaudet, they figured I'd had my fun in deafie school and now it was time for some magic or a cochlear to "fix" my deafness. Either I did it, or I left and gave up on...all their support. Much of it financial.

I left. And here I am.

[fairywren]

Wren wraps his arms around her, tucking one leg under him to open his body toward her as she scoots closer. He watches seriously and careful to catch everything as she tells the story.

He can feel his stomach twist angrily at the idea of her being 'fixed'. Wren's had plenty of moments of feeling other-than, of being made to feel that way, and he's learned to outdo his own critics - but he doubts it's anything like what Hana's experienced. To have her own parents give her that kind of ultimatum...

He just looks at her for a minute, struck by how much they aren't seeing.

There are angry words he could use, but he takes a breath and signs, "I'm glad you're here."

[suisen]

It's almost a relief to tell, chipping off a little bit of the bitterness of keeping the story to herself. It's needled at her for a long time now and when Wren just holds her closer, it helps her breathe. She's made it, mostly. Maybe she doesn't fly first class and she has to take the bus everywhere, but she lives independent of their money and their ultimatums.

I've done all right, she says. I went from living in a penthouse to a studio with creative folding screens.

But she's also found good people. She's found Wren.

And found out what she's made of.

I'm glad too. You're here.

[fairywren]

They are nice screens, he says with an innocent face. He's gone from living in a small house to a smaller studio to a very large studio and being able to use the word "comfortable" about himself realistically. He can't imagine growing up in a penthouse and from the way it sounds, money held over her head, he doesn't really want to.

There's a connectedness to the two statements that wants to tug at something anxious, afraid of how much faith it implies. But everything about her in his arms feels right and didn't he say he was going to be himself even despite what he thought?

It turns out I make good decisions sometimes, he signs, smiling, and leans in to kiss her, thumb tracing her cheek.

[suisen]

Very nice screens. They do catch the light very nicely, projecting clockface patterns through her home. It's a space the she controls, even if she doesn't own it, and that's more than she can say about her parents' house.

Mostly, she misses the security. In five years, she's learned to forget the luxuries, but the money anxiety never seems to quite sneak away.

Except right now, when she's safely held in Wren's arms. The touch feels good, leaving a trail of warmth over her cheek, and Hana leans forward to kiss him and press him back against the arm of the sofa.

[fairywren]

He lets her push him back easily with a surprised, pleased hum, shifting his hand to tangle into her hair as he deepens the kiss, the arm of the couch firm against his back and her weight on top of him. There are cookies being forgotten, probably: his attention is all on her.

[suisen]

She feels the hum in his throat and leans her head down, ear over his heart. This close, with her hearing aids turned up, Hana likes to think she can get a sense of his heartbeat. Smiling, Hana moves back up and kisses him again, enjoying the warmth of the fire and between them.

[fairywren]

He chews on his lip a little, blinking slowly and watching her listen to - feel - his heart against his chest. It's an intimate gesture, in a different way than he's used to, and he finds himself caught off guard by it, charmed in a way he can't even explain entirely.

He traces along her back lazily with one hand and smiles as she moves back up, kissing her, lazy and thorough.

[suisen]

It's easy to smile against the kiss, the total lack of hurry. They have all night and all day, with plenty of food and company. Hana can't help leaning back for a moment and just looking into his face, propping up to get a better look at him. She doesn't quite realize the way her aura is shifting, a soft and steady glow that reaches out to him with...not quite love, not yet, but the beginnings of it. Safety, happiness, affection, amusement.

It all tangles as she bends and kisses him again.

[fairywren]

He looks up at her, meeting her gaze steadily: self-aware and faintly amused as she just looks at him for a minute. The glow of happiness and ease is contagious from her and he lets himself settle into it, projecting back honestly: affection, attraction, openness. He's nervous, but it's settled into the sort of pleasant nervousness that attraction always brings with it, wanting to be what someone wants. In this case, it's less physical than it is usually for him. But he feels safer, or maybe more honestly himself with her, than he does usually. It's an odd sort of counter balance.

What do you see? he asks, and leans up for a kiss, his other hand spreading out under the edge of her shirt to get more skin on skin.

[suisen]

Someone bewitching, she teases. Then her face softens and Hana smiles, repeating the sign. And I'm a witch, so I'm kind of an expert. She smiles and brushes some of his hair back, gently tucking locks away from his eyes.

Then she tips her head and looks at him again, a little deeper. He's bewitching yes, but she also sees someone earnest, passionate, and generous. She signs out each quality she sees.

[fairywren]

He raises an eyebrow at her. He doesn't know the sign, but he gets it from the next thing she says, and he signs it back at her with a smirk. Bewitching?

I think you must be an expert, he counters, tipping his head to look at her affectionately. She certainly has him under her sway right now.

I'm a siren, he teases, making you like me is what I do. He'd never think of applying his powers to her in any way other than simple projection, unless she wanted him to for whatever playful reason - but his mother's warning about what he is hasn't totally left his mind, and he'd never call himself generous. Passionate, maybe. He's sure she can feel the uncertainty there, but he turns it into amusement.

He catches at her hands and kisses the inside of her palm. Why would anyone try to change you? She is such a problem and he kind of loves it. Nothing to do when you're over your head but swim.

[suisen]

You're generous with your heart, with love. Affection? His ability to love more than one person isn't a defect to be corrected, not when he clearly loves so wholly. His affection makes her aura bubble with warmth.

When he reminds her of his abilities, Hana gets playful and taps his nose. I can't hear siren song, remember? You won me on charm alone. And he really had. He still is.

And she can say why people would try and change her, but this is a flirty, happy moment. They don't know what to do with perfection.