Lia was a wolf of routines, so it wasn’t long before she found herself falling into a new one. Many things in her world were new and strange, and nighttime was reserved for loneliness. But the morning sun always returned each day, and she would rise and start her meal in the fireplace of the room. Having all the cooking utensils she needed stored on a table in one side.

Breakfast for Briar today was a light soup, that was slowly warmed, and prepared, before she grabbed the handle delicately in her maw and made her way down a floor, and along the corridor. Knocking gently at the door with a paw, and waiting for Briar's voice to welcome her, before letting herself in.

She settled the soup beside the bed, freeing her mouth. “Good morning, My Queen” she said, as she went to open the curtains, and fluff the pillow behind Briar as the other lady sat up to eat her breakfast.

"Speech"

Briar had to admit that she did feel quite spoiled since moving into the castle. It wasn't like her routine had changed all that much. She had never been much of an early riser besides when she made herself get up to do a patrol with Artorias when she was here to visit and she had gotten accustomed to Lia bringing her breakfast and waking her up in the mornings. The only real difference now was that she got to do all of this within this wonderful castle in this spacious room fit for royalty in a bed that was so comfortable she hardly wanted to leave it. Her life here was everything she had dreamed it would be and even more than that. She was enjoying getting to meet all the wolves of The Hallows, some for the first time and some again as their new Queen. She was still adjusting to the title and the responsibility that came with it, but it was something she was proud of none of the less.

She was half asleep, hovering on the edge of falling back asleep and waking up when she heard the knock at the door, a now familiar sound from her handmaiden. "Come in!" she called back groggily before she began to stretch with a sleepy groan, sliding the fur she was hiding under off of her a bit in the process. She blinked open her eyes and rolled over to face Lia as she sat the soup she had brought beside the bed, giving her friend a smile. "Good morning, Lia," she replied as she reluctantly sat up in bed, rubbing her paw over her eyes to clear them. "Did you sleep okay?" she asked as she pulled the soup closer, lifting the bowl up to her lips to start taking sips of the warm meal. She knew the transition to living in the castle had been a bit more difficult for Lia than it had been for herself so she worried about her friend and how she was settling in.

"Briar Zeitgeist Fatalis"

She smiled at her Lady's sleepy blinks and eye rubs, well accustomed by now to the knowledge that Briar wasn’t a morning person. She gave Briar time to wake up properly, letting the soup help with the transition as Lia busied herself tidying up anything admiss in the room. Bringing in some light, and cracking open a window for some fresh air.

After giving Briar a few moments, she came back to her Lady, smiling at the question. “I’m getting more used to the place” She admitted, remembering the stress of her first night. It was still strange, sleeping in that big room all alone. She would have preferred a fur on the floor in here, but even she could see how impractical that would be. She would adjust to this new way of life. She had learnt there was a lot a wolf could adjust to. “What's your plans for the day, my Lady?” she asked, hopping genty onto the bed beside Briar, and settling across from her.

"Speech"

Briar gave a nod and took another sip of her breakfast when Lia replied that she was getting more used to their new home. She hoped that at some point in the near future Lia would come to be as comfortable here as she was. There were a lot of things that Briar was slowly trying to break Lia of the habit of when it came to the strict life of a slave that she had been accustomed to, but she hoped that here in The Hallows she'd be able to grow and blossom even more. She had all the freedom available to her in the world, but Lia didn't seem all that willing to take it even if Briar thought she'd be better in the long run for it. One day she'd get through to her sweet friend, but for now she was happy to work with her on it.

She hummed thoughtfully between drinks of soup when Lia asked what her plans were for the day, smiling when the fire-marked woman hopped up onto the bed to sit across from her. "I want to take an inventory of what is in the food stores and see if we need to organize a hunt soon and go out to the training grounds to see if any more training dummies need to be built or repaired," she said after a moment. There were some small things around the pack that she knew she could own and take charge of and anything she could do to take some things off of Artorias' plate she would. At some point she would need to make some plans to visit the other packs and start working on their relations with the ones outside of their usual allies, but that could wait until the fall.

Drinking the last of her soup, Briar at the bowl down with a satisfied sigh. "Thank you for the breakfast, Lia. It was delicious as usual," she said with a smile. Her smile grew into a grin as she dramatically flopped onto her back across the bed, landing among the piles of furs and pillows with a light laugh. "What I really want to do is just lay around and enjoy how comfortable this is, but duties and all that." With a mischievous gleam in her eye she lunged up and quickly wrapped her forelegs around Lia's sides, giggling as she pulled her down into the bed with her. "Maybe there's time for a little bit of lounging though!" She laughed and grinned as she looked at her friend from where her head was laying on a pillow, her tail wagging gently against the bed.

"Briar Zeitgeist Fatalis"

It sounded like Briar was planning a busy day ahead, and Lia wondered if she should stick close to her Queen for the day and offer another pair of hands when needed. She accepted the compliment on the soup with a grave nod, though there was a spark of joy in her eyes. She was taking a lot of pride in cooking, and changed up her recipes here and there. Trying new things, and it was always delightful when it was a hit with the Queen. In this, and many things, Briar's opinion was the most important. “I’m glad you liked it, My Lady. I was thinking of flavouring it with a few herbs from the gardens here tomorrow, so I’d like to see which spices you like best.”

Her expression turned into an amused grin as Briar flopped back onto the bed. Burying herself among a mountain of pillows and furs. Lia grabbed a few off Art’s side as well, and tossed them lightly onto the Queen. Completing the impressive size of the mound. She had a feeling Art would mind sacrificing his furs for a moment.

What she didn’t expect, was Briar suddenly grabbing her forepaws. She gave a startled yip of surprise, lost in a breathless laugh as she fell down on top of the silky fur of the Queen. She blinked into the vagrant green gaze of Briar, aware that she was half on top of the larger wolf. “You deserve a bit of lounging, My Queen” Lia teased, reaching her paws up and laying them gently on the shoulders of the Fatalis wolf. “You shouldn’t carry too much, too fast.” it was almost a gentle chiding from the handmaiden. “Perhaps a shoulder rub and a few more minutes of rest before your day begins?”

"Speech"

Briar chuckled and gave a little roll of her eyes at the sweet chiding that Lia gave her. She knew she was right though. She shouldn't try to do too much too fast, but it was hard not to when she saw Artorias doing so much and she felt like she needed to do just as much if not more. He had obviously been at this longer than she had and had been more eased into the role being the secondary alpha for a while before that, but she didn't want to feel like she was doing any less than he was. She already struggled with the thought that she didn't actually deserve this important position as it was so she didn't want to give anyone any reason to doubt her.

But, laying here with Lia that she had pulled back into bed with her handmaiden's paws waiting on her shoulders with the offer of a massage, Briar allowed herself to be tempted by the idea of a few extra minutes in bed with a shoulder rub. "Alright, alright, just for a few minutes though," she insisted with a chuckle, shifting and rolling a bit to lay on her stomach next to Lia for one of her signature shoulder and back massages. She stretched out with her head returning to the pillow. "Lets squeeze in some time to go down to the gardens so we can try out some of the spices and flavors you wanted to see if I liked, okay?" she said with a smile and a little glance back at Lia. She knew that the cooking was something Lia had really taken to so anything she could do to encourage Lia's passions she would do it.

"Briar Zeitgeist Fatalis"

These were the moments that felt most like home. With the familiar warmth of Briar beside her, cosy in one spot - if she ignored how big and open the room was for a moment. She could admit quietly to herself that she had loved sharing their small den in the plains.

She leaned over Briar as the other woman shuffled onto her stomach, propping her chin on the woman’s spine as she leaned her paws forward and rubbed them delicately over Briar’s shoulders. Soft at first, and then digging in, seeking any tightness in her muscles and working her over until the Queen was puddy in her paws. “Is there anywhere in particular you would like me to rub?” She asked, wondering if there was anywhere else the Queen had discomfort. ‘And that sounds lovely” she agreed, in regards to sampling from the garden.

"Speech"

Briar hummed happily and her eyes drifted closed while Lia's paws began to work across her shoulders, first as a softer rub and then as a deeper massage. The sweet autumnal woman really did have a way with massages and always made Briar melt under her paws when she received them. Her toes flexed as she stretched her back legs out behind her, letting herself fully relax under Lia's great massage. There were muscles that she didn't even realize were tight or sore that Lia hit and everything she did hurt in the best way possible. "Well I guess you could rub more of my back while you're at it if you're offering," she replied with a little laugh when Lia asked if there was anywhere in particular she wanted rubbed. She tried to think if there was anywhere else that was sore or anything of that sort while Lia was at work, but the only thing that crossed her mind made her face flush.

Her first heat had hit her hard right before moving to The Hallows and she had kept Artorias pretty busy in satisfying the needs that created, but in the midst of that it made some parts of her body quite worn out and sore because of it—her hips, hind legs, and the muscles along her torso especially. She could probably explain away her legs from all the extra patrols and work she had been doing, but her hips being sore was a pretty specific problem. She remembered Lia's nonchalant attitude about sex and everything surrounding it, but it still felt so strange to mention something like that to her handmaiden. Still, if there was something Lia could do to help... "Um... Actually... Is there any massages or anything for um... sore hips?" she attempted to ask as casually as she could, though she wasn't sure how successful she was in that.

"Briar Zeitgeist Fatalis"

Lia obligingly made her way down Briar's spine. Lifting her muzzle from where it had rested on the tawny girls back to give herself more room. Her paws were tireless as they worked across Briar's body. Enjoying the softness of the Queens coat. The scent of her was a little intoxicating as well. Her musk was stronger than usual, owed to the heat she had entered as she reached adulthood.

The slight awkwardness to Briar's question, brought Lias attention to it. Her Mistress had become quite familiar with Lia easing her aching muscles. Her subtle shyness reminded Lia more of how Briar had acted when the Handmaiden had broached the topic of sex. She gave the Lady a knowing smile. “Actually, yes. If you can pry yourself from the comfortable bed” she giggled at the melted wolf for a moment, before continuing. “And head down to my room, I could heat up a candle and massage warm wax into your sore hips.” she suggested.

"Speech"

As she had half expected, Lia took the question in stride and even giggled at her awkward shyness. She didn't know why she was still so nervous about bringing up the topic with Lia even though they had talked about it before and as Lia had said before it was 'just sex'. She wasn't shy about it in the slightest with Artorias, but it was still a little weird for her to bring up to anyone else. Even still, Lia offered a possible solution and one she wasn't expecting at all. Her ears perked with surprise and she lifted her head to glance back at Lia as she blinked open her eyes. "Wax? Really?" It was hard for her to imagine how that would work or how it would feel, but she trusted Lia when it came to these things and after a moment she gave a small shrug and began to get up once Lia freed her from under her working paws. "Sure, why not! I'm willing to give anything a try once," she said with a chuckle.

Slipping down off the bed she was reminded of her and Artorias' antics the night before with the soreness she was attempting to alleviate and she went to follow Lia back to her room. Walking down the corridor and up the stairs to the first room on the right, Briar stepped into the smaller, but still fairly spacious room that she had helped Lia set up. It was still extremely modest in the way of furnishings and decor and she made a note to start gifting Lia more things for her room. Her friend might not willingly do things for herself, but surely she wouldn't turn down gifts from her. She looked to Lia curiously and waited for instructions.

"Briar Zeitgeist Fatalis"

I’m willing to give anything a try once Lia stifled another giggle. “That's a good stance to take, My Lady” she said approvingly. Moving out of the way so Briar could sit up. For a moment, they sat on the edge of the bed together, and then Briar was slipping to the floor, and Lia followed after. Stretching out her paws, and grabbing the remains of Briar’s breakfast to take with her.

She led the way back to her room, and Briar opened the door before her so Lia didn’t have to try to navigate it with the cutlery. She settled the dishes down on the small table to the side of the room, and glanced about the place. The bed was half stripped, with the pillows resting on the hard stone floor. Lia blushed, wondering what her Lady thought of that. She grabbed the pillows and tossed them back onto the bed, before patting it with a paw. “Lie down, and I'll get the candle heated” she suggested, grabbing a couple candles and lighting them. She rested them on the stone floor in their little cups, so if they tipped they wouldn’t cause any accidents. As she waited for them to heat, she hopped onto the edge of the bed. “Do you have enough contraceptives, is everything going well with your sex life? If your finding sex is leaving you sore, there are other ways to relieve it” she added, knowing that this was Briars first heat. And her first time living with her boyfriend.

"Speech"

Briar gave Lia a glance with a questioning, raised brow as she watched Lia toss her pillows back onto the bed from where they had been laying on the floor. She wanted to question Lia on it, but let it go for now as her handmaiden patted the bed in question and told her to lie down. She obliged and climbed onto the bed, settling into the bed on her side while she watched Lia set up the lit candles on the floor in little cups near the bed. She was still a bit confused how this was going to work, but she just relaxed into the bed to wait for the candles to warm and for Lia to explain more. While they waited, Lia hopped up onto the edge of the bed beside her with questions about her contraceptives and how her sex life was going among other things.

Her cheeks warmed with a flush immediately and she gave Lia a shy smile with a flick of her ears. "Yes, I'm all covered on the contraceptives between what you and Gwynevere give me," she assured her with a chuckle. That was one of the things she had been very sure to get straightened out before the move. As much as she wanted a family with Artorias and would most certainly want to start that family next year, she also just wanted some time for the two of them—and time for the possibility of Artorias proposing and for a wedding to occur before pups came into the picture. "Our sex life is very active," she added, her face burning hotter with a shy giggle. If there was one thing that she and Artorias had pretty much always been it was all over each other and that certainly hadn't changed now.

When Lia mentioned that there were other things besides sex to relieve her needs she glanced at Lia with a bit of curiosity. "Oh? Is there herbs for that kind of thing? Or..." She suddenly realized that Lia might just mean other types of pleasure besides just sex and that realization crossed her features with a chuckle, her ears flicking back again. "Oh well, I mean, we do other stuff too sometimes, we just... We've done a lot of all of it lately, so..." She glanced down at her paws for a moment, but she couldn't help the little grin that stayed on her lips. "I just... always want more, I guess? Especially since my heat started. It's just like... all the time."

"Briar Zeitgeist Fatalis"

She could see that Briar was very shy with the topic, and sat quietly on the bed beside her. Offering her an encouraging smile if she happened to look Lia’s way. “There might be herbs that help too, but I don’t know them” she apologised, though she also didn’t believe that Briar was looking for medical help to relieve her desires.

She laughed softly at Briar's admittance. “You're young, in love, and in your first heat. It’s to be expected” she pointed out. Briar had nothing to be ashamed of, she was exploring a new part of herself. As for admitting she wanted more all the time “It would be my pleasure to offer you my services My lady, you know that. You need only say the word” she said gently, getting up from the bed to blow out the candles. She waited a few moments for the wax to cool, touching it lighty with her paw to check the temperature of the melted wax. Warm, but not overly hot. “I’m going to massage this into your hips” she explained

"Speech"

Maybe it was a little bit of a comfort to know that how she was feeling wasn't unusual in her first heat and that it was even expected for someone in her position. She really hadn't known if it was just something that was unique to her and Artorias or if every woman felt this way, at least when they had a constant outlet for these desires, but Lia wasn't surprised at all. When her friend mentioned that she would be happy to offer her services it made Briar glance up from her paws with a bashful look. It wasn't the first time Lia had offered her something like her "services" as she called them, but it still caught Briar off guard somehow. Maybe it was the way Lia offered it so easily and casually, maybe it was the way she talked about it as if it was just part of her "job".

After Artorias started sleeping with Bowen it had crossed her mind that she technically would probably have the same freedom to have someone else she liked to be with as well, but it just hadn't been something she considered. Even if she did she'd want it to be someone she really loved and cared for, not just any random wolf. But... Lia certainly wasn't just any wolf. She was her best friend, her handmaiden, someone she had lived with for some time now. Her thoughts were interrupted as Lia got down from the bed, blowing out the candles and testing out the temperature of the wax experimentally.

Briar nodded to her explanation and started to roll onto her stomach so Lia could do her work, stretching out like she had before in her own bed. "Are your... services something you enjoy? Something you want?" she asked curiously after a moment, keeping her gaze looking ahead of her, but leaving her ears turned back to listen. She would never ask anything of Lia that she didn't actually want and even then she'd have to really consider things before she agreed to anything, but it was something that lingered on her mind that she wanted an answer to all the same.

"Briar Fatalis"

As she approached with the wax and settled herself down beside her Lady, she glanced up at Briar. Surprise in her eyes, and she realised how her offer might come across. A faint blush touched her cheeks, and she dropped her eyes. It was easier to offer it like a service, like no big deal. It was something she could choose to give now, to grant to whomever she wished. That was the gift they had given her. Briar didn’t see how… how it was a gift she did not want to give freely. Not to everyone. She wanted to give this piece of herself to Briar.

She busied herself with the wax, smoothing Briars fur aside gently to give better access to her hips. Looking at the fur of the wolf as she spoke. “It’s been made clear to me that I’m a free wolf now. I have a hunch that if I requested to leave, and start my life elsewhere, it would be granted. It's a frightening prospect, that I could simply ask and receive. That my body and my life are my own.” A blush heated her cheeks, more heavily than before and she began to pour the wax. Just a little bit of it. And then began to massage the warm, soothing wax into her muscles. “I don’t want to be anywhere else, but here. With you Briar. When you… pulled that wolf off me. You stopped being my Mistress, a task to me. I saw you, and who you are. I liked what I saw, Lady Briar” she whispered softly, leaning forward as she massaged the wax in.

"Speech"

Briar felt Lia's paws on her, parting her fur for the wax she was going to use, and listened while her friend and hand maiden worked at soothing her sore muscles. Briar was happy to hear that Lia was really beginning to think of herself as a free wolf now. That had been maybe the hardest thing to get across to her sweet friend, the fact that she wasn't owned, she wasn't a slave. Yes, Art had purchased her from the slave market all that time ago, but that wasn't her life any more and it made Briar happy to hear her say it. She knew Lia was right that if one day Lia decided she would he happier else where that she wouldn't stop her, but she certainly would have been very sad to see her go. She had very quickly started thinking of Lia as her best friend and confidant and the thought of ever losing that hurt more than she would have ever thought. Luckily she didn't have to worry about that, but she did wonder and worry about the way Lia spoke about how her body was now her own—since that clearly hadn't been the case before. It made her glad that Lia was with them now and that she could make sure that Lia's life was wonderful for the rest of her days to make up for whatever she had previously endured.

She gave a soft, involuntary, pleased hum at the feeling of the warm wax being poured onto her skin and worked under Lia's masterful paws before Lia continued to talk about how she only wanted to be here with her and how her view of her "mistress" had changed after she had been saved from her would be rapist. A little frown twitched at her lips at the thought of that brute that had assaulted Lia. Whenever that day crossed her mind she always worried about what might have happened if she hadn't made it in time, what she could have time if she had just gotten there a little faster, wondered if Lia could have protected herself better if she had just been more diligent with training her friend. There were so many what ifs that ultimately didn't matter since all had been well in the end, but they still swirled in her mind none of the less.

A touched smile tugged at her lips as Lia went on to say how she had really seen her that day and that she had liked what she saw, a warmth and a love welling up in her chest for this sweet, devoted woman that had done nothing but care for her since the day they were brought together. Even now, as she was revealing all these things, she was working and massaging warmth into her hips, easing the ache that had lingered in them. Briar was quiet while Lia continued to work, just processing everything Lia had said and taking it in, considering her own emotions as well. It was hard to untangle clear thoughts from the hightened emotions her crazy hormones caused, but in the end all she really wanted was to pull Lia closer and as soon as the smaller woman was satisfied with her work Briar rolled to face her and did just that.

She sat up enough to be able to wrap her forelegs around Lia's sides and fell back with her again, pulling Lia down onto the bed with her and holding her in a snug embrace, nuzzling her cheek gently into the top of Lia's head. "I care about you so much, Lia," she admitted with a shy smile, giving her a gentle squeeze. "If we ever do anything like that I want to make sure it's always because you want to—not because of a service or a task or anything like that. You're my best friend and I don't want anything to ruin that." She lifted her head a bit to look down at Lia where she was laying partially on her chest, her face flushing as she added, "But... if that is something you want, really want... Maybe I'd like to try something like that... Only if you're getting to enjoy it too. You deserve attention and pleasure just as much as me."

"Briar Fatalis"

Lia’s expression smoothed into a warm smile at Briar’s sounds of comfort. She let the sounds lead her to where Briar needed it the most. Working the warm wax through her coat carefully. She would need to take Briar for a bath with special soaps to bring the oil out after. A third, and final sort of massage.

She let up for a moment, and then the next thing she knew Briar was pulling her onto Lia’s small bed. She stifled a surprised laugh, offering no protest. Falling back on the larger women's coat. She sighed softly, closing her eyes for a moment. She missed those nights in their shared little den more than she could say. There was something comfortable, and right about being around Briar.

Briar squeezed her, as she admitted to caring about Lia. the small handmaid's heart rate picked up. She could feel it thrumming beneath the surface, weary about where this conversation could go. Briar meant so much to her, the idea of being dismissed from her side… it hurt. Your my best friend Lia closed her eyes again, taking a soft breath. “Your mine, too” she said. Well pushing the limits of what a handmaiden could call their Master. But Briar was… she was Briar. “I think I would like that. A lot” she said, almost shyly. She had never had intimacy where she was the focus before.

"Speech"

It wasn't really until after the words left her lips that Briar fully realized what she had offered and heart skipped while she watched Lia for her response, her face flushed. She had only ever been intimate in any way with Artorias and now in her haze of constant desire and hormones she found herself holding Lia the way Artorias would usually be holding her, offering her best friend and handmaiden intimacy that she wasn't even sure how to give her. Even still, as Lia responded with an adorable shyness that she would like something like that a lot Briar didn't regret it in the slightest. She had only ever wanted Lia to be happy and feel loved and even though she knew that sex wasn't at all the only way to give her those things, she felt like if that was something Lia wanted then there was no reason for her not to. She cared for Lia deeply, would protect her without a second thought, wanted her to continue being in her life forever if Lia allowed it... She didn't see anything wrong with their relationship developing in this direction.

She pushed away her nerves and shyness as she shifted a bit to hold Lia more easily to her chest, both of them laying on their sides with Lia's slender form wrapped up in her forelegs and their heads resting on one of the pillows. It was a small bed so there wasn't much room to move, but she didn't mind. She didn't know how far the two of them would go right now anyway, she was mostly just happy that the realization and the shared attraction had come to light at all. She had worked her jealousy over Artorias and Bowen out of her system, but it had crossed her mind a few times that in the times where he was spending time with Bowen she was left alone. She didn't necessarily feel like she needed someone else and it wasn't like she didn't feel satisfied, but she did feel at least a little bit happy over the fact that now she would have Lia to be with in those moments whenever she needed someone to hold.

Briar experimentally left a gentle trail of kisses across Lia's brow and down over her temple, slowly starting to introduce them both to affections that went beyond the simple cuddling and little taps of her nose to Lia's cheek. Her paws gently rubbed Lia's back, tracing up and down from shoulder to hip through flame marked fur, feeling how soft her coat was under her paw pads. Her light kisses moved across Lia's cheek and along the top of her muzzle, her heart beating hard in her chest all the while. This nervous, excited feeling reminded her so much of the first time she had messed around with Artorias and she didn't know if it was because it was just a feeling that came with being with a new partner or because it was the first time she was doing anything like this with a woman—or maybe both. The side of her muzzle brushed lightly against Lia's for a moment before she finally allowed herself to gently bring her lips to Lia's, her heart feeling like it might jump out of her chest as she kissed her.

"Briar Fatalis"

Briar said nothing more with words, but she said everything they were feeling with her body. Shifting them gently on the small bed so that they lay chest to chest. The fading scent of warm oil still lingering in the air, and the barron, cool room suddenly felt cosy. Comfortable. This room had never been mixing a thing, or a certain flair. It had been missing Briar. It seemed that had become the thing that made a place a house or a home. She leaned into the other woman, catching the alluring scent of her. She shivered delicately as Briar left a small trail of kisses across her brow, and the handmaiden's lips parted with contentment.

She felt Briars paws against her back in rhythmic, soothing motions. Feeling held and cherished by the tawny wolf. The intensity of that realisation fell upon Lia, and then she was returning the affections. She nuzzles Briar's neck gently, kissing her throat. Soft sounds of contentment in the back of Lia’s. Pressed together as they were, she could hear Briar's heart. Heart the way it picked up its pace, and felt her own join it. The rhythm of their beating hearts speaking as loudly as their lips, as Briar kissed her for the first time. Lia leaned into it, moulding her own muzzle to Briars. Parting her lips in a soft breath as she tasted the sweetness of her friend. Loving every single moment of this.

"Speech"

Briar's toes curled as Lia kissed her throat, biting her lip as she tried to keep herself reigned in at least a little bit. It was so easy to be swept away by her needs and desires when Lia felt so sweet and so soft in her embrace, filling a different kind of want than she had when she was with Artorias. Their muzzles met and molded perfectly to one another, tasting Lia on her tongue for the first time, a little sound of contentment and pleasure escaping her while her eyes fluttered closed. She was still in her first heat, she was still so easily driven by need and pleasure, but she wanted to take this slow. She didn't want to rush anything and move too fast for Lia or for herself. She was still figuring out things as she went and exploring this brand new territory for the two of them and she wanted to savor every moment of it.

She held Lia tight and made out with her for a few more savoring moments before she eventually let her lips gently slip away from Lia's, blinking open her eyes to look at Lia's warm amber gaze again with a wide smile. One of her paws moved up from Lia's back to tenderly brush the other woman's cheek, her long tail wagging gently against the bed while the long, silky fur trailed down to the floor. "You're so beautiful, Lia," she said quietly, giving Lia a soft kiss. "I was actually a little jealous of you when Artorias first brought you home," she admitted shyly, her claws lightly trailing through Lia's fur down the back of her neck. "Your fur is such pretty colors and Art doted on you so much..." Briar's ears flicked back bashfully at that. She had been so uncertain and insecure for much of her life, more than she had really realized until she began to look back on things. "I'm really glad he brought you to us and I'm glad we've gotten so close."

"Briar Fatalis"