There is no way to delay this any longer; she is victorious, a god in a bruises mortal casing, and now she just wishes to fall into the arms of the one she cares for. Her nose bleeds heavily, but even through the scent of blood she can detect the alluring charm of Raisa. She is ready; she hopes that the Queen?s mind has not shifted, that they can begin whatever relationship their hearts desire. There is an undeniable magnetism, and Virgil cannot find it in herself to want to walk away. Not anymore, not when whatever cracks had painted themselves on her heart had healed themselves. She arrives within the boundaries of the Firefly Lake as the sun sets, the aforementioned creatures floating out from their residences and displaying themselves before her. Fiery gaze watches them, distracted from her search for Raisa for a time. For a few moment ?Virgil-the-Empress? drops, and she is Virgil the mortal, eyes wide in amazement at the sight in front of her. It is so beautiful, and it is so rare that she gets to appreciate true and innocent beauty. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

A strange terror flooded Raisa's chest when she heard her beloved's call. Her breathing began to pick up it's pace and she froze in her tracks. No it was too soon, she hadn't had enough time to sort it out! Oh, the irony of it all, that she had erred for the sake of impatience and now... and now... Raisa gasped and took a step backwards, away from the source of the howl. She wanted to flee, feign absence, anything that would allow her to escape the mire she had walked into so willingly. The cinder and ash queen, the one who had so sworn herself to wait, was with child. And the golden beauty that summoned her was far from he who had sired the life within her womb. Raisa had told no one. Even her pack remained ignorant of the typhoon that raged within her core. Raisa hyperventilated, frozen still. She was unmovable until a voice within her mind missed out, What are you doing! Shameful queen, that you would consider abandoning her to save yourself humiliation and the torment you rightfully deserve! Raisa gulped and took a tiny step forwards, and then another. Finally, she bowed her head and picked up a trot, miserable all the while. Virgil's gonna kill me... Raisa made her way to the shore of the lake. It was a beautiful night, absolutely perfect under any other circumstance. Raisa walked slowly into the clearing where her goddess awaited her. Her heart lifted at the sight of her, but it was crushed by a leaden fear. Apology swam in the Ebony woman's eyes. "Talk" "You" Think

She awaits neutrally, attempting to keep her mind from the bleeding of her nose, the aching of her head, or the undeniable realization that bastard spawn are growing inside of her womb. However, such thoughts are not things a woman can ignore for long. When they cross her mind she grows angry, toes turning as her claws bite into the soil, attempting to relieve some tension. Alas, when her ebony Queen arrives, she softens. Such anger is forgotten, and she seeks to approach Raisa, her movements slow due to her unfinished healing. ?Raisa,? she calls out, and by the sound of her voice alone it is easy to tell that there is something wrong. She does not cry, not now, for Virgil refuses to do such a thing. She is too proud of a woman, no matter the demons that surround her. Right now she does not want to sad, she doesn?t want to have Raisa?s pity; she wants to unite, now and forever. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

Raisa's self pity washed away in a torrent as her love's condition became more clear. She was battered, bleeding even. The sooty woman's anger at herself soon became rage towards the world, as she could not know the culprit that had so battered Virgil's sweet frame. Raisa stalked forward, scanning the woman's form with an intent eye. She ran her snout along the woman's frame, wanting nothing more than to press herself against the woman, yet she feared wounding her further. Raisa ground her teeth, knowing that if she spoke she would rage and rail and, not wanting to frighten the other woman, knew silence was the better course. Virgil's greeting sent a jolt of pain through her chest. Her love was hurting, and not just physically. Raisa's heart broke for the golden fae, and the anger fled her body as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving her feeling drained. "Oh Virgil... What happened to you, sweetling?" Raisa came to stand before the woman, with hurt in her eyes. I want so badly to soothe you, and yet the news I bear will surely make things worse... Raisa tried her very hardest to hide her agony, to keep it from seeping through her bi-colored eyes. "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa approaches, her snout running along Virgil?s frame, and the woman winces ever so slightly when Raisa?s nose accidentally brushes against a bruise. It is nothing; physical pain does not bother her. She has been raised to fight since she hit six months old; the scars on her pelt are innumerable. Raisa asks what happened, and Virgil controls herself. She will not cry when she gets to the troublesome part; Olympians do no such thing. ?I had a challenge for Olympus. I won,? she explains. Her lips light up into a smile for a moment, but she pauses, closing her eyes as she tries to figure out how to phrase what she is to say next. She inhales, bracing herself. ?I?.I was exploring in the East?and I fell. I hit my head hard, and I was concussed. When I was out some?.some monster took advantage of me,? she describes, lips revealing ivory teeth as she wishes for the presence of her assaulter, if only so she could rip his balls off now. ?I was in season, Raisa,? she adds quietly, and she knows that will make it obvious. Her belly has only the slightest of curves to it, but it is obvious from her words alone. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

Joy bubbled in the queen's veins, slow and hesitant. A pack challenge... And Virgil had succeeded, so what was the meaning of the undercurrent in her words. There was something else, something measurably more sinister. Raisa waited, breath baited, for the darker truth to surface. When Virgil said her piece, Raisa still had not exhaled. She could not, would not, until she was certain she had heard wrong. Her head was swimming by the time her legs buckled. Raisa lurched sideways, nearly collapsing herself, before graceless regaining balance. Her head, tail, and ears drooped. A quivering had taken up residence in her limbs, seeming to suck the heat from her body. The sooty fae's ears rang as if they attempted to purge the horrid, evil words from her body. No, she thought. No, no, no... Virgil had been... had been... And all the while Raisa had been sulking and she had... And she had enjoyed it when... Tears welled in the woman's eyes and she shook her head slowly. "Virgil, I'm so sorry. I should have... If I'd only..." Raisa should have been there to save her, should have protected her, but instead she had been safe at home betraying the beautiful woman's love and trust. Her shoulders began to quake with silent sobs. "Please, forgive me. Oh Virgil, I have sinned..." "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa?s reaction frightens her; does the ebony woman view her as used goods now? Is she spoiled, undesirable now? The words that come from her love?s lips make her frown and sigh. ?Nobody could have saved me,? she assures her. She figures this is the gods? plan; she tries to think that the children she carries have some destiny, something that will be worth all of this misery. However, what follows makes the golden woman frown. Her eyes seek to join with Raisa?s bi-colored ones, brow furrowing. ?How?? she asks. She dreads the answer, dreads that her heart will be broken once more right as it has healed. Alas she will wait; perhaps it is nothing at all. Or, perhaps Raisa has reconsidered their relationship. Either makes her feel terror. She hopes that it is something harmless, hopes that she will not deliver another crushing blow to Virgil?s currently bruised soul. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

A constant stream of insults wound it's way between the cinder woman's ears, buffeting her soul, her self-worth. Raisa had never felt so low and worthless. She had been born with a sort of pride she had always considered indomitable, but now? Now, even the lowest mongrel cur seemed more fit to take her rank. If she ever got her claws in the bastard... But no, she could not think about that just now. If she gave into the anger clawing so desperately within her, her rightful guilt might be washed away. Raisa's head swung from side to side, slowly, nigh comatose, silently begging Virgil to end this, end her while the woman had the chance. Raisa more than deserved it, she was a shit creature. She was the lowest, queen only of the damned and worthy of nothing more. "Virgil," she croaked out, voice broken. How could she possibly say this. She felt beyond forgiveness and felt, for a certainty, that this was the end. For so long Raisa had awaited the goddesses touch, she had yearned for and dreamed of it. Nothing would have made her happier than to bask beside the lake in the fading light, fall asleep with her love at her side. But things were not this simple. Perhaps they never would be. "I am with child..." "Talk" "You" Think

Raisa?s words fall like a guillotine upon her heart, and Virgil cannot help that she takes a step back. For a second she feels anger, jealousy, possessiveness; she wants to find the man who dared to touch her lover and bring him to his knees. She wants to walk away, and yet she does not. How could she? It is not as if Raisa has taken another to her heart; Virgil never forbid any from her bed, never specified. And she had, after all, been gone for quite some time. She does not move closer, a sigh leaving her lips as she debates what it is she will do with herself. ?Raisa I?.I can forgive that,? she says gently, ebony lips quirking upwards into a soft smile. Perhaps she can forgive, but she will not forget. She does not say this, but perhaps Raisa will understand if Virgil is a bit more possessive. ?But if we?.if we are serious, if it is my heart you want, you cannot do this again,? she tells her. It should be a given, but Virgil wishes to make herself absolutely clear. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only

Virgil's words fell upon Raisa's ears like rough granite and ground obsidian. She flinched away, expecting the hurt before she took in their meaning. That the golden goddess might forgive her seemed... unreasonable. She had expected far less, had expected an attack or at least a verbal rebuke. She had braced for the worst, not... not... Raisa's legs shook. As Virgil finished her short speech Raisa jerked her head up and down a few times, gracelessly nodding. "Y-yes," she said, voice hoarse. "Yes, I swear it. Please Virgil, I was just scared and... and angry. I want no one else but you." She did not want to admit that Virgil had vexed her, not when she felt so firmly in the wrong, not when it was so immature to do so. How could one thing seem so right in a moment, and then so wrong the next. Raisa's form quivered with the strange roiling tar pit of emotions within her. "Talk" "You" Think

She listens; she wants to be angry, to unleash wrath upon the one who had hurt her heart, and yet she cannot. Raisa seems truly regretful, and the way her fingers play Virgil's heart strongs make the Empress incapable of such a thing. The confession from the Ebony woman's lipd make her heart stop, and she dares to venture closer. Her head seeks to press to the side of Raisa's, a secure embrace. "Raisa...I love you," she dares to confess. She feels fearful, vulnerable, but she needs to get the words out of her lips.

She pauses, inhaling deeply as she finds herself uncertain how to proceed. "What do you want?" she asks, for that is the real question. It is up to Raisa what they are; will they fall into a clasical definition of mateship, or will they continue in this state of uncertainty and limbo?

The golden woman's word sent a jolt careening through Raisa's core. It was a confession she had not anticipated so soon, and it caught her more than off-guard. How could the sooty queen have seen this encounter swinging so far off in a different direction? She had expected a mauling and broken heart, not a confession of adoration. She drew in a shuddering breath, allowing it to fill her up while her mind spun about within her skull. It felt as if she might explode. Finally, upon letting out her long-held breath, she allowed a shaky laugh to come out with it. Was it love yet? To be honest, the woman wasn't sure. They had not spent much time together, all things considered, but she knew her feelings for the woman ran deep and that it was something she wished to explore. "And I, you," she returned, her voice still wavering from the emotional turmoil of the afternoon. "All I want is for you to be happy." Raisa stepped forward and made to press her muzzle into the amber fur of Virgil's neck, just below her cheek. "And I would love to raise our pups together, if we could. Allow them to be siblings, to foster them amongst one another." The idea was sudden yet strong, and Raisa wondered if perhaps a second mother would make up for a lack of a father. She knew of course that her packmates would care for her pup as their own, but it would never be quite the same. It would be difficult of course, especially when it came to transporting them all the way across the land. Raisa could hardly leave her pack now though, especially with the plans she had laid for the near future. Still, she desperately wanted to make this work. "Talk" "You" Think

It feels good to hear it back, to hear that her lover loves her in the same way. This path has been most unexpected, but Virgil is willing to walk upon it alongside her ebony Queen. She listens to the woman, her woman, describe want she wants, letting her lean into her neck. Happy. She could be happy within Raisa?s arms; she imagines waking up wrapped in them every morning, imagines warming her up on a cold winter day, imagines endless sunsets with old aching bones. It?s nearly scary, how much being mortal with Raisa doesn?t scare her. The idea comes up for their children to be siblings, to be raised together as much as possible. ?They will be, and you will be as a second mother to mine,? she says. ?And I to yours, if that pleases you,? she lets the promise sit in the air. It won?t be easy, it won?t be simple, but it will be right. ?After our children our born, I want to introduce you to my family?and I?.I want to?Raisa?? she pauses, feeling flustered. She buries her head embarrassedly into the side of the dark woman?s neck, inhaling softly and exhaling deeply. ?Would you want to marry me? We?we don?t have to decide now I just?if you want it?.we can,? she says softly, nervous in her approach. It may be too soon, and she will not be crushed if that is decided, but they are in love, they are in the moment, and Virgil is young. She cannot help her desire to show the world just who belongs to her, and who she belongs to in turn. Table by Lu - Image by Poison - Code for Ala Only