Larka sadly missed the anxiety on Celeste's face after she was informed how long she had been asleep for or Larka would have said something to try and help Celeste.  Instead, she watched Celeste as the kitten was in her lap watched her.  When the little tiger swiped at Celeste and the elf dodge it and then right away started to scratch at the kitten's ears Larka giggled again at the purring.  She smiled while watching her wife with the kitten, Celeste had always been more of a feline lover while Larka liked her wolves.  But when Celeste giggled, for the first time a long time, Larka had tears in her eyes even from such a simple gesture, it was adorable and it was something that broke through into her emotions again.

Larka then started to get her second surprise ready for Celeste.  She ignored the kitten and wolf for now as both animals wanted attention from the women, while she placed the new ring onto Celeste's finger.  She waited for Celeste's reaction, watching her hand shake before she suddenly jumped up sending the kitten sprawling to the floor while Kyu did the same from Larka's lap as Celeste almost jumped on her wife.  Larka smiled into the watery eyes of Celeste as Celeste held her face and Larka was pulled into a long, loving kiss.  The next thing Larka knew was that Celeste was crying into her chest and Larka wrapped her arm around Celeste as she spoke.  "I'll love you for eternity as well, Celeste."  Larka replied with a smile, as the kitten decided to butt in between them making Celeste giggle again.

Celeste and Larka laid on the couch together, and Larka was happy to lay here for days, she was very comfortable.  "You are very welcome, ma vhenan."  Larka answered placing a quick kiss on Celeste's nose.  Kyu, not wanting to be outdone by the kitten, jumped up and cuddled up against Larka, and the Reaver's hand scratched the puppy's ears.  Celeste spoke, calling Larka by her name, and then what she said made Larka's eyes widened a little.  She referred to herself as 'I' instead of 'elf', something she had been doing since Larka had found her, assuming she had picked up the practice from what the drow had been calling her for two years.  But to hear Celeste say what she did, Larka's eyes watered up again and she smiled wide, taking her hand from Kyu and placing it on Celeste's cheek again.  She didn't say anything, didn't think she needed to, her face of happiness and the gestured was probably enough, but then Celeste spoke, asking if she had ever told Larka about her sister.

Larka looked surprised and shook her head.  "No, you haven't, I didn't know you had a sister."  Funny thing was, Larka and Celeste's already knew each other, very, very well.  Larka's hand went back to Kyu again and the puppy's tail wagged happily as she kept an eye on the tiger cub at the same time.  Larka grinned, this would be interesting with the two little animals, more so when they were both fully grown, it wasn't like wolves and tigers were the smallest of their species.  Larka looked back to Celeste again.  "So, tell me about this sister of yours."  She said with a grin, very curious now, Celeste had never before mentioned that she had a sister.

Celeste frowned. She had never spoken of her sister to Larka before? Where to start? All stories start at the beginning. ”Rare are Elvish twins. Born we were at leaves change. Clan believes twins are stronger, more magical. Close eye on us, all our lives. Every child raise by community, taught together, trained together. Weapons, tracking, hunting. Teach them all, same thing. Puberty meant pull out star pupils for key roles. Lirie…” It came out as “Leerie”, a child's pronunciation of her sister's name ever since she could start speaking. For her, it was Cesty. Cute nicknames from a time long ended.

Even know, Celeste choked on the name, a word she had forbidden herself to dwell upon. A memory best locked away in her heart. She was gone and unable to soothe the little elf anymore. But she wasn't. Celeste saw her. ”Lirie was patrol chosen. Guard the clan. Elf… I… Should have been huntress. Best hunter, best archer. Hide her away, keep her with healers. Why? The 'Gift', they say.” She scoffed at the idea. Back then, she didn't know what they meant. Today, she didn't know how they knew.

”Elves give to community, community cares for elves. Way it always is. Life was easy, simple, laughing. She was beautiful. Played lovely flute, sang gorgeous songs. Loved to play for me. I danced for her. One day, Lirie went on patrol with senior member…” Celeste grew quiet, and took a long time before she could speak again. As she struggled with this, she clutched the little tiger closer. ”Lirie came back alone, near broken. Parents banish Lirie…. Too weak say elders. Keep Elf away from Lirie, lock her up. Ignore her screams, her pleas…”

Celeste was shaking like a leaf, the kitten trying its best to get out of her arms now. Still, she held fast, the cat's claws gouging deeper, but she didn't notice. In her mind, she was back in the tiny room, door locked, window magically sealed, trapped. Her voice was hoarse from screaming for hours, eyes red and puffy from crying. She refused to eat for days, weeks until someone forced her to eat broth when she got violently sick. ”Lirie sent out to die! Alone! Slow, agonizing! Bleeding! Help her! Let me go to help her!” Larka pulled Celeste back, calmed her down. It was clear that Celeste was lost in her own memories.

”Hide Lirie from self, hide the pain. Never think, never speak. Elf saw Lirie that day, though. Day elf disappear. Begged Lirie to meet in town at pub. Went to take wife to pub. Meet the two, be happy.” Celeste let the kitten go who ran to the end of the couch, cleaning Celeste's blood off of its paws. She looked down at her arms, noticing the damage done, but looked at it like “oh, what's that?” as if she had no idea what to do. ”I miss Lirie…” Burying her face in her hands, Celeste began to sob.

Larka made her go to the kitchen where she cleaned Celeste's wounds off, and with Celeste's help, bandaged them neatly. ”Larka? Think Lirie came to find elf like wife?” It was a hopeful, innocent question. It was a question, that if not answered tactfully, could utterly break Celeste even farther. ”Where lake gift?” If Larka was to refuse the gift, or announce they had none, Celeste would instantly become aggressive.

Larka listened carefully to Celeste's story of her sister, staying close as she did, hand over on the wolf puppy scratching the little one behind the ears. They were twins, and Larka smiled at the name that Celeste used for her sister, it was a childhood nickname by the sound of it, and still, despite how it sounded Larka wasn't putting the clues together that she had. She already had met 'Lirie' but she was engrossed with the story that Celeste was telling that that was all she was thinking and focusing on.

Celeste spoke of how her sister sang and played the flute, but then she grew quiet for some time. Larka said nothing in that time giving Celeste the times he needed to collect her thoughts, Larka had guessed at the start that this story wasn't all happy and good time. Larka was able to understand Celeste's somewhat broken speech; Lirie had come back wounded and then was banished for being too weak, by their own parents no less, and they locked Celeste up to keep her from helping her sister. Their parents ignoring Celeste's screams and pleas to help her twin.

Larka felt Celeste start to shake and the tiger cub try and get away but Celeste was holding on too hard. Larka had an idea that Celeste was lost in her memories again, back in that time, and she moved as Celeste screamed out. She reached out and wrapped pulled Celeste close and hugged her tight. ”Celeste, Celeste, come back to me, love, come back, I'm here for you.” Larka spoke softly into Celeste's ear as she held her, and it calmed Celeste down and Celeste continued.

She explained how she had hid that part of her life from herself, and Larka frowned, they both had such hardships in their lives, and yet Celeste, until now, had never told Larka any of this. But she knew that her sister was alive, having met her the day she had disappeared, and had wanted Lirie to meet her and Larka at the tavern so that Lirie and Larka could meet. But that had never happened as Celeste had been taken that same day.

Celeste sobbed and it was all Larka could do but to allow Celeste that chance to grieve, but she got Celeste to go to the kitchen anyway. Larka carefully cleaned the fresh wounds and with Celeste's help, got them bandaged up. At the question Larka thought for a moment then nodded. ”I think so. You are twins and you share a bond that few other siblings do. She would know you were gone when we didn't show up at the pub, and my own friends are still looking for you until the message I sent them gets there. Chances are they have ran into each other and may know to come looking for you here. Even if she isn't in these lands, I know she's looking for you, Celeste. It'll be months yet before my message gets to anyone there, but once it does chances are they can Lirie where you are.” Larka explained with a smile and said confidently. Between the two of them they had a lot of friends in her homeland, including the well known Zhana who had even more reach.

However, when Celeste asked where her 'lake gift' was, Larka blinked. That lake weed Celeste had eaten? Larka hadn't brought any of it with her and she hadn't seen Celeste with any either, so this may not be a good thing. ”We didn't bring any back with us, Celeste.” The change in Celeste's demeanour was almost instant and Larka moved closer to Celeste to hold her close. ”Relax, love, we can go and get more. Or, if you can get the water to bring some to the edge of the water, I can run down and get it for you.”

It was a tentative hope, yet it was the only thing she had to hold on to. Let her hold onto it for as long as she possibly could. Celeste seemed to have swallowed what Larka had said. When the leafy goodness was denied her, the elf gave a frustrated scream as she lashed out, knocking several jars of spices and herbs off their shelf. Glass and clay shattered, sending the contents scattering across the floor.

”Elf needs it now!” She grabbed another jar and threw it across the room, finding that she quite liked the sound of the shattering glass. Nothing was actually helping though. The fact that she had a raging migraine was one of her triggering factors. Larka tried to get close and reassure her, but Celeste just pushed her away roughly. Stomping, Celeste returned to her room, slamming the door behind her, each footstep audible upon the stairs, her screams echoing through the house.

~~

Time passed. The tiger and storm wolf were quickly the best of friends, though it was clear that they had each chosen one wife as their own regardless of who they were intended for. Kyu was loyal to Larka, and they deliberately left the cat at home to bond with Celeste. Reika didn't mind, she was content with staying with her. While she could not seem to wake her elf up as often as she wanted, the kitten busied herself by playing with toys they had purchased her, or playing with a sleeping hand that absently batted at the kitten paws.

When Celeste had finally woken this time, there was something different about the elf. It was still a few hours before the light of day would shine upon the land. Silently, she got dressed, patted her thigh and walked up the stairs. With Reika in her wake, Celeste exited her little hiding hole and greeted Kyu. ”Morning, da'len fen. Come out with me?” Now accompanied by both pets, the elf left the house and did some light stretches.

This wasn't a dream, it couldn't be. The leaves were helping her when she had headaches, but she ultimately knew that they were not going to be good in the long run. Something had to be done, and it would start with going back to her daily routine. ”Won't be gone long. Come, come.” Together, they started with a nice jog. Each step sent familiar vibrations through her body, her hair whipping in the air. The tiger and wolf were hot on her heels. With a laugh, Celeste sped up.

Almost two hours later, the crack of dawn visible in the now rosy sky, the elf came back into the house breathless. Her first stop was the kitchen where she downed several glasses of water. Grabbing the biggest bowl she could find, Celeste filled it and gave the pets well deserved hydration as well. ”You two did well!”

When Celeste screamed Larka winced and flinched away when the pottery shattered from being thrown. She yelled again that she needed it and threw another jar across the room, and Larka tried to grab her and reassure her that she'd get more of the plant. But Larka was pushed away roughly and she watched as stomped back to her room and slammed the door. She was still screaming as she went down and all Larka could do was stand there bewildered for a moment, while Kyu stood at her leg. The wolf puppy whimpered and looked up to Larka who had tears in her eyes.

Larka had flopped onto the couch and had silently cried herself to sleep with Kyu cuddled next to her. But some time in the night Larka had woken up and had gotten up and started to leave. ”Stay here, Kyu.” She instructed the puppy as she quietly left the house, a bottle in her hand.

---

What she had been doing was a bit of a blur as Larka staggered her way back to the house again. She had fallen off the wagon rather hard after she had left the house after Celeste's outburst. Was she really capable of helping Celeste recover? The outburst and her inability to console her wife had triggered a wave of negative thoughts in the Reaver and so she had started to drink.

But now she was back at the house again and got through the door, she wasn't as drunk as she had been but she was still not her normal sober self. ”K, Kyu?” Larka called for the wolf but she didn't come. Maybe she was downstairs with Celeste? Larka eyed the door down the stairs for a minute. ”I, I ssssould check on her.” Larka slurred to herself as she made her way to the door and opened it.

She got the first step alright but then stepped wrong and fell down the rest of the stairs and made an awful lot of noise doing down the rest of the water. But drunk Larka was pain immune Larka and since she hadn't knocked herself out cold from the fall she managed to push herself back up and drag herself into the empty bed. ”Where is, Celeste?” She asked no one, but the bed was comfy and smelled like Celeste enough that Larka soon found herself curled up and in it asleep. Evidence of her fall easy to see.

Meanwhile Celeste and the pets came back, unaware that Larka was already inside. After Kyu was finished with her water she had scented Larka when they came in. So she went to the curtains and door and started to paw, scratch and whimper, her little tail wagging as she looked to Celeste and barked, wanting in.

Maybe she could surprise Larka with a meal? Unlike herself who can live off of fruits and breads more often, Larka thrived on meat. Having lived with Larka for so long, all forms of animal have become more prominent in her diet. Yet, she liked to think she added more fruits and vegetables in Larka's eating habits. However, all thoughts were interrupted by whimpers and pawing at fabric and wood alike.

Celeste went to investigate and Kyu barked at her. She was at the door to Celeste's makeshift bedroom. "What's wrong Kyu? Something down there?" Curious, the elf pulled back the curtains and opened the door. Kyu rushed past her with a happy yip, with Reika hot on her heels. According to Reika, this was her space while Kyu ruled the living room. However, she was not above sharing, she quite loved playing with anyone willing to play. The elf descended into the darkness, her eyes easily adjusting with each slow blink. There was someone in her bed that she can hardly stand to even sit upon. If it wasn't for Larka putting her in bed if she passes out elsewhere, Celeste wouldn't have spent much time in those blankets.

When she got to the bed, Celeste saw Larka's bruised body. Her heart crushed upon seeing it, further still when the stench of alcohol reached her nostrils. Larka, her wife, resorted to drinking, and it was Celeste's fault. Kyu was doing her best to rouse the woman by licking any exposed flesh. "Oh, Larka…" she breathed as she crawled onto the soft bed, wrapping herself against Larka's back and pressed her forehead into her hair. Carefully, her hand caressed Larka's arm as she held her wife close. Tears jumped into her eyes, stinging them as they fought to escape.

To top it all off, her head began pounding again. Celeste couldn't hold it anymore. The pain, the emotional self depreciation that raged through her, Celeste began crying. It wasn't soft and undisruptive. These were crocodile tears with loud sobs to accompany them, the kind that caused gasping for air in the middle of calming down. She couldn't tell Larka how sorry she was. Even the need for those leaves which she failed to obtain the night before was becoming more pressing, yet unable to be communicated. As she laid there, crying into Larka, Celeste pressed herself even tighter against her drunk, sleeping wife. 'Hold me! Tell me it's okay! Ir abelas, ar lath ma Larka. Just wake up and hold me!'

Larka didn't dream, didn't anything aside from lay in the bed unconscious in her passed out sleep state. So she wasn't aware that Celeste was in the bed with her, or the pets. It took some time but eventually the heat from Celeste's body against hers and Kyu snuggled in close as well, but Larka started to rouse slowly from her sleep.

Her own head pounded and she was glad for the darkness of the basement they were in when she started to blink her eyes open. Her mind started to wake up as well, as painful as her head was at the moment, and it was then she started to feel the weight and heat against her back, and the fuzzy thing that was the wolf pup curled up at her front.

Despite her pounding head Larka knew it was Celeste curled up against her and then realized what had happened the night before. She had gotten stupidly drunk, thankfully she hadn't found a woman to lay with, staggered her way back home. As her mind woke up more she realized that she was rather stiff and in some pain through the hung over haze of her mind, she had fallen down the stairs.

But, worst of all, she had fallen off the wagon and got drunk last night, and now Celeste was cuddled up to her and probably blaming herself, if Larka knew her wife as well as she thought she did. Kyu's eyes opened and when she saw that Larka was awake the young wolf licked at her face and stood up, tail wagging. Larka managed a smile and petted the wolf pup as she sighed.

Without disturbing Celeste too much Larka got herself turned around, which put her arm under her, but she was used to it now. Larka leaned forward to cuddle back to Celeste again, pressing her forehead to hers. ”Celeste, I'm sorry.” Larka spoke, not sure if Celeste was even awake. ”It, it's not your fault, Celeste, I fell off the wagon, a moment of weakness.” She felt tears in her eyes as she started to sob. ”I love you, I will be there for your, always.” Larka continued pulling her Celeste closer wrapping their legs together. ”We'll get through this, I know we will, we're both strong, we can do this, together.” She buried her own face now in Celeste's shoulder. ”I'm sorry you had to see me like this.”

Oh that wonderful bosom. Tear streaked and still with difficulties breathing, Celeste buried her face in Larka's cleavage, filling her nostrils with her wife's scent. She pressed herself against her as best as she could. "But it is! It is my fault! Elf threw things, screamed at you, push you away! For what!? Ir abelas, ir abelas!" she whispered. No matter how much Larka reeked of booze, there was no better place in the world to be than buried in Larka's chest.

Celeste began to nuzzle. There were no active thoughts racing through her head, no terrible memory conflicting her mind. Only her love for her wife filled her, the regret she felt for pushing Larka away. Lifting her head, the elf planted her lips on Larka's own. What started out as apologetic kisses turned slowly into deep passionate kisses of desire. Even Celeste's hands began to roam as they once did. This felt right.

~~

Everything felt relaxed, her mind having melted in sanguine pleasure. Celeste was curled against Lakra, content and at peace. She would be happy to continue laying like this for eternity, this feeling in this moment forever. A hand idly traced one of the many scars on Larka's skin with a light frown. Her wife was marked so heavily compared to her own body. Or was. She now sported a few terrible fresh scars, evidence of the terrible acts that she endured.

Before enduring the last two years, they led such dangerous lives. Larka was still leading it to provide for them. Granted, it was lucrative, but surely there were safer was to earn coin that did not risk their lives? However, look at what she was wanting; to get back into the shape she was before, not this pathetic weak version. "Why do we lead dangerous lives? what would happen if you never came home? I need you, ma vhenan."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, my love.  You have been through so much, we'll get over it together, I promise.  I fell back onto an old habit that you helped me break years ago, it was a moment of weakness on my part, I won't let it happen again, I promise."  Larka replied pulling Celeste close as her wife started to nuzzle against her chest.

Like Celeste Larka's thoughts were only for Celeste and what they had been through in their lives and how much she loved the elf.  So when the kiss started Larka fell into it with no hesitation, adding her passion to Celeste's in the loving kiss.  They turned deeper as hands started to roam around each other, Celeste hadn't forgotten Larka's curves and Larka hadn't forgotten any of Celeste's either.  This was right, this was perfect.

---

They were curled against each other at the end, relaxed and enjoying the after glow from what they had just done.  As Celeste's one hand traced Larka's scars, Larka held the other one in her own hand just breathing in Celeste's scent as best a human nose could.  At Celeste's questions Larka buried her own face into Celeste a little more as she replied, speaking just loud enough to be heard, there was no reason to speak any louder.  "The excitement it brought us?  It's really all I have ever known."  Except for those two years that Celeste knew about but now was not a time for such thoughts.  "I have thought the same, what if I had never found you?  I need you as well, my love.  Even before, what if you didn't come home?  I think it's time I look into jobs that are safer and less travel."  She paused a moment to think.

"I never did tell you how I met Angela, did I?"  Larka asked.  "I was out in the plains and was ambushed by some orcs.  I killed as many as I could, but there was too many."  It was the same when she had lost her first wife and kids.  "Angela was watching but I was mortally wounded, my Reaver powers kicked into max and I went insane as I killed the remaining few orcs.  Angela saved me, brought me back to life."  She pulled Celeste a little closer.  "Celeste, I was terrified, I was terrified of dying, not just because I would never find you, but because I wasn't ready to die.  I've always been cavalier with life after what happened with Lilith, but, faced with it there and then, I was terrified.  It's why I do odd jobs for Angela, I owe her my life after all."

She wrapped her arm around Celeste and buried her face into her wife's chest this time.  "I don't want to go through any of that again, Celeste, I can't.  It will break me, I know it."  Her breathing had picked up but was ragged now that she was sobbing.

All she had ever known… Excitement… Was there no other way to recieve the excitement of fighting without excessive danger of loosing a life? Safer jobs, less travel? Her mind was a whirlwind of turning thoughts as she had an inkling of an idea. Before she could even further the thought, Larka launched into a tale of how she had met a goddess.

Larka had died fighting some orcs after loosing her mind from the Reaver powers. The goddess saved Larka, but it had left a lasting impression upon her. This time, it was Larka burying her face in Celeste's chest sobbing her eyes out. It was all she could do to hold her and soothe her, giving Larka the time she needed to cry. The Reaver hardly cried, and tears have purifying effects when falling. Larka needed this. Yet, after a very satisfying session of lover's embrace and now emotional turmoil, the two fell asleep in each others arms once more.

~~

When Celeste woke, she was alone in her bed with the exception of a curled up Reika in the bend of her knees. After stretching, Celeste crawled out of bed and pulled on some clean clothing. With a smile of what had happened last night, similar to the one she had the day after she slept with Larka the first time, Celeste opened the door and went to open the curtains.

Except, she didn't check to see what time of day it was or if it was safe. Instantly, she was blinded. She yelped and went to take a step backwards, missed the fact that the stairs started just behind her and fell down them herself. She lay in a heap, refusing to move as her entire body screamed at her. It was the first time it recieved such abuse since escaping the drow, and the memories flooding her mind was all just reminders of the terrible time she endured.

Celeste held her head, curled up on herself, trying to make herself small as she recieved kick after kick to her back. Even with Reika licking any availible skin she could, Celeste was trapped and could only hear the laughter of the men above her, feel their boots with the force behind it to jerk her body. "Stop…" she whispered, knowing it never did any good to beg them, plead with them. Tears streamed down her face as they insulted her once again.