[within the Nexus]
By now, Puck had managed to get the hang of walking about with no tail. While he still felt like that he was going to topple over any minute now, at least the feeling had lessened. He also probably was a sight, walking about the Nexus wearing a kilt over a borrowed bodysuit as he searched for his master. Although he hadn't see Selene in the past day, he'd had a feeling as to where his master might be. Relaxing and allowing himself to feel for Selene, he followed the flash of a uncut dark green gem, the sound of a bird beating against the sky in it's first flight, the buds sprouting from the branches of a young tree.
Puck followed these senses, these flashes from the indescribable bond between a mage and familiar, and came upon Selene dozing off on a nearby couch, her hair cascading off the edge, pooling onto the ground, next to their home portal. Puck felt his mouth curve into a smile (he was somewhat surprised at how smiling, laughing, frowning, all these gestures he'd had done in his normal body felt so strange yet familiar as a human) before reaching out to shake Selene's shoulder.
"M'lady," he called softly. Selene's eyes fluttered softly, staring sleepily up at Puck before bolting upright, recognizing who it was and remembering what she had done.
"O-oh gods, Puck! I'm- I'm-" she stammered, flushing and unable to look her familiar in the eye while trying to explain what had happened. Puck laughed, holding up a hand to stop her excuses.
"It is perfectly alright, m'lady. I understand that it was most likely the apple, considering that I have noticed that you have not changed shape at all; I also know that you would never even think of kissing me even if I was the most desirable being in all of the planes. What had happened is simply a 'Nexus LOL' thing, nothing that you should be ashamed of."
Relief flooded Selene's face when Puck explained, putting it in words better than anything she could come up with. But still...
"I'm, I'm, I'm not pure anymore!" she began to wail in self-pity. "I mean, everyone in the Nexus must think I'm a harlot or tramp or something now, going about being embraced by strange men and kissing everyone! Nobody will want me as a wife and I'm so ashamed that I've been dishonored and now no one loves me and I've let Gorion down-"
"Selene," Puck gritted his teeth, feeling a headache coming on, gripping Selene's shoulders firmly (what a feeling it was, to be able to hold such power, to be able to grab and shake a human who had been like a skyscraper before) and actually addressing her by name. "Shut up. No one's going to think less of you, just because you let yourself be 'touched' by a man, it's just some outdated and rather stupid ideal left in a book. Besides, haven't you already been hugged? By Gorion--" He was interrupted by Selene cutting in. "He was my father!"
"But not your true father, m'lady," he chided gently. “Not related to you by blood, not by a long shot. Yet how many times have you gone running into his arms whenever you were scared, you were hurt, or when you had accomplished something you considered great? And it’s not just Gorion - Winthrop, Tethtoril, Karan, Phlydia-“
“But I was so young back then,” Selene interrupted. “That’s-that’s different! And I-I never kissed any of them like I did t-to you!”
And Puck threw back his head and laughed. ”M’lady, does it bother you that much? It was bound to happen, sooner or later. And I certainly hoped you never kissed anyone like that, considering there were only stale old men in there!” Selene couldn’t help but giggle at that. Puck fondly tousled her hair and she gave a laughing cry of indignation, playfully swatting away his hand.
“You are becoming a woman, m’lady,” he continued as his master blushed. “And it would be a crime for a beautiful woman to have only been kissed by one man in her entire life. I am glad that I was your first, not some thoughtless cad who would leave you with bitter memories. I will always be by your side and while I don’t love you as a man would love a woman, I love you for what and who you are.” Even knowing who is your true father… You are yourself, not just only his daughter.
Selene stared solemnly up at Puck before she leaped up, laughing, throwing her arms around her familiar’s shoulders. He staggered under the sudden weight, but to his credit, managed to retain his balance. “Oh, I love you too, Puck!” she cried, half-laughing and half-crying. “Promise… Promise that you won’t leave me, ever?” She looks up pleadingly at Puck, and he knows that even now she still suffers from the sudden loss of both father and home. He soothingly strokes his master’s hair.
“I promise, m’lady,” he murmurs into her ear and is rewarded with a brilliant and trusting smile, something that he had not seen in the months since the flight from Candlekeep.
“Now all that’s left is how to explain your current form to all the oth-“ There is a slight sucking sound as a large amount of mass rapidly disappears. “-thers,” Selene finishes, staring at a small moving lump within the bodysuit and kilt She knelt down gingerly, staring at the moving lump. “Puck?”
“M’lady?” The familiar wedge-shaped head poked out of a opening. He paused for a moment, taking in the sudden increase of Selene’s size. And was that a--? Wiggling out of the bodysuit, he craned his neck and gave a trill of delight. Why yes, he had his wings and tail back! Oh, joyous day!
“Oh Puck, you’re back to normal!” she cried out, delighted, as Puck gave a flap and became airborne, swooping about Selene’s head. “I’m so glad!”
The small formerly-human dragon perched on his mistress’ shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. “I am too. Now, let’s get back to the Sword Coast; our friends must be wondering where we’ve been.”
“And these?” Selene asked, feeling the bodysuit’s strange fabric between her fingers. “What should I do with these?”
“We should wash them before we return them. I, ah, did have no underclothes with me, so it would be terribly rude to return them unwashed, m’lady.”
Blushing, Selene quickly let the bodysuit slide from her fingers. “I wish you’d told me that sooner.”
“And what difference would that make? You still have to pick them up.”
“What?”
Puck grinned and laughed. “You expect me to carry all of that, m’lady?” He flicked a wing in the direction of the clothes. “I wouldn’t be able to lift it all! Besides, all you have to do is to just pick them up, stuff them in your pack, and we’ll step through the portal back to the Sword Coast, m’lady. Time is ticking and we’re not getting any younger. Besides, they might start searching for us and stumble through onto the Nexus - do you want Minsc wandering about with that hamster of his, m’lady?”
With a muttered grumble and a most forceful no, Selene shoveled the borrowed clothing into her pack and with Puck on her shoulder, stepped back through the portal.
Her world. Her home.
"I'm back," she whispered, closing her eyes and letting the sounds of Cloakwood fill her ears.
Puck followed these senses, these flashes from the indescribable bond between a mage and familiar, and came upon Selene dozing off on a nearby couch, her hair cascading off the edge, pooling onto the ground, next to their home portal. Puck felt his mouth curve into a smile (he was somewhat surprised at how smiling, laughing, frowning, all these gestures he'd had done in his normal body felt so strange yet familiar as a human) before reaching out to shake Selene's shoulder.
"M'lady," he called softly. Selene's eyes fluttered softly, staring sleepily up at Puck before bolting upright, recognizing who it was and remembering what she had done.
"O-oh gods, Puck! I'm- I'm-" she stammered, flushing and unable to look her familiar in the eye while trying to explain what had happened. Puck laughed, holding up a hand to stop her excuses.
"It is perfectly alright, m'lady. I understand that it was most likely the apple, considering that I have noticed that you have not changed shape at all; I also know that you would never even think of kissing me even if I was the most desirable being in all of the planes. What had happened is simply a 'Nexus LOL' thing, nothing that you should be ashamed of."
Relief flooded Selene's face when Puck explained, putting it in words better than anything she could come up with. But still...
"I'm, I'm, I'm not pure anymore!" she began to wail in self-pity. "I mean, everyone in the Nexus must think I'm a harlot or tramp or something now, going about being embraced by strange men and kissing everyone! Nobody will want me as a wife and I'm so ashamed that I've been dishonored and now no one loves me and I've let Gorion down-"
"Selene," Puck gritted his teeth, feeling a headache coming on, gripping Selene's shoulders firmly (what a feeling it was, to be able to hold such power, to be able to grab and shake a human who had been like a skyscraper before) and actually addressing her by name. "Shut up. No one's going to think less of you, just because you let yourself be 'touched' by a man, it's just some outdated and rather stupid ideal left in a book. Besides, haven't you already been hugged? By Gorion--" He was interrupted by Selene cutting in. "He was my father!"
"But not your true father, m'lady," he chided gently. “Not related to you by blood, not by a long shot. Yet how many times have you gone running into his arms whenever you were scared, you were hurt, or when you had accomplished something you considered great? And it’s not just Gorion - Winthrop, Tethtoril, Karan, Phlydia-“
“But I was so young back then,” Selene interrupted. “That’s-that’s different! And I-I never kissed any of them like I did t-to you!”
And Puck threw back his head and laughed. ”M’lady, does it bother you that much? It was bound to happen, sooner or later. And I certainly hoped you never kissed anyone like that, considering there were only stale old men in there!” Selene couldn’t help but giggle at that. Puck fondly tousled her hair and she gave a laughing cry of indignation, playfully swatting away his hand.
“You are becoming a woman, m’lady,” he continued as his master blushed. “And it would be a crime for a beautiful woman to have only been kissed by one man in her entire life. I am glad that I was your first, not some thoughtless cad who would leave you with bitter memories. I will always be by your side and while I don’t love you as a man would love a woman, I love you for what and who you are.” Even knowing who is your true father… You are yourself, not just only his daughter.
Selene stared solemnly up at Puck before she leaped up, laughing, throwing her arms around her familiar’s shoulders. He staggered under the sudden weight, but to his credit, managed to retain his balance. “Oh, I love you too, Puck!” she cried, half-laughing and half-crying. “Promise… Promise that you won’t leave me, ever?” She looks up pleadingly at Puck, and he knows that even now she still suffers from the sudden loss of both father and home. He soothingly strokes his master’s hair.
“I promise, m’lady,” he murmurs into her ear and is rewarded with a brilliant and trusting smile, something that he had not seen in the months since the flight from Candlekeep.
“Now all that’s left is how to explain your current form to all the oth-“ There is a slight sucking sound as a large amount of mass rapidly disappears. “-thers,” Selene finishes, staring at a small moving lump within the bodysuit and kilt She knelt down gingerly, staring at the moving lump. “Puck?”
“M’lady?” The familiar wedge-shaped head poked out of a opening. He paused for a moment, taking in the sudden increase of Selene’s size. And was that a--? Wiggling out of the bodysuit, he craned his neck and gave a trill of delight. Why yes, he had his wings and tail back! Oh, joyous day!
“Oh Puck, you’re back to normal!” she cried out, delighted, as Puck gave a flap and became airborne, swooping about Selene’s head. “I’m so glad!”
The small formerly-human dragon perched on his mistress’ shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. “I am too. Now, let’s get back to the Sword Coast; our friends must be wondering where we’ve been.”
“And these?” Selene asked, feeling the bodysuit’s strange fabric between her fingers. “What should I do with these?”
“We should wash them before we return them. I, ah, did have no underclothes with me, so it would be terribly rude to return them unwashed, m’lady.”
Blushing, Selene quickly let the bodysuit slide from her fingers. “I wish you’d told me that sooner.”
“And what difference would that make? You still have to pick them up.”
“What?”
Puck grinned and laughed. “You expect me to carry all of that, m’lady?” He flicked a wing in the direction of the clothes. “I wouldn’t be able to lift it all! Besides, all you have to do is to just pick them up, stuff them in your pack, and we’ll step through the portal back to the Sword Coast, m’lady. Time is ticking and we’re not getting any younger. Besides, they might start searching for us and stumble through onto the Nexus - do you want Minsc wandering about with that hamster of his, m’lady?”
With a muttered grumble and a most forceful no, Selene shoveled the borrowed clothing into her pack and with Puck on her shoulder, stepped back through the portal.
Her world. Her home.
"I'm back," she whispered, closing her eyes and letting the sounds of Cloakwood fill her ears.