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ax_mainShen and Kiki dance, and then somehow miraculously end up in the woods. Good times are had, Shen is pleased, and Keyleth is just awkward enough to be endearing... or something.
A slightly buzzed Keyleth looked around at her many, many classmates... and realized she didn't know a lot of them. She knew their names by now, but there were just so many. Also, an extraordinary number of them were pretty. Then again, she found most people pretty in some way or another, so maybe it was just her.
As she had this thought, a small knot of kids parted, and she saw the most gorgeous pair of wings. Shen! Keyleth went to her immediately, pleased to have noticed someone she knew. She only sloshed her drink a little bit when she waved hello--and then realized Shen's back was turned. Because wings.
Keyleth scurried around to a better vantage point and said, "Hi! Parties are great, right?"
Shen had been having a pretty good time, almost stubbornly so. Her talk with Fatale earlier had rattled her a bit, and she hated it. So she'd thrown herself into the task of enjoying this party even more, and she'd worked up even more of a buzz, and been dancing her (cute) ass off. This of course led to needing another drink to keep the buzz alive, and she was just taking a break with another vodka-orange when Keyleth appeared in front of her. "Hey!" she replied with a wide grin. "Totally. Love them." Even when they were partly thrown by snowflake white cis-boys. One more reason to very stubbornly enjoy it, for real. "You having a good time, then?"
"Mmmm," Keyleth hummed by way of a positive reply. Her cheeks were flushed with warmth. "All my friends are here. Did you meet Pike? I'm so glad Pike came. Pike is dope."
"I've seen her around, but we haven't really talked yet," Shen replied, instinctively looking around for the short blonde girl. She couldn't spot her, and focused back on Kiki, smiling again. Kiki looked too happy not to smile at her. "You all seem so tight!"
"Well, it was us against London for so long--though it's still us, just us sometimes includes everyone here, and we're trying to make our way into the rest of the world." Keyleth had lost herself in thought there, clearly.
"All of us against the world, now?" Shen offered, seeing nothing complicated to follow there. She grinned hopefully instead, because it sounded like a very cool thing.
"Yes," Keyleth said, as if that had been precisely what she was looking for. She grabbed Shen's forearm in her excitement. "That's it! And I like that people are so enthusiastic about it here. Feels like we could really accomplish things. Damn the man!"
Shen giggled, and raised her glass, twisting her forearm so she could curl her fingers loosely around Kiki's elbow. "Damn the man!" she called enthusiastically, and drank to that.
Keyleth knocked back a too large drink, some of which dribbled slightly out the corner of her mouth. She lifted her drink hand to wipe it off carelessly--her other arm, she locked in with Shen's and had no desire to move. "I'm better at protest chanting than dancing, I think."
Shen looked at her with another grin. "Well, okay, now I've gotta put that to the test." She downed the rest of her drink before Kiki could protest, and set it down on a nearby stand. "Wanna?" she offered, holding a hand out to her.
Never mind that she hadn't heard Kiki protest-chant yet. (A random 'damn the man' didn't count!) She was sure it was only a matter of time. But dancing? Dancing they could do something about right now.
"Okay!" Keyleth chugged what was left of her drink--which burned, but kind of in a good way since she was already buzzed--and set it down. "I'm super bad at it, but I love it!"
Shen grinned, and drew her towards the dance floor - or dancing area, really. "You're only ever as good at dancing as you love it. That's my philosophy." And too bad if it didn't make much sense.
"I like that." Keyleth was all earnestness and slightly wide-eyed. She made it to a good spot without tripping over anything and considered it a good sign. Anyhow, she loved music, and that'd take her away. "We could apply that to a lot of things. Singing. Gardening..."
"Gardening?" Shen laughed, wings tucked close to her body as she started dancing. "I think if you make all the plants die, you're officially bad at it."
"Ohhh, yeah." Keyleth's brow furrowed. She was mostly just bouncing her weight from foot to foot, sort of fascinated by the way Shen's wings moved with her. Wow. "Okay, fair point. It takes more than love to keep something alive. I mean, love helps, probably, but not as much as water. And sun."
"But dancing? Music and fun will do the trick," Shen replied, and held a hand out to Kiki. "A good partner doesn't hurt, though."
Keyleth took it readily and tried to mimic Shen’s much easier movements. “A fun partner?” She asked hopefully.
"They won't really be good if they're not fun," Shen pointed out, still smiling. Enjoying herself, dancing with a cute girl. This was what parties were all about. "Dancing should always be fun." Or it wasn't worth going through. "You should've joined dance class."
"I probably should've," Keyleth said. She accidentally moved nearer while trying to copy Shen. Her wings were so gorgeous. Keyleth lifted a hand, wanting to touch them, then realized that wasn't just weird, it was rude, just in time. Instead she put her hand at Shen's waist and hoped that was okay. It was probably okay? They were dancing! "Your wings are so... elegant. I'd be bumping them on everything, trying to dance. They're just like a hawk's. I love hawks."
The hand on Shen's waist was definitely okay, although it made Shen wonder - well, time would tell. Maybe. Hopefully? "They are just like a hawk's," Shen confirmed with a grin, and danced a little closer to Kiki. Who was very pretty, and awesome. "And I had to relearn how to dance with them. Different center of gravity. It wasn't pretty."
"Maybe that's what hawks don't dance," Keyleth said seriously, finding swaying on beat much easier with Shen's help. "They're the most majestic birds. It'd suck if having wings like theirs left you unmajestic. Nice job!"
"I don't think I'd ever been called majestic before," Shen said with a smile, and a curious little nose wrinkle as she tried to remember if she had. (She was pretty sure Kiki just had, just not in so many words.)
Keyleth looked surprised. "Not even in flight? Hawks are the most majestic!"
"Hear hear," Shen agreed, grinning now. She let go of Kiki's hand to put her own on the other girl's waist, because that was only fair, she figured. "Where are you at with your wind? Flying yet?"
"Mmm," Keyleth hummed without even realizing, liking the closer quarters. Very comfy. "I wish. I knocked myself over with wind the other day, though, so that's probably... a start?"
Shen chuckled, but she wasn't mocking. "I don't know how Ororo does it. It sounds so complicated." Unlike dancing, right now, with Kiki. The girl might have talked down her dancing skills, but they were moving together, and Shen enjoyed Kiki's hand on her waist, and the way her feathers brushed against it now and then. She caught Kiki's gaze and smiled. "I'll take you up some day, if you want."
Mostly swaying with her partner, Keyleth leaned in closer and rested her other hand over Shen's shoulder. This brushed her wing, just at the top, but Keyleth didn't think much of it, except the feathers were nice and silky. Now Keyleth was sort of leaning against her as they moved. "That would be a-maaaaa-zing," she said with a little sigh. "Maybe I could play with the air while I'm up there."
"Please do," Shen confirmed, smiling in a way that was a little more restrained than if it had only been about the flying. Flying, and probably air play while flying, only deserved frank joy. Having Kiki lean against her like that, so close to her, was a quieter kind of joy. "That would be really cool." Shen's gaze dipped to Kiki's mouth, but she looked up immediately, and worried her own lip with her teeth instead.
Unconsciously, Keyleth's gaze followed Shen's. Those teeth made a little white dent in Shen's lower lip. It was somehow fascinating. "As long as I don't knock us out of the sky..." Yep. Still staring.
Shen released her lip when she realized Kiki was staring, and licked her lips without even making a conscious decision. Her belly did that wonderful little flop of nerves, the best sort of nerves, and she smiled a little. She stroked her fingers on Kiki's waist a little, just to test how welcome that would be, the fabric of that flowery top bunching up slightly with the motion. ...what were they talking about again? Oh, yeah. "We'll figure something out." Later. Right now, Shen was a little too aware of every point of contact between them, and how close Keyleth was.
It felt sort of amazing, all of it, and part of her wanted to take it to the next level (if Kiki was into that, obviously), but part of her didn't want this moment to end. This moment was safe, and Shen wasn't hurting anyone, or being rejected because of her refusal to settle down.
"Mmm..." Keyleth was distracted by the feeling of fingers at her waist. Oooh, that was nice, like having her arm tickled but better. Like being kissed almost. It made her smiley. She tried to dance better, but ended up bumping her nose into Shen's.
That made Shen chuckle, and then confess, "I really wanna kiss you right now." Because she was buzzed, and so into the slow build of the moment, and she wanted to know if it was just her. She'd think about her usual disclaimer in a minute. Once she knew it it was even needed.
Keyleth's eyes went wide as she realized that was exactly what she wanted too. "Oooh. Yes, please."
Shen grinned. "Okay." She licked her lips again, then leaned in to press them softly against Keyleth. Just for a couple of seconds, and as her dancing mostly turned into slightly swaying her hips to the music, she shifted, found a better fit for their lips, and kissed Kiki more firmly, fingers spreading in the small of her back, holding her close.
Oh, that was much better, now Keyleth's nose wasn't bumping Shen's in a weird way. Keyleth leaned closer and secured the arm around Shen's neck a little tighter. Her forearm brushed Shen's silken feathers and she laughed silently into the kiss at how nice it felt. "Mmm..."
A small shiver went through Shen at that, and she nipped at Kiki's bottom lip, smiled at her, then thought better of it and leaned in for more kissing. She kept her hand in the small of Keyleth's back and stroked the other one through her hair, because it was gorgeous, and because she could. Oh, she'd missed this.
Keyleth’s breath caught at the cute little nip; a giggle escaped her as she went in for more. She loved having her hair played with, and she suddenly realized she liked being held like this. Everything felt soft and warm and glowing, from her inside, out, into Shen even. By the time the next kiss broke off, she felt like she was getting the hang of it. “Wow,” she said, eyes half closed.
"Wow, huh?" Shen echoed, smiling wide at that. "Wow," she agreed, and only just resisted the urge to go in for more. Kiki looked really, seriously kissable, now more than ever, with that blissful kind of look. "You wanna get out of here, go have some fun away from prying eyes?" She always expected straight boys to stare at two hot girls making out, and she didn't want this to end up in anyone's spank bank, thank you. And there, 'have some fun', that sounded nice and like there was no commitment implied. No strings, just fun.
Keyleth nodded eagerly. "Good idea! I definitely--want to keep doing that. Somewhere else." Her whole body tingled. More would be good. Very good. She took Shen's hand and started for the treeline.
Enthusiastic consent, check. Shen couldn't stop smiling as she fell in stride with Kiki. "See? You're a great dancer." Any dance that led to this was definitely the awesome sort.
***
"We should get back, I guess," Shen stated with a small smile, although she made no move to get up. She hadn't expected to find the ground in a clearing comfortable, but it was plenty comfortable when it involved lying down with a beautiful, fun, responsive girl. Kiki was just awesome in every way, and so Shen kissed her again, because she could, because the moment was kind of perfect.
Keyleth kissed back, now she'd really got the hang of it and smiled. And blushed a little, too. She was sobering up and realizing what she'd done and... wow. No regrets, none at all, but she still felt a little... eek.
When the kiss broke off, Keyleth smiled almost shyly, though her lips were swollen from the kisses. "I--ah. Wow. I can't believe I did that!" She laughed, though, obviously pleased.
"Good kind of can't believe it, I'll take that." Shen grinned at the other girl, and her super cute laughter. Kiki sounded both incredulous in her happiness and proud of herself, it was the cutest.
"Definitely," Keyleth rushed to say. "Oooh, I need another drink. Partly because my mouth is dry, but mostly because I'll feel less dorky.
"This is awesome though. You're awesome. Thanks for being so awesome, Shen." Keyleth reached out and squeezed her hand.
"Thank you, that was definitely the together kind of awesomeness." After squeezing the other girl's hand back, Shen pushed up to all fours, and stood back up, shaking out her wings with a happy little sigh as they settled again.
Keyleth was distracted by the wings. “They’re so beautiful.” She held up a hand for Shen, asking silently for help up. “Will you really take me flying?”
"Sure," Shen agreed easily, grabbing Kiki's hand to pull her up. "It'll be fun!"
Keyleth went from a huge smile as she started off the ground directly into a thoughtful frown by the time she was on her feet. She looked into Shen's eyes and said, ultra serious, "It's not weird is it? I mean, us being... you know? Friendly, now?"
"It's only weird if we make it weird," Shen answered, and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I don't think it's weird. I think it's pretty awesome."
Keyleth shook her head emphatically. "I won't make it weird! I just--I wanted to make sure. I mean, that this didn't mean we were... Not that I wouldn't want to! But I hardly--uh...."
"It's cool," Shen cut her off with a grin. The panicked babble - since it was going in a totally cool direction - just made her want to kiss Kiki again, to be honest. "Same here. It was fun! But no commitment."
Keyleth sagged with a relieved sigh. "I mean--again, not that I wouldn't--well, you know. But. You know. We're like... teenagers." And Keyleth could hardly believe she'd managed to score a real full-blown make out, let alone that!
"It's so cool to finally meet someone who feels that way too," Shen admitted with a relieved little laugh. It had started to feel like everybody else was all about commitment, seriously. Or maybe just only the people she liked and who liked her, but that was bad enough.
Well, part of it was Keyleth wasn't sure she was capable of anything more--but she shook that away quickly. Hearing Shen's enthusiasm for the situation made it easier. She nodded excitedly. "I'm so glad! This was so lucky!"
Shen winced a little, but she was still smiling. "Sorry, I should've made that clearer, I guess. I kinda got carried away."
"Let me know next time you want to get carried away," Keyleth blurted out, then blushed.
Shen laughed. "Right back atcha. That was really, really fun."
"It was." Keyleth shifted a little awkwardly, trying to think of what else to say. Then suddenly: "Another dance?"
"Let's go," Shen agreed with a grin, and held her hand out to Keyleth.
A slightly buzzed Keyleth looked around at her many, many classmates... and realized she didn't know a lot of them. She knew their names by now, but there were just so many. Also, an extraordinary number of them were pretty. Then again, she found most people pretty in some way or another, so maybe it was just her.
As she had this thought, a small knot of kids parted, and she saw the most gorgeous pair of wings. Shen! Keyleth went to her immediately, pleased to have noticed someone she knew. She only sloshed her drink a little bit when she waved hello--and then realized Shen's back was turned. Because wings.
Keyleth scurried around to a better vantage point and said, "Hi! Parties are great, right?"
Shen had been having a pretty good time, almost stubbornly so. Her talk with Fatale earlier had rattled her a bit, and she hated it. So she'd thrown herself into the task of enjoying this party even more, and she'd worked up even more of a buzz, and been dancing her (cute) ass off. This of course led to needing another drink to keep the buzz alive, and she was just taking a break with another vodka-orange when Keyleth appeared in front of her. "Hey!" she replied with a wide grin. "Totally. Love them." Even when they were partly thrown by snowflake white cis-boys. One more reason to very stubbornly enjoy it, for real. "You having a good time, then?"
"Mmmm," Keyleth hummed by way of a positive reply. Her cheeks were flushed with warmth. "All my friends are here. Did you meet Pike? I'm so glad Pike came. Pike is dope."
"I've seen her around, but we haven't really talked yet," Shen replied, instinctively looking around for the short blonde girl. She couldn't spot her, and focused back on Kiki, smiling again. Kiki looked too happy not to smile at her. "You all seem so tight!"
"Well, it was us against London for so long--though it's still us, just us sometimes includes everyone here, and we're trying to make our way into the rest of the world." Keyleth had lost herself in thought there, clearly.
"All of us against the world, now?" Shen offered, seeing nothing complicated to follow there. She grinned hopefully instead, because it sounded like a very cool thing.
"Yes," Keyleth said, as if that had been precisely what she was looking for. She grabbed Shen's forearm in her excitement. "That's it! And I like that people are so enthusiastic about it here. Feels like we could really accomplish things. Damn the man!"
Shen giggled, and raised her glass, twisting her forearm so she could curl her fingers loosely around Kiki's elbow. "Damn the man!" she called enthusiastically, and drank to that.
Keyleth knocked back a too large drink, some of which dribbled slightly out the corner of her mouth. She lifted her drink hand to wipe it off carelessly--her other arm, she locked in with Shen's and had no desire to move. "I'm better at protest chanting than dancing, I think."
Shen looked at her with another grin. "Well, okay, now I've gotta put that to the test." She downed the rest of her drink before Kiki could protest, and set it down on a nearby stand. "Wanna?" she offered, holding a hand out to her.
Never mind that she hadn't heard Kiki protest-chant yet. (A random 'damn the man' didn't count!) She was sure it was only a matter of time. But dancing? Dancing they could do something about right now.
"Okay!" Keyleth chugged what was left of her drink--which burned, but kind of in a good way since she was already buzzed--and set it down. "I'm super bad at it, but I love it!"
Shen grinned, and drew her towards the dance floor - or dancing area, really. "You're only ever as good at dancing as you love it. That's my philosophy." And too bad if it didn't make much sense.
"I like that." Keyleth was all earnestness and slightly wide-eyed. She made it to a good spot without tripping over anything and considered it a good sign. Anyhow, she loved music, and that'd take her away. "We could apply that to a lot of things. Singing. Gardening..."
"Gardening?" Shen laughed, wings tucked close to her body as she started dancing. "I think if you make all the plants die, you're officially bad at it."
"Ohhh, yeah." Keyleth's brow furrowed. She was mostly just bouncing her weight from foot to foot, sort of fascinated by the way Shen's wings moved with her. Wow. "Okay, fair point. It takes more than love to keep something alive. I mean, love helps, probably, but not as much as water. And sun."
"But dancing? Music and fun will do the trick," Shen replied, and held a hand out to Kiki. "A good partner doesn't hurt, though."
Keyleth took it readily and tried to mimic Shen’s much easier movements. “A fun partner?” She asked hopefully.
"They won't really be good if they're not fun," Shen pointed out, still smiling. Enjoying herself, dancing with a cute girl. This was what parties were all about. "Dancing should always be fun." Or it wasn't worth going through. "You should've joined dance class."
"I probably should've," Keyleth said. She accidentally moved nearer while trying to copy Shen. Her wings were so gorgeous. Keyleth lifted a hand, wanting to touch them, then realized that wasn't just weird, it was rude, just in time. Instead she put her hand at Shen's waist and hoped that was okay. It was probably okay? They were dancing! "Your wings are so... elegant. I'd be bumping them on everything, trying to dance. They're just like a hawk's. I love hawks."
The hand on Shen's waist was definitely okay, although it made Shen wonder - well, time would tell. Maybe. Hopefully? "They are just like a hawk's," Shen confirmed with a grin, and danced a little closer to Kiki. Who was very pretty, and awesome. "And I had to relearn how to dance with them. Different center of gravity. It wasn't pretty."
"Maybe that's what hawks don't dance," Keyleth said seriously, finding swaying on beat much easier with Shen's help. "They're the most majestic birds. It'd suck if having wings like theirs left you unmajestic. Nice job!"
"I don't think I'd ever been called majestic before," Shen said with a smile, and a curious little nose wrinkle as she tried to remember if she had. (She was pretty sure Kiki just had, just not in so many words.)
Keyleth looked surprised. "Not even in flight? Hawks are the most majestic!"
"Hear hear," Shen agreed, grinning now. She let go of Kiki's hand to put her own on the other girl's waist, because that was only fair, she figured. "Where are you at with your wind? Flying yet?"
"Mmm," Keyleth hummed without even realizing, liking the closer quarters. Very comfy. "I wish. I knocked myself over with wind the other day, though, so that's probably... a start?"
Shen chuckled, but she wasn't mocking. "I don't know how Ororo does it. It sounds so complicated." Unlike dancing, right now, with Kiki. The girl might have talked down her dancing skills, but they were moving together, and Shen enjoyed Kiki's hand on her waist, and the way her feathers brushed against it now and then. She caught Kiki's gaze and smiled. "I'll take you up some day, if you want."
Mostly swaying with her partner, Keyleth leaned in closer and rested her other hand over Shen's shoulder. This brushed her wing, just at the top, but Keyleth didn't think much of it, except the feathers were nice and silky. Now Keyleth was sort of leaning against her as they moved. "That would be a-maaaaa-zing," she said with a little sigh. "Maybe I could play with the air while I'm up there."
"Please do," Shen confirmed, smiling in a way that was a little more restrained than if it had only been about the flying. Flying, and probably air play while flying, only deserved frank joy. Having Kiki lean against her like that, so close to her, was a quieter kind of joy. "That would be really cool." Shen's gaze dipped to Kiki's mouth, but she looked up immediately, and worried her own lip with her teeth instead.
Unconsciously, Keyleth's gaze followed Shen's. Those teeth made a little white dent in Shen's lower lip. It was somehow fascinating. "As long as I don't knock us out of the sky..." Yep. Still staring.
Shen released her lip when she realized Kiki was staring, and licked her lips without even making a conscious decision. Her belly did that wonderful little flop of nerves, the best sort of nerves, and she smiled a little. She stroked her fingers on Kiki's waist a little, just to test how welcome that would be, the fabric of that flowery top bunching up slightly with the motion. ...what were they talking about again? Oh, yeah. "We'll figure something out." Later. Right now, Shen was a little too aware of every point of contact between them, and how close Keyleth was.
It felt sort of amazing, all of it, and part of her wanted to take it to the next level (if Kiki was into that, obviously), but part of her didn't want this moment to end. This moment was safe, and Shen wasn't hurting anyone, or being rejected because of her refusal to settle down.
"Mmm..." Keyleth was distracted by the feeling of fingers at her waist. Oooh, that was nice, like having her arm tickled but better. Like being kissed almost. It made her smiley. She tried to dance better, but ended up bumping her nose into Shen's.
That made Shen chuckle, and then confess, "I really wanna kiss you right now." Because she was buzzed, and so into the slow build of the moment, and she wanted to know if it was just her. She'd think about her usual disclaimer in a minute. Once she knew it it was even needed.
Keyleth's eyes went wide as she realized that was exactly what she wanted too. "Oooh. Yes, please."
Shen grinned. "Okay." She licked her lips again, then leaned in to press them softly against Keyleth. Just for a couple of seconds, and as her dancing mostly turned into slightly swaying her hips to the music, she shifted, found a better fit for their lips, and kissed Kiki more firmly, fingers spreading in the small of her back, holding her close.
Oh, that was much better, now Keyleth's nose wasn't bumping Shen's in a weird way. Keyleth leaned closer and secured the arm around Shen's neck a little tighter. Her forearm brushed Shen's silken feathers and she laughed silently into the kiss at how nice it felt. "Mmm..."
A small shiver went through Shen at that, and she nipped at Kiki's bottom lip, smiled at her, then thought better of it and leaned in for more kissing. She kept her hand in the small of Keyleth's back and stroked the other one through her hair, because it was gorgeous, and because she could. Oh, she'd missed this.
Keyleth’s breath caught at the cute little nip; a giggle escaped her as she went in for more. She loved having her hair played with, and she suddenly realized she liked being held like this. Everything felt soft and warm and glowing, from her inside, out, into Shen even. By the time the next kiss broke off, she felt like she was getting the hang of it. “Wow,” she said, eyes half closed.
"Wow, huh?" Shen echoed, smiling wide at that. "Wow," she agreed, and only just resisted the urge to go in for more. Kiki looked really, seriously kissable, now more than ever, with that blissful kind of look. "You wanna get out of here, go have some fun away from prying eyes?" She always expected straight boys to stare at two hot girls making out, and she didn't want this to end up in anyone's spank bank, thank you. And there, 'have some fun', that sounded nice and like there was no commitment implied. No strings, just fun.
Keyleth nodded eagerly. "Good idea! I definitely--want to keep doing that. Somewhere else." Her whole body tingled. More would be good. Very good. She took Shen's hand and started for the treeline.
Enthusiastic consent, check. Shen couldn't stop smiling as she fell in stride with Kiki. "See? You're a great dancer." Any dance that led to this was definitely the awesome sort.
***
"We should get back, I guess," Shen stated with a small smile, although she made no move to get up. She hadn't expected to find the ground in a clearing comfortable, but it was plenty comfortable when it involved lying down with a beautiful, fun, responsive girl. Kiki was just awesome in every way, and so Shen kissed her again, because she could, because the moment was kind of perfect.
Keyleth kissed back, now she'd really got the hang of it and smiled. And blushed a little, too. She was sobering up and realizing what she'd done and... wow. No regrets, none at all, but she still felt a little... eek.
When the kiss broke off, Keyleth smiled almost shyly, though her lips were swollen from the kisses. "I--ah. Wow. I can't believe I did that!" She laughed, though, obviously pleased.
"Good kind of can't believe it, I'll take that." Shen grinned at the other girl, and her super cute laughter. Kiki sounded both incredulous in her happiness and proud of herself, it was the cutest.
"Definitely," Keyleth rushed to say. "Oooh, I need another drink. Partly because my mouth is dry, but mostly because I'll feel less dorky.
"This is awesome though. You're awesome. Thanks for being so awesome, Shen." Keyleth reached out and squeezed her hand.
"Thank you, that was definitely the together kind of awesomeness." After squeezing the other girl's hand back, Shen pushed up to all fours, and stood back up, shaking out her wings with a happy little sigh as they settled again.
Keyleth was distracted by the wings. “They’re so beautiful.” She held up a hand for Shen, asking silently for help up. “Will you really take me flying?”
"Sure," Shen agreed easily, grabbing Kiki's hand to pull her up. "It'll be fun!"
Keyleth went from a huge smile as she started off the ground directly into a thoughtful frown by the time she was on her feet. She looked into Shen's eyes and said, ultra serious, "It's not weird is it? I mean, us being... you know? Friendly, now?"
"It's only weird if we make it weird," Shen answered, and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I don't think it's weird. I think it's pretty awesome."
Keyleth shook her head emphatically. "I won't make it weird! I just--I wanted to make sure. I mean, that this didn't mean we were... Not that I wouldn't want to! But I hardly--uh...."
"It's cool," Shen cut her off with a grin. The panicked babble - since it was going in a totally cool direction - just made her want to kiss Kiki again, to be honest. "Same here. It was fun! But no commitment."
Keyleth sagged with a relieved sigh. "I mean--again, not that I wouldn't--well, you know. But. You know. We're like... teenagers." And Keyleth could hardly believe she'd managed to score a real full-blown make out, let alone that!
"It's so cool to finally meet someone who feels that way too," Shen admitted with a relieved little laugh. It had started to feel like everybody else was all about commitment, seriously. Or maybe just only the people she liked and who liked her, but that was bad enough.
Well, part of it was Keyleth wasn't sure she was capable of anything more--but she shook that away quickly. Hearing Shen's enthusiasm for the situation made it easier. She nodded excitedly. "I'm so glad! This was so lucky!"
Shen winced a little, but she was still smiling. "Sorry, I should've made that clearer, I guess. I kinda got carried away."
"Let me know next time you want to get carried away," Keyleth blurted out, then blushed.
Shen laughed. "Right back atcha. That was really, really fun."
"It was." Keyleth shifted a little awkwardly, trying to think of what else to say. Then suddenly: "Another dance?"
"Let's go," Shen agreed with a grin, and held her hand out to Keyleth.
