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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 8, 2020 15:36:03 GMT -5
Although she had said it in good humor, it sort of upset Evan to hear Swift continue to blame herself for his predicament. Then again, his constant complaining about it probably didn't help matters. They'd agreed that this was just an unfortunate mishap that they both had a hand in creating, and Evan was willing to leave it at that from there on out. He wasn't about to dive back into that debate, especially given the sincerity in Swift's motivation.
Besides... what mattered was that Swift could take care of herself. He knew that well enough. And as long as she was willing to put herself on the line for him, given that trying to talk her down was a harrowing feat, he figured that the least he could do was show his appreciation.
As such, Evan once again pulled Swift into a gentle embrace, closing his eyes as he allowed himself a moment to shut out the world around him –all his fears, all his doubts, all his weight woes– and just enjoy the tender touch of this girl he loved so much.
"Thank you."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 8, 2020 15:56:23 GMT -5
Swift's smile widened as she snuggled nicely into Evan's arms, resting her hand on his chest and her head in the crook of his neck. In that moment, content to know that he was starting to feel hopeful again, all that mattered to her was the warmth of his embrace and the soft, cushiony feeling of his body pressed against hers, never mind what he looked like. He finally seemed genuinely happy. What else could she ask for?
"You're welcome."
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With nary a sound, Ace partially phased through the closed door, poking her head inside the room to check on its occupants. She found Evan and Swift sound asleep, still locked in each other's arms, and simply had to grin at the display. It was sort of ridiculous how tiny Swift looked next to Evan, but in a weird way, it was also kind of adorable, not to mention reassuring to know that they were both still comfortable around each other in light of Evan's altered form.
Opting to leave the sleeping pair be, Ace quietly stepped back out into the hall. Another long day awaited them.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 8, 2020 16:07:35 GMT -5
---------------------------
Evan flinched slightly, squinting his eyes against the light of the morning sun. When they finally adjusted, he found himself staring at the ceiling, groggy only for a moment but waking up surprisingly quickly. Despite his alertness, he had no motivation to move for the first minute or so. He was warm, comfortable, and feeling slightly weighed down for... fairly obvious reasons.
He briefly craned his neck to check the clock. It was a little after nine. It had been twenty-four hours since his spontaneous temporary bulk change, and despite waking up knowing he still had the extra weight, he felt... okay. Not great, but okay. More or less ready to face another day like this.
He looked down at Swift...
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 8, 2020 16:11:44 GMT -5
Somewhat unsurprisingly given yesterday's marathon, Swift was still fast asleep, still nestled up against Evan. Somehow, in the midst of some apparent late-night tossing and turning, she had managed to migrate southward ever so slightly, her head now resting comfortably on Evan's stomach.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 8, 2020 16:35:06 GMT -5
"..........................."
In hindsight, he really should've seen this coming. After all that talk about how cuddly he was, it only figured that Swift would unconsciously take advantage of arguably the most cushiony section of his anatomy. Evan wasn't sure why he was surprised, yet there he was, staring down at Swift with wide eyes and a prominent blush, flustered once again by the affection he was receiving, intentional or otherwise.
Eventually he dropped his head back onto his pillow with a deep sigh, deciding against waking Swift up. Despite the awkward position he was in, she looked so darn cozy that it felt wrong to rouse her. As such, Evan simply continued to stare at the ceiling and mull things over.
Once Swift actually woke up, she was no doubt going to head straight back into the Geodesic Caverns to continue her search for Rainflower. Evan could only hope that this time around, she would actually come up with a solid plan so she and the others wouldn't be running around in circles for two days in a row; what that plan might be was beyond him. On top of that, thinking back to the monster she had described and the frequent encounters she had with it yesterday, he had to wonder if she would find it again, how it could be dealt with, and what sort of connection it might've had to their problem. If it wasn't Rainflower transformed, then what?
And again... why did Swift's brief description strike a chord with him?
The more he thought about this, the more Evan wished there was some way he could help. With everyone else putting in such hard work for him, it felt wrong not to contribute something himself. But how useful could he actually be when he was like this?
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 8, 2020 16:53:11 GMT -5
"Mmm..." After a few minutes, Swift stirred slightly, ear twitching and eyes scrunching in a stubborn refusal to open.
Though her brain was steadily becoming active as she slowly but surely came to, Swift simply did not want to get up. Why would she? She was perfectly comfortable, and even the slightest movement made her feel less so. Out there it was cold and demanding, but in here it was warm and cozy and nothing mattered. All she wanted was to snuggle deeper into the plush cushions and forget about the outside world. To relax her mind and body and simply soak in the warmth, the softness, the calm of the morning, the gentle rhythm of Evan's heartbeat wait why was the pillow moving??
"!!!" Swift suddenly shot up into a sitting position, wide-eyed and properly startled. For a moment, she just sat there rigid, staring at the wall like she had just catapulted out of a gruesome nightmare. Then she whipped around to shoot Evan a befuddled look.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 8, 2020 17:57:40 GMT -5
As soon as she had lifted her head off of his stomach, Evan's first move was to fold his arms behind his head and offer Swift a cheeky grin. Sure, it might've seemed strange to him in the moment, but no sense in acting embarrassed for something he had no say in. She was the one with the egg on her face this time. "Morning! Sleep well?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 8, 2020 18:01:00 GMT -5
It took Swift a moment to get her bearings back in order, but once she had, she stiffly inhaled through her nose, mustered a smile and responded with a chuckle, "Hah... Yeah. Slept fine. You?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 8, 2020 18:21:43 GMT -5
"Can't complain, I guess." Evan shrugged once before sitting up and swinging his legs off the side of the bed, snatching his discarded jeans off the floor. "Definitely the best night's sleep I've gotten this week. Feeling significantly less angry than the last time I woke up looking like this."
He stood up and slid into his pants, giving himself a moment to stretch and take a deep breath before turning to Swift. "So! We're shooting for a good day today, right?"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 8, 2020 18:37:08 GMT -5
"Well, yeah! You think I was gonna actively try to have a bad day?" Swift teased as she jumped off the bed and waltzed over to her closet, shooting Evan a smile over her shoulder. Above all else, she was just happy to see him in a good mood. "We're gonna find 'em today. I can feel it in my jams."
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 8, 2020 22:10:14 GMT -5
"Heh. Yeah. Stupid question," Evan snickered as he quickly made the bed as per his and Swift's standard routine. He smiled back at Swift, offering her double pistols. "I'm believing in you. Take your time waking up. I'll meet you out there in a bit."
He stepped out of the bedroom, granting Swift some alone time to ready herself for the day, striding down the hall with a light smirk and a particularly casual pace. It seemed like the rest of the gang was already up and about, as Evan looked around to see Jen and Darien seated on the couch with their morning coffee and Patrick at the kitchenette table with a half-eaten bowl of Cocoa Puffs. The latter acknowledged Evan's arrival first, smiling at him with his mouth full and milk dripping from his lips. "Hey, E'an!"
"Hey, Pat." There was no mistaking Patrick for one of his other personalities with a greeting like that. Evan gladly exchanged the grin before he began rummaging the cabinets for his own breakfast.
"Mm-!" Patrick graciously swallowed before continuing, "Sorry we missed ya last night, buddy."
"No problem. I'm not gonna stop you two from spending quality time together."
Jen smiled at Darien for a moment, then stood up and walked to the edge of the living room. "How're ya feeling, Ev?"
"Not bad," Evan answered honestly, pouring himself a bowl of Chunky Puffs. "Hanging in there."
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 9, 2020 12:39:18 GMT -5
"Well, that's good to hear," Ace casually stated, seated next to Patrick, smiling up at Evan. "So Swift talked some sense into ya, did she?"
"Now let's not call it talking sense into him," Aether politely insisted. "We don't blame you for your attitude last night, Evan. Nonetheless, it is encouraging to see that some quality time with Swift has livened you up a bit."
Andromeda looked back over her shoulder, warmly beaming at Evan, agreeing with the sentiment.
"So!" Ace leaned on the table, grinning between Evan and Patrick. "We got a plan for today? Anything new from Swift?"
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 9, 2020 13:09:36 GMT -5
"Aside from doing the same thing as yesterday, I'm not sure that Swift has much in the way of a plan," Evan answered as he took a seat next to Patrick. "She told me what happened down in the caves, and it has me somewhat worried..."
"Oh yeah, the big dino-monster?" Patrick chuckled, donning a smirk and poking his temples. "Don't sweat it, dude. Van is cooking up a strategy against that bad boy as we speak.
"Wouldn't expect any less. What about you guys? You just going back on the hunt too?"
"Basically," Darien responded with a shrug. "I doubt Swift will let us off the hook until we find Rainflower."
Evan's grin turned awkwardly but humorously crooked. "Well... don't overwork yourselves for my sake. Trying to keep Rainflower under control is like trying to tie a rope around an ocean."
"No argument there," Jen chuckled, returning to her spot in the living room.
Carter poked his head out from behind a couch, trotting over to the table and sitting down on the floor next to Evan, staring up at his master with a perked brow. "Seriously, though, you are weirdly calm about all of this."
Evan raised an eyebrow back at him. "Is it so weird that I suddenly decided to stop moping?"
"You're an emotional basket case sometimes, Evan, let's be real here. Especially when something goes wrong for you. I was prepared for you to basically shut down until we found the means to make you slim again."
"Well, maybe I'm tired of bogging you guys down with my angst! Maybe I just wanna ease my nerves until this whole thing blows over!"
The old Berner tilted his head. "What did that girl do to you last night?"
"Nothing!" Evan insisted. "We just talked, enjoyed each other's company, hugged it out..."
"Is that all? You were getting pretty noisy in there for a moment."
Evan's face turned red as he directed his attention towards his cereal bowl. "We were just playing around for a moment, okay? Swift did her best to cheer me up, then she made herself comfortable. Maybe a little too comfortable, but hey, at least she was willing to get intimate."
"With all of that?"
"Yes! What about it?!"
Carter steadily grew visibly discomforted. "Are you completely certain she intends to change you back to normal?"
"Of course she does! Why wouldn't she?!"
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Post by Pink Moon Wolf on Feb 9, 2020 13:37:16 GMT -5
"Hm, HM, hm-hm, HM, hm-hm, HM, hm-HM, hm, hm...
Hm, HM, hm-hm, HM, hm-hm, HM, hm-HM, hm, hm..."
Behind the closed door of her and Evan's shared bedroom, Swift had a song on her mind. She wasn't sure why, other than it being a song she liked, but there it was. She couldn't help but hum it to herself as she threw her shirt and vest on, her hips and tail swaying to the imagined beat.
"The club isn't the best place to find a lover
So the bar is where I go
Me and my friends at the table doing shots
Drinking fast and then we talk slow"
She danced over to her wall mirror, grabbing her brush off her dresser and promptly untangling the wild mess of hair atop her head. Once she was finished, she briefly succumbed to the cliché of using her hairbrush as microphone before putting it back in its place on the shelf.
"And you come over and start up a conversation with just me
And trust me, I'll give it a chance now
Take my hand, stop, put Van the Man on the jukebox
And then we start to dance, and now you're singing like"
Swift then grabbed her hair ties and started securing half of her locks in their usual pigtails. She stared at herself suavely in the mirror. Passionately. Almost longingly. As if she was imagining a face other than her own gazing back at her.
"'Girl, you know I want your love
Your love was handmade for somebody like me
Come on now, follow my lead
I may be crazy, don't mind me'"
Once she was done tying back the other half of her hair, she twirled her fingers through her pigtails, then slowly, gently ran her hands down along her hips. Then she reached into her top dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of socks.
"Say, 'Boy, let's not talk too much
Grab on my waist and put that body on me
Come on now, follow my lead
Come, come on now, follow my lead,' mm-mm-mm..."
She tossed the bundle of socks onto the bed, leaping after them and pouncing atop them. She rolled over across the bed and over to her nightstand, where she plucked up her newsboy hat, twirled it on her finger, and settled it snugly atop her head behind her ears.
"I'm in love with the shape of you
We push and pull like a magnet do
Although my heart is falling too
I'm in love with your body"
Then Swift lay down flat on her back, running her hands along the folds in the bed covers, closing her eyes and relaxing as she sunk comfortably into the warm, plush surface. After the heck she had dealt with over the past few days, she was feeling amazingly tranquil.
"And last night you were in my room
And now my bed sheets smell like you
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with your body"
She sat back up, continuing to bob to the beat as she slipped her socks on. She was willing to admit that this was getting a little silly now, even if she still couldn't quite grasp why she felt as good as she did. Maybe she was just high off last night's contact buzz...
"Oh, I, oh, I, oh, I, oh, I
I'm in love with your body
Oh, I, oh, I, oh, I, oh, I
I'm in love with your body"
With her morning preparations complete and that pep ever present in her step, Swift shot to her feet and danced her way out into the hall, feeling pleasantly refreshed and ready for a new day.
"Oh, I, oh, I, oh, I, oh, I
I'm in love with your body
Every day discovering something brand new
I'm in love with the... shape... of..."
Wait, she left the room and she was still singing...
Swift realized this at a painfully delayed pace, slowing to a halt, her voice growing silent as she looked up to find herself standing outside the kitchen and Evan seated at the table.
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Post by ParamountKeymaster on Feb 9, 2020 13:51:20 GMT -5
"..........................."
Evan stared at Swift from across the room, his expression blank, the song she had been singing to herself not lost on him. His exact emotional state was hard to pinpoint, but to say that he was a tad bit unsettled would've been an understatement.
Carter huffed and walked off with a smirk on his muzzle. "Good luck with this one, big guy."
Evan briefly turned away to shoot a scowl at his dog's back. Then he faced Swift again with a blissful grin. Let's just pretend that didn't happen. "Hey, Swift! 'Bout ready for today's trek?"
"I know I am!" Patrick chimed in. "Van and I have been cooking up some ideas, lemme tell ya!"
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