RP:Time In A Bottle

Part of the The End's Not Near Arc

Summary: Muzo and Reginae re-unite proper after her near death experience. Where is Formulae when you need it?

Food Storage

Reginae / was still in the small pantry turned quarters, sleeping on a soldier’s cot and dressed in an overly fluffy gold robe to combat the unnatural (in her personal opinion) cold of this place. It was bone chilling, and she had plenty of bones to be chilled thank you very much! Two Frost Giant guards are posted outside the room, to query those who wish to enter their food stores. From the exterior, it might just look like there’s a shortage of supplies. Maybe rumors are spreading as such in the Frostmaw town proper. Reginae is oblivious to any and all gossip from the town, having not left the room since her revival. Her life was the highest of secrets, and if she couldn’t be trusted to keep it, who could? Her hair has been trimmed into a purposeful bob that cuts across her chin in a straight, white line. Beside her are similar vials, all containing the same liquid, several of which are now empty. The room itself is a mess, papers and parchments with half scribbled ideas littering the floors. It’s clear she’s been making herself useful in this ‘downtime’. A book, leather bound with golden letters that shimmer in the low light is open on the small table in the corner of the room. Beside it, a scattered pile of parchments and quills, inkwells and a single grey lenses eye that bobbed around in it’s jar of mauve liquid. It’s unnatural motion seemed to turn towards anyone who entered, but did it really? Just now she’s bent over this open tome, muttering below her breath in the way people touched by madness do. Her left hand twitches, fingers tapping the wood repeatedly in nonsense patterns.

Muzo is introduced first by a knock, then by a surly looking giant guard who offers little more than a grunt as he peers his dutifully scowling face around the corner, gauging Reginae's reaction. Muzo looks considerably less moody and duty-bound and is, quite the contrary, cheerfully peeking around the corner himself, his snakelike snout making a wildly contrasting silhouette to that of the giant's above him. "I didn't think she'd mind, see?" Muzo grins up at the sour guard, but the latter's assent is little more than a frosty snort. "Ah, well, very good," his grin turning sheepish, the researcher will have to take what he can get. His wide, black, curious eyes sweep the interior of Reginae's room, pausing at several engaging details: books, vials, liquids, an eye! "My goodness!" He remarks breathlessly and (assuming no objections!) begins slithering in, foot by foot.

The guard waves Muzo in, with the knowledge that Reginae had at some point been expecting someone that fix Muzo’s very particular profile. Black eyes, long as the day is...long (?) and a more snake like facial structure. Very particular. Reginae, for her part, looks up to greet him. If the guard didn’t get the hint by now, he was wasting his time in the guarding business. Amscray ya Bozo! That’s rude, Reginae knows. The Frost Giants have been so kind to dedicate their time to her security but her mind is going too fast to be stopped now! What’s this? Some handsome fellow to greet her? What’s more, a like MIND. Ahhhh yessssss. “Muzo!” She shouted in joyous greeting, “Please make yourself at home!” No excuse is made for the papers but her speech is noticeably fasted paced. More so than usual, even when a good idea was afoot. “How have you been, tell me everything, I’ve quite missed your company here but things are improving, my yes -” Then she notices him staring at the jar and can’t help but point him in it’s direction. “It’s it lovely! An old artifact from days past, my sister’s eye, lost in battle with some Fold member. I had his name here somewhere-” Cue the shuffle of endless parchment papers for a split second and then it’s back to the point at hand. “Either way, it’s here and perfectly preserved. It’s it maaaaarvelous?”

Muzo glides into the room, leaving the guards to go back to ... guarding. "Thank you, yes, very good, little to tell." Little he *can* tell, rather. "And you're-?" Even before he can ask, Reginae is firing back a mile a minute. Rather inspired, she seems! Muzo's eyes widen, surprised and intrigued. "Extraordinary, yes! Unusual item." Leaning in, he peeks closely at the lonely optic member. "Utterly marvelous. Would seem you've been hard at work." Attentions break away from the preserved specimen and alight upon the queen herself. "Relieved to hear of improvement. Here to gladly offer assistance, and company, as needed. Hope I can be more of a help than a hindrance." Tongue flicking curiously, he "sniffs" the vials of liquid.

“Invigorating tonic,” She offered as he sniffed the vials. “Made by Pilar, she’s a healer now. Very good stuff, I would highly recommend them. I’d happily have your company. A bit stir crazy at the moment, can’t get out much with the you know coup in Alithrya. Bit of a mess.” Her finger pads meet across the small expanse of her palms repeatedly. She doesn’t notice if they miss. “Glad you’re here, anyway.” She clears her throat and gestures to the bottles. “Feel free to take one, rather good things.” She repeats, as if she hasn’t said it before.

Muzo grins gratefully but shakes his head, holding up a single palm in cordial rejection of the offer. "Avoid recreationals, generally, but thank you. Glad to see you're in high spirits." Picking up one of the vials, he gives it a swirl and studies it against the light. "Will, however, bother Pilar for the recipe," so he can double check her dosage. Muzo's gaze flickers down to the drumming of Reginae's fingers before he places the vial back where he'd gotten it. "Would offer you a getaway somewhere, but," an apologetic laugh burbles out of him, "wouldn't want to tempt fate and risk exposing your, ah, presence. Among the living." Memories of Reginae's turbulent revival brush the researchers mind, prompting him to clear his throat press onward. "Like what you've done with you hair," he offers, his own hands gesturing at about the height of his chin, "with the ah, what would you call it. Goodness," Muzo laughs, "this isn't my field."

Reginae didn’t quite agree in the consideration of this being a recreational...anything. It was subtle, like...she couldn’t place it but she didn’t have time to explain it. Muzo was moving on to other thoughts and she had to keep up. Couldn’t harp on the same subject all night, Reginae! “I’m sure she’d be happy to give it to you. It’s about the only thing that keeps me warm in this place...perpetually freezing. Let’s never come back if we can avoid it, unless it’s social visits to the gracious Queen who houses us…” Here she leans forward over the table, hand cup to her mouth as if imparting a secret onto the researcher. “But really, let’s do something to prevent freezing in the future.” She nods, mayhap even winks (?) or wait no, there’s something in her eye. She’s blinking it out. Ah good, all set. “Oh my hair,” She says, forgetting it’s length as she can barely see it now. “It’s a…’bob’ as the stylist called it. I’m not fond of it but they did the best they could with what they had…” She sighed, lifting a limp lock with her lithe fingertips. “I would have preferred a longer style but the ice...ruined the hair itself. A miracle they saved this much, really. I was frozen a bit -too- long, I think. Calculated error, will have to revise if there is another go around.” Here she laughs, because why would there ever be a reason to pretend to die a second time? It’ll be old hat by then! Suddenly her mind races back to her hair, strand still in hand while blush creeps up her face. “D-did you like it longer?” Her eyes widen in surprise.

Muzo thinks it a little odd to be naming haircuts "Bob" and wonders when they'll start offering "Charlie" or "George". No matter. Not his field, the researcher reminds himself, basking yet again in the relief of being unqualified and, therefore, excused. "Miracle, yes," he offers, blinking out of his brief reverie and back into the present, "though I doubt I'll have an opportunity to redeem the mistake." Muzo laughs with her, and he would indeed be blushing if he could. "Did I what?" His heart skips a beat at the question, and a strange paralysis grabs him by the throat. "Ah. Ah." Fingers drum, mirroring the queen's fidgeting. "Am finding," his eyes linger a little to long on her face, and the fear melts out of him as his mouth moves of it's own accord, and he hears the words coming as through from the other side of a hazy, rose-colored glass, "that I'm quite entirely taken with your looks either way."

Reginae freezes with her hair in her hand despite the burning work of the invigorator tonic when he says this. “M-m-m-my g-g-g-” She swallows, audibly taken back by his compliment. It’s a very different interaction than their last moment together, standing in the hall, alienated by her secret of stealing the vial from Muzo’s lab. Did she deserve to blush? Aramoth above, it didn’t matter. It was a’happenin! Her hand unfreezes, dropping the strand of hair back to her face. It’s a flattering cut but hair is hair. It grows back (9 out of 10 times). “Y-you know that you are...v-very…” She looks away, unable to make eye contact with him now. “I’m very glad that you - are here. With me. Now.” She moved forward to take his hand in hers. So bold.

Muzo is acutely aware of Reginae's blushing, just as he is aware of her hand as it slips around his. The queen's eyes break away, but he'd rather hoped they wouldn't, and he leans in, floating closer to the bed to reach out and gingerly touch her jaw. His fingers brush, sweetly urging her to turn back his way, the edge of her bob fluttering past his knuckles. At their hands interclasped, he gives a gentle squeeze. "Very glad to be here. With you. Now."

Reginae ’s azurite gaze is pulled back by Muzo’s hand. They fall back in line with Muzo’s inky black optics and her brow furrows with affectionate. “You’re always beside me and I-” Their hands are linked, the pad of her thumb tracing over his. “I’m also glad.” She repeats, stumbling over her words now with Muzo’s direct attention on her. What had she been talking about? The eye and the jar? It seemed unimportant now, like they were in a fish eye lens of time and space.

Muzo hears her words, but he sees so much more in the blue of her eyes, the crinkle of her brow. Like a bird drawn south by autumn's whispers, like leaves drawn sunward, like a brook seaward, the silent hand of the cosmos guides Muzo ever closer until the slick scales of his cheek touch the soft skin of hers, and his eyes draw shut. There he nuzzles, his affection freed from longstanding chains, unfettered by the usual protocols and demands of their separate stations, unhindered by duty's perpetual distraction. They are alone, and she is beautiful, and he has given in.

Reginae ’s eyes flutter with this revelation of personal space and boundaries shifting. They were an item right? Had it been established with words? She’s trying to recall but it’s unclear in the haze of this moment. There’s a thought poised on her lips, somewhere between the warmth of his breath and her skin. Without the palace grounds and countless naga patrols, there’s no concern about who might question their ranking. There’s no question of special treatment or witches being tortured in Larket. There’s no concern of who and where and why. Because there’s now, and that’s enough. “Muzo…” She says his name, a whisper of a sound as she nuzzles against him. Remembering when they’d became tangled together over a chaos spark and booped their snots together. How bold, Universe! But this was different all together, because it was his decision to draw in close to her and her decision to press her lips against his cheek in the breath of space that remained.

Muzo is soon awash. Every passing instant is a booming revelation. Suddenly he knows her touch, her scent, her voice as he never had before. Though Muzo's meandering mind had taken every avenue of escape, now at last, upon the furthest frozen corner of the earth, it heels, awed and enspelled and elated. "Reginae..."