//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Warming Up Anew // Story: Cloaked in Comfort // by EpicGamer10075 //------------------------------// Perhaps Reine really was different than she expected. It wasn’t quite the snooty, snobbish place Velvet’s demeanor had implied it would be, though it certainly was rather upper-class and a bit over-the-top. It had its charm beyond that though, with the light, fluffy snow that covered the grass and buildings, which themselves were made of a sturdy, yet visually pleasing pattern of logs and planks. The general hue of the city was quite cool and felt a bit chilly to even look at, but happened to be quite calming in the natural colours strewn apart, being quite a departure from the suffocating greens, stale whites, and muted greys Oleander was used to. She may have wanted to take things at her own pace, but Velvet would be Velvet, as per usual... “...And you can see ze frozen pond Dancer loves to skate on over zere,” The Champion Reindeer called out, her and her Winter Sprite gesturing towards a large body of ice a few dozen meters in front of them, the brown and purple Reindeer sliding along its surface with a content smile on her face. “I vould ask her about you, but she haz already said how afraid she iz of you, so we vill move on.” Turning to the side to head down another street, Velvet continued on through her tour, which was had already been going for a good hour and a half by this point, getting some of the other Reindeer in the city to speak with Oleander and see if they were alright with her living in Reine. “Not a great idea to bring that up, huh? Even with all of the other Deer that accept me,” Oleander muttered in return, somewhat tired and exasperated by the tour, especially how Fred wasn’t alongside due to Velvet’s insistence (Oleander had her suspicions as to why, of course). “I am surprised you actually respect her mindset, Velvet,” She added, more pointedly at the Ungulate by her side. “Oh, puh-leeze,” Velvet scoffed back, waving off the accusation with her usual pompous posing, even despite Linen giggling a bit next to her, “I do know vat I say doez to otherz. I’m not Bleetzen, after all...” She ended with a grumble, clearly still a bit frustrated with that particular Reindeer after what happened more than half an hour earlier. Oleander rolled her eyes at the comment; she too remembered the frozen statue that quite burly and arrogant Reindeer had been swiftly transformed into after declaring that ‘the foolish evil Unicorn shall always be banned from Reine!’ “Saying that after what happened with your father was pretty stupid.” “Ugh, don’t remind me...” Velvet groaned with a roll of her eyes and another laugh from her Sprite, whom she promptly slapped with a hoof. Shuddering and wincing lightly while taking a deep breath, Oleander muttered back, “Agreed.” While her initial impression of the Jarl and quite built Reindeer was primarily intimidation, not at all helped by the cutting questions he asked of her in that oh-so-serious tone, eventually he just broke and grappled the Unicorn in a hug so tight that her ribs screamed out in agony, only drowned out by the much larger Ungulate’s sobbing. Despite the general annoyance he clearly felt for his daughter, saving her life a few times meant more to him than anything. Looking back around them curiously, Oleander sighed and asked of the Reindeer beside her, “Now where to?” “Oh, zis will be ze last one,” Velvet returned with a light grin, clearly aware of the other Ungulate’s exasperation. Still, that didn’t stop Oleander from retorting, “Good. I was wondering how many more random Reindeer you were looking to gloat about me to.” Velvet let out a hmph in response. “I thought you vanted to learn about ze Deer around here, hm?” “The relevant ones, Velvet; you know I don’t like to waste time,” The Unicorn shot back with a somewhat deadpan look at the other Ungulate. Velvet, of course, just scoffed at that. “Don’t think I don’t know zat, Oleander. And really, we all have already talked about zis—” Oleander rolled her eyes at the incoming statement that had already been repeated to her many times before, “—not everyzing needz to be a chore you do for otherz, sometimes you muzt simply do zem for yourzelf.” Sighing with force, Oleander nearly glared at the Reindeer and spat, “I get that, but I don’t really see how I can enjoy killing my hooves and talking with so many other creatures, regardless of the purpose of it all.” “Maybe,” Velvet assented with a shrug, paying no mind to the look she was getting—even if her Sprite did, “But you might in ze future. “Keeping up-to-date vith Cupeed vill be important, and Veexin...” She laughed a bit, blushing faintly despite herself and averting her gaze, Linen doing the same, but with even more shame, “Vell, ze use zere is obvious.” “Obviously...” Oleander muttered back, blushing a bit herself through her glower as she recalled the... varied selection of ‘toys’ that particular Reindeer had in her shop, even offering a few ‘special deals’ to the Unicorn that helped save the world. “Anyvay,” Velvet reined the conversation back in, and stopped trotting forward, prompting both of her companions to do the same, “Ve are here!” She gestured with a hoof to the large wooden stall some paces before her, which seemed to be occupied with a number of random items along with a Reindeer working through them, and it held on top a sign that said— “Of for the love of Faust...” —Cap’n’Cash’s, in big, bold letters carved into its wood. Velvet cleared her throat daintily and leaned towards the other Ungulate, and spoke teasingly to her, “Now, Oleander, let me give you zome advice.” Oleander kept her gaze on the sign, her irritation growing into fury while Velvet continued, “I know you don’t know or like my couzin zat vell, but pleaze don’t brush her off. Don’t overzink vat you say—” She went on condescendingly, tapping a hoof a few times against the side of the Unicorn’s head, making her eye twitch in turn, “I know zat big brain of yours gets tweetsed very eazily. “And, no dark magic,” The Reindeer added, the smirk more audible than ever in her voice as she leaned closer to Oleander’s ear and whispered, “At leazt, not until you two get een bed~.” A sharp inhale from the Dark Unicorn made Velvet and her Sprite quickly pull back, one with a smirk and the other a quite frightened look, and then when Oleander whipped her head around to glare at them, they already darted away on a quickly-formed glaze of ice, hastily skating away while the Deer’s chortling could be heard echoing across the cityscape. “Damn you, Velvet!” Oleander swore out in rage, “I knew that’s what you were bloody leading me to!” She huffed in anger hard enough to see her own breaths in the brisk air as she glared over towards the rapidly retreating figure in the distance, but she suddenly shivered as she remained locked in place, the air ringing even colder than before now that she was alone in front of that damned Reindeer’s shop. While she may have loved to ignore it and shove off to deal with that fool another day, Velvet certainly wouldn’t let her get away with it, and drag her back as soon as possible, so... Exhaling another huff, Oleander turned back to the shop and, shivering again in the cold that was settling in, grit her teeth for a moment before stomping over towards the stall. After a couple paces of glowering, she closed her eyes and growled to herself, and let her hoofsteps echo out loudly enough for a short while so that the other Ungulate could hear her as she approached, which did manage to get a response in the form of a pleasant, though a bit tired voice, “I’ll be with you in a moment, deer...” However, when she pulled open her eyes returned her sight to the stall, Oleander sharply stopped a few steps before it as she saw the Reindeer in question, who, while really just sorting through some hats and the like on a high-up shelf while atop a step-stool, was leaving her backside pushed out a bit more than strictly necessary. And, as Cashmere continued to be watched, she was absent-mindedly humming a little tune while wiggling her hips back and forth, unintentionally giving the Ungulate who had just arrived quite a nice view. Oleander swallowed as her eyes lingered there for a moment, then she blinked a few times as she actually processed the sight, where she finally sharply shook her head before looking around her to make sure nobody else noticed her shame. Thankfully, the only other creature around there was Cap, and they were oddly sleeping on the main counter of the stall, seeming to be exhausted for whatever reason, if the fraying on their extravagant coat was any indication. Eyeing the Sprite warily for a moment, Oleander recalled every interaction with the tiny creatures to be that of utter subservience to the Reindeer, so to see one sleeping while their owner likely needed the help... Looking back to said owner, the Unicorn hardly knew what could’ve gotten Cashmere so exhausted; she didn’t exactly look busy, and the rest of the city was pretty calm and normal, save for the few (a.k.a. many) that were interrupted by Velvet’s tour, so... Of course, as her eyes focused on the shopkeeper, her own exasperation with the other Reindeer let her attention slip back down to Cashmere’s dancing plot, which now that she really examined it, seemed to wobble just a little with each swing. Even from the distance between them, Oleander could tell it was quite soft and fluffy, no doubt from living a luxurious, peaceful, and pampered life in Reine, one that was quite opposed to the isolated and starving life the Dark Unicorn had lived for so long, as well as the incredibly strict way she was forced to live before that. Perhaps she was somewhat jealous of the other Ungulate’s relaxed and carefree lifestyle, but with all the spite she’d spat over the years, and nearly dying from a bout of it after arguing with the High Priestess, she really couldn’t be bothered to care at the moment. Especially not if it gave her such a good view... Not even bothering to try and take her eyes away from Cashmere’s swaying flank, the two of them were left in silence for some time while Oleander’s mind started to process some other facets of the situation, like how she felt oddly warm despite how cold it was, and the tune the Reindeer was singing being irritatingly catchy, and how... perhaps... she might grow to enjoy this life of peace? In a moment of mental weakness, the words Velvet teased her with came shooting back into Oleander’s mind, and subconsciously heeding them regardless of their merit, a pair of words flew out of her mouth and into the stall. “Nice ass.” Cashmere’s reaction was immediate; a loud gasp flew out of the Reindeer’s mouth and she shifted back in reflex, inadvertently pushing her away from the shelf she was holding onto. Letting out a short cry as she realized what just happened, Cashmere quickly flailed her forelegs as she started to fall backwards off her stool, and then all too soon, landed on her back with a hearty thump! on the wooden floor below. Of course, Oleander didn’t make much note of all of that, as she was too busy with her face being set on fire and her mind melting from shame—did she really just say that!? Her attention did get dragged back more towards the other Ungulate as she blinked a few times from the shock her impact, but then swiftly rolled over and put her hooves beneath her, and finally jumped up and gaped at the Unicorn before her with true shock. “Oleander!” She cried out, making the Unicorn in question look back at her in bewilderment, but only before reacting with surprise when Cashmere stumbled a bit over hooves as she scampered forward and around the counter of her shop, then darting over and glomping onto her. Oleander had pulled back a bit as she tried to react to the sudden movements from the other Ungulate, but had barely moved before she felt her ribs creaking under the pressure the dainty Reindeer was hugging her with. Gasping a bit in shock at that, the other sensations of warmth around her form—especially in this cold weather—and the sounds of teary sputtering made her flush heavily from embarrassment. “Y-you’re here, O-Oleander...” Cashmere uttered out in a exhausted mix of joy and relief, only furthering the other Ungulate’s flushing, “I-I was so w-worried... You n-nearly died...” She trailed off for a moment, sniffing while her eyes started to shimmer from the overwhelming emotion pouring out of her, where she leaned her face into Oleander’s chest, letting her glasses fall off her snout and clack down onto the ground below while her tears sunk into the Unicorn’s fur. “You saved the world...” She went on, her tone slightly breathless for a moment, but then it came falling back down as she said, “Velvet told me you wanted to stay here when she first got back, a-and...” She trailed off, hesitating, before then pushing her face back up to look Oleander in the eyes, who was staring back with her embarrassment dying down and being replaced with concern. “I-I thought I was stressing myself and Cap out enough before you got here...” She laughed faintly, but with no humour as she let the silence hang, her eyes flitting around just a bit, seemingly trying to find something to say, but never coming up with anything. Within that silence, Oleander was also left speechless as she realized exactly how worried Cashmere had gotten about her, with the slight bags under her eyes and Cap actually sleeping just now making sense to her. However, it didn’t answer the main question she had behind it all... “Why..?” Oleander muttered back, her tone utterly baffled amidst the other emotions flitting about her mind, as was her expression as she looked into the other Ungulate’s eyes and asked, “Why do you care so much about me..?” Gaping slightly for a moment as she processed the question, Cashmere then quickly snaps her maw shut and darts her eyes away. “E-eh, well,” She started to try, sputtering in place before licking her lips nervously and continuing, “Y-you’re unique.. and dark... it’s cool, I-I think...” Flitting her eyes around, only occasionally rising up to meet the other Ungulate’s gaze, an odd, somewhat embarrassed smile came to her face as she spoke, “Your mane, is unique—i-it moves on its own, and your magic... so different from us.. and powerful.” Closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath, Cashmere steeled herself and looked up at the Unicorn, who was now eyeing her with a more flushed gaze, though no less baffled. “Y-you’re so strong, Oleander...” She breathed out in awe as she stared into those crystal-blue eyes, the incredible dark magics brimming just under their surface, supported by spite and determination. “You kept a Demon... tainted your very essence... forced away anyone and anything that stood in your path... and y-you worked with the other Champions to save the world from the Predators...” She trailed for just a moment, her voice incredulous and starstruck, where she then finished with added ‘no duh’, “How couldn’t I love you?” That word struck Oleander for a moment; love. She, a creature born of light and turned to darkness, having sided with a Demon and lived her life out of spite, was not just loved, but loved for those very reasons? It was stupid, foolish, and illogical, but... she had no way to say if there was any subjective reason to it, and as she was trying to get better at dealing with that... “So..?” She questioned tentatively of the Reindeer, who just blinked and tilted her head in lack of comprehension. “What exactly does this mean? Are you simply going to follow me around and act like a doofus in my presence, all the while everyone else continues to tease the both of us about it?” Blinking a few more times, quiet snorts of amusement started to come out of Cash’s mouth, and they slowly grew louder and more frequent until she was breaking down in raucous laughter, tears forming again in her eyes, but now for a completely different reason. Some of her amusement did seem self-directed, evidenced by the slight guilt attached to her laughter, but surely falling back onto pragmatic speech wasn’t that humorous, was it? Not that Oleander was about to cut it off, as while she generally regarded the Reindeer’s crushing ways as being kind of annoying, being hugged like she was while Cashmere laughed so... It was hardly unpleasant... “O-oh-hahaha!” Cashmere sputtered for a moment amidst her laughter, seemingly trying to say something, but not getting anywhere with her unruly chest-heaving and eye-tearing. Eventually though, after some more seconds had passed, her mirth started to fade, and she pulled one of her forelegs out from around Oleander to pick up part of the scarf around her own chest, then use it to dry some of her tears while her noise quieted down a bit. “O-Oleander...” The Reindeer then managed to say through some short bouts of giggling, and she released her scarf to look the other Ungulate in the eyes, “I t-think a lot of this i-is my fault... I-I thought you might be a-able to pick up on what I wanted of you, b-but... I didn’t realize just how.. i-inexperienced you were w-with talking with others...” Giggling just a bit more, Cashmere smiled fondly at the Unicorn, letting those tainted pools that have seen far too much, yet been exposed to far too little peer back into her own clearer rose-tinted ones for a short time. Eventually though, she took a breath and elaborated, “I-I’ve been acting like a fawn t-this whole time.. This isn’t how love is.. supposed to work, Oleander... So...” Closing her eyes for a second, Cashmere then opened them back up to look back with newfound determination and passion, and she asked with the same zest, “Will you go to dinner with me?” Oleander returned the gaze with a hearty flush and partial understanding, and replied hesitantly, “Dinner... A-as in, a ‘date’?” “Yes!” The Reindeer cried out in momentary excitement, but quickly reined herself back in, “Yes. Y-yes, that’s correct.” Clearing her throat and flitting her gaze away awkwardly, she looked back and then asked, “S-so, uhm, w-will you..?” Seeing the clear passion and energy in the other Ungulate, Oleander was now able to tell how much this ‘love’ meant to Cashmere, and with her new intent on life being to find more personal reasons to live... Closing her eyes and letting the blackness settle around her vision, Oleander debated the consequences of what she could do in that moment: the clearest answers were of flat-out rejection, which felt... wrong, somehow, and acceptance, which would undoubtedly lead to things she couldn’t prepare for. Of course, there was also the option to flee, which was truly cowardly, or she may instead try to replace the event with something else, which ought to be far more complicated than what was actually necessary here. But, when she began to really think about what Cashmere may feel about it all... the look on her face and the tone in her voice... so excited and expectant, undoubtedly for Oleander to accept, though for reasons she knew not... She would be crushed if Oleander did anything else, and she didn’t deserve that. Opening her eyes back up, the Unicorn was met with a slightly impatient and antsy-looking Cashmere, despite only having paused in thought for some seconds. So, with the emotional well-being of her... ‘friend’, was it?, on the line, she spoke plainly, “Sure.” That got quite the reaction out of the other Ungulate, and for a moment, Oleander thought it was a negative, but then beyond the even tighter hug that threatened to crack her ribs again and over the high-pitched squealing that echoed around the streets, she managed to hear a hyper-enthused chant of ‘Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes...’ Laughing lightly despite herself (and the pain it caused with her compressed ribcage), she mused that perhaps this whole ‘caring for others’ thing wasn’t too bad, after all.