He once asked her if he could be himself. He was torn between two distinct versions of self at that point. He had been in his human form when he asked, and she knew what he had meant. His form blurred and shifted as his limbs extended, growing dark with charcoal fur, claws extending out from his fingers and toes. Hands became paws and his face elongated, becoming a well formed snout full of viciously sharp teeth. Frankie was a beautiful Worgen.
She had never cared about race. To be honest, the differences thrilled her. Lædra was often looked down upon by the people in Silvermoon. Yet another reason she had remained a sell-sword for so long. When you were always in mixed company, nobody even blinked at who lie with whom. But since becoming a Ren’dorei, she found that more complicated. Especially among the humans of Stormwind.
So when a human said hello in an almost shy tone as he left the tailoring shop, she was surprised to say the least. But something struck her different about this one, and she was right. He accepted her change, and she accepted his.
She came home for the first time today. Home. What a concept! She hadn’t had a real home in a great many years. Until this man. She had hoped to find a place they could rent together. Be with each other. And he took it so much further and bought this house, gifting her a gilded key. She slid the key into the lock and turned it till it clicked. She walked inside to what, to her, was a dream beyond any she had ever had. Lædra set down her bags and moved up the stairs.
Slipping into a simple silk nightgown, she climbed into bed and pulled a book from the nearby shelf. Snuggling down into their soft bed, she settled in for a comfortable night.
Much to her surprise, she heard the lock click and the door open soon after. “Lædra?” his gruff voice called out.
“Up here, baby!”
She listened as he climbed the steps slowly, to her sharp ears, weary. He stopped at the top of the steps, his clothes rumpled from who knows what. He shuffled into the room as she slid from the bed. Moving to him, she wrapped her arms about him, squeezing tightly. She tugged him to the bed and pushed him into a seated position. “You don’t have to do this all the time,” he smiled. She tugged off his boots and rolled down his socks, freeing his toes. She toweled them off and set everything aside.
“I like making you feel good,” she chuckled. She reached to the side table, grabbing a bottle of oil and poured some into her hands. Rubbing them together, she coated her fingers. She gently pressed them against the arch of his right foot. They worked their way up to the ball, circling around it.
The sound coming from him as she worked an entire day worth of stress out of him was indescribable. She chuckled and slipped her fingers between his toes. Moving them around and bending them back, she stretched them out. He sighed and slipped his hand into her hair. He stroked it gently as she repeated the process on the left foot. When she had finished, he looked like all of the tension had drained from his body. “Thank you,” he murmured.
He stood and crossed to the dresser. Shedding his work clothes, he slipped a kilt about his waist with a happy sigh. His blue eyes closed and she watched as his form changed. She couldn’t help but smile, knowing he felt so comfortable in her presence. She moved to him, her nails gently scratching at his muzzle, up the sides of his face and around behind his ears. A low growl rumbled in his chest as she leaned in and buried her face in his warm fur. “Good growl?” she asked.
“Good growl,” he answered, chuckling. “But you knew that.”
“I do,” she replied.
He ran his claws down her back, causing the phoenix tattoo to shimmer and glow. Frank lifted her from the floor. He carried her over to the bed and sat down, setting her into his lap. He pushed her sapphire hair from her face, staring deeply into her pale blue eyes. “Best day ever.”
“You say that every day,” she laughed.
“Every day it’s true,” he grinned. He nuzzled her cheek with the side of his snout and rested his head on her shoulder.
She breathed in that musky scent, chuckling. “Yeah, it really is.” Leaning back, she took his face in her hands and gently kissed the tip of his snout. “Come on, you need to eat.”
“Not just yet, Little Elf. Let me hold you a moment longer. Remind me you are really here.”
“I always will be, baby. Always.”