"Still better then me, trust me" She responded with a soft chuckle, holding the other woman gently as she relaxed. She acted as if being held, being treasured, was so new. Ella could not help but wonder why. Jo to her seemed such a delicate , beautiful treasure to be prized. How could anyone have missed such a thing? She leaned her cheek against the other woman as she waited for her answer. She said nothing at first but finally leaned forward and kissed the other woman's neck delicately.

"Well.......as long as you want me I'll be here" She paused again to kiss the other woman's throat, nuzzling into it a moment. She two distinctly different needs in that moment... To comfort Jo was one and to track down whoever had harmed her love and rip him apart was the other. Right now, however she gave in oto the first. She held her like was something precious, irreplacable a moment and simply nuzzled her throat and jaw gently.

"I'll wait for you as long as you need. I'll go start on that shed for now" she said softly, kissing the other womans cheek. She then finally released her and started for the door. She figured that while Jo packed she could start on the shed. As small as it was and with the wood she'd built up for various add ons she'd planed in preparation for Jo's arrival, though she'd only managed to finish the work shop, it wouldn't be hard. She would probably finish in a few hours... As a Rusalka she could see in the dark with her glowing green eyes so the fact the sun was setting didn't bother her.

((Sorry, can't think of anything at the moment, I'll try to post tomorrow.))

((that's fine))

"Thank you," Jo said, blush darkening a shade as Ella nuzzled her neck. It was so like the caress that her kind gave each other in their gryphon forms, though, admittedly, without the feathers and beak. It was a sensitive spot, and her mind kept trying to supply Jo with images of other things. Even if it didn't have a base to work from.

She gave a sigh that was almost relief when Ella went to work on the shed. Nothing she'd known had prepared her for the intensity of the feelings Ella stirred in her. She continued unpacking, trying to think of a way to ease herself into this now that she'd already taken the leap. Nothing came to mind immediately.

Her mind turned to the more immediate 'problem' of sleeping arrangements. Sharing the bed to sleep didn't seem like such a bad thing, as long as they took other bed activities slowly. Her last 'relationship' hadn't had any of it, she hadn't been comfortable with the idea then. Though her mind and body seemed to respond to Ella better...

((And here we are, sorry for the lack of anything to really work from...))

Ella was actually pretty good at building things and this fact would show. A perfect shed was soon erected in a matter of hours with the basket tucked safely inside. She used her power over water to make the wood swell and warm until each piece fit like a puzzle, not a single crack left for even a single drop of water. She smiled to herself once she was done and sat the straps into the basked as she tried to be organized. It was dark now...it would be time for bed soon. She shrugged to herself and slowly entered the house, her eyes searching for jo. She was uncertain what Jo would be doing by now after all.

"Honey I'm home" She teased lightly.

((OMG, YAY!))

The time Ella had spent building the shed, Jo had spent unpacking. All of her clothing had been folded or hung up, and the few pieces of jewelry she kept for herself were in their box on the bedside table. The living and kitchen areas had been lightly decorated, small figurines and pictures seemingly scattered on the available surfaces, and a small stack of books on the corner of one table. what food she hadn't eaten on her trip had been put away in the kitchen cupbords, along with the addition of a few dishes.

Jo herself was in the workroom, still unpacking the last bag of supplies. There were small sheets of various metals leaning against one wall, with one wrapped in light cloth, and the table had an assortment of pliers and other tools spread across it. Jo sat in the middle of the floor, spools of various wires piled on one side, and spools of chains on the other. She was focused on untangling a spool of chain from a spool of thin gold wire, and hadn't heard Ella come back into the house. She had forgotten to pull gloves on, and kept jerking her hand away from the wire, so for every couple knots she got out, another one was formed.

Ella searched for the other girl a moment before finding her. She smiled faintly as she saw her for a moment and began to approach. She tried to sneak up on her a moment until she realized what the other woman was doing. She sighed softly and shook her head. Quickly she sat next to her and took the chain from Jo's hands. She made a 'no no no' gesture with her finger and gave the other woman an exasperated smile.

"You either put on gloves or I untangle all the gold." She said firmly, her tone making it clear she meant it. She then began to undo the knots. As an undead she didn't like silver much but it didn't burn her or anything... it did however make them a perfect pair. Jo could do the silver and Ella the gold.

"Wha?" Jo said, startled by the wire and chain being snagged out of her hands. She blinked at Ella a moment, the most burned finger making it's way into her mouth. "Oh, right," she mumbled around it, blushing sheepishly and looking down at her lap. Removing her finger to look at the others, she pulled the gloves closer to herself with her good hand. "I forget to put them on all the time, that's why I have so many burn scars on my fingers," she explained, examining the finger that she'd popped into her mouth earlier. There was a spot that looked like it might blister. Her mother had been on her about that all the time, too. "I'll try to remember, but I'll let you know now that there will be times I'm so deep in my work that I'll forget."

"I'll just have to remind you" she said sweetly. Before the other woman could put on her gloves, however, she took her hand. She kissed each finger with a fresh burn in turn, focusing on the water in the other girls body. You see, Ella had a rare ability among Rasulka. She could use the water in one's body to heal themselves. It would simply be a speed up version of the body's normal healing processes but within moments the burns would be simply rather faded looking scars. She smiled to herself mischievously but then with a final kiss of her finger turned to untangle the gold wire and chains as she had been.

Jo stared as Ella kissed her fingers better. She could almost feel the energy involved, and it made the hairs at the back of her neck prickle. When her hand was released, she inspected the burns, wonder filling her face. She healed rather well on her own, most wounds healing in a fraction of the time it took a human, save for the gold burns. Those usually healed human-slow, and nothing they had tried at Eerie had really sped the process that much. "I... how did you do that? No one back at Eerie could heal gold burns," she said. Then again, it might have been that the people trying to speed the healing were also allergic to it...

"Water.... Water is life. And I am gifted with it in ways even Rasulka usually aren't. That doesn't mean you can go and not be careful now though" She explained teasingly with a simple shrug. She seemed to relax visibly now that she had confirmed her power worked on the griffin. It made sense, however, short of certain ethereal elemental beings almost everything had a large percentage of water in their body to use. She always was uncertain when healing new creatures... She said none of these uncertain feelings, however, and focused on untangling the chains and wires until they were sorted as well as all untangled and straight.

"Oh," was Jo's response, watching her deftly untangle the chain and wire. It made sense, at least. She suddenly gave a huge yawn, right as she was reaching to pick up the other wires. She blinked a couple times once it was done, hand still outstretched. "Um, excuse me?" she whispered, not knowing what else to say. She had been so busy unpacking that she also hadn't noticed how late it had gotten.

"It's alright..... would you like to go to sleep?" She asked quietly, only then aware of the time. She glanced towards Jo, inwardly uncertain. As innocent as Jo seemed she would have to suppress much of her usual feelings and behavior. She would simply wait for her to be ready and sleep next to her like a good little corpse, she thought to herself. She knew Jo was probably nervous... maybe even afraid. She didn't want to scare her...

Jo looked back down at the stacks of materials, blush starting to creep onto her face. "Yeah, sleep would be nice," she said, part of her mind trying to insert other thoughts. She ignored it, instead standing up and offering to help Ella up. "I'll be fine sleeping with you next to me."

((Sorry for the shortness, but I'm probably going to be getting offline within the next couple hours...))

"alright, if you're sure..." Ella said with a soft smile, unable to hide how much she would enjoy that. She playfully scooped the other woman up bridal style and carried her to the bed. She pulled back the covers using the water in the air almost like telekinesis before laying the other woman down on what would be her side of the bed. She smiled at the other woman sweetly, ignoring the lust that rose and simply kissing the other woman on the forehead. Ella then curled up on her own side and pulled the covers over them both.

((Yay, I'm back! I survived the night out.))

Jo squeaked when she was picked up, throwing her arms around the other woman's neck. The ease with which Ella carried her startled her, she hadn't thought she weighed little enough to be carried in such a way. She was small, but it had been a long time since anyone picked her up.

Her eyes widened at the blanket pulling back, pupils dilating so that only a thin ring of gold showed. They stayed lik that as she was laid down, turning to watch Ella climb in after the kiss. She tried to settle down as the blanket came up, eyes almost returning to normal.

It was a few minutes before she spoke up. "Um, Ella?" Her voice was quiet. "I think I'm likely to overheat like this, I don't usually wear a dress to bed," she continued after a short pause. Truthfully, she wasn't used to wearing any clothing to bed, but she had amended her statement out of mild embarrassment. She squirmed in place before continuing. "I'm not really used to wearing anything to bed..." The words came out quieter than before, and the blush she'd been keeping at bay won.

Ella looked over at her thoughtfully a moment. She tilted her head to the side, uncertain if Jo would like her suggestion. She reached over and stroked Jo's warm cheek thoughtfully a moment. She hesitated to actually say it, but it simply made the most sense to say and was true enough. She would not touch Jo without her permission... at least no below the neck. She was afraid to even kiss her too deep lest she scare her off.

"Then undress. I won't touch you unless you ask me to, tempting as you may be. I'll even close my eyes if you like" She whispered softly and withdrew her hand. To make her feel a little safer Ella turned over so her back was to her. She wondered if Jo would do so... it was difficult....to imagine not touching her when she was so close. Still, Ella would keep her word.

((XD Poor Ella! So used to people trying to get in her bed, and now she fell for someone who doesn't have a clue where to start, or even if she wants it or not yet!))

Jo leaned into Ella's hand slightly, the coolness of it somehow comforting. Her blush deepened at her suggestion, but it did make sense. Jo chewed on the corner of her lip after Ella had flipped over, indecisive for a moment. She did promise...

Jo decided, wriggling out of the dress while remaining under the blanket, and tossing it over to the wardrobe. She settled back down into the blanket, twitching it back into place. "Thank you," she whispered, not knowing what else to say.

(lol Xd more use to people equally sexually experienced as she >.>))

Ella put her arm under her head and kept her back to the other woman. She let Jo undress in peace and kept silent. She would normally have made a flirty remark but Jo seemed to be having difficulty enough as is. She said nothing to her for a moment, only responding as she said thank you. She chuckled softly in the dark, gazing at the far wall.

"I don't want anything until you are ready darling, it's as simple as that. Until then sleep my dear.

'...don't want anything until you are ready...' The phrase caught in Jo's sleepy mind, and she nodded, not thinking that it would be impossible for the other woman to see, and probably unlikely for her to sense. She drifted off rather quickly after that, the week of traveling and the time difference finally taking it's toll on her.

((How about we time-skip to morning? When would Ella be up? Because it's likely to be before Jo.))

((sure Xd and hmm I'm not sure XD. When would jo normally wake ?))

((Um, early to mid morning.))

(( she may be closer to noon. She's had a hard couple of weeks and really hasn't let herself sleep much. XD so yeah Jo would probably wake up first.))

((Alrighty!))

Light hit her closed eyes, and Jo mumbled something incomprehensible. She started rolling over, but froze when the blanket tugged wrong, like there was someone else in her bed with her. Her eyes flew open, and she looked frantically about the side of the room she could see. The light was slanting in at the wrong angle, and the walls weren't the stone she was used to, but instead wood, and it looked weathered, like the building was old.

The panic passed as her eyes fell on a small tree made of wire and stone chips, the gift from her younger brother bringing back the memory of where she was. She sat up, turning to look at Ella sleeping beside her. She looked beautiful like that, the relaxation of sleep wiping clear the stress that made her so tense. Jo admired her for a moment, the damp waves of her hair fascinating.

She stood and walked over to the wardrobe, pulling out another simple dress, this one falling only to her shins and trimmed with geometric patterns. After putting it on, she walked to the kitchen, starting to look for something she could have for breakfast.

Ella woke slowly, half smirking to herself at the site that greeted her. She happened to be facing the wardrobe so caught the tail end of Jo getting dressed. It was a beautiful sight really... She pushed away the thought, however, but closed her eyes and waited for the other woman to finish before she moved. Once she was sure she was done she would open her eyes and get up as if she had just woke up. She knew Jo would be embarrassed if she knew...

"I haven't really bought any food...since I don't know what you like and my kind don't eat. I can always go catch you a fish or two...." She remarked quietly as she entered behind jo. She came up behind her and put her arms around her, simply holding her innocently. She sat her chin on Jo's shoulder quietly, letting off a soft sound of satisfaction. Just being close like this pleased her really. She wondered if Jo had brought any food with her....