Femslash February 2020 Day 26: Candle.

Intoxicant

Kole had never given much thought to the world above the surface. To her, the underground paradise she had with Gnarrk was her new home. The lush forest dyed in shades of blue, the bristling wind nipping at her neck, the ferocious velociraptors with their snapping jaws, the coconuts tasting sweeter than any candy, she loved her haven with all of her heart.

But she knew it couldn't last forever. She had previously dreaded her return to the surface would have been under dire, strenuous conditions. With the fear of her parents locating her always in the back of her mind, she had endured many sleepless nights of which Gnarrk could not help but gaze at her with sympathy in his beady eyes.

Going back to the world she abandoned was her decision. After she was made an Honorary Titan and battled for the sake of the world, Kole remembered the sunlight warming her skin and the wind in her hair, not the slivers of moonlight peering through the trees or the damp, recycled air circulating underground. She hadn't realized how much she missed what the surface offered. It was like coming home and being welcomed with a grand party, which she had also enjoyed at Titans Tower in the aftermath of the great battle.

Her time in isolation had come to an end. While Gnarrk was introduced to technology by the other Titans, Kole found herself alone with Raven. They were secluded in her room, the curtains drawn with only candles providing any light. Not that Kole minded, of course. She was used to poor lighting, and she understood that Raven enjoyed meditating in solitude and darkness when the others were too verbose or the sunlight was too bright.

As Raven mumbled her incantation, Kole explored her bedroom. She kept her hands behind her back and paced herself. Raven had asked her to not touch anything, and she certainly wanted to keep her promise. She observed a strange hand mirror on Raven's desk surrounded by scraps of paper and tiny, glimmering gems. A world was beyond the glass filled with gray walkways and cawing crows with blood red eyes that matched the twinkling stars in the cloudy ebony sky.

"Careful," Raven drawled, opening one eye as she levitated off her bed. "You don't want to get sucked in there. I already had a misadventure like that."

Tittering, Kole spun around on her heels and skipped back to Raven. She sat at the edge of her bed and breathed in deeply, the scent of lavender and amber wafting around her. She looked over her shoulder at the three candles hovering around Raven, forming the points of a triangle around her. Light violet wax dribbled down from the brass candlesticks into saucers below on the bed, perfectly placed without a single drop landing on her bedsheets. The tiny flames flickered, illuminating the softness of Raven's hair and bringing out a richer hue of azure.

She was raised as an obedient girl who followed rules to the letter, but she had rebelled long ago, and the rich scents around her smothered those teachings.

Kole reached up, but Raven's eyes snapped open. Her courage faltered, and she sucked down the sweet air like a gasping fish. Heat colored her cheeks, and she tucked her hand beneath the covers. An apology formed in her mouth and stumbled over her tongue, but her lips refused to part to let the words flow out.

She swallowed down her wariness and rubbed her neck. One shoulder hitched upwards, her other arm lowering as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "Sorry about that. You look, you know, you look really beautiful from this angle." She paused, flushing and chuckling. Her voice hitched as she added, "Oh, not to say that you look bad from other angles when, uh, you really look pretty from all of them."

Raven curiously eyed her. She uncrossed her legs and folded them underneath her. She set her hands on her knees, Kole noticing a sky blue color painted on her fingernails. The candles floated around her head before drifting on to the saucers, and Kole watched the flames flicker small shadows along her ashen face.

"Has anyone told you that flattery will get you nowhere?" Raven slowly asked.

"Can't say for sure," she replied, a hint of a smile on her face, "but up close, I sure am liking what I'm seeing."

Raven rolled her eyes, allowing Kole to wheeze out a laugh she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She raised the candles and lifted herself to resume her meditation. Breathing in the calming scents, Kole spread out underneath her and closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of the blankets. The tip of Raven's cloak tickled her neck, and she giggled, the airy noise making Raven cock her head at her, one eye watching her like a hawk to its prey.

"Don't fall asleep in my bed, Kole," she warned, humor in her voice.

"How can you say that to me when you have those nice smelling candles going while we're in a nice, dark room? That's like saying don't breathe," Kole retorted, turning on her side and sticking her hands underneath Raven's fluffy pillow.

She clicked her tongue. "Touche. I guess I'll let you win this one." She raised her hands and pinched her forefingers and thumbs together. "I've never meditated with anyone sleeping below me, so this will be interesting." She gently tapped Kole's shin with her foot. "Sweet dreams, Kole."

Victory brightened her expression for only a moment. A yawn escaped her, and she sighed, her body heavier than her crystal form. She felt Raven rub her leg, a gentle ministration which helped lull her to sleep when she was left uncertain if she should in the first place. As she snuggled into the sheets and allowed sleep to tug at her eyelids, Kole imprinted Raven's visage to her memory to take with her while she slumbered with the hope they would meet again in her dreams.