the horse, the lizard, and the tree

@"ReD"

Oh, that gesture to the space - Eph had conclusive proof that there was something nice and warm to be going on even if they were going to be working with something cold. The game was on for real now, the slow tango for control between lizard and man. Lochlann was trying his hardest to resist Eph's charms, but it wasn't going to be that much of an issue - after all, once one got past the initial fact of Eph's reptilian anatomy as he did (the first to do so), she had some weapons in her arsenal.

She walked over to him, accepting his invitation openly, placing herself in the space between his chest, his arms, and the stove. Then she gently leaned back, placing herself on his body with a soft groan. "Well... aren't you comfy."

Eph knew that this was going to be a battle of patience that she had a handicap with - it was hard to be that patient when every move threatened to overflow the dam, so to speak. Still, it was a fun contest. And unlike most contests, she was sure that everyone would win here.

And with that question vis-a-vis shedding, she knew Lochlann was aiming for something more than just getting her scales off. Well, she was perfectly fine with that, but if he wasn't making it easy, why would she?

"Most of the problem's back there, yeah, but there's a few spots down the front and down my legs I couldn't... get off. Also, there's the entire tail, which I leave last cause it keeps flailing and touching things."

@"ReD"

Something else caught Eph's attention - that hip touch was distracting, enjoyable, and disconcerting all at the same time. Disconcerting mainly because hey, that's going to be used on food! She carefully grasped Lochlann's wrist and moved it away, placing it back onto the problem of the eggs. "Heeeeey. Yeaaaah, as magical as that sneaky hand was on my hips, I like my meringue like I like guys: scaleless, smooth and sweet. Can't say if you're sweet cause it's not like I... licked you or anything, but you got two out of three down. But there's going to be no taste test for you if that meringue's not a three outta three."

She let her head rest on Lochlann, and considering the evidence indicating mutual interest (somehow), she decided she'd go play a little bit hard-to-get. If anything, she had nothing to lose. She was used to not having such trysts anyway, and it seemed unlikely that Lochlann would give up anyway.

"Maybe I can ask... but why should I trust the handsome stranger who jumped in my window to just stop at helping me shed? For all I know you'd get your sweet, sweet hands somewhere else... I'm not saying I'd be against that, but I don't know, I'd prefer someone I know to handle the goods. She smirked and wrapped her tail around Lochlann's abdomen, coiling and uncoiling as though it were breathing.

The thought of having more than one delicious dish so early in the morning made Eph's tongue flicker out the corner of her smug grin. She had to delay one particular course though; the good things in life existed to be savored slowly.

As Lochlann helped her through the egg process, she said, "Since I can't really ask daddy En outside to help me, on account of him being, um, a tree - and I'd rather not do this solo, how about... you tell me more about you? You're a fascinating person in all honesty, and I'd rather not end up dismissing you as 'handsome meringue stranger'."

@"ReD"

"Nah, I'm not touching any of this. Seriously. You do not want anything I make in your mouth. Me, well... that's more up to you." Eph raised her claws, even if she already did her part in the making of the meringue. Her attention was elsewhere, observing Lochlann as best she could from her position. Hell, she wanted to turn around and just face him, and see how much he'd get affected. But that was a bad idea.

So she did it.

Now, instead of her back, it was her front buried in Lochlann's chest. He seemed a lot more massive than he did earlier, the close proximity messing up her sense of perspective. She planted the side of her face over his heart, as if trying to get a measure of its rhythm. "Hmm... I'm in danger. What kinda danger are we talking about? Cause if it's the right sort, I'm game for it. Needed a bit of life in my life anyways."

But there were still meringues to be made, and she couldn't exactly help with that if she was facing the wrong way. So she turned around again and began to mix in the sugar, sighing mildly to herself.

"I could easily ask the same for you. Beautiful woman screaming in bed alone in the middle of the woods, I arrive only to find out she's okay after all, she lures me into her kitchen and now we're making meringues...this is very Hansel and Gretel, only I'm not sure which one of us plans on getting eaten."

That particular statement made Eph laugh - but the problem with her was, whenever she laughed she sounded like a flock of sheep crawled into her lungs and burnt to ashes there. Figuring that Lochlann might not quite appreciate someone sounding as if she were dying in between his arms, she quickly explained, "Uh, if that was a bit weird... yeah, that's how I laugh. You might not like joking around me... oh wait, I should've pretended I was dying and seen how you'd react! Damn. There goes Operation CPR Awareness."

She let her tail coil around Lochlann a bit tighter and pulled him closer - he was already doing it anyway on his own, so why not give the guy a hand / tail?

Her tongue clicked and she let out a faint hiss. "Ooooh... 'not much to tell.' Doesn't sound very reassuring. I guess I'll bite for a bit... I'm Eph, and like I said, I am not saying the rest of my name. Walks on the beach... fine with those, farm work, not as much. I don't do much either - mostly into role-playing but not that sort - I can guess, Lochlann - and costuming. If you dug around a bit you'll notice all the clothes here are weird. Okay. Quick, tell me more."

@"ReD"

"I hope we're on the same page about the kind of eating we're talking about, Lochlann. I'd prefer not to end up newspaper front page material unless it had to do with all my clothing."

During these times, it didn't hurt to make sure. There were plenty of weird things that could happen, in bed or out of bed, especially when involving a stranger. And especially when that stranger was tall, handsome, and pressed up against her. That particular party treat, though much appreciated, was way too early.

Her tail, wrapped around Lochlann's torso, loosened up and poked at his pants, then unwrapped from his body. "I see you're on full alert. That's very, very nice to know."

Now that the meringues were more or less done, Eph tore her attention away from the food, turned around to face Lochlann again, and then threw her arms around him in an unexpected hug, complete with plotting grin. She wrapped her tail around both of them, as though preventing any escape. Her back arched as she pushed her chest into Lochlann, and bent her face to stare at him, the grin widening -

- and then she pushed away, releasing both of them. "Okay. Too much flirting too early. How about I just go show you what I make instead?"

Eph walked away from Lochlann with a final poke with her tail, heading into her room to change from that bathrobe. She was getting comfortable with her exposed skin at the moment, the sensations becoming more enjoyable than irritating and distracting.

For a minute there was nothing but silence after the door to her bedroom shut, and then it creaked open again. Out peeked the tip of a purple hat, then the rest of its conical and stereotypical form, then a bit of its wide brim.

Eph followed, displaying the witch hat in all of its bewitching glory - and nothing but the hat. She strode out slowly, smiling almost mockingly, wearing only the hat. "I make hats, mostly, but I also make dresses and basically anything you can wear that isn't armor."

She twirled and came closer, leaning over with both claws behind her back, her tail swaying side to side. "If you were already enjoying the view earlier, well... this is probably better for you. 'Sides, you don't even pay attention to my questions enough to answer, so I figure I am just going to hang back like this, showing you what you want to see, but - keep your hands off the exhibit please. At least until you help me finish shedding, then you can do what you want."

@"ReD"

"My eyes, pop? Lochlann, honestly, I'm more worried about your eyes popping from trying to stay away from everywhere else on me."

Honestly, if Eph had a choice, she would have skipped through the gameplay and went straight to the cutscenes. But there was a certain order to things - like how people didn't eat dessert before the main course. In this scenario, Lochlann was a different sort of course, and he wasn't the one currently meant to be eaten. That would come later, as would other things.

”That’s a view more beautiful than anything an artist could ever create. I am quite enjoying it. It seems counter intuitive though—if I’m supposed to keep my hands off of you, how can I help you shed?”

Lochlann had a point. Eph didn't actually think that part through. Mainly because she was thinking of other sorts of touching going on when she tried thinking about it. "You could bite it off me, but I don't think we have enough of anything to spread on me to make that a good experience for you."

Still, she turned around and opened the door to her room. Her tail swished softly and she swayed with each step. The game was now heating up. Slowly, she stepped inside the room, lay face-down on the bed with her tail standing straight up. Her head lay on an arm, and with the other she beckoned to Lochlann, one finger calling him in.

"Well, I'm ready to go. You ready?"