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 Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2023 2:21 pm
 Muirne made her way along the forest track, tossing her head, bell jingling, glad she didn't have a long mane or tail. While being able to use a tail as a flyswatter would be nice, the additional hair on her neck wouldn't be fun on summer days such as these. The first part of summer had been slow in coming, but the heat had finally found the village, and the very thought of staying cooped up with jams bubbling away on the hearth wasn't appealing. So she was out in the forest, looking for something, anything, that she could turn into a syrup or a butter or a preserve once the heat died down. She'd burned through a lot of her spring and early summer stock already; fortunately, with the solstice so recently passed, some of the summer berries and stone fruits would be in season.
Unfortunately, Muirne had collected what she could of stone fruits from the orchard, so now it was time to go berry-picking.
The mare fluttered her wings, trying to force a breeze over her body. While swimming seemed appealing, she had no idea how the terrestrial Soquili dealt with the summer without wings. Maybe they spent a lot of time swimming. Muirne just couldn't sympathize, as the idea of getting her wings wet just didn't really appeal.
Waaaiiit. Was that...water she smelled? And heard? Blackberries grew along waterways. Muirne inhaled deeply as she flicked her ears around. Yes. Water. Which meant blackberries. Tossing her head again, she pushed her way carefully through the undergrowth toward the creek she heard and smelled not far away. Blackberries, here she came! Basil fluttered among the blackberry blossoms amidst the bees. Summer was hot, but could be cooler along waterways like this creek, and zipping over the water's surface meant that he could enjoy any nectar from the flowers while staying cool. If there was one thing he was looking forward to one day doing, it would be setting up beehives so he could harvest some honey for himself. He knew how to do it, broadly speaking, he'd just never done it all by himself. And Basil didn't yet have a firm idea of where to set up the beehives. It'd be better if he had an orchard or a flower garden or something, but he had nothing like that.
As he mused among the berries and the thorns, Basil heard someone making their way through the undergrowth toward the creek. Cautiously, the Flutter zipped into the brambles, peeking out from partial concealment at the stranger...who was extremely attractive.
Tall and slim with the feet of both a deer and a bird of prey, plus her short shock of mane, she cut a surprisingly dashing figure that contrasted beautifully with green-and-gold Flutter wings. Honey-colored eyes in an earthy face lent her a lively countenance.
Basil fluttered his sunny wings in rapt fascination. Who was she? What was she doing here? He found himself very curious. Did she like bears, bees, butterflies, flowers, and honey? Yes, to be frank--was he her type, and, if she was, was there any possibility of continuing to be around her?
Suddenly, he realized that those honey-colored eyes were staring at him, and they were only a few inches away, which, when you're very small, still seems incredibly close. She shrank down to his size, presumably out of politeness, and he had to keep his heart from thudding in his chest.
"Ummm...hi," Basil finally managed, and immediately hated himself for the obviously stumbling introduction. "I don't believe I've seen you around here?" And he immediately followed it up in the most obvious form of pickup line in the history of romance. He was sucking at this whole romance thing.
Hopefully the mare didn't care.
And maybe squirrels would evolve gills and swim like fish.
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Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2023 2:43 pm
Muirne had been surprised to see anyone else in this blackberry bramble, but it made sense it would be another Flutter. Shrinking down, she had become aware that he looked like someone had taken a Flutter, given him bee wings, melded him with a blond black bear, and let the biggest piece of honey-craving energy walk away without the world getting stuck to him.
In short, if you were into sweet things that had a gentle smile and a feeling like he was always blushing, this Flutter stallion might be the most sugar-sweet thing Muirne had ever encountered. Muirne was generally in favor of sweet things, you pretty much had to be if you were big into making fruit preserves, but she hadn't really thought of other people as being potentially sweet. Frankly, Muirne wasn't entirely certain what to do with this observation.
Oh. Right. He'd just asked a question.
"Nope, I don't usually come to the forest for fruit, I can usually get some in the orchard near where I live. I'm Muirne, by the way. I make preserves, jams and jellies and butters and syrups and pickles. Stuff like that. What's your name?" It was at least not as crumbly a response as it could have been, but it wasn't smooth, either. Flicking her eyes away from his honey-colored eyes, she noticed a satchel that chimed softly with the sound of glass bottles. Did he...? Was he a beekeeper, or something? The idea that he might be a kindred spirit of sorts felt sort of thrilling, for reasons she couldn't really articulate. Would he be interested in starting a beehive near the orchards, and would he be willing to move in with--
No. He might not be into any of those things. Besides, Muirne wasn't sure she had space at the moment for another Soquili to cohabitate and run a separate business.
Be sensible, don't rush this, she reminded herself firmly.
Basil's wings beat faster in unavoidable excitement.
Her name was Muirne, and she had to like sweet things if she made preserves. Better, she lived near an established orchard, if she didn't usually come into the forest for berries, which was a shame, in his personal opinio--
No. Keep it together. Introduce himself first, then try to figure out what it would take to persuade her to take him home with her.
"Basil of the Blackberries, though you can call me Basil, for short. I'm a beekeeper--or would be, if I found the right place to set up an apiary. It'd be a lot of fun to experiment with the different flavors of honey that could be produced under the right conditions," he added, delicately pulling a small bottle of honey free from his pack and passing it over. Blackberry honey he'd picked up from one of the local hives. Basil found himself really hoping she liked it. He knew he did.
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Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2023 3:05 pm
Muirne accepted the honey with a claw. Sipping delicately, she was startled by the thick and creamy texture combined with the delicate floral notes. It was...honestly as sweet as this Basil was. And he knew how to produce honey like this? And didn't have an apiary of his own?
Reluctantly, Muirne passed the bottle back, the wheels spinning in her mind like birds performing an aerial dance. He had no apiary, and no place to set one up. And if he came with her, and set up by the orchard, he would have no place to live. This was not an opportunity to miss. And, if push came to shove, she could always get help expanding Preas na Dearc, as both a home, and as a business. Plus, adding honey to the list of things Preas na Dearc offered both as a shop and as a bed-and-breakfast, if he was so willing, was not an opportunity to pass up. Especially coming attached to someone she was finding she wanted to get to know better.
"I...ummm...I have a bit of extra space this time of year in my home. If you came with, I'm sure we could petition for you to set up an apiary, and I'd happily give you room, board, and shelf space in my shop, if you'd be interested?" she hazarded.
Please, please, let him say yes, she thought to herself. Muirne really wanted the opportunity to sort out what her feelings for him were, and the fact that this might be a long and involved process...well...it sort of appealed to her, to be perfectly honest. Yes. Muirne wanted him around in her shop and in her life. Especially those sweet eyes and the cute way he fluttered his wings when he seemed excited. Simple as that. Whatever the hell those feelings meant.
Basil could hardly believe the generosity of the offer. Or how much it excited him. Even if nothing romantically came of it for a long time. "That sounds like a delightful offer," he replied, unable to prevent his wings from beating faster. "Would you like some help gathering berries? I know which ones are ripe and can help you fill your bags faster," he offered.
Inside, he rejoiced. She seemed interested, interested enough to offer her home and perhaps a business partnership. Plus, the way her eyes softened whenever his wings beat faster in excitement...was she also interested in him, too?
Please, please, let her find me appealing or adorable or sweet or something, as long as I can stay with her, he thought to himself.
He caught her nod, and, grinning like an idiot, zipped into the brambles, looking for ripe berries, as she resumed her normal size.
Whatever Basil or Muirne had been expecting the day to hold, somehow, neither of them had been anticipating the possibility of someone sweeter than honey.
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