A Matter of Perspective
Mathilde's perspective (from Turn 33 - 2486 - Part 2):
Your return to the matter of the Waaaghsoak Mushrooms is a perfect opportunity to show off your Green Tower to Panoramia, who nods along as you explain the different components of it but is obviously itching to be unleashed upon the planters you set up, which occupies her for the next several days. It's certainly pleasant to have her nearby while you work on other things, but once she considers herself satisfied with the conditions that your fruit-bearing saplings are growing in (which are now significantly larger and noticeably lusher) it's time to return to the matter at hand.
Panoramia's perspective:
Panoramia woke to the sounds of a brush running through hair. She stretched, feeling soft sheets and and fluffy pillows as she thrust her fists above her head and arched her back, then with a sigh relaxed and opened her eyes.
Mathilde sat on the edge of the bed half-facing away, meditatively running a tortoise shell comb slowly through her long brown hair. Her eyes were mostly closed, only a single thin layer of cloth over her- a grey shift, half-off her narrow muscular shoulders, and a soft half-smile played across her lips.
Panoramia licked her own lips, tasting salt and hot memories from the night before, but in the early grey light did no more than watch. Five strokes, ten, fifty, then switch to the other side. Five, ten, fifty. Mathilde bowed her head. Panoramia felt power flex- a soft cool wash across her skin and a floating feel under her fingernails- then relax. Mathilde looked up, met her gaze, and smiled
"Good morning. Would you like to do some research with me today?"
_________________
(Flashback)
The days before had been glorious; Mathilde's architectural ambitions had cooled but not vanished since her days of magical superweapons. Instead of a looming tower of grey threatening dwarven hellfire, or a crackling tower of blue threatening bolts of lightning, the latest was a wonderfully welcoming font of upwelling jade that had slowly taken shape at the far edges of her awareness. And three days ago, Mathilde had come with an infectious grin and an invitation to tour it.
She had been to the grey's penthouse before (Mathilde secretly delighted in showing off her slowly expanding mountaintop palace) but this was special: this time it was evident that all through the planning and construction of this latest piece, Mathilde had been thinking of her. There was no real need for a Jade tower, not for a grey wizard- unlike the blue or the red towers it did not add to or defend the Eye of Gazul, and was not of personal use in research. So while it's construction may simply have been a Wizard doing wizard things to the vast majority of the Karak, to Panoramia it was a message both subtle and blindingly obvious in a way only the greys could really manage. Mathilde was making a space for the Jade wizard in her life. Panoramia approved. It was true that every wizard dreamed of having a tower, even if only a little...
The outside was nothing too special, though it took living in the Karak and the tower's neighbors to make that statement true. Dwarf-crafted blocks of carefully stained limestone shot through with dozens and dozens of small windows made up the outside, two stories tall above the foundations and with a gorgeous vine-carved staircase spiraling up the exterior. A door of weathered copper leaves opened onto a landing at the top of the stairs, the door split horizontally in two halves to allow for some additional control over the ventilaton.
This was the way Mathilde took Panoramia, bouncing up the stairs with her endless energy and chattering about the difficulties the artisans had experienced trying to form patterns friendly to ghyran. Apparently the dwarven love of geometries and stylized repetition did not mesh well with growth and nature, but after some examination of jade college glyphs and experimentation it was discovered that branching fractals were a workable middle ground.
Panoramia caught her by the hand just as the breathless words finished tumbling from her mouth, pulling her to a stop at the top of the stairs.
"This is all... You made this all for me? It's almost too much!"
"Well, not *just* for you! I'm looking forward to wandering over and picking fruit off the bush for my breakfast. But... Yes, I was hoping you would help me with it. There's a few bits of research I think it might be useful for too!"
"Mathilde..." Normally, with others present, Panoramia's tone might have been chiding, or mildly exasperated. Here and now, it was low, earnest. "Mathilde, I would like very much to kiss you right now."
Mathilde's eyes widened, and she ceased to tug Pan towards the door as her free hand rose to cover her mouth.
"Oh! I'm- I didn't- it's- wh-wha- umm. Ok?"
Panoramia stepped forwards into her space, reaching out to cup her cheeks and tilt her hat back, looking very seriously into her eyes.
"Thank you." She said, and leaned forward just enough to press her lips against Mathilde's. A moment passed.
"Now show me the inside! It looked like you have a couple of levels?"
"Ohhhh.... Oh! Yes!"
Inside was a single large open space, with ferns and flowers lining the ramp spiraling down the interior, and tubs of individual fruit trees crowded again the walls. Several large empty planters seperated by low stone walls occupied the center. It was all so new, and Panoramia could feel the jagged edges and catches of not-quite smoothness in the flow of ghyran against her skin.
She turned again to Mathilde and this time without asking gave her a longer, deeper kiss, pressing her whole body against the other woman's.
"Thank you. And it looks like you were right that I might be able to help you- there's a bit of work to be done to make sure all those trees grow well enough to give you fruit. But it's a long walk back to my cottage tonight, so I should probably begin back and see you in the morning-"
"Stay with me."
"I'm sorry?"
Blushing furiously, trying desperately to hold contact and pretend that this is all perfectly normal, Mathilde continued.
"I've got a very nice bed, and one of the best bathes on the continent outside Wurtbad. Stay with me? You wouldn't have to walk up and down all those stairs each day."
Panoramia responded with a delighted smile and another, even longer kiss.
____________________
(Present)
"Research? Of what sort?" Panoramia asked, pushing herself up.
"The waaaghsoak mushrooms. I thought they might make a good aide for journeymen, and we haven't had a chance to follow up on that last paper in a while."
"Mhhhmmmm. Sounds good. But we should start with breakfast and a good talk about how we are going to go about this. Here, let me help?"
Panoramia moved up behind Mathilde as she obligingly turned away, taking the brush with brief touch of fingers and seperating Mathilde's long hair into two bunches. With a bit of whimsy, Panoramia began plaiting her hair, weaving the brown stands into an echo of the dwarf-styles as the two talked softly of mushrooms.
A/N: Fluff! Mathilde-plaits getting mentioned plus running across the Green tower getting shown off for the first time gets you this!
