According to the ship, Gabriel is in the Captain's Quarters. While he often sleeps in Tasha's room, he still spends time apart from here in his official room, either for doing work or because of duty shifts that class with Tasha's schedule. The effects of flat space also tend to drive the Karnors towards isolation (and maybe a bit of paranoia). They probably get the paranoia from the human parts of their brain, since it isn't something that comes natural to wolves. But animals tend to instinctually isolate themselves when they feel sick as well.
Tasha clutches her two-stack of datapads to her chest, dressed in a skirt, her booties, and a stretch top and the significantly modified second version of the white cloak she wore as a Human. The clothing, she's been assured, does not make her look ridiculous, though Liza did remark that she looks like a mage with a Galactic sense of fashion. It somewhat reminds her of earlier days, back when she was merely a cadet and everyone else was above her. How things change. She muses on that as she touches the door chime.
It takes a moment before there's a grumbly reply of, "Come in." The Captain's chime always announces who it is to him, so he knows that it's Tasha.
The door also opens halfway for convenience.
And so Tasha comes in, stepping inside and letting the sliding door close behind her. She puts on her best smile, but self-consciously recognizes that in many ways she looks like someone else. Not distantly other, but different enough. Ever since the disaster at Luk'thu-hem, and some time before even, they've been more apart. Not avoiding each other, but less in each other's presence. She was uncertain if she should wear the cloak, but then she decided maybe it'll help segway in to matters, and it's an important symbol of change either way.
The lights are low, and Gabriel is slumped in a padded chair at his desk. "I've decided that the worst part about feeling hungover all of the time is not having done anything fun to get there," he notes, and opens one eye to look at Tasha. "I don't remember you ever wearing white outside of Amazonia, do you know that? It makes me think of.. blood.. for some reason. How are you, Tasha? Did you always have that skirt?"
Tasha looks down at herself, tugging at the skirt in a further act of self-conscious fidgeting. "I didn't think it was appropriate to wear, so I've kept in packed with all my other clothes I never wore much. Only the loose or clingy pieces really fit anymore, everything that was tailored or just so is too big or fits uncomfortably." She then looks up and give the cloak a tug as well. "Blood's a unusual way to look at it. Maybe I was feeling purified? Liza says it makes me look like a mage. Um. Speaking of which," she hands over one of the two datapads, " ... here's our planning results along with proposals and outlines for internal departments." She decides to leave it at that for now, looking up to peer at the man, "How are you, Gabe?"
He gazes blankly at the pad for a moment, then looks back up to meet Tasha's eyes. He looks a bit haggard, as if he hasn't been getting any sleep. His fur definitely looks unkempt. "I like the skirt," he says. "I'm.. losing track of time. I'll blink and an hour or more has gone by. Having a hard time focusing. I don't remember it being this bad on the way out, but we weren't following a current then. Or dealing with so much stress. I think I'm losing muscle mass. I blame the food. We should have brought more meat back from the garden."
Tasha nods to this. "I agree." But her ears are back and she isn't sure what to say, or if she should even continue talking about it. She reasons that avoiding it will only let matters continue to deteriorate, so she choses to soldier on. She puts her own datapad aside and sits on the desk, legs crossing. "Persephone made me aware of many things I was either avoiding or didn't understand. I think I've been terribly unfair to you, I've left you to worry, and I've thrown my life around with thought -- well, without clear thought about the people who love me and that is especially you. And in truth, I don't entrirely know why I'm doing it, anymore. To save the universe, yes, but we both know I did it for more than that. And through all of it you've never spoke up for yourself even when I know it was hurting you."
"I'm a soldier, we are trained to serve and support," Gabriel explains. "But.. there were plenty of times I wanted to tie you up for your own good. I figured that you'd.. well, not come to your senses, that doesn't fit. After the incident with Balthasar I hoped you'd give up on the recklessness, but then it turned out it was what kept you moving forward." He reaches out and brushes the hem of the cloak between his fingers. "Having you as a helpless human was sort of relaxing. I could protect you."
Tasha lowers her head, and her ears go back with it. It's about all she can do to hold her shame back, mad worse by having known, deep down, how things stood but being too afraid of stopping to even consider a review and change of plans. Ultimately , even though she left Sinai, Sinai had never left her and her old fear of being nobody with no future and nothing worthwhile has continued to haunt her. Or, at least it did, until she finally found the impossible and gained what she wanted -- she simply wasn't prepared for what came after. Suspected that it would never come. It's no wonder she was tired by the time she met Charon.
It takes the young woman a long moment to muster past her shame to speak. She mouths it a few times, swallows, and tries again until it happens. "I-I was afraid," she admits, head shaking, "Trying so hard was how I became more, and I couldn't face losing that. Couldn't stop looking up. No matter what. Running from being a no-one, chasing after something impossible. I-I am ashamed that it took my ... My demise and this gift to even make me slow down."
"Should have been holding onto you tighter, Tasha?" Gabriel asks. "It's hard when we're on a ship. I fall into my role, and that means the ship and crew come first over any one person. Planetside it's easier. There's room, and things to see and do and feel alive. I wonder how Lacci is handling it sometimes. Her home ship was a city, and we're more like a ... ship. I don't know how you and the Abaddonians are able to cope with this at all."
"We grew up with it. When it's all you know, there's no thought beyond it. You have to know there's more to know you have less." Which is multiple answers from Tasha, the ship matter, certainly, but also insight in to why she changed after meeting the Amazonians, and especially Nora. She watches him play with the hem of her robe with mild interest, hands folded in her lap. She's quiet for a moment as she considers the answer to his first question, and then says, "I want you to do what you want to do. I think if you're asking me that, then you want to. And you should." She bites her lip, looking away and adding, "Sometimes ... Sometimes I had wondered if anyone cared because they never tried to stop me. I knew. But I still had the doubt. There's so many things I knew and just ignored, or doubted. Or forgot."
"So I can put a leash on you then?" Gabriel asks. He doesn't seem to be joking.
Tasha looks up, then she leans over and pokes him in the knee. "What do you want? Unless you want my permission?" It occurs to her that he does, and that maybe it's not uncertainty but respect. Respect, to someone who grew up as she did, can seem like weakness, so she tries both instances to make sure she's not missing something. "But if you're asking me out of respect, then yes. The Hand, but more than that, you should have a say in what I do, because you love and believe in me."
"The hand?" Gabriel asks. "You want me to spank you? Or is this something else that my mind is too fuzzy to grasp?"
"Persephone's vision for leadership. The Hand. The Will. The Heart. Maybe we should add the Hoof, for when someone needs to kick me?" Tasha tries a smile, but it comes off equally anxious and amused. "You're The Hand. Katie's the Heart. And I'm the Will. I think it was her way of trying to get me to do what you want me to do: Stop hurting myself." She sighs, leaning back and looking down at her new body. "I was never prepared to have what I wanted, or to feel something like Charon. And to die. I don't know about that. But ever since I came back I feel like something is missing, or different, or maybe I'm just afraid? Maybe it's having what I want. I just wasn't prepared for what came after. Maybe it's everything. But I don't feel like I want to rush anymore. Lately I wonder why I'm even doing what I'm doing. Is it a good idea. What am I trying to do? What is the result? And what am I doing to everyone around me?" She looks up, ears forward.
"You've realized you have things you want to protect, and part of that is protecting yourself," Gabriel suggests. "And you can be a mother now too. That wasn't an option before. So, the Hand smacks things then? Or is it more subtle. I imagine it is, since it's not the Muscle. What does the Heart do, exactly?"
"The Hand carries out the Will's intent, so that the Will doesn't wield that power directly. The Heart binds people together and expresses the Will's compassion and acts as a face. The Will makes the plans." Tasha gives a little shrug, somewhat embarrassed at her own role, never having been the strategic leader type. She looks down at her heands for a moment, then up. "But you're right. Suddenly I carry the future of my species with me. I'm just just a ... A being who has to push ahead for meaning, out of fear and emptiness. And ... " Se spreads her hands, looking away. "I think I'm a little tired. Death has made me see things in a different light. I'm a lot more fragile now, too, I just can't do what happened again. My candle went out in a lot of ways, and it burns again, but I haven't forgotten what that felt like." And then he feels her bifurcated hoofed foot tap his leg. "So someone better keep a leash on me and speak up."
"Alright then," Gabriel says, and stands up to stretch. He doesn't look like he's lost muscle mass. "I'm going to take a shower," he says. "I expect you to join me so I can keep an eye on you."
Tasha considers bringing up her concerns about his own self esteem issues and his problems with failure, but decides these things should be handled gently and a little at a time. She marvels. for a moment, that she had realized this and decides she has changed in more than body. "Yes sir." She salutes, sliding off the desk. The cloak is the first to go, followed by her skirt, underwear (another stretch), top and bra. She smiles, quite naked. "What do you think of how I look now?" She puts a leg before her, running her hands down it. "I think I can match Katie for legs, don't you think? Lacci says I make her hungry." She winks, but they both know Lacci enough to know what she really meant.
"I haven't really paid attention to Katie's legs," Gabriel claims. "And that isn't something I'd have expected from Lacci. Now to test something!" He reaches down to cup Tasha right between her legs.. and lifts her up with one hand. He also does teasing things with his palm and fingers while doing it. "Ah, I couldn't have done this before."
This results in a very loud gasp, followed by a lot of wiggling as she both reacts to the touch and tries to keep her balance. In short order she has both hands around Gabriel's wrist, body forward and back arched from it, ears back, panting. She gives him a look, still squirming, which causes a lot of grinding, which makes her squirm more. She opens her mouth to say something, which is quickly lost, then bites her lip and manages it on the second try. She can't quite admit to liking it, but she figures the fact that she's getting wet without the shower obvious enough. "W-what else would you like to d- ah! D-d-do to mee-" The last broken off in a squeal.
"My Hand just has a Will of it's own," Gabriel claims, clearly in a better mood. "I'll need to get undressed to shower myself, of course. You could help me if you like," he offers.
Tasha, who is still trying to steady herself as she is very obviously and lewdly manhandled, looks up after another bout of squirming -- and now bucking -- and admits, "I-if you keep at it, maybe I'll want to stay where I aaaaamm-" She does seem shyer now, against all odds, but not that she it seems.
"We must move ever forward though," Gabriel claims, and sets Tasha back down to her feet. She still has to release his wrist though. "You can't tell the other girls I can do this," he says.
Tasha eases herself back, but her legs are shaking and she has to reach over to the desk to steady herself. "S-some things I want all to m-myself," she says, voice just as unsteady. She looks up again and insists, "I want to see where that lead sometime." She certainly smells up for it, even if she smells differently now. A blink. "The shower," said with more emphasis. She reconsiders, then adds, "Please?"
"Help me with my pants then," Gabriel says. "I don't remember how long I've been wearing them for now." He starts on his uniform tunic.
Tasha, already a bit disheveled and messy, decides she may as well do things the disreputable way and lowers herself to her knees and begins removing Gabriel's boots, belt, and trousers that way and in that order. When she reaches his underwear, that goes down too, then it's her chance to try doing new things with her body. She waits until she catches his eyes to put her muzzle between his legs and run her tongue in a long, slow, lick where keeping eye contact. She also takes the opportunity to handle herself and while she can't pick herself up, she has practice with her fingers. She shifts her body just so, so he can be aware of what she's doing there, too.
"I'm amazed you can handle the odor, but I'm not complaining," Gabriel says, and ruffles up Tasha's ears. "Not sure if we should get the further mussing up done before washing up or not now," he admits. His reaction to her attention is pretty clear that he could probably go for the pre-wash - or even during the wash.
Tasha takes this as an opportunity to both show she cares and to get the washing done, so she switches from licking, to nibbling the tip of the matter, to then opening her muzzle and proceeding to envelope the whole thing with her mouth demonstrating she hasn't forgotten how to do old tricks with her muzzle in face of learning new tricks. Given Gabriel's height she has to sit straight up, but his mass and strength means she can wrap one hand around the base of his manhood, behind the knot, and take care of herself, without needing any other support. And she likes the smell, and she'd say so, but Liza said she shouldn't talk when her mouth is full.
"Our ancestors did this just clean themselves," Gabriel mutters, and moves his hand from ruffling Tasha's ears to helping her along. He also wages his tail enough to shake his hips. "No to each other though. Poor beasts. Alright, we can wash the sheets anyway, so shower can wait!"
Tasha pulls her muzzle off, ears perked. She side-nods towards the bed, then taps her finger on Gabriel's now very solid curtain rod. Which one would you prefer? She doesn't stop attending herself, which leaves her panting while she waits.
The big wolf takes Tasha by the shoulders and lifts her up. But not to her hooves! He actually tosses her up (he has high ceilings) so he can catch her around the waist. His hands go quite a way around it now! Then he just start to slowly impale her while still standing up.
There's a yelp for the toss, then an even louder gasp when Gabriel slides in to the young woman, which quickly becomes a very indecent moan that leaves nothing to the imagination for anyone in earshot. Once she's steadied herself -- and she still shakey -- she lifts her legs up and wraps them around Gabriel's waist, her hands, blocked as they are by Gabriel's move to his chest where she steadies herself, leaving Gabriel in control of both their needs, and Tasha panting wantonly as she watches him watch her get stuffed.
Now Gabriel can put his head next to Tasha's, and lets out a low, deep growl before noting, "We never properly christened Dark Horse, you know."
"N-not so Dark now," Tasha pants, not even bothering to hide how rilled up she is, and beyond that, how big Gabriel is. The first time they were together he had warned her all about Karnor anatomy and that, as was obvious, he is a large man in all respects. She took it as a challenge and spent pain, pleasure, and an hour atop her victory. If he hadn't been sick, she might have been there longer, but she remembers it took effort and with him inside her, there was really little else she could do, especially if he got that famous element of Karnor anatomy in her. As a Human it wasn't something she could even do, and much more difficult for her, but she could feel it so much more. As she is now, she's somewhere in between, wondering if she can do it but eager to try. "G-going to p-po-p-" She whines, hands tigging in to his fur, caught by a sudden shift, "-pop the champagne-ah-" A Nora memory, but her mind doesn't have time for trivialities, and soon, none for thought.
"Fizzy wine needs to be shaken up first to pop properly," Gabriel claims.. and starts to shake Tasha up, even if she's technically the cork in this scenario. First right there with nothing for her to hold onto but Gabriel, but eventually up against a wall.. then over the desk, proving the durability of the chair, pressed down onto the floor, back up against a different wall.. and pretty much making use of every surface except for the bed. It's a lot more passionate that Gabriel has been before, in that he really seems to be letting himself go wild.
Which is what Tasha had hoped even as she decided to try and undermine the shyness and propriety that had plagued her. While both have their purpose in her life, somehow being pampered, subject to culture, and required to be a role model had cause her to seal away the more wild side of herself, something she could not mesh with her new life --- or at least figure out how. In trying to be civilized she swung well over the line, and it;s taken until now for her to muster the courage to try to balance things. Or so she'd think if she was thinking about much at all except how much she loves being hammered by Gabriel's manhood and how much she can do to egg him on to do it more. On that front she has ideas unpacked from memory, panting lewdly and obviously, spreading leg and wing in submissive invitation, enough yelping, whimpering and gasping to make a brothel speak up, and finally as she sense how close she is squeezing her thighs together to push him over in time with her. There's one final moment she readies herself for, his binding thrust, and she readies herself to spread her stance as wide as she is able, back to arch. She's done it before but this is new.
And the cork pops, amid much panting and growling. There's a moment of rest, but not long enough for any sort of cooling down to happen. Since things have gotten to where they are going to be stuck for a bit, Gabriel carries Tasha in-situ as it were into the bathroom and into the shower, where he can once more lean her back against a wall to free up his hands some. "So, cold shower or warm?" he asks teasingly.
"Warm," Tasha breathes, as much an exhale as a response. She lays with her back arched and legs spread as wide as she thinks they're able, very much not going anywhere any time soon. Or standing, for that matter. With her back supported she can reach down and run her hands along herself, giving Gabriel a show as she grabs her breasts and teases herself, not that she needed the help by this point, and runs a hand down along her belly. "H-how many?" From the position of her hand, the question becomes how many cubs.
"All at once or in total?" Gabriel asks as he gets the water going, along with the sonics - because you can't be too tingly when taking a shower. He also uses the soap dispenser before helping Tasha wash her breasts. "I suppose it will depend on.. where we are," he says. "After all, if we space them out more you'll be easier to keep out of trouble," he notes with a wink. "But you're young.. so.. a dozen or so?"
Tasha cracks a smile, tongue lolling. "Hokay," she breathes. And deciding she's not quite done with herself, reaches the hand on her belly downward and tries to rile herself -- and thus Gabriel -- up again. She's never egged a man on as he tries to impregnate her, curious to the result, but seeing now it at lest works for her. There's something about being nearly helpless, under the control of someone she loves, and on top of that potentially about to be pregnant that makes her want Gabriel to hammer her in to every surface in the room again. And again.
And again.
This time Gabriel's a bit gentler.. and more handsy and kissy. But he's still not 'relaxing' and probably isn't about to in that regard.
For her part it doesn't take her long, and she was already close. Managing to her over the hump, as it were, was more than she anticipated and slowed her down but a little, and so Gabriel is shortly treated to staggered sucked in breath followed by the young woman then buck wildly against the wall and himself, ending in an arched back and a cry as her eyes roll back, ears flatten, fingers dig in and thighs squeeze his waist for all she's worth. The tremors continue for at least a minute, and he can feel them inside and out as she clutches on to him.
"Oof!" Gabriel goes, having to brace himself against the wall as well during the heaviest of the gyrations. "Feeling cleaner yet?" he gasps.
"Ahh!" Is the response, or perhaps lack there of. Even her wings flap, which pushes both of them away from the wall, but if her expression is any indication Tasha has momentarily ceased to be able to think straight -- or at all -- and is experiencing the best of what two wolves together have been enjoying for millennium. It's a minute, perhaps two, before she comes down off her high enough to flop against the wall, pant, and talk, "Wha-?" She blinks at him, in a expression that could appear drowsy if Gabriel didn't know better, "Oh ... " A giggle. "No. And ... I like it that way." Her hand reaches down to her belly again and rubs, now much fuller than it had been.
"I really want a steak now," Gabriel grumbles. "There must be some hidden away by Liza for emergencies like this. Or was it just so we would all eat together? I can't remember."
"Mmhmm," goes Tasha, who may or may not be listening. She leans over and pokes the man's chest. "Did you have fun?"
"So far," Gabriel claims. "Once we're clean enough, we can try the bed," he notes, and nuzzles Tasha. Wet wolf fur never smelled sexier.
Tasha responds by nuzzling back, there's even some growling but her growl isn't what it was, and is somehow cute now in ways she can't quite explain. Intimidating, it is not, except perhaps to something smaller and less fae-like than she. "There's something I ... I wanted to try. Can you ... " She points down at her lower abdomen, currently with docking at capacity, "Go again? Without..?" She puts her pointer finger in a circle made by her other hand, then pulls it out.
"Well, it will be a bit.. more reserved.." Gabriel notes. "But I can still carry you."
"We can save that for last then. When we're all cuddled up, we can see how many times we can." Then Tasha shifts and drops forward, wrapping her arms around Gabriel's neck and hugging him, strange new tail doing it's best to wag like a proper Karnor. "I love you Gabriel."
"I love you too, Rustpuppy," the big wolf says, and holds Tasha tight. "But I'm going to turn on the dryer now, so we can be mostly dry for round two-ish," he warns, and turns of the water in favor of the air jets.
"Rustpuppy huh," goes Tasha with feigned indignity. She's about to say more when the wind hits her, and just as for Vartans, sudden winds make wings anxious, and her's no less. Her wings shift in a fidget until things settle. "Annnything you want to talk about?"
"Steak," Gabriel says. "And probably that chart you handed me which I barely remember looking at now. I don't even know how the Phins are holding up, since they've basically been handling all the bridge work on their own while the rest of us are.. hmm, you didn't seem very zombified. Unless that was just because of the skirt? How have things been going with the witchcraft?"
"Zombie skirt?" Tasha asks, wondering if she's still quite out of it, and would not fault herself if she was. "The witchcraft is ... Going? We've only started, but I've begun learning both Alchemy and Sorcery, Katie and Hake are for Sorcery, and Lacci is ... Lacci. Maybe Lacci is for Alchemy? She's begun to realize her naivete, at least, which is good. She finally saw through to the truth." The young woman leans back again, shifting her legs to get comfortable. "And the chart has organizational ideas from myself and the others, especially regarding the teaching of magic and moving personnel like Mr. I. on to the ship. And what's this about me being a zombie?"
"Not a literal zombie," Gabriel says. "It's just the effects of flat space. Have you been feeling them much?"
"Oh that." Tasha runs a hand back through her hair. "Yes, yes I have. At lest I'm aware of it now, so I'm keeping everyone I can busy and working together, but I feel it. I think we all feel lit. And I'm worried about the Phins, too. We should check on them together, show we care."
"Has anyone seen Yue?" Gabriel asks.
"I smelled her in the unused room off the Owner's Area, but now that Hake is with me ... No?" Tasha's muzzle twists in to a frown, which stands at odds with her current predicament and makes her look more pouty then concerned. "We should check on her. Must protect the Human." The latter said in a bad impression of an AI.
"Have you talked to the Niss yet about your magic training?" Gabriel says after nodding in agreement. "I'm concerned about you learning just from the two who probably have long-term ulterior motives."
"They definitely have ulterior motives. The Niss is a very good idea; I'm a little embarrassed I didn't think of it." And since Tasha knows the Niss are listening, that's already been filed and ready. "I'll talk to them when we're done ... And I can walk straight."