Tabula Rasa: Adventures In A New World

“And... there it is.” Krvavy takes a deep breath and rises to her feet. “Ta-Da...!” She clasps her hands together with a loud clap. “The bed is finished! Mostly.”

“Mostly? Are you already planning on adding more to it?” Inanna glances back over her shoulder, slowly raising a single thick eyebrow in the process. “You really have a habit of doing that, don’t you?”

“I don’t need sass from you...” The barbarian exaggeratedly sighs, staring back at the deadpan Dwarf. “But really, I’ve just finished the foundation. I still need to give it a bit of texture, grooves and whatnot, so that the moss has something to grab onto. And also the rest of the room needs to be... refined. The walls, pillars, and ceiling could all use some work to look a little less bland, it’d be nice if we could get some pillows and proper blankets, the windows still need glass so that they’re more than just holes in the walls...”

“My dearest love,” Beryl interrupts her Draconic lover, briefly lifting her gaze up from the stew she is steadily stirring all the way over by the fireplace. “If ya’d like Ah could make some shutters fer the windows. They wouldn’t be anythin’ special though, just some wood.”

“Hm... We don’t really need shutters, or even curtains to be honest...” They don’t exactly get direct sunlight in here. “But...” Krvavy glances over to the windows, imagining how it’d all look. “Sure, go – wait. Would these shutters open outwards like doors? Because the windows are pretty big and there isn’t a lot of room between them...”

“I could help design a shutter that folds into itself.” Inanna idly offers, standing atop one of the scaffolds scattered across the room as she fiddles with a chunk of quartz embedded into the wall. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Yeah, but the windows are arched and that might look a little odd...” Krvavy clicks her tongue and shakes her head. “Thanks for the offer, Beryl, but that won’t be necessary. Not right now, at least.” Maybe when winter comes and they need something to keep the heat inside... Though hopefully they’ll have actual windows, with glass and all, by then...

“No problem, my dearest love.” The Wood Elf is completely unbothered by her idea getting turned down, simply smiling as she sprinkles some spices into their dinner.

“And, hey, don’t you already have enough work to do?” The Drakling looks over at her Dwarf, letting a playful smile dance across her lips. “You’ve still got a bunch of lights to install, not to mention a whole workshop to build. And to think that you tried calling me out on giving myself more work...”

“Those are separate projects. Very different from repeatedly changing my mind and having to redo what I’ve already worked on.” Inanna calmly states.

Krvavy narrows her eyes and stares at the back of her Dwarf’s head. “I haven’t had to redo anything yet.”

“Keyword being yet. Are you not planning on removing that wall over there? The one you built around the fireplace? And then there is that empty room which–”

“Alright, alright, I get it.” The barbarian sighs and shakes her head, feeling certain that the normally neutral woman is smirking. Not that she can see Inanna’s face from this angle...

“Ugh... Is dinner ready yet? I’m hungry...!” Those whined words carry across the room before Thea even takes a single step through the doorway.

The barbarian lightly bites the inside of her cheek, unable to stop herself from appreciating that bratty blonde’s beauty.

A towel has been wrapped tight around Thea’s body, like a short and strapless dress that gives just a peek of her squishy thighs... The soft fabric clings to her hips, her waist, and her bust, maintaining her modesty while doing nothing to hide her wonderful figure. Her wet hair, loose and unbraided, rests atop her bare shoulders as a beautifully dishevelled mess. Droplets of water trail down her damp and glistening skin.

Thea forces a scowl onto her face, cheeks burning red as she pointedly avoids looking towards the Drakling.

Krvavy’s heart flutters as she watches that resilient girl step towards the fireplace. She was worried about her little princess. But it doesn’t look like she had any reason to be. Thea isn’t letting that earlier breakdown hang over her head. In fact, the blonde is doing her best to act as if it never happened. Which is something the barbarian is more than happy to let her get away with.

“Enjoy your bath~?” Krvavy warmly calls out, emerald eyes gleaming with a teasing joy. “Sorry if I left you with a bit of a mess to clean up~!”

“Shut up.” The bratty girl curtly demands, daring to glare over at the Drakling. She quickly averts her gaze, her blush burning brighter. “You could have stuck around and helped some more...”

“Sorry, showers are quicker and I wanted to get back to work.” Krvavy shrugs her shoulders. “And hey, it was worth it. The bed is finished!”

“Mostly.” Inanna states as she climbs down the scaffolding.

Thea just rolls her eyes and turns towards the Elf. “Is dinner ready?”

“Soon.” Beryl replies, sipping a bit of the stew from a spoon. “But while ya wait, ‘ow about lettin’ our dearest love give ya a tour o’ wha’ she ‘as made?”

“Why? I watched her place most of those bricks.” Thea replies, sneering a bit as she does so. Despite that, there isn’t any bite in her tone. The girl is still too embarrassed about... everything... to truly be bratty.

“Because indulgin’ passions and ‘obbies is somethin’ ya do fer the one ya love.” Beryl answers, her eyes twinkling playfully as she glances back at the brat.

“Ugh...” The silver-blonde girl rolls her eyes again. “Fine. Krvavy, my Dragon, would you be oh so kind as to give me a tour of this bed?” She sarcastically sighs, trying to act like even asking that is a chore. Though, of course, the rich red hue so fully filling her face completely betrays her.

“Oh~?” Krvavy smiles quite evilly as she sees an opportunity to tease her girl. “It doesn’t have any moss yet, but if you want to help break it in already then who am I to complain~? I’m not going to turn down a chance to have some fun with you~!”

“Wha...?” The girl briefly looks confused before getting what the barbarian is implying. Against all odds, her blush flares up even more, burning across her ears and shoulders. “UGH! You incorrigible pervert! You know what I mean! So just get on with it before I change my mind!”

“Haha~! Alright, alright, if you insist~!” Warmth and love flows through the barbarian’s heart as her happy laughter dances through the air. As to not test Thea’s patience, she quickly steps towards the lovely little brat and wraps an arm around the girl. “This...” she holds a hand out, gesturing towards the result of her work, “is our bed.”

Thea glares up at the Drakling, her flushed face looking rather unimpressed and slightly annoyed.

“As you can see,” Krvavy continues, pointedly ignoring the withering glare she is being given, “it is raised up a bit. As beds tend to be. But, as you can also see, it isn’t completely flat. Lets be honest, this bed is massive. It’d be rather boring if it was a single featureless expanse. So, to make it more interesting, I’ve sectioned it off into different parts with different heights. It is still nice and symmetrical though.”

The brat’s blonde brow furrows faintly as she lets herself get led right up to the edge of the bed, arms crossed over her covered chest.

“This here is the main section, the single biggest part and kind of the centerpiece of the whole thing. It isn’t too high up, probably around the normal height for a bed, though that might change a bit when the moss is added... But whatever.” Krvavy lightly shakes her head, giving her girl a soft squeeze. “This is the part where you’re supposed to get onto the bed, and to make that easier for the shorter ones among up, I’ve added some steps. They are nice and centered with the room, lined up with the fireplace. Should make getting in and out of this thing a bit more convenient.”

“It is appreciated.” Inanna states, her lip curling ever so slightly upwards. “But that convenience is nullified a fair bit by the fact that there is a significant climb to even get up to this part of the cave in the first place.”

“Oh shush.” Krvavy dismissively waves her free hand, though her tone and expression aren’t particularly serious. “Just be happy I’m not making you climb a ladder. That’d be a little difficult for you, now wouldn’t it~?”

“As sizable as my breasts are, they don’t get in the way as much as you’d think.” The Dwarf replies, cupping her massive tits and bouncing them a bit. “I’ve gotten used to them in the decades since they’ve grown.”

“Ahem!” Thea loudly clears her throat. “Get back to the tour, you lousy lizard! You can flirt some other time!”

“Right,” a soft smile plays at the Drakling’s lips as she guides this beautiful and bratty girl of hers up the short steps. “So, this is the main section. It continues on towards the windows and ends in this big, pretty much circular, hub. Ahead is the shortest platform, if you don’t count the main section, and it is kind of just there because it felt a little weird having the bed stretch out all the way to the windows.”

“It looks like somewhere a throne would be placed.” Thea comments, sounding a little suspicious of the Drakling that she is trying to give a bit of side eye too. The fact that they’re standing so close together makes that a bit difficult for her, what with the sheer size difference between them and all.

“Hmm... That’s not a bad idea...” Krvavy exaggeratedly taps her chin, before getting elbowed in the stomach by a slightly annoyed brat. “I’m not going to add a throne, if you’re worried about that. This is our bed, not a throne room. Besides, that’d block the big window. And, to be honest, I think that’s my favourite window, even though it isn’t finished and only looks down onto the switchback path. But it just looks so good with how tall it is, its arch meeting up with the high vaulted ceiling...”

“It makes this place look like a temple...” Thea complains, rolling her eyes. “And I am sure that was not intentional.”

“It was not, but I can see what you mean...” Thinking about it, their bedroom does kind of look like some sort of cathedral, albeit a rather bland and undecorated one... “Well, I suppose this is a temple of love~! Lots of worshipping will happen in here~!”

“Ugh...” Thea just sighs in defeat.

“Mmm. Krvavy,” Inanna speaks up, craning her neck back to stare up at the ceiling, “how do you feel about adding lights up there? Perhaps on the spine? Or the ribs, in line with the pillars?”

“That’s... probably a good idea.” The barbarian responds, tilting her head and pursing her lips slightly. “The windows let in plenty of light, at least considering that we’re in cave, but it still looks a bit dark up there... It wouldn’t be too hard for you though, would it?”

“No. Beyond the height, it would be no different from the lights I just added.” The Dwarf confidently replies. “Though I would likely need to set up the master switch first.”

Thea quirks her brow. “Master switch?” Surprisingly, those two words aren’t derisive at all. They are, in fact, slightly curious. Which earns her a gentle and affectionate squeeze, the arm draped over her shoulders hugging her tight against the barbarian’s side.

“Currently these lights are turned on and off by pressing your hand against the crystal and channelling mana into them.” Inanna begins to explain, turning her copper-orange eyes towards the girl. “There are issues with that though, such as the fact that I cannot reach these current lights without something to climb up, and none of us will be able to reach any on this high ceiling. To remedy that, I intend to hook them up to switches – or perhaps dials to allow for dimming – that will control multiple at a time, grouped together by area. The master switch would then be an override of sorts, allowing for all of them to be turned on and off at once. That is mostly for convenience and would only have effect at the time of it being flicked, so even if it is turned to ‘off’ the individual groups can still be turned ‘on’. This–”

“Enough!” The bratty girl shouts, holding a hand up to cover her exasperated face. “Ugh! I get it! You do not need to keep droning on and on!”

Inanna appears completely unbothered by the interruption, simply turning her gaze to Krvavy. “Well, I should get out of your hair and let you continue your tour, my Ushumgal.”

“Ush–?”

“Don’t worry about it. Pretty much just a pet name.” Krvavy cuts the brat off as she watches Inanna walk away. She can’t help but slightly resent the sheer amount of hair that Dwarf has, those voluminous and cascading coal-black locks completely obscuring that shortstack’s thick ass...

“It sounds weird.” A rather tame comment, considering how xenophobic that girl can be at times.

The barbarian just shakes her head. “Now, where was I? Right. Ahem.” She clears her throat and continues the, perhaps unnecessary, tour. “This main section is surrounded by pillars. Five on each side. Or six if you count the bit of wall between those windows, but whatever. Beyond being what the lights are currently attached to, these pillars help to separate the other two sections, one on either side of this main part. The ceilings in those parts is a little lower, arching up towards the main section. They are completely identical, just mirrored, so let’s go check out... this one. It has a nice view of the grotto.”

“Yeah, and the other side just looks out into a dark cave...” Thea quietly grumbles as she climbs the single ladder-like step.

“This will all be better when its covered in moss, don’t worry.” Krvavy points out as she sees her girl scornfully look over the bare stone. “Anyway, this right here is the first part to these side sections, a bit of a wedge between the main bed and that part of the window. It’s pretty much just a bed overlooking another bed, but also just a step up to the other two parts, on either side of it.”

“Did you really need to make our bed have... eight separate parts?” Thea asks with a slightly derisive tone in her voice.

“Yes.” Krvavy replies with a smile on her face. “It is much better than just a flat expanse. Besides, we won’t just be sleeping on this thing~!”

“Ugh...”

“Anyway, these last two parts are at the same height. The one up against the windows at the end of the platform is a bit bigger, but only because I decided to not expand out into the room too much.” A statement that rings a little hollow considering that this oversized bed has already taken up over half of the room. “The recessed shape will let us add drawers and whatnot beneath as well, which will be nice. It also would have blocked the soon-to-be bathroom if I had made them the same size as the bits over by the windows, but that’s not the point.”

“I’m sure it isn’t...”

The barbarian ignores her brat’s sarcastic comment. “As you can see, there is also a bit of a wall with a railing between these highest parts and the main section, but that is mostly just there for safety. Don’t want anyone rolling over and falling off the bed or anything. It’s not that high up, I can still see over it just fine, and I’m sure the moss will be more than soft enough to cushion a fall like that, but better safe than sorry.”

Thea glances to the side, taking in the sight of this ridiculously large tiered bed while trying to look completely unimpressed with it all.

“So, yeah.” Krvavy shrugs her shoulders. “That’s it. This is our bed.”

“I should have expected something this weird from someone like you...” Thea simply sighs. “You just could not have built a normal bed, could you?”

“A normal bed that would fit five people?” Krvavy raises an eyebrow as she gazes down at the silver-blonde girl who, despite the bratty attitude, seems to have no problem standing so close to her side. “Don’t be ridiculous. This bed is great, and you will come to love it. Seriously, these cozy side sections are pretty much made for you: they’re the perfect spot for you to hide in when you’re being all pouty, not to mention that you’d probably love being able to literally look down on the rest of us.”

The bratty girl just rolls her eyes once more, finally brushing the barbarian’s arm off of her, stepping away from Krvavy. “Whatever.”

“My dearest love, the food is ready.” Beryl calls out, stepping towards a window and leaning her head through it. She takes a deep breath before shouting as loud as she can. “Khalia! Dinner time!”

“Ugh, finally!” Thea groans and heads straight towards the fireplace, taking a moment to make sure the towel is still wrapped tight around her body as she steps down from the bed.

“ARWHOOO~!” Khalia’s happy howl echoes from down in the grotto below. She is already rushing back up the switchback path.