Demesne Patron EX SS 17 – Rousing In The Morning (Patreon)

Mikon was roused awake by the feeling of someone on the bed moving with jerking, repetitive movements. She could feel someone's leg moving rhythmically, and while the bed wasn't exactly shaking—it was very sturdily built, since it had originally been for Binder Lori—the weaver could feel the movement.

She didn't get her hopes up. After all these weeks of sharing a bed with Rian—a bed that just barely managed to fit the four of them—she had a fairly good idea of what was causing this, and it probably wasn't any of her bedmates being intimate, or even just personal.

Sure enough, her leg as well as Erzebed's was lifted again as Rian's leg rose in his sleep, only to come down hard on top of the layered bedrolls underneath them. Mikon instinctively pulled her other leg back so that it wouldn't get hit by Rian's leg on the way down, even if it had been a long time since that had happened. Usually Erzebed and she each putting a leg over Rian's helped keep it down when he got like this, but it seemed like the other woman's leg had ridden up slightly.

Mikon kept her eyes closed through Rian's jumpy leg, just enjoying the feeling of warmth she was wrapped in, her mind drifting as she waited to go back to sleep. Her back was a little cool because the blanket kept getting pulled in the night, but she was used to that, and with four blankets and three other people under them, the rest of her was more than warm enough to not care. She lay on her side, her front pressed again Erzebed's back as her right arm wrapped around the woman's stomach to keep from rolling over and falling off the bed. beneath her, the two layers of bedroll were just enough to cushion her against the wood of the bed.

With every breath, Mikon's nose was filled with the scent of Erzebed's hair, which tickled her nose and lips. Under her right hand, she could feel the other woman breathe, and felt Rian breathing as well. Beyond Rian, she could just faintly hear the sounds of Umu still asleep…

Mikon opened her eyes blearily, rubbing the sleep sand from them with her other hand. That hand had been nestled under her chin all night from a lack of anywhere else to put it, and the arm it was connected to was a bit stiff from being curled up like that all night. Reluctantly, she let go of Erzebed, careful not to wake the other woman up, and carefully put one foot down on the floor. The cold stone was expected but still unpleasant, even through the socks she was wearing, as she stood up carefully so she wouldn't roll over and fall off the bed.

The wall opposite the bed was light up, spreading a soft, pale radiance through the rest of the room. The glowing stone Binder Lori had given Rian lay on top of the stone altar he used as a table, casting out some light through the folds of the folded shirt that had been put on top of it so that it wouldn't light up the whole room and keep them awake. It was much brighter than the embers in the fireplace. Walking sleepily over the cold stone floor, Mikon took some firewood, pulling off some of the curling shavings she'd made with her knife the night before for exactly this.

The shavings served as kindling, catching flame on the embers and letting her start building the fire back up, careful not to get any ash on her skirt. Patiently, she nursed the flame to life, the contrast of the flickering warmth on her hands and the cold floor beneath her waking her up as she worked. Soon she had a small fire that wrapped around the firewood she fed it, spreading a little more heat across the room.

Briefly cleaning her fingers with water from the wash bowl that had been filled with melted snow the night before, Mikon headed back to bed, carefully climbing back to her place behind Erzebed. She sighed in satisfaction as she pulled the blankets back over her, wrapping her arm around the woman in front of her once more as she closed her eyes and let herself go back to dozing.

When Mikon woke again from her doze, it was because she could feel Rian starting to stir. He was the only one among them who slept on his back—since it avoided the argument of whether he slept facing Umu or facing Erzebed—taking up the most space, but that was only fair since it was his bed. Despite how long they'd been staying there to make sure he didn't get too cold at night, none of them yet had the courage to declare it 'their bed' rather than 'his bed'.

Mikon pushed herself up on her elbow so she could see over Erzebed, finding Rian staring up at the ceiling with a half-lidded, unfocused gaze. "Good morning, Rian," she said gently. Beyond him, she could see Umu still asleep and pressed up against his opposite side, blonde hair in disarray.

He blinked, turning his head towards her, his eyes focusing. A small smile graced his face. "'Morning, Mikon," he said, his voice just as gentle. "Sleep well?"

Instead of answering, Mikon pushed herself up a bit on her hand so she could lean over Erzebed. Still smiling, she leaned down and kissed him. Her lips touched his lightly, caressing, pulling back and dipping back down again as she kissed in circles across his mouth, drawing him in, waiting for him to start kissing back. The hand that had been pulling her up against Erzebed reached out and stroked his stomach, fingers tracing lazy circles…

"Could you please get your chest off my head?" Erzebed's muffled voice said from somewhere beneath Mikon, followed by a finger poking at the side of her one breasts.

Chuckling, Mikon pushed herself back up. "Good morning, Riz," Mikon said cheerfully, even as she shivered slightly at the contact. "Just a little longer." She bent down to kiss Rian again, some of the the weight of her breasts coming to rest back on Erzebed. Under her, Erzebed grumbled but didn't press further, though Mikon felt her shift to cuddle closer to Rian. With her every breath, Mikon could feel the other woman's hair rustle against the front of her blouse.

Rian was slow to respond to Mikon's affections, always hesitant and uncertain even though she did this every morning. Still, she was patient, keeping her touch light and inviting to gently pull him to wakefulness. Her hand that still rested near his stomach felt he blanket shift slightly as something pushed it up. He began to kiss back, hesitantly at first, and she knew if she could see his face it would be set in a silly smile filled with guilty pleasure.

Mikon pressed him with one last kiss that he earnestly returned before finally pulling back with a sigh. "All right, I'm done" she said as she finally lifted her chest off Erzebed's head.

"Finally," Erzebed muttered, though she didn't sound too annoyed. Pushing herself up on her own elbow, she took Mikon's just vacated place. She was much more enthusiastic about it as she pressed against Rian's side and gently grinding against the side of his hip.

Lying down behind her, Mikon's breathing became heavier as the arousal from kissing Rian and having Erzebed pressed against her breasts continued to rise. She pressed up against Erzebed's back even more, the other woman's grinding movement causing her  posterior to grind between Mikon's legs, and just lay there, listening to the two next to her be intimate. She wrapped her arm back around Erzebed's torso, enjoying the feeling of wrmth. Erzebed made no move to dislodge her, and Mikon was able to enjoy the voyeuristic pleasure of just being there as the two continued to be occupied with each other.

From the other side of Rian, she heard a distressed noise. Umu had woken up. Mikon was never quite sure what to make of the sounds the blonde made on waking. They were a series of moan, groans and random warbling that Umu seemed to make just to remind herself she was awake and needed to stay awake than actually conveying any sort of annoyance or dissatisfaction. Well, more dissatisfaction than having to get out of a nice, warm bed on a cold winter's day. There was very little to do and it didn't exactly need to be them that did it. Most of the work was because they weren't staying in bed for as long as possible just being warm and rested… well, warm anyway.

It was also a sign that it was time to get up. As enjoyable as it would be to just stay in bed, even if they missed breakfast… Rian needed to work. He was the demesne's sole lord after all. The only one Binder Lori would even talk to unprompted without looking like someone was trying to pull out one of her teeth.

Mikon sighed and let go of Erzebed, rolling off the bed and getting to her feet. While the stone walls and the thick layer of snow on the other side of many of them deadened sound, and the unchanging light of the glowing stone made the moment seem timeless, she knew that beyond the confines of the house, the morning was brightening. She stretched, letting out a yawn, before turning and ruthlessly pulling back all four blankets on the bed. "All right everyone, it's time to get up."

Sadly, pulling back the blankets revealed everyone was fully clothed, though Rian's morning attention standing tall and proud couldn't help but amuse a childish part of her. Erzebed was wearing one of Mikon's skirts, as Rian had been uncomfortable about her being in bed in just a shirt and a loin cloth. At least, he had been when they'd first moved in.

"Ugh…" Rian groaned in the middle of kissing Erzebed. "Cold!" Hand reached out frantically, but Mikon made sure to keep the blankets out of reach. "Cold… don't wanna get up…"

"You need to be there to make sure Binder Lori eats," Mikon said patiently as she started folding up the blankets. This had become familiar routine. Rian was surprisingly lazy right after being woken up.

"She's a grown ass woman, she can get her own dam food." He sounded childishly petulant as he said it, before leaning back towards Erzebed like a child wanting to be weaned.

Mikon finished folding all four blankets, giving them a little more time, before leaning down and gently pulling at Erzebed. "Come on, Riz," she said gently. "He needs to wake up now."

Erzebed made an annoyed sound of complaint, shrugging off her hands, but she reluctantly stopped kissing Rian. "Ugh. She's right, Rian. Time to get up…"

"Don't wanna… warm…"

It was a familiar routine by now. "Umu, could you please help Rian wake up?" Mikon said as Erzebed reluctantly but responsibly sat up, turning to put her feet on the stone floor. She was getting better at remembering she was wearing a skirt in the mornings, no longer forcing it when a fold of cloth was pinned under her. Well, not forcing it too much.

He sounds of kissing came back again, a bit louder now. Umu was inexperienced but enthusiastic, leaning to her being just a bittoo forceful in the mornings. Compared to Mikon's more gentle approach and Erzebed's more experienced movements, Umu was.. just a bit too rough, pushing Rian to full wakefulness as she moved and put her weight on him, trying to be face to face but not really understanding she had to support herself. The bed creaked as Rian held her and then rolled them both on their side for something more mutually comfortable.

As the two continued on the bed and Erzebed finally stood, stretching out her limbs, Mikon began putting together everyone's bath buckets. Towel, soap, scrubbing stone, she checked the buckets all held them before putting them on the stone altar next to the shirt Rian planned to wear today. It was about time, she thought, despairing slightly. Rian always wore his clothes a day or two longer than was advisable before washing them. Poor Umu just sighed and never brought it up, but Mikon should really say something…

"Mikon, is my bucket there?" Erzebed asked, still sounding tired as she awkwardly took off the skirt she was wearing. After wearing trousers for so long as a member of her old demesne's militia, wearing the garment was awkward for her.

"Yes, Riz," Mikon said patiently as she began pulling her hair out of the tail she had bound it in the night before. "Do you want my help taking that off?"

"…please…"

Mikon finished untying her hair. "Come here, then," she said and Erzebed shuffled towards her. Mikon knelt down and began to untangle the mess Erzebed had made of the ties in her attempt in unknotting it. After a few moments of tugging and turning over the tangle, Mikon was able to start teasing it apart. Eventually, the ties came apart under her deft hands, and Mikon was reward by how the skirt fell away, revealing a pair of muscular legs. There was a scar on Erzebed's left thigh that look suspiciously like a stab wound, as well as other long but shallow scars of cuts, or possibly even beast claws.

They were before her eyes only for a moment before Erzebed was stepping out of the fallen skirt, leaving Mikon to sigh and pick it up off the floor. Still, she took her time about it, enjoying the view until Erzebed managed to finish pulling on her trousers. Only then did she stand up, folding the skirt in her hands for Erzebed to use later, and resisting the urge to bring it up to her face and…

Well, she resisted.

"Rian, Umu, you two need to get up now," she said as she set the skirt aside on the shelf for Erzebed's things for her to take later.

The two groaned in annoyed disappointment, but eventually pushed themselves up. Umu was panting and looking annoyed at the interruption. Rian... was also panting, and while he looked frustrated by the interruption, there was also that expression of guilty pleasure on his face.

"We're up, we're up," Rian sighed reluctantly, shaking his head and giving her a small, obviously forced smile. "Thank you, Mikon."

Mikon wanted to frown at him. She didn't like it when his smiles were fake, but she'd come to understand that was how he got through mornings. He smiled to force himself to feel like smiling. Usually his smiles became more genuine after he's had a bath… and when it didn't… well, there were three of them to deal with it.

Umu was a bit more sulky at having to curtail her morning fun with Rian, but like Mikon she knew how important it was to get up. Still, she did so while shooting what she thought was a subtly hidden glare of annoyance and resentment at Mikon, clearly blaming her for the interruption. Mikon didn't mind. Drawing the ire to herself kept Umu from becoming too antagonistic with Erzebed.

Speaking of whom…

Erzebed had picked up her bucket and was heading towards the door. "Well, I'm going on ahead to the baths," she said, pushing her short hair that Rian described as 'magenta' away from her face.

The sole room of the house was small enough that Mikon was able to intercept her. "Take care," she said with her own wide smile that she hoped came off as loving as she opened the door for Erzebed. Cold air didn't exactly waft through the opening in a chilling draft, but Rian clearly started shiver, folding his arms so that his bare hands were tucked into his armpits.

As Erzebed passed her to leave, Mikon leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her cheek. Erzebed didn't even sigh anymore, just rolled her eyes and looked away. And then Mikon was closing the door behind her, because the cold was coming in and her feet were still bare.

Mikob took a moment to smile to herself as she faced the door, her expression hidden from the other two in the room. Then she turned and headed for the stone altar. " I have your bucket ready for you, Umu," she said. "Yes, yours too, Rian. Come on you two, get up, get up."

"Yes, mother," Rian said mockingly, but the smile on his face was more genuine and fond as he said it.

"Now father, behave," Mikon retorted, making him blink, before his eyes suddenly widened. Panic. Why did he panic? "Set a good example for the children."

Yes, that was definitely panic in his eyes at the mention of children.

Mikon, as she'd learned to do, ignored it. One thing at a time.

It was another morning in Lorian…