She had her own bed. What simple little luxury might have been taken for granted by most was nothing short of a blessing for centuar, however. Ever since Vivilene was young, she had struggled to find a comfortable place to sleep that supported the upper-half of her torso without leaving her legs splayed out too far or bumping her antlers uncomfortably against something. It was a simple bed-- a plush base with feather-stuffed linens shaped like a basket for the cervine-half of her to curl up into, and an upright back for the humanoid-half to lean against. This one was firmer, but no less comfortable. Vivilene had, for the first time, eliminated a back and neck pain she wasn't even aware she had prior.

Clambering into bed and adhering to the Vivilene-shaped crater in its pillows was only one of the many comforts of being home, but it was the one that she cherished the most. It was her space-- decorated with clay pots that stored pale, bell-shaped flowers and glittering little charms --and her family understood that. When Vivilene had enough socialization for the day, she was free to curl away and listen to the murmur of chatter and smell of firewood in the cottage as she dozed off.

Calm. Normalcy. They were things that Vivilene had craved all her life-- and now, she was experiencing it. With a tightly-knit family and sturdy support system, the hybrid was taking the time to ground herself, to achieve what her younger siblings had learned cycles and cycles ago before her: how to just be a person. To stop fearing everything that lurked in the dark corners of the caves. Even, on good days, how to speak better-- with some mental prepping beforehand, of course.

She loved her family. She loved meeting all the new ones. Some were a little strange-- some she didn't know too well, despite living under the same roof. Sometimes it was too crowded, but that was alright. She was grateful for them being there. She was grateful to be a part of it.

Vivilene, however, was no stranger to playing favourites.

Attikias, of course, was one. Vivilene held a great amount of pride in being his eldest daughter, even if some of her younger siblings babied her a little. Pride was another-- and though she hadn't seen him visit as often as she'd like, she made no secret of her fondness for her grandfather. The final favourite was a newer addition to Vivilene's besties list-- and when they came knocking at the door, her moonlit eyes snapped open.

The first response was a bleat, for it was the easiest sound for Vivilene to make with her throat on such little notice. The nest was the click of cloven hooves on cobblestone as she threw herself out of her bed and bounded across the room in a neat clack, clack, clack to fling the door open. Another little bleat-- this time out of pure excitement --and Vivilene smiled brightly.

No matter how gentle and calculated the cervitaur's movements were, her emotions were on her sleeve. Slender legs shook ever-so-slightly as she pushed by Selenite to circle around them once (affectionately-- a hug without the touching) and then gently ushered them inside with a flicking of her little wrists.

"H-hello, hello, hello," she managed at last as she shooed them across the threshold and towards the fire. Whatever they did-- stand, sit, mill around, wander --was of little concern to her as she went clopping once more around the home with her hooves unable to still. They teetered, and they danced, and they clicked as she went rifling through various boxes and bags for storage, eventually pulling out an apple that was red dappled with orange and yellows.

She took her father's carving knife and sat by the fire. "Apple," she told her sibling. "It's... crunchy. Juicy. Good." A little nod to confirm, and Vivilene would never lie. She drew the blade along the apple-flesh in a smooth movement-- slowly, carefully, like Attikias had told her, with her padded thumb waiting for the slight touch of the knife to know when to stop. One chunk came away from the fruit and was offered to Selenite. "Try it."

A second slice was removed from the apple, and this one was lifted to her lips to eat it. At which point, she noticed that Selenite had something in their hands. She curled her legs underneath her and her tail swept around her. "Can I see?" Vivilene asked softly, sweet smile still lingering on her face.

If Vivilene noticed the way that Selenite almost seemed to be trying to hide away, she made no mention of it. She understood, somewhere in the very back of her mind, that if they had met some cycles prior she might have been terrified of them the same way she was terrified of most things. For now, without reason to be afraid, however, she was still gently smiling and offering little encouraging nods as the Selenite peeled at the skin.

"The... inside is better than the outside, I think," she offered with some quiet amusement, though she was mindful that, perhaps... it might like the taste of nothing? A pointed little nail tapped the skin of the apple in her palm. "This is what... keeps all the good things in. The crunch and the flavour and the juice."

As Vivilene crunched away at her own piece of apple, she briefly followed the Selenite's glance towards the pot over low heat. A shuffle, an attempt to reach her magic and-- ahh, the sizzle of failure nipping at her fingertips, and the cervitaur's little nose wrinkled at the sensation. No cheating.

So, instead, she offered a nod. "Soup." (no wait-- there was more) "It's, um... warm, and nice, and meaty. If you... don't like the apple, you can have some soup? It-- it's good soup."

Some beats of comfortable silence went by, until her prior question was asked and promptly answered and the hybrid was leaning over to get a look at the little crown of branches in its claws. It was... it was... "It's nice," sad-looking, but Vivilene was chuffing with contentedness anyway. For as pathetic and broken as it was, it was a gift-- a show that Selenite cared for the time that she and they spent together and that they absorbed her little lessons in crafting.

A delicate touch-- and she was careful not to make Selenite uncomfortable with it --as she took the crown from its hands and gave it a careful inspection. It felt like glass in her palms, more delicate than some saplings she had handled before. She lifted the fallen branch from the floor and carefully wove it back into its spot, before she settled it on top of her head.

It did not, at least, immediately crumble apart up there. "It's good," she reinforced with a smile, pale eyes squinting as the corners of her lips left dimples in her cheeks in their wake upwards. "You're getting a lot better, um... practice is always good." Passing grade.

Vivilene settled again, and sliced off another smooth chunk of apple to chew on. "Would you… like me to make you something, too?" She offered. "Shiloh showed me how to make, um... I think she called it a bracelet...? It goes on your wrist."