The nest was... expansive, to say the least. At first it was a simple room under the roots of a tree, but the moment she'd realized it was not only hollow, but that the dirt was soft? She'd immediately done renovations.

There were three rooms in total, with the hollowed trunk of the tree made into storage, wax combs set up to hold things inside. She couldn't make honey, not until she molted for the second time, but the majority were left for that purpose while some others held her treasures. Her necklace, the trinket Blue gave her (and she redesigned) at the fair, and some fruit rolls, now completely dried out, turned into fruit jerky.

The rooms were decorated with soft moss and mushrooms, with glowing caps and labradorite shards lighting up the interior, making it glow a warm purple color, with some blue trickling in. It was beautiful against the gold of her honeycombs, embedded in the sides of the room, made into shelves.

Arwen lay in her moss bed, various furs covering it both for softness and warmth, one draped over herself as she napped. She needed her energy for what was to come, and she'd warned everyone that she was not to be disturbed during this time. She would be vulnerable, her carapace soft and weak once she did molt.

"... Blue?", she asked softly, her eyes opening, the sides of her mask already starting to crack.

Once she was certain it wouldn't be painful, she pulled it off and reached up sluggishly, putting it next to her first one, the Baby mask. With her face exposed, it would be one of the few times she'd be able to display her affection to her beloved partner, her second heart, half of her soul.

@Redwood

Blue had already been looking out for the eventual day arwen molted again, they both knew it'd be soon. strange how fast time flies these days, truly.

they had already been on their way, in as much a rush as they could must through the tunnel, and the small whisper of their name sent relief down their spine as they finally made their way into their nest.

they admired the glowing mushrooms and pretty moss as they walked, stopping once to inspect one curiously, before continuing on. as they moved towards arwen they sat, humming thoughtfully. "I'm here, Love.." they chirped.

Blue too was changing, it seemed. it had been obvious over the past cycles but until now it was hard to grasp how far it'd spread, seeming to, now, find no sign of stopping for a while. the now covered their entire torso, the growth, save for their gem, vine-like tendrils wrapping around their neck , the growth long having since covered most of their forearms, a similar vinelike growth wrapping around their joints. their legs and head seemed to currently be the only parts not yet covered. their wings had long since been forced to wrap around their waist to avoid discomfort, much to blue's chagrin.

blue stiffly but surely moved to sit a bit closer to arwen. "now, then? figured it wouldn't be long till the next one.." they twittered thoughtfully in reference to the molting.

@Arwen

"Now," she confirmed, slowly sitting up, her blue eyes milky as her shell grew harder.

Arwen shuffled forward and snuggled into Blue's front, mandibles stretching as she yawned. She ran her hands along the bark-like armor slowly spreading over her lover's body, clutching their hand gently while she still could.

"... Everything's going perfectly," she said softly, "The Court, our new home. I don't think I could be happier than I am now, especially here with you."

She pressed her face into Blue's neck and wrapped her arms around them, smiling against their feathers.

"Your feathers are so soft," she said gently, "So... perfect and beautiful."

The bee finally sat up, taking Blue's face in her hands, brushing their hair behind their ears so she could see their face. The 'kiss' was rather... violent, but quickly softened, her mandibles grabbing Blue's cheeks and smushing them as she wrapped her arms around Blue, pecking them all over. Nose, mouth, chin, cheeks. A giggle welled up in her throat as she pressed their foreheads together, her grip loosening.

"Mine," she said, embracing them tighter, "All mine... and I'm all yours."

@Redwood

Blue smiled warmly against arwen, humming a small song, thinking of lyrics in their head. should it be a song of love or adventure? tragedy or mystery? they weren't sure quite yet, letting out a happy purr-like noise as arwen snuggled up close to them, about to reply to the compliment..

what they DID NOT expect was the sudden, violent kiss.

oh. oh so that's what this feels like. alright.

letting out a breathy chuckle they returned the favor best they could in their shock, giggling as they were relentlessly showered with kisses. a genuine, joyful laugh, not a very COMMON occurrence with them, though arwen might not find it very surprising, as they mostly laugh around only her anyway. they pressed their own, more gentle one to arwens forehead, smiling like a lovestruck idiot (which they were).

"of course, love, of course," they began, "always have been.."

they held her for as long as they'd let them, processing the sheer amount of joy thrumming through their veins.

@Arwen

Arwen laughed at the other's expression and smiled big and wide, her face so pretty behind her mask. She bumped her nose against him gently and listened to Blue's laugh, such a rare thing that she could obtain with ease.

"I love you Blue," she whispered, her hand stiffening where it lay on their back.

She pulled away but curled up against them, not wanting to have to break pieces of her molt off of Blue. She slowly went still, her eyes slipping shut.

Her spine broke open, all the way down her back. Instead of white, she was black, with yellow coloring along her body. She wiggled and shifted, falling off of Blue's lap to wiggle and squirm, yanking herself out of her own shell, now bigger than Blue and looking drastically different.

The mask that lay over her face was different, with slanted eyes and lips, and as she pulled herself out of her previous shell... she had wings, and proper legs. Her gem was revealed, a stinger on the end of her lower abdomen, sharp and dangerous. Her wings spread out and flapped weakly as she finally slid out onto the ground, wet and cold, her body soft and vulnerable.

"Augh- Blue!", she cried, uncomfortable and unable to move how she wished, "I-I feel different- wh-what's happened to me?"

Arwen's ears pinned against her head as she writhed, her hands longer, her legs limply dragging on the ground. She was different, and though she'd been expecting this, she didn't like it.

@Redwood

The harpy hummed happily with a big, sharp grin. "i love you too.."

they waited, cleaning their feathers for a moment before nearly jumping out of them entirely at the sudden cracking. they payed close attention after calming their own nerves, staying close, staying with her.

blue was once again awestruck at her beauty, and they would've commented, had arwen not asked for their assistance. the admiration in their eyes laid equally beside the humored panic, though.

they moved to help Arwen up, gently placing hands on her shoulders to guide her. "ah, nothing bad, my dear... you simply have legs that work like mine now. you're not a grub anymore, you know..." they twittered, half teasingly but half with comfort. "lean onto me if you must, see you can stand. i can handle it." they offered, voice harmonized.



@Arwen

Arwen wiggled her legs and managed to get on her belly, no longer fat and muscle. She was sleek, with a defined abdomen and a slim waist on her humanoid body. Soft, down-like fuzz grew all over, covering her legs, butt, and her chest and arms.

She looked up at Blue, her ears down and her hair a mess, frizzy and wet in some places. It needed to be combed again.

"Ah... I'm not," she said, and gripped his arms, struggling to get up onto her legs.

Once they'd hardened enough, she wobbled, unused to her belly being above the ground. She took a few careful steps and looked down at Blue, huffing.

"You're so small," she said softly, "... I miss being able to snuggle up right here."

Arwen pressed her hand to Blue's neck, right where she'd first curled up the day they'd met. Where she'd always perched when Blue had to carry her places because she was too small to get anywhere fast.

"But wait, this is good," she realized, "Come! Come outside with me, and then ride on my back- it'll be fun!"

The Queen of Lies scuttled out of the den, only tripping once, her body hardening quickly. At least it didn't take her long to get used to it.

@Redwood

Blue stood with her, helping her up best they could. they seemed to temporarily short circuit as arwen near towered over them. "a-ah... truly" they chirped, face flushed. they perked up as arwen ran outside, smiling after her.

"coming, dear" they said as they stood, following her out side.


exit? i guess?
@Arwen

Arwen scooped up Blue when they were outside and set them on her back, a grin on her face (though because of her mask, her face wasn't seen). She took off into the tunnel, laughing wildly, feeling like a kid again.

And what a wonderful feeling that was.

@Redwood for vis
exit