Malaika had always thought of kissing as a terribly sacred thing. Were it up to her, all her sexual relationships would have ended right there. It was just something about the whole thing that was truly intimate - an intimacy that seemed to elude every other form of physical contact no matter how hard she looked through them all. She rejoiced in this sort of intimacy. 

Kissing Hanwi, however, proved to become a religion.

With her hand at the base of her head, pulling her just close enough not to tread any boundaries, Hanwi had done something that had rattled Malaika deeply. Even with the obvious greed that coloured the kiss, there was a level of Goliath restraint that seemed to partner it. She had dared to reward her comfort to the degree she had never sought before. It felt almost sacrilegious the care to which she seemed to have taken to reward her with this probably insignificant thing.

Malaika could not help the small gasp that escaped her, or the stray and irresponsible hand that reached to the apparition's neck, pulling her closer, craving for deeper. It was wonderful. It was quenching. It was magical in the sort of manner the sunset at the Savannah was. She needed all of it. She was to covet all of it.

Much too quickly, Hanwi pulled away from her.

She was an interesting sight. She appeared to be flushed, her lips swollen and her pupils blown so wide the gold of her eyes almost completely vanished. Her breathing was slightly laboured and her shoulders looked to be a tad stiff. Clearly only privy to a secret she could not be bothered to share, her shoulders almost instantly relaxed and her slightly swollen lips formed a smirk.

“I think that was real enough for you.” She moved away further still and it was not until Malaika’s left hand was right in line with her vision, that she realised she had been reaching out to her.

“Um… well…” Malaika was not sure what to say or do after.

Acknowledging the very realness of what that kiss felt would mean that there was a wolf thing that turned into the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen in her house and she had let said creature, without caution, in. It would also truly mean that there were things out there; things she had no business bothering with as she was well into her years and it would do her no good going on to stir them.

Not acknowledging the real nature of the kiss, however, would keep a good chunk of her sanity intact. She would not need to start thinking through things like devils and the fact that she had technically let an occasionally four-legged carnivore kiss her on the mouth. She could visualise living a life of schizophrenia. They had therapy for such and people went on to live proper lives - she hoped. Besides, she was at the half twiligt of hers and she did not see a reason to push it way further than it needed.

Hanwi let loose a laugh. It was low and so contained Malaika had to fight the urge to adjust in her seat. Since when, she wondered, was she a horny thing. “You seem to be deep in thought. Whatever you are thinking right now, go with the one that makes the least sense.”

“No,” she said quickly. More out of habit than anything, Malaika was never one to do things simply because she was told to. In all actuality, she would do the opposite just because.

Hanwi cocked her head to the side. “I appreciate a healthy brattiness in anyone but now is not the time for it. I need you to understand that I am not an apparition and I, for sure, am not a devil worshiper who might also be a devil? Just to put it out there, I don’t really worship anything. I just, go with the flow.”

Malaika broke eye contact, rubbing her eyes for far too long. She sighed. “Do you not see how all this is… ridiculous?” She got up and walked to her shelves, pulling a random book from it. She fliped though it even though her focus was all stolen by Hanwi and could seldom read a single word. “I need you to understand me. I have been living alone near a river, passing my days reading shifter romances - which, just for better clarification, are classified as fictional fantasy. My life is the kind of very average life that started very average and is expected to end very average. I am fifty. People who are fifty do not experience weird shit like this so, excuse me if I would rather you be a schizophrenic apparition than my real-life mate.”

She looked up from her book just in time to see Hanwi’s smile getting wider. “So the only problem here is that you are my mate?”

Malaika pointed at her, a small laugh escaping. “Don’t play smart now. You know exactly what I mean.”

“I guess I kind of do.” She leaned against the door frame, sighing. “From your perspective, it has to be very insane.”

“Very.”

“But then, like you said, you are fifty and are living a very average life. What do you have to lose by exploring a little adventure once in a while?” Malaika was quiet, so quiet that when she swallowed, the slight sound from it felt near deafening in the confines of the cabin. “What would you lose trying for an adventure with this lost soul who is fascinating beyond belief?” Hanwi stepped away from the door frame, slowly making her way to her. “What would you lose if you entertained me for a few more minutes? A nice Tinder adventure if you want. I’m eighty, you’re fifty, this world is not that novel but for a few minutes, we could make it be.”

Shit, Malaika thought.