→ Howell had been flying most of the afternoon. Whenever it was cloudy and he could disappear above the cloud line, he took advantage of the freedom and shifted into his more primal form. Diving towards the ground, he dropped as quickly as possible so that all any unknowing onlookers would see would be a pitch streak as he plummeted below the trees. He landed with a vaguely ungraceful 'flump' near his house and stood up to shake himself off.

→ Cal was settled on the edge of the railing of the porch as he watched for Howell. The dragon had been gone all morning and when he had woken up alone he had been sort of frightened that something would go wrong. He went outside to wait to see where he was coming from and when he saw him come flying down into the ground he jumped a little and almost fell off of the edge of the porch.

→ Coming out of the trees, Howell was back to his human form, prefering to interact with people like that. It wasn't that he disliked his dragon form--it was home to him--but he knew it tended to make interaction more difficult, inconvenient. "Oh, hello." He spoke a bit flatly, not having expected Cal to be waiting for him. It put him off a little, as if he'd been missed.

→ Cal flew up off of the ground where he landed and then just hovered very near to Howell when he came back to the porch. "I woke up alone, I got scared." He still wasn't sure if he was giong to get found and when he was alone it was scarier to think that he might. "Where did you go?"

→ Howell quirked an eyebrow, walking past him to get into the house. He left the door open though so that Cal knew he was more than welcome to follow. "I went to the grocery store--you know--as a dragon, to pillage." It wasn't a joke, but a snappy retort. "Where did you think I went? I went flying. Unlike you, I can't do it anywhere I please."

→ Whenever he got snappy it made Callahan a little uncomfortable and he frowned slightly, nibbling on his bottom lip before he hovered away to go into another room. He was a very sensitive little person and he tended to take sarcasm the wrong way.

→ Most of the time, Howell didn't care if he hurt people's feelings, but Cal was becoming a different story. His voice softened as he turned to face Cal, "I always go when there's haze--I should have let you know."
web of spiders "I just got scared when I woke up alone." Cal said softly as he turned to face Howell again. "I don't know, I"m still really nervous about everything and I thought maybe she came and took you and I was just here by myself and she was trying to scare me." he shook his head. He was terrified of Mab. "I still worry about you."

→ Howell knew that the pixie had every reason to be afraid of that creature, still, he puffed up a little and snorted, the tiniest hint of steam coming out of his nostrils as if he'd been smoking. "You don't have to worry about me. My kind held its own against her for a long time." Though clearly not forever, given their small numbers now.

→ "I like it when you do that. When you breathe and steam comes out." He floated over and kissed the tip of Howell's nose and just smiled at him. "Now what are you going to do? Do you want to do something together?" he was kind of lonely still, he'd gotten used to spending every second with Jack.

→ "I was going to shower. Do you plan to follow me in there?" He folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head. Howell was definitely not accustomed to being pestered so frequently. He'd been a hermit for many, many years, no one daring to bother him. Now Cal bothered him whenever he saw fit. He'd be loathe to admit it, but it had become a little endearing.

→ "Yes. I need to take a bath anyway." He smiled a little bit, fluttering along after him as they headed towards the bedroom where the master bath was. "Are you going to take a shower or a bath. Sometimes the spray of the water in the shower is too hard for me ad i get knocked over."

→ Howell's face crumpled into a frown. "I wasn't actually inviting you." He made sure to point out incredulously. Naked human forms were different than other forms. Straightening his back stiffly, he stalked into the bedroom. "I'll be taking a shower." Because he was just that disagreeable.

→ Call followed after him anyway, fluttering along at a quick pace so that Howell couldnt' shut the door and keep him out. Once in the bedroom he zipped past him and into the bathroom so he'd already be in there when Howell made it inside.

→ It had been too quick for his eye and Howell glanced behind him, assuming he'd managed to dissuade him from following. Relaxing a little, he went into the bathroom and shut the door, only to turn around and spy Cal already there. He jumped, half-startled, but mostly frustrated. Instead of protesting though, he simply sulked and turned the water on.

→ Cal flipped off his tiny shoes and they went dropping down to the floor. Then he took off hsi shirt and that fell too. But the pants he didn't take off, he was kind of nervous now. "Maybe you could just fill the sink with warm water?"

→ "You were so intent on sharing, you're going to share." Stubbornly, Howell tugged off his shirt and pants, getting naked without hesitation even if he felt it in the pit of his stomach. Even if he was being a jerk, he made sure the water of the shower was cooler than he normally would have had it so as not burn Cal. "There's a soap dish in there that fills with water." He mentioned as well as he climbed in.

→ Cal reluctantly took off his pants and he dropped those too. Then he tried to keep himself covered as he flew over the top of the shower and down into it, avoiding the spray of water so he didn't get pummelled with the heavy droplets.

→ Howell was busy washing his hair, letting thick rivers of soap run from his fingers, through his hair and down his back only to get washed down the drain. He stole a glance at Cal, and how he covered himself up. When the soap was rinsed out, he sighed. "You know--I feel more like a bath anyway." Shutting the shower off without waiting for agreement from his companion, he started to fill the tub.

→ Cal was just sitting in the little soap dish, hands over his crotch because he was just nervous. He'd even folded his wings around him as best he could, though it wasn't that possible on accound of the fact that they didn't bend far enough in the opposite direction.

→ "Why did you want to bathe with me if you're going to act like I'm planning on molesting you?" Once the tub was filled, he gladly got down into it, having supplemented it with enough suds to cover him up.

→ "I just didn't even think about being naked until I started getting undressed. He peeked over the edge of the soap container and down at where Howell was sitting in the water. "They used to make me be naked all the time, sometimes I am still uncomfortable."

→ When he put it that way, Howell wished he hadn't insisted just to spite him. Scooping up a bit of bubbles, he reached over and set them on Cal like makeshift clothing. "There."

→ "I need to make some new clothes." he said. "Mine are dirty and torn up." And he didn't have any alternatives. "I ripped the pants when I was flying and got caught in a tree branch." He sort of hid inside the layer of bubbles, just his head poking out.'

→ It had been awhile since Howell had taken the time to sit in a bath full of suds. He scooted down a little bit farther and leaned his head back with a relaxed sigh. "Why did they make you run around naked?" He could guess for humiliation, but he was curious about the details. "And what do you need to make clothes?"

→ "Materials and needle and thread." He went to fly down out of the soapdish to sit on the edge of the tub but he forget his wings were all wet and ended up falling all the way down into the water with a tinyh splash.

→ Letting out a very unmanly shriek, Howell had time to hope Cal hadn't heard that before plunging his hand in to feel around for the fallen creature. He was afraid he couldn't swim, or his wings would weigh him down too much. When he found him, he lifted him out of the water.

→ It was probably a good thing that he had found him becuase Cal woudl have drowned. Once he was out of the water he coughed and sputtered and gasped for air. The surprise of hitting the water had made him swallow some of it.

→ Holding him up to his face, he nudged him with his other hand. "Are you okay? Don't make me tell Jack you drowned in a bathtub." He smiled a little, tilting his head, realizing that if he was coughing, he was alive.

→ "I can't fly when my wings are we.t I forgot." he said softly, shaking his head a little bit. "I was going to sit on the edge of the tub."

→ A little strange to feel the line of Cal's backside and legs against his palm, Howell set him down on the edge safely. "I meant what kind of material, and surely not a full sized needle?" He'd wanted specifics so he could acquire what Cal needed.

→ "I could make the clothes while I'm big." He said. "Or get clothes that fit me while I"m big>" His magic would shrink them down as long as he was wearing them while he was small. "Do you ahve something small enough to fit me when I'm big?"

→ Howell had nearly forgotten Cal could get big and when he thought about it, he swallowed, glancing away from him and then quickly reaching forward to pull the plug on the tub. "No, but I imagine you could tailor them to suit you." He stood up quickly and grabbed a towel to cover himself.

→ The tub swirled down and empty and when it was drained, he jumpedo ff of the edge of the tub and let himself get big so he could reach over for one of the towels. Even wash clothes were too big forh im when he was small. He stood there, dripping on the carpet, towel around his waist and he just looked at Howell kind of sheepishly.

→ His jaw clenched and he very pointedly looked everywhere but at Cal. It was easy to see that a flush had started to break out on his sun-deprived skin. "We should find you some now." He opened the door into the master bedroom and started to rummage around.

→ Following after him, Cal tried to get through the door but his wings got stuck and so he took a second to fold them back so he coudl get through. Then he came into the bedroom and wanted over to sit down at the foot of the bed. "Does it make you nervous whne I'm big?"

→ "No," he answered firmly. Things like Cal did not make him nervous, no--not big, fearless Howell. In his rush to find Cal some clothing, he'd forgotten his own and so remained cloaked in a towel as he tugged through his drawers. "Why would it make me nervous?"

→ "I don't know, because I don't know." He said, shaking his head a little bit. He got up and he walked over to Howell, wrapping his arms around him as he laid his head against his back. "There is more of me this way, more to touch.'

→ The contact made him stop and close his eyes. Touching another fae when Cal was tiny had been satisfying, but this was nearly all encompassing. It washed him with a tingling sense of belonging, prickling magic along his skin like something had been locked into place. "It's different when you're my size."

→ "Is it okay?" he asked softly, his hands sliding up Howell's stomach. They rested on his chest and he kept his eyes closed as he held onto him, just feeling the magic while it passed back and forth between them.

→ It would have been easier to say no and pull away from him, but Howell just nodded. It was more than okay and after a few moments standing like this, he spoke. "I want to lie down next to you. Can we lie down like this?" By that he meant without clothes on. He wanted as much skin to skin contact as possible.

→ "Okay." Cal said softly. He let his arms slide away from Howell so he could go over to the bed. He had to find a comfortable position to lay in because it was hard with the wings and he wanted to be as close to Howell as he could manage.

→ After Cal was settled, Howell crawled in next to him. He arranged himself carefully around Cal, avoiding his hips just a little because he didn't know about that. "I liked not missing this." He muttered, mostly to himself. But the truth was, he liked having it more.

→ "Well you wont miss it anymore because i"m here now." and as long as the queen didn't kill him then he would be there to stay. Letting his head rest against Howell's shoulder, he closed his eyes and just laid as still as he could, wings still fluttering a little behind him. "I really missed it."

→ Appreciating the quiet shimmering sound of Cal's wings, Howell shut his eyes. "I think that maybe you're more suited to the wolves. They're a close knit group and Jack obviously--well, he obviously cares about you." He paused, then quickly filled in the silence. "But I've already made space for you, so I couldn't possibly let you go back."

→ "Good." Because going back after having had this touch would be nearly impossible. "I guess I'll just have to stay then." He kissed Howell's shoulder and then closed his eyes. "Can we sleep like this?" He'd probably be small again by morning, the magic wouldn't last forever. "Can we put a blanket on?"

→ "Yes." To both questions. He stretched his arms down to the foot of the bed, tugging at the blanket that was folded there. It was light because Howell's body heat was immense, especially when he slept. Pulling it over the both of them, he rested his head back down on the pillow and stared at Cal. "We're going to work on that project we talked about tomorrow." He didn't dare mention the protection spell this late in the evening where someone might hear it.

→ "What happens if it doesn't work?" he asked softly, afraid that maybe it wouldn't and then they would both be disappointed in the end." He pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, sort of chilly because he was naked. But he knew howell would keep him warm.

→ Howell shifted a little, slightly annoyed with the idea that something he laid hands on wouldn't work. He was arrogant in many ways, and that was one of them. "It'll work." He reassured Cal, but as he said it, he had the same worrisome little thought in his head.

→ "All right." He said softly, closing his eyes as he laid against him. "Did you have a good flight today?" Because he thought it would be best to change the subject and talk about something that wouldn't upset Howell.

→ The tips of his fingers inched up Cal's back, tracing the small of it and the rise as he made his way toward the base of his wings. Once there, he rested, feeling the place where they connected. "I always have a good flight. I wait and wait for cloudy days. Summer is the worst." Because even in the Northwest, summer brought more clear weather.

→ "You seemed to have a little bit of a rough landing." he said softly, smiling to himself. "I liked watching what I could see of you though, once I knew that you were okay." Because he had been really worried about him and always would be until he got used to the idea of being safe with him.

→ Howell's skin warmed noticably when Cal said that. He was embarrassed. "I--tend to have trouble with landing." He admitted reluctantly. Up in the air, he was the picture of grace. Reuniting with the ground, however, he was a mess. "I'm what they called an Albatross."

→ That made him smile a little more and he sighed softly. "I will be small in the morning when I wake up." Because chances were he'd turn back as soon as he fell asleep. Just shrink right back down.

→ "Then I'll try not to roll over onto you." He smirked, settling in to drift off. He didn't suppose he would, but it would certainly be awful if he did.

→ "I will be smushed like a pancake." he mutterd, already getting sleepy enough that he might just slip right into it. He trailed his figners slowly along Howell's side, just touching him softly.

→ The touch was welcomed and it set him into complete calm. It made his thoughts drift to what he used to know, the friends and family he had. He had to wonder if Cal had ever had the opportunity to feel like that with anyone really. It was a sad thought.