The thick strands of silk beneath my legs vibrate enough to nearly topple me from my perch, and the husky voice that calls out shortly afterwards leaves little doubt to who could rattle an entire house so completely. "I'm home, Jinai!" Such a small amount of words, but already enough to set my heart ablaze at knowing what I'd see by turning the corner.
Tapered point click along the wall as I scurry down and dextrous fingers furiously scrape through the short hair atop my head, a slight twinge of regret coloring my thoughts at lacking a comb. The soft light of newly installed bulbs set in the ceiling glimmers along my carapace, a thousand patterns surfacing like a kaleidoscope with every step. It's a beautiful sight, though perhaps I sound a bit arrogant when I say that. A more casual bystander might remark the wicked ridges of chitin and oversized spider-like abdomen are the products of nightmare, a not-uncommon sentiment shared by a lot of the races that have come forward to take their place within the modern world, and one that I can't exactly counter; it's true that a lot of my arachne kin can lean overly much into their fearsome appearances in order to attain their desires. I, however, can easily focus on the unique beauty of the arachne race thanks to a certain someone.
A certain someone who is shrugging off the thick robes of a magus at the front door. The smell of salt-water races through the opening, its accompanying breeze letting the long hair of Syrel stream out like a figure from legend; those silver strands falling in an unruly bundle only loosely held into a ponytail by a small grouping of rubies set into her hair, the mark of a proud drow paying homage to their long-lived lineage. Her dark skin is shining with sweat that, instead of seeming like the product of someone out of shape, instead reflects the sheer determination with which Syrel tackles her job everyday. It's no easy task to patrol an entire beach and deal with the occasional magic-infused monster that romps around the world nowadays, after all. One only needs to glimpse the faint lines of elven script tattooed along Syrel's wiry limbs to see how much pride she has in her position, a valued one within dark elf society.
My lips part to welcome her home, small fangs clicking faintly at the movement, but all my words die when Syrel glances my way and shows off her usual confident grin. Oh, how my heart feels like it's melting! Eight legs, much stronger than their slender builds might indicate, send a clatter throughout the hallway when they move from wall to floor and I press a chitin-covered hand to my wife's cheek. She brings up a hand to cover it, running her even more slender fingers along my own. In moments like this, an almost everyday occurence, I can't keep a wide smile from stretching across my lips, which then come down to press against Syrel's in a brief kiss.
She breaks off the contact, taking an extra moment to pat my cheek in turn before opening those enthralling ruby-red eyes. Her gaze locks onto mine, filled with a intensity that many others have always taken as a challenge, yet for me speaks to the infathomable passion that we share for each other, something mere words can never convey. So instead I settle for the rote reply, "Welcome home, my love."
Syrel leans in for a another brief peck on the lips. "I hope you have a nice lunch set out, or I might have to settle for eating you up instead, Jinai."
I rise up to my full height, nodding as I take her hand in mine. She looks so cute when blushing at little things like simply holding hands. "You're just in time for some fine miso soup. I almost have the living room set up, so you'll have to start without me."
"Sounds more like I'm in time for a pre-lunch snack, since you wouldn't really make me take our first real meal in this house by myself, would you?" she asks back, letting her arm swing back and forth as we stride along towards the kitchen.
My only response is to tighten my grip. Brash and loud as Syrel can be sometimes, she always knows how to make my day just that little bit brighter. A little us time would be very welcome right now.