"...Flying is nice," she volunteers after a silence.

"Good!" says Nona.

"I'd be terribly bored during daylight hours I couldn't spend sleeping otherwise," agrees Etty.

"I bet."

Etty sighs and sits quietly. It appears to be their unspoken agreement that they don't discuss exactly what the Baron has done to either of them.

Nona curls up close by.

Etty pauses, and thinks, and then reaches out to pet Nona's hair. Gently and quite chastely.

That is good. The curse should approve. Etty goes on with what she's doing.

Nona goes on smiling.

Etty's arm being tired is the least of her worries. She'll stop if the curse - or Nona - stops approving, or when the operative arm becomes a wing.

How about if Nona falls asleep? Because Nona falls asleep.

Etty stills her hand but leaves it where it is otherwise.

Nona sleeps.

Etty watches the hand approach and doesn't move.

So Nona pets her feathers.

Etty leans the entire length of her neck along Nona's arm.

Etty fluffs her wings and makes a sort of a whistling noise. She hasn't figured out all her available vocalizations but she thinks this one sounds happy.

Nona grins and cuddles her some more.

When Nona gets close enough Etty can actually get her neck a fair bit of the way around Nona's neck.