.: Nesting Instincts - Expansion :.

When the month had started, Tzillah was going to keep it simple. She told herself this. She wasn't buying anything, or spending too much time on it. In fact, she'd considered herself done on the first day the urge had hit her, and in under ten minutes. She had her favorite quilt to act as bedding, and her favorite cotton-soft pillow to lay her head upon. What else could a nest possibly need, she had asked herself the first day as she flopped into the warm familiarity, cheek nuzzling against the soft pillow. No, no, she was clearly done. This was perfection.

This was perfection, she reminded herself, as she found herself gathering more as the days drew on. Her nest didn't need anything, as fleece blankets and silken sheets joined the soft worn quilt to make the bed of her nest. It was just fine, she tried to tell herself as cushions and pillows and memory-foam softness was dragged in to line the walls of her nest. She didn't need anything else, she firmly told herself as she flopped back into her newly-updated nest. But that train of thought was derailed...when had she brought in the terry cloth bath towels? The soft material was held up, still warm from the dryer before she let it drop down onto herself, snuggling down under it with a happy little wheek. Whatever, it didn't matter. Clearly she was done now.

She had said she was done, she reminded herself silently as she moved to create a blanketed canopy, carefully calculating the swoop of the fabric to optimize the light that would filter in. Another blanket was added soon after to dim it further, and pins and weights to hold the blankets in place just right. Because it had to be just right. Because after this, she would be done, because it'd be perfect and there was clearly nothing else to do. Nothing else to do... well, maybe after she got the microfiber cloths from the kitchen to fill the back corners of her nest, to better prop the pillows up. There. The quiet proclaimation of 'perfect' left her lips as she flopped back into the nest, looking up at the dappled light that filtered into her cozy little nest. And she was content.

She was content, she tried to tell herself as ideas filled her head and moved her feet. She was happy with her nest, she gently insisted to herself, even as she made her way into the shop. She didn't need anything else, a soft mutterance as she plucked up the body pillow to hoist over her shoulder. Tzillah had finished her nest, even as she scoops up a few fleecy blankets from the discount bin. She didn't need to buy anything, she tried to remind herself as she plucked up a faux fur rug, rubbing her cheek against it's softness before it too was added to the basket. Her attempts at persuading herself had all but died by the time the box of fairy lights had found itself cradled in her arms.

She was going to be done this time. She was sure of it. So certain of it as unboxed the fairy lights, gently weaving and pinning them to the outside entrance to her nest, clipping them to the blanketed awning, the glow gentle as they swayed. These were going to be the final touches, as she rolled the length of faux fur out over the bottom of the nest, flopping down on it once more to make herself comfortable. This was perfection, as soft fuzzy blankets were unrolled and tossed upon her. It felt perfect. Gentle softness all around her, cradling her, cocooning her away from the rest of the world. Comfort, warmth, and most importantly: safety. This was exactly what she had needed. And she had hardly gone all out, she assured herself. She hadn't spent...too terribly long on it, after all, as she curled into her new body pillow, casually tossing a leg over it. No, she'd hardly put thought or effort into this at all. And she was finally, finally done, she was so sure of it as she snuggled down, nuzzling her cheek against the soft support under her head.

This was perfection.

Until it wasn't. No, no, she needed something. Something else, the realization came with the next morning's light. But...she couldn't put her finger on what was missing...was she not done? Had she not made the perfect nest of coziness? Of comfort? Of warmth? Had....she failed?  She was quiet as she inspected her nest, testing the softness here and there, double checking the textures of the materials... no, it was all perfectly cozy. What else could it need? And then it hit her; of course. Of course, she'd missed the most important component. Old Faithful! She scurried off to her room, to her poor neglected bed that hadn't seen her since the dawning of the month. And there she lay; patched up, faded, but familiar: Her weighted blanket, scented gently with lavender and vanilla. The blanket was small, much to small for an adult bun; her childhood companion and dear friend as far as she was concerned. The scent had faded to near oblivion, and the colors faded with age, but she cared not as she hugged it to her chest, carrying it back to the nest. What mattered was comfort, and no nest would be complete without them.