NANO.ᐟ.ᐟ

Rosalinde couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. Their second walk felt effortless. The uncertainty of their first meeting had softened into something comfortable. Together they wandered through the heart of Windenburg, crossing stone bridges and weaving through quiet streets as evening settled over the town. Hours slipped by unnoticed. By the time Yuliana walked Rosalinde home, neither seemed eager for the night to end.

"Would you like to come inside?" Rosalinde asked.

Yuliana smiled. "I'd like that."

The cozy cottage quickly filled with easy conversation. They talked over tea, shared stories about their childhoods, and laughed more than either expected.

Eventually, the conversation drifted toward secrets. Yuliana grew quiet.

"There is something I should probably tell you."

Rosalinde set down her mug.

"I'm a witch."

The words hung in the air. Yuliana looked almost nervous waiting for a reaction. Instead, Rosalinde laughed. Not mockingly. Relieved. She crossed the room toward her bookshelf and pulled several worn grimoires from the shelves.

"Well, that's convenient." Yuliana stared.

"My mother taught me spellcraft growing up." said Rosalinde.

The look on Yuliana's face was priceless. "You're serious?"

Rosalinde opened one of the books, revealing pages of handwritten spells and notes. "Completely."

The tension vanished. Soon they were sitting together among stacks of books, sharing stories about being different. Stories about hiding parts of themselves. About the loneliness that came with powers most people feared.

"Sometimes I think people look at me like I'm some kind of monster," Yuliana admitted quietly.

Rosalinde nodded. "I know exactly what you mean."

Their eyes met.

"Abominations?" Rosalinde suggested with a grin.

Yuliana laughed. "Abominations."

For the first time in a long while, neither felt alone.

"Do you want to see something?"

Yuliana looked up from the grimoire resting in her lap. Rosalinde's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"That depends. Is this the kind of spell that's going to summon a demon?"

Rosalinde gasped dramatically. "Of course not." A pause.

"Probably." Yuliana laughed.

Rosalinde moved toward the center of the room, gathering a few crystals and an old wand from a nearby shelf. "My mother taught me this one when I was younger. It's mostly harmless."

"Mostly?"

"Well…" Rosalinde winced. "The first time I tried it I accidentally turned all my pajamas bright pink for a month."

Yuliana smiled. "Now I definitely want to see it."

Rosalinde opened a weathered grimoire and traced her fingers along the page before reciting a short incantation. Golden sparks danced from her fingertips. The magic swirled around her like ribbons of light. A second later her outfit changed completely.

Yuliana blinked.

Rosalinde spun dramatically. "Ta-da."

"You're telling me you've been hiding that spell this entire time?"

"I don't use it often." Rosalinde replied.

"Why not?"

Rosalinde shrugged. "It feels a little vain."

"I think it's practical." Yuliana laughed.

"Oh?"

Yuliana gestured toward the dress. "If I had magic that let me avoid changing clothes, I'd use it every day."

"Would you now?" Rosalinde flipped through the grimoire. "Come here."

Yuliana's eyebrows rose. "What?"

"Trust me." Reluctantly, Yuliana stood.

Rosalinde recited the spell again. This time the golden magic wrapped itself around Yuliana. For a brief moment she disappeared inside a cloud of shimmering light. When it faded, Yuliana looked down at herself.

Her usual dark outfit had transformed into an elegant black ensemble trimmed with gold embroidery, as though she'd stepped straight out of an ancient magical court. Silence. Then Rosalinde's mouth fell open.

"Oh."

Yuliana looked up. "What?"

Rosalinde suddenly seemed unable to form words. The outfit suited her entirely too well. Yuliana smirked. "That bad?"

"No."Rosalinde swallowed."Quite the opposite." The smirk widened.

Yuliana turned toward a nearby mirror and admired the transformation. "I could get used to this."

Rosalinde couldn't stop staring. Neither could Yuliana once she noticed. The room suddenly felt warmer.

"Oh!" Rosalinde suddenly exclaimed. "There's another one."

She hurried toward the towering bookshelf and climbed the rolling ladder attached to it. Reaching upward, she stretched for a particularly old grimoire. The ladder shifted. Rosalinde squeaked and immediately lost her balance. The next thing she knew she was falling.

Straight into Yuliana.

Books scattered across the floor as they landed together in an undignified heap. Silence. Rosalinde blinked. Yuliana blinked. Rosalinde became painfully aware that she was lying directly on top of her. Close enough to see every fleck of gold in Yuliana's eyes. Close enough to forget how breathing worked. She scrambled upright immediately.

"Oh Watcher, I'm so sorry—" Her face burned. "I wasn't paying attention and—"

Before she could finish rambling, Yuliana gently took her hand. Rosalinde froze.

The room felt impossibly quiet and Yuliana stepped closer then kissed her. Soft. Careful. Like she had been thinking about it all evening. When they finally pulled apart, both women looked equally stunned. Rosalinde's heart raced. Yuliana's cheeks were flushed. Neither knew what came next.

But neither stepped away.

And surrounded by candlelight, spellbooks, and shared secrets, it felt like the beginning of something neither of them had been searching for—but both had found.

Days passed. The woman kept appearing. Sometimes closer than before. Sometimes pretending not to watch at all. Rosalinde found herself looking for her every time she left the house, equal parts nervous and intrigued.

In a town where vampires weren't exactly welcome, approaching a mysterious stranger seemed like a terrible idea.

Yet she couldn't stay away.

Eventually, the woman made the first move.

"You're new in town."

The voice was warm, honey-sweet, impossible to ignore.

Her name was Yuliana.

What was supposed to be a brief conversation stretched into hours beneath the sunset. They spoke about dreams, loneliness, and the feeling of never quite belonging where everyone expected them to. By the time the sun disappeared behind clouds once again, Rosalinde realized the strange pull she'd felt all those weeks wasn't toward the street gravel at all.

It was toward Yuliana.

Yuliana was personable and affectionate as if she knew Rosalinde for years. Eventually it begane to get late and Yuliana took her hands and left a soft kiss on Rosalindes the back of her palm.

And when they parted, Yuliana left her with a simple question:

"Tomorrow evening. Same path?"

Rosalinde didn't hesitate.

"Tomorrow evening."