#lorkin

Nesryn just longed for a long bath and a quiet day. The last days had been exhausting and a rest was urgently needed. As soon as she unlocked the front door, she heard the water rushing in the bathroom. A smile spread across her face. She knew Lorkin had been on morning duty and probably had the same thought. Shadow and Nyx came to greet her and led her straight to their bowls. Nesryn just shook her head when she saw the cats had already been fed. "Eat up first, divas." Laughing, she went up to the bathroom. The smell of bath oil was already floating towards her. Music was playing in the bedroom. A look over at the door told her that, contrary to her habit, the door had been closed. She took off her coat and keys before she went into the bathroom. What she saw there was something she had not expected. Lorkin sat on the stool she usually used to put everything down there, from teacup to book, before she got into the tub, wearing only underwear. The bathroom was decorated with candles, some of which were certainly scented candles, as strong as the scent of roses hanging in the air. There was also something mixed in that she thought was vanilla. "I can't believe you did that," Nesryn was amazed. "Do you mean the improvised wellness packages at home? Well, I had a little help from Pashyn and Nardik. But now come here and enjoy it." She looked at him skeptically as she slipped out of her shoes. "Why do I get the feeling you want to take a bath with me?" "Because that was the plan." "But declare myself crazy when I got so excited about the extra-large tub." To her surprise, he blushed a little. "I didn't see the point then." "You mean apart from the fact that I can really lay myself out in it?" "I knew you'd want all the space to yourself." "Of course..." Nesryn grinned at him cheekily. It should have surprised her that he used it to get into the tub in front of her, but it did not. After all these years she knew Lorkin well enough. Rolling her eyes, she followed him. The water was hotter than expected, or she had become colder on the way home than expected. Carefully he put his arms around her and slowly pulled her back. "You should relax." "Why do I have the feeling that this is just foreplay?" "Because you are a dirty-minded woman?", Lorkin threw back, the laughter in his voice clearly audible. "Says the man who made a big fuss here. Besides, the bedroom door is closed and that only makes sense if the cats are not supposed to destroy something." The grumbling was hardly audible but still there. "You think too much. It's hard to surprise you." "You surprised me with everything here. The rest was easy to guess." As punishment, Lorkin let water run over her head. "We have to get those dirty thoughts out of your head." It was a fake threat and Nesryn bit her lip not to laugh. "And then what?" "Let's fill it with new ideas." Something about the way he said it, bending his head so far that his mouth was against her ear, sent a shiver down her spine in joyful anticipation. "I am curious."

And than The Traitor Spy comes out and it turns out Sonea named her son deadass Lorkin?? Being in that fandom back than must have been funny!

How did I not see this before??

Slowly Nesryn got to the point where she wanted to smash something. Preferably something hard, which makes a lot of noise. The fact that even Shadow and Nyx didn't greet her as usual and perform the aria of the starving cat says enough about how loaded she was. It was even more astonishing when she found Lorkin grinning broadly in her kitchen. It smelled suspiciously like his homemade barbecue sauce and there was enough meat on the counter to feed at least four people. "Hey...", she managed to say only tiredly. "Hey, you look like you need coffee." "Best approach is a coffee IV." Nesryn yawned heartily and picked a piece of tomato from the salad. "Don't touch the food, you'll have to be patient a little longer. The grill is already started. And how bad was it?" Lorkin looked over at her with an expression of deep compassion on his face. "It would be easier if I didn't have to have the same miserable discussions day after day after day. Why did women volunteer to learn how to fight, when they ended up complaining that it wasn't feminine, or that it wasn't appropriate, or what should men think?” "Change does not happen overnight. You're fighting against thousands of years when women were not allowed to fight." He handed her a coffee and shooed the cats away from the meat in one movement. "I know, but they could definitely moan less and work more," Nesryn stretched, "So barbecue today? And why so much meat?" "Thurash and Pashyn are coming too. We thought it would be better to bury your teeth in meat than in the recruits.” She looked at him skeptically. "Wait, is that why you have barbecues every year in late summer, because recruits get on your nerves?" Guiltily, Lorkin shrugged. "I tell you, better to bury your teeth in meat than in the recruits. Best for all." Laughing, Nesryn stood on her toes, gave him a kiss on the cheek and disappeared. "I'm taking a shower!!," it echoed from the stairs, and shortly afterwards Nesryn slammed the bathroom door shut. She locked it as a precaution. You never knew what ideas Lorkin had to pass the time until the others were there. Besides, someone had to save the meat from the cats.

Just because I hate the ending of the third book, and I know I’m gonna have to write some fanfiction to rectify the painful ending... so watch this space :)

sonea's growth in the sequels was so beautiful strange. it's been decades since akkarin's death, so it's less painful to her, but she clings to him through her coddling of lorkin. she's more stoic and mature, and her relatively neutral relationship with the new black magician was funny to witness. I'm sure the new guy was panicking when he realised he was essentially replacing akkarin in terms of purpose. sonea being like: this is not impressive.