Frozen grass crunched beneath their feet as they crept quietly along the side of the house, holding each other's hands in the dark. Ralkag squinted as she searched for the railing, fingers trailing over old wood and chipped paint before finally reaching the stairs leading up to the balcony.
"Careful", she whispered in quiet concern, mindful of Nana's bad leg as they made their way up the slippery, wet steps to the place she had prepared for them in secret just a few hours earlier.
Emerging from the shadow of the trees surrounding the once abandoned manor, they were cast in a soft blue light from above - making the auburn curls that framed Nana's face appear to glow. Not being able to help herself, the smaller women gasped and squeezed Ralkag's hands, eyes looking out at the aurora reflecting on Lake Ilinalta.
The lights folded over each other in the sky, casting blue and purple down over a horizon of jagged mountains. After a moment of silence, Ralkag remembered the blankets she'd brought out in preparation for this moment.
"Come, I've made a place for us to sit", the dragonborn gently pulled Nana from her thoughts, leading her to a warm little nook at the far end of the balcony. Taking her staff and helping the mage to sit, Ralkag moved to sit beside her, grunting at the effort it took to position her long frame neatly on the ground.
Neither of them were inclined towards romance, but that didn't stop the flutter in her stomach when Nana rested against her shoulder, half lidded eyes watching the lights above. In their closeness, Ralkag could smell the sweet scent of dirt and herbs on her skin and hair, the signature scent of her craft. Holding her hand, she could feel the gentle balance of soft skin and calluses, along with the mark of Namira extending down from the ring finger of her left hand.
That last bit, she tried not to think about. Worry would only sour such a precious moment.
Pulling the heavy cloak from off of her own back, Ralkag wrapped it around the both of the as best as she could and allowed herself to relax against the smaller woman.
"This is wonderful," Nana spoke in a soft, even tone, "I almost wish the others were here with us.. almost."
Ralkag hummed in response. The family of friends she had found during her recent years of hunting down dragons had all been called down their own paths, leaving only the two of them remaining at Lake View. Thinking of them made her heart ache, knowing even now it could not stay this way. Nana would have to return to the Reach in due time.
But for now she was home, and they were together, and the aurora lights shine just for them.
