With a flick, Werond signed the bottom of the document, and placed it on the left side of her thick mahogany desk. She glanced to her right at the stack of unread papers, imposingly tall, and sighed.

How the hell had it gotten this bad?

She leaned back in her leather chair and dug her knuckles into her eyes, hoping she could rub away the strain. The thick purple robes that hung over her body began to cool, as the enchantments woven into them picked up the sweat that began to form on her lower back.

After a moment, Werond straightened up, and grabbed the next document at the top of the stack. Laying it flat on her desk, she leaned forward and forced herself to skim the first page. Her eyes began to glaze over as she read and reread the first paragraph, words beginning to jumble in her head as each piece of political jargon assaulted her attention span.

With a sigh of frustration, one that had been uttered too many times before, Werond shoved the document away and leaned back again in her chair. She crossed her arms and stared up at the ceiling, eyes fixed on the beautiful wooden chandelier that hung from it, as she attempted to fight off a wave of drowsiness that threatened to consume her.

From the moment Werond had walked into her office, a dull weariness had invaded her mind, and no amount of work could dislodge it. Despite her office being better furnished than her home was, every facet served only to strengthen that weariness; the thick books and legal texts that lined her walls filled her with anxiety, and as she’d passed by the two couches in the middle of the room, a low wooden table between them, the thought of another meeting flooded her heart with dread. Even the sound of her boots on the hardwood, the paneling identical to the floor at home, raised her hackles, forcing Werond to calm herself down before she was able to begin today’s work.

She had no desire to work, though that feeling was not borne from the job itself. Her occupation was one that many had sought after, and despite the difficulties it brought her, it remained better than many of the jobs she’d previously held. On any other day, in fact, Werond would have been delighted to finally be back in the office.

With a sigh, she covered her eyes with a gloved hand.

No, it was that lingering sense of guilt and embarrassment lodged inside Werond’s chest that fueled her desire to stand up, march out of her room, and declare to the guards outside that she was taking a sick day, despite barely being in the office for a few hours.

“Gods damnit,” Werond whispered. “gods damnit.”

She couldn’t remember how she’d managed to slip away from Durnan that afternoon, or how long she’d wandered the city until she’d managed to collapse on her patio. How she even reached her patio in the first place was beyond her. But what wasn’t was the oppressive tidal wave of shame that had washed over her from Serena’s look, after purging the alcohol from her body.

Werond cringed as that shame came flooding back.

Gripping the desk, Werond spun her chair around; the window behind her, glass panels stretching from floor to domed ceiling, offered her a breath-taking view of the Dock and South Wards, in addition to the plentiful amount of natural light that poured into the room. Thanks to the height of her office, the citizens below looked like ants as they milled about the city, each consumed by the struggles of their own lives. In the distance, barely visible over the plethora of buildings, Werond glimpsed a galleon slowly pulling into the Great Harbor near the bottom of the city.

She sighed; seeing the city stretch out before her from the foot of Mount Waterdeep normally filled her with a sense of awe, powerful enough to wash away the frustrations of her job, or anything else that plagued her mind. Yet, today, Werond felt nothing but shame as the sun washed over her, robes cooling to compensate.

The look that Serena had given Werond was one that she’d only seen before from Graham; a look of pity, and quiet resignation, towards something that continued to happen, despite protests otherwise. And yet, perhaps worse than that, remained her anger at Werond’s response, at her refusal to tell Serena exactly why she’d forced herself to fall as far as she did. And despite the moments that they’d shared both that day and the following morning, Werond still felt as though Serena was frustrated at her.

She rolled her head and slumped further down in her chair.

She understood those frustrations, perhaps more than Serena knew. But there wasn’t anything Werond could do; her occupation, her purpose within the city, prevented Werond from divulging any information regarding it, a safety measure against those who’d try to influence or sway her. And, if word did get out that she’d divulged information, a quick vote from her colleagues would have her packing by the end of the afternoon. Or worse; Werond could remember a handful of times where exile would have been preferable to the punishments inflicted upon those in her position.

And yet…

Her lips pulled into a tight frown.

Those punishments hinged entirely on whether word got back to her bosses that Werond had leaked information regarding her position. If no one knew what she’d done, then there wasn’t anything to punish her for…

Keeping the act secret would be simple enough; Serena didn’t strike Werond as someone to go about spilling secrets, considering that she’d kept her mission regarding the Dragon Cult hidden for half the trip. So long as Werond underscored how critical it was that no one else knew what they’d spoken about, what was the harm?

Werond pushed herself up and leaned forward, her elbows on her legs, hands folded under her chin.

Werond didn’t have to tell Serena everything; specifics, like her title, could be changed easily enough, or avoided entirely. But a vague description of what her duties were, and how important she was to the city of Waterdeep, would be enough to satisfy her. So long as Werond gave Serena enough to understand just what had caused her to drink to excess –

A jolt of anxiety tore through her; Werond let out a guttural sound and buried her face into her hands.

Serena would never know about Jarlaxle. Werond refused to rope her into that problem; that was something for her, and only her, to endure.

She sucked in a deep breath and sat up. Werond glanced down at her hands, watching them as they shook.

The specifics of their relationship weren’t something that Werond would tell Serena. But she wouldn’t be lying if she’d simply said that one of her bosses was the source of her anxiety. Serena wouldn’t know about the meeting she had with Jarlaxle yesterday, or anything else for that matter, but she’d at least understand what exactly caused Werond to drink like that.

She’d have to rehearse what all she could say, but that wouldn’t be difficult. No different than all those speeches she’d rehearsed years ago. So long as Werond filled Serena in on the barest of minimums, avoiding specifics at all costs, she knew that she’d be able to keep the promise she made that morning. Or at least, feel like she had.

Digging her heel into the hardwood, Werond spun her chair back around, and leaned against the desk. The anxiety that filled her chest began to ebb away.

It would be fine. Despite the tension between them, Werond knew that her words would be enough for Serena. Giving her an understanding of what filled Werond with so much grief, even if it were changed slightly, was all that Serena asked for, and it was the least Werond could do for the woman she loved.

Werond squeezed her eyes shut and rolled her head. That was something she shouldn’t have said.

She enjoyed being around Serena and wanted their time together to continue as long as possible, but love wasn’t a word she should have used. In the moment, in her hungover mind, it seemed like the right thing to say to calm Serena down, but Werond hadn’t expected her to react as she did – as strongly as she did. Of course, Werond also hadn’t expected to hear those words given back to her after such a reaction, causing her to wonder if her own words held the same weight.

After all, she loved to be with Serena, that much was true. She loved everything they did together, whether it was as simple as sitting together on a wagon bench, or as nerve-racking as Serena’s introductions to the finer things two people could do in a bed together. But Werond wasn’t sure if she truly loved Serena as her words implied.

How was she not sure though? Wasn’t that what love was – wanting to be around someone so much that your chest ached at just the thought of being away from them? Hadn’t she gotten sullen each time Serena was away from her on the caravan? Hadn’t her chest ached the entirety of her walk to the office? Hadn’t she felt exactly like this, all those years ago, when –

Memories of before threatened to surface in her mind, causing Werond to bite her tongue and squeeze her eyes shut.

Instinctively, as those old thoughts elicited emotions long since buried, Werond pulled the middle drawer of her desk open by an inch; a dull clunk sounded from it, as the rest of the drawers unlocked. She reached down and pulled open the lowest drawer on the left, revealing a bottle of wine. She grabbed its neck and pulled it out of the drawer, flipping it around to stare at the label.

Her fingers traveled to the cork, picking at it as they attempted to find a way to pry it open. When her thoughts returned to her, emotions sufficiently buried once more, she scowled at the bottle.

With a shake of her head, Werond stuffed it back into the drawer, and slammed it shut.

…

The sun had begun to set, lighting the sky aflame with a brilliant orange, when Werond finally left her office, feet aching. She had tried to leave earlier, only to be stopped by what felt like every one of her colleagues, all of whom wanting to know about the ill-fated caravan trip. After escaping from her fifth conversation, Werond cursed herself for sneaking in that morning, and not talking with them then.

She cursed herself again as she exited the building, right in front of the massive crowds of people that flooded the streets come late afternoon. Resigned to her predicament, Werond pushed her way onto the sidewalk, and began her walk home.

In theory, she lived barely a five-minute walk from her workplace, but in practice, it took Werond half an hour or more to go back and forth between her home and office. As irritating as it was to push her way through one of the busier parts of the city, she knew it could have been worse; some of her colleagues had slept in their offices before, their homes so far that even their carriages took hours to reach them.

On any other day, she wouldn’t have cared; crowded streets were a hallmark for the city, something that she’d learned to put up with long ago. But today, every slow walker, every minor obstruction, served only to irritate her further.

She needed to get home quickly. The sooner she was able to talk with Serena, the better. That was assuming, of course, that she’d even be home right now.

Werond shook her head as she waited at a crosswalk and turned her thoughts back towards the stack of papers she’d left in her office; anything to distract her from the nervousness now budding in her chest.

After what felt like an eternity, Werond finally managed to turn onto her street. A short walk later, and with a sigh of relief, she stepped off the crowded sidewalk and down the path to her front gate. She glanced up at the windows as she unbolted the lock, heart giving a single leap.

She prayed Serena would be home. Werond couldn’t see why she wouldn’t be, after all, what would she be doing this late in the day? Yet that reassurance did nothing for the nervousness that gnawed in the back of her mind.

As Werond opened the front door, quickly stepping into the foyer, a wave of mouth-watering aromas washed over her; she couldn’t place her finger on what Graham had decided to make for dinner, but the smell of well-cooked meat was almost too much for Werond. She grinned as her stomach growled, and quickly passed through the living room, unable to wait for his cooking any longer. Besides, everyone else was probably tucking in already.

Before she could step in the kitchen, Werond halted in the threshold, and blinked in surprise.

Graham was gone, and in his place at the stove stood Serena; she had donned his white apron over her collared tunic and skirt, with her hair pulled into a tight ponytail, instead of its normal place against her shoulder. Had Werond not known any better, she would have sworn that Graham had been replaced with a maid.

Dirtied plates sat around the pot currently cooking on the stove, the remains of diced onions, carrots, and leaks spread thinly across them. An empty bottle of red wine stood off to the side, though there were no wine glasses to go with it. On the other side of the stove, six green bowls were stacked neatly together, a small pile of spoons along with them.

Werond watched as Serena, after a moment of stirring whatever was in the pot, opened one of the cabinets above, and pulled out what Werond knew to be a container of ginger. With the movements of an expert, Serena popped the lid open with one hand, and gently tipped some of the spice into the pot.

She brought the stirring spoon to her lips and slurped loudly; with a nod, Serena placed the ginger back in the cabinet, and continued stirring.

Werond stood in place, too stunned to speak. Serena paid her no heed, and Werond wondered if she’d even heard her come in.

She cleared her throat; Serena glanced over her shoulder, only to turn back to the stove.

Anxiety trickled into Werond’s chest.

“I…uhm,” Werond said, walking towards the island. “good to see you! Anyone else back yet?”

Serena rested the stirring spoon against the side of the pot and turned halfway towards Werond.

“Nope, just me.” Serena said, her attention still fixated on the pot. “Pavel went out to find a…blacksmith, I think. Wants someone to look over his armor for the tournament. Jo and Cruck’aa went with him, but I didn’t feel like going. Graham was about to start cooking but forgot about an errand, so I offered to at least start cooking everything.” Serena shrugged. “Stew’s done though. No one’s back yet.”

“You can cook?” Werond asked, surprised.

“Yeah. Mom taught me some, but I had to learn when I lived with Ned. Everything they made was really burnt, couldn’t taste anything.”

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“I can see that.”

“Hmm.”

Serena turned back towards the pot and continued stirring. Werond shifted uncomfortably as silence fell over them, save for the gentle crackle of the fire from the stove.

Hesitantly, Werond walked behind Serena and peaked over her shoulder at the pot; cuts of perfectly browned meat, along with the food on the counter, were soaked in a brown broth, the aroma of it all eliciting another growl from her stomach.

“That looks really good.” She said. “What is it? Stew?”

“Venison.” Serena signed with one hand, still stirring with the other.

“Ah. Well, if it’s done, may as well start eating. Who knows when everyone will be back and I’m starving. Here, pour some of it in the bowls and I’ll bring it to the living room.”

Serena nodded, swapping the stirring spoon for a serving ladle that sat close by; she poured out two generous bowls, and handed them to Werond, before turning the stove off.

“I’ll get some water from the icebox.” She signed, turning away from her.

As Serena walked over, she reached up and tugged her hair out of its ponytail and shook it out. Werond’s heart fluttered at the rare sight.

“You, uhm…” Werond said, still by the stove. “You look good with your hair down.”

Still facing away, Serena shook her head, and began to tie her hair back in its usual low ponytail. She glanced over at Werond, small smirk upon her lips, and shook her head again.

Heart fluttering once more, Werond quickly turned and headed back into the living room, her spirits somewhat lifted.

That little smirk had to be a good sign. It had to be.

Werond quickly stepped into the living room, her hands beginning to burn from the hot stew bowls. She walked around the closet couch in favor of the one that faced the kitchen and almost dropped the bowls onto the large rock that was her coffee table. Shaking her hands out, and with a grunt befitting a woman twice her age, Werond collapsed onto the couch, thankful to finally be off her feet again.

Serena came out from the kitchen soon after, mugs of water clutched in both hands. She placed them on the table, grabbed one of the stew bowls, and settled onto the far end of the couch, away from Werond. Without a word, she dug in, and nodded as she swallowed her first mouthful.

The anxiety in Werond’s chest grew; Serena was normally an easy read, with how emotional she was, but now, despite the smirk from a moment ago, Werond couldn’t get anything from her. Had she’d known whether Serena was frustrated or angry or indifferent – anything would have helped Werond. But a blank slate served only to further her fears.

Mind racing, Werond followed suit, and picked up her own stew bowl. She stirred the contents for a moment, as a maelstrom of words ripped through her mind, unable to decide what to say first. She absentmindedly raised a spoonful of stew to her mouth.

Werond blinked as she swallowed, mouth tingling almost painfully. She looked up at Serena.

“You made this?” She asked, eyes wide. “I-I mean, not that I think you didn’t but…this is really good Serena, I had no idea you could cook like this!”

“Mom – good – teacher.” Serena signed with one hand; her eyes remained fixed on her bowl.

Werond watched her for a moment, before turning back to her own stew; silence fell around them once more as the maelstrom continued within her mind. A knot seemed to form in her chest as she slurped down another mouthful of stew, anxiety continuing to grow.

After a moment, she looked up.

“So, uhm…” Werond’s tongue became thick as she tried to speak. “did you, uhm…do anything fun today?”

She cursed herself quietly as Serena met her gaze. Serena nodded, and placed her spoon inside her stew, leaning it against the edge.

“Pavel and I went sparring at the coliseum. Stayed for a couple of hours. He wanted to get some practice in against magic in case he had to fight someone like me.”

“Oh. How was that?”

“Painful. He got a bit too excited and shoved me around. He’s lucky my magic was weakened.”

“Oh! Are you okay though?”

“I’m fine. Just a bit sore.”

“Well, that’s good. Anything else happen?”

Serena touched a spot on her neck, directly under her choker.

“Nope.”

She turned back to her stew before Werond could ask further.

The knot in Werond’s chest tightened, almost painfully; she sucked in a deep breath, grabbed her stew bowl, and placed it back on the coffee table. Serena’s eyes flicked to it, then back to her own bowl.

Werond leaned back into the couch and clasped her hands over her face; a wave of anxiety washed over her, the tightness in her chest threatening to cut her breath off.

“I can’t…” she said quietly. “even begin to tell you how many times I rehearsed what I wanted to say to you today, and then…” Werond raised a hand and gestured into the air, as though she were throwing her thoughts away. “poof. All gone. Right as I open my mouth.”

She straightened up and turned to fully face Serena, one leg tucked onto the couch. Serena had dropped her spoon in her bowl and met Werond’s gaze.

Werond shivered.

“I…I thought about bringing back something – flowers or food or – I don’t know. Felt disingenuous though. And that’s not how I want to come off because…”

Her words trailed off as Serena picked up her bowl and placed it onto the table next to Werond’s. She turned to face Werond as well, crossing her legs and smoothing out her long skirt, giving Werond her full attention.

“L-listen, Serena, I’m…” She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry for what I did yesterday. It was completely…ridiculous of me to do something like that, it’s just,” Werond shrugged. “that’s what I always did when work got the best of me. Hasn’t happened in a while but that’s no excuse. So, truly, I’m sorry about…that.”

“Thank you.” Serena’s hands shot up instantly, startling Werond slightly. “I appreciate that. I know that this is your house and what you say goes, but I really don’t want to see you do that again. If you have a problem…” She squeezed her eyes shut, frowning in frustration. “even if it’s one you can’t tell me about, please just come to me. Let me help as best I can.”

“Of course.” Werond nodded. “Right, I will. Next time, I won’t get like that.”

“Because I really don’t want to see you like that again. I don’t mind if you drink, with or without me, but blacking out like that is just stupid Werond. I’ve seen so many people do it back at Moms and I just…lost all respect for them. It made me not want to be around you, and I don’t ever want to feel like that again.”

“Right.” Werond said, heat flooding into her face. “I know. You were…pretty frustrated the other day.”

“Yeah, I was and…honestly, I still am.” Serena frowned. “When you left this morning, it felt like I gave into what you wanted. Like you…won, or something.” Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know why; I’ve never been with someone before and there was so much I wanted to talk about and understand and it didn’t feel right just leaving it until later, but I knew you had work and…” Serena’s head rolled to one side. “I know you can’t tell me what your problem is. I know it’s about your job and that’s secret, for whatever reason. But being in the dark like this and just…letting you walk out the door without anything said it…it made me feel like shit, Werond. It did. I didn’t want to feel like that, but I did. You had work, and I get that, but I started questioning whether I should be frustrated or not and I couldn’t figure it out because you had to leave and I respect that but letting you do that just made it feel like I’d lost and I didn’t want to feel like that but I did because I wanted to talk to you and…”

Serena clasped her hands to her face and dragged them down to her chin, filling Werond’s head with a weary sigh. When she dropped them, Werond’s heart jumped as she realized that Serena’s eyes were glassy.

“Bahamut’s Teeth, I’ve never done something like this, I’ve never been with anyone, I don’t know what to think or how to feel. And with everything that happened, I – I…”

“I know what you mean.” Werond said quietly; Serena dropped her hands. “That wasn’t my intention. I didn’t want to win anything. There were so many thoughts flying through my head, I just…didn’t take the time to think about how you felt. I was more concerned with making sure that we could talk later so I could head in, rather than taking the time to make sure you were okay. I’m sorry.”

Her words hung in the air as Serena nodded, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

“It just…” She signed, voice thick. “It felt like you were running away from me.”

Werond sucked in a sharp breath as Serena’s words tore through her, worse than any knife.

“I…yeah, I can see that.” She said awkwardly, as shame flooded her body. “Did it on the caravan and I did it here, I…I guess I was running away from you, every time I felt that knot in my chest about getting back to Waterdeep, and when we did get here…it just got worse.”

Serena nodded as Werond rubbed her face, feeling her own eyes begin to water.

“I guess…I guess I was – am afraid of how you’ll perceive me if you saw that side of me. I don’t like it when anyone sees me like that. Everyone who did thought less of me and –”

“I wouldn’t do that!” Serena cut her off, voice raised. “I’d never do that! Why would you think that?”

“Because it’s happened before, Serena. Enough times that I need to hide it. I’m,” Werond waved her hand above her head. “not always the confident person that I was on the caravan. And that isn’t the person you wanted to be with, and I didn’t…want you to think differently of me.”

“Why did you think I’d do that?” Serena looked at her as though she grown a second head.

“Because I’m used to it happening. It’s…” Her words deserted her as memories began to surface, memories she thought were buried. “happened before.”

“My opinion of you isn’t going to change over one thing, Werond.” Serena said. “Even if it was as bad as yesterday.

“I know but –”

“No buts, it’s not going to change. Yes, I was frustrated beyond belief, but you wanted to talk about it and make things right. And I appreciate that, I really do.” Serena shrugged. “I don’t know how you think of yourself, but I don’t see you any differently. You’re still…the woman I want to be with right now, and quite honestly, I don’t see how that can change.”

“I can.”

Serena shot Werond an annoyed look, causing her to shift about uncomfortably.

“Sorry.” She sucked in a breath. “I’m just…not used to someone thinking that way about me. It’s…I’ve had some rough relationships before. Probably why I was trying to avoid you so much whenever I felt stressed. I’m just…used to dealing with things by myself.”

“Did you want to talk about –”

“No, absolutely not.” Werond replied instantly.

Serena blinked in surprised but nodded.

“O-okay, sorry.”

“It’s fine. Honestly.”

Too many memories to dig up, memories that Serena didn’t need to know.

“Right. Uhm…well, I’m glad we were able to talk about this, I…feel a lot better about everything now that…I’ve gotten my thoughts out. I didn’t really know where your head was at so…knowing where it is now makes me feel better.”

Werond nodded. “Yeah, and I feel the same. I…honestly had no idea you were feeling like that after I left. I would have stayed and…” She waved her hand. “You know. I won’t let something like this happen again. It’s not fair for both of us. So next time I’m feeling terrible, I’ll come and find you, okay?”

“Okay. And the next time I’m feeling terrible, I’ll come find you.”

“To be honest darling, you’re a little ahead of me on that one.”

Serena grinned wearily and nodded.

She dropped her hands into her lap, shoulders relaxing, as they lapsed back into silence. A deep exhaustion seemed to wash over her, though Serena still wore a smile on her face. Whether it was a smile of happiness, or relief, Werond couldn’t tell, and though Serena did seem better, if tired, the knot in Werond’s chest refused to disappear.

She knew why.

Serena looked up at her as Werond scooted closer.

“Listen,” she said, voice low. “I’m glad we could talk, like you said. But…I still need to do better by you. Everything that I did yesterday wasn’t right, and, well…”

Her words trailed off as Werond’s heart began to speed up. She licked her lips, and drew in a deep breath, confident in what she was about to say.

“I can tell you a little bit of what I do for a living.” Werond said, scooting closer until their knees almost touched. “I mean what I said before, I’m not at liberty to say everything –”

“Werond,” Serena’s voice came out as a whisper, despite Werond being the only one to hear it. “if you can’t tell me, that’s fine, I –”

“No, it’s not fine. You deserve to know what’s going on with me. You want to help, and I need to let you in so you can. It’s only fair.” Werond pointed a finger at Serena. “But you can’t breathe a word to anyone outside this room on what I’m going to tell you. No one Serena, I mean it. If it gets out, I could get into a serious amount of trouble.”

“Then why tell me?”

“Because I decided that I wanted you to know, and to me, that outweighs any of the negatives that come with telling you.”

Serena’s eyes went wide; her hands froze against her chest, as though she had more to say, only for them to drop into her lap, Werond once again occupying her undivided attention.

“Alright.” Werond said. “Again, not a word. I’m…gods, I don’t even know how to start this. It sounds ridiculous but…I work for the government. I’m…essentially overseeing one of the wards in the city, and making sure things stay running smoothly. I can’t tell you my title, but it’s…extremely stressful somethings, trying to make sure I’m pushing the ward I’m in charge of in the right direction. There’s a lot of bureaucracy involved and there’s a lot I need to understand about the law and tax codes and how the ward works…because if I mess up, people can starve.” Serena blinked in astonishment. “I know. It’s been a couple of years though and things haven’t burned down yet, I suppose. But really, all you need to know is that I…have a relative amount of power in the city, and it affords me a good standard of living.” Werond glanced at the ceiling. “You were right to ask about my house and Graham. I did inherit the house; it came with the job. Graham didn’t, before you ask.”

Serena smirked at the comment; Werond felt her anxiety begin to melt away as she matched it.

“I know, it feels like he should have. Anyways I…don’t get me wrong, I love my job. It’s one that I’ve been pining after for a while, and I’ve very lucky to have it. But…it can be stressful at times. My boss – well, one of my bosses – isn’t the best with…everything. And I guess the thought of having to come back and deal with him, after relaxing on the caravan with you, sent me over the edge. It’s not really anything that he does, he’s just…”

The meeting with Jarlaxle sprang into her mind, causing Werond’s body to stiffen. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip, as she struggled to shove away the fear that threatened to spill over.

“Terrible.” Werond blurted out, louder than she meant, causing Serena to jerk back. “Sorry. But he’s terrible, honestly. Horrible. But there isn’t anything I can do about that because he’s my boss and my job is important. There’s no one I can really discuss this with, and he does nothing that’s…against the rules, I guess. He’s just an ass. It’s something that I’ve learned to live with. I’ve gotten used to it after these past years, and the stuff that bothers me…well, I tend to just…bottle it all up, try to forget about it. I know that’s unhealthy but it’s how I survived.”

“And now you don’t have to.” Serena replied.

Werond blinked. That wasn’t true.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Werond said. “M-mostly. It’ll take some getting used to. But that’s what I meant yesterday when I said you couldn’t help me with it. My problem isn’t something that I can fix, and I’ve learned to accept that. I just…didn’t have the faculties to explain it like that. I meant what I said though, all of it – that you help me by just being there for me. Being with you makes things bearable and that’s more than I honestly deserve. So…again, I’m sorry for how I said things last night. I didn’t mean to come off like I did. I hope…” She spread her palms towards Serena. “I hope that you feel like I kept my word, to make things better.”

“I do.” Serena signed instantly; the knot in Werond’s chest finally began to loosen. “I didn’t think you’d plan on telling me anything about your job, so this is kind of a surprise for me. But thank you. That…does help now that I know a little about everything.”

“Of course.” Werond’s cheeks grew warm; part of her didn’t believe she deserved Serena’s gratitude. “I think that this was all something that I wanted to say yesterday but I just…couldn’t. And you know why. A lot of what I said and how I said it just…didn’t come out right, and…”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it wasn’t. I mean, I’m glad we could talk now and get it figured out –”

“Werond, it’s okay.”

“– but I needed to make sure that I had a chance to say all that –”

“I know and I appreciate that but –”

“– because if I didn’t, I know that –”

Serena shot up from the couch, fast enough to scare Werond into silence; annoyance was etched across her face as she stepped in front of her.

Before Werond could ask, Serena hiked her up her skirt, just enough for her legs to move freely, and clambered onto Werond. She straddled her and sat in Werond’s lap, her knees pressed into the couch, and let her skirt bunch around them as it settled.

She pressed the sides of her hands against Werond’s chest, her heart slamming to meet them. In the light of the setting sun, Serena’s blue eyes seemed to shimmer.

“Stop talking.” Serena said firmly; Werond could barely make out her signs in her peripherals. “It’s okay, I know what you’re trying to say. I feel better, you seem to feel better, let’s just…get off this topic, okay?”

Heat poured into Werond’s face as she nodded, her body beginning to sweat.

“Okay. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. You just didn’t seem like you were going to stop anytime soon.”

“Well…I was pretty nervous about all this.”

“I was too. But we’re past that now, right?”

“Right.”

They stared at one another, neither of them moving. After a moment, Werond gingerly wrapped her hands around Serena’s waist.

“I didn’t expect you to climb on top of me.” She said quietly.

Serena shrugged.

“Well, how else was I supposed to get you to shut up?”

Despite the embarrassment that still lingered within Werond, she grinned wolfishly.

She leaned in and kissed Serena, gently, Werond’s lips staying long enough to make her squirm. As she pulled away, Werond’s hands traveled up Serena’s sides, causing her face to turn red.

“Like that. That would have been a good way.” Werond whispered.

Her grin widened at Serena’s scrunched up look of annoyance for walking into the kiss.

“You know,” She continued, hands traveling back down to Serena’s hips. “I think that, after something like that…we both deserve a little reward, right? Blow off a little steam, you know? Get lost in each other. Sound like…something you want to do?”

Her grin dropped as Serena cringed, shifting about on Werond’s lap.

“Um, actually, I…” She swallowed. “I’m really sore from the sparring session with Pavel, could we…skip it this time?”

Werond raised a brow.

“Do I need to go talk to him?”

“No! No, it’s,” Serena’s face grew redder. “he just got a little carried away and he knows but I think I’ll pass out the moment I hit the bed…” She slunk down a bit. “Sorry.”

“That’s fine, honestly.” Werond’s voice resumed its normal tone. “I didn’t know, no big deal. You want to just…sit down here for a bit then?”

As her answer, Serena ducked her head, leaned forward, and fell against Werond, pushing a grunt out of her.

“Okay,” She said, wrapping her arms around Serena. “please tell me next time, before you do that. Remember, I’m exhausted too.”

Serena’s body shook with silent laughter. Werond grinned, and buried her face into Serena’s neck, finally content.