Sitting cross-legged at the corner of the bed, a steaming cup of tea in her hands, A’nallia watched as her master changed into his usual linen sleep pants. He put his other clothes away, moved his shoes against the wall, and ruffled his shoulder-length hair, giving his head a good scratch. It was animalistic, yet also somehow intimate.

She knew his nighttime routines well by now and sat patiently, waiting for him to finish. He took his tea from her hands as he passed, bringing it to a chair under the window, then sat in silence for a few moments, gingerly blowing the steam away.

“I heard A’ldissa has been giving you trouble.”

Even as the two became more comfortable with each other, her master’s demeanor never changed. He always spoke in a casual, detached manner and did not need to look at her to speak to her. She was accustomed to it now, and could easily tell when she was being spoken to or what he wanted by his gestures. She had originally thought he was complicated – the dark and mysterious demon lord - but in reality, he was merely a recluse who was unconcerned with or lacked human social skills.

“Really? I’liara told you that?” A’nallia kept her voice soft but her shock was genuine.

She was surprised that anyone would tell him, since it didn’t impact him, but it was even more surprising that he would think it important enough to mention. She ignored A’ldissa to make sure that her petty feud only disrupted her day and not the rest of the house.

His gaze didn’t leave his cup. “O’rana can be loud, and she knows a good number of curses and insults. Wench being the nicest.”

“Ah, yes. She is talented in that area...” She shot him a small, apologetic smile. “I suppose she means well, anyway.”

Turning her head away, she rolled her eyes, determined to have a long heart-to-heart with O’rana about her big mouth and good intentions.

“Do I need to do something about this?” he asked in his serious tone.

Her heart jumped into her throat and she turned back, shaking her head and anxiously waving her hands from side to side.

“Oh, please don’t! That will only make things worse.” It didn’t need explanation, but she continued anyway. “A’ldissa will get over it, eventually. She's just upset because she was your favorite and I’ve taken her duties away from her and...”

As soon as the words left her lips, she regretted saying them, but it was too late to take them back. She cringed, waiting for the reaction.

“She was my favorite?”

The tone seemed to have a hint of curiosity to it. If she didn’t know the speaker, she might have thought he was being playful behind that rigid expression.

“Was she your favorite?”

She had come this far, she may as well take the opportunity to push the limits. This was the longest back and forth conversation they'd had. Until now, she asked a scar-related question and she received a precise scar-related answer. He had never initiated any discussion and never participated like this. A small part of her was afraid to break the delicate relationship she had been trying to build, but not enough to make her hold her tongue.

Her master didn’t respond to the question and she knew she had lost the conversation.

Oh well. It was worth a try, ah?

Instead, he set his tea down and walked over to sit next to her on the bed, showing her his back. This was how they started every healing session, moving section by section, methodically covering each area of wounds to briefly ease his pain and help him sleep. A’nallia was still feeling adventurous, all of the questions inside her bubbling to the surface, so she took a chance.

“Is it alright if I try something? All of your injuries are firmly mapped out in my mind and this method might work better.”

Her master nodded slowly, not a lover of surprises, but so far she had proven herself capable so he had no reason not to trust her. She slid off the bed and gently grasped his hand, gesturing for him to stand as well. When he did, she unexpectedly wrapped both arms around his waist to his back, palms flat against his shoulder blades. The rest of her body pressed to his chest. He was tall and the top of her head nestled just under his chin. She felt him jump slightly in surprise and try to pull away.

“What are you doing?” His voice was thin and higher than usual.

She held on, not so tight that he couldn’t easily escape but with a firm enough grasp to show she was serious. His body was tense but he hesitated, not backing up any further.

“I am healing you.”

He relaxed and let her pull herself closer, his arms to his sides and his eyes fixed on the head resting against him. A’nallia warmed her entire body, from her feet, gently placed on top of his, to her thighs, barely touching him, to her chest, shoulders, arms, and hands, all wrapped confidently around his upper body. Even her cheeks felt warm. He watched a large chunk of her long brown hair turn white as she melted his pain away.

When she had finished, her temperature slowly returning to normal, she looked up at him and smiled with satisfaction.

“There. This way, I can reach everything at once...”

Suddenly, she felt her knees buckle. Everything went black and she collapsed before she could finish her thought. Large arms shot out, stopping her from hitting the floor, then gently lifted her and placed her on the bed. She groaned quietly as she regained her senses, feeling the blood begin to rush back to her head, and squinted. Her master held the large strip of white hair in his hand, but his dark grey eyes were locked on hers. This time, his expression was obvious.

“You’re worried about me?”

He didn’t move, still staring, the white hair in his loose grasp slowly returning to brown.

“Mm.”

A’nallia lifted herself up, palms pushing against the firm mattress, moving her face so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin. He didn’t flinch. Without a thought, she leaned in and touched her lips to his. There was only a moment of delay before he kissed back, one hand on her waist and the other at her head to hold her steady.

Taking the smallest breath, barely parting from her, he asked, "You're certain?"

"I've never been more certain of anything."

Wrapping both arms around to his back, she felt free for the first time in her life, like she had finally found a place in this world where she was wanted. Where she belonged. All hesitation disappeared, both only driven by instinct and desire as they became one entangled mess of limbs. In a single, swift motion, he pressed her back against the bed and pulled the sheets to cover them.