More Days With You

The (Lupecyll-Atlon, other) Residence.

The night is dark and stars are out, though most are covered with clouds and the wind is chill against and across the mountain. Said breeze reminds that it exists even to those with warm hearths and sturdy walls as some slips inside as Verna enters. Another occupied day from a rather occupied week. Fortnight? Month? Season? She has somewhat lost track of how much has occurred and exactly when due to sheer volume. The doffing of cloak and hanging it near the door is done purely by muscle memory.

Auranar sits on her chair, a book on her chest, and Hunter curled up on her lap. She seems to be fast asleep. Having fallen prey to the hour and the lure of waiting up for Verna. Though the rising heat from the tea on the table suggests that she's not been asleep for too terribly long and she stirs a little ar the sound of the door opening and closing.

Verna takes a moment to take in the sight. Comfort. Peace. Adorability. Yes, Hunter is also cute. It is a sight that removes whatever frown or other weariness upon Verna's features. For a moment... as a thoughtful, mildly perturbed curl follows. She sheds sodden boots and pads her way to the dozing pair to retrieve the book lightly from Aura and set it upon the table, place kept. A moment later, after consideration, she gently inquires, "Dearest?" Waking even to escort to bed seems a lesser offense than leaving her alone. As comfortable as the chairs are, sore necks are an all-too common result.

"Mmmm?" Comes a mumbled sleepy response from Auranar. She stretches a bit and blinks open her dark eyes. Disturbed from his sleep as well, Hunter opens one eye and then closes it when he realizes that there is no immediate need for him to rouse himself. Auranar smiles and reaches out a hand for Verna. "Hey there. You just get home?" An obvious question with an obvious answer.

Verna takes the offered hand and holds it. "Yes. My apologies that I was kept out so late..." Her lips purse at another obvious fact, "yet again. This occurs far too often as of late. It will not continue." A pause before she notes, "Your tea seems to yet be hot, if you still wished it?"

Auranar smiles. "It's alright love. You don't have to apologize." She gives herself another little stretch before considering the tea. "Only if you mean to join me. Otherwise I'd rather come to bed with you." A small secretive smile here.

Wholly unsurprisingly, her smile is echoed, though Verna's does not hide all of the weariness. "If you did not wish the tea, I would tend to it, is all." Perhaps as example, she reaches over to claim it and steal a sip. Quality control, surely.

She then decides to kneel, rather than shift to the other chair; this would require releasing the hand... or risk her own unexpected upright unconsciousness. "I join you in either... rather, both, love, but I wished to speak with you, now, while thoughts are still fresh, and we are both able."

Auranar smiles more widely as Verna takes a sip of her tea. "It is yours then." She says warmly, fingers of her free hand petting Hunter gently. The feline starts up a rumbling purr that seems far too large for his size. "Then speak Verna, you know you can share anything with me. Whenever you want to."

Verna briefly appears guilty as her choice to tea-thieve may not have been entirely conscious. Still, they do share all things, and it is included. For now it is returned. "It is not that I cannot share, but that the opportunities have seemed so few that concerned me. To that end, I spoke with Madame Gulfure. I shall lecture no further classes nor seminars at the Arcanist Society. As well, my rotation of duties at the temple shall be shifted to administrative tasks. No late nor overnight services." Auranar's hand is squeezed. "We chose to spend our lives together, not you waiting for me to return home."

Auranar blinks at this news, a small smile twitching at her lips, but she looks at the other woman seriously. "You didn't have to do that Verna! When we married I knew that you had your work to attend to. Late nights were always something I was willing to accept. Not that I can't say that I won't be happy to have you around more but... What made you decide to do this?"

"You were willing to accept an absent wife," Verna returns the smile, albeit with a firm one, "yet you should not be forced to." She pauses to consider an answer to the question, taking a momentary distraction of adding her other hand to a brief pet of Hunter. "In hindsight, many things. Our wedding, which I desired more than all else and yet felt guilt that it was selfish to hold it when we did. The time after, which was solely for you, for us... and yet I was pulled away for an emergency. Most recently, the fact that I could not make a minor trip to the market for us without tripping over yet another fiendish conspiracy."

"Aura.. I cannot know, nor control, when my time for judgment might come to pass. I -can- control how I spend every night and day from now until then. I would have us both hold fond memories of a lifetime spent together, not a lifetime of seeking to spend time together."

"Oh dearest." Auranar utters, squeezing Verna's hand where it holds her own, and releasing it so that she can trace her fingers over the other woman's cheek. Push wayward strands of white hair behind her beloved's ear. "You shouldn't feel guilty to want joy. Would you have us wait another year? Another _second_ more than we did? I would not. Selfish as that might make us, I don't care."

She presses her lips together and her hand stills. "I want for you to do the things that make you happy Verna. The things you feel called to. I know that your goddess is a demanding woman, and I wouldn't dream of fighting her for you." Auranar lets her hand fall away. "I would have us hold fond memories of a lifetime together too Verna. I want that with all my heart." It's a mere whisper by the end.

Verna's cheek colors some under her touch, even as it curls further in smile. Her released hand lowers to rest on Auranar's knee. "-You- make me happy, dearest wife." Now she can combine appellations. "I will yet serve, but in a manner that I can better honor my vows to you as well as She. You deserve no less. There are other Mourners to tend to other tasks, just as there are others who would eagerly leap forth at every mystery, or threat that might arise. As you say, if that makes us selfish, I do not care, either."

Caring not that it disturbs Hunter, Auranar leans forward and draws Verna close. The kitten mews and clamors away. Which Auranar doesn't even notice as she draws Verna closer still. Not until the other woman is practically in her lap is she satisfied. "I love you so much. Tomorrow is the trip to grandmother and then we'll have all the time in the world to spend with one another." She snuggles close to Verna, feeling the other woman's warmth and closeness.

Verna is drawn. There is a passing moment of concern for Hunter, but it is brief. His preferences are rather predictable by now. She embraces Auranar, uncaring of whether she may be in her chair, her lap. All that matters is that she is in her arms, and vice-versa. "As I love you. Indeed, tomorrow is a venture of us and for us, that we take together."

A pause as she enjoys the embrace before she notes, now to Aura's ear. "Before that, however," her timbre and tone shift to one that only her wife would be familiar, "there is the matter of bed..."

-End