A Night in Kugane

It was a chilly night, the stars out bright while the crisp air bit at her skin, even when inside an inn room. The winter chills were setting in, yet in Kugane there was not a snowflake in sight. Through the walls one could hear the sounds from the lobby. People chatting away their evening to a cup of tea.

Maev was more than content to have her own drink in here, privately. Stretched on the table in front of her were huge swathes of paper and multiple inkwells, one of which had been emptied. For minutes upon minutes she would cautiously stare at a blank spot on the page, before placing a single dot with a quill pen, and drawing it towards another.
It all came together as a single star-map, lines intertwining together to create what was to be her latest report to the Athenaeum Astrologicum.

“Heyo, Maev-o!”

She didn’t need to glance up from her work to see who was leaning in through the half-opened doorway.

“Got us some snacks, how are we feeling about some dango?”

Erza stepped inside, gingerly placing two places with several sticks of dango on the floor, to avoid the entire table’s worth of paper. Nearly without looking, Maev reached over and grabbed one.

“Third time in two days.” She commented absentmindedly. A sweet taste, the same shop they had gone to when they arrived.

Shifting closer to her, Erza leaned over to look at the paper. She munched on her own dango for a short while before gently shoving Maev in the shoulder. “How long until it’s finished?”

Taking a gander at her own work, Maev looked over the huge parchment and counted. Two… three… four… 

“...Just two more constellations left.”

When she didn’t get a response from her girlfriend, she turned around to see Erza’s face warped into a puppy-eyed pout.

“Come on, you need to take a little bit of time to enjoy our vacation!!”

“...It’s a business trip.”

“...And? That doesn’t mean you should be holed up in an inn room the whole time,” Erza responded matter-of-factly, “The sky outside is perfect tonight. Wouldn’t want to miss out on giving those constellations an extra look now… would you?”

Maev felt her ears drop down slightly. They had only been dating for a little over three months, and Erza had quickly learned the best ways to catch Maev’s interest. Suggesting the idea of being productive while relaxing had piqued her interest just enough.

As if noting her change in posture, Erza was immediately up and digging through their luggage. Maev was able to catch the simple swimsuit flying through the air just in time.

After they had both changed down, both of them wrapped themselves in the inn’s towels and walked outside. The innkeep greeted them cheerfully, and Erza waved back while Maev scuttled immediately out into the chilly air.

Her breath cascaded in a brilliant cloud of smoke that joined in with the rest of the mist around the hot spring. Cold bit at her uncovered skin and her ears pricked at the sound of running water. Just past a wooden panel were the hot springs. Maev gingerly set her towel down while Erza threw hers to the side and rushed into the nearest one, half of her body disappearing into the steaming water.

“Ow, ow, ow!! It’s really hot!” She called out as her freezing body was met with hot water.

Scoffing, Maev dipped a foot in. Oh- yup. It was very hot. It felt like the frost building on her skin was violently shattered upon contact. So, grimacing and enduring, she gently slid herself down against the edge and carefully sat down, leaning against the wall just enough for the water to cover about half of her face. As the warmth caressed her muscles, she let out a sigh of relief.

Bringing her knees up to her chest, she folded her arms over them and curled in on herself slightly. Erza, meanwhile, had finally settled down in the water as well.

“You’ll never guess what I saw while I was out getting that dango,” Erza began, resting her arms against the edge of the hot spring, “There was a drunkard trying to fight with local security, and then when he tried to throw a punch he threw up.”

Blowing air out of her nose, Maev beamed. “Really? And did his projectile vomit attack do anything to the guard?”

“Other than sullying his expensive clothes? Nah.” Erza chuckled, a finger reaching out to move her bangs away from her face. “Smelled like an aurochs arse, though.”

Disgusting. Maev immediately reached out to splash some of the water on Erza, who shielded herself with a laugh.

“Hey, watch it!” Erza giggled, splashing a huge wave with both of her arms towards Maev. And in just that moment, the outside of her thick hair was soaked and she felt her ears being weighed down.

“...Okay, okay, you win!” Maev conceded, curling back in on herself.

Clearly pleased with herself, Erza leaned back so far across the edge that she was staring right up at the sky. She seemed to ponder something for a bit, gently shrouded by the hot spring’s fog, before looking back at Maev.

“Which constellation is that?” She asked, pointing at it. Following with her gaze, Maev looked up at one of the Six Lower Heavens.

“...That’s the Spear. Built by the Fury with moonbeams from the Lover.”

“The Lover and the Spear, hm?” Erza held a smug smirk on her face for a moment. “...So that’s Halone’s stars, then.”

Oh, right. She had nearly forgotten. “Fitting that you’re a believer of Halone and She’s watching over us tonight, then.” 

“Yeah, I’d say so! Kind of cute that it’s woven with the Lover, too.” Erza said, beginning to stand up. She brushed her hair back and stared up at the sky with a newly kindled wonder, her eyes flitting back and forth as she seemed to be counting the stars in the constellation.

Maev almost felt her breath being taken away.

The moon was gently highlighting Erza’s body as it was being caressed by the mist seeping out from the hot water. The droplets running off her body shimmered like falling stars, while both of her eyes were bright with the very same smile that adorned her lips. Her brown hair hung gently down on her shoulders, rolling down on her back. Despite the fact that she was obviously freezing her top off, she continued to look at the Sixth Gate.

...She was beautiful.

“I love you.” Maev whispered.

The words - said for the first time in a long time - felt so strange on her tongue. She herself had to stop for a sharp intake of breath after she said it. The weight of them sunk in, and she had to stop herself from chuckling at her own apprehension to say it these three months.

At first, it seemed that Erza hadn’t even heard her. It had slipped away from her just as her breath had, and for a moment she wondered if it had even reached her.

But then, Erza turned around, her eyes widening.

Maev took a breath, and smiled. Her heart felt as if it were beating in her ears, and a comfortable warmth was filling her chest as Erza’s look of surprise turned into one of joy.

“I love you, too.” The hyur whispered, getting back down in the water and scooting closer. Just underneath the surface, she reached out to hold Maev’s hand, gently caressing it with her thumb. So often Erza had been liberal with the phrase, but now, after Maev had said it, there was a different weight behind her words.

Maev looked to the side, feeling herself flush slightly. No, no, it was just the heat from the water, she thought to herself. Nothing more. 

When she looked back, Erza was still staring at her face. With the moon still gracing her features, along with the shine from the mist… Maev leaned in to kiss her. She yet tasted of the dango that they had eaten before heading out, and Erza’s body heat met hers as she scooted even closer to shut the gap between them. Maev closed her eyes.

I love her… I love her… The realisation settled in over and over again as she leaned away.

“Why don’t you tell me more about the Spear?” Erza suggested, grabbing onto Maev’s arm.

“Of course.” Maev hummed, grabbing Erza’s hand and pointing it up towards the sky. To think, she would be lucky enough to spend several nights in Kugane, underneath this beautiful sky, with the woman she now knew that she loved.