"I missed you."

Irin rarely allowed herself to cry. To do so in Avernus was fruitless at best, actively dangerous at worst. She could easily count on one hand the number of times she had cried over the last decade and a half of her life. Once, when she realized she was stuck in Avernus for what was likely to be the remainder of her mortal life; another, more recent, was when the Bleeding Citadel exploded upon drawing Zariel's sword, leaving both a crater in its wake and the first green grass she had seen in years; lastly, just hours before, was when Elaine had regained her memories and apologized for the hurtful words and pain she had inflicted upon her.

Now, in the safety of a soft bed as the din of reconstruction faded into the sounds of creature of night, dim moonlight filtering in from the window, Irin felt the urge to cry once more, but try as she might the tears refused to come. Perhaps it was the fear that it would be weak, or perhaps still the more irrational fear that it would break an illusion around her and she would be back in Avernus again, alone. If the latter was not the reason for her lack of tears, it was the definitive answer for her lack of sleep.

She glanced down at the still form in bed beside her. Elaine had yet to awaken after being renewed in body thanks to Zariel's influence, now a devil no more and instead the tiefling that Irin had so fondly remembered. Anxiety settled deep inside her that perhaps she would never awake and had in fact passed away despite Zariel's promise, but Elaine's slow, almost imperceptible breathing dissipated those thoughts, at least for a moment. A trembling hand reach over to her, brushing hair from the teifling's face. New worries suddenly reared their ugly heads, and try as she might, she could not dispel them so easily with fact and reasoning. The air seemed to be suffocating now, and it was hard to focus. She needed to get some fresh air, now.

As carefully as possible as to not disturb the sleeping tiefling, Irin shakily stood and grabbed her cloak that hung beside the door. Her hands were struggling even with the task of clasping it around her throat so she didn't bother to take the time to put on and lace her shoes before she made her way outside her room. The inn she was staying in was quiet, most had gone to bed hours ago. The few stragglers that remained she gave a silent nod of acknowledgement to as she made her way outside. The streets, too, were quiet save for the quiet chirp of insects and other small creatures.

Only a couple minutes of walking took her to the outside edge of the city. Buildings gave way to open air and lush grass that gently swayed with the breeze. She stared up at the sky, so open and calm, so different from the red skies she had grown so accustomed to while in Avernus. Walking further out from the city she finally sat down, running her fingers along the ground and through the grass. Time seemed to melt away around her. Thoughts and worries faded into nothingness as she absorbed the calm around her.

She was unsure how long she had been sitting there. It wasn't until she felt a firm hand on her shoulder that she jolted to her senses, scrambling to her feet, hand reaching for her greatsword out of pure instinct before she realized in horror that she had left it at the inn. Thankfully, there was no need, as the guard who had caused her alarm took a startled step back, hands raised.

"My apologies," he said, and Irin allowed herself to relax slightly, the guard following suit and dropping his hands to his sides. "I was just checking on you, you've been sitting there for half my watch."

Irin blinked, before embarrassment settled in, and she sheepishly laughed, tightly crossing her arms across her chest. "O-Oh," she replied, averting her eyes awkwardly. "I... I didn't even realize. The apologies are all mine. Sorry. I didn't mean to... um..."

The guard quietly laughed. "Ah, it's quite alright. I can completely understand." He fell silent, gazing off into the distance, taking in his surroundings with a gentle sigh. "It's good to be back, isn't it?"

She silently nodded, smiling slightly.

"It's good to be home."

She remained there for a while after the guard had returned to Elturel, and she again was left alone with her thoughts. After some hesitation, she began the short walk back to the inn. It had already been far too long that she had been away, and as nice as her time outside had been, she felt the same worry settle over her once again.

As she quietly entered her room, taking off and hanging her cloak up, a familiar voice cut through her nervous thoughts.

"Oh! You're here, I was starting to worry. I didn't see anyone when I woke up and I wasn't sure you were actually here."

Irin turned sharply to face the source of the voice, locking eyes with Elaine who was currently sitting upright in bed, looking very tired but smiling widely. She felt frozen in place, unable to speak, scarcely able to breathe. Elaine's smile faded and she pouted exaggeratively in response.

"What? I don't look that bad, do I? I know we've been through hell, but you'd think that-"

In an instant, it was as though the imaginary spell that had been placed over her had broken and Irin moved as if an external force had taken control of her body, throwing herself upon a now laughing Elaine, holding her tightly as if she would otherwise disappear from existence. It was only now that she realized her face was wet with tears that now flowed freely and easily; not from fear, nor anger or sadness, but from an overwhelming sense of love. Words poured out of her between laughing sobs, utterly incomprehensible and filled with absolute joy.

"I missed you," she managed to choke out.

"I missed you too," Elaine said, crying as well, burying her face in the mess that was Irin's hair to hide her own tears. "Thank you."