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Saying she came running would be, well, a lie. She did not run, nor she showed any form of concern while she made her way to the infirmary in Rhalgr's Reach. Being the warrior of light, the hero of so many nations, she didn't have the right to show any concern or weakness, no matter how much she suffered inside. No, she needed to remain strong, fierce, she needed become a beacon to the warriors that had fought next to her.
All N'ivk did was nod and give small, gentle smiles to the many people she walked by, paying closer attention to the wounded, or those who were mourning. The small walk to the infirmary seemed to last ages, millennia, all because her sense of duty was more important than her sense of self. She would not show any weakness whatsoever to those that had fought so bravely at her side.
Once there, she met with the Scions, all who seemed to have the same idea as she did. They were reunited around a single bed, talking and laughing, some of their voices strongly familiar and missed by her. N'ivk smiled to herself, before assuming her usual passive, relaxed expression, and heading towards her old friends. They turned upon hearing footsteps, and most of them had smiles to share.
"My friend. Finally" Alphinaud was the first to speak, making his way to her and grinning in that boyish way of his, making him look several years younger than he was. War had changed him, but somehow, some of his innocence had remained behind, and that brought joy to her heart. She nodded to him, unable to stop herself from placing a hand on his shoulder. She nodded to the others, Thancred, Y'shtola, Lyse and Krile all answering with smiling nods, clearly happy to see her again. Urianger just gave her a tilt of head, always the silent and stoic type, before her eyes fell down on the patient on the bed.
Alisaie's eyes were fixated on hers.
"You took your time" she said, tilting her head with a knowing, teasing smile, even if her eyes disagreed with her carefree expression. N'ivk knew her enough to understand that she had been worried, and no amount of easy smiles would hide it. She nodded, coming closer and crossing her arms over her chest, in a vain attempt to hide her real feelings, to hold herself together.
"There were many that required my attention" she explained, the Scions all nodding. They understood that she had made a mark on everyone, in every leader that was present, in every person that had fought this war.
"Did they give you too much work? The big guys, I mean" Thancred asked, smirking to her, but despite the jokingly manner of which he spoke, she still remained serious.
"No. Mostly, they wished to thank me for my duty, and my ability to lead. They are all returning to their cities now, except for Raubahn, who decided he would stay and aid Lyse" she gave a knowing glance to the woman on the other side of the bed, and Lyse smiled back at her with a short nod of acknowledgement.
The room grew quiet again, and N'ivk looked down at her hands, unable to look up for too long. Truth was, she would never say what she wanted, due to her duty as the Warrior of Light, due to knowing she did not deserve to stray from her path for a single second. Still, she was lucky enough to have friends that understood her silence, despite most of the time she wished they didn't.
"Well, I think we have taken up enough of your time. You should rest" Y'shtola said to Alisaie, smiling at her and nodding to Krile and Thancred. "We should let her rest. We have plenty of work to finish here, before returning to the Rising Stones."
"I agree. Alphinaud, come with me, I need your assistance with some of the wounded" Krile said, a little less discreet than Y'shtola but just as useful. Alphinaud stared at her, confused, and shook his head.
"I would rather stay with my sister-"
"You're coming with me" Krile said, grabbing him by his clothes and pulling him away. He shared a last desperate look with Alisaie before she grinned and waved, almost as if she was pleased he was leaving for once.
"We should leave as well. Urianger, Lyse, with me if you may" Thancred said, nodding to the other two, and Urianger nodded to Alisaie before leaving, followed by a confused by willing Lyse, who headed out of the infirmary.
Leaving the two of them alone.
"Finally some peace and quiet" Alisaie said, leaning back against the headboard with her arms behind her head. She seemed in a good mood, which was enough to make N'ivk smile. "I mean... don't get me wrong, I love them to bits. But they can be quite loud sometimes. They couldn’t stop talking about the battle, about how everything ran smoothly, how proud they were of you and of Lyse... I'm glad it's over."
"So am I" N'ivk whispered, slowly sitting down on the chair next to the bed, allowing herself a small, quiet moment of weakness. Her eyes met with Alisaie's, and they remained quiet, although both of them had their cheeks warming up. "Are you feeling better?"
"Very" she assured. "You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself."
N'ivk nodded slowly and sighed, leaning back against the chair and crossing her leg. Her arms returned to a crossed position over her chest, and she looked away, into nothingness. After a moment like that, she felt a hand over her knee, and snapped back into reality, looking at Alisaie. She had moved, now sitting on the edge of the bed, closer to her, a worried look on her face. N'ivk was quick to smile at her.
"I am fine. No need to worry."
"Nonsense. You look exhausted. You fought a whole contingent of imperials, and then Zenos himself, and then Zenos fused with a primal. There is no way you're not tired" Alisaie said, firmly, almost angrily. "If not physically then mentally and emotionally. I know you like to remain as stoic as you possibly can, never showing your emotions, but this was... this was your biggest did yet. You showed the imperials- no, the whole world, that no one can stop you. You need a rest."
"I am fine. I need no rest. We still must find Omega, there is much work to be done" N'ivk assured, shaking her head, but Alisaie moved even closer and reached for her hand, holding it, pulling her arms away from her chest.
"Please, talk to me? I would like to believe that you and I are more than just friends or... coworkers. We have been through a lot together... please don't shut me out."
N'ivk felt that deep in her heart, and although she knew she wouldn't cry or release all her tension on Alisaie's shoulders (she wouldn't do it to any of her friends, let alone... her), she allowed herself to smile and nod slowly, holding her hands back and allowing herself to relax a little, uncrossing her leg, leaning in closer just to feel Alisaie's aether, something she could feel if she was focused enough due to her Echo. It was incredible, whenever she was relaxed enough to do it.
"I am fine" she whispered, being truthful this time. She would never lie to Alisaie, unless it was to protect her. Right now, there was nothing to protect her from. "I am glad to be with you, is all."
Alisaie smiled, shyly, and then closed the distance between them, pressing a soft, sweet kiss to N'ivk's lips, something they hadn't done in quite a while. It was only the fourth time ever since they met that they had exchanged any form of intimate contact, something the two of them yearned for and rarely had the courage or the timing to work towards, but now that Ala Mhigo was free and there were no immediate pressing matters... maybe they could walk into it, in slow, steady steps.
The kiss was soft, gentle, a press of lips, a skip of heart, and then they pulled away, Alisaie's cheeks pink, giving her even softer of features. N'ivk swore she was blushing too, but she could not tell, her attention entirely focused on the woman in front of her.
"We should do this more often" Alisaie said, breaking the tense moment with a smirk and a wiggle of her eyebrows, making N'ivk chuckle softly, shaking her head in the process.
And maybe the others hadn't left, maybe they were all watching from a few ilms away, but neither of them could care much, leaning in and pressing their foreheads together in a tender, soft gesture.
They had still much to do, but they would do it together, hopefully.