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"The first thing you want to do," Siuan said, "Is to position the rope correctly before you wind the length around the fishing pole. You want to leave it tight enough for it to stay, but loose enough so it can slide a little if you pull it."
"Like this?"
Siuan placed her hands around Moiraine's small ones. "Hold here," she said. "That's where the two parts of the rope intersect, so you want to keep them in place. Then wind the long bit around the pole, and make sure you get this bit of rope under your winding too."
Moiraine nodded, tongue between her teeth in concentration as she wound the rope around one of Siuan's spare fishing poles. "Am I doing it right?"
Siuan watched her slender hands work at the rope, smiling at the way Moiraine was focussed on the task. It was one of the simpler knots, but everyone had to start somewhere. And Moiraine was doing an excellent job for a beginner.
"Like that," she said. "Maybe just a smidge tighter- perfect. This knot's one of the ones we use to grip the line on the pole so you can control how deep you want to fish."
"There are knots to control how deep you want to fish?"
Siuan laughed. "There are," she said. "I'll teach you all of them, one by one."
Moiraine smiled. "I'd love that," she said, winding the rope around the pole once more. "What happens now?"
"Pull," Siuan said. "There we go. You're so good at this, Mo."
Moiraine blushed, and Siuan's heart did a funny little flip. "Am I really?"
"You are, love," Siuan said. "It took me forever to learn. But if we learn one knot each day, you'll have them all in no time."
Moiraine smiled. "That'd be good," she said. "So I can help you when we go fishing together." She handed Siuan the fishing pole, and Siuan set it aside before grabbing one of Moiraine's hands in hers and kissing her fingers, a brush of her lips against the soft skin of each knuckle.
"I love you," Siuan said softly, brushing strands of Moiraine's hair aside and leaning in to kiss her cheek. "I love you so much."
Moiraine held her arms out to Siuan for a hug, folding herself neatly into Siuan's arms. "I love you too, Siuan."
Siuan held Moiraine to her chest, rubbing circles on her back with one hand and cradling her body with the other. "My first love," she said. "My only love. Light. I'll have to bring you home to my Papa, won't I? He'll absolutely adore you."
Moiraine shifted in Siuan's arms, meeting her eyes. "Please," Moiraine said. "I want to meet the man who gave me you."
"I'd tell you the same, but I know how awful your family is," Siuan laughed. "So you can share mine instead. We'll show you all the traditions and things, and I'll introduce you to everyone I know."
Moiraine laughed. "That would be wonderful," she said wistfully. Then she reached up, tracing little patterns on Siuan's chest, where her tattoos were inked under the white fabric of her shift. "Tell me about Tear?"