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Neve hadn’t intended to end up listening outside the door.
She’d intended to return Emmrich’s books on the history of blood magic. The necromancer had lent her several from his extensive personal library to aid in her continuing research on the Venatori, and while the books had been helpful, one particularly old tome radiated an ominous energy, and she wanted to return it to his warded library before settling in for the night.
As she approached his door though, she heard a commotion - bone on bone, and a happy hiss. Manfred… clapping? More confusing though was what came after - Bellara’s voice, pleading. “Please don’t say anything about it, Manfred! No matter how close you and her wisps are!”
Well. How was an esteemed investigator to resist leaning an ear against the door after hearing a request like that?
_____
Inside, Bellara nervously paced up and down the first several stairs of Emmrich’s spiral staircase. “Oh, not to worry, Bellara,” Emmrich helpfully supplied, “Manfred is an incredibly discreet confidant. He was most helpful when I had so many feelings to process after my first date with Strife.” He paused for a moment. “Hopefully it is unnecessary to add, but I am quite discreet as well.” Bellara groaned neutrally as she continued pacing.
Emmrich approached the staircase. “And I understand your worries, but Bellara! This is something to be celebrated. In such dark times, we must make time to appreciate the beauty of emotions like this that keep us grounded, and remind us of the stakes at hand.” Manfred hissed musically as he nodded in agreement.
“Grounded? Emmrich, I feel like I’m floating every time we sit together on our cots. And stakes? I already know we’re working to save the world, how could the stakes be any higher? By being in love with my best friend, I guess?” Bellara stopped pacing and sat down on the stairs, placing her head in her hands. “What if I tell her how I feel and she doesn’t feel the same way? What if I ruin our friendship with these selfish feelings?”
Manfred cocked his head to the side, turning to stare at the door.
“Oh, Bellara.” Emmrich sat on the ground in front of Bellara, and placed his hands on her knees. “Your feelings aren’t selfish, and they aren’t negative things to be ashamed of. Even if she doesn’t feel the same way, your friendship can carry on. And you’ll be stronger for it! It’s a hard thing, to honestly communicate with someone we have feelings for, but it’s the only way to have close relationships, romantic or otherwise.”
Manfred inched closer to the door, eyes brightly blazing.
“Ugh, I know you’re right, but I’m still just so… scared. Can I practice what to say with you?”
Emmrich clapped his hands together. “Roleplay, an excellent idea! I’d be honored to help you craft your message.” He unclasped his skull collar pin and began to unbutton his shirt.
“Emmrich?”
“Yes, Bellara?”
“What are you doing?”
The corners of his lips quirked upwards. “Oh, just unbuttoning my shirt a bit to get into character.”
“EMMRICH -”
Before Bellara could say anything else, Manfred screeched directly at the door, and slapped his open, bony hand against it.
_____
Neve stumbled back from the door, and felt her prosthetic catch on a crack between the Lighthouse’s paving stones. She tumbled to the floor, books falling from her hands as the door flung open before her. Manfred switched from screeching to happily hissing when he saw her, but Neve was looking at someone else. Bellara.
Bellara, who was confiding in Emmrich that she’d fallen in love with her best friend.
Bellara, the fiercely hopeful, funny, kind, tinkerer that Neve had been spending so much time with.
Bellara, ashen-faced and wide-eyed, who was looking directly at her.
Emmrich interrupted Manfred’s hissing. “Thank you for notifying us of a visitor, Manfred. Ah, Neve! How did you find these books on blood magic?”
Neve blinked up at Emmrich from her place on the floor. “Very informative, thank you. I’d watch out for that one with the brown binding, though - it has a bad air about it.”
Emmrich gathered the books from the ground as Neve got up. “Ah, yes. It’s enchanted to curse anyone who attempts the rituals described within it, my apologies for not mentioning that when I lent it to you.”
Neve fussed with her scarf (Bellara’s scarf that she’d borrowed, actually) as she answered. “No, I apologize for dropping your research materials. I’m normally more careful with borrowed books.” She looked to Bellara. “And with boundaries. I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
Emmrich deposited the books on a shelf and moved for the door. “Come, Manfred! I believe Lucanis picked up some new tea for us to try.” Manfred remained in the middle of the room, hands clasped together as the light behind his googles flicked back and forth between Neve and Bellara. Emmrich cleared his throat and tried again. “Manfred? I believe this is a conversation for the two of them.” Manfred clicked twice, then gave a disgruntled hiss before ambling through the door and shutting it behind him, leaving Neve and Bellara alone.
Neve sat on the ground in front of Bellara’s spot on the staircase. The floor was warm - Emmrich must’ve been sitting in the same place earlier. Bellara was staunchly avoiding eye contact as she arranged - fingered? Neve’s mind unhelpfully supplied - her scarf (Neve’s scarf that she’d borrowed, actually). “Bellara, I’m sorry - I was coming to return Emmrich’s books and -”
“I know it wasn’t on purpose, Neve. How much did you hear?” Her hands moved faster over teal fabric. A weaker scarf would’ve been shredded by Bellara’s nervous fiddling by now.
“The first thing I heard was you asking Manfred not to tell the wisps about anything.”
“And?” Bellara’s hands had stopped moving, although she was still gripping the sides of the scarf tightly enough that her knuckles whitened. She glanced up at Neve, before averting her eyes again. Neve reached out and gently took Bellara’s chin in her hands. Their eyes locked, and Neve spoke. “And I’m glad you’re braver than me, Bellara. I was excited by what you told Emmrich, because I’ve been feeling the same way, but I’m so rubbish at relationships that I hadn’t planned to do anything about it.”
Bellara’s grip on her scarf loosened slightly, and some color returned to her cheeks. “Really? Even though you’re a human and I’m just an elf, and you love Dock Town and I camp with the Veil Jumpers and the world is falling apart even after everything we’ve done?”
Neve grinned, and tucked a loose strand of hair back into Bellara’s bun. “Really. The world falling apart makes a bit of light all the more important, I could use more time away from Dock Town and you could use some time in the city, and we’re more than our races. And I’m not sure what you’d like to do next, but I’d like to take you on a date and see where this goes if you’re interested.
Bellara was shyly grinning now too. “What happened to the mighty ‘I’m-no-good-at-relationships’ Neve Gallus?”
Neve brought her forehead to rest on Bellara’s. “I heard some wise old necromancer say that talking about your feelings with the people you care about is the only way to have a close relationship. And it’s hard for me to do that, but I want to do it with you.”
Bellara closed the distance between them, but just as her lips touched Neve’s, they were interrupted by the sound of bone on bone, and a squeal. Inexplicably, Manfred had returned to the room and stood in the corner, clapping.
“MANFRED!” Neve’s hand had already shot out towards the disturbance and the air around it chilled as she prepared a spell, but Bellara batted her hand down. “Neve! It’s just Manfred.” She smirked. “I guess you aren’t the only one who likes to eavesdrop.” Neve had the decency to blush. Bellara stood up and held out a hand to Neve, who took it as she stood. “Let’s take this back to my room.”