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Lune leaned against the fountain, staring at the entrance of Sorcerous Sundries and watching people walk in and out. It seemed to be busy inside, even though it was already afternoon. She tightened her grip on the strap of her bag across her chest, claws leaving indents in the leather she’d be angry about later. This was a stupid idea, the tiefling thought, before shifting nervously from one leg to the other, her tail lashing behind her as she debated whether to go inside or not.
She didn’t even know why she was so nervous. This was nothing compared to fighting a bloody cult of necromancers, like the mission she was on her way to. That should have been what she was worried about, not a stupid conversation. She sighed inwardly and finally turned around. This was unnecessary. Gideon would already be waiting down at the docks. She would do that another time. Maybe when she returned.
But, as she started walking towards the docks, she couldn’t help but picture Gideon's smug grin when she told him she hadn’t done it. Again. She could already imagine the half-orc’s teasing and the way he would pester her the whole way to the Reaching Woods. Probing about the reasons for her hesitation, until she lost the bit of patience she was blessed with, and would say something to him she would regret later. She knew he just got on her nerves on purpose, and after knowing him for almost twenty years, she couldn't really be mad at him. After all, she would have done the same if Gideon would be behaving like her. And that was the worst thing about this whole situation: Gideon was right. Her behaviour was ridiculous. She’d never hesitated with things like this before, never wasted time on “what ifs”. Yet here she was, dancing around this conversation for weeks, as if her life was depending on it.
Lune couldn’t explain what made it so hard just to talk to him—why the thought of confessing her feelings left her stomach in knots. They were friends, after all. Maybe it was because Rolan never seemed affected by her flirting. For all his brilliance, maybe he was truly dense when it came to things like this. Lia had joked more than once about it, especially after several evenings spent in taverns, when Rolan hadn’t realized the barkeeper had been flirting with him the entire evening. Or maybe he had noticed—and simply wasn’t interested. Maybe it was the same with her? That thought hurt more than she liked to admit, and she quickly shoved it away. This was just her own insecurity. Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel what she felt in his presence. As if there was something both of them weren’t saying. As if he was waiting for something to happen, just like she was.
She stopped again and glanced over her shoulder. The afternoon sun bathed the building in golden light. Just get inside, talk to him, and be done with it. At least she would know the truth then. This was easy. She was good at talking. It would be easier than killing a ghoul. Probably. She could just say: Rolan, I like you. In the best case, he would be saying he felt the same. But this wouldn't even scratch the surface of what she wanted to tell him.
If she had the time, she would say: I like you a lot. I love when Lia invites me over for dinner, so I have an excuse to see you. I like hearing you rant about your customers, as if your work bothers you so much, but I see how you smile when they thank you and praise you for your services. I like to discuss the differences of divine magic and yours. I never was much interested in the theoretical parts of my magic, but, by Lathander, my teachers were glad when I decided to not become a priestess — but when you talk to me about it? I could listen for days, and would never tire of it…
Even thinking about saying all that — and more — made her cheeks warm. That was not a simple "I like you". Not when she forgot to order things for the temple on purpose, sometimes, just so she had an excuse to show up at the shop the next day again. Not when he scowled at her for disrupting him during his work, and she found herself thinking about soothing that frown with her fingers, or another witty remark, until the corners of his lips couldn't help but twitch into a smile. Yet, she still didn’t walk back. She didn't have the time to tell him all of this. And he was probably busy anyway. Better to do this when she returned. Otherwise, she would arrive too late at the docks.
She looked forward again, took a few more steps, and stopped again, her hands clenching by her side. It didn't feel right not to talk to him now. She didn’t want to continue to leave like this all the time. Without telling him that she looked forward to see him again. Especially not when she had thought about him the whole time since yesterday, when he had been too busy to properly speak with her when she had picked up their order. She pinched the back of her nose, before she cursed this whole emotional mess inside her and finally turned on her heels.
xxx
As Lune stepped through the open doors, sunlight filtered through coloured glass, painting the shop in shifting reds, blues and orange. Her gaze drifted to the counter, and her tail drooped when she saw that he wasn’t there, just one of his employees.
Great. So much for this being easy.
She walked over to one of the tables, laden with magical scrolls. Maybe he was upstairs in the tower. Or he was in the vaults. Probably he was too busy for a conversation right now, and if she was honest, she didn't even have a good excuse to go up there and bother him. She was not that desperate. She moved further inside anyway.
After circling the whole shop and confirming that he was nowhere in sight, her shoulders relaxed slightly. A mix of relief and disappointment stirred in her chest. She had tried, hadn’t she? If Rolan wasn’t here, Gideon couldn’t call her a coward — but by the Morning Lord, she was still disappointed. She would just try again when she returned. Maybe that was better anyway. Lune nodded towards the woman behind the counter as she headed towards the open doors.
“Lune?”
The sound of that voice made her freeze. She turned around, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Rolan descending the stairs, the wizard painted in the same colourful hues of the sunlight as the rest of the shop. Ah, by the hells.
“Has Lia forgotten something at your place again?” He asked, stopping in front of her and raising an eyebrow in mild annoyance. It wasn’t unusual for Lune to bring him things Lia had left behind.
She crossed her arms and shook her head. “She didn’t. I…”, she paused for a heartbeat, noticing that some strands of his hair fell into his face. “Actually, I wanted to speak with you,” she said finally, acutely aware of how they stood in the middle of the shop. And how she felt the eyes of the bored employee on her back.
“Well, here I am.”
“Not here. Alone.”
That took him by surprise. She saw it in the slight widening of his golden eyes, and the tightening of his grip on the books he carried. He nodded towards a quiet corner in the back. “Let me put these away first,” he said, walking toward the shelves without waiting for her confirmation.
Lune followed, taking a steadying breath and offering a brief prayer to Lathander. The words she had prepared earlier had vanished from her mind.
“I thought you were leaving for this mission today.” Rolan said over his shoulder, while stacking the books on the shelf. “Did something come to your mind you still needed? The list you gave me seemed thorough. Or did one of my employees forget something?’
“Yes. The ship leaves in an hour.” She glanced around. They were alone here, the back counter abandoned. This was as private as it would get, she mused. “And no, don’t worry. They packed everything perfectly. Thanks for the extras – Gideon is always happy to have a few more Elixirs of Hill Giant Strength at his hands.”
Rolan shrugged as he shoved another book into place. He must have sensed that something was off, yet he wasn't even looking at her, which made her feel even more nervous.
“Then why are you—?”
Lune cut him off by closing the space between them. He froze, arm raised, book still in hand. His eyes widened as he realised how close she was. She reached up, slid the book into the shelf with a soft thud, then took his hand before he could pull it away. His palm was warm and soft in hers.
“I wanted to say goodbye,” she admitted quietly, her thumb brushing over his knuckles. Her heart pounded before she mustered her courage and looked up at him.
“And… that I’ll miss you.” Her cheeks were burning.
Rolan's gaze flicked from their joined hands to her eyes. The expression on his face was unreadable as he took a deep breath, before she felt his other hand on her waist, pulling her closer against him.
“Promise me you’ll be careful,” he said, his voice softer than before. That wasn't what she had expected, but she sensed his concern was real. It made the fluttering in her stomach only worse.
“You know the answer.” she said with a playful smile, trying to act unaffected by how much his concern for her flustered her. When he huffed—a sound more amused than annoyed—her heart skipped another beat. The words still eluded her, so before she could hesitate any further, Lune leaned in and tilted her head so that their horns wouldn't bump. Their lips met in a soft, careful kiss. He froze and she immediately began to pull away, her tail curling around her ankle.
Rolan's hand tightened around hers. “Don’t,” he whispered. Then, he drew her back into a deeper kiss, both holding on to each other until they needed to catch their breath.
He smiled up at her, pulling his hand from hers to cup her cheek. “That was…”
"Clearly overdue." she interrupted, feeling relieved and happy. Leaning her forehead against his, she tried to stop herself from grinning like a fool. How long had she imagined this moment? Yet, reality was better than anything her mind had conjured. She closed her eyes, breathing him in, hoping to keep the memory alive for the next weeks.
“A welcome surprise,” he finished, his smile turning smug.
Lune beamed in response. “I'll return as soon as I can,” she said enthusiastically. When he drew breath to speak, she silenced him with a finger against his lips. “And I’ll be as careful as I can. Promise.”
He exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders, and pulled her into a tight embrace. “You have always the worst timing,” he muttered into her hair. She leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.
It was obvious that he didn't mean just today, or the countless times she had interrupted his work with one of her visits, but also the day they had met — the horrible day when Lia and Cal had been captured by the cultists and they both had started off in the worst way possible. Then later, when she rescued him, alongside the Hero of Baldur's Gate, for a second and third time. She really had made it a habit of showing up at the wrong moments. Only today, it was Lune who had no time.
“I know,” she said quieter. "But I didn't want to dance around this any longer. It started to keep me up at night.” She admitted with an apologetic smile as she pulled back to meet his gaze.
"No," he said, his voice becoming more serious. "You just kiss me after all this time… just to vanish for who knows how long." Rolan's hand tightened at her waist.
She really should have waited, should have done this properly, after her return. Not in a rush, between his work and her ship waiting at the docks. She pulled back from the embrace to meet his gaze.
"I am… - " Rolan cut her off with a kiss that was stealing her breath. The sudden intensity of it made clear he wasn't really angry about her timing and Lune was more than happy to return the kiss with the same intensity.
"You are such an idiot." He murmured when he finally pulled back, his breath still brushing her lips. "I don't want an apology. Especially not for that. " His lips curved into that confident, slightly arrogant smile, though his eyes were soft. Like the sun on early summer days. "You are just… by the hells, Lune. I never know what to expect with you. You are close to being the most frustrating person in my life right now." he admitted.
She blinked, still kind of flustered by that kiss, before she catches herself. "Only right now?" she teased softly.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "You should go before I make you miss that ship." he said, eyes dropping to her lips again before he stepped back. She was almost tempted to see him try, but Gideon was waiting and she couldn't delay this any longer.
Lune cupped his cheek, pressing one last kiss to his lips before stepping back. “Try not to get into trouble while I’m gone.”
“No promises.” he said, leaning against the bookshelf with that smug smile.
She squeezed his hand one last time before letting go. “Until then, Rolan.” Her voice was softer than before, his name rolling from her lips like something precious, and she only reluctantly walked away.
