Work Text:
The Lady Moonchanter remained a mystery to Flins. Although he had roamed the land of Nod-Krai for centuries and was no stranger to human whims, there was something about Lauma that intrigued him more and more every meeting. She had strength in droves, both emotional and physical, and she spared kindness for anyone a step above a Sinner.
Yet, Flins kept his distance.
He’d catch her on the outskirts of Hiisi Island on occasion, patrolling in opposite directions and watching for different things. Lauma’s beloved animals avoided Flins like red kuuvakhi repels blue, so she rarely had reason to come across him. But the safety of every civilian of Nod-Krai was Flins’ priority, so naturally, he would look after her too. From the shadows, like all Lightkeepers tend to do.
It wasn’t until their group received more reinforcements that this dynamic changed. Or rather, Flins hoped that it would change. Putting so much distance between them to enact their different tasks had been…tolerable, however undesirable. But knowing that so many remarkable people had gathered in one place, gathered around Lauma, had sparked the ugly flame of jealousy low in his abdomen.
Flins was not unfamiliar with such a feeling, but it had been a very long time since he had felt it over people. There were other, more important things to feel for his companions, like grief or joy or even the antsy rush before running into a fight. Never could he anticipate this yearning for closeness, when his job that he dedicated his life to required him to stay away.
He would catch her soft laughter from the other side of the meeting grounds and wonder, perhaps uselessly, why he wasn’t there next to her. Why wasn’t he the one to lift her spirits despite the dangerous mission ahead? All he could do was look, briefly, before she sensed his gaze and looked back.
She always did that. Seeking him out when Flins doesn’t want to be seen, inviting him into her world when he has no place among humans. Not really. He loved them, had walked among them for so long, and even emulated their appearance, but he would always lose them in the end.
He had to remember that Lauma was not a shiny gemstone or ancient coin to find and keep. There was no place where she could be safe from Rerir, and no place she would want to hide. It did nothing to deter Flins from wanting to keep her in his pocket, tucked away from the weary world around them, but in lieu of such measures, he resolved himself to staying closer to her.
When danger finds them, they will face it together.