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It had been a lovely evening, the day was calm. There had been no challenge that day luckily so everyone got to relax and do their own thing or plot for whatever they wanted to do next. It was just a peaceful unassuming evening now. The sounds of night were creeping up. Crickets, night birds, frogs and other creatures just chirping and croaking.
Dunia was sitting by the fire at the moment, just thinking and smiling happily. Nura stared back for just a moment before coming over and sitting next to her silently with a small smile herself. Everyone else had went around the shelter as usual to sleep or whatever. Nura didn't care at that moment.
"Hello Nura. How are you doing?" Dunia asked with a gentle quiet voice. She was smiling at Nura as Nura flicked a pebble gently into the fire, watching the smallest embers scatter in the small pit.
Nura stretched her legs out, her boots scuffing the dust. "Hm… good enough, being in this… well this." She said as she looked up at the sky. She didn't want to elaborate on that it seemed. She just relaxed and was chilling as usual. Her purple make up just making her look mystic under the dull light of the slowly lowering sun.
The fire popped, sending up a lazy spiral of sparks that dissolved into the twilight. Dunia tilted her head back, watching them fade against the deepening blue. "I used to think sunsets were just the sky blushing when I was little," she said, voice softer than the crackling wood of the fire they sat near.
The slight golden light from the fire made her look beyond pretty. It made her golden make up shimmer and shine like the Sun on a bright day. Nura almost couldn't look away even if she wanted to.
Nura snorted, then immediately caught herself with what seemed like a thoughtful look. "Wait, that’s actually kind of sweet." She rubbed her thumb over the worn stitching of her pants on her knee, the fabric fraying from months, no fault of the maker of course, they were just designed that way.
She decided to share her thoughts on that. "I just saw it as the sun going to sleep. In a way. You get what I mean?" She glanced at Dunia as she asked that, actually wanting her input. Dunia's words meant a lot to her even if she never said so.
A breeze carried the scent of dry grass and distant rain, like the same scent that was there when they first arrived. Then again that might have just been the lake water. But it also was not enough to matter, just the promise of some rain soon. Dunia shifted closer, her shoulder brushing Nura’s. The contact was accidental, probably, but neither of them moved away, in fact they enjoyed the closeness.
"You know what’s funny?" Nura said suddenly. "We’ve watched a hundred sunsets, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the exact same one twice."
She gestured vaguely at the horizon, where the last streaks of orange were bleeding into violet. “It all looks different. Each and every time ….. I'm making no sense, Huh?” she glanced at Dunia again with a worried look, hoping she at least made some sense.
Dunia hummed, low in her throat and a smile on her face. She looked like she understood anyway. That was a good thing. "Maybe that’s the point. It's not supposed to all be the same" She didn’t elaborate further, she just let her fingers brush Nura’s wrist, just once, before she tucked her hand back into her lap for a moment.
There was silence again as they looked up at the sky, or more so the horizon. They just watched the sun slowly move. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable; just warm, like the last coals of the fire in front of them.
Dunia’s fingers lingered near Nura’s wrist, the ghost of her touch still humming between them. The campfire had burned low, its glow painting their faces in flickering amber. Nura exhaled, slowly and deliberately, as if matching the rhythm of the sinking sun. She seemed at ease again. Dunia had that effect on her. Especially lately, it wasn't considered weird at all.
“You ever wonder,” Dunia murmured, her voice barely louder than the wind through the leafage around them and overhead, “why we notice things more when they’re about to be gone or have disappeared?” She tilted her chin toward the horizon, where the last sliver of sun clung to the edge of the world. She was just trying to get Nura to talk now. She liked hearing her voice.
Nura’s voice was quiet and soft as she spoke. “hmm …. Good question. Nope. But now I am,” She nudged Dunia’s shoulder with her own, the contact lingering this time. An actual smile was on her face and she let it stay there. “what if it's just noticeable because we don't have the things when we need them.” Dunia looked at her with a smile.
The fire crackled, sending up a final burst of sparks; they looked like tiny, fleeting stars. Just like Ren's earrings when he leapt through the trees like a wild cat or monkey. Dunia watched them rise and vanish, her thoughts tracing invisible patterns in the air as she thought about random things, just this and that. “I used to try and memorize sunsets, the stars too,” she admitted. “Like if I stared hard enough, I could keep them, trap them. Or more so… their essence”
Nura turned her head, studying Dunia’s profile in the fading light. The firelight caught the curves of her face and body, the soft look of her jaw, the way her long lashes cast delicate shadows on her eyes. It also made her make up glow like the bright sun on a sunny day.“Did it work?”
Dunia’s lips cocked into a smile and she chuckled softly, her eyes stayed on the horizon as they sparkled softly. "No. They always slipped away, no matter how tight I held on. But… I still tried. I figured it could happen someday" She flexed her fingers absentmindedly, as if testing the memory of something fragile. "Eventually I realized it wasn’t just about keeping them or their essence. Just… being there while they happened."
Nura’s thumb traced the edge of Dunia’s sleeve, her touch feather-light. "Sounds like a metaphor or something." She said softly. She liked listening to whatever Dunia said. Even if she seemed so stoic most of the time. “I usually don't do those unless it's necessary."
Dunia chuckled softly again. She had wanted to mention something but decided against that and just continued. "Maybe." Dunia’s voice was quiet and somewhat gentle again. "Or maybe it’s just… the moment. Everything moves on whether you’re watching or not. Whether you care or not"
The last embers pulsed weakly, painting their silence in shades of copper and rust. Nura let her hand settle over Dunia’s, their fingers slotting together like they’d done this a hundred times instead of never. Dunia’s breath softened even more somehow, just a moment, before she turned her palm up to meet Nura’s and squeezed her hand tight.
"Just a moment huh?" Nura murmured. Her thumb brushed the calluses on Dunia’s hand, the work from so many spells or whatever Dunia did in her free time. She knew her religion made her happy and she was getting into that. Into Dunia herself honestly.
They were quiet again. Clearly both enjoying the silence and just being alone together for once. Dunia was staring at their hands touching now that the sun had fully set. She smiled softly at the smaller woman with the dark make up and split dyed hair. She was quite pretty. Especially in this darkness. The moonlight made the purple much… shinier.
“You know…. I didn't take you for much of a yapper at this time.” Nura blushed a bit and looked up at her, that smile she had. That damn smile. It tugged at Nura's heart. She smiled at her though.
“Usually I'm not. But….. I think….” "You are drawn to me. I saw it in the tarot cards Ren gave me.” Nura paused with a look. It was like a buffering symbol was spinning on her forehead. Dunia laughed softly now and gently kissed Nura's forehead, causing her to blush.
"Let's get some sleep, we might need it in the morning.” "... Alright. One.. one last thing though.” Dunia smiled as Nura looked up. As if reading her mind, they leaned together and kissed softly and gently. It was a slow, lingering and loving kiss. Like they didn't want it to end.
They parted and went inside the shelter after that, Ren sliding from the roof to curl up near his friends while they cuddled each other like lovers do. He was smiling softly. He had watched the whole thing and in all honesty, was beyond happy for them.