She quickly raises her hand to cover her face, but it can't completely hide her giggling.

Recovering slightly, she puts on a theatrically scandalized look.

"Why, good ser! Who would ever do such a thing??"

He almost missed the quick wink as she reached for his hand.

"I'm not. Um, taken that is...

I mean, yes please."

She smiles warmly at him, offering her hand to help him up from the snowy ground.

"A warm fire and a drink! Just what the chirurgeon ordered!"

She is looking forward to the walk back with him as much as the promised drink. She takes another deep breath of the cold air, happy in the moment.

She smiles wistfully, and squeezes his hand again before releasing it.

In a soft voice: "Some decisions demand honest re-examination from time to time. Even if the choice remains the same."

She rises, dusts off the snow. "Shall I leave you to your thoughts?" She worries she's intruded overlong.

Her eyes widen, and she forgets her surprise at his hand holding hers. This has the sound of an old wound, one thought long closed, being reopened. And yet... sometimes a broken limb needed resetting for it to heal.

She squeezes his hand gently. "Perhaps you each need to sit with it a while."

She looks back at him, returning his wry smile. “I suppose there is nought to be done about the past, except to learn from it.”

“What is it that claims your thoughts tonight?
3/3

She decides to be truthful, but indirect.

“I sometimes struggle with the decisions I’ve made, the paths I’ve taken. In the moment, I would choose them all again. But sometimes there are consequences I could not foresee. I fear they harm others.”
2/3

She hesitates, because she is not ready to answer fully. The truth is, she was contemplating him - his return, and her part in it. He seems to have come to terms with having been granted this second chance at life. She would not upset that hard-won balance.
1/3

Her gaze moves outward a moment, taking in Ishgard and the night sky.

"I find the bracing air helps clear my head when my thoughts are tangled," she says. She sighs softly and shifts a few ilms closer to him, studying his face.

"It seems I am not alone in this?" It is an invitation.

She still comes out to this place when she needs to clear her head. She did not expect to see anyone else here, much less *him.*

She hesitates, not wanting to intrude. Yet, he seems unhappy - which she cannot bear.

Saying nothing, she simply sits upon the snow ~ a yalm away. Silently supporting.

"I... that is, uh..."

(swallows visibly, then blinks a few times)

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

What is it you want, good Ser?

That calendar page will be my nameday present to myself...

"M-my Lord!"

She seems slightly flustered, but quickly recovers her composure and manages a graceful curtsy. She flashes a radiant smile at him.

I would as soon leave the dead to sleep peacefully.

...

They *are* sleeping, aren't they?