Taly had been with her girlfriend for two months without ever going on a date. The thought struck her one day as she and Loh’za were cleaning their hut on the outskirts of Clearwater village.
Every day, during the past two months, had been wonderful. She watched Loh’za transform into a stronger woman who could stand on her own feet. She became a woman who could slow down and appreciate a moment without succumbing to the urge to go out and act. The pair had shaped each other to be more like the other, as if their complete lives were making additions for the other in their hearts and souls.
As Taly squatted down to lower a crate of Loh’za’s inks and dyes, she thought back to what they had done over the past two months. Great sex, hard training, gathering herbs, fun and enjoyable for certain, but not what her elven upbringing would have called ‘a date’.
She frowned. Though it rarely showed on her face with her constant laughing, swearing, and smiling, Taly wasn’t as resolute a woman as she projected to others. She had her doubts, fears, and sorrows, and she wondered if she was really giving Loh’za the attention and care she deserved.
Her heart ached at the thought. She bit her lip and turned to face her darkspear lover.
“Hey Loh, I was wondering…”
She paused mid-sentence when she noticed the expression on her lover’s face. Her lips were curled into a frown that looked slightly threatening with her tusks poking out. Her sea-green eyes looked moist as if something caused her heart some pain and hurt. Her body language felt small, shrunken as it was with her shoulders slooped and arms raised as if in self-defense.
“Loh”, Taly said, “What’s wrong?”
Loh’za hummed and darted her eyes to the side of the tent. Taly followed the gaze. Both women looked at the sleeping bags that served as their bed, which was once neatly arranged and clean, though knowing how often they made love, it wouldn’t remain so for long.
Taly smiled. “Come on, we’ll make a mess when we clean up. Sooner we fix everything up the sooner we can fu—”
Loh’za giggled and raised up a palm. Taly clamped her lips down and stared into her taller lover’s eyes.
“No, dat’s not wat’s on my mind, silly chil’” Loh’za said. “Jes, got te tinkin’ dat we never went out before. You and I doin’ tings dat oter couples do.”
Taly stared at Loh’za. Her lips curled into a dopey grin before she rolled her head back and laughed. Loh’za sucked in her teeth and stamped her foot.
“I’m serious!” Loh’za said, “It’s been two months and…”
Taly leaned into her lover. She rubbed her Illidari horns against her lover’s chest. The once rough lengths were sanded smooth so they wouldn’t cut up her lover whenever she kissed her woman’s softer belly. The Illidari wrapped her arms around Loh’za’s waist and squeezed her close.
“I’m sorry, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because I was thinking the same thing.” Taly said.
“Ya were?”
“Ye. I was just about to ask you if it bothered you.”
Loh’za gasped then giggled. “I was too!”
Loh’za tiptoed her fingers up Taly’s side, then threw her arms over the shorter woman’s shoulders. The arms crossed behind Taly’s neck as she leaned forward and pulled her into a more intimate embrace against her chest.
“So…” Taly said, “does it bother you?”
Loh’za blinked. “Wat?”
“You know, does it bother you that we don’t go out erm…dancing or drinking or…other things that couples do?”
Loh’za hummed. “Ya mean te tings oter couples do? I dunno. Sometimes I wonder if I am interestin’ enough for ya. Ya live dis dangerous life, flyin’ around killin’ demon tings and until recently, I been ‘idin’ wit te Ashen Tusks…jes writin’ But now…”
Loh’za paused and turned her head towards the sleeping bags.
Taly wanted to speak and urge Loh’za to continue. But she knew her lover well enough to not do that.
Women like Loh’za tended to work through their feelings through spoken exposition. It was, as much a way of figuring out what was important enough to go to the page as it was a way to lay her heart bare for examination. Loh’za called it the mark of a writer…though both women knew it was just one of the troll’s strangely alluring quirks.
Finally, Loh’za looked into her lover’s eyes.
“No, I don’t miss goin’ out on borin’ normal dates. Can ya imagine bein’ in a suit or a dress? Excuse me miss, one tea please.”
Loh’za did her best stiff upper lip as she raised one of her fingers in a pinky-up pose. She stood up straight and curled a wrist onto her hip and made an absolutely awful snooty guffaw sound.
Taly couldn’t hold back the laughter any longer. She stepped away from Loh’za and wrapped her arms around her sides giggling and laughing until it hurt. Loh’za joined her in chuckling as both women filled the dead air with their jubilance and mirth.
Neither woman knew how long it was before the giggles stopped. All they knew was looking across the hut at one another, exhaling and slapping a palm against their hips.
“I love you, Loh”
“I love ya, Taly”
Both women smiled.
“Dat said,” Loh’za said, “I do have an idea on a date.”
Taly blinked then raised her eyebrows in confusion.
“But didn’t we just…you know? Say we didn’t need to do dates?”
Loh’za smiled and raised a finger up to the collar around her neck. The scrap of cloth was not an expensive collar by any means, but since it was once Taly’s blindfold, it meant more to the woman than any of her other possessions. Touching it was also a reminder to Taly, that Loh’za was well and truly her woman and no one else’s.
“Trust me, silly chil’” Loh’za said, “I have an idea.”
~~~
Later that evening, Loh’za and Taly found themselves atop one of the highest peaks in the Barrens. In the distance, down below, they could see the outlines of Clearwater Village as large cooking fires were burned while the orcs and taurens feasted on their evening meals. Both women opted to avoid the communal meal since they had another idea in mind.
Taly smiled at her lover and turned her back to Loh’za.
“Are you ready, Loh?”
Loh’za slapped her girlfriend’s ass and giggled.
“’Urry up before I second guess myself!”
Taly gave Loh’za a sharp look then a smirk. “I’ll pay you back for that swat when we get to bed tonight.”
“Maybe, but ya won’t right now and dat’s wat matters.”
Taly turned back towards the horizon then focused her inner magic outward. Her body grew a few feet in height, her muscles broadened impressively outward. Great wings billowed out that almost blocked the moon’s light from Loh’za’s view. Her feet became cloven like hooves.
Loh’za clambered up on her lover’s back wrapping her own arms around Taly’s broader neck.
“Now fly,” Loh’za said. “Cause I got ya collared dis time!”
Taly laughed as she took a running leap from the mountain and felt the wind catch beneath her winds. The couple soared through the air towards a future that they couldn’t see in the darkness, but was uniquely theirs alone.
