With Coranos' farewell spoken, Koda allowed her arm to drop to her side, holding the sending stone loosely within the clutch of her fingers. While they had been speaking, she had begun to pace away from the harbor and towards the Trade District so she could collect the necessary things from the bank...but now that the conversation was done, the archer found herself frozen there beside the bridge she needed to cross. A small frown and drooping ears marked her pensive expression, her stare unfocused as it rested on the canal ahead of her.
Koda wasn't scared of what was to come. She didn't get scared. She had experienced far too much over the century of her life to have that luxury anymore. One must be a certain degree of fearless and level-headed to not only call the wilds of Ashenvale home, but to also swear allegiance in the defense of it. There was little room for error in these things...and much less room for trepidation. As a freelance protector, Koda had to focus her attention on acting, swiftly and surely, putting everything else but the greater good to the side - including personal feelings. Especially personal feelings. She didn't get to be scared.
Still.
She was a realistic woman; she knew what she was about to walk into. She knew that she was the only person who seemed to actually care about Cervontis' greater well-being - not his wardens, not the Sentinels, and not even his beloved Claw. It was up to her to be his stalwart advocate - up to her to ensure this Terry guy didn't get exactly what he was looking for. To claim whatever thing he was after in Desolace, sure, but much more importantly? She couldn't let him claim the sanity Cervontis had fought to reclaim. Regardless of what he had been before, Cervontis was a good man, now. That was something Koda was willing to bet everything - everything - on. That was something good and worthy of sacrifice. Worthy of her sacrifice.
If they turned against him, she would stand beside him. If they threatened his freedom, she would strike back in defense of it. And if they tried to kill him...well, it was cliche to say, but they'd have to make it through her, first.
And thusly, the unease came.
If she did that...if she stood beside him...then that would be it. There was no going back after turning her bow on his wardens. No going back to the life before, no going back to quiet days lounging in the city...
...no going back to Coranos.
The pensive expression turned into an outright frown as she exhaled a sharp breath through her nostrils, promptly storing the stone that connected her with the Dracthyr into her satchel. This was no time to think of things like that. She had a duty; she had made a promise. This was no time for trepidation, and certainly no time for personal feelings - whether for Coranos or Cervontis. She would do what she did best and simply act, swiftly and surely, with nothing but the greater good in her sights.
Her frown wavered, but she refused to let the other thoughts crawl in past the wall she'd slammed into place around her field of vision - blinders in the form of denial.
Because it would be far too difficult to face the truth that caused her heart to thrum steadily against her rib cage as she resumed her walk.
She didn't get to be scared. But the thought of never seeing Coranos again, well...
As Koda rounded the corner and began down the steps towards her camp, she realized that it was a beautiful night. Stunning, actually. The air was crisp, the leaves vibrant in their Autumn shades, the moons' flawless glow illuminating the pond, and the stars? Oh, Elune, the stars. They gleamed and sparkled, like someone had spilled diamonds across a blanket of dark velvet.
Yes, it was a beautiful night, lovelier than any other she could remember. And yet, somehow...all of it paled in comparison to the shade of rose that had colored Coranos' cheeks, how he'd looked in that 'costume', how he'd smiled at her, the way he'd moved with her, the way he'd taken her hand and not let go...
As the thoughts caught up with her, Koda's heart tripped over its next beat. The dreamy smile she'd been wearing grew suddenly tight at the corners, her eyes widening as heat rushed to her face.
Oh.
Oh no.
It wasn't quite panic that seized her lungs, strangling her next inhale, but something more akin to confusion. She...couldn't really be feeling this way...right? Elune bless, the man was a dragon!
'Dragonkin', that inner voice politely corrected.
Not that it mattered. It wasn't his scales (those pretty, pretty azure scales) or his eyes (those sharp, intelligent, striking eyes) that made it weird. The woman had lived for over a century - only twenty of those years had been spent anywhere near the other races of Azeroth. The Kaldorei were a race that primarily hung around their own kind, and for good reason.
And, she loved her people, she really did. It wasn't like she planned on ever having children (adoption? maybe. Liev had made her impact.) so that wasn't a concern, but...well, mixing races was something she'd been vehemently against for a long, long time. There was a reason she was a separatist; no one looked out for the Kaldorei besides other Kaldorei. Who else could they trust besides each other? The world and its history had proved this lesson over and over again; it was a black and white sort of thing.
So, could she really admit to herself that she was having...feelings...for someone who wasn't her kin?
And yet.
Here was Coranos. He was kind, and down-to-earth, and funny, and talented, and interesting! When she had returned to the stone city, bruised and battered, he was the only one who cared enough to offer healing. Overall, he was quick to offer assistance steeped in sincerity - a soft heart despite the hard, difficult things that he'd endured. He wanted to look out for her, to have her back, and she admired that about him. (It also didn't hurt that he was willing to follow her into a heist she'd only half-revealed to him with practically no hesitation.)
Koda had reached her camp by this point, and with a twirl, the woman put her back against the trunk of her tree to lean. Head tilted, her gaze trailed over the constellations through the leaves, her expression pensive - but not without a little smile still touching her lips.
The grey. She had said it to that Claw in the Rest, hadn't she? She'd been referring to Cervontis' situation (and, silently, Thavenar's), but couldn't that apply here with Coranos, too? Elune's wisdom was never-ending, and Koda had been made a stalwart student these past few months. Many things - so many things - that Koda 'knew' to be truth had been relentlessly challenged. She was not the same girl that had tumbled out of Ashenvale with twigs in her hair, wide-eyed into the humans' city. She had learned and grown, day-by-day, through every mystery and misery. With every lesson relearned, her faith was only bolstered. So...why not give it a shot here, with him?
A thick swallow led to a bout of nervous chuckles, the woman rubbing at her nose with the back of her hand. Yeah, she...she could admit it. She wanted to get to know him better. She wanted to waste away hours learning his favorite spells and foods and colors and sounds. She wanted to hear about his life before the stasis was forced on him; wanted to hear about every dream he had for the future. She wanted to be there to see that future alongside him.
Yes, it was simple, wasn't it? She wanted time with him.
Another flush of heat stole across her cheeks, followed by another, almost goofy laugh. "Why not?" She questioned the jewled-stars, the glow of her eyes set alight by their sparkle. "Here's to the grey."
