Eve didn’t need anyone. Not really. She reminded herself of this as she walked into the tavern, the dull hum of conversation and clinking mugs filling the air. The drink she’d been given wasn’t much, but it would do. At least this world had taverns, even if everything else about it was irritatingly unfamiliar.
Another world, another problem. But Corrin wasn’t here. That was the only thought she couldn’t quite dismiss. Corrin wasn’t here, and she should feel relieved by that. The other woman was safe—or as safe as someone living in Somnius could be. Corrin has survived two years in that place without her because she was a survival like her.
Still. That faint pang of unease didn’t go away, no matter how hard she ignored it.
She took a sip of her drink. Alone again. Just the way it was supposed to be.
Then she heard it. A voice, familiar enough to cut through the haze of noise around her, and for a split second, Eve thought she was imagining it. She turned her head, and there she was—Corrin. Sitting there, flushed and flustered, looking like she didn’t know whether to run or laugh.
Eve’s grip on her mug tightened for the briefest of moments before she forced her hand to relax. The relief she felt was unexpected, sharper than she would have liked. Corrin was okay. Not just okay—here, in front of her, and alive. And apparently, rambling.
'...Can I kiss you?'
The words took a moment to register. Eve blinked, her usual deadpan expression fixed firmly in place as she stared at Corrin. Was she drunk? No, Corrin wasn’t the type. That meant either she’d lost her mind or there was something in the drinks. Probably the latter, knowing Eve’s luck.
Then Corrin started backtracking, her words tripping over themselves in a way that would have been endearing if it weren’t so absurd. Eve didn’t bother hiding the faint twitch at the corner of her lips—a smirk that threatened to give her away.
When Corrin finally landed on, 'But, um. Also the first thing too,' Eve couldn’t help herself.
She set her drink down carefully, leaning back in her chair with the kind of deliberate ease that only made her feel more in control of the moment. Then, without missing a beat, she leaned forward slightly, closing the gap between them just enough to make her point clear.
“Permission granted,” she said smoothly, her voice as dry as ever. “But I’m not waiting for you to talk yourself out of it.”
And before Corrin could respond—or embarrass herself further—Eve leaned in and kissed her. It wasn’t a shy or hesitant kiss; Eve didn’t do those. It was confident but not overwhelming, a balance she hadn’t entirely expected to find herself caring about. When she pulled back, her gaze lingered on Corrin for a moment longer than she should have let it.
“There,” Eve said, picking up her drink again and leaning back in her chair. “Request handled.”
She sipped her drink, letting the sweetness settle on her tongue again as she studied Corrin’s reaction out of the corner of her eye.
Arrival
Another world, another problem. But Corrin wasn’t here. That was the only thought she couldn’t quite dismiss. Corrin wasn’t here, and she should feel relieved by that. The other woman was safe—or as safe as someone living in Somnius could be. Corrin has survived two years in that place without her because she was a survival like her.
Still. That faint pang of unease didn’t go away, no matter how hard she ignored it.
She took a sip of her drink. Alone again. Just the way it was supposed to be.
Then she heard it. A voice, familiar enough to cut through the haze of noise around her, and for a split second, Eve thought she was imagining it. She turned her head, and there she was—Corrin. Sitting there, flushed and flustered, looking like she didn’t know whether to run or laugh.
Eve’s grip on her mug tightened for the briefest of moments before she forced her hand to relax. The relief she felt was unexpected, sharper than she would have liked. Corrin was okay. Not just okay—here, in front of her, and alive. And apparently, rambling.
'...Can I kiss you?'
The words took a moment to register. Eve blinked, her usual deadpan expression fixed firmly in place as she stared at Corrin. Was she drunk? No, Corrin wasn’t the type. That meant either she’d lost her mind or there was something in the drinks. Probably the latter, knowing Eve’s luck.
Then Corrin started backtracking, her words tripping over themselves in a way that would have been endearing if it weren’t so absurd. Eve didn’t bother hiding the faint twitch at the corner of her lips—a smirk that threatened to give her away.
When Corrin finally landed on, 'But, um. Also the first thing too,' Eve couldn’t help herself.
She set her drink down carefully, leaning back in her chair with the kind of deliberate ease that only made her feel more in control of the moment. Then, without missing a beat, she leaned forward slightly, closing the gap between them just enough to make her point clear.
“Permission granted,” she said smoothly, her voice as dry as ever. “But I’m not waiting for you to talk yourself out of it.”
And before Corrin could respond—or embarrass herself further—Eve leaned in and kissed her. It wasn’t a shy or hesitant kiss; Eve didn’t do those. It was confident but not overwhelming, a balance she hadn’t entirely expected to find herself caring about. When she pulled back, her gaze lingered on Corrin for a moment longer than she should have let it.
“There,” Eve said, picking up her drink again and leaning back in her chair. “Request handled.”
She sipped her drink, letting the sweetness settle on her tongue again as she studied Corrin’s reaction out of the corner of her eye.