Moira O'Deorain lived a rather simple and satisfactory life. She spent her days alone, in a peaceful solace tending to her garden, the a couple of hares that made their home nearby, experimented with new alchemical solutions and studied on the arcane arts. The only goal she really had in mind for her life was to advance both arts, of the magicks and of alchemy. Both played by certain rules but with the right motives, the right methods they could be surpassed.

She didn't live in a village per say, she was perhaps a candle mark away from the closest one. The village only suited her needs when she wished to trade for certain new ingredients, paper or ink. Otherwise she avoided them. The village was filled with simpletons, idiots and superstitious fools.

They used to bother her with pleas of aid of healing and medicines when their simple herbs and such did not aid them. While it was sometimes amusing or profitable, most of the time it was simple an annoyance and incredible irritation that interrupted her research and peace.

But about a year ago, an actual healer join the village and the stream of annoying begging stopped much to her relief. And then about a month later she received a visit.

Angela Ziegler. A mage skilled in the healing arts, came and introduced herself to the only other arcane user in the area.

She never thought of herself as the emotional type, but Angela was- captivating.

So unlike the farmers, labourers and idiots of the village. First of all her hair was the colour of the sun, her eyes as blue as the summer sky, blue and clear. Intelligent and witty, she was unlike any other person Moira had ever met.

Their first introductions had been stilted and awkward, but as Angela came to see her more often their interactions became easy and familiar. Angela's insight into the arcane arts and even her knowledge of herbal remedies and alchemicals proved to be useful, and before Moira realized it they were- friends?

That morning she was reviewing her previous day's work as she sipped her morning tea when a knock at her door alerted her to her visitor. The only person who visited her now.

"It's open." she called out, unwilling to lift her eyes from her notes just quite yet.

The sound of the door opening and then shutting following the sound of a few footsteps.

"Good morning Moira." Angela's bright and cheerful greeting had the hermit lifting her head.

"Good morn Angela." she greeted, her tone curling with affection and warmth. She took in Angela's approach, she was dressed in a simple plain tunic dress this day, in her arms was a large wicker basket, and strapped across her back was her staff. Angela placed the basket on the other chair at the table in Moira's small one room home. Lifting the cloth covering the top, Angela retrieved a loaf of fresh bread, some cheese and a jar of curd.

"The baker in the village came and brought me some fresh bread at dawn today, it was far too much for myself so I decided to bring you some." Angela said with that continuing smile. Her words were tinged with an accent Moira couldn't quite place when they first met, but now Moira knew it was the accent of the country that Angela raised in. Across the sea, and months away by ship.

Already Angela was retrieving the few dishes Moira owned and a thick knife to cut the bread for the two of them. Moira busied herself by pouring a cup of tea for her guest, soon they were seated across each other breaking their fast together in a comfortable silence. It wasn't until Angela scarfed down her first slice of bread with some curd and cheese did she begin talking.

"One of the kingdom's messengers passed through the village in the evening yesterday." Angela mentioned even as she began spreading curd one a second slice of bread. Moira hummed to show her interest before pushing some vegetables from her garden on Angela's plate, remind the healer to not just eat bread and cheese that morning. Angela sent her a sweet smile stopping momentarily to show her thanks. Moira avoided those blue eyes and tried to fight the flush she knew she was now sporting.

"What are the royals doing now?" Moira asked hoping to distract Angela from her obvious red cheeks.

"Hm, not them but it appears some sort of hero has appeared." Angela said allowing Moira to distract her. Even so her right hand reached across the table and she brushed her fingers across the knuckles of Moira's left. The touch was gentle and light, bringing tingles to the heavily scarred skin there.

Moira looked down at said hand and how Angela's left her hand there. She looked up with eyes a little wider, looking like a nervous young buck. Angela's smile was soft and sweet, her chin resting on the palm of her left hand as she gazed at Moira from across the table.

Just like that the food was forgotten, the news about a new hero in the land was forgotten by both of them. As Moira turned her hand over and caught Angela's fingers in her own, there was no interest in anything else but each other.

"Do you mind if I spend today with you?" Angela asked.

"No, not at all Angel."

How in all the spirits did she get here?

Moira wondered this as she ran her fingers through long and soft golden silky hair. Angela's head rested against her collar, both of them laid on Moira's bed naked with only a thin sheet covering them.

How did her simple days of research and gardening turn in this? Days of chatter, of sharing meals, of kisses, of touching, blue eyes, sweet smiles and- and- love

Was this what love was?

Moira turned her gaze to Angela's dozing form. Her heart naturally sped up at the sight, and the amount of adoration that filled her was so strong, her arms held Angela closer to her. Her lips brushed against those locks of sunshine, and she let herself accept it all.

She was in love with this woman who suddenly appeared in her life and turned everything upside down.

"I love you." Moira whispered. Angela's eyes opened and peered up at her sleepily, she pressed her cheek to Moira's shoulder and nuzzled down into her.

"Ich liebe dich." Angela murmured. Moira puzzled over the unknown language, but the way Angela hummed and kissed under her jaw, made Moira think maybe Angela returned the sentiment.

Over the next candlemark, they laid there enjoying each other exchanging kisses and soft touches.

"More küsse" Angela sighed running her lips across the line of Moira's line. "Please."

Moira flushed as those soft lips parted and a tongue peeked up and licked up the rim of Moira's left ear, and Angela started whispering rather scandalous things into her ear as her hands wandered down between Moira's legs again.

"Angela." Moira choked out, then groaned softly as a sharp pain, told her Angela just bit her. Just as a pair of fingers touched her, Moira trembled knowing she was soaking. Finding the energy inside of herself she flipped them over, pinning the smaller woman underneath her.

Angela smiled innocently up at her, wide awake now but her eyes were darkened with need. "Touch me liebe." she purred out. Moira licked her suddenly very parched lips.

"You're wicked." she growled feeling Angela's leg slowly drag down the back of Moira's right leg.

Angela let out delighted laugh as Moira descended down, very quickly those laughs morphed in moans of pleasure.

Moira didn't get any work done that day. At least, nothing to do with her research anyways.

For once she didn't mind this distraction.

When the first snow started falling Moira watched it with hatred. It would be more difficult to move between the village and her home as winter has arrived. On the darkest days of the year, the snow was so tall it was impossible to travel through the snow easily.

The snow had fallen hard and suddenly over the night, and now the landscape was entirely white with it. So heavy and high that even Moira would have a hard time walking through it. For Moira the snow was as high as her hips, for the average human it was be too high to walk through.

Angela had promised to see her before the snow fell to spend the winter with her, but now with the snow having fell Moira despaired at the thought of not seeing Angela until after winter. Also she worried if Angela had enough supplies, they had no planned for the early heavy snowfall at all.

She contemplated heading into the village by using her the same flame spell she had used to clear the area around her home of the heavy snow. Unfortunately using that spell all the way into the village to Angela's home would tap her of mana, she would be exhausted, and with the snow falling she might end up trapped with Angela burdening them with two people with limited supplies instead of just one person.

Turning inside she looked through her supplies and found a handful of mana potions that Angela had stashed there 'just in case'. Placing them in her robes and pulling on a heavy furred cloak, she pulled up the hood and grabbed her own staff that rested by her bedside. It was a dark petrified wood, gnarled and unlike Angela's very long staff was more like a walk cane's length. Just as she prepared to head out and start her first spell, something shining in the sky in the distance caught her eye.

One blue and one red eye narrowed on it, and with a dramatic turn and flutter of her dark furred cloak, Moira's tall standing figure crumbled and dissipated into a black smoking cloud. Only to reform into a large black raven, a raven with a red eye and a blue. With a flap of its wings the raven took to the skies towards the figure in the sky.

It was a slow drifting creature, with large white feathered wings on a humanoid figure. Moira as a raven flew in closer, gliding in slowly to take them in. With a law croaking cry she flew in swiftly.

It was Angela, holding a satchel to her chest, shivering, so pale she was nearly blue with the cold. She was only wearing a thin tunic, and the back had long slits cut into it where the white wings sprouted from. Moira let out a couple more caws catching Angelia's attention.

The woman let out a shaking breath, for once first drawn in and miserable. But as she caught eye of the raven circling her her eyes widened seeing the eyes the raven's had. She let out a weak laugh of relief and joy.

"M-M-M-Moir-ra" she stuttered as she shivered and shook. Her eyes shut and then she began to fall, the relief of recognizing Moira as the raven let her consciousness finally fade due to the sheer freezing temperature and her lack of proper winter clothing.

The raven dived down, the black smoke encircled it as the form changed and grew returning fully to Moira grim faced. As she fell towards the ground, her left hand hand glowed a dark purple and a shot of purple energy down towards the snow field below where they were falling. With her right arm she took hold of Angela's unconscious form.

The purple blast of energy hit the ground clearing a two metre space of snow showing the yellow and dead grass.

Tucking Angela into her side, Moira noted that the wings had faded with a gentle yellow glow, leaving Angela now wingless and a dead weight. With that she quickly let out another swift incantation and this time the black swirling cloud swallowed both of their falling figures. In a swirl of the wind they were gone, and instead of falling three metres to the ground they appeared in that cleared space Moira had created, safe and sound.

Moira did not hesitate to immediately begin clearing the snow in the direction of her home with Angela in her arms. Once she was five metres to her home, she used her fade spell once more and the two of them disappeared in another swirl of the black smoke and wisp.

Reappearing inside Moira's home, where it was warm, she immediately brought Angela to the bed where she piled furs, blankets and quilts on top of her freezing form.

"Foolish girl." Moira muttered under her breath. Refusing to acknowledge the tears blurring her gaze, she brought her heath to a roaring fire, and began making a hot broth. She stripped herself on the spot and tucked herself under the furs and wrapped her naked self around Angela's body. It was like holding ice to her body, but the weight of the furs and quilts was comforting in its weight and Moira was stubborn and determined to bring her to the proper temperature.

It took time, but slowly Angela's extremities warmed up. Allowing Moira to exit the bed and ladle some of the hot vegetable broth she hastily made. Adding a little salt to the bowl, she stirred it and placed it down on the table.

She rubbed her thumb and and ring finger together and her right hand glowed a gentle yellow. A minor healing spell, one of the few that Moira knew. She placed it on Angela's forehead, and watched intently as the last of the shivers and blue tinge on Angela's face faded into a more healthy pink. Blonde eyelashes fluttered, and soon Angela's eyes were half open gazing up at Moira.

She smiled up at her weakly. "Liebe." she whispered.

Moira sat down, feeling all of her strength leave her. Her hands were shaking and Moira was crying softly. Leaning down she pressed their foreheads together.

"You're safe now." she said.

Angela pressed her head up a little and brushed her nose against Moira's trying to comfort her, too weak to lift her arms as she wanted.

"Thanks to you." Angela said.

"Don't ever do that again, you understand?" Moira demanded sounding both angry and relieved. Angela hummed and nodded her head against Moira's.

"Yes liebe, I'm sorry for worrying you. Don't cry, I'm fine now." Angela hushed and whispered. "I love you."

Another quiet sob broke out of Moira hearing those three words.

Bonus Scene:

"So wings? What kind of preparations does that take?"

"You know those rune circles I have on my back?"

"Ah, so that's what those are for. Fascinating. I had assumed they were mana storage for when you had to do multiple spells for severe wounds."

"I'll let you study them if you're interested, but they're quite complicated. Even for you it might take a couple days, I'll have to be naked of course."

"Ah. Ahem...I…"

"So?"

"Yes...yes please."