It was a slow day in the camp. The army had stopped to stock up on supplies, so Tharja was taking advantage of the down time to work on a new spell. She sat on the floor of her tent, flipping through a book of ingredients to find the right ones to use. Many other books were scattered about the floor, and a sack sat next to her, filled with various herbs and less savory items to be used in her research. Normally, Tharja would be completely engrossed in her work, but she was finding it hard to stay focused due to the other person that was currently occupying her tent.
Libra was sitting on Tharja's cot, smiling as he painted away on a canvas that sat on an easel before him. Tharja had noticed that his eyes kept moving from the painting to her and back, which caused her face to flush a bit. Now that they were officially a couple, she didn't really know what to do.
When she had first met him, forming a romantic bond had never even crossed her mind. All she really wanted was to study the darkness that she sensed lurking deep within him. It was then when she realized what a strong yet broken person he was. He had lived through much abuse and neglect, and his apparent lack of self esteem was probably a direct result. When she saw the details of his dark past, she found her heart hurting at the sight. No one should have to carry such a burden, especially someone as kind hearted as Libra.
Tharja was glad that he had taken her advice and began focusing on his own happiness, after the weight of his past was lifted when he shared it with her. She had noticed subtle changes in him. He smiled more, and carried himself with a renewed confidence that Tharja admired.
She had thought that their interactions would cease once she told him he could no longer help him with her research, but that was not the case, and she was surprisingly happy about that. He had returned to her tent the day after and asked if he could practice his painting here.
"Why here?" Tharja had asked, frowning as she raised an eyebrow.
"I find your presence calming. And I am trying to find some inspiration. Perhaps I may finally find it here." Libra had replied, a serene smile crossing his face that made Tharja's heart skip a beat. It was then that Tharja realized that she was falling for him.
It had become a routine from that point on. Every other day or so Libra would stop by her tent and paint, while she read a book or worked on her research. They usually sat in a comfortable silence, sometimes breaking that silence to talk about the goings on in camp, or to ask each other questions about what they were working on, or to just say whatever came to their minds at the moment. Tharja grew to look forward to their time together, and found herself wanting more, but she had no idea how to proceed.
She was happy then, when Libra had been the one to admit that he had feelings for her first. Tharja had been genuinely shocked when she looked into his heart and saw how he felt about her. She had never thought that he would actually reciprocate those feelings. The thought of a priest and a dark mage being together had her laughing internally. What a mismatched couple they were, and she wouldn't change a thing.
"Tharja, my dear."
The dark mage was torn from her thoughts as she looked up, watching as Libra set his paintbrush down and smile at her. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly; she wondered if she'd ever get used to him calling her 'my dear' and other affectionate pet names.
"Yes?" Tharja asked, her eyes meeting his.
"I have finally finished my painting. Would you like to see it?" he asked, shifting over on her cot to give her a spot to sit, "I feel like this is my best one yet."
Tharja smiled and nodded. Libra had been very secretive about what he had been painting, and hadn't let her see the work in progress at all. She had teased him one time and accused him of painting something lewd, which had left him quite flustered. Tharja couldn't help but laugh, and Libra had commented on how wonderful her laugh sounded, turning the tables on her and leaving her the flustered one. She was very interested to see what he had actually painted. She put her book down and stood up, taking a seat on her cot next to Libra. She turned to look at the painting, and her eyes widened with shock.
His painting was of Tharja, sitting on the floor of her tent in the same spot she always did, surrounded by her books and other spell crafting supplies. Tharja thought that it was a masterful piece. It looked so real that she had to peek around the canvas to make sure that it wasn't a window and she was actually still sitting on the floor in the middle of the tent.
"Libra, this is amazing. I had no idea you were so talented." Tharja said, turning to look at him. Libra smiled at her and took her hand in his.
"Thank you. It's amazing what the right kind of inspiration can do for an artist." he said, his fingers entwining with hers.
"A-and that would be?" Tharja said, stuttering a bit as her face flushed a bright red.
"You, my dear. You are my inspiration." Libra said, chuckling as he brought his free hand up and cupped Tharja's face. Tharja's breath caught in her throat, and she found herself rendered speechless at the intense look in his eyes.
Libra laughed as he gently ran his thumb over her cheek. "You look so adorable with your face flushed like that, Tharja. You make me want to kiss you." he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. Tharja sucked in air quickly through her nose as her heart began beating rapidly.
"W-well, what are you waiting for? An invitation?" Tharja said as she recovered from her shock, a snarky grin crossing her face. Libra laughed as his face drew close to hers.
"Maybe. But I guess I don't need one now." he whispered as he pressed his lips gently against hers. Tharja froze for a moment, searching her brain for any sign that this was all just a crazy dream. That was the only logical explanation for how the hell she, a moody dark mage with a hex-casting addiction, was being kissed by an impossibly handsome, ax-wielding priest with a dark past and slowly improving self-esteem issues. However, this was indeed her reality, and she smiled as she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. She wouldn't change this reality for anything in the world.