By now, night had fallen, Kyra's first night outside if Teldrassil, and Colin carefully collected his equipment, laying it out on the bed that had been procured by him upon arrival. A tent had been set up for travelers, which is where he'd went, while Kyra had taken up in the tent that served more as a barracks. He took stock of everything he had, including quills and art supplies, and cleaned and organized what he could.

He stood and stared down at the bed, this ritual becoming enough of a routine that he'd even lay down objects in a particular way before taking account of them. As soon as that was dome, he packed everything back up, laying his pack underneath the cot, careful not to wake any of the other tenants. Ovuun did a good enough job snoring, however, to mask any noise, so Colin didn't bother moving all that quietly.

As he stood up, he had adjusted his position enough that the moon met his eyes through the small opening of the tent's entryway. The cloth had fluttered in the wind, but now sat still, almost creepily so. Colin stared into the white orb, becoming more conscious of his cheek all of a sudden, though he quickly ignored it. As if having a sort of stand-off he continued staring at the moon.

Within the light of one moon came another. He suddenly noticed Kyra walking along the pavilion, alongside another woman, whose armor appeared to be of much higher rank. Colin slowly approached the woven sheets of the entrance and attempted to listen in, but didn't get far.

Whether it had been due to his ears simply not being good enough, or rather because he had been staring at her starlit hair cascading over her shoulders, he couldn't be sure, though he suddenly heard a jolting house behind him, forcing whip around to see Ovuun uncomfortably turning in his cot.

"Yes, Modimus; I accept the crown on behalf of-" he trailed off.

Colin sighed as he returned to his previous stance, but was only greeted by metal and chain mail before falling backwards, smashing hard into the ground. As his faculties returned, he quickly noticed Kyra kneeling beside him, examining his face.

"Are you okay?" she spoke quietly, and rather neutrally, though Colin could sense a concern in her voice, "Sorry; I didn't notice you there."

Colin shook his head, gently pushing her hand away, which had been moving vaguely toward his cheek, "No, no; it was my fault. I shouldn't have been standing there."

He already knew that she had known enough to guess what he'd been doing, so he did t offer any explanation as he rose to his feet as she helped him up.

"Sylviis has decided," Kyra began, her face returning to its once stony appearance, "Tomorrow we'll be heading toward Auberdine. The reconnicence team came back with favorable news, and she figures that having me there can only aid the cause."

Colin rubbed his nose gingerly, alleviating its pain from earlier, "Well, they've got the best Sentinel on Telsrassil at their side. No point in wasting that."

He turned away to look for something, missing Kyra's light smile as he dug through his backpack, emerging again with a wooden necklace. It was detailed, though not exactly ornate; it appeared to be a shamanic totem in the shape of a fox when Kyra first noticed it.

"If you're going into combat, I suppose you need some protection," Colin spoke as he handed it to her, "Crafted by the finest Tauren shamans of Mulgore. I was told it was for protection, though I suppose a tauren would require elusivity more than anything."

He chuckled to himself as Kyra accepted the necklace, peering at it through her bright eyes, "I'm familiar enough with tauren druids to know about how powerful these sort of things can be."

The two shared knowing grins, particularly because Kyra had the impression that he had just put it away; after all, it wasn't around his neck. Colin shrugged off her suggestion as she turned around, offering the necklace back to him, lifting her hair with her other hand.

He could only stare for a moment, confused, though was quick enough to recover so that nothing was said. He took the leather strap that had been woven into the intricate canals that were carved into the totem and wrapped it loosely around Kyra's neck, peeking over her shoulder to make sure it wasn't too high up. Her skin was bathed in a pale blue moonlight, nearly sparking along its soft edges, nearly causing Colin to drop the necklace altogether. He quickly adjusted the length of the strap and stepped back, more relaxed as Kyra adjusted the necklace.

"Thank you," she spoke in a whisper, almost appearing to be quite shaken in fact.

Worried, Colin responded, "Are you alright?"

Kyra returned her arms to the sides of her body as she stared down at the ground, embarrassed, "You were so close, I… I felt her nervous you were."

Now also embarrassed, although a lot more severely, Colin turned away and held his arm as Kyra went on, quietly, "Your heart sped up, your arms quivered, you were devoid of breath. It was a bit unnerving."

Kyra raised her eyes and watched Colin, who was still turned in embarrassment as he spoke up, "S-Sorry. for making you uncomfortable."

"Not uncomfortable," she confirmed, "Just… I've never felt anybody react like that to me. It wasn't uncomfort; it was surprise, shock, confusion, and…"

She trailed off before continuing on with a question, "Are you…attracted to me?"

Colin became even more visibly red as she asked, probably answering the question simply enough with that, though Kyra remained quiet as if awaiting an answer.

"I'd figure anybody would react that way…around you, anyway."

While Colin was simply seeking a way of explaining himself, Kyra took on a mighty shade of red as she, again, tried to hide her face with her hand. She hadn't ever received such a compliment before. Her parents weren't exactly the types to demonstrate affections, and her siblings had already run off. Now here was a man, a human, no less, visibly quaking at the prospect of being too close to her.

"Sorry," Colin finally spoke, piercing the silence, "Can we just let this go?"

Having composed herself, Kyra had removed her hand and she stared into Colin's face, offering her hand to him, "Let me show you something."

Apprehensive, Colin slowly clutched her hand and felt a immediate, yet gentle, tug as she led the two from the tent. They didn't get far before she stopped in the middle of the pavilion, turning as she pulled Colin closer to her.

She looked up at the sky, which had darkened behind the bright moonlight. Colin did the same, though he couldn't help but raise his head only so high, keeping the ability to watch Kyra's face.

"The moon isn't quite full," she spoke, "Perhaps in the next day or two. We used to face our enemies only between nights of the full moon, but that died out. With all that's changed, though, some have returned to the lore of old, hence Sylviia's insistence to fight tomorrow."

She smiled the slightest bit, "We had another tradition, "D'ana'no diel Ishura T'as'e" which also fell from tradition after Nordrassil's fate cast a shadow over our hearts."

Colin stared at her, quite confused that she had paused. She only continued to stare up into the heavens, seeming more ethereal than anything else, as though she were among them. Her Darnassian words hung in his ear like a mantra, repeating again and again.

"What does it mean?" he asked, innocently enough.

And in that instant, Kyra's eyes met with his; those beams of starlight reaching into his eyes as if he were staring out into the cosmos. That light intensified, and then nothing. The light vanished completely, leaving Colin blind, lost, until upon his lips he felt hers, rescuing him from his reeling eyes, although that was a moot point by now.

While Kyra's eyes had shut, Colin's lingered wide open in shock at what had just happened. A great burst of flame had been lit within his lips and now showered his mind and soul in wildfire.

While it had only taken a few moments, it seemed to be an hour to Colin. As soon as it had happened, Kyra pulled away, her eyes now squinted as though in reverie.

"Not even the vastness between the stars could keep us from meeting again," she translated, softly, "Roughly."

While he understood her words, Colin was still very much in utter surprise, simply able to just stand there. Kyra quickly reached over and hugged him, which even Colin was able to recognize quickly enough to reciprocate in kind.

"No matter what happens, we'll meet again," she spoke, as neutrally as always.

Colin quickly realized just how foreign of a place she'd been. They had met just a week or so ago, yet he was the only person she knew for miles. The tight grip from her arms to tell that story well enough, anyway.

She pulled away slowly, looking confused as she looked at his face, "What's wrong?"

Colin psychologically came to, suddenly jumping back into whatever reality he was now experiencing, "Oh, uh, nothing. It was just surprising is all."

Kyra stared, but eventually a tiny grin crept onto her face, "You were very sweet."

"Oh," Colin sighed, as though relieved that her kiss wasn't due to anything more serious, "Just making sure."

Now visibly smiling, Kyra grabbed at her necklace, "Thank you, again. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe; or later if we don't meet before Sylviia has us move on out. Whatever we're facing, I'll be sure to find out how to brighten ten of them."

She turned and began walking off toward her tent before Colin could figure out what she'd just referred to. Now unable to reply without shouting, he only returned to his own tent, silently pulling back the curtains and sitting at his cot. He pulled out his journal and opened up to the latest page, upon which he'd counted inventory earlier. There were objects he didn't have, though still wrote down and crossed out, followed by such things as "Loaned to M-" or "Given to D-; expected to return".

Underneath the list, he carefully continued writing:

"Shamanic Ardency Totem – entrusted to Kyra"