Moiraine was too annoyed to panic about the prospect of being alone with Siuan. Lan had cited an emergency at work (he needed to correct a tattoo of a horse, his colleague had made it look like Dobby the house elf apparently).

'How can you draw a horse that looks like a house elf?' Enquired Siuan. 'Should we gatecrash and see?' She said mischievously. Moiraine frowned and reminded her that he was at work. When the other woman nodded and said that it wouldn't do to disturb him at work, it occurred to Moiraine that teasing need not always be malicious. She offered a ghost of a smile.

'I'm not into astrology' she warned as they spread out their picnic blanket and settled with the cushions. It was a breezy May afternoon, perfect for their cosy jumpers, Moiraine in her favourite royal blue, Siuan in chartreuse.

'Good to know. Consider the subject closed.'

They lay down in comfortable silence watching the birds circle about.

'Have you ever had this kind of dream?' Asked Siuan.

'Sometimes. It feels like the birds will swoop down and peck out your heart.'

Moiraine could remember the last time it had happened, how she was sure that the wings were flapping through her head, only to wake up to find the curtains blowing back and forth.

'Had it been a stressful week?'

'Mr Rand had died that day. He had been the youngest patient.'

Siuan thought that being surrounded by death all day was bound to play tricks in your dreams. The symbolism of this dream was obvious. She changed the subject.

'Have you ever thought of getting a tattoo?'

'I don't think I could choose something I would love forever.'

'If you do find something you love forever, don't delay getting it done. It's worth it.'

Moiraine understood. Nobody lived forever and most people had no notion of which day they were going to die. She knew that better than anyone. Siuan's thoughts had drifted to the obvious excuse that Lan had fabricated. Surely Moiraine was going to realise that a horse shaped like a house elf was not a credible error in an establishment like this tattoo parlour. Siuan felt protective of Moiraine, wanted to shield her from the comments people made about her. Lan had hinted enough for her to guess how Moiraine was perceived. She wanted to make Moiraine feel comfortable around her. She found her fascinating and wondered if smiling more was the sign that Moiraine wanted to get closer. She lured the other woman into conversation, dropping in topics she wanted to discuss while keeping them relevant to what Moiraine was interested in. If there was silence after a while, neither of them were willing to break it for the sake of conversation. Thus distracted, it took a long while for Moiraine to realise that Siuan had not set up her equipment. She had worried that without Lan, conversation would be stilted for her disinterest in fishing had been blindly obvious the last time. Her desire to see Siuan again had been all consuming even at the cost of enduring another session.

'No fishing?'

'No fishing today, only kissing. If I may?'

Siuan gently brushed her cheek, so soft it was like a whisper of the wind. Moiraine wondered how much she trusted her instincts around Siuan. It was difficult to judge when she felt most peculiar when she was around her, light hearted, softer, like she hadn't felt with anyone before. She tuned back in when she realised that Siuan was waiting for her response. Patiently. Her gaze was tenderly amused and her hand was laid next to her own cheek, waiting for clear consent. Moiraine tried a smile. It was easier than she expected. Her heart shivered and she nodded, not trusting her voice.

The world had swirled and soared for a few glorious minutes, dizzying and delighting her with the warmth and tenderness of the first kiss she'd had in a long time. She was glad that she was lying down because in a short few seconds she was ready for Siuan to rip her clothes off and ravish her. The thought made her shiver with pleasure. She'd never felt so alight before. In the distance she thought she could hear Lan roaring his approval but maybe that was just her imagination. Siuan smiled at her when they languidly came up for air.

'I think we've done enough talking for today' she said.