Moonspear the dwarven forge

The guilt was so strong for a moment that Alya could scarcely meet her mate's eyes. "Yes," she agreed, her voice deceptively mild, and she hurried to add, "Leta is insistent on coming to visit us in the springtime. Perhaps you and I can make a trip that way, and take our time going, before that happens. That way we can see everyone, and then almost as soon as we're home, we'll see Valette and Leta again."

The next topic made her frown -- not because she disagreed with Hydra or Nikai, but because thinking about a time where fighting was made necessary for her mate made her stomach twist. "I think it's an important skill to have, just in case," she said, seeing where her sister was coming from. "But not the best use of time. If you want, I'll take over these 'training sessions', and we can have them at a more managable pace. And I'm sure we'll have more fun, too." This seemed a fine compromise to Alya, who knew that her sister would not be appeased if her idea were simply abandoned. She only wished that everything else could be worked out as neatly.