Swiftcurrent Creek golden

Thank <3 Slips in a song to celebrate

Editing a fade in with permission!

Impossible not to notice, she thought, the way he reacted when she mentioned that he was cute. His flushed pleasure was enough to sweep away her anxiety, and her smile came more easily after that. He was cute. Almost painfully so. And so agreeable!
She remembered orange trees, then, and it didn't overwhelm her. Everything seemed perfect for a moment. Thank you, Lestan. Do you think maybe now is a good time for orange trees? I still can't believe they're orange! I thought it was just a name, when you first said it! She very much wanted to see them. Maybe there were purple trees, too. Or blue.
He agreed as easily as he'd agreed to every other request she had. Sometimes she wondered if he would ever disagree with her at all, but she was delighted to spend the time with him. They marveled at orange trees together, and she asked him silly questions like his favorite color and whether he would sooner have wings or fins, until eventually it was time to go home. Except... she didn't want to. So she sent him off sometime just before the border, just before anyone would notice she was back at Kvarsheim. When she was certain he wouldn't see her, she set off her own way. It was for the best that he didn't know, she told herself. She didn't want him to worry.