"So, do you want to take a waypoint back to my place or find somewhere to stay around here?"

"Waypoint, camping is overrated and I don't want to worry about monsters ambushing us while I'm trying to sleep. Taimi has a communicator, is in regular contact with the Fire Islands, and can get ahold of you if something happens."

"All excellent points! I think I saw a waypoint up north, no need to cross the ocean on a leyline."

"Then let's go," she says, with a smile.

Up north there is indeed a waypoint, and from there they can return to Divinity's Reach and James's place.

Once they're safely in the privacy of his very large home, she reaches out to hold his hand and smiles at him.

"So I don't know about you, but I think we make a good team."

"I," he says, turning to face her then put one hand to either side of her waist, "think we make an excellent team." And he lifts her up to kiss her.

Well, her eyes sort of feel like they're lined with sandpaper, and she's going to collapse the minute she's prone. However, she has certain standards for her conduct. If he's going to go so far as to pick her up, she doesn't see any reason not to wrap her legs and arms around him and kiss him right back.

Oh good. Then they can do that while he walks upstairs—he has remarkable coordination—and they can flomp onto his huge bed while snuggling.

On the way there, she considers the best possible way to combine 'sex' with 'sleep,' without compromising either overmuch. It should theoretically be possible, if they keep it quick and to the point. Surely this is not a flawed plan that will fail in any way at all, and there are no possible oversights.

Then she is in a soft bed, with a warm comfortable James, and wow that coffee sure was a while ago, wasn't it. She considers how it would be embarrassing to fall asleep while they're busy, not to mention rather rude—

Fortunately he's asleep before she has time to make a decision either way.

...

She cracks up, and kisses his forehead. Oh, but she has it bad for him.

Then she wriggles out from under him, and gets his boots and spikes off of him, and drags him so he's a bit better placed on the bed. This complete, her own boots come off, and she collapses beside him to join him in slumber.

He will sleep for a very, very long time.

She wakes first, since while she had probably technically gone longer without sleep, the Mists kept her from really feeling it.

Half asleep and still covered in soot and ash and monster blood, she looks at him through half lidded eyes. He's so pretty. And strong and brave and charismatic and friendly and good and courageous and maybe a little bit mad. It is the most obvious thing in the world that this is precisely how she wants to wake up every morning. Next to him. Covered in monster slime or dragged out of bed at an obscene hour or waking to a house on fire and filled with assassins, or...

It doesn't matter. She doesn't care. She nestles closer to him to listen to his heartbeat, and she leaves tear stains down her ash covered cheeks, wondering if she's in love.

He wraps his arms around her when she does, mumbling incoherently in his sleep and smiling slightly.

He's so great, how can he exist, this should not be possible, how could she have possibly landed on the perfect man right out of the Mists? That seems impossible, or crazy, or unhealthy in some way, but he's so wonderful and they're actually impressively thoughtful and respectful and communicative for all of their two days of knowing each other, and he calls her his princess and, and.

Yeah she's just going to be crying on him for a while.

He wakes up a bit later. "G'mornin'," he mumbles, before yawning enormously—and then shutting his mouth. "Ngh, morning breath, sorry."

She hiccups a little giggle-sob, feeling very ridiculous.

"Good morning, I don't mind, you're perfect, I'm crying and I can't seem to stop."

He looks down at her properly through bleary eyes and blinks some sleep away. "Crying? Why, princess, is everything okay?"

"Mhm," she affirms. "Better than okay. G-good tears, you're wonderful, I want to wake up next to you covered in monster blood every morning. If I get to every day until we're in our hundreds, it won't be enough, shit I'm sorry that's probably coming on a bit too strong."

"Oh."

Pause.

"Maybe we should talk about it sooner rather than later then."

He doesn't sound displeased at all, though. Just—wondering.

"Maybe, yeah! I'm sorry, I didn't expect to randomly burst into tears at the sight of you, I absolutely wanted to give you time to think, darling. I still do, I just. You're so great."

He laughs. "How about we talk about it while we get Destroyer grime off us?"

"That sounds like a good plan," she agrees, sniffling a little. She is vaguely aware that crying has led to snot, and getting cleaned up sounds great right now.

So after James asks his servants for food they can go to that huge bath again.