bakerstreet | darkness at the heart of my sexts for you

I could see to it. If that is what you desire.

I think I would. It sounds nice. Relaxing.

I could show you if you like. There is not much there save the space for the plants, but it would keep us warm.

I think I would like that, yes.

I could take you there. If you like. Meet me outside the Great Hall after dinner?

I can do that.

I shall see you then.

[It's hard to not notice him through dinner. Every time she looks up her eyes meet his with a small smile. She's used to the way that men look at her, but with him it's with a softness, like he just sees her. She's been made to put walls up for so long that it feels strange to slowly let them down, but she finds herself wanting, something new and even a little exciting for her. It feels like it's been an eternity since a young man has made her stomach flip like this.

But the fact she still can feel this after everything feels like maybe things are returning to normal. Winter is settling in, and since he's agreed to stay at least the season, she knows they'll have some time here. It may not be forever, but she knows he has his own destiny to fulfill. Hers already has been, and her roots are here, as its Queen.

She appears outside the hall dressed in an embroidered cloak, lined with fur since there is a small chill. The halls of Winterfell are heated with the hot springs beneath it, but winter is still brutal in the north. She finds him waiting, and quietly she takes his hand to pull him along, more into the shadows in case anyone else happened to be along.]

I am glad you came, [She spoke softly.]

Thank you for inviting me.

( he hadn't really known how to dress for something like this so he'd gone with what he would normally wear around two rivers, adding a jacket over it to make sure that he wasn't too cold.

she finds him waiting and he straightens when he sees her, smiling. )

I've been looking forward to it.

[She offers her hand before leading him down the hall and out toward the back of the hall. It will be colder outside, but heading toward the greenhouses, the steam is already rising. There isn't anyone around luckily, and she smiles softly.]

I have been, too. [She hopes she isn't awkward, but she keeps herself a little tense just on habit. It has been a long time since she's enjoyed company like this, especially with a man.]

It will be warmer in there, too. We would sneak in as children, sometimes my friend Jeyne and I. Just to warm up after being out for so long. [It seems like a lifetime away now, and much of the people that once were are now dead. Still home holds these memories, more good though.]

It got cold in Two Rivers but never like this.

( he doesn't mind the cold at all but this sort of chill seems to seep into your bones and stay there until you found a way to diffuse it.

hopefully that's what they were going to do. he gives her hand a squeeze and sighs. )

We would sneak down to the a nearby river but it was always cold, it seemed. Sometimes that was good during the warmer months but no one wants to jump into cold water when there's snow on the ground.

It is not as bad in the southron parts of the Seven Kingdoms either. King's Landing is much warmer. [But if she never has to travel to the other parts, than it will be too soon. It is not that she does not like traveling, but it took so much for her to get back home.

They move through the greenhouse until she finds a little place for them to sit toward the back. Already the steam is starting to get to her, but it is warm, comforting almost.]

No. We have some rivers in the flatlands, and the Neck, but the would be frozen now.

I know there are other regions that are warmer than Two Rivers as well. I haven't travelled to those areas.

( he's only recently left two rivers because of moiraine's arrival and words of the dragon. he still doesn't think it's him but he's not going to leave his friends. )

I guess you can't really do anything fun in a frozen river. That would be uncomfortable.

I can take you down to the White Harbor when you leave. [Not that she wants to think about that, but it's down towards the Neck. It's warmer down there, so when the winter does pass it would be nice to show him it, even if she's sending him off.]

No. It is nicer in here. [If anything the heat is making a little bit of sweat around her brow. Sansa takes the moment to start to pull at her fur-lined coat, not needing it in the greenhouse now.]

When the time comes, that'd be nice.

( she catches his attention when she starts pulling off the coat but he turns away since he doesn't want to be caught staring. he reaches for the edges of his own jacket, pulling it off and dropping it down beside him. )

It's warm in here. I could almost forget the weather outside.

[She sees that he turns away. Though by the time he pulls his own off, he'll see he in a thin purple linen, hand embroidered around the neckline and sleeves. She isn't cold now, shifting to sit before their knees end up touching.]

It is the hotsprings. This is where they come up from, and it helps to sustain us until the winter. [It's even a little more steamier inside due to the biting cold outside the glass structure. They're hidden between what is left of the trees that cover them, and the fact that so privacy is given from the haze of the steam.]

It's nice.

( everything about this is nice. he's not exactly sure what he's talking about, if he's honest. her or the hot springs. perhaps both.

he swallows. )

Do you want to get in first?

The water doesn't come up here. The castle was built on top of it itself, but the steam slips through the cracks in the soil.

[She knows it's not as exciting, but she gives him a small smile.]

But I thought we could sit close.

[She's down to just a very thin, embroidered shift, her red hair down. Eyes meet his again, and she's lifting herself up to slide in next to him. Sitting around sweaty might not be the most romantic thing, but it is good for ones pores and skin. And it requires less clothing.]

( it definitely does require less clothing if you didn't want to sweat. so, rand follows her lead, getting out of the clothes that were keeping him warm.

it leaves him in a thin pair of linen shorts and then he sits down with her, hands on the ground and letting the heat press into him. )

Is this good?

[She does not stare but steels herself. This is not something she knows how to act on despite being the one who invited him here. He asks if it's good, and she looks up with a gentle smile, a soft hand opening up the fabric on her chest. It is already getting that much hotter in here, but also the heat feels good.]

OF course. As long as you are comfortable. [A blink as her blue eyes look into his.] Are you?

I am.

( he swallows and wonders if she can pick up how distracted he is just from his tone alone. )

It's hot but it's nice. I'm comfortable. Are you?

[She shifts in closer to him. Her hand covers his as they sit, knees touching knees for a moment.]

I am. I am glad you came with me.

[It might be slow going, but she is comfortable with him, hoping to show a little more of that. It isn't easy for her to trust, but she knows he is a good man with a good heart. He might have his own path, but she feels strongly about him being here now.]

( it's a light touch, a gentle touch but it still sends a thrill through him, a wave of heat. he swallows and turns his hand over to lace his fingers with hers. )

Thank you for inviting me.

( it's a nice break from...everything. he likes the quiet and how he feels tucked away from the world. )

[He holds their hand, and she squeezes back with their fingers interwoven. She smiles to herself before her eyes meet his. It feels slow, like they both know why they're here, what they might want, but she's grateful for it all the same. It might be cold and snowing outside of the greenhouse, and that she might be a queen and that he has some bigger fate ahead of him.

Right now it's just Rand and Sansa, and she'll take that for what it is, finally leaning in to kiss him in the moment when it all just builds up.]

[ The silence is a comfort. It doesn't feel heavy and tense with sorrow or dread. There's a tingle of anticipation but he doesn't press it.

When he blinks, he sees that she's moving closer to him, that she's going to kiss him and he meets her halfway, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle but lingering kiss. ]

[She exhales slowly through her nose when their lips meet, feeling just that tingle ripple over her skin. Sansa hardly knows what wanting means, but she does feel the heat rise so much faster than even the steam in the greenhouses. He's gentle, and her hand touches his arm to steady herself, unsure where else to touch in this moment, but she feels grounded now, content with the slow way she leans in a little more. Only pulling back when she realizes what she's done.]

--My apologies.

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