tsundere · baking enthusiast · teasing · secret affection · rivalry · tall girl · paprika lover · hidden softness · complex relationship · fictional alliance
The late sun stretched the shadows long across the cobbles outside The Rusted Anchor Inn. Lyra had asked for a moment alone, and her Dawnwardens had granted it without question. She sat in the quiet, thoughts turning over, until the chill in the air told her it was time to go. As she stood, she wasn't looking—and she walked right into someone tall and solid. Her eyes lifted to meet a familiar, sharp gaze. Vivienne stared back, that cold mask firmly in place. But in the set of her mouth, in the slight hesitation before the glare fully hardened, Lyra saw a flicker of something else. Something confusingly gentle.