(2026-05-23) Camping in the Vale

Details

Author:	Alli
Summary:	Silvestre and Cressidha go on a camping trip in one of the peaceful areas of the Vale, prior to the conclusion of hostilities. Alongside learning about the mechanics of food and shelter outdoors in Pandaria, they learn more about one another. ~15k words
Rating:	T for Teen

Chain: Cressil

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romance, kissing, physical affection

Cressidha opens the door right away, and she is not dressed for combat. She is wearing, from top to bottom: a blue-ribboned woven sunhat with a drawstring tied under her chin, a pale blue short-sleeved shirt with a deep v-neck, her snowflake pendant, the belt from which she hangs her several drawstring bags, form-fitting navy blue leggings that show off her perfectly average and unremarkable legs, and short brown hiking boots. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail rather than her usual combat bun. Her staff is nowhere to be seen, although that doesn't exclude the possibility of it being inside one of her bags.

"Silvestre, good morning," Cressidha says warmly. "Is there anything I should bring that I may not have thought of?"

"Cressidha," Sil says and looks at her, and for a moment he seems to have lost his train of thought entirely. He jolts a little and smiles warmly back. "You look lovely. And I bet you've got everything, or I have if you don't. And if not, there's nothing we can't do without for a night."

He pats his camping sack. "I've got tent and chairs and meal prep in arcane storage. I know you can conjure, but camp cooking is part of the charm."

"Thank you. I can conjure water, but food is a little more complex. I can do a halfway-decent bread, or a manna biscuit, but it's not filling the way a meal would be." She steps outside and locks her room door, then tucks the key away and reaches for Sil's hand. "Are we flying there, or walking?" She doesn't know the spot that Sil's chosen.

"I think we'll want to fly," Sil says. "Which… we could both go on Nimbus or your carpet, or fly separate if you'd rather?" He smiles. "I found this really nice little place high up, near Mistfall Village. I hope you like it."

"We can let Nimbus stay in the stables and take just the carpet if you don't mind giving me directions as we go," Cressidha offers as she starts walking to the exit.

"That's a good idea," Sil nods, and he reaches for her hand as he falls in step by her side. "That way we won't have to care for Nimbus along the way, as well. They're pretty good with gryphons here. He's been well-fed and cared for."

Cressidha laces their fingers together. "I am pleased to hear that. He must enjoy the mountains here."

When they get outside, Cressidha releases Sil's hand to take her flying carpet out of one of her bags and unroll it. "Here we are." She takes a seat on the left, leaving space for Sil next to her.

Sil climbs onto the carpet on the right, settling next to Cressidha. He shrugs off the travel pack, setting it to his side and keeping one hand on it for safety, and turns to her. "Right, so… the place I figured, and we can go elsewhere if you don't like it — you know that waterfall by Mistfall Village? It's a little place just up above, higher than the burial grounds and a little further south. Hell of a view."

"I am aware of the waterfall, yes." The carpet lifts off the ground and begins to fly in the correct direction. "I am certain I shall approve of it."

They leave the Shrine of Seven Stars behind, floating up near the mountains. "The cooler air up here feels nice," Cressidha says. "Ah, that is not small talk about the weather - merely what I am thinking about."

"It does, though," Sil says, smiling as the wind blows through his hair. "Spring is a good season here. All the blossoms and everything is so alive, even moreso with the water here. Mizzy's here with Ben, I heard — I hope she enjoys the orchards. They could do with some easier times, if the world will keep letting them have 'em. Even with all the fighting here, this feels like a better time, now."

"Indeed. Did you tell anyone we were going camping today?" Cressidha asks. She is looking out at the landscape - she is the one piloting the flying carpet, after all.

"…should I have?" Sil looks over at her, a little startled. "We can stop in Mistfall and send word, if you'd like."

"No, I was merely wondering," Cressidha says, blindly patting his knee in reassurance.

"We should be safe, just up from the Village," Sil says in reassurance. "If you enjoy it, we can plan more trips, and maybe some in riskier areas — ones that are still beautiful." Sil pauses, and then asks, "Did you tell anybody we were camping today?"

"I did not, no," Cressidha says. The waterfall has come into view now, and the carpet glides up the side of a mountain rather than come close enough to let the waterfall splash them.

Sil settles back, watching the mountain flow by beneath them. "Camping is usually a really calm sort of activity. We can do anything you like, really, but I counted on time for cooking a bit, for looking at the scenery and the clouds — and later stars — and for talking. Brought some cards and things, too, if you'd be interested."

Cressidha nods absently. "Do I put us down over there? Or… over there? Oh! Near the lake?"

"Yeah, we don't want to be too close, but…" Sil points down at a little clearing by the side of the lake. A covering of gorse-like flowers is already wafting a warm, gentle scent into the air. The clearing is bounded on two sides by stone and open to the sky on the other. Beyond lies the Valley of the Four Winds, with all the patchwork of farms laid out below. "Yeah, near the lake."

"How lovely," Cressidha says, and lowers them down towards the clearing. The carpet comes to a stop a foot above the ground and Cressidha climbs off, straightening her sunhat.

Sil climbs off, lifting his bag, and steps over beside Cressidha. He looks over to her with a warm smile."For our memories of touring the farms, and the silk fields. And on this side, the Vale, what we're keeping safe."

Cressidha smiles faintly back. She rolls up her carpet and puts it away in the bag it came from, and then turns to Sil. "What do we do first, in camping?"

"The first thing would be setting up the tent," Sil says, turning to his bag with enthusiasm. "Have you ever pitched a tent before?"

"Not without some degree of assistance," Cressidha says. "So let's say no, for the sake of lessons?"

"Alright, we can do it together," Sil says with a smile. He starts pulling out his tent of sturdy draenei canvas. "This one's pretty big — it's the one I've lived in from time to time. Though, of course, it's clean and everything. I keep it in good repair." He sets the poles aside and spreads the canvas in a rectangle over the ground. "The first thing we have to check is to make sure the ground's level. It's really uncomfortable if you're slowly sliding down in one direction. There's a few ways to check that out, but usually I just lie down. You can feel if you're going to be comfy or not."

"What do you do if the ground isn't level…?" Cressidha asks, moving to help him with the other side of the canvas.

"Me? Find another spot," Sil says with a grin, draping it out so there's enough room for two people to lie side by side. "I don't know if you've got a magical trick for leveling ground. I don't always know what can be done with magic and what can't."

"Ah." Cressidha looks down at the canvas. "Well… I do not have a magical solution as such. I have some additional cloth padding, should we require it."

"We'll see, or maybe we shift it around a little, and just find a nice spot where we won't drift downhill overnight," Sil says, and he sits down on the canvas and then leans back, looking up at the sky. "Technically, I guess you could do this directly on the ground. But this way we don't get our clothes dirty."

"How is it?" Cressidha asks. She sits down on the very edge of the canvas so her boots aren't touching it.

Sil rolls his head around to look to Cressidha with a smile. "Feels pretty flat. I think this'll work."

Cressidha twists at the waist and reaches behind her to feel the canvas rather than lying down. "Very well." She rises smoothly to her feet and offers Sil a hand up.

Sil takes it and gets to his feet. "The next step is laying out the footprint, which is this canvas, and then the tent on top. It might be a little like tailoring, folding out fabric?" Sil starts fully unfolding to show a reasonable two-person-sized footprint. "I can manage, but it'd probably be easier with two."

"Of course," Cressidha says, moving to help immediately. "It's called a footprint? That is rather cute. I'm imagining a tent with feet."

Sil smiles as they continue to set out the base. "In a way, the tent will have. We'll be fixing it up with poles, secured in the ground. Feet, you could think of them."

"Why, Silvestre, are you saying the tent shall be barefoot?" Cressidha teases.

Sil laughs, "Yes, our barefoot little tent. I'd put shoes on it, but then it'd be hard for the tent to dig its toes into the dirt to hold on."

Cressidha smiles warmly at him and finishes smoothing out the base. "What comes next?"

"Then we lay out the tent itself on top," Sil says, turning back to his camping bag and pulling out heavier canvas, this part looking considerably more complex, with an opening for the door and also a semi-transparent fabric on part of it that might be like a window when the tent is fully set up. He also pulls out metal poles, which look entirely too short to hold a tent up. "Once we lay out the tent, we put the poles together."

Cressidha nods, following his lead. "Oh, is this a window? I didn't even think about windows when I was making tents for Outland."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what kind of fabric it is," Sil admits, as he folds out the tent, ready to receive its poles. "It's thin enough it lets some light in, but not so thin you can see in either direction all that clear. And you know, keeps out insects or anything like that. It's nice, though, to wake up with the sunshine."

Cressidha touches the fabric of the window. "Hm, at a guess, perhaps cotton?"

Sil considers that and nods, "Yeah, that could be it. I think there's some kind of wax on the outside, for keeping out the rain, too."

Then he kneels and grabs the poles. "These are really clever, and kinda how the chairs are made too. They break down for travel, but you can fit 'em one inside the other to make longer poles." He starts doing this, in preparation of lifting the tent.

Cressidha comes over to examine them, but she lets Sil attach them together. "I see. There are chairs?"

"Yeah," he says. "They collapse down really small, because they're made of canvas and have little metal supports running through. Really smart design, and pretty comfortable, especially for sort of leaning back and looking at the stars. I'll get 'em out once we have the tent all set up."

"Lovely," Cressidha says. She fidgets with the ties on her sunhat. "Do you require my assistance with the poles?"

Sil snaps the last of one pole into place. "A little bit, if you don't mind. This one's ready, and we just need to run it through the fabric on the tent. It'll make like an arc — if you can hold the tent and I'll put it through, or… other way around?"

"I will hold the tent," Cressidha decides. "Fabric is more my area than poles."

It takes some maneuvering, but the tent begins to take shape. The canvas is beige and green, good for blending in with some variety of natural locations. The poles curve to give a rounded top, and a flap at the door can be propped up on additional poles to provide a little square of shade. The interior is not exactly roomy, but there is — as Sil has promised — fully sufficient space for two sleeping bags and a few bags of belongings to fit. The little rectangular windows are on the left and right sides, letting in the day's warm sunlight. Then, Sil begins the process of securing the corners to the earth, or helping the tent's bare feet dig into the dirt, depending on how you think of it. A little bit of hammering later, the tent is securely held against the rich soil of the Vale.

Finally, he pulls out the fabric and metal frames that form his seats. Sil unfolds them and sets them up a little closer to the water. They're low-seated chairs, designed for one's legs to stretch out comfortably in front as you recline against the fabric, rather than sitting with strict posture.

Sil pats one and looks over to Cressidha. "This is what I usually sit in, when I'm camping. I have two, for visitors. Or in this case…" he smiles, "…fellow campers."

"Well, then I shall claim the chair that is not yours." Cressidha sits down with her usual perfect posture, even if that is incorrect for the chair.

Sil sits down and relaxes into the fabric of the chair. He looks over to Cressidha curiously. "Was there anything in particular you'd be looking forward to do, while we're out here?"

"Hm." Cressidha removes her sunhat, tucking it into a drawstring bag. She pulls her ponytail over one shoulder and looks at it. "Truth be told, I don't know what it is people do while camping besides… cooking, you mentioned. I brought my sketchbook, in case anything strikes me…"

With a sigh, Cressidha tugs the scrunchie out of her hair. Goodbye, ponytail. "It feels too loose," she says out loud. "That style. Bertrand always wears his hair back to signify a lack of formality, and then he does a combat bun for the field, like I do, so I thought perhaps I might try the ponytail. To be casual." 'Casual' is a foreign word in her mouth, but she says it in the same exact way she might say 'to be a princess'. "But it doesn't feel particularly secure. This is not a metaphor. This is simply what I am thinking about my hair."

Sil listens to Cressidha intently, nodding along. "That's maybe a challenge. Part of going camping is being unstructured. Letting yourself be free to do what you'd like, whether that's swimming in a lake, or basking in the sun, or sketching, or playing games, or talking, or reading books, or anything else. The cooking is mostly fun to me because it's a novelty — I've got a little camp stove and everything. I can make some suggestions on stuff I enjoy, but tell me if any of that sounds fun."

Then he smiles at her, his gaze shifting to her hair. "You can always experiment with a few things, see what feels right for casual for you specifically. I like your hair down, but maybe that's also not a secure feeling. Maybe some kind of braid?"

"I often wear it down at home," Cressidha says, glancing at him. "If you like it down, I shall wear it down. That was Ben's suggestion. I wrote to him for advice, before our first date at the Darkmoon Faire."

"I do like it," Sil says, reaching out a hand to brush a strand against his fingertip. "You have beautiful hair." Then the rest seems to sink in, and he chuckles. "You wrote to Ben? I hope it was fun — I mean, I had a lot of fun there, at the faire with you."

"I did. I suppose I was nervous." Cressidha smiles wryly. "I asked about the security of the Faire, whether it would be appropriate to bring two umbrellas or one giant umbrella in case of rain, and so on. It was very fun. I would be happy to return another time."

"I would love to," Sil says, smiling as he sits back. "Once we're back in Stormwind, we can plan for it." His gaze trails to the water of the lake ahead. "Do you like swimming? I mean, not for today, but just in a general sense. For recreation, like at a beach."

"I do not have any particular interest in swimming," Cressidha says, considering the lake. "I learned how to swim only after joining Cobalt Company, and most of my experiences with it have been… for work." She pauses. "I do not dislike the beach. I think I might enjoy the construction and design aspects of building sand castles. It is possible that I have not given swimming for leisure a fair shot, so to speak."

"That'd be something to try then, sandcastle building," Sil says with a nod. "I've liked swimming, since before the Cobalt days, but it's not for everyone. For me, it can be nice on a hot day, to feel cool and weightless — when you're doing it by choice, and not necessity."

"Like a bath when you don't need one," Cressidha says, nodding. "I did not think to come prepared for it today."

"I didn't either," Sil admits. "So another day. Today… let me see what options I've got. I'd be happy to hang out while you sketch, or I have playing cards if you like those sorts of games, or there's a question game I found, for learning more about one another. Or any number of those things, or something else that might be on your mind."

"A question game? Is it 'Truth or Dare'? I have heard of that one." Cressidha knows one (1) whole question game.

"Oh, yeah, I guess there's a few different ones," Sil says, turning more toward her. "The recent one, I read about at the Seat of Knowledge, it was particular questions to answer together with a partner, designed to deepen your understanding of one another. And then there's Truth or Dare. And that question-answer game Aszera likes, not sure where she picked it up from."

"We could try that one first - answering the same questions together. Do you remember what they are?" Cressidha finally leans back in her chair and reaches for his hand.

"Yeah, I brought a copy, but I remember the first ones anyway," Sil says with a smile, lacing his fingers through hers. "Okay, so… the first one was: if you could have anybody in the world right now over for dinner, who would you choose?"

Cressidha blinks. "Well, you, of course. We are going to cook dinner later. Or am I being too literal with the question?"

"You know, I'm with you on that one. There is no one I would rather have dinner with tonight than you," Sil says, looking over at her with a contented smile. "This was meant for a hypothetical though, so uh… how about let's tweak it. If we could invite anybody to join us — Prince Anduin, Moira Thaurissan, or even somebody like Vol'jin Darkspear or Thrall — anybody at all, would you want to?"

"Well, no, not tonight. But if I would choose a person for some other night… perhaps Colson. He has been subsisting off of whatever we send out to the Dread Wastes, I believe, and he could use a good dinner." Cressidha hesitates. "Am I meant to choose someone famous? Perhaps Sir Ference, or Jo?"

"I don't think there's a wrong way to answer, and Colson would be a great dinner guest," Sil says. "Like… I could say Lei Shen, but the odds of me convincing him to not be a tyrant over dinner are slim. And I doubt it would be very fun. So I'd probably go with… maybe Ben? We've not had as much time to hang out recent months, and he's right there at the Shrine, him and Mizzy. A very possible dinner."

"Certainly," Cressidha says. "I would be perfectly happy to have dinner with Ben as well. Truthfully, my preference is for people I already know rather than people I have to make a first impression upon at mealtime. I suppose that's that question answered, then. What's the next one?"

"The next one is, would you like to be famous?" Sil says, looking over at her. "And if so, what for?"

"For my tailoring, perhaps," Cressidha says. "But fame is less important than the work itself. And you?"

"At one point I might've said yes, for the knife-throwing," Sil says, considering. "And then at another point maybe for the work with Cobalt. But I think you're right, the work itself is more important, for me too. Next question… when you're going to have a conversation with somebody, do you ever rehearse what you're going to say?"

"Yes." Cressidha raises her brows.

"You do?" Sil says, a little surprised. "I guess I have before, but really only once or twice, when I wanted to make absolutely sure I said the right thing."

"Oh?" Cressidha tilts her head. "I thought that was something everyone did now and then."

"Maybe it's more common for some than others," Sil says, tilting his head in thought. "I guess I'm usually prone to just jumping into things. Or well, in this case, into conversations. Next one would be… what would be a perfect day, to you?"

"A perfect day? Hm. The Alliance and the Horde sign a new peace treaty, Hellscream steps down entirely, the Bronze Dragonflight reconstructs Theramore, my brother returns from the dead, the Sha all vanish forever, and the Burning Legion is defeated. Something like that?" Cressidha smiles faintly.

"Wow, that would be one heck of a day," Sil says, nodding in respect. "I think you've covered a lot of the major stuff, so for mine let's add that my family turns over a new leaf and Lei Shen and the Zandalari decide to rebuild their empire through trade and peaceful cultural exchange, how's that?"

Cressidha chuckles. "I think we've solved the question."

"If only it would fall in place like that," Sil chuckles. "That would be a day. The next one is for each of us to name something we think the two of us have in common. Or wait, if I make it a question, what's something you think we have in common?"

"We're both morning people," Cressidha answers. "Am I still allowed to use that as my answer if I already know it's true? I did ask you about that previously."

"Yeah, I think that's allowed," Sil says with a laugh. "And I'll say I think we both like things that are cute." He looks over to Cressidha to check if he's right.

"Indeed we do," Cressidha agrees, nodding in approval.

"The next one is… if you could change one thing about how you grew up, what would it be?" Sil looks up a little at the sky, where clouds are drifting past, and says, "That one is kind of complicated for me. I like who I ended up being, and so I don't know if changing any one thing would change that. Maybe I wish I'd gotten along with my siblings. It might've been easier, all around, if we'd all been sort of… on the same side."

"I try not to think about could-have-beens such as that," Cressidha says. "Perhaps I shall pass on this question." She looks at Sil as if checking if she's allowed to do that.

"Oh, yeah, sure, you don't have to answer anything you don't want to," Sil says, smiling quickly. "The point is learning stuff about each other, so I guess learning stuff you choose not to think about is part of that. I guess the last one I remember is, if you could wake up tomorrow and have any ability or quality, what would it be?"

"Hm. I will have to consider this. The ability or quality would be permanent, in this hypothetical? Perhaps you can answer first?"

"Sure, yeah," Sil says, thinking through. Eventually, he says, "Maybe I'd like to be really good at learning languages. Then I could talk to all sorts of different people that I can't now because I only speak Common."

"That is already something you could accomplish, it would just take a significant time investment," Cressidha points out. "I suppose if I could choose an 'ability'… I would choose something like a paladin's protective power. The… bubble." She releases Sil's hands to make a sort of bubble shape with her hands. Cressidha does not know the names of any of her brother's techniques. "And if I could choose a 'quality', I would choose to be more likeable."

Sil's brow draws down a little on that. "I think you're plenty likeable. Is that… something that concerns you? Did somebody say something?"

Cressidha reaches for Sil's hand again. "Others often find me intimidating, or cold. Perhaps 'approachable' would be a more precise wish?"

"Approachable," Sil repeats. He takes her hand again. His own is warm and a little rough, but steady. "That might be something you could have too, I think, like my languages. In a way, it's kind of similar — I'm not a natural with languages, so it would take me more time to figure things out. I like you just how you are, but if you wanted to, I bet you could learn more ways to set people at ease." He tilts his head. "The bubble thing would be pretty great too, I agree, but that one's probably out of reach."

"It's something you do very well, making others feel comfortable." Cressidha smiles gently. "Do you have any advice?"

"I try," Sil says, smiling back. "Sometimes there's still people that don't much like me, but that's life. But advice… let me think…" Sil considers. "For making someone feel comfortable in conversation, a main one is finding something you've got in common and then building on it. Like, 'Good Afternoon' is a thing you both agree on, but it only takes you so far. Then you can look at the person, see if they've got any clues you can use to find another thing. Like if… hm… maybe you like their sense of fashion, or if you notice they have an enchanting bag. And if there's nothing you immediately see that you have in common, you can watch and listen, and ask about stuff they're interested in. Maybe it'll lead to something in common, or maybe you'll learn something new and they'll see you think they're interesting."

"I see." Cressidha closes her eyes for a moment, absorbing this, and then nods. "Thank you. I shall endeavor to make use of this in the future."

Cressidha takes a deep breath. "Silvestre. I realize I have taken certain liberties without prior discussion. I have been presumptuous, and I must apologize." She rises gracefully from her chair, tugging on his hand to encourage him to stand with her.

Silvestre rises with her, looking at her with confusion and a touch of worry. "Certain liberties?"

"Yes." Cressidha is much shorter than him when standing, and she squeezes his hand once in reassurance. "Silvestre Silentstep, will you marry me?"

There's a touch of surprise in his expression, but then it fades into uncomplicated happiness.

"Yes. I would love to marry you, Cressidha Aspenwood," Sil says, taking her other hand and drawing her closer. "Once Cole's back, I will consult with him about making a beautiful ring to match your necklace."

Cressidha goes near-boneless with relief, a glimpse of her expression relaxing into a smile just before she leans her forehead against his collarbone and closes her eyes. "Thank the Light. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself if you said no. One of those conversations I'd rehearsed in my head, you can imagine."

Sil lets go of her hand, but it is only to curl his arm around her shoulders, holding her safely next to him. "I'm glad you don't have to do that one. I knew where we were aiming from the beginning, and I knew that's where I wanted us to go. As long as things went well, as long as… well, there was the spark. And there is. And…" he pauses, drawing in a breath, and finally says, "I love you, Sidha."

"Oh!" Cressidha looks up at him, cheeks a little pink. "I love you too, of course. Have I not said?" She thinks about it. "Perhaps I have not."

"It's easy to feel a thing like that, to say it with gifts and actions, and not always with words," Sil says, flushing a little pink himself. "I think I hadn't said it out loud before either, but it's true. And there will be a ring to match your necklace, that I promise you."

Then he leans forward to kiss her, slowly enough that she has time to pull away.

Cressidha does not pull away. She knows what to do with her hands this time: she rests them on his shoulders.

Sil is in no hurry this time, with no active battlefield around them. His encircling arm across her back draws her closer as he bends his head to touch his mouth to hers. It's a soft contact, like a question — inviting her to help find the sort of kiss that is most theirs.

Certainly no one has ever bothered to tell Cressidha that there can be variety in kissing - other than that terrible romance novel Ivri gave her, which Cressidha didn't put much stock in at all and is not thinking about in the moment. The extent of her knowledge to date is that you need to make sure that your nose doesn't smush into their nose while you push your mouth (closed, of course) against their mouth. It's a scientific work in progress.

What Cressidha actually seems to be prioritizing is increasing their proximity. She presses herself fully against him, one foot hooking around his ankle in a way that is not at all scientific.

Unsurprisingly, Sil is completely fine with this new priority. He reaches to hold her lower back with his other arm, helpfully assisting in keeping them touching as much as possible. He holds her tighter as they kiss, shifting her to his center of balance, so she won't feel unsteady.

As for the kiss itself, their noses are certainly not smushed this time. He moves his lips gently against hers to heighten the sensation.

"This is new," Cressidha observes out loud. "I have quite recently discovered that I enjoy being moved around. By you, specifically - I do not generally approve of others taking such liberties unless there is a clear danger." She kisses him again, briefly - still testing.

He brushes his lips against hers, parting them slightly, and spins them both in a little half-turn. After the kiss, he says with a smile, "I'll keep that in mind. I love how it feels, holding you like this."

Cressidha smiles at him, delighted. "Me too. This… ah. Would not be considered appropriate for an unwed noblewoman, so you're aware."

"This… right now?" Sil asks, smiling at her dreamily. "Or the camping trip?"

"Both." Cressidha blinks at him. "We did not bring a chaperone."

"Yeah, but…" he processes this. "We will be married. Will this cause… a problem?"

"That would be why I asked if anyone knew we were going camping," Cressidha says absently. She's looking at his mouth.

Sil blinks now. "Oh, I thought you meant — in case we ran into trouble, so people would know…" he thinks back. "I might've mentioned we were thinking about planning a camping trip, just to Bryn. I didn't realize it was secret. I also didn't say when or anything, though. I could leave it as a thing we'll do once we're married?"

Cressidha winces. "Ah. Well, I… wouldn't want you to be put in a position where you needed to lie to your friend. If he asks about it, perhaps you could simply tell him it's private?"

"Okay, I'll do that," Sil agrees. "He'll understand, I'm sure. I would never want to damage your reputation. The opposite. I wish the whole world understood how amazing you are."

"I don't know that I want to be that famous," Cressidha says, chuckling.

Sil grins, and leans over to kiss the tip of her nose. "Alright, then. Maybe just the right fraction, and the rest will just have to miss out."

Cressidha goes briefly cross-eyed, and she smiles up at him. "You look very nice today. I believe I may have forgotten to say so earlier."

"You as well," Sil says, smiling. "You look lovely in battle robes, too, but I love this look on you, too. It suits you." His gaze drops down to her leggings for just a moment, and then back to her face. Whatever percentage of body her legs are, he seems to appreciate them.

"I feel like I wear the same sets of robes too often," Cressidha explains. "The best combat enchantments tend to be prohibitively expensive with the reagents required. So… assuming that combat would not be occurring today, I wanted to try something else."

"Oh, yeah, I hadn't thought of it in that way," Sil says, looking over her outfit again. "That must be a little frustrating, for somebody who knows as much about style as you do. I think we're safe assuming there's not gonna be any fighting today, though. This place is pretty hard to get to except by flight, and it's also protected by the Lotus down at Mistfall."

"Is this what you usually wear to go camping?" Cressidha asks.

"Mostly, yeah," Sil says. "I have… maybe less tidy clothes sometimes, for when its just me and the wilderness, but I wanted…" he looks at Cressidha with a touch of a flush in his cheeks. "I want to look nice, when I'm with you."

"Ah." Cressidha smiles at him - she can't argue against that. "If you tell me what's best to wear outdoors, I could perhaps make you something of that kind to wear another time?"

"Oh, that'd be great," Sil says, brightening. "It depends on what season, but mostly you want stuff that's light and easy to move in. And at least for the summer, cool and covering. I've got the shade, but the sun can be rough on bare skin, depending on where you are."

"Ah." Cressidha looks down at her short-sleeved shirt. "So this was incorrect after all?"

Sil shakes his head. "I don't think so. We're still at the end of spring, so the sun's not as strong, and… well, it's pretty on you."

"Well, you are the judge of that, so I shall take your word for it." Cressidha smiles at him.

Sil smiles back at her, and does another little half-turn, carrying Cressidha along with him. "What would you like to do next? Set up in the tent? Get the cooking going? Dance?"

Cressidha looks at the sky. "The weather seems clear," she says. "Should I take my boots off…? I, ah, thought there might be climbing involved in getting where we were going. I have sandals I could wear instead."

"Sandals could be nice, yeah, with the grass and the flowers," Sil nods. "I'm glad it isn't raining, for your first night of camping, and that it's warm but not too hot. There's ways to keep warm in cold weather — I did camp in Northrend — and ways to keep the rain off, but it can be… less comfortable."

"Hm." Cressidha kisses his cheek before unwinding herself from him. "Do you have to cover up the windows when it rains?" She sits back down in her chair to begin unlacing her boots.

"Yeah, there's a whole extra layer I can put on top, to keep the rain off," Sil says, sitting back down while she changes shoes. "But then there's also the wet on the ground coming up, which the tent is waterproofed, but coming in and out you can track water in… you really don't want to be in a tent with a wet floor."

"That does not sound terribly appealing, no." Cressidha tucks her socks neatly into her boots and moves them under her chair, then puts on a pair of sandals.

"I try to camp out in good weather," Sil says. "But I've got all the gear we need, in case things take turn for a storm. Of course, where we are here, if we got uncomfortable we could just fly back into the Shrine."

"What are we going to eat for lunch?" Cressidha asks.

"I'd plan a sort of snacking lunch," Sil says, reaching over for her hand. "I brought a picnic blanket, and a lot of local foods. Spring rolls, vegetable chips, fresh vegetables, noodles… and also some fruity desserts, like pomfruit slices and a thing called 'farmer's delight', which looks like strawberries and rice, I think."

Cressidha takes his hand and rises from the chair. "That sounds delicious."

"Shall we picnic?" Sil asks with a smile, drawing her closer. He seems in no hurry to go fetch the food and blanket.

"Yes, let's." Cressidha blinks at him. Sil is very close again. "I am at least quite familiar with picnics. I want to kiss you again, I think I am quite close to figuring it out. May I?"

"Yes, you may," Sil says with a fond smile. "You always may, whenever you like."

"Always?" Cressidha raises her brows, surprised. "At any time?"

"Right now, I feel like, yeah," Sil says with a laugh. "Maybe… maybe there are times it wouldn't be appropriate. But you'd know those times, anyway."

"When you've just eaten something with garlic," Cressidha suggests as an example of one of those times.

"Yes, then I might stop you, at least long enough for me to find some mint or a toothbrush," Sil says with a laugh. "But now is not one of those times."

Cressidha trusts Sil to meet her halfway as she leans up for a kiss. It feels a little less like she's conducting a scientific experiment this time.

Sil leans in to meet her halfway. He's soft and open, waiting patiently for whatever she might try.

Cressidha does try something new: she puts her hands in his hair this time. That's it, that's the only difference.

Sil makes a little sound of happiness, one of his own hands brushing through her hair as well. He likes this difference.

"Your hair is remarkably soft," Cressidha murmurs, approving. "Let's have that picnic now, shall we?"

"Yes, let's do that," Sil says, pulling away reluctantly and turning to his camping bag.

Cressidha moves back up the hill to the grass, where she awaits a picnic blanket.

Sil returns with a blanket and a little stack of food containers. He lays out the blanket and then settles down, starting to set things out — it's all small bowls of fresh foods, mostly fruits and vegetables but also a few of cold noodles in a couple of varieties. There is indeed a little bowl of seasons pomfruit slices, lightly fried, and a bowl of rice and strawberries. It is perhaps notable that most of the produce is sliced or otherwise cut down into bite-size shapes. Sil and Cressidha have seen the size of the crops that grow in the fields here, so the reason is likely clear.

"The pomfruit's from Mistfall, of course, fresh out of the orchards there," Sil says as he sets things out. "Most of this I got at the Shrine, though, and I bet they got it from the Valley."

Cressidha balances on one foot as she removes a sandal to step onto the blanket, then shifts feet to remove her other sandal. She holds a corner of the blanket down with them and settles. "Is silverware traditionally allowed in camping?" she asks.

"Yeah, I keep a pair for it," Sil says as he sets out the last bowl, kneeling on the blanket. He digs in his bag to retrieve a little box of simple metal utensils. "They're not fancy, but they're meant to be durable. They gave me some chopsticks at the Shrine, too, if you'd like to give those a go. I haven't mastered 'em yet."

With everything sorted, he sits on the blanket to take off his own shoes before bringing his feet over.

"Ah. I see." Cressidha frowns slightly in thought, and from one of the bags at her waist she withdraws a cloth napkin rolled around a fork, a knife, and a spoon. "Here," she says impulsively, holding the napkin out to Sil. "You can keep these."

The fork, knife, and spoon are identical to the ones Sil may have seen Colson use over the years: they have an elaborately engraved A on the handle.

"Oh, thanks," Sil says, reaching to take the napkin and utensils from her. He examines them and says, "You brought these from home, for using in Pandaria?"

"I've been bringing them everywhere ever since I created my first enchanted bag," Cressidha says. She reaches for the box of simple utensils and selects a fork for herself from Sil's collection.

"But only the one set?" Sil asks, setting out the napkin as he watches her select from his camping utensils. He holds his Aspenwood silverware uncertainly.

"I have another, but it's missing the spoon," Cressidha says. She reaches for one of the bowls of noodles. "I believe I misplaced it while staying in Wyrmrest Temple."

Sil settles in a little more comfortably, and reaches for one of the spring rolls. "We could ask the dragons if they've seen it, whenever we get a chance." Given their history, maybe it is not so outlandish to assume conversations with dragons will be in their future.

Cressidha chuckles quietly. "Feel free, if you're ever in the area." She takes one of the napkins that came with the food, which she lays out over her lap, as well as a pair of chopsticks. "Hmm." She looks between them and the fork.

"The innkeeper at the Shrine told me they're easier, but I'm not sure I believe her," Sil says with a grin. "Probably easier for her, because they're what she usually uses. She says they're as nimble as fingers, once you get used to them."

"Well." Cressidha settles the chopsticks in her hand. "I don't want any more help or advice with these, please. Every employee at the Golden Lantern has tried to teach me how to use them by now. You may make sympathetic faces each time I drop a noodle, if you so desire."

Sil chuckles. "I should have guessed. I haven't been here as long as you have, and they seem pretty keen on me to learn, too. I don't think I've gone through every employee yet, though. Most of 'em. So yeah — no advice, only maybe sympathetic faces. I think I'll stick with the fork this time, myself." He looks again at the Aspenwood silverware.

"What is most valuable to me is that I can be imperfect at this in front of you and not feel ashamed," Cressidha says, as she presses her chopsticks together too tightly and cuts a noodle in half.

Sil doesn't react to the severed noodle, though he surely saw it happen. He is taking a small carrot for himself — or more accurately a small carrot-shape that was carved out of an actual carrot larger than he and Cressidha put together.

"I hope so, because I'll definitely be imperfect at stuff in front of you," Sil says. "It's nice to try out new stuff when we're together."

"Just so." Cressidha smiles faintly at him and gets one half of the noodle into her mouth intact.

Sil smiles back at her. As he eats the little carrot, he tentatively spools up a few noodles on his fork from another bowl. He seems a little like he's afraid he's using the fancy fork too casually, but he goes for it all the same.

"How is it?" he asks, after carrot and before noodle. "If there's anything here you like especially, or the opposite, I'll keep in mind for future picnics."

"Room temperature," Cressidha answers. "But that seems to be the way these noodles are meant to be eaten. I shall have to try everything." She selects a cube of watermelon, pops that in her mouth with the chopsticks by stabbing one chopstick in like a fork, and hums in approval.

Sil notes the approval and goes for watermelon next, stabbing a cube with his fork like it's a fork as well. After swallowing, he says, "Wow, yeah, that one's delicious. Maybe a little sweeter than I've tasted before — might be just the perfect ripeness. There's a lot of things here to try, but that was the goal, variety."

Cressidha methodically makes her way through everything, growing steadily more efficient at using the chopsticks. She switches to the camping fork for the bowl of rice and strawberries - eating rice with chopsticks is a complete mystery to her. She seems to prefer the fruits over the vegetables, but there isn't anything she seems to dislike other than a sour pickled cabbage dish. "Too sour," she proclaims it, and summons a bottle of water for each of them.

Silvestre does much the same, growing steadily less nervous of the fancy silverware. He seems most fond of the sweeter vegetables, like carrots and beets. He tries the pickled cabbage after Cressidha and nods, reaching over for the water. "Wow, yeah, that's strong. There was another one they said was spicy, but I didn't get that one."

Cressidha gestures at the dish. "I do not care for that one. I enjoyed everything else, particularly the honeydew melon, the watermelon, and the strawberries. The noodles were fine, but I believe I prefer pasta to be hot rather than cold in general."

"More melons and berries in the future then," Sil says with a smile, already starting to gather up the containers. "And maybe hot noodles. I'll make sure of it. We've got a while yet now till I need to get the cooking stuff out." He glances up at the sun, now somewhat westward in the sky. "Looks like it'll be a pleasant afternoon."

"That was delicious. Thank you, Silvestre." Cressidha helps him clean up. "I think I might sketch for a while? Perhaps something for you."

"For me?" Sil asks, his gaze brightening with curiosity. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Something you could wear to go camping, as previously discussed." Cressidha waves a hand to shoo away a mayfly.

"Oh, sure," Sil says, as they pack everything away. "I'd love to see what you'd have in mind."

Some Time Later

The warm afternoon passes peacefully, as Silvestre and Cressidha discuss the details of camping attire and Cressidha creates a number of sketches. It's quiet here, away from the mogu front, with the only sounds their voices, the occasional drone of insects, and the faint splashing of water life in the lake nearby, and the air is fragrant with the scent of wildflowers.

As the sky above begins to take on the pinks and yellows that warn of a coming sunset, Sil looks over to Cressidha. "It might be about time to start setting up for dinner."

Cressidha is stretched out on her stomach on the picnic blanket with her bare feet crossed at the ankle and her head pillowed on her arms. She raises her head and looks back at Sil. "What is dinner going to be?"

"I've got the ingredients for something we can make in one pan and one pot," Sil says. "It's not all put together yet, so if there's any part you don't like, we can leave it out in the final thing. It's thin-carved mushan meat, scallions, tofu, mushrooms and noodles — hot this time — all cooked in kind of a sweet and savory broth."

"Oh! I have no objections, that sounds delicious. Do any ingredients still need to be cut or prepared, or do we just… heat up the broth and throw it all in?" Cressidha pushes herself up into a kneel.

"A little bit of preparation, but it's not too much. The meat's already cut, and the tofu's cubed, but the scallions and the mushrooms we'll need to slice — they're good to toss in fresh cut," Sil says with a smile. "And the meat we'll want to sear in the pan before we toss it in the broth. I have a little cutting board and a sharper knife for it, and my camp stove for cooking. We can also just light a fire for cooking, but the stove heats more evenly. It's a gnomish thing."

"A camp stove! How exciting." Cressidha seems genuinely excited. "I haven't helped in a kitchen since I was a little girl, and looking back now, honestly, I may have been more of a hindrance than a help to dear Mrs. Varley."

Sil grins. "I wasn't probably all that useful when I was a little kid, either. Mostly just underfoot, even if I meant to help. I've been learning bits and pieces since I left home, though. And anyway, however we slice things, I'm sure it'll be delicious. Here, let me show you the stove…"

Sil digs in his bag and retrieves something that might not look exactly like the common idea of a stove. It's more like a little metal canister with a kind of nozzle at the top, surrounded by little metal legs that are clearly intended to hold a pot or a pan. He holds it out to Cressidha to examine. "It's not quite as fiddly as some gnomish tech. Basically, it's just got flammable gas inside, and we open that little valve there and light it up. It'll keep burning for hours and hours if we need it to. Eventually, the gas runs out, but I can always buy more."

"Oh, it's so cute! The smallest stove I've ever seen." Cressidha gives the stove a little pat-pat, like a child who's done a good job.

Sil grins at her. "I can get the little stove going — do you want to cut vegetables, or sear the meat?"

"I would prefer to cut the vegetables. It seems much harder to get that wrong."

"Alright, let me get you set up first," Sil says. He returns to his bag to retrieve a solid-looking cutting board and a knife in a sheath. This one is not a throwing knife, but a vegetable-cutting knife. Then there's two containers, one of little white mushrooms, and another of what is probably a small part of a giant scallion. He hands these to Cressidha and says, "The knife's really sharp, but it's actually safer that way. Everything should cut easy, so you don't need to press hard and maybe slip."

"Understood." Cressidha arranges her workstation on the picnic blanket. A sweep of her hand freezes a hungry parade of ants solid, and she tosses that bit of ice vaguely in the direction of the lake. It doesn't make it all the way. "Where do I put the sliced portions? Back into the container for now?"

"Yeah, that'll work," Sil says. "I'll need the stove for the meat first, but after that we can start the broth and put it all together."

While Cressidha gets to work, he retrieves some matches, and carefully lights the stove. The flame lights clean and blue.

Cressidha understands how to cut things with a kitchen knife in theory. She has had very little practice. She works very slowly and carefully to slice the scallion into long, thin strips. They are not even. This seems to frustrate her.

Sil glances over casually and says, "Looking good," before he gets out the thin-sliced mushan beef and a pan. He sets the pan over the flame and starts setting out the meat with little wooden tongs.

"Thank you," Cressidha says, a little skeptically. "I fear that this may take me some time." She lays out a single strip of scallion and begins to chop that slowly and methodically into even-looking thin pieces.

"No rush," Sil says, as the meat begins to sizzle, lending a kind of savory scent to the air. He starts the process of flipping over each piece. There's still more to go after this panful. "Honestly, cutting the vegetables probably is the longest part. But we've got no deadline. Even if the sun sets fully, we've got lanterns for light."

"Very well," Cressidha says. It would be going much faster if she were willing to slice more than a single strip at once.

Sil doesn't seem concerned with the speed, or with the perfection of the scallion strip sizes. He just works steadily at the meat, humming quietly to himself. "The main thing for camp cooking is really, trying to use as few pans and things as possible. I guess you could get a bunch of camp stoves, but mostly I just use the one. I make whatever I can with one burner."

"Because you won't always have a nearby source of water to wash them in?" Cressidha guesses.

"Yeah, that's one reason," Sil nods. "Also, to travel light. And… it can be hard to do a lot of complicated prep, I think, without counters."

"Ah, I see. This is a little difficult, yes." A minute later, with two strips of scallion neatly sliced, Cressidha asks, "Are you certain I am doing this correctly?"

Sil looks over again. "They're getting cut, so sure. You could probably slice a few strips at a time — the knife can handle it — if you're comfortable with that. Could make it easier on your hands and wrist overall."

"Ah. I had not considered that. If I can line them up properly, perhaps…" The speed of scallion-slicing picks up as Cressidha adds more strips. "Pandaren vegetables really are something else. I hope trade can be opened up."

"Yeah, I feel like it could help in some places, for sure," Sil says, as he gets the final set of meat on the pan. "Like in Westfall, while they get their farms going again. Or some of the other lands that ended up poisoned or blasted for one reason or another. That, of course, and they're delicious."

"I was thinking of Westfall as well," Cressidha says, her eyes softening a little.

"I hope things stay open, when all's said and done here," Sil smiles, as he starts taking the last round of meat off the burner. "Since we're headed back tomorrow, I can probably just rinse the pans for packing, and clean them more thoroughly once we're back."

"Are you already done? I haven't even started cutting the mushrooms yet…" Cressidha picks up the pace. Maybe the scallion pieces don't need to all be exactly the same size after all.

"Oh, I had the shorter job. The meat is really thin, and the searing's mostly to seal in the flavor and texture, so it doesn't get soggy when we cook it more later in the broth," Sil says, as he lifts the last few pieces of meat. "My job's also to get the broth going, and then we can just add the vegetables when they're ready. We'll want it to simmer a while anyway."

"I see." Cressidha looks down at the cutting board. "I did not wash my hands before I began cooking," she realizes out loud.

Sil looks down at his own hands, the tongs he's been handling the meat with. "Yeah, I didn't think about that. We can wash the vegetables before we put them in? Maybe with conjured water, definitely not with lake water."

Cressidha scrapes cut scallions carefully back into the container with the side of the knife. "These are done," she says, placing the lid back on the container.

After a brief interlude of her leaving the picnic blanket to wash her hands with conjured water and a little bottle of soap, she returns to her cutting board and knife. "How do I cut the mushrooms? That is - what shape?"

"Those you can just do in slices, top to bottom," Sil suggests. "They don't exactly make a regular shape all the way through, but that's fine."

"In… halves? Or more slices than halves?" Cressidha checks.

Sil checks the size of the mushrooms. They are not oversized like the vegetables. "I think quarters would be good."

Then he goes to find his own remaining bottle of conjured water, and uses it to rinse off the pan. The stove is still burning with a bright blue flame, and after cleaning the pan, Sil comes over to adjust the nozzle, reducing the intensity a little.

"Very well." Seeming pleased with the clear directions, Cressidha begins to cut mushrooms neatly into quarters.

While Cressidha cuts the mushrooms, Sil gets out his pot and another container that has the broth, premixed. He sets the pot on top of the holder and very carefully pours the liquid in. There is a sweet smell to it, but also clear hints of soy and rice wine.

Sil sniffs the latter, and adds, "Our meal won't have alcohol in it, that cooks off. I did bring some plum wine to go with, in case you'd be interested. But we can always do water, I'm happy either way."

Cressidha nods thoughtfully. "I suppose this is an occasion, isn't it? I'm willing to try it."

"Yeah, it's an occasion," Sil says, smiling over at her. He's stirring the pot with a wooden spoon, waiting for it to warm over the small stove. "I think it'll suit the meal — it's a bit sweet, too."

"I trust your selection," Cressidha says. "Was it made in Pandaria?"

"Yeah, it seems really popular here," Sil nods. "Lots of options — this one's local, from somewhere south in the Valley. Though I've seen plum wine back around Stormwind, too, if it turns out you like it. Jadepaw brewery, I think?"

"I know a Mi Shu Jadepaw, from working with the Golden Lotus." Cressidha has fallen into a rhythm for cutting the mushrooms. "Perhaps a relation?"

"I bet so, yeah," Sil says with a smile, as the liquid begins to simmer. "Probably not a super common name. She's with the Lotus, though? Or one of Cobalt's?"

"She is with Cobalt Company, I believe," Cressidha says.

"Oh, nice, one of our new pandaren," Sil says, eyeing the pot. "I love how the company welcomes so many different people. Ready for the scallions to go in? Want to rinse 'em first?"

"Where do we rinse them?" Cressidha asks, still chopping. "I suppose you could pour water into the container, if you brought a strainer. Did you?"

"I might have one, if I packed it…" Sil says, leaving the broth simmering to go dig in his bag. He holds up a strainer, a small one. "Aha! I did. Sometimes I do pasta, and you need this to drain the water off, so… this'll work, right?"

"Certainly." Cressidha conjures another bottle of water and offers it to him, along with the container of scallions. "Be my guest. I'm about halfway done with the mushrooms."

Sil accepts the conjured water and the scallions, and moves a little closer to the lake to do the rinsing. "This feels kind of like the pandaren way, if I've understood it right. Calm, good food, a beautiful place. Good company."

Cressidha chuckles quietly. "I believe you are correct. What else do they value? Tests and trials, naps…"

"Balance, that too," Sil says, with a little laugh, as he moves back to add the scallions to the broth. "And stories, for sure, all the Lorewalkers."

"Balance, stories…" Cressidha nods. She sniffs the air and hums approvingly.

Sil starts to add in the meat. "I like the stories, too. They're most of them meant to be told out loud, so there's a bit of performance to them, too."

"Indeed." Cressidha carefully scrapes the sliced mushrooms back into their container. "I believe these are done as well." She lays the knife down on her cutting board and goes to deliver them to Sil personally, stepping back into her sandals as she leaves the blanket.

"You can pour them right in here," Sil says, shifting to make room at his side, by the simmering pot. "And then we just give it a little time. We can get the plates and wine and everything set in the meantime."

"Does it not need to be stirred?" Cressidha turns the container upside-down over the pot, pouring everything in at once and hurriedly pulling her arm back away from the splash.

Sil pulls back from the splash as well, and then peers into the pot, "Maybe once or twice, just so stuff doesn't all clump together. After that, the bubbling kind of moves things around on its own, long's I don't have the heat too high."

"I see. This is all mysterious chemistry to me," Cressidha says. She puts the lid on the empty container and tosses it onto the picnic blanket, and then wraps an arm around Sil's waist. "I'm cooking, Silvestre!"

"You are, Sidha," Sil says with an affectionate grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. "And it smells delicious already. I can't wait to taste it."

Cressidha grins back and kisses Sil's cheek. She can do that now. She's allowed. "It does."

Sil's gaze brightens even further at the touch of her lips, and he pulls her yet closer for a moment, holding her against his side. Then he says, "Want to taste the wine while we wait, see if you like it?"

Cressidha looks up at him. "If you would like. Ah, may I stir it first?" She holds her free hand out for the wooden spoon. "The mushrooms are all clumped together." Because she put them in that way.

"Oh, right, yes," Sil says, flushing a little but still smiling. He may have been distracted by Pretty Sidha. He hands over the wooden spoon, still holding her at his side, but a little more loosely.

Cressidha smiles with childlike excitement as she stirs the broth. She's doing it, she's cooking!

Sil smiles at Cressidha, breathing in the increasingly aromatic scent of the cooking food. He seems content here, for however long she wants to stir.

"Is that correct?" Cressidha asks once she believes the ingredients have been properly dispersed.

"Yeah, that looks good," Sil confirms. "Then you see now how it's all moving around little by little with the bubbles. If you make it too hot, then things will stick at the bottom if you don't stir. But I think we've got it set just right."

Cressidha squints intently down at the pot. "I see." She passes him the spoon back. "Now we set the… blanket?"

Sil chuckles. "Like our table, yeah. Bowls, I think, and spoons and forks, and then glasses for the plum wine." He reluctantly moves away from Cressidha to go collect all the things and bring them to the picnic table, as the pot continues to simmer.

Cressidha goes to help by crawling back onto the blanket to fetch her cutting board, keeping her sandals off the blanket as she retrieves it. She moves towards the lake to rinse off the board and the knife with conjured water, and then returns them to a place by Sil's pack.

In the meantime, Sil sets out little ceramic bowls with spoons and forks set safely inside (his is the Aspenwood silverware), and a ladle that he wraps in a cloth napkin to keep it clean for now. Then there are little metal cups (no fancy camping wineglasses), and a bottle of deep golden-colored liquid. He settles on the picnic blanket to get the bottle open.

Cressidha steps out of her sandals and back onto the blanket again, sitting down cross-legged at her place. She looks up at the sunset.

The colors are deepening in the sky now, as the sun begins to dip below the horizon line. It casts a fading colorful light across the camp.

Sil pours a little bit of plum wine in each of two cups and offers one to Cressidha.

Cressidha accepts her cup and raises it in a toast. "To Pandaria and the cute little camping stove."

"To Pandaria and the cute little camping stove," Sil says with a smile, raising his cup to clink with hers.

Cressidha taps her cup against his and then takes a sip. She nods approval, takes another small sip, and smiles at him. "This is lovely, Silvestre."

Sil takes a sip of his own and smiles. "You like it? So do I."

In the meantime, the delicious scent from the pot is intensifying as the scallions and mushrooms cook.

"I do. It tastes very much like plums, and I am rather fond of plums - the sweeter ones, at least." Cressidha does not seem entirely certain how best to hold the cup, which is not a wineglass.

Sil holds his loosely by the handle, and takes another sip. He nods. "Yeah, I like the fruity flavor. And plums… I like the fresh flavor. Maybe less so when they're dried — prunes, that is, I guess. That's like a completely different flavor."

"Indeed." Cressidha settles on holding the cup with one hand underneath the handle. "So far, I am enjoying every element of camping except for the bugs and the lack of an outhouse."

"Yeah, those are probably the weak points," Sil chuckles. "But it has so much to recommend it, otherwise." He glances over at the pot. "Ready to try some of our cooking?"

"Oh, is it ready?" Cressidha seems surprised. "That went so quickly!" She removes her utensils from the bowl and offers her empty bowl out to him - perhaps she doesn't want to get up, or perhaps she is accustomed to being served.

Either way, Sil doesn't mind. He takes her bowl and his in one hand, and the ladle in the other, and moves over to the stove, walking on bare feet.

He balances the two bowls casually in the crook of his arm and carefully spoons into both, making sure to get a mix of all the ingredients. Then he walks back to the picnic blanket and leans over to offer Cressidha her bowl.

"Thank you," Cressidha says as she accepts it from him. She waits for Sil to be seated as well.

Sil settles down carefully, getting his own bowl safely in his hands, and reaches for his fancy spoon. "It should be ready — all we really needed was for the scallions and mushrooms to soften. I hope you like it."

Cressidha smiles at him and takes a bite. She hums with approval. "Truly delicious," she proclaims it, and continues eating.

Sil takes a bite as well, and smiles. "Our first time cooking together. I'd call it a big success." He washes the food down with a sip of plum wine.

"As would I." Cressidha smiles and continues to eat, occasionally looking up at the sky.

Sil settles in next to Cressidha, close but not quite touching, as he enjoys his food and drink. The darkness of the sky deepens, and the first of the stars begin to peek out.

"Do you know much of constellations?" Sil asks, looking up.

"They are imaginary pictures people draw in the sky by connecting the dots, yes. I imagine that in Pandaria they have different ones." Cressidha pours herself some more plum wine, having finished the small amount in her cup earlier.

"Probably," Sil says, nodding. "I don't really know the ones they have here. But the stars are also for navigating, like with ships, and I think the imaginary pictures help you orient yourself. Our minds like patterns."

Cressidha nods. "They all just look like dots to me, I'm afraid."

"Useful dots," Sil says, turning back to his stew, and refilling his plum wine glass. "In any case, the sunset is beautiful here."

"Can you get me the name of the business this came from later?" Cressidha asks, raising her cup. "I would like to send some to Father for him to try."

"Oh, sure," Sil says. "I'll keep the label for you, for later. I'm not sure how different plum wine is from grape wine, in the making."

"Thank you." Cressidha looks at Sil, eating with her family's utensils, and smiles softly. "It could be from both of us - you're the one who found it."

Sil looks up and smiles back at her. "I'd like to do that — I hope he likes it. The part of Pandaria brewing that's closest to the vineyards. I'm looking forward to talking with him more about everything."

Cressidha hums in approval. "The two of you ought to get along very well. I'm excited to have you join my family, you know."

"I'm excited to join it," Sil says, his expression softening as he thinks about it. "A lot of them I already count as friends, like Cole and Birdie. And your parents are wonderful."

"You're wonderful," Cressidha insists. "Truly wonderful, Silvestre."

Sil's smile widens, and there's a touch of a flush to his face, but it's a happy one. He reaches for her hand with his free one. "If I am, then it only means that you and I fit together, Sidha. Because I've always thought you're wonderful."

"Obviously I am as well," Cressidha says, half-serious and half-teasing, and sets her bowl of food down to hold Sil's hand. This stops her from eating for a bit, but she seems fine with that.

"And I hope you've always known it," Sil says, and he doesn't seem to mind either, the touch of their hands a more than suitable replacement.

But there is still dinner to eat, so soon he does release her hand so they can return to it.

Cressidha continues eating.

When she has emptied her bowl, she sets her spoon and fork down into it and picks up her wine cup to drain the last of that as well. She wipes her mouth and hands off with a napkin. "It's getting dark."

"Yeah," Sil says looking up at the sky, where the last sliver of sun is soon to disappear. "Let me get the light. It's kind of… a similar approach as the little stove."

Sil wipes off his own mouth and hands and goes back to his camping bag. He retrieves a small device of metal with a central glass cover, which looks a little more complex than the stove. He brings it over to Cressidha to see, carrying it by a metal handle over the top.

"I don't know if you've used one of these before?" Sil says, showing her. "It's the same sort of thing, fuel in the metal base here, and it absorbs into the wick," he pauses to adjust the wick in the glass bulb up slightly with a little knob, "and I just lift the bulb to light it."

Sil turns a little lever that lifts the glass up, so that he can strike a match and set the wick aflame. Then he lowers the glass barrier back, nice and safe.

"We just need to make sure to turn it off before we fall asleep," Sil says, holding the lantern so that it dimly illuminates the campsite.

"What happens if we don't?" Cressidha asks, peering at the lantern.

"Oh, well, it's just that it's a flame," Sil says, with a slight shrug. "Probably nothing happens, but if it falls or somehow catches on something… just not worth the risk."

"Ah. I can put a fire out easily, but I would not want your tent to be damaged. Very well." Cressidha nods in understanding.

Time Passes

As their camp slowly turns into an island of warm light surrounded by darkness, the two of them prepare the camp for the night. Sil extinguishes and puts away the cute little camp stove, stores the leftover in a preserving container, and rinses out the pot. Bowls, cups and utensils are similarly rinsed and stored, and the picnic blanket is folded and put away. After other camping necessities are seen to, the two of them are back to the tent, lit by the light of the lantern.

"There's room in there for two sleeping bags side by side," Sil says, light flickering against cloth shade over the tent entrance.

Cressidha summons a little mote of lavender arcane light, which she floats into the tent as she pulls back the opening flap. "Did you not bring the one I gave you?" she asks. She did let him pick a sleeping bag, back in Wyrmrest Temple, and he selected a roomy two-person sleeping bag that Cressidha had never asked to have back. The mote of light flickers and goes out.

"I do," Sil says, with a searching look at Cressidha. "And it's very comfortable… that is, if you would be comfortable."

"Yes, of course," Cressidha says. "I designed it to be comfortable, after all." There's no 'of course' about any of this, but Cressidha is certainly acting like there is.

"There's definitely room in there for that sleeping bag, and for the two of us," Sil says, stepping into the tent with the lantern held high, and holding out his other hand to help Cressidha inside. "And I think I would find that a very comfortable way to sleep. And it'll start tomorrow on a good note, seeing you first thing in the morning."

Cressidha takes his hand to go inside, and immediately steps out of her sandals by the door. "I can hold that for a minute while you set up," she says, reaching for the lantern.

"Sure," Sil says with a smile both a touch nervous and eager, and he hands over the lantern. He retrieves the sleeping bag — the very comfortable two-person sleeping bag — and lays it out by the light of the lantern. Then, he sets out two little pillows, side by side. He unbinds the side of the sleeping bag, opening it to welcome the two sleepers.

He looks over to Cressidha. "We can set the lantern by the side of the sleeping bag, until we're ready for darkness."

"Of course," Cressidha says, and sets the lantern down on the side of the sleeping bag that opens. "Shall I step out so that you can change for bed?"

"If you'd prefer," Sil says, watching her with the light of the lantern flickering in his eyes. "I would also trust you to turn around, for now, rather than go out in the dark."

This is the first thing to actually fluster Cressidha: an option she had not even considered possible has been presented to her. "I'm hardly afraid of the dark. There's no one out there but the bugs." She wrinkles her nose. "But there are quite a few bugs, so if you truly don't mind, I'll just face…" She steps up to the 'window' of the tent and looks out, although she can't see much. "…this way?"

"Sure, that's fine," Sil says, and the warmth is audible in his voice, even though she can't see him. It doesn't take all that long for Sil to shuck off his leather armor and put on pajamas. And he does have pajamas, a blue set with shorts and short sleeves for the late spring warmth.

Cressidha stands like a statue at the window, although wearing a t-shirt and leggings it's a very different statue from her usual regal look.

Sil finishes up changing and checks that he's decent before he turns to Cressidha. For just a moment, he appreciates her statuesque beauty in the lantern light. Then he says, "I'm good now. You can turn around. Should I… go out of the tent, while you get ready?"

Cressidha turns, looking him over with a faint smile. "That would hardly be equitable of me to expect. No, you may turn around."

"Alright, long's that's okay for you," Sil says, moving over to trade places with her at the tent window.

Cressidha takes his spot by the sleeping bags. "If I did not fully trust you, I would not be here. I won't be long."

She still takes a few minutes, because she has to neatly fold her clothing, but she ends up in a simple cream-colored cotton nightgown, long at the hem and with three-quarter sleeves. Her clothing from the other day gets placed neatly into her bags. She is still wearing her snowflake pendant. She lines her bags up very carefully by the side of the sleeping bag, within arms' reach, and sits down close to the pillow.

"I'm done," she says, and traces some water-conjuring sigils in the air to summon two bottles of water. She places one on either side of the sleeping bag.

Sil turns back around and takes in the nightgowned Cressidha with her snowflake pendant, and then the bottles of water. He smiles, and comes over to sit on his side of the sleeping bag. "Now that's a thing a person often wants at night, water. Thanks."

"You're quite welcome." Cressidha pulls her hair to one side and asks, "If you might help me with this? I shouldn't sleep with it on." She indicates the pendant.

"Ah, of course," Sil says, scooting closer so that he can reach the clasp on the back of her neck. He carefully undoes it, drawing the necklace forward around her neck. "It could get pulled, when you're sleeping."

Cressidha releases her hair and accepts the pendant back from him. "Thank you, Silvestre." She fetches a jewelry box from her bag to keep it in, and tucks it securely away. "What are the odds of our belongings getting stolen during the night? Has that ever happened to you?"

Sil considers, then shakes his head. "It hasn't, except stuff I accidentally leave outside. Solid chance even a curious animal might wander off with it. In practice, anything messes with the tent, we should hear it and wake."

"Very well," Cressidha says, putting a hand on one of her bags. "I shall trust that you are a lighter sleeper than I."

"I won't let anything happen," Sil says earnestly, as he settles down in the sleeping bag. "But maybe next time, we can rig up an alarm, to feel more secure."

"I had thought of trying to hide them in the bottom of the sleeping bag," Cressidha says with a wry look. "But that might get irritating, having lumps near your feet." She reaches out to pet Sil's hair.

Sil settles into the sleeping bag, smiling at the head pets. He starts to reach out to put an arm around Cressidha, to pull her close as they were outside, earlier in the day. But he slows, waiting for a signal from her if it's okay.

Cressidha's signal is to scoot right into the curve of his arm. She stretches her legs out in front of her and smooths the skirt of her nightgown over them. "Tell me a story? Something about you."

"A story, sure," Sil says, stretching out his own legs under the sleeping bag and supporting her against his side. "Let me think… back when I was a kid in Stormwind, or the circus times, or the early Cobalt days with Ben and Mizzy, or… oh here's one. Did you know I used to do a lot with the Explorer's League?"

"You mentioned that you worked with them before," Cressidha says, putting her head down on his shoulder. Cosy. She folds her hands in her lap. "When we were in Uldum, I believe."

"Yeah," Sil says, tilting his head slightly so it rests on hers. "It was Bran Stillwall, got me into it. We did some work at an excavation in the Wetlands together — him and me and Ben too. Story that came to mind is when I went over to help out his cousin, also in the EL, in the Howling Fjord, me and a few others."

"Oh?" Cressidha closes her eyes. She's just resting them.

"Yeah," Sil says quietly, his voice calm and a little drifting. "They were studying this dig site nearby, but there were a bunch of hostile… some kind of Earthen. It was before we started making friends with them. So they had this wild idea to make flying machines, on the base of a Westfall harvest golem, that maybe would look friend-shaped."

"What? But the harvest golems didn't fly…" Cressidha sounds puzzled.

"Nope, they didn't, but these ones did," Sil says, smiling faintly. "They looked a little silly, but the dwarves there really rigged them up clever. They could fly short distances and even had a module with everything the League knew of titan languages. That's what we figured was in the digsite, titan stuff. I was skeptical, but they worked. They were rideable."

"My goodness." Cressidha smiles to herself.

"It was pretty scary, but also kind of amazing," Sil says with a smile. "Kind of like I usually find work with the Explorer's League. Flying around this massive site on the side of a cliff, in little blasts, collecting what information we could, to find out what was going on."

"Mmhm?"

"They were working for one of the guys in Storm Peaks, in the end," Sil says, waving that away with his free hand. "You all handled that later. What I most remember is the adventure of it. The excitement of discovering something new. And Oranna fretting it was going to explode. It didn't, not till after we were safe off the thing."

"Thorim? Loken?" Cressidha guesses.

"Loken, yeah," Sil says. "That's the one. You beat him, stopped his plan." And probably some other people too, but Sil is sleepy. "It was the first we'd heard of him, at the time."

Cressidha nods. "He deceived us for quite some time, appearing as one of the Hyldnir."

"I just saw him as like… a projection, while I was riding a spruced up flying harvest golem," Sil admits. "Guess he had a lot of irons in the fire. Tricky guy."

"He was an adversary truly worthy of respect," Cressidha says, and she sounds grumpy about it.

"But even so, you won out in the end," Sil says. "I wouldn't have known he could do that, either, the disguise. Back then, though, at the beginning, it was such an adventure."

"I am pleased that you found it so," Cressidha says, her voice softening a little.

Sil's eyes drift closed, and it's a moment before he opens them again. "Will you tell me a story? Something about you?"

"Of course," Cressidha agrees easily. Then there is a silence.

"Have I ever spoken to you of the Nexus War?" Cressidha asks eventually.

"Not much," Sil says. "That is, I know you were involved in it. That it involved all the mages, for a while."

Cressidha folds her hands more tightly in her lap. "Very little of my time in Northrend was an adventure," she says. "On our very first day, we discovered that Valiance Keep had been infiltrated by the Cult of the Damned, including the cook at the inn. The counselor of the general in charge of the keep was also a servant of the Lich King, holding the general under mind control that took us several weeks to discover."

"I heard," Sil says quietly. "We weren't really in contact, from over in the Fjord, but I heard about it later on. Hell of a welcome."

"We were 'conscripted' by the Kirin Tor, who were investigating the abduction of mages. They were being trapped in cubes by Malygos's forces. We 'rescued' one… who dissolved into pure arcane energy in front of my eyes. We were able to free two others, who had perhaps not been trapped for quite as long." Cressidha straightens her back, no longer leaning into the snuggle. "Then the Kirin Tor asked us to torture a prisoner to determine the location of an abducted archmage. Dane was in favor of it."

Sil winces, rubbing her shoulder gently. "And you weren't."

"Not in the slightest," Cressidha says. "They gave me a device with which to do so. An arcane gadget, meant to inflict intense mental pain. I threatened the prisoner with it, and that… ended up being enough. He believed that I had every intention of using it. He was frightened of me. He gave us the location we needed."

"That was smart, finding a way around it," Sil says quietly. "I'm sorry you had to, though."

"Caspis played along. Quite well, in fact. He begged me not to do it; he acted frightened of me as well. It was well done of him; I was impressed." Cressidha turns her head to look at Sil, her face illuminated from the side by the lantern. "It still hurt."

"Even if you know a thing is an act, it hurts to see people believe it," Sil says. "And to see people play along, as if it's true. Especially if it's not an act you'd want to be, like that."

"Yes." Cressidha's voice goes quiet. "I have never forgotten watching that gnome dissolve into magic, either. That fear remained until Malygos was slain."

Sil pulls her a little closer. "I'm glad there was an end to it, even if I wish the Aspect had never gone down that path in the first place."

"There was more to the war - the mail, the portals, working with Gwen - truly a hero, we all owe her so much. Finding out a mage we had killed had been serving Malygos against her will, under threat of death to her family. She was trying to sabotage things secretly, without being found out. We killed her too quickly, and only learned the truth after her death, and she could not be resurrected." Cressidha sags against Sil again. "I apologize. Yours was a happy story."

Sil holds her safe and tight. "You can tell me any stories you want, happy or sad. I'm here for all of it. I'm sorry the worser parts happened, that not everyone could be saved, but I'll always be here to help carry the sadness."

Cressidha sighs. "Thank you, Silvestre." She curls into him, resting her cheek against his shirt, where he can't quite see her face, only the top of her head.

Sil strokes her shoulder gently, looking down at the top of her head, trying to read her reaction. "I love you. If there's a better way to support you, when things are painful, tell me?"

"The hugs are comforting." Cressidha breathes in deeply. "Just being here helps. Knowing that you see me."

"I see you," Sil says, kissing the top of her head. "As you see me. And here, tonight, we're safe."

Cressidha hums in affirmation, staying where she is for a little while longer before she reaches back for her pillow and tugs it closer. "I toss and turn in my sleep. I also have frequent nightmares. These two things are not connected; I have always done the former. It is not an indication of a nightmare. Hopefully, the constraint of the sleeping bag shall prevent me from kicking you in my sleep. I do apologize in advance if that occurs."

"I forgive you in advance, if so," Sil says with a warm smile, starting to shift so that they can settle down into the sleeping bag. "If you have a nightmare, and want to not be alone, you can wake me. I sleep light, but also I get to sleep easily. I don't think I toss and turn, but you can tell me tomorrow. And as for nightmares, it happens, but not so often now."

"What would you like for me to do, in the event that you have a nightmare?" Cressidha wiggles down further into the sleeping bag, setting her head down on the pillow. She uses her feet to push her nightgown further down her legs.

Sil considers that, while he also gets his pillow in place, sliding down into the sleeping bag. "I'm honestly not sure? I think if I wake from it, even just seeing you here will help."

Cressidha flicks her hand in the direction of the lantern, and puts the flame out with a gust of frost. She rolls on her side to face him. "You have my permission to wake me up as well, if you have one."

"Thank you," Sil says, smiling softly at her, and he reaches over to rest a hand gently on her side over the covers, an invitation to cuddle. "I hope you sleep well, Sidha."

Cressidha seems comfortable with the gesture, but does not get any closer, perhaps because she's about to make a genuine attempt to sleep. "Good night, Silvestre. I love you."

Sil's already halfway to sleep himself, but his smile lingers, deepening into contentment at her words. "I love you, too."

In the Morning

Dawn comes softly in the Golden Vale, the sun slowly warming the ground and the air within the tent as it begins to creep over the horizon. Every once in a while, unfamiliar birds send out their melodic calls, greeting the day.

Cressidha tends to run colder, as a frost mage, which is why she wakes up comfortably warm rather than sweaty. She is more on top of Sil than not, with one bare leg tangled with his, her fingers holding on to the sleeve of his shirt, her other arm tucked behind his neck, and her head on his chest. She snaps to full awakeness at the sound of birdsong, going tense. One blink and she relaxes again, closing her eyes, and does not otherwise move.

Sil doesn't run colder, but he was wearing lighter pajamas. One of his arms is wrapped around Cressidha somewhere in the waist area, and his leg tangled with hers. He surfaces from sleep more gradually, familiar with the usual sounds of an outdoor morning. His eyes flicker open, and he makes a sleepy inquisitive sound. Then he sees Cressidha, and relaxes, smiling.

Cressidha shifts her head to look up at him - well, mostly the bottom of his chin from this angle. "Good morning, Silvestre."

"Mornin', Sidha," Sil says, trying to angle to see her better without moving her. His voice is still a little just-woke-up creaky.

"I appear to have become a second blanket," Cressidha murmurs. "I hope I am not too heavy…?" She sounds a little amused.

"No, I think you're my favorite blanket," Sil says with a chuckle that moves his chest a little.

"Mm, you must be thirsty." Cressidha unwinds herself very carefully from him and pushes her nightgown back down over her legs properly as she shifts into a kneel. She reaches over him for the bottle of water that has remained conjured throughout the night and offers it out to him.

"Thanks," Sil takes the bottle and sips as he smooths down his own night clothes. "From here it's mostly putting things away, getting ready to head back to the Shrine."

Cressidha drinks some of her own water, then sets it aside. "Ah. Yes, of course." She rubs at her eyes. "Would you like to eat breakfast with me at the Shrine?"

"Sure, I'd love to. At the Golden Lantern?" Sil suggests.

Cressidha nods. "Indeed." She stretches, clasping her hands behind her back and bowing forward; then she straightens and smiles at Sil.

"What do you think about camping, in the end?" Sil asks, smiling hopefully. "Think you might want to do it again sometime?"

"Yes, of course. Was I not clear? I had a wonderful time, Silvestre, and I would enjoy going camping again with you." Cressidha rests a hand on his shoulder.

Sil's smile brightens, and he puts his hands on her shoulders. "You were yesterday, but then that was before sleeping in the tent. I'd love to plan more trips — and we can work on the parts you didn't like. Gentle ways to keep bugs away, maybe."

Cressidha smiles apologetically. "I'm afraid I only have violent ways to keep bugs away at the moment."

"Yeah, me too," Sil says. "But I've heard of like, candles that warn them off with a particular scent and stuff. Not sure that's a thing that actually works or not, but we could give it a try. Next time."

"Next time," Cressidha repeats happily.