#she just wants to love and be loved by lenore

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

Right?!

- Jim's orphaned nephew Peter

- Jim witnessed genocide on Talus IV

- What was the deal with Ruth, anyway?

- Leila Kalomi?! Like, does Spock have an illegitimate baby, or?

- Well? Did the half black half white alien races really die out or not?

- What is a dog with a horn alien called?

- The TOS crew academy days?

- Is Gary Mitchell actually dead or is he rolling with the Q's now?

- On that topic, IS TRELANE A Q OR NOT? TELL USSS

- What happened to Daystrom after The Ultimate Computer?

- Lenore from Conscience of the King would have made a badass follow up villain, what happened to her?

- YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK THE GUYS YOU DUMPED ON CETI ALPHA FIVE 💩

- Where on earth did Uhura and Scotty come from later in the movies? WHERRRRRRE there's more build up between Kirk and Spock throughout the entire span of TOS and the movies than there ever was with Scotty and Uhura and then BAM

- Do George and Gracie repopulate the humpback whale population? WHERE DID PAST WHALE LADY END UP IN THE FUTURE AFTER? IS SHE WHY WE HAVE CETACEAN OPS?!

- Why does Jim shave his chest and arms in the TOS era but then gives it all up in TMP? Was the breakup THAT BAD?

- Why were we robbed of Spock's slutty Vulcan lingerie look for Kolinar?

- Why didn't they show us Uhura becoming the first human to learn to play Vulcan lute/lyre/harp WHAT ARE WE CALLING IT OFFICIALLY

- Did the Tribbles have a military in the Tribble Klingon war? WHO WAS THEIR LEADER?! Was it a gigantic Tribble that never broke down into smaller ones? General Trichobezoar?

- What is the deal with Tellarites. I need more. WHY DO THEY PAINT THEIR THREE NAILS RED? Or are they just naturally fire engine red?

- Does Spock wear eyeshadow because it's a human thing, or a Vulcan thing? I NEED THE MORNING ROUTINE.

- Did those advanced aliens that pitted Kirk against the Gorn ever touch base with us again after promising they would once we advanced a little more? Are they just more Q pulling one over on us, or some other form of omnipotent being?

- SPACE ABE LINCOLN. 😳 . . . No real question here really outside of "did that shit really happen, or was the weed particularly sticky that night?"

- WHY DOES EVERYONE EAT FRUITY PEBBLES IN SPACE

- When does Kirk first tell Spock he loves him? Because we all know when Spock took his sweet ass time working his way up to it in TMP, but we also all know Jim's ass was in love with him well before then.

WHAT DOES THE R STAND FOR ON THE TOMBSTONE, GARY? DO YOU NOT KNOW YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND'S MIDDLE NAME IS TIBERIUS?!

I love when Star Trek throws an incredibly traumatic back story at one of their characters, and then we just never mention it in any other episodes ever again. Like yeah, Kirk went through a genocide and mass famine crisis when he was a child. Well, anyways, let's talk about something else now.

[lezforsapphicwrites]

first of all, thank you to everyone who engaged with my last post about my theories and give really good points. i love all your theories! so thank you thank you!!!

someone asked me about my thoughts on how lenore and annabel fit all three of the love tropes and i put it off back then cuz i hadn't organized my thoughts about it (yet). but i've finally thought about it and here it is!

(again, feel free to add your own take or to argue with my points. i'm welcome to discussions! just pls don't be mean and fight me. i'm just trying to share my thoughts with fellow fans)

before i dive in, i'm basing this off a post/comment that i encountered before. that all love stories are just variants of either orpheus & eurydice (doomed love), odysseus & penelope (love that dooms everyone else), and romeo & juliet (love that dooms them). i'll do my best to explain how annabel and lenore fit all three.

First Trope: Romeo & Juliet (Love That Dooms Them)

this is mostly tackling annabel and lenore's time together when they were both alive. we all know r&j as the most famous example of the forbidden love trope. their families are enemies, they are not allowed to love each other, yada yada. over time, that trope had been overused for het couples and became stale. what brought it back? homosexual love stories. nothing like good ol' homophobia to keep lesbian couples from living together. annabel and lenore are definitely not exceptions to this when they were alive, which is why lenore pretended to be a man, to be suitable for marraige with annabel.

theories of their death can vary but i'm gonna use mine for this and the theory of one of my replies in my last post. they died at their supposed wedding after lenore was exposed for being a woman. again, how they died is still unknown, but most likely, they died together (with one of them dying a little before the other), which is exactly how r&j ended.

i rest my case cuz this was a kinda easy comparison. off to the next one.

Second Trope: Odysseus & Penelope (Love That Dooms Everyone Else)

this one is a bit tricky so stay with me on this.

i'm covering their time in nevermore academy for this. a short breakdown on odyssey: ody does anything and everything to stay alive and return home to penelope. a lot of his actions were not morally right. he killed or destroyed a lot of people's lives for the love of his life, to return to her. hence, the love that dooms everyone around them.

how is this connected to lenore and annabel?

annabel is basically odysseus in this story. she is not afraid to ruin or kill the others to keep lenore safe and for them to come out winning in the end. we all saw how she traded duke's life to stop her group from killing lenore instead. she thinks of everyone as collateral for her ultimate goal of her and lenore getting their second chance at life together. odysseus was willing to destroy their marriage bed because penelope told him to despite not wanting to. meanwhile, annabel was ready to give up her life when lenore was starting not to trust her because she believes that nothing else mattered if lenore wasn't on her side. it's a crazy form of love and yet, i'm so hooked!

Third Trope: Orpheus and Eurydice (Doomed Love)

this was the hardest to point out because the parallels were hard to find.

for this, i'm just going for a shot in the dark. the doomed part of their love is mostly just hunch (bc i'm hoping for them to get their happiness) so i'm gonna skip that and focus on some parallels.

lenore is orpheus. deep her in heart, she loves annabel and she knows that but her mind hasn't caught on due to her missing memories. all the while annabel is blindly diving into her loyalty for lenore because she knows the end and the intensity of their love (i think). lenore's missing pieces of the story is why she can't fully trust annabel and in a way, "looks back" to see if she's "really behind" her, meaning she keeps questioning annabel's intention.

(yes, i know some iterations say that orpheus looks back because of he loves eurydice too much not to look at her. but i'm using the version where he looks back because he doubts that he is not enough for eurydice to feel the same and follow him back to life. kinda my take sorry)

honestly, that's all i got for this trope. if you have your own take, pls share because this was hard to organize in my brain.

feel free to use this as a safe space to discuss theories. i would like to hear what you think of this opinion of mine. gosh, i just love nevermore and i wish i had enough money to fast pass (no, pls don't dm me for deals and stuff. i can wait)

edit: i forgot to tag the one who asked for this. sorry about that @xxdelusionsofgrandeurxx

[anotherblas]

i need a fight between annabel and ada

That's something I can't get out of my head. i thought i was getting it in episode 71 but it didn’t happen with the outcome i was expecting!! but maybe season 2 can make my wish come true. I just need to put my thoughts out. i don’t read fastpass episodes so if i’m completely missing the nail just ignore me

Through multiple episodes we see that ada cares A LOT about her looks (from wanting to impress prospero, her breakdown when annabel confronts her when she first manifested, her relationship with Montresor and most recently her flashback with Thomas Tamerlane where he basically sees her only for her body) 

Ada's self-worth is deeply rooted in her physical appearance. Her being seen as an attractive, pretty lady with class is what she thinks is her only way of existing and getting loved. She doesn't think she's smart, assuming from her social status and the time she lived in (probably 1930's) she probably didn't get a lot of education.

So she only has her looks, but what would happen if she’s stripped away from that? she’s going to confront the stag while manifesting and from what we were told that’s like the worst idea ever. I honestly don’t see her dying (i feel like that would be such a waste of character) but she could get severely injured, like ending up with some scars in the best case scenario and losing some limb or facial feature in the worst one. That could be the beginning of her breaking point, losing her “only worth” or atleast the key to getting what she wants… while Annabel ends up without a scratch.

I feel that her relationship with Annabel will change after this whole stag arc. I can even picture the outburst even if nothing bad happens to Ada.

Let's suppose the night passes, everyone makes it out alive and Ada reunites with Annabel. i can totally see Ada wanting validation and gratitude from Annabel, getting recognized as the loyal best friend she thinks she is. But Annabel doesn’t see her that way and never will. To her, Ada is just another piece in her plan, as a matter of fact she’s probably a bit annoyed that Ada interrupted her encounter with the stag after seeing that it wasn’t a threat to her. She will not thank her, or at least not in the important, dramatic way Ada wants her to. 

I want them to fight, and not only because i love drama. To me the only way Ada will grow as a character is if she’s alone. A fight with Annabel will immediately put her in risk in the group. Prospero doesn’t like her for obvious reasons and is starting to consider Annabel a friend so he’ll side with her, Will can’t tolerate her so he would want her out but he’ll side with whatever Montresor wants. Montresor wants Ada for the same reasons as Annabel, he sees her as a piece in his plans, someone he can manipulate. But between her or Annabel, he’ll most likely choose the one who has blackmail on him.

Ada being on her own could be the beginning of her valuing herself, starts to accept the way she is, stops pretending and just realizes how much power she holds. At least for now she’s probably one of the students with the most threatening spectre and after her fight with the stag i wouldn’t be surprised if she starts to believe it. I can’t see her joining the misfits just now because it would be (in my opinion) kinda weird that they would accept her after everything that happened with Duke. I honestly don’t even care for her redemption arc. If her growth as a character means that she’ll become an antagonist to Lenore, Annabel and everyone else I'll take it without thinking twice.

Ada with confidence in her powers, in herself, could be a real menace. After all, what’s the point of being in a group if there’s only one life at stake?

[coconut530]

SPIDER AND STAG

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

thinking about nora again

[beevean]

ah, i knew there was a reason i got so irritated :)

[latinokaeya]

finished castlevania. i think trephacard invented love maybe

[catcatb0y]

I almost scrolled past this as someone who WAS shocked and felt like it was unexpected (after all Annabel Lee had to have known Lenore would have gotten upset- there's not much room for her to genuinely slip in and cement herself as being the grace Lenore needs even if she never figured out who actually... you know)

So it is slightly a dumb move on Annabel's part when it would be more effective (as a ploy) to go for someone Lenore has no connection to-

That would be the rational move; she's a queen on a chess board, surely the pawns come first, no? 'Lenore, dearest, you can't tell me you actually care about Side Character B? Did you even notice their absence? Really.'

But therein lies Annabel's hubris and sheer desperation coming forth! It's unexpected, but not out of character.

So it first, you know, I was going to 'agree to disagree' I don't see it, the works.

But then I saw someone like "I have no clue how AnaNore is endgame-" and going on a huge rant and almost jumped to the same anger level like a spooked cat.

nevermore spoilers episode 77, very short rant (tldr me being a bitch)

since the beginning annabel has promised lenore they’d get out of there, no matter what. she was always ready to eliminate their rivals. why are some people surprised she actually kept that promise and saying it’s unexpected

“omg the fucked up codependent character, who considers everyone but her lover pawns to be eliminated, is actually fucked up???”

also of course she’d pick one of the easiest targets: the man who is rooming with someone in her group, who hasn’t manifested his specter yet, and who is closest to lenore (therefore easier to manipulate using her appearance). like. it isn’t that hard to connect the dots.

she wants them to have that second chance, whether or not lenore likes her methods. something else she made clear early on.

[dreamy016]

s1 & s2 banner Analysis

season 1:

We see this chess board with Lenore in it, worried and in state of alert, not knowing that is going to happen next.

This could represent her character in almost all the first season, with doubts about her choices, trying to remember her past, trying to trust Annabel because she believes in her.

》》》

Then, we see this giant Annabel, smiling on top of the board, she is showing confidence, power, she knows what she is doing and what her next move will be

She is playing this twisted game, slow and careful (just as much as she plays chess) paying attention to her surroundings and the people next to her (her group), but still, in the banner she is looking directly at Lenore.

Season 2:

In the new banner things are way too different, Lenore is smiling here with the confidence she developed thought s1 (confidence in the way she acts around Annabel now I mean) this Lenore is someone who knows what Annabel is capable of, the hard truth that she can't trust her entirely, the fact that their promise is broken

But most important, Lenore knows who she is now, knows about her surroundings and has some information about the school (due to the raven) she has been through so much that she has experience

Now she is aware of her own "power" let's say, even if she doesn't have a spectre yet she has acquired the respect from the students (and some weird way of respect from the deans too)

For Annabel, she is ONLY focused on Lenore, she is blushing, she is defenseless  and weak when she is around, she still hopes for something between them, because she loves her

She even had some vulnerable moments in s1 thanks to Lenore, she is not anymore that imponent and cold queen (with Lenore) she has shown her true feelings, what is the truth in this game of pretend and survive.

Now, the red string, "souls that are connected to each other" yes, but also I see this as the union of them in the past, the present and the future, even if they are enemies, they can't erase their past, and their bond (good or bad) will bring consequences, we see this red string multiple times.

Finally, the daggers, I think this represents that even if they love each other, they are ready to fight for what they want, Lenore is not anymore "the worst student" or "the weak one" no, this time she is equal to Annabel, they both can win or lose the game, they are on the same page.

[strangeracrossthestreet]

god this whole garden scene lives rent free in my brain.

first of all, it is absolutely GORGEOUSLY drawn. genuinely my favorite panels in the entire comic. The encroaching roses, the shadow splotches on their characters! Just OUGH beautiful.

second of all, how goddamn theatrical she is. God I love her, I love how much fun she's having. She is gesticulating! She is playfully bowing to Lenore as she's congratulating her on managing to outwit her and rescue Duke somehow! She is placing a finger on her cheek in mock thought! She is flirtatiously leaning in to ask to murder Montresor if Lenore wanted it.

third of all, the comment in this image. I am going to crawl out of my skin, I am, because I NEED "Leo" back in the present so badly. Because Annabel wouldn't be LIKE this, wouldn't be SAYING this, if she wasn't 100% positive Lenore would understand and see it from her perspective and laugh along. Which ONLY MEANS that both she and Lenore in life were scheming little shits together.

hhhHHHGGFDHBHDFGDFJ collapses

[blacknedsoul-blog]

An unnecessarily detailed analysis of Lenore's face when she realizes how gay she is

(Someone thought to tell me that I wrote "incessantly" instead of "unnecessarily" the last time I did this? Didn't they? You people are terrible).

These two vignettes make me crack up. Partly because it's always funny to see Miss "I can pick fights with the Deans, but thinking about my crush makes me nervous UwU" panic, but also because it's impressive how many things have just clicked in Lenore's head at this point.

Like, this girl must be feeling like when you finish a puzzle. A very gay one.

What she knows so far

At this point, as far as Lenore knows, she and Annabel have not seen each other again. There was a goodbye, and she is aware of how much that hurt her. For me, there are two possibilities:

In this flashback, Lenore has realized that she is in love with Annabel, but it is an unrequited affection.

She interprets these feelings as "oh, I'm attracted to her because she was my only friend and she was painfully ripped out of my life. Yes, friends. Very good friends.

Personally, I prefer to interpret it as the second option (you will see why).

On the other hand, it's impossible not to see how willing Annabel is to give and receive affection when it comes to Lenore: in this scene, she tries to say goodbye with a kiss,

And when they're in the closet, she literally throws herself at her.

And I want to point out one thing: Lenore doesn't remember a romantic relationship, but her body seems to: she instinctively strokes her hair when she cuddles her, even though Annabel didn't ask her to. They have done this before. There is a familiarity to this interaction.

Finally. Lenore learned chapters ago that she burned down her house, stole her dead brother's clothes, cut her hair to look more like a man for…something. She doesn't know what yet, but it had to be something important.

And she remembers it when Ada opens her mouth.

(parenthesis: that comment also makes me laugh a lot, like, Ada, dear, if you knew the CRAZY things this woman has done for love).

Please, appreciate this gay panic

If Lenore had any doubt about her feelings for Annabel (assuming option 2), it has been completely erased: she is in love with her. There is no acceptable way to rationalize this as anything else. She was in the past and she definitely is now. That's what draws her to her, that's why she desperately wants to confide in Annabel, that's why her affection seems familiar.

As if that were not enough, Annabel has that ring on her. Not only has Lenore just been hit by the reality of her own feelings, she has just realized that her love is reciprocated, this is not a one-sided crush, they are going to get married. Suddenly, these invasions of her personal space are understood for what they were: an attempt to have a physical relationship on the terms one would have with a romantic partner. Because Annabel was not her friend.

She was her fiancée.

Also, because Lenore is too pure a cinnamon roll for the world, she must be wondering how much she hurt Annabel with this: how she dodged her attempts to show affection, how she doubted her, and, the icing on the cake, that comment:

And all this mental cocoa is perfectly condensed into the expression she has in these two vignettes.

Honestly, the scene is perfect as it is, with no dialogue, but you can almost hear her thinking, "I…I did…I told my fiancée we're friends, blaze".

[afloatinships]

So I have a theory on webtoon's Nevermore:

And it all pins back to this scene. My theory is that Annabel Lee's plan all along was just to get Lenore that new life

And I think it can all be seen right here, this scene comes right after the big reveal that there is only one new life available for all students. Annabel Lee was the only one not panicking, something that was called out by Lenore herself. Annabel Lee has been shown to be an extraordinaire liar, manipulating almost everyone in her life. She also only has one weakness: Lenore Vandernacht.

Three key scenes that indicate that:

The Physical pain on her face when she knows she has to leave Lenore for good, The Black Ribbons indicating her privately mourning Lenore's "death", and Ada's reveal of Annabel Lee's fear

Annabel Lee had to live a life without Lenore, so she knows how miserable she is whenever Lenore isn't with her. She also knows how much Lenore's mortal life genuinely sucked, compared to hers. Annabel Lee didn't exactly have the best life, however, it definitely was league's better than the hell Lenore's family put her through.

However, Lenore is selfless, so Annabel Lee could never outright just have Lenore move forward and get that new life. So she has to put up a show, create herself a chessboard with pawns and pieces. She positioned herself as the queen, one of the strongest pieces in chess. And we all know Prospero is definitely not the King in Annabel Lee's story.

In Chess, you can sacrifice a queen for a tactical advantage. So we take that into the board, and I bet Annabel Lee is 100% planning on sacrificing herself for her true king, Lenore.

With recent events in the webtoon, it has become such an engaging love story to watch. There are so many trials these two are going through and I just love the writing so much!

Anyway, sorry if this got rambling and boring, just wanted to share that thwory cause I have no one to talk to about it. Bye!

[alfaun]

Okay, some theories I havent seen anyone discuss for the Nevermore Webtoon series (spoilers possible!!):

1. Merry and Mourn are definitely one entity, the tentacles that grab Lenore at the beginning were one monster with one set of eyes. Also they each have one white eye and finish eachothers sentences but have been confirmed to not be Brothers or Related in anyway (because they are ONE entity!) Shout out to @anglerfish1es for her ideas on that one.

2. Lenore did not shoot Annabel Lee now this one might be obvious to a lot of people but I still see people discussing she may have killed her. I think its purposefully set up to seem that way, but that would be way too obvious from the authors whom I believe are smarter than that. They want us to think it was Lenore, but Annabel remembers how she died and she still is completely devoted to Lenore, even wears the ring. So if it was Lenore she definitely wouldn’t act like that in my opinion, furthermore Lenore and Annabel died at the same time clearly. Lenore constantly throws herself into danger for the ones that she loves and usually without a plan, this is shown multiple times throughout the story so far.

This comes to my theory: Annabel’s Dad found out about Lenore & Annabel lying to him and attempts to shoot Lenore, and Annabel jumps in front of her to protect her (parallels Lenores actions). Lenore either gets shot anyways by her dad or tries to catch Annabel as she falls and falls to her death in the process. (Parallels the scene where duke tries to push annabel off and Lenore protects her, annabel says something that alludes to this happening before)

Alternatively Annabels dad shoots Annabel and Lenore, anyway I believe it was her father. It says that she was killed by the person who loved her above all else, which if it WAS lenore, why wouldn’t the deans just say lenore? their goal was to drive a wedge between the duo, and that would have done it. They didnt say it because its not true! Who else loves annabel? her father. Lenore loved her brother too, and while she obviously loves annabel maybe not “above all else” at the time as they didn’t get enough time with each other to begin with.

Anyways thats the end of that rant, feel free to share your thoughts in the notes.

[shakirrie]

Hey guys, I think I have a huge problem. I have been in love with Annabel Lee for LITERALLY a year and a half now. I don't know why I keep falling for her more and more, even though I know it's a damn picture with curly hair. Just so you understand, I was in a relationship the entire time (since broken up), but for some reason I felt more warmth in my chest towards Annabel than I did towards my ex-girlfriend. I think I need therapy. I guess... Anyway, I'm seriously thinking about getting a tattoo of her, making a huge stand with Annabel Lee Whitlock. I even understand why I like her so much: her facial expressions are just so silly and cute, her desire to do everything for love, the way she gets smug when she succeeds in doing something. how radical she is, but at the same time, analyzing her actions, I don't see her as a villain. Maybe an antagonist, but definitely not a villain. She really never did anything bad to anyone. The fact that she didn't save Duke AND WHAT THE FUCK COULD A LITTLE GIRL DO TO A MONTRESOR? The fact that she allowed Duke to be killed can be easily justified: Initially they wanted to kill Lenore, but obviously Annabelle would not want her beloved to be killed, but also she should not arouse suspicion in any way if she told everyone OH DON'T KILL LENORE SHE'S GOOD, but since Duke and Lenore were strong enough rivals without the Spectre, Annabelle had little choice in who to replace Lenore with. Only Duke remained, but if she could, she would not have laid a finger on him. This blonde has never hurt anyone, and it is difficult to call her a manipulator. Yes, she learned Montresor's secret, but who would miss the opportunity? What else? This princess is in a group of people every day who, if they want, will kill her. I just thought, what can Annabel Lee do to anyone? Kiss them passionately and kill them with it? Make them cry and freeze? So I don't think she's a strong opponent. Lenore and Duke literally lift her by the scruff of the neck like a kitten... What can be done to make this princess different? I also want to cry madly when I see the words that she's a monster, Lenore doesn't try to understand her. I felt sorry for annabel lee. Im in love w her

[coconut530]

PROPOSAAAAALLLLLLL

[shivunin]

Filed Under 398.2

In which Lucanis and Rook don't quite manage to have a post-game interlude in the Necropolis library. (Inspired by this post) *The beginning of this is a bit risqué, but not explicit

(Rook Ingellvar/Lucanis Dellamorte | 2,470 Words | AO3 Link)

“We only have—mph—half an hour, maybe forty-five—why do you have so many belts?”

“Poisons,” Lucanis murmured against Rook’s mouth, hands already working deftly at the buckles. “Throwing knives. Other things that I—ah!” 

Lenore caught his lower lip between her teeth, thumbs already hooked into her underthings to push them down and out of the way. The library shelves, carved sturdily from stone, absorbed his weight admirably when she pushed Lucanis back into it. Sometimes, she wished she was just a little taller, or that she owned any shoes with a heel. It was hard to reach his mouth for kissing without a little assistance.

“Where is everyone?” he asked, shedding three belts in quick succession and starting on the last. 

“Symposium,” she told him. “Compulsory. I waited until they swept for apprentices or we would’ve had company. That’s why we only have half an hour.”

And she was infinitely grateful she’d worn a dress for once. Lucanis was coming straight from a contract, and thus his clothing would take significantly more work to get off. She couldn’t complain, though; it’d been nearly a month since she’d seen him and he’d have to go straight back to Antiva from here. She was fortunate they had even this long. 

Climbing to her own quarters would have taken too long, and she’d been content with catching up in a crypt while they’d waited for the library to clear out. He’d given her the wide bracelet she wore on her left wrist now, malachite beetles inlaid with gold. She’d given him wyvern venom enchanted with a potent paralysis spell, just in case his target had built up a resistance. It was tucked into the bandolier on his belt now, discarded amongst the others on the library floor. It was gratifying that he’d seemed to appreciate it—his thanks had been enthusiastic enough that they’d wound up, well, here. 

It was unfortunate that she held the Necropolis too sacred to do this in the crypt because they probably would’ve had a little more privacy. Ah, well; she’d have to thank Emmrich later for holding a symposium at such a convenient hour. Sex in the library was so much better than no sex at all. 

As she thought so, Lucanis’s sword belt fell to the floor. In an instant, he’d gathered her up into his arms and reversed their positions. His mouth was—she’d missed kissing him so much. She’d gone much of her life not doing it or thinking about it at all; it seemed ridiculous that she would feel the absence of it so keenly now. It was not something she could understand through logic, so she’d stopped trying. 

There was something disarming about the way he sometimes curled his hand around the back of her neck, as if she was something precious, something that must be held carefully. Nothing else in the world—no accomplishment, no heady wine or hard-won victory—ever made her feel the way she did when he touched her. It wasn’t even the sex she needed, it was just—being near him, feeling his hands on her skin. The need was as urgent as breathing. 

His hands slid up her thighs now, pushing the dark fabric out of his way with agonizing care. Lenore had wrapped her legs around his back for stability, but she shifted them enough for him to move the skirt out of the way. All that remained between them was a thin, unfastened layer of leather. So very little was left to separate them.

“Are you ready?” he asked, and tipped his head so his kisses fell over her exposed collarbones. Lenore squirmed against him, half-laughing. 

“Ready? I’m melting,” she told him, and made a soft, wanting sound when his hand slid between them to trace the length of her. She loved the quiet Antivan curse he mouthed against her skin, the devastating care present in every touch, the heat of his skin, the—

She loved him. She loved all of him. 

Lucanis removed his hand from her waist and looked up—presumably to find a spot to brace against. Slowly, his eyes focused on something to the left of her head. Oh, dear. There were spiders and wisps and things in here sometimes. Had one of them crept closer? She turned her head to look where he did and smiled. 

Ah. No, not a wisp or a spider at all. 

“The Ways of Wyverns: Provincial Folklore and Mythology,” Lenore read aloud. 

Lucanis cleared his throat, glancing at her and then up again. 

“I don’t suppose I could…borrow that? Return it to you later?” he asked. 

“Enchanted, I’m afraid,” she told him sympathetically. “Whole section is. We’ve the best research collection on monster hunting here, all donated by a foremost Nevarran scholar on the subject. There’s a standing bounty for any copies of a lot of them and they’re only lent out on special occasions. After the third or fourth theft, they took measures. Nothing from the collection leaves the Necropolis.”

Absently, she reached over her head and slid the volume free, propping it on her exposed thigh. 

“Oh, I’ve read this one,” she told him. “It’s actually rather interesting. The folk in rural Orlais have all these elaborate traditions around wyvern hunts. There are altars and rituals associated with them, even given how dangerous wyverns can get when fully grown. One of the families even…”

She trailed off, abruptly aware of the position they were in. Half-naked in the arms of the man she loved and hadn’t seen for a month and she was telling him about wyvern hunting traditions in Orlais. How were things like this always happening to her? It was nearly as bad as the time she’d had to stop touching him so she could coax a freshly animated skeleton to leave her quarters. 

“Go on,” Lucanis said, angling his head to look at the book. “What do they do? I have heard about the hunts, but I have never seen this—” 

Lenore snorted, then laughed, moving the book out of the way so she could press her face into his half-exposed shoulder. For a moment, laughter overtook her and she was helpless to explain herself. 

When she gathered herself at last, she lifted her head to look at him. Already, she could see the shift in his expression. It was the same one she felt herself. It hardly mattered that they’d been waiting to see each other for a month or that they had very little time before he would leave again. The idea of sitting propped in his arms while they read together was every bit as attractive as making love against the cold bookshelves of the Grand Necropolis. 

Actually, it sounded more attractive than what they were doing. Her hip was starting to hurt and the shelves really were frigid. This had seemed a lot more spontaneous and romantic than it actually felt. Ah, well. One fantasy punctured by reality, one likely realized—if he felt as she did. 

“You are perfect,” she said, and unwound her legs from his back. “Why don’t we read this together instead?” 

“You’re certain?” he asked, setting both hands on her hips. He was frowning, as if trying to work something out. “You don’t want to…?”

“I’m certain if you are,” she said, still half-laughing. “But only if you stay close to me. I’ve missed having you close enough to touch.”

“I was going to say the same to you,” he told her, dipping his head to kiss her again. 

He really did feel perfect, she decided happily, sliding down his body. She could see her underthings just behind him. If she hurried to get them back on, they might make it through two or three chapters before their time was up. Last week, she’d even found an inordinately large chair near this section, one big enough for two if the two were comfortable with each other. 

They passed nearly an hour together in the quiet library, Lenore snuggled back against his chest while he paged through the volume on wyverns. At intervals, Lucanis would set the book down to exclaim over some piece of trivia and Lenore would respond with other things she’d gleaned from the library. 

“Why do you know so much about wyverns?” he asked her after one such moment. 

Lenore, now fully clothed and comfortably ensconced between his chest and the arm of the chair, grinned at him. 

“Why do you think?” she asked him. 

Lucanis set the book face-down on her lap, which covered his. 

“You read this for me?” he asked, reaching for her face. Rook pressed her cheek against his palm, closing her eyes. 

“When I miss you, sometimes I come down here and read about them. I think about which things you’d like, what I ought to tell you later. I have a list somewhere. Under a book in my rooms, probably.”

“You—” 

Lucanis cut himself off, surging forward to kiss Rook. Carefully, he lifted both hands and cradled the base of her skull, holding her exquisitely still. His lips moved against hers, delicate at first, as if conveying some unspeakable emotion. Slowly, he leaned into her, pressing his cheek to hers. Lenore’s hands slid down his shoulders, touching the leather below, the criss-crossing belts, the vee of bare skin below his throat and above his heart. She’d grown accustomed to the soft brush of his beard, the way he angled his lips against hers, and she cherished it all. 

How horribly she’d missed this while he’d been away. She’d never truly understood how lucky she was to always have him near the Lighthouse. Being with him, especially like this, felt right in a way she had no means to articulate. 

For long, sweet moments, he simply rested against her, their lips pressed softly together. When he pulled away at last, it was only far enough to rest his forehead against hers. 

“You think of me,” he said at last. 

“Of course I think of you. Both of you. I’ve boxes of things for Spite to smell and touch too, if we have time. When we have time.” 

He touched her face, tracing the angle of her jaw and the curve of her cheek. He didn’t move away from her. 

“I want to stay,” he said. “For tonight, at least.” 

“Don’t you have to go back to Treviso?” she asked him. The lines beside his eyes deepened. 

“I can send word that I’ve been delayed. It will give us until dawn at the earliest.”

Lenore leaned back, studying his face. They both knew who’d demanded he return as soon as this contract was completed. It was the same person who’d chosen contracts increasingly far afield. Any contract would do, so long as the fee was paid and the target was far away from Nevarra. 

“I can’t ask you to do that,” she said at last. 

The book still rested on her lap. She flipped it closed to protect the pages, leaving a finger tucked into the edge to save their place. 

“You don’t have to ask,” he said. 

“Lucanis, I don’t…” 

Didn’t what? She wanted him to rest in her bed, to read with her, to be there when she tracked down that list of things she’d wanted to tell him. How could she say no to any of that, especially when she’d rather his grandmother trip into a canal than get to have him back? 

And it was precisely that—the animosity between her and Caterina Dellamorte—that meant she was reluctant to be the one who asked him to stay. His family was everything to him; it was not a bond she would test for her own gratification. 

“Do you want me here, Rook?” he asked, resting his hand over hers on the book. 

“Of course I do.”

“Then I will stay,” he said. “We can take this book to your rooms. Finish what we started.”

Yes. Oh, she wanted that so badly that it almost hurt to imagine. She’d resigned herself to sleeping alone already, had braced herself for the pain of curling up alone in her bed after having him for so brief a time. 

Solitude still came more easily to her than company. That was what she told herself when he was gone, anyway. It was easier to tell herself so than it was to admit that it cost her something vital every time she left him at the eluvian to Treviso. 

Endearments did not trip easily from his tongue, and she would have accepted them with just as little grace if they had. Long experience had taught her that there were other words that amounted to the same thing. 

“Lenore,” he said quietly, and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Lenore. I would always wake with you if I could.”

“I know,” she told him, and slid from his lap so he couldn’t watch her gather herself. “Come on. If we stay up late, we can finish this in my rooms.” 

Already, there were voices at the doors to the library. The symposium must be done, later than expected. No doubt, she would hear the broad strokes of it tomorrow. If not, she’d get the tale from the one who’d led it. Catching up would keep her busy, and that would be good. 

But—none of that had to matter right now. Corpses and spirits and necromancy could wait for tomorrow. Right now, she had a book to read and an assassin to hold. 

The voices drew closer. As if he did not care whether or not they saw, Lucanis took her hand and kissed it slowly, one knuckle at a time. It had been the first place he had kissed her and the gesture, no matter how briefly it was performed, always did something funny to her knees. When he was done, he did not let her go. His thumb ran over her knuckles instead, back and forth, as if reminding himself where they were. 

Lenore swallowed around the tightness in her throat and hurried toward the exit. Every moment of happiness they’d ever had together had been carved from a universe that didn’t want to share. This would be no different than any of those other moments. They had a whole night ahead of them—eons and eons of time stretching out before her, so much more than she’d thought she would have. She didn’t want to waste a second thinking about his inevitable departure, how he would turn to look at her one last time before he stepped through the mirror to the Diamond. 

No. Instead, she would think about…about wyverns. 

As long as he was with her, as long as she could feel him near, she was satisfied.