---
The night moved on. The house held them both without asking for coins. He sat up once to pour water from the pitcher and offer it to her. She took two careful sips and touched the edge of the cup to his mouth. "Drink," she ordered softly.
He did. Their hands brushed on the cup; neither moved away.
"The future will be… less simple," Sera murmured after a while, as if telling the dark a secret instead of him. "Classes. Faces. Rules. You will be fine."
"With you nearby?" he asked.
"With me nearby," she promised, and threaded her fingers back through his. "And with that little sun downstairs."
"Fizz," he said, almost laughing. "Yes."
"Also," she added, fond and sly, "you owe me a proper story about where you grew up."
He groaned into the pillow. "I owe you a big gift."
"Then you will bring me one when you are ready," she said, and closed her eyes.
