The feel of Kallo’s arms around her was sudden, unexpected, and Levani was instantly enthralled by the warmth, the security, allowing herself to be pulled into his affectionate embrace. It had reminded her of that kiss when they stood upon the precipice, Kimough’s rage, a field of uncertainty, awaiting them at the bottom. It reminded her of the hand that snaked around her body, pressing her to him, enveloping her. Now that she was in the moment, not lost in her trepidation, she could fully feel the strength of him, the tenderness; she could see the brash sincerity of his crystal gaze. There was no fear, no anxiety in it, but naked as his presented feelings, as honest as he’d been, much as he often tried to renege it, to fix it - as though there was something to fix and not free it as the beautiful creation it was. Yet as quickly as it had come, he had released her, a slurry of an apology spilling from his lips as though to amend what he had done. Her frustration only showed itself in the pucker of her brows, which perhaps did not speak clearly enough that he was apologizing for the wrong thing, her irritation slowly becoming evident as she looked down upon him.<br/><br/>“You keep doubting yourself, sul’ima. You apologize for actions of the heart that I clearly am not perturbed by. If I had been so bothered by… this…” She gestured helplessly around them, to him, his arms, a splash of pink upon her cheeks at the openness of which she was made to discuss it. “If I had been so bothered by your kiss, do you not think it is within me to be enraged? To scold when it has gone against my wishes, my desires?” She growled at him, frustrated, her golden gaze fiercely stern. She did not so much as tremble, did not falter at all, as she freely admitted to the feelings that she was having difficulty facing, trapped between their complexities, their peculiarities. Hounded by her sudden needs, her thoughts, raging against what she had known. She needed it out, rather than hiding in the shadows of her mind, but she knew it was only complicated by the truth. It was so difficult not to grow closer, not to pull him to her as he had done, not to be as naked, as forthcoming. Not to learn the matters of the heart - to learn what it meant to be loved. But she couldn’t. It would betray him. He would learn the truth, one day, and he may spurn her heart then. She knew that she would prefer never knowing over that.<br/><br/>But still, she needed something. He needed something. In that moment after a fallen friend, a broken blade, a mutual agony that begged for some vestige, some fragment of relief, of honesty.<br/><br/>One hand braced herself on the moss between Kallo’s neck and shoulder, and the other slid along his cheek, cradling his face. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead, gentle, wistful. Her eyes had closed for a moment as she did so and she could only hear her heart, pounding ardently, powerfully in her ears. When she opened her eyes again, she moved, settling to lay her head upon his chest, the cool waters parting and swelling to kiss her face. It was odd, so much touch unknown, unused to it as she was, but it sure, suddenly felt natural, at home. She listened to the pounding of his own heart, felt the rise and fall of his breaths, the warmth that she’d felt on her hand prior. It was comforting, lulling, a siren calling her to a trance of perfect serenity.<br/><br/>Closing her eyes again for a moment, Levani worked to clear her mind, to clear it of the grievances and the fears. When they moved on, their task would resume as usual and she would have time to confront herself, to consider and puzzle over their relationship. Until then, she could give him -<i>them</i>- just this, and only this. A breath of peace, of each other, little more than their presences. So that he would not break it, just as playful as it was serious, several fingers laid themselves across his lips to keep them still. She did not want to wrangle with words, to struggle to better show him what she felt, what she meant, or sooner attempt to understand his own admissions. Instead, she allowed the sinfonia of the forest to cradle them, mated songbirds trilling, canopy alive with others just like them, searching, swooning, giving fervent life to Asdenni that was yet untouched by the silencing black. So much that it would almost make one think that the sickness, the plague, had never existed - would never exist.<br/><br/>It was many moments later that Levani slipped her hand away from Kallo’s lips, braced against his chest by her face. It was only a breath later that she spoke, “Heart”. She paused, that hand tapping the pendants she’d given him. “Together, they mean the strength of the heart.<i>Kalir rokoso</i>. That strength gives one guidance, patience, trust. It means many things to many tribes. They are important and revered sigils. If you are lost and without me, they should give you hope when I cannot,” she assured him with a smile, slowly rising from her place against him, silently ending their time of blissful peace. She stood now, feeling the chill of the air on her skin even where the sun veiled her in golden droplets; without the warmth of him, she noticed more than ever its absence. She offered him her hand to help him to his feet. “I feel that it is time we move, Kallo. Though I have enjoyed this with you, we should do what we can while we have the day,” she admitted with a frown of a tilt to her lips.<br/><br/>Whether he’d risen or not, Levani turned to pluck several of the roots she’d found before and placed them on the muddy lip of the waters. “The fire that I built for the tea still yet lives,” she noted, seeing the light that it splashed upon the trees over the hillock. “If it is not hot enough for you to dry your herbs, I could stoke it?” She offered, glancing to him as if for an answer, but she figured that she would have to heighten its flames regardless. “I know of many herbs that have some use to the tribes in this place. I can show them to you when you are dressed. Dangers aside, we are surrounded by labyrinths of thorns and I do not think your body would appreciate many small cuts atop the bruises,” she chided, though she knew he’d heal well enough. She took what roots she had pulled from the waters and moved back around the emerald hill, placing them next to the dulling fire. She grabbed her leather top and her breeches, returning to the brook to quickly wash them, focusing on spots instead of their entirety, so that she could don her pants and allow her top to dry on the shore. She returned to their things and fished her loose, white shirt from their pack, allowing her to be moderately dressed for encountering the toothed bushes. It was a relief of a distraction, if empty, but Levani knew she needed it. Pulling on her boots and retrieving her staff, she hunted nearby for the sedative berries she’d used for the tea and other possibly useful herbs, chewing her lip until her mind was silent.