“Common ground with an ice elf.” But she says it without venom this time. More like she is testing the idea.
“Vetrfolk.”
“Right. Sorry.” She manages a weak smile. “Keith’s presentation is still going. We might as well watch it.”
“Keith has seventy-three slides.”
“Then we have time to figure out how to not doom the world.”
Outside, more shadows gather. Some are taking notes.
Rianne leans against me, her head dropping onto my shoulder. Frost forms where her warmth meets my cold. They are tiny crystals on her hair, delicate and temporary. I can feelher breathing slow. She does not pull away from the cold. That is... unexpected.
“We’ll figure it out,” I say quietly.
“You don’t even sound worried.”
“Worry changes nothing.”
“Worry prepares you for disappointment.”
“That’s very pessimistic.”
“That’s very experienced.”
Her hand finds mine in the dark of the conference room, just for a moment. A squeeze of shared concern. Then she pulls away.
We have two more midnights. Tonight and the solstice. A permanent ritual. With someone I just met. Who names shadow creatures and drinks terrible wine and somehow makes my solitude feel heavy.
The library has changed in our absence. The emergency lighting casts everything in green-tinged shadows. The familiar space has become strange, with shelves looming and the quiet pressing in. Outside, the storm has intensified, wind rattling the windows that hold back more than weather.
Outside, the shadows press closer. Inside, Keith transitions to slide twenty-eight: “Choosing Connection Over Comfort: A Personal Journey.”
Rianne glances at me, then back at the screen. Keith is describing the moment he chose integration... the fear, the uncertainty, the leap into something unknown.
“Keith could have remained in shadow form,” Keith says. “Keith could have stayed safe. But Keith wanted more. Keith wanted to be present. Embodied. Real.”
“That sounds terrifying,” Rianne murmurs.
“It was,” Keith agrees. “But Keith regrets nothing.”
And between us, something shifts. Not magic—not yet.
Something more dangerous than that.
RIANNE
Slide twenty-six: “Embracing Your Corporeal Journey”
I fall asleep sitting up.
Slide thirty-eight: “Managing Work-Life Balance in Multiple Dimensions”
Stenrik gently shakes me awake. I’ve been drooling on his shoulder. There’s frost in my hair.
Slide fifty-two: “The Power of Positive Manifestation”
I eat the last of the expired cheese balls and seriously consider whether the library has any books on surviving permanent magical bonds with ice elves who patrol statues of dead friends.
