Night fell over the earth once more, starlight blanketed the land, and as the artificial lights on the surface came on one by one, the brilliant stars stretched across the night like a river—this was an especially clear summer night. Every star in the sky seemed far sharper than usual, while a refreshing night breeze blew in from the plains and wilderness, gently stirring this tranquil world.
Gawain left his room and went alone to a terrace near the study, enjoying this moment of leisure as he looked up at the river of stars in the high heavens.
He could no longer remember how many days it had been since he had relaxed like this. He had always been tense, caught in one vortex after another by all manner of affairs, gathering strength for the future like a compressed spring. In that perpetually taut state, he felt as though he had forgotten what "relaxation" even felt like—but at this moment, gazing at the sky on a peaceful summer night, he finally felt that long-lost ease.
A familiar presence quietly entered his senses just then. Gawain knew without turning around that Amber had come looking for him again. He did not look back, merely catching a small figure in the corner of his eye as she leaped out of a Shadow Rift, then hopped onto the terrace railing in a few quick movements. She sat there in a posture that would have looked rather perilous to anyone else, one leg dangling outside and swaying slightly.
"Looking at the stars again?" Amber tilted her head and glanced at Gawain. Her amber eyes gleamed beneath the night sky, and there seemed to be the faintest smile on her lips. "That's nice. It's been ages since I last saw you sneak out to look