Tira had fallen into the routine of going and seeing Kur every day. He was always glad to see her and she hoped that it would make him realize that he had nothing to fear if she showed him how much she enjoyed seeing him.
He seemed remarkably happy just having her come around. Kur was that sort of man. The kind that was happy just being near his crush even if they were not in a relationship. Kur was perfectly okay with being just friends.
Perhaps some of this contentment stemmed from a lack of any real sense of urgency. Being an elf, he had an incredibly long life span, and even if the lady he admired was half-human he probably didn't really think about how much less lifespan she technically had. Or that it might last long enough for her to find another instead.
Not that she would. Tira rather liked Kur and was highly flattered by the fact that this wizard was in love with her. And just knowing that he did was enough to stay her from ever giving up on her own feelings for him.
It had been about two weeks after her brother's wedding. When she entered the library, eager to see her beloved wizard, he was nowhere to be seen. But as she sat down, Quorpas ran up to her and lightly jumped in her lap, wrapping his two tails around her wrist and purring loudly. She smiled at her friend's familiar.
To most people Quorpas was standoffish, and would avoid them. There were exceptions, he was really fond of his wizard – of course he was, familiars always loved their wizards – and tolerated a few other people as well. Even liked some of them.
She was his favorite, even more than Kur himself. It was not just because she knew all the right places to scratch. She was pretty sure that it was because he *was* the familiar of Kur. And familiars were highly attuned to their master's emotions and thoughts, especially if they were bonded as strongly as Kur and Quorpas were.
And Kur loved her.
She planted a kiss on the cat's head, silently wishing she could do the same to his adorable master. Where was Kur anyway? Well, it wasn't unheard of for him and Quorpas not to be together – Quorpas was a cat after all – but usually Kur would be in the library.
She had wanted to see him. It was becoming harder and harder for her not to say anything, but… it was better for him to speak first rather than her to do it. Not because of his status, no - Tira really did not care about that. It was because he was an elf and she was only half-elven.
As an elf, he would only ever marry once. Even if his wife were to die, he would just stay a widower for the rest of his life, and that was why it needed to be his choice. Because she would not live as long as he would.
Tira nearly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Then she heard his cheerful voice, "Oh? Did you find Quorpas? I was looking for him."
She looked up at the most introverted man in all of Jarenkul. Her wizard friend had a smile on his face. "I was wondering were you were. It's not normal for you not to be in the library…"
"Well… I do feel better when my familiar is near me." He then turned to Quorpas and tried to call him into his arms. The cat barely even glanced at his actual master before nudging against Tira. Kur froze, a look of abject embarrassment on his face. "…My familiar likes you so much… he is even ignoring me now…" He sighed, and looked down.
"No point being sad about it." She rubbed the cat's head. "He is a cat, even if he is your familiar. Cat's are strange creatures. But he is sweet usually."
"Mmm." The wizard was leaning his arms and head on the chair she was on, as he knelt on the floor, staring at the cat, "I don't think its cause he's a cat…"
She looked at the lightly pink tinted cheeks of the elven man. Oh. Was he using his familiar in a round-about way to try to sound her out. It was a little cute. She would tell their kids someday that their father was adorable…
She smiled at him and stroked his cat's fur. Looking at his lightly flushed cheeks, she spoke in a gentle soft voice, "Well, you're right. His sweetness is definitely because he is your familiar."
"Thanks… but I wasn't talking about his sweetness… He loves sitting on your lap in particular. You always seem pretty okay with it. Do you like him?"
"Of course I like Quorpas. He is your familiar. Like the wizard, like his familiar, right?"
He was peering at her closely, as if trying to read her. She wondered if he could see her feelings written clearly on her face. She wasn't sure how easy it was to read her. People did say she had a pretty good straight face.
He did not seem to read her one way or another and he sat back, but then he came forward again, "Tira? I was wondering…"
As he trailed off, Tira looked at him. "Yes?"
"Would it be okay if… can I kiss you?"