TW: None

Nano froze, halfway through grinding up a mandrake root. Lalna and Nilesy were off somewhere being idiots, and she and Lomadia had been down in the little secret witchery basement, chatting idly and making potions.

A strand of Lomadia's long blonde hair slipped loose and fell into Nano's peripheral vision. She could feel Lomadia standing behind her, radiating warmth against her back.

"S-sorry?" Nano stammered, her hands sweaty, her mouth dry.

"You heard me," Lomadia said, lilting. "Why d'you think I keep asking you over, then?"

"For–for witchery ... stuff?"

"Oh, who cares about dumb old witchery," she said. Nano's chair creaked as she leaned on it. "I just like seeing you. You really didn't know?"

"I was–well–I was–I thought–what d'you mean, dumb old witchery?"

Lomadia snorted. "It is a bit dumb. All the bollocks you've got to go through just to summon one little demon. It's a bit silly, to be honest."

"It's–okay, yeah, a bit, but–look you've got all this stuff, you mustuse it."

"Yeah," she said. "I'm quite good at it, actually. Don't really need the help. Like I said. I just like seeing you."

"O-okay, but–I mean, popping out the L-word out of bloody nowhere, that's a bit–forward, don't you think?"

"No," said Lomadia.

"You could at least take me out to dinner first, good grief!"

"All right," Lomadia said gamely. "Let's have dinner, I'll tell you I love you again, and then you can call me too forward again when I say we ought to bang like rabbits in spring."

"I beg your pardon?" Nano exclaimed, her voice squeaking and her face burning. Lomadia laughed at her, then kissed her cheek.

"Haven't got time for faffing about," she said. "You'll get dragged back to that dreary old castle again and then I'll have to make up some other excuse to have you over. May as well cut to the chase before you take off again."

Nano sputtered for a moment, torn between embarrassment and enthusiasm.

"Well–well–well dinner sounds nice," she said eventually.

"Yeah? All right. What d'you think, steak dinner?" Her voice dropped to a husky murmur. "Or should we stick to rabbit food?"

"Oh my God!" Nano exclaimed, burying her burning face in her hands.

Lomadia laughed again.

Credit to MindfulWrath on tumblr