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Viktorya is an ancient dragon who has lived for approximately 500 years, although for unknown reasons she has suffered a loss of her memories of about 400 years lived.
Her homeland was destroyed by the world government more than 100 years ago. After that incident, two pirate warriors took her into their ship, Brogy and Dorry, before they left for Little Garden. Once the two warriors departed for Little Garden to fight to the death, they left her in Elbaph, asking the giants to take care of her.
Viktorya was living in a village in Elbaph with a giant lady who was close to turning four hundred years old; she learned many things from that lady, and besides, other neighbors taught her to fight with the sword and the axe. When the lady passed away, Viktorya set out to sea, promising that she would definitely return to Elbaph to visit many times. Elbaph had become her home.
She traveled through the new world looking for the lost spells of her land, in her land, everyone was a mage and sorcerer, and she was no less than she knew how to control magic innately, although she had to learn to fight with weapons to stay hidden from the world government. The world government began to hunt all dragons eight hundred years ago; they believed that finally they were all dead, but Viktorya was proof that they had not yet become extinct.
Viktorya traveled with some pirates to help them in their adventures, one of the pirate crews she helped was Gol D. Roger's crew, with whom she was traveling for two years before continuing with her adventures. She was collecting multiple spells and, in one of her trips, she arrived at Dressrosa, an island that was suffering a coup d'état caused by a pirate. She ran into an innocent girl who was crying with a sword in her hand while trying to protect her mother. Viktorya could not help it; she had to help that girl, but for bad luck, that girl's mother was cruelly murdered by Doflamingo in front of that girl. Viktorya found out that the girl was Shanks' daughter, knowing that Shanks was capable of abandoning his own daughter made the image she had of him become completely distorted, leading her to hold a grudge.
After that tragedy, Viktorya promised that she would take care of that girl, so she abandoned her journey temporarily to return to Elbaph, the only place where it was safe to take care of that girl. Viktorya became that girl's teacher, but not only Viktorya trained her, she was also trained by Gaban and Ripley. Ripley promised Viktorya that she could take charge of that girl and that she would care for her as if she were her own daughter. Viktorya returned to the sea and, right when she left Elbaph, she encountered a ship that was departing from the underworld; she had never seen the prince of Elbaph, but she was completely sure that he was the prince of Elbaph.
Curiosity killed Viktorya and she ended up raiding Loki's ship just to introduce herself in a friendly way and offer to travel together. What Viktorya did not know is that her love story was about to begin.
***
The battle had ended, it was a hard struggle. Ten innocent children were almost kidnapped, but all the giants and the Strawhats joined together to save those children and fight against Imu-sama and those Holy Knights. The fire finally finished and the country of Elbaph was at peace again, or at least so it seemed. The Strawhats were helping the giants with all the disaster that had been formed; furthermore, they decided they would stay until the Log Pose resets so they can depart for the next island.
Viktorya had been traveling with the Strawhats since she ran into them at Punk Hazard. Her initial idea was not to travel with them; it was simply to help her apprentice and her apprentice's captain against Doflamingo. But after finishing off Doflamingo in Dressrosa, Viktorya had to return to Elbaph. She promised Loki that whatever happens, she would return to him, that she would not abandon him. Ten years had already passed, and her reunion with Loki was not the most appropriate, considering that Straw Hat and his nakamas were with him when they freed him.
She was helping with her magic to restore the houses that had been burned; the giants thanked her and praised her, besides telling her that they missed her. After helping, Nico Robin invited Viktorya to attend the great banquet where they will eat and drink until they’ve had their fill with the rest of Elbaph, something very typical and common for the Strawhats after saving a country. Viktorya rejected the invitation for now with the excuse that she had to fix some last things before attending the banquet.
Viktorya moved away from the crowd; she watched her apprentice pounce into the arms of Kuroashi no Sanji, who responded with a smile, hugging her by the hip, and both began to laugh. Her apprentice had fallen in love; she was happy for her. She had never seen her so happy before, and if Sanji made her happy, then she would be more than happy for both of them. Before being discovered, she left; she had to look for Loki to talk to him.
After the battle ended, Loki had disappeared, as if the earth had swallowed him. How is it possible for an Ancient Giant to disappear so easily? Viktorya looked in the direction of the castle; she had a hunch, therefore she prepared to go towards the castle, but not before returning to her natural stature. She no longer needed to have the height of a human to talk to the Strawhats, so she returned to her true form.
Viktorya was an Ancient Dragon, ancient dragons are supposed to be extinct. The World Government dedicated itself to hunting them eight hundred years ago, but somehow Viktorya's mother survived. Viktorya was born five hundred years ago, although she has a gap in her memories and there are four hundred years of her life that she does not remember clearly, as if she had been asleep for more than four hundred years and had been born again sixty years ago. Although she wished to recover those lost memories, it didn't worry her either; it felt as if she had literally been born again.
Physically, Viktorya looked like a Mythical Zoan user, although the reality was that she would never eat a Devil Fruit. Her hair was purple and very long, the ends slightly wavy and the bangs pulled away from her eyes. Her eyes were the same color as the ocean; she had two dark purple horns with a gradient to violet at the tip. Her ears were pointed and she had a pair of wings on her back that allowed her to fly.
Her walk toward the castle did not feel long; it was quite entertaining while she lost herself in her thoughts. Viktorya met Loki while sailing; just as Viktorya was approaching to visit Elbaph, she saw a ship setting sail that caught her attention upon seeing that an Ancient Giant was sailing alone. Viktorya decided to follow that ship until reaching it, and that was when she met Loki.
"Why would the Prince of Elbaph leave his country?" That was the first thing Viktorya mentioned.
"Who are you?" he frowned.
"I was going to visit my apprentice; I left her in the care of Gaban-san" she shrugged. "My name is Viktorya" she introduced herself.
"Loki"
It was a very brief conversation. Viktorya knew that Loki's reputation in Elbaph wasn't very good, but even so, she decided to follow him and be with him so he wouldn't sail alone; sailing without companions could be difficult in some situations, and besides, she was sure that Loki had no medical knowledge and someone would have to help him if he got into any trouble. Viktorya remembers with affection those adventures she lived alongside Loki; they became very close friends and lived through great adventures together until Viktorya had to go back for her apprentice. She couldn't leave her alone much longer; her father had already abandoned her, and she couldn't abandon her too.
"Will you let me see your eyes before I go?" he asked with curiosity.
"It's not something you want to see" she shook her head. "I prefer you leave with the image you have of me, and not with the image of a monster" she shrugged.
"Who told you that you are a monster?" she asked with curiosity. "That disgusting bitch was not your mother" she clenched her fists tightly, referring to Loki's biological mother. "Ida was your true mother" she reminded him while combing her friend's long pink hair.
"I never thanked her for taking care of me, nor did I tell her that I loved her" he began to cry as he remembered how unfair Ida's death had been.
"She knew" she placed a kiss on Loki's cheek. "I was lucky enough to meet her twenty years ago; I met her in an Elbaph tavern and she told me with a smile that she had two beautiful children whom she loved madly, and that she was completely sure that her two beautiful children loved her too, even though one of them never told her" she gave him a small smile while she continued braiding Loki's hair.
"That is definitely something Ida would say" he sighed with a smile while drying his tears. "I wish so much I could have told her I loved her..." he swallowed hard. "When we see each other again, I promise I will show you my eyes" he promised. "But in exchange, promise me that you won't leave me..."
"I promise you" she spoke from the heart. "I will return to Elbaph, I will be waiting for you, and together we can make it so your land doesn't hate you" she hugged Loki from behind with affection. "I don't intend to leave you alone."
Ten years had passed since the last time she was with Loki in an intimate setting. When she reached the castle, she stepped inside; it was only her second time entering this fortress. The first had been before the chaos erupted, when she searched for the key to the lock to free Loki alongside Luffy, Zoro, and Nami. Although this place was unknown to Viktorya, it felt strangely familiar, partly because of all the times Loki had spoken to her about his childhood and his past.
Viktorya’s instinct did not fail her. There, in front of the ancient, grand portrait of King Harald hanging on the wall, sat Loki with his legs crossed, likely crying in silence while staring at the image of his father. Viktorya approached with slow steps; ten years had gone by, and for the first time in a decade, they could finally have a normal conversation. The dragon took a breath, knelt down beside Loki, and placed a hand on his shoulder, resting her head against his.
"He was a great king and a great man" she broke the silence.
"I kill…" Viktorya placed a finger on Loki's lips to silence him.
"You saved him" she reminded him. "The one who killed him was Imu" she said, certain of her words.
"Why have you come?" he frowned.
"Ten years without seeing your friend and this is how you greet me" she joked affectionately, nudging him with her elbow. "I promised you I wouldn't leave you alone" she reminded him. "We haven't had time to catch up; so many things have happened, I..." she sighed, not knowing how to organize her thoughts.
"He has invited me to join his crew" he blurted out, unsure of what to do with the proposal. "You know him better than I do. What would you do in my place?" he asked.
"Mugiwara?" she let out a small giggle. "He always gets what he wants. He’s been chasing me, asking me to join his crew since we met at Punk Hazard" she rolled her eyes in disbelief. "I've traveled with him for a long time, and I must admit it’s been a while since I felt the warmth of a family" she smiled fondly.
"So, will you join the Strawhats?" he asked with curiosity.
Viktorya shook her head. "All this time I rejected his offer because the only thing that mattered to me was finding you and being with you" she confessed. "If you stay, I will stay with you; but if you go with them, then maybe I'll consider the possibility of joining them" she gave him a smile.
"You look beautiful when you smile" he praised her affectionately.
"SHUT UP!" the dragon blushed like a tomato and gave Loki another nudge with her elbow while covering her face in embarrassment.
"Would you like to take a walk through the castle gardens?" Loki offered as he stood up, extending a hand to Viktorya.
"I would love to" she took the giant's hand, and he helped her to her feet.
Loki smiled affectionately, standing before Viktorya with a grin on his face. Both stared deeply at each other for a moment while their hearts pounded forcefully in their chests; the feeling was mutual, yet neither dared to take the first step. Loki took Viktorya’s hand with a mix of clumsiness and tenderness, and they began to walk together. Not long after they started walking, Viktorya stopped when she felt something scurrying down her legs and quickly moving up her body, as if a small animal were climbing up her back. When it reached her shoulder, she heard a "squirl." Viktorya turned her head, and there was Ragnir, perched on her shoulder.
"RAGNIR!" the dragon hugged the squirrel, squeezing it affectionately against her chest. "How have you been?" she asked excitedly; the squirrel replied with its characteristic squirrel sound.
"Hey!" Loki frowned. "Weren't you eating and drinking with Luffy and the others?" he asked, sounding a bit jealous that Ragnir was "ruining" his alone time with Viktorya.
"Don't scold him!" Viktorya hugged Ragnir to protect him. "He can come see the gardens, too" she placed the squirrel on her shoulder. "By the way, rumors say you proposed to the daughter of a Yonkou" she crossed her arms suspiciously.
"It's not what you think!" he tried to speak quickly to justify himself. "Linlin wanted me to marry her daughter; she promised me that Elbaph would stop hating me and my father would be honored" he tried to explain.
"Whatever" she continued walking with Ragnir on her shoulder. "That Lola girl has terrible taste. Why would she refuse to marry the Prince of Elbaph?" she shrugged, not understanding her. "I think she must be blind."
"Would you have accepted her place?" he asked, confused.
"Yes, why not" she said, sounding indifferent. "Ragnir, take me to the gardens!" she asked the squirrel. "Loki is too slow."
That confession made Loki blush more than ever; his heart raced and a silly grin formed on his face as he grew nervous. Was that a declaration?
Ragnir guided Viktorya through the corridors of the castle. It was sad to see how everything was destroyed; that castle had once been a cozy place, a home for Loki and his father, yet now it was nothing more than ruins. Ragnir knew this castle better than anyone, it wasn’t for nothing that he had guarded the treasure of Elbaf for so many years until he deemed Loki worthy of it; he had lived there for more years than Loki could imagine. He guided Viktorya without hesitation until they reached the castle gardens, which were very well preserved despite the fact that no one had been tending to them for the last fourteen years. The plants were in a wild state, but they still maintained their charm.
Upon entering the garden, Viktorya opened her eyes in excitement. She had always loved nature, plants, and animals. The flowers there were enormous, proportional to the size of an Ancient Giant, which meant they were also proportional to her size; even so, she had never seen flowers so large and beautiful before. Ragnir ran toward one of the trees, scurrying up the trunk to climb onto one of the branches and grab some fruit to eat. Loki entered the garden after Viktorya and Ragnir; it had changed a lot since the last time he had been there, but it still conveyed the same peace and tranquility it always had.
Loki watched Viktorya walk through the garden, seeing how she enjoyed herself like a little girl. The giant approached a rose bush; among them was a solitary blue rose, a flower extremely rare to find in nature, but there it was, right in front of Loki in his garden. He didn't think twice; he picked that blue rose and approached Viktorya with slow, very nervous steps.
"This place is beautiful" the young dragon murmured, enjoying the moment.
"It is" Loki admitted, holding out the flower to give it to Viktorya as a gift.
"For me?" she asked in surprise, taking the blue rose. Loki nodded his head, and a silly smile formed on the dragoness's face. "It's beautiful."
"Not as much as you" he confessed, averting his gaze (though he couldn't make direct eye contact due to the bandage over his eyes, it was still a reflex).
Viktorya blushed at the compliment and analyzed Loki, who was also blushing. "You're blushing" Viktorya complained with a tender smile on her face.
"No, I'm not!" he frowned.
"Yes, you are!" she pointed at the giant, letting out a giggle. "But you look very cute like that." The dragoness approached Loki and, without warning, left a kiss on the giant's cheek, making him turn completely red. "You promised me..."
"I know..." he murmured, turning away, not wanting to look at Viktorya out of embarrassment. "I will keep my promise, I only hope you'll still be my friend after this..." he mentioned with a certain fear in his voice.
"Loki, I would never break our friendship, especially not over a physical trait" she tried to reassure him.
"We still have to talk; we haven't had time to do it properly" he reminded her as he continued walking through the gardens, looking up at the starry sky at the same time. "Please, follow me."
Viktorya remained in silence, following Loki at a slow pace. She looked at the flower Loki had given her; it was a wild blue rose from nature. It was very rare to see blue roses in the wild; Viktorya always said that Elbaph had its own charm and was special, which was why the flora and fauna of this country fascinated her so much. However, Viktorya knew that a blue rose held a special meaning; what she didn't know was whether Loki knew it too and wanted to convey something to her, or if it was simply a coincidence.
Loki sat down under a tree in the moonlight; from that point, they could see all of Elbaph. The castle was at a high enough point that from various spots around it, you could sit and see the rest of the country. This spot that Loki chose was one of them; the horizon could be seen with the blue sky full of stars, and they could distinguish some villages they even deduced where the celebration feast with the Straw Hats was just by seeing a village illuminated more brightly than usual.
Viktorya sat next to Loki so they could look at the horizon. "Mystery, magic, something unreachable or impossible, unique love, deep and sincere, trust..." she mentioned, looking at the moon.
"What do you mean?" Loki asked, feeling somewhat nervous.
"The meaning of a blue rose" she smiled, showing him the rose that he had previously given her.
"You knew it?" he was surprised.
"I have been alive for five hundred years, I know many things" she reminded him.
"But you forgot four hundred years of your life" he picked on her affectionately.
"I never forgot magic, nor did I forget science" she smiled fondly, putting the rose aside so it wouldn't get ruined.
"Why did Imu hunt all the dragons except your parents eight hundred years ago?" he asked with curiosity.
"I don't know" she shrugged. "But I will tell you a secret" she curled up, hugging her legs against her chest. "My mother is still alive; she is the Goddess of the Dragons, she is immortal and lived long before the birth of Imu" she told him, trying to remember the missing pieces of her puzzle, but for some reason she couldn't manage to remember more details. "I think she erased my memories to protect me, but I'm not sure why or for what; I only remember that one day I was in my homeland where we were all dragons and the next day I woke up in Elbaph" she shrugged without giving it much importance.
"Thank you for donating your blood to me; I didn't know you had ancestral blood" he thanked her with sincerity.
"I am an ancient dragon, in the end we are not so different" she smiled with affection.
"Viktorya, I... there is something I have wanted to tell you for a long time..." he swallowed with difficulty, feeling a knot in his throat.
"Yes?" the dragoness raised her head with curiosity, staring at the giant who remained silent without being able to open his mouth again. "What did you want to say?"
"I..." Loki felt his heart racing inside his chest; his heartbeats were going so fast that if they maintained the silence for long, he would swear that Viktorya could hear them too. "I... you see..." he was too nervous; he played with his hands trying to calm himself down, but he only got even more nervous. Viktorya placed one of her hands over his to try to calm him and make him feel safe. "I... I don't know how to say this... I like you, I am in love with you" he ended up confessing.
There was no verbal response from Viktorya to that confession. Loki felt like the world was falling in on him. Would he be rejected by the person he had loved for fourteen years? Was he wrong to confess? What if Viktorya now wanted to move away from him forever? Or worse, what if Viktorya laughed at him and humiliated him? He was afraid, very afraid; they were being the five longest and most terrifying seconds of his life until finally, without even expecting it, he felt Viktorya's lips on his.
Viktorya was kissing him; her response was to kiss him in a warm and slow way. Those lips were irresistible, soft and tender; they moved perfectly over his lips as if she had been waiting and searching for them all her life. Loki's brain stopped working for an instant; right now the only thing in his mind was that kiss that Viktorya was giving him as a response.
So... that means that... Is it mutual? That was the question that Loki asked himself in his brain as soon as Viktorya separated from his lips.
Viktorya's hands approached Loki's eyes; Loki's heart began to beat even more strongly. He knew what she was going to do and he was not going to refuse, he promised it; but even so, the fear of rejection was inside him. What would happen if Viktorya gets scared when she sees his eyes and decides that she doesn't want to see him again? Probably if Viktorya asked him, Loki would stab his eyes and even take them out.
Viktorya untied the knot of the bandage; slowly she began to take it off until half of Loki was exposed before the dragon. Loki began to cry for fear of losing the love of his life now that she had seen what he considered his greatest flaw. Viktorya, on the other hand, smiled; for the first time she could cross her gaze with Loki's. Those dark red-colored eyes reflected sadness, the sadness of a child who was hated only for being born a little different from the others. Loki's gaze was sad, it reflected sadness; probably since he was born he always had the same sad gaze, but it was time to change that. Viktorya set out to change that sad gaze for one that transmits joy.
"I hate my eyes..." Loki murmured while shedding tears of sadness.
"You are beautiful" were Viktorya’s sincere words. "Loki, you are beautiful"
Had Loki heard correctly? Viktorya had just told him that he is beautiful; she hadn't gotten scared, she hadn't screamed while calling him a monster, and she hadn't run away either; instead, she smiled and told him "you are beautiful."
Loki's tears changed from sadness to happiness.
"Aren't you going to call me a monster while running away?" he asked, surprised.
"I would never do that" she brought her hands to his face to dry the giant's tears. "You are beautiful, your eyes are beautiful and unique" she approached his face and left a kiss on his forehead. "I am also in love with you" she smiled with affection.
That moment turned into an intimate scene between the two. Fourteen years—fourteen years was how long both had been waiting for each other. Loki, despite being in love with Viktorya, had given up; for him, it was impossible that Viktorya would return his feelings, it was impossible that a being so good and pure would be willing to be with someone like him. He always had many insecurities; that is why for him it was impossible to think that he could be loved back.
On the other hand, Viktorya never gave up; she spent fourteen years looking for a way to find Loki again. She separated from him to be able to take care of her apprentice; the only thing she regretted was not having made a Vivre Card to be able to find each other again. Viktorya was aware that Loki was not welcome in Elbaph, which is why while she was living in Elbaph she would never reunite with him. Six years ago she went out to sea to look for Loki, but first she stopped at Little Garden to leave her apprentice there; she wanted to be a warrior, and that place was the best for training hard. After that, news reached Viktorya: Loki was captured by Shanks and was now a prisoner in the underworld of Elbaph. Viktorya set out to save him; for that very reason she set course for Elbaph, although a series of obstacles were placed in her path that prevented her from arriving until now.
The lovers enjoyed that moment alone, looking at the horizon; the moon was beautiful today and the stars shone like never before. Viktorya rested her head on Loki's shoulder with affection, a smile on her face from finally having confessed.
"Why did you come looking for me instead of going to the party with the Strawhats?" Loki asked to break the silence.
"I never liked parties with large crowds" she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, I prefer to be alone with you" she gave him a smile, getting comfortable in her spot behind Loki. "It's been a long time since I braided your hair" she mentioned as she began to stroke his hair.
"You could comb my hair with just a flick of your fingers if you wanted to" he teased affectionately.
"That takes away the romance" she joked, letting out a small giggle. "Besides, I haven't gotten the spell for making braids yet" she reminded him as she began to take thin strands of hair. "Ripley taught me how to braid hair; thanks to her I improved a lot, I'll show you" she stated with initiative.
"Surprise me then."
Viktorya settled in better behind Loki and began to make small braids in his pink hair, while asking Loki to tell her some of his adventures from these last fourteen years before Shanks captured him and he was chained in the underworld. Loki told her about some of his travels, different islands he had visited, in most of which he was not welcome due to his great height, in addition to being wanted by the Marines.
At all times Viktorya remained silent, listening to Loki's stories; she found it adorable how he wouldn't even finish telling one story before the giant would remember something else and begin to tell her a story that had nothing to do with it, and so on consecutively. That was one of Loki's charms that Viktorya found incredibly adorable; furthermore, in general, he looked very happy and content when he spoke about something he liked and was passionate about.
"I'm the only one talking" Loki mentioned, asking Viktorya to talk as well.
"I like listening to you" she replied while she finished braiding his hair, leaving him a new hairstyle. First she made two thin braids that passed through the back of his head and joined at the same point, from there two or three more thin braids fell and finally she made another two braids a bit wider and parallel to each other, the rest of the hair she left loose and well combed. "I wish I had a mirror so you could see yourself, you are beautiful" she praised, moving again to be in front of Loki face to face. "Although you are always beautiful" she bit her lip after those words.
"I trust your word" Loki blushed once more. "I would like to spend this night alone with you" he confessed while looking at the stars. "Tomorrow will be another day and we can decide what to do, but please..." he looked Viktorya straight in the eyes, for the first time without being afraid to make direct eye contact. "Let me spend this night by your side" he almost begged.
"I want to spend this night and all the ones I have left by your side" she confessed, giving the giant a smile.
"Does that mean...?" he hinted, half doubtful. Viktorya nodded, imagining the rest of the question. "I don't want you to die because of me..." he confessed. "I only have three hundred years of life" he sighed, diverting his gaze to the ground. "I heard that dragons are exaggeratedly long-lived beings and that they also only fall in love once in a lifetime, and when their love dies for any cause, the dragon is condemned to an immense sadness until they end up dying of grief" Viktorya was surprised when she heard that, she didn't expect Loki to know it, she was sure that she had never told him.
"It's already too late for me" she shrugged. "I am deeply in love with you" she intertwined her fingers with his, seeking physical contact. "Besides, the future is not written; Imu could come tomorrow and shoot me, if that happens I will have died before you" she shrugged.
"Don't joke about those things!" he frowned. "If anyone laid a single finger on you without your consent or if anyone even tried to kill you, I... I swear by Nika that I would kill that person with my own hands" he said very sure of his words, clenching his fists.
"Tomorrow we can talk about our feelings and clarify things better" she downplayed the matter and left a kiss on his cheek. "Tonight let's be just you and me, let's not think about anything else" she smiled with affection, brushing some strands from Loki's face and stroking one of his horns with tenderness.
Both lovers stared deeply into each other's eyes, their gazes locking; Viktorya could not stop looking at Loki. Her hands went to his cheeks to stroke them, and slowly she broke the distance to kiss his lips. Loki moved one of his hands to her hip and the other to her back, being careful of her wings, which he knew were very sensitive. They united in that kiss that was slow and soft; for a moment, time stopped for both of them and they only thought about the moment they were living right now.
Viktorya moved subtly to be more comfortable; Loki helped her move, taking her by the hip so that she could sit on his lap. Viktorya's hands traveled to Loki's hair, entangling her fingers in his locks while deepening that kiss; at the same time, Loki stroked her entire back, from her shoulder blades to her hip. They pulled apart only to take air into their lungs and kiss again, this time being a more passionate and desperate kiss. Loki moved his hands clumsily; he accidentally touched Viktorya's wings, causing Viktorya to open her wings and shudder from that touch.
"I'm sorry..." the giant murmured, pulling away from the kiss in apology.
"Don't apologize" she gave him a smile while stroking his cheeks and left a kiss on his forehead. "I love you, Loki."
"I love you too."
Once again they united in a kiss; the lovers spent the rest of the night together until dawn, enjoying each other's company, being just the two of them.