Naomi trots down the stairs after Raurlin and she falls into stride beside him. He holds his hand out and she accepts it. The two walk in silence to the bottom of the driveway and slip out the gate together.

Once they're a little down the road Raurlin slows his pace and Naomi follows suit. Raurlin tugs Naomi under his arm and presses a kiss to her temple.

"You holding up okay?" He asks gently.

"If Sarah spelled the rooms then why do we need to leave the house to talk?"

Raurlin chuckles. "I just wanted to get out with you. Why don't we go into town and get a coffee? Like a date?"

"So you brought me outside where it's freezing to ask me to go on a date?" Naomi nudges Raurlin with a short smile.

Raurlin tilts his head to one side with a pensive soft smile. "Come on, let's walk. We can get coffee and lunch." There's a flurry of wind that grabs at their ankles and the two set down the road.

At the end of the road, a left turn, a few feet down and a right turn later Raurlin pulls the door open of a coffee shop. There's a bell that jingles as the door is pulled open and he ushers Naomi in. She smelled the coffee from a block away and he followed her guidance until they came to a neat street with a coffee shop, a restaurant and a green grocer.

There are a few cars parked on the outside. The coffee shop itself is dark and moody with dim lighting and scattered tables. There are a few people inside, some hunched over on laptops and others chatting quietly. There's slow jazz music playing and it's purely instrumental. Raurlin guides Naomi to an empty booth towards the back of the establishment.

Naomi shrugs her coat off and she rests it against her lap as she slips into the booth. Her nose is coloured pink from the harsh winds outside. Naomi shakes her hair then runs a hand through it. She looks up at Raurlin with raised eyebrows.

"You're not going to sit?"

Raurlin shakes his head, "let me order our coffee, want a slice of cake? I know you're a sucker for sticky buns. Should I check if they have?"

Naomi grins then chuckles. "You know me so well. I'd love a sticky bun and I think I'd like the-"

"-Mocha but with no extra sugar. Got it my sweet, I'll be back in a bit."

Raurlin walks to the counter. There are three teenagers standing behind the counter peering over a tablet in a burst of giggles. Raurlin watches them with a soft smile, not wanting to disrupt. Remembering all at once his youth with Jackson. He exhales a sigh of relief, his shoulders dropping. One of the three a young girl looks up and immediately hops off her stool.

"Hi there, sorry about that. I hope you haven't been waiting too long, sir. What can I get you?"

"That's alright. I'll get one large mocha and a large cappuccino. Do you have sticky buns?"

The barista nods her head as she types at a screen.

"Then I'll take one sticky bun as well please. When the coffees are ready please bring them with the sticky bun. I'll be in the booth with my...wife. Thank you." Raurlin fishes inside his pocket then pulls out his wallet. He flips it open and hands the barista a note. "Keep the change," he states as he turns and walks back to where Naomi is sitting.

He slides into the seat beside her and Naomi looks at him with an amused smile.

"You called me your wife."

Raurlin glances at Naomi. "Yes I did. You're my aeturnum. It's basically the same thing."

Naomi drums her fingers on the table and she shakes her head. "Oh it's not, the last time I checked I don't have a ring on my finger." Naomi examines her hand then shows it to Raurlin.

Raurlin uses the opportunity to seize her hand and he brushes a kiss against her knuckles. "Are you okay?"

Naomi swallows down a deep breath. "I think so. It's just a lot to process. But I like that we're out. Just us. We haven't really had this...in a while if ever."

"Then I will make a commitment to you that at least once a week we will go out and do something just the two of us." Raurlin leans back as the barista walks to their table carrying a tray and their coffee and a side plate with the sticky bun on it. The barista sets their drinks down and then the bun with a smile and a short "enjoy," before walking back to where her colleagues are.

"I know I mentioned the ritual, sort of like a marriage and we haven't really spoken about it. But I want you to know that I'm serious. And the way things are going I want to do this sooner rather than later."

Naomi begins piecing her bun. She lifts a piece and pops it into her mouth then chews on it.

"Did you speak to Jax about it? I mean before today."

Raurlin shrugs. "Yes briefly, him and Stellan both."

Naomi chews another piece of her bun. "And what did they say?"

Raurlin shrugs again then asks "did you tell Sarah?"

Naomi nods with a smirk. "Yes, she laughed. Said you weren't romantic at all."

Raurlin lifts the mug with his coffee. He blows along the surface then has a small sip. "Yeah Stellan had the same sentiment. Speaking of the two of them, they have had a really weird vibe."

Naomi giggles at Raurlins word. "Weird vibe," she echoes with a nod. "I think Sarah is slightly intimidated by him. She's known you and Jax for longer so she's more comfortable with you too but Stellan still feels like the king you know. He's very regal the way he carries himself. I'd venture to say she may even have a little crush." Naomi wriggles her eyebrows.

Raurlin chuckles at her words with the shake of his head. "Well they're both taken by their aeturnums. A little crush is harmless. I hope they're able to get along soon."

"Same. Today has just been filled with plot twists. It feels like everything may come crashing down at any point. I can't believe that the witch honestly is taking up house in Horatio's brother. We have to find her. We should speak to Sarah when we get home. We'll need a vessel, maybe we could trick the witch into body jumping then we trap her..."

"Yes, a fair idea. So you have been feeling okay since your sleep walking?"

Naomi lifts her mug of coffee and her eyes settle on the surface of the drink. "Yes. I think so. It was just a little scary. I think I've been waiting for the shoe to drop and now it has. Can we talk about the harbinger thing?"

"Of course my love." Raurlin swallows down the remnants of his coffee. "I know it's weighing on you. Been weighing on you. Especially since you met Axel. Maybe I can give you a little history?"

Naomi sips at her coffee and nods eagerly, watching Raurlin wide eyed.

"We believe, our people, that all people were given life by the God Ignar who is...how can I explain this..."

"He's the son of the Mother Moon and Father Sun?" Naomi flushes slightly as she peers at Raurlin over the rim of her cup. Raurlin grins, a proud beaming smile. "I've been reading the book you wrote. It's insane that you have actually been on this Earth since the 1800s. Later even! But I do have a fair understanding of it all. The religion. And from what I gather the harbinger thing is a 'gift'?"

Raurlin nods. "Yes. I think we've maybe got to get into what exactly a harbinger is. Just bear with me okay? I've never really had to explain these things before..."

Naomi adjusts in her seat as she sets her mug down. "It's okay."

"Being a harbinger means that you can sense something before it comes. There are different types of harbingers and perhaps they're more common that I realised. Jax is a harbinger of the weather. He gets a sense about things. When it will rain, when it will snow. But we've lived a long time. He's always had this thing. Tell me, how did you know Axel was a vampire?"

"I could smell it on him. Decay. Only the dead can smell like death."

Raurlin muses over her response. "And when you're at home do you smell the decay?"

Naomi shakes her head with a slight frown. "Only today with Jax..." Her eyes widen and she faces Raurlin. "Holy shit. That's how he knew. Will it always be a smell? What more can you tell me?"

"Given that we now know that he may be affected by the Illness I'd venture to say you're a harbinger of death. I've never encountered one before but I've heard stories. The man to tell you about this would actually be Horatio. But it won't always be smells, sometimes it may be visions, sometimes it may be dreams...Horatio will have better information."

Naomi cracks a smile. "I've rather enjoyed reading your book. I can't wait for the spring time so we can paint in the backyard. Do you really want us to build by us? We definitely have the yard space. Maybe we can do three cottages? Along the perimeter?"

"Yes I think that's a good idea. I used to be into the arts at a time. I just grew out of it but I'd love to share that with you. And yes I do want us to build. We should have a space for Mikain and another for Stellan and Delilah. Stellan and Delilah...how are you on that front?"

"I'm not anything, Raur. I know that it feels like having an aeturnum. I can't hold that against them. I just hope she doesn't hurt him. Stellan is a good man."

"He's top tier for sure. Once the wolves are here we're going to set to work with building the facility at the hospital. We can also see about securing our home. I hate that we were vulnerable for even a second. You saw what happened in a second. I'll never forgive myself for that."

"We're going to make this work," Naomi reassures him firmly. "It's new. All this is new for both of us and we're trying our best. We didn't get a supernatural manual or how to guide when we met." Naomi pauses with a laugh. "It's going to be trial and error but there's a reason it's us. That we're together, that it's you and me. I've been thinking...since reading your book maybe I could make a place in the yard for the Gods. A quiet place, based on the drawings in your book. And I was thinking maybe we could write a new book with the now. The history we're all making. The future will never again make the mistakes of the past."

Raurlin nods his agreement with a slight smile. "I'm not sure how far you are with my little book but back home in Daerenkvulsi there used to be a clan of people that lived in Havebyr. They were mountain-folk. They used to keep records of everything for as long as I could remember. We used to plan voyages to the mountains once a year and we'd meet with them. We'd share things with them and they would include it in our books. Each family had books. Everything was documented. Every new birth, every death, evey significant event. The people of Havebyr where among the first to be spelled into wolves. This is why I want to have a feast. Invite the major role players in the communities. And those from Olimvik too."

"The fishermen and travellers. Vampires too?"

Raurlin nods his head and Naomi continues speaking.

"Yes I like that idea. I'll speak to Delilah too and see if I can place our family. Maybe the books are still available? Maybe we could-"

"-Naomi, the books...we destroyed them after the war. We had to erase our existence. We lost everything. And I want us to start falling back in line with our traditions. I'm not sure where the people of Havebyr are today. Horatio will know how to track them down. But this is how I feel. This is the direction I want us to give to our people."