53rd of Glade, 4622
It had been a good few days that the foreign noble and the human-shaped Rath had spent exploring the streets of upper Nivenhain. For all intents and purposes, Arkash had done nothing but explore the finely crafted, snowy streets of the city's most privileged district, window-shopped, and feigned marvel at the snow. It had been apparent that the Kindred already knew of their relationship before they had even disembarked, so Arkash painted the narrative that they were on vacation as lovers, which was taboo in the limits of Daravin.
Quite deliberately, Arkash had posed themselves as nothing more than tourists to the land, to the point that Degare might have began to worry that it might have been Arkash's plan all along. Even so, their time together was spent sweetly with various gestures of affection and the like offered at most every opportunity.
The towering spires of darkened stone, the paved roads, black iron lamps, arched windows, and iron decor that littered almost every building's face were all quite refreshing to look at after the time he'd spent in Daravin. The villas and the flat rooves were charming in their own right, but it wasn't in his element, not like the bitter cold he'd grown up in. There really was nothing like Nivenhain's architecture, nothing that compared to the largest city in the world.
But that was their false holiday, the excuse they'd formulated when they first arrived in Nivenhain. Arkash had stuck to it to the letter until their fourth night, and the whole time was spent researching the area, of which he wasn't familiar. He tracked the rooftops and located several manholes through the district's limits.
Ever the romantic, Arkash had even taken the time to formulate an easier escape route; a path that Degare would be able to follow with his limited experience in navigating the city as he often did.
All his plotting and research were done under the watchful eye of Gerard, their delegated spy.
The human was pleasant by any standard but was meant to deter them from committing crimes within Lorien's borders. A mage, he imagined, could cause catastrophic damage to a populace that was without magic if left to run free. And so, Degare's presence as an Entente mage was heavily monitored. Arkash had even gone as far as to assume that every moment they spent together was monitored by the Kindred.
So, painting the airtight narrative that they were merely there to sightsee and shop was paramount to the success of their escape.
The next most pressing need was that the Kindred's numbers had been stretched thin enough by the Pact Covenant that they didn't have time to monitor the likes of two tourists for all hours of the day.
Some hours into their retirement for the night, Arkash opened his eyes and looked to the window of their assigned room. His focused stare was maintained for a moment, just peering through the pitch darkness of their otherwise lavish accommodation.
Wide, shining eyes then turned to settle on Degare's features as he rolled over to face the older man. Quietly, Arkash lifted his head a bit to peer at the gap under the door, where the electric lighting of the hall illuminated the shadow of a posted guard outside their room; it was as it had been for the past few nights. With a slight squint, Arkash directed his attention to the elf then quietly moved his hand to cover Degare's mouth.
With magic forbidden, it was unlikely Degare was very deep in his sleep, if asleep at all. So, when the older man woke, Arkash would motion to his own lips with a finger in a gesture that was intended to hush the elf.
He stayed there just a moment for the elf to orient himself, then quietly lifted the blanket from his form, leaned in to press a quick kiss to the elf's lips, then motioned the man to slowly, carefully follow his lead to the window at the far end of the room.
