Gazing out across the winter wonderland that stretched out before her, she stands there upon the crest of that small hill beside a carefully sculpted snowman dressed in pebbled buttons with twig arms reaching for the crisp and clear winter blue sky above. There wasn't a single cloud as far as the eye could see as the sun began to rise in the east, silhouetting the jagged snow-covered peaks in a halo of gold as morning as the last remining darkness of night steadily fell away to announce the arrival of a new day. There is a smile there upon those blush-colored lips, baby blue eyes sparkling like diamonds as they fall tenderly over the small village that only just begins to stir with the rising sun, cheeks painted a rosy pink as a gentle winter breeze toys with elegant, loosely curled blonde locks tinged with milk chocolate undertones. A soft sigh ushers quietly through the young woman as she is simply happy to exist there on that snowy ridge, soft hands shoved into the warmth of that thick ivory winter jacket, the tan faux fur lining the hood that sat comfortably over her head, nuzzling her nose into the baby blue scarf that only seemed to make her eyes stand out more than they already did against the stark backdrop of Somnia. The melody of winter birds as they flitted through the branches of the trees nearby, their voices soft and carefree as they did whatever it was that birds would in the wake of a brand-new day, only ever adding to the tranquility of the world that surrounded her in all its simple, magical beauty... The distant laughter of fae children catch Beylani's attention then and her eyes search those distant hills to see a few of them chasing after one another, and though she was too far away to join them or truly see their innocent and bright expressions, she can hear that pure joy in their shrill laughter. Everything was just... perfect. She knew the first time she'd ever seen that little village that she would never get tired of simply admiring those beautifully built buildings, plumes of smoke floating ever higher from the chimneys foretelling of the families that were on the brink of going about their day in paradise. She could almost smell the freshly baked treats on the passing breeze, imagining the owners of those little shops opening their doors and preparing for business as usual.

Suddenly, there is a warmth that washes over her, something in Beylani seeming to tell her that she wasn't alone on that hillside anymore."You're up early, Lani darling"... She turns then, those midnight tenor tones all too familiar on her ears. And there he was, standing so very close to her on that snow-covered hill, those magnificent wings sprouting from his broad and powerful shoulders, hazel eyes gazing down to meet her baby blues that suddenly grow softer beneath those warm depths. He is wearing that devilish grin on his handsome features, dark hair perfectly groomed as always, that dark blue and green plaid scarf wrapped around his neck as he moves into place beside her in his own warm winter clothes."I wanted to watch the sunrise", she answers him softly, am affectionate smile finding her lips then. The fae man reaches for her hand then, enfolding her hand in his while the other wraps around her waist to pull him close to her. She can feel that warmth growing, filling her from head to toe as she leans into him, her free hand moving to rest lightly over his chiseled chest as it so often did. He doesn't say a word as he moves to place her hand wrapped gently in his own onto his shoulder so that he can reach for her, cupping her cheek as his thumb trails softly along her jawline only moments before he is leaning down to her, the movement having the blue-eyed blonde lifting her face to him with yearning in every heartbeat as their lips meet in a gentle kiss... She leans further into him them, wanting nothing more than to tell him everything, tell him those feelings that she carried in her heart... tell him that she loved him. How she wanted to ask him if he loved her back, if all those moments both bright and passionate meant as much to the man as they did to her. How she wanted to believe that as they stood there, lips embracing the other's, that just maybe he might pull away no farther than a breath's distance and tell her that he cared for her, tell her that those wants she swore that she saw in his eyes were real and true...

Just like that, the sound of the alarm from her phone begins to sound, tearing the young woman away from that sweet dream she wished so badly that she could have lingered just a little longer in. Slowly, thick lashes flutter open and baby blues see the weak sunlight filtering through the thin white linen curtains drawn over the window in the bedroom of her small apartment in Riverdale. It was nothing like that warm and cozy little log cabin a short walk away from the lodge, nothing like that large and perfectly decorated bedroom within the lodge itself. A wistful sigh heaves from Beylani as she shifts under those warm blankets, feeling the warm and still sleeping body of the tortoiseshell feline at the foot of her bed with her toes before she slowly rises from those blankets and shuffles out of the bedroom and into the bathroom across the hall as she always did every Tuesday morning. She needed to be sure that she made it on time for her shift at Inner Sanctum, not that she was really ever late anyway. Her training was finished for the most part now, and Alexander seemed confident in her enough to have her working alongside one of the other baristas that worked what was considered the mid shift. Anything to distract me from myself. She quickly showers and dresses herself in some nice black dress pants she'd purchased when she'd gotten hired just after her interview, finishing her ensemble with a white V-neck mid-sleeve blouse and some black flats. With hair dried and styled how she always did, she makes sure to serve Chika her morning kibble before moving over to the front door to retrieve her black winter coat and black leather purse. Rummaging through the contents, she finds her keys and steps outside into the cold air, shutting and locking the door behind her before moving down the stairwell and climbing into the plain white four-door sedan. Starting the ignition, she is careful to back out of her designated parking space and drives away on her typical route to the small café on the eastern side of the city. It was just another day of big city living, and yet Beylani couldn't help wondering what Ida was doing back in that world so far away from this one.

Parking in her respective spot, she climbs out of her vehicle and locks the door behind her, though the idea of anyone wanting to steal this old car of hers was amusing all the same. She walks down the sidewalk amidst the churning crowd, quickly ducking into the entrance of the café, those familiar bells jingling to announce her entrance. She takes a deep breath then, allowing for the rich aromas to fill her senses before giving a bright smile to the barista behind the counter as she eases her way between the tables to reach the back of the café where Alexander had said that she would be able to store her belongings until the end of her shift. Storing them properly, she ties on her apron sporting her shiny new nametag and exists through the doorway, walking back down that hallway and moving to stand behind the espresso machine. She wastes no time getting to work, carefully preparing each beverage, knowing almost all the recipes by now without needing to doublecheck the recipe. She calls out each name etched onto the cup, the flow of orders slowing down after the lunch rush dissipates, and when at last the past two hours had flown by, quicker even than she'd been aware of, she leaves her station as another woman takes her place, Beylani exchanging a friendly greeting to the closing shift worker before moving to settle into that small table by the window that she had always enjoyed. Having not remembered to grab anything to eat, she is contemplating on if she should order something or not when almost reflexively now, she turns to look at the door when those bells ring, a familiar face quickly spotting the blue-eyed blonde just as Beylani is struck with delighted surprise."Lani! Hey! I thought I'd swing by on your break and bring you these carrot cupcakes I just made!", exclaims the honey-blonde woman as she walks over to sit in the chair across from Beylani who is now wearing an ecstatic smile."Hey, Ellie. Mmmm, they smell great!", she says as the younger woman opens the container Elain pushes eagerly towards her. She retrieves one from the batch of four sitting there so perfectly iced, taking a bite and almost growing hungrier after that first bite."These are amazing!", she says as she after swallowing another eager bite, the glacier blue eyes of her friend across form her telling Beylani that the praise didn't go unnoticed."Thanks! Lazarus doesn't like walnuts, so he wouldn't try them", replies the younger woman in that ever bright and cheerful voice, though at the mention of her big brother refusing to test them for her, there is a glimmer of playful pouting in those pale blues as they glitter happily at Beylani. Elain takes one of the cupcakes herself and the two women are quietly enjoying their treat and the companionship that they both thoroughly enjoyed, Beylani just thankful that her friend didn't decide to start drilling her with questions about how she'd spent the holidays. The last thing she wanted right now was to end up distracted with questions she didn't truly feel like indulging Ellie with answers to. Not until later maybe when they decided to go out to dinner.