To say that the fae woman didn't know what it was she would say to him, or Ellie for that matter since she needed to call her friend as soon as she left the townhouse, was a gross understatement. Although the fae man had always had an uncanny way of having the blue-eyed blonde stumbling over words as she battled to keep her heart from bursting entirely, Lani was very nearly at an utter loss. She tries thinking of a way to simply thank him for bringing her to his home after she'd managed to drink herself into such a stupor... and letting her sleep it off in his bed... and leaving her the Advil and glass of water when she woke up with no real recollection of just about anything that might have happened... but as she should have expected, nothing comes to her in that moment. She lingers there, halfway down the stairway, utterly bewildered. How had she even gotten herself into such a state? She knew how, of course, but perhaps she was trying to understand how it had gotten so out of hand... She remembers the nervousness, the gossiping onlookers as they seemed to make Lani and Andras the center of attention at the bistro, the almost desperate need to drown it all out. She recalls that first glass of wine, how it had eased her nerves until she'd reached a state of relative calm, having at least been successful in weakening her sensitive ears to the hushed voices. And yet, she'd gone for that second glass! Why? There's an internal groan as rubs her face with slender hands. Everything was so hazy! Now, she could hardly even think straight as she stood there trying to figure out what to do now. I should just go down there, say 'Thanks for everything, I appreciate it', and say that I need to get home', it's not like I'm lying or anything, she says to herself then. Even if she tried to lie to the fae man, Lani knew it was not only pointless since he'd probably be able to tell anyway, but it just felt wrong... He'd been good to her, kind even. And, it wasn't like she hated him. She knew that she didn't. So, a simple expression of gratitude followed quickly by a quick goodbye was more than reasonable.

It was just that simple... right? Surely she was just overthinking this entire thing... but if she truly was, then why does her feet feel so damn heavy? Why was it that her heart was fluttering? Stars above, she was starting to feel and act almost like she used to when she knew that he was right around the figurative or literal corner!

Lani has to take a steadying breath, or rather, very nearly remember to breathe at all. Standing there wasn't going to make things any easier... or less awkward. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? Him being naked. Exactly, that was the only possible worst-case scenario. Better still, she'd seen him naked before, so it wasn't like it could really be that bad, right? What was she saying!? Of course it could be that bad! She hadn't handled it well then, being pinned there beneath the fae man on his bed in Somnia three years ago, winged appendages practically swallowing them up in the dim firelight of his bedroom when she'd so naively snuck into his bedroom after she'd been attacked. Seeing him in such a state a second time would very likely mean the end of her! She eyes the bottom of the stairs for a moment longer, trying to tell herself that there was no way the likes of Andras, High Lord of Somnia, would ever allow himself to be caught by others without a single scrap of clothing. No, that wasn't like him. The fae man was entirely bold, all those almost pleased looks he'd given her in the past when his words would bring that bright blush to her cheeks speaking for themselves and then some. However, he was not so incredibly forward that he would lounge around without close. Deciding then that it was impossible for him to be any less clothed than he so often was, effortlessly sporting with suave and refined pride those immaculate dress pants and suit jacket, Lani takes those last few steps, finally reaching the bottom of the stairs... only for the previously determined image of the fae man comfortably and fully clothed just heartbeats beforehand to be completely shattered. There, leaning against the counter in his kitchen, was Andras... shirtless, with the morning sun dancing lightly across his sun-kissed skin... those loose-fitted grey sweat hardly seeming to cling to his hips.... dark hair tousled in what could only be described as a perfect mess gleaming from being ladden with water. She swallows, dark lashes blinking over baby blues in a flurry or speechless surprise and nervousness.

No, this definitely wasn't the well-groomed and well-dressed fae man she was most familiar with... well, when they weren't unintentionally sharing a hot spring with no clothes whatsoever. It takes more than she cares to admit in that moment to shove away that memory rising unbidden to her thoughts as she's trapped by his hazel gaze.

There's a wicked simper there upon his lips, and if she had to guess, the fae man was enjoying her speechlessness. Tenor tones finally usher past his lips in reply to her soft-spoken greeting, and yet, it was the words to follow which have the blush upon her cheeks deepening, the entirety of her slender frame warm with what she assumed to be embarrassment. She remembers now vague bits and pieces of them possibly laughing as they talked of Somnia and the snowball fight... or, at least, that's what she's piecing together and hoping maybe she'd only said something somewhat playful about that afternoon. It would have been harmless enough."Yes, well, it seems that I drank a bit too much wine", she answers, though the statement was hardly necessary all things considered. Had she been sober, she certainly wouldn't have spent the night with him. He runs a hand through his hair then, slicking it back as he continues to wear that almost entirely pleased, wicked expression. Lani tries to look away, and instead finds that she simply can't as he turns his back to her, reaching for the empty coffee mug on the counter and beginning to pour coffee into its confines. She's very nearly stricken into breathless silence again as the muscles of his shoulders and back are practically highlighted by the morning light filtering through the curtains, but it was more than that... She can see the countless scars marring his skin, something that she doesn't seem to remember. Some were long, suggesting that they may have been terribly deep wounds ones, and beside them was an innumerable number of smaller marks. Had he told her about them before and she just wasn't remembering? Lani was almost entirely certain that she would have remembered them, but maybe she still wasn't fully recovered from the events of last night... Some were likely from the wings she knew to be buried there within the sinew of the fae man's back, remembering those large, leather-like appendages in nearly perfect, vivid clarity. How could she ever forget them? Especially when she knew that, buried within her own skin, her own wings existed.

She'd only seen them once, when she'd completely broken down in the shelter of the cabin so shortly after her change. She remembers all too well the raw grief, fear, and fierce ache she'd felt when they'd burst from her own slender frame. They'd once been cruel reminders of him... Since that night, she'd kept them hidden, partly from the world, but mostly from herself.

Baby blue eyes catch his movements, almost not realizing how long she'd been gazing at the scars of his bag, and Lani sees him turning to face her. Now, he moves closer, coffee cup in hand, the fae woman looking up at dark hazel, terribly aware of just how close he was when he's standing in front of her. Forcing herself to keep her gaze locked within his own as he towers over her for fear that she'd just be staring at his bare chest again, she takes the cup from him, slender fingers accidentally brushing against his, calloused and strong."Thank you", she very nearly whispers, baby blues falling unbidden to his devilish smirk before quickly looking away, Lani clearing her throat, thankful to distract herself with moving around him, trying not to notice his scent, clean yet masculine, as she moves to add a teaspoon of sugar and some cream, staring almost determinedly into the coffee like she hadn't seen anything like it as sensitive ears hear him following her back into the kitchen. He needed a bigger kitchen... His tenor tones have her glancing back up to him, offering a smile caught somewhere between trying to be casual and trying to mask the nervousness."I slept well. It's actually been a long time since I slept that good, honestly. And you?", she replies, asking after his own night in turn. It seemed like the right direction of conversation that might open up a chance for her to thank Andras and take her leave, but she doesn't want to seem less than appreciative, because despite the warmth that was no beginning to fade from her cheeks, she really was grateful for him. If it had to be anyone to see me that drunk, I'd hope it would be either Ellie or him... She goes to take another drink from her coffee when he speaks, the gesture towards his chest drawing her gaze back to the chiseled muscle there before suddenly she glances back down into her coffee for a moment before daring to look back up at him."Oh... uh, I'm sorry. I really should have stopped at the one glass", she says shyly, lifting the hand that hadn't been holding onto the cup so that she could run slender fingers through her hair in that familiar gesture of uncertainty.

It wasn't as though she'd meant for the entire thing to happen like it had... And yet, somehow, she wasn't able to tell herself that she regretted the entire thing. Despite whatever she might (and hoped not to) remember from last night, she only just notices that the initial wariness she'd approached Andras with yesterday had faded, although now, she struggles with something else.

Still determined to keep herself from looking directly at the fae man lest she wish to freeze again, she take another drink of the warm coffee. In the rich, smooth flavors, Lani finds a familiar comfort, remembering only fleetingly her days as a barista at the small café in the eastern district of Sacrosant. She allows herself to remember the simpler times, when perhaps she would have spent all night sleeplessly waiting for Andras to join her in the morning hours for breakfast and coffee not unlike that which they were drinking now... Everything's changed so much... but why doesn't it feel that way right now?... While she couldn't quite explain it, something about being there with him felt natural. Maybe it was simply that he was familiar to her, a presence she'd known since first moving here to the city. Frankly, it surprised her the more that she thought about it. Once, she'd wanted nothing more to do with him, she'd sworn to herself as she sat locked away in her room at Willowhaven that it was better this way for them to be apart. She'd loved him, more than she would have ever been able to express with words, and he'd turned her away... or so she'd believed. She dares a soft, somewhat thoughtful sigh before lifting the cup to blush-colored lips once more. That is, until those midnight tenor tones reach out to her again. She nearly chokes on her coffee, dropping the cup, baby blue eyes flickering up to see his gaze hooded and that smile, that wicked smile of his.... Warmth flushes over her completely then and she suddenly remembers, albeit foggily, that she'd told him about the camera. If she told him about the camera... did she tell him about the final picture on it?"What?! When did I -... When did you promise -", she stammers then, her mouth suddenly dry as baby blue eyes bright with surprise and alarm at the words he'd uttered almost gawk at the fae man. Was this simply him trying to get her to blush again? She knew that he so delighted in seeing her become flustered; it was part of that dangerous dance they'd once done rather often.

Yet, for all the wicked teasing she knew him to be entirely capable of, the fae woman had never known him to lie or falsify. Bend the truth a little or hide that which he might have thought Lani needed to be protected from? Sure, but to fabricate something completely untrue with the desire to manipulate her? That was something that she would not believe.