A Lovely Day Today (Part 2)

Writers: Eimi, Suzee
Date Posted: 14th February 2018

Characters: Devren, Sophque, Gastel
Description: Devren and Sophque get to know each other more.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 1, day 15 of Turn 9
Notes: Part 2 of 2

Sophque

"What is the Lady Holder like?" Devren asked curiously as he steered
them down another path between cots. He had met Lord Bryvin, on
occasion when he had been Steward, but had not yet met his young
bride.

"She's very nice," Sophque said. "She doesn't really talk much to me
but I get the impression that she is not truly happy."

"Oh, that's unfortunate." He had no idea what could make her unhappy.
They had nice weather, beautiful scenery, nice people, and she could
have anything in the Hold her heart desired. "Maybe when she comes
home with her new baby she will be in better spirits."

"Maybe," Sophque smiled at him. She wasn't about to divulge her
private thoughts about why the Lady might not enjoy her life at
Sunstone.

"How did you become a seamstress?" he asked curiously. Of course,
most young ladies knew how to sew, or at least should have as one of
their many domestic duties. But not as many had the skill or desire
to make it a profession.

"Oh, I think it was mostly about not wanting to have to move back with
my parents when Inokin was lost at sea." She smiled at him with a tilt
of her head. "By that time I'd been enjoying my independence and
didn't really want to give it up." She looked at him again. "How did
you come to Sunstone?"

He could understand that. Devren had a bit of an independent streak
as well. "I grew up in my father's shop and it turns out I had a
knack for the business. It just seemed to run in the blood.
Unfortunately, my three brothers stood to inherit it as well. There was no
way that I was going to inherit the shop solely, and if I stayed at
Jade Harbor chances were I'd end up working under one of my brothers.
I decided I wanted to make something of my own, so when I heard Lord
Morin was looking for people at Sunstone, it just seemed like the
place to go."

That made sense to her, and she was proud she didn't even flinch when
he mentioned Morin. "It looks like you made the right decision," she
nodded.

"I have never regretted my decision." Things may not have turned out
exactly the way he had dreamed, but his life was moving on. Besides,
it had never been Sunstone that had been his disappointment. He
thought silently for a moment before approaching a very unpleasant
topic, but one they should be honest about, he felt. "May I ask,
how and when did you lose your husband?"

"He was a seacrafter on a ship out of Sunstone. It was lost in a storm
before Sophine was born," she said. "Sometimes, I hate the sea." That
was the standard line she gave everyone and while Sophine's birth was
a little far after her husband's death, most people who knew her also
realized how shaken she'd been at the time. She'd been forgiven of
course, blaming it all on her grief and all that had blown over turns
ago.

"I'm truly sorry for your loss." Devren had heard something to that
affect before, but it was good to hear it from her own lips. Rumors
were not always true. "The sea has taken too many good people, to be
sure."

She nodded in acknowledgement of his thought. **Far more than you can
know,** she thought. "So, tell me how you lost your wife?"

"Childbirth, sadly." Devren was expecting the question when he asked
her about her husband. It was only fair that he talk about it as openly
as she did. "It was Malessa's second pregnancy. We didn't know it
was twins. There were complications during the birth and we lost all
three."

"I'm so sorry," she said with genuine sympathy. "It must have been
very difficult for you."

"Thank you, it was." Luckily he had his work to see him through the
most difficult times. "But, like you, I learned how to wake up in the
morning, put my clothes on and start another day, and as time went on,
it got easier to do so. We will always miss our loved ones, and yet
life goes on." And Devren was in a way glad that Sophque was herself
a widow. She could understand that better than one who had never lost
someone so close to them.

She gave him a sad smile. Shared experience of a sort led to
understanding. Even though her real grief was much more recent than
Inokin and likely Devren's own. She knew she had to move forward. "I
was lucky," she said softly, "I could bury myself in Sophine. You in
your work." She looked at him for confirmation.

"True," he nodded. "It was easy to lose myself in the moment. When
the thought of 'yesterday' and 'tomorrow' only hurts, 'today' is the
safest place. But, I have found myself looking more and more to the
future these days."

She smiled. "I too, have been thinking about the future recently."

He had expected as much. "Would it be bold of me to assume that
thoughts of marrying again might be something you've been thinking?"

She giggled. "And what would you think of me if I were to answer that
question on a second date?"

"Well, that's why I say that I am _assuming_ that marriage is
somewhere in your thoughts. I would never suppose that you agreed to
a date with me with no intentions of ever marrying again. I, of
course, would not have kissed you if I had not imagined the idea that
one day I would like to have a wife." That was just not something a
gentleman, or lady for that matter, should do in his opinion. "I
asked that only because my true question is, _other_ than being
married and maybe having more children, what do you think about as far
as the future?"

"I'm thinking it _could be_ in my future," she corrected. "Friendships
can deeping into something more provided both people are honest." To
be honest with herself she didn't have to marry. But she could if she
find a pleasant situation. "I don't think I've thought much about that
in the past. Maybe that was a mistake?"

"I'm not sure we know to think about those things until after we've
done it once." When he married Malessa, he had not thought much about
how their relationship would change, or how it would change each of
them. He just could see the love and desire. That certainly was
different this time around. He knew more of the right questions to
ask. But those could wait for another time. "But besides marriage,
what do you want?"

"Books," she smiled softly. "All the books I can read."

"Books," Devren said with a nod, committing that thought to memory.
So, she liked reading. That would be good to know for the future.
"You know I heard a few turns back the Lord Holder opened up a library
of books up at the Hold that anyone could borrow from. Maybe some
time we could go there together."

She smiled and tilted her head. "I'd like that."

Last updated on the February 28th 2018

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A Lovely Day Today (Part 2)