Small Things

Writers: AL, Ames
Date Posted: 10th July 2011

Characters: Wirnan, Kaya
Description: Thoughts and feelings.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 2, day 13 of Turn 6

Wirnan

The feel of his arms around her was the first thing that seeped through
Kaya's sleep-filled mind. A soft sigh escaped despite herself and to be
honest, she was loathe to leave. He wasn't moving and she counted him
as asleep, but shifted a little, as if she were asleep and just moving
in her slumber, just to see. There was none from him. She stopped,
enjoying the warmth for a few moments longer. She had invited him back
to the bed just the night before, knowing that he couldn't sleep on the
couch forever and she couldn't have him so exhausted he couldn't
function like last time. So she had invited him. And he had come -
and once again, had kept his promise, not touching her, not pushing her
into anything, though the night had drawn her within his arms once
more. Kaya hadn't realised how much she had missed his presence, how
much she enjoyed having someone there. But she knew she couldn't
stay. She needed to get up, start the day, get things done.

Slowly, carefully, Kaya extracted herself from the warmth of his arms.
She crept over the side of the bed, then turned toward him. He looked
so peaceful when asleep. Without thinking, one hand reached out,
caressing his forehead and pressing back a lock of hair. She pulled
back suddenly. Had she awakened him? Not that she could tell.
Quickly, the young woman turned and crossed over to her trunk and
pulled out an every day dress. The next stop was the bathing room, but
she did not slip into it without one back look at the form that
remained still in the bed.

He awoke to her touch, though he remained still, not wishing her to
stop. When he heard her footsteps, he opened his eyes, following her as
she crossed the room. He rose and began preparing for his day, glancing
back to the door, hoping to catch another glimpse of her.

Kaya eased the fabric over her head and then set about fastening the
ties. It was short work and she gathered her night gown, then opened
the door to step back into the bedroom. She frozen as she saw his
back, relieved of the burden of his shirt. He had his trousers on,
covering his legs, but the arch of his body was enough to draw her eyes
and compel them to stay, to watch as he stretched, as he moved, as he...

Quickly, she dropped them and ducked her head, moving into the
bedroom. At least he'd put on those pants rather than leaving the
_bottom_ half of himself for her to catch sight of. The thought of
that made her cheeks burn as her fingers deftly folded her nightgown to
put it away.

He turned at the sound of the door, his eyes lingering on her as she
walked across the room. He found he couldn't stop watching her, though
he forced himself to turn back, to finish dressing. Even as he pulled
his own tunic over his head, he wondered what she was doing behind him.
Dressed, he turned, moving across the room, towards her. His smile
greeted her. Then, he turned, his legs moving him swiftly to the main
living room.

She looked up from where she was crouched at her trunk and that smile
spread its glow over her. She returned it, eyes following him as he
picked up his pace and slipped into the other room. She hovered over
that trunk, uncertainty striking a chord within her. She shook her
head, playing with the things inside, moving them around and then back
again. She could not remain. Breakfast was calling and her stomach
growled in annoyance at her for taking so long. Finally, she pushed to
her feet and closed the trunk. She paused long enough to run a brush
through her hair, letting the tresses fall over her shoulders and back
rather than putting it into a braid as she normally did.

A deep breath brought her into the other room. A flicker of a smile was
cast in his direction as she drew alongside of him. They were to break
their fast together and so she allowed her arm to slip into his,
stepping closer. Her skirts brushed against his leg and her gaze
couldn't help but linger upon that face above her.

He had to catch his breath the moment she emerged. Something about the
way she looked this morning seemed to capture his attention. Her hand
on his arm sent shivers up and down his spine. He reached over, placing
his other hand over hers with a pat and a smile.

Then, gently, he lead her towards the door, pulled it open and gestured
for her to go ahead of him. When they were both in the hallway once
more, he reached for her hand once again, allowing his own hand to hold
hers just a few moments longer than necessary before he placed it back
on his arm.

She didn't pull away. It was a nice feel, that hold upon her, and she
couldn't stop the hint of disappointment that traced its way through her
when he finally _did_ let go. Without realising it, she shifted, just a
little, a quarter of a step closer to him as they walked side by side,
arm sliding further through his and taking on a little more secure
hold. She didn't look at him, her feet lightly tapping against the
ground, a step and a half compared to his one, an off beat that
accented his steady rhythm.

The noise of the dining hall met their arrival and she let her gaze
slide around. The whispers were still there, though they were less
than they had been. The aunties were finding new gossip to spread
around. Still, Kaya had managed to drag his name through the mud - and
could he ever truly forgive her for that? She tried to look at him
without _looking_ like she was looking at him. He seemed to be
treating her with more kindness. Was that indicative of forgiveness?
There had been no more blowups, no more frightening episodes. Every
touch, however small or large, was gentle - yes, so gentle. Why had
she not noticed this before?

He released her arm to pull her chair out for her. When she slid into
it, he couldn't help but allow his fingers to graze the back of her
neck and shoulders. Such a small act, one he hoped she would attribute
to his hand on her chair and nothing more. Moving to take his own seat,
he smiled at her. Food and drink were brought quickly and placed on the
table. He ate in silence, every so often looking up to catch a glimpse
of her.

His touch, light and feathery though it was, left behind it a tingling,
pleasant and sweet. It lightened her smile as she returned Wirnan's
and she began to eat in earnest. She said nothing, allowing her body
to consume the fuel that it would need to run through the day. She had
to do more laundry, taking that up instead of letting the drudges do it
since she _could_ and it kept her from hovering in the rooms on days
when she'd already cleaned from top to bottom. There was a stain on
one of his shirts that she wanted to be certain to get out as well.

Her eyes drifted over to the shirt he currently wore, the ties hanging
over his chest. She bit her lip, wondering...no, she shouldn't think
of that. Quickly her eyes dropped to her plate and she made quick work
of her breakfast before she stood and bid him a good day to make her
way out of the hall and back to their quarters. She needed to get to
work. To get her mind off of things. Off of him.

It was a pleasant breakfast, though over far too soon for Wirnan's
liking. Work called to him. The candlemarks spent poring over records
and meeting with the holders were often interrupted by thoughts of her.
He could see her image floating around his mind and he found he was
eager to return home, just to see her again.

When the time finally came, he grabbed his things quickly and hurried
back to their rooms.

*****

Kaya's day had been uneventful. The laundry had gone slower than
normal, the scrub, scrub, scrubbing interrupted by visions of him, the
way his spine pressed against his skin. She wanted to run her fingers
down it. Wanted to feel the ridges beneath her touch. She shivered at
the thought and pressed harder. Why was she thinking of this? The
water and sweetsand were worked through the clothes and rung out, then
hung to dry. There she left, making her way back to their quarters.

She hadn't thought to make their bed up before she left, so she did so
upon her return, turning forward the sheets, smoothing out the curls
that had been left by her body - and his. A flash of his face, hair on
his brown, the peacefulness that danced over his visage came to mind
and she shook her head, then set about straightening up.

She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing when she later left to go
pick up the laundry that was surely dry by then. She hadn't seen him at
lunch, perhaps kept away by his work. That happened a lot. Perhaps she
should take something to him. No, a drudge would probably be sent to do
that. It dawned on her that she hadn't actually been in his office.
Even when he'd given her that tour, he hadn't taken her there. Other
parts of the holds, yes, but not his office. What was it like? Did he
have a big desk? Were there any decorations on the wall?

Why was she thinking of this now? It hadn't come to mind _before_ so
what spurred this? Kaya couldn't say, but she kept imagining him bent
over his desk, working so hard on helping the Lord Holder keep the hold
up and running. He was a hard worker. He didn't shirk his duty.

Kaya picked up her pace, back wrapped in her arms. Yes, the least she
could do was make sure he had clean clothes when he got home. She
passed through the door and closed it behind her, then made her way to
their room. From the back she plucked the clothing, then flicked out
any wrinkles before folding and putting away. When she did his things,
her fingers fondled the fabric. That blue shirt, she thought that
looked particularly good on him. It was almost a harper blue, but not
quite so deep, a little brighter, like the sky on a summer day.
Perhaps she would ask him to wear it on the morrow.

He stood, silent, just inside the doorway. She hadn't heard him enter.
His eyes were fixated on her fingers as the trailed along the fabric of
his shirt. Wirnan suddenly felt warm all over and knew in that moment
that he wanted to feel her fingers as they glided over his shirt with
_him_ in it. So memorized by what he saw and the thoughts running
through his mind, he stayed standing just inside the doorway for some
time.

Finally, he moved into the room, nodding a greeting to her and moving
past her towards the bedroom. His fingers, at his side, just managed to
brush against her arm as he passed and he felt a shock, almost like
lightning running up his veins. He needed to stop these thoughts before
they went further. Wirnan desired her and he feared she would see such
a desire. He turned and hurried through the bedroom into the bathe
where the cold water began to flow freely, trying to ease the ache he
felt at not being able to hold her in his arms.

He was not the only one who felt it. Kaya almost jumped though she
managed to keep herself grounded. She busied herself with the folding
of the clothes, making them nice and neat. One shirt on top of the
other, carefully stacked and put away. Then she folded the trousers
and did the same. Once the bag was empty, that was put away. Her work
done, she allowed herself to go to her trunk and pull out her drawing
things, but not without a glance toward the door. He was bathing, but
he hadn't taken any clean clothes.

The thought made her pause and she placed the parchment and pencils
upon the top of the dresser, then pulled his night clothes, then lay
them out on the bed. She reached out, fingering the fabric once more,
then turned away, gathered her things and hurried out to the sitting
room where she could work on her drawing.

After he'd bathed and given himself the time he needed to regain his
composure, Wirnan rose from the tub and realized he had not brought any
clean clothes into the room with him. Cursing his foolishness, he
opened the door and peeked out. He couldn't go out there if she was
anywhere in sight, not like this. His eyes scanned the room and rested
on the clothes lying on the bed. Wirnan thanked the stars that Kaya had
been so thoughtful. Darting out of the room, he quickly pulled on the
clothes.

When he re-emerged in the main room, he thanked her for her
thoughtfulness and then settled down in one of the chairs to do a bit
of reading.

Kaya merely nodded and continued on her drawing. It was of a flower,
one she had seen that day, a burst of sunshine among the green. There
had been others, but this had stood out and she wanted to capture its
delicacy. And yet, her eyes did not constantly remain on the paper.
They drifted up, resting upon Wirnan, brief glances at the man as he
sat and read, then darting down again, not wanting to meet his gaze,
not wanting to let him know that she was watching him, and not sure
_why_ she was watching him.

He was distracted from his reading by her presence. At times he was
sure he felt her eyes on him, and at other times he couldn't resist
peeking over his book to look in her direction. Time passed in this
manner until Wirnan felt his eyes begin to droop closed. At one point
he nearly dropped his book as his head nodded against his chest. The
days' work had taken its toll and Wirnan was tired.

She caught his fatigue when last she looked at him, then set about
gathering her things. She stood and headed for the bedroom, though she
paused by chair to encourage him to get some sleep. Then she made her
own way to the bedroom and put away her things. She took her
nightgown, changed in the bathroom, and by that time, Wirnan was
already tucked under the sheets. She slipped around to her side then
lay down, resting her head upon the pillow and pulling the sheets up
around her. She didn't touch him, though she found herself wondering
if they would snuggle together in their sleep and she would wake up in
his arms - and hoping that was exactly what would happen.

Last updated on the July 26th 2011

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Small Things