Dinner and a 'Real' Dessert

Writers: AL, Ames
Date Posted: 25th July 2014

Characters: Kaya, Wirnan
Description: Dinner and a spark of romance ensue....is there hope on the horizon for this pair?
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 7, day 20 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Zathris, Benani

Wirnan

She had done the very same thing before, but Kaya had realised that
it'd been some time since she'd cooked for Wirnan. Despite the
situation they'd found her in, Kaya felt the return of the Lady Holder
was something to be glad a bit. In a way, it was much like a belated
celebration. It was also, hopefully, a way to help him relax. Zathris
so consumed with the situation with Benani that much more had fallen
upon Wirnan's already heavy laden shoulders. In addition, she thought
it would just be a good idea to do something like that for him from
time to time. Maybe it would help show him she was trying - really
trying.

When Wirnan arrived that day, rather than find Kaya ready to accompany
him to the dining hall, their small table was already laden with
various covered dishes. A miniature black kettle hung over the fire
in which some sort of soup lightly bubbled. Kaya herself was just
laying down the last piece of cutlery upon his arrival, then
straightened as he closed the door behind him.

He was exhausted, as he had been for so many of the previous nights.
Keeping up with his own tasks, coordinating the hunt with the guards,
and filling in for anything Lord Zathris needed of him kept Wirnan
extremely busy. He was up before the dawn and most nights awake well
into the hours of the night trying to accomplish all he needed to do.

Meals were one of the times he looked forward to the most in the midst
of so much work. They were a welcome release. He had really enjoyed
the conversations with Kaya in recent times. It was nice to have
someone to talk about his day with and also to talk about the simpler,
more mundane things of life to take his mind off the work.

Pushing open the door, the smell caught his attention first. He paused
and looked up and then a smile lit his face. Nothing was wrong, but
rather things seemed right. It was quite a sight to walk in and see
Kaya, food prepared, table set, looking very much like the wife he'd
always wanted to have.

"Good evening," he said coming towards the table, "What have we here?"

"Dinner." She'd done it before, but not since. Til now, of course.
Kaya's preparations had been a couple of hours in the making and the
fruit of her labour sat, waiting for Wirnan to enjoy. The tang of
meet and sweetness of pastry mingled together in a joyous chorus of
scents. "You've been working hard. I...I thought it might be nice to
have something a little...more private."

He smiled as he came forward, smelling the delicious aromas around
him. "This is wonderful. And it smells oh so delicious too. I can't
wait to eat." He moved into the bedroom, as was his habit upon
returning home, washed up in the bathing chamber and donned a more
comfortable shirt. In a few moments he was back and ready to eat.

Bowls had taken up stations at each seat and once Wirnan was ready,
Kaya protected her hand with a thick potholder, then ladled some for
each of them. The kettle was put back in its place and Kaya lowered
herself into her seat across from her husband. "Was today any
better?"

He shrugged. "Yes and no. Things are crazy busy as they have been, but
Lady Benani improves everyday which improves everyone's demeanor. The
hidework however is mountainous. I should probably do more after
dinner, but I so need a break as well." He sighed. It was a slightly
dreary evening so going for a walk wouldn't be all that fun, and
besides walking the Hold these days led to lots of questions and
conversations which all felt like work.

"Yes, you do. You've been working so hard." Kaya had barely seen him
since Benani had disappeared. If nothing else could be said about
Wirnan, one had to admit that he was diligent. "I can run a bath for
you if you like."

That sounded good. "Hmm...yes, that would be marvelous Kaya. Thank
you." Just to be able to sit a bit longer and not have to wait on the
water himself was a blessing, and the bath itself would be so
relaxing.

"I'll start it during desert." That would give time for the tub to
fill but the water would remain warm. By that point, the soup was
gone, so Kaya rose to replace it with steak and a vegetable medley
colourfully arranged upon the plate. "You said the Lady is improving.
I'm glad to hear it." Benani had been kind to her, and out of
remembrance of the Lady's request during her pregnancy, Kaya had taken
pains to make sure the Lady's runner had company. Since the
stablehands knew her, she'd no trouble taking the runner out for walks
and gentle runs. "And Lord Zathris? How is he?"

"Worried, as any husband would be. He's trying to balance all the
pieces of his life right now," Wirnan picked up his fork and dove into
the vegetables. "Delicious." He remarked. The seasonings on them was
so tasty.

"It's going to be a long road ahead for both of them, but they are
strong, and with all our help, I know things will return to normal in
the future," Wirnan added. "Tell me about your day."

"It was uneventful. I've been checking on the Lady's runner since..."
Well, since she hadn't been riding. How long would it be until she
did ride again? With the rumours that had circulated in regards to
what exactly had happened to Benani, would the Lady ever fully heal?
Kaya couldn't help but hold on to her doubts. "Cleaned. Did laundry.
I...did a little drawing too."

It sounded like a typical day. Nothing out of the ordinary. Wirnan was
tired of typical. He felt like he needed something else. The excess of
work just seemed to be bogging him down right now. He caught onto her
last words.

"Oh? Care to share? I would love to see it."

"Oh, sure. I just found some winter flowers in bloom. I'm not sure
how they're there during such chilly weather, but they are." Kaya
knew there were a few flowers that bloomed in the winter, but they
weren't common. She'd managed to stumble across some in one of the
gardens and had most likely been cultivated for the purpose of
prettying the garden in the winter. She'd enjoyed them and somehow
had managed to draw despite the quivering of her hands.

"Sounds lovely. Perhaps we could take a walk to see them this coming
restday." Assuming he didn't have to do extra duty on restday this
time around.

"We could try. I'm not sure they'll still be in bloom, but they are
quite lovely." Kaya pondered suggesting that they go right then, but
the realisation that he was tired from his work made her hesitate.
Hopefully they would still be around or maybe others would have
bloomed by that point. When Wirnan finished his last bite, Kaya rose
again, that time to dole out dessert - spice cake with butter cream
frosting lightly dusted with klah. "I'll run your bath for you." She
offered as she set the piece before him.

"Thank you," he replied digging into the delicious sweet. "Yum," he
stated as he took bite after bit. "Did you make this yourself?" He
asked.

"Yes." Kaya paused mid turn to add. "It's my mother's recipe." A
flitter of a smile skipped over her lips and she disappeared into the
bathroom to allow the water to warm up and the tub to fill.

He finished the dessert she'd placed before him, then rose to follow
after her. He could hear the water. It would be nice and relaxing to
just sit and soak in the tub for a bit.

"All ready?" He asked as he approached.

Kaya rose and flicked her hand to rid it of the water. It was warm,
not too hot, the sort of bath that would soothe aches and ease
soreness. Fresh towels and a wash cloth lay upon a small stool, ready
and waiting for the occupant once he finished. "It should be." She
paused, a hint of uncertainty in her dark gaze. "Is there...anything
else you need?"

He looked at her, feeling once more a tug that he'd often felt. He'd
so many times wanted to ask...to invite, but after all they'd been
through and how she'd felt of him, it just never seemed right. Yet,
now, after all that had happened to Lady Benani, Wirnan felt that
familiar tug once more.

"The company is nice, but I'm sure you have other plans for your
time," It was as close to an offer as he could bring himself. She'd
turned him away so many times before. Even just having her there to
talk to allowed him_not_ to spend the time dwelling solely on the

tasks he had left to finish for the Hold.

Kaya glanced to the water, then to her husband before she swallowed
hard. A foot slid back, then another and finally she turned to
retreat from the room.

He saw her step away and felt his heart drop a bit. It seemed it was
to be more of the same. He'd tried. With a sigh, he turned towards the
water, away from Kaya and began pulling at the laces on his clothes.

WHen he was settled into the tub, the door opened, then closed a
second time. "I forgot the sweet sand." Kaya carefully placed a
small crock on the side of the basin, then swept behind him. "And
extra towels." There was a soft, muffled sound of fabric landing atop
fabric and Kaya plopped one towel atop the other. A short silence
settled afterward before Kaya asked hesitantly. "Do you want me to
scrub your back for you?"

He'd been almost asleep as he'd settled into the nice warm water when
the door opened and closed again. His eyes flickered open and followed
her, but the rest of him hardly moved as he watched her.

His head finally tilted towards her just slightly at her last
question. Perhaps his small effort hadn't gone unnoticed after all. He
wasn't about to turn away an offer for aide and peace between them.

"That would be nice, Kaya. I think I always miss a few spots as it's
so hard to reach it myself," Wirnan replied, shifting enough to allow
her easier access to his back.

Her skirts rustled with her movements and Kaya settled behind him.
Sweetsand was applied and the wash cloth rolled gently but firmly over
his back in short, circular strokes. She started at his shoulders,
went across, then continued to move in a pattern, back and forth.
From time to time, she cupped her hand into the water so she could let
it run down his back in order to help keep him warm. "Is there
anything else you want?" She queried after she'd finished.

He sighed with pleasure at the careful ministrations. He reached a
hand up over his shoulder and caught her hand. "Thank you."

At her next question, Wirnan looked up towards her, the water swishing
as he did so. "Company." One word, yet it held so much meaning behind
it. He left it open for her to decide just exactly what kind of
company she was comfortable with.

Company. How was she to take that? Kaya slowly rose, ignoring the
dampness of her skirts that had gotten dripped upon as she had
ministered to her husband. For a few moments, she simply remained
there and watched him. When he sighed and straightened, his back to
her, her fingers began to work at the ties of her bodice. Slowly she
folded it and set it aside then did the same with her tunic, skirt,
and underclothes. Her feet were silent as she circled around to stand
before him. She slipped one foot into the warm water, then aother,
and finally eased down into the tub. "Company."

Wirnan sat up quite a bit straighter when she joined him. His eyes
opened wide as he took in her form once again. It was a sight he
hadn't seen in quite some time.

"Well now," he replied, a slow smile forming on his face. "I couldn't
have wished for a better acceptance to my offer." He was excited, but
still felt a bit awkward and uncertain after so much time spent_away_
from her.

Pink flowed into Kaya's cheeks and her hand automatically went up to
her neck, but her locket was gone. She'd taken it off so that the
picture wouldn't get damaged for the water. She was truly,
completely, utterly exposed. She swallowed hard and let her hand fall
back into the water and somehow managed not to squirm under the
scrutiny of that smile. "Did you...want anything else?"

"Well," he drawled out slowly. "I_want_ many things, but only if

_you_ want the same." His eyebrows lifted in a question as he spoke.
"So, what do_you_ want, Kaya? Are you offering for us to be
together?"

She didn't answer with words, because Kaya was afraid she'd mess that
up. Rather, she pushed off the side of the tub and somehow managed
not to entangle her legs with his as she propelled herself slowly
forward. With their position, she had to brace herself against him,
one hand planted upon his thigh so she could edge forward. Her lips
drifted lightly against his own, their touch a whisper before she
pulled away to hover just before him. Her tongue ran over them as her
dark eyes searched his and she finally spoke. "I want you."

A sound not unlike a guttural growl escaped his lips as he drew her
close to him. It had been too long, far too long. Wirnan gave into the
desires of his body.

Last updated on the July 26th 2014

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Dinner and a 'Real' Dessert