Planning the future (Van & Kashik)

[Kashik]

3rd Day of Summer, 510 AV

The last week had been a flurry of activity for Kashik of the Brightsmile Pavilion, and by the end of it she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. Her family had been beside themselves at the announcement of her engagement to the Denusk Ankal's son, the women dragging her around Endrykas for various shopping excursions and introductions among the Sapphire Clan, as if it were imperative that she meet as many of her future relations as possible as quickly as possible. She'd taken most of it in stride, but as Spring moved to Summer she thought she might just go insane dealing with the lot of them. Besides, she hadn't even seen Vanator in days, and though they might not be married yet, she still found herself a little hollow without him near - not lost, exactly, but she felt his absence keenly and for all that she'd spent her the first twenty-two years of her life depending on no one else, once she'd made the decision to cleave her life to Van's she discovered it a bit hard to wait on actually do it.

So just before dawn, she snuck out of her tent before any of her clucking family could find her. Bare feet gave her the advantage of silence as she crept over to the other side of Endrykas, and by the time she made it all the way across, the sun was just beginning to break the horizon.

She still wore her sleeping gown, a simple linen affair in creamy white that made her dark skin glow, black curls twisted into a knot at the base of her neck. She glanced around a moment before scratching on the front flap of his tent. "Vanator?" she hissed, giggling a little and feeling as if she were some teenager sneaking off to some illicit affair instead of a woman grown visiting her affianced. "Are you up?"

[Vanator]

Vanator's night was long and restless, shortly before dawn he had finally ceased his tossing and drifted off into a fitful sleep. The words of Mi and Khiara and Hex would not stop echoing inside his head, the tear-streaked faces, twisted with anger and pain would not stop appearing everytime he shut his eyes. His slumber was not so deep as to shut out the quiet scratching at the tent entrance, or the soft Pavi voice that accompanied it. It was Kashik. He had not seen her in days, not since he had faced the others. He rose from his bedroll, his heart pounding, his feet rushing a little too anxious to let her in. He stumbled to the tent flap and opened it, seeing his betrothed in the dim light of the first rays of dawn. Van was glad to see her. Relieved. Heartened. He felt a bit of peace just looking at her. Still bleary eyed, he let Kashik in, turning to look at the young woman in her bare feet and sleeping gown. "I don't know why you are here, but I am glad you are." He stepped foward to wrap his arms around her and kiss her. After a long enjoyable moment, Vanator pulled back and asked, "So, what brings you here love, now?"

[Kashik]

Kashik's eyes widened a little when she realized that she'd awoken Vanator, and a blush lit the apples of her cheeks - but she breathed a sigh of relief when his arms came around her.

In answer to his question, she simply pulled him closer and laid her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly for a moment. "I missed you," she murmured, chuckling a little as if she knew that might sound silly but was true so there was no point pretending. She lifted her head and smiled up at him, warm and bright, a beam of sunlight lancing through the stormclouds. "And my brother doesn't want me practicing at the War Pavilion because he's a vagik who's afraid I'll go and fall on my spear or something. He's basically got me blacklisted, so none of the Clan will spar with me because they don't want me bleeding through my wedding gown or some shyke. And my mother wants me to stand all day tomorrow to get measured for the petching dress and I will seriously lose my mind if I don't at least get to spend part of today snuggling you. Seriously. I'll be a complete nutter, and that'd be kind of inconvenient for you, I'd think, so it's in your best interest to hide me away for a bit, don't you agree?" she asked, turning her smile up a notch. Yep, that was Kashik - talking faster than most people could think, and determined to get what she wanted. It was just lucky for Vanator that what she'd want more than anything was likely to be his happiness.

But as she talked, she led him back to the mess of his bedroll and gently pushing him back under the blankets, crawling under with him and nestling in beside him. It left them on their sides facing each other, legs tangled together and Van's arm looped around her waist. "But enough about me," she said softly, reaching up to trace the lines of his face, brow to cheek to jaw. "You look as if you haven't been sleeping well, love. Is everything all right?" she murmured, a wrinkle of worry appearing between her brows.

[Vanator]

As Kashik embraced him, Van buried his face in her long curly locks, inhaling her scent and relishing the softness against his skin. It lasted only a moment, the vibrant girl looking up at him to explain her unexpected arrival. He laughed as she rambled on, the brightness in her eyes distracting him from the cloud over his heart, and honestly, from what she was saying. Even if his young betrothed had stopped at 'I miss you', Van would have gladly agreed to hide away in the corner of his tent with her for the entire day. Nor did he resist as she led him back to his bedroll and soon found himself beneath the blankets with Kashik beside him. He settled in, facing her, thanking the gods she was there, her presence like a pillar that he could hold himself up against. Straight out of bed, his fiance was just as beautiful, but appeared so young. He reached up to touch her smooth cheek and her full lips, withdrawing his fingers to lay his arm around her waist as she posed her concerned question. Kashik knew of the others he had harbored feelings for. He never really had to tell her, she could see it. Van never felt compelled to hide or belittle the affections he had for Pygmy, Khiara and Hex, though Kashik didn't know them. The weary Drykas man sighed, his gaze never leaving Kashik's teal eyes. They begged for him to tell her everything, to tell her the truth. He could see the sincerity of her concern. "I have told them all goodbye Kashik. And my heart is rent. I hurt them all, they meant a lot to me. I would be lying to you if I said I did not love them. That I did not want to let go of them." Not that any of them would have him now. He spoke his heart, the wrenching honesty he had had to face recently had stolen his hesitation to speak of his feelings. "But, even if they could stand me now, I could not have any of them.....and still have you."

[Kashik]

That last comment made her catch her bottom lip between her teeth, brows drawing together - but it was not anger or hurt that he found in her bright gaze, but sympathy. "Their hearts were broken," she guessed, reaching out to flatten her palm against his chest, "and yours as well. I'm so sorry," she said, and there was no doubt that she meant it sincerely. The girl wore her soul on her sleeve, and had she been upset she wouldn't have been able to hide it from him. For all that he'd juggled his affections for the others and hidden them from each other, there was no need to do so with Kashik.

She understood.

"They were not Drykas then," she surmised, turning the conversation over in her mind like a puzzle. "They did not... they were wroth with you for sharing your heart with others? But they must have known that you are a Drykas man, an Ankal's son, and if they are here in Endrykas they must know what that entails?" she asked, a little confused by all of this. She had heard that in other places the men married only one woman, but she hadn't really thought about it until now - it was such a strange and baffling concept to her that she'd dismissed the rumor as soon as she'd heard it. "They couldn't have expected you to forgo your responsibilities to your Pavilion," she scoffed, as if such a thing weren't even feasible. "I don't understand, though. If they loved you, why were they not happy for you? If I had found you in the streets, and you told me you were taking a wife, I would have rejoiced for you even though it saddened my heart that it was not me."

[Vanator]

Kashik was a brilliant woman, well versed in the politics and traditions of their people, one of the reasons his family chose her to be his. But she proved a little naive of how things worked beyond the Sea of Grass. "Things were a little more complicated than that. It is true that they would not have understood how we look at relationships." Van knew how those in Syliras and among the Chaktawe felt, monogomous, so Pygmy and Hex would not have considered it. He knew very little about the Vantha and their marriages. There were other circumstances with Khiara. And he didn't even know how to explain the Kelvic bonding that had started with Pygmy, because he was not sure he understood himself. "That is behind us Kashik, I have to look forward to my future with you." His other relationships may be behind him now, but not by far, and every day in Endrykas stood to remind it of what had happened. "I am going to Riverfall, to see my sister. I know you just came from there, but I want you to go with me." Van reached up to brush a stray strand of hair from her face. "I don't want you too far from me, I'm not going to lose you for another whole season." He smiled lazily, so comfortable in her presence. He could not wait until he could call Kashik his wife.

[Kashik]

Kashik's eyes widened when she heard the word Riverfall, but her face relaxed into a smile when he said he wanted her to go. She, too, couldn't stand the thought of spending another season apart. "You're not leaving me," she said, her voice suddenly stubborn and unwavering. The hand that had laid over his heart now curled into a fist, and she tapped it against his chest.

"You're not leaving me," she said again, more soft this time, and cuddled another inch closer to him. "But... gods, Bremon will go bonkers if we disappear," she sighed. It was one thing for them to sneak an afternoon to themselves, but if they were to spend an entire season traveling before they'd even exchanged their vows, their families would likely riot. "And your mom will likely track you down and put you over her knee," she added with a giggle. But though she laughed, her jewel-bright eyes were serious - for it was her honor that their families would be protecting, and she valued it as much as they did. "I... I don't want to keep you from your sisters," she murmured, sighing a little. "Perhaps I can live without you for one more season," she said, but it didn't sound as if she believed it.

[Vanator]

Vanator knew Kashik was right. What their families knew of their past encounter had been overlooked, but they would not sit for the two of them to go traveling around Cyphrus together before the marriage was sealed. And his family had waited too long for him to choose someone. Van didn't think he could last that long. He had known Kavala was in Riverfall since early winter. He missed her and even Akela terribly and did not want to put it off any longer. Besides, he had to get out of this canvas city. Too many memories. He sighed. But he was not going to go anywhere without Kashik. He would put off going to Riverfall if it meant he could not take her with him. When his charming wife-to-be spoke of being apart for another season, Vanator frowned at her. Her offer to live without him for another season was unacceptable, and Van surprised himself at his vehement reply. His face grew firm and resolute. "No, I will not, cannot be apart from you for another season." He listened to his own sharp words. It was matter-of -fact, it wasn't going to happen. "I have watched too many leave me. My wife, my sisters, Pygmy, Hex and Khiara. I watched you leave me once too. I will not take the chance that this time we won't meet again. There has to be a way."

[Kashik]

She lifted her head at the vehemence of his reply, a little surprised herself but she couldn't deny that it set her insides to fluttering and brought a flush of pleasure to her dark skin. And the widening of her eyes must have been just another sign of her surprise, though the truth was that she recognized Khiara's name - and was shocked to know that she'd had the poor girl in her Pavilion only a week past, had danced with her, called her a friend.

But she could think on that later. Now, she had a whole other problem.

"I won't leave you," she agreed, tipping her face up to press a warm kiss to his lips. "I won't leave, I promise. We'll just have to..." Words failed her for a moment, and she shrugged a little, trying to think of a way around the problem. How to get what he needed, when the two things he needed were exclusive of each other?

Her eyes brightened, brows rising as the solution presented itself. And then a sultry smile twisted her lips, smoldering and mischievous.

"We'll just have to get married," she drawled, voice teasing and dry, but the twinkle in her eyes said she was entirely serious.

[Vanator]

A warming heat rose to Vanator's chest as Kashik kissed him and promised not to leave him. They were just words, but when spoken in the light of her bright, sincere gaze, they served to sooth his soul. He had thought he saw her startled reaction to Khiara, even as he felt a twinge of guilt over the nature of his last goodbye to the Vanthan. No, she was not reacting to the name, he surmised, and focused again on the issue at hand. Vanator studied his fiance as she mused, his own thoughts lost in the grogginess of awakening and the preoccupation with Kashik's presence so close to him. He was simply enjoying having her near him again, and after the past few days, he just wanted to live in the present moment, while he had her to himself. As he lazily traced her ribs with his fingers, Van saw Kashik's eyebrows raise, a familiar, misbehaving smile adorning her lips. At first he thought she was going to forgo solving the current issue and turn to more immediately satisfying activities, but she surprised him with a simple statement. His brows furrowed and a look of confusion washed over his face. "Married? But...I thought...Kash, we are getting married!"