When the Would-Be Ankal's Away... (Denen)

[Dymphna]

5th of Winter, 510 AV Dymphna was done working for the day, but quitting work wasn’t a strong suit the young woman really day. So, despite the fact that her pavilion’s shop was closed for the evening, she was still going over figures and recipes in her head. Two parts one grass. Three parts orchid root… One part mold. In theory it would ease early spring allergies in those not used to living in Cyphrus. Those from exotic lands tended to be rather miserable… The problem was the misery really started in the late summer when the grasses started to pollinate. Hm. She’d not considered that. As she stepped onto the edge of Sam’s camping space, she took a careful moment to arrange the scarf about her complicated red hair and be sure that her clothes were properly lying against her body. Truth be told, she wasn’t first-wife material, or so she’d decided. She didn’t really cook. Or sew. Or hunt. Or… But that’s oddly what she’d decided she wanted, so the age-old instinct kicked in for her to make herself as pretty as possible at all times. She was pretty. She had resources. And despite the little bit of time she’d spent in adulthood, people seemed to take her serious enough. Looking around, it didn’t seem Sam was there. Instead of going, though, she called out, “Sam? Are you home?”

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen was bored. With winter set in, gathering fresh herbs was harder than before, and he was compelled to get dried herbs from his family's stock. He had his own, but not much, as he hadn't initially intended to live away from home for as long as he had. Still, it was nice to have the experience, and to live among friends for the first time in his life. It was, he had decided, a time of discovery, of learning of himself and becoming comfortable with who he was. That, he supposed, was the greatest mystery of all, and he was eager to discover the end. He'd wandered to Sam's tent, and not found him there. He was about to leave it, and was in the process of doing so, when he found himself looking upon Dymphna. He gave a quiet smile, and bowed his head respectfully. "S-Sam...S-Sam's not here...here," He said softly. He adjusted his own headscarf, and smiled kindly. He knew what Dymphna was to Sam. They didn't hide it, after all, but the boy couldn't deny his slight pang of jealousy. Dymphna was very pretty, and a gifted healer. What was more, she had caught the eye of Sama'el. Denen didn't hold any expectations, but he couldn't help himself. He liked Sam very much, though he wasn't exactly sure if the other felt the same. What did he know of flirting? His experience consisted of nearly sleeping with Aiken, an event that had left him completely and entirely shocked. Sam wasn't the first boy Denen had liked, but he certainly was the nicest, and he paid attention to him in return, instead of ignoring him like most of the boys. "I...I w-was wondering if you...y-y-y-you'd like to exch-change herbs with m-me. I h-hadn't had...had a chance to s-stop by my brother's...brother's shop."

[Dymphna]

Dymphna gave Denen a brilliant smile and a tiny wave. For a moment her eyes looked to Sam’s tent before looking back to her fellow Opal Clan member. She had noticed Denen’s nature while on the hunt, but truthfully she’d been so focused on what she’d been doing (and on Sam) that she’d not really had much of a chance to really get to know the young man. Apparently it didn’t bother her that he was different. Or, if it did, she at least didn’t treat him any differently than anyone else. Beyond that Sam liked Denen, and Dymphna had already seemed to naturally fall into a place of honoring Sam’s leadership qualities. Sam saw the best in everyone, and it was a quality she tried to cultivate within herself, too. Though she was curious about Denen. Very curious. “I suppose I’ll have to catch up with him later,” she said quietly, making sure her face was tilted so that Denen could see what she was saying. It didn’t take any hesitation or thought from her in regards to herbs. Business, though not something she excelled at, was something she was raised around. “What herbs are you in need of? We can go to my pavilion for you to look over the stock we have if you’d like.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen had always been the lowest of his Pavilion. Within his own family, it really hadn't been any different, and the boy was well aware that they didn't miss him much. He had four older brothers to fill the duties, and they did their jobs well. Denen had been on the outskirts of his family, spent most of his time tending and entertaining his nieces and nephews, as he knew, within his heart, that he'd never have kids of his own. There weren't kids in Sam's little Pavilion yet, but Denen imagined there would be one day, and he hoped that he might one day be allowed to tell them stories like he had the kids in his own family. Denen blushed a little when Dymphna smiled. He might have had a preference for males, but he could still appreciate how pretty she was, and how easy it must have been for Sam to want her. He imagined that if he had ever desired a wife, he would have wanted her to be like Dymphna. Envy aside, the boy wanted to know her better. After all, what could it hurt to be friends with the other healer of the little group? He watched her lips and nodded quietly as she spoke. "I n-need some...some f-f-fennel," he answered quietly. "My...My...own's been r-run about empty." He gave his silent laugh, one that was written on his face and shook his thin frame. His blue eyes turned up to her face, and he ducked his head a bit. "I w-w-was g-going to go...go t-to my brother f-for some, but I didn't...didn't get there in time. D-Do you...Do you...h-have d-dand-d-delions at your...P-P-P-Pavilion?" He liked to use dandelions, being a firm believer that they had a wide variety of uses.

[Dymphna]

She nodded to his questions, giving him another quick smile. She even offered a tiny, girlish giggle in response to his laugh. Dymphna was always quick to smile and laugh, but she took more enjoyment out of talking herbs with a fellow healer than almost anything else in life. “I believe my aunt just traded for fennel this morning, actually. And I’m sure we have extra dandelion to spare, too. We use it in quite a few tonics we sell.” She motioned for him come closer, but before he really had the chance she was already taking hold of his arm to link it within hers. She pointed in the direction of her pavilion, quickly signing We’re not too far away if you don’t mind walking. Her time with the Zith had given her a good working use of Grasslands Sign. Communicating with your fellow Drykas under the noses of your captors had caused stronger bonds to form. It only seemed like second nature for her to switch to it, if only because she was pretty sure that if she turned her head while too closely to Denen, she’d blush and move her face mid-sentence. Then he’d not be able to see what she was saying… Which also brought up the fact that she talked. A lot. She made a note that she needed to try to keep it under control. At least for now. Good impressions mattered to her.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen smiled again, seeing her giggle. It was nice to make others laugh, and he knew that was the one sound he missed the most. Laughter. It was nice to see it, but he would have given a lot to be able to hear it again. Even if it was just once. He reached up and self-consciously touched one of his ears. He was about to reply to her, to accept her offer, when he was swept along, whether it was given or not. His cheeks flushed, and he gave his silent laugh again. She was nice, and Denen liked being around her. He wondered, however fleetingly, if she thought the same of him, his feeble self-confidence doubting that such a thing could be. After all, his own family had scarcely cared for his attention, it was difficult to believe that anyone else would. "I don't mind walking," he signed back, smiling again. It would be nice to have a little walk, after all. Gods knew he needed all the exercise he could get. He couldn't gain muscle to save himself. Denen walked quietly alongside her, grateful for the support of her arm, though he prayed to the gods that he wouldn't slip and take her down with him. He tried to focus on where he placed his feet, dreading that awful sensation that tugged through his belly every time he fell. His right ear began to ring, and he paused a moment, pulling on the lobe in hopes of making it stop, before he shook his head almost roughly and readjusted his scarf to cover them. He cast a quick smile to Dymphna and chewed the inside of his lip. He wasn't sure of what to talk about. He remembered only how much focus he had to put into not slipping on the snow. It was one thing when he was alone, and another when others were there. "Did you know Sam's been...trying to do backflips off of his horse?" He asked. Sam was a safe subject, right? He was, after all, another common interest. "He fell on top of me the other day when he was doing a handstand on poor Dohaina's back." He blushed then, realizing Dymphna probably already knew about Sam's antics, then remembered that Sam had mentioned Dymphna saying he was a show off, and then felt incredibly stupid. He rubbed the back of his neck with a thin hand, and then signed quickly. "I am sorry. That was pointless chatter."

[Dymphna]

Dymphna was completely content to walk along, though almost amusingly, her hands twitched from time-to-time as she felt the urge to say something, anything at all, before stopping herself. The art of silence wasn’t something she was adept at. Her dark eyes focused on Denen, the twinkle in them failing to die even as he seemed to be having problems with his ear and his apology. Instead she offered him an understanding, pathetically sweet smile before swooping in to place a kiss to his cheek. She stopped then, halting him with a gentle hand to his arm. “He didn’t tell me about falling on you. I hope you’re okay. He’s all arms and legs when he falls, isn’t he?” She grinned, not seeming to mind talking about Sam at all. Relaly she was thankful for something to chatter about, because she had already about told Denen about a dozen things that really were mindless chatter. “He gave himself a concussion not too long ago showing off… Just like a horse’s ass.” She had stopped… Why had she stopped again? Oh. Right. She held up a finger for Denen to wait as she carefully starting unwrapping the scarf from around her head. It was held out to him. “Here. Trade me. I think mine is a bit bigger, so it will protect your ears from the cold better.”

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen enjoyed the walk, though every walk was quiet for him. He wished, sometimes, he could have a nice conversation with someone that didn't involve the intimacy his required. Sometimes, he knew he made others uncomfortable with how closely he had to watch them, to interpret body language, to catch what their mouths said. It was difficult, and sometimes embarrassing. But Dymphna wasn't one of those people. Denen felt genuinely at ease with her, as he usually did with people who were sincerely kind. He blushed and giggled silently as she kissed his cheek, bringing up his hand to touch the place. "You're sweet, Dymphna," he signed. He paused in his step, looking to her hands as she began to speak again. "I am fine," he assured. "It knocked the wind out of me, but that's all." At least the cushioning of Denen's body had been enough to keep the goof from hurting himself too badly. He was glad that she wasn't bothered by talk of Sam. It was easy to talk about him, after all. He was their mutual friend, and they both respected him as something of a leader to their tiny, slowly forming Pavilion. He laughed, actually snorting at her words, and then clamped a hand over his face in embarrassment. "He told me," he answered. "He's so silly sometimes. It's refreshing, though. I've never had...a lot of friends, and it's nice to have them now." His eyes went wide as she offered him her headscarf, features marked by how touched he was by the gesture. He reached out to touch the scarf, hesitating, before he unwrapped his own and offered it to her in exchange. His dark hair fell across his brow, and into his blue eyes. "I'll tie yours if you'll tie mine." He laughed softly to himself, remembering how Sam had done the same for him the other day. "Thank you, Dymphna."

[Dymphna]

“Thank you,” she said bashfully in response to being called sweet. With the undying smile, she slipped in to start wrapping her scarf about his head. A hand swept up to brush his hair out of his eyes, carefully smoothing it back and then tucking it beneath the soft cloth she was weaving around him. She paused for just a moment, giving a tiny nod as her mind went to Sam.[b] “I’ve never had many friends either outside of my pavilion. I, um… Well, I cared more about plants than people when I was younger. Then I was gone, when I came back I threw myself into my work again… Sam’s changed that. I love him.” The look on her face was likely priceless, because her expression hung somewhere between totally uncomfortable as soon as she admitted her feelings and completely befuddled that she’d actually said it out loud. She hadn’t told anyone up until that point. Then she looked truly worried, but somehow she kept herself from explaining why. Instead she stepped back a little to look over her handiwork. A careful hand moved to pull the scarf down over his ear.

[Denen Sunsinger]

She really was sweet. Denen wondered, sometimes, how a person went through life being so gentle and kind. It was difficult to imagine how a single person could contain so much kindness. He held still as she bound the scarf around his dark hair, blue eyes watching her with interest as she did so, just to be sure he wouldn't miss any words. He watched her mouth quietly, keeping himself still as she adjusted the scarf properly. He did his very best to pay close attention, but by the end of her words, his eyes went wide, and he felt like his tongue had been jerked down his throat by a hook. His jaw slackened slightly, before he snapped it shut. What was he to say to that? His stomach felt hot, and all the blood rushed from his face. His features showed that he was likely just as uncomfortable with the confession as she was, but he managed to get hold of himself, inhaling deeply. He was quiet for a moment, before he spoke, his hands silent. "I...I'm g-glad you are...are ab-able t-t-to have s-something l-like th-th-that." Very lucky indeed. Denen had become quite sure that he was the only boy like himself in all of Endrykas, and possibly in the entire world. He'd never met another male, beyond Aiken, who had expressed interest in his own gender, and his experience with the Kelvic had been a bit terrifying. The boy chewed his lip, trying to think of some sort of comfort for Dymphna, who seemed quite out of sorts with her revelation. "W-We...W-W-We all love Sam," he said quietly. "Some...Some of us in-n different w-ways." He smiled then, and the expression was genuine. "I th-think-k y-you're very l-l-lucky to have...c-caught his eye, Dymph-phna." Once the scarf was adjusted, he reached up to touch it, before holding up his own to replace hers. "L-Love's...Love's a hard thing t-to find, and some people n-never do. I h-hope...W-Well, I hope maybe s-some day I can b-be so lucky."