Winter to Spring (Khara)

by **Zhol** on March 14th, 2015, 9:43 pm

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..1st Spring, 515

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Ninety-two days.

His hand gripped a little tighter around hers. His easy, broadening smile gripped a little tighter into his cheeks. Outside the mountain had been dark, Leth had passed the summit of his path across the night sky and had begun his slow descent back towards the horizon. Another day had ended. Another season had ended. Another year had ended. The watchstone had flared, and bathed Wind Reach in brilliant green; but Zhol hadn't seen.

He'd intended to. He'd wanted to. He'd sat on that same slope, that same vantage where he'd watched Summer become Fall; and again he'd sat there with Khara in his arms, utterly elated to feel the weight of her leaning against him. But as the moment dawned, and his heart rate quickened, he realised that this wasn't what he'd wanted after all; and in that final instant, as blue surged into green, he'd welcomed the changing light the way he longed to welcome every season, every year, every morning and moment for the rest of his days: he welcomed it with his arms around Khara, and her lips against his.

That was what made today special: not the new year; not the promise of winter retreating, and warmth slowly creeping it's way back into Kalea; it was those ninety-two wonderful, amazing, incredible, unbelievable, irreplaceable, lucky days since he and Khara had become more than just friends. It was the ninety-two overjoyed mornings where he had woken to feel Khara's body against his, her head against his shoulder, her breath against his skin. It was the ninety-two - about to become ninety-three - perfect nights where he had settled down beside her knowing the blissful, dreamless sleep that awaited him; dreamless because there was no point in his heart or mind even trying conjure anything more wondrous than the life that was his reality. It was those ninety-two days, and the realisation that a full year had now passed since the day that he and Khara met, and she had single-handedly done more to transform his life than anyone else, since the day he was born.

His feet rooted themselves to the floor of the warrens; there was no need to force Khara to slow down, the fingers interlaced with his hadn't shifted in the slightest since they'd left the hillside, and the rest of her clung gently to his arm without any hint of ever wanting to let go. An urge that refused to be resisted slipped their conjoined hands behind Khara's back, spinning her to face him, and drawing her close. His eyes lingered on hers for what seemed like an eternity, utterly lost in the golden warmth and what lay behind them. His free hand traced the curve of her face, her tied back hair taking a break from it's usual role of giving her something to nervously hide her beauty behind. It seemed impossible for his smile to become any broader, but it managed anyway, the crook of his finger carefully stroking against her cheek.

When the persistent pounding of his heart became too insistent to bear, and cut his eternity of gazing into her eyes short, the kiss he laid against Khara's lips was like a deep breath, slow and gentle, his hand snaking around to cradle the back of her neck as he drew the two of them together as close as their many layers of winter clothes would allow. Every ounce of affection that he could muster flowed from his lips into hers, as if somehow he could tap into his infinite love for Khara and project it from his lips like djed.

It was yet another moment that he desperately wished would have no end; he gasped for breath as he finally wrenched himself away from her, though he could barely muster the willpower for much more than a hair's breadth. "There isn't a man in all the world luckier than I am right now," he breathed, their lips so perilously close that each word came with an all too tempting brush of contact. "Leth included."

by **Khara** on March 15th, 2015, 7:25 am

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Everything was perfect. The careful walk to and from the small vantage point she had taken him to at the start of Fall had been traversed without any embarrassing slips and falls like the first time; the feelings they had for each other was openly expressed rather than attempted to be denied or kept secret; how the Wind Tower had changed color and the kiss that had accompanied it; the kiss now in the warrens of home even as an occasional other Inarta passed them on their ways back from their own revelries; the need to hide anything long past; all of it was completely and utterly perfect. The best thing, was that despite the early bell, the New Year had only just begun, and Khara still had more plans before either of them slept, still more surprises, still more things she hoped would be just as perfect as everything so far.

"I would think there are some that would argue with that," Khara managed to reply, the kiss and the restraint it took to not immediately seek out more having left her breathless. "But just this once, just tonight, I will not join them."

The urge to capture another kiss from him was indulged, quick and light, playful in a way she hadn't ever expected herself capable of. Then again, Zhol had caused so many things in her life that she hadn't thought capable of. It was hard to believe that a year ago she had spent the day flinching at every noise outside his door, the two of them awkwardly huddled for warmth and small comforts as Wind Reach had dissolved into chaos around them. She knew even then that Zhol was different, special; she just had no idea how much he would come to meant to her. Finally though, tonight, she hoped she could show him a small shred of exactly how much that was.

A gentle tug of his hand came as she stepped away from him and began leading them through the warrens back to the Common Rooms. They halted outside his door, a nervous smile forming on her lips and her posture changing ever so slightly to reflect the feeling as well. "I have a surprise for you, though. If that is okay."

Khara held her breath as she slowly opened the door. Earlier in the day she had strategically met him and had avoided letting Zhol return to his room before they had headed out. It had allowed her to finally set up what she had planned and thought about for the better half of Winter. On the 90th she had gone to the market and made the few purchases needed, a bolt of fabric here, some hooks and means to secure them there, and all that she had to do was painfully wait for the moment when it would all come together.

As she led Zhol inside, the larger candle she had purchased as well was already alight, bathing the room in warm light that instantly drew attention to the single change she had made. Over his bed Khara had secured a long length of deep crimson linen that hung loosely, floating over the length of the bed; just enough extra on either side to loosely trail over the head and foot of it. Looking at it now, she couldn't help but think it wasn't as impressive as she wanted it to be, the places she had hung the fabric from left the distance between it and the ceiling uneven in most places and she was fairly certain that more of the fabric was resting against the foot of the bed than the opposite end. It wasn't nearly hanging as low as she had wanted either; Khara had wanted it to look like someone had turned that portion of his room into a tent of some sort but now she wasn't quite certain what to make of her attempt.

The nervous fidgeting that had started before the door opened continued; her hands wringing themselves once they had slipped from his hold. "I... I kn-know you... you said that you us-used to sleep in a tent where you came f-from. And you could hear the outside an-and knew the stars were there just above. It's hard to know that in the caves and I know a stone ceiling isn't what you want to see when y-you open your eyes in the middle of the night so I thought..."

Khara sighed, her shoulders slumping as the breath left her. "I thought this would be better."

ledger changes-6 Pinions for 6 yards of fabric, -1 more pinion for the larger candle and whatever tidbits she used to hang the fabric. Hopefully that's okay!

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on March 15th, 2015, 7:48 am

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"You -"

Understanding was slow to dawn, not because the notion was obscure, but because Zhol's mind was simply overwhelmed. As each word tumbled nervously from Khara's lips, it became more clear, a cascade of emotions watching over him in sequence. First surprise, broadening itself into awe, a wake of happiness, and then the tug of realisation, of significance, of sentiment. His eyes soaked in the details, every perfect little wrinkle and fold, the undulating surface where the material had been suspended, the draping fabric hung loose, wafting ever so slightly in the breath of breeze they'd caused as they'd opened the door, the flickering of the candle that bathed it all in dim firelight. He knew what this was; the meaning behind it all was clear as day.

His eyes turned to Khara, his brow tugging into a frown not of confusion, but of awestruck disbelief. "You made me a pavilion?" His voice fluctuated, his eyes shimmered in the light, his words thick with meaning and emotion. "You did this for me?"

Brow tugging tighter, Zhol's eyes returned to the tent that Khara had made for him. Her words still drifting through his mind. One little comment had sparked this all. He wasn't sure what stunned him most: that Khara cared enough to go to such lengths, or that she understood him well enough to do such a thing. How did you even do such a thing? How did you think of such a thing? When had she found the time? What, how -

"Khara, I -"

His voice failed again, throat too full of lump for many words to make it by. A tremble crept into his jaw, his lips clenching to try and keep it at bay. Trying to keep his tears contained was a lost cause though; when his gaze turned back to Khara they broke free, his mouth becoming a smile as they trailed down his cheek. Only one word came to mind; only one way to describe what Khara had done. "It's perfect."

by **Khara** on March 15th, 2015, 8:39 am

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It was in one fluid moment as Khara shut the door behind them finally, let go of the breath she had started to hold, and quickly closed the gap between them; her arms practically flung themselves around Zhol as she hugged him tightly. Khara had been so worried as to how he would react. She had hoped and wished upon every bit of luck she could think of that he would be pleased, but even at best she had expected an amused laugh and a quick thanks. Never had she dreamed he would seem so touched by what she can considered to be only a small gesture she could do towards making Zhol more at home.

It was similar to when she had tied the strip of red to his wrist, she supposed, something that she thought to be so ordinary, something maybe at most meant to make him smile, but something that Zhol had found more meaning in. Both things had meant a great deal to her, but only in that she wanted the man she loved to know just how much she cared for him and all he stood for in her life. The tears he shed had been surprising, but Khara couldn't think of a better compliment towards what she had done.

"I'm glad you like it," she whispered against him. "I just want to do something special for you for a change."

Khara slowly lifted her head from where it had come to rest against Zhol's chest and looked up to meet his gaze. One arm slowly let go of him and her hand raised to gently wipe against first one cheek then the other, brushing softly away any lingering tears that had managed to escape.

"You mean everything to me, Zhol. And I want to do everything I can to let you know that." Khara smiled softly until her eyes widened as she realized she had slipped into Nari. It wasn't on purpose, but some part of her felt the need to say exactly what she meant to. Still, it felt wrong somehow, as if doing so was undermining exactly what she was saying. "I sorry, I just... I can say again if you need me to?"

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on March 15th, 2015, 1:51 pm

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Zhol shook his head slowly, his arms wrapping tightly around her; not an intense, passionate embrace, but rather an indestructible one, strong and sturdy, utterly determined not to be ended until it absolutely had to be.

"I am understand," he stumbled out quietly, smiling down at her, eager for Khara's smile - which had arrived and then faltered - to return to him in earnest. For a fleeting moment, he wished that they were not still bundled beneath their coats and katinu; too many layers of fabric preventing his embrace from being as close to her as he would like. "I am -"

He pondered for a moment, rifling through the small stockpile of Nari words that he could draw to mind. Increasingly, this was his obstacle: the more Khara spoke to him, the more and more he learned and understood of her Inartan words; but it was a separate challenge entirely to build a response, to work out what he intended to say - let alone say it right. Once again, a swell of gratitude and admiration inflated in his chest as he more deeply understood the challenges that Khara faced every single time she spoke to him in a language other than her own.

"I am hear better now," he settled upon, the closest approximation he could manage to what he wanted to convey. "I am know better you words, and I am like -" He paused, correcting himself. "I am love hear you speak in you..." He frowned, puzzling over what clunky, almost right facsimile of native language he could manage to fumble together. "...home words," was the best he could find.

A long, slow, slightly trembling breath escaped from Zhol's lungs as he allowed himself to pause; but he was not ready to surrender on Nari yet. Khara would not have minded in the slightest were he to slip back into Common, and that would have been by far the easier way to convey what he wanted to say to her; but easy wasn't the point. The effort, the attempt, the determination to struggle and fumble and somehow manage to make her understand not the easy way, but her way, the way that was familiar to her, the way that was more comfortable to her than it was to him; that was what mattered, that grateful return of so many favours and concessions that she had been making for him since the very first day they met.

"You am said," he started slowly, precariously, his sentences emerging like a new born dear struggling to balance on it's spindly unfamiliar legs, "That Wind Reach am home. That here am home. That Zhol am home." A small smile tugged at his lips as he remembered one of the ways that Khara had expressed it to him; a brief concession was made, to sneak out the sentiment in the exact words and tone that she had delivered it. "Zhol of Wind Reach."

His smile slipped slightly, not fading in the slightest but rather nudged aside a little by the underlying sentiment. "But you am wrong. Wind Reach am not home. Khara am home. Khara am... safe. Khara am happy place. I am always want... always want Khara sleep. I am always want Khara morning. I am always want Khara eat, and Khara smile, and Khara speak. Khara see. Khara... be."

Gently, Zhol reached for the hand that had brushed across his cheek, delicately taking hold of Khara's tiny, elegant fingers, bringing them to his lips to steal a brief kiss before he spoke again. "You am wrong," he said again, his voice slipping into a gentle whisper. Carefully, he placed Khara's hand over where his heart pounded inside his chest, letting his own hand rest gently on top. "This am yours. I am yours. am..." His smile returned for her. "Zhol of Khara."

by **Khara** on March 15th, 2015, 6:56 pm

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The jumbled words that left him may not have been exactly correct, or exactly what Zhol wanted to say, but the sentiment that they reflected was understood easily enough. It was her turn to find her vision blurred by tears as her breath caught and emotions threatened to cascade over her like a slow and steady lava flow. She could run if she wanted, might even find some way to avoid feeling it, but Khara didn't want to. If tears had to be shed to be able to feel how she did, she would gladly let them fall.

Her hand remained against his cheek, a tentative and gentle touch not out of uncertainty but some persistent fear that if she tried to grasp at reality too hard it would all fall apart and the entirety of Winter would melt away into a series of dreams all from one impossible night. While the thought of reliving each and every day that she and Zhol had grown comfortable in their relationship wasn't met with reluctance, Khara didn't want to go backwards from here. There was only the eagerness to see what each new day would bring them; how things would continue to change and take shape; what new surprises and sensations awaited.

"I will always be here for you," she softly assured him. "I am glad to be your home."

She only wished she had something as profound to say to him in reply, everything that her thoughts conjured sounded like some pitiful echo of what Zhol had told her. So words were left behind for a change, the urge to speak suppressed and instead her arms moved to the back of his neck, tugging him to her so she could kiss him instead. When she usually initiated such things, it was timid, fleeting, over cautious in lack of knowledge of how much was too much or how little wasn't enough; now though she drew it out, letting the emotions that had welled up within her guide each and every moment that her lips softly pressed to his, each small gasp of air warred with before the kiss was renewed. Slowly the intensity softened, like the sudden flare of a freshly lit candle eventually subsides to a steady flickering so too did each and every kiss she free gave to him lessen and returned to the delicate nature Khara typically used.

Her arms slowly slid away from him, following down shoulders and traced their way down until fingertips entwined once more. The last gentle kiss came feather-light before she slowly pulled away and let her eyes meet his. "I... sorry. I just wanted to... I want to..."

The nervous nibble at her lip returned as Khara felt the continued urge to try and explain. "What you say means so much. I just want you to know."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on March 16th, 2015, 12:03 am

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Always be here.

Zhol understood enough of her Nari for those words to stick in his mind. His heart rate quickened, anxiety clenching around his chest. Khara had made plans for this evening, prepared surprises; Khara's willingness to return swiftly to their room after the watchtower changed suddenly made perfect sense. Zhol's willingness was for a different reason; a question, one that he nervously realised it had become the time to ask.

It wasn't reluctance that made him hesitate. The question wanted to race from his lips and springboard from his tongue with as much speed as his voice could muster. It was other things that held it back, warier things, wiser things. There were things that remembered what had transpired in this room almost exactly a year ago; things that remembered the fear that had plagued him as his feelings for Khara grew; things that knew that while those fears were at peace now, mostly, one or two steps taken too eagerly could still easily bring them to fruition. Yet, he had to ask; needed to ask; else the question would chew him up from the inside.

"You -"

All the time he had spend rehearsing the question, asking her over and over, in his mind and under his breath, and he had forgotten how it began; his practised words had failed him. He frowned. Looked down. Stared at where there fingers intertwined. Then he glanced up, and at the same time so did she; and as her eyes met his it all came flooding back to him, every sentence, every attempt at phrasing, all compressed and tangled together into one single, simple word.

"Stay."

It was a soft whisper, but also a question, and a plea, and a hope. Every emotion that Khara made him feel wove into that word, so many and such a jumbled mix that they lodged in his throat, forcing him to swallow hard to keep his voice still working. He wanted to look away, wanted to glance at their hands again, avoiding her gaze out of embarrassment or shyness or perhaps something else, but he forced himself not to, staring into her beautiful amber eyes as he fumbled for the words to make his one word mean more.

"Most nights we are together," he started; even Common sounded clunky and wrong; the more nervous he became, the more terrified he was of the precarious position he was placing himself in, the harder it became to not stumble, and stutter. "Y- you sleep here, and you wake here, and -" He faltered, his words refusing to come at the pace he wanted. His teeth toyed with his lower lip, just the way that Khara's did; he wasn't sure if they always had, or if it was merely an echo of her; yet one part of him that was forever changed thanks to the gift of her being in his life. "- I know why. I know why you would rather be here and not there; I know why you would rather be together than alone. I know that there are... many reasons, but that there is one that is -"

He trailed off. That sentiment didn't need finishing. His hold on Khara's fingers tightened gently.

"You said that... that I was where you feel safe. You said that with me is... you said always. If that is true, then... stay. Stay here. Stay always."

His lips twitched, worry not quite allowing a smile to form, no matter how desperately his emotions wanted him to. The barest motion of his head gestured behind him, towards the transformation Khara had gifted. "I would like it if my new pavilion was our pavilion. I would like it if... my room was ours. I would like you to stay. Always."

by **Khara** on March 16th, 2015, 1:05 am

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"Yes." The certainty and lack of any sort of hesitation to his question surprised her and she flinched as if the sound startled her. Her eyes fell quickly away, shamed by how simple an answer she had given to something that obviously had taken a great deal of courage to ask of her.

Khara focused on their hands, just for half a tick before forcing herself to keep speaking. "I wanted you to ask me since I was scared to ask. This is your room and you have let me be here. I do not ever want to leave."

Slowly her eyes climbed back up to met with Zhol's, the smile that had faltered returning as it seemed to light up all her features with the undeniable sense of joy she felt. "I want to stay, I will stay, I promise."

She realized then just how bundled they still were. Her gloves had been stripped and shoved into a pocket of her katinu but otherwise they still were both quite dressed as if they were going to head out into the cold once more. A promise had just been made that she would stay with him, that she would live with him, and yet here she still stood dressed as if she was ready to run away. That thought worried her, bothered her, even.

Her hands slipped away from his again, fingertips trailing against his to hold the contact as long as possible before she gently removed her katinu and placed it on the back of one of the chairs. Each movement she made was deliberately slow as she did so, especially as she finally let the Inarta style coat leave her shoulders as her back faced him. All her other clothing covered her mostly, even her regular laced up work vinati was so closely bound that it practically was solid around her. What she wore now, though? The satin vinati she had purchased at the market had been something she had wanted but never knew when she would actually wear. Around Zhol, of course, but when was the question. Given everything in her mind and all her planning, it seemed proper to now wear the item whose backing was little more than two thin dark green strings that came from where they connected at her shoulders, crossed between her shoulder blades, looped through the rest of the fabric near the base of the front piece and then tied in a small bow that was most certainly lopsided given that Khara couldn't exactly see behind her to make any perfect adjustments.

Timidely, she looked over her shoulder at where Zhol stood, her fingers nervously twisting around the fabric of her katinu as she hadn't quite managed to fully let go of it just yet. Khara wasn't certain what sort of reaction she was hoping for, or expecting, but she wanted to see all the same.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on March 16th, 2015, 1:22 am

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As elated as Zhol had been by her answer, everything changed as that cloak slid from her shoulders. What Khara wore should not have mattered. He firmly believed that her stunning beauty was the same no matter what she wore. Yet, as the fabric slid away and revealed what she was wearing - what she had been wearing this entire evening, without his knowledge - so did every other thought in his mind. He had seen more of Khara than she showed him now; more in the baths; more in this very room even, though that had been a fleeting glimpse a year ago. Those times he had averted his gaze, respected her modesty even if Khara had no particular desire for him to. Inarta culture cared little about such things being seen; but Zhol did, and he would not let himself steal a look until Khara was not only indifferent, but wanted it.

This, though? This was something else. The vinati that Khara wore covered - barely - what Zhol had forbidden himself from seeing, but it left exposed so much that Zhol had never had the thought nor opportunity to look at before. He had never truly seen nor appreciated how graceful and inviting her neck was, how elegant a curve it made as it flowed into her shoulders, how smooth and pristine her skin was. He had never looked at how perfect the shape of her shoulder blades was; how much it seemed as if she had been painstakingly sculpted into a perfect vision of beauty. He had never before felt the urge to follow the line of her collar bone with his lips, nor roam the contours of her back with his fingertips. He had wanted her, in his heart and mind; and yet he had not truly seen, not truly appreciated just how stunning the object of his affection was.

His jaw hung slack, muscles too distracted to function. "My gods," he whispered, so softly, as if he feared this were nothing but a wonderful dream and that talking too loudly might rouse him from it.

"Khara, you look -"

A flicker of a smile, only small because his mind was too overwhelmed to summon a more pronounced expression. "You look more beautiful than anything I have ever seen."

by **Khara** on March 16th, 2015, 2:16 am

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Her hands slowly slipped away from the warm woolen fabric of her katinu and she slowly turned to face him, the smile on her lips barely contained. The teaching Leyla had given her somehow managed to be remembered and her hands clasped behind her back, fingers flicking against one another in rapid order as she took a step forward and back towards Zhol.

"Thank you. Again." Even if her usual physical fidgets were hidden from his view, there was no keeping the hinting of nervousness from her voice and she couldn't bring herself to stop gently grazing her bottom lip with her teeth between each time she spoke. Even the way she looked at him changed, not submissive as she would a normal Avora, but still her head bowed in the slightest and her eyes peered up at him in a shy yet alluring manner. "I just... I wanted tonight to be special."

A breath was taken, air drawn into her lungs that forced her to stand just a bit straighter, just a touch less withdrawn into herself. "Zhol, I... if it's okay with you... I want to... "

She faltered, her explanation that had been rehearsed time and time again quickly taking flight away before it ever even came close to being released for him to hear it. It was infuriating to some extent, a small portion of her dedicated to hating every reason why this was so difficult, what had made it so difficult, who had made it that way. It was silenced by guilt towards feeling any sort of animosity towards anyone, even the person who hurt her and made it so she couldn't do all she wanted with the single person she wanted to.

A breath was taken as she slowly continued her walk back towards Zhol, Khara's hands finally letting go of each other and moving forward as she finally found herself close enough to once more find their rest against him; one to his shoulder and the other to his cheek.

"I mean, only if...if you don't mind... I want to..." Another pause, another bit of uncertainty as to how to phrase things. Her hands drifted away from where she had placed them and found the top button of the shirt he wore and undid it far more deftly than Khara ever would have imagined herself capable of in that moment. "Try."

The word sounded wholly unfulfilling to her; wrong. Another button was undone, her fingertips given the small opportunity to graze against his skin that laid beyond fabric. "I want to be with you."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

Closed Winter to Spring (Khara)