One Year Older and Wiser, Too (Sam et Dymphna)

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen grinned and poked Sam in the cheek. "D-Dymphna's been here almost f-f-four bells, she said. And I w-woke...woke up because m-m-my tent was cold." That, and he had been excited about his birthday. But he didn't say that He absently played with Sam's hair, watching his lips for the questions he was asking. "C-Come see the sky, Sam. It's s-so pretty today. Th-There...There are a l-lot of colors in it." Denen loved it when the sky looked that way. It was breathtaking, as the saying went.

[Dymphna]

She just kept grinning at Denen. The promise of a beautiful sky would have gotten her out of bed, though she understood the cold making a person wish to linger a little longer under blankets. “Come have breakfast with us, Sam… See the sky,” she said softly, a hand moving to pat his chest. She winked at Denen.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"It's warm now," he reminded them with a squeeze. They both seemed to have a fascination with his hair, which he had been growing out since he arrived in Endrykas late that summer. It was longer than it had been in a long time, curling in a way he wasn't sure he liked, but when it was longer, surely that wouldn't be a problem, or he would braid it back to keep it out of his face while he worked. With a quavery sigh, he sat up. "Dymphna's been here a while. That's why I'm still sleeping," but he was quickly rousing. There was always work to be done. "You could start sleeping in here. The smell of wolf is almost gone." The last was said with a touch of melancholy. Aiken had been a problematic companion, taking advantage of Denen and all, but there had been a bond forming between Sama'el and the kelvic, and they had faced many dangers together. The would-be Ankal dug under his pillow and came out with a closed hand. Taking Denen by the wrist, he pressed the sleep-warmed stone into the other lad's hand. "Joyous birthday, my friend," he said, leaning forward to kiss both cheeks. What he left behind was a small, faceted, teardrop shaped sapphire, warm from being in Sama'el's hand while he slept, and attached to a coil of high tensile, bright blue string with which to wrap hair. "So they know that you ride with me," he said quietly, and took Dymphna's hand, trying to be nonchalant with the people, to be perfectly honest, loved.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen laughed silently at Sam's protests. It was warm. He couldn't deny that, nor the thrill that ran up his spine when Sam squeezed him close. He simply closed his eyes and savored the sensation while it lasted. After a moment, he looked up, admiring Sam's features from where he lay against his arm. He thought Sam's growing hair to be lovely, though he had an admitted fondness for gentle curls. His own hair was a jumbled mess of them. He leaned back as Sam sat up, following the motion and tilting his head to the side. Denen felt his face flush at the realization of what Sam and Dymphna had likely been doing. He managed to hide it, though, by ducking his head for a moment and pretending to be adjusting his scarf. Still, he glanced up in time to catch Sam's invitation. It was a kind thought, but he was well aware of his state when he awoke some mornings. It would likely be worse with the object of his desires snuggled close to him. He bit his lip, seeing the way mentioning wolves brought a touch of sadness to Sam's features. He couldn't hear his tone, but he could see it written in his eyes. Very slowly, he raised his hand and touched his friend's cheek. But moments later, his hand was taken by Sam, and a curious expression crept across his features. At first, he was quiet, wondering at what had been placed in his palm. He kept his fingers curled around the stone, waiting a moment before he opened them. His eyes went wide, and his cheeks burned as Sam leaned in to kiss them. He swallowed hard, and gave a look that quite suggested that he had melted. He opened his fingers, and looked down at the stone. His throat tightened, and he fisted his hand again, pressing it to his heart. "Oh...S-S-Sama'el! It's...It's bea-beautiful!" He beamed up to his friend, and then looked down to his gift. His smile spread from ear to ear, and he wriggled about happily. He sat there a moment, examining this beautiful gift, before he threw his arms around Sam's neck and hugged him tightly. "Th-Thank you," he whispered against his shoulder. It was, honestly, the best present he remembered ever receiving. When he pulled back, his eyes were bright and damp, and he reached up to quickly dry them.

[Dymphna]

Dymphna gave Sam’s hand a little squeeze, her lips curving into a smile as she lay back down lazily. Though, she did blush a little at the mention of her being there, hoping horrible assumptions weren’t being made. Granted, she’d not been doing anything innocent, but… Well. Never mind. Her father hadn’t killed Sam yet. That was a positive thing. “Happy birthday, Denen,” she signed. “My present to you is out with Dara, so we’ll get it as soon as Sam drags himself out of bed. But, of course, her eyes were pathetically starting to close while the two men were distracted with each other. There was plenty of work to be done for her still, too, but she’d already gotten a large chunk of it taken care of.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el smiled despite the wake up call, giving Dymphna's hand a counter-squeeze before being all but bowled over by Denen's enthusiastic affection. He leaned in, gave him a good hug, and then started rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Then, one handed, he began signing to Denen, who didn't seem to want to move away. Well, it was rather cold. "Well, let's go see what Dymphna got you?" He flashed another smile at Dymphna, thinking it would be nice to have two human space heaters in his tent, but wondering at the propriety of it all. He yawned, stretched his arms over his head, back twisting like a sleepy cat. "I'm awake."

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen smiled, a bit bewildered that his birthday had been remembered thus. He certainly hadn't been expecting it, nor had he ever thought the day one to warrant such kindness. He'd received little gifts from Jada and his father in the past, but this was different. These were friends. He hadn't had friends like this before. He watched Sam's hand, beaming, and nodded. Slowly, he rose to his feet, tucking back his hair and grinning from ear to ear. "Th-Thank you...you both," he said quietly. It was scarcely past sunrise, and already he was sure he was having the best day of his life. He offered his long, thin hands to both of them, smiling happily. He knew others might have felt third-wheeled in his shoes, but Denen was simply grateful to have real friends. "You did not have to do anything for my birthday," he informed. But still, he appreciated the thought. It meant more to him than he was able to say.

[Dymphna]

She put her hand in Denen’s, but she just sort of let her body go limp to make things difficult for him instead of standing up. It was a trick she had mastered as a child, and the grinning and giggling that started along with it was part of the game. This resulted in her only using one hand to sign for a moment, too. “Of course we didn’t, Denen, but we wanted to because we love you.” And with that statement made, she beamed as bright as Syna herself before springing up off the ground. She adjusted her coat before sticking her tongue out at them and bustling towards the door. She moved over to Dara, who had been eyeballing Horse possibly like she didn’t trust him (or maybe like she trusted him too much). “Hi, my darling,” she whispered to her Strider, pressing a cheek against her side, before moving to untie the little bag she had tied to her yvas. Once in hand, she spun about to bounce back to the boys.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

One might easily have imagined that the Windrunner was puffing out his chest to impress the Strider; Dohaina, on the other hand, was unimpressed with the proceedings. She whickered a welcome to Sam when his tousled head cleared the tent flap, dragging Denen along behind him. Her greeting made, she began cropping the winter-sered grass. "Good morning, Horse!" he called, and his old friend snorted happily. He certainly liked the pedigree of Cyphrus Striders more than those in Sylira.

[Denen Sunsinger]

Denen gave a falsely aggravated moan as Dymphna went limp. He couldn't help but laugh, however, and tugged playfully on her arm. His smile softened, grateful, as she signed to him. He bit his lower lip, and then laughed outright, happier than he had been in a very long time. "You two don't know how happy you make me." He followed them out. Reth stood with the other horses. He looked up as they appeared, and gave a snort, tossing his head. He was significantly older than the other Strider's and his crazy mane and wizened features spoke of this. He rested his hand on Reth's neck, and then nuzzled into his back as he stood, watching Dymphna. His cheeks flushed, and he smiled up to Sam. "You're going to spoil me," he informed teasingly.