She had told him to try. She had left him thinking, wondering, believing. So many things had been racing through his head, so many self-doubts that he could do this. She didn’t deserve him. Despite the fact that they had more combined baggage than the undercarriage of a cargo ship, Rhone felt bad about potentially dragging another soul down that path, a path he wasn’t sure he could go down. Sure, he could play the part, taking her on date after date, letting her love him, and saying all the right things. But none of that would be real. Rhone wasn’t sure how real he could get with her, so it had taken him time since their last meeting.
But in the end, he owed it to her and to himself to really try.
He might be scared and he recognized that that the butterflies he felt in his stomach were a mixture of nerves and excitement. While he didn’t think it was the best course of action, there was still a part of his heart that yearned to feel those feelings of love and affection again. Was Luvena the girl for him? He would never know unless he tried.
A letter was sent to Denocte, a letter for only her eyes to read.
Luvena,
Come to Terminus Sea on the day of the next full moon at sunset.
-R
Someone wise had told him that the sunset was far more beautiful than the sunrise, something he always watched in Terrastella. He supposed now was good a time as any to view it.
On the day of the full moon, Rhone had set out early. He had work to do in making this date memorable. By the time the sun was just beginning to set, Rhone had prepared a beautiful landscape filled with wildflowers of every species. Cherry blossoms, like the tattoo on his hip, sprouted from the ground and rained petals on the area before him. Weeping willows surrounded the small intimate setting, their tendrils waving in the winds of the sea, beckoning her to follow them.
This setting was just on the edge of the beach and there was very little divider from the fallen cherry blossom petals to the start of the sandy beaches. His headache was still aching, a side effect of using his magic to create such a beautiful intimate place. All around him was lanterns strung between branches to offer some soft light. She did not like fire, so he had to think of some way to ensure they had adequate light in this setting. Blankets and rugs created a pallet softer than a mattress and was decorated with pillows and cushions befitting a king.
And it was here that he waited for her. Eyes looking out at the beginnings of the sunset, the colors started to give way into reds and oranges.
The stars are alive, child! Did you know that? Everything out there is alive, and there are grand purpose abroad!
I had been awoken early one morning. One of the young monks fluttering nervously around my door. "come in then" I invited gently, standing up from the mossy bed. He had come to deliver a letter, which was strange. I wasn't sure I'd ever received one. I nearly wept with joy when I read it's contents. He was going to try. He was trying, and that alone was enough. I waited for the full moon with baited breath, and when it came I prepared.
Picoro wove my mane into a long cascading braid, weaving in lavender and thyme every few strands, and then doing my tail to match. I had one of the healers rub oil's onto my pelt, to give it a false sheen, and hide it's dullness. I hadn't done so much in a long time, not since I'd ruled crucis. Though I tried to keep my hopes low, I was buzzing with excitement.
Because I was well, and because it was nice, I decided for the first time to go down without a guide, to test Yara and Mithra, to see if they'd come far enough to help me themselves now. "Steady" I commanded them, a tremble in my voice, as we started the descent. There were a few rocky moments, where Mithra tried to dart off after birds on the cliffside. But, we made it down without any major stumbles. They were both heavily praised at the bottom, and even Picoro seemed to hold a glimmer of pride for them.
We made our way towards the sea as quickly as I could manage, fearing we would be late. The sun was sinking dangerously close to the horizon. But soon I could see the sea before me, hear the waves crashing upon the shore. and... Willow trees. That didn't belong there. |I stopped in my tracks for a moment, blinking slowly in confusion, before making my way towards them. I ducked slowly under hanging branches.
I looked up to see a beautiful scene set out. Flowers scattered all over, pelts and rugs fit for royalty laid over the sand. and Rhone right in the middle of it. I'd be lying if I said the journey down the mountain, and to the sea hadn't been tiring, and so I didn't wait to settle into the soft pelts underfoot, while the girls wasted no time running off into the surf. "Rhone I...." I stopped, still breathtaken by his efforts. "This is beautiful. How did you have time to do all this?"
Eyes stayed fixed on the ocean, watching the waves crash against the sand while the sun began to paint the horizon in beautiful shades of red and orange. He knew it was getting dangerously close to sunset and for a moment, he wondered if Luvena would join him tonight. He wanted to hope that she got the letter, that she was excited he was willing to try. He knew he couldn’t promise her everything, but he could at least give her the chance.
Suddenly, a sound catches his attention and ears stand at attention. Eyes leave the sight of the setting sun and turn towards where a figure is beginning to make their way through the branches of the willow tree. Soon, he can see that it is Luvena. He offers her a smile, watching as she comes to take a sit near him.
For the first time in a long time, Rhone is nervous. He had spent so much effort trying to make this small little place romantic and beautiful. What if she didn’t like it? Normally he didn’t care if someone appreciated his plants, but this was the first time in a long time he hoped his efforts were not in vain.
As she settled into the pillows (propped up by mounds of sand and grass), he offered her a soft smile. And then she spoke, sounding almost speechless. For a split second, he wondered if she it was a good thing, or a bad thing. But when she continued, complimenting the beauty of the lover’s oasis, he beamed. "I have been living here the last week or so. It’s taken me that long to grow these mature trees. I would nurture them as often as I could in hopes that they might be ready for tonight." While his magic was powerful, it was not as powerful as he had hoped. At one point in his life, he had been able to erect mountains in a day. Here, it seemed like creating one tree took him weeks of near constant work. Thankfully, his magic was improving and he was able to create them much faster.
Using his telekensis powers, he lifted a small tray of cheeses and fruits, sending them her direction so she might snack. If he had traveled all this way, he would be tired and in need of respite too. "I trust your journey was uneventful?" While this was so far out of the way of both their courts, it seemed the most logical place to meet, at least this time.
His eyes scanned over her, noting the unusual sheen to her coat. Clearly something had been added to it. While she didn’t need to doll up for him, he appreciated the effort. It added to the natural beauty of the lavender and thyme that weaned into her mane and tail. She smelled heavenly. "You look beautiful tonight…" He offered her a smile before he continued. "And you smell wonderful.” He had always liked the smell of lavender. It was calming and even tonight, it helped to ease his nerves a little bit.
The stars are alive, child! Did you know that? Everything out there is alive, and there are grand purpose abroad!
I had to admit I was a bit bewildered, that he had spent that long on it, that he had sat here for a week, just for me, to be the only one to appreciate it. and surely he'd have to spend time too taking it down after, it was extraordinary. The girls however though nothing of the spectacle, and the moment I layed down they took off into the surf, nipping at each other heels as they tumbled in. Picoro wasted no time clambering into the bending branches, as always glad for the comfort of the trees, one we often missed in the mountains.
"Uneventful enough" i replied with a smile, "I had the girls take me down, without a guide for the first time, they did well. thank goodness because if I had to trouble an acolyte one more time I think I would have fled right out of there" Truly, I had been growing frustrated with constantly asking someone to take me, because I couldn't trust myself to get down without falling to my death. I hated it, the dependence. Casting the thought aside I plucked a grape from his platter.
If equines could blush I would be. I hadn't made such an effort in a long time, mainly because it wasn't practical, when you didn't have a lady maid waiting on you. Not that I wished for that to be the case again. "Thank you, you are as handsome as always."
Still some sort of tension hung in the air, I hadn't forgotten last time how I'd told him about my years left, and he'd said there was something to be done.. and how when I'd reiterated he'd said nothing at all. I wasn't going to bring it up this early in the night at least. I wanted to enjoy it, just for a little while. "I suppose I'll have to top this for the next one hm? Figure out some non-magical setting even more dramatic then this"
While Rhone didn’t pretend to know why she needed the help of a guide, he certainly did not ask the question. He had not lived in Denocte or toured their mountains. He did not pretend as if he knew the dangers that lingered I the corners of Denocte. He knew Terrastella like the back of his hand. While he had been other places in Novus, he hadn’t spent much time in Denocte. Sure, he’d been there for a festival or two, but never spent enough time there to really learn the layout of the land.
So instead, he offered her a soft and tender smile. "I’m sure they don’t mind helping. But at least I’m happy you made it down safely." He wasn’t sure what he would feel like if she had hurt herself trying to get to him. While he had promised her that he would try to make the relationship work, he could not say with any certainty that he loved her but he almost certainly would be crushed if she were to get injured or died.
At her compliment, he looked down at the sand. He did not cover himself with oils or put herbs in his hair. He didn’t have a bonded like she did. "I’m afraid I have no one to help me so I cannot make myself nearly as presentable as you are." Some days he wondered what it would be like to have someone to talk to all the time. Perhaps it was good that he didn’t have anyone. He couldn’t let them down if they didn’t exists. And having one just to put lavender in his hair was such a waste. If he was to have a bonded, it would have to mean something more than just a friend to him.
He let the conversation end there, not feeling like unloading his inadequacies on her. It didn’t seem right. He was happy she had her bonded and her pets. She had constant company and she deserved every moment of that. He was happy for her.
Thoughts were interrupted when she began to speak, talking about how she needed to find another place more dramatic than this for their next outing. "You don’t have to do that. I am a simple man with simple tastes. I don’t require extravagance." She did not have to do anything special. He just wanted this first date to be special, to show her that he was trying. He wanted her to feel that he was trying. He doubted he could keep topping this, so he had already told himself he wouldn’t try. Hopefully, when she realized the next date was less extravagant, she might not be too upset. Perhaps she would just know he was trying to be there for her, even if it didn’t involve create a grove right here where the sand bet the grass.
He began to float some of the apples and carrots his way, letting them plop into his mouth where he chewed them quietly. "Tell me about your friends." He motioned to the canines who played happily in the ocean. He hadn’t seen them before, but he knew they must be important to her. And if they were important to her, then they needed to be talked about.
Sometimes she wondered if she could really see the questions turning in his mind, or if she was just overthinking it all. “They don’t” she murmured dipping her head down. “I just don’t like having to ask” She smiled as she remarked not being able to be rendered handsome by the hands of others. “You have no need of it” she retorted playfully, “And you certainly shouldn’t get used to this by any means” she laughed. As much as she loved having her hair woven into intricate braid, and having her coat gleam under the sunlight, the time it took was energy best spent elsewhere. Energy for her was in limited supply, and high demand.
“And you didn’t have to do this, but you still did” she quipped back, plucking another grape from the platter. She looked back over to the girls as he asked, both of them now looking like wet mops, drifting about in the surf. “I found them in the mountains, just after our last meeting. They’re still young, I think about seven months now, but growing fast. Yara is quiet, less adventurous than her sister. She stays by my side more often than not. Mithra is far more independent, and it’s all I can do to keep her from running ahead. It’s… not like a companion, I don’t hear their thoughts or feel their feelings… But I love them all the same. It’s different though, they take training, and work. I’ve been teaching them to steady, to take some of my weight, especially going down the mountain pass.” She looked back to Rhone. “They make good company, even if they don’t talk”
As if on cue Picoro piped up at her from the willows “They shed an awful lot, and they’ll stink to the high heavens when they come out of that ocean” grumpy as always, the sloth climbed his way back up into the leaves.
“ Rhone I… if this is going to happen, at all… even casually… we do have to talk”
Sure, he didn’t have to make an entire forest of cherry blossom trees and weeping willows, and yet…he did. He did it for her. He wanted their first “date” to be magical and unforgettable. He couldn’t say he had ever really “dated” in the sense that he took his romantic interest on outings or activities. He usually just got to know them sitting around a fire or walking along a mountain trail. But things here in Novus were always new and different and so, he figured he would try to do something that might fit the extravagance of Novus.
He listened quietly as she began to talk about her companions. He was a little envious of her bond with them, even if they weren’t bonded to her as Picoro was. Perhaps one day he would stumble on a small pup and be able to have that bond with man’s best friend that Luvena had with her girls.
It was Picoro’s comment that had him laughing lightly, watching as the Sloth ascended up into the treetops. "They sound like great company! I’m sure it helps starve off loneliness." Rhone knew how lonely it could be without someone there to talk to. While he had many friends, it was in the stillness of the night as he tried to rest beneath the stars that he felt the most alone. Perhaps one day he too would get a bonded or a companion. Perhaps, even, he would have someone else at his side to help him drift off into dreamland with.
It was her next words that seemed to catch him slightly off guard. Talk? Was that not what they were doing? "I’m afraid I don’t understand…I thought we were. I’m trying to get to know the things that matter most to you…" Did her puppies not matter as much as he thought? Suddenly he felt insecure. He shifted in his seat as he took another bite of apple to try and calm the nervousness that coursed through him. Had it made a mistake? What did she want from him?
