We arrange ourselves in the living room, the firelight casting dancing shadows on the walls. Elga and Jennifer go first, with Jennifer drawing a slip of paper and immediately beginning an elaborate pantomime that involves a lot of flapping and what appears to be pecking motions.
"Bird!" Elga guesses immediately.
Jennifer nods and points to herself, then makes exaggerated kissing motions.
"Lovebird!" Elga cries, and Jennifer beams before leaning over to give her wife a gentle kiss.
My turn comes next, and I draw a slip that makes me groan out loud. Seriously? Caffeinated Squirrel is just mean.
But I gamely launch into what I hope is a convincing portrayal of an overly energetic rodent, complete with twitchy movements and frantic acorn-gathering motions. Darhg watches with growing amusement, his earlier tension completely evaporated. When he finally guesses correctly, his smile is so bright and genuine it takes my breath away.
This is the first time I've seen him truly relaxed since we arrived at the cabin. He looks younger, happier, like the weight he constantly carries has been lifted, even if just temporarily. The transformation is stunning. His tusks shine softly under the low light and his deep brow is softened by the shadows, the corners of his eyes crinkling with tiny wrinkles.
Looking at him too long makes my heart pinch. If I’m not careful, I’m going to end up falling for him.
Oh, who am I kidding? I’m falling, alright. Falling hard.
Then it's Darhg's turn.
He approaches Elga's hat with obvious reluctance, fishing out a piece of paper and reading it with a frown that deepens into something approaching horror.
"Oh, this is perfect," Elga cackles, clearly having planned this moment.
"You will pay for this," Darhg informs her, but there's no real heat in it.
He stands in front of the coffee table, looking like he's seriously considering making a run for it. Then he sighs dramatically and begins his performance.
First, he holds up two fingers.
"Two words!" I call out, getting into the spirit of the game.
He points to himself, then makes a questioning gesture.
"Job?" I guess. "Profession?"
He nods and gives me a thumbs-up, then begins the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life.
Darhg puts his feet together and begins to waddle around the coffee table with his arms at his sides, looking for all the world like an enormous, muscle-bound penguin. The sight of this seven-foot ogre doing penguin impressions is so absurd I can barely contain my laughter.
"Penguin!" I gasp through my giggles.
He gives me another thumbs-up, then repeats the penguin waddle but this time flexes his considerable muscles while doing it.
"Strong penguin?" I guess. "Muscular penguin?"
He shakes his head, still waddling. Still flexing. My brain goes on a merry-go-round as I try to figure it out.
"Penguin trainer? Penguin… bodybuilder?"
His face lights up as he points at me enthusiastically.
"Penguin bodybuilder!" I shout, and he throws his hands up in victory.
The entire room erupts in laughter, and for a moment, everything is perfect. This is Darhg as he truly is. Playful, warm, completely at ease with himself and the people he cares about. It's devastating how attractive he is like this, how much I want to see this side of him all the time.
Too soon, Elga and Jennifer are gathering their coats and preparing to leave.
"We should head home," Jennifer says reluctantly. "It's getting late, and the roads will be getting icy."
