"No, I agree," I assured him. "I also think Zasen's a paranoid fucker sometimes. I'm just an insensitive ass." And I grinned, making it clear that wasmostlya joke - and a little self-awareness. "But do you think Sylis would feel a little more confident experimenting in this new culture around him if he had, I dunno, friends to watch his back? A few, and if they happened to rein each other in as well..."
"Just like Meri," Omden said, nodding to show he was keeping up. "Okay. I won't rule out your kestrel, but you can't rule out the sparrow. Deal?"
"Cross my heart," I told him, making a little X over my chest. "And Ommy? I actually like the idea of you having someone. I mean, you definitely deserve it."
"I deserve you," he said. "I managed to catch a hunk of a man with a heart just as big as his muscles."
"Dick," I corrected. "You were supposed to compare that to my dick size, Om."
"Nah. I was trying to say you have abigheart, Droz."
I caught his legs with one arm and shoved in, heaving him over my shoulder. "Asshole!" I laughed. "Now you're going to pay for it."
And he didn't try to break free. His tail hooked around my back, his arms grasped at me, and the love of my life laughed in a way I couldn't get enough of.
Sixty-Three
Meri
I'd headed over to Lessa's early that morning, wanting to get a few more outfits made that fit. I also knew her orders were backing up, but I figured we could do both. Drozel and Omden were home today, so I didn't need to wait for Sylis to wake up, and that man deserved to rest as long as his body needed. I understood that a little better now since I'd had to recover from surgery.
But around midmorning, Drozel had come over to borrow a razor. I'd asked why, and Lessa had tried to explain shaving to me - which made me laugh. Gideon had shaved! I'd only wondered if he'd needed it for his face, a task, or something else. When I explained that, she'd groaned, feeling foolish, but I thought it was sweet.
The way this woman was always ready to break down anything I didn't understand, and do it in a way which didn't make me ashamed of asking? It was one of the things I liked most about her. Then again, what I liked about her was a long list that started with her taste in clothes and ended with the gentle way she traced her fingertips along my shoulders as I worked.
"So," she said when I finished the last seam on my new pants, "are you hungry yet?"
"Starving," I admitted. "Sylis is probably ready for something a bit heartier than soup too."
But she made a face. "Let Omden cook for him. I want to go to the cafe."
"Why?"
"Because you and I are going on a date," she said. "We're going to let someone else worry about cooking and bringing drinks so we can talk about everything. I mean, if you're interested?"
The moment she said the word date, a smile had taken over. I didn't really know what a "date" consisted of, but I knew it was a part of "dating," and that meant more than just friends. This? It felt like a chance to figure a few things out, and I decided I was ready.Morethan ready!
It didn't take long to clean up our mess and get our things together. Then, as we headed to the door, Lessa reached back with her hand, the offer obvious. Without hesitation, I accepted, smiling again when she laced her fingers with mine in a way that felt very different from how Ayla and Callah ever had.
She didn't let go the whole time we walked. She did point at things like a new selection of fabric in the market as we passed. I asked about the leaves on the trees, and why they looked different. That led to an explanation of the seasons, and it seemed this one was called fall because it was when the leaves fell from the trees. In the compound, we'd called it autumn, and I'd always wondered what exactly that meant.
And the cafe was nothing at all like a dining hall. Brielle and Jeera had tried to compare them once, and now every time we came here, I couldn't help but notice the differences. The biggest one being the way people greeted us when we walked in.
"Find a place, Les!" a man called out.
"Thanks, Ulrik!" she yelled back, towing me to a set of chairs under one of the raised windows.
I took one side, she claimed the other, and the man made his way over only seconds later. "What can I get you ladies?" he asked. Then he smiled at me. "Meri, right? The Phoenix's friend? You've been here before?"
"Once," I said.
He nodded. "Good to know. Rymar's still down at the Reaper's, so the specials are the same as last week." And he gestured to a piece of wall that looked different from the rest and had writing on it.
"I don't know what that means," I told Lessa.
"Well," she said, pointing, "those are the food choices they have this time. Do you have a taste for anything special?"
"Maybe something new?" I suggested. "I don't know what that would be, though."
