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Description
“I have never felt so peaceful,” Palla smiled, her eyes closed and face turned into the hazy morning sunlight.
The wind had blown clouds over the sun, but they shifted rapidly. She wrapped her robe tighter around her pyjamas to keep out the worst of the chill, but it was a refreshing cold, she felt. Bracing, combined with her morning tea in hand and the gentle gargling of the river next to her.
Behind her, Michael was providing welcome body heat with his arms around her, but he was far less enthusiastic.
“This isn’t peaceful. It’s unseasonably cool. And the incessant cawing of those crows is an annoyance.”
Palla tilted her head back against his chest and looked up into the crystalline blue of his eyes.
“Can’t you just enjoy nature for a while?”
“I’ve been ‘enjoying’ nature my whole life. It’s cold, dirty, and noisy with creatures of all sorts. Why is there mud everywhere? Why does everything have to be mud?”
She giggled at him and returned her face to the sun.
“I’ve lived in the Realm my whole life. It’s all heat and rock and dust. This is delightfully varied, and colourful. I’d take a little damp and cold over hot and dry any day.”
“Why not hot and damp? A nice long hot bath, mm…” he grinned to himself. “I think that’s the highlight of any day, for me. And I’ll be taking an especially long and hot and peaceful one for my birthday. A little treat to myself from oh-so-generous me.”
“Oh that’s soon, isn’t it?”
Mike’s tail twitched suspiciously.
“Who told you that?”
Palla’s eyes widened, and she was thankful Michael was behind her.
“Jon mentioned it was coming up. He didn’t say anything in particular, but I noted it was soon.”
‘Probably sowing seeds so he could get something off of her,’ Mike suspected sourly. ‘Why hadn’t I thought of that?’
“Well, yes. It’s tomorrow, in fact.”
She rounded on him with her best imitation of shock and surprise.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t make a fuss about my birthday,” he dismissed, “I do like to treat myself, but then again I like to do that anyway,” he winked at her.
She let it go, pleased that she hadn’t given anything about the surprise party away, and settled back into his arms. One hand brought her teacup to her lips while the other traced absentminded patterns on the hands that held her.
“Though it is a good means to get someone to do nice things for you,” he continued for conversations sake, “if you needed a favour done on the day. Sometimes I’ll save up favours when the day is close.”
“That sounds a little manipulative,” she scoffed, but she supposed she should know better than to never suspect Mike was up to something.
He seemed to always be scheming in some way. She enjoyed that small mystery about him. She could see the little wheels turning behind his eyes sometimes. It was almost exciting in those moments to wonder what devious idea was forming in that clever little mind of his. She supposed that sort of thing could put most people off him, but she couldn’t help but respect that kind of intellect.
“I suppose it is,” he grinned at the back of her head.
‘And I wonder what I’ll be asking of you, tomorrow, my dear...’
His smile faded a little. The thought had occurred to him in a flash of brilliance that he could ask for a kiss, and see where he could twist things from there. But whereas he usually viewed these things as a pleasant little game- a game he loved to win by any means- Palla was right; suddenly it seemed manipulative and wrong.
He couldn’t do that to her. Not her.
He was frustrated with himself for going soft on her, for shying away from such lengths when he so wanted her, but perhaps that would sully what he was feeling; perhaps it wouldn’t be fair to call this love if he were willing to exploit her.
Mike forlornly kissed her hair and rested his cheek against her head, embracing her more tightly. She responded by sliding one hand up the arm of his robe, affectionately squeezing the flesh she found there. Her hair smelled so good. If only she were his. But at least in such private little moments, he could pretend.
“Hm, on the other hand,” he sighed dreamily, “Perhaps I’m approaching peaceful after all.”
“Ca’rran’s back.”
“Hm?”
“Ca’rran. He’s back from his flying lesson.”
“Well well,” Jon chuckled as Jamie cleared the treeline behind him. “Look’s like Ca’rran is coming in for his first big landing,” he indicated the sky above them.
‘Don’tcrashdon’tcrashdon’tcrashdon’tcrash!’
The nerves knotted his little bird stomach as Ca’rran attempted to navigate the wind currents towards the ground. Any monkey could fly, he’d heard once, but it takes an expert to land. He was beginning to see the truth in that. Compared to staying in the air, landing so daintily as to not injure himself was extraordinarily difficult. Smacking into the earth would have been much easier, but he didn’t fancy it.
Blain whooshed past him in phoenix form and alighted with ease near the House. The blazing bird turned around to watch him. Actually, he had garnered quite the audience, he realised with another stomach turning flush of embarrassment. Jamie, Jon, Mike, and worst of all, Palla, were gathering near Blain. Another wave of nausea hit him and he wondered if they’d cruelly conspired against him to be here now.

Description
“I have never felt so peaceful,” Palla smiled, her eyes closed and face turned into the hazy morning sunlight.
The wind had blown clouds over the sun, but they shifted rapidly. She wrapped her robe tighter around her pyjamas to keep out the worst of the chill, but it was a refreshing cold, she felt. Bracing, combined with her morning tea in hand and the gentle gargling of the river next to her.
Behind her, Michael was providing welcome body heat with his arms around her, but he was far less enthusiastic.
“This isn’t peaceful. It’s unseasonably cool. And the incessant cawing of those crows is an annoyance.”
Palla tilted her head back against his chest and looked up into the crystalline blue of his eyes.
“Can’t you just enjoy nature for a while?”
“I’ve been ‘enjoying’ nature my whole life. It’s cold, dirty, and noisy with creatures of all sorts. Why is there mud everywhere? Why does everything have to be mud?”
She giggled at him and returned her face to the sun.
“I’ve lived in the Realm my whole life. It’s all heat and rock and dust. This is delightfully varied, and colourful. I’d take a little damp and cold over hot and dry any day.”
“Why not hot and damp? A nice long hot bath, mm…” he grinned to himself. “I think that’s the highlight of any day, for me. And I’ll be taking an especially long and hot and peaceful one for my birthday. A little treat to myself from oh-so-generous me.”
“Oh that’s soon, isn’t it?”
Mike’s tail twitched suspiciously.
“Who told you that?”
Palla’s eyes widened, and she was thankful Michael was behind her.
“Jon mentioned it was coming up. He didn’t say anything in particular, but I noted it was soon.”
‘Probably sowing seeds so he could get something off of her,’ Mike suspected sourly. ‘Why hadn’t I thought of that?’
“Well, yes. It’s tomorrow, in fact.”
She rounded on him with her best imitation of shock and surprise.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t make a fuss about my birthday,” he dismissed, “I do like to treat myself, but then again I like to do that anyway,” he winked at her.
She let it go, pleased that she hadn’t given anything about the surprise party away, and settled back into his arms. One hand brought her teacup to her lips while the other traced absentminded patterns on the hands that held her.
“Though it is a good means to get someone to do nice things for you,” he continued for conversations sake, “if you needed a favour done on the day. Sometimes I’ll save up favours when the day is close.”
“That sounds a little manipulative,” she scoffed, but she supposed she should know better than to never suspect Mike was up to something.
He seemed to always be scheming in some way. She enjoyed that small mystery about him. She could see the little wheels turning behind his eyes sometimes. It was almost exciting in those moments to wonder what devious idea was forming in that clever little mind of his. She supposed that sort of thing could put most people off him, but she couldn’t help but respect that kind of intellect.
“I suppose it is,” he grinned at the back of her head.
‘And I wonder what I’ll be asking of you, tomorrow, my dear...’
His smile faded a little. The thought had occurred to him in a flash of brilliance that he could ask for a kiss, and see where he could twist things from there. But whereas he usually viewed these things as a pleasant little game- a game he loved to win by any means- Palla was right; suddenly it seemed manipulative and wrong.
He couldn’t do that to her. Not her.
He was frustrated with himself for going soft on her, for shying away from such lengths when he so wanted her, but perhaps that would sully what he was feeling; perhaps it wouldn’t be fair to call this love if he were willing to exploit her.
Mike forlornly kissed her hair and rested his cheek against her head, embracing her more tightly. She responded by sliding one hand up the arm of his robe, affectionately squeezing the flesh she found there. Her hair smelled so good. If only she were his. But at least in such private little moments, he could pretend.
“Hm, on the other hand,” he sighed dreamily, “Perhaps I’m approaching peaceful after all.”
“Ca’rran’s back.”
“Hm?”
“Ca’rran. He’s back from his flying lesson.”
“Well well,” Jon chuckled as Jamie cleared the treeline behind him. “Look’s like Ca’rran is coming in for his first big landing,” he indicated the sky above them.
‘Don’tcrashdon’tcrashdon’tcrashdon’tcrash!’
The nerves knotted his little bird stomach as Ca’rran attempted to navigate the wind currents towards the ground. Any monkey could fly, he’d heard once, but it takes an expert to land. He was beginning to see the truth in that. Compared to staying in the air, landing so daintily as to not injure himself was extraordinarily difficult. Smacking into the earth would have been much easier, but he didn’t fancy it.
Blain whooshed past him in phoenix form and alighted with ease near the House. The blazing bird turned around to watch him. Actually, he had garnered quite the audience, he realised with another stomach turning flush of embarrassment. Jamie, Jon, Mike, and worst of all, Palla, were gathering near Blain. Another wave of nausea hit him and he wondered if they’d cruelly conspired against him to be here now.