Tal

Getting to know you,
Getting to know all about you.
Getting to like you,
Getting to hope you like me.

Getting to know you,
Putting it my way,
But nicely …
You are precisely …
My cup of tea.

The King and I

I was glad for Pei's company on the way to the first fires. I knew it was just on his way to where he really wanted to go but it was still nice. Distracted me enough that I could walk into the clearing relaxed, laid back, without a care in the world. Tra la la. That so far from the truth it would not even make a good lie.

By the time I got there, the man was coming back from the stream. His hair was still damp and falling in dark rivulets along his shoulders. I was so nervous, I did not even notice ... not then anyway. I must have been shivering the way my back teeth clamped shut and I drew in a long deep breath. I could feel the tremble reach my fingers so I drew the colorful shawl I was wearing tighter in the clutch of my fist against my chest. It only served to make my pulse that much more noticeable, at least to me. I had been prepared to meet some gray green greasy zambeasy monster with yellow teeth, tufts growing from his ears, one ready to eat little girls like me for breakfast and ask what was for dinner. I had come well armed with the ferocity of my ideals, a staunch hold on the virtues of my sensibilities and brandishing my razor sharp wit all wrapped up in a colorful wrapper of soft verr wool.

I struck first with a casual, Wasn’t he cold? He parried easily with a, didn’t I know Tuchuk men never do? While he poured himself a bowl of blackwine, I suddenly wondered was I supposed to get that for him? Oh I so wish I had all the answers, te right things to say, the right things to do … and this wasn’t so nerve wracking. Fonce had told me that perhaps he was as uncertain in all this as I was but to look at him you would never know it. He just sat there banking up the fire, adding more chips and bid me to come closer. Sit and talk with him a while. He said he didn’t bite even promised too but I wasn’t so sure. Retreat, Regroup.Recon. I would get myself some milk and join him at my leisure, telling him I would see if he was a man of his word. Could I have taken any more time in pouring that drink? The man never left my scrutiny but I did ease to a fur where he motioned, settled my bowl next to my side, as an extra weapon if all the others failed me, and held my hands where the heat of the fire could reach them. While the rich reds and ambers mesmerized me he struck without warning .. there it was .. the quiva under all my defenses.

Warmer now?

He talked with another man at the fires as well, asking the how he was. The nerve of him to be all nonchalant like that! When the other admitted he was tired, there was simply something in his tone that had a soothing to it ... it was a way of life around here any more. It sparked a question, did he think that the tired was from the move or was there perhaps a need to do something now that we were in the south to do something that would lift everyone’s spirits? He half did not hear me because he was saying that it reminded him, three days hence would be a time of branding. But he did say that he sort of thought it was both ... body and spirit, that something about the time of year made you all lazy and want to lay back in the grasses, stare up at the sky and daydream.

He had my attention. He had things to say. He had a mind and wasn’t afraid to use it. I was ready to whip out my dagger, carefully crack open the outer shell and go wading all the way up to there and then some. He was inquisitive, sensitive, opinionated, thought provoking. Even when I unsheathed my ideals he said let me have a look at that. Nice, sharp, balanced with that nod of approval even when they weren’t cohesive to what he felt. He was passionate in his own beliefs but not so turgid in them not to hear what someone else might think or feel.

We agreed to agree and disagree and there was very little we disagreed on. We laughed and we nodded. We shook our heads now and then. He grunted. I pfffft.

The night just seemed to fall away beneath us, leaving us suspended there without time or space or worry to interject themselves into the fray. He didn’t even say anything about the streak of milk on the top of my lip. I hurried to wipe it away of course.

He said he had talked to Fonce about talking to me and I said Fonce had talked to me about it too. Just the getting to know each other part, you know. That was about the time he lunged for the final blow. He confided that he had not done this in a really long time ... could I bear with him? I surrendered then and there. I had never done this so who was I to say he was going about it all wrong or even going about it all right? He said how about we just talk about my family and he would tell me about his ... that that would be a good start wouldn’t it?

There was still some fight in me though. I bowed up all Tuchuk female to put in the importance stuff that may have fell by the way side in there, that before all this … I still had to talk to Ubar

But

Yes

That sounded fine.

What I was going to offer Ba'atar of my answer to his request, this man was willing to listen to and he added a task all of his own. It was one I was pretty sure by now I could handle with ease. He shortened the distance between us on that by leaning in to tell me he had never done that before .. sit on the grays or even had any thought of doing so ... so that made us equal.

No fair ... I did not see that one coming.

The conversation flowed from one thing to another; it got close and personal now and then without any discomfort. I was just me and he was just he. We sort of spoke of speaking more in the future all those things that it wasn’t time to speak about but somehow there was just acceptance that we would one day. There were important things and trivial things. We debated heatedly, we laughed and we sighed.

Before we knew it the stars had come out and it was growing late. He walked me to the edge of Mother’s circle of wagons to make sure I was safe then we bid each other rest. I got caught watching him walk away when he turned around to steal a look to see if I was looking. He found that amusing and laughed then went on his way.

I stood there for a moment or two more just watching before Mother called to me. She’d waited up to know how it had all gone. There was all this inward energy swirling around in =vivid colors and washes of emotions and thoughts to make it all just about the nost dizzying experience I had ever had and all I could was smile and tell her was ...

two minds shook hands and said well met.