Clear Intentions

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 15th April 2006

Characters: Daigoro, Cinale
Description: Daigoro proposes to Cinale
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 11, day 4 of Turn 3

Cinale

Daigoro pulled his filthy tunic over his head and laid it neatly across the work bench. He had pulled the barrel over as close the fire as possible before filling it with water, but still it was not enough to take chill out of the morning air. The Hallsecond stood and stared into the dark water a moment, dreading the inevitable sting. It seemed rather silly in that moment that he would be concerned with being clean. He was just going to be dirty again in a couple candlemarks anyway. And it wasn't as if he had any sweetsand on hand. But it just sounded so appealing. Until he stood with his shirt off facing the icy cold water.

One... two... two... two... three! He dunked his head into the small barrel as far as he could until his shoulders got stuck on the rim. With a roar he pulled his head out, a spray of water shooting off his grizzled hair. "Shards!" he screamed as icy water trickled down his back.

It was the roaring scream that made her sprint down the last stretch of the corridor to get to his workroom. Cinale burst inside, her blue eyes wide and glazed with slight panic as she immediately assessed the situation - the situation being, of course, a dripping, half-naked man and a barrel of sloshing water.

Certainly not a dire emergency. Well, not exactly.

Embarrassed that she'd run in on him in such a state, heat flooded Cinale's cheeks until she thought her whole face was afire, but she found she couldn't drag her gaze away from his face. "You _scared_ the living daylights out of me, Daigoro!"

"Sorry," he gasped. "It's just... a little... cold..." The Hallsecond wiped his head back and forth, spraying water in all directions like a stray feline. A slight shiver still ran down his spine as he dipped his arms into the cold clear water and began furiously rubbing, trying to wash off the dirt and grime as his feet bounced up and down. They were fighting the urge to run back for the towel and his tunic and the warmth of the fire - anywhere but next to the barrel with its sharding coldwater!

"A _little_ cold? For Faranth's sake, hon, you sound as though you fell through a hole in the ice!"

"I almost feel like it," Daigoro hissed through clenched teeth. He dare not unclench them lest they begin to chatter in a very unmanly way.

"Well, why didn't you warm the water more by the fire, hmm? Surely after nearly living in the kitchens and watching me putter, you'd know how!" Her laughing, flustered tone was half-serious, half-teasing as she strode forward, averting her eyes from him as she went to grab his towel.

"I didn't want to waste the time. The dragons will be coming soon." He splashed his face one more time and turned to face her, his arms and chest pink from the cold refreshing water.

She held out the towel to him, the look in her eyes dimming a little as he mentioned the dragons. "Here you are, love."

"Thank you," he said as he took the towel from her fingers. Daigoro wasn't surprised at the change in her beautiful blue eyes. He also wasn't happy about their impending separation. His finger traced her cheek softly. "It shouldn't be too long, Cinale. The time will pass before you know it."

Looking down, she leaned into his caress. "Will it?"

He wrapped his thick fingers under her chin and tilted her face up to look at him. "It will, love. But I will miss you terribly. This place will be empty and cold without you here to light it up for me."

Swallowing thickly, she came closer, perhaps a bit tentatively, until she was lightly pressed against him, her cheek resting on chest, skin to skin.

Her warm skin felt like fire against his cold skin. His fingers curled into her soft hair. He kissed the top of her head gently. "I don't want you to go either. But we'll be together again soon. And you can make a home for us there. Of course, at first I will have to live in the Hallsecond's quarters, and you will have your own. But, in the spring we can be together and make a real home. Just remember that and the time will pass."

It took her a long moment to remember how to breathe. But when she finally did, Cinale pulled back just enough so she could meet his eyes, her own clear and full of longing and hope. "Is that a proposal?" she asked him softly, her voice nearly breathless.

"No..." he said, his forehead furrowed in confusion. "But have you been waiting for one? Do you... do you need one?"

She blinked. _Need_ one? "But you never said - never told me... I just assumed - I never... I thought..."

He pulled back and took her hands in his, trying to figure out just where the source of this misunderstanding was coming from. "But I told you that I do love you."

Blushing bright red, she nodded, searching his eyes, feeling so sharding foolish for stammering like that. "And I love you too." She raised one of his hands, gently brushing her cheek against it. "But we never...talked about...it before. Together."

Daigoro frowned slightly as his fingers brushed against her soft skin. Just what kind of man did she take him for? "But... Of course, I want to marry you, girl. I'm not so base a man that I would trifle with your feelings. When I say I love you I mean it. I love you and I will love no one else."

Her throat tightened as she gazed up at him. "I don't know what I was thinking, Daigoro," she whispered, her fingers tightening around his. "But I love you. I love you so much."

"I'm so sorry, Cinale. I thought you understood that..." Shards, what an idiot he had turned out to be for _that_ assumption. He took a step back, but still held her hands firmly in his. Daigoro knew he looked terrible, that they were surrounded by chaos and despair, and that their entire worlds had just been turned upside down, but he couldn't let her go ahead to Amber Hills without making his intentions perfectly clear. "Cinale," he said, looking deeply into her blue eyes, "I love you and I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"

Her smile, which seemed like it had been absent from her for so long until now, lit her whole face, chasing away any lingering shadows of sadness. "Yes. Yes, Daigoro, I will marry you. I will be your wife."

He picked her up in his big strong arms and kissed her soundly. At that moment Daigoro didn't care that he was half-wet and shirtless, or that they were standing in the middle of a half-crumbled building. It was all forgotten. All he could see was that smile, and all he could think about was how he wanted to see that smile every day for the rest of his life.

Last updated on the April 18th 2006

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