Gifts

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 28th December 2005

Characters: Thalia, Penryn
Description: Thalia brings Penryn a present inspired by their conversation earlier that day
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 9, day 1 of Turn 3

Later that evening, Thalia knocked at Penryn's office door, confident that he'd be in. It was past supper and the Steward never seemed to do anything _but_ hole himself up in his office in the evenings. "Come in," Penryn called, expecting it to be someone from the kitchen to collect his tray. He was rather surprised to see Lady Thalia.

"I won't be long," the former Lady Holder said, slipping inside and shutting the door behind herself. She grinned at the Steward and hid her hands behind her back. "Something you said earlier today got me thinking..."

"Oh?" He was curious what part of their conversation could have warranted a late evening visit.

Thalia nodded and walked over to his desk, her skirts swishing around her ankles like waves. "So I brought you a little gift. But you have to close your eyes!"

His lips curled into a slight smile despite himself as he obeyed and held out his hand. Her fingers lightly brushed his skin as she deposited something hard, but light in his cupped palm.

"All right - you can open your eyes!"

Penryn opened his eyes to find a perfect conical seashell resting in the palm on his hand, pink and cream colored and almost iridescent in the light. He turned it over in his hands before glancing up at her.
"It's... I don't know what to say, Lady. It's beautiful."

Thalia grinned and perched on the edge of his desk, moving aside a pile of hides to make room for herself. "You could start with 'thank you'. I have a whole box of them so I thought I should be able to spare a few. Hold it up to your ear!"

He had heard that when one held certain seashells to their ear they could hear the sound of the ocean. Penryn smiled self-consciously as he held the shell to his ear. "Is this really what the sea sounds like?"

She nodded. "It's more an echo of the ocean than what the ocean actually sounds like. I don't know why the sound gets trapped inside seashells. Maybe they miss the sea."

"That's a beautiful explanation. Very poetic," he smiled as he pulled the shell away from his ear to turn it over in his hands. "So when you miss the sea you can hear it too."

"I guess so." Thalia felt herself grow hot at the complement and glanced shyly at her dangling toes. Sitting on the Steward's desk...
she _had_ changed since she'd left Eastern Point to marry Aswic.
**Poor Aswic...** Somehow things hadn't turned out the way she'd dreamed... none of it had. "Anyway, since you've never seen the sea, I thought that a seashell might be the next best thing."

"I have to admit, I'm surprised that you would remember." After all, he was _just_ a steward, and a young one at that. He wondered why a Lady of the blood would pay such careful attention to him. And yet he could see it in her eyes sometimes. She was lonely. It was a familiar look. He saw it every time he looked into his own eyes in the mirror. But there was no loneliness now in either pair now, just gentle smiles. It was so much nicer than solitude. "You have been most kind to me. Thank you Lady Thalia."

She waved his words away with a studied gesture. "Think nothing of it. I was thoughtless earlier today, and since I cannot bring the sea to you, I thought that the very least I could do was bring a bit of beach. I'm glad that you like it."

"I wish there was something I could give you in return."

"You've been nothing but patient with me, when I'm sure that I've been nothing but an inconvenience for you." She slipped off the edge of his desk and stood across from him, with the expanse of wood and hides between them. "Just as I am inconveniencing you now, when you're trying to work."

Penryn felt a twinge of guilt. There had been a time when her visits had been an inconvenience. He wasn't even sure when that changed, but it had. "You're welcome to visit me any time, Lady Thalia."

"Thank you. Perhaps I shall take you up on your offer - another day.
She smiled and headed for the door, but when her hand rested on the knob she turned. "I hope that your evening is- productive?"
Productive. It wasn't what she wanted to say, but Penryn always seemed as if he'd appreciate 'productive' over other things.

Productive was a rather odd choice of words, Penryn thought. But he smiled and gave her a polite bow as she left, still cradling the seashell in his hand.

Last updated on the December 29th 2005

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Gifts