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 Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2024 3:41 pm
Elka 1 The Zenan lady was an odd sight standing on the edge of the grassy hill that bordered the sandy shoreline of the ocean. A small group of burly Matori men stood before her, all at her attention while she issued out orders to them, pointing in all directions around her with one finger, the other hand resting comfortably on her hip. If they thought it strange to be ordered about by an Ice woman, clearly so far from a home that was the complete opposite to their own climate, let alone one with the status to be living in this large manor house, they didn't voice it. At least not where she would hear them. Though it wasn't the first thought most of them had. Who would want to remain their entire life up in the constant cold, anyway, if you had the money available to you to go somewhere else? They surely couldn't imagine going to Zena, even for a visit. They didn't blame her one bit for moving down here.
Elka watched the men work with a critical eye, ever quick to snap at one to move that bench closer to the side of the house or to that one who had started digging a hole for a flower bush in a different spot than she had told him to. They didn't argue back. Veterans at this by now, they were used to pushy employers.
"Careful with that! That cost more than I'm paying you!"
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2024 5:25 pm
Kayde 1 While this was going on, a man who blended in more with their surroundings stood nearby, arms crossed over his chest. An amused smile played across his lips as he took in the scene around him, the mad scramble of one mover when the woman shouted at him as he was about to put something down in the wrong place. Kayde's part in all this was rather simple. He stood back and let his wife make most of the decisions. It might have been a cliche thing to do, but he didn't have an eye for decorating. Not in the slightest. There hadn't been many opportunities for him to even practice one. He started life living in a large room with many other boys. The only space he owned had been his bed and the table beside it for his clothes and whatever small possessions he had. The cart he called home with the traveling trope had potential to show off his own style, but most of his days there were spent outside either practicing or helping the others. When he wasn't performing, of course. Than there was the boarding house in Jauhar until he was able to move to Matori. By than, he was living with Elka, who had taken over the layout of the house. It wasn't as if he cared very much. He was happy in whatever environment he was in. He would gladly step aside to allow her to make her home as comfortable to herself as she wanted. It brought a smile to his face to see her happy.
He walked up to her now and laid a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Why don't we leave them to it and go down to the beach? I think they've had plenty of instructions to finish the job for today."
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2024 2:33 pm
Elka 2 So distracted was she by the group of men moving around elegantly carved benches, potted plants, and the few statues that had been delivered that day, Elka had forgotten the existence of Kayde just a few feet away. When a hand suddenly descended onto her shoulder, she gave a little jump, looking back at whoever it was with widened golden eyes. Seeing who it was, they narrowed. "You startled me."
"Clearly."
That earned him a sharper look, which only resulted in getting a laugh out of him. She turned back to the men, but stepped aside and back so she was standing next to the Leaf. "Why should I leave?" she answered, none too quietly. "Something might happen in my absence."
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2024 3:04 pm
Kayde 2 "Yes," he answered with a smile, turning his head slightly to look at her, watching as her eyes continued to follow the men around. "I know. I know. You want this to be perfect." By way of answering, she gave a nod, her attention clearly not as much on him as on the Matori. It would really do her good to get away from this, even for just a half hour. "Look, come with me for a bit. Give yourself a break. They got this. And if they don't, you wont be very far away." He indicated the beach with the motion of his head, tugging gently on her hand.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2024 4:43 pm
Elka 3 If Kayde thought she was only giving him a little bit of her attention, well...He'd be correct. It was difficult to take her eyes off the Matori men. Or not to shout out more orders when one went off from the path she had in mind for the garden to take. Benches and hedges and a beautiful fountain in the middle of a stone path. Flowering bushes behind the benches. Statues along the entrance to this haven of beauty sitting in her mind. If she could do this herself, she would. But she would never carry any of these things in by herself. Or even help someone else do it. Her body was built for dancing, not for lifting.
Kayde, on the other hand, was built a little for lifting. Depending on how mean she felt to herself that day. She turned and studied him a moment, before realizing he was talking and pulling at her. She debated arguing back, but sighed instead. What was the point. He wouldn't stop until he got his way, stubborn man that he was. So, reluctantly, she turned her back on the workers and followed him. At the edge of the sand, she stopped long enough to unbuckle her heeled sandals, tossing them on the ground.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2024 6:18 pm
Kayde 3 Silence was his answer and Kayde was fine with that. He could see her weighing the options out in her head, even see in her eyes how much she wanted to say just one more thing to the workers before following him. It made him almost chuckle. Some people might find it over-bearing. Even controlling. He found it somewhat endearing. He saw in it her love. This wasn't just a space for her. This was a space for all of them and she was ensuring that it fit the standard. He knew she wasn't a very social person. She enjoyed her solitude far more than he did, which was surprising. Surely as a child growing up in a rich household and having to attend so many events, she would be the opposite. Perhaps that was the problem.
The man stood back from her to give her room to remove her sandals and step onto the hot sand. He followed her example, placing his own shoes beside hers. "Doesn't that feel better already?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 7:14 pm
Elka 4 She had to admit, as she wiggled her bare toes into the soft sand, that she did feel a little bit better. The sounds of the working was still behind her, still easily in hearing distance. But the feel of the earth and the sound of the ocean was enough to distract the Zenan somewhat from the renovations. Especially when she closed her eyes.
"Fine. I'll give you that." Opening her golden eyes, Elka focused on the waves for a moment, trying to further ignore the sounds of movement behind her as the men did what she assumed to be bringing in the last statue she wanted. They weren't huge by any means. Around the average height of an Earthling. Which was to say taller than herself and shorter than Kayde. Anything larger would have looked too imposing and anything smaller too insignificant. She couldn't wait until she could start working on that ugly window in the front. At least that faced the back of the manor and this garden would face the side, with the hedges open on one side so anyone could sit on a bench and look at the water. "I am glad we moved here. I couldn't have done this in Jauhar."
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2024 7:26 pm
Kayde 4 Kayde watched nothing but the woman before him, a smile stuck on his face. It was joy to see the tension slowly leaving her face, to be replaced with a calmness he hoped she felt all throughout her entire body. He debated urging her further towards the water, to entice her to enter it with a little bit of lift practice. Though he knew she wouldn't want to do that with the group of men nearby close enough to watch them. On the stage was one thing. Practicing in the safety of their own home, where they had purposely chosen one for privacy, was quite another thing.
"Still don't miss it at all, do you?" he chuckled, reaching out to push back a stray strand of her deep blue hair.
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 5:19 pm
Elka 5 Elka's head whipped around so fast, her face almost collided with Kayde's hand before he was quick enough to pull it back. "Of course not!" she answered with passion. Seeing his hand hovering between them, she gave herself a little shake and looked back out over the ocean, smoothing down the thin skirt of her dress to keep her hands occupied. "No, I have no wish to go back there. The forest is so dull in comparison to the sea and the beach." She spread her hands wide, taking in the whole scene of the day before her. "If I want some nature, all I had were the dangerous woods. I never knew if something was going to drop down from the canopy." She gave a shiver at the thought. Especially those crystal spiders. That was the only thing she missed about Zena. The lack of bugs. Turning back to him, her voice softer, she asked, "Do you ever regret it?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 5:30 pm
Kayde 5 Maybe he should have expected that sort of a reaction. She never liked to talk about Jauhar or even to remember her time there. Understandably. It hadn't been a good time of her life. For him, it had just been different, setting down in one place instead of waiting for the time when the carts would move onto the next city to perform at.
Reaching back out towards her, Kayde gently caressed one cheek, before taking one of her hands in both of his and giving it a kiss on the back. "Never. And I do still get to travel around, if I wish to. I don't mind not going too far from home."
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 5:45 pm
Elka 6 "I'm glad you don't." The peaceful nature of the shoreline, with the small breeze of salt-heavy air around her, was enough to calm Elka's nerves from directing the workers around for most of the morning. But Kayde's words and presence had a much stronger affect. And than there was his touch and kiss, sending shivers down her arm, all the way to her toes where they were cooling underneath the sand. She all but forgot what was going on behind her. Even when there was a loud scrapping noise, she didn't turn. Instead, she looked over at her husband, placing her other hand over his. "I was thinking about something. There's something that this manor should have to really make it a true home."
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Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 5:55 pm
Kayde 6 "Of course I don't," the Leaf reassured her, patting their little group of hands with his one free one. He began to feel a bit self-conscious about the way they were standing together like that, practically staring into each other's eyes, so before he gave her an answer, or even thought about it, he let go to fold his hands behind his back to once more survey the ocean. Little boats could be visible on the horizon, the small shapes of people fishing or diving around or on them. Public displays of affection were not something he had ever been comfortable with. To Elka, it was fine to show ones affection out where strangers could see it. And there were one too many of those strangers right behind them. "What does it need?" he asked, playing along with her. He assumed she would say something decorative. Like an extra vase of flowers for an empty corner. A figurine for a table in the parlor that had nothing but a table cloth sitting upon it.
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2024 5:51 pm
Elka 7 With his pale gaze watching her, Elka suddenly felt nervous. It wasn't something they had talked about before. After the big fight, both of them had been too distracted with the move to discuss it. Trying to balance packing with dance practice and performances had taken up most of their days. When they did see each other outside of work, it was to fall instantly asleep once their heads hit the pillows. It'd been on her mind, though. She wondered if he had once considered it himself.
"I've been thinking..." the woman repeated, wiggling her toes in further into the cool soil, not caring how dirty she was making herself. She could just as easily walk over to the water and dip her feet in to wash them off. Just one of the many benefits of living in Matori. The ocean was never far, especially for her. It was practically on her doorstep. She could walk back barefoot to the house, further washing her skin on the grass. "I was thinking...Have you ever considered having a big family?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2024 4:09 pm
Kayde 7 "Mm." Looking out over the waves, watching as a seabird flew close overhead, its cry loud in the mostly silence, Kayde paused on the question. It was something he had put a lot of thought to. For a very long time, in fact. As an orphan, family had naturally been on his mind a lot, even when he was a child. Did he have one? Where were they? Why had they given him up? None of these had been answered and likely never would be. There were simply no clues. Nor did he care to answer them anymore. But these questions had lead over to his own future family. Did he want one? He knew, if he ever did have children some day, he wanted to make sure they were brought into a loving environment, with a woman he could share that love with. He didn't want them to feel abandoned in anyway. He didn't want a broken household.
But did he want a big one? Though he was trying to play coy with her, the man couldn't help the jump his heart gave at the thought. This was the only family he knew. He was eager to see it grow, in whatever form that growth would take. It already felt larger, with all the friends they had, his practically being adopted by Shadiya's. It was a nice feeling to know Elenora and Elias had others to depend on.
"Yes. Of course."
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2024 5:36 pm
Elka 8 The response brought a frown to the woman's face. Her golden eyes shifted to look in his direction, but her head remained still. Was he trying to be coy with her? It wasn't something she'd put past him. He was always teasing her for something or another.
Adopting a haughty expression, Elka stuck her nose more up in the air. "Well. Good. Thank you for answering." She than turned more away from him, even taking a few steps to the side, pretending like she wasn't putting distance between them by rising her feet, stepping away from the shallow holes she had made, and kicking sand to fill them in.
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