<font color=7f1715>*you painted me in pastel</font>

It seemed like the two of them stared at each other for a long time, she lost in his eyes and he in hers, the four violet irises locked in a fevered battle for some unknown prize. Whatever their rigid stares said, their bodies said differently. She stood poised in the broken beams of sun that fell through the leaves; he stood openly in the clearing, defenses abandoned, the afternoon light accentuating his creamy coat. As the moment stretched on, their eyes softened, and she watched as he struggled to regain his composure. This was the most fun she�d had in�ever.

It was, in a word, delicious.

Her claim on the sow had been subconscious, a slip of the tongue stemming from her strong attachment to her home, but he allowed it without fuss. A girl could get used to that. Her smile was steady, even as he returned her teasing; she knew the flirtation for what it was, and he was a natural. They seemed to be equals in both wit and appeal. Though her appetite had mysteriously disappeared (perhaps she was getting her fill of the creature in front of her?), she nodded at the playful invitation.

He wanted her closer. She wanted to be closer. This she could oblige. She engaged his eyes again. A coquettish turn of her head and a few fluid strides brought them together; she could see some of the patterns adorning his coat; she could take in his earthy scent, the heat rising off his skin. But she kept the space between them. Let him wait a while. Let him wonder a little. It did a mind good to wander every now and then.

Besides�she never got too close. It complicated things to get too close.

�Thank you, sir,� she said with mock dignity, bowing her head to the kill and tearing a portion away for herself. �So tell me, knight gallant, what�s your name? Your story?� In her fashion, she offered questions and no answers. Men were easy: they loved talking about themselves. They could often be amused by this until it was time for her to disengage, and would often find that they left having revealed much more than they learned. She took a dainty bite of the warm meat and watched his face, genuinely anxious to hear what he might say.

they sing in clever tongues

oh, how my knees go weak

to be the one;

H U S H

five ** ~~soul~~ ** ~~home~~ **

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