Trying a Picnic Again (D4 MA)

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya grinned, "that harrdly seems fairr, as I alrready know the answerr. And what shall be my rrewarrd if I am correct?"

[Davelyn Sand]

"In addition to the opporrtunity to hold it overr my head forreverr that you know me betterr than I do, I'll acquiesce to any rrequest that takes no morre than one day and doesn't interferre with my duties. Whateverr you ask of me." There is no hint of suggestiveness or flirtation in that. An honest to good offer of whatever she asked of him within those boundaries. "We'll do the exchange in the morrning after I've seen the drress forr that day so that you can think of what serrvice you wish of me."

[Kaliya Redding]

"The challenge is accepted, and I will perrmit that you may ask the same of me, should I guess incorrectly."

[Davelyn Sand]

"Verry well," he replies with a happy smile to her. It was warm and wide and shone with more brightness than the day offered.

"Do you think we've made Qitam and Perlera wait long enough for their treats?"

[Kaliya Redding]

She suddenly felt as though it would be cold without him by her side, and finds herself torn between asking him to remain, and letting him go. If I ask him to wait, he will want to know why, it is just the chill, she insisted, unable to convince herself.

"You had betterr not go spoiling herr," Kaliya said, "Perrlerra is a handful enough as it is."

[Davelyn Sand]

He nods to her. "Of course not." Giving a short whistle, Qitam came over and nudged him on the shoulder, like he always does with that whistle.

Holding up a quince from the couple of them sitting nearby, he looks Qitama in the eye. "Carry. Carry." The stallion puts his mouth on it but doesn't bite down. Dav then turns so he can see Perlera and points to her. "Give." Qitama makes his way over to Perlera and pushes his nose out towards her like he wanted to give it to her.

"Do you think she'll take it? Or should I have him drop it?" he asks Kaliya with a smirk.

[Kaliya Redding]

Perlera eyed the stallion with a suspicious glare, tossing her mane and prancing a few high-strung steps before extending her nose to sniff curiously. She wasn't quite close enough to accept the fruit, and she straightened, shaking her head.

"Perrlerra, do not be rrude, this gentleman is offerring you a gift."

[Davelyn Sand]

"He'll hold it there for a while if you want to wait and see if she'll come around to the idea?" He squeezes her hand gently. "Your choice."

[Kaliya Redding]

She squeezes gently in return, it was all right if she didn't need to think about these little gestures. Snorting, Perlera extended her nose again, took a cautious step, and finally took the fruit in her teeth, pulling back sharply, as distrustful as her owner.

[Davelyn Sand]

He smiles at the two horses. Qitam snorts briefly after the apple is taken then turns and prances back towards the blanket. He know's what's coming next.

"Good job Qitam," taking up another quince. When the horse finally arrives, looking as pleased as a horse could look, Davelyn hands him the fruit.

[Kaliya Redding]

Perlera crunched on the fruit while Kaliya watched in quiet amazement. They made it look so easy, Davelyn and Qitam, but she was barely capable of keeping Perlera in line, and they had been together the mare's entire life. "You and Qitam sharre a special connection," she observed redundantly.

[Davelyn Sand]

"We do," he says with a nod. "I thank him everry day forr carring forr me as much as I forr him," he says. "He means morre to me than I can rreally exprress."

He looks to the munching horse as he eats the quince happily, like he was looking proudly at a member of his family.

"Within darkness I may not see you,
But I know that you are there.
I know you are not truly tame,
But instead that you just care.
My heart beats with your hooves,
Your heart beats with my love.
It is the strength you give me,
That helps me rise above."

"That is the best I could create since I am no poet, and it feels like it is barely enough." He looks back to Kaliya. "I'm not sure I even know just how truly important he is to me."

[Kaliya Redding]

"What matterrs is that you know he is imporrtant, not the degrree." Kaliya's smile had a gentle quality, free of the wariness and calculating caution she usually wore.

[Davelyn Sand]

Davelyn nods, smiling at her. He then takes up another plumb. Not wanting to separate from Kaliya for something like a plum, he simply takes a slow, careful bite out of it so as to prevent it from getting juices on her dress. He holds it up for her, offering to share.

"You know what I miss that can't be rreplicated up norrth? The sounds of Dorrnish music coming from a barr or taverrn. Can't imporrt that, can't copy that."

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya chuckled, taking a bite of the offered fruit, hand below her chin to catch any wayward drips. "Last night the Valemen asked me to join them forr some drrinks. They asked that I show them a dance from Dorrne. I neverr rreally learrnt the steps, but they did not know that. It was not the same without the music," she added wistfully.

[Davelyn Sand]

"I am sure that you impressed them with your grace, Kaliya. Perhaps I'll get the opportunity to see the same some day." Taking another bite, and keeping the fruit from dripping on her, he thinks on that.

"It has been some time since I danced. I wonder if maybe one evening we might find some place in this town to do so. I'm not half bad, honestly, so you wouldn't have to worry about me stepping on your feet."

[Kaliya Redding]

With a smirk, "well, the dance I did forr them is not the kind that worrks with two people, but I think I rrememberr how some of steps to the Courrt dances go." The Dornish style was largely improvisational, anyway, lacking the formality and structure of the dances of the north.

[Davelyn Sand]

"We can remember together and show everyone what dancing is about, freedom. How about it?"

[Kaliya Redding]

"If you can find someone who can play a rreasonable facsimile of Dorrnish music, I shall dance to it."

[Davelyn Sand]

"I shall begin the search this afternoon Kaliya. Perhaps Ser Allard. He's talented with his lute and a noble is more likely to har studied music from other realms." Davelyn seems excited by the idea, squeezing Kaliya in a hug.

[Kaliya Redding]

Okay, that was not too bad, she thought as he squeezed her, he got excited, that makes sense. Kaliya smiled, but wasn't sure what to say.

[Davelyn Sand]

The quiet moment with her there was a lovely thing to him. He felt really happy that she wasn't pulling away or looking at him with that skeptical look. He took another bite from the plum and offered her another.

"The clouds today make it feel a bit like the Stormlands. Does the Reach get cloud cover like this often?"

[Kaliya Redding]

"Oh yes, they get plenty of rrain in the Rreach. It keeps things grreen and lush. Therre arre so many flowerrs herre."

[Davelyn Sand]

He nods. "One of the things the northern realms do have as an advantage over many places in Dorne. The rain does bring much more color up here in the form of flowers."

[Kaliya Redding]

"The seaside has colourr to sparre. Fish and corral and shells and all the brright things that live in the ocean. But, flowerrs... they arre beautiful in theirr own way."