Redsand Canyon the olive tree

tamar looked for @Maxim.

she had left so roughly before. and now many things had happened. now she aided malila in healing aquene.

but today tamar carried her own catch, a small pigeon, and searched for the principales, hoping to catch him around the sparring arena.

she would find him there, fresh from stretching his muscles in boyish displays by himself. as if he was the star of the stage, aching for a proper fight.

but, ah, no such thing was true. he was grateful for peace when it was found — as much as he was grateful for times of war.

he would spot her when she neared enough, her coat vibrant against the winter colors. although this time he was aware enough to not gaze upon her so heavily. which was easy when she carried something in her jaws.

yet he did not break the silence, still carrying some since of awkward delicacy from the way she had departed last time.

maxim did not speak. 

tamar saw it would fall to her. "i have an apology for the first way we met. i am not ready to talk about where i came from." akashingo was one thing. the time before the palace had made the mesa seem a blessing. 

she gestured to the bird. "will you eat with me? in the commons?"

he did not know what to say, for her apology. maxim had become slowly aware of his unkind behavior. unkind as in...oblivious. his open staring, his blunt questioning. he had become less oblivious to how this made him stick out.

i will, he answered finally, a slow but steady wag of his tail behind him. some attempt to be kinder. friendlier, without the staring.

what do you like to talk of? a genuine question, despite his awkward wording.

"i like to speak of mereo."

"it is a new sort of place to me. i am surrounded by soldiers. but i do not feel wary. do you like it here, maxim?" she was not ready to eat, either, though the girl dutifully plucked at her food.

she hoped for both their sakes maxim would take an actual bite. maybe then she could take his lead. "i have been hunting just above the canyon. there are lots of birds to find there."

i do. it is orderly, i like that. needed it, even, but he didn't feel like indulging her in that. certainly his rowdiness shined through his impolite staring (that he now tried better to hide) or indulging the women in his time more than the men.

and he would bite, feeling the meat already settle a lingering hunger.

will you show me how to hunt birds sometime? i have only ever killed things on land or in water.

tamar grinned. "eat more and i will show you now."

she loved hunting the feathered creatures. it gave her a sense of purpose but did not take her far from mereo — or her husband.

maxim's demeanour intrigued her. tamar had enjoyed getting acquainted with each of the soldiers.

"what is your favourite part of the canyon?" the girl asked softly, chewing a slow bite.

he did not need to be told twice and the delight of her offer shimmered in his eyes.

he would only manage to scarf down one more bite when she asked another question. one that gave him pause, a soft thoughtful hum filling the silence.

the sparring arena is a cliché answer from a soldier, no? he laughed heartily. the tablinum is gorgeous, but i hope to not see it often.

tamar laughed.

"i have seen the soldiers sparring. but i have never been inside. what if i decided i did not wish to be a plebian?" her eyes glowed. "i cannot fight. do not tell anyone."

her lips curved, satisfied. "i go there to see aquene. she is a good woman. she knows many things. and she is kind. even if you must go often, her company is soothing."

he laughed at her admission, warm and hearty but not the sort of boyish charm he may have tried upon their first meeting.

well, if you cannot fight, know you are still safe with our medic then, hmm? another bite of the meal swallowed down. heavy in his stomach but in a satisfying way.

and do not tell this secret either but...hunters are just as valuable. you feed the armies and house them. it is a vital job, no?

tamar put her head to one side.

"maybe it is," she said. "but i am not really a hunter." did he mean to flatter her?

"i want to hold the stories of mereo," she said slowly. a swallow bobbed her throat. she looked around. "but i should return to my tasks. we can talk another time?"