Falls of the Hinterlands anima

Ashlar paused a short ways away when he saw her rise from the water, but froze when she made the sound that clearly asked him what it was he wanted. He hadn’t planned which to ask first.

Which was right to ask? Neither. They were friends but not in the way that he felt he could ask about her feelings. She was a hunter and a warrior and war was not his field. Questioning her would likely come off as an insult.

But the other thing….

Ashlar looked down, trying to summon the words. Last year she had been angry and he had wondered why she did not ask. This year he had to know for sure.

I wanted to know if…. if Prophet…. Um. Just if this year, it’s the same. His face grew warm and he wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t usually ashamed, but this was different. In all ways he was no match for her.

If you would be upset, if I didn’t ask. He finally lifted his gaze, but didn’t quite meet hers. Her match was Prophet, a man he both loved and respected, but a man he envied too. He feared she would say no, but hoped she would too. Things might be simpler that way.

But things would never be simple.