Swiftcurrent Creek Mandolin

Bluebells. Quartz. For her.

Mae immediately lit with surprised pleasure, unaccustomed to receiving gifts. And from Skáld! They did not know one another very well, she thought, and wondered at that; she wondered at the warmth in his eyes, too.

A rare smile crept into her expression as she studied the gifts. I love them, She told him, a bit shy because she wasn't entirely sure how to handle this kind of attention. Thank you. And her eyes found him next. Mae hesitated, then reached out to touch her nose to the fur at his cheek; a light touch, brief, hesitant.

No one's ever given me a gift before, She explained next, still shy. Then a thought came to her. Mae, too, had something to give; a treasured thing, but Skáld had given her a new treasure in the quartz, and so she did not mind giving it up for him. I got somethin' for you, too! She decided, and gathered up the flowers and the quartz with a beckoning gesture. C'mon! The girl turned, meaning to lead him to where she kept her own treasure.