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December 24, 1999 |
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Yosannah drops a couple bags to the floor and unties her scarf.
Damen smiles, sitting on the porch, holding two mugs of hot cocoa. "Hi. What'd you buy me?"
Yosannah ignores the question, "Like you deserve more gifts."
Damen pouts, "Santa's pissy. Can I bribe her with cocoa?"
Yosannah tosses her scarf near the fireplace and removes her jacket, "Maybe. Hand it over." She reaches for the mug, "Actually, this is some stuff from my place."
Damen nods, handing over the drink. He peers into the bag, "Anything soft and filmy...with spaghetti straps?"
Yosannah laughs, "I'll get that on my next trip." She rolls her eyes and moves to sit before the fire place. She sets her mug at her side and begins to untie the laces to her boots.
Damen smiles, "Here let me get that. I'm sure you're tired." He moves to stand before her, and then squats, moving his fingers to her laces.
Yosannah leans back, resting her weight on her hands. She wiggles her toes as he removes her boots.
Damen smirks up at her before placing the boots near the fire. "So.."
Yosannah reaches for her mug when he is done. She clasps it in both hands. "So." She smiles coyly.
Damen says "How about one of your gifts? There's two...one's inside the other is out in the barn."
"You're not supposed to open gifts on Christmas Eve."
Damen smirks, "Fine...one then...and I'll make the other disappear."
"That's not what I meant!"
Damen smirks, "I didn't mean disappear for ever, sweet....until Christmas." He glances at the barn, "Besides...this one didn't wait....and I can't hide it."
Yosannah considers, "Well... okay then."
"You're such a pushover." He leads her over to a window overlooking the barn.
"Do you want me to change my mind?"
Damen glances momentarily at the barn. After a furrow of his brow there is an answering whinny. Soon, the ebon body of Eros strides out of the barn, muscles glistening in the waning sunlight. He pauses only a short distance from the barn, before he is joined by his mate, Psyche. The two horses stand motionless, poised and attentive. Then slowly, a third form emerges, unsteadily and shakingly on legs just now getting used to supporting the weight of the young body.
"Oh my gosh" She moves to stand "Damen, look..."
Damen smiles, "You'll have to name...h..." He quirks an eyebrow up, "Hell, I didn't even check." Damen grins, watching you. "Merry Christmas, Yosannah."
Yosannah goes to grab up the boots she just removed. She laces them quickly and runs off the porch and into the snow. The two adults stand motionless as the young colt joins them. Psyche lowers her head, nuzzling her offspring gently.
Damen laughs softly and picks up his mug of hot chocolate, walking slowly towards the corral, after Yo.
Yosannah slows as she nears the animals. She reaches out a hand to the colt. The two horses turn their heads to regard Yosannah, but strangely enough they don't view her as a threat. The colt stares at the woman with large, unblinking eyes before taking a cautious step towards her. His legs wobble, but he does not fall. Eros turns his head towards Damen, remaining silent, but after a reassuring whicker from Psyche, the colt takes another wobbly step towards Yosannah, nuzzling at her hand.
Damen leans against the fence, merely watching. Yosannah smiles and runs her hand over the colt's nose. She reaches into her pocket, searching. "Hmm. I don't have anything for you. I'm sorry.." she whispers.
The colt blinks a few times in the waning light, before tossing his head against her hand. The soft velvety of his nose grazes her palm, then forehead before he shivers once and turns to begin his wobbly trek back into the barn. Damen smiles, "You'll have to think of a name for him...or her..." He adds, "I suppose determining the sex would be appropriate before you do that, though."
Yosannah crosses her arms over her chest and hops over to where Damen stands, "When did she have it?"
Damen says "I woke up to Eros' call about 15 minutes after you left...been up to my elbows in...well...I've been at it all day." Damen grins, "I've washed since then."
Yosannah wraps her arms around his waist, "It's so cute."
Damen leans over to place a light kiss on her nose, wrapping his arms around her waist as well. "I'm glad you like it."
Yosannah shivers lightly, "Can we go back inside?" She reaches for his free hand and pulls him along.
Damen grins, "Do I have a choice?"
Yosannah laughs and pulls some more.
Damen follows.
Yosannah climbs up the steps to the porch. "Let's hang by the fireplace."
Damen nods. "Okay. You can get your own boots this time." He grins, kisses her cheek and picks up your mug to get some more hot chocolate for her. Damen returns in a brief moment, "Allowed me to hide your other gift for Christmas."Damen jerks his thumb towards the stable, "That, on the other hand, would have been tough to hide for very long."
Yosannah plops down on the floor again and struggles with her boots, "Santa gave you my gift already." She smirks.
Damen quirks an eyebrow up. "Must have been really small...cuz I missed it." Yosannah laughs, "no no no. The gift you hid for me. Awe.. nevermind." She tosses her boot across the room and at the front door.
Damen smiles and shrugs, "Lucky I made this house boot-proof." She pats the floor next to her, "Come sit." She then pulls her up socks which apparently had fallen a bit while in her boots.
He joins her on the floor, wrapping one arm around his knees as he sits. "I love it when the snow falls here."
Yosannah nods, "It's pretty."
Damen nods, regarding her. "It is."
Yosannah holds her hand out for the warmth of the fire. She hums something sounding like 'Little drummer boy' as she stares at the flames.
Damen grins, "You look like the little match-girl." He studies her, "Anything particular on your mind?"
Yosannah smiles happily, "No. Just glad to be here with you." She pulls her knees up to her chest as if to mirror you. "Did you ever have that chat with Stoner."
Damen smiles and leans slightly to kiss his cheek again, "I'm happy too." He shakes his head, "No, not yet. I've kind of left all that behind currently...work, the club, Stone." He shrugs, "This is time you and I should have had long ago...I'm just still kicking myself I had to shoot you with a shotgun to get it."
Yosannah laughs at that, "How romantic."
"And no...that's not me trying to pawn off responsibility for us...I know I'm responsible for the disintegration of our relationship." He smiles, "Well...what it lacked in romance...it made up for in...well...something." Damen grazes his nose against her cheek, "I'm hoping we can catch up on the romance."
She peers slightly at him out of the corner of her eye, "..something?" She smiles.
Damen shrugs, grinning. "Sheer desperation?"
Yosannah smiles and shakes her head, "So. Are you going to visit family tomorrow."
Damen shakes his head, "Of course not. My game plan was to make love to you the first half of the day...give you your present...eat something...and then make love to you the entire second have of the day." He smiles, "Why? Did you have plans?"
She tucks her hair behind her ear, "Does it matter now if I did?"
Damen grins, "I hope not. But if you have things you want to do...tell me." Yosannah shakes her head.
"So, should we talk about marriage instead."
Damen quirks an eyebrow up. "What segway."
Yosannah shrugs, "I think it's a rather obvious topic of discussion." She seems relatively serious.
Damen nods, regarding you. He is thoughtful for a moment, before saying. "You start." Damen says "But I should note...you're not smiling."
Yosannah smiles without being able to help it. "I honestly don't know where to start. Other than to note your obvious poor track record."
Damen smiles, "With you in general? Or with my past wives."
"Well, both I suppose."
Damen nods, bringing a hand up to rub his jaw. "Scare you?"
"Maybe you're just not the marrying kind... I don't know."
Damen nods at that. "Do you -want- to marry me?"
She climbs onto her knees and sits on her ankles. She reaches a hand up to his forehead. "I do. Maybe I scare myself." She smiles.
Damen places his own hand upon hers and moves it to his cheek, resting it there. "I'm scared too, lass. But this time I'm not going to let that fear make me run. I want to be with you....to make children with you... I just want to love you."
Yosannah reaches her arms behind his neck and pulls you to her chest desperately, "What are we going to do."
Damen smiles, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He nuzzles his lips against her ear softly and murmurs, offering. "We're going to love each other....and damn the rest to hell."
Yosannah sighs lightly, "You shouldn't hope for such things." She smiles.
Damen squeezes her, "I don't think it's too much to ask for, my own. It's something we both deserve."
Yosannah moves just far enough away from him so that she can take his face in her hands. "Do we?"
Damen kisses one of her palms before it settles on his face. "We do...we have both done atrocities in the past, lass. But neither of us were ourselves...people may never forgive us what we have done..." he sighs, then continues, "But something I learned from you...because of you...is that we have to forgive ourselves."
Yosannah slides away from him and stretches out on the floor before the fireplace. She rests her chin in her hands and smiles. "Then when are we going to do it?"
Damen brings a hand down to stroke her hair, periodically trailing his fingertips along her back. "After the holidays? Perhaps in the Spring? Any preference?"
Yosannah shivers lightly at his touch, "..you're tickling.." She squirms away from him. "Easter."
She offers. Damen nods, pulling his hands away. "Easter it is then."
Yosannah seems surprised that it was that easy, "really?"
Damen shrugs, "Well, it's no Halloween....but the season's good." He winks.
"Brother... We'll have to tell your aunt. She'll probably want to make plans or something."
Damen smiles, "Don't you want to arrange it?"
Yosannah laughs, "Quite honestly, No. I mean... it seems like such a headache. I have some thoughts, but.. you know."
Damen nods, "Then we'll get Alayne to help."
Yosannah nods as well, "Please. She'll love it. It'll be a little pet project."
Damen laughs, "Okay. Where would you like to have it?"
Yosannah considers, "I don't know. Where did we talk about the last time we plan ned this?"
"Kashfa."
Yosannah shrugs, "Is that where you want to have it?"
Damen smiles, "I wouldn't mind having it there....if you don't mind the entire kingdom gathering."
Yosannah laughs until she realizes he's probably serious.
Damen doesn't even bat an eye.
"I guess I'd be worried about appropriateness and all that stuff. I forget who you are sometimes... well... all of the time."
Damen grins, "I don't think it's anything you'd have to worry about...just don't trip down the aisle." Damen laughs.
Yosannah drops her head in her hand, "Oh no.. this is going to be horrible."
Damen says "After all, you're going to be the future Queen of Kashfa."
Yosannah drops her head into her arms. "Ugh."
Damen grins, "Unless we elope."
She peers up at him, "Well, that's out of the question. No eloping."
Damen smiles and puts an arm around you, "I don't want to hide you from anybody, lass. No eloping"
"You're serious about Kashfa, aren't you."
He nods, "I am."
"Why?"
He shrugs, "Why not?"
"If that's the only reason you have... I can't see that it's worth it."
Damen nods, "I have a better reason. I've been absent from it's politics too long...and I don't want anyone to get the idea that I'm out of the picture...I want the crown someday." He shrugs, "Maybe. So..perhaps it's time to be more of a presence there..."
"What happened to Mr. I'm not interested in the family politics?"
Damen smiles and shrugs.
She pushes him playfully, "I'm serious."
"Things change. I thought I might give it a go...if I don't like it...I can always disappear. And take you with me, of course."
She smirks, "You can't just drag me around shadow, Damen. I have my own life to live you know."
Damen smiles, "I thought by getting married we were combining lives....what do -you- want to do? Want me to give up any designs on my throne?"
Yosannah glances up at him from her place on the floor, "Normal things. I want to live a normal life. An Earth-shadow life. I can't say that I'm interested in Kingdoms."
Damen ponders on that and then shrugs, "Okay."
"Okay?"
Damen nods with a smile, "Okay."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means I won't be sitting on the throne of Kashfa."
She laughs, "That's not what I'm saying. If that's what you want... I guess I'm suggesting that you not expect me to sit there too. It's not me."
He smiles, "How many times have I put work before you?"
"I'm not even going to answer that. Let's just call it a night. I want to go to bed now so that I can get my other gift in the morning."