[PRP] The Good "Wife" (Ink & Lucayr)

[Teiha]

He stepped down from the sill and followed the lady into the room, standing before her near the chairs. It seemed for a moment that he might favor secrecy, and deny her an answer. But then he bowed low, sweeping his arm in a flourish. “I am Lucayr, of Igen Hold. Tanner by birth, Harper by calling. My father was none too pleased, but I assume he is proud of me nonetheless.”

With that, he settled into one of the chairs, waiting for Lady Ink to join him before speaking further. He crossed his legs, steepled his fingers, and pressed his chin to his hands, eyes smiling over them with that spark that comes of possessing a tale of interest to tell.

Mx Cherie

 

[Teiha]

At her bidding, Lucayr’s smile widened, and he launched into his earnest tale.

“It has been many months since I was last able to see or contact my mother and father. As you know, some places in Nabol are quite unpleasant, and it was safer to let them think I was elsewhere. Once my investigations were complete, I absconded to Ruatha. In all that time, my contact there had received quite a few letters from Igen—a small collection, really. Friends, family, all doing well. Market prices are going up for my dear father’s wares, and my mother is just thrilled with the new dress he’s bought her.”

He paused to see if Lady Ink wished to comment, but he was not done, yet. Oh, no. The best part of the story was still to come.

Mx Cherie

 

[Teiha]

“Mother’s most recent letter was much of the same. ‘My dear little ‘Cayr, today I baked the most perfect bubbly pie for your father. He actually complimented my cooking! Can you imagine?’ And she told me all about the rest of her day. And then...” In his elation over the contents of the letter, Lucayr leaned closer to Ink, as if about to tell her a secret. “For many turns my parents have longed for another child. Here I am, a grown man, and they still hadn’t managed the feat. But at the end of that last letter, my darling mother announced that she has finally conceived, and if all goes to plan, I will soon find myself with a dear little sibling upon which to dote. Isn’t that marvelous?”

Mx Cherie

 

[Teiha]

Lucayr noted that sudden flush across the lady’s cheeks. It was a rather fetching reaction, bringing a healthier color to her complexion, but unanticipated. As was the… was that a command? “Yes, of course I will go, though it will likely be another six or seven months before the little one arrives. I’ve already written and sent a gift, naturally.” His voice, of course, still sounded pleased as punch, for he was very much so… but his eyes were questioning.

Mx Cherie

 

[Teiha]

For a tense moment, the harper thought she was turning him out, and breathed out a small sigh when that was shown not to be the case. But something was obviously going on that he wasn’t privy to. He sent some mental prods to his fair of tiny watchers, and they responded with calm images of their surroundings. Redrick hadn’t awakened, but perhaps Ink was worried he might be stirring soon.

He smiled at the lady’s offer. “My mother would be absolutely tickled to receive a gift from a lady of your stature. If you wish to send something, it must be small. I would need to send my little gold Oria to retrieve it, of course.” So that Redrick would have nothing to connect back to Lucayr, Ink would no doubt understand.

Mx Cherie

 

[Teiha]

He watched her hands move to brush at her skirts. Where she had been unusually bright, almost radiant, but a moment ago… she was now crestfallen. He was moved to go to her, bending a knee beside her feet. Such odd things came from her lips, and he tried to make sense of them. The harper was indeed a quickwit, but his conclusions were troubling. He knew well the pain of one woman’s yearning. Was this something similar, or was he just so attuned to the joy for his own kin that he misheard somehow? He would know the truth, if she would give it.

“Dear lady, speak plainly. Redrick is slumbering, and there are none within hearing but us two.” He took her hand, looking up at her face. If only she would look at him! “Fear not your lark, for he does not sing for anyone aside of the Lady Ink.”

Mx Cherie

 

[Teiha]

Why the lark's heart bled so for this ashen flower mattered not at all. The simple fact was that what he felt for her was more than the draw of intrigue. He was enthralled by every aspect of her. Her beauty, her mystery, her exquisite pain. She caused this lowly son of a tanner to aspire to princehood, as foolish perhaps it might be. Anything that could bring even just a sliver of light to her dark world, he desired to do.

He rose with the lady as she came to stand before him, reflexively catching her elbows as she lifted her arms to him. Keenly aware of her fingers combing through his hair, he stared back into her dark eyes. Any other woman would have been treated to a burst of bright laughter and a sudden twist, leaving her empty-handed. But not this one. He would not... could not run from her.

Mx Cherie

 

[Teiha]

A song? Here and now? The thought had barely come before it was expunged in a moment of pure astonishment. The lark had, on some instinctive level, expected the kiss. But when it came, he found himself unprepared. His intense golden gaze was riveted upon her, this woman to whom he was so curiously devoted.

Slowly… gently… he let one hand trail down to the small of her back, pressing her to him. The other moved to cup her head, slipping underneath the silken curtain of her hair. And then, tenderly… he returned her kiss.

Mx Cherie