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Silver handed Zada a pair of shears. “These are usually for taking plant cuttings,” she admitted, “but they’re the only scissors I have.”
Zada took the shears with a confused smile. “What should I do with ‘em?”
Silver pulled off all her top layers except her undergarment and knelt in front of her on the wooden floor, facing away from Zada. She touched the back of her newly short hair to show Zada what she was talking about. “It’s uneven. I tried to fix it but I think I made it worse. Would you just even it out?”
“Well, I can’t guarantee it’ll turn out very well—I don’t think I’ve ever cut anyone’s hair before—but sure!”
From her seat on the bed behind Silver and looking slightly down, Zada got a close look at the freckles dusting her shoulders (those were appealing to Zada, somehow) but also the collection of long, curving scars that criss-crossed her back. They were a silvery colour, some as thick as Zada’s index finger and others merely thin lines on her skin. The worst of it was focused on the centre of her back, between her shoulder blades.
Realizing that she had been looking too long, Zada cleared her throat and looked at Silver’s hair. Shears in one hand, she used the other to figure out how much needed to be cut away. It was so soft and Zada couldn’t help herself from feeling it between her fingertips. “The back will be shorter than the front. That okay?”
“That’s fine,” Silver said, tilting her head forward and closing her eyes to enjoy the feeling of Zada touching her hair.
While Zada cut Silver’s hair she used her left hand to protect Silver’s neck from the shears, the back of her fingers brushing the soft skin there. Everything about Silver was soft. It took all Zada’s willpower to stay focused on her task and not start thinking about running her hands over Silver’s skin, placing a kiss on the top of Silver’s shoulder...
Zada only made one little mistake, which felt like a minor miracle, and once that bit was mixed in with the rest of Silver’s wild hair you couldn’t even see it. Silver reached up to feel Zada’s work, then turned to smile up at her, her hand on the taller woman’s knee.
“Thank you, Zada. It was a little thing but it was driving me crazy.”
“No problem,” Zada returned the smile, thinking to herself that she knew just what it was like to have a little thing drive you crazy.
They were eating breakfast, just the two of them because Cinder and Deria weren’t up yet. Silver insisted that Zada try the honey they found in the palace house, so Zada took it from her and carefully drizzled a little on her hard tack, then popped it in her mouth.
“Mmhmm,” Zada hummed approvingly as she chewed. She noticed the drops of honey on her finger, warming from her skin and about to drip just when Silver gently grabbed her hand and—
Zada’s brain shorted out at the feeling of Silver’s lips against her finger. It was a good thing she had already swallowed, because she would have certainly choked when she felt Silver lick the honey off her skin. When Silver released her hand, she quickly took the jar from Zada, who was about to spill the contents everywhere.
“Careful, Zada,” she teased, seemingly unaware of the state she had Zada in now, “If you drop my honey I might just have to reroute the whole mission to find some more.”
Zada smiled weakly at her joke, then took a long drink of water to buy some time to recompose herself. Kord, help me.
Another early morning, and Silver seemed particularly lively. She approached Zada while the cleric was stretching one arm over her chest and thinking about the day ahead.
“May I join you?” Silver asked politely.
“Um,” Zada looked down at what she was doing, “You mean, you want to join in with my exercises?”
“I won’t be able to keep up and I don’t know if I will like it, but if you don’t mind, I want to try it.”
“No, of course! I mean yes, feel free,” Zada said with a smile, feeling a little self conscious but happy to spend the time together.
At Silver’s insistence Zada went about her usual routine, and to Silver’s credit she kept up pretty well. Well, she couldn’t do more than a few push-ups before her trembling arms gave out, making them both laugh, but the druid had surprisingly good stamina. She was tough, if not physically strong like Zada.
She was, however, much more flexible. She demonstrated this by sliding into a perfect split during the cool-down stretches and giving Zada a cheeky smile. And oh, Silver flushed from exertion, eyes sparkly with amusement, smiling at her like that. That was quite something.
Zada’s only consolation was that she had the exercise to blame for her red face and pounding heart. For the rest of the day her thoughts kept wandering back to that morning; to the graceful lines of Silver’s body, to her smile and the sound of her breathless laughter.
Zada woke to bright sunlight and warmth. When she opened her eyes she saw the ceiling of the tavern room in Alacritas and the open window through which a pleasant breeze drifted. She stretched slowly, lightly bumping something warm and soft as she did so. It was Silver, she realized, still asleep beside her. It was unusual that Zada would wake up first but Silver did have a big night. She rubbed her eyes and sat up to look over at the druid.
When Zada touched her Silver had groaned quietly and turned from her side onto her back, tossing her arm across her eyes. The sunbeam coming in through the window fell across her and turned her pale hair molten silver. She was dressed differently than Zada remembered; her grey dress from the night before was gone and she was wearing a little white thing that Zada would hesitate to call a dress, some kind of short, silky underlayer that was riding up at Silver’s thighs.
Zada’s eyes drifted up Silver’s bare legs, over the gentle curves of her body, and landed on her lips just as they turned up into a gentle smile. Silver raised her arm to peek at Zada, expression soft with sleepiness and affection. Zada blushed deeply and felt caught outright.
“G’morning,” Silver mumbled. She stretched luxuriously, like a cat in a sunbeam, and Zada had to quickly look away.
“G-Good morning,” Zada stammered. As she looked around the room (anything to keep herself from staring again) it came back to her that she had fallen asleep holding Silver and had no recollection of getting ready for bed. But she saw that her boots, belt, and prosthetic leg were resting neatly beside the bed, and her hair clasp and symbol of Kord were resting on the desk beside Silver’s ear cuffs.
Silver must have undressed her. Or, partially undressed her. She pushed her sleep-tousled hair back from her face, feeling touched and more than a little flustered.
“Ah, thanks for helping me last night,” Zada said, “Sorry I fell asleep on ya.”
She could hear a smile in Silver’s reply, “Of course. I don’t mind at all.”
If Silver was aware of her staring she didn’t act any differently. She got out of bed, grabbed her dress from where it was hanging, then went into the small attached privy and closed the door behind her.
Zada let out a deep sigh that ended with a groan, falling backwards onto the bed as she did. She was a disaster. But there was a bright lining as she reflected on their revelatory conversation last night: Silver cared about her. Silver wanted to keep her close.
Lying there, eyes shut against the warm sunlight, a goofy smile spread across her face.
Zada is dreaming. Her dreams tonight are all feelings and fleeting sensory impressions. In all of them is Silver. Silver laughing. Silver’s hand in hers as they talk quietly. Silver changing from a beautiful elk into herself and running into Zada’s arms. Silver’s lips next to Zada’s ear, her voice a whisper. The memory of Silver’s lips on her neck.
And suddenly the dream is more urgent. Silver in Zada’s lap, kissing her breathless. Silver’s hands in her hair and her hands on Silver’s hips, pulling each other closer. Silver’s soft skin against her hands, Silver making the most delicious sounds Zada has ever heard as she—
Zada woke with a little start, lying on her back instead of in her usual curled-up sleeping position, dazed and aroused. She didn’t know why she had to wake up right at that moment, but glancing down she saw why she might have had that dream in the first place. The bedrolls had gotten all twisted and Silver was sleeping unusually close tonight, practically on top of Zada. One of her legs was slung over one of Zada’s legs, her arm was curled around Zada’s torso, and her head rested near Zada’s shoulder. She could feel Silver’s breath on her neck.
Zada wasn’t sure what to do. When she moved a little to test what would happen, Silver sighed contentedly in her sleep and wiggled closer, so Zada resorted to calling upon her hours spent in meditation. Ocean waves, she told herself. Hear the waves. Don’t think of anything but the ocean.
She never did reach a proper meditative state (and really, who could blame her) but she did fall back asleep. This time she dreamed of lying by the ocean, Silver in her arms and stars above them, the sound of crashing waves all around.