End of a long day *Closed*

[Jaguara Katial]

He sighed as he made his way home from the local jobsite he had been working at all day. He was covered in dirt and smelled of it along with the sent of sweat mixed in. One of the workers had not been showing up and his father had sent him out into the field to take his place until they could determine why he was skipping work. It had been a while since he had worked in the field and he was out of practice, but still managed to do the job successfully.

He thought silently to himself as he padded home almost dragging his paws hoping for a nice hot bath. He asked his sister to have one ready for him when he got home knowing how dirty he would be by the end of the day, he just hopped that Jenny had done what he asked her to do. He also thought of the up coming business trip his father was sending him on to over see the progress of the one account he had placed him in charge of. He had been looking forward to the journey and was hoping that the lack of a local worker would not delay or prevent him from going.

In the midst of all of his thinking, he was not paying attention to the ground below him as he normally did to avoid any cracks that were in the hard packed dirt road that lead back to the town. If any one had been watching him closely, they would notice that he was about to step down on one.

[Shinigami]

"Watch out!" Tuuli stared down in horror at Darrien, frozen in place as she watched his paw descend toward that single crack. She couldn't muster the ability to move, though - what if she stepped on it while trying to push him away? And pushing him away would mean coming in (quite possibly) full-body contact with him, which was rather embarrassing at the moment. It had helped her quest when they'd stumbled together, but the bad luck now might even ruin their handfasting!

She had to help.

Finally she flung herself down the hill where she'd been waiting for him, skidding onto the road while still being careful to avoid any of the other cracks that might be there, and hoped desperately that her sudden presence might cause him to jerk backward, away from that damning crack. Such a small thing, to hold such bad luck!

[ooc: ...I have no clue about accents and superstitions. But that was still fun to write. And now I need to find her some good luck charms for her horns! =D ]

[Jaguara Katial]

He stopped in mid step when he heard his name being called. The voice…it was very familiar. He looked towards the sound slowly as his thoughts came back to reality. A white and blue form rushed towards him and he stepped back. Tuuli? Was that Tuuli that was rushing towards him? He thought to himself as the shout resonated in his head; Watch out? Watch out for what exactly? Suddenly he found him face to face with the female and within half an inch of her face.

Wide eyed he jumped back and fell on his hindquarters. He stared up at her with wide eyes. What the hell was she doing rushing at him like that and scaring him half to death? Hell the fright he had received from the sudden appearance of his betroved was enough to cause most of the dirt to be shaken off of him in theory. “Tuuli! What in blazes are you doing scaring me like that?”[/b] he shouted at her without even realizing he had raised his voice. Suddenly he went into a fit of coughing as the dust that had been stirred up by the female entered his lungs.

[Shinigami]

"There was...there is...right ahead of you, you were going to step on it..." she panted, shrinking backward as she realised how much of an idiot she must appear, but it was really bad luck, and she didn't want that there... Of course, the fact that he was now coughing harshly because of her was also probably bad luck, which pinned her ears to her head in shame, framing her horns.

Carefully she stepped over the crack to approach closer toward him, smoothing down her ruffled fur and trying to soothe his coughs. "I'm sorry I shouted at you, Darrien..." she finally said, looking away in embarressment. "I was hoping to bring you dinner when I saw you coming back, and now I've made a fool of myself..."[/color] He must think her an absolute idiot. How foolish of her!

[Jaguara Katial]

He looked at her and the past her in between fits of coughing as the dust settled. She was right, there it was plain as day in the road and he almost stepped on it. He watched her shrink back and it was then that he also realized that he had shouted at her when she scared him out of his thoughts. She was troublesome at times but she was sweet, he could not deny that and she always watched out for his well-being. He sighed and pulled her close in a canine hug.

“Tuuli, I’m sorry I shouted at you and you are not a fool. Thank you for warning me about the crack, I don’t want anything bad to happen before my trip to the capital city.”[/b] He coughed again as he tried his best to stifle it with his free paw and balanced himself on his hind legs and Tuuli. “What were you bringing me this time Tuuli?”[/b] he asked trying to change the subject. He really did not like seeing her upset. Not to mention Jenny would be on his case if he upset his fiancé as well. Some times, he thought that Jenny cared more about Tuuli and her feelings than his own.

[Shinigami]

"I'm glad that I managed to catch you before you stepped on it,"[/color] she said, pleased with herself and leaning into his hug. It felt very nice... "I want to make sure that everything is perfect for you when you leave, and when you come back."[/color] All signs of her earlier embarrasment were gone from her posture as she looked up as him with bright eyes. "I've even been looking for some acorns for you, to take with you!"[/color] Even now a small one hung from one horn, tied there that morning by her mother before she headed out to do her chores.

"I brought you fresh fish, this evening! Father caught it just this afternoon, and mother cooked it to just the right point, where everything is crisp and smells wonderful. And I've got some greens straight from Mother's garden, and of course my lemonaide, to quench your thirst!"[/color] She smiled almost shyly at him, even though she knew that they were in fact betrothed, and due to be married not too long from now. Still, she often felt as if she were watching him from afar as she had at first, until she'd gotten up the spirit to approach him with offers of food, even as she was now.

[Jaguara Katial]

Darrien just smiled at her. He did not know quite what to say to Tuuli. She was always so sweet to him, but why could not he reciprocate her feelings for him to her? He coughed again for the last time and moved away from her. He was dirty and felt gross and her added body heat was making him sweat again and he knew that they could talk and walk at the same time as he made his way home.

He looked at her horns and there indeed was an acorn hanging from them. He smiled to himself as he thought of what his father had told him about acorns. She must have looked everywhere for just the one that she had found for herself. He would like one as well, but if she could not locate one, it would be okay. "If you can not locate one it will be okay I should be leaving in a few days if things go well with the replacement help so I can get away from this job site"[/b]

Dinner though sounded good as he realized he was hungry. “It sounds very good Tuuli, but first I need to bathe, I’m covered in dirt from working at the job site today and sand in ones mouth does not go well with wonderful food.”[/b] Her mother always made good meals and so did Tuuli, but at the sound of the lemon aid he tired to not cringe…he just could not find it within himself to favor her lemon aid. It always seemed off.

[Shinigami]

Even if Darrien didn't have any romantic feelings toward her, she was certainly infatuated with him. He was simply a perfect gentleman at all times, even when, in the deepest part of her where she hid away her secret thoughts - she sometimes wanted him to be, well, a little less gentlemanly. But she didn't think that often. When he moved away she let him, simply walking beside him easily.

"If I cannot find another, then you can have this one. I'm sure I can find a second for myself while you're gone, after all,"[/color] she said. "Wow...you're leaving already? I mean, it must be amazing to go all the way to the Capital City, and for something so important! You're so very lucky. I wish I could go with you, but I'd just be a hindrance, and Mother will need me at home."[/color] Her expression was wistful, and just a bit envious of his good fortune.

"Oh, of course! I can bring the food around to your house, if you'd like, so that you can eat after you bathe. I'm sorry for keeping you like this. I'll let you go on ahead, and meet you there, then?"[/color] She'd brought the meal with her in a basket, carefully wrapped to make sure everything stayed fresh, not sure if he'd want to eat right away or go home. It was up on top of the hill where she'd been waiting, and already she started to stray toward it, though she didn't yet leave his side, looking toward him for confirmation.

[Jaguara Katial]

He smiled at her when she said that she would give him her acorn. “Its okay Tuuli, I appreciate the thought but you keep that one.”[/b] He looked to the sky briefly and then back to the ground to watch for cracks. “Well…if we don’t solve this problem with being short of help it will delay my trip. In addition, well it is not really luck I suppose that I get to go but more because I have to. I am the only one Father has to take over when he cannot or chooses not to work any more. I do not really have a choice but to go and take care of this one account for him in his stead. Plus it is good experience for my training as well”[/b] He smiled again “Maybe some day you can go with me, when the trip isn’t of so much importance, I’m sure your mother would be okay without you for a few weeks or so.”[/b]

“You can walk with me Tuuli, I’m dirty and it will take us the same amount of to get to my place, and you aren’t keeping me, we are making tracks in the right direction are we not?”[/b] He kept his gaze forward and down keeping up his pace as they approached the hill and she made her way in the direction of the basket.

[Shinigami]

"Well, if you're sure..."[/color] It wouldn't stop her from looking for one, though. It would bring him just that little bit more luck on the road, and she'd heard all kinds of horror stories that made her fur stand on end, about what could happen to travellers. She wasn't sure what path he was taking, but he might even have to pass close to the Hisstor Wastes, and there were such horrible things going on there!

"But still, I'm sure that you will have a wonderful time there, even if you do have to work for most of the time. You just be careful in the city, okay? Don't go stepping on any cracks!" Here she smiled teasingly at him, though her concern was real. "I'd love to go some day...you'll have to show me around, so make sure to get to know the city well."[/color]

With a smile at him, and a nod, she darted up to the top of the hill and lifted the basket up once more. She had to carry the handle in her mouth, but she was used to it, though it did mean that she wouldn't be able to make much conversation on the way back until they arrived. It was okay, though; the food would last easily.

[ooc: Woogly-woogly-woogly-woo! *is so incoherant right now*]