When Ba'atar had stepped from the wagon, fresh from a bath, she had to smile. He was a handsome man, virile, and in his own way charming. The kiss, the gentle touch to her cheek, another to the back of her neck, made her smile. It was these simple things that made her the happiest. They had their moments, but what couple did not? But they always seemed to come through them stronger and closer.
She was looking forward to this evening. A simple meal, shared with a friend, that was basically a labor of love for her. Her mother had once told her that work, was love made visible, and her mother was rarely wrong. Everything was ready in anticipation of their guest of honor.
When he walked up, there was still that small pang in her heart to see him as he was at the present, but he did look better, more rested and that let her know that he was on the mend, physically. As for mentally and emotionally, that would come with time, for she had faith in his inner strength.
Now, she found out what the wager was. Ba'atar had wagered that he could eat more bosk strips than Fonce. This made her laugh. Her mate was a man that enjoyed his food, usually in large amounts. She has seen him eat a hearty meal at the fires, then to eat again at their own fires. Food was his friend. Food was something that he enjoyed. Fonce would have been in trouble, had he been fully recovered.
The man did eat, however it was sparingly, which was not a bad thing. He was still recovering, but the meal was not exactly about quantity of food, it was more about the quality of friendship. It was about conversation and the bonds of friendship that were still there. It was good to see that some of the light had returned to his black gaze, that the fog was lifting from his brain. There were even glimmers of that wit that she had always enjoyed in the man. There were subtle changes, but that was to be expected.
And then, of course there was Ba'atar and his charm, if you could call it that. He teased, and he questioned. She knew what he was up to, and watched it unfold. In his own way, he was testing the waters to see how Fonce was feeling about things upon his return, about the past, about the future, trying to assess where he was now, and perhaps where he saw himself in the future. In reality, Ba'atar always paid close attention to anything that would have an effect on their people. Perhaps it was too soon for either of them to really know, but she watched the ground work being laid for the relationship between the two men in the future, and she has to admit that she liked what she was seeing. She could see her people growing stronger as bonds of brotherhood formed.
She also saw something new, something that surprised her in a small way. Now, she has seen the man grunt his displeasure at a situation, and she has seen him stand and walk away in irritation, but she has never seen true anger in him. Twice during the conversation and dinner, she saw a fierceness in him that was a new thing to her. Once at the mention of dwellers, then again at the mention of Kassar. Did he really say that he would stack them on his lance like tarsks? Yes he did. Interesting. Just when you thought you knew someone, a new facet to their personality flashed before you briefly.
Another wager of sorts was thrown down on the table. There was this rangy, ill-tempered bull that has given Ba'atar a hard time, she had the patched tunics as proof. And what Tuchuk does not need a bull, hmm? Ba'atar told Fonce, that if he could come to some sort of agreement with that bull, then it was his. Now this, she wanted to see. It was not something that would happen soon, but she had no doubts that Fonce would find a way to bring that bull around to his way of thinking, and would enhance his herd in the doing of it. But more importantly, the thought was floating on the air, that when the bull was tamed, then Ba'atar would know that Fonce was ready to take his place by the Ubar's side. Now that, is where she saw the strength of her people growing. To see two of the men that she respected the most, standing side by side, gave her a certain sense of pride and comfort.
Yes, it was good to be Tuchuk.
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