Demkaih guided the study stallion into the Painted Ladies, walking him down the cobbled road. He glanced at Fion's on the way past, thinking about the previous day. He couldnt see her in the window, and didn't really think he should stop with all the spice bags in his cart. Flicking the reins, he guided the horse towards the red house. Once there, he jumped down and walked the horse to the side yard and unhooked him. For now the cart would prevent him from getting loose and later he would have to get some chaff. He had a trough out the back, the previous owner seemed to have had pigs or something of the sort, and finding a bucket, he filled it with water.

Turning, he dusted his hands and regarded the cart, then with a self satisfied sigh he grabbed a bag and began to take it inside.

Fion walked home from the market feeling decidedly mopey. Demkaih had gone on a trip to Old Rose to get spices and depending on when his shipment got in he would be gone for days.

In a moment of sentimentality, Fion decided that she would walk past his house on the way home. She saw the door shut and the front gate closed. Fion's shoulders drooped and she sighed.

Then she saw the cart, with Demkaih behind it about to heft a bag onto his shoulders.

"Demkaih!" Fion shouted, delighted. "You're home!"

Fion pushed the gate open, dumped her shopping just inside his fence and ran over to him. Fion threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him fiercely.

"Hi." She said, looking into his eyes and blushing, feet dangling a little because he was so tall, "I missed you."

Demkaih grabbed the bag of cloves and dumped it over his shoulder, making sure it settled right.



The tall dark man staggered slightly under the weight of the sack as the woman threw him off balance. He steadied himself, kissing her warmly in return. He chuckled slightly, looking down at her.

"I've only been gone since yesterday afternoon." He said in a deep voice, full of curious mirth. His blue eyes twinkled.

"But if you kiss me like that everytime I go away, I will have to do it more often." Grinning, he shifted the heavy bag again.

"I do not mean to discourage you, my beautiful poppy, but this sack is heavy. Would you mind if I took it inside?"

Fion dropped down quickly, a hand over her burning cheek.

"I thought you'd be gone longer, I was already settling in to miss you." She said softly.

"I'll help you bring your stuff in." Fion grabbed a slightly smaller sack, used to carrying heavy weights. "Do you mind if I bring my shopping inside so it doesn't spoil?"

Fion felt incredibly silly, even if she wanted to take things slowly she... She knew she didn't need any excuse at all to want to kiss Demkaih.

Demkaih watched her quietly as she spoke and picked up one of the smaller sacks. Her blush was so pretty, and he felt like he'd accidently brushed her off. He grabbed her arm lightly before she move away and leaned over to kiss her, a slow, sweet kiss. Pulling back, he grinned.

"I missed you too Fion." Standing straight again he walked over and grabbed her shopping with his free arm. Walking past Fion, he stopped at the door, put her shopping down and grabbed his key out of his coin purse. Unlocking the door he kicked it open gently and grabbed her bags again, then walked inside. He unceremoniously dumped his sack in the front right corner and put her stuff beside it. Turning, he popped his head back out.

"Of couse, my lovely woman, I would not let your shopping spoil. Please, come in!" He gestured for her to enter.

Fion fell to pieces when Demkaih kissed her fond and warm.

"Hyuck." She said before she could help herself. "He missed me too."

Fion sniffed the sack she was holding. It smelt good. She jogged inside after Demkaih. It looked a little cleaner, even though she'd only seen it the day before.

"So, what did you get in your shipment?" Fion asked as she put her sack down. "Hey! You have a horse!"

Fion had been distracted previously by Demkaih but now that they were doing physical labour she was free to think of animals. Fion dashed outside so she could go and pat the horse on the nose.

"Who's a pretty..." Fion paused in her praise of the horse and looked down, "Boy then!"

Demkaih followed Fion outside, needing to grab another sack anyway, and turned to follow her to the horse. The chestnut stallion was positively beaming under her praise it seemed, ears pricked forward and making little head nods.

"Yes, I needed a horse for the cart. But now I am not so sure what to do with him." He looked around the garden.

"I do not think there is enough room here, even for a small horse like him." He turned to grab another sack.

"I just have spices. Cloves, cinnamon, aniseed. A little bit of this and that."

"Who's a pretty horsey? You are!" Fion said childishly before turning to Demkaih, "You could always get him adjisted, there's some land about two kilometres down the crosstreet over there. There are some other horses, so he wouldn't get lonely and you can pay to get him ridden so he doesn't become unfit."

Fion pointed down the road.

"All these spices smell wonderful! Do you know how to cook with them all?" Fion asked, pausing one last time to rub the bottom of the horses ear, "I've always wanted to learn how."

Demkaih couldn't help but stifle a sudden laugh, he gave the little horse a glance, realizing it was going to be relishing in the attention, he hoped it didn't expect him to talk like that.



The mugrobi man nodded, hands on hips. That, he thought, is a very good idea.



Demkaih turned and grabbed another sack. Cumin. It was an almost sweet smell. He turned back to her.

"A man does not trade that which he does not understand. I can cook with all the ones I sell. If I find a new one, i will experiment before I sell it." He smiled.

"Would you like me to teach you?"

Fion smiled widely.

"I'd love that!" Fion felt glee rising at the thought of Demkaih teaching her to cook.

Fion grabbed two more small sacks and brought them inside. One smelt sweet and the other sharp and pungent. Both were brilliantly fragrant.

"What are these?" She asked quizzically, part of her wanting to run outside again and play with the horse.

Demkaih sniffed as she brought them over.

"That one is cinnamon sticks and the other one isn't so much a spice as a dried vegetable. It's dried garlic. You can grind it to a fine powder that goes well with roasts." He dumped his Cumin beside the others and leaned to stretch his back. All there was left to bring in was the aniseed and the cardamon pods. Then there was two bolts of the sheer mugroba fabric he had asked to be sent, and a small sack of assorted beads. He walked out and hefted both the spice bags onto either shoulder, carrying them inside.

"I thought you might find those interesting." He gestured to the bolts of fabric and the bag of beads in the cart.

Fion looked at the back of the cart searching for a short moment before she caught sight of the fabric. She reached in and rubbed her fingers over it, exhaling softly the feel. She pulled the bolts closer to her, taking care not to damage them. She opened first one, then the other, admiring the colour and pattern.

"Oh, Dem." Fion sighed, "These are so beautiful."

Fion could do a lot with the fabric in front of her but it wasn't hers to take and she wouldn't dream of asking. She wondered if he'd mind ordering some for her the next time he had a shipment coming in.

Fion looked towards the back of the cart again, noticing a lumpy bag. She opened it, since she'd been kindly invited to, and laughed happily. She'd always loved beadwork as a child, she'd even contemplated becoming a jeweler before she realised she was going to be a barmaid like it or not. Fion pulled some of the beads out and held them up to the light. They were free of bubbles and cracks and reflected the light and their own colours.

"Who made these?" Fion asked, slightly more business-like now, "This is excellent work. You could sell half of these for a very good profit and keep the rest yourself for what-have-you."

Demkaih watched happily as she admired the fabric. He knew she would like them. She admired the beauty in things like this, much the same way he did. That was another thing he loved about her.



Walking over, the tall man picked up a bead and bounced it in his hand.

"My mother and sister made these, and the fabrics. I mean, not my mother, she is my aunt but I feel more like she is a mother to me. My cousins were my siblings." He smiled at her.

"I plan on selling these things when I open the shop, but for now, I would like you to have them. You have better contacts in this industry and you could make some wonderful things. People would want to have beautiful clothes that you make, in this fabric, with beading on it. If your not to sure on beading, I can show you." He doubted she would need to be shown. Putting the bead back, he pushed them towards her.

"The fabric and the beads are yours, my poppy. Make beautiful things, encourage people to want this fabric." He grinned.

Fion was awestruck and her mouth hung open for a moment in spite of herself.

"Demkaih, you shouldn't have!" Fion touched the fabric again, not wanting to reject his generous gift, "I don't know what to say, it's so lovely!"

She already had ideas for what she could do with it, the things she could make. She warred against the idea of making a dress for herself. She decided that she'd have to make Demkaih some shirts in thanks.

"I'll be able to do so much with this, I'll be sure to tell everyone about your shop." Fion turned and kissed Demkaih sweetly on the lips again, "I don't know what I did deserve you."

Fion leant back a little.

"Do you want to have some dinner at my house tonight? Piran's been very persistent." Fion gave him a wry look, "Unusually so."

Demkaih was practically bursting with joy when she reacted so positivly to the gifts. He loved seeing her face light up. When she turned and kissed him, it was like a breath of fresh air or a morning sunrise. His heart lept. At the mention of dinner and Piran, the dark man smiled.

"Ahah. I see the boy is a lot more perceptive then he lets on." He said, his rich voice full of understanding. It made him feel accepted knowing the boy wanted him to come around.

"I would love to have dinner at your place, my beautiful woman. Just tell me what time to be there and what I need to bring." He reached out to push back a stray strand of hair from her eyes, marveling at how easily she could make him smile.

Fion pouted.

"He's more perceptive than a golly with a crystal ball." Fion said fake-moodily, "He's already ten-times smarter than me!"



Fion smiled moonily when Demkaih brushed her hair away from her face.

"Why don't we give it an hour or so, so we both have time to put things away." And tidy, Fion added silently, "You can bring some spices if you want, how about it?"

Fion walked inside Demkaih's house to grab her groceries.

"Do you mind if I pick up the fabric later? My arms are a little full." Fion tried to raise her elbows but she had a bag in each arm.

The dark man nodded, smiling.

"An hour then, I will bring an assortment for you. And I will keep the bolts and beads here till you return." Taking a page from her book, he leaned over and kissed her softly.

"I will not be late, my beautiful poppy."

Fion giggled a little, stupidly.

"Alrighty," She said, smiling and happy, "I'll see you then."

Fion walked away humming under her breath. Then she remembered the state of her house.

She made a high pitched noise and pickedup the pace.