Demkaih stood at the shop window, looking at the lawn, shaking his head for the fifth time since he got home from the market. Outside, a brown duck with black streaks along its eyes pecked at a loaf of bread. It quacked happily and shook itself.

Quack.

The mugrobi man sighed and shook his head again. He felt like a fool doing this, but they were his instructions. He'd burnt the note too, envelope and all. Now he just...waited.

Fion was ambling up the steps to Dem's store when she caught sight of the duck and his loaf of bread. Her younger self shone through her resultant smile.

"Ducky!" She exclaimed, partly remembering her childhood and partly remembering afternoons spent feeding similar specimens at the pond with Piran.

Fion caught sight of Dem in the window, as she bent down to touch the top of the duck's head.

"You didn't tell me you were buying a pet duck!" She cried, loud enough that he could hear her through the glass.

What an odd choice of pet... Not that she was complaining. She liked ducks and she was sure it was just a mugrobi thing.

The dark man watched Fion enter his yard and instantly be drawn to the duck. He couldn't help but smirk, he loved her for these little things. He saw her look up and spy him through the glass.



He chuckled and walked to the door, opening it and stepping on out the lawn to stand beside her, arms folded.

"It was a spur of the moment decision." He said simply, stepping around the subject carefully. He knew how she would react if he told her about his meeting last night. It was just, he needed to do this for her, and for Piran. Looking down at her, he frowned a little, his murgobi heritage screaming at him LIAR! But he knew he wasn't lying yet, just refraining from speaking...which felt just as bad.

"Do you want to come inside? I would like to let you try something."

Fion touched the top of the ducks head. She didn't really want to go inside just yet. She wanted to play with the duck.

"Sure." She said, smiling winningly. "I love new things!"

She also really liked ducks...

Demkaih could see she wanted to play more with the duck, but he wanted her to come inside, worried that the resistance people might be lurking around. He smiled at her.

"You will love this. I can promise you that." He said in a mysteriously mischivious voice.

Fion's focus on the duck was severed. She loved it when he used that tone. Fun things always happened when he used that tone. He was normally so serious, if galant. She loved it when he was playful. Fion didn't think he was like that with anyone else.

"Oh reheeheeally..." She said, looping one hand around his strong arm.

Yesterday had been a nightmare. She wanted to forget about it until she was ready to discuss it. Demkaih and his friendly duck were the perfect distractions.

Grinning, he guided her inside and closed the door, turning the sign to "Closed." Kissing her on the cheek and freeing his arm, he walked behind the counter and pulled out the coldbox. Opening it up, he reached inside and pulled out a waxpaper wrapped package. Inside were thin sheets of orange chocolate. Taking a finger sized sheet, he walked back to Fion and handed it to her.

"Have you ever had chocolate before? A mugrobi woman came in here the other day and it made me realize I have never asked you. This is orange chocolate."

Fion was greatly enjoying herself. Everyone else on her street seemed to have somebody and now she did too. And he kissed her on the cheek. And he had a job. And he was lovely.

And he had a job!



"No, I haven't." Fion said, carefully skirting around the fact that it was far outside her price range.

It looked interesting, although she'd never seen anything like it before. She carefully took a bite.

It was like someone had found a bag of money and hosted an enormous party in her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered and her eyes rolled back.

"Oh my gods." She said, biting her lip.

Chocolate was fantastic.

Demkaih fervently tried to think of anything other than pie. He ran through images of old women...old men...old cheese...cheese...pie..DAMN IT! Smiling, he turned and walked uncomfortably behind the cabinet, pretending to sort through the rest of the chocolate, thankful the furniture was waist high.

"So, I take it you approve, my poppy?" He said without looking at her ecstatic face.

Fion made a low and happy sound at the back of her throat. She more than approved. She was wondering if there was any way to mass produce the stuff so she could melt it down and drown in it.

"That was amazing." Fion sighed, eyes finally opening. "Why are you hiding behind the furniture?"

Fion smiled a bit wickedly and blushed at the same time. This was fun, she'd thought she'd forgotten fun. There was something very assuring about having an effect on Dem. She wasn't planning on taking advantage of it but it certainly pushed her buttons.

She wondered if she was still flexible enough to vault a tabletop and launch herself at him.

Demkaih cleared his throat and continued concentrating on the ice box. Unfortunatly, he could feel that in this situation, a lie might come. Instantly the idea made him go hot and cold, and he smiled and looked at her with relief.

"The moon does not ask the sun why he hides when she comes out." He answered evasively. Closing the ice box, he stole a glance outside, wondering if the resistance had seen the damn duck yet.

Fion stifled some mild annoyance at being dismissed. Normally he liked it when she took an interest in what he was doing. She walked closer to him and slipped her arms around his middle.

"What's up?" She said, voice not serious yet, hand tracing the musculature of his stomach. "Are you waiting for someone?"

Her eyes tried to follow his earlier glance. Who could he be waiting for? He'd closed the store. Normally that was just an excuse to be affectionate or... really affectionate.

Demkaih cursed the duck and the resistance internally with words he would never want Fion to hear him say. He sighed a little and reached up to hold her hand.

"Poppy," The dark man's blue eyes were not the usual cheery sparkle they were when she was around. He was troubled. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn't, and she was almost forcing him to lie. But he would never.

"I think you should go. It is not good for you to be here right now." His voice was soft and slightly stern.

Fion made a soft sound and frowned as Dem pulled her hand away.



Fion flinched. She had never seen him look at her that way before.

"Oh." She said, voice tremulous and searching for an appropiate pitch. "I... Alright then."

Fion let go of Dem, eyes on her apron as she smoothed it down. Her face was a little red and her expression had gone flat. He had never told her to go away before, not even when his store had been full of customers.

He was sick of her already?

Fion walked over to the main doorway, switching the sign to say open. "I'm kind of busy tomorrow, so I'll see you when I see you."

He'd just talked to her like some of the galdori did when she was at work. She swept out the door with her arms swinging tensely beside her. She didn't bother looking at him again, unwilling to see that hard expression.

The mugrobi's jaw clenched, muscle twitching on the side as he heard the sound in her voice. This isn't what he wanted at all. He watched her as she pulled away, desperately wanting to tell her why he had to do this. It made him want to vomit.



Demkaih's heart thumped heavily, and he walked, picking up a wooden carving on the shelf as he passed.



Walking upto the door, he watched her walk away, a choked up lump forming in his throat. His eye caught the duck and his face darkened even more.

"Clocking...stop-clocking...argh! Yaraka!" He roared, turning and flinging the carving across the room. It exploded against the wooden back wall, bits of legs and head flying everywhere. Breathing heavily, he turned the sign to closed and locked the door, stalking upstairs. That duck...he would kill it if he knew Fion wouldn't find out.

Dem heard the sound of a pair of hands slowly clapping behind him. Had he turned he would have seen a young woman, thinly built and affected in posture. She was dressed in brown, tight fitting pants and a wore a tank shirt, decorated with buttons across the chest. She placed both hands on her hips, canting them in Dem's direction and making a kissy face.

"Bravo, that was quite a show. Trouble in paradise, hey? You should have seen her face, ca-rushing." The girls walked forward, hips swishing, showing off the gun holster on her right leg. "I think you could do better though, man she had an ass on her. Unless you like that sort of thing."

She hopped up on the nearest horizontal surface.

"I have a job for you." She sing-songed. "You can call me Deb."

Deb was good at her job but she hadn't been doing it long.

((OHHH!! DEB!!! I didn't see this, and now I get what hubby said to me! lmao! mashed taters.))

Demkaih stopped on the stairs and turned very slowly, looking at the girl. He hadn't even seen her there.



The dark man frowned at the saucy girl, advancing slowly.

"You speak of things you should keep your mouth out of." His voice was flat and low, anger still simmering at the surface. Closing in on her as she sat on the counter top, he crossed his arms and watched her.



"What job?" He asked softly, in no mood for chit-chat.

Deb smiled manically, ignoring Demkaih's firey glare.

"Escort mission, on the 28th, at night after your business is closed. You'll need black clothes, no point you sticking out, there aren't many mugrobi around here. Those that are don't quite match your stature." Deb rolled the words around like they were tumbles, licking her lips as she spoke. "You'll meet me in the dives, opposite the B&B. Try not to look too suspicious, if you can avoid it."

She swung her legs slowly backwards and forwards. She was about as body confident as a person could be and saw nothing wrong with teasing the older man with verbal jibes.

"Got any questions? Yes? No?"

Demkaih listened carefully, mentally locking the date and place into his head. An escort mission, that shouldn't be too bad. He ignored her still devious attitude.



His face was unreadable.

"No."

Deb flicked her hair over her shoulder, smiling in the face of his annoyance. She was a natural born stirrer.

"Fine then. See you there." She slid off the table and waltzed out the back door. "Hope your lady friend doesn't cut you off."

She slapped her own leg loudly she walked away. "Bam!"