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Post by haukea on Apr 15, 2008 21:47:30 GMT -5
The streets of Shai City were bustling, with citizens going about their business. In portions of the city, work crews were repairing damaged homes and businesses, shoring up bridges over the canals...attempting to return their beloved home back to the way it had been. The residential district was rather quiet in comparison to the market areas....that is, if you weren't walking hand in hand with Haukea Harta...
"They were just standing there, talking so horribly about Miya! I can't even stand repeating some of what they said! I tried to tell them they shouldn't be gossiping like that, but they just wouldn't listen..."
With each step she took, the hood of her sapphire park bounced behind her. Her sepia shaded braids swayed with her easy gait. Her free hand, clad in cerulean mittens, gripped the shawl over her shoulders. Her other hand still had firm grasp on Hebirei's. Her ochre skin held a bit of a flush to it.
In the past 10 minutes or so that they'd been walking along, Haukea had not stopped talking. The nervousness in her basically had caused her to just start babbling...and so she kept talking and talking, not even giving Hebirei the opportunity to break in and speak. It was safe to say that in all of her chatting, she'd forgotten that originally she'd been sent to fetch her older brother for lunch.
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Post by Nanuk on Apr 16, 2008 18:23:58 GMT -5
Hebirei strolled slowly along, one hand in Haukea's and the other trying to smooth down the many folds of his over sized parka. He could hardly believe his ears, boy, could she talk! He had merely said I want to get to know you, and she goes off on a ten-minute monologue that seemed endless. As much as he hated to, he really couldn't listen to much of this anymore, so he started to tune her out a bit. He could still pick up the just of what she was saying, but he wasn't exactly thinking about it. He looked around, it was pretty still here, at least part of the city was returning to normal.
As a matter of fact, it was pretty quiet too, he could even hear the slight crunch of their boots hitting the ground as they walked. For the moment, it seemed that they were the only two in the world. He really couldn't stand much more of this endless blabbering, so he started to ponder how to nicely get her to be quiet. The tip of his sideways wolf-tail was starting to bob as they found a rhythm to their walking, but he took not much notice of it, for he was thinking desperately how to politely get her to stop talking.
He eventually figured out a decent idea, but he hesitated. He looked over to her lips, constantly moving, and knew what he would do. He took off the glove on his left hand with a little struggle, and put it in his pocket. In one swift move, he brought up his left hand, extended his index finger, and placed it on her lips. He hadn't thought this far, which was rare unless he was actually distracted by something. So, of course, he started stuttering nonsense, "Um... sorry, um, I wanted to say, um, something... but now I forgot..." Feeling embarrassed, he started to blush, and he started to blush even more as he realized that Haukea's beautiful face was what distracted him.
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Post by haukea on Apr 17, 2008 8:47:06 GMT -5
Haukea would've just kept going, oblivious to the fact that she was babbling. Her eyes had closed for a moment, and in midsentence...Hebirei's finger came into contact with her lips. Her soft blue eyes flew open wide, then looked inward, crossing them to look at the finger. She blinked a few times, then looked over at Hebirei. A slow blush was creeping across her cheeks, as it dawned on her just exactly what she had been doing.
"Um... sorry, um, I wanted to say, um, something... but now I forgot..."
A bit of a sheepish smile pushed away the surprised look that had crossed her features. Her mittened hand rose and pulled Hebirei's hand down. A slight giggle escaped her as she shook her head.
"No, it's okay. I uh...I have a tendency to just sort of start talking when I get nervous."
Haukea giggled again, tilting her head to the side slightly.
"And I just kind of keep talking...and talking...and talking..."
Her gaze went downward to look at their hands. She was holding both of his now. She felt that nervous bubble cresting in her again. With a swallow, Haukea did her best not to open her mouth, lest she break into another babbling streak.
Will it always be like this? the petite teen wondered. Will I always be this nervous around him? Will I ever really get used to him?
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Post by Nanuk on Apr 17, 2008 19:22:53 GMT -5
Luckily, when Hebirei became nervous, he got quiet rather than talkative. He was simply standing there blushing, while they held each other's hands. He felt his left hand be pulled down by Haukea, so now both of their hands were interlocked. He really couldn't remember what he wanted to say, and he couldn't think of much by now. All he could do was stare into her beautiful carolina blue eyes, and he realized suddenly how lucky he was to be engaged to her.
He laughed at her remark about her talking, and talking, and talking. He still couldn't bring himself to speak, but he could nod, however. So he did, and gave her a friendly smile, waiting for his voice to crawl back into his throat rather then stuck in his heart. He started to wonder what had given him the courage to even do anything about her endless talking, he must really be attracted to this girl.
Finally, he felt his voice return, and he said, "Yeah, you kind of do keep talking.... and talking.... and talking." Then, thinking back, the 'nervous' peaked his interest. "But why would you be nervous?" He had a good feeling, but he really wanted to confirm his suspicions. Then he gave her a playful smile and returned his gaze to her two blue moons.
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Post by haukea on Apr 17, 2008 20:00:36 GMT -5
"Yeah, you kind of do keep talking.... and talking.... and talking. But why would you be nervous?"
Haukea had looked up when Hebirei spoke...but when he asked his question, her gaze went back down to the snow packed road beneath their feet. She didn't want to talk his ear off...again. But she couldn't just not answer him, right? The toe of her seal skin boot kicked at the snow, rustling the ends of her braids. Finally, she answered, taking a deep breath as she looked up at him.
"Well...the thing is, I've never even had a boyfriend before. I mean, I have had some crushes, what girl hasn't! But...but I've never dated or anything like that."
She looked back down, resumed kicking at the snow.
"And now I'm supposed to marry you. And...I don't even know how to be a girlfriend, you know?"
At the tail end of her comment, her foot missed the snow - and connected with Hebirei's shin. Haukea's eyes widened, her head coming up swiftly to meet his gaze.
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!!"
Her hands let go of Hebirei's and flew to cover mouth. Suffice it to say, she was mortified. Here she was, trying to talk with her fiancee, and she just up and kicked him in the shin. Her eyes welled up a little, tears gathering, threatening to fall.
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Post by Nanuk on Apr 18, 2008 13:49:58 GMT -5
Hebirei was still standing there, blushing like crazy, but finally when she did talk, he wondered if he had made a mistake. He could tell that they were both very nervous, and like she had said, she tended to talk a lot when she was nervous. If she started to blab now, he really didn’t know how he would stop her. Luckily, she seemed too preoccupied with kicking the ground to go off on a monologue. He nodded while she spoke, and when she was finished, he replied, “Yeah, I have really only had a few crushes and that’s it. It is awkward for me too, but there really isn’t much we can do abou… OWW!”
He gave a small shout of pain, for she had just kicked him on the shin. He could practically feel the seal skin smash the bone, but he tried, for Haukea’s sake to choke it down. He stood there while she apologized and he looked up to her eyes. He noticed that they were starting to get clouded by tears and he didn’t want her to start crying. So, fighting back the pain, he stood back up straight and hit his shin with his hand. As he tried not to wince, he said, “See… its… fine…” He knew that would be a horrible bruise when he got home, but for Haukea’s sake, he would act like it was nothing for now.
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Post by haukea on Apr 19, 2008 11:08:31 GMT -5
Haukea was utterly mortified. What was the MATTER with her!? First she had babbled on like an idiot, talking his ear off. And now, she kicked him in the shin! Worse yet, she was about to start bawling like a baby, something she realized a little belatedly as a couple of tears trickled down her cheeks. Despite his reassurances that he was okay, she felt just horrible.
The distraught girl turned her back to Hebirei, bringing her arms about her.
"I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to kick you! I was kicking at the snow. I was trying not to talk too much like before, and I just..."
The girl was on the verge of babbling yet again, as she practically fell all over herself trying to apologize to Hebirei. She'd been thinking so positively about the marriage (though the planning of the wedding was certainly frustrating). She was thinking that things would work out alright. But if she was going to be forever at odds and nervous around him...
Suddenly things weren't looking all that sunny and bright...
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Post by Nanuk on Apr 19, 2008 22:36:35 GMT -5
Hebirei was feeling horribly guilty, which was weird, for Haukea was the one who kicked him. As he saw her turn her back to him, he felt like someone had smashed him on the head with a rock. He couldn't bear it if she couldn't look at him, so his brain unfroze and started thinking, fast. Possible scenarios fluttering back and forth, he saw a few warm, salty, tears hit the ground at her feet. He just felt horrible, he couldn't even focus at the searing pain in his leg.
He saw the situation crashing, and quick, especially when he started to hear her talking too much again. He knew the first thing that must be done, and that was to stop her from talking. The next of course would be stopping her from crying. The third was to assure her for real that the kick was nothing. The fourth, when Haukea wasn't looking, he would try to heal the wound. He took a mental note of all these things, and figured a way to accomplish the first two in one quick move. He had to get her to laugh.
He prepped himself with his best happy face and jumped around her so she was facing him again. Then, he put his index and middle finger on her chin and lifted her face so she was looking at him again, and said, "Hey, you can kick the living daylights out of me anytime, just don't blab too much." He said this all very dismissively, and threw in a little chuckle at the end. He practically crossed his fingers as he waited for her response, which was hopefully a laugh.
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Post by haukea on Apr 19, 2008 23:05:16 GMT -5
More tears were gathering in Haukea's eyes, a few more sliding down her cheeks. All that was running through her mind was the fact she was marrying a practical stranger, one who probably couldn't stand her...even more so since she'd gone and kicked him. She sniffled and vainly tried to stifle her tears. It simply wasn't working.
And then, Hebi's copper shaded fingers curved beneath her chin and gently tilted her face up. Caroline blue eyes moved from looking at her feet, sweeping up to gaze into his own blue-green eyes. She wasn't sure what to expect as she looked into his eyes...but Haukea didn't expect to see an amused sparkle to them, to see him with a smile on his face. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least.
"Hey, you can kick the living daylights out of me anytime, just don't blab too much."
The gesture...his words...they reassured her. It made Haukea feel better, and in fact even elicited a bit of a chuckle from her. She didn't immediately respond to him...and there was still that bit of nervousness in her. But...they were supposed to be getting married, right?
Haukea's arms reached out to wrap around Hebirei's waist, pulling close to him. It was just a hug. And while somewhere dimly in her head she was thinking it odd to just hug him when she barely knew him, another part of Haukea reminded the teen that in a little less than a month there would be more expectations then something so simple as a hug. She tried to ignore both sides for the most part...mainly because lingering on either one of those two thoughts just made the nervousness rise in her once again. She buried her face in his parka, and her response came out a bit muffled thanks to the oversized garment.
"I'll try not to blab too much, Hebi."
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Post by Nanuk on Apr 20, 2008 12:41:09 GMT -5
Hebirei was so nervous, first impressions were everything. Even though this was technically their third meeting, they still hardly knew each other, so he wanted to portray himself as the kind guy he was. He heard the little chuckle, and he knew he had been successful. It almost scared him to think how well he had handled the situation, but it wasn't bad. Then, after a pause from his bride-to-be, he suddenly felt her draw close to him and wrap her arms around him. He was surprised, to say the least, but the initial shock wore off after a few seconds.
Hebirei listened while she talked, and had a good feeling about this whole wedding thing. He wrapped his hands around her waist and held her close, for she was his. They really made a good pair, the two of them. For she wasn't wrapped up in the tribe's culture to mind that he was a male healer, and neither was he, so he didn't mind her working in such a high position. He was a kind enough guy to not mind her ditzyness, to a point, and when it got too bad, he could use his analytical mind to remedy the situation. The only thing that worried him at this point was if he would be too smart for her.
He merely held her close, and spoke softly in her ear, "That's good.." He paused, as he thought of what else to say. He had a vague idea of finding something sweet to call her, so he thought quickly. ".. my little arctic hen." He nervously wondered whether or not it was a good name.
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Post by haukea on Apr 20, 2008 13:13:41 GMT -5
"That's good.. my little arctic hen."
Haukea didn't say anything immediately, as she thought on the new nickname. Usually if she was being compared to an arctic hen, it was referring to the way she seemed to run around like an arctic hen with its head cut off. Suffice it to say...it was never used in a complimentary fashion. She could tell Hebirei wasn't trying to insult her though. No, the tone in which he'd said it was kind, not a hint of teasing to it. Still...the little affectionate name made Haukea giggle slightly.
The petite water tribe girl looked up, tilting her head so she could look up at Hebirei.
"...I think this will work out. I think that we can make each other happy..."
The comment, literally, came out of the blue. She'd opened her mouth and spoke exactly what had been on her mind at the moment. With a bit of self control, Haukea managed to keep from going into a talkative streak. Her trademark bright smile was on her face again, a happy sparkle hinted in her soft blue eyes.
And then yet another bit of randomness escaped her.
"Let's go for a walk on the wall," Haukea suggested.
She pulled herself out of their embrace and took one of Hebirei's hands into her own. The young apprentice began to pull her fiancee along, leading him down a path that would take them out of the residential district.
"A lot of the ships have been putting back out into the waters, so the harbor should be pretty busy. Let's go look!"
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Post by Nanuk on Apr 20, 2008 21:15:26 GMT -5
Hebirei held her close and waited for her response to his little nickname. He really hoped it wasn't bad, and when he heard her little giggle, he wasn't sure what to think. Then, out of the blue, she voiced what they both were thinking, they were going to work out. There may be a few bumps along the way, but in the end, he was pretty sure that they would be happy. He breathed a sigh of relief when she said not much else, she really was going to control her tongue.
She was looking at him again, with a huge smile on her face. His third task had been accomplished, she wasn't crying anymore. Then, completely out of the blue, she wanted to go walk up on the wall. He gladly complied, what ever she wanted was fine. He felt his hand being pulled as she lead him along. Then, taking both hands away from her, he said, "Hey, that's fine, but let's have some fun, I'll race ya!"
Then, adding a bit of fun to the race, he turned and said, "Last one there is a rotten turtle-seal!" He then turned completely around and took off at high speed for the wall, turning around quickly to make sure that Haukea was following him.
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Post by haukea on Apr 21, 2008 10:33:35 GMT -5
Haukea tilted her head in a curious gesture as Hebirei took his hands from hers. A race? Well...she wasn't all that athletic but...he was already taking off at a run. With a giggle, she shook her head, tussling the four braids her sepia hair was bound in. Seal skin boots hit the packed snow and ice of Shai City's streets in pursuit of the boy. A mittened hand remained clasped on her shawl, lest it come off in her sprint. Her breath came out in puffs of vapor, her cheeks taking on a flush from the running. She skidded around a corner, nearly falling over in her haste, that lead to the thoroughfare leading to the wall. The pair was heading into a more populated section of the city, where there were more citizens out and about. Haukea weaved around a couple of older women carrying goods from the market, and managed to pull ahead of Hebirei. She glanced over her shoulder, flashing a grin at her fiancee...and definitely wasn't looking ahead of her.
Luck smiled on her, as she glanced ahead just in time to see a buffalo deer just ahead of her. With a bit of a yelp, she managed to skitter out of its way. The shaggy creature was startled and reared up, nearly knocking off its rider in the process. Haukea...just kept running, though inwardly she was cringing. In all the years she'd spent around the triplets, she'd learned a valuable lesson: if you don't want to get caught, you have to just keep running. She did glance behind her though, to see if Hebirei would be able to avoid the startled creature.
That was close!
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Post by Nanuk on Apr 24, 2008 7:52:36 GMT -5
Hebirei felt a bit childish as he sprinted through the streets of Shai. Then, he felt a huge pain in his leg, he had forgotten about when she had kicked him. Now, the running was agitating the bruise, causing him to slow down. Just as he suspected, when he slowed, Haukea passed him up and threw him a grin. He was having a good enough time, as long as he didn’t run too fast, so he was concentrating more on what was ahead of him. He saw his fiancée turn and glace at him, only to see that there was a large buffalo deer just ahead of her. He didn’t have time to shout and tell her about it, and sure enough, she almost ran into it, and spooked it into rearing.
He was surprised, to say the least, but even more surprised when she just kept on running. She seemed like the person that would have stayed and remedied the situation. So, devoid of any logic at this point, he just kept on running too, past the angry rider, and past the spooked animal, and past all the other accusatory glances. He couldn’t catch up fast enough because of his leg wound, so he tried so shout, “Come on!! Wait up!!” Every time he tried to run as fast as she was, he would just feel a huge pain in his leg, so he had to stop, and hoped that she would realize that he wasn’t following and return.
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Post by haukea on Apr 24, 2008 9:56:05 GMT -5
Haukea grinned as she saw Hebirei avoid the startled buffalo deer. She turned her gaze forward, leading her husband to be through the streets. The girl was breathing heavy, her legs burning from the exertion when she heard Hebirei shout from behind. She slowed her pace and glanced behind her. Her brow furrowed as she saw him sort of limp, and then come to a stop. She halted in her tracks and reversed direction, going at a leisurely walk. Her breath came out in puffs of vapor as she came up to him. Some of her hair had escaped her braids, giving her a bit of a frazzled look. Her cheeks were still flushed with warmth as well. Her head tilted curiously, and once she caught her breath she spoke.
"What's the matter? Are you okay?"
Concern tinged her tone as she watched his reaction. He may have been able to successfully fib earlier about how his shin felt, but now? As dim as Haukea could be, it was doubtful Hebirei would be able to get away with lying again, especially since she'd seen the limp.
"Sit down, let me have a look."
Haukea was...well, mediocre at best at healing...but it didn't mean she couldn't try. Unless it was something very serious, she could likely manage it.
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