As I stand before the tailor I try to keep still. He is the best tailor in the village but at is ripe age he often misses with his needles. My ba sits in a chair out of reach as he watches me. He has been staring at me like that all day. He has not said much today besides his usual niceties, and I do not know what to make of his demeanor. I hope that over the next three days we can find a common ground since my ma cannot be here for this part. Per custom it is meant to be a time of bonding for father and son. The fabric that has been chosen is the whitest I have ever seen. My ba has chosen the design and I am not to see it until the week of the wedding. I really hope it will not be I wear to wed Shee. Her letter is meant to arrive tomorrow. I will then need to send another gift to her. I hope she was able to sway her parents so far. One of us needs to have some luck and soon. By my count there are only twenty-five days left. The tailor begins to remove the fabric from my
As I wait for Io to dress I take a seat in the chair and look around the hut. It seems small for two people, but it is neat. The wooden table is clean and looks worn. I am guessing they have it with the matching chairs for a while. In the middle of the table is a bowl filled with herbs. In the corner I see a stand that looks to be filled with pieces of parchment. From my seat I can see the cooking room. On the counter sits clean dishes and a bucket. On the other side of the room, I see the fireplace. On its shelf there is a line of pots they must use for cooking. There is a neat pile of wood for a fire and a worn brown rug which covers the floor. I can see a short hall but only one room. Io went the other way, so I believe this door to be Homura’s place. As I continue to wait I hear a door close and the sound of water splashing. I got restless of sitting and decide to take a look at the pile of parchments. I pace as I read the titles. I have read many of these as they have to
He surrounds me and as we sway in harmony I hum. The song I hum is a song I have heard many others sing as they work in the fields. It is a song about finally finding love and being at peace with another. It is very fitting of the moment. He wraps his arms tighter around my waist at the tune and sways to its melody. I settle into the warmth of him at my back and lay my arms across his. It feels almost as if our bodies dance even though we barely move. I close my eyes to savor the feeling. When my eyes open a short time later I look out the mouth of the cave and know that soon it will be dark. We will have to leave our solitude and part once more. The thought has my eyes mist a little at leaving this perfect moment in time. However, I do not want to anger my father, so I tap Draco’s hand that lays underneath mine. “Hmm” he says as if he is resting. I sigh happy that he feels the same peace that I find. “It will be getting dark soon” I inform him. “I wish we coul
As I wait for Draco to arrive I am full of anticipation. I know it has only been two days since we last saw each other, but I have really missed him. I cannot wait to see what he has planned for our day together. I wonder what he has done with his time instead is study. We have not talked about his friends since that day at Hanami when he introduced me. I wonder if he still spends time with them. While I ponder that question there is a knock on the door. I rush to open it. As soon as I see it is him I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him. He chuckles. “Well, hello my Io. I have missed you too” he says. As I look up to see his face he closes the distance and kisses me. Our tongues have barely had the chance to tangle before he is pulling away. My stomach gets a bad feeling. “Is everything alright” I ask. “With you things are always perfect Io. We just need to talk, and I am not sure how you will feel once we do. We also tend to get carried away when we touch, an
I have been with my father all day. I have been in the background of meeting he has had with shop workers, farmers, and even a few of his partners. I have watched him fill out parchments of arrangements as well as task he has to complete. I have watched him give orders to so many people and seen how they scurry off to do his bidding. This is the first day and I am bored. I have not learned anything, and we have not had a chance to speak. It is well last midday, and I cannot wait for the day to end. Currently he sits at a desk going through files with a man that works for him. He has the parchments explained to him and if it is something he approves he signs it. Every so often he glances my way to see that I am still in the room. When he does this I nod to acknowledge him. As I look around his office I see the shelves lined with scrolls. Things are neatly labeled, and everything is kept in a proper place. There are parchments on every surface I can see. I do not want to anger
The second day with my father went much like the first. I followed him around the village as he met with others I knew. During his meetings with the shop owners, I notice that he is different. He asks about their families and how things are running. When he finds that everything is well then he moves onto business. He knows the names of the people and their spouses. He even knows some of their children. Either he pays attention to detail or he actual cares about the people of this village. “Do you remember how to ride a horse, Draco” he asks me in a pause in conversation with a shop keeper. I nod my head and he goes back to his conversation. When we exit the shop there are two horses waiting. They have already been saddled. He mounts the brown horse with a gesture for me to mount the black. “Where are we going?” I ask as we start to ride. “To visit some who live just outside the village who are in need of care” he answers. The journey is brief and only tak
This third day with my father has been too much. We have been walking around trailed by his servant all day as he gets papers signed by various people. It is almost evening and I believe we have seen nearly every person in the village. My feet ache and I want nothing more than to sit down or sleep. As I lean against the wall of another stand I wait for my father to finish. The women he is talking to is of a spirited sort. She is small and robust. She speaks with a loud voice and gestures with her hands. My father is speaking to her in his no nonsense tone, and I watch waiting to see her bend to him will. I am surprised when she places her hands on her hips and he stares at her silently. As they have a quiet moment of just staring at each other angrily I wait to see who will back down first. My father is actually the one to concede. He walks away from her briskly to talk to his servant. They exchange papers and my father returns with something else. The women read the paper an
Today Io will receive the drawing that is a snapshot in time. I try to picture what her facial expression will be like when she sees what it is. As I sit on this bench waiting for Huli I imagine that it would be shocked at first but turn into extreme joy. I wish I could be there to see it. “Hello Draco” Huli greets as he takes a seat next to me. “Hello Huli, how are you today?” I ask politely. “I am well. Thanks, but I can see from the tapping of your fingers you are anxious to hear about the girl” he says with a smirk. I blush and rub my hands on my robe. “It is okay brother; your courted woman is doing well. She looks much like the day I met her and is in good health. She is always excited to receive her gifts. I did leave the last without talking to her first. My father was insistent that I come home right after studies” he admits. I have never met either of his parents. He does not mention them much. I smile at the news of how Io is. “I am very appreciative