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Muriel stopped dead in the doorway of the shop. Staring. Asra and Rosier were at the counter with their backs to him and their heads together. Whispering. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. This was the fourth time in a week that this had happened.
Clearly, something was going on.
He trundled over to them, Inanna at his heels. And his shadow must have given him away because Rosier jumped to attention before he got close enough to see what the two of them were talking about.
“Oh! Muriel! You’re here! Early!”
He stared. Noticed Asra cover a smile with his hand and look away from them.
“...I’m not.”
Rosier’s expression went all tight and strained around the eyes. They were a little too wide. Reminded him of a startled horse. Was she… scared?
He knew enough now to know it wasn’t of him. But… something had her nervous. He turned inquiringly to Asra. Who was still smiling? Which was odd given Rosier’s apparent distress.
“I’m just going to leave you to it,” he said after a moment. Patting Rosier encouragingly before drifting up the stairs to the living area.
“So!” Rosier said. Her voice was too high. “Why don’t! We go have some tea!”
Muriel was vaguely aware if Innana canting her head to the side at the same time as him. They were both staring now. “...Are you… okay.”
She nodded vigorously and took his hand, lightly pulling him to the little alcove where she and Asra did readings. “Sit. Please?”
And before he could do that, she turned on her heel and vanished up the stairs in a flurry of skirts. Leaving him and Inanna to stare at one another in bewilderment.
Several minutes passed. And he was fairly certain he heard Asra laughing above at one point. Then Rosier returned, flushed (though it was rather cool and she didn’t have a reason to be) and just as harried.
She didn’t have tea with her either.
Muriel decided not to mention it. Mostly because then it would take longer for her to reach whatever point she wanted to make.
(What if this is the end)
No. He’d have noticed that coming far sooner. And even if it was… he didn’t think it would end with him alone in the woods with nothing all over again... He had… more friends now.
Calm. Down.
He wasn’t nervous yet, exactly. But the longer she stared at the table and fidgeted in silence the less comfortable he felt.
“Wuff.” Inanna made a chiding noise and nosed Rosier’s hand. Startling her.
“She says to stop worrying the bone in your throat.”
Rosier sat abruptly at the table, nodding again. Running her hands through her hair over and over again. Judging by how ragged the half braid looked, she’d been doing as much for a while.
“So! I love you,” she began.
A faint smile. His shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.
“You know that. I love you, and I don’t want to ever hurt you or -- or -- or make you feel trapped or anything, not ever again. But Asra thought you’d like it, and he’s known you even longer than I have, but I’m not sure if he’s right about everything but I trust him and you trust him and -- and Inanna trusts him, and he’s! Very trustable! Very trustable. And, so, I’ve been -- been working on. A thing. For a while. Mostly a lot this last week but I’ve been at it for a few months and thinking about it longer and --”
“... breathe.”
She gasped in a breath like he told her too, and smiled sheepishly. “I -- I, well --”
He startled when she fell out of the chair onto her knees. Went to help her -- only to have a small box thrust in his face.
Muriel went nearly cross-eyed looking at it. Took it gently from her hands.
“...Rosier?”
Even confused there was a… vague sense of something tightening his chest.
“I know you’re -- you’re a solitary kind of person -- or you were, but not so much now, but still a little bit, but I wanted to ask, and, um, you can obviously keep it even if you say no --”
Muriel opened the box as she babbled. A ring. Some kind of brownish silver like twisting branches set with a single, tiny forget-me-not, preserved with magic. One that, somehow, he knew was from the Steppe. A ring. That she’d given him on her knees.
Dawning comprehension. His face began to fill with blood.
Was she --?
“-- So, I mean, I just -- I wantedtoaskyoutomarrymepleaseifyouwantto!”
She was.
Muriel looked down at her with his eyes wide, mouth open ever so slightly. Staring. She was asking him to marry her. Him. She wanted -- she wanted --
All of the sudden the whispers and the furtive glances made so much sense. And the way Asra had left Vesuvia abruptly a few weeks back. To get a flower…
To help her make the ring.
Even in its box it radiated a sense of contented love, and protection.
Muriel realized that while he’d been staring in shock, Rosier had continued to babble. Was, in fact, starting to look truly wild around the eyes.
Without thinking he went to his knees and kissed her, sliding his hands into her hair. She made a muffled sound that was probably more words against his lips, then went boneless and swayed into him. Kissing back. Softly.
“Muriel…” she said when he pulled away, hands still cupping her face.
“Yes.”
There was no warning. She launched herself at him. He was too big to really tackle, but he did fall back onto his legs. And couldn’t help blushing as she laughed and kissed all over his face.
“Asra!” She shouted after a minute.
There was a sound like a herd of elephants charging down the stairs.
“He said yes!”
“I told you he would!”
From them on it devolved into a mess of laughter, and hugs. A snake, a wolf, and three people all joyfully tangling and talking all at once.
Once, this would have sent him running for the hills. But now…
Now, this was home.