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Na seil sal na terreva briciet debas
Shadows of passing clouds flicker behind her eyelids. A gentle breeze stirs the long grass, and the tips of the blades tickle her bare arms. Somewhere nearby, a small mammal is hiding, watching her, and an ant traverses her skirt like it’s a mountain.
Na seil na plaumet vernas vocriar
The sun is warmer than it’s been in months. Winter is passing, spring is upon the land. Today, for the first time, she’s able to shed her extra layers and bask in the rays, soaking them into her skin.
Na seil na Vaya calechytar e duan’a Vima
Footsteps approach, but they’re familiar ones so she doesn’t move. The small animal - a hare, most likely, by the way it moves - darts away, still hidden in the grasses.
“What are you doing?” Bruno’s voice is full of fond amusement.
“Lying in the sun.”
“I can see that.” There’s a pause, then he drops down to sit by her side. “We’ve had a lot of rain and clouds lately, hm?”
She hums in agreement, still not opening her eyes or moving a muscle.
Silence falls, broken only by the rustling of the leaves and grass. “The sun does feel good,” he comments eventually. “It’s nice to actually stop and enjoy it.”
“The sun gives…” There isn’t really a word for it in Common. “Life energy,” she settles on. “It invigorates. Everything that the sun touches thrives.” She lets out a content sigh. “I feel closer to the earth on days the sun is shining.”
To a human, she probably sounds ridiculous. And even if he understands more about the Vaya than most humans, he still knows she’s only half. He knows that she has no real magic. She probably sounds like she’s stretching for reasons to be close to her people, imagining feelings that aren’t there, but what she feels is real, even if it’s nothing like what a full Vaya would experience.
Instead of pointing any of that out, he shifts, stretching out in the grass next to her, his arm brushing hers. “I’m glad you’re taking the time to soak it in, then. It gives me more energy, too. Though…” He yawns dramatically. “Right now it kind of makes me want to take a nap.”
Kamaria laughs quietly, and the conversation falls away. Time becomes meaningless as they lie there, side by side, letting their skin warm. Bruno rolls over to face her, dropping a soft kiss on her shoulder and running his fingers slowly through her hair.
“Did you know that you look absolutely gorgeous lying there?” he whispers after a while.
Her ears heat rapidly, and it has nothing to do with the sun. “Shut up,” she mumbles.
“I’m serious. You’re always beautiful, but I think you’re right about the…life energy. I can see it in the way that you’re glowing right now.”
She finally moves, turning her head to face him and blinking open her eyes. He’s staring at her with a look of adoration on his face that she doesn’t know how to process or handle, much like his compliments.
Instead of responding, she makes an attempt at turning it around on him. “Your eyes are reflecting the color of the sky. They’re…incredibly bright blue right now.” They’re stunning, is what they are, but that doesn’t quite roll off her tongue.
Thankfully, he seems to recognize what she really means by her awkward phrasing, his face lighting up with a smile. “Maybe the life energy is working for me, too.”
She laughs again. Before meeting Bruno, she’d never thought laughing this often would ever be a possibility for her. She’d never laughed at all.
Reaching out, she finds his hand and laces her fingers through his. “Maybe so.”