Admirable Qualities

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 12th May 2006

Characters: Gleniel, Kiomo
Description: Gleniel works up the courage to visit Kiomo
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 11, day 8 of Turn 3

Gleniel stared at the door in front of her. **How sharding _long_ have I been out here?** she asked herself, shifting the small platter of cookies to the other hand - again. **Just knock, Gleniel! What's the worst that could happen?**

Shards and shells.

She licked her lips nervously. She didn't even know what she was doing here. In the middle of the day. During _her_ lunch candlemark. _Her_
free time.

**Oh, but you _do_ know, Gleniel. You know very well.**

The young drudge grappled with her feminine pride for another moment before finally raising her hand and rapping her knuckles across the wood. It was almost defiant, and she winced at the sound.

"Come in!" Kiomo called as he continued making marks on the Lord Holder's calendar. "Ah, Gleniel," he grinned and put his pen down as he saw the young woman in the door. Rising to his feet he said, "This is indeed a surprise. Can I help you with something?"

Despite the efforts to keep her emotions under control, she couldn't help the slow, creeping blush from heating her cheeks as she took an uncharacteristically hesitant step, then another, into the room. "I was... I was on my way out this way, and since I know you're sort of partial to sweets, I thought I'd bring this platter by." She snapped her teeth together to keep from babbling anymore. Shards! She wasn't an adolescent!

"Oh you wonderful woman," he smiled as he took an appreciative sniff.
"I can smell them from here. Come and sit down."

Pleased that she was invited to stay - at least for a little while -
Gleniel smiled at him as she came over, sitting in the offered chair.
"They're the sugar kind," she told him, setting the platter lightly down on his desk.

"Oh yes, I can see that," he grinned. "May I have one?"

"They're all for you." She glanced up at him.

"Thank you," he smiled. "And of course if you make me eat them all, I will, but I would be more than happy to share a few with you."

Blushing just a bit, she reached out and took one. "I'd never say no to a cookie."

"That makes two of us," he said before popping one in his mouth. Kiomo studied her thoughtfully as he chewed. After swallowing he finally said,"You blush rather easily, don't you."

She made herself keep chewing. Made herself swallow as her green eyes darted to his. "Depends on how you define easy." Gleniel offered him a small grin.

His lips curled into a slow grin of his own as he looked into her green eyes. "Well, I like it. It's... quite becoming, you know."

"A blush is becoming?" Shards, would her cheeks ever stop heating?
And...shards... Was he flirting with her? Was she flirting with _him_?

"Oh yes." His smile only broadened as he cheeks grew more flush.
"Quite becoming, in fact. Why, does that bother you?"

She nodded. "As you can imagine, I don't do so well playing poker. Or any card game, for that matter..." She shrugged a shoulder, trying to act nonchalant. "And it's difficult, always knowing you're wearing your emotions on your sleeve so _everyone_ can take a look...."

"Why is that so bad?" he asked as he set his elbow on the desk and rested his chin in his hand. "It just means you're genuine. I think that's a rather admirable quality in a person."

"You do?"

"Mmhmm," he nodded. "You sound surprised."

"Well," she rubbed the back of her neck, "I guess I just never thought of it that way."

"Well, you should. There's nothing wrong with blushing. In fact they can be quite..." **Sweet... endearing...** "Pretty."

**Pretty...** Gleniel peeked up at him through her lashes, suddenly feeling very shy.

Kiomo cleared his throat and looked away, almost like he had said too much. He reached for another cookie with a shy smile. "These really are good, by the way."

Gleniel looked at him for just a moment longer before dropping her eyes, nodding agreement. "I'm glad you like them."

"Did you cook them?" he asked, obviously trying to change the subject and make things a bit more comfortable. And yet, by so obviously trying to ease the tension it only served to remind them that there _was_
tension needing to be eased.

She laughed, wishing it didn't sound so sharding nervous. "Shards, no.
I can't bake very well. It's like...a whole other art. You're either skilled at it or you're not."

"Your skilled in other areas, I'm sure," he smiled. "Well, I appreciate them anyway. It was very thoughtful of you, Gleniel."

"You're welcome, Kiomo," she replied, blushing a bit as she said his name.

Last updated on the May 13th 2006

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Admirable Qualities