“How was I supposed to know that Rraiec was going to base his instruction on it? You didn’t tell me,” Baura retorted. “And I also had five other texts to read. I had to prioritize.”

Wesley searched for a bit of patience. “Perhaps you should reprioritize, hmm? And this time, read Yas first, before continuing that insipid account of Orth-f’lh wars.”

“You’re just sour because Rraiec is going to blame you for my mistake,” Baura accused.

Wesley frowned at the young dalhari. “That is not true, Baura. It is also inappropriate. I recommend you stop being petulant and start reading.”

“Of course,” Baura murmured, suitably chastised. “I suppose I should get started, then.”

“Yes, you should,” Wesley agreed. “But do not forget to stop by the kitchens; you haven’t been there in quite some time.”

“I’ve been cooking for myself,” Baura countered.

“Plain paz grain? Delving into asceticism, are we?”

Baura had the grace to blush. “The kitchens. I shan’t forget.”

Wesley threw himself into the pile of cushions in front of the fire as soon as Baura had shut the door. He was immensely pleased that his student was back on track and improving, but sometimes Baura just drove him insane. The young man had so much…energy. Baura’s problem was that it wasn’t very well controlled. The only thing that kept Wesley from screaming was the fact that he was going to spend the evening with Rraiec.

He was honest enough with himself to admit that he was incredibly nervous about the coming evening. All they were going to do was eat dinner and talk. The intention was to see if there was anything left to pursue between them. Wesley knew that at least on his end, there was. He’d repressed those feelings for a long time, but once he dragged them back to the surface, he saw that they were as fresh and strong as ever. In fact, he’d taken the time to laugh at himself for shoving them away in the first place. After all, he’d worked very hard to stop doing that to other feelings and memories.

However, Wesley also knew he didn’t have time to mull over the situation. If he wanted to have anything for Rraiec to eat when he arrived, he was going to have to make something. A quick glance in his cupboard told him he had just the ingredients for calpahri, a favorite local dish. He knew that Rraiec favored it.

•••

Rraiec paused outside Wesley’s door, pulling his thoughts together. He was hesitant to go forward with this plan, unsure still if he could accept it if Wesley proved to be uninterested. There was a reason why Rraiec did not let himself dwell on missed opportunities. Therefore, it was not without some trepidation that he knocked on Wesley’s door.

Wesley opened his door to find a rather nervous Rraiec standing in the hallway. “Good evening,” He murmured as he let Rraiec inside. “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” Rraiec murmured. “Is that calpahri?”

“Yes,” Wesley replied. “How was your day?”

“Baura didn’t read Character in Air,” The blue dalhari replied. Wesley winced.

“I know. He will have it read tomorrow,” Wesley promised.

“Let me guess; he is still working his way through that incredibly dry series on orth-f’lh wars?” Rraiec said dryly.

“Much to my chagrin, yes,” The green dalhari confirmed. “I cannot seem to peel him away from the wretched thing.”

“Then perhaps we should simply let him finish,” Rraiec offered. “But that is enough of such subjects. How goes your wall?”

“Very well,” Wesley answered. “I am almost completely around the pond.”

“Thus assuring that no prhang accidentally drown themselves in it?” Rraiec asked lightly.

“Precisely,” Wesley said facetiously. “One cannot trust prhang. Crafty little nuisances.”

“Why are mocking livestock?” Rraiec inquired.

“They’re easy targets,” Wesley replied instantly. He moved over to the fire, carrying a small pitcher of cream with him. It was time to finish the calpahri. This step took a bit more attention; he had to stir in the cream without letting it scorch. The procedure went easily enough and soon he and Rraiec were seated at his low table, sharing a thick, creamy stew and a plate of spicy cakes.

“I see you have been visiting the kitchen staff,” Rraiec commented softly. “Although I must admit that the addition of azsh’daf to the cakes is unique.”

“Is it too strong?” Wesley asked, worried. He’d always been fond of the spice; it reminded him of anise from his home dimension. However, he knew that it wasn’t the most common additive to spicy foods.

“No,” Rraiec replied, shaking his head. “It is very good, but different. The taste compliments calpahri.”

“Ah, good,” Wesley said absently. That really hadn’t helped him at all; he still wasn’t sure if Rraiec liked it or if he was just being polite. Dalhari had a habit of being excessively polite, unless they were agitated or angry. Or if they were Baura.

Rraiec sighed. “Keisri, the azsh’daf is very good in the cakes. I am not lying to be nice to you.”

Wesley nodded. “I have e’infal, if you would like.”

“That would be nice,” Rraiec said quietly. He hadn’t meant to upset Wesley, but both of them were edgy at the moment.

Wesley fetched a bowl of the fruit, some of the last of the season. He served it plain, forgoing the traditional sweetcakes and cream. The calpahri had been heavy enough to fill them both. He watched as Rraiec consumed a bit of the fruit, eating slowly. “Will you assist me with the wall tomorrow?” He asked after a few minutes.

Rraiec’s head shot up. He did not often receive an invitation to work with Wesley in the fields. “Of course,” He replied quickly. “I would be honored.”

“It is just a wall,” Wesley replied lightly.

“But it wants for attention, no?”

“Perhaps,” Wesley said. “Perhaps it does.”

•••

Rraiec reminisced about the last time he’d made this walk. That fateful day had sparked a tumultuous time in his, Wesley’s and Baura’s lives. He hoped that today’s visit to Wesley’s isolated work site proved less destructive.

“Ah, you’ve arrived,” Wesley said brightly as Rraiec came into view. “I am preparing to gather another section of stones.” Rraiec nodded and stripped off his outer cloak. Once he was finished, he took up a second barrow and followed Wesley to the location of the old wall, which was being shifted. He let Wesley choose the stones, simply acting as labor while they shifted the rocks to the pond location.

“What does Uvu intend to do with the pond, once you are finished?” Rraiec inquired as they unloaded the stones.

“Actually, prhang factor into this project,” Wesley replied. “The hold will be acquiring a flock of chanaa in the spring.”

“I had not heard that,” Rraiec murmured. “And the pond is for them?”

“Indeed, it is,” Wesley confirmed. “This field has long been used for prhang, and will continue to hold them. However, chanaa require fresh water, unpolluted by prhang leavings. This pond is an excellent choice as it is not fed by a spring.” The flightless water birds would be corralled within the walls, leaving them with plenty of land on which to nest as well as a large, vibrant pond on which to glide. Once they settled in, the hold would have a never-ending supply of quills, down and other such items.

“Where do the chanaa come from?” Rraiec asked as he hefted a rock that Wesley wanted. “I know that the Narmunan have many flocks, but we do very little trade with them.”

“We do not,” Wesley confirmed. “We procured them indirectly from the Narmunan, through another contract in Baesraqc.”

“I see,” Rraiec said. “Where will the chanaa be kept in winter?”

“I believe that an unused shearing barn is being converted for them,” Wesley answered. “It is actually closer to completion than the wall. However, both will be finished long before the chanaa arrive.”

“Of course,” Rraiec agreed. After all, Uvu would not have put Wesley on this task alone had he been unsure of the young dalhari’s ability to finish.

The day wore on as Rraiec and Wesley labored over the wall. Well before midday Wesley stripped off his vest and shirts; the sun was high and bright in the sky and there was no wind, so heat built up quickly. Rraiec held off on seeing to his own comfort for as long as possible, but he too ended up removing some of his heavy garments. By the time Wesley called a halt for their midday meal, the pond was beginning to look extremely appealing.

“Would you like to stop?” Wesley asked as he handed Rraiec a wrapped parcel full of sweetcakes and dried fruit. “The wall will keep.”

“No,” Rraiec replied. “I enjoy this work. Not as much as you, but I do like it.”

“But not when it is overly warm,” Wesley replied.

“It is unseasonably warm today, yes,” Rraiec agreed. “Normally it would be quite cool now.”

“And not nearly as pleasant for this task,” Wesley reminded him. “With the wind blowing and a bit of ice.”

“You make a hot day sound almost appealing,” The blue dalhari commented.

“I try,” Wesley conceded.

“Indeed, you do,” Rraiec murmured. “What did Baura say about his readings this morning?”

“I have no idea,” Wesley said shortly. “He overslept.”

“Reading all night, in all likelihood. He does have a tendency to do that,” Rraiec said.

“And you don’t?” Wesley retorted. “I’ve seen you, remember? With circles under your eyes so dark they were visible even with your coloring.”

Rraiec blushed, turning him impossibly dark. Yes, he had done that a time or two. The aftereffects had not been pleasant. “He does emulate us, to a certain extent. Mayhap he shouldn’t.”

Wesley shrugged. “We aren’t the only two dalhari who have passed a day or ten reading; I may have chosen to sleep many nights that you did not, but that does not mean I never went without sleep. Remember, I rarely spend the day in bed.”

“Very true,” Rraiec murmured. Wesley had never completely fallen into the dalhari habit of sleeping whenever he felt tired. As a result, he almost always slept at night, when humans normally slept, and spent the days working.

Wesley stood up and walked over to the pond. He knelt beside it, dunking his head into the cold water. It felt good running down his back and went a long way towards refreshing him. “On the bright side, we only have a fifth of the pond left to surround,” He told Rraiec.

The darker dalhari nodded as he approached the water. He wasn’t sure he wanted to submerge himself; while Wesley kept his hair cropped short, his own locks were very long and tightly braided. Still, the lure of not being so overheated was great, so he followed Wesley’s lead and soaked his head in the frigid waters.

•••

“I trust that you read Character in Air,” Rraiec murmured as Baura joined him in the library.

“Of course,” Baura replied. “I won’t make that mistake a second time.”

“Good,” His instructor said. “So you can tell me why it was assigned to you.”

Baura grinned. “Fiction written for pleasure can also be insightful and filled with wisdom,” He replied. “And can be interesting and accurate at the same time.”

“Very good. Now, what did you learn from reading the text?” Rraiec asked.

This question took Baura a bit longer to answer. “There isn’t any substitute for time.”

“Oblique, but acceptable,” Rraiec said. “More specifically…”

The younger dalhari sighed. “The passage of time itself does not necessarily damage or lessen the ties between people. Since memories are not forgotten or degraded without active effort, time cannot be blamed for the loss of connections between individuals.”

Their discussion was interrupted when a messenger stepped up to their table. Rraiec looked up at her questioningly, a bit irritated at the intrusion.

“Rraiec- inaelhae?” The messenger inquired.

“Yes?” Rraiec murmured.

“This just arrived for you,” The young woman continued, handing him a plain wooden box. As soon as Rraiec accepted it, she hurried away.

“What is it?” Baura asked, curious.

“I have no idea,” Rraiec admitted. “But I shall leave it for later.” Baura looked disappointed, but didn’t say anything.

It was some time later before Rraiec got around to opening the box. The library was nearly empty; Baura had left an hour before to find dinner. Rraiec pulled the box to him and lifted the lid. Inside the box he found only one item.

A rather plain-looking, well-worn rock. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands. Who would have given him a rock?

Keisri.

That flake-brained idiot.

“To which flake-brained idiot do you refer?”

Rraiec spun around to face Rinhe. “Elder! I did not hear you arrive.”

“You were rather focused on your… rock. And a very nice rock it is,” She continued. “But back to the idiot. Which idiot are you muttering about?”

“I’d rather not say,” Rraiec answered.

“Ah. Keisri, then,” Rinhe guessed. “He would give you a rock.”

Rraiec stared.

“Subtlety is not one of his strengths.”

“I would not say that,” Rraiec murmured.

“He gave you a rock to announce his intentions to court you,” Rinhe retorted. “The only thing he didn’t do was lob the thing at you.”

“For which I am eternally grateful,” Rraiec replied. The elder grimaced.

“Maybe he should have,” Rinhe muttered as she walked away.

Rraiec stood there for a long time, letting the weight of the rock anchor him to the floor.

He was being courted.