Old Faces

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 19th December 2015
Series: The Unwanted Sister

Characters: Relea, Coran, Nico
Description: Relea sees an old familiar face.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 3, day 5 of Turn 8
Notes: Relea sees an old familiar face.

Relea

A boat slowly eased out of the docks as Relea stood, watching. When she
needed to get out for some air, it was not uncommon to find her there,
though she didn't do it as often as she used to. As that day had dawned,
however, Relea found herself drawn there, watching as cargo was unloaded
and new cargo loaded onto the deck.

Nico's heart pounded in his chest as he stood on the docks, drinking in the
familiar profile of the woman he'd said goodbye to a couple of Turns ago.
The same overwhelming feelings he'd felt for her then still welled up
inside him.

She looked beautiful, serene and at peace in the early morning light. He
wondered what she had been doing in the time that he'd been gone.

Stepping lightly, Nico walked in her line of sight with an expectant smile.

"Relea." He signed her name the way she'd taught him.

The appearance of a face that had become so familiar a few turns earlier so
shocked the young woman that it took a moment for her to actually respond.
"Nico." She signed in return, using the motion that they had come up with
for his name. "What are you doing here?"

He gestured over his shoulder toward a riverboat that was teaming with
activity as sailors hauled off the cargo and stacked it on the docks. "Just
in for a few hours with the ship." Even though it had only been a couple of
Turns he thought she looked so different, more … mature?

"You look beautiful." The words escaped him before he could stop them.

A dusting of pink laced her cheeks and all Relea could sign was, "You're
very sweet." Her gaze shifted to the ship, then back to the man. "Are you
no longer on the riverboat?"

Nico made a face and shook his head, "Still working on a riverboat, just
switched crews."

That surprised her. While Relea hadn't been on riverboats longer than it
took to travel from one place to another, she knew that most consisted of
one or more families. What had happened to spur Nico to leave his?

"Say, I have a few hours of leave time, can I take you to get some
breakfast?" he asked.

"I can't. I'm waiting on my husband." Although Coran generally got up
early, he'd been able to sleep in that day and Relea didn't want to awaken
him. When she'd decided to walk and get some fresh air, she'd left a note
and where to find her for breakfast, but the last thing Relea wanted to do
was go with another man and give him ideas about her loyalty.

Nico's eyebrows raised in surprise as he took a moment to process that
information. "You're… husband. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were
married." Once he'd switched crews he hadn't kept up with Leaton or Relea.

"Yes, almost a turn now." Just two months shy. Had it really been that
long? In that time, she'd conceived two children and lost one. "How have
you been?"

"Oh, I've been fine." Nico's words were a little more distant now as he
tried to process what the ring on Relea's finger meant. He had never
imagined that…. well, with her hearing impairment…. Nico hadn't really
expected anyone besides himself to be willing to endure Leaton's dowery
demands for Relea's hand in marriage.

"So who is the lucky guy?" he asked.

"His name is Coran." Relea had to spell out the name since there was no
way Nico would know the sign she had created to indicate him. "He's a
healer at Green Valley hold." She paused a moment, then asked, "What about
you? What have you been doing since last we saw each other?" That last
meeting hadn't been pleasant. Relea had insisted she was not interested in
the young Riverboat man and that she was going to court someone else. How
different would her life be if she hadn't done that? If Leaton had gotten
his way, most likely she would have never seen him again for he would have
surely done something horrible to Nico - he had threatened just that.

The name struck a bell. **The Holder's brother, then. I suppose that is
someone of good enough reputation and money for Leaton's approval, and
Relea's.**

"Just working." **And thinking about you.** He'd thought that if he'd
worked hard enough and saved up enough marks that he would be able to get
Leaton's approval for Relea's hand in marriage.

"How is your family? I know you're not on their riverboat anymore, but are
they well?" They had all been kind to her, though Nico had been the only
one to take the time to spend time with her when he was in port and learn
her language.

"Relea?" The voice that spoke caught only Nico's attention, of course.
Looking up he saw a tall man heading their way, and without being told he
already knew who this was. Her husband.

Waking up to find one's wife missing was not the most pleasant feeling, and
then to find her down on the docks talking to a sailor was even _more_
unpleasant. Coran stepped up beside of Relea, putting a possessive hand to
the small of her back as he looked the other man in the eyes.

Glancing down at his wife, Coran signed, "I've been looking for you."

"I left a note." Had Coran not seen it? Although he'd gotten after her
for going off alone, that was when there had been no one else. Where they
were, so many people were about, she didn't see any cause for alarm - and
she was familiar with the docks. Before Coran could ask, Relea introduced
them, hands flying. "Coran, this is Nico. Nico, this is my husband,
Coran."

There was no missing the way the two men sized each other up, but they both
extended their hands and shook politely.

"You read hand signs?" Coran asked.

Nico's lips tilted into a smirk, "Yes, Relea taught me actually."

The healer glanced down at his wife and then back up at Nico. "Did she now?"

"You remember me mentioning Nico?" He'd come up only once, when Coran had
asked Relea about former beaus. That had been a while ago.

"Vaguely." Coran answered truthfully. He did remember Nico's name coming up
in a conversation about Relea's past, but he couldn't remember all of the
details about him. "Are you ready to go and get breakfast?" He purposefully
did not include Nico in this invitation.

"Yes, I am quite hungry." Relea had enjoyed the walk, but she did find
herself getting famished quite easily as of late - which wasn't surprising
considering her state. To Nico, she offered a smile and signed, "It was
nice to see you again. I am glad you're doing well."

Something inside Nico's chest tightened as he looked at the two of them,
and he nodded.

"You too." he signed back.

Coran tipped his head toward Nico, and then guided Relea back toward the
Hold, acutely aware that the other man stood and watched them walk away.

Last updated on the December 21st 2015

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Old Faces