Bonded

Chapter Nine

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India

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Ronin... so tall and fierce... And Kavya... Gentle and with so many freckles...

I had never imagined myself having even one suitor and yet here I am with two men who seem to want nothing more than to occupy my time and my mind... Two men who have not only asked over whether or not I am free to give them a chance to try for my hand but are now currently walking me back to my chamber as though I am actually important enough to warrant their time... Kavya's eyes still not leaving me despite the fact that he has tripped over his own feet twice now... He seems too intent on focusing on nothing but Ronin and I as the three of us stroll towards the direction of my room with Jian trailing only a few paces behind us having volunteered to be our chaperone this evening... His nosiness saving me from having to walk being followed by his beloved, Master Qiao, a situation I would very much like to avoid...

It is embarrassing enough to have a peer be privy to our first conversation... I shiver even imagining having a Master trail behind us listening to our shared words...At least if it's Jian it means that I will not have to memorize these words to recite them to him later like I know he would have eventually demanded... Jian's heart is so very ruled by romance that I sometimes wonder if he might be better suited to being a matchmaker than he is to being a scholar with how he complains about reading scroll after scroll but somehow has made the time for something like this...

I just hope that he does not find our conversation so very dull that he is unwilling to help me walk through the emotions currently floating through me at the moment... The next question coming from Ronin as he squeezes my hand to draw me back into the conversation from where I've withdrawn to in my head, "Would you care to take another after-dinner walk with us tomorrow, India?"

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Ronin

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I feel as though my heart stops beating while I wait for him to answer, Kavya pausing just slightly mid-stride so that we might both soon know whether or not India is actually receptive or not to the idea of spending more time with us... The way his blush renews itself in his cheeks so very enchanting... I wish so very badly that we could stop fully so that Kavya and I might go back to holding our sweet India so very close while we await his answer, but doing so would likely only cause him to feel even more nervous than he already clearly is...

"I... I think I would like that... I would like that very much, Ronin..." The way his voice is so full of shy hesitation makes my beast want to call out to him... It makes me want to try and coax him into singing for us to see if that hesitation is still there when he allows his heart to speak freely or if all of him is so preciously trepidacious...

"Might we also join you in the morning? We could all break our fast together!" The words from Kavya make me jump, my heart set to racing at the thought of the two of us possibly overwhelming our lovely new companion, though it seems, in the end, I need to worry over not a single thing... The corners of India's lips pulling themselves up into a smile that causes even more restlessness in my being before he gives us the sweetest answer...

"A-Aren't you both assigned to patrol t-tonight? That is what you told Master Qiao... I-I would... I would enjoy breaking our fast together but not if it might deprive you both of well-earned rest..." His words are sweet and thoughtful, and they come delivered to us with the most endearing stutter as he watches his feet like Kavya should be doing to avoid tripping himself once again... His stumbling over his own feet just as adorable as India's stutter... The nervousness of all three of us so very palpable but so very understandable...

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Kavya

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"I think spending time with you would likely leave us more well-rested and recharged than any amount of sleep ever could, India... The longer I find myself in your presence the more peaceful I feel my soul becoming.." Before I give them permission to leave my mouth I find myself having to stop short and jam the knuckles of my free hand between my teeth so that the curse I shout at myself in my head for not catching myself might be guaranteed to stay in my mouth instead of rolling out of it... The embarrassment I feel over not being able to control my lips just as I had not been able to when Ronin had first pursued me romantically still not any gentler on my spirit than it was the first go-round... My nervousness always loosening my lips just enough to say the things that always manage to set my cheeks aflame...

"T-That... Kavya... What a kind thing to say..." Instead of reprimanding me or calling me a flatterer... Our sweet India seems so very taken with my words... Not put off in the slightest over hearing of the strange effect he seems to have on my soul... Ronin's eyes telling me that he is not hurt by my statement, but rather that he understands what I mean and that it is in no way saying that he is not able to offer the same type of soothing... He does... It is just the fact that with India added into our shared slice of peace brings about a more distinct layer of calm in the spaces between us and the difference is so very very tangible...

It is as though with India we feel more complete... Somehow it seems to make more sense to our beasts to have him situated between us, holding our palms and walking as slowly as possible in order to draw out the small sliver of time that we have carved out for each other... Somehow... Somehow for whatever reason... It feels as though this entire time we have been waiting for something we were not even aware was missing between Ronin and I and now we have found it in India... A beautiful scholar that seems to not know his own beauty or charm... A scholar who cannot keep his curious eyes to himself... A scholar that I so badly hope takes a true liking to us so that I might keep embarrassing myself knowing that my words will bring forth that lovely shade of dusty rose in his cheeks and a smile to Ronin's face...