In Stone

20: "Kiss me."

20: “Kiss me.”

Caia was sitting in a small but soft seat in the living room of Caspian's house. She was waiting for him to come back, gently turning her dancing figurines in her hand. She wasn't looking at it though; her eyes were outside the window watching people passing by. She was trying to get comfortable in the new clothes – they fit weird – and not fall asleep because of the large meal that Elanil had stood over her to make sure she ate. It wasn't that Caia didn't like her food, she just wasn't used to eating so much of it at once.

There was to be a party today. They called it a festival, a celebration, for the fact that Caspian had finally returned home. His testimony had been accepted by the goddess as truth, he was forgiven for the death of his parents – not by himself though – and now everyone was eager to have a party because of their happiness.

Caia was excited for it. She had wanted to wear her purple dress, the brightest thing she had here, but besides the fact that it was dirty, Caspian had requested she wear one of the dresses she and Elanil had borrowed yesterday. She would blend in better, fit in amongst his people easier. So Caia did as he asked but she missed her comfortable, familiar dress. This one fit oddly, the cloth itself was unfamiliar, and she had spent about fifteen minutes just trying to put it on.

Which was why, instead of happily walking around the living room as she waited for Caspian, she was sitting here staring almost forlornly out of the window. She was so uncomfortable. It wasn't painful or disturbing, it just felt like something was off. It was like she was trying to walk on a surface that was slightly tilted so she wasn't able to keep her balance.

The waist chain she had put around the dress looked a little abnormal against the distinct difference between skirt and top of the dress, but she refused to not wear it. She had her own shoes as well, they were the only things that were normal and comfortable.

She was trying to focus her mind on the upcoming party instead of those things though. Caspian had promised a bonfire, good food, and pretty much anything anyone felt like doing at the time. There would be dancing and games and laughter between friends. People were eager to get to know her on a more personal level. Caia, to her own surprise, was apprehensive about it.

There were so many people. Caspian had only told her that they were all eager to meet her, to be her friend. It was like standing at the base of an impossibly tall mountain and being told that you had to climb it.

She was pretty sure that she wasn't going to stray far from Caspian tonight. She would play these unfamiliar games with him. She would try this food, admire the bonfire, dance with him. He was something else that was familiar and comfortable.

A small smile graced her mouth at the thought. She was going to dance with Caspian. That would be fun. He was probably a good dancer. She saw him practicing with his sword earlier this morning, training with a few other men and women, and the sight had been drool worthy. There was a grace and fluidity to his movements that made her fingers itch for a chisel or even just a pencil.

She imagined then that he would be a fabulous dancer. She would get to press her body against his as they twirled across the dance floor. The waterfall as a backdrop, foreign instruments making new sounds to accompany them; it was all so romantic.

“Caia!”

She jumped in surprise as she was jerked rudely from her thoughts as Caspian's call. Before she even knew what was going on, he was sprinting over to her and snatching her dancing figurines out of her hands.

Except they weren't really in her hands anymore. They had been dancing across her palm. Caia had unconsciously brought them back to life. Caspian tried to cover them up but they protested until Caia reached out and soothed them back to a still pose.