S.O.S Scenes

The Tattoo

"Ammon?" Adira yells. He rushes out into the hall to see his love.

"Adira? Is everything ok-" Before he could finish, she tackles him to the ground in a bone-crushing hug. He starts laughing as he sits up and holds her close to his chest.

"What's got you in a good mood?" He says when his laughter finally dies down. She pulls just far enough away from him so she could look him in the eyes, but still close enough to wrap her arms around him. He had never seen a bigger smile on her face.

"They said you could start the initiation!" She practically cries of happiness. He wipes the small tears from the corner of her eye.

"They did?" He asks in shock. The council had been okay with him staying in Rabat, but never in a million years did he think they would let him join.

"I finally convinced my father. He said you start tomorrow." She bites her lip, trying to contain her happiness. "Once you're in, we can finally be together like we've planned."

"Let's go to our room so no one suspects anything...you know...weird about us." He says with a smile. She laughs and shakes her head.

"The phrase 'our room' causes half that suspicion. Wait, how could I have forgotten? Initiates have to be marked with a special tattoo to signify that you are going through the process." She tells him as they start standing. He looks at her weirdly.

"A tattoo? Just for initiation? What happens to it if I make it through?" He asks. She smiles and unconsciously touches his forearm.

"It's henna. It will fade around the time you finish, hopefully. Come on, I'll paint it on." They smile at each other and go to their room. He sits on the mountain of pillows and watches adoringly as Adira gathers everything she needs. A large part of him is glad that she is doing this because even when she isn't physically with him during the training, a part of her spirit will be through the tattoo. She sits down in front of him, henna paste in hand. She grabs a pillow and rests it on her lap.

"Give me your left arm." She says. He reaches it out to her and she rests it on the pillow.

"Keep it still or so help me Gods." She jokes. He smiles as he watches her start the design. Watching her slowly draw on his skin calmed him and made him feel ready to take on the challenges he'd be facing in the next few weeks. He loved watching her concentrate on a task. There was a special beauty to her concentration because she rarely broke it. Every stroke he made was smooth and steady and deliberate. She made sure to put in the little details, because the small things add up. Slowly, but surely, the lines at dots became beautiful geometric designs, with a subtle flower on top. When she finished the last detail she looked up to him to see his response. He had been staring at her for so long that he had forgotten about the design. He glances down and stares at it in awe.

"Do...you like it?" She asks quietly. He looks up to meet her worried eyes. He quickly gives her a reassuring smile.

"I love it." He looks to her lips. "I love you." He leans forward slightly as Adira moves to kiss him, making sure the design stayed safe. A wide grin grew across their faces as she pulls away.

"Let it dry for a couple of hours." She tells him as she stands. He looks up at her quizzically.

"You're leaving?" He says, almost sounding lost at the thought of being without her. She smiles as she walks across the room.

"No. I'm going to sleep for a while. Do not, and I repeat, do not mess up your arm. Understand me?" He nods and watches her lie down on her bed. What he wouldn't do to lie there with her.

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Ignore the fact that the picture is a female model. That is roughly the design Adira gives Ammon on his forearm. I needed to write this before the next chapter/scene thing for a reason obvious in the next chapter/scene thing. Again, this is a rough draft.

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