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[Max of Vesper]

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Ceinwyn ab’Arawn.

Max knew before seeing her the other eve that the mere mention of her name would draw many, mostly not so pleasant, emotions from the people who crossed paths with her.

He shrugged it off, “They did not know her.”

In fact, Max realized even he did not know her very well, but what he knew, he was strongly attracted to. She even asked him “Why?”, but it was a question he could not easily answer.

Their meeting was full of emotion. He told her he had feelings for her that went beyond friendship, and she told him he would be better off if he forgot about her. They spoke of the different paths they travel through life, and the potential repercussions of a romantic involvement. Max was known by friends and foes alike to be a man who was a follower of the “light.” The pairing might not be warmly welcomed she said, but Max insisted it was of no concern to him. His friends should be happy he was happy.

There were some grave concerns from both of them during the discussion, and on occasion Max found himself wishing he had never told her how he felt.

“She likely thinks me a fool with a crush,” he thought at one low point. “I have wasted the time of both of us, and perhaps lost her as a friend as well.”

When faced with a direct question, she admitted to having feelings for him as well that went beyond friendship, but she continued to insist she would bring Max nothing but unhappiness.

Finally, after a rather heated rant by Max, he gave her the opportunity.

“If you turn from me now and leave, I will not follow. I will respect your decision, and leave you be.”

She turned, headed for the stairway, and left without a word.

Heartbroken, Max slumped into a chair, dropped his head into his hands and cursed himself for being a fool. Knowing she would never see an easy road for the two of them with their respective backgrounds, he should have said nothing and waited for his feelings to dwindle in time. The chance his feelings would continue to grow was too great though, and he decided this was the best. At least if she knew how he truly felt she would perhaps not have any desire to see him again, and he would eventually forget her as she suggested he do.

“You are stubborn!” came her voice from the top of the stairs.

Looking up, he could not help but smile at the sight of her. “You came back!”

“Only to show you how stubborn you are.” she said through her laughter.

Not wanting to accept that as her real answer he pressed her. “That was the only reason you returned?”

“No,” she said softly as she moved closer to him. “I wanted to steal a kiss from you.”

***************

The first two nights after their meeting were long ones for Max. Each night he wound up, sitting in his usual position on the throne overlooking Arcana’s rooftop garden; the reality of what he and Ceinwyn were starting to build much better than any dreams he could have had.

Smiling to himself thinking about Ceinwyn on the second night, he realized that in all the times he has sat here and pondered his troubles, he never really appreciated the beauty of the gardens two rooftops away.

But now he knew he had been robbed. He finally took the time to appreciate the gardens, and he could not help but think how they paled in comparison to her.

Sleep finally came to him on the third night. She had taken him to see her new house, and he realized she had no bed to rest in herself.

“I had it shipped, and it has yet to be delivered.” she explained.

“Well,” he told her, “I have a bed that has not been used the past two nights, and after all of the moving and unpacking you have been doing, you really should have a good night’s rest. I will sleep on the roof, and you shall have the bed.”

Agreeing that it would be wise for her to rest this night, the two found themselves at Max’s house, where Ceinwyn made a strong and convincing case for Max to spend the night with her in the comfort of the bed.

Snuggled up against his shoulder, Ceinwyn was asleep in mere moments, exhausted from all the work she had been doing. Max, missing the past two night’s sleep, was not far behind her…but not before thinking what a good thing it was he had heavier blankets on the bed due to Vesper being so far to the north.

With a hand gently laying on the cold arm Ceinwyn had rested across his chest Max shivered just a bit, but drifted off with the warm and comforting feeling of her by his side.
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-Max of Vesper, Super Pally Perma NoOb.