They spent the rest of the afternoon working in tandem, carefully cutting away at the meat, until the deer was just skin and bones. Even the skin was used, as under Ariel's direction Iohn carefully removed the hide from the bones and rolled it up into a hollow tube. “Won't this just rot?” He inquired as he attached the hollow tube to the pack frame by the buckles and latches of the leather belt.
The Daoine a bhios a 'siubhal stared at him, truly wondering...Is he that clueless, or has he never worked with animals. Finally, she dared to ask, “Where did you grow up? In the city?” She rested her hand on her hip as she watched him.
Looking up from the pack, Iohn took in her stance, wondering if she knew how she looked. After clearing his throat, he replied, “Hardly. We grew up on a farmstead with all that entails.” At her arched brow, he continued, “We grew crops, raised animals, and.....”
“Oh Merciful heavens,” she whispered. “Did you ever butcher any of those animals?” She shook her head. I'm betting that they didn't. She thought as she waited for his answer.
Iohn watched as her brown hair danced over her shoulders, and for a brief instant, he entertained thoughts of running his fingers through those wild locks, and just as briefly imagined his hands sliding lower to ....... I have to be careful, he thought as she took a deep breath. Now, what did she ask?
Ariel's eyes narrowed slightly, almost as if she were reading his thoughts. She fiegned a scowl, but inwardly, she felt warm as she felt another blush crawling up her face.
When he finally recalled what she had asked, Iohn shruggged. “Did we kill the food animals? Yes, we did, but I was never involved in the butchering or skinning.” He gestured down toward the remnants, “In fact, this is the first time I've done this.” He rose to his feet and turned toward her. “Thank you for showing me what to do. It's been educational.”
The woman tapped her right foot as she tried to center herself. “You are very welcome, my dear I-yohn.” She ached to reach out and caress his cheek, but stopped herself. “If you continue to travel with me, I'll show you many things. Things that will make you a less useless Rugadh de lasair.” Then as if realizing the ways that her statement could be interpreted, she blushed a brilliant red and hid her face in her hands.
Iohn watched as she hid her face and started softly crying. For a moment, he didn't move, being torn between confusion and wanting to comfort her. Why is she crying? Then, comprehension slowly set in and it was his turn to blush, though she couldn't see it. Once he understood what had made her cry, it was the most natural thing in the world to close the distance between them and gather the usually graceful Daoine a bhios a 'siubhal into a tender embrace.
