Amethyst

Chapter 4: Feelings and Forthcoming

Chapter 4: Feelings and Forthcoming:

At first Turq had been concerned. It was not a usual sight, by any means, for him to witness me. Running flustered through the passage ways towards the South section of the city, for trader’s and Medurian merchants. After running straight into him. He grabbed me protectively and took me aside, into his store room of his trade section. The usual zing of the citrus fruits from far off places hit my nose. It always had been a strange smell initially but eventually after growing fond of the fruits he brought me, I had grown to like them. As the breeze from the open trade tunnel entrances his some of the fresh hanging sacks, filled with fruits, they rustled against each other hang at the front of Turq’s trade section.

It had taken some time to convince him I was in no harm and that, other than my nerves for both my merging ceremony with the sages and the beginning my Passage on the next starry night… I was physically fine. Though, I also did explain to him that I definitely did not feel fine. Sitting on one of the crates of hard fruits each, he rest his hand light and assuring above my knee. His touch helped to soothe my bubbling and clear my thoughts.

“To me, it sounds like you need your mind taken off your Merging and Passage.” Pointing this out, he flashed that crooked smirk that made my heart flutter. Perhaps it was how the glow stones hit his, deep-set jade, eyes that they seemed to smolder. Perhaps it was just him. Either way, Turq melted all my anxiety away with his concern and understanding gaze and if anyone knew how to take my mind off of things? It was him.

Placing my hand on top of his, that rested on my knee, I leaned into the light and silky cloth draping over his shoulder looking up at his angled jaw and full lips. “What, then... did you have in mind?” Turq wasn’t much older. He was still 16 but would turn 17 a few days after I ascended to the surface; into the Opal Cathedral, to undergo my merging; choose my mount and begin my passage - exploring the surface world before returning home to the Opal City, forevermore.

Having taken 10 months travelling on his own passage, he chose to return & brought with him new kinds of fruits and trading links. The trade warden happily granted him his own trading section and ever since, he’s been back! It was hard without him though.

Within seconds his lips were on mine. Our lips melded together perfectly. Following the pattern of the other that felt so familiar.

As I guided his hand up my legs, I couldn’t help breathing him in deeply.

“Ame…” he groaned in my ear, “Ame… are you sure?” His hand lingered at the top of my thighs. My own, atop his assuring.

Who knows what might happen during my Passage, I thought. If I die… If something happens and I am never come back. Then at least I will have loved Turq truly. Looking him straight in his stunning jade smolder, I stood up. Lacing my fingers in his hand that mine had rested on. I began unbuttoning the top of my silk shirt. The look on his eyes was somewhere between excitement and disbelief.. something else seemed to flicker in his expression but I wasn’t sure what. “Turq. I want to be able to remember you.” Crouching onto his lap, entwining both our hands. Kissing along his exquisite jawline, I let out a low laugh when he gulped. “I want to take all of you in: your scent. That lull in your voice. Your soft hands, for a Merudian. Your beautiful jawline and that body of yours that might as well be chiseled marble from the royal palace in the capital. I want to take all of you in.”

The look on his eyes was unreadable at this point, “Ame, you’re not going to disappear. You can always come back after 3 months if being away from me is that bad.” Taking one of his hands from mine, he cupped my face. His thumb gently rubbing my cheek. I couldn’t help nestle my face into his hand. “You are a divine creature, Ame. One that I adore and respect.” His eye’s moved from my face. We had known each others feelings for some time now, but his tone was off. “If you really want to… I will go and get protection but you’re over reacting.” With that Turq pushed me off of himself and leaned against the doorway, facing the other side of the room. “Actually… no. I’m not. We’re not doing this now and not because of this.” Spinning to look at me again, his expression was clearly flustered. “Please, button up your shirt!”

“I’m sorry… I just…” Quickly I began fastening my the buttons back up. With the ushered speed and pressure coupled with a feeling of dejection my fingers failed me and fumbled on each one. The heat on my face was rising from the embarrassment.

Turq’s expression softened again. The redness on his face soothing from his fluster. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to gather his resolve, “Do you want me to talk you through it? How it works and what happens?” He returned to sitting on another of his fruit crates on the other side of the room, this one facing me and more notably further away.

“Umm… yes.” I still hadn’t returned his gaze yet. My face flustered: from the lewd thoughts of Turq running wild through my head; from being rejected after attempting something so intimate with him... I fumbled quickly with the last couple buttons, sealing my shirt back up.

Finally I found the willpower to meet my eyes to his. Daring my self not to be upset any longer. “Yes. That… that would help.”

With that he unbuttoned his own shirt.

At the same moment, I chose to look up from my fingers finishing the last fumble, with that last button. My jaw dropped. At the center of his chest was his merging.

A merging is the spiritual enhancement process that all Medurian's go through by the Old Sister Sages of the Glittering Cathedrals right before they go on their Passage; to explore the world above us. It was really quite a terrifying but proud notion.

Turquoise beads, his namesake birthstone, of varying sizes lined a spiraling geometric pattern that drew attention to the center of his chest… where his heart was. It was exquisite… it was divine art...

“Our goddesses work.” Turq motioned with his hands. Was my expression so obvious “And… it stung like nothing I’ve ever experienced.” As he began, pointed to my own rough stone, that sat on the box I had abandoned in blunderingly, thoughtless and blatantly frivolous endeavor. Picking up the stone, he continued, “But… that pain was worth it. The things I can do now that I never could. It certainly was required on my Passage to help shape me. As the pattern suggested. I had to go back to where my heart was… and it was here. It was with you and when you go on you're Passage I cannot go with you. It's forbidden, as we all need to be molded and shaped by the goddess ourselves... so I'll give you all the knowledge I can and that I am aloud to, of the forthcoming world you're about to ascend to for some time.”

"Hmmm." Musing over what he was allowed to tell me, as I traced the spiral of smooth turquoise disks on his chest with my fingertips. By now I had calmed down a good deal. I wasn't feeling as upset, scared or even considering attempting to avert my thoughts my other means, like I had earlier.

He looked down at me sweetly, "What will you choose? A Goldhorn Antelope? or a Jackguar?" His hands combed through my short dirty blonde hair.

Both of these were considered, "magical creatures," but there wasn't much "magical" about them. They were just the Medurian's optional mounts and both were bred specially by the younger Sister Sages of the Cathedrals.

In aesthetic preference, all cities mounts were slightly different. However, a goldhorn would always have golden horns which shined metallically in sun or moonlight. At the Opal City, our Goldhorns faded from dark grey to white; top to bottom, with a lick of black on either of sides. They were vegetarians and slightly smaller than the other mount on offer, so it made them feel more fragile to me as I thought about it further.

Jackguars on the other hand were large dog like creatures. Almost a cross between a large hyena and a rabbit. Long radar ears and a button nose attached to a powerful snout, but their teeth were canines that could crunch bone into fine powder. They were also pretty fluffy too and the pups that I had seen in the city were adorible with their long flopping ears... Thinking about it more, people who chose these mounts often returned with them and not alone. Even Turq had chosen a Goldhorn and while it was clear something had happened to it. He never went into the details, however from the gleam and hurt on his eyes when he had spoken about her, it wasn't something pleasant. Jackguars were kept as household pets more often afterwards and were a more common sight. The Opal Cities jackguars were always varying shades of a gray, though never black nor white.

"I'll definetly choose a jackguar! They're so fluffy and more capable than goldhorns if you ask me, not to speak bad of your mount, Turq. Just... it means I have a better chance of getting back to you and being in your arms again sooner." Beaming at him, my hand stopped and I pecked a sweet and swift kiss on his cheek.

The rest of that night was spent, sitting curled up intimately intertwined with each other, in the store room of his fruit trading section. No customers came for food so late.

As he continued to give some snippets of the surface, in his rendition, of his own experience of merging and passage seemed to enhance further and further as he spoke. The surface world didn't sound so bad... Sharing his tales of the surface world and the cultures and places he had been... The type of people he had experienced, who had helped or hindered him along in his journey.

In doing this, I felt like he was solidifying my confidence in myself and my own forthcoming endeavor on the surface. Though it was unlike him to be so forthcoming with his feelings, this on this quiet evening in the trade section, I was certainly glad to lay in his arms and listen. As my eyes fought darkness, I even fell asleep while he spoke of trees... plants that were larger than my knee. Larger than even me! It was hard to believe but pleasant to imagine in his safety.