[PRP] Status Update [Rhoea + Tirzah]

[Menelie]

A few moons after she'd arrived, Tirzah was all settled into her new home in Laisidhiel. After staying with Rho for a while, she eventually spoke to the Tree Shaper to get her own alcove, and had been busy filling it with things she enjoyed. It was hard for her to believe that up until now she'd lived in a literal cave, sleeping on a stone floor. Tirzah was a huge fan of the comforts of living here, especially the food.

Soon after getting more settled, Tirzah had undertaken the Faun ritual to cement herself in this community. It felt incredibly right, like coming home after a long journey. Sometimes she wondered what on Earth had taken her so long to come here. She missed her family sometimes, but with every day that passed, Tirzah was more and more certain this had been the right decision for her.

Rho had helped her find work as a farmer, as she'd had experience tending fields. She worked up in the Branches of Laisidhiel, which always made Rho's head spin, but Tirzah had no trouble with it at all. Her newfound power, granted by the Earth, helped her to keep her hoofing up there, and she found great pride in bringing forth food for the community. There was dignity in a job well done, and Tirzah really enjoyed contributing to the whole.

She'd made a few friends since starting her new life here. Alborada, Rho's sister, could be great fun when in the mood for it, and she grabbed drinks after work with some of her coworkers from the fields about once a week. Most of her time, however, was spent with Rho and Mena, including a lot of.....after-hours time with Rho.

Rho and Mena seemed less...tense...around each other than they had when they'd all returned from the resort, but there was still just....something between them. And while she'd been enjoying herself with Rho immensely, she wanted to make sure they were on the same page with their "relationship", or whatever this was. She was meeting Rho for dinner at the pub tonight; she'd ask him then. She wanted to be crystal clear on what was going on between her and him, and what was going on between him and Mena. Tirzah liked Mena a lot, and knew that his "friendship", or whatever it was, with Rho predated hers by a long time. She wouldn't dream of coming between them if that's what was going on. But Tirzah wasn't interested in wasting more of anyone's time, if Rho was ultimately going to choose Mena.

---

Tirzah waved at Rho as she arrived at the pub, and took a seat across from him. "Sorry I'm late," she said as she sat, "I lost track of time in the shower." They got off work around the same time, and had planned to be here with enough time for them both to bathe after a long day in the field. It was summer now, and farming was sweaty work no matter where you were doing it. Her hair was in her customary long braid, still dark and wet, and she smelled gently of soap and cocoa butter. "How was work?"

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Rho would have been lying if he said he hadn't been enjoying himself recently. Things had been worked out between him and Mena and, while they couldn't exactly go back to how things once were, they'd moved past it and into a new stage of their friendship. His new girl had gotten herself moved in, gotten a job and some friends and, heck, even seemed to be getting on well with his sister and the rest of the family.

Life was good.

In fact, for the most part, he really hadn't even had much of a drive to 'hit up the ladies' so to speak. He and Tirzah weren't official or exclusive or anything (as far as he was aware and understood things), but still, he didn't want for anyone else... for the most part. He'd be lying if he didn't admit that he relieved himself with drunken memories of Venus Day with a frequency he wasn't exactly proud of, but that was unlikely to ever happen again. After all, his best bro was just that - A BRO. And as far as Rho could tell, he didn't find himself any more attracted to him normally. That is to say, when he was male per usual. And given how Mena was gay and all, he didn't figure he'd go out of the way to become female again. So it was currently a nonissue. Too easy.

-------------------------

He was currently seated at the pub for he and Tirzah's first little dinner date in a while, and he'd taken the liberty of ordering a round of brew for both of them in the meantime. Upon seeing her enter, he raised a hand to wave her over as he continued to drink his pint. "Nah babe, don't sweat it. I haven't been here long." Just long enough to finish about one drink. Still though, the way her slightly damp hair clung to her shoulders and collarbone, still flushed from the water, was hot. Laisidhiel had his thanks for today's blessing. "Same as usual, if hella hot. We should be able to start bringing in a lot of it any day now - look forward to it. How 'bout you - the Branches treating you well?"

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Tirzah nodded to his question in the middle of a grateful swig of brew. "Mm," she started, then set the pint down. "Yeah, same. So much to harvest in maybe, next couple of days. Plus then planting all the fall stuff. Can't wait for squash to be in season, though. Roasted butternut squash with maple syrup....." She trailed off dreamily. "Woo, I am starving," she said with a chuckle. Tirzah motioned a server over and ordered butter mushrooms, stuffed red peppers, and green pea falafel. She might share.

After Rho had a chance to order, she continued. She didn't want to blindside him with the question that was burning in her mind, but she did want to work up to it. "What's Mena been up to?" she inquired casually. "Haven't seen him in a while."

Tirzah relaxed into the seat, crossing one leg over the other at the knee and sipping at her brew, letting her eyes drink him in. She always appreciated how Rho looked at the end of a workday. Muscles not-quite-relaxed, hair sort of disheveled, and just the sort of...loose look about him. She lingered over his strong upper body--arms that could easily pick her up and walk out with her. The thought gave her a bit of a cheeky smile and brought a hint of pink to her face.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

"Huh, really? That's the fall produce you're looking forward to?" Surprising. "Personally the pumpkin and apples can't come quick enough - the kids have fun carving faces into it, and I get to eat all the delicious food made with the pulp. Hot spiced pumpkin brew~ Hella delish." That was still some time off though.

"Let's see... I'll take some rabbit gratin, and another round."

Anything for the gains.

Had this been with his bro, he mighta asked the waitress for a side of herself, but he had standards.

Likewise, had this been a few weeks earlier, her question might have been enough to startle him, but he was over it now. Yes. He and Mena were back to being the best of bros. "Normal kitchen stuff? ******** if I know if I'm being honest... though you didn't hear this from me, buuuuuuut I heard he's tryna set up one of the kitchen staff on a date with my sis." he smirked. "Now ain't that gonna be something to see." He grinned and traded the waitstaff his now-emptied glass for another. "But other than that... ******** if I know. He's probably off hittin' on some dudes or some s**t. "

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Tirzah stared at Rho. "You do know pumpkin is a squash, right?" she asked with a deadpan tone. "Besides," she added, "Squash is my favorite. It was the first thing I grew by myself and I got a taste for it."

Tirzah listened as Rho spoke of Mena, listening for cues in his voice that they might be more than friends. She raised her eyebrows at mention of a blind date for Alba. "Hope he's ready for her," she quipped. Alborada was....a lot for most men to handle.

Rho's last phrase gave Tirzah pause. Was that....a hint of jealousy she detected? Surely not, because while Rho was certainly better friends with Mena than she was, she knew that Mena wasn't the kind to...make the rounds. Or maybe Rho had broken his heart so he was trying to get over him?

Perhaps she was overthinking this.

"Oh?" she inquired. "He doesn't strike me as the promiscuous type." More like the obsess-over-one-guy-forever type. She'd be interested in Rho's response. She watched his reaction while sipping her brew.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Rho's expression made it obvious that he had, in fact, never realized that pumpkin was a squash. Crazy how the world worked sometimes.

"Haha, right? I might try and get Mena to spill the beans so I can snoop. Not for my sister's sake or anything, but' cause you know that's gonna be funny af." If he was lucky, they'd get put up here at the tavern, where it'd be all too easy to grab a table in the back. Heh... He'd get dinner and a show.

He took a hearty swig of his brew as he listened to her commentary and nodded. "Yeah, fair enough, that's what I thought too, BUT I learned a lot about my best bro recently, and that includes that he's, like, into dudes. Like so into dudes that he'd ignore s**t hittin' the fan around him. So of course he'd hit on em - that don't make him a hussy tho." Cause if it did that Rho would certainly fall into that category.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Tirzah found it difficult to believe that Rho hadn't known before that Mena preferred the company of other men, but decided to keep that to herself. She supposed not everyone was lucky enough to grow up with gay grandparents around. "A captivating partner can make the world go still," she agreed.

Still, Tirzah decided that she was, in fact, overthinking this. If Rho and Mena were a thing, even if Rho hadn't said anything previously....Mena had a hard time keeping his emotions private. They showed very plainly on his face. Certainly she'd know by now just from that. She took a long swig of her brew, finishing it, and motioned to the bartender for another.

"Hey, can I change the subject? I've got something that's been rattling around up here and I wanted to run it by you." She tapped the side of her head to illustrate.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Rho nodded once as he reached the halfway point of his drink, somewhat casually wondering when the food would get here. He was famished!

"Yeah, sure, what's on your mind? You finally decide that the Branches are hella sus and you'd rather join me in the nice, solid ground?"  

[Menelie]

Tirzah set her pint down and settled into her seat. She uncrossed her legs and then crossed them the other direction, and settled her hands casually in her lap.

"I've really been enjoying...whatever it is we have going on," she began. "I like you a lot. You're charming and funny and great fun, especially..." she raised her eyebrows once suggestively. "After dark," she finished.

"And so I'd really like to put a name to this thing we have going on," Tirzah continued. "Are we dating? Are we friends who fu--er, keep odd hours together?" She watched for his reaction, then finished: "I just want to know we're in agreement, one way or another."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Oh yeah, how right that was. Just continue to lather him in compliments. He was indeed a good and charming and funny and guy full of great fun that did in fact pride himself to some degree in his skill at after-dark activities. Buuuuuuuut... this wasn't one of those conversations, huh?

Why couldn't he just have a date at the pub and it be nice and fluffy?

"Hmmm..." He grew silent and his expression stiffened somewhat as she continued to speak, letting the silence hang - not wholly uncomfortably - in the air as she finished. Rho wasn't good at all this thinking stuff. He was more of a 'go with one's gut' sort of guy. That's why he worked hard, played hard, and lived fully. Generally, he had no regrets. "Honestly, no idea. This is a first for me." By that he meant the first time there had been someone he was getting consistent with, 'activity-wise.' He reached forward for his drink. "I'll be hella honest with ya though, you're the only one I've been with since we got back from the Resort, if that was worrying you or something."

"Why the question though? If something's good, why worry about it?"

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Rho's reaction wasn't unexpected for Tirzah. She knew he was a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, and it didn't surprise her at all that he hadn't considered the "what are we" question. She slid her empty pint to the edge of the table to "swap" the server, who'd just brought her fresh one, and nodded politely with a soft "Thanks."

"I wasn't worried about that, but it does make me happy that I'm currently the only one." She took a sip of her new brew before continuing. "I don't want to fu--mess with a good thing either, but I also don't want to be surprised later if..." she trailed off, her facial expression changing. The thought had punctured her very practical demeanor up until this point. She felt shaky. She didn't want to lose him. Tirzah took another long drink before continuing. "If you get bored with me," she finished softly.

She took another small sip, then cleared her throat, itched at the corner of her eye (where tears were definitely not forming), and put on a smile. She was back to practical, but there were clear cracks in the façade. "I don't require a lot, but I do require commitment."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Rho furrowed his brows in a manner that was fairly inconsistent with his usual demeanor. Ignoring his sister, he really wasn't good at handling upset women. He was grateful that the waitress conveniently chose this moment to start setting their food down - it gave him a moment to think.

What did he want?

Honestly, the thought of going their separate ways and losing that intimacy they'd quite frequently enjoyed was pretty unappealing. He couldn't place his finger on what it was, but something about her really was different. Chalk it up to simple chemistry if you want, but this was perhaps the first time he found himself wanting to go back to a faun again and again. But, at the same time, it wasn't like he could say he wouldn't find anyfaun else attractive - heck, he was having an increasingly hard time keeping fantasies of his genderbent best friend out. So could he really say - with confidence - he'd only ever be able to commit to her? Right now, he couldn't. Maybe someday, but it was still too early for that for him.

He thanked the waitress before looking back at Tirzah. She really was too good of a gal for a guy like him, but that didn't mean he was about to give up what they had going up. Call him any sort of names, he knew it was probably exceedingly selfish and probably a little arrogant, but he didn't care.

"I'm gonna try and be real, like, real with you. Right now, I can't think of anything that would make me get bored with you. You're a hella cool gal, and, as a bonus, you're hot as hell. But I can only take these things as they come, y'know? I can't promise forever, but I can promise ya my full effort in the present." He took another drink. "And I can keep it as straight as I can with telling you what I'm thinking, whether you like it or not." He placed down the glass. "But I guess in my hella roundabout way, that's the sort of commitment you'd be getting out of me. You'd have to let me know how that fits in with your plans."

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

"Oh thank the Earth," said Tirzah as their food was set down. She was hungrier than she realized, and it was definitely affecting her mood and her ability to process emotionally-charged information. She popped a couple butter mushrooms in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. She definitely hadn't forgotten what Rho had said, she just needed a minute.

Rho was right--he could only take things as they come. And it wouldn't be fair of her to ask him to upend his whole way of being for her own comfort. As long as he was open and honest with her, Tirzah thought, that could be enough. More than enough.

After she'd taken a bite or two of everything and feeling like her blood sugar had leveled out, she nodded. "I can work with that," she said. "Full effort, no surprises." She reached across the table and put her hand on his. "And I do mean your full effort," she added, dropping her voice into a huskier tone. Her eyes twinkled and she wrinkled her nose cutely.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Rho took her silence and snacking as a cue to dig into his own meal. The rabbit meat appeared to have been roasted slowly and added to the stew just before serving, as the liquids flavor haven't yet permiated the meat. There were potatoes and carrots and onions and it appeared even some fresh berries floating about, along with obvious herbs such as rosemary and marjoram. The sauce itself... Had it been made with a base of fruit wine and milk? He couldn't quote say.

The bread paired with it was at least a day old judging from it's staleness, but that made it all the better to soak up the broth without losing its form.

He looked up from his meal as it became apparent that she was ready to continue speaking, a small smile forming as they reached an agreement. And then his smile turned more mischievous as he caught onto her subtext. "Babe, when have I ever give you anything less than my best? Unless you got any plans after this, how about we head onto my place next?"

No surprises there