Macha's Journey

Tyr agreed to Luna"s suggestion. He was willing to have his sister and Krystof join him. He knew Macha was stronger than a year ago, but it still lessened the chance of anything happening. Despite the estate being a few days away, he and Macha had still been attacked last time.

The day came when they planned to leave and the group agreed to meet up in the guild courtyard. Tyr told Macha to pack light. He sent a letter to Mama Ocllo informing her to prepare clothes for their upcoming trip to Jimbaran and their stay at the estate. He did not expect Macha to have a bag of things when he came out to the living room. "What are you doing? I said to pack light." Tyr did not understand why women had a hard time with the idea of packing the essentials.

Macha slung the pack onto her back. The bag was heavy, but everything fit. With conviction, she promised, "I did." She had only packed two pairs of clothes and her toiletries.

Tyr looked at the huge pack on her back and took it from her. "What"s this then squirt?" He held the bag up above her head and gave it a little shake.

Seeing him rustle the bag, Macha reached up and grabbed it with two hands. "Don"t shake it! They"re the gifts for your mother and Mama Ocllo." She put the pack on the ground and opened it up. She wanted to make sure everything was still all right.

Macha opened the ties and checked each gift. The one she worried about most was the loose baku tea that she bought. The lid did not fit snugly, so she did not want the contents to fall out. Macha brought out the tea container and pressed the lid down on it, making sure it was secure. The jar had been engraved from the bones of the baku and depicted a sleeping woman under a flowering tree.

Tyr saw Macha"s horde of items. He bent down to look at the various items. "What"s in this?" He asked and opened the tea container. He thought his mother was not worth getting gifts for and wished Macha did not waste her money.

Macha grabbed the container and put the lid back on. "I thought your mother might be having a hard time sleeping, so I got her some Baku Tea. If she has a little before bed it should take away any nightmare she might have." The thought of how Skadi killed Hymir in front of Hrod filled Macha with sadness. She could only imagine how painful it would be for Hrod.

Although Tyr loved Macha"s kindness, he felt it was wasted on his mother. He helped Macha repack the gifts and held the bag for her. "You didn"t have to buy them anything. How much was all of this? I"ll pay for it." He knew Baku Tea was expensive, and from the looks of it, Macha had chosen S quality goods.

As Tyr talked, Macha checked the apartment one last time before they left. "Don"t worry about it. Your mother is having me over when she didn"t need to and Mama Ocllo makes me beautiful clothes. I wanted to get them some things to show my appreciation." She also was used to bringing gifts to friends who lived far away when she visited them.

Tyr and Macha entered the courtyard and saw Krystof and Luna sitting on the bench below the yellow flowering tree. Krystof held Luna in an intimate embrace and kissed her pa.s.sionately. Luna reached down and put a hand on his inner thigh. The two of them looked so entranced with each other as if no one else existed in the world but them.

Macha looked at Tyr with her mouth open. She was under the impression people in this world took things slower because they lived so long, but Krystof and Luna looked like they would undress at any moment. Now Macha wondered if anything was wrong with her. She thought about how she and Tyr started their relationship half a year ago, but only since her return did they begin kissing. Only once had their kisses been as heated as the one Luna and Krystof engaged in at this moment.

Tyr reached down to pick up a stiff leaf that fell from a tree. He flung it at Krystof"s head. It flew across the courtyard and smacked Krystof on the jaw. "Not even worried about me seeing you, huh?" Tyr joked.

Krystof gave a shy smile and gave Luna one last deep kiss. "Not my fault! Luna started it." Before releasing her, he moved in for one more a quick kiss. As he stood up he had to forcibly tear his hands from her. Ever since Luna came to him and confessed her feelings were mutual, he had a hard time not touching her. It was as if his body wanted to make up for centuries without her.

Feeling Krystof leave her, Luna smiled, "Why should I worry about you? You have Macha." She moved to straighten out her hair and dress. Krystof tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and she ran her fingers through his blonde hair. Luna thought about going back upstairs with him but knew it would be awkward to tell her brother to wait.

After fixing Luna"s appearance, Krystof summoned his tiger and packed their bags on it. He lifted Luna onto his saddle and hopped on behind her.

Their actions seemed so casual that Macha turned green with jealousy. No one would question if they were in a relationship and their affections would not be questioned. She was happy for her friends, but still desired more from Tyr.

Tyr summoned his lizard and packed their bags on it. Turning his head to look at Macha, he hesitated. He understood it would seem odd if Luna rode with Krystof, but he did not have Macha ride with him. He and Macha have been in a relationship longer than Krystof and Luna but were obviously moving slower. Tyr looked at Macha, who did not summon her mount yet. "Do you want to ride with me?"

Macha stepped closer and gave a little nod. "If you want," she looked down at the ground, not wanting to reveal her eagerness. She saw Tyr"s hands encircle her waist and lift her up to the seat. Macha put her hands on her cheeks. They were hot and she knew she was probably bright red.

The group traveled at a leisurely pace. Tyr rode ahead of Krystof and Luna because Macha seemed uncomfortable with their constant kissing. During a bout of silence, Tyr looked down at Macha. He remembered when he first found her. He mused how different riding with her now was from then. Before it had annoyed him to share his saddle with her, but now he wished she could sit on his lap instead of the saddle.

Macha felt the weight of Tyr"s gaze. She looked up and behind her. "What are you thinking about?" He looked pensive. The sunlight beat down on them and shone on his hair.

When Macha turned to look at him, her weight shifted in the saddle. Tyr became aware of how close she was to him. He steadied his breath to calm his nerves. Tyr knew they would not have s.e.x with Luna and Krystof so close, so he felt comfortable kissing her. He leaned his body around her and lifted her chin.

Tyr lifting her chin warned to Macha that he was about to kiss her. She parted her mouth and turned her body as their lips touched. Macha could feel Tyr"s fingers run down her spine as he drew her closer. She felt dizzy with excitement and worried about falling off the saddle, but Tyr pulled her into his lap.

Tyr gave her a long sensual kiss that satiated his hunger. The feel of Macha caused his skin to tingle and every part of him felt alive. Kissing her always filled him with so many emotions. He wanted to kiss her for days, but he heard a cough from his right.

Luna and Krystof had their eyes on him. Luna smiled wickedly at her brother, "Not even worried about me seeing you, huh?"

Macha felt Tyr"s lips rip away from her and saw Luna and Krystof staring at them. She felt so embarra.s.sed that she hid her face against Tyr"s chest. Macha had forgotten about them.

****

Macha and Tyr kept watch over the camp together. Since there were four of them in the party, each couple took turns. They sat far enough from Krystof and Luna that their conversations would not wake them. The stars shone through the tree and the night was filled with the sound of insects and the rustling of leaves.

Macha sat against a cinnamon tree. Tyr was debarking a shoot he had cut earlier. He explained that this was a good time to harvest the spice because it needed time to dry. She moved over to get a better view of what he did. The long process of harvesting cinnamon never occurred to her before. As he worked Macha admired how dexterous his hands moved.

Tyr finished sc.r.a.ping the bark off the long branch. Macha seemed interested in his process so he explained, "If you were doing this for a mission, you would do it during the day. It"s hotter and it will help the cinnamon dry faster." After he told her this he quickly added, "Don"t put it in the sun. The sun makes it lose its flavor." He did not want to teach Macha an incorrect way of harvesting. Tyr continued, "We have time now, so I figured I can make some for you to use at home. Maybe with some chocolate." He added the last part hoping his efforts would be rewarded. While Tyr talked, he ran his knife lengthwise down the branch, cutting through the cinnamon layer.

When Macha observed that he did not cut the branch in half, she asked, "Why did you make the small incision cut?" She moved her hand to point to the lengthwise cut he had just made.

"The cinnamon is between the wood and the bark. I just removed the bark, so now I"m separating the cinnamon from the wood." Tyr used his knife to pry the cinnamon layer up away from the wood. "As it dries it will curl," he said as he finished separating the cinnamon layer.

After Tyr finished, they sat down and stared at the moon together. Macha noticed Krystof holding Luna while they slept. She looked at Tyr and waited to see if he would hold her hand or anything. The mood was pleasant, but Tyr seemed like he was more interested in the scenery.

Macha became dissatisfied. Even though she understood she should not compare relationships, she still felt upset. She coughed to clear her throat. "Tyr, I"ve been wondering..." she began. Macha wanted to ask him why he rarely kissed her.

Tyr listened to Macha"s voice. She seemed nervous, and she sounded hesitant to ask whatever weighed on her mind. While he had little patience for people, Macha would always be an exception. Without anger, he drawled, "Just ask."

Exhaling, She turned to face Tyr. He did not look angry, despite his words being blunt. He looked so handsome that she almost did not care anymore. A contented smile spread across her face. The realization that she was losing momentum spurred her into action, so she wiped her smile away. "I know we have an ambiguous relationship, but do you dislike kissing me?"

Macha did not a.s.sume they were a couple. In her mind, if they were not a couple, it would explain why he tried not to kiss her. Fenrir once told her Tyr would never marry her. If he enjoyed kissing her but did not want to marry her, he probably would not waste time dating her. On the other hand, if they were a couple, then he chose to not kiss her for some reason, perhaps because he did not like to.

Tyr took in a deep breath. Her question was difficult for him to answer. He did not want to admit what Fenrir said to him and explain why he was so nervous about kissing her. There was no way to say with tact that every time he kissed Macha he wanted to bed her. Tyr looked at one of the moons for a moment. In a pained voice, he responded, "I enjoy kissing you... Sometimes, I think I enjoy it too much."

Macha realized their relationship fell into the former category. He liked kissing her, but he did not want to be with her. A tinge of disappointment p.r.i.c.ked her heart. There was nothing else she could do, so she nodded her head, "Mmm. All right, I just wanted to know."

Macha"s response seemed strange to Tyr. He would have understood if she yelled at him or made a move to kiss him, but she accepted it without any questions. The conversation did not seem right, so Tyr wanted to expand on his response. He reached his arm around Macha"s shoulder to bring her closer to him, "Don"t over-think it, just have a little patience."