101 A Sweet Cherry Cordial

Macha wore a gown that had a deep v-neck. It was fashioned out of black velvet on top and the bottom had a beautiful silk jacquard fabric that draped down to the floor. When she came out of the bedroom, Tyr stared at her, his breath caught in his throat. This was a new dress that Mama Ocllo had sent back with Luna for Macha.

The sight of her standing by the door, with her eyes sparkling always gave his restless heart peace. Tyr chose to dress in a dark emerald green suit with a black shirt beneath it. Macha picked out this suit for him, in an effort to bring a little color into his wardrobe. Earlier, before she got dressed, she mentioned that it matched the fabric on the lower half of her dress. Since they were meeting new people, she wanted him to wear color because she believed it made him appear more approachable.

Tyr walked to meet her in the hallway. He placed a light kiss on her hand and mused softly, "I wish we could stay at home." The lights in the apartment made his eyes a dark forest green as they gazed lovingly at her. While holding her hand, he reflected on how his world changed so much since meeting Macha. It amazed him how he was willing to break out of his comfort zone to bring a smile to her face.

When Macha looked up at Tyr, she did not see a hint of lust in his eyes. Instead, he appeared to be deep in thought. Taking a step back to inspect his figure, she admitted, "I like the way you look in this color. I think it brings out your eyes." She appreciated that Tyr attempted to meet her halfway on things.

Tyr decided to have them take his carriage today. They were going on family business, so he did not see a problem with using the carriage that had his family crest on it. Another reason for his decision was that he did not want Macha's dress to get dirty.

Before they went to meet with the refugees, she made them stop by the marketplace. While there she prepared ten gift baskets. In it, Macha packed thick wool blankets, scarves and gloves, a loaf of bread with cheese, and a box of chocolates. She did not know them personally, so she wanted to make sure they were not cold since it was autumn and that they would not be hungry tonight. Since they were new to the city, she wanted them to feel welcomed.

The temporary housing looked better than the shanty towns that lay in the outer districts, but it lacked a spirit. It gave off an unwelcoming aura and seemed more like a prison. Tyr and Macha brought the baskets with them and waited in a room to meet with the refugees.

A door squeaked opened and a group of five men, three women, and two children entered the room. They looked tired and thin. When the two children looked at Tyr, they began to cry. Macha nudged Tyr in the ribs and whispered, "Don't look so intimidating."

Tyr attempted to smile, but it was forced and he gave up. "You may address me as Captain Tyr or Lord Valois. I will be your sponsor until you are settled in Marseille. This is my," Tyr paused. He was not sure how to address Macha. "This is the most important person to me, my girlfriend and secretary, Macha." He had almost said future wife but realized he and Macha had never talked about that. He dated her with the intention of marriage, but she had never mentioned love to him. "We will take you back to my guild, where you will stay for now. Tomorrow, I will call you in to meet with me so we can talk about what sort of future you hope for."

After he delivered his introductions, Macha handed the refugees the baskets they prepared for them. She smiled and tried to ease their nerves. She remembered the first time she met Tyr. That moment had been nerve-wracking, and he scared her. His eyes had been so piercing when he put a blade to her throat.

They dropped the refugees off at the guild and made plans to meet with them. As Tyr led Macha back to the carriage, he commented, "I think that went well. I don't think the children like me though." He hated how children cried when they looked at him.

"Tyr, I remember the first time I met you. Your stare was too intense! Children like to feel safe, not like you're going to kill them or judge them." She smoothed a wrinkle that formed between his brows. "They just need to get to know you. All the children at the orphanage adore you."

He put an arm around her shoulder and leaned into the seat's cushion, "They only like me because I bribe them with sweets. They know whenever I come I'll bring chocolates." That reminded him of a boy a hundred years ago who used to call him the 'Chocolate Captain'. The child grew up and got married. He now worked at a chocolate shop in the guild district.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Macha laughed, "Well, they are easily bribed. I won't deny that. I like to think they love you because you're sweet as sin."

She understood it was not only the chocolates that made the children love him. Whenever they went to the orphanage, he made sure they were all healthy, and he liked to run around with them. The children's favorite game was seeing if they could topple him down. He never used magic, so it was purely his strength versus theirs. If they won, he would take them all out to the toy store to get one toy each.

Tyr looked out the window and suppressed a smile. "Maybe we should see a doctor instead of going out. I think you're delusional. Not even my own mother has ever referred to me as sweet." The notion of anyone else referring to him as sweet was unthinkable.

His comment made her think of how to translate a line she remembered from a cartoon in her youth. She did not know the keyword, so she altered the line. She held up a fist up and declared, "You're like a cherry cordial, hard on the outside, but sweet and gooey in the inside." After mentioning sweet and gooey, she opened her fingers and wiggled them about.

This caused him to chuckle. He nodded his head, the idea of being compared to a chocolate was not repulsive to him. He brought her hand down, "Just remember how sweet I am when that Ullr is around." The image of that man entering his mind caused Tyr's mouth to become tight.

Seeing he was getting perturbed, Macha soothed his chest with her hand. "Ullr is more like a peach. He's sweet on the outside, but I bet he has a hard interior. No one can be that sweet all the time." Men like Ullr always kept her on her guard. She had fallen for too many sweet talkers in her youth to be tricked so easily.

"You say that, but you're sweet all the time," he found a fault in her logic. It made him believe she only said that to console him.

Macha raised an eyebrow, "I really don't think so." Mimicking his suggestion earlier she said, "Maybe we should see a doctor. You're getting forgetful in your old age." There were more than a handful of times when they disagreed on things. Both of them were naturally stubborn, but luckily they could always find a compromise.