The Pipe

Life, Relocation

Dmitri leaves Flottenheim to go back to Leniscow with his wife. Evelyn enjoys her secret new life with Fenneck.

Evelyn walked into the dining room and saw Ivan and Dmitri speaking together as they ate. Evelyn sat down at the other end of the table, hoping to eat quietly by herself so she could go to Fenneck's soon. After a few minutes Ivan stood and left and Dmitri cast her a friendly smile across the table. She gave him a small smile and turned back to her food. He stood up and walked over and sat down across from her with his plate. "Hey, your highness," he greeted her. "I know you have been avoiding me and that's perfectly fine. I just wanted to tell you goodbye," he said. "I'm going back to Leniscow for who knows how long and..." He gave her a small shrug. She frowned at this news. "I see," she said, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. He nodded. "Amalya wants me to come home and General Antov agreed to reassign me," he explained, seeming unthrilled by this turn of events. She nodded sadly. "Well... I'll miss you," she told him. "I'm sorry things have been... weird. Some stuff happened," she said sadly. He nodded and she felt him tap her legs under the table. She reached a hand under the table and he slipped her a small wooden box. "Open it when you're alone," he mouthed to her and she nodded understandingly and hid the box under the loose fabric of her dress. She summond a magical link between them so they could talk telepathically. "I just want to say thank you for being a friend," she told him, causing him to blink from being startled by her thoughts in his head. "Um, yeah," he said, clearly taken off guard by this. He smiled at her as he adjusted to the odd sensation. "It's my pipe," he explained. "I just... thought you could use one now that you can't steal mine," he told her with a playful look. She smiled sweetly at him and felt her heart start to break as she realized he really was leaving. "I love you," she accidentally told him as the thought slipped into her mind. "Like... as a friend," she explained. "I don't have many of those." He gave her a sad half-smile. "I love you, too," he told her. "Maybe we'll find each other in another life," he said with a somber shrug. "One that isn't so shitty." She smiled and felt tears creep into her eyes. "Be safe in Leniscow," she said. He nodded. "You too, Evelyn. I hope things get better," he told her with a small smile. "Yeah," she agreed. "Me too. And good luck with your family," she added. He smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you." He stood up and bowed to her. "Goodbye, your highness," he told her out loud. "It's been an honor." "Goodbye, marshal," she said, fighting back tears as he walked away. She ate the rest of her food and went back to her room and locked her door tight before teleporting home. She popped into Fenneck's house and saw him reading on the couch. "Hello love," Fenneck said, smiling up at her. "Hey, Fenny," she said as she walked over and curled up next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and she opened the box up and felt tears brim her eyes as she looked down at Dmitri's pipe. There was also a stash of tobacco and a few matches inside the box. "What's that?" Fenneck asked her. "A gift from a friend," she told him. "He's leaving for Leniscow so I probably won't see him again for a while," she said sadly. He rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "I'm sorry," he said sweetly. "I didn't realize you smoked," he said as she admired the pipe. She smiled. "Only occassionally," she told him. "Mostly when I'm stressed," she explained. He gave her a kind smile. "I've never actually smoked before," he said thoughtfully. She giggled at him. "That somehow makes sense," she teased him. He feigned offense. "What does that mean?" he asked her. "You probably find it gross and unattractive," she told him playfully. "Nothing you do is ever gross and unattractive," he told her lovingly. She raised her brow at him and giggled. "Oh really?" she asked him. "What about... you know that one time you showed me what you and Erikur liked to do-" "Okay okay," he said, stopping her from retelling the embarrassing story. "That was pretty gross," he admitted. She giggled as she put the pipe back in the box and sat it down on the coffee table before curling back into Fenneck's embrace. "I love you," she told him. He smiled down at her. "I love you too," he said, gently kissing her nose. "I love this life with you," she told him as she intertwined their fingers together and laid her head on his chest. "These last few weeks with you have been some of the best in my life," she told him happily. He squeezed her lovingly. "Me too," he said wistfully. "Are you gonna stay the night?" he asked her. She nodded. "Of course," she told him. "I hate resting alone now. You've spoiled me," she told him before kissing his perfect, soft lips. "Good," he said happily. "Cause you've spoiled me as well." "How's your family?" she asked him. "Fine," he told her. "I haven't seen too much of them lately. It's hard finding time for them between work and always wanting to be here with you," he told her as he caressed her skin. She giggled at him and he kissed her cheek again. "What about you? How's your family that I'm never allowed to ask any details about?" he teased her. "Still awful!" she assured him. "I don't know. I'm just trying to avoid them at the moment," she told him, unwilling to divulge any information that could get either of them in trouble. "Have you talked to Erik recently?" she asked him. He sighed and shook his head. "No," he said, clearly upset about it. "I'm too afraid to even go down to the second level anymore for fear I'll run into him," he admitted. "I hope he's okay," she said sadly. "Me too," Fenneck agreed. "Did you eat dinner?" he asked her. She nodded. "Yeah," she told him. He nodded thoughtfully. "So you what would you like to do tonight?" he asked her. She smiled up at him and shrugged. "I don't care. I'm just happy I'm here existing with you. I feel so safe and happy in your arms," she told him lovingly. His green eyes twinkled with happpiness. "Me too, Evelyn," he told her as he leaned down and kissed her.    That night Evelyn curled up in Fenneck's arms as the fire dimmed in their bedroom. "Goodnight, my love," Fenneck told her with a gentle kiss. "Goodnight, Fenny," she told him and she clung to his chest. In the shadows of the room she could feel him watching and waiting. She buried herself under the covers and into Fenneck's protective arms to hide from him and she closed her eyes to meditate.