Durga was enjoying her day off. She had gone to her favorite bakery and gotten herself a latte and a few pastries. It was such a nice day out she decided to eat them in the park, maybe spread out on the grass and pull out a book, she wasn't sure yet.
Now that the ring debacle was over she could finally breathe. She had left the ranch as soon as she could. There was a lot of drama and she had felt unwelcome. She had gotten herself an apartment in town and found herself a job as a coordinator at an event planning company. She was still working her way up to the position she previously held but she liked having to prove herself even though it was a bit tedious at times. She figured it might not be the smartest to go home to her old job where she would have to do explain a lot more than she cared for.
Now that the ring debacle was over she could finally breathe. She had left the ranch as soon as she could. There was a lot of drama and she had felt unwelcome. She had gotten herself an apartment in town and found herself a job as a coordinator at an event planning company. She was still working her way up to the position she previously held but she liked having to prove herself even though it was a bit tedious at times. She figured it might not be the smartest to go home to her old job where she would have to do explain a lot more than she cared for.
It was such a nice day out Nomarac has decided to walk from the Ranch into town. He'd gotten a job at Nakia doing whatever they asked while his brother just sulked the day away in his room. He was worried about Niltsiar who hadn't quite recovered from the Ring experience still. Nom was spending his free time going to a teashop he knew his brother liked in hopes that the pungent tea blend he liked might cheer him some. This was why he was cutting through the park.
Nomarac was a big man and stood out fairly well in a crowd. Just now he was walking with his head bent to look at his phone as he was clumsily trying to type something.
Nomarac was a big man and stood out fairly well in a crowd. Just now he was walking with his head bent to look at his phone as he was clumsily trying to type something.
Durga was walking on the path and got impatient about her breakfast, it smelled so good. She was looking in the bag to pick out the croissant. She balanced her coffee in the hand with the bag and shoved part of it in her face with the other. When she looked up she was about to collide with a man that she would swear came out of nowhere. She stuck the arm with the coffee out to the side so it wouldn't be between them at the last second before she walked right into him. She pulled the croissant out of her mouth and started apologizing.
Nomarac was usually pretty good about avoiding people, but he was concentrating hard on the short novel he was writing in a text. His brows were knit and he looked concerned as Durga walked right into him. He dropped his phone and immediately looked guilty, holding his arms out to steady her in case she was going to fall.
"I'm so sorry ma'am! Are you alright?"
"I'm so sorry ma'am! Are you alright?"
"No, no, I'm sorry! I wasn't even looking!" She shook the coffee off her hand and look up at him, "Wait, did you just call me ma'm?" She was about to get annoyed but then she really looked at him. He looked familiar but she couldn't place him. "Don't I know you from somewhere? You look really familiar. I'm Durga." She went to stick her hand out for him to shake but realized she had a croissant in it. She smiled a little embarrassed. She put the croissant back in the bag and tried again.
Nomarac stooped to get his phone and stuffed it in his pocket when he was sure he didn't knock her over. "Uh, yeah. Sorry." His cheek pinked because she took a offense to being called ma'am, but it was just a formality as he hadn't gotten a good look at her. He blinked now because what she was saying was clicking with him as well. "Yeah, I think I know you from somewhere..." He tried not to look too obvious about sniffing the air because he'd recognize her scent better than her face. His own went a little white.
"Oh." It dawned on him where they'd met. "Uhm. We were... " he dropped his voice. "The Ring."
"Oh." It dawned on him where they'd met. "Uhm. We were... " he dropped his voice. "The Ring."
She smiled at him when he said she looked familiar, at least she wasn't going crazy. When he said from where her smile fell for a second. "Oh", she paused for second trying to recover the situation. She brought the smile back to her face. "Well that explains it. I didn't recognize you with your clothes on." She winked at him. "I was going to sit down and have breakfast, want to join? I have plenty of pastries."
Nomarac smiled widely and laughed. He wasn't the kind of guy to get bogged down with bad thoughts, so the memory of the Ring was quickly whisked away with her joke. "You either," he said, going with the jest. He hoped that didn't come across rude, though.
"I was on my way to a teashop... But I guess I could stop for a few minutes... Durga, you said?." He hoped he heard that right. "I'm Nomarac." He'd belatedly take her hand to shake.
"I was on my way to a teashop... But I guess I could stop for a few minutes... Durga, you said?." He hoped he heard that right. "I'm Nomarac." He'd belatedly take her hand to shake.
She was glad he laughed. He didn't offend her in the slightest and giggled with him. "Yep, Durga. Nice to actually meet you." She was glad he accepted her invitation. "There's a bench over there or we can sit in the grass? Honestly I'd prefer the grass." She had missed it when they were locked up. "Why were you headed to the tea shop?"
"Yeah, you too," he said about meeting her with a big grin. Nom was really a people person. "I prefer the grass too, actually." He'd plop down wherever Durga decided to sit and pulled off his shoes. It was much better to be in the grass barefoot! "Oh, I was going to get something for my brother." His expression clouded at the mention of Niltsiar and he felt a little guilty for not being quick about his errand. "So, ah, what are you up to now?"
Durga plopped herself down in the grass. She saw Nomarac take of his shoes she smiled, and let her flats fall off her feet as she pulled the croissant she had in her mouth back out and offered the bag to him. "I didn't realize you had a brother! Was he with us or was he lucky?" She took a bite of the croissant while he answered. "I got a job doing party planning. It's close to what I did pre-ring. I'm hoping to get a promotion back up to wedding planner but we'll see. What have you been up to since?"
Nomarac put on a wane smile after accepting the bag. "He was with us. The black leopard." He fished a hand into the bag and was happy with whatever sweet he came out with. He gave the bag back and listened to her. "Wedding planning must be fun. So many things going on." He smiled and nibbled at his food because he didn't want to eat the whole thing in two bites like usual and be rude in front of a woman. "I never left the ranch. Niltsiar and I work there. Well, I work there."
Durga took the bag back. "Oh, I remember him," she cast her eyes down feeling guilty. He probably already knew what she had done but that didn't make it right. "I am the tiger." She gave him a small smile. "What's your other form?" She ate her croissant slowly.
"Oh, it is, brides are crazy though. I'm currently working mainly with birthdays and bar mitzvahs. Which just means crazy moms!" She leaned back on her arms and stretched her legs out in front of her. "What do you do on the ranch? Has everyone settled down at all, it seemed a little too hectic when we got back."
"Oh, it is, brides are crazy though. I'm currently working mainly with birthdays and bar mitzvahs. Which just means crazy moms!" She leaned back on her arms and stretched her legs out in front of her. "What do you do on the ranch? Has everyone settled down at all, it seemed a little too hectic when we got back."
Nom gave another small smile when she mentioned she remembered his brother. He could only imagine how she was remembering him since Niltsiar had been a bait animal. It still stung his heart to think of all the pain his twin lived through. Durga reminded him of what animal she was and he nodded. "The grizzly." He had won the lion's share of his fights, some of which had definitely been against the tigress.
He continued to munch away at his food as she talked about crazy brides and crazy mothers. "I could never deal with that," he said with a laugh and an easy smile. "I'd just want to please everyone, no matter how crazy." He took a deep breath and let it out before answering the next question. His phone was chirping at random intervals as he received texts that he was clearly ignoring. "I just kind of do whatever they tell me to, really."
He continued to munch away at his food as she talked about crazy brides and crazy mothers. "I could never deal with that," he said with a laugh and an easy smile. "I'd just want to please everyone, no matter how crazy." He took a deep breath and let it out before answering the next question. His phone was chirping at random intervals as he received texts that he was clearly ignoring. "I just kind of do whatever they tell me to, really."
Durga smiled, "Ah, I remember you as well." She had gotten her butt handed to her a few times by a grizzly. She wasn't upset about it at least with him it would have been a fair-ish fight and they doing what they were forced to do. She wouldn't hold anything against the man sitting in front of her.
Durga laughed, "It's all about pleasing everyone! You compromise and negotiate to get everyone close to what they want be that between the parents, the caterers, the venue and so on. It's basically like trying to make every situation win-win. The only downside is that generally you are the losing party because you had to pull favors and feild angry phone calls." She noticed his phone was going off quite a bit and she appreciated his full attention on her but she didn't want the man to get in trouble either. "Do you want to check that? It might be important." She smiled at him and took a sip of her latte.
Durga laughed, "It's all about pleasing everyone! You compromise and negotiate to get everyone close to what they want be that between the parents, the caterers, the venue and so on. It's basically like trying to make every situation win-win. The only downside is that generally you are the losing party because you had to pull favors and feild angry phone calls." She noticed his phone was going off quite a bit and she appreciated his full attention on her but she didn't want the man to get in trouble either. "Do you want to check that? It might be important." She smiled at him and took a sip of her latte.
Nom was done with the pastry she'd given to him before she finished talking. He didn't think he could handle angry phone calls at all and he might have been about to say as much, but Durga addressed his phone. His cheeks darkened a little and he fished out his phone to check the messages. They were all from his brother, as he assumed, but he didn't really want to keep having a fight via text... He turned the volume off with a frown and stuffed the phone away. He loved his twin with all his heart, but it was nice to be out and talking with someone else.
"Sorry. It's not important."
"Sorry. It's not important."
Durga eyed him at he pulled out his phone. He didn't seem to pleased by whatever was said but he continued to ignore it and shoved it in his pocket. "Don't worry about it. Want to head over to that tea shop you were talking about? I don't think I've been there and I could use a walk." She offered the bag to him again. She could tell something was up but she wasn't going to bug him about it unless he wanted to talk about it.
The worry cleared from his face almost as quickly as it had clouded over. He absolutely accepted another treat because he was a big man and it was safe to bet he could always eat. "Thanks. Yeah, it's just across the park." He pulled his shoes back on and stood, offering a hand to her to help the tigress up. Once she was ready to go, he'd start at a slow pace in the direction he was going before their collision. "Do you like tea?"
Durga smiled when he accepted the treat. It seemed whatever made him upset had passed, she shrugged to herself. He started getting up and she slid her shoes back on. She looked up to find that he had stuck his hand out to her. She smiled wider and let him help her up. She started walking next to him and noticed he walked at a pace she could keep. She was really starting to like this man. "I like tea well enough but I don't drink it very often. How about you?"
Nom shrugged. "It's really too fancy for my taste. Iced tea, maybe. My brother likes it though, so I get it for him." He was quiet a second and then chuckled. "Plus all the different smells of tea sometimes make my head hurt. It's overwhelming for my other side." He gave an easy smile.
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