Quiet voices

[disclaimer: mycenik and caravine are fictional plants]

“Just one please.” Adara said, grabbing coins from her pocket to hand over to the merchant. The old lady had a sweet smile on her face as she gave Adara a linen pouch filled with hard-boiled candy. There were four in the bag, roughly cut into a sphere the size of her thumb - the colour was a dark green achieved by bleeding mycenik plants in hot water. She’d known of its existence but had never tried it before.

“Should we go find the rest?” She asked Maugon who was waiting idly by the stall. They transitioned into a slow walk, their eyes browsing the wares of each stall they passed. Maugon shook his head, “They’ll return in their own time.” 

Adara agreed silently, knowing whatever entertainment Hugo or Rome sought would keep them happily occupied for the rest of the night. As for the triplets, Buck decided to stay home with Don, leaving Tom and Arla up to no good. But it was a festival after all, she didn’t want to worry about what others were doing when she had herself to figure out. She had her own plans for the night but didn’t realise she’d end up in Maugon’s company. 

“Would you like to spend the night alone?” Maugon politely asked, observing Adara’s obvious unease. She spun around wide eyed with her hands waving dismissively.

“-No!” She swiftly corrected her outburst “N-no, I just - I had wildly different plans for tonight and I’m unsure whether you’d be inclined to join.”

“Tonight isn’t the night to say no.” He smiled, trying to hold in a laugh as she turned her rosy cheeks away from him. 

“Tonight may be the night I discover that Maugon, o’ sweet Maugon is the king of revels and debauchery.” Adara mimicked a melodramatic monologue and burst out laughing, Maugon grinned - there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that Adara could not deny. Excitement simmered beneath her skin. 

“Maybe that’s why you met me at 34 and not 22.” He said, throwing her an exaggerated flirty look. Adara couldn’t help but scoff,

“I couldn’t even imagine it. Although I’m sure Maugon at 22 broke many hearts.” 

“I dare not break yours.” He said, words nearly quiet as a whisper. He watched her traipse to another stall and buy half a loaf of bread and a small paper-wrapped parcel of sliced smoked cheese. Adara turned around with a beaming smile, hands full. 

“Shall we?” She urged him away from the market stalls and toward a quiet area where multiple small firepits were lit. The main bonfire event was still roaring and lively, making the overspill area quiet and almost abandoned. Adara situated herself on the ground, using the log as a backrest rather than a seat. She was closer to the firepit this way and watched as Maugon opted for the same seating arrangement just a log over from hers. A quickly vanishing sense of disappointment had Adara digging around for her bread and cheese. 

“As much as I love hot cooked meals at home, a tough bit of bread and slightly stale cheese is always due an appearance.” Adara dug her teeth into the edge of the bread and ripped a chunk off, following it up with the dry cheese slices. Maugon chuckled softly, “that, and sour wine.” He said. 

“Might as well save yourself some coin and buy vinegar instead.” She laughed. The heat of the fire licked her face and she welcomed it with closed eyes. 

“What sweets did you buy, earlier?” Maugon asked, Adara bit her lip excitedly. She didn’t know whether to divulge her entire night’s plan to the man who, from experience, didn’t entirely understand why one would engage in activities that had no obvious positive outcome. She reached into the linen pouch and palmed the two dark green sweets, hesitantly handing one to Maugon who took it in earnest. 

Adara’s neck felt hot with embarrassment as she watched Maugon smell the confectionery. He paused for a split second, bringing it back to his nose as if he couldn’t believe what he just discovered. 

“Mycenik?” At first he spoke to himself, then he turned to Adara with a nervous look on his face “Did you know this contains mycenik? The-”

“The aphrodisiac, yes I knew.” Adara spoke out of turn, only to watch Maugon’s face contort in the expressions he wanted to display - it seemed he was trying his best to understand the situation but confusion remained at large. She laughed nervously, popping the candy on her tongue. “I’ve always wanted to try it.” Her teeth clamped down on the hard sweet and a crack rang out, she began chewing on the broken crystals, the tartness making her eyes squeeze shut. 

Adara half expected Maugon to storm out, but when her eyes opened he had a wide grin on his face as he watched her eat it. “Hugo is going to loathe you.” He said, putting the sweet in between his canines and crushing it. Adara gasped, then laughed heartily. Her chest was a big melting pot of emotions from shock, to wonder, to excitement, to fear. She couldn’t believe Maugon was joining in. Has he always had this side to him? Although, he was right - Hugo would be mortified if he knew they were doing this without him. Serves him right for wandering off. 

“Is it my birthday?” Adara laughed, feeling grateful for his participation. 

“This can count toward your next birthday.” Maugon shook his head as he laughed along with her. They both sat together laughing and giggling at the hilarity of the situation, one could’ve assumed they ingested Caravine and not Mycenik. Hours of conversation passed before a comforting silence befell them. The fire crackled softly in front of them, Adara now lying sideways propped on one elbow. 

Even though the fire was dying, Adara could feel how hot her skin had become. Sweat gathered under her arms and legs. With a quick glance, she could tell Maugon was experiencing the same thing, she could see the wet sheen of sweat on his neck and face. Both were flushed red, heartbeats slowing to a steady thrum. Maugon intensely stared into the firepit as if his neck nor body could move. 

Adara frowned to herself, now completely frustrated by how far away Maugon sat. She pushed her hair back in hopes the cool wind would dry the damp sweat off her forehead. She sat herself up and curled her knees into her chest. Maugon’sgaze landed on her as she shifted her position - she didn’t know whether to look back at him. Afraid if she did she’d be enthralled by his existence. 

He was ridiculously handsome, he had a rare smile that would bathe one’s heart in warm honeyed milk. The ignorance of his own charms made him even more painfully attractive, it was entirely unfair that one man could make her heart dance like a child. His hair was the perfect shade of brown and the way it would sometimes fall over his eyes drove her near insanity; she badly wanted to run her fingers through his hair. Adara finally found the courage to look at Maugon, immediately regretting her decision when they locked eyes. 

“You are beautiful.” He said, voice gentle but his sincerity firm. Her nerves exploded into her face and the air ran from her lungs. Adara buried her face into her knees, blinking furiously to compose herself but every second that passed made it more difficult to reign in her foggy thoughts. Her thoughts were full of him, and she wondered if his were full of her. 

“So are you.” She said in a stubborn retort muffled by her knees. 

“Thank you.” Maugon accepted the compliment gracefully with the smile that spliced her train of thought in half. 

“We should start heading for home. I heard mycenik is a strong sleeping aid.” 

“Our strongest painkiller too, in fact.” Maugon shuffled onto his feet and offered a hand to Adara who took it. “Mycenik is used for serious injuries, it numbs your body whole - the only reason other painkillers are used more often in medicine is because of its side effects.” 

Adara lingered in his hold for a second too long, appreciating his large hand enveloping hers. They were so warm she wanted to place her cheek into his palm and fall asleep. 

“But if you ever find yourself in unrelenting agony, chew on the plant. Don’t boil it. Chew it straight from the stem. Then deal with the side effects later.” Maugon said, wiping his palm on his legs once Adara stood on her own. Adara smiled earnestly to herself, endeared by how much Maugon was talking - nervously talking. He had launched himself into a lecture about medicine and herbal plants that grew around their estate. 

Maugon halted his onslaught of information to hail a driver, relapsing them into silence. Their knees brushed every time the carriage lurched from uneven ground and Adara was acutely aware of their proximity. Every time his leg touched hers, butterflies would erupt in her chest. She desperately wanted to talk more so their night wouldn’t end the moment they reached the front doorstep. 

“Should I make tea?” She said, feeling the warmth on her neck and ears again when Maugon’s drowsy eyes landed on her. They were low, almost hooded - she knew this was the final effect of mycenik, alas she couldn’t help but fantasise the sultry look in his gaze as he watched her.

“I love it when you make tea.” He said endearingly. Adara, too, felt heavily sedated by the mycenik. She wondered if that was the cause of Maugon’s unwavering confidence and honesty in his words. Sober, he would simply nod - now he was an open book; pages sifting in the wind ready to be devoured by a curious soul.

As tired as she was, Adara hurriedly steeped the tea leaves and brought the tray into the lounge where Maugon fiddled with the turntable. Song filled the room, cutting through the thick air like a knife. She could see the flush on his skin and the way his buttons were undone farther than usual - his sleeves were lazily pushed up his forearm too. Feeling brash, she decided to sit next to him regardless of the large empty couch opposite and adjacent to him. If he noticed, he didn’t comment. 

All of a sudden, Adara felt extremely shy. It may be the way Maugon’s behaviour changed; he was the reliable, consistent, level-headed man of the house. Now he was open, daring, laid-back and bold in his actions. Instead of asserting his neutrality, his emotions were bleeding through every surface as if he was no longer afraid to be on either side of the fence. 

She watched him eagerly over her own cup as he took a sip. 

“I like it when you express how you feel.” She said, setting down the cup. Maugon smiled lazily at her, shifting himself to sit diagonally so he could face her. He was leaning his back on the armrest with one elbow propped up to support his head. Adara swallowed hard. 

“You do? I try not to impose too much.” He said

“Impose? You do realise it is okay to take up space in this awfully large world we live in.” Adara said, shuffling backwards to lean on the armrest. Maugon pondered her words, 

“I never thought of it like that before.” 

“When people love you, it is better to impose. Otherwise it gets a little lonely at times.” Adara looked down at her hand, reflecting on all the times she wished Maugon had expressed his true emotions rather than shutting it away for the sake of neutrality.

“Are you lonely?” He asked, so innocently that Adara’s heart dropped. 

“Sometimes.”

A muffled crash reverberated through the walls from the vestibule. They both immediately knew it was Hugo and Rome, drunk. Adara shot up from her seat, a stark contrast to how Maugon was still lounging on the couch almost half asleep. 

“Goodnight, Maugon.” She curtly left, not even giving the latter chance to respond before Hugo and Rome came stumbling into the room. 

“Adara! Don’t tell me you’re going to bed? We just got here!” Hugo said, his words slurred as he leaned against a dazed Rome. 

“She’s tired.” Maugon said, allowing Adara to slip past the two beasts without saying a word. The chatter droned out behind her as she climbed the stairs, Hugo’s laughter was boisterous; he confronted Maugon about the smell of mycenik on his tongue, to which Maugon remained silent - back to his neutral self. Rome began barking up the same tree, interrogating Maugon on why he could also smell mycenik on Adara. She smiled to herself warmly, happy to welcome back the chaos.