The Past Meets The Future. (Sima/Dimitri)

[Deleted]

When Dimitri had agreed to her suggestion, they had parted ways for a short time- him going to wander the wondrous library, and her to finish her shift. Though time was flying, it felt like an eternity for Lilith, who was bubbling with excitement at the chance meeting. Dimitri was back. He was home, and she just happened to be here. For the rest of her shift there was a dopy grin on her face, and she quite easily ignored the questions and looks regarding it. She simply floated through the rest of her time, stacking books and putting them away.

---

Finally, when the time came, Lilith made her way back to the front desk, and grabbed her belongings, and when Dimitri found her, they headed back to her home. It wasn't a long walk, but Lilith seemed to walk slowly, taking in every moment they had together. He hadn't said if, or when, he was leaving again, and she didn't want to lose any time she had. They had spent five years apart, no need to spend more.

It was obvious neither of them wanted to speak to much yet, for they weren't alone, in the sanctuary of her home- they were on the crowded streets of Nova. But it didn't occur to her, until they were almost at her door, that they still wouldn't be home alone. Sima was home, waiting for her. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of him. She didn't mind him being there, she loved him, nor was she embarrassed, but she didn't know how comfortable Dimitri would be, and that was currently her priority. She loved Sima to pieces, but once he realized who Dimitri was to Lilith, he couldn't blame her to much, could he? She'd spoke of him before, never uttering his name, but had described him as her only light in the darkness of her past. If anything, Sima could be happy for her, no? 

---

She began to worry, but shoved it from her mind, not wanting to make this about such things. This was a happy day. 

Well, here we are. She spoke as they arrived to her home, and she simply moved to open the door, turning the handle slowly. She remembered when she first brought Sima here, how self conscious she was of the tiny home, and she felt similar to that here. The difference was, then, she wanted to look stronger, here, she just wanted to prove she'd been doing okay. She knew he worried, as she had for him.

---

(For Sima Oratio and @dimitri )

[Sima Oratio]

Sima had spent the day doing his routine. It seemed boring, however he didn't mind. In the previous world, his life was full of danger, excitement, death, it was enough for two lifetimes. He spent most of the day searching for appropriate land plots, local suppliers for bread, vegetables, and other various ingredients they would need. This time however he brought a booklet, and was jotting out information. He wrote down contact information, which included their names, address, and prices per lb, and whole sale. He felt that he actually made quite some ground in starting his venture, knowing that he had the money to start the restaurant, now he needed the planning. 

When Sima returned home, which was often much quicker than Lilith did, he began to do the routine. He made sure that everything was neat, and that their bed was made. After taking time to clean, Sima took the ledger, full of his business information, and slid it under the bed. It seemed to be where he liked to hide all his valuables, he was sure Lilith knew, but he wasn't sure if she really cared to peak under and see the mementos he collected. After doing this, he found himself once again bored. 

Sima had nothing to do, other then prepare things for the restaurant. If he had completed his daily routines earlier then expected, then he found himself bored, having to wait an hour or so for Lilith to come home. He decided that he might as well surprise her, with no knowledge to the surprise that was heading his way. Sima checked their pantry, and finding what they had most ample supply of. Strawberries, of course it was strawberries. He grabbed a big piece of butter and set it on the table. He then grabbed a bow, and tossed the butter in. After doing this, he checked back in the pantry and pulled out sugar, throwing it in with the butter. He then began to whisk it quite quickly. He continued to beat, and whisk, the butter and sugar until it became a paste. 

After doing this he cut the strawberries, cutting the green tops, and turning the sideways and making the strawberries into strawberry slices. Sima grabbed some flour, and some dough. He began to notice he was running low on the two, noticing he seemed to bake a lot for Lilith. After doing some considerable preparation he put the dough into a pan, and set it into the oven. Sima then looked back to the cream he was making. He used some of the very little chocolate they had, which turned the cream from a pure white shade, to a darker color. It would still taste good all the same. 

Sima was still waiting on all of this to finish, deciding not to clean until it was done. And for once it seemed the Lilith was entering, seeing Sima have a big mess. Perhaps it wouldn't be the best introduction, but it did make him seem lazy. He turned his attention towards the sound of the door, not noticing the large mess still around the kitchen. 

[Deleted]

Thankfully by the period in which they found themselves away from protective coverage, the rain had ceased to crash downward and had left an upturned earthy taste to mingle with the airwaves. After leaving the library together, Dimitri and Lilith ventured for her home, sharing simple pleasantries whilst simultaneously pounding out the dirt road which was at the underside of each of their footfalls. Although both were eager to blurt out fat, life altering inquiries, neither wished to crest such horizons until they were enfolded in the tender loveliness of one another’s company, secluded in their distinct and private box of a universe. So with great effort he slipped his itching questions into his back pocket for a more intimate later.

When they had reached her little cottage-esque habitat Dimitri nearly shattered into a grand display of showmanship in the form of a raving jig and a belted out chorus-the years, the hours, and the minutes of wait were officially up and gone. Despite his superb excitement he kept the lid on it but it wasn’t on quite tight enough for he brashly grasped a hold of her hand, the one currently not occupied by the doorknob, an action he had not performed in many moon cycles. With her tone and visible demeanor he had deduced she was nervous, as if he’d be disappointed with what was to be on the other side of the door but she needn’t fear that any; he held her in the upmost grandest and highest regards and he could not visualize a singular object or condition in which would transform his ideals about her. His ideals about his current moods however were in for a grand metamorphosis once he took in a real viewing of her dwelling and all that was held within.

The tantalizing aroma of baking pastries wafted out the newly open door on a draft , and the instance he was about to utter” who could be baking?”, his eyes froze on the figure of a man. Amongst the cluttered tabletops and shelves, amid stacks of gooey mixing bowls, cake tins, fruit peels, and food speckled dishes, interwoven between the starlight breath of her existence- that which lended a silver and plum shade to all things in her home-and the maroon blaze of her spirit, smacked unexpectedly in the center of it all was the beloved stranger. Now this prospect of a king to his darling lady-in-waiting, stood well above Dimitri’s stature and even though he held a kind face and was baking for Summerland’s sake, he found him to have the slight vibration of something that should be treated with pure, unrelenting caution. He blinked at the man, any words he might have spoken were wrapped up in his tangled tongue and a string of unease painfully plucked in his heart. He silently willed this bitter sensation into a muted pang and he then gave a small but sincere grin towards him, squeezing the pale hand of Lilith that he still held onto as he did so.

[Deleted]

Lilith felt Dimitri's hand around her own, and a spike of a memory tore through her. It had been quite a long time since she last felt his hand in hers. She glanced over her should at him and grinned as she pushed the door open and stepped inside. She was immediately bombard with smells, no doubt from Sima cooking. Her eyes went first to the disaster that was her kitchen, then to the man in the middle of the room, who created the disaster. She'd never gotten mad at Sima about the kitchen- he'd always cleaned up after himself. But this time, though not mad, she was embarrassed. Not about Sima, or for him, but for the state of her house.

I apologize for the mess... She murmured lightly, glancing at Dimitri again. Her eyes snapped back her beloved Sima, and suddenly Dimitri's hand felt hot in hers. She let it go, and turned to close the door, clearing her throat. Lilith stepped away, standing in between the two men, facing them both, though she was close enough to Sima, that she attempted to reach for his hand.

Sima... I'd like you to meet Dimitri... Dimitri, this is Sima, the man I told you about before. her voice was small, faint, echoing in the otherwise silent room.

[Sima Oratio]

Sima's eyes stared with a worried expression. He quickly looked at the male that she had brought with her, immediately finding where their two hands connected. His heart sank faster than he noticed the male was holding hands with Lilith, and he couldn't fight off the thoughts that swarmed in his head. Regardless, he tried his absolute best to not jump to conclusions. This was turning out to be more difficult than he thought, only being reminded of what had happened to him in his previous relationship. He watched silently, trying to understand what Lilith was doing, this was a rather unannounced visit, did she expect him not to be home? He gripped his hand nervously, trying not to look too upset about what had happened. He noticed easily when she dropped the male's hand. He couldn't help but look at her hand, noticing the scent of the male still lingered on her. He wasn't sure why this bothered him so much, but when Lilith reached for his hand it made him feel a little bit better. He tried to play off that seeing the two holding hands didn't upset him, yet it was all he could think about now. He looked at her blankly as she spoke, as she began to introduce this person she had brought to their home. Sima felt a bit bad for not remembering who exactly this Dimitri was, he knew that he was a good part of her past, that much at least, but that only seemed to worry him. 

"Uh, it's nice to meet you Dimitri, I'm Sima" He said rather nicely, although it seemed as if he was reading this off of a script. "Sorry about the mess Lilith, I'll clean it up." The one day he did not finish cleaning was the day Lilith brought someone over? That was not the real reason he wanted to get to cleaning so quickly however. "Uhmm, I made something if you two want something to eat, it's almost done." Sima wondered if perhaps he should stop doing baking, considering that's all he'd been making for Lilith lately. He let go of Lilith's hand, and reluctantly, He turned towards the counter, throwing most of the stuff into the sink. If Lilith didn't want him to clean that was fine, but he would at least make things presentable. He breathed in the air, wondering if his strawberry shortcake would be done yet. He turned back around, not really sure what would make him more presentable or not. 

[Deleted]

Although just now within the confines of Lilith's home, Dimitri kept a close footing to the warm wooden door in the odd chance he'd have to leave. He gulped and -with a little of behavioral resistance- ripped his eyes from the spots of nothing unto Sima's face. He was a handsome specimen by anyone's means and he seemed pleasant enough, even nervous and a tad fearful just as they all were. So in spite of his more selfish takings he smiled at the man and offered up a quiet greeting of his own; " The pleasure is likewise, Sima." and ducked back into himself, shaking out his ivory hair to veil the anxious features of his face. In between the strands of hair he peeked through, eyes darting between Lilith and her lover. He was so embarrassed, it was foolish to believe he could waltz back inside her life without the hiccups of growth, and so awkwardly he stood in her kitchen area, waiting for another voice to attempt to break the tension. At Sima's offer he gave a tiny head nod accompanied by a small smile, not really hungry anymore but he was a stickler for politeness.

[Deleted]

Lilith left go of his hand and let him leave. This was so uncomfortable. She glanced at Dimitri, then back at Sima, who was fixing the kitchen for a minute. With an inward sigh she spoke. Dimitri, why don't you sit on the couch for a minute, while I explain who you are to Sima? It was a quiet voice, but it was begging him to understand. Lilith had thought this would be his reaction, remembering some of the stories he'd told her of his past. She smiled softly at Dimitri and walked slowly to the kitchen, standing behind Sima before hugging him from behind. The slight wall between the two rooms was obscuring them from view, so she wasn't worried about it being more awkward for Dimitri. 

---

Sima, he's my friend. That's all. Remember the friend from the orphanage, who protected me, and kept me from going crazy? That's him. She turned him around, and put her hands on his face, gazing into his eyes softly. I know this is odd, and I wish I could have known in advance that he was coming- but he just found me in the library. Neither of us thought we'd see each other again. He's like a brother to me. She smiled and rubbed his cheek with her thumb, while her other hand pushed any strands of hair from his face. 

I love you. Okay? We held hands as children as a sign of comfort. It was just a habit, I promise. She went on her tip toes and kissed his nose softly before kissing his lips briefly. Standing back on her flat feet she took his hand. I don't want you to leave, you can join us if you'd like... She was nervous- what if they didn't like each other?

[Sima Oratio]

Sima looked at Dimitri who seemed to be shy. His eyes sparkled an intense blue, full of confusion. He disregarded the thoughts, and finished cleaning up the counters. He had dishes to do later, but he would them exactly for that, later. He could hear Lilith, but he thought he was playing this off quite nicely. She walked in holding another man's hand, he did not yell, cry, or even ask a question. Sima was being polite, despite the feelings that tugged at his heart so fiercely. He was a little bit surprised as Lilith hugged him from behind. He enjoyed the feeling, and he knew pretty much what she was going to say. Although he didn't understand the holding of hands, but he trusted Lilith. He couldn't help the feeling he had inside, but he just knew that it meant he loved her. He waited for Lilith to finish what she was saying.

It was quite beautiful the way she tried to explain these things, and make him feel better at the same time. "I know Lily. I suppose I can't hide how seeing you hold his hand made me feel, but I want you to know that I will never let any of my feelings interfere with you having friends. If they make you happy, I will have to find room for them" He turned to the oven, releasing himself from Lilith's grasp only to prepare the rest of the shortcake. He pulled out the shortcake bottom, and set it on top of the counter. He then pulled out the cream he had made earlier, and spread it on the top, rather quickly i might add. He then set that into the sink, and added the top layer of the strawberry-ish cake. 

After it was done, which took only a couple of seconds, he looked back at her calmly. He went to grab some plates, Dimitri had accepted a piece right? He thought back not really entirely sure being a bit  shocked at that time. He used the knife to cut the cake into pieces, and then placed them on the plate. He made sure each plate had forks, and then grabbed the three plates. "Of course I'll join you, " He looked at her as if the idea of him running away was absurd, however he was acting a little, Dimitri scared him a little, considering the two had much more past than himself and Lilith. "Shall we return to our guest?" Sima asked her with a light grin. 

[Deleted]

At her request Dimitri had parted from their company, at least into the adjacent room, and had been a tad rebellious in that he had ignored her suggestion of resting upon the couch and rather took a moment to peer out the window. The sky was in half overcast-the west was grey and promised the wisps of storms and the east began to shimmer with the sunlight's rays and encouraged beauteous images. Such an influence did not effect Dimitri, however, as memories melded with what he was seeing before him. Also sectioned to the east of Lilith's home-with the sun and all that- was the encroaching smutty tendrils of the slums they had both been brought up in. Most kids were hard in the slums, they were born cork but quickly learned to mould into granite and much of those who could not change were smashed like glass and then pressurized to crumble away into sandy dust. But by some miracle of life there were a few who grew up in the spikes of marble and rust who were not crushed and who did not conform. Such people were that of himself and Lilith; both had kind spirits and although such tranquil essence had been suppressed they did not vanish.

He had tried to keep his mind off the situation at hand, it was too crisp and too awkward to dwell in by himself and even though his inner cheek had been rendered to a slight pulpy mix by his wandering teeth, he kept his worries down, losing his eyes to the scenery. The clatter of voices and moving dishes broke his attention and he swallowed down another ball of emptiness before facing where the others were sure to come from. It wasn't that he disliked this Sima, he was just very unprepared for meeting him and was dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions and personal hardships that all amassed to his demeanor. He was quiet by nature and silenter still when approached by such situations and to some this could be accredited to a snobbish boob but he was nothing of the sort-not that many got to meet the sweetheart inside. He vowed in that moment to himself to try harder for Lilith and thus try harder for Sima.[\blockquote]

[Deleted]

Lilith smiled softly, and kissed his cheek. His words meant a lot to her, and she hoped he knew that. Dimitri was apart of her past, and the only good thing in it. Sima was her future, and aside from Dimitri, he was the only good thing. She loved them both very dearly, but in two very different ways. Dimitri was her friend, her brother. He protected her when she needed it, being her angel in that orphanage, her light in all the darkness. He comforted her as a child, talked to her, was friends with her, and believed in her. There was nothing she could have asked for that would ever had been better than him. Leaving him was far from easy, and she'd regretted the moment she did, and every moment after. The pain dulled, but never went away. She doubted it would until she heard him forgive her- if he did.

Sima was more. Sima was her love- her partner. He also protected her, and to her was an angel, a hero. He comforted her when she cried, talked about anything, and could be the best friend if she needed him to be. She was certain he believed in her. In addition, he was more than the light in her darkness- he took the darkness away, shining bright enough for them both, and passing the flame to her to join him. She knew that she could never leave him, or she would be leaving her heart and soul behind. Her love for him consumed her, and she was engulfed in it happily.

---

They were both very important to her, and she only hoped they could see the differences between her love for them. She knew Dimitri would, as she knew his preference in partner regardless, but Sima, though she knew he would try, may have difficulty with it... Unless he found out- but that wasn't for her to tell.

---

Yes, let's go back. Thank you so much for understand love. I love you. She smiled and headed back to the living room with him, taking one of the plates from him, and nesting on the end of the couch, going into her usual position of curling her legs up with her and resting the plate there. Her mess of hair was scattered around, and there was no doubt that someone would sit on it, but she didn't care.

So, Dimitri, as I've said, this is Sima. He moved here a few months ago - it's a long, interesting story for another time. She smiled at Sima knowingly. Okay, where do we begin? Her excitement was far from hidden in her voice, but neither was her fear of the questions she had to answer soon.

[Sima Oratio]

Sima followed Lilith into the area with the couch, passing a plate to Lilith, assuming she would pass hers down to Dimitri, and then everyone would have a plate. He sat their on the couch, realizing he was in fact sitting on Lilith's hair. He was also a tad cold, and got an abstract idea. He got up, scooping Lilith's hair in the process. He then sat down, and although it may have looked like he was just avoiding her hair at first, when he sat down he threw it over his lap, creating a rather nice blanket soaked in Lilith's scent. He listened to her re-introduce him for the second or third time, noting how excited she was. It was rather easy to feel jealous, considering the first sign of this man brought such joy to Lilith's face. They were good friends who had not seen each other for a while after all, and SIma felt a bit intimidated by it all. He knew one thing for sure and that was if this man made Lilith smile, made her happy, then he wanted them around. 

He rested his hands over his lap, resting them upon Lilith's hair. He played with the hair on his lap subconsciously, it helped him feel better about the odd situation that was thrown in front of him a few moment ago. He silently reached for Lilith's hand under the hair blanket he had made, looking at Dimitri curiously. They were just childhood friends, that was all. Dimitiri seemed to be quite nervous, so he wasn't sure how this conversation would work out between the three of them. 


 

[Deleted]

Dimitri rested against the wall and watched with attentive eyes as they entered the room. With quiet bemusement he attuned to her words, as if yet another introduction was in order. He pondered her question; //Where should they begin? His life in the ways if a nomad, fluttering from village to village was a good of a place as any-more than enough things to chatter about there.\\ But as he thought more about his opening words he found himself leaning to tell of the great travesties and twisted situations that had befallen him but knew not to actually include these details as of yet. His misdoings and grievances were too private and dark to be shared at this moment and instead pushed off the wall to grasp a plate of cake. Dimitri’s likeness of Sima improved as he discovered the dessert in which he made was strawberry shortcake; anything strawberry made him perk up.

“Sima this looks absolutely delectable, you should invest in getting a booth at the market or something.” Dimitri placed a bite of cake in his mouth and yet again his attitude towards Sima arose positively. “mhmm, your baking skills could definitely turn a profit, I know I’d be a costumer!” Whether his efforts to be more friendly towards SIma had paid off or the intoxicating deliciousness of his creation had just been that good, he found himself to be in more relaxed spirits and a brighter mood. He hadn’t wanted to ignore Lilith’s excited questions but he wanted to build something between himself and Sima so akin to his well-grounded compliments he offered a starting point of his own;

“Well how did you two get together? Chance meet at the library? Or did he stumble upon you when running from a pack of thieves? Or better yet did you get snatched by dragon and he was the brave knight to rescue you? “ Dimitri counted these guesses as unlikely but his adventurous heart still beat with dreams and fanatical things, as a writer and reader’s heart is bound to do.

[Deleted]

Lilith snorted at Sima, laughing about the hair blanket. Only you would think of that. She shook her head lightly, not wanting to move the hair. She noted when Dimitri avoided her question, but she supposed she couldn't really blame him. Those conversations were not for a time like this- as much as she wanted to get them out of the way. Until they talked about it, there would always be a slightly tense air in the room, waiting to break.

When he asked the question of their meeting, Lilith looked up. He's definitely my knight in shinning armour. She nudged him with her foot, smiling. Actually, we met in the forest. I was out to collect herbs, and he was camping out. A wolf stole his food, so he attempted to chase after it- She stopped herself, finding a new way to explain that wouldn't imply he was anything more than human.

Obviously he never caught up. But, he ran into me. After talking for a short period, we came to learn that there was a pack of wolves now surrounding us. When I ran, a few chased after me, and the rest stayed with him- there were only about 5 total. I don't know how either of us managed to get out, but he definitely saved me. And, he's been my knight ever since- protecting me from all the bad guys in the world. This, of course, was in reference to the thieves that stabbed her, but only he would know that. She'd revised the story so it seemed that not all but one wolf attacked him, because that would be impossible to survive as a human. She knew that Sima didn't like people knowing, and if she remembered correctly, Dimitri definitely didn't want to know...

[Sima Oratio]

Sima's heart raced as Lilith began to tell the story of how they met. He wondered exactly what she would include. He was thankful for Dimitri's comments about his strawberry cake, but when Lilith began speaking about this story all interest in responding left his mind. Instead he was far more worried about the chance that Lilith may speak about his race. Did Lilith tell him everything? They were best-friends. He couldn't shake the thought of her already discussing his race with the man across the room. When she spoke about the wolves, it seemed that the story was so far believable, and his, 'secret' intact for the time being. When Lilith stopped speaking of their meeting he had a wave of ease rush over his body. "I wouldn't say I'm her knight, " Sima looked at Dimitri. "I'm just the type of person that doesn't like anyone to be harmed, If it you were being attacked by wolves, I'm sure I would have done the same thing." It was true, had it been anyone else Sima would have still jumped in to help them. 

Sima didn't say this to make them meeting seem of less importance, but he said this because he knew he wasn't a knight, nor a 'hero'. "I mean, it wasn't love at first sight, but it certainly grew into something very quickly.." Sima wasn't sure what to say exactly, and it made him nervous. "I guess I wasn't expecting us to get together, so quickly, it kind of took me by surprise.." Sima scratched the back of his head nervously, but continued to play with Lilith's hair in his other hand, which was more comforting for him than he knew. 

Perhaps knight was a better term than hero, considering a hero had to put everyone above themselves, while a knight chooses a single individual, or lord. So, perhaps he was knight then, it certainly made sense, yet he wasn't going to admit that to Lilith, or Dimitri, yet. For some reason Sima kept his restaurant idea hidden in the back of his mind, despite Dimitri agreeing that he would turn a profit from it. Perhaps he felt a nervous, or shy in front of Dimitri, which was odd for Sima, considering his more than often liked talking to people. However, he felt there was something different here, something between Dimitri and Lilith that he could not have. He hoped what was between Sima and Lilith was something that wouldn't be shared as well, a relationship between just the two of them.