Kasim looks up as he sees Fayth walking up the path, and drops the bags he was unloading and moves towards her.  Before she takes her third step he reaches her and holds out his arms to take the bags from her and help her up the hill, which is hard to navigate due to the steep grade and the mud from fresh rain.

 

Fayth hands over some of the bags wordlessly, nodding her thanks. She saves a few for herself, shifting them around so that she can carry them more comfortably, and freeing up an arm so that she can grasp Kasim's, leaning on him heavily in order to get up the hill. She shakes her head to flick the hair out of her eyes, but it simply falls back into her face again. "I don't know about this."

 

Kasim sets the bags on the porch and turns to look at her once they reach the top.  He doesn't say anything for a minute, and he doesn't look as happy as he did several hours before.  "You're having second thoughts?"

 

Fayth sets her own bags down next to Kasim's, and turns back to the edge of the porch. Settling herself down, she pulls off her shoes and sets her feet on the least dirty part of the stair. She scrapes as much of the mud off the shoes as possible, puts the shoes back on before answering. Her voice is hoarse and quiet. "I was speaking of the mud. I do not know how I feel about trekking through all the mud."

 

Kasim nods once and sits down very slowly on the porch next to Fayth.  "The weather shouldn't be like this forever.  When it warms up a bit, I'll get some gravel from a quarry and spread it on the hill for the walk up."  He places his elbows on his knees and clasps his hands, looking down into the dirt.  His voice is quiet and smooth, calm.

 

Nodding, Fayth murmurs her thanks. "It's not a serious problem. Just a minor inconvenience. But I imagine, over time, it would grow to be a more serious annoyance." She hmmms softly, tapping her index finger against her mouth. "It is a distance from prying eyes, however. It will be nice, being alone. Surely you don't get many visitors way out here?" (Fayth)

 

Kasim sniffs quietly at her last sentence.  After making a sour face, he says, "No, I never had an unwanted or unexpected visitor during my time here."  He pauses for another moment, obviously thinking.  He then adds, "But things have changed since I left, so I can't say anymore."  He falls silent again, not looking up from the very interesting ground.

 

Fayth nods slowly. "Fair enough." She clutches her shawl around her tightly, shivering slightly as if cold.  Nibbling on her lower lip, she remains silent for quite some time,

apparently deep in thought. Eventually, though, the silence seems to get to her. Twisting herself around and raising her eyes to look at Kasim for a moment, she offers him a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry I was late. I hope you weren't stuck waiting for me for long..."

 

Kasim nods once, looking up as he feels Fayth shiver.  "Only a quarter of an hour.  That's when I got worried and came for you."  He stands up after he finishes talking.  "I've got a small fire going inside.  It's kind of dirty in here, but it should be warm."  He grabs a log in each hand from a stack near the porch and walks inside the open door.

 

It takes a moment for Kasim's words to register, but when he stands and moves inside, Fayth slowly gets to her feet, once again gathering her cloak to her. She spots the bags still sitting on the porch, and moves to the door to peek her head in. Her voice cracks when she starts to speak, so she clears her voice loudly, then tries again. "Kasim? Would you like me to bring in these bags for you?" (Fayth)

 

Kasim is bent over the hearth and has just placed both thick logs on to a small flame.  They were kepy fairly dry and they catch quickly, causing the flames to catch.  "I'll get them.  I need to find a place for them."  He gestures around the place.  The furniture is intact, but just.  A thick coat of dust covers everything, and the wooden table and chairs near the hearth are decayed and dark, and the two stuffed chairs are dusty and moth-eaten.

 

Fayth nods and steps completely into the room, surveying her surroundings. The expression on her face is still somber, though her lips do quirk up slightly at the condition of the furniture. "It has a rather...neglected feel to it. At least now I'm fairly certain you weren't bringing other girls here while you were away." She chuckles softly, then moves to one of the wooden chairs near the hearth. Lifting up her skirt, she uses the corner to dust off the seat the best she can, then sits, warming herself by the fire.

 

Kasim doesn't look up as he continues stoking the fire.  "I've never even talked to another girl that I haven't told you about."  He stands up and crosses the room back to the

door, grabbing his bags before bringing them in.  "And I told you that it was dirty in here and would require repair."

 

Fayth lifts her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. "Fair enough." She pulls the chair as close to the fire as possible without causing a hazard, then leans forward rubbing her

hands together. "It's not as if I've never worked a day in my life before. I have every intention of helping you fix the place up. I did not mean to offend." She doesn't look at Kasim...instead, she stares into the fire, as if fascinated by the flames.

 

Kasim sets them down near the door to the second room of the house before crossing the living room and stepping outside to grab Fayth's bags, placing them on top of his

and above the dirty floor.  He remains silent the whole while, not opening his mouth until his task is completed.  "So, what happened?"

 

Fayth sighs and leans back in her chair gingerly, as if afraid it might break. She still stares at the fire, but she wraps her arms around herself in a hug. "I assume you're speaking of the reason I was late?" She pauses a moment, and shrugs. "I was on my way to see you. I had already finished saying my goodbyes to my family, and packing my bags. I snagged Summer and walked out the back door, and there he was." Her voice breaks, so she stops speaking, and her eyes fill with tears that take turns trailing slowly down her cheeks.

 

Kasim take two steps towards her when she begins crying, his bootsteps sounding in rapid succession.  He stops, and moves quietly to the chair next to hers.  "That was apparent.  I mean after he got there, and before I interrupted."  His previously calm and cool voice is a bit more urgent, and it's shaking.

 

"He asked me to take him back." Fayth's words are blunt but spoken softly, rather than harshly. Every once in a while her voice cracks and she's forced to stop, clear her throat, and begin again. "He...told me what he'd been doing. He told me that he discovered how...different it was...without me...and that he no longer wanted to be without me. He was...different. Almost...weak. Not at all like the man I used to know. He was so...calm." Her voice trails off, and she slowly reaches up to futilely wipe away her tears.  (Fayth)

 

Kasim jerks as if having been slapped as she begins to speak, and his expression gets more and more grim when she continues. After she finishes he says nothing, but rather moves to kneel beside her chair and wrap her in his arms, hugging her and brushing her hair with his fingers.

 

Fayth tenses when Kasim puts his arms around her, but relaxes so quickly as to almost be unnoticeable. She takes a deep breath, then continues. "He apologized. He said that the reason he left was because he didn't think I would be willing to come along. He didn't even ask, though, Kasim!" For a moment her eyes blaze, but then she continues, and her eyes become desolate once again. "I felt so...abandoned.  He chalked it up to a big mistake and asked me to forgive him. Ha." She laughs then, a short bark of a laugh practically dripping  with bitterness.

 

Kasim listens as she continues talking before finally letting her go and sitting back in his chair.  He remains silent for several moments, watching as the fire catches and begins to warm the room.  His voices comes suddenly.  "Would you have?  Gone with him, that is.  If he'd asked you."

 

Fayth doesn't answer right away, instead tilting her head in thought, frowning at the fire. "I can't honestly give you a definite answer, because I wouldn't want to inadvertently

lie to you. It was six years ago, after all." She shrugs. "Initially, of course, I'd say 'Naturally!' and look at you as though you were insane. He was my warder, after all. But..." She lifts her head and gazes at Kasim dolefully. "Six years ago I was much more wrapped up in myself and in power. I enjoyed living with others who shared my passions and helped me in my research. So I doubt I would have been willing to leave all that to travel around the world...no destination...no purpose. I would have gone insane."

 

Kasim listens with a face of stone, letting her speak uninterupted as she explains and contradicts herself, looking at her rather than the fire.  As soon as she finishes, he says, "What did you tell him when I left?"  His voice is strained and terse, outwardly calm but with a strong undercurrent of emotion causing it to waver ever so slightly.

 

Fayth raises an eyebrow and the corner of her mouth turns up in what is probably supposed to be a smile. "What do you think I told him, Kasim?" She rests an elbow on the back of the chair and leans her face against it, still gazing at him. "I told him that I was unable to forgive him. He gave up on me, when I never would have given up on him. He lost my trust. He knew that I would be going with you, and he said he wouldn't follow.  I told him that perhaps someday I would be willing to forgive him, but that today just wasn't that day. Then I  said..." Her face crumbles briefly before she's able to compose it again. "...goodbye. At least this time he waited around long enough to hear it."

 

Kasim nods as she answers, and a small smile appears on his face as a few tears trickle down from his eyes.  He looks at her kneels next to her again, taking her hands in his.  "I love you, Fayth.  And I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to make sure that you never get hurt like this again."

 

Fayth nods. "I know. That's why when -you- asked, I came running." She squeezes his hands tightly. "That's the difference, really. I didn't love him. Well, that's not entirely

true. I loved him. Just not the way a woman loves a man. Just the way a Sedai loves her warder. The relationship is built on trust. That's so important. My life depends on it, even! So naturally I loved him. But you..." She shakes her head at him, eyes wide. "You could kill me with a word. If you asked me to die, I would. You could stab me yourself, and I would simply apologize for making a mess. That kind of power...that kind of power would make me want to leave everything behind to do nothing but spend time with you. That's what you have that Claude doesn't." Leaning down, she kisses him lightly on the head. "You have my heart."