As the night air embraced them, she let out a long slow breath. "Ahh... so much better, aye?" Sianna curled her arm around his so that as they walked her head rested lightly on his shoulder. She bit her tongue firmly then, to keep herself from blathering on about the little weasel and instead contented herself with his presence and improved mood.

The night sky was clear as glass and polished to a high shine, the scattered stars glimmering like diamonds encrusted by a master jeweler. They were quiet as they traveled, each mind consumed with something different. For her part, Sianna could not stop herself from marveling at the man beside her and wishing that her gran could've known him. Added to the mix were the memory of her last visit to the studio and the promise of the unveiling. A dreamy smiled curved her lips as they passed underneath the final streetlamp, his building looming ahead in welcome.

Shifting the lute strap a little higher on her shoulder, she reached for his hand to warm her cold fingers. "Feeling any better, my heart?"

Her heart hammered restlessly against the curve of her ribs, the waiting having matured the seed of nervous anticipation lodged inside her. A deep breath and then another, her lashes fluttering against her cheek before her eyes slowly opened. A large cloud passed over the gleaming moon, and the sudden dark made her blink, her pupils expanding to bring everything into focus. He was standing off to the left, hands clenching unintentionally at his sides. Her head tilting instinctively towards him first, she smiled softly. ?Aye? And what is it?? her voice drifted away to nothing as the night sky unveiled it?s bright orb and the marble statue sparkled, every curve reflecting the moonglow.

The ragged catch of her breathing left living lips parted in a perfect mirror of the artist?s creation. Long fingers brushed against them to muffle the sound as her eyes welled with a moist sheen. What was it about this space ? about this man ? that caused her to feel as if the whole world had split open, ushering her into a dream. In all of her teasing and anticipation to see his newest project, she had never given a thought to the idea that it might have been for her? might have been of her.

Once again he had offered her the first taste of something exquisite. Tentative steps led her forward as she stared in open amazement. The detail of the carving was perfection personified, down to the creases across the palm, the swell of the mound of Venus at the base of the thumb. Even a stray pin was hiding deep in the recesses of the individualized curls. In regards to her femininity, Sianna had never given much thought to herself in comparison to the heroines in her songs, the adored women of the long tales she spun. It had seemed that her lot in life was to be the vehicle through which such testaments took shape, not the subject of one so? permanent.

Stone, formed by earth and elements over thousands of years, held secrets in its heart. It could battle the onslaught of nature and time and brave it steadfastly. Even small pebbles clung to what once had been. A memory whispered in her ear. Her father had been setting the capstone for the new house and she had been buzzing around him like an inquisitive bee. ?When ye select such a stone, mo duinne? he?d instructed her solemnly, ?ye do sae wi? one intent, aye? Tae protect that which is yer heart and tae make it plain what it is ye hold there.?

Sudden realization crept through her entire being, her skin flushed with emotion. Warm tears raced down her cheeks as she rushed to him, her arms tightening around his waist as she buried her head in the curve of a broad shoulder.

She couldn't bring herself to actually say it. The concept that she loved and was so deeply loved was completely foreign to her... a tune for which she had no score. Her own voice was tentative, trying each syllable as if her answer would fit. "The incredible range of yer talent, aye? Focussed... all on herself." She could not look away, had no desire to.

The skin around his eyes tightened fractionally, a hint of disappointment, before he smiled at her compliment, brushing a kiss over her lips. "Started it th' firs' nigh' I met ya. Ya were strikin', an' I though' I knew jus' th' way ta make ya show. Then I kept learnin' more abou' ya. Had ta keep addin' it. 'S only..." He paused, sighed a moment, then resumed, "it ain' good 'nough, really. Jus' a statue, an' yer so much more'n wha' I could show."

Now it was her turn for a momentary disappointment, her stomach seeming to drop a mile. The distraction of her thoughts were pushed to the side as she listened to the birth of the creation. "But 'tis an absolute marvel! And no' just cause it's me, either... it seems different than any of th' others." The entire time she spoke, doubts and worries raced through her mind and this time the tears threatened in earnest.

He frowned a little at the thickness of her voice, and his hands came up to cup her face, his eyes, his expression serious as he answered her, his gaze locked to hers. "It is differen'. Sianna. Don' ya know why it ain' th' same as th' others? Don' ya feel it?" His hands were trembling slightly as he continued, his enunciation for once perfect. "I love you."

She gulped for air as he talked and as he posed those questions, she nodded, her heart on the verge of exploding. Pressing her face against the curve of his hand, she felt like she could swoon if a feather touched her, yet body beneath her arms kept her upright and emotion widened her eyes with wonder. "Oh ye dear man... ye dear sweet tender man, do ye no' ken how much I love thee?"

His own breath was once again released in a gasp, and his hands shook as he stood there, captivated by her wide eyes and the depth of emotion he was finally able to understand there. A moment, two, then he shifted one of his hands to brush a stray curl back from her cheek, fingers still trembling slightly, and leaned in to kiss her gently. Held it for a eternal moment, then pulled back to speak again, his baritone husky. "Now I do, Sianna."

The clocks had spun the midnight to a standstill. The kiss was sweeter, richer, like when the tight bud of promise blooms wide to greet the world around it, born anew to wave its petals in the wind. Her head shook in quiet amazement. "Ye did no' ken...nor did I, each of us bearing our secret in silence, unaware of th' other's..." She stood on tiptoe then to capture his lips with hers, arms twining lovingly about his shoulders, determined to show him the depth of her love without words. It seemed they both struggled when it came to speaking.