Dasen felt like he had only been asleep for a few seconds when a light rap on the door woke him. He roused slowly to the first rays of the sun peeking into the room. Aching for sleep, he considered ignoring the disturbance, but there was another knock, and his mind finally comprehended the significance of that sound.
Dasen leapt to his feet – the Muldons could not discover that he had slept on the floor. He threw his blanket to the side of the bed and placed his pillow next to Teth.
There was another knock, this one more insistent. He moved to answer it then realized that he was still fully dressed. Still moving to the door, he pulled off his socks, adjusted his pants to make them appear as if he had just pulled them on, and undid the final button on his shirt as he cracked the door.
Seri was waiting outside. She was wearing a long nightdress with frills of lace at the neck and cuff – Dasen wondered how she could sleep through the summer’s heat in such a creation. Her hair, dark brown marked with wisps of gray, was done in a long braid that hung down over her shoulder, and her soft-brown eyes were alive with the light of the morning. Dasen tried to look as if he had just dragged himself out of bed. He rubbed his eyes more for effect than to eliminate any remnant bleariness. When he had removed his fists from his eyes, Seri looked past him at Teth still sleeping then smiled at him knowingly. He returned the smile with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Seeing his smile, Seri's grew broader, knocking years off of her face and lighting it with a girlish whimsy.
"I’ve gotten a bit tagether fir breakfast,” she said in little more than a whisper. “I know it’s still early, but Jer’s decided ta head inta town an’ wanted ta talk ta ya before he goes. If ya’d like, ya can leave Tethina ‘ere. I suspect she didn’t get as much sleep as she might’ve liked." Seri gave him another of the knowing smiles and a wink that set him back. It was all he could do to keep from blushing.
From the look in Seri's eyes, he had not even succeeded at that, but he responded as if the silent exchange had never taken place. "That sounds fine. The past few days have been hard, and I am sure that Tethina would appreciate the sleep.” Seri just smiled again and started down the stairs toward the kitchen.
Dasen reversed the dance he had just performed: buttoned his shirt, tucked it into his pants, recovered his socks, and followed them with his boots. As he dressed, he struggled with the dilemma of whether or not to wake Teth. He knew she’d be mad if he did, but the way she’d acted last night, he wasn’t sure he wanted her there when he talked with Jer. There was no telling what she would do. Besides, she had said that he was supposed to act more like a man.
In the end, he decided he just wasn’t ready to face her accusations, so he left her to sleep. With a long glance back at her motionless shape, he walked out the door and closed it as quietly as he could behind him.