A/N: I really didn't make up Musenda's name. I placed the order differently because I wanted to be creative. I totally have a claim to Onua meaning earth as I did make it up. Whether or not it's true *shrug* I thought it worked xD Let me know if you think otherwise!
Originally written for the Malorie's Peak Prompt #49: Letters, I made this a one-shot because it got long (over 700 words!) :3 haha Comment, review, PM any thoughts if you spare the time. I'll listen. Or go write your own fic :D
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At first, he didn't even notice her, too busy with his work. She silently watched him and, after a few moments, sat down quietly so as not to disturb him. When he turned around, he nearly jumped out of his skin in shock.
Grimacing slightly, he stared at her, not knowing what to do.
"Hello," he tentatively offered, voice a bit shaky.
She looked down at the knife in her hands. "Hello, stranger." There was no bite to her words.
He put down his work and sauntered over to the table. "What brings you to this side of the training grounds?" He tried to sound flirty, but he figured he came off as curiously friendly. He hadn't had much experience with this type of conversation.
She shrugged. "Tahoi's watching the pack. Gives me free time, so..." She waved a hand as if that explained everything.
He nodded and threw the cloth he had been holding onto the table.
She frowned, not knowing what to say. She was saved when he started another line of inquiry.
"How'd you end up in a place like this?" he asked, trying to sound nice, but his accent shortened the sentence to a more clipped tone.
Onua didn't take offense. She wasn't that type of person. "I grew up in Sarain. Buri offered me a job when I came here, so I took it."
Her short sentences mimicked his own. He carefully studied her face.
Sitting down, he gave a peace offering. "I'm glad you fit in well here."
She snorted, which sounded like a half laugh, at his neutral, if untrue, statement.
He half-smiled, unsure what she would do next.
She sighed and looked around at anything except him.
When the silence lengthened, she pursed her lips and replied, "I don't fit in. Buri's my friend. But I don't belong here." Almost as an afterthought, she added, "I don't belong anywhere."
"That's not true," he said before he could stop himself. He didn't blush. He was a soldier, after all.
She gave him a wide-eyed stare, reminding him of a doe. She was pretty, too. He remembered how she looked so he could draw it later.
She bit her lip uncomfortably hard and fixed her gaze back on the table.
"Here."
A white cloth was placed in her eyesight.
She stared up at him for the second time.
When she didn't move, he sighed, slightly exasperated. "You're bleeding."
She took the cloth and just held it, as if marveling at the fabric.
Shaking his head, he removed the cloth from her hands and wiped her mouth. Like a child, she thought.
Her eyes teared up a little at the memory.
"Thank you."
Those two words broke him. They held such emotion he never believed could be poured into two meager words.
"Musenda."
She furrowed her brow, eyes confused.
"That's my real name. Ogunsanwo Musenda. Everyone calls me Sarge here, because they can't pronounce my name," he explained.
"Spell it?" she requested.
He found an inkwell and paper and wrote his name, throwing drying sand over the words so the ink wouldn't run.
Musenda Ogunsanwo.
"Musenda," she mouthed, seeing the letters for the first time. "Beautiful."
She traced his letters as though she'd never seen writing before.
"Musenda," she said as she went over each letter.
"It means nightmare," he said without emotion. "Nightmare and god of war offering help."
He didn't look at her now. His eyes were far away, remembering how he had received his name.
She took his hand in hers, offering comfort and friendship.
Her touch brought him back from years ago. He smiled kindly down at her.
She lightly traced the scars on his hands and forearms before he could pull away.
She found it hard to stop being interested in him, now that she had learned so much. His eyes had told her everything she needed to know.
He looked at her curiously, waiting for her to say something. Her light eyes held a mixture of sadness and, oddly, comfort. A kind of understanding.
She said nothing and finally looked up at him.
"Onua. I don't think it means anything."
"It means earth." His rejoinder was quick and witty. It caught her off guard for a moment.
"I think you made that up."
His eyes danced with amusement. "Maybe I did. But you'll have to catch me first!"
He dashed out of the tent before she could blink.
She smiled, showing her pointed canines. "Musenda!"
She took off after him.