A Thief in the Night
A Tamora Pierce fanfiction by Eowyn Shadeslayer
Crane crept into Rosethorn's garden, careful not to make a sound. His sandals clacked slightly as he walked between the rows, toward the staked tomato plants.
What an idiot, Rosethorn thought. He should have left his feet bare.
She remembered a time when she had liked Crane, even respected him, but their differences always came between them in the end. He thought he could flout Nature's laws; she respected them. He was meticulous; she was wild and unkempt. Their brief romances never ended in more than argument.
Now, she stepped out form between the vines. "Evening, Crane, " she said, crisply.
Crane spun round, his black hair disheveled over his flushing face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Rosethorn got there first.
"What are you here for? My tomato plants? I already gave you three because of Briar's escapade…"
"Quiet, Rosethorn. You'll wake half of Winding Circle!"
"Having a hard time growing them in your monster?" Rosethorn asked, sardonically. "I swear, Dedicate InitiateCrane, if I ever catch you in here again…"
"I wasn't stealing them, " Crane replied. "I was examining them. There's a difference."
His eyes roved over her. She gave him a glare that could break glass. They stood like that for a long moment, the night sounds weaving in and out of their hearing. Tris' window was open, as it often was.
Finally, Crane broke the silence. "The boy is talented, isn't he?" he said, glancing at the shakkan on it's shelf outside Briar's window. It was flourishing as it hadn't with him. He sighed and stepped forward.
His sandal cought on some lump in the earth, and he stumbled. Rosethorn reached out and caught him. For one brief moment, they looked into one another's eyes.
Then Crane was kissing her. His lank hair fell forward into her face as he wound his long fingers through her reddish hair. "I've missed you," he whispered, and kissed her again.
Rosethorn drew away from him. "We can never get past our differences. You know that, don't you?"
He laughed. "Here, all the differences are gone. Your garden…it's like a common ground."
Rosethorn smiled, almost unwillingly. "I've not missed you, you lummox. But while you're here…"