Chapter... 1... I guess. I don't think I'm going to name them. They're just... chapters... but if anything, I guess I'd call this "The first Date" or summin cute like that.

Anyway, without further ado:

READ ON!

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"Oliver…" Pamela asked, giggling out loud and using the Daathic man's name as if she had known him forever. She let him lead her off towards the outskirts of town, "Oliver, where are you taking me? If we get too far out…"

"Shhhh, shhhh," Oliver replied patiently, laughing aloud, "Didn't you know?" He gestured to the grain fields they were running through, "This is my land!"

"Oliver, I know you're a farmer…" Pamela said with a blush, letting out a harmless joke without thinking much further, "But are you that desperate to show me to your parents? Is that all you farmers do is show off significant others to each other?" Oliver stopped running, his laughter all but gone. Pamela's heart sunk when she realized she had struck a nerve and reached out to him in an attempt to ask forgiveness, "O… Oliver… did I upset you? I'm so sorry! I was just…"

"No… it's… okay…" Oliver replied, slowing to a complete stop and looking down at the wheat that surrounded them, "I just… I don't have any parents to bring you home to…" Pamela gasped when she realized how heartbreaking her joke must have been, and he continued with a laugh that sounded more like a scoff, "I never knew my mom. She died giving birth to me… Father did his best to raise me, but he was so busy with all of his money, his mountains of Gald, that he hardly had time for me… I was just as alone when he died as before…"

"Oliver, I'm sorry…" Pamela whispered, and this time, when she reached out to take his hand again, he didn't shy away, "I didn't mean to make you so sad…"

"I'm sorry I reacted that way…" He replied, slowly walking her towards his house yet again, "I just… I figured you'd have to go out to eat for dinner tonight. Daath's inn doesn't offer much in the ways of refreshments… I thought maybe you'd like some of my dinner."

"Oliver… You'd cook for me?" Pamela asked, a leer rising from her lips, "Isn't that the woman's job?"

"I've lived by myself for so long," Oliver explained, "That it just comes naturally… it's not as good as… Jenny's, I guess, but it's… decent. Ahh! Here we are!" He was thankful to be able to change the subject as he came upon a small cottage surrounded by the wheat fields, "This is my home! It's a little small… but it's very homely."

"It looks…" Pamela struggled for words that fully expressed her feelings. She saw herself standing outside on the porch, watching her new husband till the fields. She saw herself holding a baby in swaddling cloths as she watched him thatch their roof. She saw the two of them staring at the stars upon the porch, holding each other close, letting each others' warmth keep themselves warm as they slept under the stars. Oliver noticed that she was staring at the house, her cheeks flaring red.

"Pamela…?" The Malkuthian blinked at the man, and she suddenly realized that she must have been a little out of it. Chuckling, she smiled at the man, finishing her sentence, "It looks beautiful…" Oliver smiled as he opened his door and led her into the house, his hand clasped tightly around hers. Pamela's face flushed as he brought her close to him and reached out to turn on the lamp. The woman blinked at what she saw.

The largest room in the house was spread out before her, and by all accounts it was pretty small. In the corner was a tiny kitchenette, with the bare essentials, a stove top range and icebox, and a fireplace which was the next best thing without an oven. Sitting in the middle of the room was a small dining table with only three chairs, which was expected, seeing as he had no family to speak of at the moment. Three doors were spread about, showing that the house probably only had enough room for the 4 rooms that existed.

"So this is it," She whispered, almost breathlessly, as she stared at the clutter. She had heard that bachelors lived in less than cleanly quarters… but this was just a little ridiculous! She looked at her host as he pulled out some chicken from the icebox and began to prepare a fire for it in the fireplace. She looked at the model kit and candy canes, which had been abandoned on the end table next to the front door. Without really thinking, she picked up the kit and found a mess of paper under it; newspaper, apparently. She picked up the weeks old paper and placed the kit back down. Oliver looked up as she went to the dining table and started picking up the trash.

"What… are you doing?" He asked as Pamela filled both her arms up in useless papers and receipts, "You don't…"

"Your place is so cluttered," The woman replied, looking down at the trash in her hands, "I… just wanted to fix it up a bit…"

"But you're the guest!" Oliver said, sounding like Pamela was stomping on his pride as a host, "You shouldn't… have to do any work…" He looked down at the fire that had just started, "I'm sorry I didn't clean up, I guess it's my fault you…"

"Hey Oliver," Pamela said, brushing by the man (who blushed at her contact), "This is how you get rid of all your trash!" And with that, she tossed the papers into the fireplace. The two stood next to each other as they saw the fire lick up the paper, turning all of it to ash in a matter of minutes.

"Wow…" He murmured, his eyes brightening, "Why didn't I think of that?" The two looked at each other, and they both smirked, rushing off to different parts of the house to grab whatever trash they could find.

The two soon found themselves watching the chicken cook as the fire ate the last remnants of Oliver's trash. He had to admit, the place looked a whole lot better after it was straightened up. As he finally finished turning the chicken on the spit, he looked up and pointed at the one cupboard he possessed, "That's where my dishes are. Could you?"

"Got it," Pamela replied. She pulled them down from the cupboard as Oliver deposited the chicken onto a serving platter. As she set the table, he began to carve the bird. The two seemed to calm down, their nervousness disappeared, and they continued to prepare dinner as if they were… family…

Pamela followed Oliver to the table; he was holding the bird, and in each hand, she was holding two plates with corn cobs on one, candied apples (for dessert!) in the other. The two placed their items on the table and settled down. Oliver sat in one chair, and his guest walked across the table, settling down on the opposite side. Now she could look into his eyes the whole time they ate…

Oliver seemed much more intent on his food than Pamela, who would look up to see his eyes staring intently at his corn. She wished she could psychoanalyze him. Perhaps he didn't like to be disturbed while eating? Or perhaps… She thought to herself, a blush tinting her cheeks, He's just too embarrassed to look at me… She took a deep breath and decided to figure out which one it was, "Uh… Oliver?"

"Huh?" He asked, looking up. Seeing her smiling face, however, made him turn away and chuckle, "Wh… what is it?"

Pamela rejoiced silently. He WAS shy! That was so adorable… "I was just… wondering… about your kit… Do you like model kits?"

Oliver's eyes brightened, "Yes!" He proclaimed, "They're my favorite hobby. Putting them all together makes me feel so happy to be able to create something with my own hands!" Pamela tried hard not to laugh at his exuberance as he explained just how it felt to put all the pieces together to make something much larger, "It really makes you feel like you've accomplished something, huh?"

"Ahhh, yes…" Pamela replied, suddenly feeling a little out of place in this man's world. He was so… immersed in his… model kits, she wondered if she could squeeze a little bit of room out for her… She smiled happily, hoping to carve that niche out right now, "Well… do you also… like to do other things?"

Oliver looked up at her, wondering where this was going. He reached for his candied apple and spoke before biting into it, "Well, I like to take walks." Pamela blinked. People of Grand Chokmah hardly took walks for pleasure. Simply walking a child down to play in the park was a chore, "And when it's washing day… That's my favorite day. It's the day of the week I get to wring all my clothes out, it's real fun!"

"Wash… clothes…?" Pamela asked. What about liking to do NORMAL things like… shopping or something?

The Daathic farmer nodded as he chewed on his candied apple. After swallowing, he looked at the woman, "And you?"

"Me…?" She asked, trying not to sweat from embarrassment. What should she say? Would she tell him what she really liked…? What if he didn't like it? If the two of them stopped seeing each other after this… she… she didn't think she'd be able to continue. The Score said… the Score said that she'd find happiness, and she knew it was going to be true, she just knew! "I like walking… so much… also… uh… models are so fun…"

"Really?" Oliver asked, his eyes shining. Pamela nodded meekly, "This is amazing! I thought I was the only person who liked that kind of stuff… I felt… you know, kind of alone in the world…" Pamela felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It appeared that he still WAS alone in the world… He quickly finished his apple, looking high on life.

When Pamela finished her apple, she joined Oliver at the bucket where he was washing his dishes. She handed them to him, and he smiled, tenderly taking her hands. She blushed as he brought the dishes into the bucket so the two could wash the dishes together. A smile appeared on Pamela's face as the two worked close together, his blush rising just as hers did. Lying through her teeth so she could be at this proximity to his face was SO worth it. The two worked together to clean the dishes, as if they did this stuff their whole lives…

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Pamela really didn't want to go back to the inn. A small hunger in the pit of her stomach desired that he drag her into his bedroom and ravish her. Alas, apparently all Daathic people were "proper" and didn't do that kind of stuff until they were married. Uhg… such an unnecessary extra step… Finally Oliver led her back to the inn, and stopped her by the doorway, "Well… I guess…"

"We'll see each other tomorrow, right?" She asked, reaching out to take his hand and squeeze it. She wanted to make sure he agreed before she let him go.

"Alright, tomorrow… here?"

"Here…" She replied, and allowed herself to let go of his hand. Oliver seemed to be hesitant though. He probably didn't want to leave as much as she. There was silence for a while as the crickets chirped in the night air.

"So… uh…" The man interrupted himself when she closed her eyes, leaned closer, and projected her lips. He gulped shyly, and reached out to take her arms, leaning in to kiss her. He didn't realize that it was so… perfect… feeling her lips against his. He let a small gasp out when he felt her arms wrap around his back, beckoning him as if to say, "Come on, hold me tighter, you doofus!"

That's exactly what he did.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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