The first thing she heard as she awoke was his heavy breathing, Tivan was curled around her, warm and comfortable, sleeping deeply enough that when Hanni removed herself, he did not wake. She dressed quickly and tiptoed from his room and back to hers, gathering clean clothes and taking a bath. The clock said it was nearly 6 a.m.
Tivan stirred fretfully in his sleep. A honey-skinned woman with dark hair teased him from far away, he leaped after her but when he approached she was crying and disintegrated to sand in his hands. He sat bolt upright, sweating profusely and shaking slightly, noticing his slave's absence with dismay. He showered quickly to calm himself, dressed richly as usual, and was back to his stoic self once he had returned to the main room of his museum. Catching his eye immediately was the still-broken silver frame on the battered desk on the opposite side of the room. He walked towards it cautiously as though it were a ticking bomb, picking it up with care and finally dusting it off. He still couldn't see it clearly through the cobweb pattern of damage to the glass, but ran his fingers lightly over it in recognition. A slight smile crept up on his lips and his eyes burned briefly before he set the picture back down and turned back to the rest of his collection. Though it was still somewhat slow-going, his new glass containers were filling nicely with new acquisitions and purchases. He paused in front of a cage with a beautiful bird inside, whistling to it softly as it pecked the small tree he had placed inside for it to perch on. He watched it in satisfaction for a little while until he suddenly smelled something cooking – Hanni is up.
He crossed his museum and entered the kitchen, relieved to see her familiar (now very familiar) form in front of him. He came up behind her silently and slipped his hands about her waist as she was cooking; she did not flinch, only turned slightly, smiling with acknowledgment and returning to her task. He grunted and forced her around to face him, she looked surprised at first but smiled coyly and looked away. He lifted her chin and kissed her lips tenderly. She returned the embrace with equal fervor, wrapping her arms about his neck slowly. The whole thing still felt foreign, but Hanni knew she wanted this more than anything. She could not speak for her master, but she felt soaring happiness and pressed her lips harder against his. He pulled away after a moment with a smirk and seated himself on one of the bar stools at the counter, stifling a yawn and running a hand through his hair. She served tea the way he liked it, strong with honey, and gave him a breakfast she didn't expect him to eat. When she sat down to eat her own meal, however, it was to her surprise to see Tivan had already finished half of what she had served him. Finally. Hanni sighed with relief and drank her tea with smug satisfaction.
When everything was done and she had cleaned up the kitchen, Hanni left to continue her chores on the main floor. It was nearly 7:30, and the museum would be opening soon. She began polishing the wooden furniture along the sides of the room, but froze at the heavily beaten one Tivan had still not replaced. She scowled at it and turned to her master, who was sitting in a plush chair and reading something in a language she didn't know. It's still not my place to say anything, she calculated, even if we are... closer. Deciding her master likely kept it around for some reason, she began wiping it down, moving items around as she polished it, but paused again when she reached the broken picture frame. Something that was important enough to honor as the centerpiece of this desk surely wasn't mean to be left forgotten and shattered. She brought it to Tivan, standing in front of him silently and waiting for acknowledgment. He raised a finger as he finished reading a paragraph, then glanced up at her. She presented the photo to him and asked, "Shouldn't we put this in a nicer frame?"
Tivan suddenly frowned and set the picture face-down on his lap, picking up his book again and saying nothing. Hanni took that as her cue to leave him alone and continued her chores mutely for a few hours until more guests arrived and she went to fetch them drinks. Her master bought a series of mushrooms that glowed from within, placing them in an enclosure in a darker corner of his museum and paying the group who sold them to him handsomely. They left with excitement, counting their units, and Tivan returned to his book wordlessly. Hanni cleaned the drinks and returned to the main chamber with the intent to keep cleaning, but found herself by her master's side instead, running a hand across the back of his broad shoulders. He took her hand and kissed it, but returned to his book. Maybe work hours aren't the best time for this, she reasoned, returning to her regular cleaning without troubling him further.
When Tivan finally locked the doors for the night and returned to the main hall, Hanni left immediately to bathe again, her arms and clothes covered in furniture polish and wax. Tivan broke out a cherry leaf cigarette and stood contemplating the picture Hanni had handed to him earlier.
I should find a better frame, he conceded, deciding to take a stroll along the market stalls and buy one while Hanni was occupied. He felt strongly that this was something he should do himself. He ambled down one of the nicer alleyways in Knowhere, dressed impeccably as usual and carrying an onyx-tipped staff, though still insisting his guards flank him loosely at all times. After perusing several different stalls for about an hour, he found a beautiful, intricately designed silver frame not unlike the one he currently had, though this had several gemstones set in the corners and was of a higher quality overall. He overpaid for it slightly, demanding delivery, then suddenly noticed something in a different shop across the street. Tivan walked over to the stall and examined everything at leisure, finally settling his focus on the item that had initially caught his eye.
It was a stunning necklace wrought from black gold, similar to the one he had loaned to Hanni once, though the chain was thinner, shorter, and more delicate. At the end of it, a large black diamond dripped down like a tear, flawlessly cut and sparkling despite the dim light in the stall. Tivan placed his telescopic lenses on his his face and inspected it closely through its glass case, verifying that it was indeed authentic. He was surprised something so rare and expensive would be in such a lousy place – but then again, Hanni had been, too. He smirked at the thought of her and ran a white-gloved hand across his chin dreamily, placing his glasses back in his vest and calling over the proprietor, money exchanging hands quickly.
"You'll have it delivered?" the vendor asked, having done business with Tivan before.
"No," he said, waving the man away and pocketing the box swiftly.
Tivan walked back to his museum almost as if in a trance, collecting the frame from the small street urchin who had delivered it. He had almost forgotten he had purchased it, but entered his home with a pleasant bounce in his step.