A Hero for Iolia
an excerpt

"It's not just that, Tashi." He said, dropping the grass and looking up at the clear blue sky overhead. "She's really sweet. I mean, we were talking last night while heading toward Opalia and she was telling me all about growing up at the palace and I was telling her about being at Merecross. There was a moment there, Tash. I know she felt it, too."
"So you're falling in love with her?"
"I..." Safiri looked back down and saw Tashi's face, which she'd tried to hard to set in a non-judgemental expression, "I think so."
"That's great, then." She looked at the chain of flowers she'd made, connecting it together into a flower crown and putting it on top of her bright red curls where, she was sure, it clashed brilliantly. "I just want you to be happy." Looking up, she bit her lip, "Did you tell her about the Anuel and being a Poomzi and everything?"
Safiri shook his head, looking quite properly ashamed of himself, "Well, not exactly, y'see. We didn't really have time or anything."
Tashi sighed and pulled up a few more flowers, starting a flower necklace for Safiri from the little violets, "She's gonna find out. At some point, she's going to have to find out." She reached over and poked the little leather bag that hung from a piece of string around his neck. "It's not really something you can hide, Saf."
"I know that." He said, getting annoyed and defensive. Safiri grabbed the bag around his neck and pulled it away from Tashi's poking finger. "Just don't have to tell her right now, you know. There aren't a lot of people who are okay with it and all."
Tashi nodded, "I know! That's why I'm worried about you! I don't want to see you get hurt." She dropped the chain of flowers on the ground and turned away from him, looking back at the train station.
"Tashi, don't be like that. I'm sorry, okay?" She wouldn't look at him. "Please? I know you're trying to help." She shook her head again and heard him rummaging with something. "Come on, look."
She turned around and couldn't help grinning. In his hand, Safiri held a small wooden elephant that he had roughly carved when no more than about five years old. "Tilly!" She smiled and watched Safiri cup the little wooden elephant closed in his hands. Closing his eyes, the young man took a deep breath and breathed into his hands as if trying to warm them up on a winter morning. A moment later, though, there was a scuttling and he opened them to reveal that the little wooden elephant had some kind of life how and was trying to stand on his palm as he lowered her to the ground.
"It's been a while since I visited with her."
"You only showed her to me the once when I was having issues with Lena."
Safiri nodded and lightly touched the little elephant's head. "I don't really show that many people, Tashi. Tilly's special, too. She was my first Hae."
"That means 'Life', doesn't it?" She asked, all annoyance gone.
"That's right." He grinned and watched the toy go gamboling around Tashi's flower chain. "She was the first thing that I gave some of my life to. It's why she's always with me. Like she's a part of me."
Tashi grinned and lay down on the grass, leaning on her elbows. Safiri joined her and the two watched as Tilly wrapped the little bit of trunk around the flowers and pulled, dragging them around. She continued to play with the grass and flowers for almost ten minutes before slowly turning back into a toy and becoming inanimate once again.
Safiri reached down and picked up the child's toy, putting it back into the pouch. "Don't worry about me, Tashi. I can take care of myself."
"I know." She leaned on her friend. "I just really don't like seeing you get hurt." She grinned and looked up at him, tapping the tip of his nose. "I also don't want to have to kill Paka. I mean, she's nice enough and all, but I really think that if she hurts you I'm going to feel somehow honour bound to kill her for you. No offense or anything."
He laughed and shook his head, "I don't think there's ever been another girl quite like you at Merecross in all the years that I've been goin' there, Tashi."
She grinned and stood up, gaping at the clock over the station. "Safiri, do you have any idea how long we've been here? Aeryni and Paka'll be looking for us in about five minutes or something."
"Best not leave them waiting, then." He tied the pouch around his neck again and stretched his arms, "Come on, I'll race you!"
Before she could say anything, Safiri had taken off, running as fast as he could to the station house. "No fair! Cheater!" Tashi yelled after him, grabbing up her satchel and racing off, knowing there was no way she was going to catch him.