"Would you have accepted?"

M'tan looked at him, and for a moment Almiron expected him to start
screaming... or crying.  Instead, he pulled his hand away, and stared at
the pieces glowing in the moonlight.  "Yes," he murmurred.  "I think I
would have."

"Would you accept now?"

M'tan was on his feet, looking out the window at the moon, his back turned
to his companion.  "Now it doesn't matter," he said flatly.  "Now I will
be banished anyway."

Almiron let out a small sound-- exasperation, despair, longing all rolled
into the tiny sound.  He stood and turned M'tan to face him.  "Do not be
so sure."

M'tan shrugged.  He had done what needed doing.  He had accepted his fate.

Almiron pursued.  "Even if you were, we could keep in touch.  I would have
time...  I would find time to visit you."

"You shouldn't put your life here in jeopardy," M'tan answered, his face
calm, like a dying man.

"That is for me to decide!" Almiron snapped, and M'tan shied back,
surprised by the outburst from the usually placid Nomad.  Almiron's heart
jumped to see any reaction from the man.  "I love you, M'tan.  I will not
abandon you, no matter what."

"But, Darlea..."

"I will try not to hurt her."  Almiron took M'tan's hands in his own as he
looked into M'tan's eyes.  "I gave up on you.  Every time idea of us as
lover came up, you shied away from it... away from me.  I decided it was
not to be.  If that has changed, I would like chance...  to work it out."

M'tan shook his head.  "Tomorrow could change everything.  I'll probably
be banished.  How can you even consider anything, not knowing?"

"Tomorrow always changes everything," Almiron answered as his hand
carressed the lightly scarred face of the older man.  "But we still have
tonight, no matter what tomorrow brings."  His hand slipped behind M'tan's
neck, pulling him forward into a kiss.

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Almiron and Darshan

 **********************************************************************
 * Lynette R. F. Cowper       *     Official INWO NetRep & Goddess    *
 * lcowper@io.com             *        Circle of Janus Secretary      *
 * lcowper@indy.net           *   VP of P.U.R.P.L.E. (People United   *
 * http://www.io.com/~lcowper/*   Respecting Purple Legal Equality)   *
 **********************************************************************