:] wc:394
The two Dreamers were such a sharp contrast to one another. Ehno’s eternally outgoing quality was nearly the polar opposite of Colibri’s shy and reserved nature. The Marino found her timidity endearing, finding that it served to make every true smile and comfortably offered word even more precious and brilliant when they emerged. The Marino only wished he could find some way to make that smile light up her features more often.
There were so many things that Ehno kept in this thoughts on a daily basis, things big and small, tremendously important and seemingly insignificant. “I don’t mind at all,” he said, smile softening. “I always think of my family, especially my children.” Family was a bittersweet thought to him, with his family split and his children living so far away. Holding tight to the precious moments made it easier to forget all about the bitterness hidden there. “And then there are simple things like the Manor, or the cool feeling of a breeze coming over the ocean. Anything, really,” he said, words accentuated with a short, embarrassed laugh. It felt almost silly to say it out loud, but there were days when those little things felt like all he would ever need.
She offered him another question, bundling it with an unnecessary apology. “Hey now, don’t you worry about pestering me. It takes more than a couple of good-natured questions to get on my nerves,” he told her, the words carrying a lightly teasing tone. The girl’s question opened Ehno’s eyes to a possibility he hadn’t considered before. Now that he thought about it, he realized that he often did find little ways to channel his feelings. After all, he fell into his woodworking hobby initially to fend off his ever-present wanderlust. The more he became involved with his carpentry tasks, the more it seemed that keeping his hands busy was a perfect way to keep his thoughts from wandering down the dark corridors in his mind. “It does, now that I think about it. When I focus on my carpentry projects, I can work of my stress and keep myself from dwelling on things that bother me.” He nodded matter-of-factly as he spoke. “Are there any little hobbies you have that you can channel your feelings through?” he questioned, curious as to what the timid girl did with her free time.