Amia Tulip

Spring had passed slowly and turned to a hot crisp summer. Plants dried up and turned brown. The mood of the brown and white nomad would have matched that of the plants had it not been for the white male at her side. With him there she always found a reason to smile. She didn't feel alone, didn't feel empty or all shriveled up. She was like a flower that had been wilting in the heat till he came and gave her the nourishing water she so craved. Ice blue eyes glanced over at him shyly. She would never tell him what she was just thinking. He'd probably think she was stupid. Her a flower and him water? Really? She shook her head ever so slightly at herself. Eyes turned away to glance up at the early morning sun. Today would be another hot one, not a cloud to be seen. She wished summer wasn't so dry, she didn't like it. And though Castiel was here there was times she felt like her body was dragging, that at times she just didn't want to move. She did her best not to show it. Summer might be a good time for collecting herbs before the cold seasons, but only if the sun didn't burn up everything. In the time they had met they had bonded over their related losses, of both family and friends. Though she never gave up the notion that one day they would find someone. She especially kept an eye out for Imena, her adoptive mother. The dark woman had been there for her every step of the way when she joined Valhalla, or what used to be Valhalla. And though she still had nightmares here and there and once in a while froze up, trapped in her mind's eye of a memory, Imena had been the one to help her through those. Amia had tried her best to hide those from Castiel, and had refused so far to talk about them. It brought up such raw unhealed wounds in her heart. Though looking back at him now she wondered if it was possible her heart might heal in a different way. She blushed, the heat rising to her white cheeks and she turned her head away, tucking her chin to the left side of her chest. How could she still be blushing every time she looked at him after almost knowing him for a whole season? She was hopeless when it came to males, specially someone as handsome as Castiel. She still found herself tongue tied at times when she talked to him. And her body craved to be close to him all the time. For Luna's sake she was acting twitter paited sometimes! Be hey she was a hopeless romantic and couldn't help letting her mind wonder over the what ifs.

tell me a piece of your history that you're proud to call your own,

Castiel had not intended to let another close to his heart - not one that was not his family for sure, and certainly not a younger girl. But something about Amia had caught his attention, and now here he was, a season later, still watching over her. There was something about her innocence that he sought to protect, to shield. In a way, the fact that she was so vastly different from his fierce sisters made her strange; in another way, it made her endearing. He wanted to shield her softness from the sharp edges of the world. She had seen enough loss - though Castiel did not know the extent of the wounds that the world had left upon her. Still, he was a champion, a defender by nature, and to leave her alone would have been distasteful even before Castiel had come to care for her on a more personal level.

When her gaze flicked towards him, Castiel let a smile cross his features, glancing playfully at the girl who stood next to him. It was only when she looked away that he reacted properly, however, moving to nudge her shoulder lightly with his own. The touch, if it connected, would be gentle - hardly a tap, if that. He was aware of the strength contained within his large frame, and around Amia he was constantly careful. "Are you all right?" Concern tinged his voice as he eyed the girl, trying to make sure that she was not upset.

"Speech"