He needed to feel...useful. So he chopped herbs for Myja and fetched water for her potions. The water was on the other side of the settlement - the cottages all bundled up and bunched in a group, the well elsewhere. When he walked to the well and looked back, all the cottages teemed together, grouped themselves up.
When he walked back, the little houses seemed to grow together and it took him a while to find the right one, banging on the door. It took a moment for the door to open. When it did, the person inside the house wasn't Rea or Myja and he felt his chest tighten. "Who're you?"
"Who're you?" The person asked, looking annoyed.
"Who the fuck are you? What the fuck are you doing here?" He fell into anger before he worked out fully what happened, his jaw setting. He dropped the buckets, the water spilling out and into the mud.
“Hey,” Rea’s voice. He turned, the spilled water churning the dust to mud under his feet. His heart was pounding in his chest and adrenaline was rushing through him. Rea was here. He lowered his fists and stepped back, standing next to her. His heart was pounding. His hand found one of her wrists. “Hey,” she said. “We’re over one.”
“Right,” he said. It did sound right, coming from Rea. He glanced at the cottage in front of him, but the owner had closed the door. Shit. “Over one.”
“Right.”
“I spilled the water,” he said. “I’ll go get some more.”
She didn’t offer to come with him and he felt relieved, knowing she wasn’t treating him like some kind of basket case. But then he looked over his shoulder and saw her step back into the shadows between the two houses and realised she’d been waiting for him to make the slip up. He threw the bucket on the ground and left it there.
helperdog
When he walked back, the little houses seemed to grow together and it took him a while to find the right one, banging on the door. It took a moment for the door to open. When it did, the person inside the house wasn't Rea or Myja and he felt his chest tighten. "Who're you?"
"Who're you?" The person asked, looking annoyed.
"Who the fuck are you? What the fuck are you doing here?" He fell into anger before he worked out fully what happened, his jaw setting. He dropped the buckets, the water spilling out and into the mud.
“Hey,” Rea’s voice. He turned, the spilled water churning the dust to mud under his feet. His heart was pounding in his chest and adrenaline was rushing through him. Rea was here. He lowered his fists and stepped back, standing next to her. His heart was pounding. His hand found one of her wrists. “Hey,” she said. “We’re over one.”
“Right,” he said. It did sound right, coming from Rea. He glanced at the cottage in front of him, but the owner had closed the door. Shit. “Over one.”
“Right.”
“I spilled the water,” he said. “I’ll go get some more.”
She didn’t offer to come with him and he felt relieved, knowing she wasn’t treating him like some kind of basket case. But then he looked over his shoulder and saw her step back into the shadows between the two houses and realised she’d been waiting for him to make the slip up. He threw the bucket on the ground and left it there.
Fuck it.