Until Death Do Us Part || Hunter the Golden Guard

58 ~ Trick or Treat

"Come on in." Ellaline says to us, inviting into her home.

It's a lovely, sweet cottage in the middle of nowhere. The living room was lit by a harsh warm light coming from the small fireplace. The house had hardly any walls, unlike my home in the human realm. The living room was openly connected to the kitchen where pots and pans hung from hooks on the walls.

"Make yourselves at home, I'll brew you guys some tea or... something. I dunno, what can you humans digest?" She says.

"Only one way to find out," I reply.

"I like the way you think!" She smiles at me with the most beautiful smile.

"Caleb, what are you doing?!" Philip snarls at me when she steps just out of earshot, "She could poison you! She's a witch for crying out loud!" He spits as his eyebrows furrow in anger. His teeth grit and his pupils dilate. Goodness. He must be riled up.

"No way, she's way too nice to be a witch!" I reply, completely aware she's a witch.

Ellaline comes back and hands me a cup. Inside the cup is a neon pink liquid i've never seen before. "It's a tea made from the plants I grow outside. Hope it doesn't upset your stomach." She tells me.

I look up from my drink to meet her eyes. Her beautiful (e/c) eyes. "Why are you so kind to us? We're strangers to you. Yet you invite us into your home and offer us warm, home-made tea. Why?" I ask her.

"Well, I'll be honest with you, big guy.. Living out here, all by myself, gets lonely. But! Now I've got visitors! And potential friends! Who am I to give up that opportunity?"

"You don't live near your family?" I ask, confused. Do the people of this foreign land not live in colonies, like we do?

"Nah, long story." She Dismisses the topic, "Anyways, 'nuff about me, tell me about yourselves."

"Well, for starters, we're human." Philip replies with a rather condescending venom in his voice.

"Mhm, noticed that," Ellaline nods without noticing the passive aggressive comment he'd made.

"Erm, well, I like to cook... I've been cooking for Pip since he was young." I say.

Ellaline looks at Philip with a playful smirk and grin, "Your nickname is Pip? That's my pa-ahem, fox's name! Pip!" She beams with a smile. Gosh, that smile. "What a funny coincidence!"

Philip glares at her, unimpressed.

"Um, and I like to carve.! I carved Philip a mask once!" I say, taking Ellaline's attention away from Philip's nasty glare.

"You do!?" She replies, stamping her hands on the table and bolting up in surprise. "I do too!! But I'm.. not very good at it."

My face lights up in delight. Hardly any women at home knew to carve. All the women at home knew to do was just take care of children and keep the house tidy. That's all they were taught to do. That's all they were meant to do in the eyes of the colony.

I figured that must be boring for them, and they're capable of so much more, but the other guys told me that's all they're good for and that's all they ever could do–clean the house wait to be married and/or have children. Yeesh..

But.. this woman can carve. And she likes to carve.
Something about that makes my heart flutter.
"I could teach you if you'd like!"