Evermore

Embers

Smiling softly, she turned her head away from him instinctively. He approached the pot to where his face was extremely close to her.
"I don't think I've seen anything like it. The rare times I have seen a fae, even they couldn't control powers like that. Why didn't you use it before to escape?" He asked.
She peaked her head out of the flora, looking into his eyes. "I'm sick." She said it plainly. There wasn't anything else to it.
"Oh, so it's temporary? That has to be pretty bad timing, then." He laughed.
"No, no,  it's always going to be like that. It happened when I had my run-in with a god. I didn't know how to use my powers anyways."  Her hair had gotten impressively longer, and her skin had completely healed. That was the magic of water with the nymphs. Aconite found it strange that she was conforming to him. This was always such a personal subject she never usually talked about, except with Tara. Even then, she couldn't explain it all to Tara. By some weird spell, she always feared Apophis would return to take her. That he could hear her every word, and her power "illness" was a secret.
"A god? Wow, I thought nymphs were supposed to stay far away from them. I mean- what you did to them and what they did to you. Isn't that a good reason to stay away?"
"I didn't do anything." She hissed. "That was a long time ago. Thousands of years ago." She released that she was barking at this giant being- in her eyes and quickly stopped.
"Guess you are right. But there are still cases of the nymphs doing it. I-"
"P-Please, sir, I don't want to talk about this."
He sighed. "Apologies." He rocked back and forth. Everything he had been taught about nymphs was awful. In his bedtime tales, they were ruthless beings who killed the mighty gods who didn't deserve it. Not like Whiro Colossus, the god of chaos and destruction, it was gods and goddesses who brought light to the world, in some cases, literally. Some sillier tales of lesser importance described nymphs as tiny thieves who stole gifts from children and chalked the moth-bitten holes in clothing down to them robbing the fabric. Whether these were real or not, the damage had already been done.
Aconite crawled out of the pot and let her long hair drape behind her. For a long second, she stared into his pools of green. His eyes reminded her of the mossy ponds and the green grass. They were beautiful to her. After an awkward second of staring, she shook her head and turned around. "I-If you don't mind. Could I see the window?"
    Tilting his head, he nodded. "Of course, do you not believe me?" She didn't respond. Instead, she lowered herself down the counter using some drawers that had been left open. "Wait, wait! I can take you there!" He ran around the side and watched her climbing. He reached out his hand to grab her.
    "No, no. Please. I have got this." She barked.
    Florian didn't complain. Besides, if she would be a temporary guest here for quite some time, she would have to get used to it. He stepped back, allowing her to continue. Whether he knew it or not, he made so much noise to Aconite. The slightest step caused the floorboards to wine under the weight, and the slightest tapping sounded like a drum. Aconite thought about it, adding to her view of him.
    "So oblivious." She thought to herself. She had finally managed to make it onto the floor. His figure stood like a mountain in front of her. She walked around his legs and over to the wall where the window was. Maybe there was no way up without his help. He crouched down beside her, smiling,
    "Need some help there?" He teased.
    "No..." She trailed, huffing.
    "Then how will you get up? Or would you prefer to watch the window from here?" He placed his hand beside her. "You chariot, m'lady." Aconite glanced at his hand. She saw it as some evil trick. He hadn't asked her this before; it was unwillingly. Apart of her saw the excitement in it. Defying fear. Taking risks. All of it excited her. She looked at him. Had she not noticed what he had even looked like before? He had auburn hair and a freckled face with round glasses on his nose. To her, he didn't look hostile at all. His face was inviting and soft compared to the harshness she had seen before. She even considered him handsome. The way he talked was charming too. He made little jokes but didn't overstep his boundaries.
    "Hmm?" He sounded. Aconite carefully crawled onto his hand. It was soft and warm, like a lovely bed. Her feet felt like a butterfly's on his palm, delicate and light. She worriedly grabbed onto his thumb for support. It was almost as long as her.
    "Be careful, please you-"
    Florian interjected, "I know. I hurt you. I won't do that ever again. I promise." He gently raised her to the windowsill, tipping it to let her off. She graciously accepted and walked to the glass, shocked by the sight of a raging winter storm.     "But spring was supposed to be coming soon!" She cried. "Oh, my gods-"
    "I'm sorry. I know you think this is awful, and you have every right to believe that, but I will try to make you as comfortable as possible."         A rush of cold air hit Aconite from the window, and she shivered. She sat next to the wall, hugging her knees, and began sobbing. Guilt rushed over her. Tara was probably worried about where she was and had sent people to look for her. She just wanted to return to her home with Tara and the village. The tears started to consume her, and she couldn't stop them until suddenly, she felt a warm embrace. Florian's hands gently cupped around her, providing warmth, but they didn't touch her.
    "The heat doesn't reach right there. You looked cold." He didn't comment on her crying. He figured his "scariness" could make it worse. "I could set you by the fire unless you want to look outside some more." His voice was gentle and soothing. Aconite turned to him.
"Could you? Please?" She wiped the tears from her eyes. He set his hand down again, and she climbed on, taking in the warmth.  He stepped carefully toward the fireplace where he had placed her near. "I'm going to read. Let me know if you need anything." His steps were softer now. Still loud, but like he had taken some care into thinking about it. He sat down and began reading a hard-covered book.
After some time, he fell inevitably asleep. The winter cold had made Florian's home cozy and perfect for sleeping, although it wasn't even near nighttime. It was that the events of yesterday had caused him to become tired. Aconite didn't sleep; instead, she nervously watched the fire embers, thinking about everything she had done. Behind her, something fell to the floor. It was Florian's glasses. They had slipped from his bridge as he read and, consequently, on the floor. She would have left him but seeing how clumsy he was, she didn't think it was a good idea. She walked over to the glasses and began to move them. His legs were positioned so she could drag them onto his lap, so at least there they would be near his hands on a blanket. It took her a while to get to his lap, but eventually, she did it.  Warmth radiated from his body onto her, and she decided to stay; she couldn't watch the embers forever. His chest moved up and down steadily, and his breathing was slow like faint waves. It comforted her, and she needed someone right now. It wasn't just this situation that put her in such a distraught state of mind. She sat down and rested her head. She tried to match her breathing to his, lowering her anxiety. Eventually, her eyes heavied, and she fell into a deep slumber.
Outside, the storm raged on, covering the land in mass amounts of snow. It had brought them together as a curse, but maybe it would be a blessing...