Intention Man (title in progress)

Unsure

Midchop and footsteps echoed from down the hall. Lev was used to footsteps coming toward him—Caddy was constantly checking on him, to be sure he was alright and handling working in the kitchen and not in need of a break. After ten minutes of massaging his forehead and staring at the wall, Lev grew tired of being utterly alone with his thoughts and decided he still owed too much to the sisters to let the moment pass him by. So he took up cooking. Well, not cooking exactly, they weren't prepared to give him that much responsibility quite yet as he'd only even learned there was such a thing all the time. But the preparation for cooking was the task given to him and he proved efficient enough, albeit slow.

A dark form stood in the door and Lev half turned, expecting it to be Caddy to check on him once again. Zora stood watching him, a grin on her face. She pushed some hair out of her eyes and stepped closer. "I had rather thought we'd made a bit of progress, at least. I expected to see you out front, not sequestered in the back where nobody can see you."

Something hot lit in Lev and he swallowed the lump in his throat. If she was going to be that way, he'd have to show her who he was. "It's too busy for me to think out there."

"That was rather the point."

"I need to think to understand. I have to understand." He shook his head and dropped the knife on the table. "Don't you get that? There's a need in my mind to understand things and I don't understand anything that's been happening you're not helping me." The words had been out before he could stop them and as soon as they'd been released, Kennedy's words of warning jumped into his mind. Zora's mouth parted and her eyes went blank.

"I don't need this." And she left.

Lev slammed a fist on the table. He was going to have to do something. Then he remembered he was wearing the apron. "Scrap it." He mumbled and ran out after her. She was already through the front door. Past all of the talking humans. Lev swallowed another lump and bodies and feet and shoulders. He pushed open the door. "Zora!"

She continued walking down the cobblestone street. She walked with purpose.

"Zora, wait!" Lev had stopped, hoping she would as well, but it was obvious she had no intention of doing so. Picking his speed back up, he chased her down. "Lucky."

At this, she stopped, turning her face to eye him. "If you believe I shall forgive you so easily, please change your pattern of thought."

"I want to say sorry. You've helped a lot." How? He wasn't exactly sure but something good had to happen, right? At least he wasn't alone and on the streets. At least he had real food.

"I see. Is that what you truly believe?"

No, he believed she had thin skin and needed to get over herself, but he couldn't do that when he knew himself how much words hurt. "I'm sorry."

Then he was enveloped in her arms. "I suppose I must forgive you as it seems we are meant to be a team. Shall we forget this happened?" She was still hanging on to him for what seemed dear life. He felt the life was getting squeezed out of him.

"Um..." He squirmed a bit, too aware of the people passing and the length of the embrace. Zora let him go and grinned.

"You shall get used to it soon enough. I have an adventure planned for the rest of the day. Shall we be off?"

Did she bounce back that easily? "I have to give this back to Kennedy." Lev pulled at the string in back and untied it.

"Alright, let the journey commence, then." She pulled a strawberry milk carton out of her jacket and punched in the straw.