The Scared God [ManXManXMan]

Chapter Twelve - Простите - Prostite

[WARNING: Brief mention of suicide/suicidal thoughts. I believe, at this point, this should be expected, but just making sure.]

~Chapter Twelve: Простите – Prostite~

"Veles, do you want to join me?"

I glance up from the book I had been reading at the dining room table to eye Perun, who is standing in the doorway leading to the backyard. My room might be quieter, especially since it is almost lunch time and Hors is preparing the meal, but I actually chose the kitchen because it is not the quietest, not spite of it. The silence usually just makes me think about things I would rather not. That, and it is interesting to watch Hors work, though the food is in the oven right now, so there is not much left for him to do.

"You want me to...leave the house?" I ask warily. I did not take Perun for the type to test me like this, but I suppose he is just full of surprises. At this point, I should probably have expected this, as unexpected as it is. Without waiting for a reply, I shake my head. "Stop taunting me, Perun."

I grimace when I realize that came out far less confrontational than I meant for it to be; I should have called him a bastard or something. "This isn't a joke, Veles; it's a request," Perun replies, and I am almost tempted to go upstairs to see if the date on the pocket watch suddenly changed. Why else would he invite me outside?

After a moment of hesitation, I close the book and set it down. "Let me get my shoes," I reply, turning away before I can catch his expression in case it reveals something I would rather not see. Though, what that might be, I am unsure. On one hand, he might be setting me up to kill me, having finally grown impatient. On the other, he might just really want to sit with someone on the back porch, and, since Hors is busy, that makes me the only other option.

At this point, Perun is just too unpredictable.

I take the stairs two at a time, but I only stop in my room to retrieve my shoes. I do not even glance at my pillows, which still hide the pocket watch. While it might be good to know in case something happens, it is not like knowing would save me any pain; I would still die, as my magic is not yet strong enough to fight off an attack and escape, even if I will be outside the house wards during our excursion.

Carrying my shoes downstairs, I do not glance at Perun as I pass by him on my way through the kitchen, only stopping once I reach the door to put them on. As soon as they are tied, Perun steps up beside me and opens the door. He passes through first, but holds it open for me so I can slip by him. As soon as the sunlight hits my face and the fresh air fills my lungs, I freeze.

When I first arrived, I was just barely conscious enough to notice the difference between here and Iriy. And then when I was escaping, I was too focused on getting away to really care about the sensations that comes from being outdoors. I am, after all, a wildness god. Water, earth, and forests are my domain, even if Iriy is my base of operations. To be outside is...refreshing.

Perun surprisingly does not interrupt me while I absorb the fresh air, but the slight shuffle of his feet is enough to remind me that I am not alone, no matter how much I really want to be at this moment. Opening my eyes – I was not even aware they were closed – I catch Perun looking at me with something undeniably happy on his face before he quickly looks away and pretends like it never happened.

"Walk with me?" Perun asks after a moment, glancing at me to gauge my reaction. I just shrug; it might not be porch sitting, but it is still an outdoor activity.

Though hesitant to walk too close to him, I do fall into step at his side when he steps off the porch and onto the trail leading around the house and into the forest. If it was not likely that he would drag me back inside should I wander too far away, I might create a bit more distance between us or even go off to study curious plants we pass by, but I am desperate enough to stay out here that my curiosity and hatred of Perun will have to wait until another time.