29 Comfortable Silence

Obrecht and I head on back to his home. I clean up a bit before helping Odeti lay down the dishes on the dining table so that we can eat together. My thoughts disperse in the face of good food as I try to master the recipes that Odeti keeps teaching. She says that she was grooming me to be a good house keeper.

I take it that she can rest more if I take on most of her jobs at home, so I am always willing to learn her craft. It is the least I could do to for the people who were feeding me and providing me shelter. To be honest, I feel more at ease doing similar jobs so I don't feel pressured with doing nothing at all in exchange for their kindness.

While I practice eating with chopsticks with Odeti, I practice more defensive and offensive stances and scenarios with Obrecht. It takes three days of defensive stance lessons before Otis proceeds to teaching us offensive attacks that lasted more than a week. Finally, it was the day before Obrecht's fourth periodical battle.

Generally, young adults from sixteen to seventeen hold up the advance class, while those eighteen make up the graduating class that already immerse themselves with job trainings or actual work with supervision. It is supposed to be the busiest year for students.

"Obrecht", Vera calls out a bit louder than usual.

I look to their direction as I pant, holding over my aching waist. Obrecht didn't give me mercy when he kicked me during practice. He almost broke my tailbone!

Krael offers me a canteen of water and I accept as we both look over to where Vera pulled Obrecht to conduct their "confidential talk".

I lift a bit of my mask and take a few sips of water before pressing my lips in a thin line.

"If you're that bothered about them, you might as well follow them to eavesdrop", Krael says without looking at me. I adjust my mask and do not answer.

Vera had become quite close with Obrecht recently, always cheerfully calling him after practice to talk about various tactics, and Obrecht would gently answer her questions and give her tips, like he did with me. I suppose he is generous like that.

"Oh, for Aovialutre's sake, come on." Krael pulls me along to a nearby bush as he forces me to crawl along with him. "I know where Vera's taking him to talk."

"What—Why—Stop it!" I try to stop him from dragging me with him.

"You stop whining."

"I wasn't whining", I argue back. "I haven't even uttered a single word of complaint!"

"Like you need words to whine. Your depressing aura says it all", Krael says in a matter-of-fact tone. "You keep forgetting your actions are like an open book for us."

I can't retort what Krael says. Flustered, I give in and we sprint to a bush near a big tree with purple leaves. Neither of us speak as we sit down on the grass, with our backs to a waist-high bush.

"Krael, I—" Having second thoughts, I wanted to tell Krael that I was leaving but I had lost my chance to leave when I heard Obrecht and Vera's voice, freezing my thoughts along with my motion.

"What was it you wanted to tell me, Ver?"

I quiet down at the nickname Obrecht gave Vera, snapping my immobile thoughts free. Even though their voices were at the level of proper conversing, they sounded too loud to me. It was too crisp, too clear and too deafening that I wanted to cover my ears.

I don't want to hear this.

Unbeknownst to any of us, Krael was observing me, his cheek leaning on a hand and looking as bored as ever.

"You see, I—I wanted to…", Vera nervously begins to say. She takes a deep breath in before exhaling it. "I've always known you were cool and all, but having you practice nearby during our class, I've only realized lately how much I adore your fighting skills."

I feel as if the tranquil waters of my heart have been prodded deeply, casting ripples all over my emotions. I don't want to listen but I also want to know. I contradict myself into confusion.

She sounded confident but her voice leaked her anxiousness the further she talked. "So I, I wanted to ask you…", she pauses. "Please help me design my arrows!"

It takes a minute for me to fully digest her words. Dumbfounded, I stay ridiculously still like a rock. Krael sighs but I barely register even that in my mind.

"I thought about it a lot but I do like arrows best. But they're limited and I wanted a blade that won't leave me weaponless in a long fight or in a one against many type of battle. If you could, can you help me design my arrows?"

"Sure" was Obrecht's response, leaning back with his hands on his hips and looking as if a breath short of a boisterous laughter.

"Really?" Vera sounded happy. "I already have a few ideas in my mind, but I'll try to sketch out a few for you to look at tomorrow then."

"Alright. We could also go to a weapon's shop to study a few of their designs that you could adapt to your blade."

Obrecht and Vera launch into a deep discussion about balance and design. I zone everything out, hugging my knees to my chest.

"Then you'd help me ask for Tito Halvalt for a discount", Vera asks hopefully.

"Of course." Obrecht laughs. "I suggest bringing a few good pumpkins when we visit. Those are my Apa's favorite. We can bribe him." Obrecht sounded conspiringly.

"Alright, then I'll go make those sketches first!" Vera excitedly runs back to the training grounds by herself.

I laugh to myself, burying my head on my knees. The lake in my heart reaches tranquility once more, and only now do I see the restless shadows at my feet, gradually flickering to a stop. I feel so relieved that I chuckle to myself, unaware of the reason why I feel relieved in the first place.

"So?" Obrecht's voice rings out when Vera was long gone. "Until when are you guys going to hide there?"

Krael huffs out a breath before standing up from our hiding place. My head snaps to his direction in a tense manner. I vigorously shake my head to tell him not to do it yet he completely ignores me as he stands to walk forward to Obrecht. I had wanted to grab his hand to pull him back down but I reacted too late.

Yawning, Krael bypasses the bush and Obrecht, and walks to where Vera had disappeared to, not even uttering a word, nor an explanation for eavesdropping.

I sit stiffly, waiting for them to leave but I hear the rustling of the bush behind me. I don't move still and continue hiding my head on my knees like it would help remove the humiliation at being found out.

Unexpectedly, Obrecht doesn't ask me anything as he sits beside me. The leaves on the bush rustle just as loud as the few fallen dried on the grass crinkle as he sat on a few. Though I try to restrain my wild heart, I fail at it drastically, especially when Obrecht inches nearer to lean his head on my shoulder.

The smell of fresh grass and citrus mingle together along with Obrecht's unique scent. The lack of distance between us makes the scent stronger that if I don't tense up, I do not know what to do with myself.

Half of me expects a childish remark or a bit of harassment from Obrecht, but he does neither. His hair tickles the lobe of my ear, seemingly as soft as the fur he had gifted me. I kill the impulse to pat his head and instead focus on his steady breathing.

Bit by bit, my tense shoulders relax as he and I dwell on the comfortable silence that settles between us. The scent of mixed citrus and oak had long been embedded in my memory. Unconsciously, due to my relaxed state, I lean my head on his to catch a better whiff of my favorite fragrance.

We enjoy this quietude for quite a while until it was almost "dusk". Reluctantly, I remind Obrecht that we had to go home.

"Obrecht", I call out but he doesn't answer. "Obrecht?" I turn to see his sleeping profile. "Are you asleep?" When he doesn't answer, I lift a hand over his cheek to poke it.

"…Ob?" I test his nickname in my lips.

The corners of his lips quirk up. My heart quivered at the realization that he was awake. To hide my embarrassment, I pinch his cheek hard and pull it to remove his head leaning on me.

"A-Ah! That hurts—Ow ow—"

"Stop pretending to sleep", I disapprovingly say whilst standing up, patting the dirt off my clothes.

"Why?" Obrecht stands up as well, rubbing his red cheek, not even bothering to shake off the dirt and couple of leaves clinging to his pants. "If I really was asleep, would you have been gentle with me? Would you have let me sleep more? Would you have placed my head on your lap? Or would you have stolen a kiss from me?"

There it is. Mr. Perverted Entity. I can't say I wasn't expecting this, but it has been a while since I've seen this side of Obrecht.

I recall our practices and his daily harassment.

No, he's just more vocal about it when it's just the two of us. He's still a perverted entity after all.

I don't know why, but I feel sort of light hearted at the thought of this.

We walk home together and he tells me about his own ideas for the arrows that Vera wanted. He also tells me about his aspirations about making weapons like his Apa on his free days. He yearns to be one of the sought out weapon smiths in Lumea too. I nod encouragingly at his carefree talk.