Plant

Finn rose early, dressed, and checked on her new little charge after having a little food. It seemed unchanged so far. The same number of leaves were brownish yellow, and the plant drooped the same amount overall. She sighed and moved it into where it would get the maximum sunlight, and added a bit more water to its soil after feeling that it was a bit dry again.

"You can do it, little friend," She encouraged the plant. "Think happy thoughts."

"People will start to think you're crazy if you keep doing that, Serafina." A voice from behind her caused her to jump.

"Don't DO tha-- ROLAND!" She exclaimed as she spun around. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I've lived here for a number of years." He smirked. "That's as good a reason as any, I would think."

"I know, I mean..." She blushed furiously.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist teasing you just a little. You looked so at home, bustling about, talking to a plant. It was lovely." He didn't add what seeing her looking so comfortable in his long-time home did to his heart. He knew her well enough by now to sense that would not be the best idea if he wanted to keep her from fleeing the room.

"I just arrived to report to The General. He has Council this morning, and since I have nothing of extreme urgency to convey, I've been told to report to his residence afterward. I thought I might come home for a while, and the first person I found is you." He smiled warmly, not at all regretting the situation.

"I think Dr. Sherman is out checking on patients, and Mrs. Sherman said she had some things to get early at the market. Mayra wanted to go with her, you know how she loves exploring..." Finn trailed off, realizing she'd just revealed they were likely in the house alone. She moved toward a water basin and began washing her hands after her work with the plant.

"I guess we'll have to figure out how to pass the time until they get back." Roland smiled as his words made Finn fumble with the small towel next to the basin. He caught it before it fell to the floor and handed it back to her.

Her face was bright red. "Mayra has a small book collection. I suppose we could read." She chastised herself inwardly. She'd had enough reading the past several days to last her quite a long time. It was a weak diversion away from what she thought he might be alluding to.

"If you're interested in reading, I do have the latest mail delivery for you." He reached into his coat pocket, but before he could make a further move, her posture suddenly changed.

"Oh!" And with that she fled the room.

He closed his eyes in self-condemnation. He knew she was more than a little skittish when it came to his feelings for her. He shouldn't have teased her at all. He was going to wind up driving her away permanently at this rate. Maybe he shouldn't have written so many letters? Or any letters? He sighed. When would he be able to get things right?

He opened his eyes to find, to his great surprise, that Finn was back in front of him. She was smiling shyly and holding her hands out to him with two neatly folded letters with his name written on the outside in a flowing cursive script. His eyes widened.

"You're not the only one with a delivery today." She ducked her head and blushed. His pulse raced as the color came to her cheeks. She had written him back! He pulled letters from his coat and exchanged them for hers. He put her two letters into his coat, next to his heart, as she looked at the stack he had handed her. Her eyes widened.

"So many!" She exclaimed, and he winced.

"A few are from Riley." He explained.

Her hands froze from counting the letters and guilt overwhelmed her. "I haven't written him any. I didn't know he wrote letters."

"I'll be back by before I leave back to the training ground if you want to," the words escaped his mouth before he could stop them. Why was he offering to be a messenger boy between the two? Because he was an idiot, that's why.

No, it was because he couldn't bear the sadness on her face when she realized she might hurt Riley. On reflex, he would do whatever he could to ease that sadness, even to his own detriment. Part of him also admitted that he wanted to 'fight fair,' as Mayra had once said. He wanted to win Finn's heart because she willingly gave it, not because he simply outmaneuvered another man.

"Are you sure?" Her brow furrowed. She sensed the conflict within him and wondered how much he and Riley talked while they were gone.

"I'm going to have 'delivery boy' officially added to my military rank," He winked at her, "I might as well earn it."

His joke was rewarded with a giggle, and he reveled in it.

"I'll be right back. I need to hide these before Mayra gets back or she'll open and read every single one." Finn confided.

He couldn't resist pressing his luck with making her laugh. "Are you saying you hope I've written you things she shouldn't be allowed to read?"

A shocked laugh escaped her lips before she blushed furiously, "It's just--I-- It's rude to read other people's letters without permission, so I'm removing the temptation."

"Of course," He nodded sagely, "What a wise and caring friend you are to her."

"Thank you," She lifted her chin seriously but another giggle escaped. His unexpected arrival really put her off balance! She briefly disappeared to hide the letters in her room before returning empty handed and unsure of what to do next.

His face became more solemn as he looked at her, "Have I mentioned how very, very glad I am to see you?"

"No, not exactly," She smiled in spite of the butterflies in her stomach. He reached forward and took her hands in his, and her stomach did a backflip. He looked into her eyes.

"I am very, very glad to see you." His expression slipped a little, "And I am so, so sorry that I wasn't able to find your family and bring them back to you. I'm not giving up yet."

Her eyes welled with tears, and he moved his hands to her face to wipe them away with his thumbs. She tried to smile bravely through the tears but the effort fell flat. She closed her eyes and leaned into him. He welcomed her into his embrace as she cried, stroking her back softly. She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"There is hope," Roland whispered. "We found... no bodies, no signs of struggle, no blood. There was no sign that anyone's been hurt so far."

She nodded against his chest, unable to say anything in reply. He put a hand to her cheek and pulled his head back to look into her face and comfort her, but was struck mute by the way the sheen of tears added depth to the color of her eyes. He felt a magnetic pull as he stared at her, and his head started to lower of its on volition.

"Hey Finn, we're back! I got the--- Oh. OH!" Mayra had noisily pulled the door open with her arms full of market purchases, causing the two young people to jump apart, almost to separate corners of the room.

Mayra's head swiveled comically back and forth between the two as Mrs. Sherman bustled in behind her.

"Good Morning, dear, I realized I forgot to tell you where the orph-- Roland!" The older woman put down what she was carrying and wrapped her makeshift son in her embrace. He hugged her back, studying Finn over her shoulder with an indecipherable expression.

The eye contact made Finn's already brightened face burn even hotter, and she put her cool hands to her cheeks to try and hide the blush. Mayra's astute gaze missed none of this, and she mentally pledged to thoroughly interrogate Finn later.

Mrs. Sherman released Roland after a final squeeze. "I've missed you. Are you staying long? No, of course not, you're probably just dropping by with an assignment in Klain. Come to think of it, the Council meeting will be ending before too long, and you probably need to see the General." She began preparing a small meal as she spoke, "I'm sure that military food isn't as good for you was what I make, here's something for you as you go on your way."

She hated to seem she was rushing the man out, but she recognized the importance of the work he was doing and the magnitude of carrying out his missions in a timely fashion.

"Oh! Since it's on your way, would you show Finn where the orphanage is? Finn, dear, take this basket of food for the children. If anyone stands out as really needing a home, use your best judgment in bringing them here. All of those little ones deserve to be settled in somewhere."

Finn's head spun a little from the woman's whirlwind of thought and action. During her speech she'd flitted here and there about the room, handing Finn the basket of food, putting away the things she'd brought home, and half a dozen other small tasks.

Roland smiled, perfectly at home with it, and Mayra smothered an amused grin. Her days with the older woman had allowed to to grow accustomed to this habit.

"Mayra, could you help me put this away?" She handed the girl a package of fabric she would make into bandages for the doctor.

Mayra gave Finn a final, significant look before silently leaving the room.

Mrs. Sherman squeezed Roland in another brief hug. "In case I don't get to see you again before you have to leave Klain," she explained. He hugged her back and smiled.

"I'll be back another time if I don't stay longer now."

"I sure hope so." The matron smiled back at him.

So it happened that Finn and Roland found themselves walking together down the streets of Klain. He took the basket from her and carried it with one arm. He wondered how she would respond if he reached out to hold her hold her hand with his free one.

With little prompting, she explained her recent research, her project concerning the plant, and Mrs. Sherman's suggestion that she help out at the orphanage.

"I genuinely want to help," She said, "but I also feel a little shameful since I'm also curious about the tragedy in their village. Am I in the wrong?" She hadn't previously voiced the thought out loud that had been bothering her.

"I can't imagine you are. You're helping the orphans, and you already said you decided not to question them about anything. I'm sure they can use all the help they can get." He cringed, remembering his own brief memories of staying there.

"What makes you say that?" Finn noticed his reaction and remembered Dr. Sherman's description of him as a street urchin.

"I spent a short time there as a child. It's quite a long story, but the short part of it is that there weren't enough adults at the orphanage to keep the older kids from bullying the smaller. Being smaller myself at the time, I ran away and decided a life on the streets eating scraps was preferable." He stared at the cobblestones as they walked onward, feeling the shame and vulnerability of those times creeping up in his heart. He was about to shove them back down again when a gentle hand reached over to hold his.

"I'm sorry," Finn whispered, squeezing his hand, "To the extent I'm able, I'll make sure all the children there now are well cared for."

They paused for a moment in the street, and he smiled at her. "I appreciate that."

She loosened her grip as if to release his hand, but he interlaced his fingers with hers instead. She inhaled sharply and a small smile touched her lips, but otherwise she did not seem to react to his action.