Supper

Both Ona and Russ stared silently at the two fist sized loaves of bread in the middle of that table. Ona took a sip from her glass of water, while Russ shrugged. 

"You gotta eat what you can afford." He said resignedly. Ona nodded her head solemnly. 

Without giving it further thought, Russ grabbed his loaf and started to eat. Ona smiled at him then followed suit. It didn't take long for the two to finish their small meal, leaving them gazing at each other. 

"So," Russ broke the silence, "Have you decided if you want something yet?"

Ona quickly nodded, followed by her vigorously shaking her head. Then she started to nod again before giving up and shrugging her shoulders.

"Even if you did know if you wanted anything, could you even tell me what it was?"

This time a decisive nod came along with a smile. 

"How?"

Ona stretched out her hand over the table. 

"I already gave your handkerchief back."

She shook her head, scrunching her cheeks. Then she put her other hand into the hand she was holding out, then took it off while looking expectantly at Russ.

"Oh." Russ gave her a high five and Ona threw her hands up in frustration. "So, you didn't want a high five?"

Ona huffed, then reached across the table, and grabbed Russ's hand, putting it in her own. 

Russ felt something and his brows narrowed. He looked carefully at the strange girl across from him. Her glass of water was empty and his was almost half full. With his free hand he slid it over to her. She smiled brightly and took a sip.

"So you actually were thirsty..." He pondered. When she had touched him he didn't hear anything, but it was as though he could feel her thirst and that she wanted something to quench it. "Is this what what you were trying to decide on? Whether to share this ability with me or not?"

She nodded slightly, squeezing his hand. 

"You're tired?" He said, trying to decipher the latest feeling she sent. "No, that feels more like cramped. You want to go for a walk?"

Ona couldn't hold back her smile as she nodded at Russ, he had heard her. 

"Up we go then." Russ rose to his feet and pulled Ona up. Together the two of them took to the streets, hand in hand. 

Russ didn't know why it was exactly but something inside of him wanted to give this girl what she wanted. He didn't know if it was her lonesome air or that strange feeling he had earlier, but what mattered to him in the moment was making her happy. 

The streets weren't crowded in the dusk, but there were still several handfuls of people walking the dimly lit streets. 

They were happily walking in silence, when a feeling pulsated through Russ starting at Ona's hand. 

"Pulling back? What is that? You still feel cramped?" Russ confusedly tried to figure out what she was feeling. She didn't give him anymore guesses as she broke into a run down the street pulling him after her. 

He almost opened his mouth to tell her how they were going to get stopped by the city guards for being suspicious, but one look at the rebellious grin on her face told him that she didn't care. They ran down the street, stretching their legs and as far as Russ was concerned, chasing after this strange silent girl.

In the end, they managed to avoid getting stopped by the guards and Russ was startled to find himself at the city limits with the party member that he met a day ago. The stood together, panting and trying to catch their breath. 

Russ started to ask Ona what they were doing, but he felt a calm coming from her. She met his eyes and put a finger over her lips with a playful smile. By this time, night had fallen. The way the moonlight lit up her face, Russ once more got the feeling that their was something off about her. Something was unreal. She gently lead him by the hand away from the city and into the surrounding forest. 

Russ felt as if he was a lost boy, being lead to safety by a benevolent forest spirit. Questions of where they were going or why were completely lost on him. Ona led the way with twinkle in her eye and a bounce in her step. 

Russ followed Ona for enough time that part of him wondered whether or not he would ever be able to find his way back out. Though, his mind wasn't able to wander for too long before he was brought to a halt. They had stopped in front of a large tree in the middle of a small clearing. Ona led him toward the tree, guiding him through a small hole that opened up into a room that had been made from a hollowed out part of the tree. Russ looked around the room in awe, and Ona just watched his face with smile. 

The small room was sparsely decorated, with a few flowers here and a vine along the wall there, but in the center of the room there was a large patch of grass growing. The blades sparkled in the light that fell in through a hole higher in the tree. Ona brought him over to the patch of grass and they laid down.

Russ couldn't hold in the gasp that escaped him whenever he laid down. The tree was hollow, leaving a clear view of the night sky. The near full moon was directly over the tree and the stars around it were bright. 

When he gasped he could feel Ona's shoulders moving in one of her silent giggles. Through her hand he could feel the joy that she felt in the moment. 

'Now I've gone and done it.' Russ thought. 'I've run off with a forest spirit the day after becoming an adventurer. To be honest, this isn't really what I was thinking people meant when they were talking about going on adventures.' 

Warmth emanated from the girl next to him, and through her hand he could feel a quiet content tiredness. He then noticed his own creeping exhaustion, and slowly without even noticing it, he closed his eyes, slipping away into a deep sleep.