forum Runes and Coffee (1-1, Closed)

Started November 24, 2022 by @Serpentess health_and_safety language

tune

Jonathan watched Andromeda sit down next to him. He didn’t mind her proximity at all, and he wouldn’t be bothered if she decided she needed another hug. He also saw the way she looked around, her interest in the decor. It was nice to meet someone with similar interests.

At her words, he couldn’t help a chuckle. He also couldn’t resist admiring her eyes.

“I do like being outdoors, yet that does not necessarily mean I like being in town a lot. Hence, why I live next to the park. I can roam in it at my leisure without being bothered. Though, I will admit I’m more partial to grasslands than forests,”he commented.

A grin spread across his lips when she spoke about the decor.

“I’m glad you like it. Most of my visitors have considered it too ‘different’ or otherwise strange for their liking. Though, it’s not like they have any authority on what I choose to make my house look like. Yet, it is still nice that someone finally appreciates it, besides me,”he said.

Jonathan saw her eyes close and he smiled. He was glad she was relaxing. She needed it. After a moment, Jonathan leaned forward and slipped off his boots and socks, setting them to the side. He then lounged back against the arm of the couch, relaxing as well.

A moment of peaceful quiet passed, then Jonathan stretched out his feet, getting more comfortable. Without realizing it, he had set them at an angle where Andromeda could easily see the many dark scars wrapped around his feet and ankles, and how they extended up his legs. They appeared to be scratches, ones that had more likely originated from the ground.

“We should go to the park one day,” she said softly. “We could have a picnic there once it starts to warm up.”

To be honest, she didn’t know if their relationship would last that long; she had become friends with many people who ended up ghosting her after a few weeks. But something about their relationship felt more genuine. Real. She could tell that he wanted to be friends with her just as much as she wanted to be friends with him.

Eventually, she allowed herself to lean into him, continuing the embrace that they had started in the car. She would normally never be in this much physical contact after only knowing a person for a few days, but this felt different. She soon opened her eyes to gaze into the fire, bur the first thing she noticed was the scars covering his legs.

She looked at him, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Did something happen…?”

Jonathan smiled,”That sounds nice. And, I have a path straight out of my backyard that leads into the park.”

He lounged comfortably, even starting to slowly doze off. Then, Andromeda leaned into him again. He opened his eyes for a moment, another smile spreading across his lips. He then wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. It was nice, being able to hold someone, and even nicer to be able to simply hang out with that someone.

His eyes had just closed again as he started another doze, but when he heard her question, they shot open. He had forgotten about those damned scars, how obvious they were. It was one reason why he wore tall boots. Tucking his feet back against the couch, he hesitated a moment before looking at her.

“Old scars. They have not bothered me in years,”he replied vaguely.

Andromeda frowned slightly. She knew she should probably leave the subject alone, but she couldn’t help but wonder where they came from. Plus, there were so many of them. They almost completely covered his feet.

“How’d you get them?” she whispered. “The injuries look like they would be painful…”

As she waited for his response, she rested her head on his chest, listening to the crackling of the fire. This evening had felt so calm, so peaceful. It was a nice break from how her life usually was, and to make it even better, she was with him.

Jonathan quietly sighed, and brushed his free hand through his hair. He didn’t like recalling how he’d gotten those scars. They had been among the worst injuries he’d ever gotten, if not the worst.

“They were very painful. I got them in a battle. The enemy had set out traps before my people had arrived, and I got caught in one. I could barely walk for months,”he said softly.

Most of his description was just to fit his human persona, and he’d become a great liar over the years. In truth, his race had been at war with necromancers. The ‘trap’ had actually been a spell from a nearby necromancer, and his legs had been caught in a tangle of skeletal hands that had burst from the ground. Their scratches were necrotic, and he’d nearly lost his lower legs entirely. He hadn’t been able to properly walk for years, not months.

Jonathan took a deep breath, then shifted slightly so that his chin was gently on Andromeda’s head. His hands shook slightly as he held her a bit tighter.

“I don’t much like thinking about it, if I’m being honest,”he added after a moment.

Battle? Well, he had said he was some sort of warrior before. She could only imagine how traumatizing being in a battle would be as you watch all your fellow comrades fall around you.

“We don’t have to talk about it anymore, Jonathan,” she said softly. “I can only imagine how painful that must’ve been for you…”

She felt his hands shake, so she took one of them in her own and held it for a few moments before she pressed it to her cheek. His touch was so warm, so comforting. She knew that she should be the one comforting him, seeing how tense he’d gotten over the memory of war, but she liked to think that they were comforting each other.

“Thank you,”Jonathan breathed.

The burning sensations from when the Healers had used their magic on him lingered. Wherever their magic touched, it had only seemed to aggravate the wounds. It had taken some Priests to come and purify his legs alongside the Healers for the wounds to finally begin healing. Jonathan couldn’t count the number of times he had screamed in sheer agony during the process.

Andromeda’s gentle hands grabbed his, ripping him from the memories of so much pain. She then placed his hand on her cheek. Jonathan wasn’t sure what to do, but he appreciated her efforts to soothe him.

Tilting his head a bit, so his cheek rested on her head, Jonathan took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. He focused on that smell, on Andromeda, and nothing else, clearing his mind. Slowly, he started to relax.

“Of course…”

Andromeda could slowly feel him begin to relax, and she tried her best to do the same. She was slightly tense at first as she hadn’t experienced this kind of affection in years, but eventually, she began to grow used to it. Heck, she may have even liked it.

After a while, she adjusted herself in his arms, and as she rested there, she began to feel Jonathan’s breathing start to slow. She knew that she should probably head back to her home, but she didn’t have the willpower to leave his embrace and go back to the loneliness of her normal life. So, she laid there, it wasn’t long before she began to fall asleep.

Jonathan adjusted occasionally to Andromeda’s movements, but otherwise just held her close and didn’t move. He was quite comfortable with her in his arms, and she was also currently the best distraction he had from dark memories.

Eventually, Jonathan sensed Andromeda falling asleep. A small smile grew on his face, and he closed his eyes. No memories came, no dreadful sensations radiated along his legs. It was just the crackle of the fire and the smell of Andromeda as she slept in his arms. It was enough to make him doze off within a few minutes, and he fell into a deep, wonderful sleep.

For most of the night, Andromeda slept soundly for the first time in a while. However, no matter how safe or comfortable she felt, it still didn’t ward off all the nightmares. Around three in the morning, Andromeda began to squirm, and suddenly, she sprung up off of the sofa. Tears were in her eyes. For a few moments, she sat straight up and look about the room in a panic, but eventually, she began to calm herself. She rested her head back on Jonathan’s chest and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Her constant nightmares had been plaguing her for a while now, even before her boyfriend disappeared. For someone reason, she thought she wouldn’t have the nightmares that night, but it seemed she was wrong.

Jonathan’s sleep was filled with bits of memories, pieces of lost hopes. It wasn’t nightmarish, but it was haunting in its own way.

Eventually, he kept feeling odd sensations against him. He thought it was just part of the dreams, some weird manifestation of longing. Until, someone pushed off of him, waking him with a jolt.

Jonathan’s eyes shot open and he looked around, instantly on edge. He then saw Andromeda, who was curling up against him again. Her teary eyes concerned him, and he gently wrapped his arms around her, softly rubbing her back.

“‘Tis alright. ‘Tis alright,”he cooed, his accent somehow thicker and more guttural in his drowsiness.

“I hate them. I hate all the nightmares,” she whispered. “I thought they would finally stop, but…”

She interrupted herself with a sigh as she slipped her hand into his and intertwined their fingers. Normally, when nightmares like this occurred, she would never be able to get back to sleep. The anxiety and fear would keep her up for the rest of the night. However, Jonathan gave her a strange sense of comfort, and she could feel the drowsiness begin to return.

“I’m sorry, Jonathan,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you…”

“I understand. They never seem to relent,”Jonathan whispered back, settling back and relaxing as he held her.

He gently squeezed her hand, continuing to rub her back. The movements were so familiar to him. But, it had been so long since the last time he’d done this, since the last time he had held his sister. Jonathan missed her, but, as he slowly started dozing off again, it seemed as though she was there with him. He couldn’t tell if he was holding Andromeda or his sister, and, at some point, he couldn’t tell them apart at all.

“I have told you before that you never need to apologize, Risithia. I will always be here…”

His accent had thickened quite a bit, and a lisp appeared alongside his guttural tones. Then, moments after he trailed off, Jonathan was asleep again, barely aware of what had just happened.

Risithia? She’d never heard him mention that name before, and she couldn’t help but be a slight bit curious about who Risithia was. Maybe she would ask him about it later, but for now, she wanted to get more sleep before morning came.

She closed her eyes, and eventually, the terror she still had from the nightmare died away as she fell asleep. To her delight, the nightmares didn’t come back for the rest of the night, and she soon awoke to the sight of sunlight filtering through the window and onto the floor.

“Good morning, Jonathan…” She reached up and began to gently play with his hair. “How’d you sleep last night?”

Jonathan kept dreaming of Risithia for the rest of the night. They had protected each other over the years, even though he was the elder sibling. There had been so much conflict within and without of their tribe. And, somehow, Risithia had found her niche and thrived. Jonathan only wished he’d done the same, and in a different place, instead of being a warrior, a soldier. Maybe he’d still be with her.

Somebody talking to him brought him out of the haunting dreams. Jonathan groggily opened his eyes, and turned his gaze onto Andromeda. Was she messing with his hair? How had he not noticed that? Usually, he would’ve attacked anyone that touched him, or his hair, in his sleep. Apparently, not Andromeda.

“Fairly well, excluding the dreams,”he replied.

Though, after a moment, he realized that he hadn’t been speaking English, but his native tongue, the guttural, lisping words of home. A sigh escaped him and he brushed a hand across his face, trying to wake himself up. He waited a few minutes before saying anything else, so that he was actually conscious enough to tell what reality he was in.

“I am sorry. I remember I was dreaming of my homeland, and the words just came rushing back to my tongue. I slept fairly well. What of you? Did you sleep well?”Jonathan finally said.

He decided not to mention what sort of dreams he had, unless she asked. It wouldn’t do him any good to linger on those dreams. His banishment was sealed for eternity, and that was that. Unless Risithia was lucky enough to leave home and find him, they would never see each other again.

Andromeda listened to speak his native tongue, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. At first, she thought he was still half asleep, but that was before he explained that it was his native language. Strange. She’d never heard a language like that before. Where was Jonathan even from?

“Pretty good. Other than the nightmare, of course,” she replied. “Your native tongue… I’ve never heard that language before. What country are you from?”

“Nightmare?”Jonathan asked, concerned.

He vaguely remembered waking up at some point in the night, but he couldn’t quite recall why. Was this nightmare why?

He hesitated at her question. It had been a long time since anyone had questioned him about his homeland. So long, in fact, that he couldn’t remember what story he had been using for his human alias. He would have to improvise and hope she didn’t question it. After all, Jonathan didn’t want her to know that he wasn’t actually from Earth.

“‘Tis… a secluded island some distance off of Europe. It’s too small to be of any significance to anyone, yet it exists nonetheless,”he said.

“Yeah, it was just some stupid dream about the camping trip, the police, everything that happened afterwards…” She sighed. “The whole shabang.”

She stared down at her trembling hands. The fact that she was still having nightmares about that event was annoying, to say the least. She wished she could just let it go, move on with her life, but something seemed to be holding her back. She listening to his next comment, and her eyes lit up slightly.

“A distant island?” She smiled, glancing over at him. “That’s so cool…”

She settled back into his arms, staring out the window. Well, that would explain his strange accent as well. It had intrigued her ever since she met him, but she could never place exactly where it was from.

“Is there anything you want for breakfast, Jonathan?” she asked. “I’m a fairly decent cook.”

Jonathan’s concern grew when he heard her description, and even more when he saw her trembling hands.

“I’m sorry I did not wake to comfort you. I remember well the horrors of nightmares,”he said softly, gently shifting so he could cradle her hands in his.

Jonathan chuckled, smiling.

“I’m glad you think such,”he said.

He considered her offer, wondering how she’d react to what was in his fridge. It was mostly different meats, with two jugs of chamomile tea, one with sugar and one without. There was also a small bowl of peeled apples, but otherwise nothing else.

“You don’t have to cook if you do not want to. Though, I’m up for some bacon and eggs. Yet, I’ll warn you now, I do not have butter, cheese, or anything dairy. I’m lactose intolerant. And, I also have a latex allergy, which further limits my diet,”Jonathan mentioned with a sigh and a chuckle.

“Oh. Well, we’ll settle with just eggs and bacon then.”

Still holding his hand, Andromeda got up from the sofa and headed over to the kitchen. As she fixed the eggs and bacon, she stole a few subtle glances at Jonathan. It was strange how close they’d gotten in just two days, and she still wasn’t quite sure how she felt about their relationship.

“You know, if you ever want me to leave and go back home, just say so.” She sent a sheepish smile as she finished up her cooking. “I don’t want to take up all of your time if you have more important things you need to be doing.”

She dished out the food onto two separate plates before she led him to the dining room table and sat down across from him. Part of her was nervous that he was going to start getting sick of her eventually, but for now, he seemed to enjoy her company.

(Happy New Year!)

Jonathan chuckled breifly,”I apologize if I startled you with all of that. I can get intense sometimes. And, it annoys the hell out of me that I have such a limited diet. Yet, I can do little about it.”

He didn’t mind at all that Andromeda still held his hand, even as she basically led him into the kitchen. It was, oddly… nice. He couldn’t describe it any other way. It was something he’d never experienced before, and he liked it.

He helped her find whatever she needed as she cooked, such as showing her where he kept the eggs or frying pans, and even getting things for her so she wouldn’t have to step away from the stove.

Her words surprised him though, and he couldn’t help clearing his throat in embarrassment. He actually hadn’t even thought about the idea of her leaving yet. What made it worse, was he couldn’t tell if that was a bad thing or not.

“I have a very flexible schedule with the neighborhood. I can take walks around at any time, and I’ve worked at night before, thus it is no big deal,”Jonathan mentioned, a hint of shyness in his tone.

Jonathan followed her without complaint, content to eat with her at the dining table. Though, after a moment, he smelled her nervousness, and he couldn’t help feeling the same. This was completely new to him, and he had no idea how to proceed. It was the first time in many years that he’d been utterly lost on what to do.

(Happy New Year! :))

She laughed lightly at his comment. “Nah, don’t worry about it. My mother has a pretty strict diet, so I get where you’re coming from.”

Just thinking of her mother made her go into a tense silence. Now that she stopped to think about it, she hadn’t seen her mother since her boyfriend’s memorial service. She had been able to see the rest of the family at her visit a few days ago, but her mother had grown ill before she arrived, so Andromeda was unable to see her. That wasn’t exactly a bad thing, though. Like the police, her mother had suspicions that Andromeda may have had something to do with her boyfriend’s disappearance, and Andromeda wasn’t sure how her mother would treat her if she did get to see her.

Soon, the two were sitting at the dining table, and Andromeda smiled as he spoke. Jonathan always seemed to her like a fairly confident person. It was funny— maybe even cute— to see him act slightly shy. “It must be lonely living here alone,” she said. “I mean, yeah, being alone can be nice, but…”

Andromeda looked away, thinking about her own life. They both seemed to share a similar predicament. Andromeda also lived alone in her apartment building, and even though it could be enjoyable at times, she had been starting to feel more alone recently.