Issa was so quiet. If he interrupted them during their ramblings, then that would have made their anxiety about this whole situation worse, yet his silence unnerved them. Their thoughts wandered to the park in Evimaire, to the tree they’d both sat under with a children’s book from the library spread between them. Issa had stared and squinted at the words as his lips sounding them out, but his body had been dissatisfied with the stationary task. Issa was a creature who yearned for constant movement. His stillness now as he listened to their vulnerability added a sense of importance to this conversation that Lec was still trying to convince themselves was nothing. He really did want to hear them, and help them, and Lec hated spurring so much worry. A lump welled in their throat, and in the moments that followed, as they waited for Issa to respond, they struggled to keep their breaths even.
They hadn’t been looking at Issa when they’d admitted to their fear of him, but their attention was drawn to him when they heard the pained way his breath hitched. Shock and regret and hurt swirled behind his bright eyes, and Lec immediately regretted saying anything at all. They couldn’t take their words back, but they wanted to tell Issa it would be fine, that they were being irrational, that he’d given them nothing to fear—but hadn’t he? A subconscious hand scratched at their scar as they turned away, their cheeks burning. They had long grown used to discomfort, but knowing they had put Issa in that same place made them want to bury this conversation and never return to it.
Luckily, Issa’s reaction was far tamer than Lec had been expecting. Maybe that wasn’t saying much, not when Lec had already thought and expected the worst, but they finally let out their shaky breath once he’d responded. Since Issa had nothing to add, Lec took a few moments to catch their breath. What had been said could not be taken back, so all that was left to do was move on and try to be better. They weren’t sure they’d ever not fear this man, this beast, but his willingness to hear them out, to offer a hand, even when their problems were beyond understanding; that had to mean something. If the prophecy had foretold of two wayward warriors from warring nations coming together, maybe bumps like this were according to plan. Lec took solace in that, however slight. Issa was right; maybe communication like this was a good start.
The conversation now dealt with, Lec waited for Issa to join them, and they all but bolted into the hallway. Their tiny room was starting to feel like a prison, and Lec was sure the air must have been draining from it somehow. They needed to get out of there, get some fresh sea breeze air, and relax. That seemed an impossible task at the moment, but they hoped the sight of the ocean and an endless sky shared with someone who would appreciate it even more than they could would help.
Issa’s next words startled them, and they hid their embarrassment by trailing behind him a couple steps. He was trying to move on, but he reconsidered what he’d been about to say. “Herblore,” Lec repeated softly. They struggled to imagine Issa in a room surrounded by plants, being instructed to pluck these delicate petals or squash those bright berries. He had come from a forest rich in resources; it only made sense for him to know how to utilize the nature around him. “That must be an incredibly useful skill,” Lec continued, hoping Issa would finish his thought. Lec preferred his voice to the one in their head overanalyzing every part of their last conversation, and besides, this was an opportunity to learn more about the person they had already spent so much time with. “I only know the basics, and only about the plants native to Evimaire. Maybe you’d be able to help us out there, when we dock.”
They rummaged through their pockets for a small pouch that they offered to Issa. When they tugged it open, a slight smell wafted between them. “This is what the apothecary gave me,” they explained. “They did tell me what it was called, but I was…distracted, so I don’t remember.” After Issa had taken the pouch, they watched the concentration spread across his face. “Maybe,” they said shyly, “you can teach me about plants too?”
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