That Evening

-Artemisia-

He’s back. And I walked in on them talking and laughing and I wasn’t a part of it. Gods, I’m jealous, aren’t I? Like I have any right to be jealous. I’m glad Oria has friends, of course I am. It’s just…this person knows her better than I do. He has been a part of her life for more years than I have. Hell, he even had her first time. Not that it matters; my first time was with some completely random man who I didn’t like one bit, because he offered me a warm bed.

It doesn’t matter. I just…I’m greedy. I want to be the most important person to Oria, I want to take up as much space in her mind as she does in mine…I’m being stupid. I need to calm down, she loves me. I know she loves me. She has loved me for over a decade, and we’re finally together, nothing between us. 

I want to know more about her. I can’t keep running away from the fact that I wasn’t here for sixteen years. 

It’s ok.

I’m here now.

“Temi?” Oria pokes her head into the kitchen, where I ran off in embarrassment. At least her friend thinks I’m pretty, so that’s nice I suppose. Smiling awkwardly at her, I accept the hug when my love wraps me up in those lovely arms of hers. “Everything ok?” She murmurs, her eyebrows furrowed with worry. Nodding, I rest my head on her shoulder.

“Just a little embarrassed. Only a little because of your friend,” I rush to reassure her when she looks guilty. “Mainly just because I’m jealous. And I have no right to be and it’s stupid but I want you just to look at me and that’s stupid and I’m twenty eight for gods’ sake, not fifteen.”

Oria kisses me eagerly, her hand instantly slipping up the back of my shirt and spreading across my back. I practically wither in her arms, unable to get enough of this woman. When she eventually pulls back, I can barely catch my breath, and my face feels like it’s on fire. She grins, removing her hand from my shirt.

“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself…and after I said I wouldn’t pounce on you too…” she mumbles, shaking her head. “I love that you’re jealous. So long as you don’t hate Rius on principle. It’s not silly, I promise. Trust me, the moment we start going to the market more often, you’ll be getting a lot of looks - everyone will be wondering who the new hot babe is, and I’ll have to fight off all the potential suitors,” she winks cheekily - it’s like her childhood playfulness has returned full force now that we’re being honest with each other. I love seeing it, though. 

“I was wondering if maybe you’d be ok if Rius joins us for dinner tonight? I sort of made plans with him a while ago and then you appeared and my entire world got turned on its head and all I could think about was you and I completely forgot about our plans,” Oria explains awkwardly. She really wants me to say yes, I can tell. I don’t love the idea, but I do want to know more about the current Oria, so…

“Sure, I don’t mind. So long as you don’t bring up our sex life, because I swear if you make a single comment about us going all night then I will die from embarrassment,” I decide to keep it light with a silly rule that sure, I do want her to abide by, but also…of all the things Oria could say that would mortify me, some topics such as how I just murdered my father, are a lot more uncomfortable. Not that I expect that to come up in conversation anyway, but still. 

I do wonder if anyone has found his body by now. With no one there, no witnesses or anything to link his death to me, it doesn’t matter. We live sufficiently far away that no one will come after me. Not that anyone would care about that old piece of shit anyway. 

“Of course, my love,” Oria hugs me tightly and I try to ground myself in the present. No more thinking about my shitty family. Oria is my family now.

My apothecary practically skips back out into the shop and I peek around the corner and watch as Rius steps up to the desk with several potions in hand. I could go back out there, or I could stay right here where I don’t have to talk to anyone…but no, I should get the sign in from outside. And I could be really petty in the process…Gods, I’m such an ass. Stepping out into the shop, I approach the desk and peck Oria on the cheek.

“I’m going to get the sign,” I say nonchalantly before walking off, a smug feeling filling my heart at the knowledge that in case it wasn’t clear enough to Rius, Oria and I are very much together. Of course he knows. I still wanted to be petty though. Pushing the door open, I find myself oddly glad that Oria wanted to show off that mark on her neck today. She’s proud of it. I might as well own it. Fuck, I really am acting like a petulant teenager. 

Oh well. I grew up too fast anyway.

Bringing the ‘open’ A-board sign in from outside, I push the door open and carefully close the sign, leaving it next to the door carefully. My ears catch the tail end of whatever Rius was saying.

“-called you Oria. I’m surprised you told her your real name, since everyone in town calls you Ri. How long have you known each other again?” He asks and that jealous feeling rears its ugly head in my heart again. Sauntering up to the desk, I stand next to Oria, ready to say something petty and confrontational like ‘just a week - oh and eighteen years before that, I suppose’, but then I look at my apothecary’s happy expression and I bite back my words.

I shouldn’t be acting like this. I shouldn’t be trying to upset her friend, or ‘stake my claim’ or any of that bullshit. I should be trying to make friends with this person, the person closest to Oria.

“Would you rather I called you Ri? I didn’t realise no one calls you Oria around here,” I say instead, genuinely meaning it. I can understand her choosing a new name for herself - or a nickname, like Temi is for me. I like both versions of my name, but it is completely valid if she has a preference.

“No, it’s ok,” she responds quickly, wrapping her arm around my waist and pulling me close against her side. “I like it when you say my name - my full name,” she smiles, squeezing my waist before turning to her friend.

“You mind helping me cook? Temi, could you feed the dogs?” She asks, letting go of me and walking back towards the kitchen. Nodding, I follow after her and head towards the pantry, knowing my way around her kitchen quite well by now.

“Ah! The market! I knew you looked familiar!” Rius exclaims as I prepare the dogs’ bowls. “You came by with Ri, didn’t you? A week ago?” Nodding, I glance over at Oria. She smiles at me, her eyes so full of warmth. She really, really wants this evening to go well.

“Yeah, that was actually pretty soon after I showed up in this shop for the first time. I haven’t really seen around town that much, except for the market and when I stole a horse the other night.” Fucks sake, why did I say that?!

Oria laughs, walking to the pantry and kissing my temple on her way. “I was wondering where you got that horse from - I borrowed mine from a farmer, and since I didn’t know what to do with yours, I gave him that one too.”

Rius looks between us in confusion. “And the two of you needed horses in the middle of the night because?”

Hm. I could just say I was visiting home. “I went to kill my father,” the knife makes a dull thud against the wooden chopping board as I cut the dogs’ food. Glancing up, I shrug when I spot both Oria and Rius looking at me, completely dumbfounded.

“You actually killed him? You really did it?” Oria drops her ladle, striding over and pulling me into a hug. Right, I didn’t exactly confirm it…

“I made that comment about stabbing my sister in the throat too, I thought that made it clear?” 

Oria sputters out something incoherent, her head resting on my shoulder. “No, that did not make it clear that you had actually- is that what you did? That’s quite brutal…are you ok?” She pulls back from me, her eyes a little misty. 

“Of course, you know I can handle myself,” I smile, wiping away a tear as it darts down her cheek. “He was basically dead already, he was so ill. I tried to strangle him but the fucker had some strength left in him,” I raise my wrist, the one which still has the mark left from his nails. Oria inspects it, her expression turning angry. 

“That bastard. I want to kill him for laying a hand on you.”

Laughing, I press my forehead to hers. “Silly. That’s how I feel, hence why he’s a corpse now. That creep from the market had better watch out if he tries to harass you again.” I’m serious about that - getting away with killing a trapper would be a lot harder, but if he tries anything with Oria I might just do something. Not murder, but something.

“I’m sorry, Ri, can we circle back to how you met this woman a week ago, and she just admitted to murder, and you’re- what, encouraging that?” Rius. Oh Gods, I forgot he was here. And I managed to bring up my murdered father. What the fuck am I doing?