I’m hungry and tired. As much as she wanted to stay here, she worried she’d fall asleep in the tub at this rate.
She sat up and sniffed her arms to find no smell on them. She knew he’d lathered her in something, but she couldn’t find any hint of what it might have been.
Then she got out, wrapping herself in a large sheet that she figured would make do for a towel. She doubted he had the capabilities to make one. Once she’d hidden her nudity, not that it mattered since he’d seen and touched all of her, she called out to him.
He led her down the hallway to the room directly next to the bathing one. The hallway wasn’t in the centre of the house. The bathing room and the one she figured was going to be hers shared the same side of the hall. They seemed to be narrower than the other side where there was a singular door.
That must be where he sleeps. He would need much more room than her considering his size. I wonder if he sleeps on a nest. She wasn’t interested in finding out.
He opened the door for her and ushered her forward with his hand.
“Are you hungry? I am not good with cooking human food, that is something you will have to do for yourself, but I’ll bring you something you can eat now.”
Reia nodded, and he left her alone once more.
She walked inside the room while closing the door behind her and took it in. There wasn’t much. It was small, longer than it was wide, and there was a place she thought once must have had a window but was now boarded up. The only furniture was a small wooden bed that appeared old and worn as well as side table and a closet.
Because there wasn’t a lot of room, the bed was pressed against the wall shared with the hallway. Three candles had already been lit on the square side table, and Reia walked over to the closet to see what was inside.
Disturbingly, it was filled with white dresses similar to the one she’d worn here. There were no other colours, no pants, shirts, or skirts. Just wedding dresses.
It was off-putting going through them, wishing there was something other than a bride’s dress to wear, but she’d rather not be naked. She picked a simple one that was so plain it didn’t have any lace or sewn designs at all and decided to make it a sleeping gown for herself.
It appeared someone else already had that thought, because it had been cut to be shorter and more comfortable as not to get tangled in their legs while they slept.
Just how many people have died coming here?
Reia couldn’t linger on that thought. That was the past, and they shouldn’t matter to her. They were already dead anyway. All that mattered was her own survival.
She slipped it on with just enough time before he opened the door and laid a wooden bowl on the end of her bed. It was filled with a handful of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and hazelnuts.
“Fruit?” she asked with a hint of curiosity.
She picked up one of the strawberries and took a bite into it, surprised to find it was deliciously sweet.
“I have a garden where I’ve learned to tend easy to grow human food. It’s not much, but I understand you humans must eat regularly. I have maintained it over the eons.” He tilted his head when she frowned at him with her lips pressing together. “Why is it you appear confused?”
“This is all a lot to take in. I wasn’t expecting a house, nor fresh food like this. I was expecting when you said food that you’d throw a slab of meat at me or something. I just…” Reia rubbed her cheeks, weariness making her eyes heavy. “Never mind. Thank you for the food. I’m tired. I would like to sleep.”
He tilted his head the other way, before nodding.
Reia didn’t know how late it was, and even though the bedding smelt musky and dusty, she crawled into it. It was firm, but still softer than her own bed made of hay and straw, and her blanket was actually animal furs that had been sewn together.
Her heart felt heavy in her chest as she curled into a ball, wary about closing her eyes, but allowing sleep to take her regardless.
Orpheus was disturbed from his slumber with his vision going from black to bright blue in an instant before it settled to its usual soft glow. He’d been startled awake by the tiniest footsteps, the obvious creep of a tiptoe, moving across the floor in front of the door of his sleeping room.
She has awoken. Without moving his head from its laid down position as he lay flat on his stomach, his gaze turned to his window.
It was late morning, and he was still so tired since he’d not slept once on their journey. Even though they’d both slept for what must have been unusually long, he barely felt rested.