Chapter 19 #2
“What if I ask nicely?” Tavian offered after considering that for a moment, pulling his shoulders back and arranging his face into an expression that belonged on a much better-behaved man.
I turned toward him and waited, unable to stop the faint amusement building when he actually cleared his throat before continuing.
“May I carry your bag, Evie?” Tavian asked with exaggerated politeness, one hand held formally toward the strap while the other stayed tucked behind his back.
“No.” I tightened the strap and shook my head, watching Tavian’s hopeful expression collapse into theatrical disappointment. “You may carry something later when I’m tired enough to appreciate it instead of using courtship as an excuse to steal my equipment before I’ve even left.”
“That sounds like a future yes.” Tavian brightened immediately, apparently deciding that was the only part of my answer worth hearing.
“It sounds like you need to learn patience.” I pointed toward the trees before Mara could come back and find him standing at the edge of the station clearing, already hearing movement from somewhere inside the building.
“I know patience.” Tavian straightened with false dignity and began retreating beneath the vegetation, managing to maintain the performance for all of three steps before a quiet laugh escaped him.
The screen door opened less than a minute later.
Mara returned with a fresh mug of coffee in one hand and the field log tucked beneath her other arm, completely unaware that my route for the day had changed while she was gone.
Tavian stayed far enough inside the trees that I couldn’t see him anymore, although I had no doubt his hearing allowed him to follow every word.
“Route?” Mara asked as she sat down, opened the log, and uncapped her pen, settling immediately back into the routine that started almost every field day.
“Northwest from the eastern fork.” I opened my map and traced the direction Tavian had just shown me, following the higher ground away from the stream with my fingertip.
“There’s supposed to be a waterfall about an hour and a half from the fork at my pace, with a wider pool beneath it and a lot of animal traffic. ”
“Supposed to be?” Mara repeated, peering at me over the edge of the map while her pen hovered above the route column.
“I got a very confident recommendation.” I kept my face straight while folding the map again, although the quiet offended sound from somewhere inside the trees nearly ruined it.
“From the local wildlife?” Mara asked as her gaze flicked toward the vegetation, amusement settling around her eyes.
“Something like that.” I tucked the map securely back into its sleeve before Mara could ask for clarification I had no intention of giving, making sure the waterproof cover was completely closed.
“Return?” Mara asked as she wrote the route into the field log and moved her pen to the next column, all traces of teasing disappearing as she returned to the part of the conversation that actually mattered.
“Six.” I checked the radio clipped to my belt, then pressed one hand briefly against the outer pocket holding my emergency locator to make sure it was still secure. “I’ll call if that changes.”
“Six unless you radio?” Mara confirmed as she wrote the time into the log, glancing up long enough to make sure we were both working from the same plan.
“Unless I radio.” I nodded to Mara, appreciating the familiar routine even if neither of us needed the reminder explained.
“Good. Try not to acquire another surprise magazine emergency.” Mara closed the log and set her pen across the top, reaching for her coffee again once the safety details were recorded.
“I make no promises about what editors do while I’m in the forest.” I resettled my bag as I stepped away from the table, feeling the familiar weight of my equipment settle between my shoulders.
“Fair. Have fun talking to the wildlife.” Mara lifted her coffee in a small farewell, the amusement in her face telling me she still thought my habit was eccentric rather than supernatural.
I headed onto the trail alone. Tavian didn’t reappear until the station had disappeared completely behind several bends and enough dense vegetation that there was no chance Mara could look down the path and see him.
Then he stepped from behind a broad tree, his small field pack now settled properly over both shoulders.
“You know, hiding beside trails is generally considered unsettling behavior.” I told Tavian as he fell into step beside me, ducking around a low branch while the station’s generator faded behind us and the layered noise of insects took its place.
“I wasn’t hiding from you.” Tavian glanced back toward the trail with a small shrug, stepping over a root without bothering to look down.
“That somehow makes it worse.” I adjusted my camera strap as we reached the first gradual slope, already feeling humidity collect along the back of my neck.
“She knows?” Tavian asked, curiosity replacing some of the amusement in his face while he briefly looked back toward the station we could no longer see.
“She knows I talk to animals constantly. She does not know they answer.” I ducked beneath another low branch, brushing a damp leaf away before it could drag across the camera hanging at my side.
“That seems difficult.” Tavian stepped around a thick root without slowing, moving over the uneven terrain with an ease that had me paying considerably more attention to my own footing.
“You have no idea. Especially because half of them have no concept of privacy.” I watched a small bird launch through the leaves overhead, its movement shaking loose several droplets that pattered onto the trail.
“That sounds useful.” Tavian smiled as though he had just discovered another benefit to my gift, amber eyes brightening with possibilities I absolutely did not trust.
“That is because you are exactly the kind of person who would encourage them.” I pointed toward Tavian without slowing, and his smile widened as he apparently decided that was a compliment.
The morning air was already thick enough that sweat gathered beneath the collar of my shirt within the first half hour.
Tavian kept an easier pace than he normally would have, slowing whenever I paused to inspect tracks or lift my camera instead of trying to turn the route into a race.
He barely seemed to notice the roots and muddy patches that forced me to watch every step, and more than once I caught him adjusting his pace without making a comment about it.
When the trail narrowed around a muddy section beside a steep drop, Tavian crossed first, tested the ground with one boot, and then turned to hold out his hand.
“I can do it.” I studied the safest place to put my foot before accepting Tavian’s hand anyway, because falling down a wet slope just to prove a point seemed ridiculous. His palm was warm and callused against mine, his stance steady on the slick ground.
“I know. Still like helping.” Tavian’s fingers closed securely around mine as he steadied me over the worst section, his grip firm without dragging me forward or trying to decide where my feet should go.
“That was suspiciously reasonable.” I released Tavian’s hand once both my boots were back on solid ground and brushed a streak of damp soil from the side of my pants, glancing at him as though I expected some hidden motive.
“I have layers.” Tavian pressed a palm briefly against his chest, looking far too pleased by the description as he stepped backward several paces.
“You have problems.” I corrected Tavian while starting down the trail again, stepping around a cluster of roots slick with moss.
“That too.” Tavian laughed as he bent to pick something up beside the path, turning the tiny object between his fingertips before straightening again with immediate interest.
“What did you find?” I asked Tavian as I slowed enough to look, pushing a damp strand of hair away from my cheek. Tavian opened his palm, revealing a perfectly round green seed, glossy enough to look polished and patterned with a faint darker line around one side.
“Keep it.” Tavian held the seed toward me, his teasing easing as he waited to see what I would do.
“What am I supposed to do with that?” I asked Tavian, glancing between his face and the tiny seed resting in his palm.
“Keep it,” Tavian repeated, moving his hand a little closer when I made no attempt to take it.
“Why?” I asked Tavian, still studying the little object while sunlight filtering through the canopy reflected off its smooth green surface.
“I found it.” Tavian looked down at the seed before returning his attention to me, delivering the answer as though the circumstances of discovery explained everything.
“That explains where it came from, not why you’re giving it to me.” I loosely crossed my arms, waiting to see whether he could produce an actual reason.
“It’s pretty.” Tavian considered the seed for another second before lifting his gaze to mine, and for once the usual joke was missing from his face. “So are you.”
I stared at him. Tavian continued holding the seed out, but a trace of uncertainty had crept into his face beneath the confidence.
“That was terrible.” I told Tavian, unable to keep the corner of my mouth completely still as I finally took the seed from his palm.
“You took it.” Tavian pointed toward my closed hand, the uncertainty disappearing as quickly as it had come.
“You were going to stand there holding it until sunset.” I slipped the seed into the open pocket of my field shirt, making sure it settled somewhere it wouldn’t fall out when I bent down.