Vivian #2
Theo stopped and yanked the tool from my hand, turning in surprise. “You really shouldn’t grab a moving axe, Little Goddess. Best to keep all your digits unless you’re sure you can regrow them.”
…“Little”…?
That word had never been applied to me before.
I was below average height, sure, but I’d been told I was a “big girl” my entire life.
No part of me was skinny, frail, or delicate.
My body and personality took up space. And to hear a term as reverent as “goddess” tacked to the back end of it felt wrong.
“Little Goddess”?! I was a plus-sized street rat turned forest hag.
I fought the urge to assume he was making fun of me, my cheeks heating with instinctive anger from years of being mocked by people a fraction as hot as he was.
“What’s wrong?” His deep brown eyes looked confused, lines creased between his horns.
“Nothing,” I replied quickly.
“I didn’t mean to criticize you. I just don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“No… sorry. I didn’t think you were criticizing me.” At least not for grabbing the axe. Jury was still out on the nickname.
“You look offended.”
“I’m fine, Theo.” He sounded concerned, surely he didn’t mean to make fun of me. After all, he was a giant. Maybe I wasn’t “little” per se, but I was small by comparison. I took a deep breath and reminded myself this wasn’t high school. “How can I help with wood chopping and cabin building?”
His mouth twisted in uncertainty for a moment before he let out a breath that matched my own. “You can start by telling me what you need. What would be helpful?”
I chuckled. “A roof, I guess? What are my options?”
“Nothing too fancy since I only have until the end of summer. Two rooms maybe? Living space and a bedroom? Cabinets for the kitchen. Some basic furniture should be easy enough to make...” He started mumbling to himself, looking to the cloudy sky as he considered his to-do list.
“A kitchen implies I have food to cook,” I laughed. “Probably can skip that one. Me and my berries are doing just fine.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll build you some garden beds and bring you seeds. Do you know how to garden?”
Not necessarily garden, but I had propagated a lot of pothos in yogurt jars. “Sure! Can we make those first? Then I can work on gardening while you build the cabin. We’ll tag team this homestead!”
His eyes lowered, stopping to fixate on the top of my head.
“What?”
“You dyed your hair.”
How tired had he been to have just noticed?
“Yeah, you said I needed to. I’ll find some fabric to cover my neck and then I’ll be ready for town. Maybe I can trade berries for supplies…”
The berries likely wouldn’t earn me much, and they really weren’t how I planned to get supplies.
However, I figured it would be best not to broadcast my intention of petty theft to Theo.
Resorting to my old survival techniques around him would probably be a no go so I didn’t lose his favor.
The thought made me a little sad, but it wasn’t like I could wait tables for money here.
And I didn’t know how much cash Ida had laying around, if any.
“You really shouldn’t go into town.”
This again. “My throat and hair will be disguised. Am I missing anything else to fly under the radar? I don’t see any problems.”
He exhaled and turned around to continue towards the tree line. “Where is this ‘Ida’?”
“A few hours down the mountain and about half a day’s walk back up. I wish I could stay with her more, but I can’t bring myself to leave my field right now. I know it’s selfish.”
“Why is it selfish?”
“She could use someone living with her. But what if Nurghle wasn’t safe outside the field? Or what if my Earth poisoning came back from not being here? Not to mention I just really fucking want to be here. It feels like where I belong.”
“You said you do this trip every few days?”
“Yeah.” Not frequently enough.
“In the rain… snow… storms?”
I frowned, realizing what he was getting at. “It’s not a big deal. I just bring her what I can to help her get by. And she does so much for me in return. I’d be lost without her.”
He stopped at the wheat border of my field. “You aren’t selfish, Vivian. Don’t tell yourself you are.” The words were blunt, as if it was that simple. “What does she need? I can help you carry it. My four hands are yours to use.”
I tried not to suddenly see my mysterious companion as a pack mule, but I couldn’t help it as my eyes roamed the sheer amount of carrying potential spanning his upper body.
If anything was selfish, it would be keeping this blessing of a stranger to myself.
If I was willing to accept his unjustified help for my own needs, I should share with Ida.
“Food. Water. Firewood. Supplies from town.”
Ida was out of nearly everything that wasn’t forageable. Fabric, spices, soaps, cooking oil—all products that kept a home functioning.
He scratched at the large white scar on the side of his head. “Alright. I’ll go to town with you. Will your beast be alright without you for a couple of nights?”
I perked up. “He’ll be alright!”
“Okay,” he sighed, unhappy with my decision. “Just, for the love of all that is holy, don’t go around talking with people any more than you have to. We leave in two days. We go to town. We get what you need. We bring it back. Deal?”
The grin spreading on my face was borderline painful. I fought the urge to throw my arms around this man’s neck. This beautiful, generous man who poofed into my life from nowhere.
“Deal!”
“I’ll be back with wood,” he grumbled as we reached the wheat border of my field.
“Right.” I reached in my pocket. “Here, take the crystal.”
He stared at it, his arms not moving to retrieve the object from my open palm. “No, you keep that on you. I’ll get myself one when we’re in town.”
“You’re either bringing me or the crystal with you. It would majorly suck for me if you got eaten by the locals. I already went through that whole guilt over your death thing once. It really ruined my vibes last winter.”
His gaze flicked over my expression; eyes, the color of dark oak, standing out amongst the background of blue trees. It was as if a piece of an Earthly forest had rebelliously snuck its way onto this planet through him.
“Fine. Come, then. You should always wear that crystal.”