Once she was done cutting the vegetables, she began to finely chop the other herbs she’d asked for.
“Well, flour comes from wheat, and honey come from bees.”
“What are bees?”
Reia turned, frowning up as she faced him.
“You don’t know what a bee is? It’s a flying insect that’s fuzzy with yellow and black stripes.”
His head tilted, making that slight rattling sound like his skull was filled with tiny bones.
“You are talking of those stinging bugs.” His mouth opened and closed slightly as his tongue moved to lick at the top of his mouth. “They hurt my tongue. Why would you add them to food? They don’t particularly taste good.”
Reia covered her mouth as a laughed escaped her by accident. His eyes flared into a pale red to show he was angry at her laughing at him, or at least annoyed.
“We don’t eat them, Orpheus. They live in a beehive and collect pollen, so they turn it into honey inside their nests.”
His orbs changed to blue once more, and he turned his face towards the darkening outside just beyond the window.
“Would it please you if I brought you a hive so you could you get honey? There are some just outside the Veil. Demons don’t like them because they sting when attacked.”
A trickle of tenderness warmed her chest.
“Yes, it would.”
A loud crack of thunder boomed before the first signs of rain pattered in heavy drops against the window.
“Then I will bear being stung to get you honey.” Orpheus took a step back. “I will have to learn how to cook another time. I must go outside to keep the Demons away.”
“All you would have needed to do now was crush the tomatoes until they were like a paste, and add everything, including some salt, into the water until they were soft.”
A spark of yellow flashed through his eyes. “Thank you.”
He left to go outside, and Reia continued to cook her early dinner until it was ready. By the time it was, the rain outside was heavy and loud, showering the house with a downpour. When she peeked through the window, the clouds were so dark that it already appeared like night had arrived, even though that was still an hour away.
It was a violent storm with lots of quick strikes of hot yellow forking across the sky.
Reia placed her bowl of soup onto the table, but she didn’t sit down. Instead, she walked to the front door and opened it, peeking her head outside.
She waited until Orpheus could be seen, since he must have been walking around the house, and called out to him.
He headed straight for her.
“You should be inside.”
“Can I watch you and the rain?” She pointed to the trinkets hanging from each corner of the porch roof. “They will protect me, and I’m wearing the amulet. I’ll even bring the sword with me.”
“But a Demon might run at the barrier while I’m on the other side of the house. There are many around after what happened the other day.”
“So?” she snorted. “It’s not like I’m afraid of them. It’s kind of funny when they hurt themselves trying to get through the salt circle. I’m sure watching them do the same thing to the house will be just as funny.”
“You are a strange human, Reia.” However, he paused for a long time, and she could tell he was thinking about it deeply. “As long as you keep the door open so you can flee inside, and make sure you call for me if one is able to get through, and that you will run first before you try to fight it, and—”
“Yes, okay, I got it.” Reia rolled her eyes with a shake of her head, feeling the teardrop jewel on her forehead swaying. “Make sure I don’t let myself come to harm.”
He nodded, and she turned back inside. Grabbing the dining chair, she dragged it outside and placed it directly next to the open door. She sat cross-legged while holding her bowl of soup, eyeing the sword that rested up against one of her legs for close keeping, before she turned her gaze upwards to the eerie forest.
A sense of tranquillity fell over her as she watched the torrential rainstorm. Deep puddles formed quickly, growing by the second, and the sound of the drops hitting the porch roof was calming.
This is something she used to do every time it rained in the village. Watching the rain while eating a warm and hearty meal had always been a small pleasure of hers.
“Come here, come here, come here!” A Demon frothed and snarled as it ran for her. Reia just brought a spoon of liquid to her mouth while waiting for the inevitable to happen. “Gotcha!”
It bashed straight into the invisible wall, its entire body crumbling from its speed. Its arms bent awkwardly as its head seemed to go inside its neck all the way to its shoulders.
“Ha ha!” She squealed, bringing her legs forward to kick them in joy. “Idiot.”
She watched it stumble at the bottom of the porch steps, disorientated and dazed. A moment later, Orpheus barrelled into it in his more monstrous form, sending it flying halfway across the yard.
He turned his reddened glowing orbs to her. They seemed more mystical and ethereal with the grey rain curtaining him. It was the first time she found them endearing to look at since their meaning wasn’t directed at her.
Heavy, wet drops glistened against his soaked form, dripping from his long fur that was puffed in agitation and pouring off his white skull. The drops seemed to glitter when they reflected the bright light of a lightning strike, covering him in dots of light momentarily. It was almost mystical, like he was covered in the mythical lights of fairies.
“See?” She smiled brightly as she twirled her spoon in the air. “Safe and sound with you around.”
He gave a snorting huff that was wetter with the rain pouring in through the hole of his nose, his eyes flashing deep purple before he took off to charge the Demon he’d knocked away. She could see they were red before he finished his first stride of his legs.
Whoa. That’s different. When his eyes changed to desire when he was normal, it usually sparked a hint of her own arousal. However, while he was like that, more animalistic and beastly, that had been oddly... titillating?
Reia hummed to herself a humour-filled tune.
Okay, so what if I’m a pervert? A smile brightened her features. Who cares if I’m attracted to a monster? She continued to quietly giggle to herself as she brought another spoonful to her lips. Who cares if I want to have se—Oh my god. What the hell is that?!
Reia’s eyes widened when she saw something large and white step from the tree line. It wasn’t a Demon, couldn’t possibly be a Demon, but it was still huge and strange.
It bounced as it walked, its brown legs bending high as its three-toed claws reached to the height of about its waist.
She placed her bowl on the ground and got to her feet to get closer while remaining on the porch.
It almost looked as though it was dancing as it crossed the yard, heading to the back of the house where she knew Orpheus was.
It wasn’t coming for Reia, didn’t seem to care that she was on the porch watching it as she walked to the railing.