The Fateful Heart 2

James took in a deep breath, and he glanced down at her briefly. Her head fit in the crook of his neck, and he didn't mind bearing her weight.

"You know, there's this song my father used to sing to me when I was a kid," he said quietly.

"When I couldn't fall asleep."

It took a second to hear James's word and fully register it. She could feel sleep setting down on her like a weighted blanket.

"Yeah?" she said sloppily in response.

"Mmhmm," James hummed, glancing down at her once more before he set his gaze outside the cave.

The sky was finally beginning to clear from its sandy haze, and he could see the beginnings of stars peeking through. The night was cool, but not chilly. It was a relief compared to the normal raging heat of the day.

He leaned his head back on the cave wall and took in a deep breath and started to sing softly.

"The market is empty
The butcher's gone home
The candles have spent - soon the light will be gone
Soften your brow, dear
Breath slow and deep
Let your eyes close as you drift off to sleep

The moon in the window
The sun in the sea
Now is the quiet - just baby and me

And the sun will sleep in the ocean tonight
And the cool of the water makes everything right
And the ocean once dreamed it could shine high above
But protecting, reflecting the sun is enough

We used to go dancing
We used to drink wine
We used to buy flowers and now we buy time
Mommy and daddy would work bear our hands
To make sure you have all you need in this land

The moon in the window
The sun in the sea
Now is the quiet - just baby and me

And the sun will sleep in the ocean tonight
And the cool of the water makes everything right
And the ocean once dreamed it could shine high above
But protecting, reflecting the sun is enough
Protecting, reflecting the sun is enough..."

Spoiler

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James started to slowly sing, and Evaline listened to his deep, soft words echo throughout the cave. She could feel the steady rise of his chest every time he took a deep breath, and she could feel his voice exiting his throat, like a gentle vibration absorbed by her head on his shoulder.

The words melted together and clung to her skin like the rain from the day they were last in a cave together. It was the day she stuck out her hand and felt rain for the first time, realizing the natural beauty of Nye, and realizing that maybe she should pause and relish the wonders of the world. Realizing she should treat Nye not as a prison to escape, but a getaway to her life.

But the soft lullaby kept pushing her, ever so gently, like it was nudging her to keep going. It pushed her like the the breeze of the wind, at first, but then with pressure, like the cascading waterfall on the day she danced with James for the first time. And then the words pushed with great force, like how James took her hands and then pushed himself out of Elliot so that he could sacrifice himself to save her from Butch.

Evaline closed her eyes while James continued to sing, letting him lull her to sleep.

It hurt to think about these things, but she was reminded that he was hurt too, remembering all of these memories himself, and affecting him deeply to the point of tears. Evaline was reminded she was not alone. He shared the pain, the burden she had to carry, even if it wasn't fair for him.

And it was then that she fully accepted that she shouldn't treat Nye as a getaway to her life, but let it be her new life.

Because, despite everything she had done, and everything she might do, he'd still be by her side, protecting her from herself, who was protecting him. He'd still be there, and hold her hand, and be patient, and not leave her.

Without the anxiety, without emotion, without any thought, a tear fell down her cheek as James continued to sing, and she felt another one escape from her other closed eye, lazily traveling down her cheek to eventually soak into his shirt.

Exhaustion was taking over, and she felt herself sinking in the dark, letting James's words fade into the background, but not letting his presence fade because she could feel him next to her, breathing and being there.

Sleep took control, but she only had one thought: James wouldn't leave her. That was what he said. He wouldn't leave.

Even if she was in this position for hours.

Even if she was the way she was.

Even if she was a burden.

James listened as Evaline's breathing steadied, and her weight rested more heavily on his shoulder. She was asleep, and he didn't want to move for fear of waking her, so he stayed still throughout the night. It did make it more difficult for him to stay awake, not being able to move, and growing stiff, but he endured it, not wanting to disturb her.

He was glad for the time to reflect. It had been an interesting night, to say the least. There was a lot of conversation, most of it with both of them in varying states of wakefulness. It profited them in that they were things that needed to be discussed, but the blunt, bleary-eyed honesty made James wish he had been in a state of mind where he could have at least been able to filter through his emotions more. It was still hard to shake the feeling that it was wrong to cry. Especially in front of other people. Even Evaline.

Hypothetical situations started running around in his head as he looked to their future.

Evaline wanted to stay. They'd at least partially discussed not sharing too much, for fear it might send her home, but it was difficult to tell where the line was. One of the things that he wanted to say but failed to explain when half-awake was that learning about someone wasn't as cut and dry as sharing your "entire backstory." You could know someone for ten years and still learn new things about them, like how they respond to certain situations, or even how their tastes and preferences and mannerisms have changed. Even in two months, people evolved. If opening up was strictly defined as sharing your darkest secrets, then that could be easy to get out of the way or avoid. But if opening your heart meant being fully known... then that really could take years.

He almost began to wonder if there really was a way for her to get home, or if the note was just a riddle of false hope. But it wasn't even really hope for her, was it? She didn't want to go home. All that seemed to await her there was inevitable death. It didn't sound like she could go home. She didn't have a home to return to. She had the rebellion, but it wasn't one she really wanted to be a part of. She'd said she kept saving everyone else, but no one was saving her. She was alone.

And so was he.

He looked down at her face, with her cheek squished against his shoulder.

At least they had each other.

Maybe that was all this was. The universe decided to bring two lonely people together so they weren't so alone anymore. It would be nice if things were that simple.

But he knew the road ahead of them had troubles to come. Butch couldn't be avoided forever. There would be more thieves, storms, creatures, monsters, and people prone to violence. There may very well be more mages, and goblins too. They couldn't bet on any of them being friendly. He couldn't even begin to describe to Evaline how incredibly lucky they had already been. To still be alive was to be lucky. Not that he believed in luck. Not really.

The night went on, and James felt his body starting to ache from inactivity. He longed to stretch. He longed to lie down. He imagined a bed and a mattress that supported his spine. He imagined food in his stomach.

The bubble of fantasy in his mind was popped as the sun started to rise, dimly in the distance, over the peaks of towering red rocks. The sky was a brilliant collection of red, orange, pink, and purple hues. It was a shame Evaline wasn't awake to see it.

Footsteps drew his attention away from the sunrise.

Faintly, he could hear the shifting of hooves in the sand. They sounded flat and heavy. Not quite like the hooves of a horse, but perhaps a different animal. Suspicions jumped to the forefront of his mind. Butch. The thieves - the same or different, it didn't matter. Travelers. Another bounty hunter. It could be anyone.

James finally shifted and pulled his dagger out of the sheath tucked into the back of his belt. He didn't want to make too much noise, as it sounded like whoever it was, they were already close, so he held the dagger behind his leg, hidden.

The sword was strapped on Elliot's saddle. Out of reach.

James was about to whisper to Evaline to wake, but then he saw a large shadow fall over the entrance of the cave.

It was a camel.

The camel lowered its head curiously, and James could see the person sitting atop it observed with a similar gaze. Curious, but not necessarily hostile.

Four more camels came into view behind them, each one mounted by a traveler, and each traveler had their head and face covered. They looked actually prepared for being in the desert.

The person atop the camel that stood in the entrance of their cave pulled her scarf down from her face. She had dark brown skin and full lips that pulled into a little grin as she looked at Evaline, who was still, at least, partially asleep.

James gently shook his shoulder to stir her.

"You two look worse for wear," the woman said, looking them up and down. "Did the sandstorm hit you hard?"

"It kept us stuck here for the night," James answered, though he still viewed her and the people behind her warily.

If they wanted a fight there were too many for either him or Evaline to take on. They would have to be diplomatic about things. Or run when they had the chance.

"I can tell," the woman commented. "The weather out here can sneak up on you sometimes if you're not prepared for it."

She paused, glancing back at her companions.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Yoen," he answered. "And Evelyn."

"I'm Sasha. My family and I were headed to a watering hole not far from here. An oasis, hidden among the shelter of the walls of rocks."

She paused like she was assessing the situation again.

"You look like you guys could use some help. Some food and water. Some shade. Come with us."

Evaline barely registered the voice and only woke up because James shook her. By the time she caught up, James was already standing up. He seemed to recognize her half-awake state, so he extended his hand out so she could get up.

It was such a blur. It felt like a whole month of development happened in one single night, and there were so many things to absorb. She needed days to think about everything. She found herself walking beside James and Elliot, behind five people riding on camels, catching up on everything that happened last night before realizing that they were traveling with others.

The morning sun was creeping up along the horizon, and a woman who introduced herself as Sasha kept talking.

"There's a small camp at the oasis," she said. "Hidden away for peaceful travelers. That's my way of saying to keep it a secret between us."

Normally, Evaline wouldn't be this out of it, but it felt like she was just blindly following without knowing what was going on. She looked over at James beside her for an explanation. He was leading Elliot along, and he seemed to catch her gaze, like he was expecting it.

"Don't worry," he said quietly for only her to hear. "They seem sincere. They mentioned food."

That was enough. If it was good enough for James—who was probably more wary of strangers than she was—it was good enough for her.

They maybe traveled for an hour, listening to Sasha talk every once in a while as the four other people on the camels rode ahead. She wasn't able to see what they looked like due to their desert outfits, but it almost looked like they were herding some other stragglers along, like this was some kind of rescue mission.

It was strange, now, just walking with James in silence after the events of last night. They couldn't exactly openly chat since they were in the presence of others, but even if they were alone, she wasn't exactly sure what she would say. It was all still so overwhelming. She wondered if James felt the same way.

Eventually Sasha announced that they were close, and Evaline could make out a vague outline of this 'oasis,' which at first glance, looked like a plateau that stretched on for miles. But as they approached it and rode along a beaten path, Evaline could understand how it would be hard to miss when passing by. After taking a few turns and zig-zagging along a hidden beaten path, they eventually reached a narrow passage that was guarded by an installed door. Upon their arrival, the doors were opened, and other people greeted them in.

Evaline could understand why they called it an oasis now. It appeared to be like a small town with a slow-moving river along the perimeter that escaped out of a small cavern on the other side. It was almost like an island, but an even smaller stream cut across the land, flowing from one of the bigger rocks in the river. Huts dotted around the edge of the land next to the river, and clothes on the clothesline lightly moved with the breeze. Bigger huts were neatly organized in the middle, and there appeared to be shared communal places too, like a big fire place and an outside kitchen. Trees, flowers, and other green shrubbery sprouted up every available open space. Birds also flew around, chirping their songs.

Evaline barely had time to react because they were already walking on the bridge over the river, entering the town. Sasha welcomed them in and explained everything to them as she watched the people of the oasis lazily start their day, some even peering over at them with curious eyes.

"This oasis has been here for generations, with a select few filtering in and out of it as we protect its borders. We take in needy and hungry travelers as well as look after our own," Sasha said. "Speaking of—I should introduce you to everyone."

As the row of camel riders filtered in, they all started to hop off, grabbing their camel's leads, and pulling down their scarves to reveal their faces.

She proceeded to introduce four people who'd been riding with them. An woman in her 50's, named Edna. Two men: a younger adult named Kurt, and a man named Mikel who looked somewhere in his 30's. And Liana, a small young woman who seemed to try to act tougher than she appeared.

In addition, there were two others who didn't quite fit in. They lacked the preparedness of those wearing scarves and layers to protect their face and skin from the beating sun, and well, they didn't have camels either. They claimed to be brother and sister, and they looked equally as disheveled as Evaline and James, but perhaps a little more on the well-off side. James was the only one visibly in pain (which was difficult to hide at this point), but all four of them looked hungry.

The brother and sister were named Mateo and Ava, and Ava looked like she was in her mid-teens, while Mateo seemed more around their age.

Of course, all of the names went in one ear and out the other. Especially when Sasha mentioned food. Evaline could smell whatever it was they were cooking, and survival instinct took over when that was all she could think about.

"I can tell you're all probably starving," Sasha said as she looked at their vacant expressions. "I'll fill your stomachs before I talk your ear off more."

And with that, she waved for them to follow her.

Kurt went off with a few others, taking the camels away to a few wooden posts in the ground where they started tying them up. One of the women—Liana—came up to James, who was leading Elliot, and nonverbally offered to take Elliot from him. James visibly stiffened, and instead of taking her offer, simply followed her to tie up Elliot himself. The exchange was short, and he returned about 30 seconds later, looking antsy.

As the group started splitting off, it narrowed down to Evaline, James, the brother and sister, and Sasha, leading them all into a larger hut.

The hut appeared to be nicer inside than it looked on the outside. It wasn't very big, but it was roomy enough to fit a big table, stove, chimney, various cabinets, and chairs.

"Sit, sit," Sasha insisted, gesturing to the round table in front of them with chairs surrounding it. They all seemed to hesitate, but wordlessly followed her orders. Evaline pulled out the chair nearest of her, and James sat next to her.

It was strange, the four of them wordlessly sitting around a table like a family, and she had never even said a word to two of them before. This all felt surreal, like a dream.

Sasha ruffled through the cabinets to pile food on to the table. She set down some dried meat, a bowl of fruits, and a bowl of nuts. The four of them eyed everything she set down, and then she went off to fetch fresh bowls of soup.

Mateo and Ava seemed to eagerly eat, but both James and Evaline seemed to hesitate. This just felt too fake to her. Even though Sasha seemed sincere in wanting to help, she couldn't help but feel suspicious. Were their intentions really just to help them?

Evaline looked over at James, too tired to think of her own opinion of what to do. It wasn't like they had another option. Ava and Mateo seemed okay, so after exchanging a few glances with one another, James reached over for the food, and so did Evaline.

She'd normally pause to think about how odder it was, now, that the two of them plus two strangers were wordlessly sitting around a table, completely decimating the food in front of them. The bowls were nearly empty by the time Sasha returned.

Of course, Sasha made a comment about this and started to initiate small talk as she passed around the bowls of soup, but Evaline barely paid attention. It had been a week since they had real nourishment, and it was like her starvation-mode stomach was an endless pit, trying to take in as many calories as possible so it could better prepare itself the next time she starved.

Kurt and Liana joined the table and also initiated conversation, but it was mostly between Ava and Mateo. Evaline and James stuck to eating silently. Sasha did eventually comment to not overeat, and right on cue, Evaline started to feel the unfamiliar feeling of being full. Even when she was eating a healthy amount with James, it wasn't really at the point of feeling full, but simply satisfied.

Her mind was saying to consume more since there was food in front of her, but she physically couldn't take it anymore, so she laid back in her chair and finally glanced up at the others with a clearer mind. James seemed to be reaching this point, too.

The four of them appeared to be finished eating, and Sasha smiled warmly at them, interrupting the light conversation.

"Feel free to walk around the oasis, get your feet wet, cool off, and relax," she said. "I'm sure you've had a tough journey. We have a small bath hut too, if you're wanting to wash off. Everyone who lives here has been in your position before. We're paying it forward and only want you to get healthy and pay it forward someday, too."

James and Evaline stepped outside with full stomachs, and James watched as Mateo and Ava ran off to go splash around in the pool. James was slower to move, feeling a sudden wave of sluggishness wash over him at the sudden shift between a completely empty stomach and a full one.

His eyes scanned the little village, spotting a few people walking around the edges of the water, or between houses. He stood outside Sasha's hut and let out a small sigh. His gaze landed on the camels, tied off nearer to the entrance, by the edge of the water. Elliot looked relieved to be in the shade of tall, thick trees, drinking water, but his mane and coat looked dirty even from afar.

"I'm going to go brush Elliot down," he said to Evaline.

"Okay," she said quietly. He nodded to her before starting off. He didn't know if she wanted to follow, or if she wanted to walk around and clear her head or something.

While they were here, he figured it would be best to take advantage of their current available resources and the relative safety the hedge of rocks provided. Sure, the village was full of people, but none of them proved to be openly hostile. Yet. If it came to that, though, their only escape would be the guarded door.

All in all, James was very glad none of them seemed interested in stealing from them or hurting them. He wanted to leave that train of thought there, but his mind couldn't help running with all of the worst-case scenarios.

That was what occupied his mind as he walked up to Elliot and started taking off the tack. The saddlebags, the rope, the saddle. Clearing all of it away, and pulling out the brush and his old shirt for a rag. With the water gurgling nearby, he started splashing it up onto Elliot, but it was a slow process.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure approaching that he recognized from their initial arrival.

It was Kurt. He was a lean man, and a little less toned than James from what little he could tell under the loose robes. Not impossible to overpower, unless Kurt was a highly trained fighter, which was not impossible, but highly improbable given their current context. Kurt had a bucket in hand, and he dropped it beside James.

"This should help speed up the process," Kurt said with a smile.

James nodded gratefully and took the bucket, turning right away to the stream, filling it up.

"Thank you," he said, glancing back at Kurt, who still stood there, watching.

Was he going to help, or just watch? On second thought, James didn't want his help. He hardly knew him, and Elliot didn't know him either.

James splashed the bucket of water over Elliot's back, and he could see Elliot visibly jitter in relief. The water was cool, and what little splashed back at James, he appreciated it too.

James repeated this motion a few times until Elliot was wet all over, and the whole time, Kurt stayed silent. James noted that Kurt wandered off to go pet some of the camels, but he eventually wandered back over after James had finished scrubbing Elliot and had moved on to brushing.

Kurt stopped by a tree and leaned on it, crossing his arms as he watched James.

"Yoen, right?" he asked.

James nodded.

"And Evelyn."

Another nod.

"Okay, okay. Just making sure I remembered the names. We don't have too many people coming through here, obviously, but I'm not always good at remembering names. Yoen. Evelyn. Got it."

James didn't have anything to say in reply, so he stayed silent, brushing through a piece of matted mane with a focused frown. Kurt kept talking.

"So how long have you and your wife been together?"

James's breath caught, and he had to look away to hide his widened eyes and muffle the clearing of his throat.

That was a big assumption on Kurt's part, wasn't it? On one hand, James wasn't necessarily surprised, but on the other hand, it was awkward. For him, at least.

"Well--" James began, finding his mind tripping into a compulsive-lying mode he hadn't had to use in a while. "Only a year."

He didn't have time to think through the lie before he was hit with another question.

"A year?" Kurt asked. "To the day?"

James laughed, but on the inside, he was practically screaming. "No," he said, shaking his head.

"I was going to say, that'd be a hell of a coincidence," Kurt commented.

"For sure."

"And a shame, that you spend your one-year anniversary stranded out in the desert, struggling like that. It looks like you two have been through quite a bit, huh," he went on. James wished he would go away, but at this point, he didn't know how to break up the conversation with him until he finished with Elliot.

So he subtly started brushing faster.

"You got hurt, didn't you?"

James looked over to Kurt with a strained smile. "Thieves. We were lucky we only lost our food."

Kurt's face creased with concern, but all James could read it as was annoying, even though logically, he could tell Kurt was probably a decent person just trying to empathize. James just wanted this to be over.

"I'm glad Evelyn didn't get hurt," he added, before brushing out through the last of Elliot's tail.

"Where did you guys meet? If you don't mind me asking?"

James did mind, but he was too deep now.

"Up north, in Letterra. Have you ever been?"

Kurt shook his head. "Been in the desert all my life."

"Well, take all the green you see here and multiply that by ten."

James could see Kurt trying to do the math on his face like he was trying hard to imagine it. Kurt nodded and hummed.

"What brought you two to the desert?"

"Inlaws," James said, hoping his intonation would give Kurt's imagination enough to run with.

"Ah," Kurt said with a nod, like he fully understood.

James started hanging up the shirt he used as a rag to try, throwing it over a tree branch. As for the saddle and everything else--

"You can leave it, if you want," Kurt said, like he was reading his thoughts. "We won't touch it. I know your horse needs to dry off. Shouldn't take too long in this heat, of course, but yeah."

"Thanks," James said with a nod, suddenly finding himself with nothing else to do. He looked down at the bucket on the ground. He picked it up and held it out to Kurt.

"Oh, you can leave it. I'll use it in a minute for the camels," he said, lifting up his hand and pushing the bucket away. James just set the bucket back down.

"Alright," James said. "Well--"

"I saw your wife head over that way," he said, pointing.

James couldn't really bring himself to focus on anything besides your wife, which echoed through his skull like a throbbing headache.

"Oh, looks like she's headed this way," Kurt said. Then, even though Evaline was still afar off, leaned in closer to James and put a hand on James's shoulder. James felt his entire body stiffen, and it took all of his willpower not to tear himself away, or slap Kurt's hand off of him. But it was admittedly hard. Now he had your wife running through his head and his body telling him he was in danger.

"I'm glad you guys were able to get some food," Kurt whispered. "She looks a little underfed, but you'll get plenty of full meals here."

James didn't have time to unpack all of that. Kurt pat James on the back, and James's eyes bulged just a little as a stinging pain resurfaced from the friction and the pressure against his already sweaty bandages and still-healing wounds.

"Me too," James answered weakly.

And by that time, Evaline was already within earshot.

"Hey Evelyn!" Kurt called out.

Evaline watched as James went off to brush Elliot, and suddenly she realized she had no idea what she was doing. She wasn't sure if James extended the invitation out to her, but he didn't seem to ask, and frankly, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to go. Her body was recovering from being nourished by all the food, but her mind was still playing catch up. She wouldn't mind to have at least a small amount of time by herself, awake and fed.

She started to aimlessly walk towards the other direction, closer to the creek that lazily zig-zagged across the oasis. It only took a minute to walk towards it, and she bent down to let the water flow through her fingers. She was beginning to get lost in thought, but then a voice squeaked behind her.

"Oh, there you are," a voice called, who Evaline recognized to be Liana. She turned around to look at her, and she was smiling and giving her a wave.

Liana appeared to be around her age, but maybe she was younger. It was hard to tell since Evaline had to tilt her head down to meet her eyes. Still, she looked quite strong, even with the bulky leather armor she was wearing. She had a bit of a mousy face, and her eyes constantly seemed to be squinted, although she couldn't tell if that was because of the sun or permanent suspicious with everyone. Her skin was dark and weathered, and her dark hair was cut short.

"Evelyn, right?" she said, extending her hand.

Evaline slowly stood up, barely remembering if it was her or James who introduced herself. She couldn't remember if she told him that she used Evelyn as an alias before, or if he thought about it on the spot. If it was the latter, she made a mental note to tell him he had a lot of creativity.

"That's right," she said back, shaking her hand.

Liana gripped and shook so hard, it hurt her fingers. Evaline tried not to grimace.

"I'm Liana. We didn't really talk much, but I wanted to let you know that the bath is available." She dropped her hand and shrugged. "We usually let the newcomers use it when they arrive. The oasis has natural hot springs, so I think you'll like it. Anyways, I was told to offer it to you and your husband first. Plus, you both could really use it. When was the last time you took a bath?" She bit back a laugh. "Don't answer that."

Evaline pretty much stopped paying attention after she said 'husband.' Her first thought was immediately: who was she talking about? But then it dawned of her that she had to be referencing James, and she stared at her, dead-eyed, feeling her face going hot at the thought.

It also reminded her that she had went through an embarrassingly long, extensive ramble about marriage and children to James, just last night. And that only made things worse.

Liana seemed to be expecting an answer, and Evaline opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

It was like her mind refused to cooperate after the mess of last night, so it decided to just say nothing.

Luckily, Liana kept pressing on, not phased by her silence.

"...Anyways, uh, yeah. It's this way." She gestured down a path to her side, pointing at the hut with steam coming out of the chimney. "It's that big hut over there. It's in the center of the oasis. Center...ish. It's the only hot spring, and it's not like it's giant, but it's big enough." She shrugged. "We'll supply all the materials. See you both in, let's say, five minutes?"

"I..." Evaline began. Her head was starting to hurt, and she could feel the anxiety returning now that her body was returning back into 'healthy mode' again. She sighed in defeat, not wanting to argue or talk about this anymore. "Sure. Okay. See you."

Liana gave her a forced smile and then turned her heels to walk away, and Evaline stared at her as she entered the bath hut.

Well, what now? She didn't challenge that specific assumption, and now she had a feeling that was going to haunt her. And it wasn't like she could just go up to James and announce that they should go to—

She couldn't even finish the thought.

It wasn't like she minded it. There was a time when she even undressed in front of him, but that was old history. And yes, they had bathed in the same body of water within earshot of one another, but a lake or river was not the same thing as hut where they'd probably be facing one another. She could imagine James completely losing it with this idea, and him losing it made her lose it. Plus, it just seemed... awkward now.

Honestly, Evaline wished Liana thought her 'husband' was some random man. She wouldn't have cared then. It was awkward, sure, but a different type of awkward.

She let out the biggest sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Yes, she was grateful for being fed, but this place was feeling more and more like a dream. It was almost laughable.

I'll just tell James to go first, she thought to herself, deciding to commit to the plan. Logically, it made sense because he was wounded and in pain. He probably wanted some time to himself to relax and take care of his body first.

Plus, she didn't really want to face Liana again. But she didn't really want to tell James that.

She headed back in the direction she came from and saw James exactly where he said he'd be: next to Elliot, washing him down. It was ironic now, knowing what she was going to ask him.

Someone else was next to him -- Kurt, if she remembered right -- and the both of them seemed to perk up even though she wasn't really close enough to be within earshot. Still, she was close enough to see how uncomfortable James looked, but this was mostly based on Kurt setting his hand on his shoulder like they were best pals.

Well, if he was looking for a reason to leave the conversation, Evaline had the perfect excuse. She hurried her pace a little bit, mostly because it felt weird that Kurt was glancing at her, and she felt obligated to react somehow.

She finally reached them and didn't bother to introduce herself into whatever conversation they might be having. Kurt called her name, but she didn't let him continue with whatever topic he wanted to bring up.

"Heeeey, Y...ooou," she began, already inwardly cringing. Did he introduce himself as Yoen? She couldn't remember, and she didn't want to risk it. She was looking right at James and opened her mouth to speak, but was already interrupted.

Not by James. By Kurt.

"Hey!" he said brightly, beaming like he was glad to be recognized. "How do you like it so far? Is the food good? And enough?"

His hand was still on James's back, and next to Kurt's smiling face was James, staring at her with the words 'please help me' written all over his eyes.

She looked at Kurt blankly for a second, wondering if she should answer him. For James's sake, she decided not to.

"Yeah, hey, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, looking only at James, and even grabbing his arm for extra measure so Kurt would get the hint.

"Oh," Kurt said as he let his hand drop from James's back, like he was understanding. Or so she thought. "Do you guys need, like... space?"

"Yes," Evaline said curtly. "Please."

She looked back at James and started to lightly pull him away.

But Kurt was incessant.

"I think I know a place that'll give you plenty of private space," he said quickly. "Did anyone tell you about the bath hut yet? Everyone that passes through here gets offered a chance to try it out. The oasis is thriving because of the natural hot springs, after all. Oh, you both would love it. There are lots of different soaps and bath salts and stuff, too. Do you know the way? Oh, I'll show you."

Evaline was... well, shocked to say the least. Did he read her mind? And also assumed that...? Or? What?

She dared to glance at James. He looked like he was trying very hard to conceal what was going on behind his eyes with a blank face and slightly-wider-than-normal eyes.

She had initially thought she was saving him from this conversation, but it appeared that she somehow made it worse.

Evaline cleared her throat in an attempt of clean slate. She tried so hard to look unfazed, and she wasn't sure if it was working.

"Yes, about that... I wanted to tell you..." she was once again only looking at James for extra emphasis that she was talking to him only, but at this point she wasn't sure if Kurt understood social cues, "...that Liana told me, and that you should go first... Alone."

James took in a breath and looked like he was about to reply, but Kurt didn't give him a chance.

"Oh, that's not necessary!" Kurt answered for him. "It's plenty big for the two of you. It's probably ready anyways, and couples always go first, so here, come on, follow me." He was already walking without waiting for their answer, but then stopped after a few steps. "Should I go back to my hut and grab those bath salts for you? They're scented vanilla and I think you'd both like it."

"I really don't think--" Evaline began.

"That's not necessary--" James started at the exact same time.

"Message received. Off we go to the baths then!" Kurt chirped, grabbing their hands and leading them away.

And suddenly the two of them were being yanked towards the bath. Evaline looked at James, unable to hide the 'I'm so sorry, this is terrifying, how did this happen' look. It was like she was looking into her own eyes when she met his eyes for a second, though.

The two of them stumbled along as Kurt led them to the bath hut. Right on cue, the door opened, and Liana stepped out.

"Oh, perfect timing," she said, not bothered by the fact that the two of them were being dragged by a man younger than them. She stepped off to the side, gesturing them in. "The bath's ready."

But then she gave Kurt a sour look, squinting at him. "Kurt, please don't go in with them. I'm not talking about you."

"I wasn't..." He sighed and let go. "Obviously," he said, letting go of their hands. "They didn't know how to get here, so I showed them the way."

"Yeah. Okay, sure," Liana said, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, Evelyn, Yoen. Go ahead." She gestured again inside, almost looking impatient because they had only been giving them still radio silence. "I'll knock when you should be wrapping up. We got a few more baths to prepare today, but you'll have plenty of time."

Well, Evaline wasn't just going to walk in there like everything was okay with the world.

"Well?" Liana said, getting impatient.

"Guys?" Kurt peeped, then poked them. The poke then turned to a push, and Evaline stumbled forward in the room with James following behind her.

"Okay, great, see you in an hour," Liana said, closing the door behind her.

Through the door, it wasn't hard to overhear the hushed voices of Liana and Kurt outside.

"Okay, what did you say? Clearly something upset them," came Liana's voice.

"I didn't say anything!" Kurt hissed defensively. "What did you say? You're the bossy one!"

"I literally only talked to Evelyn and told her to take her husband over to the bath. Why are you even here? Why does this ALWAYS happen?"

"I was just trying to help!" Kurt said, still on the defense. "They seemed a little stiff. I didn't even know you talked to her already."

There was a pause.

"I think they might have had an argument...?" Kurt whispered.

"Huh? you think so? that would explain Evelyn being so silent, but I figured she was shy, maybe didn't like my jokes."

"No one likes your jokes, Liana."

"Shut up, Kurt, no one asked you."

As awkward as that conversation was, it was nice that she didn't have to immediately face James. But then Kurt and Liana seemed to walk away, and they were faced with only the white noise of the steam in the room.

Evaline grimaced and tightly closed her eyes before sighing and trying to look normal and casual, turning around to face James.

"So."

That was it. That was all she could manage to get out, and the embarrassment was getting to be too much.

Luckily, they had the steam to blame for the heat rising to their faces.

James wasn't sure if his face was burning from that whole interaction or if it was the hot steam of the room. He looked to the right, where he saw the round tub, the steaming water, and the candles lit around the edges. Liana seemed to have gone a step ahead of Kurt, and she'd lit some incense, and the smoke only mixed with the rest of the steam in the air, filling it with the sweet aroma of chamomile.

His stomach started doing flips, and he began to doubt how much of it was because of anxiety or having a full stomach for the first time in... oh, he didn't know how long.

He just knew he didn't feel so good.

There were two wooden benches lined against the wall on either side of the front door, and James plopped down on one of them, taking in a deep breath. He didn't look directly at Evaline as he leaned his head against the wall.

"They think we're married," he said, deadpan, trying not to let any of the chaotic mess of emotions swimming in his stomach leak out.

Evaline tried to ignore the fact that the room was painfully set up to be romantic. Combined with the fact that people assumed they were married, and that was why they were here, together...

The steam was getting to her head. It felt so hot in here.

She couldn't lose it, though. She had to keep her cool. Like James was. Even though she knew he wasn't.

She followed his lead and sat on the bench across from him, crossing her arms and sloppily leaning back.

"Funny how this happened after I talked about this last night," she dead-panned back, then immediately regreted her words because of the ambiguous 'this.'

She didn't, she didn't... she DIDN'T talk about the possibility of them being married. Just the concept of marriage. James will pick that up, though.

Right? Right.

Right?!

James nodded slowly. She'd talked about marriage. And she had barely hinted at them being "compatible" by earth standards, but nothing like this.

"Life if just full of irony, isn't it."

"Ahah, yup, full of irony, alright," Evaline said with a nervous laugh.

She had no idea what to say next, and even the smallest of silences were unnerving.

This was getting to be too much. Her fingers lightly tapped rapidly on her arm to let out the growing anxiety that there was even a brief silence between them.

James took in a slow, deep breath. He decided to push aside all of the relational implications, real or otherwise, and think practically.

They had a bath. It was nice. They had an hour. They might as well use it.

He sat up straight.

"Well... it would be nice to get clean," he said, looking to the bath. "And who knows when we'll get a chance like this again. We shouldn't waste it."

His eyes scanned the room again, spotting two bars of soap stacked on top of each other by a candle.

"Do you want to take turns...?"

James was appealing to logic, and Evaline decided to play along.

She looked over at the bath. It was decently big. They could both stay on one end of the bath and still have plenty of space for themselves.

She tried to lay out all the facts.

"We could. It's also a pretty big bath, and we are limited by one hour, including drying. And we don't have to fully undress. But we could also just take turns, too, if you wanted to do that," she said with a steady voice.

What did he want to do?

This only felt weird because James was weird with this stuff.

James looked back at Evaline, carefully managing the mix of panic, uncertainty, and nearly everything else that was buzzing louder and louder in his mind.

It was just a bath. They didn't have to fully undress. They did have to take into account drying time, and it would be nice to not rush through bathing and just get to sit for a minute. Was he worried about seeing her? Being seen? She'd already seen what he looked like (though the first time was without his consent, and while he forgave her, he couldn't lie that he still felt uncomfortable when it came to mind).

He tried weighing their options. They had limited time, and while perhaps the most modest choice would be to take turns, the most practical choice would be to just both go at the same time.

It really wasn't the end of the world. It would be fine. It was just a bath.

It just didn't help that he had Kurt's stupid voice in his head still, saying your wife.

All of those thoughts followed in rapid succession, and there was only a few seconds of pause before James slowly nodded.

"That... would be a better use of our time," he admitted. "Partially undressing, I mean. If you didn't mind doing that."

He meant more as in, if she wanted to fully undress and bathe thoroughly, but he realized it sounded like he was asking if she didn't mind undressing in general, and, well... they both knew the answer to that.