Far From Home

"That's fine," James said, still watching Bubby rest.

He didn't know how long he'd be stuck on earth, but in his gut, he had a feeling it might be a very long time. With no note, and no direction, and no explanation, for all he knew, it could be forever.

He had time to take care of a little bird. At least, for a few weeks or months, it might give him even the smallest sense of purpose.

"It'll be worth the wait."

Evaline tore her gaze away from the bird and watched the water slowly heat up over the fire. Little bubbles were forming at the top, but it hadn't quite reached a boiling point yet.

It was admirable that James would dedicate so much time and energy for a small bird. Most people she knew would likely shrug it off since the animal was fairly insignificant in nature, especially by itself.

"You've always had a lot of patience," she said after a pause. "That hasn't changed, either."

James's eyes flicked over to her, but he didn't meet her eyes, as he worried she might be able to perceive the sadness behind his eyes.

"I guess so," James said, looking down into the fire.

He didn't want to argue with her.

"I'm sure you're still the better cook... and tea-maker."

Evaline glanced at James, letting out an amused scoff.

"I'm really not that great of a cook," she said with a playful smile. "I just have standards."

James fought back a smirk, still looking into the fire.

"Wouldn't know what that's like," he said.

"Yeah, I know," Evaline said casually, following his stare and also looking over the fire. "You don't need to remind me."

James raised his eyebrows, and slowly looked over to her. He wasn't going to say it. He wasn't going to take a dig at her remembering that, but not everything else. But he knew he could.

"So I'm assuming you don't want me to cook at any point in this trip, then."

Evaline noticed the water just starting to boil, so she took the pot away from the fire and set it on the ground, preparing to pour it in the mug.

"Believe it or not, I've fallen into a predictable routine," she said as she slowly poured the water in the mug. "I spend one day out of the week to prepare my meals to last the whole week. I didn't anticipate traveling with someone else, so my meals are running low, but that's why we foraged."

Holding the mug full of hot orangey water, Evaline carefully scooted her way closer to James, reaching over to hand it to him. She smiled lightly as she did.

"Maybe if we travel again, I'll see how you fare on my meal prep day."

James scoffed. "Well, I'll do just fine if you give me instructions, but don't expect me to make anything great from scratch."

"Fair enough," she said as she held the tea mug out for him to take. "Here's your tea, by the way. All I did was boil water with an herb. Now you have the instructions to be a master tea maker too."

James took the mug with a nod, and he flashed her a polite smile, though he heart really wasn’t in it.

“Thank you,” he said, holding the cup in front of his face. It was still boiling hot, so he was going to wait a few minutes for it to cool.

“I suppose you won’t be having any.”

Evaline smiled back, but it felt strained.

"No," she said, but then looked at the leftover tea in thought. She didn't want to fall asleep again, but she did like how easily the root relaxed her.

"Well... maybe a little bit."

She only had one mug, but she reached over and took her metal canteen out, noting how it had just the right amount of water for a diluted drink. Carefully, she poured some of the water from the pot to the canteen, being careful to not spill, especially since the water was hot.

"Sorry if it's a little bitter," she said as she set the pot aside again and held the canteen in her hands. "I've grown used to it at this point."

“You know me,” he said with a slight grin. “Low standards. I’m sure it’s perfect.”

Evaline smiled in amusement. "Right," she said as she placed the edge of the canteen opening to her lips. She took a quick sip, knowing it was at the right temperature since she diluted it with cool water.

"Five years, and you really haven't changed how you cooked at all?" she said afterwards to him, smile still on her face.

James huffed with a puff of air through his nose, and it was just enough to offset the stream of steam floating up from the hot cup of tea for a moment. He looked down into the cup.

“When I have more resources, I do more,” he said simply. “When I have less, I do less. I don’t think anything I make is very good, but I think, now, I know enough to make something decent. So, sure. I’ve improved a little. When I can, I season food. If I have anything to season with. But I’m so used to living just... bare bones. I don’t know. I guess I still don’t care that much about taste if it’s only me who’s eating it.”