Young Writers Society

Evaline couldn't help but grin. "Okay then," she said as she pulled the book to her lap. Suddenly she found herself looking up between James and the book.

"Did you want to start now? Or... later? Unless you're tired?"

James sat up a little straighter and scooted a fraction closer to Evaline, looking as attentive as he could. He gave her an innocent little grin.

“Now’s good.”

"Okay then, we'll start with this one since you haven't heard of it anyways, and plus I'm dying to know what your thoughts are on the drama of the first twenty pages," Evaline said as she smiled. But then the smile washed away with a fake look of seriousness as she turned to the first page and sat up straight, flicking her eyes back between the book and James before she started to read.

James grabbed one of the pillows off the bed and held it in his lap, using it as a minor support as he slouched forward slightly and listened to Evaline read.

The story started out with a woman named Emily and her husband Morren. They were traveling by wagon through the rolling hills of Lettera to a new settlement where they were hoping to start a new life together. They'd met and married in the city of Gulagen, so moving away from their family was intimidating, but they were excited to do it together.

The first few pages seemed to lack a lot of conflict. There were worries and concerns about the future, but it was clear that Emily and Morren were a strong support for one another and got along very well.

It didn't look like she was aware of it, but any time there was a dialogue line, Evaline would use a different tone and voice. Her voice would be a bit more airy any time Emily talked, and it would be deeper when Morren or another man talked. It was subtle and nothing drastic, but it was enough that James was able to differentiate between the two voices. It was a nice touch, and he thought it was cute.

Evaline sometimes flicked her eyes over to James any time there was a long pause in the story, but for the most part, she kept focused on reading. She was so focused, that she also probably didn't notice that she became much more expressive reading than she was in normal conversation. James felt a little torn between focusing on the story and just watching her read. He ended up doing a little bit of both.

Things took a turn on what he presumed was page twenty. One early morning, when Morren was out checking the traps they'd set the night prior, a wolf spooked his horse. The horse ran, out of control, and unable to be calmed down. Morren held on tight, but when the horse reared up as another wolf jumped out of nowhere, Morren flew out of the saddle, and when he hit the ground, his head struck a rock.

He didn't get up after that. The wolves chased the horse further into the forest, and Emily didn't discover him until later. She'd been making breakfast for him back at the camp, but when he didn't return for some time... she went out, only to find his dead body waiting for her.

Evaline then stopped reading and set the book down. Her subconscious expression of grief melted away, and despite the sudden tragic events of the story, she looked up at him with an amused look.

"This story is needlessly dramatic," she commented.

James met her eyes with a small grin. "I'm sure that's not the end of it, either," he said. "More drama to come."

"I can't wait to see who will die next," she said plainly as she smirked and looked back down at the pages.

"Considering the cast is only two characters so far, it would be a shame if it was Emily," James replied.

"Well, the title is Loves Comes Gently. I assume it's not love directed towards herself or a dead man."

"That would certainly subvert our expectations, wouldn't it."

"I'm calling it now. She meets someone else in the next ten pages."

"Maybe the story switches to the horse's point of view, and the horse falls in love instead," James joked.

Evaline looked at him for a second with bewilderment, but then let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah, okay," she said, shaking her head as the laugh faded. She brought her knee up and leaned the book against it, continuing to read.

James held the pillow a little closer, resting his cheek on it as he continued to listen to Evaline read.

Emily was left without a horse and a husband, alone on a lightly-traveled road with a fully stocked wagon and nowhere to go. Grief-ridden, she didn't leave the covered wagon for two days, until she was found by a traveller passing through who offered to give her a ride to the nearest town.

Most of Emily's interactions were pretty sad after that, and there wasn't really any humor inserted into the story to lighten the mood. Eventually, though, a man did get introduced, and it was immediately apparent that he would be the new love interest - or at least, something like it.

His name was Luke, and he was a widower, she was a widow. Could they have made it any more obvious?

When it became obvious that Luke was Emily's new love interest, Evaline stopped again and put the book down. She wore a smug grin.

"Nine pages," she said. "I was close."

"Your powers of deduction are unmatched," James said with a little smirk.

"Thanks. I'll be able to put these skills to good use, somehow."

She then continued on.

It seemed that Luke and Emily came to an agreement. They were going to get married, but it wasn't because of love. Luke had a daughter and a farm and was struggling to keep it up and parent all by himself. Emily had no place to go and nothing left to her name. James might've argued that Emily had other options, but it was a book. You couldn't argue with a book. At least Luke seemed like a good character. He was kind and understanding, and didn't seem to push anything on her at least.

His daughter, Hallie, was a character though. Angry, still grieving the loss of her own mother, and wanted nothing to do with Emily. The feelings were mutual. Emily was also still very much a city girl with no experience working on a farm, and Hallie was having to teach her things. It ended up being mildly comical at some points, but there were still undertones of sadness.

Slowly, Emily started warming up to Luke and Hallie, and they started warming up to her. It was a bit frustrating at times, but understandable, when it felt like for every two steps forward they'd take one step back, but they were steadily starting to seem more like a family than people bound together by obligation and practical needs.

Evaline eventually got to a part where it became obvious that Emily and Luke showed affection towards one another. It was subtle, at first. But it became hard to ignore when Emily's inner monologue started to view Luke more and more like family, like an actual husband with a daughter, even though they were both widows. Perhaps they missed companionship while greiving their loss.

Evaline put down the book again at the end of the chapter after she finished a long dialogue scene of the two characters sharing their favorite memories of their spouse together.

"This seems forced," she said through a pained expression.

"The author really wants them to get together," James commented. "Or so it seems, anyway."

"It's just confusing," she murmured. "I feel like I'm reading some dramatic tragedy instead."

"Is that not what it is?" James countered.

She pursed her lips in thought. "I guess I just assumed all books in this genre are all sappy and unrealitically over-the-top."

"It kind of is over-the-top," James said. "Just in a different way."

"Yeah. You're right." She looked down at the book again, but stole another glance at him. "Such an expert on this, aren't you?"

"Not an expert," he said with a little shrug. "I've just read a lot of stories."

Evaline smiled in amusement, lingering her gaze for a few moments before reading on.

A few things happened that seemed to draw Emily and Luke closer together, and Hallie as well. They faced some hardships with the farm. Torrential rainstorms, bad weather, a rough harvest - hardships that forced them to work together and be there for each other. But there were smaller moments where Emily was able to talk with Hallie and bond a little. A snake got into the house, and Luke killed it for Emily. Luke got hurt and Emily had to nurse him. Things of that nature.

Enough events and time have passed that Emily became comfortable and it became clear that she didn't mind this new temporary life, but it hung in the air that as soon as a caravan came by in the spring (to take travelers back to the main city), it was still expected for her to continue on her journey by herself. Her inner monologue kept mentioning how she wondered what Luke and Hallie thought about her inevitable departure, but she didn't ever mention it to him.

There were a lot of things left unsaid, but it seemed like, maybe, it was for the best. They both clearly had affection for one another, but they were also both still grieving, and it was clear that neither Emily nor Luke had fully processed the death of their late spouse.

After Emily once again mentioned this idea in her inner monogloue, Evaline groaned midway through the paragraph and set the book down again.

"This is so frustrating, I just need a minute," she mumbled.

"Because she's probably going to leave?" he asked. "Or because they're not communicating?"

"Because they're not communicating," she said. "It's so annoying have to read her repeatedly wonder what Luke and Hallie thinks, and she never asks. Just assumes nothing has changed."

"It's a shame the point of view never changes," James said. "Seems we'll never know."

"Yeah, I guess so," she murmured as she leafed through the rest of the pages with her thumb. If he had to guess, they only had twenty more pages to go. They were nearing the end. "Maybe that's the premise or lesson of the book."

"I don't know if authors always write with the intention of teaching a lesson, but that's definitely something you could take away from it," James said, watching Evaline's face.

Evaline appeared to be in thought, but then decided to continue reading without another comment.

The story ended a bit predictably.

Emily left on the caravan. Luke rode his horse up beside the wagon as a last-minute effort to try and stop her. Asked her to come back. Told her that he loved her.

James wondered if Evaline was relieved that now, after months of not talking about it, they were forced to discuss it (just in the most dramatic way).

Emily eventually told Luke that she didn't feel the same, and they parted with a painful goodbye.

And then the book ended with no follow up to what happened to them after that.

Evaline stared at the last page, and although she flipped back and forth between the pages, it was clear there was nothing else to read. She slowly closed the book and set it on her lap.

"Well, that felt rushed," she said flatly, staring at the cover.

"Quite a sad ending," James commented. "Not your typical romance novel."

"Is it romance?" she asked weakly. "Seems like a tragedy to me."

"Can't it be both?" James asked, tilting his head to the side. "Tragic romance."

Evaline set the book to the side, leaning her head against her knee as she finally looked up at him. "Maybe. I guess I've never put the two together."

"I guess there's a first for everything," James said, grinning a little as her cheek squished against her knee.

She noticed the grin and squinted at him. "What is it?" she asked.

James cupped his cheeks with his hands and squished them, tilting his head to the side.

"You look like this," he said with a suppressed smile.

Evaline looked at him, almost pouting, but trying to look unamused. She put her knee down and sat up straight. "No, I don't," she said stubbornly.

"You should ask for a mirror if they have one," James said, still suppressing a smile. "Then I could prove it to you."

"Why don't you ask for a mirror?" she said back, even more defiant, and not proving her case at all.

"And they would probably give it to me, too," James said, putting his hand on his chest and smugly grinning, closing his eyes. "Because I have sick privilege."

"Oh right, I forgot," Evaline said nonchalantly, relaxing her posture as she now returned the smug look. "You can't think straight. I'll have to just silently agree to your opinions in the name of sick privilege."

James scoffed, adjusting the pillow in his lap and leaning his elbows on it.

"Hey, just because I'm sick doesn't mean I can't think," James countered. "And I don't need to be babied."

She smirked and laughed through her nose. "Are you sure you don't need me to spoon feed you again?" she teased. "I didn't the first time, and you got jam all over your face, and I had to clean it off you. Almost like a baby."

James narrowed his eyes at her. "...First of all, you can't eat bread with a spoon."

He pointed his finger at her like he was counting his points. He then pointed with two.

"Second of all, I don't remember that, so by sick logic, it didn't happen."

"Ah, see, that was a test," she quickly countered. "You remembered that you ate bread, but not that you had jam all over your face. Seems like your memory of that night is real jumbled up."

James's gaze flicked to the floor. "I mean, it is, but -- like, I remember my fingers feeling sticky but I didn't know why at first."

He lifted his hands and wiggled his fingers for a moment before returning his hands to hugging the pillow in his lap.

"If it's any consolation," Evaline began slowly, "I tried to clean it before you slept, but apparently, jam kept appearing in places I didn't see."

"That..." James kept his mouth slightly agape as he squinted at her again. "I cannot explain that because I don't remember that. But I'm sorry I was making such a mess. I know everything was spinning for me for a while, so I imagine that played a part in my lack of coordination."

The smugness and playfulness washed away as she smiled at him gently. "It's okay, I was just teasing you. You don't have to apologize." She paused for a second. "Unless you want to, because I know you want to, so in that case, I'll accept it anyway. Even though I didn't mind it at all."

It was a simple statement, but it seemed to make his mind slow down, repeating her words over and over again in his head to try to understand them. To make sure he heard it right, knowing that she meant it, but struggling to let it sink in.

He felt his stomach suddenly doing flips.

"Oh," he said softly, looking down. "Thanks, then."

"You're welcome," she simply said with a smile, then relaxed her posture, leaning back with her arms. "Speaking of which, are you hungry?"

"Now that you've mentioned food I am," James answered.

"Perfect, because I am too." She got up on her feet and stretched. "I'll be right back, then. I'll get you something warm. Or whatever they have, really."

James nodded. "I will eat anything."

"Right, what's that phrase," she thought out loud with her hand on the tent flap. She turned around to flash him a grin. "So hungry you'd eat a horse?"

James laughed, and it came out a lot louder than he anticipated, and he slapped his hands over his mouth, surprised by the sound he made.

Evaline seemed to linger her gaze at him a little longer, her face softening a bit as she watched the laugh fade away, even if he covered his mouth.

"Okay, I'll be back," she finally said, and then left the tent.

The rest of the night went by pretty uneventfully. After Evaline returned to the tent, she passed the food over to James, and they continued to chat while eating. She always enjoyed their conversations, but it was nice to have a topic-centered discussion about a thought-provoking experience they both shared, namely the book. But eventually, night fell, and James was already asleep. She stayed up a little later to clean things up and pass the time journaling, but eventually she blew out the candle and went to sleep too, still providing space between the two of them on the bed.

Compared to the rest of their time together, it was a pretty surreal day. It wasn't one she would forget any time soon, and likely, ever.

The next few days seemed to fall into a routine. She'd get up, rebandage any of his wounds if needed, and provide water and food for him. It was nice seeing him get a little better, day by day. Still, with each passing day, it was expected of her to do various chores throughout the oasis.

And that was how she found herself replaying the moment of sitting around the outdoor kitchen again with children all around her. Except this time, James wasn't with her, and Mikel was off getting supplies. Luckily, however, all the kids seemed to be nicer to her despite the chaos of their last interaction. It may have had something to do with Edna being within their vicinity. Still, she was grateful that they were sitting or standing around her, either disinterested in her, or a little too interested, asking random and brash questions.

Tabitha and Lenora inched their way towards Evaline, looking like they were putting on innocent little smiles to mask an underlying mischievousness. Evaline braced herself for whatever they were going to say or do. Tabitha ended up plopping down at Evaline's feet and Lenora followed suit, sitting on the other side. They both looked up at her.

"How did Yoen get sick?" Lenora asked. It seemed like an innocuous question.

Something told her that she was going to be interrogated by a child for quite some time. Evaline sighed, deciding to not think about her answers. "He ate soup too fast," she said plainly.

"If I eat soup too fast I just fart a lot!" Zachary commented from closer to the fire. He laughed devilishly as all of his siblings seemed to say "eww" in unison. She could tell by their expressions that Zachary wasn't lying.

"Soup doesn't make you sick," Tabitha countered. "It's supposed to make you better! That's what daddy always says."

"He was probably sick before he had the soup," Lenora said with an eyeroll. "How sick is he? Is he going to die?"

As Lenora asked the question, Archie started to approach her. Tabitha and Lenora seemed to back away and Archie grabbed Evaline's knees and started crawling up into her lap with a small pout.

She didn't really have the energy to fight it, and plus, Archie didn't seem fussy. She lifted him a little so that he'd be straddled on her lap. He leaned into her chest and hugged her and seemed to settle in that position.

"If he is going to die," she said carefully with a neutral voice, "then you kids better be very, very nice to him."

Archie spoke up. "Yoen died?" He sounded like he could break into tears at any moment.

She leaned forward to whisper in his ear so that the others wouldn't hear. "No, he's in the tent, and he loved your gift to him," she said.

That seemed to cheer Archie up very quickly. He smiled a little and hugged her tighter. She tensed a little, but then relaxed after a few seconds.

"If he dies, will he be buried at the oasis?" Zachary asked, drawing nearer.

"Great question," Evaline said, and it was so hard to repress any smile.

"What will his tombstone say?" Tabitha asked.

"I'm thinking 'Death by Soup'," Evaline mused out loud.

"I was thinking: Here lies hairy man," Lenora said.

"While he's still alive, I'll run both these options by him and let him decide which he prefers."

Lenora narrowed her eyes. "If he does die, will you marry someone else? Will they be hairy too?"

The question made her want to laugh, mainly because it came from a child. And, well, things were different now. Also, it was surprisingly amusing to talk to them without being serious at all. She couldn't decide whether she wished James were here to experience this or not.

"Maybe if they're just as good looking," she said still with expression, patting Archie's back.

"What do you even like about him?" Tabitha blurted.

She tried to think about what she was like at her age. Evaline always had a lot of male friends, so maybe she was just an outlier, but it didn't mean she didn't get peeved at boys at the time. She tried to channel that energy before answering.

"Oh, he's just so handsome," she said with a fake smile. "I'm sure you can understand how charming boys are. You just want to be around them all the time. What's not to like?"

Tabitha looked back at her two older brothers. "Stinky farts," she said, sticking her tongue out at Zachary. Zachary stuck out his tongue back, spitting.

"Ugh," Lenora rolled her eyes again. "Whatever."

Lenora turned away from Zach and Benji, who now were teasing Tabitha by sticking out their tongues and making faces at her.

"Is Yoen nice to you though?" she asked. "Mama said it doesn't matter how pretty someone is if they can't be nice."

"Of course," Evaline said back, now ruffling Archie's hair. "Being pretty is only a bonus. You should only be with nice people."

Lenora looked like she took a moment to think that over, like she was stowing that away in the back of her mind. Then her expression shifted, and she grinned with teasing eyes.

"Is he a good KISSER?"

She said the last word loudly, disrupting the teasing behind her and making her brothers twist their faces of disgust.

"Lenoraaaa," Benji whined. Lenora didn't even look at him, but kept her expectant eyes on Evaline.

The brashness an level of noise of that question made it hard to suppress Evaline's distaste of this. But she quickly upturned her lips, even though the smile looked very forced.

"I'll let you use your imagination," she simply said.

"Gross!" Benji said.

"Why'd you even ask that Lenora?" Zach whined.

"I was only wondering!" Lenora said indignantly with her arms folded across her chest.

"I have another question," Tabitha said, looking up at Evaline.

"If it's about kissing--" Benji started.

"IT'S NOT ABOUT KISSING!" Tabitha shouted, huffing. She then composed herself and looked back at Evaline.

"Does Yoen snore?" Tabitha asked. "Daddy snores a lot and it's loud."

Zachary started imitating a snore in the background, like a snorting pig.

"Not really," Evaline said, finding herself tightly pressing her lips together to suppress a dumb giggle from watching an eight-year old imitate the snore. "Just breathes loudly."

Evaline watched as Tabitha's face became pained with confusion. "Breathing... loudly?" she muttered to herself.

At that moment, Ferdinand, who had previously been running in circles around the fire, racing nobody, came to a skidding halt and rolled over to his sisters.

"How fast can he run?" he asked, sounding a little out of breath.

"He used to be able to run very fast, but he hasn't been keeping up with his exercises," she said after a brief pause.

"That's because he's dying," Lenora explained to Ferdinand. It didn't seem to register.

"How strong is he?" Ferdinand asked.

"He also used to be very strong," Evaline continued on. "Until he stopped lifting weights."

Ferdinand looked disappointed. "Can he... can he do a flip?"

"Daddy can't even do a flip," Lenora said, as if they were comparing James to their father. They probably were.

"Not a flip," Evaline said as she shook her head. "But he used to be able to do the splits. Until, you know, he stopped stretching."

"Because he's dying," Lenora said again.

"Did he stop moving when he started dying?" Tabitha asked.

Evaline paused to think, then briskly nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

Tabitha sighed, and leaned against Evaline's legs. Nellie - who had previously been sitting in Edna's lap, across the fire, seemed to get jealous of all the attention all of the other kids were getting, and she wandered over and squeezed between her two other sisters, also sitting at Evaline's feet.

"We were just asking Evelyn if Yoen was part monkey," Lenora said.

"Monkey man," Nellie giggled.

"He might be," she said without thinking, lifting Archie up a little as he started to droop. "He can climb trees insanely fast."

That seemed to make Ferdinand perk up. He scurried away to Edna, though, without a word.

"That's not that impressive," Lenora said. "Benji can do that too."

"I am also part monkey," Benji said, deadpan.

"No you're not!" Lenora drawled back at him.

"HOO HOO HA HA!" was Benji's response. Edna scolded him and told them to quiet down. Benji visibly shrunk.

"Sorry grandma," Benji said, waving at her weakly.

"Would you ever ask him to shave?" Lenora asked. "Do you even know what his face looks like?" She gestured around her chin, miming a beard.

"I might ask him to shave if I think he needs a new look," Evaline responded, with Benji's monkey noises still echoing in her head. "I haven't seen him without a beard, though."

Lenora's eyes widened as if she came to a sudden realization.

"Is he that hairy all over?" she asked with a look of disgust.

"He is part monkey, isn't he?" Evaline said back with a smirk.

"Eugh." Was Lenora's only reply. She shivered and shook her head.

"If I was hairy," Nellie said. "I would be warm."

"That's what clothes are for," Lenora said like she was correcting her.

"But soft! Like a bunny," was Nellie's counterargument.

"That's not how it works," Lenora replied.

Nellie frowned. "I want to be bunny," she said.

"No you don't," Lenora countered.

Nellie hugged Evaline's legs. "Evevl... Evin..."

"Evelyn," Evaline finished for her, saying the word slowly.

"Eleven would you be a bunny? If you could?" Nellie asked.

Eh. It was close enough.

"I rather like being human," she said.

Nellie hummed.

"Thank you," Lenora said, like Evaline had proven her point. Then she stood up and picked up Nellie, prying her off Evaline's legs. "Bedtime's soon. You need to get back to mama."

Nellie whined but didn't fight it. Tabitha got up begrudgingly, looking back at Evaline wistfully, before trudging after her sister. Benji grabbed Ferdinand from Edna and Zachary came over, looking down at Archie in Evaline's lap. Archie was asleep.

"It's weird that he likes you guys so much," Zachary said. "I don't know why."

Evaline looked down at Archie, realizing for the first time that he truly was asleep. She honestly also didn't know why Archie liked her. She barely talked or interacted with him. Considering their only conversation was about James, she was starting to think that he only liked her by association.

"I'm not sure either," she said with a small smile, watching his sleeping face. "I guess he just likes to be held."

Zachary laughed at that. "That's for sure." He then reached down and picked Archie up out of Evaline's lap, heaving the boy into his arms. "Okay, bedtime," he said, carrying his brother off towards Mikel and Gabby's hut, following after his siblings.

Evaline watched them all trot off, and she slowly stood up to stretch her back from sitting on the log for too long. For the first time, she felt like she actually fared okay with not only a child, but many children. It was kind of a strange experience, but she could see why James would miss these kinds of interactions.

Evaline was out for the day. Sasha or Liana - someone, he couldn't quite remember - had pulled her away to help with something, and said she wouldn't be back until later. Because Evaline would be busy, Edna was going to check on him periodically, which he didn't exactly mind, but he also hadn't really talked to her much while in a very coherent state, so he didn't really know what to think of her.

Evaline spoke well enough of her, but James couldn't help but have mixed feelings. It was three times now that someone had seen all of the bandages, and while he was fine, now, with Evaline, he couldn't change the fact that it didn't sit well.

He decided to read Love Comes Gently again to ease some of his anxiety. He didn't want to read the other book, since Evaline and him were still working through it. It was longer, and he didn't want to get ahead without her knowing. But since he already knew what happened in the tragedy, it only served as a distraction.

When he saw a shadow at the front of the tent out of the corner of his eye, he quickly closed the book and set it aside. He didn't know why that was his automatic reaction. He wanted to blame it on nervousness, or the fever that kept coming back, but he didn't have time to think through what else was going on in his head as Edna poked her head through the tent's flap.

"Yoen?" she asked. She scanned the tent until her eyes landed on him. He sat awkwardly on his bed, trying to avoid eye contact and failing. She smiled warmly. "Is now a good time? I brought food and hot tea."

James nodded. "Oh, sure. Thank you, Edna."

She walked in, carrying a tray that carefully balanced a plate full of food and a large teacup.

"How are you feeling? Better, I presume?" she asked as she set the tray on the table.

James knew it was a simple question, but found it difficult to answer. Was she referring to his sickness? His wounds? His overall state of being?

"A little," he said simply. It was day three, and while he was getting plenty of rest and food, he didn't feel like his mind was all there, and things still hurt. But he'd been hurting for a long time, so that wasn't new.

Edna nodded and came up beside his bed, pulling up the chair that Evaline usually sat in. She carefully set the tray down on the bed in front of him.

"Not so talkative today, are you?" Edna said with a small, teasing sort of smile.

James nodded. He was glad he wearing a shirt, and his bandages were covered. It made for a very thin metaphorical kind of armor.

"Are you hungry?" she asked in the silence that followed. "I brought extra food from the leftover lunch I made for the kids. Some rice, beans, and flatbread. I know it'd be easy to digest."

James offered her a weak smile and lifted the cloth off of the plate on the tray, seeing all the foods she'd listed. It was more than he felt he could stomach, but-

"I'll eat as much as I can," he said, taking a piece of bread and a spoon, scooping some rice and beans to fold into it.

"Good," Edna said with a warm smile. "I also left some fruit near the tea that you can have later. It's important that you eat a wide variety of vitamins and minerals."

James flashed a smile again and nodded. "I trust your word," he said. Though it wasn't a blanket statement. That was just about the food.

She looked around the tent for a few seconds as he started to eat. "Last time I was here, it was poorly lit. It was a bit difficult to see, but Evelyn was a great helper." Her gaze fell back to him. "Do you remember that night? I know you were in a feverish state."

James finished chewing, glad he had some kind of distraction to help disguise the embarassment that came flooding in. After he swallowed the food down a little too soon and a little too hard.

"I don't remember much," he admitted. "Bits and pieces, really."

Edna nodded in understanding. "That's understandable," she said. "You were in pain, and you've lost quite a bit of blood. There are only a few moments worth mentioning." She paused in thought for a second. "I assume you don't remember my story about my late husband, John?"

James was mid-mouthful of another bite of food. He stared at her blankly for a moment and shook his head.

"I was telling Evelyn this when I first came in," she continued to explain. "I think you should remember it, too." She nodded to herself and then started to spill.

"You two reminds me a lot of myself and John in our younger days, you know. I was a nurse in my home village. I'm originally from the Moonlight Kingdom, you know, and I had to flee my village when goblins ran through it... I went back many years ago. Everything was burned to the ground. I could've gone to the capitol, but I didn't have any family. It was actually very foolish, looking back on it, for me to go running off towards the outlands by myself. Granted, back then, the Outlands didn't have quite the same reputation it has today. I think in the last thirty or so years things have gotten worse..."

She seemed to pause in thought, like she was reflecting. James couldn't find words to say. He knew the fake story that Evaline and him had created in their heads. He knew the story Edna knew - only a partial truth. But there was a very human need to empathize, having come from similar circumstances, even if they were from different generations. To keep himself from saying anything self-incriminating, he focused on eating and let her pick up the conversation where she left off.

"I got lucky, when I met John. I was still a bit frazzled at the time, and still in shock. He was able to keep a level enough head about him to realize where I'd come from, and he had the decency to sit with me and wait, and talk me through it. He went out of his way to be respectful and give me space..."

She looked off into the tent with a wistful, almost dreamy expression.

"He was a good man. I think he learned how to be one after all the things he went through."

Her eyes flicked back to James, and she watched him take another bite. Like she was checking to make sure he was still eating. Or something else he couldn't quite read.

"He was a criminal too," she said. "Like yourself. But he really changed by the time we met. He'd been on the run for a while and plenty of time to reflect and realize the errors of his ways. Suffering had humbled him. It humbled us both, really."

James didn't look up at her. He was forcing himself to be invested in the food in front of him. He didn't think any of his commentary would be helpful, and frankly, he didn't feel like faking a reply. Being ingenuine was a chore, and while he could do it, he was tired. For now.

"That said, his criminal past... did admittedly come in handy," Edna said, looking down at the ground. "I was never much the fighting type, but he taught me a few things. He could be a little brutish sometimes, but only with people who tried to intimidate or threaten us."

He glanced up at her, suddenly meeting her eyes. He didn't like that it felt like she was assessing him and his reactions. He was careful to keep as neutral of an appearance as possible.

"I know Kurt mentioned you two ran into thieves," Edna said, her eyes flicking to his side. The one she'd stitched up. James only nodded.

There was a silence that passed between them, and James could feel the tension.

"John used to be a part of a prominent gang in my day. They left him for dead when he almost got caught by the authorities, and he was on the run ever since. It was honestly easier to avoid the authorities than it was past gang affiliations," she said. Her eyes were glued onto him. He was running out of food as an excuse to not respond. He hadn't realized how quickly he'd been eating. He started chewing slower.

Edna seemed to wait for just the moment between chews to ask her next question.

"What are you wanted for, Yoen?"

James could feel himself tense up. Edna was an old woman, and he didn't expect her to physically threaten him, but she could very easily rally up the entirety of the oasis against him and Evaline with her influence. He hesitated, knowing taking another bite of food would be a painfully obvious avoidance tactic at this point. As if he wasn't already being painfully obvious.

He slowly set his rice-filled bread back onto the plate.

"I don't recall seeing any Yoens on any wanted posters or sheriff's posts recently," she said. "And unless you're far older than you appear, I can't imagine you've been wanted for too long."

James didn't like that he felt like he was caught in a trap. One he couldn't just fight his way out of. And he didn't know if he was well enough to think on his feet and come up with another lie more convincing than the truth.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked quietly, looking up at her with his brows knitted together.

Edna gave him a long, stern look. "John and I found the oasis first," she said slowly. "Years ago. It was just the two of us, and then Gabby. And after some time, we decided to let other residents in. It grew to what it is today, because John had one mission: to provide a temporary safe haven for other people suffering through the Outlands, just as someone once did to him. He let in criminals like him, because he sympathized. He understood, and I did too."

Her face went dark for a second, but her eyes were still welled with a combination of sympathy and seriousness.

"But he let in a high-bounty criminal once, and a bounty hunter was right on her tail. The bounty hunter ended up killing him for aiding a dangerous criminal in hiding. And because John got in the way..."

She trailed off, but she didn't need to finish her sentence. James was able to quickly piece it together.

"It doesn't mean I don't understand," she continued on. "I do. And I sympathize with all wanted men and women." She paused again, locking eyes with him with the stern look returning to her face. "But I need to know if something like this will happen again. I have to protect my family. I cannot, and will not, let anything like this happen again. So, Yoen -- if that is your name -- what are you wanted for?"

James knew he couldn't lie his way out of this one. He stared down into his lap. He knew there were gaps in their story that couldn't be explained. He didn't know how many more he would create by answering her question. He took a deep breath.

"My real name is Tiberius Hemming," he said, with no appearance of guile. "I'm wanted for treason in the Moonlight Kingdom. It's been... over a year, now."

Edna seemed to quietly mull this over. "Treason," she repeated simply. "How high is your bounty?"

James looked up at her, steeling his nerves and swallowing both his anxiety and his pride, setting all of his emotions aside. It was what Evaline never wanted him to do around her, but this situation, with Edna, called for it.

"Unless things have changed in recent months, I believe the bounty on my head may be the highest of any currently wanted criminal."

It was a simple enough statement, but Edna persisted.

"What is the number, exactly?" she asked, tone more serious.

"25,000 gold pieces," James answered quietly.

Edna had been decently good at hiding any emotion besides concern, sympathy, and earnestness, but she paused for far too long, perhaps because she was trying to process the magnitude of the number. Her next question suddenly shifted in tone, much more serious and urgent.

"Are there many bounty hunters on your tail?" she asked harshly, starting a new interrogation round.

James swallowed hard.

"One. That I know of. He has a partner."

"Do you know if they were close?" she asked.

"We haven't seen any sign of them for about three weeks," he answered.

"And they have been following you for... a year, you said?"

James faltered, looking down at the plate in front of him. "Not exactly."

He wished he'd just said yes. He brought his hands together in his lap, nervously rubbing one of his fingers between his forefinger and thumb.

"I was -- I was caught," he said. "And escaped. I can't say for how long they were tracking me before I was caught exactly, but it's probably closer to six months than a year."

"When did you escape?" she continued on, the passing questions sounding more and more urgent.

James felt like his heart was going to jump out of his throat.

"About three months ago," he said stiffly.

Edna paused another long moment, her brows drawn together with concern. "If you last saw them three weeks ago, and you escaped three months ago, it can be deduced that they're still actively on your hunt. Would you agree?"

"Yes," James said, still not quite meeting her eyes.

Edna kept going. Any sympathy in her voice from her arrival seemed to get lost in translation. "Then would you agree that your stay here can lead them to the oasis?"

James didn't know what Edna wanted him to say. Of course he agreed. That was the natural conclusion to make. His gaze locked onto a spot on the ground. The faint shadow under Edna's foot.

"Yes," he said soberly.

The air felt tense, and there was another long silence.

"Tiberius," she said slowly and carefully, breaking the silence. "I've lived a long life, and I can understand some of the things you're going through. I'm not here to smite you or further worsen your situation, but you must know this is a serious matter." She stood up, gathering his plate and turning to face him one last time. "I needed to know this so we can be prepared if anything should happen. I will have to discuss our conversation with Mikel so he can draft plans to make sure the oasis is even more secured for the week, but I won't tell anyone else."

James didn't know what kind of reply he'd been expecting, but it hadn't been that. He forced himself to look back up at Edna even though it was difficult to do so. She was getting to her feet.

"I understand," James said, feeling hollow.

"I'm glad we are on the same page," she said softly as she turned to leave, but then stopped again, concern washed over her face. "Evelyn... she's not wanted too, is she?"

James's eyes widened a little. "No," he said quickly. "Just me."

Edna nodded in understanding. "Like I said, I understand. I may be older, but we share more than you think, and I understand." She paused in thought, the small empathetic smile returning. "Of course, you can stay here until you are healthy. After all, I want to carry on John's vision of helping those like him. But I also hope you understand that I must protect my family."

James nodded slowly. "I understand completely," he said. "I'm sorry... for not telling you at first."

"I am just glad you told me now before anything could happen," she said as she opened the flap and then left.


After Edna had left, James had a very long, very restless sleep. For three days, his fever had been almost constant, but sometime in the passing hours, his fever broke. The blissful ignorance that the oasis was a secret and safe hideaway faded as quickly as clarity of mind returned to him, and the events of the past three days started to weigh on him heavily. When he woke up, he found that he was still alone in the tent, and Evaline was still nowhere to be seen. He could judge from the way the sun's rays filtered through the tent that it was later in the day and getting close to sundown. She had to be back soon.

He knew he'd have to tell her about his conversation with Edna.

He sat up and scanned the tent, moving over to grab a glass of water set on the small table by the bed. His head wasn't spinning so much anymore, but he felt exhausted. He'd slept for so long, and it still felt like all of the energy had been drained from him. He knew the worries dancing in the back of his mind didn't help.

He was about halfway through the cup of water when he heard hurried footsteps crunching on the sandy desert path that led to their tent. His heartrate shot up before he even knew who is was. He could tell the footsteps were heavy, and the pace sounded angry.

The person approaching the tent suddenly tore through the flap, and James could finally see who it was.

Mikel.

The last time he saw him, he was obliviously chatting away in front of a pot of soup, asking him invasive questions about wanting children and then offering parental advice while his own children caused mayhem around them.

But now, he looked furious. He almost looked like a different person. James instinctively took a very rapid record of anything in the tent he could use as a weapon if absolutely necessary, as well as any and all exits he could make. He set the cup down steadily back on the table.

"Tiberius," he said with a serious and dark tone, after he hastily closed the flap behind him. He was standing over the bed, staring down at James. "Edna told me. She told me all of it."

James stared up at Mikel. "I assume there's more you want to say than that," James said quietly.

"More that I want to..." he repeatedly under his breath with a scornful short laugh. "What about you? What have you been hiding?" His volume kept increasing as well as his anger level. "I cannot believe that you have said nothing for so long. Four days and three nights have passed. All that time, and you said nothing to us. Nothing about you, and the dangers you could bring. Do you have any idea how dangerous you are? How dangerous you are to me, my kids, my family? Do you even think about these things?!"

James could feel the color starting to drain from his face. He wanted to stand up, but somewhere in his mind he was convinced if he did, Mikel might interpret it as a hostile move - and in some ways, maybe it was. Leveling himself with Mikel as much as he could, to decrease the distance between them, and the leverage Mikel already had against him from James being low to the ground. One of his hands twitched ever so slightly. Mikel wasn't showing signs that he would fight, but James felt like he should be ready if it were to escalate. He tried to push that thought into the back of his mind.

Mikel was just a father concerned for his family. Reasonably so.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice level and clear. "I know no amount of apologies can fully mend broken trust, but I am sorry for putting you, your family, and those in this oasis under the risk of getting caught up in my problems."

He stumbled over the next few thoughts in his mind, struggling to think of a way to word it in a way that couldn't be interpreted the wrong way.

Mikel didn't seem to be in the mood for apologies. He shook his head in disdain, still glaring down at him, fuming.

"What did you do?" he asked through gritted teeth.

James thought Edna had told him everything. Apparently, she hadn't.

"I... I'm wanted for treason," he answered, before quickly following up with: "I can promise you that I would never hurt anyone here. I-I know there are dangerous people following me but I would never--"

"What did you do?" Mikel repeated again, this time coming out as a threatening hiss. "Why are you the world's most wanted criminal? You can't be here. No. I won't allow someone like you to stay here, and bring in filthy--" He shook his head, balling his hands up in anger. "Tell me, what did you do?"

James knew he had to try to descalate the situation. Everything he said only seemed to make Mikel angrier.

"All I did was steal and destroy some very important information and items that the king highly valued. That's all."

"You need to give me a better answer than that," he said with increasing impatience. "Twenty. Five. Thousand. Gold. So let me ask you, one more time: what did you do?"

James lifted up his hands in a defensive gesture. He knew Mikel could easily overpower him when he was like this. If he was going to get out of it, he'd have to run. But where would he go? The oasis was basically a fortress. One exit. Guarded, gated, and locked. He could feel a drop of sweat drip down the back of his neck.

"They should've put sabotage on the posters," James said quickly. "Treason is misleading. I never did anything to harm the king, I only sabotaged one of his plans. Look, I promise you, the story is far less exciting than it sounds. I was a soldier in the Moonlight Kingdom, I fell out of the king's favor, and now I'm wanted. The price is only as high as it is because the information I stole only lives in my head now. That's why I'm wanted alive. It's that simple."

Mikel seemed to be waiting for him to elaborate, but when he didn't, he mirthlessly laughed and then returned the daggering glare. As he did so, he suddenly swooped down and put his hands around the collar of his shirt, using it to lift him up the ground like a rag doll. Mikel was taller by a few inches, and James felt his feet lift off the ground. He reached for it with the tips of his toes, but Mikel held up most of his weight. James hated feeling so small.

"I gave you one last chance to explain," he said with steely eyes as he lifted James up. "And you told me a whole lot without saying a whole lot. You were a soldier, and you're the world's most wanted man. Why should I even trust anything you're saying if you can't even tell me the whole story? I don't believe you, and if you don't tell me everything now, then I don't care what Edna says. I'm throwing you out."

James was almost relieved. Relieved that being thrown out was the consequence, as opposed to a beating, or torture, or death. Being kicked out of the oasis was comparatively tame. It would be hard, but he'd had three days to rest. He could push through like he always did. Right? Right. And it would be hard, but they would make it.

Of course, it was hard to believe everything Mikel was saying when James could feel his breath on his face, and the very present threat of being held above ground was very physical. James did not know Mikel. He couldn't account for Mikel's character. He couldn't predict if Mikel would hurt him or not, but he didn't want to risk it.

And yet... he wasn't about to tell Mikel his whole life story. Hell if he was going to do that.

"I don't know what I can do to make you trust me," James said thinly. He didn't say more, because he saw Mikel's gaze drop down into his shirt.

"Edna," he said with tense a expression, and James could feel his grip on his shirt tighten. "She's been helping you, hasn't she? Fix you up? Of course she has, without telling me." He then let James go, dropping him on the ground withtout any warning or gentleness. James gracelessly caught himself, landing on his hands and knees.

"Clearly she must know more than me and more than what you're telling me," Mikel said stoically, although he was still seething with anger. "In that case, you're leaving now."

Edna's voice came out of nowhere. James slowly got to his feet.

"No he's not," he voice came sternly before she burst into the tent with as little announcement as Mikel had.

Mikel whirrled around, meeting Edna's eyes. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but he's--"

"Surely, you saw for yourself what kind of state he's in," Edna said, gesturing to James with an open hand. He felt like he was being used as an example, instead of being treated like a person. "That man shouldn't be running out into the desert like that."

"That man doesn't belong here, and you know that."

"Mikel, the people who belong here are the ones we say belong here. If John were here--"

"But he's not here because of people like him," Mikel interjected, pointing at James accusingly.

"That's because John was him!" Edna spat back.

Suddenly more hurried footsteps were heard, and the flap of the tent opened once more. James braced himself to deal with whoever else was going to enter this already small area to begin with, but it was just Evaline. She was holding a basket of items and he could see a few flowers pop out of it, but she had entered the tent and immediately set it aside, looking around at everyone.

"What is going on?" she blurted out in confusion and panic.

"Your husband is a liar," Mikel accused. "Edna told me he's a wanted man. I don't want him here, putting my family in danger--"

"I have a say -- this is my family too," Edna barked back.

Evaline quietly watched the two of them bicker, but then she landed her eyes on James, alarmed and concerned. She ignored them for now and rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?" she asked him quietly.

James wanted to look at Evaline, but he didn't know if it would break his composure. He kept watching Mikel, still wary. Still, she stood in front of him, like she was trying to shield James away from him.

"He's a danger to everyone here," Mikel kept going, pointing an accusatory finger at James. "We need to throw him out immediately. Both of them. I'm sorry, we can't risk it."

"Mikel, we are far more prepared for dangers than we were in the past," Edna said with an edge still in her voice. "We can handle it if a bounty hunter comes knocking at our door. Hell, we can tell them to go away in more ways than one. We have numbers on our side."

"Handle a bounty hunter who is after the world's most wanted criminal?" he said with a scoff. "We're both humble enough to admit defeat when we can see and predict it."

"He said only two people are after him!" Edna countered, looking at James as if he could confirm. "Not a whole army!"

Mikel groaned in frustration, moving fast to swat Evaline aside and then grab James by the shirt again, this time lifting it up to reveal the many bandages around his chest. James froze up. He didn't move.

"Two people who could do this!" he yelled back. "This man was probably tortured! Do you want someone like that in our home? Gods, Edna, please. Think of the kids!"

Edna marched over and swatted Mikel's hand down. She didn't use much force, but Mikel seemed to get the message. James felt himself shrinking back, becoming an outside observer. He didn't know how to get them out of this one. He didn't know how to ask Evaline for help.

"Of course I'm thinking of the kids! But it's been three days, and still no signs of any trouble. Would one or two more really hurt? Don't you have any compassion, Mikel?"

"There might not be trouble now, but there will be. The longer he stays, the greater the risk. Hell, and maybe that doesn't even matter. Maybe a month or two from now, they'll sniff him out, and they'll come to the oasis when we're least expecting it, and then they'll--" he choked, unable to finish his sentence. Instead, he glared back at James. "You make me sick."

"We'll leave," James said, though there was no conviction or presence behind his words. "I don't want to cause more trouble than I already have."

"No," Edna said stubbornly. "You are not leaving. And you," she said as she looked at Mikel. "You need to cool off. You're not thinking rationally. You're letting your emotions and thoughts get to the best of you. Give him at least three more days. Wait until he is healthy enough to leave. Besides, if it's scent you're worried about, the damage was already done the moment we brought him here. It would make no difference kicking him out now or later."

Mikel closed his eyes for a moment and let out a deep sigh. He looked at James, sending him another pointed glare, and then he looked back down at Edna.

"...We can talk about it more in the morning," he conceded. "But for now, just know that Tiberius and Evelyn are only allowed to stay in parts of the oasis where we can keep an eye on them. And I don't want Tiberius leaving this tent unless he's supervised by someone." He looked at Evaline. "Not her. A resident."

"Fine. We'll do it on your terms," Edna said, seeming relieved that Mikel was finally agreeing with her.

"As discussed, we will increase security outside the oasis while they're here, and now, at least for the next few months." He paused in thought. "And someone will have to stay near their tent at all times until they leave." He looked over at James, shaking his head. "I don't trust him."

"I can stay nearby," Edna offered. "Less explaining that you'll have to do."

"Good. And I can too. We can discuss the details." He turned to leave, but then gave James one last warning glare. "If you do anything... anything that might hurt anyone else..."

"Oh please, Mikel," Edna said before he could complete that thought, already shoving him out the tent. "Just look at him. He can barely stand up."

Mikel grumbled something under his breath but then left the tent, and Edna gave them both an apologetic glance. "I am so sorry you had to witness this," she said softly. "I didn't think he would react the way he did. I underestimated him."

Evaline stepped up and answered. "Thank you for helping the way you did," she said. "I don't really know what... well, we'll live with the aftermath, but thank you for... staying on our side."

"It's what I would've wanted someone to do for me and John," Edna said softly. Before any more words could be exchanged, she left the tent, closing the flap behind her.

James stood still where he was, staring at the now-closed entrance.

Evaline immediately turned around and faced him, grabbing him by the forearms. "Are you okay?" she asked with alarm returning to your voice. "Did you get hurt? Did Mikel hurt you?"

James tensed at her touch, but he looked down at her hands, trying to logically explain away the deafening noise in his mind.

"No," he said, trying to let her touch ground him in some way, but it didn't quite feel like it was working. "I'm not hurt."

"Okay, so maybe not physically," she thought out loud as she inspected his chest and the hem of the shirt that Mikel had lifted. "But it sounded like -- I wasn't here for all of it, but it sounded like he knew. He knew about you, and I know that must not have been easy, and it's not like..." she trailed off, the panic slowly creeping up. She then tried to meet his eyes, concern outweighing everything else again. "Are you okay, though?"

James was afraid to be dramatic. He didn't want to overuse their code word for things like this. This wasn't the same as him bleeding out, right? That was a different kind of emergency. A different kind of "not okay."

But he felt like he was trapped outside of feelings. Like he was standing at the edge of a deep, dark pit, and somewhere, hidden in the darkness down below, there was an emotion. He just couldn't feel it. It was too far away to access. Too far away to find. And he didn't want to fall in, because that seemed terrifying.

It took far too much energy to muster up the courage for an answer.

"No," he said.

Her thumb rubbed against his arms and she gestured for him to sit. "You should sit or lie down," she said as she led him back to the bed. He simply followed along as she helped him down and set him against the pillows. When done, she sat on her knees beside him. She slowly reached out and put her hand on his knee.

"It's okay to not be okay, sometimes," she said slowly. "But what can I do to make things more okay?"

James looked over at her. He looked at her hand on his knee. The look on her face.

The very short fantasy of a life without conflict - one that had never truly been, because he'd been sick, anyways - felt like it had shattered. This was their life. Forever tied to his wanted status, forever tied to those dangers, and forever a subject of controversy in the eyes of anyone else.

He reached up to grab her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers. He brought it down to his side, where it was closer, and he could hold it with less effort. Exhaustion of all kinds was seeping in, but somehow, his mind wasn't at all ready to succumb to sleep. That was always the cruel irony of it all.

"If you could just... stay here," he said. "For a little while."

In a perfect world, he might be able to cry again. But that wasn't working at the moment, so he had to settle for this.

Evaline gently squeezed his hand, offering him a wistful smile. "I'll gladly stay here longer than that," she said. "Whatever you need."

James didn't know what he needed, but her being there was a small comfort. And that was enough for now.

"Thank you," he said, closing his eyes.

"Of course," Evaline said. "That's what partners are for."

James smiled, just barely. "Yeah," he said quietly. "That's what they're for."

Sasha and Liana had pulled her aside the day that Mikel and Edna talked to James, and she wished that they pulled her aside any other day so she could have been there for James. But she couldn't change what happened, and instead tried to cheer him up with the story of her adventure. They both took her out of the oasis to help forage for food, and actually learned some things that would help when she and James left the oasis. She also picked up a few things that she thought were nice gifts, like new types of desert fruits they hadn't eaten before, a few small colorful rocks that glinted in the sun, and an attempt of a bouquet of some colorful desert flowers she found. At least that cheered him up, although she knew that the reaction would have been different if this didn't happen after the fallout.

The next few days were a blur.

It was strange not being able to walk out of the tent freely and now having to talk softly with James since, according to Mikel, someone was going to be in close vicinity of their tent at all times. Things felt tense and less peaceful. It was uneasy, but it still felt safer than being alone in the Outlands.

Whenever she left the tent in the morning, it seemed that it was either Mikel or Edna who came to greet her. Whenever it was Mikel, it was strictly business: get food, supplies, and then return to the tent. Edna, however, was more forgiving. She helped her sneak in more books, and when she was in their tent, she even picked up that she was interested in Gabby's art works and gave her a few paint samples and colored pencils. It was awfully nice of her, and whenever Evaline wasn't sketching, journaling, or talking to James, she found herself colorizing her old pictures. She wasn't quite fond of painting since it seemed to bleed through the paper and it was harder to manage, but James seemed to like the flower she drew and painted despite her wanting to toss it. She decided to keep her other colorized photos a secret from him for now.

One morning, however, it was Kurt who came to get her. Maybe both Mikel and Edna were busy. She was just surprised that it was Kurt of all people, and not someone like Gabby or Sasha who had more authority.

"Hi!" he said, getting up from the stool Mikel had placed near their tent. He seemed chipper, but Evaline could detect the twinge of anxiety in his voice. She didn't know how much he knew, but from his one-word greeting, it couldn't have been much. "It's been a while since I've seen you two," he commented, peering in the tent before she could close it up.

"Yeah," Evaline said, deciding not to elaborate. "It's been a while."

"Not sure why they're having people watch you guys," Kurt continued to think out loud. "This is a first. But they're also increasing security around here, and guests always come first. I think it's nice."

So they didn't tell him anything. It was for the best.

"It is, and we appreciate it," she said with a feigned smile as she went down the path to get food and water.

"I wish Yoen wasn't so sick," Kurt said as he followed along. "Edna said I can't visit you guys because he's contagious. But you're not sick, right?"

"I'm immune," she said without thinking.

"Ah."

Evaline was glad Kurt didn't think through that answer.

"Well, I'll wait until he's better to see you both," he simply said with a smile, and Evaline left it at that.

They both continued to chat for a little bit and eventually she grabbed the things she needed, checked in with Elliot, and then headed back. She could tell that Kurt was holding back with some of the things he wanted to say, but maybe it was because there were other people nearby. She wondered if he truly was told nothing.

Eventually she came back to the tent, and things were once again uneventful. The days passed by one-by-one, and James was getting healthier, slowly. The worst of the fevers seemed over after the fourth day, and the stitched up wounds seemed to be healing well. He seemed a little more withdrawn whenever they knew others were nearby, but when it was just him and Evaline, he was himself.

At one point at night before they were going to sleep, she could hear hushed whispers around the tent. Evaline and James were wary and on guard, especially when the tent rustled and then the flap opened.

Out popped Lenora's little head. She grinned at them and then looked behind her again. "Shhh, don't tell anyone we're here!" she said.

"Okay, hurry, 'cause Kurt said he'll only be gone for ten minutes!" Zach whispered back.

Lenora and Benji then quickly stumbled in the tent, closing the flap and repressing giggles that they had seemingly sneaked in without anyone knowing. Evaline sighed, amused, but also a bit worried that James would get blamed if Mikel were to find out his children had come to his tent unattended.

"I don't think you should be here," she said, sitting up straight from the edge of the bed and deciding to voice the worry.

James, who was still lying in his bed, looked over.

"Go back to your father," James said.

"No," Benji said stubbornly. "This is more fun."

"You don't look sick," Lenora said, squinting her eyes and coming closer.

"If you haven't gotten sick," Benji said quietly, looking at Evaline as he followed his sister. "Then it can't be that contagious. Else you'd be dying now too."

"I'm immune since I'm older," Evaline said.

"I don't know what that means," Lenora said matter-of-factly. Then she came right up to the edge of the bed and sat down, staring at James.

"It means I can't get sick," she explained, wary that she was close to James.

"She's just making that up, Nora," Benji said with a roll of his eyes.

"I knew that," Lenora said defensively.

Evaline sighed. "You'll both get in trouble."

"That's why Zach's on watch," Lenora said in a tone that clearly indicated Evaline was out of the loop. "Obviously."

Evaline decided to not argue against two kids who didn't seem to understand logic. "Why are you even here?" she asked, not caring how brash it sounded.

"Daddy's acting weird, and we wanted to see things for ourselves," Lenora explained.

"She also likes monkey man," Benji said.

Lenora whipped her head around and shot a pointed, wide-eyed glare at her brother.

"I'm going to kill you," Lenora mouthed.

Benji decided to ignore his sister. "Hey, are you really part monkey?" he asked James. "And can climb trees really fast? Can you show us?"

James looked like he was glad to be hidden under the blankets at the moment - at least, apart from his head and shoulders. He glanced at Benji and then slowly closed his eyes.

He didn't reply.

"He's too sick to answer," Evaline said for him.

Lenora stuck her hand out in front of his face and started snapping her fingers.

"Yeah right," Lenora said.

"I've seen sick before," Benji agreed. "He looks like he's able to climb trees okay."

"Shh," James said. "I'm sleeping."

Lenora escalated to clapping right in front of his face, at least, until Benji ran up and grabbed her arm.

"Shh! Not so loud!" he whispered.

Lenora pouted in frustration and pushed her brother away with a shove. "I think he's faking being sick," Lenora said, reaching out to grab James's shoulders.

Evaline quickly reached over James and swatted her Lenora's hand away. "I can prove to you that he's sick," she said without thinking.

"Oh yeah?" Benji asked. He sounded interested. Lenora, though, only gave Evaline a dirty look.

"Yeah," Evaline said slowly, thinking fast. She stalled for an answer as she moved across the bed to be closer to them and distract them away from James.

"I could throw up right now," James said suddenly, still with his eyes closed.

"Ew!" said Lenora.

"Bet." Was Benji's reply.

James lazily opened his eyes and started to sit up. Lenora backed away warily. James looked over at Evaline. "Can you get me a bowl?"

"No! Okay. Don't. Eugh. I believe you," Lenora said quickly.

Evaline was glad she backed out so quickly, but she wanted to make sure she'd stick with it. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I can get it. Seems like you need more convincing since you never believed it."

Lenora shook her head. Benji stood behind her, looking a little disappointed.

"Can I just uh..." Lenora paused, then looked over at James, who was now sitting up. "I just wanted to ask uh..."

"Is it true that you're hairy all over?" Benji asked, interrupting Lenora. "Can I see?"

James looked somewhere between the two kids, blinking at the speed of a sloth.

"...What?" he asked.

"Evelyn said that you're hairy like a monkey," Benji explained like it was obvious.

Evaline facepalmed in silence, shaking her head.

James opened his mouth a little, looking like he was at a loss for words. He looked over at Evaline, then back at Benji.

"I think you'll just have to live in ignorance," James said. "Some things are better left a mystery."

Benji was visibly disappointed. "You don't know that," he mumbled.

"I think he has a point," Lenora said.

"See, she agrees," James said, gesturing to her with his hand.

"I don't want to see your gross body hairs," Lenora said quickly to defend herself.

"Neither do I," he said.

"So you do have body hairs!" Benji said excitedly.

"Doesn't everyone?" James asked.

"I don't!" Benji huffed back.

"I don't either," Lenora said. "You're weird."

"Happily so," James replied.

"Okay one last question," Lenora said, changing the subject with a little shake of her head.

"Evelyn doesn't answer questions good, so you better do better," she prefaced, looking at James intently. "I heard what you guys have said to daddy and stuff. And Evelyn told me you're nice and that's why she likes you but your hairy-ness is a bonus for some reason. But -"

"Get to the point," Benji whispered in her ear.

"I'm GETTING there," she said, pushing him away again. "Why do you like Evelyn? She's way prettier so you can't say that."

Evaline felt like she should have intervened, but Lenora was staring at James so intently, stubborn for an answer. Even though neither of them were taking this seriously, she was curious to hear what James would say. She decided to peer over at him instead, mildly amused and curious.

James took a deep breath and leaned forward a little, pulling up his knees and resting his arms on them as he looked over at Lenora.

"I could list many things," James said. "But I think some of her most notable qualities that I admire the most are her kindness, her tenacity, and her trustworthiness."

Lenora stared at him for a moment, and her scrutinizing expression started to soften.

"I'll have to ask mommy... what she likes about daddy," she said softly, like it was more to herself.

Benji, meanwhile, didn't seem fazed by his words. "What's tenacity?" he asked.

"A courageous perseverance," James replied.

"You say a lot of big words," Benji simply said back.

"It means to bravely keep going, even when things are hard," James explained again.

"Oh." Benji paused in thought. "Like when you're sick?"

"Sure," James said. "Like when you're sick."

"Lenora, we have tenacity," Benji said, poking his sister. "We sneaked in here."

At that moment, Zach stuck his head in through the flap of the tent.

"Kurt's coming back!" he hissed. "Go! Go!"

Lenora and Benji looked at each other with wide eyes and then hurriedly got up to leave. Before they could, they both looked back and gave some last words.

"Bye, monkey man!" Benji said. "I'll be back when you're better to watch you climb a tree."

"I look forward to it," James answered.

Lenora looked a little more shy, looking from James to Evaline like she was hesitating to say something.

"...Bye," was all she said, before Benji yanked her arm and pulled her out of the tent. They could hear the hurried footsteps skittering away. Later more gentle footsteps were heard, presumably Kurt who was oblivious that the whole thing happened.

Evaline waited until the coast was clear before she scooted closer to James so that she could keep her voice low between them.

"Nice words you said there," she said softly.

"And I meant every word," James said back with the same soft tone.

The rest of the week flew by. The last few days, Edna had come in to feel for James's temperature. She said that he was getting better, and he looked that way too. Then, finally, she said that his fever was fully healed.

It implied it was time for them to leave.

It was early in the morning, and they quickly packed their things and then walked out with Elliot. There was no time for goodbyes or farewells since Edna was rushing them out, insisting that it was better if they left without Mikel knowing. It was a bit sad that they were likely never going to see anyone again and will not get to say goodbye, but it was for the best.

The gate of the oasis creaked opened and Edna ushered them out out the gate, weaving them through the maze of the caverns with her camel before finally coming to a stop.

"Eveleyn. Tiberius," she said, nodding at the two of them quietly before they turned around to go through the gate. She smiled warmly at them as it reached her eyes. "Take care of yourselves. Be safe, and live a long, happy life."

And that was that.

Edna turned around after her goodbye, leaving the two of them back in the Outlands. Back to reality. Back to danger, to starvation, and monsters, and enemies.

But at least they had each other.

For that alone, Evaline would be glad to travel the dangerous Outlands if it meant she could be with James.

Elliot was happy to see James when he was finally allowed out of his tent, but their reuinion was short-lived after Edna rushed them out of the oasis. James understood her urgency, though. Mikel was on edge enough already, and it was better for them to be gone as soon as possible.

He found himself thankful for the week of rest, even if most of it was spent in isolation with underlying tension, it was far better than how he might've fared in the desert. Starvation would've caught up to him and Evaline, and sickness could've easily taken him out and made it possible for any number of his still-healing wounds to become infected.

Things hadn't been perfect, but he had no complaints. In his book, this was the best possible outcome.

He was feeling better. His body was healing. There was still a little lingering weariness, but he knew that it wouldn't be difficult to shake off. The moment they were on their own again, he found himself falling back into the same behaviors as before. He was always on alert, always thinking ahead, and considering their options. Their plan was to still follow the river, but Evaline had some more knowledge of what to look for in their surroundings when searching for food.

Speaking of food, Edna had generously given them a few days' worth of rations to get them started while Evaline and James continued to get back their full strength. She also provided them with a new saddlebag and minimal cooking supplies, which he thanked her for profusedly.

Elliot, meanwhile, was doing just fine. He seemed to have thrived under the care of Evaline and those at the oasis, and he looked as healthy and happy as ever - which was all James could've ever wanted, anyway.

The last thing Edna gave the two of them were light scarves, meant to be wrapped around their heads to protect them from the sun and - in the event of another sandstorm - sand.

The two of them left the oasis much more prepared for the dangers of the desert, and after a little over half a day's travel, they made it back to the river.

Butch, of course, was always lingering in the back of James's mind. Now that they'd lost a week's worth of distance, James had no way of knowing just how far away they were, or even if Butch had passed them by this point. Any guesses as to Butch's wereabouts would be strictly conjecture, but James knew that they had to be careful, and they had to keep going.

After making some more distance, they made camp for the night as the sun started to set. They ate some of the rations Edna had given them, and they sat around their small fire.

Things were back to normal again. Their version of normal.

Except now, they were partners. And for that, things did feel a little different. A good kind of different.

James leaned back on his hands and took in a deep breath, scanning the area around them before he glanced up at the stars.

"I suppose it's back to sleeping in shifts, now," he said softly.

Evaline was leaning closer to the fire to add in some extra twigs and dried plants. Everything here seemed to burn so fast due to the lower moisture content, and she also wanted to keep the ash at bay.

She looked up at James and gave him a small smile. "A shame," she said. "I was beginning to get used to saying good night and good morning at the same time."

“No reason why we can’t still say good morning and goodnight,” James answered. “It’ll just be a little different now.”

Evaline paused to think about that for a moment but then nodded and sat back. "Yeah, you're right," she said as she imagined saying good morning and goodnight to him as the first and last words of the day.

It seemed nice, but then it occurred to her that it wasn't really any different than what they were doing before. They often exchanged those words in the morning and when switching sleep shifts. Today had been a haze as well as they continued to travel by themselves, but it made her wonder: what was different now, anyways?

After tossing this question in her head for a little bit, she decided to just voice it out loud. Or at least, start the conversation.

"I'd imagine there are a few things that are different now," she said, watching his expression closely.

James's expression softened.

"Yeah," he said, with a slight smile. "A few things. We have some more supplies. I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. And of course, we're a couple now. I guess, in some ways, quite a lot has changed."

We're a couple now.

It felt different to hear him say those words out loud outside the safety of the oasis. It felt more... real. Here they were, James and Evaline, two people who found each other through the unlikeliest of ways. So many things could have gone wrong, and maybe some things did, but more things have gone right than wrong. They were here alive and well, after all. As long as they had each other, that was all that mattered.

Evaline could hear some of the hidden implications behind James's words, though. A lot had changed now that they were a couple. A lot will change.

"I've been thinking of our future," she said as she brought a knee up to lean her arm against. "About what it means now to travel together. What it would imply, for me to travel with you." She paused. "It's not like anyone would know about our relationship. With enough time and sightings, though, it might be deduced. And it may eventually not be safe for me to go to towns by myself anymore."

"That's true," James agreed soberly. "It will be a risk either way, but especially in the outlands... it may be better for us to just go together. And make it quick. But I don't think we'll need to go into a town soon."

Evaline didn't like the thought of going into a town together, either. That didn't work out well last time. Granted, things were different back then, but she didn't want either of them to take any more risks that necessary.

"I agree. We should prolong it as long as possible," she said, staring at the tip of the fire dissipating into the ashen air before resting her gaze behind the fire at James. "How far into the outlands are we?"

James hummed in thought for a moment. He had estimations in his mind, but it would be helpful to check his maps.

He got to his feet and walked over to Elliot, digging in one of the saddlebags until he pulled out his journal, and walked over to Evaline, sitting beside her by the fire. He pulled his maps out of the crooks of the pages and unfolded the one of the Outlands, angling it towards the firelight so he could get a better look.

After a moment of scanning, he pointed his finger nearer to the edge of the map, at a point in the river.

"We should be around here... which puts us maybe 100 miles into the Outlands."