VOX

Ch 10

Fate liked to watch life unfurl around them. If they weren't careful, years or decades could go past in the blink of an eye and they could miss everything. When they focused, really focused, Fate could sit in a moment and pretend that they were a part of the story. The twists and surprises of life were fun and all, but it was the dull mundane moments they enjoyed best. Sitting on a park bench drinking coffee, folding clothes while humming a song you can't get out of your head, walking in a rainstorm, small things that were often overlooked but essential to humanity.

Fate was fascinated by humanity. These beings who could journey past the atmosphere and start wars were such fragile little things. One fall or a sneeze too many and they were reminded of delicate design. How wonderfully flawed they were.  

⟴

While Finn recovered, Davina spent the next few days learning the various uses of different plants with Robert. In the morning after their breakfast she was to read The Practice of Traditional Herbalism: Basic Doctrine, and Herbal Foraging: A Field Guide to Basic Classification. The first book was so dense and wordy that Davina was sure Robert only gave it to her with the hopes that she would grow bored and eventually want to quit, the field guide was far more fascinating. She remembered flipping through it on one of her first days at 1229 Bell st, finding the illustrations fascinating. The more she read the more her interest grew.

Every now and again she would shout various questions throughout the house, waiting for Robert's jokingly annoyed response, or she'd follow him around the house and ask for more detail on certain plants, filling a notebook with what he told her.

An amused Finn got to watch their interactions after Robert officially deemed him "healthy enough to get off his ass." Sitting across from Lori, whose nose was practically pressed into the pages of  her book, he jumped as she shouted her twentieth question.

"Is this plant really where marshmallows come from?"

"What?" came Robert's confused voice from the second floor.

"The Mal-malve-" he liked how her nose scrunched up when she focused. "The malvaceae, of the mallow family. Is this really where marshmallows come from?" The page she was on had drawings of hollyhock, and the breakdown of how to identify the flower in the wild.

"It's in the name right? So yeah. Quit buggin' me and read." Finn smiled into his coffee, though the old man sounded annoyed he knew being asked about vegetation was practically the highlight of his day. The only reason why he let the girl stay in the beginning was because for some reason he could tell that Bobby cared for her. He had stopped trying to find out the girl's real identity, if she made the old man this happy then she could stay forever in his opinion.

Once Robert concluded that Finn would be able to walk more than a mile without passing out, he was put to work. The second part of Davina's job had been put on hold until he was up and about, everyone sure that she would get lost without a bit of help. So when he handed her a list that afternoon, she practically buzzed with excitement.

The excitement quickly wore off the moment she stepped outside and the Bridlo weather sucked the air out of her lungs. It was easy to forget how cold it was becoming when one was cooped up in a warm house all day.

"Told ya you should have grabbed a thicker coat," remarked Finn once he saw her shiver and tuck her hands into her sleeves.

"Oh, don't act like you're not cold." She decided to focus on how annoying it was that he never seemed to be bothered by the frigid temperature, instead of how the brisk wind was wrapping itself around her cheeks and legs. Maybe I should have worn another pair of leggings under this skirt. Unlike their last list, this errand had them leaving the town and searching for various plants and materials in the nearby woods.