VOX

Ch 11

Perhaps as an apology for tackling her, Finn offered to show Lori around town. Realizing that their errands for Bobby had been the only time she'd left the house since she'd moved in, he explained that there was more to Redwell than roots and dried herbs. Shocked at how quickly she had said yes, he was trying to rack his brain for places to show her that weren't, well, places that sold roots and dried herbs. He wasn't from Redwell either and most of the things he knew were also from errands he'd run for Bobby.

"You ready?" he turned, hearing her voice float down the stairs. There was a singsong quality to her voice when she was happy, like she could break out into song at any minute or was seconds away from humming something.

"Yep just waitin' on you. Come on, before it gets too cold out," he busied himself with putting on a coat and readjusting his hat for the fifth time, instead of watching her.

"Alright, now you two be back before dark, ya hear?" Bobby lectured as he dried his hands off on a dish towel before throwing it onto his shoulder. "Otherwise I will be forced to eat all of your dinner," he chuckled. Though he heard him mutter "I'd save you some of course, kid" to Lori as he walked past her and held the front door open for them. He had never seen the old man so high spirited or relaxed before. If he didn't know what he did about the girl, he could easily have assumed they were father and daughter. As they made their way out the door Bobby looked at the back of Lori's retreating head and mouthed the words not a scratch to him. Finn nodded once and they were off.

Davina was thrilled that the first thing they did was grab something called hot chocolates. The cafe they went to was tiny but smelled of fresh baked bread and pastries. To her surprise she realized it was Miriam Fowler's bakery, and once the woman saw her she insisted the drinks were free. Her eyes all but lit up when they landed on Finn, but she didn't know what to call the look she gave the two of them. What she could tell was that the woman still had a bit of guilt about their first interaction. Davina made sure to give her a warm smile before leaving.

The drink was smooth, wonderfully sweet, and felt good in her cold hands as they wandered the town. Although maybe wander wasn't the right word. Finn seemed to have somewhere in mind, but enjoyed stopping every now and then when she wanted to look at something or walk into a shop. They discovered a new tea shop, where they picked up a few flavored tea bags they thought Robert might like, and a bookstore where Davina tried not to drool over the seemingly endless rows of books. Finn had to all but drag her out once he saw the annoyed looks the owner gave them once he realized they weren't going to buy anything.

The spot he had in mind was a small patch of shoreline, past the docks and bobbing ships, where there was a small strip of sand and gentle rolling waves. The cliff side overlooking Malden Bay at the shrine hovered over sharp looking rocks, and angry gray water. Had she not dipped her toes into it, despite Finn's cautions, she would have never known that the sea could be so peaceful. The water slowly covered her feet before retreating back into itself, only to lap around her ankles once more, like a shy but playful child.

They finished their drinks in silence, sitting in the sand while gazing towards the horizon that looked like the edge of the world to Davina. They didn't stay very long due to the cold air that came off the water that chilled them to the bone, and the fact that her feet were numb with cold once she put her shoes back on, Finn didn't gloat too much. But her pockets were filled with seashells that clinked together every now and then as they made their way back towards the house.

Davina was surprised at how much fun she'd had with Finn. They'd been getting along better since that day he apologized to her, but she didn't know that they could get along this well. He had just spent most of the day walking around town with her, making her laugh at awful jokes, talking with her about what living with Robert was like before she moved in, and pointing out shells he thought she might like.