Even In The Grave, All Is Not Lost

Evil Herb

A/N: I am SO sorry it has been so long since an update. My health has, unfortunately, continued to deteriorate (only at a more rapid pace) and it's getting harder and harder to write/proofread. It doesn't help that I'm a perfectionist and will obsess over certain paragraphs/lines/words and can't post until I'm reasonably confident that they sound right. Which will inevitably lead me to proofreading a chapter about 60-80 times. And that's not an exaggeration lol.

. . .

Raven grimaced as she approached Luna in the kitchen for the second time in two days, resisting the urge to cover her nose at the pungent smell wafting off the walls. Like rotten meat. . . or corpse. Had Murphy forgotten to freeze the rest of the fish?

As she drew closer, she saw Luna was in the middle of setting out a bunch of dark green and brown herbs on the cutting board. Suspected this to be the source of the overwhelming stench. Wrinkled her nose.

At least there were no snails in sight.

Or rats.

"What's that?"

Luna startled at the sound of her voice, glancing up sharply, only to relax the instant their eyes connected.

Raven frowned. Normally, Luna was more aware of her surroundings. Creepily aware, in fact. Even when her eyes were shut in meditation, she always seemed to know exactly where in the room Raven was at all times. She'd only ever seen that awareness fade in the rare moments that Luna would space out - though, admittedly that was happening more and more lately.

Maybe she'd interrupted some eventful daydreaming?

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

Luna shook her head, mouth drawing up. "It's fine." But Raven didn't miss the slight tremble to her hand as she moved some hair behind her ear, the way it rebelled against the easy warmth in her eyes. "Finished up in the lab?"

She pursed her lips. "For now."

The truth was she'd gotten kind of. . . bored. Without her new shadow hanging around. Luna's constant care could be overwhelming - and irritating - at times, but not having it was. . . weird. Raven had felt her restlessness grow with each passing hour of Luna's absence - along with her anxiety.

Why hadn't she come back?

Had Raven said something to upset her?

They'd seemed to have left things okay last night. Certainly nothing had happened that raised any red flags - unless Luna had decided to be pissed about the whole nearly drowning her thing, after all. And this morning, she'd been waiting for Raven in the lab like always, full of smiles and teasing. But then, after only a few hours - one of which she'd spent tricking Raven into eating some form of breakfast - she'd excused herself and left. Disappointing, but hardly suspicious.

Except she hadn't come back.

When lunchtime had hit with still no sign of Luna's return, Raven had given in to that restless energy inside her and set out to track her down.

It had been a relatively short search.

She tried not to be offended by the fact that she'd been ditched for some smelly old herbs.

Looking down, Raven traveled two fingers across the counter's surface, step by ungainly step. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Not much." Luna lowered her knife. "I had a lie-down earlier, then ran into Emori as I was heading back to the lab."

So she had intended to come back.

The tension in Raven's spine eased - and for the first time she allowed herself to actually take Luna in.