Trails of Intertwined Stars: Chapter 74

~Chapter 14: Water Buckets~

Kong Hun had chased after Leora, finding her in the garden of the manor, angrily using the water pump to get water into a bucket with her shoes chucked off at the side. Kong Hun raised his eyebrows, approaching her as if some startled, wild cat; not making any false moves. Leora chose to ignore his presence.
Kong Hun deadpanned," What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Leora huffed, trying to press down with all of her weight, but struggled either way," I'm getting water for the servants."
"I thought someone in your position was not supposed to do that?"
Leora groaned, loudly, struggling," I'm not, but I chose to. Ever since my mother died, Edward's kind of been a parental figure to me. So I help out when I can, even if they get upset with me."
Kong Hun smiled, and he couldn't surpress a soft chuckle.
"How sweet."
Leora stopped pumping the water, rubbing the sweat off her forehead with small gasps of air, breathless.
"You think? If anything, I feel like I don't do enough, sometimes," Leora frowned, avoiding his gaze.
"I don't get it, Leora," Kong Hun crossed his arms," I went to the village to get you something I thought you would like. Which you admitted to liking. Why are you so angry with me?"

Leora stayed silent for a moment, thinking about it. She stayed quiet for a while, staring at the pool of water in the bucket as it spun like a spyglass. She mustered a small sigh.
"I don't know," Leora muttered, glancing away ashamed," It's not that I'm mad at you, it's more myself. I guess it's for a similar reason I do these sorts of tasks for the servants."
Kong Hun stared at her, studying her carefully.
"How so?"
Leora sighed again, exasperated by the situation," Well, I summoned you here, didn't I? I caused you problems and for what? The sake of my own art? Boredom? An accessory to success? If that's my only motive, then I must be just as bad as the people I-"
She paused, deciding against saying anything. He knew she was talking about people with high status.
"Why? Why are you not angry at me for it?"
Kong Hun stared at her incredulously, as if stunned by the question. He thought about it, only to realise he, himself, did not know the answer either. She was right. He should be furious at her. Furious that she caused such disruption to not only himself, but the two worlds. That it had a possibility to later return to them in karma. Yet, he couldn't find it in him to be mad at her. No matter how hard he willed himself to, he just couldn't do that. Perhaps it was because he had been so used to life in the Underworld that he enjoyed this change. Perhaps it was because of fighting in his past, he no longer could find it in him to be angry. Or perhaps it was because he found the whole situation amusing. Whatever it was, it was unclear and he did not know.

A flush grew to his cheeks as he thought about one possible reason, but he immediately denied it. For feelings were stupid and human, and for that to happen between the living and the deceased was simply heresy. The more he thought about it, the more he felt the world numbing away into a haze of unanswered question, aside from one thing. Leora did not fade away. She stared at him, her head slightly tilted as her hazel locks tumbled down her breast. Those big, curious eyes stared at him softly, yet he did not feel pressured or uncomfortable.
His breath hitched,"I-"
"Missy!" An irregular, common voice spoke up.
Kong Hun swivelled around revealing a patchy boy, with mousy brown hair, peppered in freckles and a little sunburnt in places.
"Archie," Leora tilted her head.
"You not painting today, Missy?" Archie asked.
"No," Leora shook her head," I'm not in the mood."
Archie cast a curious glance at Kong Hun, studying him intricately, making the ghost feel a little alienated," Who's this...?"
"This is my model and friend, Kong Hun," Leora stated.
Kong Hun blinked in shock at being called a friend by Leora.

"Kon' Hoon, huh?" Archie strained the words out, but Kong Hun decided to ignore it," I'm Archie, the gardener of this estate."
He held out his mucky hand for him to shake. Kong Hun took his hand, carefully, shaking it; trying to avoid getting dirt on himself.
"Er...a pleasure..."
Archie grinned, retracting his hand away, before noticing it was covered in dirt," Ah, sorry. Hadn't noticed."
"It's fine," Kong Hun shot him a small smile for reassurance, moving his hand to wipe it on his hanfu, hesitating," Do you mind if I-?"
"Not at all," Archie shook his head with a laugh," M'not easily offended like missy here."
Leora glared at Archie furiously," This is only our second time meeting and you're already on my 'speaks too much before thinking' list. Hold onto that resume tightly!"
Archie laughed," See? I know she's lyin' though. Doesn't have a drop of noble blood in her. Not like that brother of hers."
"You met Henry?" Kong Hun tilted his head.
"'Course!" Archie nodded, emphatically," Lord He'ry gave me the job, he did. Seemed annoyed too, but oh well. Better my hands dirty than 'is pearly white ones."
Leora didn't stand up for her brother whatsoever. Clearly she knew it was true, that her brother was not the greatest of people. Kong Hun found it surprising, how someone so sheltered from the world could be so aware of her position.

Archie cast his gaze at the water bucket, rubbing his dirty hand over his nose in thought, accidentally getting that a little grubby," Ah, missy. You ain't hafta do all a' dat. Edward warned me, he did. Said you were a right lil pushy thing. Here, I'll carry it in."
Leora shook her head swiftly, grabbing the water bucket, nearly tripping over from its weight as she did," No, I want to give it to Edward. I need an excuse to see him and talk to him."
"I can't have you carryin' that, missy," Archie sighed," Think if the Lord saw you."
"I don't care if Henry sees me," Leora hissed, stubbornly storming off with the bucket without another word.
Archie whistled, watching her storm back to the manor, nearly tripping in the process. He glanced back at Kong Hun.
"Don't mind her," Archie chuckled," She's short tempered, ain't she?"
Kong Hun felt a little awkward talking to Archie about Leora," I guess."
The ghosts' gaze trailed back to the river nearby, the water pump was likely connected to it. He stared at it for a moment longer, remembering Henry's story on his late cousin, Duncan.

"I don't suppose you know about Duncan and the river, do you?" Kong Hun glanced back at Archie.
Archie seemed a little surprised by this.
"Me? Nah, I've not been here long," Archie shrugged his shoulders," Only heard about it from the old gardener."
Kong Hun nodded," I see."
Kong Hun turned to leave, before Archie gasped.
"There was one thing!"
Kong Hun glanced back at the gardener, noticing how he bit his lip and glanced back and forth.
"The servants, before poor lil Duncan fell in, had stories about it being a bad river."
Kong Hun raised his eyebrows in surprise. So, it was known to be a bad river either way?
"How so?" Kong Hun frowned.
"Well, it's just off, even I noticed that," Archie shuddered," 'S always cold there, freezing! But, guess that's just a river bein' a river. But, the maids all talk about how when the house had just been built in the 1650s, there was a civil war. Folks tried to break into the house but the lord, the one who established this place, Leora's great, great grandfather killed 'em off before they could cross the river. 'pparently the blood drained into the river, staining it red for days. So...not a very pleasant river, you see..."
Kong Hun listened with wide eyes. This house seemed to get more and more interesting the more he explored. And, if he was completely honest, he wanted to know more.