Foreigner of Fire

4 - Interest Hunt

The sun was high in sky when Ash found her sitting by the lake. She had skipped yesterday's easter hunt on easter monday and he had looked all over for her. He approached her as she sat where they had been painting the eggs two days ago.

"Hey?" Ash crouched down in a squat position and cocked his head to a side. Lily had headphones on and was writing in a book. He was slightly amused – he didn't take her for the type to listen to music. He waved his hand in front of her face to catch her attention. She snapped out of her trance and turned to face him. For the first time, he was finally seeing her with her hair down and dressed in a long light blue sun dress. It seemed as if he had intruded in a private moment from the look on her face. "I'm sorry...Am I interrupting something?"

"Could you maybe," Lily slipped her headphones off and closed her journal. "Keep your distance from me? I don't need any crazy girls pushing me around."

"What crazy girls?" He frowned at her. Lily didn't reply. "What are you listening to?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Nothing you're familiar with." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on!" He smirked at her. "It's not some weird sexual song, is it?" He teased.

"Ugh. Here." She handed him the headphones. "They're my dad's sermons at church. He's a church minister, and he reads to me when I go to sleep. It soothes me and gives me peace." Lily explained, holding out the two ear pieces at him. He gave it a strange look.

"Alright." His answer shocked her as he sat down beside her on the ground. "Let's give it a try." He took the head phones from her hand and put them in. Her father had a deeper voices than he expected and a southern accent. Ash frowned. Lily noted the many expressions flitting across his face, as if he was getting internally hurt. "Shit." He mutters quietly, eyes still closed. Lily didn't realise if he was actually hurt or just bothered by listening to the sermon.

Lily grabbed the headphones off and it seemed as if someone had punched him in the gut – he seemed like he just had the wind knocked out of him and he was having difficulty in breathing. He tried to give her a weak smile but his eyes rolled over to the back of his head and he fell back. Lily yelped before attempting to grab him and she held him up.

"What just..." She shook her head. "Hey!" She called out to some other campers standing at the jetty. They noticed her and turned around. "Bring me some water from the lake. He's passed out!"

• A PEREGRINO IGNIS •

"How is he?" Lily breathed out while waiting in the nurse's office, away from the inner part, which was the infirmary. The place smelt of disinfectant and she noted the neatly stacked glass cabinets of medicine above the nurse's counter. The seat, however, was made of wood and her sore bottom was going numb from sitting there for over 30 minutes.

"He's fine." The nurse reappeared from behind the curtain and smiled. "You can go in and see him now." The nurse was dressed in camp clothes and smelt like orchids. Lily smiled back before getting up and heading in through the curtains. He was propped up on the hospital bed and was holding a tissue to his nose, his head tilted back.

"What happened to you back there?" Lily hissed at him as she pulled up another seat beside him – thankfully made of plastic.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He grinned at her sheepishly. "I'm actually allergic to sermons."

"What?" Lily said monotonously. Who was going to believe that?

"I'm not joking like – if you want to repel me," he lowered his head back and removed the tissue – which was quite bloody – and tossed it into the bin beside the bed after a few more wipes. "Just start quoting the bible and I will run a mile."

"Isaiah 53:4-5," Lily began.

"Are you serious?" Ash gave her a look of amusement. "I can quote it too, with my eyes closed if it helps, but I swear on my father – do not say it out to me." He threatened, pointing a finger at her. She only smiled in response and took in a deep breath.

"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by – " she froze when she noticed that Ash's face darkened.

"I'm not joking, god-woman." He choked out before his nose started to drip onto the sheets. "Damn it." He turned to the table beside him and grabbed a handful of tissues, sticking it back under his nose and tilting his head back again. "Will you please believe me when I say this to you?"

"But," Lily frowned. "How?"

"Don't ask me how." He breathed through his mouth. "Ask me since when – and let me tell you; since forever."

"Then..." She lowered her voice. "Why did you listen to it despite me telling you it was a sermon? Why didn't you remove the headphones if you were getting adverse reactions to it?" She still couldn't believe it, although she had witnessed it first hand. Someone who was allergic to a certain type of words. This was definitely new – by all means. And strange.

"I wanted to please you. Maybe let you fall under the idea that your whole conversion thing was working with me." He grinned. "But yeah, that was pretty stupid of me." He admitted. "Hey, yeah, today...In the cabin, Counsellor Regina told us it was interest hunt week. We have to learn a bit about each other's hobby and display it next Monday."

"Oh..." Lily muttered. "So I have to learn your hobby and you mine?"

"Yeah..." Ash lowered his head again and tossed the tissue away. "More or less. Wow, that is a lot of blood." He looked at the tissue he just dropped as he leaned over the bed.

"So...What's your hobby then?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Having sex." He winked at her and she blushed.

"Wh–What?" She gasped out loud and looked around, realising the nurse was within earshot. "Mind your words! Be serious!"

"Sorry." Ash laughed. "It's painting." He smiled at her. "I do hope your hobby isn't listening to sermons or reading the bible, because I swear, I will kill myself."

"Ah, no, none of those are, lucky for you." She smiled back smugly.

"Then, what's your hobby?" He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Poetry."