Bewitching Monsters

Orc - Part 3

I was not expecting Valzok to ask me out. It wasn't quite a date—he was still bothered by the toll my spell for him took on me—but this also wasn't payment for magic. I was embarrassed to admit it, but I had very little romantic experience. The last time I was on a real date was when I was still in primary schooling. With everything I went through during that time...I left romance behind when I graduated.

I let Valzok take a quick shower. It gave me time to dress a little warmer and some private time to outwardly panic. It wasn't helping that Caera started being mischievous again like last night. She kept suggesting I put on some sexy lingerie, perhaps a sweater dress and thigh highs. Of course I didn't listen to her.

"Uh, Witch. Where do you keep your towels?" Valzok called from the bathroom.

Crap. Did I not give him one? Living alone, I never really had to make sure I kept an extra available for any guests. "One second!" I quickly grabbed one of the three towels I owned and rushed downstairs. I knocked on the bathroom door. "Sorry about that. I don't normally have guests who use my shower."

The door cracked open and I caught a sliver of his body. He definitely noticed my ogling before I averted my gaze. "You sure you weren't just hoping to catch a glance?"

"No!" I defended and crossed my arms. That wasn't my original thought, but it was definitely in my thoughts now. "If all I wanted was to see you naked, I would've had that be the payment for your spell." Silence stretched between for a couple seconds before he closed the door again. Fuck. That didn't come out how I meant it. The "date" hadn't even started yet and I was already ruining it.

After we were both ready, we walked through the woods towards the town. His horse refused to walk into my woods—a common thing I was warned before buying my house—so we agreed to walk the distance out, then he'd ride his horse and I my broom since the place he suggested was on the opposite side of town. At first the silence between us felt awkward, my nerves still being riled from the towel fiasco. But the deeper we walked the more comfortable I grew. This was nice.

We caught the post-lunchbreak lull at a nice industrial styled brasserie. Before I could even glance at the menu, a cervitaur approached the table. "A bit early for you to be in here, Val." He placed a hand on Valzok's shoulder then turned his smile to me. "I'm Citra, the owner."

"Pleasure. Call me Witch."

"Ah, so you're the new witch I heard moved to the woods. How are you enjoying it here in Arvos so far?"

"I've settled in well. Business is growing faster than I expected. I haven't had much of a chance to explore the town."

"I'm sure Val here would be happy to help show you around."

"Citra," the orc warned his friend before changing topics. "Have you asked Elaly yet?"

He laughed and smiled even brighter. "She said yes. And she loves the ring too."

"I carved their engagement rings," Valzok explained.

"Wow, I didn't know you made rings too."

"Ha! You name it and he can carve it. A lot of folk around here actually got their rings from him. Once they saw his, everyone wanted one."

Saw his ring? I glanced down at his hands but there wasn't a ring on either. Guess he no longer wore it. Now I was curious to see the types of rings he carved—I might even commission some for spells.

"How about you get us some drinks already, Citra."

"Right, right. Regular for you I suppose. And what can I get you, Miss Witch?"

My anxiety spiked and I quickly skimmed the menu to find any drink option. "Umm... Apple cider."

"Warmed?"

"Yes please." He nodded and left us. "So you're friends with the owner?"

Valzok rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, we've known each other since we were kids. I did all the woodwork for this place actually."

"Bragging now?" I teased.

He grinned. "Maybe a bit." A beat passed and his smile faded, his eyes turned down. Something was eating his mind now. Did it have to do with Citra? I noticed he became tense shortly after he approached our table. We both remained silent until after our drinks arrived. "Are you still wondering about the rings?"

So that's what had his mind wandering. "A bit. I'm curious to know how such large hands craft such small, delicate things."

After a slow inhale, he took off a necklace. I never noticed him wearing it before; he kept it tucked in his shirt. The couple times I saw him without a shirt, he didn't have it on. He passed it to me. On the chord were two wooden rings. Both were too large for even my thumb. While one had more intricately carved knot work, the two matched. I was beginning to guess what these were. I handed them back to Valzok and quietly remarked, "They're lovely."

Perhaps he read the realization on my face. Perhaps he wanted to avoid the topic as much as he could. Either way he didn't say any more about them. I didn't dare say a thing either. This was awkward enough without forcing a conversation about his late wife. Good thing we both had alcoholic drinks to loosen our nerves.

The rest of our late lunch was quite enjoyable and by the end, as we were walking back through the woods to my home, I almost forgot about that nagging detail that had shattered my fantasies about Valzok. But as I helped pack up his tools, those rings slipped out from his shirt as he leaned too far forward. He quickly grabbed for them, hid them. I pretended not to notice. We said our goodbyes with smiles on, but once the door was closed mine crumbled.

I spiked some hot cocoa and curled up by the fire.

Caera pulled over a blanket and the warmth of her ghostly hug wrapped around me. "That bad?"

"No and yes." I took a long sip. Ugh, I spiked it a little too much. Or maybe I didn't mix it well. I didn't care enough to fix it. "It was a lovely time—practically a proper date. But he was married."

"Do you not like widows and divorcees, Mistress?"

"No, that's not it at all," I sighed. "He's an orc, Caera. While I'm not fully versed on orc cultures, I know many factions have laws that basically mean once they marry, they're only ever with that mate from then on—even if their mate dies. So Valzok—not gonna get with anyone else."

"He seemed to flirt with you though."

"Flirting," I clarified, "is very different than sleeping with."

I had almost finished off my cocoa when Caera chirped up again. "So are you still going to get the orc dildo, Mistress?"

I burst out laughing. Out of everything she could have said in this moment... "Dildo it is then."