Finding Beauty in the Darkness *Obi x OC*(COMPLETE)

Rainbows Aren't Intangible

Obi POV

 Ryanne and I ended up staying up all night. I worried about her sleeping but she assured me that she spent most nights working late so it didn't bother her to be up. Aeri stayed asleep after I put her back to bed so once we ran out of card games and chocolate chips, we sat around talking. I learned that the drawings I'd seen in Ryanne's bedroom were ones she had done when she was Aeri's age, as she started to notice her vision blurring. She had wanted to remember certain things as she saw them, so she would draw them and close her eyes, tracing the lines over and over again as she thought of what they were supposed to be. She says that even now, though her eyes can't quite see the lines, she can still picture the buildings and people as she runs her fingers over them. When she stopped being able to see the lines at all she stopped drawing.

I look up from the table as Aeri rushes into the room and greets both of us. Apparently the smell of blueberries woke her up. I'd helped Ryanne make blueberry muffins and they're baking in the oven now. Ryanne refused to let me help wash the dishes despite my best efforts to do so otherwise and I finally caved and sat down at the table. Every time I look over at her, she tells me to stop pouting without turning my way. I still don't see how she can tell like that. She may actually be a witch... I watch as Aeri opens the door and Herron comes rushing in to slam into Ryanne's leg.

"Listen cat," She mumbles under her breath. "I don't like you and you don't like me but you are my apprentice's favorite little ball of hate. She's only going to be here for four more months so I think you should suck it up and deal with me since I'm nice enough to let you live in my cottage, because trust me, if given the chance, I would put you outside and you could live there for good."

He hisses at her in response before moving to circle Aeri's legs and purrs happily.

"Obi could you check on the muffins please? They should be done now."

"Sure thing Miss."

"Ryanne."

"Miss Ryanne." I grin as I get to my feet and check the oven.

The muffins are done and they look and smell delicious. I move the whistling kettle off the stove and fill the three cups as Aeri fills the tea balls for me. Ryanne and Aeri both wanted lemon, which they explained to be a black tea with lemon zest added to it. It supposedly tastes good with blueberry. I haven't hated anything Ryanne has made yet so I decided to have it too. We'll see how I like it I guess.

After breakfast, which turned out to be one of the best breakfasts I'd ever had, Ryanne set up things for our lunches and dinners so all Aeri will have to do is heat them up or assemble them when it's time, then set Aeri up with research materials to study after finishing her daily work. We get to start on the rest of the decontamination process now with fresh supplies. Ryanne tells me that she could simply wash it all out but it's far easier to simply rid herself of them all and get new supplies afterward. I follow her lead on cleaning off the mattresses and flip them before covering the other side with the solution. We move to the furniture next and wipe them all down thoroughly and move them off to the side to dry. We'll bring them inside this evening or tomorrow once we're no longer contaminated.

When lunch time rolls around, all we have left is the fabrics and clothing to clean. I follow Ryanne down to the creek to wash up as Aeri heats up the tomato soup and makes something that Aeri called hot cheeses. I never got an explanation of what that is, but Ryanne assured me that it's good so I trust them. I feel like if I hang around the cottage long enough, I'm going to get fat and possibly lazy. I settle on the ground near Ryanne as Aeri brings out our lunches and drinks. The hot cheeses turned out to be slices of bread covered in butter and toasted with a large, thin slice of cheese melted in the middle. I stare at it curiously and take a bite. It's not bad actually. I'm impressed. I notice Ryanne tearing hers into smaller pieces and dipping it into her soup so I mimic her actions. I like it better this way so I do that with the rest of my sandwich before I finish off the soup.

We give our dishes to Aeri after she puts gloves on and Ryanne tells her that we're going up to the waterfall to clean the last of the stuff so Aeri returns with a large canister of some type of soap for the clothes. Ryanne leads me around to the other side of the cottage and I'm surprised to see a large stretch of thick twine running back and forth from the side of the cottage to a large split tree near the tree line. I'd never noticed it. We gather everything into two large baskets that Aeri had brought out for us and I follow Ryanne's lead through the woods.

"I didn't know there was a waterfall up here."

"It feeds down from a hill up this way and forks off at the bottom into the creek I use and another one running off into the woods to the north." She explains.

My eyes widen as we enter the clearing at the base of the falls. The sun is hitting just right to make a rainbow form over the small pool and everything just looks nice and peaceful.

"It's beautiful out here." I comment, then realize that she may not be able to see it.

"I agree, from what I'm able to see. I can hear the water but I can't see it because it's too clear. It does look breathtaking in the spring and summer though, as this whole clearing fills with small pink flowers. I can only see the color, not the flowers themselves, but it's still nice."

"Have you ever seen a rainbow, Miss?"

"A few times as a child, why?"

"Have you ever touched one?" She arches a brow and turns to me.

"Um, Obi, rainbows are intangible."

"I know that but you can still put your hand through one." I explain.

"Well, then no. I haven't."

"Do you want to? The sunlight has made one over the water." She starts to shake her head but I remember what Aeri said a while back. "Try something new every day?"

She sighs and a soft smile crosses her face. "I suppose, but I can't see it. What if I miss or fall in?"

"I'll help you and make sure you're safe."

I lightly take her elbow and walk her closer to the waterfall and test a large rock before helping her stand on it. I move behind her and wrap one arm around her torso and take her hand with my other. I slowly reach it up until our hands are in the water spray making up the rainbow.

"You're touching a rainbow, Miss." I tell her and a smile stretches across my face as I notice a bright smile on hers as her fingers move around.

"I-I can feel the water tickling my hand. I guess in a way rainbows aren't intangible..." She mumbles in slight awe. "Thank you Obi."

"No problem Miss."