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

Clean Slate

Obi POV

I dig through the small bag of clothes I'd brought back from the castle yesterday and decide to take a bath since the bed was empty when I woke up. I could hear her talking to a customer in the main room so she should be alright for a few minutes. When I leave the bedroom to look for her, I stop in the archway between the main room and hall and smile. She looks so happy and peaceful right now. All of the windows are open along with the front door and she's humming under her breath as she waters the plants around the room. This is the happiest I've seen her, sober, since she'd gone blind. Her hair is tied back into a slightly messy pony tail and is wearing a baggy charcoal grey shirt that makes her beautiful eyes stand out further.

"Good morning Obi." She calls over her shoulder and I stare at her in shock and confusion. I hadn't moved or said anything. "I could hear you breathing and can feel you staring at me. Is there something on my face or did I dress funny or something? I really can't tell."

"N-No. No, you look fine Miss. You just look happy."

"Something I said last night stuck with me. 'To new beginnings'. I woke up this morning and decided to make myself a new beginning. There's a big change from going blind, but I feel like to truly start again, I want everything to be clean and fresh." She explains. "So, with the day being warm and breezy, I've decided to air out the cottage and I want to clean everything."

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I started with Aeri's chores after opening the windows. I left my bedroom windows and door though since you were asleep still."

"I'll open those and then we'll have breakfast. After that, I'll help you clean."

After we eat, I help Aeri gather bed sheets, clothing, and other linens and we carry them down to the creek to wash. I have her hand me the items and pins as I hang them on the line to dry, then head back inside. It really is a beautiful day outside though, everything seems so vibrant, but even more so when I see her smile. I think part of her witch powers has an effect on the weather here like it does with time. I ask where we go from here and she votes to start from Aeri's room since it's going to be the quickest, then work our way through the cottage from there. We aren't going to go through her stuff or anything, so it's simply straightening everything and wiping everything down including the windows, before sweeping and mopping the floors. As Ryanne wipes down the furniture, she asks me to pull off any dead bits of plants from the different pots around the room so I start on that. I've never really had a place of my own to clean but this isn't bad, it's peaceful and almost enjoyable. I abandon the potted ivy hanging from the ceiling as I hear a hiss and swiftly catch Herron as he tries to slam into her ankles. He hisses at me defiantly and I hiss back before leaning out the window and gently placing him outside. He could always get back in since the doors and window are all open but it still makes him have to work for it if he really wants to come back to harass her.

Ryanne and I prepare a simple lunch for ourselves a few hours later, having thoroughly cleaned everything except the main room and kitchen. She wants to eat outside, so I move our sandwiches and fruit to a basket for her and take our drinks and a blanket out to the yard. As we eat, I watch the sheets billow out in the breeze and sigh.

"This really was a nice place for you to settle, Miss. It's really peaceful."

"I agree." She hums. "It's much safer than my old shop."

"You mentioned that before. Did something happen?"

"Well, the witch rumors had started long before I moved up here but besides verbal threats, no one really messed with me for the first few months. Then, it moved to light vandalism, like signs left on my windows claiming me to be a cursed, dark witch, then to breaking my windows or putting animal blood on my storefront. Marnie and Tien were worried about me since I lived alone on the upper floor of the shop because I didn't have an apprentice at the time but I told them I was fine. One night as I was locking up, two men came into the shop. I told them that I was closed but would be happy to help them in the morning. They were drunk and angry because I was a witch in their village, so they beat me before trashing the store and left me unconscious on the floor. I woke up the next morning when a customer found me. Everything was destroyed so I closed shop and once I healed, Tien and a few customers helped me to build and set up here and once I got established, I reopened and the customers came back to me."

"People are terrible. I'm so sorry Miss."

I watch Ryanne slowly make her way across the wet floors to come back toward me. Everything is finally done as the sun is setting. She didn't think it through when she was mopping and had mopped herself into the kitchen so now she's using the counter tops to keep her steady as she walks across the wet floor. I offered to come get her but she refused, insisting she could safely do it herself. I wait in the doorway between the rooms for her, ready to catch her if needed but she seems to be doing alright on her own. I hear her curse as she slips and I step forward, wrapping one arm around her waist as my other hand catches hers. My breath catches as the glowing light from the sunset hits her eyes. God, she's so perfect...

"Are you alright, Miss?" I ask as I help her stand upright.

She nods, her hand tightly holding mine while the other is gripping the sleeve of my shirt. Our bodies are close together and all I can focus on is her lips being just a breath away from mine. I release her hand and brush the hair from her eyes before gently cupping her face and I remove the distance between us.