Rei had asked Wendell to return some time during the afternoon- earlier than his usual return at dusk when they often spent time talking, sharing affections, and making love before they were too tired to continue. It seemed that seasons apart had seen their fire for each other burn even brighter than it had before. Wendell nearly ripped her clothes off every time he came into the house, and she couldn’t complain. She had missed him too much, longing for his touch for too long, and they were on borrowed time. Wendell’s plans weren’t to stay in Rynmere for too long.
She had dressed in a simple white cotton dress after an exceptionally short shift at the infirmary. Rei had succeeded well enough at her work that she could afford to spend less time at work while Wendell was here. She waited at the window that looked out towards the street, watching as people passed by in different directions up and down the street heading who knew where. When she spotted Wendell’s familiar form among a crowd heading from the harbor, a bright smile illuminated her face. She couldn’t help but smile every time she laid eyes on him.
Because she was waiting, she opened the door and welcomed him in. She had asked him to come early for a reason. Rei had been thinking lately of a sort of proposition she had for him regarding make a proper home here in Rynmere for him to return to that could also bring them a solid income. It had all been inspired by his parting words two trials prior. She shut the door behind him and circled her arms around his neck and pulled him in for the usual burning kiss.
“I have been thinking. Your mention of a large garden or a farm gave me an idea. This is both a business and personal proposition, I suppose. What if we split the cost of a farmhouse and land? You would have a much nicer home to come home to and I can bring the both of us some income from what I can produce in the fields.” She ran a finger along his jaw, resisting the urge to kiss him again. “I was thinking if it was something that interested you there are a few farm houses we can look at.”
Returned from the docks, Wendell was dressed in a fresh set of clothes and had even brought a bag along with him with a few extra changes in it. Rei welcomed him with the same warmth she always did, and he found that he couldn’t help but smile, completely at ease in her company. He dumped his bag by the door, not sure where he should put it or just how welcome he was, before joining her at the table. There she explained her plan, and Wendell threw a small leather sack on the table and it tipped over, gold coins spilling out.
“There is a thousand,” he said, “spend it all, or spend what you need and put the rest in the bank,” he told her. “Build your dream.” Wendell got up from where he was sitting and closed the distance between them to kiss Rei on the lips.
“No promises,” he whispered, “this is for you, you don’t owe me anything, you don’t need to wait for me. Just live your life.” he kissed her again.
The money was his way of apologising for everything she had been through. Wendell didn’t want to be tied to any one place or person, and he knew deep down Rei understood that, but he wanted the doctor to do well and live her best life. If he was blessed enough to fall in and out of it from time to time, he would count himself lucky, but he didn’t want to make any promises, didn’t want her to live waiting and wondering if and when he would ever return.
For a while he just stood there, stooped with his hand on the table, watching her, wondering what it was she saw in him other than a good time, because they had always found a way to have fun together. Rei was a beautiful woman, and perhaps, he thought, that was why he had gotten so close for so long, breaking the rules he had lived by most of his life. It wasn’t that he couldn’t imagine himself settled down one day, maybe with his own family, but Wendell was selfish a man, good only at putting himself first.
“What do you do for fun in this city?” he asked, and took up his chair again.
Thunk. The leather bag that hit the table jingled and it was bulging with coin. It sounded heavy and looked like it must be a formidable amount of money. Her blue eyes widened in shock when he voiced the amount. One thousand gold nel? He was giving her one thousand gold nel? How he got it didn’t matter much to her, she was simply stunned that he would trust her with that much of his money. It was at least three hundred nel more than the half she had asked him for to secure a decent farmhouse and a sizeable piece of land.
“Wendell,” she breathed, staring at him like he must be crazy to be giving her this amount of money. She was interrupted as he stooped down and pressed a kiss against her lips. Rei was still stunned, sitting there as if an Immortal had just appeared in front of her. “This is too much. This is so much more than what I was asking for.” Of course she knew there would be no arguing with him. Wendell was set in his ways. If he had decided to give her this there would be no changing his mind no matter what she said.
Wendell, as was his wild nature, was not promising her any type of commitment. He told her upfront that the money was just for her to live her life as she wanted and for herself. Being independent and not waiting on him was something he always encouraged. Rei planned to live her life, but she would always wait for him no matter what he said. She knew he would always come back to her, whether a lot of time had passed or little at all. Their bond was unspoken and she didn’t need him to speak commitment to her.
“You know I need no promises, Wendell.” She smiled up at him as he stood over her, watching her in that way he looked at her that made her skin form gooseflesh and a pleasurable tingle run down her spine. “I make the choices in how I live my life. I will have a farm and you will always have a home there. Always.” He was worth it. He was worth every breath she spent waiting. She didn’t want another man, the thought had never even crossed her mind. Even when she thought him lost, she had never desired another.
Wendell asked what they did for fun and Rei shrugged her shoulders. “What does any city do? Drink? Whore?” She laughed lightly. “Dinner? We could go out somewhere.” She tugged on his hand and pulled him down towards her for another kiss. “I would say you could show me your vessel but I don’t think you want me to see it,” she teased.
“You, drink and whore?” Wendell smirked, he couldn’t imagine the good doctor stooping to his level, at least not outside of his company that was.
Rei asked to see the boat and Wendell looked sullen. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to share his success with her, but that life wasn’t for Rei. He didn’t want to stir her desire or promote a life of adventure. Yes, being out at sea was enjoyable, he might even have fallen for the joys of the open ocean himself, but Wendell knew the dangers, and the witch doctor he had made a blood contract with, they weren’t things to be played with.
“No,” he said with a smile, “you don’t want to see the boat,” a lie, why else would she have asked? “Besides, I don’t want any of my crew to see you and try and hold you against me if they ever decide to plan some kind of uprising.” Wendell never said exactly what he meant, instead people were often left to read between the lines. He was trying to tell Rei that she was special to him, too special to risk.
“Let’s go out for a meal,” he agreed, “my shout, you just get yourself made up and you can pick where we eat,” he smiled.
Wendell too, got to his feet and went to his bag to dig through the contents and find a nicer tunic, one that wasn’t so wrinkled and sweaty from walking up the hill. Rynmere was a huge city, and he didn’t much like the climb from Lowtown to Midtown where Rei lived. He changed into the fresh top and even sought out a mirror to see how his hair looked, making sure he appeared equally as good for Rei, putting in minimum effort for maximum result.
“We can talk about the farm? Where you would like to buy,” he called, ready to leave when she was.
“You know me too well,” she teased, playfully tracing a finger along the smirk that he often wore on his lips. “I only enjoy a good wine after a long day sometimes.” And it was the truth. She couldn’t recall ever having anything stronger. Perhaps she had in Rharne, the memories of there seemed so far away now. Rei had practically been a different person then, having grown and matured through the seasons. What she had been through had impacted her greatly, and she had tried to change for the better and hoped that had been the outcome.
It was clear that Wendell didn’t want Rei to see the boat or the crew, and she suspected that it was a reason of protection. He had always been so protective of her, never wanting anything to happen to her. She imagined in light of what she had told him had happened to her, that the protective streak in him had only increased. “You are always so protective of me.” She paused, pressing her lips to the scruff of his jaw and then the side of his neck. “Just like the wolf you are.”
He suggested that they go out for a meal, and Rei had to admit she wouldn’t be opposed to a night away from the house. Since she had moved to Rynmere, practically all she had done was stay at the infirmary or at her small abode. Once she had joined one of her patients, a noble woman, and her husband and children for dinner. They had wanted to thank her for the care she had given the woman. She had grown quite fond of Elyna and Malcolm, the two seeming a kind and generous couple. That was the only night thus far that she had been anywhere else.
With Wendell occupying himself looking through his bag for better clothes, Rei went to her small dresser and pulled out the familiar navy dress she had worn during their first dinner together. It was a form-hugging and low-necked number that she knew to drive Wendell wild. She had slipped on some flat shoes and carefully brushed out her long golden locks. Dabbing floral and woodsy oil on her skin, she was ready to go. “Don’t you look handsome,” she commented before taking his arm and stepping out onto the street.
“To be honest, I don’t know much about Rynmere. I spend so much time at the infirmary or at my home. Maybe on the outskirts of the city? I do enjoy my work here at the infirmary.” Rei looked around at the various shops and few eateries around Midtown. “What about that café there? It looks quaint and quiet.” She didn’t want to be in a raucous establishment. She got plenty of noise in other aspects of her life.
They were barely out the door and already Wendell was regretting his decision. How was he supposed to take her out and keep his hands to himself when she looked like that, donning a dress she had once worn, at a time that seemed an age ago now.
Together they wandered the streets in search of a nice place to eat when Rei spotted a small cafe that had ivy growing up the edge of the stone wall, and hanging baskets with different coloured flowers growing in them. The tables and chairs were simple and elegant, shaped iron painted black, with polished wooden oak tops. Inside it was just as nice, with little candles lit on each of the tables, and cutlery positioned neatly next to a vase of flowers.
Wendell picked out a table he liked the look of near the window and pulled out a chair for Rei to sit in before taking up a seat across from her. The waiter soon came along with a small selection of different breads and soft butter for them to snack on while they looked over the menu to try and figure out what they wanted. The prices were reasonable, being that it was a cafe, and Wendell got up to order them a glass of wine each to go with their meal.
When he returned to the table, the waiter followed him over with the red wine, and put down what remained in the bottle before asking what they would like to eat. Wendell skimmed the menu quickly, easy to please, and went for the roast vegetables and beef. He looked across at Rei then, wondering what she wanted.
“And for you?” the waiter asked. He was holding a small notepad and wearing an apron that looked two sizes too small for him.
Rei could tell by the look in his eye and tension in his muscles that he didn’t want to be out on this street. He wanted to be back behind closed doors. He longed for her body again. He had hardly given her rest these last few trials, always wanting more. She didn’t mind much, as she knew their time was limited and she had missed him dearly. Though it wasn’t right to torment him, she ran the pads of her fingers up along his forearm and then up to his bicep, playing along the curves of the muscle before dancing along the back of his neck.
It didn’t take them long to find a suitable place to eat. The café was as sweet and quaint on the inside as it was the outside. Rei enjoyed the lovely and aromatic flowers that filled the room and the romantic light of the candle emanating from the table. The light flickered in her blue eyes, glinting and dancing, highlighting the mischief and her own desire for him. Wendell was ever the gentlemen, pulling out her chair for her before taking his own seat across the table.
The waiter saw to them quickly, Wendell ordering them a bottle of wine that was swiftly brought to the table and poured up for them. He had ordered a dish she had often seen him partake in. Rei ordered the same dish, enjoying a good roasted slab of meat just as much as Wendell did. When the waiter departed, she slipped one of her shoes off her feet, running the side of her foot up against the leg of his pants and up along his knee. While she had always been a physical person, Wendell simply did something to her that she could not explain.
“I was thinking. If I buy a house and land, I could work a small farm, bring in some nel from selling the products.” She laughed lightly. “Maybe just fields, though. I’m not certain I could handle all the animals by myself.” Rei smiled at him, a bit of sadness glinting in her eyes. There wasn’t much time left before he left and who knew when he would return again. “What do you think?”It will be your home, too, she thought.
“I think anything you touch will do well,” he said.
Wendell was quickly distracted by the woman, who chose now of all times, to toy with him. A strange feeling of déjà vu came over him. Perhaps it was the restaurant or the company he found himself in, but this date, if they were going to call it by such, felt a lot like their first. A dinner, wine, a wobbly walk back to Rei’s place, and the night, like most spent with her, would end well. Is this what the woman hoped for, he wondered, a life of dinners and dates, and romps that left them both so exhausted, that sleep found them in a matter of minutes.
Wendell looked out the window they were sat beside, and watched people go by on the street. The average lifespan of a man in Andaris was fifty, give or take a few years if he was careful, and far less for a military man or sailor. What would he do if he stayed, he pondered in silence, he couldn’t work as an entertainer anymore, not if he was going to stay committed to Rei and the life she wanted to build. He wasn’t good at much else, or maybe he just hadn’t tried anything else, but Wendell knew he could never be satisfied with an easy life. He cared for her a great deal, but was that enough?
Wine set in front of him was gone in an instant, the glass tipped as if he were downing a shot. Would it be enough to drown out the thoughts that troubled him now? As the glass met the table, and was topped up again, the man noticed the pearl coloured scar on the palm of his left hand and pressed the limb into his lap, hidden. He had a contract with the witch in Rharne, and thoughts of life on a farm raising brats alongside a beautiful woman would have to sit on the backburner until the blood pact was broken.
“Very well,” he said then, twisting the glass as the stem ran between his finger and thumb. “What will you grow?” Wendell smiled, hoping Rei hadn’t noticed how distracted he seemed.
“You are biased,” she teased, tickling her toes against the back of his knee before running her bare foot back down along his calf and coming to rest atop his boot. “You think I am great at everything.” It was true in what she had experienced so far. He thought she was a great doctor (though at least that much was probably true), a great gardener, a great lover, and now a great farmer. She had only ever had experience with a small garden in Rharne. A large field on a farm would be different and a lot of work.
It wasn’t the speed in which he drank his wine that bothered her. Sometimes Wendell liked to drown himself in alcohol or other substances, a hazard of his career and his wild soul. He was not something that could be tamed and forced into a dull and domestic life. Rei had known that- always- and still knew it. He seemed so distracted, as if bothered by something. She wanted to know what was on his mind, luring him away from some of their borrowed time. What was so worrisome that even her teasing foot couldn’t hold his attention?
“Wendell, what’s wrong? Something is on your mind.” Her head inclined, looking at him curiously as she reached across the table and folded her hand over his empty one. “You can tell me anything. You know that, don’t you?” Rei certainly hoped he did. She hoped he understood just how much she cared for him. There was no one else on this earth like him, and truthfully she wanted no one else but him. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t adhere to what standard life people expected of them.
The pad of her thumb ran across the roughened flesh of his hand. “Produce, I think. Vegetables. Probably should start off with something hearty since I am somewhat inexperienced in this area. Lettuce, peas, beans. Maybe some root vegetables.” Rei would have to do some more research, perhaps ask around of some of the farmers. Perhaps she could visit the university and see if they had any literature on the subject. “Maybe I could manage a few chickens, too, for some eggs? It would be nice to spend some time away from the infirmary.” It wasn’t that she disliked her work as a doctor, it just was sometimes stressful.
Rei took up her wine glass and took a long drink of the fruity and dry wine. It felt like it had been ages since she had a decent glass. “You know that I understand you. I understand and would never ask you to give up your freedom for me. But you can’t change my mind, and I am perfectly happy with my decision.”
Wendell was an expert at being a passive listener, that was when he actually listened. Rei started talking about gardens and vegetables, and he completely zoned out, daring to take another glance in the direction of the pearl coloured scar. She took his hand, and for a moment he returned to her, but rose in silent disagreement, pulling his hand away from her grasp.
“Stupid woman,” he challenged, “just stop!” Wendell folded his arms like a child newly reprimanded by a parent, defiant, but not brave enough to leave.
He remained glued to the spot, caged by the social laws that governed people and the way they should act, however desperate to leave. “I gave you the money to build whatever you want with it, I don’t need to know!” he said, realising he had asked. Something she had said had made him flighty, perhaps it had been the woman’s admission to understanding him when he felt as if he hardly knew himself.
Wendell stuffed a hand into his pocket and wrestled with the few silver coins to be found in there. He threw them down on the table, one of them spinning on its edge as he walked away and left the restaurant. Fresh air chased a heavy, burning sensation from his lungs, and he turned in the direction of Rei’s house before changing his mind, veering off towards the direction of the city gates, hoping to return to the docks before nightfall.
He couldn’t do this, play house with the woman he… no, he couldn’t even think the word. Damn her, he thought, damn her and her stupid dreams, her tasty meals, creamy thighs and… Wendell kicked a feed bucket a few hens had gathered around, and the animal scarpered in a hurry to avoid his boot.
“Sard!” he yelled at the top of his lungs, and continued on down the street.
