Enter the Witchwood

(( Sorry about the wait. I wrote my post, thought I hit "post reply" and then was like "Wait, Windsong is usually quicker than this." and nearly sent a PM asking if you were ok before I realized I didn't actually hit post. :| I'm brilliant. ))

The woman shook her head. "It's not so bad, knowing my son is safe at home." She nodded. "It does get lonesome, though, going that whole way by myself." She took a bite of her apple. It crunched between her teeth, and and a small wad of the brown butter formed at the corner of her mouth.

She ate the other half of her apple slice without any peanut butter, then reached for another slice.

Beliam drove another slice into the peanut butter, pulling up a huge wad with shining, eager eyes. His mother swiped hers along it to take half of it, and his heart and face sank.

"Mama!" His lower lip jutted out.

"You're having apples with peanut butter, not peanut butter with apples."

"Mama!" He groaned. "Come on, you can't do that to me! You're killing me, Mama!"

The woman shook her head and ate her slice, a smile at the corners of her lips.
 
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((Happens from time to time so no worries. Just a little bit of food poisoning yesterday on my part anyway~))

Had this been some pre-written story about a man who falls low by nature's grasp and fallen in love with a woman living with her son in the woods he would have puffed his chest in a show of bravado and self-sacrifice. Dedicating himself to the mother and boy, to be a father he did not know and a lover to her in some bold and wholly sincere show of his true character. All of it to quell his own loneliness that had begun to get hungrier and hungrier as the years began to pass.

But, this isn't one of those stories, and Sam wasn't that sort of man.

No, Sam had to gesture with a single finger to the corner of his own mouth with eyes upon Ellith. Trying to politely indicate she'd left some for later.

This was not his home here in some unknown forest, so far from home. These two weren't his family, barely acquaintances at that. Even this situation that unfolded before him that he could only sit and watch with a distant smile was not part of any dynamic he'd ever been a part of during his life. Innocence between playful mother and overly-dramatic child. He felt every part the bystander, looking in through some window. Only by his own voice did he break the spell upon himself.

"I can only imagine." How many months had he spent up in a watch-tower overlooking his home? His loneliness was of a different brand, but still the same for the most part. "So long as you know you come home to this little bundle of joy how can you ever really be alone?" Sam didn't mean for sarcasm to pollute his words, but his tone betrayed it just slightly even if his face showed he held no ill thoughts for the pair.
 
(( Ouch, that stinks. D8> I hope you're feeling better! ))

Ellith smiled and wiped the corner of her mouth. "Thanks." She nodded absently at his comment about coming home to Belly. "Yes. That's the best part of any trip." She tilted her head at him. It was getting hard to miss, that strange tone when he spoke.

"Do you have someone back home?" The question came suddenly, and she shook her head. "Sorry, that might be too personal. If anything I say bothers you, just tell me." She nodded firmly.

Beliam ate and ate, ignoring the pair. He even reached to stick his finger into the jar.

Ellith swatted his hand, and he yelped and yanked it back, then nursed his hand with an exaggerated pout.
 
((Feeling better. Dealing with drama and corruption at work.))

He smiled to her thanks with a slight tilt of his lips. Sam's mind had drifted elsewhere for a little while to collect his thoughts and keep his attitude from diverting the conversation to places he doubted either of them really wanted to go.

Just like that he cursed himself for it having been so obvious. For a few seconds he hoped the distraction caused by Belliam would be enough for him to avoid the question entirely, ignoring the fact that it would be seen as rude.

Only when the boy made his noises and Samson's eyes met Ellith's once more did he figure out his response. This time careful to avoid sounding jealous. "No. You're alright fer' askin'. Saved my life. Least I can do is not hide who I am from ya'll."

"It's jus' me back home." Wherever home is from here. "If ya' count the ol' barn cat who sleeps on my pillow there's her too. S'about the closest thing I got to a wife." His laugh was genuine at least, remembering being chided for it more than once.
 
(( Ouch. My condolences. </3 That stuff is rough! Also, sorry for my short post. I finished writing 50k in 20 days, so my mind's still a little drained, but I really want to keep going here. ))

"Ah." Ellith nodded thoughtfully, then smiled at him. "Well, you're welcome to stay until you miss her." She dipped another apple, her eyes on her son as the boy watched her back.

He eventually grabbed a piece of apple to dip and resumed eating normally, one eye on his mother.
 
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((HOW HAS IT BEEN OVER A WEEK AND YOU DIDN'T HURT ME FOR THIS TRANSGRESSION OF TARDINESS!? ;-; ))

A brief shake of his head followed before his chest swelled with a deep breath in. His nostrils filed through each of the smells that crossed through them and he was want to admit he didn't mind them one bit.

From the slight musk of Ellith's sweat to the earthy tone that seemed to pervade everything around them. Even the tartness of the apple near his mouth that he'd not even quite paid attention to. It all culminated in the crunch between his teeth before he let it out in a long and hardly stealthy sigh.

"That cat had been doing jus' fine before she moved on in with me an' will probably be doin' just fine when I'm gone." There was some poetry in his words that were lost on him. An allegory to the mother and son he was with even for just this short time.
 
(( BECAUSE I HAVE ALSO BEEN HORRIBLE, FRIEND. ))

Ellith nodded and continued the short meal until everyone was satisfied, then sent Beliam to put the remains of the meal into the kitchen as she began to clean up the fruit-harvest mess. "I don't remember what I was going to do after lunch." She shook her head, then laughed. "Sometimes I swear I'm getting old." Nevermind that she looked barely past twenty, or that she was healthy enough to be thick-bodied and she was clearly quite strong. Her eyes shone with playfulness.

"I'm going swimming again, Mama!" The boy called.

"Fine, but not too long, or you'll shrivel!" She belted back.
 
((Nonsense!))

There was a few moments of his brows knit together in thought at her statement. Certainly there wasn't anyway she was older than he was. A quick shake of his head dismissed those thoughts, it was likely just a saying that's meaning was lost on an outsider like him.

"If I knew I'd tell you.." He hummed back with the exhale from his chest. Pain didn't linger anymore when his breath was too deep, whether that was good or bad he'd no idea.

"Something to do with what you gathered?" Sam asked with the slightest gesture at her basket.
 
(( I HAVE THOUGH. ))

She looked down. "Preserves, likely." She smiled at him. "Thank you." She remained where she was. "I'm hesitant to leave you all by yourself, though. Being alone with the sky can sometimes be dizzying." She winked, a playful little wink.

"I'll stay with you until we need to take you in. The fruits won't mind a few hours." She draped a cloth over the fruits that didn't need to dry out. "I don't feel like overheating in a hot kitchen right now."
 
((All is forgiven.))

For sure he hadn't quite figured out how to react to the twinkle in Ellith's eyes. To him it was just the glow of youth that would be quickly departing him in the coming years.

"It's the same sky as back home. Just less storms. Won't turn down the company though." Her smile was infectious and soon he found himself doing the same back at her with a little less of a glint in his eye. "Won't keep you for hours though.. " He went without saying of his worry of becoming a burden to the woman and her son.

Some readjustment had him stretching his legs out in front of him with some effort. A few grunts of discomfort left his mouth but he still managed some movement, anything to fight off the growing stiffness that grew with less activity.
 
(( This is dragging a bit. Would you mind if I skipped us forward until his bones are mostly mended? ))

Ellith smiled as she watched him, then laid back on the soft grass. A stray leaf tickled at her neck. As long as grunts were his only exclamation of pain, she felt sure he would be fine.

In the distance, Beliam splashed about in the pond, and farm animals watched the pair with dull eyes.
 
((Absolutely. You read my mind. I'll leave the skip to you though.))

Rather than mimic the woman and stretch out Samson remained sitting upright. The ache subsided a little with minor movements of his arms or just a twist of his hip.

For a moment his eyes turned to the woman beside him and the fanciful idea of romance resurfaced. It lingered until his attention broke off to the sky, almost daring it to dizzy him, a man of the earth. Her sleeping upon his arm before had only been a matter of movin in her sleep he continued to remind himself.

Besides.. Being alone had never hurt anyone. Right?
 
(( Okey doke. ))

The rest of the day went peacefully, and the next day was similar, though laundry replaced fruit-harvesting. The following days were similarly peaceful.

Beliam was active and didn't have time to sit with Sam, but often brought him books from the shelf to occupy him, or read with him when he was tired from a long day.

Ellith often had Sam help with simple tasks that didn't require a lot of movement of dexterity, almost purposeful in giving him at least two things to do each day.

Time moved fluidly, and it was hard to track days in the peaceful cottage, far from holidays and events, and every night, Sam found Ellith resting against his arm.

Finally, at another lunchtime of another day, the woman removed his bandages, and didn't put them back on. He was free to move his arm and leg, and the slowly-ebbing pain was mostly absent. Carefully, she squeezed the parts of his limbs that had been broking, feeling at the bones through the pale, clammy flesh that had been so-long confined. "Move your arm slowly, I want to make sure you're fully flexible." She nodded as she watched his arm closely.
 
How time had seemed to just slide together was beyond his worldly understanding. But he was grateful for the routine that sort of fell into place.

With comfort came some complacency though with regards to his hosts. Some nights went more peacefully than others, days followed similar paths as he found pain easing with each rising sun. Even with his growing confidence he was wary of upsetting his gracious host, often avoiding anything he felt a touchy subject by giving it a wide berth. Namely belonging to her previous romantic partner or his own deep seated loneliness. But that suited him just as well.

Her books brought some form of mental challenge considering Sam had never been a strong reader. Yet after some hours spent he found it grew easier with practice. Belliam proved an able teacher at a few points as well. It also made wanting to doze off far easier, the weight and warmth of her head was a small blessing even if he felt the gentle brush of hair off her nose a too intimate of a gesture to repeat more than once.

"Already?" Surprise was written upon his face in droves before it turned to the sort of self-disgust at seeing something upon himself he didn't like. Doing as he was told and gingerly moving his arm, wanting nothing more than to hide it once more and leave it in the sun to dry and look less like a molded rag. The same for his leg.

It took no urging for him to stand up with a confidence he'd taken for granted with the injuries. More than a few times he'd wanted to take his weapon from its scabbard just to feel the weight of its swing. Still he rose with a broad smile and a chest swollen with pride.

"I don't think there's any way I can repay this kindness, Ellith." It was a repeat he'd said many times, each time with a little less sincerity until now that the results were seen.
 
"Simply continue your recovery. You aren't going to be very flexible, and your arm and leg won't be as strong as they were before. I'm going to put you to work in orer to build your strength up." She smiled at him and nodded briefly, then stood. "For now, do as you like-- get some sun and move around. I'm sure you're eager."

The memory of his constant shifting when the cast was on was fresh in mind. "Just don't push yourself too hard."

"Can you swim?" Beliam blurted from the open door. "Do you want to go swimming with me?" He looked excited at the prospect. "Come on, let's go swimming!"
 
Eager couldn't really begin to describe how he felt to have what he'd once playfully (twice less than happily) named his restraints off. Even as she spoke Samson had been testing his range of motion. For sure it was smaller than he could remember, but time had a special way of working on memory like that, even muscle memory it seemed.

"What'a you think?" Rather than respond directly to the boy his attention was upon his mother. The smile was one of gratitude but it also carried that almost boy-ish smile that Belliam likely had as well.

The idea of simply floating upon his back and staring at the sky sounded above all relaxing. Just the idea had his smile turning a little lopsided, glancing for a few moments between mother and son.
 
"Go ahead. If you go under, Belly can get you out. Just don't strain yourself." She waved a hand dismissively as she began to clean the mess from the bandages.

Beliam popped his head back in. "Come on! Come on!" He waved Sam toward himself and grinned wide. "Let's swim! I'll show you the special berries I give to Mama!"

"Don't you try to make him go that deep, Belly! He won't be able to manage that." Ellith called before the boy darted out again.
 
It came almost too naturally to roll his eyes with a broad smile at the woman's words. Even if they were kind he took the warning to heart, any sort of cramp in the water could end badly. The knowledge the boy was a strong swimmer helped ease his fear though.

"Alright, alright.." He waved to the anxious youth before giving Ellith a knowing smile. "Mother always told me if the world flooded the wicked would be alright. Scat floats." Sam gave a wink as he followed the boy outside, a little too curious about these berries.

When was the last time he had winked at anyone? Let alone a woman? It didn't matter as the water greeted his bare feet and his still somewhat awkward gait made entry a little less than graceful. "Where'd you run off to, boy-o?"
 
The boy emerged from the water with a grin, then spat some from his mouth. "Right here!" He dove, then swam toward the bank and lifted his head. Beliam shoved hair from his face. "You gotta take your clothes off first, or they'll get wet and Mama won't let you inside the house." The boy grinned, then darted back into the water, like he was born to it instead of born to walk on the ground.

"Come on!" The boy dove down, and swam toward the bottom with practiced ease, until he disappeared into the darker depths.

(Short cuz I figure that's a good place to leave off.)
 
"I know, I know.." Sam grunted as he tried to keep a stable walking gait. Ellith had been completely right and he cursed himself for doubting her knowledge when it came to any sort of healing, after all, he wasn't the first.

At least getting it stretched made it feel leagues better and took away that dull ache from sitting immobile for so long. Something that still astounded him as he sat bare butt on the dry shore to undress. There was a little shame, but he hid it well enough. Surely he was not the first man she'd seen, after all, the boy hadn't washed him.

The cool water felt wonderful against his skin as he waded in slowly, looking for the telltale bubbles that indicated the boys location. "C'mon, lad. Your lungs ain't that big." He chided as buoyancy took over and he guided himself along tip toes and slow waves of his arms.
 
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