Attraction, pt2
It was cold. It was a lot colder than Shirayuki was expecting. The sun was out, but the bora winds coming from the North were lashing out onto her frigid frame and seeping into her bones. The breeze from the quick movements of riding a horse were not helping in the slightest. Her face raw from the wind, her nose aching from the chill.
I should have packed a scarf, or at least a hat. Shirayuki thought. Her attempts to keep her hood on were being thwarted by the wind pushing it off as she was riding. Her ears were starting to burn from the freezing air, and her fingers were sharp from the piercing breeze. She gripped the reins harder and burrough herself into her jacket in an attempt to shield herself from the biting cold, but it wasn’t doing much.
Shirayuki almost regretted taking on this task from Garrack, almost. But Ryuu had really needed to pick up a shipment of kava root from Konavo and his current research projects were too tedious to be able to make the day’s journey to pick it up. Besides, this trip would almost require that Obi would have to come along to accompany her, and she hadn’t seen a lot of him since he took on the new training position for the guards. She missed him, she found, and while he would still spend time at the pharmacy and check in on her regularly, they were not able to get into the same sort of mischief that they had previously.
“Miss, are you doing okay over there?”
Shirayuki looked over to Obi, he was riding his horse looking completely passive to the bitter cold air and Shirayuki found herself hating him a little bit for it.
“I’m just cold Obi, aren’t you cold?”
Obi grinned a little picking up on her frustration, “Not at all miss, in fact, I’m feeling quite a bit toasty myself.”
“Ugh lucky” Shirayuki grumbled, “I think I am starting to lose feeling in my nose.”
“Well miss, there are ways in which we could fix that.”
Shirayuki looked up at Obi as he brought his horse closer to hers and took off his scarf. He reached over, bumping his leg against hers, and draped it around her neck before reaching back over to his own reigns.
“There you go miss, make sure to wrap it around your nose to protect your face!”
“Oh… thank you Obi.” Shirayuki was a bit stunned, she could feel the heat of a blush creeping up her face and quickly wrapped the scarf around her to hide the evidence. The scarf was warm to the touch, and she found comfort in the fabric against her frosty cheeks. She took a deep breath, soaking in the warmth when she realized just how good the scarf smelled. It smelled of fir trees and spices, just like Obi when he climbed out of his favorite trees or had eaten his favorite meals.
Oh no, it smells like him. She thought, burrowing deeper into the scarf. And it… Obi...Obi smells good. Shirayuki didn’t know what to do with her new found realization. And while Shirayuki did appreciate the warmth returning back to her cheeks, she did not think that the warmth was worth the price of knowing.
“We should be arriving to Konavo soon Miss, do you want to stop and get some food before we go pick up the kava roots?”
Shirayuki hummed in response, still burrowed into his scarf hoping he couldn’t read her thoughts. “yes, I could use a hot meal.”
“Alright miss, we’ll find somewhere soon.”
Shirayuki and Obi arrived at Konavo and started their search for food. The port town was quaint and colorful even in the dreary weather. The wind gusts picked up flags and curtains across the town and the unmistakable flutter of fabric could be heard as their horses walked down the cobblestone path towards the market.
Shirayuki tried to keep an eye out for signs that advertised food, but she was not interested lifting her head out of her protective shell for long periods of time. She followed Obi’s horse through the village until he stopped in front of a small eatery that advertised rich hearty meals. “Here we go miss, this looks promising doesn’t it?” Obi asked her, as he dismounted his horse and hitching it to a nearby fence. Shirayuki dismounted her horse with a sound of agreement while Obi led her horse over and hitched it next to his.
They walked inside the eatery and were immediately assaulted by the smells of warm food and cheerful chatter, the wind a distant memory lashing at the windowpanes. Obi and Shirayuki took a seat near the stoves and ordered some warm tea and some soup; spicy soup for Obi and the house stew for Shirayuki.
The tea was brought out nearly immediately and Shirayuki was grateful for the warm cup to ease her aching fingers. Obi was in a good mood as well, watching her as he drank his own tea. It occurred to Shirayuki that he might want his scarf back.
“You know you are not getting this scarf back anytime soon Obi.” Shirayuki started, cozying into the scarf while taking another sip of her tea. “I’ve taken a liking to being warm again.”
“Why of course miss.” Obi grinned, looking far too pleased for someone who had just been told that they were not getting something they owned back. “Whatever keeps my mistress warm.”
Shirayuki eyed Obi carefully, making sure that he wasn’t just teasing her and was going to take it back when she wasn’t looking. But Obi seemed content with his tea, and was relaxing into his chair. Perhaps it would be safe to not worry about the scarf… for now.
Their soup came out quickly, steam still rising from the bowls and paired with a small loaf of bread. Shirayuki looked down at the massive bowl full with meat, potatoes and vegetables in a thick broth, she could feel her stomach growl in response to the delicious smells. Shirayuki looked up at Obi who seemed similarly entranced by his own bowl, should could smell the spices from across the table.
“Well miss! Lets eat!” Obi dug into his bowl of soup, making pleased sounds and complimenting his food while he ate. Shirayuki couldn’t agree more, the food was just as delicious as it smelled, and she found she was a lot hungrier than she thought. As much as she was enjoying her meal, Shirayuki thought that Obi probably was a lot hungrier considering the rate in which he was scarfing down his food. She tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into her soup, humming happily as she chewed.
“How is your food miss? Are you enjoying it?” Obi asked, taking a break from his almost empty bowl.
“Oh it’s really good Obi, the meat is very tender, and the broth is heavy and delicious!” Shirayuki exclaimed happily, “Would you like to try some?” Obi stilled for half a second, just enough for Shirayuki to panic and try to correct herself. “Wait, no, that… that was… I didn’t mean…” Obi stopped Shirayuki from speaking any further with his hand on hers and an easy smile, “I would love to try some, would you mind?” Obi motioned with his spoon towards her bowl and she nodded quickly, not trusting her own voice. Obi reached over and took a spoonful of her soup, tasting it slowly. “Yes, you’re right it’s really good miss.” Obi grinned, “I don’t imagine you would want to try mine would you? Fair warning, it is very spicy.”
“No, no, it's alright I’m good with my own thank you.” Shirayuki stumbled out. “I’m not even sure if I can finish all of this anyways, it's just so much food.” Shirayuki scooped up a rather large piece of potato and plopped it into her mouth.
“Well you just let me know if you need any help!” Obi joked, “I never let any food go to waste!” He proved his point by finishing off his soup with a chunk of his bread.
Shirayuki laughed, eating another several bites before deciding she was finished and sliding the half eaten bowl over to him. “Well then I might just take you up on that offer.” Obi looked very pleased with the second bowl of soup, and started eating it with just as much enthusiasm as the first.
“Here Obi, do you want to finish off the bread too?” Shirayuki asked, handing the piece of her loaf. Obi took the bread from her hands smiling, and used it to clean out the bottom of the bowl of soup.
Shirayuki laughed with joy, “Surely you must be full Obi! It’s such a large bowl of food.”
“Ah, well, miss, you never know when your next meal will be sometimes.” Obi teased, licking the crumbs off the tips of his fingers.
Obi stilled for a moment, obviously shocked that he had said that outloud. Shirayuki was flustered too, her mind racing with the implications of his statement. She quickly went through all of the times she had seen him eat and how he reacted to being given food. She could feel the pieces fall into place, and a resolution set into her bones. Never again.
Obi coughed and looked around the shop, gripping at his shoulder “Miss, perhaps we should get going to the market?” It was a weak excuse for a distraction, but she let him have it. They paid for their meal and headed back outside to face the wind and to complete their task. They decided to leave the horses at the fense, and to walk the rest of the way to the Market themselves since it was nearby. Shirayuki could feel the chill trying to lash out against her, but she kept warm in Obi’s scarf and her warm belly.
They arrived at the market and looked for the merchants who usually kept a large stock of kava root. She found the stall easily with the tropical fruits that was their main goods for trade. Sirayuki approached the merchant easily, asking to see what current stocks of kava root where in, and once obtaining them, looking over the baskets of kava root carefully. Once satisfied that the kava root were in good condition, she paid the merchant as Obi picked up one of the two satchels that they were bringing back.
As they were walking back to their horses, Shirayuki filled the silence by chatting about the kava root, informing the very attentive Obi on its main uses and how to tell whether or not the root will be potent enough for harvest.
Midway through her rant on how kava root is grown and propagated Shirayuki realized that she had been rambling. “I’m sorry Obi, you must be terribly bored, I don’t mean to bother you with all this.”
“Not at all, I like listening to you talk miss.” Obi smiled at her over his satchel of kava root. “ I like it when you share your interests with me.”
Shirayuki was filled with an unknown warmth, and could feel her blush creeping up her face again. She quickly hid her cheeks in his scarf and muttered a small reply back, trying not to think too hard about the bubbling feelings in her chest.
By the time they had secured the satchels of kava root onto the horses, Shirayuki had started to feel cold again and was not looking forward to the ride home. She reached up to touch her cheeks and sighed a little bit, wrapping the scarf around her face a little tighter. Hopefully the return trip will be better, she thought. She was startled when Obi came up behind her and turned her away from her horse. “Are you okay miss? Still feeling cold?”
“Just a little bit, not really excited for the ride back.”
“Ah well miss, I think I can help with that.” Obi grinned, the twinkle in his eye warning her that he was up to something. Shirayuki quickly got a good grip on the scarf, preparing herself for when he tries to steal it back. But instead of him going for the scarf, she found his bare hands on her cheeks. When did he take his gloves off? And why are his hands so warm? Shirayuki relaxed into his hands, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth when her face was suddenly assaulted with warm, humid air. Shirayuki opened her eyes to look at Obi’s mischievous face, alight with a grin that spoke volumes about just how not-so-innocent he was in the matter. “Obi, did you just… did you just blow hot air on my face?!” “Why yes I did miss, I’m trying to keep you warm!” Obi responded, not doing a very good job of controlling his laughter.
“Obi… that… that does not help!”
“Oh sure it does Miss, wasn’t it warm?”
“Well yes…” Shirayuki started, realizing that it was in fact warm, even though it was cold again. “You know what Obi, you’re right, it was warm. Do it again.”
“Waa?!” Obi exclaimed, taking a step back from Shirayuki and retreating his hands. “You heard me Obi, it was warm, do it again!” Watching Obi fidget under her stare was entertaining, it was so very rare when she was able to beat him at his own games. But she was also still cold and Obi was being very incorporative. “Obii” Shirayuki whined pitifully. “I’m cold.” Obi sighed, and pulled Shirayuki close into a hug. “Remind me why I shouldn’t tease you miss.” Shirayuki just muffled her laughed in response, stealing as much of his warmth as she could in before he stepped away. Obi released her and moved to go mount his horse, Shirayuki also doing so. She secured Obi’s scarf to her face and looked towards Obi as he lead the way out of Konavo.
It was precisely then, watching Obi look back at her with his most authentic smile, that Shirayuki realized just how fond her feelings towards Obi had become. She had always appreciated his attentiveness, and earnestness in her life. But she has also come to appreciate his gentleness, and his willingness to share with her, to help her in her goals. If she was going to be honest with herself, she has also come to appreciate just how attractive he is overall. She appreciated how easy it was to be with Obi, how comfortable they are together.
Oh no. She thought. I think... I think I love him.