Chapter 88: Time
Having narrowly escaped Necia’s playful wrath by promising he’d be responsible for making sure the bedding got dry, thus holding up his side of the communal clothes washing, Tulland moved on to tell White what was going on. White didn’t approve or disapprove, but instead just seemed to note the change in schedule as a neutral. Given the situation, that struck Tulland as just about right.
By the time he got home, he found that Necia had shot ahead of him on the drying-things-out front, building a good-sized fire in the yard and using some cast-off dead briars Tulland had around to string them up between the house and the fence. Over the heat, the bedding dried out quick, they just had to watch to make sure they didn’t actually burn.
After that, they ate a very large meal heavy on the few new vegetables and grains Tulland’s customers had brought in, then went to bed. Any jokes about anything more than sleep turned out to be just that when Necia fell asleep within just a few minutes of laying down, proceeding to snore peacefully loud enough that the stone walls were vibrating with the echoes.
It’s funny how much that doesn’t bother me. If it was my uncle or one of my friends from back home, I’d hate it.
That reaction is what I’ve mentioned before. The laughter. The genuine enjoyment. The trust. It’s priceless here. Whatever you do, Tulland, do not let that girl get away from you unnecessarily. Keep her with everything you have.
These, Tulland decided, were the easy times to just trust the System. When it was just right.
—
“The ninth floor. Filled with plants, they say.”
“Oof. That class is really getting to you.” Necia stood by Tulland’s side, half-laughing. “Your eyes are downright scary when you talk about getting new green things for your garden.”