He finished his needs and began back to home with cart full of necessity such as foods and other. Passing a sea of forest before reaching to deserted village. Orion keeps walking with steady pace until reaching a lone house at the peak of the hill. In front of it, there's a single girl standing alone. Standing still and staring straight as if she's daydreaming.
When Orion inside her sight, she's began walking slowly. Seeing that, he thought, "Is she welcoming me back?"
He let go of the cart that he pull, when the two of them close enough she said, "Welcome back," with smiles on her face.
At the moment, the smiles that she gave seems like a fleeting smile. But, Orion sense something different from it. It's feel most like a glad smile when she sees him up close.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you miss me?" Said him, trying to teased her.
She's ignoring him, walking slowly and tried to get as close as possible. Seeing this, Orion been wondering inside his heart. But before coming to conclusion about it, when Latina close enough to him. She's suddenly circling her arms towards Orion's body and burying her face to Orion's chest. Orion baffled faced with that situation, but before he express his voice, a low voices that he heard make him decide to shut his mouth.
"....Un,"
His expression changed from baffled into smile. Slowly directed his hand towards her head and patting her.
"...Is that so?"
She's not budging, she still silent while hugging him. After a while, he stopped his hand and said, "I'm back,"
Hearing that, she only nod a little and make a little voice.
"....un"
It took a while for her to calmed down, but in the end they are made it back to the house.
'I thought it will took longer than that before I finally can rest,'
'My waist killing me,'
He thought while rubbing his waist.
Most of all things happen, the one that really concern him was the time when Latina suddenly hugged him out of nowhere. When he asked her about it, she seems to change the subject immediately. So he decided to not bother her anymore than this until she tell him herself.
The day was going as usual without any issues, a normal day with sun goes up and then down beyond the horizon. Using that spare time to reading a book and sometimes studying a witchcraft. Strangely enough, her determination to teach him a witchcraft seems to be genuine even though he said all the time that he's not interested to become Latina's disciple.
"... Say Orion,"
"Hm?"
"Did you, by any chance, ever been studying about witchcraft before?" Said her.
Orion makes a confused face, he's wondering why she have that wild assumption.
"What are you talking about?"
"Of course not, you know the fact that witch are scarce and even being called an urban legend right?" Said him.
"Of course I know, I am even one of it,"
With a wry smile, she followed by, "But the part that we become an urban legend is new to me,....."
"Is that so?"
"Then why you assume that I ever been studying it before?"
"Well, ummm,..... You're just too good for firstimer,... that's all,....."
"Hmm, I see, so you're just jealous because of my brilliant, that's all?"
Hearing that, she snapped, "Wha-!"
"No!"
"Even I the full-fledged witch took more than a week when I first time know witchcraft!"
"And I'm not calling you brilliant, just good!"
She barraged for a while, and the exchange didn't stop. When she seems to calmed down he putting a fuel into the fire by teasing her more and more until he satisfied.
After that, Orion and Latina take a lunch and then headed towards another room. In that room, there's many books more than the room before that he use for studying witchcraft.
As always, he pick a book and sit on the sofa while Latina following him and leaning her head on Orion's lap, reading her book.
The two of them fell silent as they reading their book thoroughly. Being a witch, Latina already read all the book inside the house, but for some reason she re-reading them one-by-one with Orion. When Orion stealing a glance toward her, he can see a bright smile on Latina's faces. Sometimes humming, and sometimes he caught her stealing a glance at him too.
"Say Latina,...."
"....hmm?"
He called her, wanting to ask something that has been bothered him. Even if he decided to ask her, Orion still can't bring his lip to say it properly. He didn't want to ask something that she didn't want to bring it up herself.
He steeled himself and began to open his lip.
"Why you've been living in this ruins?"
From her position, Latina just need to look up for her to see Orion's face. From her perspective, Orion didn't seem like changed that much. He just locked his eyes towards the book on his hand. Seeing that, she lowered her sight again and continue reading her own book.
"....Why you asked that?"
"You know, I'm thinking to repair one of the houses and live there,...."
"....Eh?"
"You know, I can't keep bothering you,"
"You're a witch, one of a few people that bearing the tittle of witch, If someone see you living with stranger then your reputation will drop significantly," added him
He keep barraging with reason following by other reason one sidedly. Making Latina can't even take her time to process her thought. She turn around, changed her position that facing up to prone. She bringing her head up, looking at Orion's face. A smile can be seen, a concern smile.
In her mind, what he was saying are true. His reason are solid enough to make her let him go but. Inside her heart, she didn't want to let him. Knowing that, she's couch her head.
With a small voice she said,"....no,"
"Hm?"
Hearing that, Orion stop his barrage. He turn around and facing Latina.
"Latina?"
When he tried to call her name, Latina shouting,"NO!"
Orion startled, he didn't know the response he got will be like this. When he was about to regain his composure, Latina charged forward and buried her head at his chest.
The room turn silent, Orion tried to put his hand on her head like the first time she do this but, he retracted his hand.
"....No,"
"....I don't want to be alone anymore," said her.
Hearing that, Orion can't do anything. The only thing that he can do is hearing out this girl.
"Latina,...."
".....two hundred years, for two hundred years I was alone,"
"....There's no one that I can call family again," add her.
"Living in this house, alone, I'm tired of it all,"
"When finally I found someone, I've overjoyed, my day that turned monochrome began to regain its color day by day."
Tears began to pouring from her eyes, even without her lifting her head up. Orion know that she's crying.
"I know it's selfish,....."
"....I know it's selfish to keep you here like a caged bird but,....."
"It's just my selfish wish, but, I don't want you to leave,...."
".....It's not a bother, you're not bothering me, so stay as long as you can here,....."
Slowly, Orion lift his hand. Bringing his hand close to her head and began to patting it.
"...Is that so?"
"Then,.... let me bother you for the time being,...." added him.
Latina nodded his head, and add a small,"...un," voice as her answer.
The room fall silent again, a small sob reverberating inside the room. For a while, a small gust of wing blowing, making the branch and leaf of the tree that outside the windows rubbing it other. Flourishing the whole room with it's melody while Latina still buried her head.
The two of them stay in that position until Latina calmed down. By the time Latina calmed down, the whole room was already dark, and then they decided to eat together as always.