Chapter 88: Chapter 88: The owl night

Hineni takes a step back, holding her hands in his and she follows his movements. Soft moonlight shines in through the vaporous midnight air as they sway in a well practiced dance. He holds his gaze low, looking at her and she returns the same to him, as they move through the open room together by themselves.

 

“We’ve gotten better at this,” says Hineni, looking at the owl-god.

 

“Who~,” hoots Obscura. “Graceful Obscura does not even need to fly anymore to aid her foolish Hineni.”

 

He lifts an eyebrow. “The way I recall it, you started the whole hovering thing after you stepped on my foot,” he notes. “Right through my boots,” he says, looking down at her taloned, harpyish feet as they move.

 

“Sharp!” she hoots. “My Hineni has big feet,” she says. “It was not Obscura’s fault.”

 

Hineni shrugs. “You’re one to talk,” he says. “Aren’t your feet even bigger than mine?” he asks. Her foot splays out into two long segments on the front with a talon each and one towards the back.

 

“RUDE HINENI!” she hoots angrily, pulling a hand free and trying to walk away.

 

He pulls her back, his hand still on her wrist and grabs her.

 

The two of them look at each other and then laugh and then they resume the dance.

 

There isn’t any music or anything that fancy. It’s just the two of them, the moonlight and the croaking of the old bones of the house, which sways with them in the wind; a silent partner to their night.

 

“How’s the whole ‘worshiper’ thing been going?” he asks. “I’ve been so busy with the forge and life, I’ve barely been able to keep up.”

 

She hoots, pressing her head against his chest sideways and holding it there as they waltz in silence for a time. “It has been busy,” she says, breaking the gentle quiet. “Many chirping voices beg for my attention,” explains the owl-god. “The baker-lady seeks favour and then comes a sword-man to present her with trophies of the hunt.” She shakes her head. “At the same time, children come to oggle her incredible beauty and to fill her ears with their little squeaks,” says Obscura. “All the while, the voices of the hungry, of the needy, they all reach her magnanimity.” They dance for a while. “— But even grand Obscura is unable to keep up with all of them.”

 

She lets out a prolonged, silent hoot, nuzzling her head sideways against his chest.

 

“I bet it’s a lot,” replies Hineni, understanding.

 

In truth, she’s just as much of an introvert as he is, if not even far more so. However, he has the luck of being able to fulfill his role by spending his days locked up in the forge with Rhine at the most. She, however, has to remain out here in public on display like some kind of statue, in order to receive tribute or to speak with the people of the city. It would be a lot for anyone, but for her, having essentially had little to zero contact with people before they met and then only after that with the people contained in this building, it must truly be a lot of pressure.

 

He hadn’t ever really considered it until now.

 

Hineni plants a kiss on the top of her head and she hoots again, as they continue to waltz through the night for a time longer.

 

The others are asleep. The guild is quiet. The night is theirs to share alone and so, they fully intend to do so.

 

---

 

Hineni and Obscura walk, holding hands as they move through the dark city together.

 

Most of the windows remain as dark as the cloudy sky, but a few of them manage to remain aglow, as do the sparse stars above, peaking through the coverage. But even those windows which betray the wakefulness of the people behind them are only dimly lit, by candles, by low-burning lanterns and magical items.

 

The city is asleep.

 

As for their walk, usually they would go to the forest. But Hineni didn’t want to do that. One, out of fear of meeting up with the frog-priestess, Anura, again. Two, because after their last encounter, he finds the whole frog-hunting thing a little awkward and three, because it’s nice to do something different sometimes.

 

And so, they walk and they look at houses. Not for any particular reason, it’s just a fun thing to do. They’ll point at a house they pass and decide if they like it or not and what perks and downsides it could offer.

 

“What about that one?” asks Hineni.

 

Obscura looks at the small house, as they walk past it. “A very cute abode,” hoots the owl-god. “Obscura would approve of it, if it were just the two of them seeking a nest. But for six, it will be very full.”

 

Hineni nods. It’s true. The quaint, little corner house with a lot of greenery is very charming and it has nice windows and a good location. But for the size of their group, it really would be very small. That’s ignoring the fact that it simply doesn’t have the capacity to allow him to work.

 

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“It is fun to think about, yes?” asks Obscura. “What life would be if it was what it is not.”

 

“Already tried it for real,” says Hineni, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t recommend it, honestly.”

 

“Who~”

 

He nods, squeezing her hand. “It’s good the way it is now.”

 

“Who~” she hoots.

 

Hineni hoots too, bringing the total amount of hoots to the socially acceptable amount of three.

 

“Who~” He looks to the side, towards another house. “What about that one?”

 

---

 

They stand in a park, one they have never been to before and stare out over the water.

 

Fireflies drift over the surface of a large pond, filling the air with a vivid spectacle. The two of them watch the show together down on the ground.

 

Something clicks and hisses excitedly next to him and Hineni looks, letting go of her hand as she changes into the form of a gigantic owl.

 

“Uh…”

 

A taloned foot wraps itself around his torso and she lifts him into the air, landing the two of them onto a large tree, next to the pond. She transforms back into her humanish shape.

 

Hineni clambers to the tree, trying to position himself on the thick branch, so that he won’t fall off.

 

“The view is nicer from here, yes?” she asks, looking his way.

 

Hineni looks at her. “- Are you just trying to get me used to living in a tree?” he asks.

 

Obscura crosses her arms, looking back towards the water. “Hineni expects me to live in a human house, as if it were normal,” she says. “Yet for her, living in a strong tree is normal. But he does not even consider it an option,” explains the owl-god. “Unfair. Selfish Hineni!”

 

Hineni blinks, looking at her and then back towards the water.

 

In a way, it is a fair point, he supposes. It must be very unusual for a creature such as herself to be living not only in a city, but in a house in the middle of it. In essence, her day to day life is as alien to her as the feeling he has right now, sitting up on this tree in a park in the middle of the night.

 

“You’re right,” says Hineni, conceding. “Sorry. I never thought about it like that before.”

 

“I will forgive him,” she says. “But if she must spend years living in a house. Then he must spend the same amount of time living in a tree one day, yes?”

 

Hineni nods, thinking about it as they watch the fireflies. “How am I going to run a forge in a tree though?” he asks. “And what about Rhine? And Sockel and everyone else?” Hineni rubs his forehead, thinking. “We’re going to need a pretty big damn tree.”

 

She clicks with her mouth in annoyance. “Tiny logistical difficulties! Nuanced mouse-problems!”

 

“I feel like these are reasonably large problems, actually,” he replies.

 

The two of them look at each other and then laugh again.

 

It’s all not so serious really. The two of them spend a romantic night in the tree and, by the time the morning arrives and the first people show up in the park, she has already flown them home to retreat until the sun vanishes once again.

 

— As is only natural, for night owls.

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