Morning leaked into the little room before Leon was ready for it. The wooden shutters didn’t block much, so the sunlight slipped through in thin white lines across his face. He groaned, rolled to his side, and blinked until the blurriness faded. His shoulder ached a bit from sleeping on a mattress that had lost the war with ti long ago, but he’d had worse.
For a mont he stayed still, listening. The house breathed softly around him. Pots clinked in the kitchen. Lyra humd in the next room, her voice low, carrying the tune of soone who humd because silence felt too serious. Leon let the sound settle into him before he pushed himself upright.
He dressed, splashed so water on his face, and tied his hair back the way Elijah had once done for him when he couldn’t manage it himself. Then he stepped out into the hallway and headed downstairs.
Bram was already up, seated by the table with a mug in hand. He raised it slightly as greeting.
"Morning, kid."
"Morning. I can start early today if you need it."
Bram scratched his beard like he was thinking, but Leon knew he wasn’t thinking hard. "Wouldn’t say no. The weekend brings people in."
Leon nodded and walked toward the back door, the one that led outside. "Going to check on sothing first."
"Go ahead. Breakfast’ll be waiting."
....
Outside, the air still carried that gentle chill Evergreen liked to keep around even when the sun was high. Leon took the familiar path, boots brushing through short grass and roots. He reached the clearing where Sylveon stayed hidden among the stones and trees. The creature lifted its head the mont Leon approached, ears twitching.
"Hey," Leon said softly. "Doing alright?"
Sylveon gave a light grunt. It wasn’t a human sound, but Leon had spent enough ti around him to know it ant okay. Leon knelt, brushing his hand over Sylveon’s head. Warm. Steady.
"I’ll be gone most of the day again. Don’t wander too far."
A rumbling sound answered him. Leon smiled, patted him once more, and headed back.
By the ti he reached the bar, Lyra was already moving between tables with a towel over her shoulder. She caught his eye and gave a quick smile.
"You’re early."
"Thought I’d get ahead of things."
She stepped closer, lowering her voice a little. "Thank you. It helps."
He didn’t know what to say to that, so he nodded and went behind the counter. The morning rush wasn’t bad. Mostly hunters coming through for a fast al, so rchants arguing over prices, a few bored guards looking for warmth or company. Leon wiped tables, poured drinks, carried plates, and learned the subtle rhythm of custors who wanted silence versus those who wanted soone to talk at.
Around noon, the rush tapered off. Lyra joined him behind the counter with two cups of berry tea. She handed one to him.
"You look like you need this."
"I look that bad?"
"Not bad. Just tired." She leaned her elbows against the counter. "Did you always work this hard before coming here?"
Leon stared into the tea, watching the steam thread upward. "Not exactly. My life was different. A lot noisier. Harder to breathe in."
Lyra tilted her head. "Do you miss it?"
"So parts. Not others." He took a sip. "This place is... slower. Good slow."
She smiled at that, a small one that tugged more on her eyes than her mouth. "Evergreen works like that. It pulls people in one breath at a ti."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that how it got you?"
"Maybe." She shrugged. "Or maybe I stayed because the outside feels too big. Too ssy."
Leon didn’t reply right away. Lyra rarely opened up, even with her kindness. He didn’t want to crowd the mont. Instead he drank his tea and let the silence between them feel natural.
Work picked up again. Afternoon drifted into evening. Lamps were lit, chairs were dragged across the floor, and music from a traveling lute player filled the room with easy rhythm. The bar swelled again with chatter.
Leon carried a tray across the room when Lyra tugged him by the sleeve.
"Co here."
He followed her to the back door. She pushed it open so the cool air swept in.
"You’ve been working nonstop," she said. "Sit for a mont."
He sat on the step. Lyra joined him, drawing her knees up a little. The sky was sliding from blue to soft orange.
"You’re settling in well," she said after a while.
"I’m trying."
"You don’t have to try that hard. People like you already."
Leon snorted lightly. "That fast?"
"You show up. You work. You don’t complain." She glanced at him. "Trust , that puts you ahead of half this settlent."
He didn’t know how to answer. Her voice carried a softness that wasn’t there the first day they t. Sothing warr. Sothing that curled around his ribs in a way he wasn’t used to.
She stood first. "Bram’s probably wondering where we ran off to."
Back inside, Bram looked at them with a smirk but didn’t say anything. The night passed in a steady rhythm of last-minute orders and weary custors. When the final chair was flipped and the lamps dimd, Bram clapped Leon on the back.
"You did good today. Better than good." He scratched his beard again. "Listen. About that room you’re saving for... I think you’ll have the coin for it sooner than a week."
Leon blinked. "Already?"
"You’re making money, kid. Fast hands, quiet mouth. You’re exactly the kind of worker a place like this needs. Consider it a fair exchange."
Leon wasn’t sure what to do with the feeling in his chest. Gratitude, but mixed with sothing quieter. Relief, maybe.
"Thank you," he said.
"Don’t thank . Just keep showing up."
Lyra finished wiping the counter. "Ready to go ho?"
"Yeah," Leon said.
They stepped into the cool night. Evergreen slept softly, lamps glowing along the paths like small stars. The walk to the house was quiet. Lyra kept close but not too close, the kind of closeness that didn’t need explanation.
When they reached the door, she paused.
"You’re doing well here," she said. "I’m glad you ca."
Leon t her eyes. They were steady, warm, clear in a way the world rarely was. "I’m glad too."
She nodded once and slipped inside.
Leon stayed a mont longer, breathing in the night. Then he went to his room, set his boots aside, stretched out on the thin mattress, and closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be another day of the sa routine. Work. Talk. Check on Sylveon. Repeat.
A quiet life. A temporary one.
But for now, it held.
And for the first ti in a long while, that was enough.
Reviews
All reviews (0)