Fated (Bloodhound x Eve (OC))

Garden

"Anything for you, sæta. If it is within my power to grant, I will make it so."

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Eve sat on the ground, watching Bloodhound work in the garden next to the cabin. They knelt and tugged out the withered vines from the last harvest, readying the soil to plant the next batch of crops. For the last few weeks, they had been forming a plan for the garden, including her in the preparation as much as possible. She examined the sketch they had drawn, a plot of what vegetable was to go where accompanied by a chart with a watering schedule. It was very organized and though it wasn't written in English, she recognized more of the words than she expected.

She extended her legs out in the cool grass and picked up the permanent marker to continue her task. Bloodhound had her labeling the small wooden stakes that would mark the location of each batch of seeds. It was an opportunity for her to learn more bits of their language, and they were more than happy to teach her. Eve wrote slowly, double-checking her spelling. She glanced back and forth from the stake to the paper where Bloodhound had spelled out the words for her in their blocky, but neat handwriting.

The hunter stood and stretched, hands braced against their lower back. They pulled off the leather gardening gloves they wore and swiped the back of their hand across their face, smearing a speck of dirt into the perspiration that dotted their forehead. The sun had already begun to lower in the sky, but the hazy heat of summer still hung thick in the air today. Bloodhound tucked the gloves in their back pocket and walked over to where Eve sat. They reached for the water bottle next to her and took a sip as they settled down in the grass beside her.

Eve finished writing a word on the wooden stake. "Radísa," she said, holding it up for them to see. "Radish."

"Close. Radísa." Bloodhound spoke the word slowly, exaggerating the word. "Roll the 'r' a little more. Again."

"Radísa." Eve scrunched her face up, dissatisfied with the sound. " Radísa," she tried again.

They patted her knee. "Very good. You are improving." Bloodhound bent to kiss her cheek and pointed to the next on her list. "This one?"

It was simple, a small word, but she was proud of herself all the same. "Gulrót. Carrot." Eve smiled, shy happiness stretched across her features. She was still self-conscious about her tenuous grasp on their language – but they always seemed to appreciate the effort.

"Well done." Bloodhound grinned. "You have been studying."

"Yeah...it helps that I have a great teacher." Her eyes dropped shyly. "And good, um, incentives to improve."

Her face warmed at the thought of her last reward for learning a few short phrases. Bloodhound had showed her some new toys they were considering purchasing to use with her. She had barely been able to sit still on their lap while she looked at the screen full of brightly colored objects, scrolling through the pages together. Her face had burned the entire time. It took a while, but she finally settled on a few things while they watched her, finding her embarrassment endearing.

Despite how timid she felt picking out what she wanted, she was excited for the items to arrive. Eve looked back up at Bloodhound beside her and was grateful that she could blame the sun for the heated flush of her cheeks now.

The hunter took another sip of water and slid their arm around her middle. "You look very red, little one. Are you warm?" Their tone was knowing and Eve knew they were onto her. "Perhaps we should finish this tomorrow."