Nico could compare his exhaustion, impatience and anger to the blazing fire he's intently staring at, at the moment. All these colors, blending and crackling all over the place just like how he couldn't get a grip of all of these emotions inside him.
"Why.." Nico groaned in utter annoyance. "Why does it have to be one of them?"
A loud clang of aluminum jolted Nico from his grumble and saw Tish when he turned around from facing the bonfire. Her face radiated the fire's light and it took him some time to readjust with how she looks. She looked so...normal. Nothing could compare with the ethereal beauty that she is whenever she's using witchcraft.
Yet, he could say that he's a lot more comfortable to hangout with this ordinary looking Tish. He's lost count of how many times she showed up looking like a complete goddess and then a typical girl at any moment. He has not seen her transform, she just appears and disappears.
Looking at her now, she appears so innocent and tame, small and modest, real and humanlike. Nothing like the goddess he saw bathing at the stream not far from their camp. It was just a quick glimpse at her majestic nakedness, but it's a memory that visits his thoughts often.
"This isn't something you can logically explain, Nic." She handed him a thermos mug and sat down on the ground across from him. He blinked hard as he retracted his thoughts back to the present. "It was your own magick who chose him. How many times do I have to tell you that?"
"I just don't understand, Tish." He ran his hands over his face, trying hard to control his thoughts and emotions. "Of all people, why would I want "them" to be involved with her? That's the last thing I would do. Why wouldn't my magick know that?"
He successfully diverted his mind back to what's important.
"It's pointless to try and make sense of it all, Nic. You better drink up and rest, for now." She nodded towards the black liquid in the thermos mug. "We still have a lot to do tomorrow."
Nico gave in and just bobbed his head in agreement. He's exhausted as it is; this had been the most draining day all throughout the week that they stayed in that forest mountain. He was awake most of the time; resting in sleeping bags inside their tiny uncomfortable tents only for a few hours in the evening and up again at the break of dawn.
He chugged the bitter sweet liquid down and instantly, he felt fortified. It was the only thing they needed to sustain their food-less days. They cannot have anything that wasn't of pure magic, not even a wild berry. This will last until he's fully awakened; a moment they aren't certain when or if it will ever happen.
He glanced up to her again and caught her staring at him with almost-hopeless eyes. She's been very patient towards him and the situation they are in. The only successful spell he has ever done was the rope binding spell he did to save Louisa that day; which he almost failed to do and even endangered Tish.
He felt that familiar pang of guilt towards her.
"I don't know how many times I would be apologizing to you throughout this....ordeal." He sighed. "I can't seem to control my emotions. Hell, I can't even pin down my own thoughts."
His focus was one of the things that made him a good artist. He could go on for hours and hours of just concentrating on a specific craft. But he's been struggling to do so since all of this mess began.
"No shit, Sherlock." Tish snorted and shrugged before swigging her own potion down. She sighed, satisfied with the invigorating effect. She then laid down on the grass looking up at the dark sky with sparkling gems scattered all over it. "Aaaahhh. This will never get old."
Nico also looked up and smiled. They've been in the forest for a week now but he too, never got used to the peace and quiet. Living in the city for many years, he's never seen this many stars.
He stood up and walked around the bonfire, he groaned as he laid down beside Tish which startled her.
"What are you doing?" She asked, looking at him.
Nico tilted his head sideways to reciprocate her stare, and smiled.
"Nothing, I just wanna share this moment with you. Can't I do that? I wanna see your view."
She pulled back her gaze and looked up again.
"Suit yourself, master." Her heart started beating faster, still feeling his gaze on her. It took every ounce of her will to stop herself from turning her head towards him.
"You're still a mystery to me, Tish." Nico suddenly blurted out of the blue.
"What do you mean?" His unexpected words fueled her nervousness even more.
"I mean, I don't know you. I don't know your thoughts." The seriousness in his words piqued her curiosity.
"You know we have this gift right?" But she chose to play the safe side.
He knew right away she was talking about the mind reading ability that they have.
"Aside from the fact that I am still trying to harness my magick, you know that I really don't like that kind of communication." He paused, letting his words sink in. "We've always talked about myself, and you already know so much about me. Yet you never talk about you or your life before you came here in Korea."
"There's nothing interesting about me." She said defensively. She cannot let her guard down, or else, her emotions will show and it will be difficult to work with him if he learns about her feelings for him.
Her statement made Nico look at her direction once more, this time tilting his whole body so he's lying on his side facing her.
"Hey." He called. "Look at me."
His grey eyes reflected the flames from the bonfire and it almost took her breath away when she glanced at him. It didn't help that he reached out and tugged her to face him as well. Her breaths were short and fast.
"What?" She tried her best not to sound panicked.
"You're the most fascinating person I've ever known." The sincerity in his voice took her by surprise. She was so tempted to get into his thoughts and see how he sees her but she swore she wouldn't without his permission. "You have no idea how curious I am about you, it's driving me crazy. I know what I'm here for, but you...you always draw me away from...everything."
She knows the very reason why he's feeling and acting this way. The magick that he was trying to harness was also making his emotions and logic unstable.
This was the very reason why Nico's sister wasn't able to control all these and succumbed to her desire for more power that led her to her physical death. And this was one of the reasons why she's here. To keep his emotions guarded and his logic guided.
But as much as she didn't want his words to affect her, she let them engulf her very being and met his gaze.
Just this time.
"What do you want to know about me, my liege?" She slowly let her walls down.
"Hmm. Where do I start?"
They spent some time talking about her simple yet peculiar life back in Spain. Being the daughter of a renowned shamán, she grew up accustomed to their family's heritage. Well aware of the covenant that his father's ancestors pledged for this other family.
Tish spent lots of her younger years studying their craft. Also traced and discovered the family bloodline that led to Nico. She discovered that Nico possessed the most powerful birthright that has been passed on through generations, unawakened.
She chose to omit the fact that she's long been infatuated to him ever since the day he saw him at the same school she attended. When Nico disappeared, she tried to live a normal life but she knew deep in her soul she must find him.
"I just knew I needed to come here and fulfill my allegiance to help and protect you. I wasn't wrong."
There was a brief silence and she then realized she still wasn't talking about herself only. She silently wished he wasn't attentive enough to catch that.
Luckily, Nico seemed to be already out of focus. His eyes were starting to droop but was able to let out another question.
"So..what are your hobbies or other talents maybe? Setting aside of course your ability to project a jaw dropping goddess." His voice was now lower and slower, drowsiness kicking in heavier.
"You think my other form looks like a goddess?" She snickered. The cool evening breeze flew some strands of her hair which then landed on her face.
"Yes? Are you kidding me? You can destroy any celebrity's career." He slowly lifted up his hand and tucked her loose hair behind her ear. "But..I like you better this way."
The gesture and his words sent pleasant chills spreading across her skin. She involuntarily shivered.
"Are you cold?" He inched even closer, his hand covering and rubbing her arm. "Do you wanna go inside your tent?"
She did not respond. Instead, she fixed her gaze back to the depth of his eyes. The flame danced slowly in them. His stare buried into hers in return, slowly progressing down to her lips. His hand carefully lifted her chin towards him.
As her soft lips met his, that's when they knew..they didn't need words. It was like the wind caressing the soft grass, the birds cooing along with the forest sound and the stars shimmering against the dark sky.
They were meant for each other.