Mistress Greta, Quite Upset-a

[andhiswife]

The garden's changed.

Greta surveys it, her hands on her hips and her lower lip caught between her teeth. It's a subtle difference, and not one that even ought to bother her. In fact, complaining about it feels absurd, because it's... well, it's lovely. Everything looks beautiful. Her modest efforts to control pests have worked better here than they ever did back home. Stems and leaves are all green and lush, and she catches an exquisite, ripening tomato on her fingers so she can frown dubiously at it.

It should delight her. Except that it's Darrow, which makes it impossible to brush off any irregularity as innocent.

She draws back her hand, then unthinkingly wipes it on her skirt, as if all this loveliness might be coated in a nasty residue. Then, after giving it a few moments of consideration, she pulls out her phone and invites Amalthea over for tea. If anyone could tell if something was wrong, it's her, surely.

Comments

[on_mans_road]

"For time out of mind," she answered. Amalthea had no notion of how long she'd been in her forest - a unicorn had no need to count hours or days or years. They meant nothing to an immortal, and her magic ceased the changing of seasons in the forest. The only thing that marked time at all were the animals that were born and grew and lived and died. She never tired of watching them.

She wondered if they were alright.

"Perhaps you're right. It would take some time for it to fade, I suppose. But I still worry." She leaned into Greta and rested her head against the woman's shoulder. "What if they are waiting for me?"

[andhiswife]

The question awakens an old ache, dulled by time but too deeply rooted to vanish entirely. No one is waiting for her, and there's no comfort to be taken from that. But that doesn't mean she can't offer Amalthea something, or at least try to.

"I've heard people say we return to the very moment we left." And Amalthea had been on her way home, hadn't she? Barring further misadventure, there's no reason to think she wouldn't have made it. "If that's true, and they are waiting... it hasn't been for long, and it won't be for much longer. They'll hardly have time to miss you."