Seeing is Believing

by Sasha L. Miller

  Only, he shouldn't do it without reason, so he'd take the next odd job Nesfir offered. Might as well get something for his trouble. Maybe some food for his next trip to wherever. Perhaps he'd head south; he'd heard it was warmer down there.

  Asahi jumped as a loud thunk noise sounded outside his door. Not on the door, and Asahi frowned, confused. Starting across the cabin slowly, he was unsurprised when a loud knock followed the thump.

  Asahi shoved the bar out of the way and yanked the door open a few inches to scowl at Nesfir.

  "What is that?" Asahi demanded without thinking. Nesfir laughed, wiping at the sweat glistening on his forehead. His hair was disheveled and his cheeks were flushed with exertion, and Asahi stared for a moment too long but that was okay because Nesfir was studying the table sitting on Asahi's front stoop.

  "A table, I think," Nesfir decided, giving Asahi a bright smile. He was far too cheerful for a man who had apparently dragged a not-insignificantly-sized table through the woods.

  "Why?" Asahi demanded crossly, because Nesfir should have really answered that. Nesfir leaned on the table, and Asahi's traitorous mind noted that his shirt was sticking to him in all the right places.

  "You don't have any furniture," Nesfir answered slowly, glancing up at him. "But why a table? Mostly because I didn't think I was up to carrying a bed out here."

  Asahi stared at him in disbelief. Maybe he was wrong about the town. They weren't conniving and planning something. If Nesfir was anything to go by, they were all obviously insane.

  "Can you open the door so I can bring it in?" Nesfir asked, and Asahi wordlessly stepped back. He couldn't really say no, and Nesfir would probably just leave it on his doorstep if he didn't agree. Nesfir maneuvered the table inside carefully, pausing just inside the doorway.

  "Where would you like it?" Nesfir asked, gracing him with another carefree smile. Asahi wondered how he could smile like that; surely he had things to worry about.

  "Asahi?" Nesfir drew his attention back and Asahi scowled briefly. He was being a bigger idiot than usual, it seemed.

  "There," Asahi gestured to the area in front of the fireplace. He'd need chairs. Taking a moment to think of the proper spell, Asahi opened his mouth and started chanting.

  Chairs were a relatively simple chant. Asahi ignored the startled look Nesfir shot him because he was the one who kept insisting they didn't mind Asahi's magic and moved to his pack to dig out some of his tea as he spoke. Asahi shrugged, frowning as he took in the dwindling quantities. He might as well be hospitable since Nesfir was inside and he was making chairs enough for the both of them.

  Muttering the last few words of the spell under his breath, Asahi took a quick breath before starting the well-worn chant for a hot teakettle of water and matching teacups. Nesfir was inspecting the chair nearest him with a smile, and Asahi only barely kept from rolling his eyes at him. Probably Nesfir had never seen magic done before.

  A moment of chanting later produced a steaming teapot and the matching teacups. Asahi quickly put together a tea ball and dropped it in. At least he could make more tea, since it didn't need to have nutritional value for it to be useful.

  "Sit," Asahi ordered, pointing to the chair Nesfir was still inspecting. Digging into the nearly empty basket, Asahi pulled out the stale cookies and set them down on the table.

  His mother would flay him for the welcome. Well, she'd flay him for being so rude every time Nesfir had visited before, but the stale cookies would make her cringe, and so would the lack of saucers and the interior of the cabin. It was a good thing she was no long speaking to him.

  Sitting down heavily in the chair across from Nesfir, Asahi favored him with a suspicious look as he poured them both tea.

  "Why did you bring me a table?" Asahi asked, not satisfied with Nesfir's flippant explanation.

  "Because," Nesfir so-helpfully answered, lifting his mug.

  "It's hot," Asahi warned, the words tumbling out quickly. His own cup sat untouched on the tabletop. Nesfir gave him a curious look but set his cup down.

  "I brought you a piece of furniture because I'm trying to convince you that it's okay to settle in," Nesfir explained, his eyes not leaving Asahi. "Chairs would have been next, so I suppose I just need to figure out a way to carry a bed out here."

  "I can make a bed," Asahi stressed, trying to be annoyed.

  "So make one," Nesfir countered calmly, picking up his tea again. Too soon, but Asahi wasn't warning him twice. Served him right if he burned himself.

  "There's no point—"

  "There's plenty of point," Nesfir cut him off, blowing the steam from the top of his mug away. He stared intently at Asahi, but Asahi glared right back. "At the very least you can be comfortable for however long you do choose to stay."

  "Fine," Asahi grumbled. The bedroll was making his back ache anyway, but Asahi didn't want to deal with Nesfir dragging a bed out here too. Being hospitable once was more than enough. Asahi wrapped his hands around his mug loosely, letting his hands soak up the heat through the sides of the mug. "Was that all?"

  "I won't believe you're going to do it until I see it," Nesfir said, giving him another smile like that would take the insult from his words.

  "You'll just have to carry a bed back to your town if you don't," Asahi shot back, watching Nesfir sip at his tea tentatively.

  "This is good," Nesfir said, sounding surprised. Asahi scowled at him, toying with the handle of his cup. "What is it?"

  "Tea," Asahi answered slowly, smirking when Nesfir made a face at him. Snagging a cookie, he dipped it in the tea and let it soak for a moment.

  "What's in it? I don't think I've tasted anything like it before," Nesfir said, still smiling.

  "Tea leaves, lemongrass, and raspberry bark," Asahi listed. There was more, but that was good enough.

  "So how are you settling in?" Nesfir asked, changing the subject. "No one is bothering you, right?"

  "No one's been out here but you," Asahi answered, because it would be rude to say that Nesfir was the only one bothering him. Besides, he wasn't sure why Nesfir bothered him, except for his blatant lies about accepting Asahi into the community, so he'd keep it to himself for now.

  "Good," Nesfir declared, taking a hearty swallow of tea that had to be too hot still. Probably Nesfir wanted to get out of here as quickly as he could. Asahi shouldn't have made tea.

  "Do you need anything?" Nesfir asked gently, as though he was afraid Asahi would snap at him or worse, that Asahi was fragile enough to need coddling.

  Still, Asahi hesitated in denying it. He did need more food. Food he wasn't going to burn. But now it was a matter of pride. He could be self-sufficient and he didn't need Nesfir's gentle questions or charitable donations.

  "No," Asahi answered coldly, crossing his arms and giving Nesfir a chilly look.

  "Asahi." Nesfir looked frustrated briefly, and Asahi felt no sympathy for him. Nesfir was always frustrating him, after all. "You're not doing yourself any favors cooping yourself up in here."

  "Where else would I go? To your pleasant little town?" Asahi sneered, not impressed. "Where everyone will be terrified or angry at me for who I am? Because as much fun as that sounds, I'm not interested in being stared at or run from or whispered about."

  "Shakartha," Nesfir said quietly.

  "What?" Asahi asked, frowning. Surely that was another language.

  "Sha-karth-a," Nesfir repeated slowly, stressing the syllables with a smile. "The name of our town."

  Asahi stared at him in disbelief, but Nesfir's smile only widened. He stood abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair. Nesfir picked up his teacup and swallowed the last of it quickly.

  "Come on," Nesfir said, gesturing for him to stand. Asahi just stared at him blankly, not moving. He didn't trust Nesfir as far as he could throw him, and he wanted Asahi to follow orders just like that?

  "Trust me," Nesfir entreated, and Asahi scoffed. "I haven't hurt you. I'm not afraid of you. I brought you food and a table. Trust me jus
t a little, alright?" Nesfir asked solemnly. Asahi sighed, rubbing his forehead because he was about to be an idiot. He left his untouched tea on the table and stood, crossing his arms and staring at Nesfir.

  "What?" Asahi demanded, stepping away from the table reluctantly. He had the feeling he wasn't going to like this, but that look on Nesfir's face had been too pitiful to ignore. At least, that was his story. Nesfir grinned at him, doing that strange thing where he looked handsome and playful at once.

  "Trust me," Nesfir repeated, like that was going to make Asahi do so. He nonchalantly reached out and took Asahi's hand, tugging him into motion. Asahi stumbled into step, too thrown by Nesfir touching him to protest. It was depressing, thinking how long it had been since anyone had touched him, even casually, without the intent to bruise.

  Sometimes Asahi really hated this country.

  Nesfir pulled him outside, and Asahi blinked at the sunlight as his eyes adjusted. Nesfir gave him a moment before pulling him into motion again.

  "Where are you taking me?" Asahi asked, deliberately not looking at their hands clasped together. He wasn't completely stupid, though. Nesfir was probably trying to take him into town. Shakartha.

  "Away from your cabin," Nesfir answered, smiling a bit. "You can't stay hidden away here forever."

  "That's none of your concern," Asahi bit out, yanking his hand away because he couldn't deliver sharp remarks and still hold onto Nesfir's rough, calloused, surprisingly warm hand.

  "It is. You're one of my villagers now, and I'll look out for you because of it," Nesfir replied stubbornly, turning to face him. Asahi struggled to pick which part of that statement to attack—he wasn't a villager and he didn't need looking after like some reckless, impulsive teenager.

  Nesfir grinned suddenly, and Asahi cursed him for the expression. The thoughts it evoked were not good for Asahi's peace of mind and were too distracting for him to properly snap at Nesfir.

  "I can and will carry you," Nesfir threatened playfully, and Asahi immediately took a step back, putting more space between them.

  "I can and will conjure itching powder in your pants," Asahi threatened before he could debate the wisdom of threatening the mayor of the town that was tentatively not running him out immediately.

  Nesfir's mouth dropped open a little and Asahi crossed his arms defensively. Nesfir began to laugh though, and Asahi scowled and blushed because he hadn't meant it to be funny.

  "Just come with me?" Nesfir asked, fighting a losing battle against a smile. Asahi sighed, scowling irritably. It was in his plan, at least, so conceding wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

  "I'll feed you?" Nesfir bribed, and Asahi stared at him, refusing to be embarrassed. It wasn't his fault everything he tried to cook decided it would rather burn than be edible enough for him to consume.

  "Fine," Asahi agreed reluctantly. Glancing back at his cabin for a moment, he wished for a moment he'd shut the door in Nesfir's face. Or that he had enough guts to eat his own bad cooking and risk food poisoning. Surely that was better than braving a town and people who would love dearly to see him gone.

  *~*~*

  Nesfir was failing miserably to contain his smile. He hadn't actually thought he'd succeed in getting Asahi to come with him to Shakartha. Not at any point in the near future anyway. Still, he had no qualms about using what little he knew of the defensive, skittish witch to his full advantage.

  Asahi would be good for Shakartha, and Nesfir liked to think the people in Shakartha would be good for Asahi, too. Asahi was too resigned to them being afraid of him, or worse, outraged over him, just because he had the markings of a witch.

  Even if they were the oddest markings Nesfir had seen. Not that he'd seen many, but they weren't usually as intricate as the dark blue mark that stretched across Asahi's left cheekbone. He'd never seen one of that color, either, and if he had less of a sense of preservation, he'd ask Asahi about it.

  Maybe once he was settled. Nesfir's smile widened a little as he led the way through the woods. He ignored the way the low brush and fallen leaves rustled at his ankles and tugged at his pant legs, pushing through without much effort. It wouldn't take long for the village women to adopt Asahi. Nesfir could just let it slip that Asahi cooked worse than Helia did, and then he'd get enough food to feed him for a few years before he could protest.

  Pausing as he left the trees, Nesfir glanced back at Asahi to make sure the witch hadn't gotten separated. Asahi had paused and was picking a burr off his sleeve. He made a face as he dropped it to the ground, and Nesfir made a note to make sure Asahi got paid in clothing at some point, provided he did manage to get Asahi working.

  "Are you going to tell me why you're dragging me out here?" Asahi demanded, not looking at him as he looked for more burrs.

  "I'm taking you to town," Nesfir reminded him. Asahi huffed, looking up flatly.

  "I know that." Asahi stretched the words out slowly, as if he was talking to the village idiot. "But why?"

  "Because you can't stay—"

  "I can too," Asahi interrupted. Nesfir wanted a real smile. Something more than this defensiveness and anger and unhappiness. "Give me a real reason."

  "Talk and walk," Nesfir directed, gesturing Asahi forward. Asahi didn't move, and Nesfir stifled a sigh. "Asahi."

  "Give me a real reason," Asahi repeated, but stepped forward, dry leaves crunching beneath his feet.

  "A real reason," Nesfir repeated thoughtfully, falling into step beside Asahi, who gave him a suspicious look but didn't say anything. "Because I'm doing my best to prove to you that we don't mean you harm. I let you stay in your cabin for a while, but that isn't helping and I'm afraid you're going to end up starving yourself because you won't leave. Because I want you to have a home here, and you're more likely to feel comfortable here if you know what's out there. Here. Shakartha isn't a big town, but it's home and I want it to be like that for you. How're those reasons?"

  "Silly," Asahi dismissed, stumbling over a sudden flat bit of the path to Shakartha.

  "Silly, but true," Nesfir replied lightly, pausing while Asahi recovered his pace. "The Cinades own this farm," Nesfir changed the subject as they approached the farthest meadow of the Cinades' farm. "They grow mostly wheat for bread and have a few milk cows."

  Asahi glanced at him blankly, and Nesfir smiled a little, stepping into the thigh-high field of grass.

  "Telhi makes a delicious bread twist with vegetables and bits of meat and her own homemade sauce. The recipe is a secret and the ingredients are never the same twice, but it's always delicious," Nesfir continued, making himself slow his stride as Asahi's steps slowed a little.

  "So?" Asahi asked, peering apprehensively at the farmhouse that sat, short and squat, on the other end of the meadow.

  "They've been looking to put a second well in, closer to the barn," Nesfir pointed off to the left, where the barn sat a good distance out. Past two large fields, Nesfir knew, though he couldn't see them clearly from where he was. "They have to carry water from behind the farmhouse to the barn to water their animals. Even in winter."

  Asahi winced sympathetically, and Nesfir smothered a smile because Asahi wasn't as indifferent as he tried to seem.

  "Your assistance with their well would probably get you fed for quite a few months," Nesfir finished. "There's water out that way, too, but there just hasn't been enough time or labor available for the project."

  "I can't make the ground disappear," Asahi told him dismissively. "It would have to be dug out in any case."

  "You can make stones for the sides. That lasts longer than wood and we wouldn't need to haul them from Risalka," Nesfir countered easily. He wasn't giving up that easily. Asahi gave him another blank look, and Nesfir wondered how he'd managed to get this far into the country without knowing any of the town or city names.

  "Risalka is the city, three days to the south," Nesfir elaborated. "We usually have too much to cart back when we take a trip out that way to worry about stone for a second well."
>
  Asahi shrugged, his eyes fixed on the farmhouse they were approaching.

  "I can do a well," Asahi conceded thoughtfully.

  "Good," Nesfir declared, grinning excitedly. He'd have to organize that quickly, both because it would soon get too cold to be doing much digging and because he didn't want Asahi to back out of it. Asahi gave him a suspicious look, but didn't say anything.

  Nesfir picked up the pace, making Asahi walk faster. He briefly thought about stopping to say hello to Telhi and her husband, but dismissed it. Asahi would no doubt want to talk to as few people as possible, and once they actually got to town there would be plenty of curious people harassing them.

  It wasn't a short walk to Shakartha from Asahi's cabin, but it wasn't too long either. Twenty minutes or so, Nesfir had judged, and it was a relatively easy walk. Asahi kept up without complaint, and Nesfir kept up a steady stream of idle chatter, doing his best to introduce Asahi to their surroundings.

  They made it to Nesfir's house without incident. There was hardly anyone about this time of day as most of the villagers were busy helping with the harvest or involved in their afternoon activities. Still, there were enough people about that Asahi walked a little closer to him, and he seemed to stare steadfastly at the ground instead of looking around as he'd done during their approach.

  Nesfir's house wasn't large. It never had been, but it was home and he liked it. He let Asahi in first, brushing by the conjurer when he paused inside the door. Giving Asahi a smile, he shut the door and gestured around the room.

  "Make yourself at home," he offered, crossing the room to start tea. The house had two floors. The downstairs included the kitchen, a small eating area and a slightly bigger living area. Upstairs were two bedrooms; the one that had been his parents' before they died and the one he'd shared with his brother growing up.

  Nesfir rummaged about quickly, dredging up the some fresh greens. Asahi looked like he could use a good meal or three, so Nesfir resolved to feed him something healthy. He heard the telltale creak that meant Asahi had sat in the chair closest the door, and Nesfir smiled briefly, setting the kettle near the banked kitchen fire.