Chapter 4

Damnit.

Tahno. How had he found her?

She loathed looking up, as she didn't want him seeing her crying for the second time in one day. She was supposed to be strong, emotionally indestructible, hard and fearless. How could she cry like this in front of him?

She knew she couldn't just ignore him. She turned her head forwards and looked at him, her eyes conveying everything she hadn't said. Her once glowing and bright blue eyes were now a dulled grey color. They looked weary and cold, while the expression they held showed how exhausted the girl was. Even if she was the avatar, it was hard to believe that she was still just a teenager, only a few years younger than him.

"Come."

Tahno stared at her, then stiffly held out his hand.

He gaze quickly glanced down to his hand, then back up to meet his.

Wherever he takes you, it couldn't be worse than out here…

After a brief moment of staring at him, she hung her head pitifully, then stood up. Tahno retracted his hand, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Why is she making this so difficult?

He was just trying to be nice, for once. Yet here she was, still making it as hard as she could for him to do that. Despite her response, he continued.

"You're coming home with me."

Thoughts rushed through her head. All of the possibilties, all of his bad intentions, alternate reasonings behind his kindness besides wanting to get laid…

But despite all of the drawbacks she came up with, the one thing on her mind was how horrible and tired she felt. Resignedly, she nodded slightly, then followed him as he started walking.

"You know, Uh-vatar, when someone does something nice for you, people usually offer their thanks."

She ignored him.

After some while of walking, Tahno stopped in front of a smaller-than average household. It wasn't tiny, but it was by no means the massive, luxurious palace she had expected him to live in. He opened the door with his key, then held it open for her. "Voíla," he said. "Welcome, Avatar, to my humble abode." With this introduction, came an exaggerated bow from Tahno as he gestured her inside. Before he could offer her the grand tour, he saw her yawn quite enthusiastically, and led her towards a room. As he opened the door, he began to speak. "And here is where you'll be sleeping."

Before she could have the chance to flop down into the large king-sized bed, he quickly remembered her rain-drenched attire. He rushed over to his closet and began searching for something for her to wear. Upon discovering several t-shirts and two pairs of athletic shorts that he usually reserved for practice, he came back out and thrust them into her hands.

"If you'd like to get out of those soaked clothes, feel free to change", he offered. Noticing her uneasy expression, he excused himself from the room and returned to his living room. He stripped himself of his shoes and jackets, then lay down on one of the large couches adorning the room. Although it lacked the comfort and warmth of his bed, his body soon adjusted to it once he found a throw blanket and attempted to cover as much of himself as he could.

He murmured to himself as he fell asleep, and the words barely left his lips before he was sound asleep.

"Goodnight, Uh-vatar."

11/10/2015