9. Evan: Southern Summer

Winter had most likely taken over the north by now, so Evan doubted anyone was looking for nature deities right now, especially not ones as minor as Evan, it was mostly an excuse, he knew, to stay in the south

Everything was so different here, particularly the humans, Evan had never felt all that drawn to mortals back in the north, but the way the southern people interacted with Connor was entirely refreshing, Connor told him that they still believed in the deities that had inhabited the south at one point, Evan understood the bitterness his voice carried as he said this

Watching Connor work was really vexing, and it made death seem less final, and more of a cycle, sometimes Connor asked him to help with the newly created green-life or creature, the process is always gentle, it's such a contrast with the way things are in the north, and Evan likes it a little too much

The pros of having a love god as a friend, and honestly his friendship with Jared was as unexpected as it was endearing, were that Evan had a good grasp on his own feelings, or at the very least the romantic ones; so he knew he was falling for the death god, and it was almost reassuring to know it was Connor, something secure in the notion

As time passed he'd come to understand why Connor liked it here so much, it was like a breath of fresh air, the greenery perked up when Evan passed, happy to see him, the creatures would often come say hello to him, it made him feel like he belonged, like he was wanted, it was intoxicating

And when summer broke he found that even the water was different, it made sense for it to run so brashly when it had been frozen for so long, it moved with an exited energy and curled playfully around anything that landed on its path, it was so alive that he often forgot there were no nymphs guiding it

It made Evan wonder what it would look like in fall, painted in the browns, oranges and reds; for once the idea of such a season seemed alluring, because up to now the south had only had winter and fall, surely it would feel far more in place than it ever did in the north. It hits him that he wants to be here for the change of season, wants to stay even when winter returns, wants to stay longer that that too; in the short time he's stayed here it's become more of a home than the north ever was

He'd have to ask Connor about it, because no matter how much Evan has come to love the south, it still feels like Connor's territory, it's his place, and if the death god asks him to leave Evan would, he would miss it terribly, and he would miss Connor even more, but he would leave