BLUE EYES: Chapter 10

Summary: Oliver and Felicity spend the rest of the day in Christentown. Felicity makes new friends and discovers something new about Oliver.

The entire afternoon in Christentown had been spent securing supplies that Oliver and Felicity will need for the coming weeks. Some of the tools and utensils they needed had been handed down or lent by Big John so that they did not have to purchase new ones from sellers in town.

Big John had told them that he would much rather they saved the money they'd gotten from selling the two mouse-deer they'd brought so that they could buy a horse. Of course, what they had gotten from the sale of the pilandok hadn't been enough for a decent horse, considering the value of such an animal that wasn't endemic to the islands and had to be brought from overseas for the first time about three decades ago and then bred locally. But with the generosity of Big John, who offered to loan them the money he had been saving to build himself a cabin instead of dwelling in one of his employer's servants' quarters, Oliver had been able to bargain for a light brown steed with long, white mane. The old horse was quite handsome, even for a domesticated animal that had already worked for most of its life. The horse would not live as long as Oliver wished it would, but it had to do for now. He'd intended it only for carrying burdens too heavy for him to carry up and down the mountain, which most certainly included his new wife, who did not have much experience in long journeys on foot – something that he had taken notice of earlier that day.

While Oliver and John gathered supplies, Felicity had spent the afternoon with a woman named Lyla Michaels, who owned and ran her deceased father's general store, which also housed the only inn in Christentown on its second floor. Felicity had thought that Lyla must have been a very good friend of Big John to have given his "friends" some goods for free. From the store, Lyla had given her some soap for bathing and washing, a hairbrush and a small hand mirror. Lyla had also given them salt, pepper, and other spices, carefully demonstrating in her kitchen how she can prepare food that will last longer despite the temperature and humidity in the island.

Felicity had appreciated all that very much, but when Lyla added to their loot two pounds of sugar, half a pound of tea bags, and half a pound of freshly ground coffee beans grown from Big John's master's plantation on the island itself, Felicity had been in tears. She had launched at Lyla and engulfed the older woman in a hug, crying, "Thank you so much!" Felicity had gone on to tell her new friend how much she loved coffee and had been secretly craving for it for the last few days.

Lyla had smiled, telling Felicity that she was not yet done. She had brought Felicity upstairs to her bedroom, where she handed down to her a pair of leather-strapped sandals and a few changes of clothes, including skirts made of lighter fabrics that were more suitable for living in the mountains, and a pair of trousers that Lyla herself had sewn for when she went out hunting in the woods with John. She had been very happy that she and Felicity were almost exactly the same size in clothing and footwear. By the time she was done, Felicity had been in tears again, overwhelmed by the kindness of the woman who had just met them that day.

The four of them shared a hearty dinner that evening. They enjoyed friendly conversation, which later on led to Big John and Lyla learning about what had happened to Felicity en route to Christentown, and about how she ended up married to their friend Asintado.

Lyla held Felicity's hand as she wept, telling them how painful it was to have become fatherless so suddenly in a strange land. Oliver stared at their joined hands, wondering when he could be the one to comfort Felicity that way. John didn't fail to notice this, deciding to speak up before an enjoyable evening completely turned into a dreary one.

"Asintado, I've asked Lyla if you and Felicity can stay in one of the rooms upstairs for the night, and she most gladly obliged. As much as I would warmly welcome you into my quarters like before, I do not think it appropriate for your new wife to be spending the night with you and me in such a cramped space." John smiled, shifting glances between Oliver and Felicity. "Also, my employer and his family arrived this morning from Paradise Point. I do not think he would approve if he finds out I have strangers staying with me in his property."

"I understand," Oliver replied.

"Felicity, would you be interested in a nice, warm bath before you retire for the night? It would probably be another fortnight or two before you come visit here again and enjoy one," Lyla asked, chuckling a bit.

"Ah, yes. That would be nice, thank you," Felicity answered. "Our tree-top abode does not exactly lend itself to private, luxurious bathing." She laughed a little, and it felt good after almost breaking down in sorrow in front of her new friends.

With that, they all stood up and left the dinner table. Lyla asked John to show Oliver to their room and proceeded to assist Felicity with her bath.

About an hour later, Felicity was done. She cleaned up, thanked Lyla, and bid her hostess 'good night.' She sauntered down the narrow hallway, wearing modest sleepwear that Lyla had lent her for the night. She wore a contented smile on her face as she combed her hair, clutching a woolen shawl that was draped around her shoulders to keep her warm while her hair was still wet. After everything she's been through in the past two days, she really didn't think that something as simple as a quiet, warm bath would make a difference, but it did. She had lingered a bit longer in the water than she intended, allowing its warmth to relax her tense muscles and her tired mind. She made a mental note to get up early the next day and help Lyla to prepare their morning meal to show how grateful she was for everything the woman had done.

Coming from Lyla's room, Felicity had already passed two doors. When she stopped in front of the last one – which Lyla had told her was theirs for the night – she was so lost in thankful thoughts that it did not occur to her to knock before she entered the room. When she opened the door so abruptly, she was startled at the sight that greeted her. Across the room in plain sight was Oliver, with his back turned against her, crouching low on the wooden floor, as it appeared he was preparing a place to sleep on.

While Felicity had only ever seen the man shirtless, displaying his tattooed torso in all its muscly glory, she was not prepared to see him with his hair untied, and in nothing but a loincloth tied around his waist. The room was dimly lit by some candles, but the view barely left anything to the imagination of a fair maiden like her who had never seen the male physique before, except in sketches found in scientific and medical books that her father owned.

"Oh."

Felicity's gasp was louder than the interjection that her vocal cords produced involuntarily. Nonetheless, those sounds were almost inaudible compared to the crashing sound of her hairbrush on the hard wood floor.

Oliver turned and then stood up to face her. He had not meant for her to stumble upon him without his trousers on. For a split-second he regretted preparing his sleeping spot before putting his trousers back on, but the awkward situation did not really faze him. Unlike Felicity, there wasn't a shred of shame in his eyes and in his confident stance. He was used to being stared at and admired by every young woman in his tribe who wished he would one day pick her to be his wife.

What he admired at that moment was the woman that stood at the door wearing a simple, off-white linen evening gown – every bit of her desirable, from her long, damp blonde hair to her bare feet. The gleam in his eyes and the slight smile on his face had rendered her speechless; she was blushing like a ripe tomato in embarrassment.

"Forgive me. I… I didn't mean to barge in like this. I… uhm… usually knock, but I…"

Felicity couldn't find the words. Her brain and her jaw joints seemed to be malfunctioning as she struggled to close both her gawking eyes and her gaping mouth. She would have turned around or closed her eyes as propriety demanded, especially now that he was facing her and the frontal view of his masculine form was on full display. She didn't know how much longer it would take before she melted into a puddle right before his eyes.

When Oliver began to approach her, her eyes slammed shut and she bit her lower lip, not wanting to witness whatever was about to happen. Nothing did.

After a few seconds, he spoke, "Here," and she decided to open her eyes. Apparently, he had picked up the hairbrush that she had dropped, together with the shawl that she didn't realize she had also dropped, and was now offering them to her politely.

She took them from his hands and said, "Thank you."

She was thankful that he had picked up her things, but she was also thankful that he was standing so close to her that she didn't have to be distracted by anything else below his massive chest. Except, his intensely entrancing eyes were locked onto hers again, and they are just as distracting as everything else that had taken her by surprise just moments ago.

Felicity sighed. It seemed her plans of getting through another night peacefully in the same room with this man was going to be more complicated than she thought it would be.

I couldn't write another chapter without an Olicity interaction (just as one review pointed out) and this was what happened. Thoughts?

Author's Notes:
1. I tried to imagine Oliver with really long hair - not the kind he wore in the show that many fic writers called serial killer hair, but something like Chris Hemsworth's as Thor, only longer and with a darker shade of blonde. Try it, and tell me you don't think it would look gorgeous on him. Ha!

2. Among indigenous groups in the mountains of northern Philippines, the loincloth or g-string is more commonly known as the bahag. It is made of hand-loomed piece of cloth that is wrapped around a man's middle, covering his private parts. The bahag is usually a brightly colored red and black fabric, which is why I think it's fitting that the Filipino word for rainbow is bahag-hari (literally, a king's loincloth). The design of the weave is usually unique to the tribe of the person wearing the bahag.