"We meet again, fair maiden." Olivia's heart dropped at the sound of a male voice.
"Oh." She didn't bother to hide the disappointment in her voice. "You're back."
"I suppose we got off on the wrong foot, hmm?" The grass crunched as he approached her.
"If by that you mean you were rude, yeah."
"I was being rude?"
"Well," She amended, "I guess rude is the wrong word for it. Creepy."
"I apologize." His low chuckle did not serve to reassure her. "It was not my intention, I assure you." The smell of smoke permeated her senses as he got close, and she wrinkled up her nose. Was he some sort of blacksmith?
"Well, if you want to apologize, the first step you can take is to give me some space." The brunette extended a hand in his direction, nearly brushing his leg. "I came up here to be alone."
"Again, I apologize." He moved away, settling down in the grass a few feet from her. "I came up here for the view." Feeling eyes on her, Olivia bristled.
"Of?"
"The sunset." He sighed, turning away. Some of the tension in her shoulders easing, Olivia let out a sigh, letting her mind drift back to the pleasant thoughts she had previously been enjoying.
Although she tried to forget about the man sharing her hill, she couldn't block out the sounds of him moving and breathing- not to mention the scent of smoke. Even a peaceful, quiet breath was loud enough to distract her, and the musk of smoke blocked out the smells of grass and trees.
Eventually, she gave up.
"So," she spoke up, immediately feeling his eyes on her. "Do you plan to come around here often?"
"Why do you ask?" There was a clearly flirtatious tone in his low voice, and she scowled.
"Because I come here to be alone, and I like it that way. Wanted to know if my spot was being taken over."
"Ah." The suggestive tone was gone, but he didn't sound upset. "I suppose I could relocate if my presence bothers you that much. I can imagine it would be hard for you to find a new 'spot', given your… condition."
"I can get around just fine." She fired back. "I could find another place if I wanted to, I would just prefer not to be kicked out by a strange man who seems to find me fascinating."
"That's fair enough. Again, I apologize." He paused. "I suppose introductions are in order?"
"Are they?"
"You called me 'strange'. Perhaps if we got to know each other, even slightly better, I would not be that to you anymore."
"Yeah, and there's candy in the back of your wagon, why don't I come over and have some?"
"What?"
"Never mind." He didn't respond, and the two fell silent.
While she tried to focus on the scent of the grass and the sound of the wind, Olivia found herself unable to tear her thoughts away from the man sitting nearby. A prickling feeling moved up and down her spine, and though she heard no movement she couldn't help but feel like she was being stalked.
Eventually, fed up, she pushed herself up and stumbled to her feet.
"I'm going home." She announced.
"It's getting dark." Did she detect a note of worry in the man's voice? "The mobs will be coming out. Will you be safe?"
"I can hear mobs coming from miles away." Turning for the path down the hill, Olivia turned her back on the stranger. "It's Olivia, by the way."
"Hm?"
"My name. Olivia." Without waiting for a response (and ignoring any possible one that came), the blind girl descended down the path and disappeared into the woods.
"Miss Olivia."
"Oh, why am I not shocked?" Olivia sat down with a thump in the tall grass, deliberately angling her body away from the stranger. "Didn't you say you'd find a new place to hang out?"
"I did imply such," the man responded, thoughtful. "But I do not recall confirming it."
"Silverfish." Draping herself over a log, Olivia tilted her head up to scowl at the setting sun.
"What is so distasteful about my presence?"
"You're breathing." A beat passed, then Olivia realized that might've come off more violent than she was intending. "Literally, I mean, I can hear your breaths. It throws off the peace of the mountain."
"Oh." He sounded amused. "Is that it?"
"Imagine if you were trying to look at the sunset and I stood directly in front of you. This is like that." Was her cross response. "Blindness, remember?"
"Rather difficult to forget."
"Good." Not good, actually. Probably the blindfold's fault. She kind of wanted to rip it off her face and chuck it over the edge of the mountain, but her mom would throw a fit.
The stranger was quiet, now, though, and the wind was picking up, helping to drown out the ambient sounds of his presence. Eventually, she managed to relax, just enjoying the sounds of nature around her.
All too soon, though, the crickets began to chirp, signifying the end of the day. Recalling her promise to try to get home sooner, Olivia picked herself up, heading for the path again as she fully expected to be interrupted by the stranger.
"Be safe." His only words, however, were fairly benign. She acknowledged him with a nod, but didn't respond as she descended the mountain.
Although she tried, however, she couldn't get the man off her mind. He was… certainly very different than most men she knew, but she didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. At the very least, he didn't fawn over her and treat her like a china doll. Maybe the creepiness was a step up from that.
Where did he come from, anyway? She'd never met him before, and though she didn't know everyone in the city she did know a fair number. Besides, if he lived near her she'd probably know. Going home wouldn't guarantee him leaving her alone.
This was the only city nearby, though. Was he homeless? Living on the mountain? Or maybe he was some sort of ~adventurer~, though why would an adventurer smell like smoke? He'd claimed to come to the hill for the sunset, but she still had her suspicions about that.
A zombie's groan echoed from the trees to her left, and Olivia quieted her footsteps, tugging her coat tighter around herself. Maybe she should start bringing a weapon with her.
For multiple reasons.