The Tea Sorcerer
Companionship

Garfield watched her out of the corner of his eye, pretending to be interested in one of the many jars that lined the small shop. It was the first time Raven had ever shown any kind of emotion before, and she was utterly fascinating. Her face was flushed, her eyes wide, and her lips trembled - she looked almost stunning. He could have stood there all day and watched her from the privacy of this dark corner, but he knew eventually he was going to have to step in and save the poor shopkeeper from utter destruction.

Raven had been standing there for the last few minutes, very loudly arguing over the price of some herb. Everything had started calm between them, but when the shopkeeper was unable to budge on the price, Raven had lost her patience.

And it was a frightening sight to see.

"This is in season! I don't see why you're charging so much for a dried, ground weed!" Raven slammed her hand on the counter and gnashed her teeth. "The process to dry and store this is not that difficult, and I would do it myself if this plant was easier to find!"

"The rarity and tenderness of the plant is what makes it so expensive, miss." The shopkeeper had repeated this to her at least three times, but Raven was nearly determined to get her way, and she was continuing to fight with her. "It's not a simple process, as much as you wish it to be, and I cannot go any lower on the price. Now, if you were willing to buy any other herbs in our shop, I might be willing to consider some kind of arrangement."

"I don't need anything else in your shop! I only need this! But seeing as you are unwilling to work with me on something as simple as this… I will take the ounce you have already prepared." Raven slammed a few coins on the counter and snatched the small, silk bag from the shopkeeper's hands. "Thank you. Have a nice day."

With that she turned around and stormed out of the shop. Garfield muttered a few apologies to the shocked shopkeeper and raced out of the door after her. He had never seen her so worked up before, in fact, he didn't even entertain the idea that she could lose her temper like that. She had been so calm and poised with him, that it was almost as if she were perpetually a stoic statue. This new side of her was interesting, and he fought against a smile peeling across his lips - there was something almost refreshing in the idea that she might be just like everyone else.

"Miss Raven-"

"Can you believe the nerve!" Raven whipped around to face him, eyes flashing like storms. "I have never seen this at such an exorbitant price. It's simply unheard of! And here I am, exhausting my money for it!"

"Miss Raven…" Garfield repeated himself and took her hand in his own. She stopped talking immediately and looked up into his face. He shook his head and smiled. "It's hard to get certain things this far away from major cities, of course you're going to pay more. Especially for rare herbs that are probably not always purchased by… er… the rest of us."

Her face darkened and she looked away, her anger quickly dissipating under the pressure of his emotions. "I know, but it's simply terrible to take advantage of an outsider like that. I know what that spice is worth and it's not worth that."

"But it was a necessity?" Garfield was still fighting against his smile. Watching her mood change so quickly was rather amusing, and he knew in a few more seconds she would retreat into her normal, reserved self.

"It was." She pulled her hood up over her hair. "I need it for several spells."

He managed to hold back a laugh at her defeated look. "Then it was money well spent, and you should stop being so upset. You have everything you need."

Raven looked up at him and blushed before looking away. "You have a point, I suppose."

"See? Everything turned out for the better, and there's no reason to get upset over overpriced dead plants, right?"

She sighed. "Right."

Garfield finally smiled and took her hand, bringing her attention back to his own. He felt himself falling into her dark eyes before she could catch himself, and suddenly the world seemed to spin out of control. His head felt like it was tumbling below his knees and his feet felt like they were crossed behind his neck. He felt his face blush before he could stop himself, and he snatched his hand back quickly. "Sorry, Miss Raven. I didn't mean to be so forward."

"Mm…" Raven stared down at her hand for a moment before pulling it into the sanctuary of her cloak.

Silence flowed between them for a moment, and they both stood in the street listening to the sound of people and commerce jostling around them. It seemed as if they were in another world, one of their own making, and they were simply trying to understand the boundaries of this strange new land. Garfield finally looked back into her face and forced a small smile, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach.

"It's been a long day, Miss Raven… we should take a break and have some tea."

She nodded. "Yes. I would be most appreciative of that."

Garfield walked them down the rest of the street, pointing out landmarks or interesting notes along the way. She listened attentively and asked questions when she was curious, but was otherwise quiet and unresponsive, as if she was taking in the sights before making a decision or assumption about the town. Garfield made mental notes of when she seemed genuinely interested, (like when he talked about the small, recently established library) so he could keep this information for future use. For the most part, she just seemed generally intrigued by the town as a whole, but there was something off about her interest too, like she was trying to hide something from him. He didn't want to pry, but as their day wore on, it began to eat at him in ways he couldn't quite describe, and it became almost painful to keep it inside.

When they were seated at a small table next to a window in the inn, Garfield finally worked up the courage to ask her. "Is everything all right, Miss Raven? You seem to be quieter than usual."

She fidgeted with the hem of her cloak for a moment, staring down into the blue fabric. "I suppose I am just not used to the amount of people here. I knew that this town was not small, but I was not expecting it to be as large as it is either."

"Big towns are good, Miss Raven!" Garfield smiled brightly at her and he caught the blush on her cheeks before she turned away from him. "There are families and friends, as well as more businesses and people in general. I know it must seem like a shock for you, but I promise that it's not a bad place. It's my home."

Raven looked up at him again, her hand reaching across the table to his scarf, wrapped tightly around his face and mouth. Her fingertips traced the line of his jaw, eyes nearly vacant as she stared at him. Her mind seemed to have left her again, and she was whispering aimless thoughts to him. "But you have to wear this scarf, Garfield… what kind of home makes you hide who you truly are?"

Garfield felt his own mind travel back to the way she looked at him in the privacy of her tent, and he felt his heart tighten. It was easy to feel comfortable around her, because she had never once judged him on the color of his skin or any of his shortcomings. She had accepted him as he was, and it was a slow realization that no one (not even Tara and their nearly sixteen-year friendship) had accepted him the way Raven had. That was something to be cherished, and he wanted to hold onto that feeling for as long as he could.

Something crashed across the dark room, jerking both of them out of the spell of silence. Garfield looked away quickly as she mumbled apologies and placed her hand back in her lap.

"I am sorry, Garfield. I did not mean to overstep my boundaries." She paused as their tea and an assortment of sweetbreads were placed on their table. Raven paid the woman and she turned around and left them alone, returning to the kitchen until the next order.

Garfield finally managed to continue their conversation.

"You didn't overstep your boundaries, Miss Raven." He knew his voice sounded soft and almost sad, but he was fighting emotions inside him that he had never felt before and it was impossible to fully understand them. "I was… happy with you last week. You did not judge me based on my condition, and you were kind to me - in spite of the rumors painting you as a mean, selfish hermit." He felt a teasing smile work onto his lips. "Our time together was a nice break from the usual questions and stares. I truly wish I could find a place where I could always be myself, but I'll have to hide for now."

Raven's eyes swept up to meet his and there was a long, heavy pause as they stared at each other. Once again, Garfield could not read exactly what was going on in her mind. Her face only looked blank, he knew that underneath that cool exterior, something was spinning out of her control.

After minutes of silence, she finally spoke. "You don't have to hide around me, Garfield. In fact, I wish you wouldn't."

He sat there and felt his heart pound erratically against his chest. What in the world did that mean? And how was he supposed to answer it?