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Langdon comically folded into two with his hands grasping his guts where she landed a smooth jab. Coughing in disbelief, the man looked at her with eyes filled with betrayal. She scowled back at him the best she could. Her cheeks and ears were still heated from the kiss, and her mind was still spinning. To cover her shame, she punched the foolish man. What on earth was she even thinking going along with his kisses? Responding enthusiastically even. Ashame. She was so ashamed with her reactions.

"What did you do that for?" Langdon complained, rubbing his aching abdominal. The abrupt attack seems to have made his mind even more clearer.

"No, why did you do that?!" She spit back, eyes shaking.

"What? Kiss?" He asked, whining.

"Yes, that!" She spat defensively.

The culprit did not say anything and kept on rubbing his aching guts. Miffed at his actions, but mostly on her own, she marched towards the open dwelling. The trip back home was shorter but she was dead beat. The things she procured back in District V was luckily safe in a sack she abruptly let go when the foolish man thought it was a good idea to ambush her.

The trip back home was smooth and short since she traveled along the river. One of the rivers that flows throughout the vicinity of the main island. Some of the river has raging currents and she used the one with the milder flow. She did not only make hideouts and shelters all over the island, she got a canoe she stashed somewhere near the river with the milder current. There's two of those canoes and she uses them alternately.

When she stepped inside her dwelling, her glaring tired eyes saw the stark difference. Her dwelling used to be in a muted brown/tan color all over, but now they were peppered with vibrant colors. There's curtains, colorful flowers. There's even new sheets on the bed and pillows. It reminds her of the pleasure pub in the slightest.

"What did you do to my home?" She asked in disbelief, and whipped around to look at the man but ended up leaping away since Langdon was already standing behind her. He was looking at the entire room over her head.

"How'd you creep behind me?" The question was out of her lips before she could stop herself. It was because her chest was drumming once again because of his closeness. She might have decided to help the man whenever she can but it's quite dangerous with him making her heart race without provocation at all.

"Which question do you want me to answer first?" He asked in return, still standing at the entrance of the dwelling. He looks like he's waiting for something, for something like a commendation? Praise?

"Why is my house like this?" She gestured at the entirety of her home, waving her hands in exaggerated motions.

"You don't like it?" He asked, the worry slowly, setting in his eyes. The twinkle she saw earlier disappeared in a flash, making her look like a villain out after his happiness. But, she could not help herself. It was the first time she saw her house with this much color. It's reminding her of spring. Not like there is spring around this region of the main island. The spring season usually occurs in the eastern region more often. The same place where deadly storms usually take place.

The question, however, caught her off-guard so she looked away. It's difficult to say things on his face. "It's good." She shrugged and turned away, hiding her face.

Tahlia needed to collect her wits around this man, so she grabbed the bag hanging on the wooden wall. As per her usual routine when she's back home, she'll wash up.

"No, take the other bag. That's mine. The tunics won't fit you well." He commented, taking the other bag she just noticed. Taken aback, she looked at the bags together and looked at him. He made his own clothes and a bag to boot. It's also stocked with necessities like a towel and some soap.

With that in her thoughts, she looked around and noticed that things seemed to double in number. She walked in the direction of the bedroom. The pillows were almost flooding the bed this time and they are in different shades of colors. Flower was sitting atop the furniture on the bedside where most of her clothes were kept. Next to the wooden furniture, a small basket with a lid on sat quietly. They were made a little sloppy but she could tell it was sturdy.

The utensils in the kitchen were now in pairs. Those subtle changes were all over the house.

"Let me go with you." She heard Langdon say as he handed her the right bag containing her clothes. Her hand took the bag without a word, and looked at him once again. What was he doing all throughout the length of her absence?

"Stop looking at me like that." He said with shyness.

"Like what?" Moving nimbly this time she walked out of her home.

"Like you're so happy to have met me." His words reach her ears with blunt sincerity. It almost made her tired body flinch. She doesn't know the truthfulness of his observation but she had an inkling that it's real, and she doesn't know what to do with that information.

"Let me go with you, Talon." He said once again but she knows that there's no way in hell that she'll let him go with her. She can't clean herself thoroughly with him around. Also, the binders she had were a lot tighter than usual. The stay back in the pleasure pub gave her no rest at all as the courtesans won't stop knocking on her door all through the night. It seems like the threat she showed didn't bother the courtesans at all. The paranoia of them busting her doors open, made her tighten everything she had on. Most of all when she was taking a refreshing bath.

"Not now. I'll be going alone and you're going to stay here. I'll be quick and we'll talk later. Can you please organize the things in that sack?" She pointed at the bag she was carrying earlier. Langdon's eyes followed her action and nodded in affirmation.

"I'll have some food ready." He answered.

"And please keep your hands off of the alcohol. They're not for personal consumption." She added and went on merry way without waiting for the man to respond. There's a lot of things they need to talk about. While she was traveling home, she was already thinking of an ideal place he could stay without being too close to her dwelling. There's a lot of areas where hazards were manageable, and resources were opulent. The prairie was one of them. The problem is that the prairie was close to her base. She'll have to find someplace farther than that.

She felt a sudden familiar pinch of pain on her navel. All her thoughts stopped altogether. Her hands slackened as she realized another problem. She looked back where she came from but all she could see were the thick, thorny shrubbery and the dense jungle. The soft soil beneath her feet reminds her of things she would always need whenever her cycle comes. She can't share the bed with Langdon this time.

"Shit."

Caught in a dilemma, she forgot her worries in the meantime and resumed her walk towards the nearest pool in the area. The hot spring would have been nicer but it is a lot further to the south. She had no plans of taking another trek again when she just came home from the district. For now, she'll enjoy the gentle warm breeze and wander the forest once again.

The familiar sounds of the animals both aerial and land, reached her ears. Soothing them from the noisy chatter of industrialization in the district. The green, tall trees and a snake hanging from one branch to another was giving her comfort. It's truly never silent in the forest. In this place, she's protected. She's home.