Chapter 9

"I asked you if you had lost your appetite."

"Why?"

Khyrhyelle put her hands on her hips. "Because you have been complaining about eating since we started out and now that I have prepared the food you lose yourself somewhere."

Uriel shrugged his shoulders, looked down. "Sorry, I was just—"

"Thinking about Earth," Khyrhyelle finished for him.

"Yeah." He smiled at her and shook his head. "Let's eat."

Khyrhyelle and Uriel shared a luscious lunch of vegetables and fruits, the witches being vegetarians for the most part. It had taken Uriel sometime to become accustomed to the fare, not believing one could be satisfied without a meat dish. But he learned to enjoy his meals and even took a turn preparing them.

After lunch, they decided it would be nice to take a walk. Uriel, true gentleman that he was, offered Khyrhyelle his hand to help her up, though he failed to relinquish her hand even after his duty was fulfilled. Khyrhyelle, very aware, only smiled inwardly.

They walked hand in hand for a time, engaged in small talk and savoring the sights and smells of spring. Uriel would point to an unfamiliar tree or flower and Khyrhyelle would talk about the medicinal properties of a leaf or the fragrance of a petal. The twin suns were getting lower in the sky when Khyrhyelle stopped Uriel and they both sat down under a tree for some shade and rest. Khyrhyelle eased the conversation around to the eventual topic. "How goes your studies?"