Outsider

[Laowai]

The sun was starting its low decent into evening when Ben returned to the Cabin. He carried a bag over his shoulder full of plants and herbs that he had found and knew from past experience that blended together with some of the meat he caught yesterday would make a very fine meal indeed.

"Im back" he called out, dumping the bag and his blaster rifle onto one of the benches on the porch and collapsing into a chair beside them.
"Hello my brave Hunter" a voice spoke out from nearby. Zarita came round the corner of the Cabin and approaching him, leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. She sat beside him "Find anything?"
Ben nodded to the bag and smiled "Now... i know you know all this already, but you wait until i cook that little lot up with what i caught yesterday, you're going to love eating it, not just the memory of eating it."

She smiled at him and he noticed she seemed slightly distracted. "Whats wrong?" he asked. She looked away briefly and then looked back "Nothing" she said" At least, nothing major, ive.... I've been practicing trying to... get a handle on what my body does now.... "
Laowai sat up, "So that's what you've been doing today, how has it gone?"

Zarita nodded, "I have something i want to show you" She said.

Without waiting, she looked down on the ground in front of the cabin where a bundle of firewood was stacked neatly, staring at it, and willing herself to visualize what she wanted, but not actually think about what she wanted she willed the timbers to....

One by one, the logs started lifting themselves into the air, moving slowly but purposefully, unstacking themselves and then restacking themselves in an entirely different pattern, laying criss-crossed as if someone were building a pyre.
"By Crete......." Laowai exclaimed, he looked at his wife who was staring with glazed eyes at the wood "Zarita...." he said, and yet her eyes didn't move and within them he thought he could see a gleam, they seemed to start to want to glow, to change from their white and colored Irises of their human shape into something... reflective and opaque.
He put his hand on hers and she snapped back to wakefulness, turning to him she smiled nervously. "You... learned that today?" Ben asked.

She smiled and nodded "well, kind of, Ive.. done it before, just not with that much control, but i want to be in control, i don't want to be like i was last night, i want to own this, i don't want it to own me."

As she spoke there was a dull thud and the last of the logs dropped into place onto what was now a perfectly formed square pyre of timbers.
She was looking at him as if somehow seeking approval. What he had witnessed was at once both amazing, and frightening, the sheer possibilities of what Zarita was capable of defied thought, how was someone supposed to respond to what he had just witnessed? Yet, this was his doing, the fact that she was able to do this was because of him.

A smile crossed his face and he felt her immediatly relax, "No... its good" he said, "You're right, you need to be able to control this.. but..."
He looked at the logs again and then back at her "You have to be careful, you have to keep this between us, keep focused, dont show it where you dont need to, no one can know of what you are."

"I know" she said "Ive known that since i left Tangier, no one will, dont worry."

She laid her head against his shoulder and put his arm around him, giggling she said "Would you like to carry the vegetables into the house or do you want me to move them from here?"

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