(
@Lion !)
It was different, being so... Alone.
Callista smiled idly to the person perusing the flowers that were on display, ready to help if need be or requested. It was an odd life she was living now. A little under a year ago she'd been a slave. A slave with no identity, just a shadow on the wall and a bump in the night. The situation was entirely different... And even more scary. Idly her fingers traced the wood of the counter and she smiled politely at the man that brought a set of red roses over.
It was a real tragedy.
The flowershop had been broken into and her husband, Bart, had been an unfortunate victim. Murdered and his body dumped. They still hadn't found it.
At least that was the official story.
And then, the little wife, pregnant, the child adopted out because she couldn't take care of it alone.
Reality was far different and while she tolerated the sympathetic looks from the older patrons, they were also annoying. It was lies. It was all lies and it grated on her nerves. Made her fingers itchy and she found herself missing Carn, though the man he'd become was in the room over having recently come back from a short trip.
It was different.
Being around him felt
wrong.
The man left with his red roses and Callista smiled and waved happily.
After the birth of the child and after it had been adopted out, her brother, a man named Reinier came to live with her. The few months between him being a frustrated child and a man were a terror and Callista found herself glad they hadn't lasted long. The few weeks she had to mother a child were a horror on her and she was glad it wasn't an
actual child. Carn had kept his word.
Callista gently bit her lip and made sure the shop wasn't occupied before she wandered into the room where Reinier was sitting at a desk and reading. Ever since he'd been...
Here, he'd had his nose buried in a book and he looked up at her slowly when she poked her head into the room.
"Carn, Can yo-"
"
Reinier." He corrected in the smooth voice the dagger had carried.
"Reinier, Can you come with me? I want to get some things before sundown."
A quiet sigh and he stood up. Together the pair went about closing up the shop and before long, all the doors were closed and Callista had a bag, the proper amount of money and Reinier was looking relatively grumpy behind her. All he
really wanted to do was sit and read. Sadly, that didn't look like it was going to happen.
The pair went about shopping. Callista having found she had a talent for cooking after the untimely demise of her 'husband'. The fact
Carn Reinier ate enough for two of him when he was in town didn't help. To most people, they simply looked like siblings, the features, the hair. There was a striking resemblance to someone else though and Callista often found herself examining Reinier's features and then staring off and looking sad.
Sadly, she never saw Rembrandt again. It wasn't love that kept her sad. It was guilt. Guilt of how she lied and used him. There had been a spark there. A small piece of her she knew would be able to grow into something
more. That little spark of curiosity.
"
Callista."
Reinier called to her and she stopped moving to look back at him, blinking. She was wearing simple clothing and her hair was tucked into a loose braid. Pants today. Callista had found she was rather fond of wearing pants.
And so, the pair walked and Callista snuck her hand into Reinier's elbow while they went about and did their shopping. As usual, Callista looked for
his face in the passing people and as usual, she was disappointed. Though, Reinier caught eyes with someone off in the distance and he smiled wide. It was a sinister smile and he gently pat Callista's hand.
