Evadne didn't stop running until she had reached the last of the mud filled fields. Then she halted, planting her hands on her knees and catching her breath. With her eyes closed, she just let the rain stream down on her back, welcoming the cleansing. Slowly, still with her eyes closed, she sank through her knees and crouched on the ground, burying her hands in the liquid earth. Only then did her spirits return to normal, inch by inch. Evadne took a deep breath. She hated it when things did not turn out the way she had expected. She hated surprises of any sort. And since Taladan Ewing had been their guest, there had not been a moment without surprise. Evadne knew she was probably overreacting, she knew that Taladan wasn't a bad person at all, and yet he had a way of getting on her nerves. And she also knew she was not at all flexible, which caused the way she reacted to him. He loved life, took it as it came, not at all bothered by change. Evadne, unfortunately, was the opposite. She was not as bad as her father, with his constant need for routine and plans, but she realised that if she didn't take care, she'd become just like that.
Evadne dug her hands deeper into the earth, letting it slip through her fingers, and felt herself becoming calmer while her senses heightened. Slowly, she moved her focus from one part of her body to the other, becoming aware of its position and its contact with the earth beneath her. It was a good way of meditation. The longer she sat there, the lighter it became. Eventually it stopped raining at all, and a strip of blue sky appeared on the horizon. It was then that Evadne looked up, gazing at her surroundings with renewed energy. She stood up from her crouched position, her long black hair sticking to her face, and turned around. Looking at her house, she wondered what would have changed this time when she would go back inside. Not yet, she told herself when she considered going back. Deep inside her she knew she wasn't ready yet, that she wouldn't be able to keep her frustration under control when she would go back now. Instead, she walked back to the barn and rinsed her mud covered hands in a bucket of water before she opened the door. Time to let Romeo stretch his legs.
When Evadne came back several hours later, the sky had cleared up mostly, though there were still some rain-clouds on the horizon. The sun was at about three quarters of its daily path through the sky, and disappeared behind some puffs of white cloud occasionally. And the ride had almost dried Evadne completely. She took care of Romeo, feeling much better when she stepped back inside the living room. To her wonder, she did not find her father and Taladan there. That's weird, she thought, puzzled. She hadn't spotted them anywhere in the fields from her position on Romeo's high back either. Shrugging it off, she filled a large pot with water and hung it over the fireplace. A bath would be a good idea.
She moved towards her own room, which wasn't entirely closed. Evadne pushed open the door, and immediately her heart stood still. The lost inhabitants of the farm were found, as both of them stood with their arms crossed over their chests, looking contently at what appeared to be an entirely new room. Her large bed, which usually stood facing the door, had been placed right beneath the window and against the wall. The table with the ewer and wash cloth had been moved to a couple of inches next to the bed, also against the wall, and instead of just one set of wash equipment, there now were two ewers, two wash cloths, and two bars of soap. On the other side of the table, in the corner, stood a slightly smaller bed than her own, neatly made, and with one of the pillows of Evadne's bed. The folding screen with the wooden bath tub had been moved to the corner directly on the right of the door. The big cupboard was the only thing that hadn't moved.
"You have GOT to be --" Evadne started, feeling the rage build up from inside her. As the two men became aware of her presence, Evadne quickly turned around and leaned against both sides of the door frame with her hands, trying to get herself under control. A myriad of swearing words and insults crossed her mind, but she managed to keep them in by biting her tongue off. After a small minute, she took a deep breath and turned around again.
"If you wouldn't mind leaving the room, I would like to take a bath," Evadne said tonelessly while pushing past Taladan, to open the cupboard for some towels and clean clothes.
