Howondaland

The sun was moving toward the horizon. Gambler waved his hat and again put it on his disheveled hair. He
hated the hat, but she protected him from the sun and, which was also
important, concealed her face, preventing people from properly viewing
it.

He waited for Reth after work. And he was angry with himself and with the elf. It was an idiotic game, in the rules of which he could not understand. What did he need to do, from whom to ask for advice? Do not communicate with  Object, in the end. With her, too, everything was unclear, but on Object  Gambler was spitting.

The young man hit his fist on the bench, on which he sat and became even more angry.

*I’m an idiot. Well, I should just leave, why do I need this woman?*

But, of course, he did not go anywhere.

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Rus

Two weeks later.

— Why the dragon?

Gambler moved his shoulder blades. Reth finally allowed to remove the tight bandages and the young man gladly got rid of them. Then he had to endure the elf’s fingers on his ribs, although, he would not say that he was disgusted.

— It’s ticklish, — he said, and pushed her hands lightly. — I’m all right, enough to worry, I’m not a child.

He paused.

— A dragon because … I do not know why. Just decided to stuff myself a tattoo and why not a dragon?

The woman looked at his back for a while with her wings spread out, then she ran her hand along the vertebrae and said:

— I like.

Gambler swallowed hard.

***

He lived in this house for a month and, not knowing how, managed to become attached to the elf. Various loves and the first teenage love he safely missed — he was not interested in either women or men. Until then.

He understood that the woman was much older than him, but he was drawn to her. It seems that the elf was only amused. But she did not push him away, taking all his awkward signs of attention with a smile, but no more. And this made Gambler even more confused.

But he tried.

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Then he again managed to fall asleep, but woke up from the feeling that they were looking at him. He opened his eyes and stared at Object, which sat on the handle of the couch and slowly drank water from the mug. Gray eyes studied the young man and now there was no hatred in them, just some kind of detachment and fatigue.

Gambler immediately sat down and frowned. To this girl, he did not hate as she did to him, and, in other circumstances, would gladly be friends with her. She obviously was not much older than him, surely they would have had common interests, but…

— What? — he said. — Am I bothering you?

— Perhaps.- She brushed her hair from her eyes. — I really do not like your stay here.

— What have I done to you, Object? When did I do this? Why do not we just try and make friends?

— With you? — the girl snorted. — Never. I will tolerate you only for the sake of Reth, but I want to warn you not to dare to climb me.

— I did not mean to, — Gambler insisted. — You came to me in the middle of the night and did not let me sleep.

The girl snorted again and stood up.

— Sleep while you can… Gambler.

She went to her room, leaving the young man completely bewildered.

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He spent the whole night on a narrow and short sofa. He could sleep in any conditions, but today, as soon as he fell asleep, he began to dream of Reth and her lips. In a dream, he tried to catch them with his lips, but woke up and could not sleep again for a long time. It was far worse than nightmares.

This woman seemed to do something with him and he could not understand what it was. And just a week ago, life seemed perfectly understandable.

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Rus

A mug of hot tea fell on the table and a light hand squeezed his shoulder lightly.

— Gambler, do not sleep here.

The young man started. He did not understand, either he thought so much, or fell asleep with his eyes open.

— I am not sleeping. Just thought about what you did recklessly, letting me stay. You do not know anything about me — I can be anything.

The elf chuckled.

— Look at this from the other side. About us, you also do not know anything. We, too, can be anything.

She put her lips to his ear and whispered:

— Can you imagine? Anyone.

A warm breath tickled his ear and threw him into a fever. This woman, is she… trying to seduce him so?

And then she moved away from him and laughed.

— You should have seen your face! Probably thought I was trying to molest you? Sorry, it was a bad joke, I’m not interested in so young people.

She laughed again and went into the house. And, only when she disappeared behind the door, Gambler remembered that it was necessary to breathe. And on an exhalation he said:

— Oh shit.

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Rus

Object watched him intently. The
young man sat with a stony face, the good itchy skin on his face
prevented him from using his usually live facial expressions. He already realized that Object for unknown reasons hates it, but why did it happen? Gambler is used to the fact that usually people do not like him too
much, but usually negative feelings towards him began to manifest not
immediately.

Then he still could not stand it and fled to the street. He sat down on the already familiar bench in the summer-house and sighed freely. The evening descended on the desert swiftly and it became much easier to breathe.

The young man dropped his head on the still warm boards and rubbed his cheek against them. The skin was unbearably itchy. He thought about what he would do next and could not find an answer. Somewhere he need to leave, here he is still not happy. He desperately wanted to return to his tiny apartment, but he did not have a way back… at least alive.

Stay here for some time? But
the house and without it close, and even this incomprehensible hatred
of Object to him … The young man extended his hand and moved his
fingers, as if rolling something in the palm of his hand.

Oh, this choice.

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Rus

— I would never have thought you could cook.

The woman was sitting on the side, looking over his shoulder.

— I’m not too good at it, — Gambler felt her for a moment pressing her cheek to his arm and the skin felt hot. He tightened his grip on the knife and continued to cut the vegetables. — I lived alone for a long time and learned some trifles … although, frankly, most of the time I did not succeed. But should I repay you for my salvation at least something? To begin with — help in the kitchen.

*Although, I can not stand cooking and prefer to treat myself with tea
… and not only because I usually do not have the money. *

— It’s done. What’s next?

Reth
did not have time to respond — a thin, even skinny girl burst into the
house swiftly and stared at Gambler from the threshold. And he suddenly realized what the elf was warning him about. Object looked as if it was preparing to attack the young man and beat him. Reth touched the elbow of the young man and squeezed it lightly.

— It’s all right, — she said with her lips and smiled at the girl.

— Welcome home, Object.

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