(no subject)
Jason was a little late to the Apothecary, and he was surprised to see that Natalie wasn't there yet. That was odd, since... well, she always opened it up and turned on all the lights, and was stocking shelves and the like when he got there.
That wasn't the only strange thing.
There was a small owl sitting on the window ledge beside the door, and when Jason tried to shoo it away, it merely attacked him. Okay, so attacked might have been a strong term for it, but he definitely took a peck or two in the arm before he snatched the letter away from the bird. "All right, I've got it!" he exclaimed, glaring at the animal and heading inside the shop. He opened it as he took off his outer robes, letting the envelope fall to the floor and stepping around the counter.
Jason,
I've decided to take a vacation for a little while. I already owled the owner, he knows and owled me back, so it's worked out and fine. I'm not sure exactly what day I'll be back? It'll be about a week, I think.
Sorry you'll have to watch the front, I know how you hate that. It's only for a little while, though.
-Natalie
And all the movement that he'd been doing?
Stopped.
He read it again, once -- twice -- and then again, because he couldn't believe what it said. She'd... left. Not only had she left, but she hadn't even told him until it was too late for him to even say anything to her, and now he wouldn't be seeing her for... what, a week? Though she didn't know what day she would be back.
But the worst part of all of it was the fact that she'd already owled the owner, and he knew about it. That was the icing on the cake, and somehow he just knew that it had something to do with...
Well.
Scaring her off.
Without making the conscious decision, Jason decided. Right then and there, he decided that he would back off. He didn't want to, obviously, but he would rather have his friend around, than have someone who had feelings for him (and who he had feelings for, but he wasn't thinking about that) leave at the drop of a hat because he'd managed to scare her.
If he'd realized what he'd decided?
He would have broken down.
It was probably a good thing that he didn't know.
That wasn't the only strange thing.
There was a small owl sitting on the window ledge beside the door, and when Jason tried to shoo it away, it merely attacked him. Okay, so attacked might have been a strong term for it, but he definitely took a peck or two in the arm before he snatched the letter away from the bird. "All right, I've got it!" he exclaimed, glaring at the animal and heading inside the shop. He opened it as he took off his outer robes, letting the envelope fall to the floor and stepping around the counter.
Jason,
I've decided to take a vacation for a little while. I already owled the owner, he knows and owled me back, so it's worked out and fine. I'm not sure exactly what day I'll be back? It'll be about a week, I think.
Sorry you'll have to watch the front, I know how you hate that. It's only for a little while, though.
-Natalie
And all the movement that he'd been doing?
Stopped.
He read it again, once -- twice -- and then again, because he couldn't believe what it said. She'd... left. Not only had she left, but she hadn't even told him until it was too late for him to even say anything to her, and now he wouldn't be seeing her for... what, a week? Though she didn't know what day she would be back.
But the worst part of all of it was the fact that she'd already owled the owner, and he knew about it. That was the icing on the cake, and somehow he just knew that it had something to do with...
Well.
Scaring her off.
Without making the conscious decision, Jason decided. Right then and there, he decided that he would back off. He didn't want to, obviously, but he would rather have his friend around, than have someone who had feelings for him (and who he had feelings for, but he wasn't thinking about that) leave at the drop of a hat because he'd managed to scare her.
If he'd realized what he'd decided?
He would have broken down.
It was probably a good thing that he didn't know.