It was Eric. Eric standing on the window ledge four stories up.
Eric winced when he saw the distress on his master’s face. He honestly hadn’t thought that someone knocking on the window would scare her, dead of night or no. Rushing over to the window she opened it carefully if quickly. She was worried he would fall off the ledge. Eric grinned sheepishly as he climbed into the window. When he began the ascent it seemed like a great solution and only now did he consider that Master Brown usually slept at this time and that her fear for his safety overcame the logical evaluation of the situation. Not only was he an adept climber, but Master Brown had enough magical prowess to catch a person.
Not a word had been said between them yet, but after Eric shifted his weight inside the building Master Brown gave him a kind smile.
“Uh….” Eric shifted his weight uneasily. It was so clear in his mind when the night air chilled his arms as he reached out to pull himself up the brick wall. Now his reasons sounded unimportant and his wording awkward. Eric ran his fingers through his hair and examined his feet.
“Lose your keys?” Master Brown’s smile seemed amused. She gave Eric some space to calm down, walking over to her wardrobe to put on a robe and some slippers. She turned the chair at her vanity to face the bench at the foot of her bed and motioned Eric to sit down.
Eric sat.
“So what’s so urgent you deprive me of my beauty sleep?” Eric glanced at her face nervous. She looked very settled in her chair. Very unruffled.
“Uh… I… I was thinking about how…. You know with all the stuff…” Eric stopped. “This was stupid.” Ashamed Eric avoided her eyes as he stood up.
“How’s work going?” Master Brown spoke quickly before he could leave. Eric settled again.
“Well it’s going well. Jorge’s nice. He trained me. Now I mostly work alone. But I don’t know. I like it well enough.”
“What do you after work?”
“Uh..” Eric never really did anything.
“Do you spend time with your co-workers? Hang out with your friends?”
“No not my co-workers. I hang out with some of the boys sometimes” Eric thought about the last time he had seen his friends. “We don’t really do anything.” He admitted. Eric rubbed his palm a little disheartened.
“Bridgett came back from Sunderland today. You remember her?” Eric nodded. “ She came by to see Jamie today. She can be quite excitable.”
Eric grimaced. She was very excited when he left her. “Yeah…”
The pause was long and heavy. Master Brown didn’t seem much phased. She picked up a nail file and entertained herself while Eric gathered his courage.
“Things aren’t like they should be.” Master Brown set down the nail file, giving him her full attention again. Eric blanched a little. The words came out in small bursts as he composed it. “I’m not smart and I should be. Smarter at least. Cuz Jamie’s smart and I’m his bonded. But I don’t even feel-“
Eric froze. He couldn’t say it. Couldn’t admit
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