“I did, too.” I unfastened my cloak and tossed it to her unprompted, which was rewarded with a soft, satisfied hum a moment later. “Lybesa has been pretty nice so far. I think I could get used to living here.”
She knocked loudly on the floor beneath us. “You’d better. We’re not moving this thing.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Yeah, that’s true.” I took her hand as I lay down beside her and stared up at the stars. The forest around us was silent and still, empty of any human life for miles in every direction. “We’ll beat life to the punch on this one, Lia. I promise.”
Her fingers tightened around mine. “I know we will.” She rolled away onto her side, pulling my arm along with her like a blanket. “I love you.”
“I love you,” I echoed softly. After a final pulse of Detection to ensure we were truly alone, I closed my eyes and nestled my face against her braided hair, and we quickly fell asleep.
---
The following days of labor were filled with a series of nonstop successes. Our careful planning paid off in spades; every room of the house was predetermined with an intricate level of detail and multiple variations to accommodate any unforeseen issues, which facilitated a perfectly efficient workflow. Our enhancements allowed us to drive nails in a single blow with complete precision and carry entire wall frames into place by ourselves. Any angled cuts or wooden fittings were crafted with an otherwise impossible accuracy through my new shattering technique, allowing us to chase our most ambitiously outlined designs. Each success emboldened us to work harder than we had before, and we reveled in the challenge.
As we worked, I reflected on my relationship with Lia and how comfortable I had become with her. I counted her as one of the few people I had ever known that I could spend hours with in complete silence, without ever feeling the awkward urge to force a conversation. When we did talk, I spoke happily and without restraint. As we broke for lunch on our third day of work, sitting on our half-finished porch with our legs swinging off the side, we held a spirited half-hour-long argument about which flavor of jam was best on toast; we failed to reach a resolution on the topic, but the memory of the conversation kept us laughing quietly to ourselves for the rest of the day.
On the fourth day of construction, as the morning sun crested the treeline, Lia and I stood at the edge of the clearing hand in hand and marveled at what we had built. “It’s...done,” she said quietly, sounding a bit like she didn’t believe the words.
“It’s done,” I confirmed. “Now comes the fun part: filling it with stuff. Our stuff.”
“We don’t have much stuff,” she giggled.
“Well then, I guess we’ll have to get some, won’t we?”
She hugged my arm tightly and stared at our new home. “Can we show my parents now?”
“That’s probably a good idea. I’m sure they’ve been worried about us ever since the first night we didn’t come back to sleep,” I laughed.
“Ooh...right. I sort of forgot about that,” she replied, pursing her lips. “I’m sure we’ll hear about that when we get back.”
Despite the potential scolding waiting for us, we began our trip through the forest to meet Lia’s parents. She led the way at a brisk pace, dashing down the path we had already walked dozens of times before. Luckily for us, a quick scan ahead revealed that Marten, Hana, and Marin were all gathered around the dining room table, enjoying a late breakfast. The house came into view after a comfortable ten-minute jog, and Lia sprinted ahead excitedly. “We’re back!” she shouted as she popped out of the treeline.
Marin appeared in the doorway as Lia climbed the steps, and the girls shared a tight hug. “Oh, Lia, thank the Primes you’re back!” Marin exclaimed, shaking Lia back and forth. “I’ve been so bored since you left! Nothing but paperwork and bookkeeping all day.” She stuck her tongue out and made a retching noise. Our eyes met as she finished the gesture, and she smiled. “Hi, Lux. How’s the house coming along?”
“Hi Marin,” I waved as I caught up to Lia. “We were just stopping by to see if you’d like to come visit.”
She dropped Lia and leapt down onto the grass beside me. “Yes, please! Which way is it?” she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her head swiveled to scan the surrounding trees.
I shook my head and laughed. “You’re going to need shoes, Marin. It’s a bit of a walk.” She sighed loudly before running back up the steps and slipping between Marten and Hana, who had appeared in the doorway. “Good morning!” I waved to them.
“Hello, Lux,” Hana greeted me warmly as she leaned down to plant a kiss on Lia’s head. “Hello, dear. How’ve you been?”
“I’m, uh, good,” Lia answered, giving her mother a quick hug. “Sorry we didn’t come back.”
“No need to apologize, darling,” Marten laughed, “we know you’re busy.”
She took a step back in shock. “Wait, really? You aren’t mad?”
He shook his head. “Marlia, you’re a grown woman. We know you can take care of yourself now.” He glanced side to side, then leaned into her ear to whisper. “Besides, Marin is more than capable of occupying our time. That girl is...something else.” The trio shared a laugh as they stepped out of the door and down onto the grass. Marten turned to me and clapped me roughly on the shoulder. “So, Lux, how’s the build going? I trust you’ve been keeping my daughter busy for the past four days.”
“She’s
