Raiel's Point: 

The documents became tedious after a while. It was the same report and same request and I began to wonder if Luisa made a game of sending me these reports specifically. She must've had the nice case files, the ones with all the bits. Why couldn't we be a publishing business, I think seeing or hearing a decent narrative would make this entire thing more bearable. Lo and behold, however, it was an estate company and this paper spoke on the same issues. Expansion versus contraction were not only scientific principles, it seems.

"A narrative," I whispered slowly to myself, finally pulling up a browser on my laptop. I looked through sites for anything from Radio Drama to audiobooks. None of them seemed to appeal to me. Adda used to tell me stories as a child, those fun ones with all the monsters from the ones in the river to the ones behind large stones. Adda was busy in the garden, however, so now I was left with limited options. Sighing, I pressed a button on the phone which dialled the servant quarters. It was picked up by the matron, a conservative prude but still a good worker.

"Good morning, please send Edam to my office as soon as possible."

"I'm sorry, Master, but Edam is outside with Mistress Adda."

"Doing what?"

"From what I heard: gardening, Master."

"Thank you," I said quietly. Putting the phone back, I stared at the door. What in Hell's name was he doing outside, in this weather? I stood up, my chair nearly falling in my sudden movement. I stormed from the room, running down the stairs until I was in the back garden. Slamming open the door, I saw him in the middle of the garden with Adda, handling some flowers. The sun was rising towards its zenith, but it showered him in gold. He was sitting with Adda, wrapping some flowers with a bit of ribbon. His hands worked deftly around the stems, some of them he had finished plaiting to make hanging decorations.

The way that the sun showed on his cheekbones, the curve of his nose and cascaded with his hair. It suddenly dawned on me: I was concerned because of the weather, and now I'm staring at this... at him.

I couldn't move. I don't think I wanted to. Adda looked over at me, followed by Edam. When he saw me, he looked down quickly with his hands moving between the stems. My sins, my actions against him, that began to weigh down on me and, for the first time, I realized that maybe I did want to - to do more with him. I don't know, it all seems like a web of desire and I don't know what's going on with myself, or him, or even us.

Adda continued to look at me, but she nodded knowingly. With that, I retreated back into my home and to my office.