[They are not avoiding each other. It's simply been a bit tense between them ever since their disagreement in Nocwich. Even the best of friends don't always see eye to eye.
(This is not a notion that sits well with Michael, who all these months later is still used to either the unquestioning allegiance of his fellows or the easy give of a vessel under his force of will. It takes time to unravel thousands of years of routine.)
Wanda is not in her usual haunts when he goes looking for her, though. She doesn't seek him out, either, which is usually just as common. There are less-likely spots he could check and Solvunn is only so large when you've got wings, but one doesn't usually need to hunt friends like they're rabbits to be flushed from the underbrush. Hadn't she expressed a desire for distance during their argument?
Well. He can take a hint.
Michael finds a routine for the week that does not include trips to the farm where Wanda resides, but he does not hide. He runs his public errands and he accepts the menial chores asked of him, including the host who'd taken him in when he'd first arrived.
From afar, the garden in front of Josephine's house is paler than usual. Approaching reveals a layer of gossamer draped over the plants, a patchwork of cobwebs covering them like a quilt. Hey, he had to put all of the spiders that emerged from him somewhere.
Inside the home, Michael is subjected to the indignity of having a plain-looking white apron hooked over his neck and then tied about his waist while the old woman prattles on about the importance of quality ingredients in baking. He's heard all of this before. Josie likes things a certain way, however, and she has her routines, which he respects. She's also entirely unfazed by his displays of temper so there's little for him to do but leave or suffer in silence.]
Wanda
(This is not a notion that sits well with Michael, who all these months later is still used to either the unquestioning allegiance of his fellows or the easy give of a vessel under his force of will. It takes time to unravel thousands of years of routine.)
Wanda is not in her usual haunts when he goes looking for her, though. She doesn't seek him out, either, which is usually just as common. There are less-likely spots he could check and Solvunn is only so large when you've got wings, but one doesn't usually need to hunt friends like they're rabbits to be flushed from the underbrush. Hadn't she expressed a desire for distance during their argument?
Well. He can take a hint.
Michael finds a routine for the week that does not include trips to the farm where Wanda resides, but he does not hide. He runs his public errands and he accepts the menial chores asked of him, including the host who'd taken him in when he'd first arrived.
From afar, the garden in front of Josephine's house is paler than usual. Approaching reveals a layer of gossamer draped over the plants, a patchwork of cobwebs covering them like a quilt. Hey, he had to put all of the spiders that emerged from him somewhere.
Inside the home, Michael is subjected to the indignity of having a plain-looking white apron hooked over his neck and then tied about his waist while the old woman prattles on about the importance of quality ingredients in baking. He's heard all of this before. Josie likes things a certain way, however, and she has her routines, which he respects. She's also entirely unfazed by his displays of temper so there's little for him to do but leave or suffer in silence.]