Somehow, he's surprised that she's still here.
He stands watching her from a distance, one leg cocked as he stands idly in the light of dusk. The still pool of the oasis spreads before him; the boulder supports him from behind, cool and firm on his hot skin. The tassled leaves of a palm sway and rustle in his vision as he gazes ahead.
Once the initial surprise passes, he wonders what she is doing all the way out there.
Eventually he comes to realize that she is moving towards him, towards the oasis, and he relaxes a little, shifting his weight and uttering a soft flutter of his nostrils. As she grows nearer, he can see how weary she looks, and in this he is not surprised. It takes weeks to grow accustomed to the bleakness of living in a desert, after all. He can still remember the ceaseless discomfort he himself experienced when he first laid claim to this place.
A soft, involuntary smile curves his dark lips when she finally arrives, and he breathes in the warm fragrance of her presence. "You're still here," he teases as his heart skips a beat. She is still little more than an acquaintance, yet the newness of her existence is still captivating to him. "Come, have a drink." He stands a little straighter and gestures to the pool with his head.
Off in the distance, the waves crash on the shore, and he feels at peace for the first time in a long time.
(so sorry for the wait!)
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