There were daisies planted in front of the home. My heart jumped in my chest. I read somewhere once that daisies represented new beginnings.
Ocello led me through the door of the hut. It was dusty inside and I sneezed as it stirred in the air. Letting go of my hand, my companion walked over to the window and threw back the shutters.
Light filtered into the home, and I could see that the main room was a nice size. The fire pit looked like it hadn't started in many months, but it didn't look to be in disrepair.
This hut was also backed to the mountain and had rooms carved into the rock. Ocello led me to one of them.
"This hut is one that has running water. In here is a stone tub that you can fill to bathe. Since the water is cold, there is a fire pit here to warm the water, but most women use their magic to make the bath the right temperature."
"The fire pit is for the men or in case their wife is out, right?"
"You are correct! And for children." Ocello looked down at my belly and blushed. Since coming here, my little one had seemed to come alive.
Now wasn't an exception. He started kicking me in my bladder.
"Where do you expel waste here?" I asked. Toilets were something I missed from my last life. But Ocello grinned at me and led me to a room next door to the bathing room.
Upon opening the wooden door, I could feel my eyes glowing because in front of me existed something I thought I would never see again.
"We call this a convenience room. I think this is something that was unique to our founding fathers. Other tribes still haven't figured this part out."
It was a toilet! Admittedly a very rudimentary one. Little more than a slab of wood over a hole in the mountain that led to who knew where.
"Do all of the huts have one of these?"
"Only the ones near the mountain can. None of the others that are available do, though we have several disposal zones for others to bring their waste." The dust here was thick as well, but I think I already made my decision.
This house had a bathtub and a water closet. Sold!
"I don't need to see anything else. This works for me." I smiled and looked over to Ocello.
"Are you sure, the other places are a bit bigger."
"Not the most important thing. You can always find a way to make more room."
"I can go let my mother know then. Will you be alright by yourself for a while?"
I nodded to him as he raced off. While he was gone, I decided to let Cuddles down so that they could explore our new home.
As the creature began to pick through the dust and leaves, webbing drifting down from the rafters landed on it. I laughed as it began chasing its tail trying to get the offending fluff off.
As I waited for Ocello to return, I began to throw open the windows at the front of the hut. I searched around the rooms to see what needed to be done.
Behind the firepits were several large tables. They could be used to dine or to prepare ingredients. There was a door at the back that led to a cool room that was empty except for a few spiderwebs.
I passed by the facilities to the stairs that would take me up to the loft. I was worried that it would be rickety, but the carpenter had built something to last.
In the loft, there were several doors that led to bedrooms. Oddly enough, they all had their own shutters over windows that looked down over the room below. It reminded me of an apartment complex I had lived at once a long time ago with my parents.
I pushed one of the doors in. The large room was carved into the mountain. Little niches had those glow stones with a wooded cover latched to the wall above them. The pale light revealed a pale pink wall with a stone slab in the back, raised off the floor like a bed.
The worn and polished surface told me that it was very old. Many people had come and gone to the point that the rough stone had worn away. I imagined some of the hides the Chief gave me laid out. The room would be sparse for now, but decorations could come later.
"How did you get my mark?" I heard a rough voice behind me and spun a little too fast. Unbalanced, I was about to fall when the man caught my waist and steadied me. The scent of cinnamon and musk filled my senses.
"I didn't mean to startle you," the man grumbled, stepping back as soon as I regained my footing.
I looked down at him in surprise and could see a similar tattoo on his arm as mine. Was this the man who was the father of my child?
"Look, I really didn't mean to shock you, I can leave…" I interrupted him.
"I'm Kami." Honestly, what do you say to a stranger you are about to have a kid with. I'm sure there were tutorials in my previous world, but that wouldn't help me now. I decided to be as honest as I could.
"I was tricked, actually. My ex-husband is responsible for making it happen. I'm happy that I have this little one though." I stared at him for a moment before realizing that he was very short.
The top of his head only reached my chin. His dark black hair had been spiked high, so it wasn't as noticeable. Next to Ocello, he would probably be mistaken for a child because he had very youthful features. He was cute.
Clearing his throat, he held his hand out.
"I had a dream that you would come. For some reason, it was full of maniacal laughter." I tried to hide my grin. Goddess Oichlys must have had fun teasing him.
"Still, it was a divine message that you are not at fault for this."
"I am guessing that this is very unexpected for you." I wondered how old he was. Wait… he looked so young, what if he was… I couldn't even finish the thought. Fear welled up inside me, and I couldn't contain my next question.
"If you don't mind me, what is your name and how old are you?"
"I'm Uchel. I've lived for 23 years." I could feel the tension leaving my body. He was only two years younger than me. That was a relief.
"I'm 25. I know this is unexpected, but I am willing to make it work if you are." I took his hand and gave it a shake. The moment our hands touched, I felt an electric shock and my tattoo glowed for a moment.
"What just happened?" I asked.
"The mark reacted to your hearts." I looked behind me to see Ocello coming through the door with some supplies to clean. Cuddles was behind him peeking his nose into the room.
"My heart?" Ocello nodded. He turned to Uchel.
"I thought you were going to wait until the welcome party?" I could see hostility in Ocello that was directed to Uchel. It was the first time I had seen him so on edge.
Looking between the two, even Uchel was tensed up as if he was ready to strike or defend himself at any moment.
"I didn't want our first meeting to be a spectacle. You know I hate that." Uchel looked away from his glare and some of the tension left the room.
"So, you've met. And from the reaction of the mark, you have accepted her." Uchel nodded. I didn't know what was happening. It was like they were speaking another language.
"Wait, why would my mark react at all? I thought that everything was already set in stone and only divine intervention could interfere?" At least, from all of the talk of men dying by being rejected by their mate and the goddess' absolute confidence that Uchel was my husband, I honestly thought it was a done deal. What wasn't I understanding?
"The marriage tattoo connects two people's souls. I think up until you met, your souls had yet to connect, even though you are connected through the pup." Ocello looked away sadly before wiping his expression off his face.
"It is a good thing." Ocello said in a low voice, almost a whisper by the end. I guess he thought I would miss the slight quaver in his voice. What was he thinking that he was worried?
"Thank you for bringing the supplies. What did your mom say about the hut?"
"She was fine with your choice." Ocello hesitated for a moment looking lost for some reason.
"What about you? Do you like it?" Ocello stilled and then grinned widely.
"I brought you hear because I was hoping you would choose it. But I am fine with anywhere you are."
"Then I guess we should start cleaning so we can make it to the party." I turned to Uchel, unsure of what to say to him. He was my husband and I didn't understand the culture enough to know what to do.8