Page 15 of A Winter Crush
“Will you be nicer?” Ori asked.
“What?”
“Will you be nicer?”
Wareth stared at him. Finally, he nodded. “I promise.”
“Then I’ll stay.” Ori stepped towards him. “Did I really ruin your pots?”
Wareth shook his head. “No. Controlling the moisture of the pottery is important, but it isn’t that much steam. I overreacted. Sorry.”
“What do you want me to do?” Ori asked.
“Open the windows. Let the steam out.”
Ori walked to the windows at the back of the room and opened them. The cold air blew through, taking the steam with it. Meanwhile, Wareth cleaned up around the stove, mopping up the puddle of water on the ground. It didn’t take that long to fix the mess.
“If you’d rather, I can leave you alone,” Ori said. “I don’t want to be a bother.”
Wareth’s shoulders rose as he took a deep breath. He stared at the ceiling. “It might be best if you go.”
Ori nodded, trying to hide his disappointment.
“I can’t imagine why you’d want to stay here with someone as grumpy as me, especially after I yelled at you. But if you’d like to stay, you can stay. I do actually need the help. I’ll try to be better at explaining the tasks. And I’ll try to be more agreeable.”
“I’ll stay, then,” Ori said. The man really did look sorry.
Wareth nodded as if resigned. “Come with me, then.” He walked into the front room, Ori following closely. “I haven’t cleaned up in here after yesterday.” Broken pottery shards lay scattered on the floor. “Grab the bucket and place the broken pieces in it. But be careful; the shards can be sharp. Then when the bucket is full, there is a hole out the back with other broken pottery. I’ll show you where it is and you can dump them in there.” He paused and looked at Ori. “Any questions?”
“No. I can do it.” Ori grabbed the bucket and quickly went to work. For several moments, Wareth watched him. Ori carefully picked up the pieces and dropped them in the bucket. The shards clanged against the metal. Finally, Wareth gave a nod and went back to his clay.
Ori smiled. He hadn’t exactly earned his place, but Wareth had softened a bit. Now he just had to work hard so Wareth actually wanted him here.
ChapterTen
The mop swung back and forth across the floor of the pottery, leaving a dark streak of water through the clay dust that never disappeared. Every day, Ori mopped the floor. Twice. Sometimes thrice.
“It’s important to mop regularly,” Wareth had said. “The dust from the clay gets everywhere, and when you breathe it in, it gets in your lungs. That’s bad.”
“But it never goes away,” Ori said, surveying the floor.
Wareth nodded. “You’ll never be able to get rid of it. Not completely. But mopping will keep it down.”
So Ori mopped. Diligently and without complaint. He’d been working in the studio for several days now, and there had been no more mishaps. He’d even gotten kind of used to the boots, no longer stumbling about. He would prefer not to wear them, but he didn’t want to upset the delicate harmony he had developed with Wareth.
True to his word, Wareth had been less grumpy and took the time to explain tasks to Ori. He wasn’t friendly exactly, but he seemed to tolerate Ori’s help, and even appreciate it at times. Most of the time, Ori cleaned up after Wareth or packed up after him. He washed buckets and cleaned clay-soaked rags and tools and the wheel.
Finished with mopping, Ori took the bucket outside, dumped the water, and then placed the bucket and mop in the corner.
He watched as Wareth walked to a shelf and picked up a long, narrow wooden board with pieces of pottery that Wareth had made earlier. A damp linen cloth covered them. He carried them to the table beside the pottery wheel.
“Do you need more water?” Ori asked. Pottery required a surprising amount of water. Something about keeping the clay wet or making sure the pieces Wareth worked on didn’t dry out too quickly. Ori wasn’t entirely certain.
“Not right now.” Wareth removed the linen and began inspecting the vessels, prodding and touching them with his long, broad fingers. “You can take a break. I’ll let you know when there is something else to do.”
Ori nodded. He wandered around, careful not to touch any of Wareth’s pottery. He walked towards the doorway, staring out at the forest and the snow. After several moments, he turned his gaze back to the studio. Ori never knew what he was supposed to do on a break. He usually just ended up silently watching Wareth.
Sitting at the wheel, Wareth placed one of the clay forms on it. Using his foot, he kicked backwards, starting the pottery wheel. Strangely, he started tapping the vessel in the middle with his fingers. After several seconds, seeming satisfied, he reached over to the table beside him, to a lump of clay. He broke off a few small chunks and then carefully pressed them on the pottery wheel around the form.