Reuben’s Realization

Months. Time had flown by and Reuben had been working all morning. His shop was full of customers. From the curious passerby to the few loyal patrons. He looked out of his shop window and noticed a few families walking along the sidewalk. A crooked smile appeared on his face. He wished to have that kind of reality one day. Evan, Ryder, and himself all walking (or floating) down the street together, maybe even a sibling of Ryder’s with them. A sight he’d love to be apart of. Sadly, his shop was too bustling for him to take much time off; especially these days. The offer of the Ydra was still on the table and Reuben hadn’t even talked to Evan about it at all, after all, with the busyness here at the Mystic Herb, there was no way to even consider such a request.

When he first opened the shop he was able to close a few days here or there and no one cared. Now that business was booming, he seemed to never have a day off. One client wanted a potent potion while another was seeking a specific crystal and yet another wanted to look into buying a tarot deck. Another whole sect of customers wished to buy fresh herbs or specialty glass bottles for their own potions which Reuben would order from one of his importers. Reuben’s business had grown tremendously over the years and more and more people seemed curious as to what the Mystic Herb was all about.

Nowadays, however, the tarotist wasn’t as interested in the monotony of work. Yes, this was his passion, but ever since his fight with Erryd, the things the shadow had said to him, although hurtful, were true. He threw himself into his work day in and day out. He knew he needed to make a change. Now that everything with Ryder had seemed to settle, Reuben knew that his focus should shift. He hadn’t been there for Ryder nearly as much as he should have been. His heart ached for what Ryder must have gone through. Especially that he had gone through it all alone. And what kind of guardian was he to not even realize that his charge wasn’t really his charge? It was all an illusion. Erryd. Ryder. It was all a large confusing mess, but something he couldn’t ignore. Erryd was right, and Reuben knew it.

That night, after Reuben closed up the shop, he made his way back into the house. The place was dark and everyone had no doubt gone to bed. Reuben sat in the darkness of his living room with a cup of tea, dwelling on the days events. After what seemed to be an hour of sitting there sipping tea, he had an idea. An apprentice. He would hire an apprentice to help care for his shop! He could then have more time to spend with Ryder, Evan, and possibly care for another—shifting his focus from work to his family. A smile grew upon his face as he had the idea. He took his, now empty, cup to the kitchen and placed it ever-so-delicately down in the stainless steel sink.

Reuben retired to the bedroom, only to find Evan playing a video game on the television. “Oh, you’re still awake,” he said, taking off his shirt and tossing it into the hamper.

“Yeah,” Evan said, not taking his eyes off the screen, mashing buttons on his controller. “How was work, babe?”

Reuben slipped under the covers and wrapped one arm around Evan’s stomach, laying his head on the pillow beside him. “It was...work,” he said plainly. “I was actually going to ask your opinion on something,” he concluded, rolling around and sitting up next to Evan.

Evan paused his game and set down the controller. “What’s up?” he questioned, looking at Reuben with concern.

“I want to hire an apprentice,” he began, looking off into the distance for the right words. “I want someone who has just as much passion for this craft as I do and, in turn, can help run the shop and manage the online sales.” He smiled as the thought progressed in his mind. “I want to be able to spend more time at home with you and Ryder especially after everything that has happened.”

“That sounds good, babe. You should definitely do what your heart is tellin’ you to do,” Evan stated, wrapping one arm around Reuben’s neck.

Reuben pulled himself closer to Evan’s side. “Yeah, I think this will be really good for all of us,” he said with a deep breath and a smile. “I also wanted to bring up something… else.”

Evan paused, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “What’s up?”

Reuben shifted, sitting up slightly and absently rubbing Evan’s arm. “A couple of months ago, a woman named Elora Vyshaan came into the shop. She’d emailed me beforehand about some kind of collaboration. I assumed it was business-related—maybe something herbal or magical. But it turned out to be… something else entirely.”

Evan raised an eyebrow. “Something else?”

“She offered me the chance to become a guardian again,” Reuben said quietly. “Of a new magical creature she called an Ydra. Said I was a perfect candidate. She’d been researching it for over a decade, working with this artifact called the Lifire. And somehow, I ended up on her list.”

Evan sat up a bit, brows drawn. “Wait—another being? Like Ryder?” He hesitated. “Isn’t that… a bit much?”

Reuben nodded slowly. “Yeah. That’s why I didn’t bring it up until now. I’ve been sitting with it, trying to figure out if it’s even realistic. But with how well the shop’s been doing, and if I had help around here, I think I could manage. I could really be present—for Ryder, and for someone new. If that’s something we agree on.”

Evan exhaled, thoughtful. “I mean, look—I think you’d make an incredible guardian. You already are. Ryder’s proof of that. But this all feels really sudden. And after everything we’ve been through, I feel like we’re just starting to breathe again, y’know?”

Reuben looked down, his voice quieter. “Yeah… maybe it is too much. I don’t want to push us into something we’re not ready for.”

Evan reached for him, fingers brushing gently along Reuben’s jaw. “Hey. Talk to Ryder first. If anything, this should be a family decision. Not just ours.”

Reuben met Evan’s gaze, the tension in his chest easing. “You’re right. Thanks, babe. For always being my anchor.”

Evan smiled, pulling him in for a kiss. “Always. Now go to sleep so I can finally get back to my game.”

Reuben laughed softly, settling back against the pillows. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” Evan said with a grin, already reaching for his controller as Reuben lay back, watching him with a quiet smile for the rest of the evening.