Patience placed her collected scraps into a neat pile atop a shelf between a pair of mounted cottontail rabbits. Turning to her partners, she smoothed the front of her pant legs.

“Well,” she said, “I suppose I’ll start on supper.” Her steps led her under the archway, across the hardwood floor. “Did you want something to drink while you wait?”

“I can fetch it myself. I’ll keep you company in the kitchen.” Schuler shot the young woman a smile as he stood, socked feet padding on the rug. The window above the sink cast a gray halo behind her head, designing her as a tellurian angel. The pair locked eyes across the open hall. Firelight played at the fringes of the man’s dark locks and carved across the skull’s jaw. Schuler’s smile never failed to settle something inside Patience. Even as it was shaded under Anax, she knew its appearance by heart.

Leaving the comfort of the parlor, Schuler followed Patience into the bleak kitchen. He lit the lamp hanging over the table to encourage some warmth before ducking to a cupboard to procure his beverage. From the bank of cabinets opposite of him, a clash of pans thrashed the tranquil afternoon air as Patience nearly dropped the one she sought. Her neck stiffened as she turned her back toward her husband.

“I’m still not accustomed to having an audience as I cook,” she muttered. Patience much preferred the days when Schuler had night performances and she could work without being watched. Anax was there, of course, but he regarded most everything with curiosity.

“You cook just fine,” Schuler assured. He held no expectations for a perfect meal. He was not that sort of husband. A bottle of ale nested in his hand as he watched his wife light the stove with a match ignited in a single deliberate strike. Tipping the glass to his mouth, his knuckles knocked into the unfused jaw of the skull he wore.

“Sorry. I keep forgetting that’s there,” he said.

“It’s no damage to me,” replied Anax.

The man released a huff of a chuckle.

Schuler never imagined having a creature such as Anax in his life. Monsters were a favorite subject of the tales he and his brother exchanged in their youth. And while Schuler always held a certain fear and awe of them, having his wife attached to one mitigated the notion quite a bit. Anax came with Patience, and so he would take it in stride. His life had always been less organized than other men of his age. So to have a monster in it was just another chapter of intrigue in his metaphorical biography. And now the skull seemed no more remarkable than a witch. Still an oddity, but fully grounded in his world. 

With another drink, the ale dribbled into the short hairs of the man’s chin. He wiped it away, brushing Anax’s jaw in the motion.

“This is some good ale! ‘M glad Ned is now stocking this brand.”

At the presumed invitation, Anax dipped a tendril into the bottle to taste. Patience was not one for alcohol, so this was something to be enjoyed with Schuler. The orb of the skull’s eye drifted to the edge of the right socket to peer at the life-donor inside.

“That’s right, tomorrow is your day off,” Anax remarked. 

“Sure is,” said Schuler.

“Shall we go into Haverston?”

“Well, it’s not the day off for me,” Patience grumbled. “I have to do the wash.”

“In that case, I’ll go for groceries in the morning.”

Schuler was considerate, but not overbearingly so. His help around the house was well received. Patience had forgotten the pleasures of dividing chores. She smiled at him. 

“Thank you. That’s very kind.”

For now, this meal was her responsibility. The young woman stepped to the other side of the kitchen to reach the icebox. The specialized cabinet was perhaps her favorite appliance, and best of all, it was entirely new. Once she and Schuler joined households, they sold off the Firmins’ previous unit. It was old, small, and the insulation had long gone into disrepair. It had been no more than a waste of space for the past three years.

“I’d be happy to do most anything for you,” Schuler added.

Patience’s cheeks burned. “‘Most’? What wouldn’t you be happy to do for me?” When she opened the icebox, a waft of cool air kissed her face, allowing her to shake off the heat. She extracted a hunk of meat from the main chamber.

“Hm, maybe kill some poor animal for your collection,” her husband joked.

She gasped in mock offense, a smile twisting her agape mouth. “I would never!”

“I’d do it,” Anax said. “I’d love to kill something again.”

“Hold your horses!” Schuler leaned back in his chair. “Maybe when we go hunting for grouse or something. But we can’t just find things to kill willy-nilly.”

“I didn’t know you hunted,” said Patience, wielding the kitchen knife.

“Not since I was a boy and my brother and I would shoot squirrels for stew. But I been talking with Frank about it. I wouldn’t mind going out with him and some of the other boys … “ He gulped down more ale. “Maybe Anax and I can slip away for a spell and Anax can relieve his bloodlust.” Schuler laughed. But behind the snickers was an inkling of desire that transcended pure jesting.

“Can we?” trilled Anax.

Schuler tilted his head toward his wife.

She stared into the glowing orb quivering with delight. “All right, but inform me of the details if you do plan something. And don’t leave for more than a night. It’s not an expedition.” 

Anax hissed in excitement. 

Patience poked slits into the pork butt, intending to roast it with chopped vegetables. “And where are you going to get a gun anyway?”

“Oh, Frank’s got rifles to spare,” Schuler replied.

Patience sighed, turning her back to her partners to focus on rutabaga and carrots. It was not that she had anything against hunting simple game, especially if a meal was to come of it. But the thought of her partners out in the wilderness planted a pit of worry in her heart. She clicked her tongue. They were still here. It was not as if they were going the next morning.

The sight of them at the kitchen table under the warm lamplight served as a palpable reminder they were with her. Months ago, a hunter had threatened Anax’s tenancy in her life. Months ago, an illness generated by a curse imperiled Schuler’s health. But now the obstacles were surmounted. Anax and Schuler were safe and under her care. She wished to see it that way forevermore.