I wanna see you dance in the night

«Ouch!» The stone I threw doesn’t rise more than a few inches before falling back down and hitting my shoulder.

The massive beast raises its wing, it strikes, something grabs me by the hood and drags me away at insane speed, my vision is still blurred, but I see it, “A huge Saint Bernard?” as it runs, it turns to look at me, drool drips from its mouth, splattering my face, «Hey, princess!»

«Laila?» I whisper, my voice faint.

«In fur and slobber.»

She stops inside a house with a missing wall, then shakes herself, throwing me to the ground. «So, how are you? How are you?» she asks, licking me.

«Stop it,» I say, waving a heavy hand. She sits, panting loudly. Slowly, I roll over and lean my back against the wall. «Why are you in the shape of a dog?»

«What kind of question is that? So I could drool all over you! Did it bother you?»

“Yes!” «N-no, it’s fine, thanks for the help,» I reply, wiping my face with my hoodie sleeve. “Gross.”

«Why are you wiping it off?» she asks, leaning in with her snout just inches from my face. She shifts back to her original form, biting her lip as she looks at me. «If you prefer, I can lick your face like this.»

«Eh?» “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!”

«Pfffff AHAHAHAH! You should’ve seen the face you just made!» She floats back, clutching her stomach, laughing so hard she bends over. «You’re blushing like crazy, what an idiot! Did you really think I’d lick you? You stupid human, ahahah!» “Damn bitch, she’s even crying from laughing so hard!” «Anyway,» she says, catching her breath, «why’d you just sit there staring at the clouds? After dodging that beast, you could’ve run off.»

«I couldn’t. I injured my arm.»

«Where?»

«Here.» I stretch out my trembling left arm, showing her the wound. She leans in to look, even pulling out a magnifying glass. «Ahahaha! That’s just a scratch! Ahahah!» she bursts into laughter again.

I lower my eyes to the wound. Even though my head spins at the sight of it, right now the shame is worse than the pain. “Her laughter’s starting to piss me off… better change the subject.” «Earlier, when we explored the village, did you find anything?»

«Yes,» she says, wiping her tears. With a snap of her fingers, armor pieces appear. «I saw these around the village. Must’ve been the girl who caused all this.»

I lean closer to examine the armor. The chainmail doesn’t tell me much, but the spangenhelms and the one composite armor piece give me a clue. «It wasn’t the girl.»

«And how do you know?» she asks skeptically.
I pick up a helmet and show her. «See this dent? It was probably made by a war hammer.»

«Oh yeah? Then why’s this big armor almost cut in half? How do you explain that?»

«I don’t know how that’s possible. But it couldn’t have been her. If it had been the girl’s familiar, every spot struck would show corrosion from the high tempe—»

«Neeeeeeerd!»

«What?»

«Boring! You’re like a sleeping pill. Why don’t you try defeating that thing by boring it to death? It’d work, I promise. Maybe that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend. Ever thought of that, inept?» She says it with a smile I can’t stand—the kind of smile from someone mocking you, thinking they’re funny.

I shoot to my feet, too fast. The room spins. «If you don’t want to listen, then shut up and leave me alone!»

She lowers her hands to my level. «Alright, I’ll stop. But no need to get defensive over something so small.»

«So small? SO SMALL?!» I snap, jabbing a finger at her chest. My forehead muscles ache. “Did I overreact? No, she deserved it after what she said! My breathing slows. What she said… What if she’s the one being defensive? After all, the girl did nothing until Laila poked her.” I pace the room, chin in hand, trying to untangle my thoughts. “If she wanted to hurt us, she wouldn’t have hesitated. Even when I was down, she could’ve attacked immediately. But she didn’t—not until I threw that rock. Still, her reaction wasn’t normal—it was too aggressive, like mine… Come to think of it, in that house there was only one bed, her size. Could she be without parents?” «Laila.»

«What now? Gonna throw another tantrum?» she asks, spinning cross-legged in the air.

«No. I have a plan to get us out of this.»

«Great, then hurry up and make a wish so we can leave this dump,» she says, sighing.

«That won’t be necessary. I just need you to distract the monster. I’ll handle the rest.» She stops spinning, staring at me upside down, eyes wide. «What’s wrong?»

«Nothing. It’s just weird seeing you grow a pair.»

I freeze, staring at her. “How am I supposed to take that? Is she mocking me or being serious?” But her eyes lack the usual mischievous glint. “No way she’s serious. I’m just the guy who hides and lets others do everything.” Heat rises in my face. It’s not embarrassment—or, well, it is, but not in a bad way. It’s something more complicated. A strange feeling at the thought of being seen as someone I’ve never seen myself as.

Laila watches me in silence, waiting for a response. “Did she notice something’s off?” I raise my arm and force a smile with a thumbs up.

Her smirk returns, veiled in mischief. She floats closer, clasping her hands. «Please, don’t strain yourself to… uh, ‘smile’? No, showing your teeth like that. You look terrifying, like you’re about to bite someone’s face off.» With a flick of her hand, she lifts me, spins me around, and gives me a shove. «Come on, get moving before I change my mind.»

«Alright, see you after.» My heart pounds, every fiber screaming at me to stay hidden. Still, I press forward, step by step, spreading my weight to stay quiet.

«HEY, FLAMBÉ NUGGET!» I press against a corner wall to peek. «OVER HERE!» The massive beast turns and charges at her. Laila conjures a giant sentient fire extinguisher wearing sunglasses. «WHO ORDERED THE FOAM PARTY?!» it yells before spraying foam all over the familiar, forcing it back.

I seize the chance and move. I reach the shack, but the girl isn’t there. I rush out, scanning the street. Nothing. I glance upward—maybe she climbed onto a roof, though the thought makes me shiver. The good news? I spot her. The bad news? She’s standing on a crumbling wall. “Shit! Shit! Shit! There’s no way I’m climbing up there! My courage points are already spent! Can’t she just meet me halfway?”

I glance toward Laila. “Damn, she actually looks like she’s trying for once… Curse you, wretch! Now I have to try too.” Slowly, I approach. Unsteady, I grab the first beam, clinging with both hands as I crawl up each log like a tired koala. “Stupid Laila, the one time she could’ve slacked off, she has to push me instead… And she even looks cool doing it, that bitch!”

My breath grows heavy, cold sweat streaking my temples. “How much further? I must’ve climbed plenty by now.” I lift my head and look down. “You’re kidding me! Only three logs?!” My heart pounds as I look back up and scramble faster—fourth, fifth, sixth, until I finally reach the tenth, my hands cling tight, I can’t stand, I keep crawling.

«Hm!» The girl notices me. Not that it took much. I’m surprised I made it this far. The beast turns too, flying straight toward me, the girl retreats, «Damn it!» I curse through gritted teeth, I rise, crouching, and sprint toward her, I grab her cloak and give a small tug.

At last, I pull her into my arms, she thrashes, screaming, I cling tighter to keep balance, but we fall, I twist just enough to shield her from the impact, «Ow!» I land on my back, she keeps struggling, I tighten my hold just slightly more, pressing one hand behind her head, holding her against my chest, slowly, she calms down, she grips my hoodie with both hands and bursts into sobs. The familiar vanishes above us.

Laila arrives, and after a few minutes, the girl falls asleep. I struggle to my feet, carrying her only makes it worse. My back creaks, each movement stabbing me like knives.

°°°

Back at the house, I lay her on her straw bed. Meanwhile, Laila fixes the door and lights a fire. We sit side by side on a bench before it. After all that, my body aches all over. The warmth lulls me, dragging me toward sleep.

After minutes of staring at the flames, I break the silence. «You know, I was thinking about something from earlier, when we were running.»

«What? About how amazing I was?» she asks, sitting tall with one hand on her chest, full of herself.

«No, about the fact you can’t hurt anyone… You hurt me plenty when you rammed me!»

«That was more like a trip-up. I just made the truck slam into reverse at insane speed. The hit ‘wasn’t intentional’… And don’t give me that look, I told you, I added a protective layer… Though it should’ve knocked you out right away. Instead, you stayed conscious for a while—you gave me extra work. I even had to give you the subconscious impression you were bleeding, otherwise you wouldn’t have blacked out.»

“Why is she saying that while rubbing her bracelets? That smile looks fake, not her usual one.” «So you admit you did it on purpose.» My eyelids grow heavier.

She gazes into the fire. «It’s a compliment. You can take a hit… maybe it’s for the best, given how wrecked this world is… but your resistance when you think you’re bleeding sucks.» “She could’ve left out that last part. I already know that… wait, how did she know that back then?” «Now I have a question.»

«Mh?» I can barely stay lucid. My head weighs heavier by the second.

«Why’d you insist on that nonsense plan instead of just leaving?»

«I think she, in her own way, is as alone as I am. Like me, she hasn’t felt the warmth of someone’s embrace, the kind that makes you feel safe…» A deep yawn breaks out. «So I figured the best way to stop her was to give her the warmth she was probably seeking from that familiar…» My body sags under its weight. «I also realized when she first saw us, the first thing she did was grab it in her arms, like she wanted comfort and protection…» My eyes close, my voice barely audible. «But… those are… just… guesses…»

Sleep claims me, and I slump left, leaning against something.