19: A Cheeky Conversation

Birdsong woke me from a dreamless sleep. Morning started as expected, too loud, too bright, too soon, and alone.

I looked past the broken roof above me to the dull, overcast sky. An unusual chill in the air had me missing the warmth my tattered clothes once offered. They looked more like rags with every passing day. Everything considered, it was an ideal morning to just roll over and return to sleep. Unfortunately, even if I wanted to go back to sleep, my eyelids still felt like they still had dirt behind them. That alone was enough to make it an unachievable goal. When I sat up, I immediately noticed the empty spot where I'd kept the sword.

"W-what now? Go find a better, bigger, pointier stick? What's the… point? Shut up, Skyler. You're screwed. It's… She… She took—!"

My left hand sent a new wave of pain through me. Fresh blood soaked my bandaged fist, exactly what I needed. It would probably slow me down, regardless of what I wound up doing with myself.

I watched a drop fall to my pile of leaves, and a pile of nuts and berries caught my attention. My furry neighbor must have stopped by early in the morning. There were more than normal. She must have been busy, but that had to mean her leg was feeling better.

"Good. At least there's that, but why so many?"

Faint sounds of barking interrupted the birds and sent them fluttering from the treetops. All three of them, the furry little family, were back to normal. A smile started pulling at a corner of my mouth, but I stopped myself. The danger that came to the ruins was my fault, after all.

Deciding to actually start my day, I crawled over to my standing aid. Thanks to how much my entire body ached, the partial wall was more of a necessity than ever. My mitten-like hands may have hidden the burns and wounds, but lacking the adrenaline or urgency to be in a hurry just made putting any weight on them feel the same as reliving the injuries. Back on my feet, I did my best to grab a pot I'd repurposed for washing up and made my way to the fountain.

The statue greeted me with silent disappointment.

"S-sorry…" Something caused me to feel like I owed him an apology. Though he was just a statue, the words were a struggle I wasn't ready for. "I… I lost my—I lost your sword. She took… stole it from… Who am I kidding? It's probably for the best. I-I'm not… Why was it…? Did you even really…? No. I was never… You messed up. You should have just… let that thing eat m—"

Something crunched behind me. I held my breath, unable to protect myself if it attacked.

"Skyler?" Fabrienne's presence would have remained unnoticed if she hadn't stepped on a smoldering remnant of my signal fire. She was incredibly light on her feet, given the heavy boot she wore. She stuck around instead of leaving like I hoped. "Who are ya talkin' to? Are ya really… living out here… alone?"

"N-not—" I swallowed, rubbed my eyes with the back of my right hand, and cleared my throat. "Not while you're skulking around." I didn't bother facing her directly. "I meant what I said. I'm not playing Twenty Questions with you. I'm…" I took another breath, still facing away from her. I hoped she'd take the hint if I avoided eye contact. "I'm done."

"This… It's not a game, Skyler."

Not a game, she says? I almost choked on my spit. Lady, you're preaching to the choir, but… I've been told differently.

I floundered with my wash pot, trying to keep from using my hands too much while filling it in the fountain. I preferred to not soak my bloody bandages in my only source of drinkable water. Mildly successful, I dunked my head in the pot, then shook like a dog to dry off.

"How?"

Still here?

"How is someone like—? How are ya living here by… yourself?"

She did it again. Was I supposed to clap? Her act of fake sympathy to lower my guard truly was almost convincing. I didn't blame her for wondering, but there had to be a better, or nicer, way of asking me without the obvious judgement. I wasn't sure whether she was simply referring to my ineptitude or if I hadn't picked up on some kind of veiled insult somewhere in there.

Even the sword wasn't enough to actually equip me with the means to 'live' in the ruins. I clenched my jaw instead of my fists and tried to calm down. It had all been pure dumb luck, the serendipitous happenstance of a struggling loser, that I was alive. Water. Food. Survival. Everything.

"Someone like… me? I guess monsters get by," I spat out the bitter words. "Even when they're as pathetic as—"

"That's not what I meant, and ya…" She had the same stern tone as Jess did whenever she prepared to launch into a long-winded lecture. Hers was always the correct opinion. I was forever in the wrong. "I don't think… Go home. Ya don't belong out here. Somebody… Your family has to be worried about—S-Skyler?"

My body shook uncontrollably, but I did my best to hold on to the little composure still left in me. My family probably didn't even notice I was missing. Even if they had, why would they care? It's not like they'd know where to look if the slim thought ever crossed their minds. That voice stole me from my room so easily. If it could do that, maybe they didn’t even remember me—a ghost that once lived with them.

"M-my home isn't… I'm not from…" There was no way to phrase the truth without sounding crazier than the guy she literally just caught talking to a disapproving statue only minutes earlier. "I can't!" I finally turned to confront her. "Why won't you just leave—"

There they were. She had the audacity to just keep them, to flaunt her trophies. That twerp had the stone sword strapped to her back, almost as long as she was tall, without weighing her down in the slightest. Even the bandit's dagger sat tucked into her belt. She took it all. My eyes dropped to the smoking pile of ash and charcoal at her feet that hid the only other weapon.

"Ya won't find it." Her words were short and abrupt.

"I don't know what you're—"

"The cleaver, aye? I buried it along with his remains yesterday."

"Y-you did what?! Why would…? Now how am I supposed to…? I could've used—"

"It wouldn't have done ya any good. Shoddiest craftsmanship I've ever seen."

"How would you know, or do you just like taking…? Yesterday? But… No. You didn't arrive until—"

"First of all, I'm a blacksmith by trade, so I actually do know something about blades. Ya would've hurt yourself trying to use it. As for the… him, I had plenty of time to look about and clean up this mess ya made while waiting for ya to wake up. Two days I spent taking care of ya, and then when ya finally did wake up? Then ya just walked off into the night. Nysh, some thanks I got."

"I didn’t need—"

Two days? Nevermind that. What else can I use? The beast's fangs? It should still be…

Too focused on my apology to the statue, I hadn't noticed the absence of the beast's corpse or smell. I searched for any clue to its whereabouts.

"Finished dealing with that one this morning. Ya can't just let a wolfang carcass rot in the open like that. Nysh… Where ya hopin' to invite some goblins or other nasties for a visit? Trust me. Ya wouldn't want to be here if they showed up for dinner."

She'd taken absolutely everything.

"I… B-but… You're a…?" I didn't know where to start. "I-I held my own against—!" No you didn't. Not even once, dumbass. Wait, did she say goblins? Stop. Focus on what’s important!. "So that's it? I'm not good enough to have anything?! I'll just hurt myself? How? You think I'll just chop off an arm or stab myself in the foot?!" I mimed out an act of swinging an awkward invisible sword, purposely exaggerating every swing with obvious intent, letting the blade lop off my limbs and head, stopping only to pretend I was keeping it from falling off my shoulders.

"No. Ya aren't, and I don't care 'bout that attitude, either."

"No? You don't? Gracious me. Oh, my… I'm SO sor—"

SMACK!

The noise echoed throughout the ruins.

She moved so fast I didn't know what happened. I sat on my ass, staring up at her in shock and disbelief. My cheek went from nothing to suddenly stinging. I winced as soon as my fingers brushed against the tender flesh on my face.

She… hit me?

Fabrienne scowled in silence. Then I saw it, a flicker of disappointment that I was all too familiar with. I didn't even know her, so I failed to understand why it almost hurt more than the slap.

"Well? Is that it? Come on then, or are ya just gonna glare at me like a wee babe? I knew ya weren't a… I thought ya were supposed to be a monster, a real tough guy, a murderer, aye? That's what ya said, wasn't it?" She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I suppose someone who doesn't resonate can't understand simple concepts like respect or decency. Ungrateful little…"

She huffed out a breath and paused. Her expression softened as the seriousness of the moment passed, then she reached out a hand to help me back up with a sigh. She had to be joking. After putting me down so forcefully, both literally and verbally, I slapped her hand away. Her brows rose, peaking above the bridge of her nose, and her eyes briefly widened for a moment with a twitch. It looked like she bit the inside of her lip as the corners of her mouth sank. She almost looked hurt, but it was more likely just pity.

"I don't need…" Planting both hands on the ground, I pushed through the pain to stand myself back up. "I'm fine on my own."

"Fine, ya say? Pfft! I don't think so. Look around. Ya aren’t gonna make it out here much longer on your own. Do ya push away everyone offering help, or is it just me?"

Help?! Is that what she calls all of this?

I opened my mouth for a retort, but my stomach spoke up first to interrupt with a loud grumble. It reminded me my last meal was apparently two days ago.