Pillow talk

I had been to Indestria once before, to attend the opening party of my father’s woodworking atelier. I must’ve been ten at the time. He had left our village soon after I was born to join the Woodworking Guild and earn some money, but his extraordinary artistic skills and entrepreneurship meant he soon outgrew the little shop he had worked at. We were heading to him to see if he would take us in.

Night fell, and Chiyo and I weaved in and out of alleyways, trying to stay out sight as we looked for the crafts quarter. We needed to stay hidden because we stood out way too much. I had thought that we would simply disappear into the crowds, but we got mistrustful looks left and right. Everyone was vigilant: all black-haired women with skirts were suddenly suspicious, as that was the description of Chiyo that had been disseminated.

After some searching and getting lost we came to my father’s shop. I realized I was still holding on to Chiyo’s hand and embarrassedly let go.

Before we could enter the door burst open and out came a big, muscular man with a broad smile on his face. He had a thick brown beard carrying the first hints of grey and bushy eyebrows. It was dad. He immediately went in for a hug, I could’ve sworn I felt my ribs shatter.

“I figured you’d come here, idiot son of mine! And who’s this? You brought your most-wanted girlfriend along as well? The name’s Paul, nice to meetcha.”

This time Chiyo didn’t get mad at someone calling her my girlfriend. Instead she bowed deeply with her hands held together.

“My name is Chiyo Arata. Please take care of us.” I hadn’t seen her be this formal before, which surprised me. 

“Chiyo, a friend of Oliver is a friend of mine, no matter what the rumors say. Quickly, come in!”

He closed the door behind us. When I last came here the shop had been empty and brand new. Now it was chock-full of all kinds of ornately carved wooden vases, toys, souvenirs, and much more. Above us a small longboat hung from the ceiling, with many figures and monsters carved into the sides. On one of the walls was a massive map of the city. I breathed in the heavy air smelling of cut wood. This wasn’t a bad place to stay.

“You’ve seriously caused me some trouble today! I can’t believe how messy the Inquisition is. Some officials came in with a whole gang of hunters and turned my shop and the studio upside down. I only just got done putting everything in its place again.”

He turned to me with a grim expression.

“They know who you are, so you aren’t safe here. You can stay over tonight but after that you’ll have to go. Keep moving, that’s the best advice I can give you.”

I quickly explained everything that had happened so far while he quietly nodded. I appreciated that dad didn’t ask too many questions about our circumstances. He knew that we were in trouble and in need of protection, and he was willing to provide it.

"So they don't know that you're in the city yet. That's great, the Inquisition officials probably won't return here before tomorrow then." 

Dad didn't seem to mind Chiyo's witchhood. If he said that a friend of mine is a friend of his, he really meant it. He was the kind of person who didn't judge others and held little belief in fairy tales. Just like me, he had been too open minded for that suffocating village.

After I was done talking, dad led us behind the shop and upstairs to the attic, where his atelier was located. There was a table in the middle of the room with a bunch of half-finished projects on them, and tools of every size imaginable were scattered throughout.

“Right, let’s get you two something to sleep on. There’s a bed in that corner over there. It's where I usually sleep when I’m working on something. We also have a mattress downstairs that needs to be brought up. Oliver, help your old man out.”

We brought up the mattress filled with wool and feathers upstairs and put it about halfway the room. While we were going downstairs I had made it very clear to him that Chiyo was not my girlfriend. That surprised him.

“Then why are you going to such lengths to keep her safe? She’s a girl you met just a few days ago yet you’ve brought her all the way here to help her find a way home. That’s admirable.”

I didn’t have an answer for him ready. It was something I’d been wondering about as well.

It was already late, so dad went downstairs to sleep behind the shop’s counter so he could keep an eye out for the Inquisition, while Chiyo and I got ready to sleep. I took the mattress, she got the bed. After being on the road for so long, I was thankful to be able to sleep comfortably again. I quickly dozed off.

                                                                                 *

“Oliver?”

“Hmmm?” I groaned.

“Are you awake?”

“I am now, what's up?”

“I was just thinking about some stuff. I finally have the chance to enjoy a cozy bed after a week of sleeping on the ground and I can't even fully enjoy it. Am I becoming an insomniac from sleeping in weird places I wonder..."

“You don't become insomniac from sleeping on the ground, but it will cause us both back issues if we keep doing it. Anyway, what were you thinking about?”

“I heard you talk to your dad earlier when you were fetching the mattress... We got out of that village together, but after that you could've just left me be and gone on the adventure of your dreams. You wouldn’t be chased around and hiding all the time, right? So I'm wondering why you’ve stuck with me at all."

I weighed my words as I puzzled together an answer. What were my feelings towards Chiyo exactly? I wasn't sure, but I had a vague idea. Why did I abandon my dream of a life filled with freedom and adventure for Chiyo? Well, we were already on a thrilling adventure ourselves. Plus, I couldn’t wish for a better travel partner. And there was more.

“It's because I care about you.”

Chiyo stayed quiet for a while, I couldn't see her face in the dark so I had no idea what she was thinking. Then a whisper echoed to all corners of the room.

“Thank you, I care a lot about you too."

"Y'know, let's have a lot of great adventures from now on, together.” She continued after a short pause.

“Together.” I affirmed. My earlier fatigue from being woken up had traded places with a quiet determination. Chiyo and I would protect each other, no matter the cost.

“Hang on a second.” Chiyo got up.

I heard stumbling and cursing on the other side of the room as some wooden craftwork fell over, followed by tiptoeing on the wooden floor. Then out of nowhere a hand stretched out to me from the darkness and started forcibly patting my face until it came to a halt above my eyes. The hand disappeared and then something soft touched my forehead. Chiyo’s lips.

“Sleep well.” she said with a giggle before she snuck back to her own bed.

I couldn’t sleep, and neither could she. But we didn’t talk for the rest of the night: enough had been said.