It takes two to tango

Even though I had already made a decision, I couldn't sleep well that night. It had more to do with what I had been thinking yesterday than his offer. Yes, I was kind of complaining about solitude, but it didn't mean I'd take anyone from the streets to keep me company. And him – what was his name? Marin? Nah, he would have to be blonde for that, but the name sounded somewhat like that.

Honestly, I needed to think less. Less thinking equals fewer worries. So, does no thinking equal no worries?

Hakuna matata! What a wonderful phrase!

God, this movie was so good.

With the sun halfway up, I waited at the rendezvous point with Horse and the carriage ready to go. I hoped he would appear, but recalling his expression when I told him to meet the next day, I shouldn't worry about that.

But I had no patience for people.

"Boo!" someone spooked me, placing their hands on my shoulders. I had a jumpscare. Guess who wanted me to be a goner?

"You idiot! Are you mad?"

"I actually am," he smiled radiantly.

"Why did I even ask..." I muttered.

"So?" He sat down in front of me, placing his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers, looking like any trouble-making gal, even though he was a dude.

"If you're so confident in your usefulness, we'll be going to Saharqand this second."

"Wait, like, right now?"

"Is it a problem?"

"No, not at all. I'm just surprised you're so quick to move," he grinned.

I squinted and sighed. "The sooner we start, the better." I stood up from the bench and went to the carriage. Ma'Reen followed right after, taking a seat next to me as if we'd been traveling like that for months. His laid-back approach to everything was something I thought I wouldn't get used to anytime soon.

The journey would take us a good two weeks on the road – more if we encountered the crappy weather. Summer was almost there, meaning the population of thunderstorms was increasing with each day, reaching its peak in the middle of the season.

Saharqand was located near the desert, so we had a chance to encounter a sandstorm. I didn't know which was worse, but I thought having a mouth full of rainwater was a better option than having it full of sand. I wasn't interested in becoming a free beach for scorpions.

We weren't engaging in any small talk. I couldn't get used to the fact that he was there. It felt weird. The first time, I knew it was temporary, but now – who knew how long he would occupy that seat?

Ma’Reen had already formed some sort of alliance with Horse. They clicked the moment they first started interacting with each other. Now, I was afraid of leaving them alone because of the possibility of their relationship going further. From being the one leading this carriage, I became the fifth wheel.

I felt betrayed. Was I that easy to replace? Hmph.

We were almost halfway there. I didn't travel this road too often, but I had specific points in mind that helped me gauge the distance covered. One of them was when we exited the forest and saw wild fields stretching over the horizon. That, the cloudless blue sky and the scorching sun reminded me of summer holidays when I was still a carefree brat. Those were the days spent with friends, riding bikes aimlessly and causing mischief during my primary school years.

Our contact was severed at the end of middle school. I knew that Janek got himself into bad stuff, started taking drugs, and overdosed before reaching his 18th birthday. As for the other two – Marek and Seba – I had no clue, but they were probably making careers somewhere.

"Hey, Mr. Daydreamer, wake up!"

A familiar hand waved before my eyes. I smacked it away and sighed in annoyance, "I wasn't daydreaming."

"You zoned out for sure. What's occupying your mind, hmm?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, you should fill this blank space in your head at some point, you know?"

"I'd rather have space for more than your tiny brain."

"Maybe tiny, but at least it fills the whole space. Yours, though, keeps bumping constantly against your big skull. No wonder it's so damaged."

The guy always had a perfect response to my jabs. Normally, I would have cursed him so badly that he'd shut his mouth and never speak to me again. I doubted it would happen, but he might at least keep quiet for a while.

Instead, I just death-glared him and felt defeated. It seemed like anything I did would leave him unimpressed.

Done with staring, I looked away. "At least my brain works better than yours ever will."

"Aww~"

"Don't 'aww' me, you idiot!"

"Okay, okay, fine~" he waved his hand in disregard a couple of times.

I shook my head and focused on the road.

Fucking idiot.

"Mikadoo~"

"No." I wasn't interested in whatever he wanted.

"Oh, come on! You don't even know what I wanted to say."

"It doesn't matter."

"Sheesh, man. With an attitude like that, you won't find yourself a girl."

"Good, I don't need one."

"You're seriously built differently." He shook his head in disbelief. "If you were nicer – though your attitude adds some spice – you wouldn't have any issues with ladies."

"I'm past the phase of wanting to be popular among them."

"But, aren't you looking for a partner?"

"No. Besides, why do you care?"

"God, you're hopeless. A man your age should think about family."

"Speak for yourself, weirdo."

"I live a little bit longer than humans, so I have time."

"So, use this time for your research."

"You're not fun at all, you know?" I shrugged in response.

"Mikadoo~"

"No."

"I was curious..."

"Nothing new from you."

"If you're traveling all the time, then what's going on with your house?"

"My house? I don't have any." He looked at me incredulously. "What? What's the point for me to have one?"

"I mean, fair, but still-"

At that moment, we heard something moving in the fields. It could be an animal, but seeing Horse react to it too, it meant it was something else.

"We have to be careful," I told him in a half-whisper.

"Mhm. Do you have any weapons?"

"There should be something under the seat. You need to open the door first."

As he reached for the big stick beneath us, he suddenly froze.

"Rusalka."

"Huh?"

"Also known as water nymphs. Better not get on her nerves. They can be quite dangerous when aggravated."

"Yeah. I don't want to get beaten by a chick."

"I thought you like aggressive ones."

"What the fuck do you take me for?"

He giggled. "So, you're more of a docile type?"

"It's none of your business."

"As I imagine it, it would be kinda cute!"

I was slowly developing a chronic migraine with the amount of bullshit I had to go through because of him.