((
I’m on a writing roll! Poor FFnut…))
As a warm fire crackled in the hearth and the strong scent of cigarettes clouded the air, Belial leaned back and placed his feet on a chair. Around the small room was scattered cards, empty bottles and gray and white ash.
“Full house.”
“Dammit!” exclaimed Osirus “…you’re cheating. I know it.”
Belial merely smirked and shuffled the deck.
“It’s that little pixie, isn’t it? She’s telling you what my cards are.”
“Who, Ensayne? I think she’s asleep.”
“That thing never sleeps. She’s watching. I know it.”
“Are you going to keep making excuses for being a pansy, or are you going to play?”
Osirus took a sip of some kind of liquor and wiped his mouth.
“Fine. Deal. Two drops of three.”
“One drop of two.” Belial interjected.
“Don’t push it.”
After about two hours and a lot of cursing, the game moved onto its last leg. Osirus, having not won a single game, was by this time surrounded by several empty liquor bottles.
“Hey, watch it. We might not be able to stock up for a while.” Came a voice from the doorway. It was Brain.
“What do you know? You just got here.” Osirus said, his face flushed from the alcohol.
“I know that there’s someone out there who gave his life so you could continue on, and you shouldn’t screw it up.” He answered.
“What? You mean that ninja guy?”
“Nichi.” Belial corrected.
“Right. Nichi.” Osirus said.
“Exactly. He gave a hell of a lot, so you’d better respect the chance he’s given us.”
“Look whose telling us what to do all of a sudden.” Osirus laughed, “Come on, Belial. Let’s show him who he’s really talking to.”
“No.”
“What?”
“No.” Belial repeated, “He’s just a kid. I have better people to save my energy for.”
Defeated and tired, Osirus spat into an ash tray “Fine, whatever. Are we continuing this game or not?”
“Yeah.” Belial said and looked at Brain “Like losing at poker?”
“Not really.” He replied “But I’ll join anyways.”
Irritated, Osirus kicked a chair from under the table, to indicate where the boy should sit.
“So two drops of three?” Brain asked.
“Sure.”
*
It had taken all day, but the group had finally made their way out of the cave. As dusk dwindled above the forest, their eyes basked in what was the first natural light to be seen for many hours.
“Alright.” Malice said “We’re all here?”
“Indeed.” Replied Glenn.
“Good. I think we’d better make camp. Magus, you come with me and get some firewood. Titania, you can get the water, and Glenn…you can go get water too.”
“I can carry it myself.” She said, plainly.
I know Malice thought, but shook his head “Doesn’t matter. Glenn’s going. We’ll meet back here in twenty minutes and then set camp.”
The group split into two, one going east to the sound of a river, and the other going north into the woods.
“So…what are we going to use to hold the water?” Titania asked as they reached their destination.
Silence.
“…perhaps we could…” Glenn began after a while “…I’m afraid I haven't an idea.”
“We really should have thought of this before hand.”
“
Should have.”
“How about we sit and figure this out?” she asked, her feet sore.
“That sounds a valid idea, m’lady.” He answered and waited for her to sit before doing the same.
“I’d much rather stay here.” She laughed, “I don’t like fighting. And besides, I love the water.”
“And I.” He agreed, “There were many times I found safety in the belly of a river.”
“You…what…?” she asked, as she removed her shoes and let her feet hang over the edge of the bank.
“I found safety in the water. Has Janus not spoken of mine past?”
“Janus? Oh- Magus. No…he hasn’t.”
“I um…was once creature of amphibious nature…”
"...what?"
"A frog, m'lady."
“Oh…is that why you always croak?”
“Indeed.”
There was an awkward silence.
“I beg thy forgiveness, but mine feet are sore as well.” He said, sitting on the river-bank and placing his feet in the water.
“Oh, you don’t even need to apologize.” Titania laughed “Just do what you like. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of code of conduct here anyways.”
“How so?”
“Well everyone’s killing each other, and here we are in the middle of nowhere. I doubt that manners are on the priority list of this world.”
Glenn laughed, “I suppose not.”
“…so how do you like it here?”
“I’ve seen places that were much stranger.”
“Well how do you like the group, then?”
“I find them reasonable.”
“You don’t find them a little…cold?”
“Cold?”
“You know…unapproachable?”
“It will do thee good to remember that they are all warriors in their own right. Not becoming close to each other is a tactic of war.”
“How?”
“Perhaps this sounds morbid, but what if someone were to die?”
“Oh…that’s a terrible reason not to know people!"
“Perhaps yon mind advises against it now, but how didst thou feel when thy comrade had turn'd to stone."
“I felt sad.”
“And how well was thy acquaintance with him?”
“I had only known him for about a month, and I was always in the infirmary, so no…not very well…”
“And yet thy heart still felt sadness?”
“It did.”
“Imagine if there had been more effort to know- if there were friendship .”
“But that’s just it. I regret that I never really got to be his friend. I would put off talking to him, and then suddenly it was too late to.”
“…so thy tears were shed for regret?"
“Yes...I think...”
“…and now it is thy belief that the others are impossible to approach?"
“I do. Most of them I hardly speak to. With Malice I feel like we’re being friendly, but he’s always hiding. It’s like we’re speaking to each other, smiling and laughing, and yet at the same time he’s not being his complete honest self.”
“Would it be imposing to ask if he was not the only one to hide. Did thee choose to show
thy 'honest self?'"
“I think so…but it’s hard to tell. I’ve changed so much since I’ve come here that I’m not sure who I really am anymore.”
“That surprises me quite a bit.” Glenn contemplated “I regard thy airs as joyous ones most of the time."
“I do act like I am. But I have to. So many times during the war we felt as if we were about to lose. I would pretend I didn’t know, and wash the blood from my hands so that the others would not know of how many injured men were in the infirmary. I feel like none of us
want each other to know of what’s going on. I, myself, indulge them. But in truth, I feel like I’m always on the brink of defeat.”
“Thy feelings are not the only of their kind, m’lady.” Glenn said, moving his feet about in the river “I myself find I’m often disheartened in war. But that is the way it is and those who attempt to change it are fools. Besides, sometimes it’s better not to know all that is happening. Though we pretend to be brave, most of us would much rather live and die in ignorance.”
Titania smiled “…why can’t the others speak so honestly? Both you and Brain…you’re so open- like real people. You listen and speak like friends.”
“I find that sometimes the most popular tactics of war are the most ill-advised.” Glenn replied, “…I prefer to know who I am traveling with. Besides, it would be fairly draining to be constantly with people, who are less interesting to speak with than small bundles of twigs.”
Titania laughed, “I suppose so.”
“Suppose so?” Glenn grinned “I think you should be absolutely certain!”
“Fine. I’m absolutely certain.” She said, a smile on her face.
“Now, see? Was it so daunting a task to find someone with whom thy speech could be free? How silly!”
Titania faked offense, and splashed some water in his face, like she used to do to her friends at home.
“There, that makes it official.” She said.
“Pardon?” he questioned, drying off.
“It's a Madain Sari custom.” She laughed “That means we will be friends. And be honest. Agreed?”
“Hmm…agreed.” He answered “And as thy words were ‘completely honest,’ I believe I should speak up.”
“Go ahead.”
“The truth is… I’m a very vengeful person.” He replied and splashed a handful of water at her face, making her stumble and accidentally fall backward into the river.
“Eeek!”
SPLASH