The fat Nigel and I amassed was substantial for the potion. I didn’t know what to do with the leftovers, but I didn’t dare to throw the fruits of our hard work away. It wasn’t as if another endurance potion wouldn’t be needed.
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniJUAeq4Gj
“Now all I need to do is to finalize it.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPP0DDQ33V
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6x4SZn9ut4
A few minutes of careful mana suspension was the remaining requirement for a job well done. I did so easily, channeling my shaky focus to form it with haste. The liquid turned deep blue, the color of the distant sea, meaning that–224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqSlHzf4iU
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGenj4VDKm
“It’s a resounding success. Awesome.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvSQi6yPV7
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrb8czSwFf
I wiped my brow with my forearm and patted my face with my collar. I wasn’t sweaty or anything, but my head felt undeniably hot, likely from all the blood that rushed to fuel my attention. That aside, I now had a finished product to deliver, but as I tasked myself I came at a small crossroads.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpJ1OFY3vt
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNVR5aBkKu
Should I go and deliver this now, or make a healing potion, and deliver this later?224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡST6J5aI1zM
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEugIY2Ov8X
“...”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyKzVEV6Oj
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It seemed obvious to me what the answer was. Pragmaticism dictated the practice of the former, as the recipients of this potion were operating under borrowed time. But my left mind dictated otherwise; it told me that it would be a slight– no, a flagrant offense if I didn’t brew that medicine.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUIMJFCs5B
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fmgnkrVnT
“...That’s new. Where did you come from?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9lJydLY7Z
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wdKxK9c3w
Thoughts like that– I didn’t recall having them. I was hit from left field by this warping, contorting, sapping feeling in my chest. It didn’t disturb me, however. Rather, I was confused. I was uncomfortable, but I could bear this panging, especially with a distracting duty.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YM9bkfyyV
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxTLZhi1x1
“I know better. I don’t have the time for that. No, I don’t.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrV9S6q4osG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOlWeOSJGA
Indeed, I was creating with urgency. I spent enough excess time finding ingredients as it was, so any further stalling would jeopardize the whole city. I had to get out, and get out now–224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCuBmQtDIh
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“...”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUKy6iSsI9
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQCuziJWjq
But when I jerked my legs to do so, they didn’t. They stood in place, locked to the ground by that warping sensation. I clicked my tongue, because now I realized what was happening, and my irritated frown turned into a worried grimace.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCr6zq9sFXM
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARU5A150p1
Even though I had a duty, to leave Rover to hang with a broken leg longer than she had to, left me with a pit in my stomach. It’s Especially so, because I had the power and the will to relieve her.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoV6GtfNaIC
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQhUaBsy0G
Fortunately, I had a compromise. I found that compromise in my bag, slouched against the wall. I sifted through it and found what I needed, then made a quick exit from the booth.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AmqHETnbA
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–
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Knock, knock, knock. The strength of my banging knuckles surprised even me. I stocked hardly half the force in my flicks to produce such noise. But I summed up the cause immediately. I was nervous.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9m2bhzxk3h
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“Yes?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XRJWcXZQj
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hvB5MrBG9
The door opened quickly, revealing a Lola who was peekingher head through the opening. Her countenance lost its vigilance once she saw me, and it likewise calmed me down.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0fYVlibrb
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyDk42vMC5
“You’re here what I think you’re for, aren’t you?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaY6y9u5ssm
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAx4ht6z9ph
“Y-Yes, Lola. Here, this is the potion I made.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ6ykgsenu
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSX6X6ehVLT
I stretchedmy arm out as she widened the door. She grabbed it with her free hand and inspected it on all planes. At some point, she stopped twirling and nudging it and blankly stared at the blue. I noticed now how fluidly the streams swirled.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LRWOf6B2Y
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“You made this in eighty minutes?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5fB7Jqqg2
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvniAgnCyP3
“Did I take too long? I’m sorry, I had to grab some ingredients from a lower floor–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaHpghtJjL
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DB1uKadk8
“No, not at all. I was expecting you to take longer. Thank you, Kenny, I’ll make sure you’re rewarded handsomely.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP3GG3veDY
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpVrAlsAi7
I raised my hands bashfully and rapidly waved them at her.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPmNhyK5sf
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“No no no, please don’t! You’re helping us enough as is.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TkPrRwziv
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“If you insist.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFcVh7hnca
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She said so with an upscaling cadence, poorly singing the last syllable. I blinked a few times, and my eyes reopened to blaring blurs. Only my mother ever did that.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8XOvd2tQL
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“Kenny?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrJ6C9OTfm
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXveRbsrDl
“O-Oh, right. Do you need me for anything else?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yY2vlIdWw
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iEAVUXRQO
“Hmm,” she hummed, clasping her chin, “if we do, I’ll bug you. For now, make yourself at home, and get plenty of rest. You’ll need it for what comes next.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBoj3joUMG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzG10IFgIH5
I let out a chuckled sigh and slapped a hand on my chest, muttering a breathy “thank you.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQNCQalKqw
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkN4DQa4JKA
“There is something I’d like to ask you, however, just before you go.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrUnuKOVBG
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She said so right as I turned to leave. I twisted my head and looked at her, gesturing for her to shoot.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfMBj4c3eh
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNac3Rzv5eQ
“The concoction in your other hand; that bright green tint can only mean one thing, yes? A healing potion.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jF2pTRlS6
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBuANQrCdY
I nodded at her assessment. I realized the speed at which this could turn dangerous.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz42rlnKkT7
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7qgHX0C5U
“I see. I see, I see…”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSjIe1hFKo
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaj81C0CSOY
“A-Are you going to make me make one for each soldier?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRb4yV49nei
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PZnziFdwv
“No, I won’t ask that of an outsider, let alone a child– oh, sorry, you don’t like being called that, do you?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5K2YG8RIE
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWn5K24oxXQ
“...Don’t worry about it. I appreciate you being considerate, Lola. Is there anything else?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeQUM0DFKH
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFr8bUB5Lr
“I-If you don’t mind my prying, could you answer a few questions for me?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrb0eWpIf1
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49lFz2B1eg
She stepped over the threshold and closed the door, but stopped just short of shutting it. As much as I wanted to chat with her, though, I had somewhere else to be.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrQhGvhToJ
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOYuhgDQGa
“Please?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDOB8jbefJ
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2VPqtpU0C
Though it was difficult to draw a line while she was making such a face.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqy96fCTvBj
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeum2HVjBiU
“F-Fine, but please make them short. I have somewhere I need to be.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgyYJgbHSw
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KOxcrgjjL
“Thank you, I will. It’s just two quick questions. First–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJIjpnkSzw
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJnZYWmxmO
She paused right before asking, as if a crucial memory struck her from the woodwork. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mDClU8Ryp
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwnmADCaf3
“–How long have you been an alchemist?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYymDxGXqG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUsVJBEHUq
“I’d say… hold on, that question has two answers. Commercially, it’s been about three years(1). Personally, it’s been for… seven?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthvzWgdFgR
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TK8ehtDTo
“Seven years? That’s over half your life, isn’t it?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnw9WtY2mUR
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYT6dZEUu2
I gave a simple shrug with sandwiched lips.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9TJO4bB0q
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“I started young. That’s all.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VePa2KC9Q
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGJs72AnOE
“I see. Being trained at such a young age, no wonder why you’re so skilled.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqyjvsFFbg
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAfGpVVh5i
“P-Please, don’t flatter me. I appreciate the remarks, but they just…”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqbQaJ5Oov
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wCTQNZgDB
They don’t sit right with me, I wanted to say, but Lola gave a predictive, discerning nod, so I stopped speaking.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaBi35Ee1I
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMhACoKijN
“Only seven years… then, maybe–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKpUcEYGka
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“Sorry, can you repeat that? I didn’t catch it.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfxC7LOKip
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She jumped and then waved her hand.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BGtuP0vW5
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95r60ML0Mb
“Don’t worry, I was just thinking out loud. Anyhow, for my next question…”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtztiwpTaxm
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJeZphpHJBl
“Right.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTNxWmi61v
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmf1yAIYtHB
“...I apologize if this may seem extreme, but I have to ask.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrYTKUjGdm
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMnqOEoBP1
She straightened herself and turned her head left and right, seemingly afraid of anyone hearing in. That assumption was validated by her leaning her head in.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShGuQjMSda
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuMa6cAmei
“Did you kill anyone in the last operation?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHRSF9SSeN
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQ8jde2oSY
“I– Wha!?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJro9xxfOHe
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I couldn’t keep my voice down, much to her dismay. But, goodness, could she blame me? She put a hand on my shoulder and told me to calm down, which I quickly did, but I still had a storm thrashing in my skull.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPeEC7s8MU
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89mugU5GMT
“Who asks something like that to a child!?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4UpnEPG4V
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“Shh! I know it’s selfish, but it’s for my own peace of mind! I have to know, please, did you?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJFYX7McZ0
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dNVrempjq
“Your own… peace of mind?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyg0JndlVE
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When it was twisted that way, suddenly, I wasn’t so apprehensive. I was still bewildered, but answering that question didn’t feel like falling into a trap anymore. And so, reluctantly, my lips spoke the answer.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65afLz5si4
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4u07AIVIF
“I didn’t. I hurt some people, but I never landed a killing blow.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsdF43ESt7
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrLlHQcXF4
“I-I see. That’s a relief. Oh my goodness, that’s a relief.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8WOVhfVqd
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qaPy9Ca95
She leaned against the door, closed it, and putting her hand on her brow, she closed her eyes and began to… pant? I wondered how she could be so worried. I was beginning to think she might have a screw loose.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AQfdA1TzM
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“Thank you for humoring me. You have no idea how much it calms me, to know there’s no blood on such a young man’s hands. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCYsNR9ndN
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjohLIQZQS
“You… for some reason, I feel like you regard me much more highly than you should.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooNl3BfyXj
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She shrugged at my comment.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZ5VxiNQKL
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“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. I think I’ll keep you guessing. Now, shoo! You have somewhere to be, don’t you?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP38NrigKW9
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtIIXBixmp
Brushing me off with perfect logic before I could respond to her outrageous statement, I clicked my tongue inward and turned on my foot.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQrS3w7571
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1RyjUH9YO
“Goodbye Lola,” I shouted. She opened the door and slid right through, waving at me right before closing it.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ72yywj52Q
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–
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As I inched closer to the infirmary, my body had an expected reaction. I coped with it accordingly, though that didn’t make it easy to move.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2WXuTpL8h
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSi3s1lo49R
With every progressing movement of my foot came a wave of resistance double the magnitude. I had to dig my soles into the floor to wade through the spasms, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth just to keep my limbs moving.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoChiMeWWF
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCDzprOl3j
Of course, I was exaggerating. But goodness, did that swelling weight pound against my chest. My limbs did shake as I reached for the knob, but I managed to grasp it and keep my hand there.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyJAGUZP9n
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“...This is ridiculous.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Yo5bc1tyx
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I sighed. I looked at the healing potion and gave it a few light shakes, watching the agent crash like small waves against the flask. If push came to shove, I could drop this off by the bed or table and turn the other way. In fact, if I had to convince myself that was all I had to do just to open this damned door, then I would do so. So I kept saying so, a lunatic hustling his mantra.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3x2ylALNn
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ztAIbFZIn
“Just go in, drop it off, go out. Go in, drop it off, go out. Go in, drop it– off!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJMcnQMxvt
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrN3LUhS4Rr
In the midst of my chanting, I bit the arrow and slammed it open. It looked far removed from how I imagined it.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0QY9W3rxx
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3FehfBOKG
Instead of a small room with curtain-covered beds lined up with uniform spacing, it was a small room lined with dingy, almost make-shift mattresses. About eight people were in the room, and one was slouched on a chair opposite of me, his head hung and his arms crossed.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQd01EXM5Y
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32yTYtIRPi
And seeing how his groggy face raised to meet mine, I realized how noisy my entrance was.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsy4mGrbkC
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJO2Ly6nMA
“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb anyone. I’m just here to deliver something.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXOG9HxtlX
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“...Hmm.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32JwDDKAaw
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFihYXyjo4l
The man stood up and haggardly walked to me. From his gait alone, I could tell he’d been drinking, though I wondered how exactly he got his hands on alcohol. He stopped a few paces before me, took one long look with narrowed eyes, and casually shrugged.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4KWT2b1wN
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWj6fdFopm
“Do whatever.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6EmwhwmmU
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“R-Right. Thank you, sir.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIf7Ol2VDTp
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He gave me a thumbs-up and plodded back to his chair. I looked around the room, feeling blessed from my lucky break, and eyed all the patients.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LkE3SycFf
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5w8mQco58v
While most were in their mock-up beds, either sleeping, eating, or chatting away, one mattress was empty. By process of elimination, it belonged to the person I was looking for.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaSeEnOwJc
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpn43vXWCEo
“D-Darn it.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BammdUCKH
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Gnawing on my fingers, I did one more sweep before releasing a sigh. Rover was nowhere to be seen– not in the beds, not on the window sill, not in the corners, nothing–224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVdlF7IGAe
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoocnOf1SQ
“What are you doing here?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WyCRVUHJV
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTnEE3hupu
And then I heard a voice call from me. I jolted, nearly dropping my flask, and turned to face its timbre. Only as I saw its bearer’s face, did its course tone ring a bell in me.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfmusWr9WS
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoEbJmoa4d
There was Rover, sitting in the one corner out of my sight, eyeing me with a lion’s eyes.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGH05N2jKhk
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“...U-Uh.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOaCRrF8lD
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1lWBtU7VB
All my systems shut down at that moment. It was one thing to imagine meeting her, but seeing her face-to-face instead of a mere effigy I controlled the responses of was a completely different beast.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVYLo6JEyE
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWLCjt0Zy1
“Well? Come on, spit it out.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9e87O3cUDk
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAWif9MljP
“I… I-I.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6zToPsEjy
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLE5ioPYI0f
My body didn’t shake. My eyes didn’t blink, my lips didn’t part, and only the functions of my lungs and stiff throat continued normally. I was completely and utterly frozen.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeci31ddk0
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcf23UIAEFl
Suddenly, I felt my face fire up. It was a familiar feeling, but I was vulnerable during its assassination. In front of another person, of whom I had their undivided attention, witnessing my pale cheeks light like fireflies.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgfHGnLpzj
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiRZOo9yVZ
That shame was too much to bear. I stuck my hand out, darting my eyes between her and the potion, and even orbiting my other hand around the flask to emphasize it. Despite me putting it on a pedestal, Rover tilted her head with an eyebrow that raised to the ceiling.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi309FSvdfo
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdCT7UeDML
“I don’t have time for this, just spit it out!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRimvVayziV
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzM7k0OfuiE
“I-I’m here.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJ30CXq7hG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuONLJNS8Y
By some miracle, her urging words kicked my chords into action, and I was beginning to form words again. Only, they didn’t have a present pilot.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DZAFytg6F
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYcbb30sKt
“I’m– I made— I– Rover, I’m here–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXh0ANV4v0
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2td3I6rNVc
As I kept stumbling over myself, Rover rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She looked at me, tapping her finger on herself as if she was waiting for me to stop.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn69Hyy42nF
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSVh6loyuK
“I…”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjWK9FD9nJ
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15tNgY9gDM
I sighed and pinched my nose, shook my head, and slapped my left cheek. I looked at the corner between the wall and ceiling, whispered something akin to a prayer, and finally looked that woman in the eyes.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFWxBnSh92
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwVbDzNphf
“Hello, Rover.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAreIBKYSA
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSNeHkJ4QB
“Hey, Kenny.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbE8dzlWi3
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMjOojdHEk
I retracted my stretched arm, then extended it yet again.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9u6WK6BXB
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBWfBJsTpD
“I made you this. It’s something I made, in light of the news I heard. Well, it’s just leftovers, but I did want to make one for you–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHgAkcEsy2
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazP9VNqdrO
“Cut to the chase!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrfinXxxmU
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZ6Jhu736c
“R-Right. It’s a healing potion. I heard that your leg sustained a major injury, and so, I’d like to give this to you. For some relief, and quicker healing.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKt7OIFwUUu
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3FDaga72M
Her eyes widened. Her crossed arms slackened, and I took it as a signal to move forward. I took it incorrectly.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoobO9L01VP
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKw1lDjwPH
“Hold on, you brought me a potion?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSOF3ycVTV
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiP4SlhBPej
“Y-Yes.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWC72PlCMsf
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMU0nHOU61
“Now who told you to do that?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFbfpgNC5X
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbP8oqAAVH
“W-Well–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdLDZQwNGA
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPf8hQZBCAj
Nigel suggested it, but he didn’t tell me. No, mulling over that was wasteful spending. There was only one truth in this situation:224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjiFENkHUY
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4EDPBS0F4
“I wanted to do it. I wasn’t told.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIkMG2NJki
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoEZ6cB93L
“...You? That wimpy Kenny?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPN4jjkTqq
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6tuLGxQzx
I wasn’t mad at her insult. It was all too accurate.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5dl2k1yFc
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKtuAdCHhM
“Yes, the wimpy Kenny.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYUfVhJk8W
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA49pF5KqZW
“Ha! You’ve surprised me before, but this really blew my expectations out of the water!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvsohNnKpE
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLilfRW6eL
She rubbed under her nose and hummed to herself with a satisfied tune. As I couldn’t read her mind, I stood in place and didn’t budge.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LiPDJ5VHO
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ13wvmM2P0
“I refuse your treatment!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRuvbCH3DA
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IAMZLGW5t
“H-Huh!?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQItxQlCyv
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGrMZC7c14
In a single moment, all my apprehension had been voided. All anxiety and dread, crumpled into a ball and thrown out a window, replaced by a slate of terrible vexation.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMq2mFr9jn
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhvmBBdCPM
“Why not? Don’t you want to recover faster?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUX6j7xUvmG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhiP2SwZb6
“Of course I do, but I can’t accept it. Not when you’re looking at me like I’m some kind of monster.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ofusQC8IA
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZSRjcN6Ih
“I– Wha?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6Montf3s1
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3NMjsCOso
I stopped pointing my finger and used it to feel around my face. There was no mirror, so it was the best I could do. Something was off with it, and if I didn’t figure out what, then I couldn’t give Rover this potion, and I couldn’t confront–224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdaE2LsbgB
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvebnRsDkdf
“No, stupid! It’s the face you’re making! It’s weird!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwmQlLodsc
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJyzI2gphk
“Stupid? Weird!?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvW7JWITblg
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEi0Cv3GSz9
“Do you need the whole room to hear it!? You’re looking at me like a weirdo!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKgO856vR2
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcH3gQJ2VOp
“...”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtBG12yebH
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUMTbVeJPn
The energy to argue was sapped. I understood what she said, and could do nothing but stare with mouth agape. Rover leaned further against the wall and looked at me with her chin raised.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2P7d0jVXhh
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jLvMukfSA
“Why are you looking at me like that? Hmph.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgpdllCqI6
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4JRA63Msv
As I had no other mode of operating at this moment, I blurted my immediate response.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9idEbXbdP
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVwfJtDUSZ
“It’s because I upset you.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95y8wvF2g9
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeb11u4mNgx
And then I realized that something like this required thoughtful phrasing.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3Pqm0xlDG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdpLQ13CiR
“I don’t– well, I don’t want to make you any more uncomfortable than you–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBCQN67JGO
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnw5QxgMxyW
“That’s bullshit! Man, forget answering that, I don’t need your whole, your spiel you know!? Come here!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuDXgHFisw
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmTTt4KIDu
“Come, there,” I asked, pointing to myself.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDu3yTE1Lu
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjSBK2pFjV
“Yes. Sit by me, I can’t stand looking at your working legs.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiYdG5cAyi
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2667Gkxkq
“S-Sheesh.” 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuO8b4FIyN
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4O9GDjla5I
I didn’t even begin thinking of a way to respond to that. I just did as I was asked and walked to her side, sitting against the wall beside her. She snatched the potion right out of my hand and eyed it like an appraiser. Only, if said appraiser was terrible at imitating one.
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDW2Lefw42
“How do I use this thing?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEdLITinm0
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYkbcCEoST
“You, uhm, you have to drink it. If you have a needle, you can inject it right into your leg, that’ll make it work faster, but not better.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEVGGmt4Fa
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcZj0WHYhj
“Drinking works for me.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybD9JyIpqd
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsLyJoYVfI
She popped the cork and chugged it to its last drop. She shook every drop out, set the flask on the ground, and entered a fierce coughing fit.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbiqSYTq3u
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWd9SB7Cpb
“Cah! What the hell, is in this thing?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzXkuyG6s1
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXx3qiU3UM
“That’s not the problem! You drank it too fast, you dingus!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhJ11DfCMe
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LraUtmpx7
She looked at me with sharp eyes but couldn’t do anything in the midst of her coughing. I slapped her back a few times to help it pass her throat, and after a moment, she calmed down.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoN9eInbA8
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18hV82QoUz
“If you drink like that, it’s likely to go down the wrong pipe.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaYdr18HbY
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iil4L3syN
“Whatever.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUb0pDEc2e
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6HqhcWMCr
With her dismissive reply, she turned her head to the side with what I could only imagine was a pout. I silently sighed, because for all the gritting teeth and flexing fingers her behavior should’ve invoked, it was within my whetted expectations. I tolerated her usual brashness rather well– in fact, my body was as relaxed as a koala. But I didn’t come here to watch her pout, and I no doubt must’ve warranted that face somehow. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgt9rIOonO
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡof8CzDYcFX
She discarded my earlier words, but they were genuine. I didn’t want to make her stressed. Not any more than a person with such a leg should have.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRRU1tuLKG
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBRs4GNImT
And so, I got up from my improvised seat and brushed the little bits of dust that landed on my pants. I turned to Rover, who already had her eyes meeting mine. It was with such swiftness, that I almost staggered before my goodbye. Almost, but I fixed myself before it.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgV8zRzJt5n
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7I610jY0y
But before I could even take anpreludebreath, she spoke, reading my intentions.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUX4Y5YgKcl
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEE0igerC2E
“Leaving already?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfLJ8Xxjsg
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBycwNLTyX
“I-I am, yes. I think it would be best. It isn’t as if I don’t have–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wfjcphlY4
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopKpM9oXM9
“Hold on, not yet. I still have something to say to you.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrb096otGFd
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8NfW2zhHw
She didn’t reach a hand. No, not one inch of her body nudged my way. But her crossed arms and crunched eyes enacted a greater force than her limbs ever could, as if a fortress wall materialized on my head. My butt returned to the floor soon after, but what I tried my hardest not to reveal, was that it was self-assisted.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Lx9wC1qYX
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP6GrZNVh2
“That’s funny. I do too. Do you mind if I start first?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAMWFmcetL
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahYNqD4OQd
She shook her head back and forth, keeping that iron countenance but giving me the go-ahead. It made spitting out my words difficult, but I was lucky to have rehearsed them. Only a little, of course.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0KJeST4sl
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZ8Yh3G6k5
“I wanted to tell you, that I’m sorry for what happened earlier. My conduct, of course. I was just– you remember what I’m talking about, right? Back in our little rented room?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7sV8PaEaK
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcy2rtI2R3r
“Yeah, I do. I remembered how much of a wuss you were.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cw1fAqXWN
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpo0ew8nFIF
I almost chuckled. Blunt as a bat, but it hit a bullseye.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxbgiH40Iv
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNoSLYg7j9
“I was being conducted by fright. I couldn’t fathom, putting myself out there, and making myself a part of this mess. Risking my life, your life, Juke’s. But, honestly, those reasons took a backseat.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsyMzxyECg
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7bnYlejPX
I noticed the subtlest rise of her right brow.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatlKEAhH81
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCws72bjS8
“I thought that, the lower the engagement, the better it would be. Screw the job, screw the people. The less involved I was, the better. The less it was up to me, the better. I don’t fully get it– not yet I do –but with the words I have, I can tell you this much: that’s how I felt.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78xfeVSQdt
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0f6GaYaCM
She nodded along to my apology. It looked like she was expecting more, but I was finished. So she’d understand, I concluded with–224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34NPXj5jDa
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbo6qGLMFs
“So yeah, I’m sorry for being such a wuss.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kr4ghqxoU
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OH7Fd6YMf
“...Hmm. Ha, I guess kids really do grow so fast.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AIbz3oTIl
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJePIic9Gke
“H-Huh?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLVv3mRppx
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOBubPGV83
She rubbed her nose a little and continued talking.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRR5Z0wtIme
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6d88ONniWF
“Just look at you. You’re nothing like the Kenny I knew.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMueHXB86Ic
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bEkAWSKbl
“I-I, well, I don’t know if I agree–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfn7w4AVcT
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTuxUy3bgc
“Nah, on second thought, I take that back. But that doesn’t matter anyway. Seriously, just look at you.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTia1qafe1
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjNONCmhV0
“I’m n-nothing so special.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH14Iwoo0Kb
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOn29NaiAh
“Sure you ain’t. But here you are, in a room with a bunch of battle casualties. You’re in the same mess I’m in, and you’re finally working to get that letter back!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYHpCiZI6K
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrGb0H33W0
“The letter certainly isn’t a priority.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqqeW8uL47
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoeyWshfVj
She casually clicked her tongue, tilted her head sideways, and waved her hand downward.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LK8fhl6zn
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPfvHzb2Mp
“Don’t sweat the details. That’s not the point. The point is that you’re in the same room as me again, and that means you finally grew a pair.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kXpwluWB5
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkFxmS1KwW
Whether it was he boorish phrasing or encouraging insistence, something about her made me sit on those words. I raised a hand to my chin and looked up at nothing, entrenched in thought. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExwASarvzf
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VppMg64Iz
It took me only a few 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTHX5AY0zS
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“I don’t think so. I don’t think I grew anything.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NtnFSicMv
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKKQpaVEqm
“‘Course you did! Stop giving me such crap–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgy2uoh7St
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“No, really, Rover.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIN6cDIqUM
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6rj8kZDTq
I slouched my posture and leaned back, lifting myself with my hands behind me. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3odNY4gSe
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODWZK9Na5s
“I think I’m just lucky.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8r10OAS7O
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FS3GaTmsu
I veered my eyes away from the ceiling, looking into Rover’s, and was taken aback by her utter dejection. Or was it disgust?224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV529Uq7td7
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTfFfXuGns
“I-I mean, it’s not as if I haven’t been trying, it’s just–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLYjWT1sow
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtO6L0ZAIlg
“Nevermind all that, Kenny. You’re starting to give me a headache.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGPPOwsxyd
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDii6jjjumf
I stopped my frantic hand-waving and began to scratch my head.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa16Zaf0XI4
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjRvSUMJ84
“You’re doing something right. You said it yourself, so you know. But enough about you; I have something to say, and your weird drug is already making me drowsy.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCeFmMIRGN
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L5jTsbAL9
“It isn’t a drug! I wouldn’t stoop to such barbaric substances!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV8F5vFHdp
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjD96FcAasX
“Uh-huh, whatever. Hear me out before you can’t anymore.”
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAZAwL2fC8
I rolled my eyes but kept my mouth shut, squishing my cheek by resting it on my face. Though Rover looked ready to speak with her gaze matching mine, she quickly jerked her head the other way and appeared to look off into nowhere. I was confused, but I didn’t voice it. It would be unfair of me to interrupt her as she gathered her words, as I hadn’t been so many times.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQblbH5VT4P
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Eventually, Rover’s face flared and became ruddy. I didn’t think much of it initially, but as I continued to remember that it was Rover who I was talking to, this meant that whatever she said had immense gravity. I perked my ears and sharpened their hearing– as best as I could with the poor funnel my hands formed, anyhow. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwCYIlj5px
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“D-Don’t rush me!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttUWQajZqH
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“I’m not rushing you! I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you just spat it out, but–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPELPS0vuk
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYESyEKXdKo
“Shut up, Kenny! You told me yourself once that I’m too crass with words. Just let me think; you already know I’m bad at this…”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1AUrGLpzP
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEMaevQxF2
I had no recollection of doing such a thing, but as the clearest memory I had of her was of the incident that night, I chose to believe her. She spent the time fiddling with her fingers, biting then nibbling her lips, darting her eyes this way and that with such ferocity her head jiggled with each motion. I could see my reflection on her sweat, and she was so engrossed in thought that air stopped entering her system.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aGxBskuwn
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I was exaggerating, but I couldn’t deny that it was making me uncomfortable. I wondered then for a moment, as admonishable as a thought that it was, if this is how people felt around me at times.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOEumak2tp
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“Gahh, forget it! You convinced me, I’ll just say it!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gXPmmmH01
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“I didn’t say anything.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXL7BrtIKB
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEehskfwsce
She straightened her back and puffed out her chest. Her guise of bravery was there to convince herself. The instance her lips would part, she’d cross a fine line, one whose threshold would shut and lock with her passing legs. I knew that gesture all too well. And since I did, I gave her nothing but my most diligent attention.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgajjMaTbCN
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9t2LiHFwGL
“I’m sorry for being such a priss.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6O4v92KCR
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNs3k499iac
And I was returned an equal blow. Rover stuck her tongue out after saying that, ready to clean off the ‘mawkish verbiage’ she just spewed. That’s what it seemed to me anyway, but she refrained, as she had only her body to convince me of her sincerity.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQEcS1YpKM
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But whether she was or not, mattered not to me.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhX9oKxLao
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“I don’t regret chewing you out, don’t get me wrong. But I shouldn’t have abandoned you two. Not after how we’ve, b-became friends, and not after how you told me all you did.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcmMafHDQJ
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZudCrbt7Ks
“Told you all I did? What?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLrkkfwXP1
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She was caught by a wind of fury.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2m9VzUChfY
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“You don’t remember!? Are you kidding me!? I really should–! Gah, you’re making this so much harder than it should be!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6D24YNRnME
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBCMMUh4w5
I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. She stopped her rage immediately, donning a look of perplexion. 224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx21osIi2bp
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“What’s so funny?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAFEUm4MWq
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqexzjDgfG
“N-Nothing in particular. I appreciate the apology, I suppose? I don’t think I’m all that deserving of it, though.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn93wq8hzK5
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OlEQUjxDd
“Hold on, I’m not done yet!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYirt20qlL
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I nodded in understanding, and so she continued.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16FyVlQYsb
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“As I was saying… I was so mad, but I was never that mad. And I get why now. Because when it comes to anything Hard-Bringer, I get a little crazy.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVjhlnXlSm
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“A little crazy?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvqv6ved2Y
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“Yes, idiot, I just said that. They piss me off like you wouldn’t believe. Screw that, I don’t get a little crazy, I grow mad, mad!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45rqmME43G
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwaUIuMPIy
Her hands balled themselves to compliment her offshoot tangent. Her escalating tone made me concerned, but she relaxed soon after.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11X3J825J6
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaE3YZjcFd
“So yeah. Sorry for messing up. And, sorry for thinking you were such a wimp. I thought you were totally hopeless, but I was off the mark.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLm9EVgR8U
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“Well–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKiPmZJhg8
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“Shut up! Shut up! Do you know how annoying it is to hear someone undersell themselves all the time?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOOwAPFf8A
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDooGBRuAm
“I–”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSALDVBuJY
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It was that precise phrasing, that specific selection of words and syntax, and her usual, but energized voice that spelled it out for me, that allowed a candle to ignite in my mind. A quick image flashed in my mind, one of a man of close acquaintanceship, and then my throat spoke on its own.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85BrIcirLm
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjORSISlyB
“Yeah. I do. It sucks.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVYpyDG0e8
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“See! I– huh? You do?”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5UHoSa1Kh
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I slowly nodded along. Rover looked with pleasant surprise. She was more than eager to take my word for it, and in fact looked delighted after I spoke.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpL17CjIau
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“Still,” I began, “as grating as it may be for your ears, I really have to stress that I think you’re wrong about me. I’m still a wimp.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8OYPgEi2jr
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMDHdkECTu
“Whatever. Think what you want, but don’t speak it out loud anymore.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiX6JeGayWn
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3o9945GYt
“I… haha, sure thing, Rover. I’ll do just that.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxep9YSyCrw
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Her candid words were the perfect closer. There was wisdom in that harsh language– a funny thing to call it, as she was only a few years older than me –but wisdom nevertheless. No speech of mine could be a better finale, so I gathered myself and stood up from the floor.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qjnVVeUQ4
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7DSpKoK4e
“Perfect. I was just about to tell you to leave.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScnqKwVVsv
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeWAynUohC
“I’m starting to think you hate me.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdrkuRhkXv
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW65txIvBI
Her hands twitched upwards defensively.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQjN6W5xk7
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“I-I don’t. I’m just getting sleepy. Any second now, I’ll doze off.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBrqQKCCZa
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“Ah, right.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3CnVfMjTP
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She mentioned it just a few minutes ago, but it didn’t compute with me until now. Recovery would always be an exhausting thing, especially with assistance from potions. I wondered for a moment if there was a way to mitigate that.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LO1zDe2ZO
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“That one Bringer was invigorated even with a restored limb, after all…”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zdbZGp4JU
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcIvoN2101
“What are you mumbling about, eh? Scram! Scram, I tell you!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIay5tfeba
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUCssZLp5Q
“Alright alright, jeez. With how grouchy you’re being, you really do need that rest.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlcaqO3867
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnb8PP7ybB
She stuck her tongue out at me this time. I took it with a light heart, waltzing to the door and stretching as I made my way. I placed my hand on it but stopped short of opening, taking one last look at Rover. Her eyes were taking turns closing. I could tell she was exerting herself when she waved me off.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaIFx4gvjV
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“Wait, one last thing!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFKKyZhKNb
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Then, she shouted unexpectedly. I looked at her with a blank expression to signify my okay, and she continued shortly.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnhbY5YJ0V
224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2rugMtQud
“Tell that old bucket-wearing fart to visit me sometime.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIszxkACZ5d
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“...”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalZAxejIYi
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I smiled.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3AVWZlSy2
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“I will.”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGG1eqR75Br
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I returned her wave and exited the room. The moment the door shut behind me, I let out a quick breath and–224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPESmOonQCQ
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“Yes!”224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5cYcj4XDR
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A jump with jubilation. I had to. I never experienced such success before.224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgNCkOWFlM
