And though you turn away from me.

She really couldn’t do anything except listen to the few words he said. She didn’t look at him either. Nor did she have any real thing to share. So it has come to this then? Backing out on the things they’ve gone through? Miraye felt a familiar tinge of annoyance stricken inside. That was something she had a problem with. Over emotional, trapped, quiet people who usually let others have their way with them. And from what she continued to see from Tic, he was this kind of person. Taken advantage of, easily intimidated. She wrung her fingers tightly, scratching her skin subconsciously. Her eyes turned a bright pink as a tinge of pain ran across her arms before returning to the normal chocolate brown. Her nail broke through her skin. It didn’t bleed much. It was better that way.

He continued to stand there. Idle. She could feel his eyes boring away into her. The same annoyance inside began to grow again. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to push him to the floor, screaming and shouting at him. They weren’t even people they knew. Was the original plan not to alert the Sink? This was just another distraction along their way. No more distractions, she thought. She didn’t want anymore side adventures. And if they did help them, the burning, more were bound to die if they didn’t reach their goal first.

Miraye stood up and walked past him, not looking and not stopping. She turned cold near him. And he could feel this. She might as well continue the work downstairs and let the boy fall back into the misery dropped on him. She wouldn’t have to work that long. It was almost night. Just another hour and then the day would be then. Then she would climb back and sleep not considering that there was another person next to her, sharing space, breathing the same air. She stopped when she was behind him where he couldn’t see her. She looked up, her eyes unconcerned and her eyebrows straight. Indifferent. “I’ll take over down stairs. Take a bath. It’ll make you feel better,” she stated bluntly.

She climbed the stairs to the tavern below. Only one person had come in from the brief intermission. She washed the mugs, dried them and shined them. They were all organized by size and put away neatly to accommodate each drink. She glared at her hands, at the tasks she was doing. She was clearly angry. She wanted to break something but had to refrain from doing so. That boy. That stupid foolish boy. Why did she get mixed up in his acquaintance? You felt sorry for him, she bitterly thought. He reminded you of yourself when you were alone. That’s why you wanted to help so he wouldn’t end up like you. Miraye gritted her teeth. Should’ve over looked him, she grimaced. She wouldn’t be here, she wouldn’t have died.

But where would she be? She’d still be wandering. She would’ve been sold away into slavery. She shuddered. Maybe her master would’ve beaten her or raped her. She would live away bitterly and she probably would’ve committed suicide. And what if Tic wasn’t there to bring her back to life? She’d still be trapped in that web of darkness and sin. If she didn’t meet him she wouldn’t have changed. Didn’t she activate a spell with her thoughts a few days ago? When spells and incantations occurred, it was by emotion to a point she couldn’t remember anything. And as a person, she had grown as well. She stopped to think now. She matured in a way.

Maybe things weren’t that bad. Maybe it would be better off this way.

“Miraye?”

She jumped, startled. Looking up, Gaston seemed to have been calling her name for some time now. No new customers had arrive, a few had left. She didn’t know why he called her. She then started to wash a random mug she had already cleaned nearby to look busy. But to no avail, he continued to look at her. Concerned.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Wrong? Oh no, not at all.”

He examined her, reading her eyes. “That’s a lie. There is something bothering both of you. Just now, I watched as a dozen expressions changed into the other since it seems you had your mind on something else. You didn’t even hear me when I tried to get your attention. I saw it in old Wolf and I see it in you now.”

She couldn’t hold back. He had already figured it out. There was no bother from denying the truth to someone who had already heard the accounts of a close guest. Her shoulders slumped and her face drained of the mask she had been wearing for a while now. She let down her guard. From Gaston’s eyes, it was only then he noticed how tired she looked.

“The boy,” she started unsure to go on, “Tic, he believes he’s the reason why the burnings happened in that town. He thinks he’s the boy that they’re looking for. And I’m afraid this might be true.” She paused wearily and took a deep breath. “He wants to go back. He wants to turn himself to the Shrike and have this over with. But we can’t. There’s so much to be done. We have to go and alert the others. He’s not used to this. He gives in easily. And I’ve done so much that it would be a waste of my energy to be here. It’s just so… frustrating.”

Oddly enough, she never felt so relieved in her life. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she inhaled without a slight shudder.

And Gaston seemed to understand everything.

“I see. Well then, you’re just going to have to give him some time to think. And I know I might not find both of you here one day. I accept that.” He scratched his chin, thinking. “I will ask no more. And you can continue to trust that I will share your secret with no one. You must be tired emotionally. Tell you what, I’ll close shop early and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

She beamed. That’s all he needed as a thank you. Maybe if spent time to look for a woman, he’d have a lovely daughter like her.

Miraye feeling lighter than ever helped Gaston with the remaining chores. They bid each other goodnight and parted their ways. He out the door while she climbed the stairs. Tic wasn’t in the room but the bathroom door was closed. He had taken her advice as it seemed. She felt indifferent towards him still. Some annoyance still remained inside but the growing bitter anger for him subsided. It was better if she forgot about this and went to sleep. She undressed with a merry hum and tucked herself deep into the bed. She sighed. She only hoped that Tic himself let go of that guilt. He would have to get accustomed to this. There would be many more times that they’d have to go through such pains and trials of suffering. The strongest survived and the weak broke. He needed to grow. If he didn’t, he was sure to be left behind, sacrificed and forgotten among the faces of cowards and criminals. She didn’t want that to happen for him. But she didn’t want him to become extremely violent either. Only if he opened up more to her, spoke more, laughed more. She gave another sigh, turned herself on her side, facing the wall and the window. What would you do? Would you talk some sense into him and just let it go afterwards?

The Stryphus moon rose from the corner of the window and she fell asleep.