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.
230Please respect copyright.PENANApX69FAPK28
“Now all I need to do is to finalize it.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAZ3ekhZ24R5
230Please respect copyright.PENANADVTrAAGKB6
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–230Please respect copyright.PENANAi4cUEJ76MO
230Please respect copyright.PENANAeKMLG6EIC1
“It’s a resounding success. Awesome.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA2Sm7PsbxTB
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA3DAPFfdMwh
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Should I go and deliver this now, or make a healing potion, and deliver this later?230Please respect copyright.PENANAWITzBsgrRm
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“...”230Please respect copyright.PENANAYYm1OwxWEF
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAo2TM3hS7o6
230Please respect copyright.PENANA4ZO1WOQGGh
“...That’s new. Where did you come from?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAiAnVtWq7Jd
230Please respect copyright.PENANAvxBm9stKXa
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAhMRSeJWb92
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“I know better. I don’t have the time for that. No, I don’t.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAfpveaHX9v5
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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–230Please respect copyright.PENANAFAxDuJsF0y
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“...”230Please respect copyright.PENANAYSlAeSCvm2
230Please respect copyright.PENANA7kM4uGiop6
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAaO42SCgNn8
230Please respect copyright.PENANAYzOTMzAj0E
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAd4uckiCfjj
230Please respect copyright.PENANAgc1dwhxePC
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA9wds4ctdJE
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–
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–
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA6UYlkOrnwr
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“Yes?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAordgNSK38Y
230Please respect copyright.PENANAnHVHcykiX2
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAgwsMDQTIcN
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“You’re here what I think you’re for, aren’t you?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAwgz3mmAf7f
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“Y-Yes, Lola. Here, this is the potion I made.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAunemiYCQ3b
230Please respect copyright.PENANAkwBaxqTPfN
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA30cgJDijO3
230Please respect copyright.PENANAGcmCnTDdTU
“You made this in eighty minutes?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAGmpEmQbh8u
230Please respect copyright.PENANAA0Sdmi34NO
“Did I take too long? I’m sorry, I had to grab some ingredients from a lower floor–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAaX9wGcyoOi
230Please respect copyright.PENANAKb9N7vcU8i
“No, not at all. I was expecting you to take longer. Thank you, Kenny, I’ll make sure you’re rewarded handsomely.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA8kOJjjEwYu
230Please respect copyright.PENANAiye1gn06uy
I raised my hands bashfully and rapidly waved them at her.230Please respect copyright.PENANAaSGubjeIaS
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“No no no, please don’t! You’re helping us enough as is.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAiyYkBuegZK
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“If you insist.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAhoMcjq7Jxg
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAMjyjU4u4ia
230Please respect copyright.PENANApT5evFeCjP
“Kenny?”230Please respect copyright.PENANA6Dt8q6bKB5
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“O-Oh, right. Do you need me for anything else?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAi8Z8UTRPEM
230Please respect copyright.PENANADcc8ltH8mB
“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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAm7ovPvN267
230Please respect copyright.PENANARcpe5iMaHh
I let out a chuckled sigh and slapped a hand on my chest, muttering a breathy “thank you.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAq4I2MnmX0i
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“There is something I’d like to ask you, however, just before you go.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAaTpNOTNRVl
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAxI8JtQwcFG
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“The concoction in your other hand; that bright green tint can only mean one thing, yes? A healing potion.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAME09H6pytC
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I nodded at her assessment. I realized the speed at which this could turn dangerous.230Please respect copyright.PENANATeoFDDGxyp
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“I see. I see, I see…”230Please respect copyright.PENANAQsIfVqnUk1
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“A-Are you going to make me make one for each soldier?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAWmLKsKDVoT
230Please respect copyright.PENANAEocMKKZ0GE
“No, I won’t ask that of an outsider, let alone a child– oh, sorry, you don’t like being called that, do you?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAcijGHl7MXI
230Please respect copyright.PENANA4jN6npeEPM
“...Don’t worry about it. I appreciate you being considerate, Lola. Is there anything else?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAQAeHNjLmik
230Please respect copyright.PENANAs9671dHwqK
“I-If you don’t mind my prying, could you answer a few questions for me?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAmKk7fosZqs
230Please respect copyright.PENANACvDgoxctNg
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAnsmV0zA0pO
230Please respect copyright.PENANAGHLksIsawT
“Please?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAY3VOE9d6D3
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Though it was difficult to draw a line while she was making such a face.230Please respect copyright.PENANAuT92whG1ZY
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“F-Fine, but please make them short. I have somewhere I need to be.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAlttOKQ0fDL
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“Thank you, I will. It’s just two quick questions. First–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAEPc1LLfVQC
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She paused right before asking, as if a crucial memory struck her from the woodwork. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAjDsfiSj9JB
230Please respect copyright.PENANAWUSFyye0eX
“–How long have you been an alchemist?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAbaoJredxzr
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“I’d say… hold on, that question has two answers. Commercially, it’s been about three years(1). Personally, it’s been for… seven?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAiumY32HheM
230Please respect copyright.PENANAJg9nHxQqD8
“Seven years? That’s over half your life, isn’t it?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAQ5t8vSvCQI
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I gave a simple shrug with sandwiched lips.230Please respect copyright.PENANA38t5LaDmIM
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“I started young. That’s all.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAHwtNVZvSwo
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“I see. Being trained at such a young age, no wonder why you’re so skilled.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAI9etHBRoMh
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“P-Please, don’t flatter me. I appreciate the remarks, but they just…”230Please respect copyright.PENANAKAjdXTz4EV
230Please respect copyright.PENANAhiJVMrPdFI
They don’t sit right with me, I wanted to say, but Lola gave a predictive, discerning nod, so I stopped speaking.230Please respect copyright.PENANAijvCObhDOf
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“Only seven years… then, maybe–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAO1K73cLAoZ
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“Sorry, can you repeat that? I didn’t catch it.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAbeD01wOqvL
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She jumped and then waved her hand.230Please respect copyright.PENANAEll2UrZ7gB
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“Don’t worry, I was just thinking out loud. Anyhow, for my next question…”230Please respect copyright.PENANAjxDtAV8K29
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“Right.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA2Pm9yBw1Zf
230Please respect copyright.PENANAmkWy6COhJY
“...I apologize if this may seem extreme, but I have to ask.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA4aaCuWovNY
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANApFsdZCgThv
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“Did you kill anyone in the last operation?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAW2XDQlR0rw
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“I– Wha!?”230Please respect copyright.PENANA2Ckwp5t1VS
230Please respect copyright.PENANAqKtyqEw1gQ
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAkLlp5v6s4f
230Please respect copyright.PENANALpm4s7xx2T
“Who asks something like that to a child!?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAoYbSXk4xPQ
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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?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAtyMIgmD6VU
230Please respect copyright.PENANAbFIn3TIgGy
“Your own… peace of mind?”230Please respect copyright.PENANA8tlGjwpg3k
230Please respect copyright.PENANA2YrkHp4BOj
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAHzJ1jW0o0B
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“I didn’t. I hurt some people, but I never landed a killing blow.”230Please respect copyright.PENANASDbeaUmDTh
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“I-I see. That’s a relief. Oh my goodness, that’s a relief.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAqsvIDZk0yk
230Please respect copyright.PENANAi7lESa8qa5
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAoajmdNN1VD
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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. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAc2sk1vwXb9
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“You… for some reason, I feel like you regard me much more highly than you should.”230Please respect copyright.PENANALv6gmdIIhv
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She shrugged at my comment.230Please respect copyright.PENANAGLKKQZ8RAA
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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?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAw9r3ipkHYL
230Please respect copyright.PENANA55lKHV8gjF
Brushing me off with perfect logic before I could respond to her outrageous statement, I clicked my tongue inward and turned on my foot.230Please respect copyright.PENANAxHu45ncYU4
230Please respect copyright.PENANAAo9JQJUDrz
“Goodbye Lola,” I shouted. She opened the door and slid right through, waving at me right before closing it.230Please respect copyright.PENANA6rDSy8pVG6
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–
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–
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAjGxsdWlZ1b
230Please respect copyright.PENANARSCmpjDXam
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANApKRAnBFGM5
230Please respect copyright.PENANA7lgKE1Uvox
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANANP5ayk7xAU
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“...This is ridiculous.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAmx3odFaAAc
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAqFTq0fceIg
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“Just go in, drop it off, go out. Go in, drop it off, go out. Go in, drop it– off!”230Please respect copyright.PENANA3giLAep14S
230Please respect copyright.PENANATziw7voNi2
In the midst of my chanting, I bit the arrow and slammed it open. It looked far removed from how I imagined it.230Please respect copyright.PENANAMGi0qvmYxO
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAKhvqNOwRV9
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And seeing how his groggy face raised to meet mine, I realized how noisy my entrance was.230Please respect copyright.PENANA7gmexpyqmt
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“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb anyone. I’m just here to deliver something.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAkYbNQ8YWaF
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“...Hmm.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAz1yoy1Uvma
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAf13TGBbOZF
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“Do whatever.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAJzpYzVdsLl
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“R-Right. Thank you, sir.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAS6CNjxifmz
230Please respect copyright.PENANAfTDDyQA2lj
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAiWAgLSNzco
230Please respect copyright.PENANAfrX08tgTdg
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANACb6jSyxBES
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“D-Darn it.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA3Oyt71l0bs
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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–230Please respect copyright.PENANAzxC828i5Wu
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“What are you doing here?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAUKvPjiTt3a
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA3Y75jsiC4x
230Please respect copyright.PENANAevH5VmbhNx
There was Rover, sitting in the one corner out of my sight, eyeing me with a lion’s eyes.230Please respect copyright.PENANA5jVtFNCjBc
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“...U-Uh.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAU2oMhm1ou8
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA2yDaXXmueG
230Please respect copyright.PENANAjvEp5UwXiH
“Well? Come on, spit it out.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAQ0stKyT2Hp
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“I… I-I.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA2F0uLByn25
230Please respect copyright.PENANATSI81LwjyE
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAoZTd81W8QT
230Please respect copyright.PENANACpUCPG8x7g
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAjQMbhNLVyJ
230Please respect copyright.PENANAtjzxlHzQSo
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAADrbGrZSAl
230Please respect copyright.PENANAZhkGnPFy4D
“I don’t have time for this, just spit it out!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAQgECAgrDVs
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“I-I’m here.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAj1Ru3fYQv5
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAaLVQTLyjny
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“I’m– I made— I– Rover, I’m here–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAIxRibMBGhn
230Please respect copyright.PENANAbNnC2UP8hr
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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAcUG2pJrK9U
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“I…”230Please respect copyright.PENANANp0ZwBnZNV
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAVvFPWj7kr4
230Please respect copyright.PENANAGENpR46Vrb
“Hello, Rover.”230Please respect copyright.PENANADIVpe9cahl
230Please respect copyright.PENANAFm5J5bVrqC
“Hey, Kenny.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAEBPxdVUKNS
230Please respect copyright.PENANAoyBbKJJ40A
I retracted my stretched arm, then extended it yet again.230Please respect copyright.PENANAH2DBMTVIMH
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“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–”230Please respect copyright.PENANArLV8khnUOh
230Please respect copyright.PENANA3Qq53OumXU
“Cut to the chase!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAGMqOe8Wkkm
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“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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAZcUmUE21CU
230Please respect copyright.PENANAadWlBalT6m
Her eyes widened. Her crossed arms slackened, and I took it as a signal to move forward. I took it incorrectly.230Please respect copyright.PENANADDkPTLhRt1
230Please respect copyright.PENANAPcWbCXH3DD
“Hold on, you brought me a potion?”230Please respect copyright.PENANABad6Oz3DKE
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“Y-Yes.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAlfyTVHlJA3
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“Now who told you to do that?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAFXulAXaC1O
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“W-Well–”230Please respect copyright.PENANA59aNfNAuMp
230Please respect copyright.PENANADZpWrxp4qa
Nigel suggested it, but he didn’t tell me. No, mulling over that was wasteful spending. There was only one truth in this situation:230Please respect copyright.PENANA42Z3R6WwoG
230Please respect copyright.PENANAfx8fn7yZar
“I wanted to do it. I wasn’t told.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAdaDKui3HAF
230Please respect copyright.PENANAgWrFltfKYD
“...You? That wimpy Kenny?”230Please respect copyright.PENANA60WQbWWjzU
230Please respect copyright.PENANA8uf8YfKuzu
I wasn’t mad at her insult. It was all too accurate.230Please respect copyright.PENANAyXufACtQif
230Please respect copyright.PENANAx2rpbEjtAO
“Yes, the wimpy Kenny.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAxIWvwemj9l
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“Ha! You’ve surprised me before, but this really blew my expectations out of the water!”230Please respect copyright.PENANArciDHLMGgH
230Please respect copyright.PENANA13652Lcz5c
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA1VnV8R2VvF
230Please respect copyright.PENANAA0Zwm0oFcv
“I refuse your treatment!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAxmT4bovdvu
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“H-Huh!?”230Please respect copyright.PENANA5dcv4uvrHH
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAN5PCOxVGEK
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“Why not? Don’t you want to recover faster?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAkKiBF2KrD1
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“Of course I do, but I can’t accept it. Not when you’re looking at me like I’m some kind of monster.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAubryFbkBGP
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“I– Wha?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAkPpyIvpVWj
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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–230Please respect copyright.PENANAoXfhUUyAJB
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“No, stupid! It’s the face you’re making! It’s weird!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAfcUom0YrRk
230Please respect copyright.PENANAytc5RRSb9w
“Stupid? Weird!?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAkmtSnxylqe
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“Do you need the whole room to hear it!? You’re looking at me like a weirdo!”230Please respect copyright.PENANARlKBThNsSK
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“...”230Please respect copyright.PENANApSrRj1s7Ip
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAEwcia9BIgF
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“Why are you looking at me like that? Hmph.”230Please respect copyright.PENANANLFT0TAg1C
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As I had no other mode of operating at this moment, I blurted my immediate response.230Please respect copyright.PENANAMpn6dowqig
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“It’s because I upset you.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAMGQIllwCOs
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And then I realized that something like this required thoughtful phrasing.230Please respect copyright.PENANANKuepICDGY
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“I don’t– well, I don’t want to make you any more uncomfortable than you–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAMqVu6xlGgy
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“That’s bullshit! Man, forget answering that, I don’t need your whole, your spiel you know!? Come here!”230Please respect copyright.PENANA8Ypdpgtat5
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“Come, there,” I asked, pointing to myself.230Please respect copyright.PENANAh1UBx1WTJU
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“Yes. Sit by me, I can’t stand looking at your working legs.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAH8jZLZxfbu
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“S-Sheesh.” 230Please respect copyright.PENANAsCrOFRmHgt
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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.
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“How do I use this thing?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAKb6gkVQ1wS
230Please respect copyright.PENANA5uPlZCU5Py
“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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAcgbNAgBSt0
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“Drinking works for me.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAAY3qPEhIIs
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAvxmYEX7gkY
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“Cah! What the hell, is in this thing?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAifjhghkHiE
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“That’s not the problem! You drank it too fast, you dingus!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAEI0fD6jqCu
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAVgmlZNIMRg
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“If you drink like that, it’s likely to go down the wrong pipe.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA2xjFpkRr0n
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“Whatever.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAC5uYKFlkFS
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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. 230Please respect copyright.PENANA5MFqNBHCLz
230Please respect copyright.PENANAa7u6enqqnc
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA77fjOSdKgu
230Please respect copyright.PENANABMZRsAESrf
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAmdT5PCZ8V8
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But before I could even take anpreludebreath, she spoke, reading my intentions.230Please respect copyright.PENANAopUxVThyxW
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“Leaving already?”230Please respect copyright.PENANA9QYeO990Bd
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“I-I am, yes. I think it would be best. It isn’t as if I don’t have–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAcEb0JlIydU
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“Hold on, not yet. I still have something to say to you.”230Please respect copyright.PENANApGyf3ePrkL
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAKssqwBZKnb
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“That’s funny. I do too. Do you mind if I start first?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAjOelCFzvMy
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAtvX6qDAT0K
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“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?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAHOPki2N0p9
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“Yeah, I do. I remembered how much of a wuss you were.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAoTdkQwZeNh
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I almost chuckled. Blunt as a bat, but it hit a bullseye.230Please respect copyright.PENANAUhGx5ciBcj
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“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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAIXAXxAg6O7
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I noticed the subtlest rise of her right brow.230Please respect copyright.PENANADGu2kOaRoL
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“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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAThLlYatfaw
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She nodded along to my apology. It looked like she was expecting more, but I was finished. So she’d understand, I concluded with–230Please respect copyright.PENANAPaNNI9SUtb
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“So yeah, I’m sorry for being such a wuss.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAOsuPYbeTxJ
230Please respect copyright.PENANAe89o3AxMCE
“...Hmm. Ha, I guess kids really do grow so fast.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAfqJE7XsBxl
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“H-Huh?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAc646E1T96P
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She rubbed her nose a little and continued talking.230Please respect copyright.PENANA5gxxlqQvyc
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“Just look at you. You’re nothing like the Kenny I knew.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAGCwrAHyk1h
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“I-I, well, I don’t know if I agree–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAGSGPmsfhNT
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“Nah, on second thought, I take that back. But that doesn’t matter anyway. Seriously, just look at you.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAeLOM5rcx7J
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“I’m n-nothing so special.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAdhQDWb9Wec
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“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!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAyCKrBhN2cs
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“The letter certainly isn’t a priority.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAHljhvXLop2
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She casually clicked her tongue, tilted her head sideways, and waved her hand downward.230Please respect copyright.PENANA3DjaDX4oro
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“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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANACqhk26pBX0
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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. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAwmasDjCtQw
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It took me only a few 230Please respect copyright.PENANA08QRDlxmEJ
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“I don’t think so. I don’t think I grew anything.”230Please respect copyright.PENANASTySd1ItRo
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“‘Course you did! Stop giving me such crap–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAgrNesrEOks
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“No, really, Rover.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAjOFcVSDgVI
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I slouched my posture and leaned back, lifting myself with my hands behind me. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAwIFfSxyjQG
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“I think I’m just lucky.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAF6NI2Ayhk5
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I veered my eyes away from the ceiling, looking into Rover’s, and was taken aback by her utter dejection. Or was it disgust?230Please respect copyright.PENANASqUCIiTQcP
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“I-I mean, it’s not as if I haven’t been trying, it’s just–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAQIpFX0DYc1
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“Nevermind all that, Kenny. You’re starting to give me a headache.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAkwNudEV0P8
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I stopped my frantic hand-waving and began to scratch my head.230Please respect copyright.PENANAzdyDLcKH7C
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“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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA9GCmRbEO3g
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“It isn’t a drug! I wouldn’t stoop to such barbaric substances!”230Please respect copyright.PENANA5nxyrtD7pw
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“Uh-huh, whatever. Hear me out before you can’t anymore.”
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAArUPsReJg6
230Please respect copyright.PENANAt1V9dqvUzF
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. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAFDohUz9hgZ
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“D-Don’t rush me!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAvWz97VdG3p
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“I’m not rushing you! I mean, I wouldn’t mind if you just spat it out, but–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAFAr5Ge9jNa
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“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…”230Please respect copyright.PENANAQYenR3vKGV
230Please respect copyright.PENANACB1cPqoMFr
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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAj5hQOVmsWC
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAUKB9jYxdsz
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“Gahh, forget it! You convinced me, I’ll just say it!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAcgkNJDmcHU
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“I didn’t say anything.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA3KAjoVLej8
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAoqxZdkLkyF
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“I’m sorry for being such a priss.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA6ZPY1iVAKS
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAmngxAVhBxM
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But whether she was or not, mattered not to me.230Please respect copyright.PENANAkqgJaGo09S
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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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAv1NbkjzIZL
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“Told you all I did? What?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAhe6TJ5n1xR
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She was caught by a wind of fury.230Please respect copyright.PENANA0qKgsANw4n
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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!”230Please respect copyright.PENANA20BjtRfZSo
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I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. She stopped her rage immediately, donning a look of perplexion. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAxSyw3gKltu
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“What’s so funny?”230Please respect copyright.PENANADMXdpHSeN9
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“N-Nothing in particular. I appreciate the apology, I suppose? I don’t think I’m all that deserving of it, though.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAACRh4MbzyV
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“Hold on, I’m not done yet!”230Please respect copyright.PENANA09PVSgOajA
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I nodded in understanding, and so she continued.230Please respect copyright.PENANACuRVyO4VLD
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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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAYUVRtyP01V
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“A little crazy?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAG2MWVhiDXh
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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!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAzb3rXVzrug
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Her hands balled themselves to compliment her offshoot tangent. Her escalating tone made me concerned, but she relaxed soon after.230Please respect copyright.PENANADFfPy0vsEB
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“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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAwRTvrSJHVl
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“Well–”230Please respect copyright.PENANARn83ZrjdvD
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“Shut up! Shut up! Do you know how annoying it is to hear someone undersell themselves all the time?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAlPSpfffeNX
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“I–”230Please respect copyright.PENANAlDiMD5nbCQ
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANATEgpyKmo8b
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“Yeah. I do. It sucks.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAOX5aZ0RQmg
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“See! I– huh? You do?”230Please respect copyright.PENANAOHFGVRvtgq
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAXexjlheFPm
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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.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAclRdHd2w2y
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“Whatever. Think what you want, but don’t speak it out loud anymore.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAdNs1ibcrHM
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“I… haha, sure thing, Rover. I’ll do just that.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA3WNQaX9x4e
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAKBl6F74a8C
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“Perfect. I was just about to tell you to leave.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAIzOfDvyLf4
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“I’m starting to think you hate me.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAEqFXHW58lj
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Her hands twitched upwards defensively.230Please respect copyright.PENANAuE9O5N647z
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“I-I don’t. I’m just getting sleepy. Any second now, I’ll doze off.”230Please respect copyright.PENANApKvYfxtZjD
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“Ah, right.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAvOjoH57HdQ
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANA2p6t7GEmV1
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“That one Bringer was invigorated even with a restored limb, after all…”230Please respect copyright.PENANA5X2fOLmyjR
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“What are you mumbling about, eh? Scram! Scram, I tell you!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAWrbiBwe6TE
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“Alright alright, jeez. With how grouchy you’re being, you really do need that rest.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAWRU9xpK9tN
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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.230Please respect copyright.PENANAKBII538SHn
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“Wait, one last thing!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAYGVxOpmDaz
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Then, she shouted unexpectedly. I looked at her with a blank expression to signify my okay, and she continued shortly.230Please respect copyright.PENANACWXI1LM8L0
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“Tell that old bucket-wearing fart to visit me sometime.”230Please respect copyright.PENANAqvLRN6m1BH
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“...”230Please respect copyright.PENANAUsH82gMLrv
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I smiled.230Please respect copyright.PENANAm4cTcf2ZPX
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“I will.”230Please respect copyright.PENANA9XRnvkZxDh
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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–230Please respect copyright.PENANAkydje41hF2
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“Yes!”230Please respect copyright.PENANAQzDvFn8Kc1
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A jump with jubilation. I had to. I never experienced such success before.230Please respect copyright.PENANA5p0ttIkNgJ