Tabitha
There were sixty-three wooden beams holding up the inn, one hundred twenty-eight planks of wood, twenty-three panes of glass and, one hundred forty-nine bricks. Tabitha counted them all, she was tired but had given up on sleep a while ago. Every time she would let her defences down to sleep her brain would start asking questions without her permission, questions she was afraid to answer. So she counted. Tabitha had been counting things ever since she was little, her father loved numbers and was always trying to get her to count with him 'Tabby, can you tell me how many stones are in the road? Tabby can you count all the carrots in the garden? Tabby do you know how many windows there are in whole the village?' he would say to her and she would count them for him. There were fourteen yoma in the village, thirty-one people dead people, one claymore, one blade, fourteen dead yoma.
Tabitha counted the number of trainees in her class how each one of them did in their training, the number of days that went by before she received her emblem. Her father may have died but she never stopped counting. Now she couldn't help herself, she couldn't stop counting. Over and over in her head, twenty-four warriors sent to the north, thirty-one awakened beings, seven awakened ones killed, seven warriors survived. Over and over again she played the numbers in her head trying to make sense of it all.
The organization sent twenty-four warriors to the northern town of Pieta to combat thirty-one awakened beings and one creature of the abyss. Those numbers just don't add up. Captain Miria said that this was the organizations design, that they had done this to save themselves, that they used the warrior's bodies as a road block to slow down the army of awakened ones. The organization had ordered them to the north despite knowing the numbers, and were happy with the odds. How could they just betray them in this way, killing off the ones who were deemed replaceable, sending good warriors to the slaughter? Seventeen warriors, eighteen blades, seven awakened beings. The numbers kept swirling around in her head, she had been loyal to the organization for six years, eight months, two weeks. Then they sent her to die six days ago; they presumed her dead two days ago. Seventeen comrades died 49 hours ago; there were now seven people left.
Tabitha sighed out loud, her skull felt like it was going to burst, all of the horrible information that was circulating through her head was pulling her mind in a thousand different directions. She just wanted it to stop, she needed something to do something, something to distract herself. Tabitha had been looking for distractions all day finding any task she could to occupy her thoughts with, but here in this inn there was nothing for her to do but sit in silence and think. She clenched her fists her nails digging into the palms of her hands, she clenched harder still, drawing blood; the pain was at least giving her something to focus on besides the chaos of her mind.
"Tabitha." a soft voice said, Tabitha opened her eyes, her captain was looking at her, Miria's eyes was sharp and observant, her face showed no signs of distress and her gaze steady, Miria was the embodiment of dependability and strength. Tabitha loosened her grip pulling her nails from her palm and took a deep breath.
"The things that happened in Pieta happened, accept them and figure out what you need to do to be able to keep on fighting." Miria held her gaze before returning to her own thoughts, Tabitha continued to stare though, She studied Miria's appearance while taking in what she said, the organization knowingly sent twenty-four warriors to their deaths, accept it.
Tabitha let it sink in; the fact that the organization had betrayed her. They did this, ordered a massacre and did it in such a disgusting manner, they give them the hope of surviving, not informing them of the true dangers they faced. They sent them off on a suicide mission without telling them, dangerous missions are what they were made for and an accepted part of life but to send them off knowing exactly what would happen and to not even tell them. That was the part that sickened her. Using good warriors as pawns in some giant game of chess without regard for their lives, that was unacceptable. The organization really didn't have any good in it accept it. As she let these facts flow through her brain, she was able to find a small bit of peace. She was still furious at the organization for killing her comrades, but there was no longer that lingering doubt.
Tabitha watched Miria some more, her presence was very comforting, to have someone so strong by her side helped to quiet her mind. Captain Miria was someone she could rely on, someone she knew she could count on to be dependable, to care about her wellbeing and knew the value of a life. It lifted a great burden off of Tabitha's shoulders to have someone to trust in. Miria was a great leader, she cared for each and every one of her charges, and people under her command could feel safer knowing that captain Miria had their back. Tabitha decided that the organization did not deserve her loyalty, not after what they've done. Instead she would give her energy to her captain, someone she knew deserved it. Her captain would never betray her as the organization did, send her off to die without a word, Miria was someone who she would serve faithfully because, she knew that at her core her captain was a good person. With this great burden lifted off her shoulders Tabitha's mind was a less chaotic place, and with it she was finally able to get some long put off rest.
Tabitha was woken by a presence, she opened her eyes just in time to see the door of the inn silently close. She looked around the room and saw that Miria was missing from her spot by the fire. Tabitha got up off the floor and silently followed her outside. Tabitha wondered why Miria had left by herself, she wanted to find out and followed her out of the inn. Tabitha was still supressing her yoki as this was an area she was quite skilled in so her yoki was nearly undetectable. Once she was outside she followed the foot prints in the fresh snow through the streets. It was still heavily snowing from the storm so she could only see a few feet in front of her face. She had walked a fair distance from the inn when she felt Miria's faint yoki signature and slowed her pace, once she got close enough she approached the clearing where the captain was and hid out of sight behind a pile of rubble.
The captain was standing in a clearing between two buildings, she was facing south with her eyes closed, she looked to be just standing by herself in the snow. Tabitha was confused as to why Miria was all the way out here.
"I know it's been a while, but I need your help." Tabitha froze in panic, she had been found out. She was about to come out from behind the boulder to apologize for spying, but Miria kept speaking.
"I need your help, I don't know what I'm going to do. We're all in such danger, we'll be hunted if the organization ever found out we survived, and to be stuck in the north with nothing but scraps, weak and beaten, having lost so many comrades, so many... Hilda I just don't know what to do." Miria wasn't speaking to her, she was talking to someone named Hilda. Tabitha crept back behind her boulder and continued to listen, the captain clearly wasn't talking to a person so she wanted to find out what she was doing.
"I know it's been a long time since I've talked to you, but you were always someone I could count on. My comrades, friends, dead in Pieta. Hilda since you died... I have to find a way to save them. Like I should have saved you." Miria continued. Tabitha looked down at the ground in shame, she was intruding on such a personal moment for her captain. Miria was talking to a dead comrade and it wasn't right to invade her privacy like this, Tabitha crept away from the boulder and headed back to the inn.
Tabitha still felt a bit guilty for spying on her captain, but she was also pleased with herself, she knew that she judged Miria right. Miria truly was a good caring person, someone who mourns over the deaths of fellow warriors. Tabitha carefully opened the door and slid inside gently closing the door behind her. She walked over to her spot by the hearth and silently placed her sword on the ground settling in for sleep when she noticed Uma stirring.
"Where were you? And where's Miria?" Uma questioned still half asleep.
"The captain just had to go and take care of some things; don't worry about it, just go back to sleep." Tabitha responded. Uma shrugged groggily and settled back into sleep. Tabitha closed her eyes with a ghost of a smile on her lips. Miria wasn't just the steely leader or the gifted strategist that she was on the outside but she also had a strong heart, that's what made her a great leader, a great person. Someone that Tabitha would give her loyalty to no matter what.
