Chapter 10
The sound of the waves breaking against the docks was somewhat calming as I sat, trying to figure out where I went from here. I'd been sitting here most of the afternoon, looking out over the water. I meditated at first, trying to find my center and ensure I didn't kill anyone else. Then, once I was calm, I began to consider what to do now.
So far, after an entire afternoon of careful consideration, I could safely say that I didn't want to leave Grima behind.
The two of us had a weird thing going on between us. It wasn't love, but there was definitely affection. It wasn't a normal, or probably even healthy, relationship. But it was all either of us had. If I had to, I'd liken it to two strange dogs huddling together to weather a storm. That was us.
I resisted the urge to sigh. There was no need to look like I was moping.
I was a General! A verified hero! I'd stared death in the face more times than I could count! I'd literally looked God in the face and laughed!
I didn't mope.
I was… brooding.
Like Batman.
The sun had begun to set a while ago, long shadows casting me in twilight as the sky above the sea slowly faded to purple. I'd been sitting here for hours, the dockworkers wisely ignoring me.
Honestly, I was bored and hungry now.
But I was still afraid to go back and face Grima. I'd really let her down today, and I didn't really know how to deal with that. I don't think she did, either.
I took another deep breath (I was not sighing), and continued to look out over the sea.
Heavy, booted footsteps approached behind me, but I ignored them. Just because the sailors and dockworkers were ignoring me didn't mean they were avoiding the area I was in. A few had already passed close by, so I'd learned to just ignore them like they were doing to me.
When the footsteps stopped right behind me, I tensed up, ready for another fight, until…
"Hoy, young Ben is looking dumped in the downs. Maybe needs another ale?"
I smirked, glancing up over my shoulder at the big old mercenary smiling kindly down at me.
"Wouldn't hurt," I agreed.
Gregor guffawed a moment before moving and sitting down next to me. Giving an old man sigh as he settled, the mercenary fished around in his pouch before pulling out a beat-up old flask and holding it out.
"Is not ale," he said kindly. "But is all Gregor having."
I smirked gratefully and accepted the flask, opening it and taking a sip. A strong, bitter liquor hit my tongue, but I downed the mouthful all the same before handing the flask back to Gregor.
"Ho, usually friends have trouble with Feroxi ouzo," Gregor said appreciatively, knocking his own gulp back.
"I've had worse," I said. "Once drank Valmese moonshine made from local berries that were supposedly poison. Packed one hell of a kick."
Gregor barked out a laugh, slapping me on the back.
"Is one of life's joys, trying new drink," he said. "Now. What has young Ben so down in dumpings?"
I smirked as Gregor mangled the common language, before sighing again and looking out over the water.
"Gregor is thinking… is girl troubles, yes?" the mercenary said.
"That obvious?" I scoffed.
"When man is sad, even during travels with two beautiful young women, is most likely reasoning," Gregor said sagely.
"Yeah," I sighed. "I fucked up."
Gregor just nodded, handing me back the flask. I took it and knocked back another sip. The harsh licorice flavor did a good job hiding how potent the drink was. I found myself absently thinking about how easy this would be easy to get shit-faced on. Wary of that train of thought, I held the flask up.
"Gregor not asking about hows or whys," the old mercenary said as he took the flask back. "Is not Gregor's place. But while he is being nosy old man, has advice."
I nodded my head once.
"Is lady friend still alive?" Gregor asked.
I nodded again.
"Well, young Ben is still alive, too," Gregor guffawed, slapping me on the back again. "So! Go and making with the talking. Nothing will change if you sitting here moping."
"I'm not moping," I said petulantly. "I'm brooding."
Gregor shook his head with a wide smile, knocking back another sip of the potent liquor before looking out over the water himself now, his expression turning somewhat melancholy.
"Not Gregor's place to say," he started slowly. "But… Gregor sees same look in young Ben's eyes as he sees in mirror. So young, but… seen much. Too much death. Too much killing. Too much… too much bad stuff."
Gregor knocked back another long sip before continuing.
"Ah, but if still alive, can heal, yes?" he went on, glancing at me with a sideways grin. "Not just body heals. Relationships heal, too, yes. As long as both still alive, still have chance. So go talk to girls. No being scared."
"If you knew her like I do, you'd know why I'm scared," I chuckled darkly.
"That you know her well enough to be scared is good sign," Gregor said, patting my shoulder. "Means you shouldn't let her get away."
I nodded, blinking a few times.
I honestly felt a little better.
"Thanks for the pep-talk, old man," I said with a small grin. "Suppose I should go face the music, huh?"
"Bah, not being nervous," Gregor waved my statement away. "Gregor is seeing how women looked at you this morning at breakfast. Young Ben is having nothing to fear. Still, though…"
He held out the flask, giving me a wink. We'd drank almost two thirds of the flask at this point, so when I upended it and drained the remainder I got a good three mouthfuls out of it. I sighed as the potent drink burned its way down to my stomach, handing the flask back to the friendly old mercenary.
"Thanks," I nodded. "I owe you one."
"No, now we being even for breakfast," Gregor laughed.
"You know, you're way too nice to be a mercenary," I chuckled.
Gregor just flashed me a wide smile, all pearly white teeth as he chuckled.
"Gregor is being told that a lot," he said.
The sun had set by the time I made my way back to the inn. The bar on the first floor was already full and rowdy, merchants and travelers drinking the day's earnings away as they talked and laughed. Usually, I'd have considered getting a drink of my own, but I was still pretty buzzed from Gregor's liquor.
Besides, while I was in a younger version of my body, I still had all my faculties and all my experience. I didn't need to rely on alcohol anymore. I'd grown past that.
Hypocritical after what I'd just been doing with Gregor, I know, but I rationalized that as social drinking, therefore I maintained the moral high-ground. Over myself. Yeah.
I breezed right past the bar and went for the stairs, ignoring the tantalizing scents of food and booze, focusing instead on not tripping in the darkened stairwell. I mean, really, this wasn't a cheap inn; would it kill them to put some lanterns in the stairs!?
All too soon I found myself outside the door to the room Grima and I were sharing, still grumbling about cheap-ass innkeepers.
I hesitated at the door, wondering if I should knock-
The door opened in my face. Only years of army training saw me jerk my head back out of the way in time, but I still felt the corner of the rough wood graze my nose. Grima froze on the other side of the door, blinking owlishly in the gloom.
"Ah, there you are," she said placidly, as if commenting on the weather. "I was just coming to find you. Done moping already?"
"Fuck you, I wasn't moping!" I snapped automatically.
"Uh huh," she said with a small smirk. "Are you coming in?"
I grumbled, wordlessly slipping past her as she closed the door.
"Look, I'm sorry," I said. "I know we're trying to get away from the whole killing thing, and I didn't take that into consideration. I acted on autopilot, and I'm sorry."
"Okay," Grima said slowly, quirking her head a little. "Do you actually feel bad about killing that mage?"
I considered this for a second, before shaking my head.
"Not really, no," I admitted. "I probably should, but I don't. I feel bad about failing you, I guess."
"Oh, well, no harm done," she shrugged flippantly. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting this to go perfectly smoothly. I'm just surprised that you were the one who slipped up first, given our history."
This time I froze for longer, goggling at Grima.
"That's it?" I asked. "You… you stormed off in a huff! I thought you were mad!"
"What? I'm not mad," she laughed. "I just saw that look on your face and didn't want to be part of your moping pity party. I have all of Robin's memories, remember? I wasn't dealing with that."
"You…" I floundered. "You… but… I…"
"Aw, were you worried I was mad at you?" Grima cooed, moving closer and stroking my face.
"Honestly, yes! And I was brooding, not moping!"
"It's the same thing. And I was actually touched that you cared enough to kill for me," Grima giggled, her hand lingering on my cheek. "I know how touchy you humans are about all that death and killing stuff."
I frowned, choosing to ignore the excessive contact of her hand on my face. She probably thought she was being sweet. She was just annoying me.
"Oh my god I cannot believe this," I muttered instead. "I wasted all afternoon trying to think of how to apologize to you for nothing."
"Indeed you did," Grima laughed. "You also missed dinner."
"Oh fuck my life," I groaned.
Grima giggled again and planted a light kiss on my lips.
"You are endlessly amusing, my pet," she said. "But you did leave me bored all afternoon."
"Urgh. Sorry," I groaned. "Old habits, I guess."
Grima just grinned, moving forward and planting another, harder kiss on my lips this time.
"You can always make it up to me if you feel bad," she purred.
"Are you serious?" I deadpanned. "I spend all afternoon feeling miserable and get the emotional whiplash of finding out you didn't care either way to begin with, and you want to bang now?"
"Yes. Why? Do you not want to?" Grima asked seriously.
I blinked a few times, glaring at Grima's innocent, curious expression.
"Okay, weather I want to or not is irrelevant here-" I started.
"Ah! You do!" Grima laughed, pushing herself against me.
I gave a small, irritated growl as Grima giggled and nestled into the crook of my neck, wrapping her arms around my back and pulling herself close.
"I'm onto your game," I sighed. "You're trying to piss me off."
"Is it working?" Grima asked, her tone sultry.
I grabbed her by the shoulders and jerked her away from me, glaring down at her impish grin.
"Yes," I growled.
Then, probably more forcefully than was strictly necessary, I pulled her back to me into a hard kiss, one that Grima seemed all too happy to return in kind. This lasted all of thirty or so seconds until I was pushing her back across the room, our faces still pretty much mashed together, until we hit the bed. Grima went to let herself fall back on it, but another thought popped into my head instead.
With a small grin I pulled back and scooped her up in a bridal carry, before dropping to my knees and not-so-gently dropping her to the floor where I had slept the night before. I planted my knee between her legs and leaned over her, effectively pinning her as I began to trail rough kisses up her collar and neck.
"Ah… really?" Grima gasped. "On the floor?"
"Well," I said between kisses. "Unfortunately… there's no… forest around here."
"Mmm… you think you're cute…" she groaned.
"Bitch, I'm adorable," I smirked into her neck.
Grima growled a little herself as I sucked on her neck, leaving a fairly visible hickey near her shoulder. She planted her hips, clearly about to try to reverse our positions, but I wasn't in the mood to let her. I planted another rough kiss on her lips, holding myself up off the floor above her with one hand as I pressed down on her with the other, using the movement as an excuse to run my hand under her shirt.
Grima gave a small, shuddering sigh through her nose as my palm met the soft skin of her stomach, reminding me that it had been a while since I'd 'fed' her my life energy like this. We'd managed a few drops of blood when Anna hadn't been looking on the boat ride over here, but it had been nearly a week now since we'd boned.
It made me wonder how much of her reaction was due to her hunger, and how much was due to my godly skills.
Grima gave another growl around my tongue, turning her head to break the kiss as her hands grabbed at my belt.
"Stop teasing me, dammit!" she complained.
"It's called 'foreplay', and most women appreciate it," I said mildly.
Grima turned back to glare up at me, and it honestly looked like the four tattoos on her face were glaring at me, too.
"The only way I could have been more forward is if I had been sitting here naked," she said, almost tearing my belt from my pants in her haste. "I practically threw myself at you. I do not want foreplay. I want you to fuck me."
I gave her a smirk of my own this time as I took her hands in mine and slowly pushed them to the floor above her head. As I leaned down to do this, I began to plant much slower, softer kisses along her jaw and down her neck. If the way Grima groaned in frustration and bucked her hips up against the thigh I still had between her legs was any indication, she was not impressed.
"What's wrong?" I asked teasingly, my lips drifting up towards her ear. "Are you suddenly in a hurry?"
Grima struggled against my grip holding her wrists, growling again when I wouldn't release her hands.
"You know I turn into a dragon, right?" she warned breathily.
"You wouldn't be the first dragon I've conquered, then," I chuckled.
"Mmm, hurry up and maybe you'll get better than a seven and a half out of me," Grima purred.
I chuckled into her ear, biting down softly on the top of it. Oddly enough, her ear was human-shaped, not pointed like a manakete's. I mean, sure she was in Robin's body, but aside from the weird face markings there were no other…
Wait, did that bitch just seven-point-five me!?
Well, I'd been planning to finish my teasing, but if she wanted to go there…
"But I haven't finished explaining to Anna where babies come from yet," I whispered in her ear.
"Argh, I hate you right now," she moaned, struggling a little against my grip again.
I chuckled again as Grima finally let herself fall limp to the floor, glaring up at me petulantly. I leaned back a little, still holding her down with one hand.
"If you are waiting for me to beg, you are going to be disappointed," she pouted.
"I'd be more disappointed if you did beg," I chuckled.
I released her then, leaning back to sit up on my haunches. Grima actually left her hands sitting above her head, still pouting as she glared up at me.
"You are enjoying this," she accused.
"I am enjoying this small modicum of control you've allowed me, yes," I smirked.
"Ah, so you are smart enough to know when I'm playing along," she said. "Good. Now, if you're just about done playing coy…"
"I know I'm gonna pay for this later, let me enjoy it while I can," I chuckled, leaning down again.
I surprised her, then, by running my hand between her legs quite firmly, my fingers digging into her crotch and eliciting a strong moan as she arched her back at the unexpected stimulation. I took the chance to yank her shirt and undershirt both forcefully upwards, exposing her chest but leaving it bunched around her neck. As I continued to stroke Grima through her pants I bent down, alternating suckling kisses and actual bites on the soft flesh of her perfect breasts. Groaning in pleasure Grima thrust herself against my hand, head turning aside as she gasped every time I bit down on her chest.
"If… if you leave marks…" she panted absently.
"If I leave marks what, exactly?" I asked, my voice low.
I punctuated my question by sucking harder on the side of her breast, leaving another hickey and earning another groan as Grima began to grind harder against my fingers.
"Damn you… you're still just… teasing me…" Grima moaned. "If… if you make me cum like this I'm not letting you have your way with me!"
I laughed, pulling my hand from her crotch and practically tearing her pants down around her knees. Grima gave another relieved gasp as I stripped her of her panties, before running my fingers over her entrance.
"Huh. You weren't kidding about not needing foreplay," I commented from between her breasts.
"By all the gods above, if you don't fuck me this instant I will kill you!" Grima exclaimed, throwing her head back into the floor in her frustration.
"Yes, oh mighty goddess," I purred, tearing off my shirt and dropping it aside before shucking my pants.
Grima kicked one leg clear of her own pants, leaving them and her underwear clinging to one leg as she wrapped them both around my hips, forcibly guiding me to her entrance. Fortunately, I'd been enjoying being the dominant one for a change, and I was more than hard enough to slide right in. Grima gave a loud moan as I did, arching her back again as I drove myself into her depths. With an irritated grunt, she pulled her shirt off and flung it aside, before digging her nails into my back. As soon as she did, I began to pound her, hard, the obscene sound of our flesh slapping together filling the room, accompanied by the wet sucking sounds from where we were connected.
Throwing her head back in ecstasy as she was finally given what she wanted Grima cried out so loud I was worried we were going to get kicked out of the inn. I used the hand not holding me up to knead her breast a little, before I pinched her nipple between my finger and thumb and twisted a little, trying to find out how far this newfound masochism play of hers went. Grima shuddered beneath me and bucked harder against my hips in response, and I arched an eyebrow as I continued to thrust at a steady rhythm.
That's one thing they don't tell you; speeding up will get the guy off, but a lady needs a steady rhythm and plenty of other stimulation.
Feeling Grima starting to contract around my member, I moved the hand playing with her chest down to her clit, beginning to vigorously rub at the little nub. Grima cried out again, arching the opposite way to bury her face in my shoulder as her nails raked across my back. I grimaced as she bit down, hard, on my shoulder. If I weren't so close to finishing, myself, I would have told her to knock it off. I'm not into biting.
A few moments later Grima came with a beautiful scream, right next to my head as always. My ear ringing, I thrust into her a few more times before unloading myself and preparing for the usual drain.
I let out a breath as Grima began to siphon my energy, enduring the usual draining feeling by closing my eyes and clenching my teeth.
But it kept going.
And going…
And going…
The arm holding me up gave out, and I fell sideways onto my elbow.
"Grima, for god's sake are you… ugh… trying to kill me?" I groaned.
"Just getting a little payback," she said sweetly as the draining sensation tapered off.
I slowly pulled out of her, earning one last happy moan, before I flopped onto my back. Right on Grima's arm.
"Argh! You're heavy! Get off!" she cried.
"You drained me, you know I can't…" I groaned, staring up at the ceiling in a daze.
Grima pulled a little more, managing to get her elbow out from under me. Her hand was still stuck between my shoulder blades, though.
"Can you hurry it up?" I drawled. "This is uncomfortable."
"Oh, shut up," Grima snapped as she yanked her hand free.
"You brought that on yourself," I reminded her.
"Yes, and unfortunately for you, you're too heavy for me to move to the bed," Grima chuckled darkly.
"Don't care," I mumbled, absently tugging my pants back up. "Just prop a pillow under my head, and I'll be fine."
I closed my eyes again, listening as Grima moved away and began to rustle around the bed. To my surprise, rather than have a pillow flung at my face like last night, I found my head gently lifted as a pillow was tucked beneath it.
To my further surprised, the blanket off the bed was then placed over top of me, and Grima lifted my arm so she could sidle up next to me on the floor.
I didn't say anything, already too far gone into unconsciousness to comment, but, judging from the satisfied sigh as Grima got comfortable on my chest, she didn't find the floor as objectionable as she wanted me to think.
My last thought before oblivion claimed me was mild amusement at the realization that Plegia's God of Death was a cuddler.
The next morning, I awoke to hell.
I gave a pained groan, so weak it was almost a sigh, as sensation returned to my brain.
"Oh god. Everything hurts. Why? Why does everything hurt?" I sobbed.
The hitching of my chest must have woken Grima, because she gave a small snort before turning her face into my chest to hide from the sunlight. Then she froze, going rigid curled up against my side.
"Ow," she groaned. "Oh, gods… ow… ow… ugh, my hip…"
She muttered curses as she shifted, gingerly rolling onto her back and off the hip she'd had pressed into the hardwood floor all night.
"Oh that is… you have been doing this every night!?" she complained.
"It's not as bad if you sleep on your back," I grunted.
I flexed my shoulders a little, trying to shift to encourage some blood flow to return. Unfortunately, I felt lethargic and slow because of Grima's draining the previous evening, so it wasn't a pleasant process. It was made even harder due to the fact Grima was still using my bicep as her pillow as she massaged her hip and side.
"I don't recall sleeping on the ground when we camped being so unpleasant," Grima mumbled irritably.
"Dirt's a fair bit softer than wood if you pick the right spot," I yawned. "You never noticed that I spent so much time trying to find us soft spots to sleep?"
"I thought you were just being weird," Grima said, a moment before yawning herself.
Yawns were, after all, very contagious.
"No, I was trying to find us somewhere comfortable to sleep," I rolled my eyes. "Why the hell didn't you use the bed?"
"It's been a while since we cuddled," Grima pouted, looking away from me.
I chuckled, reaching out with extreme effort to poke her in the cheek.
"Aw, were you feeling lonely?" I teased.
"We agreed we were going to keep each other from being lonely," she muttered.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I chuckled, scooting a little closer to her.
Grima sighed though her nose, looking somewhat mollified as she rolled onto her side to face me again. The side she had been complaining hurt earlier. With a wince and another hushed curse, she kept rolling, draping herself over top of me. I gave a chuckle, pulling her closer into a more comfortable position and using the excuse to flex some life back into the arm she'd been using as a pillow.
"Hello there," I chuckled, planting a kiss on her hairline.
Grima murmured incoherently as she snuggled into my chest, giving a small sigh as she got comfortable again. I smirked apologetically as I tapped her on the back of the shoulder.
"Hey, wake up," I told her tiredly. "Time's a wasting. C'mon, we don't wanna be late."
"Last time you said that, we were up before Anna was," Grima mumbled without opening her eyes, brow furrowing in irritation.
"Yes, but we're actually leaving today," I added. "We need to pack up."
"I swear if she is not up first this time…" Grima mumbled, slithering off me.
With a great deal of effort, I dragged myself to my feet as Grima sat up. She remained on the floor, languidly stretching her arms above her head and yawning as I looked around for my shirt. I found it in one corner of the room, where I'd thrown it, but stopped before I could pull it on.
"Really? Really!?" I sighed.
Four long, thin gashes had torn the back practically into ribbons. Grima looked up when she realized I was glaring at her, giggling a little as I inspected my ruined shirt.
"When did you even do this!?" I groaned.
"Perhaps you should not tease a lady so much next time?" she suggested mildly as she stood as well, before making a sour face as she stretched again. "I shall be sore all day now because of you."
"Oh sure, blame the victim," I said, rolling my eyes and tossing the shirt aside and reaching for my jacket. "I'm gonna go see where Anna's at. Give you time to powder your nose or whatever it is you women do in the mornings."
Grima yawned again, perching on the edge of the bed. She offered me a tired grin as she ran her fingers through her long white hair, vainly attempting to straighten it.
"And if I should fall back asleep in your absence?" she asked coyly. "Could I perhaps expect a kiss from my prince to awaken me?"
"Don't be cute," I scoffed. "One would assume that you'd be done with princes after everything that's happened to you."
Grima's grin just turned a little wry.
"Perhaps I just haven't met my Prince yet?"
I grinned a little myself as I pulled the jacket on, leaving it hanging open to expose my chest and stomach as I crossed the room. I tilted Grima's chin back and placed a firm kiss on her lips, which judging from the way her arms instantly went around the back of my neck to pull me in closer, she enjoyed.
"Well then, let me know when you find him," I said as I pulled back.
Grima huffed as I chuckled my way across the room, pausing at the door just long enough to throw an "I'll be downstairs, don't take all day," back at her before I stepped into the hallway.
So Grima wanted me to be her Prince?
No pressure or anything.
I mean, it's not like we'd spent nearly a decade trying to kill each other or anything…
I shook my head as I descended the stairs to the ground floor, marveling again at just how fucking weird my life had gotten. But, as they say, life has a funny way of surprising you. Or… death, in this case. I had died. Right? At least twice… was I still alive?
I paused on the bottom step, considering.
"Fuck it, too much effort," I muttered, stepping down into the reception area.
The bar and restaurant were almost empty this early, only a few merchants and tradesmen up at this ungodly hour for work, nursing plates of bread and dried fruit with mugs of 'mother's milk' on the side.
What is 'Mother's Milk', I hear you ask? It's fucking gross is what it is. Nutritious, but gross. It was basically a big mug of ale, oats, honey and a bunch of other shit mixed in, depending on the region and what was available. It was generally drank by the poor and servants, and in most cases is probably the best breakfast you can have.
Yes, I'm aware there's a cocktail named the same thing; it's infinitely better than this crap.
Wrinkling my nose at the thought of a mug of alcoholic breakfast, I angled for the stables, ignoring the glares I was getting from the innkeeper and his assistants. Either they didn't like the fact my body was on display without my shirt on, or they were unimpressed by my little performance with Grima last night. It wasn't my fault she was a screamer…
To my mild surprise, I saw a familiar flash of red hair as soon as I stepped out into the stables. Anna was already up and preparing her wagon, her sturdy draft horse currently eating a mixture of oats and hay. Anna looked up from the back of her wagon and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of one hand, freezing when she saw me. Her eyes instantly widened, and she began to blush up to her roots.
"So I'm guessing either you heard us last night, or my chest hair really turns your crank," I said glibly.
Anna's blush intensified until her face practically matched her hair, and she made a disgusted sound as she turned away.
"Ugh, that's… you're… ugh!" she managed.
"Eloquent," I chuckled.
The young merchant snuck a glance over her shoulder before turning away again.
"You two had better behave while we're on the road," she said petulantly. "I'm not listening to that every night."
"Ah, so it's not my chest hair?" I sighed. "Damn. It's never the chest hair…"
"I think one of my cousins has a cream that can help with it," Anna giggled.
"Please, are you kidding?" I asked, pointedly running a hand through my thick layer of hair. "You take one good long look at my chest. I do not need 'help' with this stuff."
"I meant help getting rid of it!" Anna laughed.
"Now you're just spouting crazy talk," I said. "What's the cargo, anyway?"
Anna perked up immediately, turning back to face me with an excited expression.
"We…" she started, grabbing the corner of the tarp on her wagon and yanking it back with a flourish. "… are bringing water to the Capital!"
I stepped closer to look at the tray of the wagon. Like Anna had said, there were large barrels securely tied down in the tray, each one sporting the logo of one of the local mercantile clans. There really wasn't a lot, in the grand scheme of things; this much water was maybe a week's worth for one of the smaller households in Plegia's capital. But because there was no local source of water in the city, all of the water had to be shipped in. Even a small contract like this was a pretty big deal, but…
"Can you believe that no one else wanted this contract?" Anna asked excitedly. "It's a small fortune, just to lug some barrels over the desert!"
Finally my brain finished it's hard reset in the wake of Anna's life-threatening naiveite, and I rounded on her in something of a panic.
"Are you fucking retarded!?" I finally hissed once my faculties returned.
Anna actually flinched, blinking in surprise.
"What?"
"Don't you 'what' me!" I went on, my voice low as I yanked the tarp back over the tray. "Who else knows!?"
"What? Nobody!" Anna said in confusion. "Just us and the guys at the merchant guild."
"Oh my dear sweet merciful fuck," I groaned, running my hands down my face.
"What's the big deal?" Anna huffed. "This is a total milk run!"
"Do you know why no one would take this contract!?" I asked, my eyes wide. "Because moving water through the Central Plegian Desert is more dangerous than moving gold through Valm's slums!"
"What?" Anna squeaked.
"The nomadic desert tribes go apeshit for this stuff," I explained hastily. "Not to mention the groups of bandits and raiders that hide in the desert. There's a reason that water's usually only moved by the big convoys! I thought you were an Anna! Aren't you supposed to know this stuff!?"
Anna had gone pale now, the beginnings of tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
"I… had no idea," she admitted. "How did you know?"
"I used to… ah… 'travel' with a Plegian woman," I explained.
"What are we going to do?" Anna asked desperately. "I can't break the contract! They've already given me the product! If I don't get this to the Capital I'll be ruined!"
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment to compose myself.
"Just because it will be difficult, doesn't mean we can't do it," I told her. "If we move during the day and hide at night when the bandits are active then we should be safe. Hope you're getting paid a helluva lot, though, because this is absolutely going to kill your horse."
Anna swallowed and nodded a few times.
"Also, make sure you register this job with your family," I went on. "If something goes wrong, then at least we can trust them to bail us out."
"But… I can't go crawling back after I just struck out alone," Anna said meekly.
"You fucked up with this job," I said flatly. "Own it. I'm not getting killed for your hubris."
"Right," Anna nodded. "You're right. No point getting killed for nothing…"
"Being a good merchant doesn't mean not asking for help," I told her with a small sigh. "It means knowing when to ask for it, and when not to."
Anna nodded again. "I'll… go do that now. Can you watch this? I can't believe I left it down here alone all night…"
I sighed and nodded, and Anna perked up a little as she smiled gratefully. The merchant fairly scurried off out of the stable to write her cousins a letter, no doubt, leaving me alone with the horse. I glanced over at the barrels again, shaking my head as I moved to secure the tarp a little more.
"This is turning into more trouble than it's worth…" I muttered darkly.
AN: I have a backlog. I have a fucking backlog and I still forgot to update this story... Ugh...
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