It did not take them long to reach the area Shi'ae had located herself. It was quite secluded, tucked away in it's own little corner, out of sight. When they saw the shack Shi'ae pointed at it and stayed, "That is where I have been staying."
"Yeah, I see what you mean. I'll make up something comfortable for you to lie on. Oh yeah, also I should probably check up on your wound, see how it's healing."
Shi'ae nodded in agreement at this. The injury seemed to be healing up very well, with little pain most of the time, but it should be certainly checked for infection just in case.
She led the way through the hut, pushing open the creaking old door. She stepped inside and closed the door once Oliver had come in. It was quite crowded inside the tiny building with the two of them however.
Oliver plopped his bag atop one of the crates and opened it. The blanket on top was half falling out after the pressure keeping it down had released. He quickly grabbed it and turned around to judge which would be the best position to set up a sleeping area. The only space in the shed was the area he presumed Shi'ae had been sleeping previously.
He gently place the blanket down and smoothed it out, muttering, "There we go", once the task had been complete. Next, he fluffed up the pillow and placed in down on top of the blanket.
Shi'ae had been watching him the entire time, curiously studying the things he was doing. Once he had finished, she looked at the finished product with gratification. It appeared much more comfortable than before.
Oliver glanced over the bedding, noticing the blanket would probably be too short, he told her, "The blanket's a bit too short, so sorry about that..."
"It is fine, truly. I am sure it is not too short, and anyways it is much better than what I had before. Now I will be able to get a good night's rest, thanks to you Oliver."
Oliver smiled at her words, contempt with the fact that his efforts meant something.
"Your welcome. Anyways, do you mind if I take a look at your wound?"
"It think it would be best if you would, thank you.", was Shi'ae's response.
Shi'ae sat up on one of the crates and shifted her chestplate to allow Oliver easy access to the wound.
"Ok... Let's have a looksee...", Oliver mumbled to himself as he went to pull off the bandage. He tore it off quickly, hoping it wouldn't hurt too badly but Shi'ae barely flinched.
The wound had indeed healed extremely fast, for human standards anyway. It had closed over nicely and there were no signs of infection at all. A new bandage was still in order however, and as he reached over to his bag to pull one out, he informed her that, "Yeah, it's healed up really well and there appears to be no complications. I'm just going to put a new wrapping in it to keep it clean, and you should be able to go within a few days if not tomorrow."
He said the final part in a sad tone, and Shi'ae picked up on it. He was not trying to earn any sympathy, but he couldn't help be a little sad that she would be going soon. He had grown to enjoy her company, and would even consider her a friend.
Shi'ae thought carefully for a few moments before saying, "I see... I might take it easy for a bit and stay a few more days, to regain my strength."
Oliver smiled and was inwardly happy, but he kept that mostly to himself. He was quiet for a minute, concentrating on putting the bandage on.
"That would do you some good definitely, but keep it easy enough."
Shi'ae hopped down off the large crate she had been sitting in, simultaneously saying, "Thank you. I think now we should head outside of this pitiful shack and go enjoy the beautiful sunlight while it is still day."
Oliver packed up his things and returned his bag to it's usual spot, on his back, while happily following Shi'ae out the door.
They walked side by side through the woods, both silently listening to the sounds of nature, birds chirping and flying tree to tree, the bright orange sunlight breaking through the treetops, lighting the place up beautifully.
It took the pair a while to reach their usual quiet place, as they had been walking slowly while viewing their
surroundings.
They casually sat down facing each other, Shi'ae sitting cross-legged and Oliver with his back against a tree.
Oliver did a huge stretch while yawning, settling himself down more comfortably against the tree, sliding down it until he was satisfied.
"This is nice...", he said, eyes fluttering shut, threatening to fall asleep.
"It is very peaceful, I could quite easily fall asleep here myself.", Shi'ae said while also repositioning herself more to her liking, relaxing her shoulders and neck. After a good while had passed, she knew she had to snap out of it.
"I'm afraid we can't stay like this forever unfortunately Oliver, as your people would looking for you. However before you go, do you mind if I ask you something?"
The sudden request caused Oliver to snap his eyes open, sitting up quickly so he could address Shi'ae. He always enjoyed listening and answering the sometimes odd questions she asked, so he eagerly told her, "Sure, go ahead."
"After all our time speaking, I have never actually found out what you full name was?"
Oliver looked at her perplexed. He really hadn't which he found weird, and concluded that he should probably great her properly.
'Better late than never', he thought.
"Hello there, I'm Oliver David Madison, nice to meet you!"
"I'm Shi'ae Rahomee, and it's pleasant to meet you also.", she said, taking Oliver's outstretched hand and shaking it.
"Well, Mr. Madison, I don't mean to dampen the mood, but I think it might be time for you to go back."
Oliver let out a sigh, and for once not being eager to do something, he still agreed with her though.
"Yeah you're probably right, but I was getting comfortable."
"You can always come back tomorrow."
He perked up slightly, content with the fact he could just come back the next day.
"I'll see you tomorrow then, and maybe I'll bring some food for you instead of that canned stuff!"
Before Shi'ae could respond, the fool had run off into the woods, excited he could let Shi'ae try some human food, even if he would be hard pressed to find anything half decent. She still considered the fool a friend, an odd yet friendly thing.
Once Oliver had gotten to a position where he was in the treeline but had a good enough view of the base, he began scouting around for a side entrance for future reference, and did eventually ended up finding one. He was fairly confident that he knew the rough position of where the door was from the inside aswell.
He still entered from the main entrance however, as the it would raise the guard's suspicions if he didn't see him coming back.
He was red in the face from running back, so it would look believable that he was out exercising. He walked up confidently, and the guard let him by without a second notion.
After putting his bag back in his room and throwing a splash of water in his face to cool off, he headed to the canteen to receive his meal.
It was moderately filled as for once Oliver had arrived in time. He got his food and sat down beside his friend.
"How you doing?", Oliver greeted Isaac.
"Pretty good, thanks. You were gone for a while, what were you doing?", Isaac said while raising an eyebrow, smile on his face.
He leaned towards Isaac slightly more, not right in his ear, but close enough so he wouldn't have to talk as loudly.
"I was getting Shi'ae a pillow and blanket, cause where she's staying in some shack in the woods don't look all too comfortable.", he told him.
Isaac nodded at this new information, letting it soak in before he crack a wide, cunning grin.
"Slick way to find where a girl lives.", Isaac said trying to keep a straight face, but couldn't help devishly grinning, and soon broke down into laughter.
Oliver couldn't help but laugh, albeit at his own expense. He gave Isaac a playful dig on the arm, saying, "You know that wasn't what I was doing!"
"I know, I know, just messing with you.", Isaac panted, managing to calm down but he was still lacking breath.
A little while later, after they had cleaned their plates, they headed back to their room. It wasn't too late but it wasn't early either. Oliver was worn out from an event filled day, and decided he would go to bed at little earlier than the standard curfew.
He still stayed up a bit to talk to Isaac, although his want for sleep some overtook him, and he went to bed.
He woke up some time later. Someone was shaking him, and making a noise. He soon matched that noise to be his own name, and the person making the noise was Isaac.
"Hey, hey, wake up. There's something important you need to know, now.", Isaac said urgently.
In his groggy state, Oliver was still having trouble piecing together what was going on, but said up anyway to listen.
Isaac took this as the nod to go on, so he started telling him, "They're fire bombing the forest, and if I had to guess Shi'ae couldn't be hiding far from here. Bombs drop in half an hour, so if she is out there you have to warn her."
Seconds after Isaac had finished speaking, Oliver fully realised what he had been told. He sprung up quickly, causing his head to spin, but he still continued getting changed. He threw some better suited outside wear over what he was wearing to bed, and headed out the door without anymore than a nod of acknowledgment towards Isaac. He opted for leaving his med bag, knowing it would only slow him down, and time was essential.
He went out the side entrance he had found earlier to avoid any guard waiting to tell people to go back and ran. The sharp early morning wind cut into his face. It was dark, but it was getting lighter. If he had to guess, he would say it was roughly five.
Going from asleep to running through the woods as fast as he could in less than three minutes was having it's effects in him. His stomach felt like it was churning, and his legs were weak and soft. The wind did help him wake him up somewhat however.
He didn't know why the UNSC were fire bombing the forest, not did he care. He did know that he had to warn Shi'ae, so he did not stop until his lungs were burning, his head hurting, and he was at Shi'ae's temporary place of residence.
Why was he risking his life for someone he had only known a few days? He couldn't give a definite answer, but he could come up with a few ideas. Maybe it was because she was nice to him, or because he felt he owed her his life after she saved him numerous times. He didn't know the reasoning, but he did know he was doing it.
He stood outside the door, panting and regaining his composure. He hastily opened the door, yet still careful to be as quiet as possible as to not surprise her.
As soon as he entered he felt two large hands wrap around his neck and mouth, silencing him and putting him in a state of dread. The hands all of a sudden let go as fast as lightning. The voice of Shi'ae soon followed, "Oh, I am very sorry Oliver, I did not realise it was you. I heard noise outside and prepared myself for anything, but I am glad it is you."
Oliver let out a sigh of relief, and chuckled slightly at the situation. He quickly returned to a serious time remembering what he was here for.
"Okay, Shi'ae you need to leave now. It's not safe, they're fire bombing the forest!"
Shi'ae's expression didn't change too much, but her face noticeably stiffened.
"I understand, thank you for warning me in advance Oliver. Why are they doing this?"
"I don't know, but it's happening in less than twenty minutes, so you can wait any longer!", Oliver replied, clearly in a panic. Shi'ae remained a lot calmer, but internally, she wasn't feeling great.
Seconds passed, with Oliver patiently waiting for any kind of response. Shi'ae almost seemed oblivious to the world, until she looked towards Oliver, calmly and steadily saying, "I guess this is it for now, but I hope to see you again soon, friend.", she finished with a sangheili smile.
Oliver couldn't help but smile and say, "Hope to see you again some time soon too, buddy."
Shi'ae then pulled him into a warm, yet short, one handed hug. It seemed to last longer than it actually was for both of them. Oliver was a bit confused, but he appreciated it.
"Good luck to you, Oliver. Go now before it is too late."
Oliver could only nod and run back to base before it was too late.
Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, and probably won't for another while again. I want to better plan this story, and that will take time.Anyways, Merry Christmas!