Join Me
You're getting used to camping in forests. Many of the villages you travel to don't want to be associated with you, and their inns will you throw you out. However they are often more sympathetic to the pretty and sweet Dolorosa when she is not accompanied by an outspoken, mutant-blooded troll who has barely reached seven sweeps. So, as fate would have it, you are setting up camp and building the fire while she heads into town to restock your supplies.
You've built a successful pyramid of kindling and are about to strike the flint when a slight scuffling sound distracts you. You spin around, and see nothing but trees. You frown and pull the small knife from your boot. You don't like using it, but you are sometimes left without a choice.
"Who's there?" You call. The noises stop.
With a quick leap you hurdle over the temporary shelter. There is an intruder, and they have a whole pack of your food in their arms.
"Wait!" You cry, and to your shock, the thief stops and turns around. She's a girl-probably around your age- with a mass of tangled hair that contrasts shockingly with her scrawny body. Her clothes are worn and ripped; her face is streaked with dirt. Your blood-pusher softens and you slowly set the knife on the ground.
"Hey, it's okay," you tell her gently. "Please don't run. We need that, but you can have some of, I promise."
She stares at you with massive eyes before setting the pack down on the ground by your knife.
You kneel down and pick the pack up, not breaking eye contact.
"Thank you. I'm going to finish the fire and eat," you say slowly. The girl doesn't move, in fact she hardly blinks. "Please join me, if you wish."
It's not until the fire is crackling that she approaches you again. You smile and she pushes some of the hair away from her face and smiles back. She's beautiful.
She sits down and you break off a hunk of bread that she accepts wordlessly. She tears it into pieces and wolfs it down wordlessly. She looks at you panting slightly, so you give her your water bottle and another piece of bread. She guzzles the water and demolishes the bread again. When she's finished, she tilts her head at you.
"No way," you tell her with a slight chuckle. "You're eating so fast and you're tiny. You're gonna get sick."
She narrows her eyes at you, but nods slightly. You stare at her as she glares into the flames.
"What... what happened to you?" You wait for her to answer, but she seemingly ignores you. You're about to ask again, when she bursts into violent green tears and buries her face into your cape. You have never spent anytime with people your age, and you're not sure what to do, so you simply place an awkward hand on her shoulder as she shakes and sobs with mewling cries. After a long while she sits up, her face a mess of dirt and olive-coloured tears.
"I'm sorry," you hear her voice for the first time. It's lower and rougher than you had expected. "This is stupid," she swipes angrily at her teary face.
"It's okay to cry," you tell her, and she gives you a watery smile. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"Thanks," she whispers. "And thanks for the food. Is it alright if I stay for the day? I'll leaving in the evening, I promise."
"You can stay longer, if you'd like."
She shrugs and scoots closer to you. You sit in silence for a while until you feel her head resting on your shoulder. You turn your head in surprise, but find that the girl is fast asleep. You gently pull her down so that her head is resting on the side of your leg, a much more comfortable position, you think.
You don't know how long you stay like that, but eventually you hear footsteps. Dolorosa stares at you with her eyebrows raised and a bag of supplies tucked under your arm. You grin and bring a finger to your lips. She sighs and enters the shelter, returning with a blanket that she delicately places over the sleeping girl. She kisses the top of your head and whispers "we'll make plans when she wakes up," before disappearing back into the shelter. You stare at the stranger whose head rests in your lap. Before you realize it, you are gently stroking her hair. You feel yourself blushing, but you don't stop. You squeeze your eyes shut and realize that you'll be devastated if she decides to leave.