Chapter 7.
The
Clashing
Of
Waves
Act II,
Part I
ME: Hurray! We finally come into Act Two! Now the story's REALLY going to start taking off . . . I hope.
(For those of you who are confused, this is one of the revised chapters; mainly just putting two chapters together. In the beginning, this was supposed to be one big chapter when I first started writing it but due to various complications, it came out as two pieces of a whole. So here we are the late original version! So please don't stake me for the confusion!)
Anyways, I know I haven't said this lately, but I'm saying it now in case you've forgotten, I OWE NOTHING!
"I've got this friend,
I don't think you know him . . .
He's not much for words,
He's hid in his hardened way . . .
Oh I've got this friend,
A loveless romantic . . .
All that he really wants
Is someone to want him back . . .
Ohh, if the right one came . . .
If the right one came along . . .
Ohh, If the right one came, along . . .
I've got this friend,
I don't think you know her . . .
She sings a simple song,
It sounds a lot like his . . .
Oh I've got this friend,
Holding onto her heart . . .
Like it's a little secret,
Like it's all she's got to give . . .
Ohh, if the right one came . . .
If the right one came along . . .
Ohh, if the right one came, along . . ."
"I've Got This Friend" – The Civil Wars
~X~
Dr. Marlin let out a breath of calm frustration at the pretty red-furred and chocolate-haired Seranith female in front of him. He could not believe his luck.
"So, he's not back yet, is he?" Dr. Marlin sighed.
The Seranith, dressed in plain white frock and wearing her hair in a simple bun held up by a matching flower pin, smiled sadly at him. "I'm sorry, Dr. Marlin, I'm afraid I haven't received word from Dr. Oigi concerning his return. I am sorry for the inconvenience. I understand that you've been waiting here for the past three days ever since you arrived."
Dr. Marlin nodded. "That I have. I was hoping to meet with Dr. Oigi earlier to discuss a very important matter. It's of the utmost urgency that I talk to him."
"Of course, Dr. Marlin," The Seranith nodded once again apologetically. "But like I said, I'm afraid Dr. Oigi has been busy with matters over on the next island; a horrible case of scurvy has been wreaking Gold Island lately with no signs of rest. It seems he may be there for quite a while still."
Dr. Marlin frowned. "I see . . . Well, if he does send word please let me know immediately; it's imperative that I speak with him."
"Of course, Dr. Marlin." The Seranith bowed her head politely, her bangs obscuring her eyes for a second. "I hope you have a good day."
'I doubt it.' Dr. Marlin bowed his head in return, walking away from the small dentistry and converging into the path of crowded, busy shops and errand-running, endlessly gabbing and dealing humans, Avians flying high and hanging low above the crowds and the occasional Pangolin, Pandorian or even more rare Were-Beast passing by silently with either a casual scowl or a calm smile. As he walked, he bumped shoulders with random strangers, quickly exchanging apologies with them and continuing on his way. All the while, keeping a careful hand placed over the pocket of his coat where the tooth resided.
He allowed his mind to drift as he walked; Dr. Marlin had managed to reach the large town of Little Oak, as he had predicted, by near noon three days ago; it was easy with the help from a friendly farmer who was on his own way to sell his goods at the town market, having almost passed him on the road and, after a brief explanation on Dr. Marlin's behalf, was more than happy to give the good doctor a lift.
Wishing him luck on his harvest selling, Dr. Marlin immediately made a bee-line to Dr. Oigi's dentistry, located near the bakery and crafts store. He was so quick in his haste, however, that he failed to think on the account of the door actually being open; he only took one step before smashing his face into the door's stiff surface and landing flat on his tail, much to the surprise of some passerby humans. He was quick to get on his feet, politely but sternly refusing the help of the said humans – I'm old, not incapacitated! – Finally making notice of the large "Closed Until Further Notice" sign posted in the window.
Asking the same humans before they could get too far about the sign, they explained that Dr. Oigi had been called away on business that was requiring of his talents, exactly as what the Seranith girl had later said when she had returned an hour later. His spirits dampened considerably when he had asked how long Dr. Oigi had been gone, only to be answered by an astounding course of two whole weeks.
After receiving that news, he made it a point to talk with Dr. Oigi's assistant near every day for the past few, the young Seranith female named Stella Wool Nix, whose name he found out later and who was also quite lovely company to be honest, even if he found her name a little on the odd side. Sadly, her answer would always be the same as it was earlier on. Nothing to report and nothing to hear about.
Dr. Marlin rubbed the skin between his eyes, as he often did when he felt a headache coming on. He had hoped that Roshi Oigi would've said something by now, being the boisterous and aggravating man that he was. At this point, he would even take a response via a Speech Moot showing his erratic and horrendously slanged words which always took him forever to understand. That man's language could make the most educated scholar in the Archipelago go out of his mind.
Why did Roshi have to be off the Island now at all times? Right at the most inopportune time? Right where he finally might've found something that could help bring peace back to his town? If Dr. Marlin didn't know the man, he would swear he did this deliberately just to build up suspense and see if "Old Man Haddie" would keel over from the –
CLINK, Clink, C-c-clink!
His ear flicked at that sharp sound. Turning his head, he met with the beginning of an old alley. It was starting to darken by the shadows of the setting sun but Dr. Marlin could still make out the signs of old trashcans and the corners out of abandoned boxes and crates. He even saw a random piece of paper flitter by with the soft current of wind.
He would've just wrote the sound of as just a trick of the wind if it weren't for –
Clink, clink . . . THUD!
SNORT! ". . . Lady Mandy wantin' sum panty . . . Henry Gerorgin' . . ?"
Dr. Marlin listened to the ramblings blankly for a full near two seconds . . . Before promptly slapping the heel of his palm into his forehead.
Mother of the Maker, not again . . .
He turned on his heel, stomped right into the alley and stopped only when he was standing over the now prone, extremely drunken and incoherently babbling figure, placing on hand on his hip and impatiently tapping the head of his cane while his tail lashed out behind him.
The man before him was in his early forties; with a raggedy mop of dusty blonde hair covering his head that was even more mussed up than before and in clear need of a wash, what he remembered were soapy green now closed and hanging over a flush of intoxicated red and a giddy thoughtless smile. His outfit that usually consisted of a sweater vest, dress shirt and light-colored slacks was in utter dishevelment, with the vest bunched up past his chest and showing signs of lipstick smears and stains he could only imagine, the same going for his pants only with the fly open and the bottom being covered in a mixture of mud and wine. In a nutshell, judging by the now near empty bottle clutched like a rattle in his hand as he lay on his side like a child, this man was in total need in a wash or two . . . Along with the rest of him.
Dr. Marlin's nose crinkled at the strong stench of dirt, sweat and alcohol that radiated off of him. He gave sharp bite of breath while shaking his head.
Honestly, did Dr. Roshi Oigi have no regard to his own personal hygiene? Certainly would make the job easier on him and everyone else . . .
Dr. Marlin then jabbed him in the leg with his cane, impishly in hopes of stirring him awake. Dr. Oigi responded simply by scrunching his face up and mumbling something about "Ninja bunnies with strudel cakes" before slowly turning on his other side. His back now faced Dr. Marlin; Dr. Marlin, to both his bewilderment and amusement, received a perfect view of a crudely drawn doodle that someone had done of a tomato sporting a goofy grin and rosy cheek while winking. Above and below it read, "KISS ME WHEREVER, I'M RED ALL OVER!"
The Were-Mouse blinked. The things young people came up with these days . . .
Dr. Marlin then just decided to go for the direct approach. He flipped the cane in his hand so he could grip the butt of it, the head then delivering three hard and swift knocks to the side of the wasted human's unsuspecting head.
Dr. Oigi snorted once again, letting out an unintelligent "Meh?" before spouting, "– Office hours are between twelve and five and we have a new family dental plan if you're interested in expanding . . ." He straightened himself up, only to end up facing the wall. He couldn't comprehend this for a portion of one minute before shaking his head. ". . . Huh, what in . . . How did I . . . . .?" He finally turned his head around while scoping out his new and rather rustic surroundings, looking at Dr. Marlin's irate and annoyed face from an upside-down view while creaking his neck back. "Oh, hi, Haddie. What brings you here?"
"I should ask you the very same question!" Dr. Marlin snapped, his cane flipped back into its proper position and stamping its butt into the ground. "Where have you been?!"
"Oh, uh . . ." Dr. Oigi rolled his eyes left to right as he tried to come up with a proper answer. After a moment or so of this, he replied, ". . . Here and there."
Dr. Marlin's ear twitched again, this time at his quickly-building annoyance as he stared down at him. "And where exactly is "Here and there"?"
"Well, y'know, uhm . . . . Here and there!" Dr. Oigi busted out laughing, falling onto his back from leaning out backwards so much. "There's enough reason for ya!"
"I've been speaking with your assistant for the past few three days because I was hoping to receive word from you regarding your endeavors involving Scurvy over at Gold Island!" Dr. Marlin bit out at him. Dr. Oigi's laughing had died down to chuckles by then as he smiled aimlessly, clueless to his fellow doctor's agitation. "When I asked the locals about it they told me you were still there even after a schedule of two weeks! So what, pray tell, are you doing here!?"
Dr. Oigi acted like he never even heard his question, instead he brightened up like a schoolboy on his first good grade. "Huhm, Stelly? You've been with Stelly?" He quickly sat up although he nearly toppled backwards again in doing so. "Ah, hey, Haddie, y'know sumthin'? She's the best damn helper anyone can have, ya know that? The best damn helper . . ."
Dr. Marlin growled at his rambling before snapping, "Roshi, I'm here to talk to you because I need your help!"
"Help?" Dr. Oigi repeated. His eyes then bugged out of his head, the both of wide with shocking realization before he then busted out laughing again a second later. Once calm enough, he said, "Ah, Haddie, ya old codger, never realized you had a thing for young women!"
Dr. Marlin's expression could only come across as comically horrified. "What?"
Taking his response for a confirmation, Dr. Oigi then said in choppy funny tone that Dr. Marlin assumed was supposed to be serious with a finger pointed at accusingly at him, "I warn you though, Haddie; a guy your age with a pretty young thing like that is nothing more than a Sugar Daddy! Especially if that guy's a respectable doctor such as yourself, y'know?"
Dr. Marlin face-palmed at the sheer idiocy of his statement. Good God, this man was drunk.
"Ahh~ . . .Not that having a Lolita complex is such a bad thing, especially for men with good taste!" Dr. Oigi cooed out of nowhere.
Definitely drunk.
As such, Dr. Marlin knew that Roshi would forgive once he got him a strong tonic for what occurred next.
BONK!
CRACK!
"OW!"
THWAP!
CRASH!
"OI, WHAT THE - !"
BANG!
Dr. Marlin, repeating his steps from earlier, reemerged from the alley, this time bearing his cane far behind him, gripping it by the bottom while the head was hooked onto Dr. Oigi's readjusted sweater vest, whom of which now bore two small bumps on his head that swelled considerably as he was dragged along fervently by the small, elderly doctor.
"Hey, hey, hey, Haddie~, what gives~?" Dr. Oigi drawled out, blindly following in step as he was tugged roughly by the cane's handler. "Where we goin'?"
"Getting you some of the hard stuff." Dr. Marlin said bluntly with an eye roll. He tried to ignore the confused and somewhat frightened stares of the townspeople around him as he continued to press forward. "I need you to be on your A-game in order for you to help me; not spouting off nonsense about make-believe fetishes."
"What's wrong with fetishes?" Dr. Oigi whined rather loudly, drawing the attention of some young girls and causing them to run away.
"Roshi, I'm in a bad mood and I'm an old man, don't make me hit you again." Dr. Marlin could barely hide his embarrassment at the childish way his drunken college was acting. "And trust me, Roshi, that's not an easy thing to walk away from."
A pitiful whine was his only reply.
Dr. Marlin sighed wryly. He was sure to have his work cut out for him tonight . . .
~X~
Cassie's eyes fluttered open as she awoke.
Her mind was cloudy was sleep and it was dark. A little too dark for her tastes. Wait, was she sleeping? Her eyes had been closed, right? Right. Just like when she awoken before.
But this time it was different. The pain and fear wasn't as bad as it was then. In fact, she felt rather . . . . good.
She still felt tired, but now had enough energy to gradually break away from the feeble yet greatly relaxing hold that sleep had over her. She didn't get up just yet; she raised her head from her pillow and met with a familiar dark yet cool closed-in space. It took her a minute or so for her eyes to adjust but she could easily make out the slight ripples the cloth made as she heard the faint sound of the wind breeze outside. She also caught the sliver of the opening slip a little light inside, making a thin line across the middle of her face when she turned her head around to face it. She smelled wood burning and heard the faint crackle of fire. Obviously, someone had started a fire.
Someone . . . Oh, okay, now she remembered.
She had kindly cut Tuff's finger free from what she later learned was his fishing pole, earning a polite thank you from Tuff and a flirty compliment on her knife-handling from Riley, followed by a kiss to her hand to which Tuff flicked him on the back on the head for in annoyance.
Any scolding that Tuff would've given him on common courtesy and manners was immediately cut short by the very loud and very deep rumbling sounding from both Riley's stomach and, much to his own horror and Cassie's sympathy, Tuff's.
Cassie couldn't help but feel pity for them when Tuff then stated bluntly that they had absolutely nothing to show for dinner other than some tea and a loaf of bread. That didn't stop her from giving them a strange look when, after bringing up the regular option of going to town to get food, the brothers flinched comically and both went into tirades of rapid and odd explanation and/or excuses as to why they couldn't. No money, they don't like going near humans, they hate the smell of the market, fear of signs – Tuff's excuse which was given him an especially odd look from both Riley and Cassie – Etc., etc. . . .
Regardless they were happy to share what they had with her when they decided to simply grin and bear it as they "usually" did, they commented. She would've refused, not wanting to put them out when they had already done so much for her already and especially considering how she had reacted afterwards, if not for the unforeseen embarrassingly loud sound and the shocking feeling of utter emptiness of her own stomach. She could never remember a time when simple tea and bland bread had tasted so good . . .
After the pitiful dinner, which she hadn't commented on to be kind but Riley managed to call her out on it with a smile in spite of herself, night had already fallen over them with the dark sky and the small stars twinkling in silence far beyond their reach. The air had gotten cooler and the three of them could now easily hear the sounds of the forest insects chirping and birds hooting and fluttering near their camp. Tuff suggested that they all get some sleep; they already informed her about Dr. Haddock Marlin's work on her side while they ate before then explaining that they had a long way to go tomorrow so they could get her checked out and would need all the energy they could get.
She bid the both of them good-night and carefully crawled inside the tarp, hearing them going on about who was going to take the first shift. For what she didn't know and honestly, was too worn out to care. She laid her head down on her pillow and then . . . . Nothing.
Wow, she must've been more tired than she thought. She supposed that was the case after surviving a near-death experience.
She was now complete awake, slowly sitting up to not cause another surge of pain like before, and shivering only an instant at the sudden chill in the air biting her bare shoulders. She instinctively wrapped her blanket around her shoulders like a wrap to cover herself and keep warm.
She appreciated the thickness of the quilted fabric and the easy ability to store warmth, absently tracing the cute little goldfish designs sewn into the surface with smile. She thought the idea of Half-sharks carrying around a fish-covered quilt was cute. Just goes to prove how odd they can be. Vince would have certainly found it funny.
She lifted the corner of the curtain again and looked out. She spotted one of the Luck Brothers sitting on the log again, this time poking at the fire distractedly, stopping only to look up each time he heard something in the distance that she couldn't pick up with a frown. She would've thought he was Riley were it not for the necklace she had seen hanging around his neck earlier was missing and the small band-aid that was placed on the side of his jaw. Safe to say, it was Tuff.
She frowned at the nervous scowl on his face. He seemed . . . Worried? What would he have to worry about? Was something brought up earlier that she didn't make notice of?
. . . Well, there was only one way to find out.
Calmly, she straightened out her clothes, ran a hand through her short hair to make it at least look less tangled and manageable – Having short hair was not as easy as it looked! – and pinched her cheeks to make them look more blue because even though she didn't have a mirror she was sure they were pale, before getting on her hands and knees and slowly crawling out.
Tuff didn't notice her immediately; he had thrown his stick in the fire and now had his fingers laced together and pressed against his chin, his eyes watching the flames flicker all the while distant and lost in thought. He seemed so intense in his thinking, with his eyebrows furrowing together a little bit each second and his sea green eyes growing brighter by the light of the fire.
It wasn't until Cassie cleared her throat lightly that he snapped out of it. She smiled a little at his surprise when he jumped a little in his seat. "Good evening." She said simply as he turned to look at her.
Tuff looked a little rattled to say the least, but he managed to get over it quickly, bringing a hand up and brushing his bangs aside with a shy smile. "Oh, uhh, good evening, Miss Cassie. What are you doing up?"
Cassie shook her head lightly, taking a few steps forward towards him. "Sort of just woke up, after which I guess I couldn't just fall back to sleep."
Tuff gave her an emphatic smile. "Yeah, I know the feeling. I couldn't sleep either."
Cassie looked at the empty space next to him. "May I sit?"
Tuff, quickly realizing his unintentional blunder, gestured politely almost erratically, to the said space with a shaky smile. "Oh, yeah, of course!" Cassie thanked him and took a seat next to him, her tail now spotty and circling with rings slipping out behind her. "Sorry. I'm kind of just used to being the only one up at a time like this."
Cassie nodded understandingly. "It's probably sometime in the early morning isn't it?"
Tuff nodded as well. "Close to 1:40 now."
"And yet you're still so wide awake?" Cassie pointed out in silent awe.
Tuff scratched his cheek with his finger absently at the inquiring look in her eyes. "Ehm." He nodded gently. "I'm used to it. I'm always having trouble sleeping."
Cassie smiled sadly at him. "No doubt because of you being part-shark."
"You got it." Tuff agreed. "When you're half shark, it's kind of hard to keep your guard down."
"I understand." Cassie said. "Vince is always having trouble with that too."
"That guy you kept talking about in your sleep?" Tuff asked. Cassie gave him a confused look, both her ears drawing one up and down again. To this, he added, "When we found you and brought you back to our camp, you called Riley "Vince" because he was . . . Trying to carry you and tickled you a bit by accident." He tried not to make it too obvious that he was lying. The last thing he wanted this girl to do was freak over Riley being unable to control his hormonal urges.
Thankfully, Cassie didn't notice; instead her ears simply went down as a light blush of blue dusted her cheeks when she looked away from him. Tuff found it difficult not to blush himself at her sudden shyness. Especially more so when she said, embarrassed, "Oh, I see . . . I must've been really out of it to not remember that."
"Hey, you were injured and delusional; anybody would've made that mistake." Tuff said reassuringly. "Given how you were when we found you, I'm amazed you didn't think that we were giant cupcakes or anything like that. Riley did that once when he was bit by a venomous eel back over at Gin Island. Even tried to take a bite out of me too."
Cassie giggled a little at that, which again Tuff found totally cute. "Poor Riley, it seems like he was okay after that though."
"Well, as okay as Riley can get, at least." Tuff rolled his eyes bemused. "My point is, don't be ashamed of what happened; Maker knows other people have done worse."
"True." Cassie smiled in agreement. "Still, I should probably apologize to him." She then looked around for a second before asking, "Where is he, anyway?"
A loud snore then made itself known from behind them; Tuff remained placid while Cassie's ears flew up and her tail blinked to a large ringlet pattern. They both turned their heads and saw Riley with the top of his head pushed up against the log and his arms and legs spread akimbo while a blanket lay haphazardly on his stomach, doing nothing to cover him as he slept, utterly dead to the world save for his large snores. Cassie was hard-pressed not to laugh in fear of waking him up.
Tuff saw her trying to stifle her laughter and shook his head. "Ah, don't worry about it. A couple chuckles won't wake him up. At this point, even with a blow-horn let off straight into his ear won't rouse him."
"You sound like someone who tried." Cassie stated, smiling.
"And failed. Needless to say, he never got to his date back on Yuki Island on time." Tuff said with a bored shrug. Cassie let out a small laugh then turned her head back around to face the fire.
A comfortable moment of silence passed over them, broken only by the sounds of popping, burning wood and the small breezes of wind blowing by them. Tuff took this moment to take another look at the woman only a few inches from him. Watching her, he saw how the firelight seemed to highlight her short blonde hair and add an almost sea-greenish tint to her aquamarine skin. Her eyes blended perfectly, making them almost appear like they were pure gold. Truth be told, she looked . . . She looked . . . Beautiful.
Tuff mentally sighed. That was the only word he could think of whenever he saw her. He didn't know what it was exactly that made him think that; he just couldn't help but ultimately think that of her on the spot each time she was there. But then again, who wouldn't? Nobody sane, that was for sure. In fact, they'd be crazy for thinking anything less.
She certainly was . . . Something. Definitely unlike anyone else. Despite only actually knowing her for a short time, she was definitely seemed like a one-of-a-kind woman.
. . . Plus, she had skin that was his favorite color. How often does someone get to meet a girl like that?
"Do I have something on my face?" Cassie's innocent question brought his train of thought to screeching halt.
Choking back a shout, Tuff nearly fell off the log and onto his sleeping twin but he caught himself barely in the nick of time, his body now bent back at an awkward arch and his legs raised so his knees could just almost touch his head. Cassie looked at him, one ear up and the other down, but otherwise said nothing.
Tuff tried to look composed; in actuality, his mind felt like he should run, dig the deepest, darkest hole he could . . . Then dig an even deeper hole and throw himself in it. He gave her another shaky grin that made him cringe at the thought of how idiotic he must've looked to her. "No, nonononono, not at all! Sorry, I was just, uh, lost in . . . Ehn, lost in thought." He laughed a bit, automatically feeling stupid for that lame excuse.
If Cassie had noticed his disheveled mortification, she was kind enough not to say anything. As he tried to straighten himself up, she asked good-naturedly, "Are you alright, though? I mean, you seem worried about something."
"Just keeping an eye out." Tuff said, getting back into his previous position on the log.
Cassie's heart dropped just the slightest bit at his words. ". . . You mean to see if whoever attacked me will come back?"
Tuff's eyebrows went up slightly at her words. She sure caught on quick. ". . . Yes," He said slowly. "There's no telling if the creature may or may not be out there looking for you. We need to keep our guard up just in case." Looking at her, he then asked, "Speaking of which . . . I know you've been through a lot already, but it would help us if we knew what exactly it is we need to watch out for."
He frowned when her fin took on a blotchy and squiggle design behind her as her face fell heavy with worry. She didn't look at him, suddenly finding the fire incredibly interesting. She tried to look impassive but her voice held all the fear that she was feeling inside. "I should have known you were going to ask me about that. Considering everything else that's happened."
"I know you're scared." Tuff said sympathetically, leaning only the tiniest inch towards her. "You have every right to be, but if Riley and I are going to protect you we need to know what from."
"I know." Cassie said quietly. "I understand. But this isn't really your fight." She reluctantly looked back at him. "You do know that, right?"
"I know that." Tuff said. "But the doctor told us that it's our job to keep you safe until he gives the word otherwise. Until then, if you can remember anything at all from what happened, it would sure be a big help."
Cassie felt like a fool for what she said next, "That's the thing, Tuff, I-I don't really remember anything. Anything important, at least."
Tuff went silent, a sort of a sign that she could continue, "I mean," Cassie started, her hand lifting and brushing her bangs aside. "I can remember pieces and bits of it, like pieces of broken glass . . . I can't control them; they come at me with either great force or weak and its almost like random . . ." Cassie felt another headache coming on, slowly thrumming in her temple like a balloon being filled with water.
She pressed two fingers to the said temple, rubbing at it gently to relieve it of some of the tension. Tuff almost put a hand to her shoulder to ask if she was alright but froze mid-way and pulled back, albeit somewhat bashfully. She didn't notice but added, ". . . I remember seeing something . . . Big . . . Smelly . . ." She wrinkled her nose a bit, drawing a momentary blank smile from Tuff. ". . . Really, really horrifying . . ." Both her ears went down at the ominous feel of her words.
Her mind couldn't make an exact image of what exactly had happened. Or what exactly had chased her. The trauma she must've been through must've been pretty bad to block out all the important details and make all the shapes in her mind into one huge, black blank blob. To make matters worse, each time she tried to think harder, her headache would come back making it all the harder for her to focus. She was sure that her tail-fin was now panning electric shapes and downcast as it went around her like a nest. Cassie could not believe how useless she felt.
"I definitely remember running though," She said, twirling her thumbs absentmindedly. "I remember running . . . How scared I was of whatever it was that was behind me . . . I must've hit a dead end because I stopped . . ." Her hand went to her side, the pain dull now but still there. ". . . Then pain . . . Then I was falling . . . It got dark . . . And I started to hear voices." She looked at Tuff, who was still watching her with concerned sea green eyes. "You and Riley. You both were talking about me. Your voices started to fade not too long after though because I felt everything getting dark and heavy again . . . But when you spoke to me, telling me to breathe, I came back." She smiled gently at that part. "The rest you know I'm sure. After all, Riley's shirt got ruined and you gave me my breath back. That's not something people are prone to forgetting."
Tuff's cheeks dusted red at the small joke, a little flattered at her soft humor.
Cassie was being honest in what she said. His voice, to her, was deep, gentle and warm. In a way, it reminded her of the refreshing cool tingle after the harsh sting of a hot burn. Unexpected but welcoming.
Back long before, when she had been falling in the blackness, he had surprised her by sounding rough, almost inhuman before, when he had shouted at her to start breathing again. It was a little hard to process what he was saying when she felt the sudden pounding on her chest started grow quicker and harder, making her chest hurt even more.
She had felt tired. And she had felt scared, but that only happened when she thought that she had lost him when the dark void had started to devour her. That was the most terrified she ever been.
With that in mind, at his shout, she forced her heart to keep beating when it wanted just stay still. She forced her lungs to take in massive gulps of air when everything else she had taken before came right back up in heaps of inedible bile. She forced her body to move. She forced herself to live.
Anything to keep her from falling into the darkness again.
Once she had started to feel in her arms and legs again, she had realized that the world was cold. Even more so than when she had been drowning. She had been beyond grateful when she felt something wrap around her and pull against another something that was comfortable, thick and warm. Sure, it felt kind of cold and wet, but not so much as she did, actually.
Whatever held her had tried to be careful and not jostle her too much while the ground beneath them felt like it was moving. She had welcomed the gentle rocking back and forth motion that followed, never minding the little bit of procrastinating nausea that came over her despite her earlier ailments.
She hadn't hesitated before pushing herself further into the warmth, wrapping her arms around it with a murmur in an attempt to banish the lonely cold. The only time she had felt something unpleasant was when a weight was pressed into her injured side, letting out a small whimper and burrowing her head into . . . Whatever was around her to try and distract herself from the burning sting.
She remembered hearing something thumping somewhat irregularly in her ear. A heart, maybe? She had also smelled salty sea water and raw fish. A little like she was used to smelling after a swim.
It was nothing she wasn't used to. After all, she traveled with Vince.
She recalled faintly making out tea spice and old book paper. She would've smiled if she hadn't been in so much pain. It had smelled nice. Whatever that was, it smelled nice.
It reminded her of when she was little. When all she did was splash around, giggling at little waves in the water all day . . . And when the sun went down, she'd fall into the homey smell of tea leaves and the dust of old books . . .
Back when Faust would still be there . . . .
Cassie gave a small shake. Not because of the cold and pain this time.
If there was ever such a thing as receiving divine punishment, that was it.
. . . Okay, maybe it wasn't quite that. But it had been pretty damn close.
Which made her all the more relived and thankful for the Sharkman in front of her. And the one currently snorting about "Beautiful Fishwomen" from behind them.
". . . I suppose not." Tuff smiled back just as gently as her. "Especially with my experience. I just wish we could help you more than we have been."
"Oh, you've both been a huge help to me." Cassie waved him off. "After all, you saved me just in the nick of time while a lesser person would've just left there like old fish bait. Plus you're both going out of your way to help me. That's more than I've known any stranger to do for me."
"I doubt that." Tuff ran a hand through his bangs again, clearly embarrassed by her praise. "I mean, pretty woman such as yourself probably gets help from random strangers all the time."
Cassie rolled her eyes in no ways rudely. "Considering the company I usually keep, not as much as you think."
Tuff what about to ask what she meant by that when she let out a small, quiet yawn; she blushed a little when she put a hand to her mouth belated. Tuff gave her a comforting smile. "It's pretty late, you should get some sleep."
Cassie tried to play it off, shaking her head. "I'll be alright. I don't want to leave you out here alone."
"I'll be fine, trust me." Tuff cast a withering glance at Riley scratching his armpit mindlessly in his sleep as he continued to murmur. "With him snoring the way he is, I sincerely doubt anyone's going to come within ten miles of here."
Cassie giggled again at his expression before carefully getting to her feet. "Well, if you're sure of that . . . I'll be heading to bed then. Good night, Tuff."
"Good night, Cassie." Tuff nodded politely in return. Cassie smiled one last time before she turned and went to the tarp, slowly bending down and crawling inside without another word.
Tuff watched her, his smile falling into a wistful frown. He let out a small breathe of air through his nose and turned his attention to the fire. Though it wasn't really his primary focus, he needed to look at something that would keep him from staring into space like an idiot.
Like it mattered, anyway. Despite her kind words, she probably saw him as a total idiot. He must be, at least around women. There was no sense daydreaming about her.
It wasn't like she was going to be sticking around for long anyway.
"So, you're the reason Mari sent her brothers after us with a machete?" Riley's head suddenly popped on his shoulder. Tuff bristled at the heavy irritation in his voice.
He should've known Riley was faking it. After all, Riley always scratched his left armpit when he was sleeping . . .
Me: I am SOOOO SORRRY! I did not mean to miss an update, really I didn't! Some . . . personal issues had to be dealt with the last few days of last month and I just sort of lost track of time!
That and updating with an "Every-Five-Day-update" schedule was as tiring as hell so that was another reason for my bad timing. In any case, it shall not happen again without reason!
Enough with my babbling, so sorry if this chapter sucks, but reviews and comments are appreciated!