It was hard for Ferris to fall asleep that night. Not because of the mess of events from the day, or from debating if she should save her place in time at the star she'd found glistening at the side of the inn, or from hiding her and Ciara's identities from its patrons, or even from a vision interrupting her dreams. It was simply too comfortable. It'd been a long while since the sisters had slept in a proper bed, but she never thought she'd struggle with it.
The following morning, however, was a greater challenge. Their trio left Heartwood about two hours before sunrise, Ciara on Ferris' back and Castellar keeping a frustratingly quick pace in the front. At that time of morning, there was only one sleepy guard to greet them with a dip of his head. Exiting the village by the narrow path near the stone arch, they had a much easier time getting out than they had coming in.
Despite how tight the walk was, it felt a lot safer too. Usually, these sorts of areas were perfect for thieves to lay ambushes; however, the inclines to either side of them were so steep and high that any such criminal would have just as much trouble lying in wait as they would escaping. If the attacker managed to cling to the walls, the way was also clear enough that they'd easily be spotted. In short, the trio could breathe easy knowing that no one could jump them until they'd returned to the wilderness.
The skeleton maintained his foul mood from the previous night, having barely said anything when they first woke up and going completely mute after they'd left Heartwood. Honestly, Ferris didn't mind it for a while, because she was so tired that she didn't feel like talking to him either. After the sun began to peak over the treetops and they'd walked for so long without so much as a crumb or sip of water, she had to speak up, "I think if anyone from the village was gonna come after us, they'd have done it by now…"
The boy said nothing, moving at that same, bothersome speed.
"Would it kill you if we stopped for a few minutes? The way's not gonna get any easier on an empty stomach—definitely not when it starts to get hot pretty soon."
Again, silence. He didn't even look back. Ferris scowled. It wasn't exactly that she minded the rush since she understood there was no telling when danger would loom over them. Besides, admittedly, he was considerate of them most times if they ever got too tired. She'd gone long periods without eating much of anything and the past several days were the best she and Ciara had seen in a while, so she didn't actually mind either if they skipped a meal now and then. What got on her nerves was why Castellar was ignoring her and pushing them that morning, taking out his disappointment over Fibeas' refusal on them.
She came to an abrupt halt, her last step pounding louder on the rocky earth than those before, and yelled, "Hey, numbskull!"
That caught his attention. It also startled Ciara out of her doze, but Ferris was so focused on the brilliantly white eyes drilling into hers from their dark sockets that she couldn't wince out a soft apology to the child in that moment. Instead, she held her ground and glared back.
"Things didn't go your way back there? Well, tough luck, but the fact that you need better friends doesn't have anything to do with us!" she scolded him, "It was a long-shot anyway, right? So, there's no point in you being an even bigger stiff-necked snob than you already are!"
She expected him to snap back at her—shout an insult in-turn or maybe turn her soul blue to keep dragging her after him by force. Surprisingly, even though Castellar's gaze remained hard, he just stayed as he was, like he was waiting for her to continue berating him.
When she didn't, after a brief, tense stare-off, he broke eye-contact first and began to close the gap between them. There was a large tree nearby, and Castellar shrugged off his pack and dropped it near one of its thick roots before sitting down.
That was probably as much as he would give them then, considering his attitude. Taking a deep breath and setting Ciara down on her own two feet, she too stepped over and plopped down at his side. Ferris and Castellar then both leaned forward to open the bag at the same time: Each stopped themselves short when they were centimeters apart and retreated just as fast. They shared an irked, if awkward look.
Reaching forward again, Castellar held the bag open and grumbled, "Pick something light. We'll rest for ten minutes at the most. That's all."
Ferris grabbed the bread and leftover cheese, cutting slices of each with her dagger and passing them out. The former was growing stale, but she could already imagine using it as a trencher and eating it with a sauce later. For a while, they were quiet as they scarfed down the meager meal.
Ferris took the moment to observe the lush greenery around them. Although nothing had turned color yet, she knew it would within the coming months. As a time of harvest, fall was her favorite season. Even after the fields had been emptied, she and Ciara had many fond memories exploring the woods for their own bounties: Crabapples, persimmons, all sorts of tubers… If she was really going to be a mage, she wondered if she'd even have the chance to enjoy days like that again—or if any such things grew to the west of Mt. Ebott.
While it came late, Castellar at last made his own dig at her as they finished up the last bites of food, "If only you shared your sister's silence… Because she doesn't speak, it seems that God gave you twice the mouth."
A smirk pulled at her lips. She pointedly leaned her head against Ciara's, "She'll talk to people she likes. It's a shame that you're just so unlikeable that all children are probably too scared to speak around you."
Encouraged by her elder sibling's words, Ciara leaned forward to stick out her tongue mockingly at the skeleton before quickly ducking behind Ferris once more.
Castellar ignored it, "Do you plan to make her as crass as yourself?"
"I'd prefer to think I'm a free-spirit." Remembering the candies, she pulled them out and held up one of the violet pieces in the light. They really did look like gems… As curious as Ferris was to try them, a strange feeling gnawed at her gut. There were plenty, so it wouldn't hurt if they each savored out now, but they still felt so precious…
She bundled the sack in her lap, handing off the first treat to Ciara—who'd been ogling at it all the while. As she slipped the piece past her lips, her eyes lit up. It was like someone watching the sunrise for the first time. Her crimson irises sparkled like jewels themselves, and her mouth barely moved as she let it slowly dissolve on her tongue. A faint hum of content reverberated from her throat and she pressed a hand to her face as though enchanted.
Ferris gave her a soft smile, thrilled by the reaction, but able to dig out a piece for herself. It was so clear that she wanted to though, that even Castellar pointed it out, "I said it's not poisoned, didn't I? It's just candy."
"Maybe for you. I'm sure something like this rarely leaves your table," the girl murmured, clenching the bag again, "It's not something normal people can usually buy." She still couldn't understand how Fibeas obtained them, much less why he'd just give it away…
Castellar's harsh expression faltered a bit as realization dawned on him. The land under Mt. Ebott was plentiful—enough so that their neighbors' constant attempts to invade had regularly forced the Kingdoms of Humans and Monsters to set their own feud aside. Besides that, the growth of magic-based crops gave those under the mountain a much wider variety of ingredients than those who relied heavily on imports from other lands. The Monster Kingdom had developed their own range of spices to work with. This sort of candy was common.
In the Human Kingdom, however, it was different. For one thing, such plants weren't as widely grown. For another, when they were, there was enough reluctance in society toward magical ingredients that they were rarely used except for potions or elixirs crafted by mages. Some lords even placed restrictions on them. Candy solely-made using regular ingredients would never be seen by anyone other than a noble, if only because the cost was beyond them. The only time they might enjoy it was if they used it as a medicine.
"Don't worry about that anymore…" he lowered his gaze to grab his pack and pull it over his shoulders once more, "You'll have plenty of chances to try it again in the future, so eat what you like."
Ferris glanced up at Castellar as he stood, but he purposefully kept his own gaze away. He said it with exasperation, however, it was still the gentlest he'd spoken to her since they'd met.
There was no way either of them would apologize for the grief they gave one another—which had seemingly become the base of their relationship. Still, decent behavior occasionally deserved a reward. Digging out another candy, Ferris held it out to him in offering, palm up.
He froze, then scowled, his voice dipping back into its usual, sour tone, "I don't want that."
"Save it for later then. Monster Candy is really good for your HP, right?"
"Then I'd ask later if I needed to heal myself. Right now, I don't." When Ferris only leaned forward to push it onto him, he batted her hand away, "I said no."
The piece flew from her hand and onto the earth, rolling a bit before stopping a meter away. Strapping the bag back to her waist, Ferris casually knelt down to pick it up. A thin layer of dust now covered its once shiny surface.
She brushed it off as best she could with the end of her shirt before eating it herself.
Castellar balked at her, then yelled with sudden indignity, "Why would you eat that off the ground?!"
Her bewilderment at his reaction interrupted the elation she felt when she finally tried the sweet for herself. Pinning it in her cheek, she looked back at him with a tilted head and creased brow. Only when she realized that he was serious did she fire back with the only thing she could think of in those few seconds, "If you don't want me to, then don't waste food!"
As Castellar began to walk away in distaste, their behavior resumed to the way it had been before entering Heartwood. Both sisters chased after him and the two adolescents continued to bicker all throughout the morning.