x
x
He’d hooked her. She responded to his summons, moving to lean against the wall next to him. ”Alright then,” she replied, nodding vigorously. ”I’m game. Since you seem to know so much about it.” These words reassured her, especially given how quickly things had progressed. Just moments before, she’d been scrutinizing him as if he were a spoiled wedge of cheese. Yet now she was all too eager to go along with whatever he’d say.
Eh. Such was the nature of a child.
”Sure.” She shrugged, unflapped at his comment. ”It happens. We move on.” Of course, this was big talk. Once upon a time, she used to weep at the very thought of her mother. But now she considered herself stronger, strong enough to bear the weight of two missing parents, an apathetic guardian and a city full of criminals. As if that were true.
As he offered her the hilt, she eyed it for a moment. This would lock her into a whirlwind agreement of which she didn’t know the terms. But throwing caution to the wind, she took it. Not because she needed the help, or the company, but because he called himself her brother. In spite of all she said before, she so desperately wanted a brother.
”Okay.” Turning the dagger in hand, she ran the edge across the flesh of her thumb. The pain made her jump a bit, but she managed to keep it together. Softly, tentatively, she reached out to press the tiny bead of blood against his, irreversibly tethering the two of them together.
Oh and how things would one day change. But right then, she peered shyly up into his eyes, trusting.
And then, after a tick, she blinked. ”Do we say anything special?”
x
x
He’d hooked her. She responded to his summons, moving to lean against the wall next to him. ”Alright then,” she replied, nodding vigorously. ”I’m game. Since you seem to know so much about it.” These words reassured her, especially given how quickly things had progressed. Just moments before, she’d been scrutinizing him as if he were a spoiled wedge of cheese. Yet now she was all too eager to go along with whatever he’d say.
Eh. Such was the nature of a child.
”Sure.” She shrugged, unflapped at his comment. ”It happens. We move on.” Of course, this was big talk. Once upon a time, she used to weep at the very thought of her mother. But now she considered herself stronger, strong enough to bear the weight of two missing parents, an apathetic guardian and a city full of criminals. As if that were true.
As he offered her the hilt, she eyed it for a moment. This would lock her into a whirlwind agreement of which she didn’t know the terms. But throwing caution to the wind, she took it. Not because she needed the help, or the company, but because he called himself her brother. In spite of all she said before, she so desperately wanted a brother.
”Okay.” Turning the dagger in hand, she ran the edge across the flesh of her thumb. The pain made her jump a bit, but she managed to keep it together. Softly, tentatively, she reached out to press the tiny bead of blood against his, irreversibly tethering the two of them together.
Oh and how things would one day change. But right then, she peered shyly up into his eyes, trusting.
And then, after a tick, she blinked. ”Do we say anything special?”
x
