“I’m trying to be nice here, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“You’re not fooling anyone,” Alyssa accused sharply. “You’re just trying to get on Daniel’s good side since your turn is tonight.”
“All I’m trying to do is hand you some water to wash that fish down with. Quit being such a little bitch and take it.”
Alyssa scoffed at her and got up, grabbing her staff and walking off towards Lucky while muttering something to herself.
“Alyssa,” Daniel called out as he stood up. Before he could move Triska handed him the cup of water and marched off after the witch.
“Stay there and eat, Daniel. I’ll handle this,” Triska called back.
Daniel looked to the two cups of water and the fish in his hands then to the other girls, not being sure what to say. Squeak was chewing on her apple with small squeaks while Specca was watching Triska head off after Alyssa with a curious expression.
“Well… at least she doesn’t have her sword with her this time,” Specca reasoned with a small shrug. Daniel looked back to seeing Alyssa walking past Lucky with Triska following after, the two girls heading away from the campsite and around a few trees before vanishing from view.
Alyssa grumbled to herself as she made her way through some bushes, with Triska quickly following after through them.
“Hey!” Triska called out, with Alyssa stopping in a small clearing while still looking forward. “What is your problem? Look, if this is about earlier, I said I was sorry. You kept riding me about my sword and wouldn’t back off, I lost my temper. I’m sorry for hurting you like that, alright?”
“I don’t care about that,” Alyssa snapped.
“Then what is it? I’m trying to be nice to you and you just blow me off. Why?”
“Just leave me alone,” Alyssa muttered while still looking forward.
Triska watched her for a moment before she shook her head with her arms held out to the sides.
“I don’t get it. I thought we were past this. I can talk to Specca and Squeak no problem… well, I can with Specca, Squeak isn’t exactly someone to start up a conversation with. But with you, you’re always trying to put me down and criticize me at every turn. If you’ve got a problem with me still then say it.”
Alyssa turned around and glared at her with frustration, with weeds and vines slinking up through the ground around Triska’s feet.
“You don’t belong out here with us,” Alyssa derided. “All you do is yell and wave your sword around like you know what you’re doing, but you don’t. You don’t have a damn clue what you’re doing!”
Triska watched her carefully as the vines around her feet slithered through the grass and dirt without touching her.
“You attack anything that even looks at you funny, you shout practically everything you say every day, and even with your dumb sword you can’t protect Daniel and you know it!” Alyssa shouted as she struck her staff into the ground, a pulse of light rippling away from it through the grass as the witch shook her head before pointing to Triska accusingly.
“You’re going to ruin Daniel’s plan of getting monsters and humans living together, I just know you are! Daniel’s wrong with you making the call whether we attack a monster or not. Knowing you you’ll just charge at anything you see thinking Daniel’s in danger!”
“Is this about the fluugher earlier?” Triska asked. “I saw him get pulled under by that thing, it was staring at him like it wanted to rape him. I did what I felt was right!”
“And if that had been a different kind of fluugher Daniel would be dead right now,” Alyssa argued. Triska looked down with concern as the witch walked up to her. “I don’t care that it’s your turn with him tonight, I don’t care you cut me on the cheek. What I do care about is Daniel succeeding in his quest, that everything he’s doing and risking with his life won’t be wasted. And the more I think about it every day, the more I realize that you’re the absolute worst person to be traveling with him.” Triska looked to her with discontent as the witch shook her head slowly.
“I’m just waiting for the moment where you attack another helpless monster, one who could have led to mankind having a new ally in the world, and instead just made an enemy with. I’m just counting the minutes until you wreck everything with your temper and your sword, and I’m praying that when you inevitably do you don’t drag Daniel down into the underworld with you.” Triska looked at her with disbelief then down as she remembered the fluugher’s painful cries as the group left it alone, after she had cut apart its petals and vines.
“I hate you,” Alyssa said shakily. Triska looked up to seeing Alyssa seeming to be fighting back tears as she glared at her. “I hate you… because I like you, Triska.”
“What do you mean?” Triska asked as the witch looked down to avoid eye contact with her.
“I mean I hate you because I like you,” Alyssa said softly. “I like you, Triska. I don’t want you to get hurt out here or die, I don’t want to see that happen to you.” Triska showed surprise from hearing those words as she saw Alyssa slowly holding her staff close with both hands.
“I’m not blind, I know you’re not a bad human, I know you risked your life to save mine. You wouldn’t let me be alone when I was sad, and you actually tried to fight a Darker One all for me,” Alyssa said before looking back to Triska with a frown. “And it’s because of your damn kindness that I like you, which makes it harder for me to deal with that you’re going to get yourself killed out here. You may have trained to fight monsters at your home, but we’re not out here to just fight monsters, we’re out here to talk about peace with monsters, something you and your sword can’t do.”
“That’s the first time you actually said… that you liked me,” Triska mentioned, feeling taken aback by the witch’s words.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” Alyssa said looking down and forcing a scoff to hide her frown. “I also like Specca and Squeak, but they’re not out of place here, you are. You’re too angry and loud, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into when you’re challenging a monster to a fight out here. You’re not going to survive this journey.”
Triska opened her mouth to speak then paused, not being sure of what to say to the witch. After a moment Alyssa sighed and shook her head while still looking away.
“You shouldn’t be here, you’re going to ruin Daniel’s dream and wind up dead.”
“Alyssa,” Triska said softly. “I won’t let Daniel’s dream die out here. And I’m not dying either, none of us are.”
Alyssa looked back to her with a frustrated glare and started walking towards the teen, with Triska backing up a bit before she tripped and fell to the ground from vines and weeds binding her feet together. The vines slinked about and grew in size as they spread around Triska’s legs up to her waist, the human watching as Alyssa walked up and stood over her.
“I’m going to watch you die soon, and then you know what I’m going to do?” Alyssa asked with sorrow. Triska watched her with gentle eyes as the witch started crying. “I’m going to cry, and be sad. Daniel was the first human I ever really cared about, the only one I wanted to live with and be happy. But now… I care about you too, and I hate it. I hate it because I know I’m going to feel that pain when you die. You’re so stupid, Triska. You’re only out here because you love Daniel, but you shouldn’t be out here, you should be back home where you can just fight monsters if any come to your home.”
Triska watched the witch while rendered speechless, surprised to see and hear the girl crying over her. Alyssa shook her head and looked away while her hat hid the view of her face.
“I hate you for making me feel this way, you stupid girl.”
“Alyssa…” Triska said quietly, watching as the witch wept quietly to herself. After a while she nodded and closed her eyes. “You’re right, I am out here because I love Daniel.”
Alyssa slowly looked over to her while Triska looked up at the sky above with a distant gaze.
“I love him, I always have,” Triska admitted. “And that’s why I had to come out here with him, to make sure he would live. And yes, I did train to fight monsters, never to talk to them or reason with them, only to kill them if any ever dared show their faces near our home. I know that.” Alyssa slowly kneeled down next to her as the human closed her eyes.
“I trained to fight, to protect him from monsters. But at the same time, I always wanted to believe what he was saying, that not all monsters were bad. I wanted to believe that could be true, but just having that belief with me didn’t change the way the world really was, that many monsters out there would still do to him what monsters do.” Alyssa wiped her tears away as she listened to her friend before Triska shook her head lightly then glanced to Alyssa with a smile.
“You tried to take him away upon first seeing him, the ant girls kidnapped him on sight, the slime woman tried to rape him in front of all of us, and that nightmare nearly killed us all. Alyssa, there are some good monsters out there, like you, but there are also many dangerous ones. I can believe that monsters and humans will get along all I want, but it doesn’t change the fact that most of those we encounter are a real danger to Daniel.”
Alyssa looked down while remaining silent to that. Triska breathed out and relaxed on the grass, making no attempt to remove or struggle free from the vines that held her down.
“When that fluugher grabbed Daniel and tried to reel him in like that,” she recalled. “My first thought was ‘It’s going to take him away’. And you know what? I know I’m going to be thinking that a lot with many of the monsters we’ll be meeting, I’m sure their nature will tell them to steal Daniel away or try to rape him on the spot. We have no way of knowing if they’ll listen to Daniel, or if they’ll just try to use him like they have with so many men in the past. It scares me, knowing I have to let Daniel come within grabbing distance of monsters who are known to rape and kill men.”
“I don’t like thinking about it either,” Alyssa mentioned. Triska nodded and looked to her with a solemn expression.
“That’s why I draw my sword, Alyssa. First, as a precaution, then, if I have to, to use it, to defend him.” Alyssa looked to her with concern as the human shook her head slowly with a remorseful frown. “I know, if I attack one of them, I’m very well ending all hope of forming relations with them. That’s why I only attack if I’m genuinely scared to death, Alyssa. Scared to death that he’s a goner unless I do something. I may end up ruining his chances with that race, or add hours of time for him to try to explain and smooth things over if they’re still willing to talk afterwards, but it’s what I have to do, to protect Daniel above all else.”
Alyssa looked down while remaining silent, sniffling a bit before she waved her hand to the side, causing the vines and weeds to recede back into the ground and let Triska go. After a moment Alyssa glanced to see Triska still lying there on the grass, the human watching her with a calm expression.
“You’re right,” Triska said before she sat up and rested a hand on the witch’s shoulder. “Maybe I don’t belong out here like this, but I know I belong by Daniel’s side, to help him however I can. And that means helping you all as well.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed with your stupidity,” Alyssa said softly.
“Then I’ll die knowing I tried to protect you all.”
Alyssa shook her head slowly as tears started to well up in her eyes.
“It’s not fair,” she shakily said. “I don’t want to like you like this, I liked it better when we hated each other.”
Triska watched her with a calm expression then hugged her, the witch slowly holding onto her while closing her eyes.
“Hate me or like me, know that I do like you,” Triska said softly. “I stood up to a Darker One for you before, and I’ll gladly do so again.”
“You really do have a death wish, don’t you?” Alyssa asked quietly.
“No, I’m just doing my job, fighting with all that I have for those closest to me,” Triska replied with a small shrug. Alyssa buried her face in the teen’s shoulder while Triska looked up at the stars above.
“Dammit, Triska,” Alyssa whimpered. “You’re not allowed to die yet, not until I win Daniel from you fair and square.”
Triska smirked to that and slowly shook her head as she held the witch.
“Then I’m never dying, Alyssa, because you’re not going to win him from me.”
Alyssa opened her eyes slightly while she held onto Triska.
“Yes I will,” she said softly.
“No, you won’t,” Triska corrected, feeling some sense of amusement at arguing about such a thing again. After a moment she leaned back, gently wiping the witch’s tears away while Alyssa glanced down to avoid eye contact.
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you please stop calling my sword worthless?” Triska asked. Alyssa slowly looked back up to her as the teen smiled a bit. “That sword means a lot to me, it’s anything but useless.”
“Why?”
“Because my mother got me that sword,” Triska explained. “She had it forged just for me back home. It was one of the finest weapons she had created for all the fighters. When I’m holding it, I feel like my mother is nearby with me.” Alyssa watched her for a moment then looked down as Triska glanced to her focuser crystal.
“It’s like your focuser, your mother gave that to you didn’t she? Well, I don’t think it’s stupid at all.”
“Of course it’s not stupid,” Alyssa agreed. “It lets me use magic that’s much more powerful and useful than your sword.” Triska narrowed her eyes at the witch for a moment before Alyssa looked up to her again.
“It means more to me than you could imagine, and not just because it lets me use my magic.”
Triska crossed her arms before her with an expectant stare, waiting as the witch stood up and gently brushed some grass off from her skirt.
“It’s all I have left of her,” Alyssa said sadly.
Triska closed her eyes and looked down as she breathed out slowly.
“And the difference between your focuser and my sword is?”
Alyssa looked at her for a moment then started walking back towards the campsite without saying a word, with Triska jumping a bit before spinning around to seeing the witch making her way through the bushes.
“Hey, hey! Alyssa!” Triska shouted out before she quickly followed after.
Back at the campsite Daniel was eating his fish while Specca was happily munching on hers while holding the one Squeak didn’t want to eat. Next to her Squeak had eaten her apple down to the core, the ant girl now starting on the sandwich that Triska had prepared for her. Daniel finished eating his meal and drank his water before looking down to the fire with concern.
“Maybe I should go see if they’re okay. They’ve been gone a while.” Specca and Squeak looked to each other then back to Daniel as the boy rubbed the back of his neck with a worried expression. “I hope they’re not fighting again.”
“Don’t worry about them Daniel,” Specca reassured. “I’m sure they’re fine. And them fighting with each other is normal behavior for those two. Frankly I’d be concerned if they didn’t fight with each other at least once per day.”
“I don’t want them to fight at all,” Daniel said while watching the fire. “It’s just those two seem to really have trouble getting along still. I wish there was something I could do to help them.”
Squeak made some gestures with one hand while squeaking something to him, the squeaks being muffled slightly as she had food in her mouth still. Daniel glanced to her and shook his head with a small smile.
“Squeak, don’t talk with your mouth full.”
Squeak blinked then nodded before swallowing her food, then repeated the same gesture while squeaking at the boy again. Daniel just slowly nodded and looked back to the fire again.
“Much better,” he said, with Squeak looking at him curiously then to Specca as the nixie merely raised an eyeb
row at her.
“You do realize by now that we can’t understand you, right?” Specca asked.
Squeak just looked at her curiously for a moment before down with regret as she nodded slowly. Specca shook her head then looked back to Daniel with a hopeful smile.
“Anyway, don’t concern yourself so much with them, Daniel. Those two will be just fine. Besides, they’ve certainly come a long way with each other since they first met, they have to be warming up to each other to some degree by now.”
“Alyssa!” Triska yelled out from nearby. “Don’t you walk away when I’m talking to you!”
Daniel, Squeak, and Specca looked over to seeing Alyssa walking out from behind the trees and bushes towards them with Triska stumbling out of the shrubbery after her.
“Of course I could be wrong,” Specca commented.
Alyssa walked towards Daniel while looking down at the grass, her hat hiding the view of her face while Triska marched after the witch with a scowl on hers.
“Hey! I was talking to you!” Triska yelled out before a vine popped up from the grass and snagged her foot, causing the human to trip and drop onto her face with a thump. Alyssa walked over to Daniel and stood beside him while the boy looked back and forth between the two with a puzzled expression.
“Alyssa?” he asked. “What’s going on, why did you leave like that?”
“What was Triska talking to you about?” Specca asked.
Squeak merely squeaked something while tilting her head curiously.
“What was that for?” Triska barked out as she looked up to the witch with frustration.
Alyssa paused for a moment then slowly looked up to Daniel with remorse.
“Please, give Triska her sword back tonight,” she said softly. Everyone just looked at her with wonder as the witch gently held her focuser crystal with one hand. “You can’t take it away from her ever, never ever, Daniel. It means the world to her.”
Daniel looked over to Triska, who had a stunned expression on her face, then back to Alyssa as the witch smiled gently at him.
“Please, don’t keep it from her, not even for one night.”
Chronicles of Eden - Act III Page 11