Chlorophyll and Gasoline

by SJ Fleming

  Suzy wrapped her arms around Willow. The two pulled each other closer, pressing into each other. Suzy was...warm. The gentle rumble deep in Suzy’s core was...comforting. It was nice. Willow relaxed a little, though she was sure she wouldn’t be able to truly calm down until this entire thing was over and done.

  Bit by bit, the line shortened. Some people gathered in groups, other people went back to their hollows, not wanting to stick around for the moot any longer. Willow understood that, these sorts of things were...boring for anyone who hadn’t picked a side.

  Or rather, for those who had picked a side but were actually apathetic. There was no ‘I need more time to think this over’ or ‘I ultimately do not care’ choice. It was a binary. Yes, or no.

  Willow found a strange sort of humour to the entire situation. The idea that something so important was down to people who may not even care picking between two things. Of course, people would want to get it over with as soon as possible.

  The last person left her Hollow. Instead of relief, fear and anxiety washed over her, freezing her in place. She held her breath, as if hiding from some predator. The pumping of her blood was pronounced, the beating of her heart loud. It was one of the few things she could concentrate on.

  Juniper walked over and sat down across from Willow and Suzy. In her hand were three cups of mash. She handed them out, and sighed.

  “Well,” she said, “let’s hope it goes in your favour. The Warguide’s acting as the counter. So, we should get to know soon.”

  Willow took a deep drink from the cup. Afterwards, she cracked her back. Then, after enough stalling, she spoke.

  “I don’t know, Juniper. I’m scared.”

  “I understand. Would you rather I left you alone for now?” She asked, cocking her head to the side ever so slightly. Willow shook her head.

  “No, I... I don’t mind.”

  “I am scared too,” Suzy admitted. “I do not know if I feel the same you do, Willow, but if I had to assign a name to my feelings, fear would be it.”

  Willow held Suzy even closer, entangling herself in a mix of a cuddle and a desperate clinging-on. There wasn’t much she could say right now, or at least nothing that wasn’t just platitude. Luckily for her, Juniper provided the platitudes.

  “Don’t worry, Suzy. I’m certain it shall go well.”

  “Thank you, Treesinger,” Suzy said. “I trust it shall. And if not…well…”

  “Don’t think about that, dear,” Juniper interrupted. “It only leads to more and more negative thinking. It’s a spiral, and one I don’t want you to be caught up in.”

  Suzy smirked. “I suppose that is true. Thank you for your support, Treesinger.”

  “Call me Juniper, please.”

  Smalltalk was made about anything from the weather to what Suzy was wearing. Juniper offered a replacement for the worm and mold-eaten...thing...that Suzy was wearing. She referred to it as a unitard, though Willow and Juniper both professed to having absolutely no idea what that was. Either way, Juniper offered to get Suzy a proper skirt.

  The small talk helped to change the mood. Slowly and subtly, it seemed a little better. At least, until the horn sounded again and everyone got up and walked over to where the Moot had been called. As the Stamen gathered around, the Warguide and Oak stood side-by-side. Neither of them looked particularly happy. Willow hoped that was a good thing.

  Suzy and Willow had not yet let go of each other. Willow’s arms were around Suzy’s shoulders, and Suzy’s were around her waist. Both of them held the other tightly, waiting to hear what had come of stress and worry.

  “Well,” said the Warguide, holding up the two bags. “I am now ready to announce the results of the Moot. It took me a half-hour to count and re-count, but now the results are tallied. I ask permission to speak them. Any who object, raise your hand and state why you object.”

  No one moved. The Warguide nodded, placed both bags on the ground, and took a sheet of paper from Oak.

  “Seventy-two to sixty-three, in favour of allowing the Iron One to stay within the Stamen.”

  Both Willow and Suzy, as if timed together, jumped up and shouted. Every bit of stress and worry left Willow’s body, every bit of fear was replaced with joy and excitement. She hugged Suzy, lifting her up and spinning around. The weight of metal didn’t bother her, not now. Nothing could bother her. Nothing.

  “Welcome to the Stamen, Iron One. We shall welcome you into the Stamen, and treat you as...an honoured guest.” The last part was muffled and it was more than obvious to anyone listening that he was saying it only for formality’s sake. But Suzy got to stay, so it didn’t matter worth a damn.

  Normally, when someone new had joined a Stamen, there was a feast. Everyone got together, and they were fully incorporated into the Stamen not just as a member of a community, but as a member of family. Of course, this didn’t happen. Oh, there was a celebration, for sure. But there were some caveats. Half the Stamen did not attend, and it was hardly some formal event or grand celebration. In fact, all it was about thirty-odd people, all bringing small meals with them, and sharing with each other.

  Suzy spoke at length with everyone present, relating her hope for the future and what she was going to do in the Stamen.

  “Yes,” she said, “I feel that I will do well here. Perhaps I can prove to those who did not want me here that I can be useful and a boon to the Stamen. As it stands, though, I may need certain accommodations that may be difficult to obtain. For example, though I do not eat, drink, or sleep in any way you folk do, I still must keep myself energized. I am certain a solution will be found, but it is still a concern for me.”

  This prompted a dozen other questions. About what she meant by that, mostly. Willow barely managed to get a word in the entire time. By the end of it, she was thoroughly drunk. Her feet seemed to have switched around, and her entire body felt beyond warm. Her fingers and toes and face were all flushed and hot. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, it was jumbled and full of repetition.

  But she got back to her hollow, with Suzy’s help. When the door had closed and Willow was sure no one was listening in, she spoke.

  “Hey, Suzy?”

  “Yes?”

  Willow put her hand on Suzy’s cheek and leaned down, giving her a kiss on the forehead. The whirring sound sped up again, and Suzy stepped back, covering her face with her hands.

  “Oh,” is all she said in reply.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Willow went to sleep just after that, apparently thinking nothing of it. At least, not until she woke up with a start. Her head pulsed in tune with her heart, dull thumps of pain against her temples. Her body tried to force her to stay in bed, but something else animated her, some compulsion from something else entirely. She got out of bed, and scanned around the room.

  Daylight leaked in from the cracks in the door, and the figure of Suzy, laying on the floor and curled up in a blanket, was illuminated by it. Silver glinted in the sun, and her eyes seemed to be closed. Was she asleep? She said she didn’t need it, but Willow didn’t need many things she rather enjoyed. Her headache was evidence of that.

  Suzy looked calm and quite content, a smile still pulling at her lips. Oh, Spirits above...Willow remembered the previous night. Did she really...well, Suzy was still here. Maybe she didn’t mind? It was...she hoped that was the case. Oh, Spirits...

  What was she thinking? Was she even thinking?

  Willow wandered around the Stamen for a bit, eventually settling down on sitting down near a now-empty charcoal pit. No warmth was left in the pit, no embers nor anything else. Willow wasn’t even entirely sure why she went to it. It was isolated, she supposed. Or at least, it was under any outgrowth or cropping that Suzy could see her from.

  The thought of hiding from what she did didn’t sit right with her, but she still sat there, hidden from the eyes of anyone who may come from her hollow. Was she hiding?

  Fog covered the entire Stamen, thick mist rolling down from the u
pper branches of the Yggdrasil and pooling around it. Everything was just a little damp now, a little cold. Willow wished she had taken her blanket with her. A bit too late for that, though.

  It was far too early for her to be awake. The sun had barely come up. The first rays of light had just pierced into the Stamen. Even in these early hours, though, she had the unfortunate position of facing the sun. She covered her eyes, grumbling to herself about her headache absolutely needing this.

  She spent the time getting lost in thought, trying to fully process the events of yesterday. Towards the end, it was a bit of a blur...right up until the kiss. But everything between the end of the moot and that...event was rather indistinct.

  Suzy was allowed to stay, albeit by a relatively narrow margin. Willow could accept that. Even if the people didn’t care for Suzy, she did. That was good. And she knew that Suzy needed someone to support her. Willow figured she was the best person to do that.

  She needed to just wait and see.

  Someone was moving on the walkway above her. Willow looked up, only to remember that the walkway was just a carved extension of Yggdrasil. She cursed. Not at anyone in particular, she just wished she could get some idea of who it was. The wood creaked slightly as the person came closer. The faint whirring told her exactly who it was, and seconds later, Suzy, still wrapped up in her blanket, turned the corner.

  Her chest pounded as Suzy joined her. Her palms grew sweaty. Her breath stopped as Suzy put her head on Willow’s shoulder.

  “Good morning, Willow.”

  “H-hello, Suzy,” Willow managed to stammer out. The little warmth that hadn’t been drained away by the morning mist left Willow’s body. She felt a panic rising in her chest, one she couldn’t fully place as rational or insane.

  Suzy wrapped her arm around Willow, and dragged the blanket across her. Willow smiled, and returned the gesture, putting her arm around Suzy’s shoulders.

  “Willow, might I ask you something?”

  “Yes?”

  “You...you kissed me last night,” she said. Willow tensed up hard. This was going to be painful. At least it would be over quickly, like a branch smacking her in the face.

  “Yes, I... I did.”

  “Do you mind if I return the act?”

  The branch smacked Willow hard, but from an entirely different angle. It felt like all the wind had been shoved out of her lungs, deflating her. She felt...smaller, like Suzy was colossal, towering over her. She was unable to answer, unable to spit forth the words, but the answer was yes.

  Suzy seemed to already know this. She leaned over, pressing her lips against Willow’s cheek, and whispered into her ear.

  “Thank you...for everything. I do not know what the future brings, but I am fortunate that you have volunteered to face it with me.”

  As the sun rose, so did Willow’s spirit. For the first time since she met Suzy, she felt relaxed. Content.

  Whatever the future may bring, she was ready.