"...Oh." Sam said simply, genuinely surprised. He had thought after their last argument, where Jigano had seemed to be so against his choices, they were...not enemies, but certainly not friends. He had mourned the loss of the friendship; he began to wonder if he had been premature in thinking it was over.
He looked at the glass in his hand a moment more before putting it down on the seat, slowly standing up with Jigano. Trying to tell the story all in order would be difficult (when he was upset about something, it felt like his brain cut it up into a million pieces and jumbled them around, stacking them on top of each other until it became too much to carry. But he wanted to make an effort for Jigano so he took a deep breath and spoke quietly as they walked.
"Before Longnight, I had my idea that the monsters might be able to be...helped. Or made back into normal people. I asked Rexanna and Bastien to help me, because I thought it might help them to see other Ascended, if that's what they once were." It sounded almost childish now, when he said it out loud, the plan to connect with the monsters. "Remi...I asked Remi because he's strong and I trust him, and I was scared to go out. Honestly, he's probably the only reason Rexanna and I are still alive right now."
And he was the reason Rexanna was blind. He sighed. "I waited with Remi outside for Rexanna and Bastien to arrive but...Rexanna came alone. I didn't get a chance to ask her where Bastien was. I...assume he's alright, because she didn't seem to be too upset." But perhaps she was just good at guarding her emotions. "A monster came nearly right away, so I activated my barrier - oh, I have a barrier now that shocks things if they get close - and I tried to talk to it. Ask questions, like why they attack and if they wanted to speak to The Voice and things. It...wasn't interested in answering." The memory of the strange, scratching, vile voice made him curl his nose and tense his shoulders.
"We tried for a little longer then it started to try and attack us, so...I asked Remi to make a net...um..." It sounded so stupid. "I thought...maybe we could capture a monster and bring it to the light and we might be able to see what it was, or maybe talk to it if it was weakened. We caught it, me and Rexanna, and we started walking back." For a moment then, he had thought they had been successful, but it very swiftly went poorly from there.
"Well, then they overwhelmed us. Me and Rexanna used our ability to be invisible but...before she could, her eyes...it was like they were eaten by insects..." He shook, as if trying to knock the memory out of his mind. "We went back towards the guild but I thought Rexanna might be able to go faster if she went straight ahead on the board...I...didn't know how it worked. I thought she'd be able to stop, but she fell..."
He looked at his mutilated hand and turned it over. "When Rexanna was gone, I knew I wouldn't be able to get the monster to the guild by myself so I...thought I could try and touch it. Maybe it would help or at least I could tell if there was a person in there...and...well." Sam thought it was probably obvious what had happened next.
"Then we were here." It was a relief to have it all told and out. With the story over, he suddenly found himself back in the present. "...Where are we going?"
Samuel
He took a step but then felt tired
He said, I'll rest a little while
But when he tried to walk again
He wasn't a child
|
