Aside from the screaming, I also awoke in the midst of a cold sweat and an incredible stinging pain in my chest. To be clear, I refer to an actual, physical pain, though I'd be lying if I tried to say there wasn't some lingering emotional turmoil in that area as well.
It took me a while before I could comprehend what was happening around me. When consciousness did return to me, I realized that I was sitting up in my bed roll thingy, just like I was in my dream. Though, S confusedly looking over at me from the other side of the room and Sis looking down at me with terror told me that I wasn't dreaming any more. Which I was incredibly thankful for.
"Sheesh. I wonder what's scarier, whatever nightmare you just had. or the look on your face right about now." S joked.
"Y-your comments are noted and appreciated." I said as my breathing began to slow.
"W-what happened? Are you okay? Were you attacked? What?.." Sis said, her voice trailing off.
"S-sorry, yeah, just, uh, one heck of a nightmare." I said, though that didn't begin to describe it.
Their words still rang in my head. Especially "hunger." They seemed have way too much fun saying that... And that last bit...
I want to believe I don't know what they meant by that.
"Oh. That's good." Sis said, calming down in the span of a second or two.
"Right, must've been." S said, tearing me away from my thoughts. "You were groaning and sweating and turnin' for a while. She tried for ages to wake you up, but you were in pretty dang deep. I wont lie, it was kinda freaky."
"S-sorry about that." I said. I didn't expect DYN2 to go that far. Though, I'm a little glad they did, in a weird way. Was a far better warning than anything Maurice could have told me. Even if I'll have nightmares about it for the rest of my life.
"It can't be helped." Sis said with a shrug.
"Right." S said, looking at me with a knowingly skeptically look. Still, he didn't say anything, which I was, once again, incredibly thankful for.
I averted my gaze from his, and tried to get up off the floor. Unfortunately, the pain in my chest made itself quite apparent.
"You alright?" S asked as I groaned with pain.
"Uh, y-yeah." I said. "Just a little sore, I guess?"
"That was probably my fault." Sis said. "Sorry, I think."
"It's, uh, alright." I said. Guess that explains the stinging sensation.
"Did the healing magic do that?" S asked.
"Most likely." Sis said. "He's reacted to it like that before."
"Huh. Weird. Guess it did smell a little odd, now that I'm thinkin' about it."
"Is that uncommon?" I asked.
"Sort of. Getting healed usually does hurt a bit, just 'cus the wound usually hurts, but it usually doesn't do much if there isn't anything to heal..." S said. Then he turned back to Sis. "Do it to me!" He excitedly requested.
"Why?" Sis asked, confused, though not disapproving.
"Dunno. Seems fun." S said with a shrug.
"That's dumb. Pain shouldn't be fun."
"That's not very nice." I said, though it wasn't acknowledged by anyone.
"Fair. Though, it's probably not the pain itself that's fun, but the idea of a new experience. Something about the desire to sate my curiosity." S continued.
"I guess that makes sense. Odd thing to be curious about, though." Sis said, writing something down in her notepad with purple crayon.
"Right. So, you gonna do it?"
Sis shrugged. "I suppose I've got no reason not to." She said, walking over to S with her hand glowing with that jagged-y glow, and placing her hand on his torso.
He jolted a bit, as if he'd gotten a static shock.
"Hm. That was a bit disappointing." He said.
Yeah, usually I at least spew out an 'AHK!' or something.
Sis shrugged. "Ah well, what can you do. Maybe subconsciously I wasn't trying as hard, or something."
"That could be true. It did seem a bit different. Odd."
That, or S just has the pain tolerance of a bodybuilding gorilla hopped up on morphine.
"I wouldn't know." Sis said.
This is good. Watching S and Sis just talk about nothing together, just peaceful like this... This is good.
... I don't look forward to needing to fight for it. In truth, I hope that I don't, that I'm overreacting, and that everything will be fine and cool a in a week or so.
But, if that isn't the case, I intend to do anything to ensure that this can continue. For as long as I have breath in my lungs.
Assuming I still have lungs. Might've been a bad metaphor.
. . .
Y'know, last time something like this happened, back at the grocery store, before that explode-y dude showed up, Sis mentioned that she'd have to leave at some point. But, it's been a while since then and I haven't heard a peep about anything like that at all. What's the deal with that?
Does 'soon' mean, like, years from now? Or next month? I don't know! What does 'soon' mean to a timeless 8 year old?!
Now I'm sad and confused. Also weirdly irritated.
Oh well. For now, I'll just be happy that things are good.
. . .
"What time is it?" I asked after a while, as I realized that I was getting kinda hungry.
"A bit after midday." S said. "Thinkin' about getting lunch?"
"Yeah. You guys hungry?"
"Irrelevant." Sis said. Right.
"Right, yeah." S said. "Where should we go?"
That's... A good question.
Can't do Starsford, 'cus S is still melancholic about that. Can't go to the city, either, 'cus the chance that something terrible happens to us there is significantly higher than it is basically anywhere else in the world.
And those are the only two places I've been, other than here.
"Hm. We should get out more." S said, evidently going through the same thought process as me.
"Yeah, probably."
. . .
"Right, guess we're headed to the weird hood guy's inn." S said.
"That works."
"That's good. I like that place." Said Sis.
"Really? Why?" I asked.
"... No reason. Timeskip."
It had been a while since we actually stepped into the town proper. We haven't been back since S returned, if memory serves. We've still teetered on the edge, briefly chatted with a few people... Mostly Michaus. I'm convinced that he spends 90% of his time running around that island thingy. He just kept making the rounds, over and over again. It was a little concerning, to be honest.
Anyways, it's not that we've intentionally avoided the place, or anything. We were just... Doing other things. Yeah.
We made our way to the inn quickly and uneventfully. Though, S did note that there was something odd about Michaus's place. I guess we collectively decided to worry about that later.
"Oh, It's y'all again!" Said the hooded innkeeper dude said as we walked into the inn, still clad in his impossibly dark black robe and deceptively friendly demeanor. "Been a while since y'all stopped in, hasn't it?"
"Right, suppose it has." S said with a kind smile and friendly chuckle. "Good to see ya again, old man!"
"Please, the pleasure's all mine."
Small town hospitality. Just as disturbing as it is incredibly comfortable.
"Hi S! Hi Beyes! Hi girl who's name I still don't know!" Shouted Michaus, who was also here for some reason, with a wave.
"Yo." I said.
"Hey, Michaus!" Said S.
Sis didn't say anything.
"What are you guys doing here!?" Asked Michaus.
"Getting lunch. What about you?" S returned.
"I don't know! I just decided to walk in! I guess you guys must be pretty tired of fish, huh?"
"Never." Sis said, sharply.
"What?" I asked.
"Y'know, cus you guys haven't come into town for the past few days! You've just been eating the fish you've been catching! Unless you aren't!"
"Oh, uh, yeah. T-That's exactly what we've been doing. For sure."
"Cool! Where's Catface?" Michaus said, continuing to leap from topic to topic like a coked up grasshopper.
"I was 'bout to ask the same thing. Don't think I've seen 'em since y'all first rolled into town." Said the inkeeper.
I shrugged.
"Not sure." Said S. "She... She kinda does her own thing."
"Pfft. That's one way to put it..." Sis quietly muttered.
"That's weird!" Michaus said. "I saw her just yesterday! I figured she was with you guys!"
Huh? Yesterday? Why's that? "R-really? When?" I asked.
"Hmmm... I guess it was... A while after lunch! But before dinner! She just showed up outa nowhere! She seemed a little unnerved! When I asked her why, she played with my hair and I guess I forgot about it! It was fun! And then we blew up some slimes! We got all wet and sticky! It was fun!"
Huh... That's... Weird. In several ways.
"Explode? How'd you manage that?"
"Catface showed me! It was really cool!"
"Of course he'd know how to do that..." Sis said, as if that was somehow a diss against Catface.
"Anyways, I think she felt a bit better after that! As did I! She left a bit after we ate dinner together! Kinda weird that she's not here, 'cus I didn't see anyone cross the bridge after she left! Wonder where she went?"
"One of life's great mysteries." I quipped.
"Yeah! Anyways! I'll join you guys for lunch! I think I've already eaten, but I'm hungry anyways!" Michaus said. The remaining 10% of his the time is spent eating. I'm not confident he sleeps.
"Right, sounds fun!" S said, presumably glad to not be talking about Catface anymore.
"Okay." I said.
"What about you, girl who's name I still don't know yet! Also, what's your name?"
"Uh, sure, I guess." Said Sis, who was interrupted in the middle of her disinterested shrugging. Michaus is very quick on the draw. Truly, he is an opponent like no other.
"Great!" Michaus said with an infectious enthusiasm, evidently forgetting about his second question. "OH! Also! Are you guys busy after this?!"
"Not as far as I'm aware." S said, but not before giving anyone who had something to say some time to speak up. "What's up?"
"I was thinking we could all go to Charolette's place and check on Zramazos!"
He's still there? "Oh? Why's that?" I said, my interests absolutely piqued.
"Check on?" S quietly mused.
"Oh, he got injured pretty bad recently! Even after he got healed, he was still asleep for almost a full day! I didn't find out for a while, though! I was out, and when I came back nobody told me! 'Till I asked, almost a day later, haha!..."
His smile began to quiver at the edges as he continued, "He's mostly alright by now, though! A little wrorbly, but... Yeah! He's mostly good! But I-I think he and Charolette would be happy if more people came to see them!.. I... I'm not so good with injured people! I-I don't know what to do, I..."
He was still smiling, but it was shaky, and his eyes were beginning to water. Fortunately, the innkeeper dude had already wordlessly handed him a handkerchief and prepared a cup of tea. Good job, innkeeper dude. Well, the tea might have been a bit much. Still, good job.
"Oh." Sis said. No idea why.
"Right. We'll check on him with you." S said with a warm smile. Good job, S.
"Y-yeah!" Michaus said with a sniffle. "Thanks!"
I... Didn't do anything. I probably should have at least tried to do or say something, anything... But as I looked at him, I was reminded of yesterday. In that alley. And I just... Froze.
In that moment, I was really thankful about my face being the way it is.
'Cus I was about to start crying, too.
