37. If He Dances Like A Chicken, It’s A Sign
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I collapsed onto the ground against the wall, my eyes closed and sweat dripping off my face. Ew.

I opened my eyes into slits to watch the the backs of the defeated thieves being led out by the sheriff's knights, my hand throbbing in pain from that slice I'd gotten when pulling out the scythe. Their arms were tied together with Rosa's curtains, with some blood stains on them because apparently I tied the best knots around here. Government official guy did all the glowering required to keep them still, though, so I had no complaints.

Some of them were limping, I noted with grim satisfaction. Take that, I gloated. That's what you get for underestimating a girl with a poker

The little ones were now crowding around Mother lily, who seemed fine except for her raw wrists. She was cooing to them and generally being the reassuring figure she always was. Even Ryan had his arms wrapped around her legs, sitting on the ground, looking pretty morose. My heart went out to them, but I had no energy to join them.

I groaned, closing my eyes again and leaning my head on the wall with a dull clunk. Oh no. I had to go to work after this, didn't I?

This was really not a good day, not at all.

I pursed my lips as my thoughts took a darker turn. Paul really was right, wasn't he-- Dutt and the folks must have connections to nobles or other higher-ups, seeing how quickly they'd been let out. Were all the other thieves in town led by Dutt's entourage from last time, too? Or did he venture out by himself into this thieving business? Shrimp had been in Midelus last time; had they all separated, then? 

As long as they didn't go after Idel or Rosa again, I probably didn't need to care too much about them. But for some reason, I couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that this wouldn't be the last time I saw them around.

Someone else slumped down next to me. I opened my eyes. The government official (he without a name, still) sat there, quietly huffing himself.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my unhurt hand and gave him a look of grudging admiration. "Not bad," I said, keeping the awe I really felt in secret. 

He only huffed, but I saw the corners of his lips quirk up for a quick moment.

"Where did you learn to fight like that? I know a trained style from an untrained one, and yours is definitely not untrained." I only really knew because I had only seen untrained fighting my entire life. I thought for a bit. "Do all government officials have to learn to fight?"

He jerked his head around to look at me, then slowly turned back. "No," he answered, a bit hesitantly.

"Huh. Then it must've been an individual decision. Have to say, I didn't take you for a dagger kind of person. And no wonder you didn't have a good plan. You're too good to need one. But wait! Before I get any further," I said, turning to him in earnest, "you called me by name last time. But I don't know yours."

I raised an eyebrow. The unspoken question hung in the air for a moment before his eyes slid to mine. He gave me a long look, as if he was weighing something on a scale. His eyes searched mine, and I prepared myself for something serious. He seemed like he was going to say something serious.

He opened his mouth. "Did you want to know?" he asked, feigning the most innocent expression on his face.

Well then. Apparently, I'd read him wrong. Again. And what was I supposed to say to that?

I threw up my hands and harrumphed, swinging my head back to face the front. "Of course not," I said, my voice dripping in sarcasm. "We just defeated a horde of thieves together. What person in their right mind wants to know their partner's names after defeating thieves together? Duh."

He snickered, his hand covering his mouth and black curls bobbing up and down in time with his smothered laughter.

I rolled my eyes, but I let myself smile. "So are you going to tell me your name or what?"

"Lindent," he said, finally, fighting a smile. He held out a hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

"That's what I should be saying," I replied archly, taking the offered hand. We shook.

Before I could say anything more, I caught a glimpse of Roly and Poly running towards me at full speed and immediately jumped up. The twins at full speed could be fatal if you didn't prepare for them. "Slow down!" I called, as if that would slow them down.

Yeah, it didn't. They rammed into me like two crazy goats, giggling while I groaned in pain.

"Filian!" they chorused, then began to dance. "We're safe! Safe! Safe! Safe!"

"Yes, we are," I sighed rubbing my stomach where they'd headbutted me with all their strength.

"Safe! Safe! Safe! Safe!"

When Ruth came flying, too, she gave me a big hug and joined the twins in their weird dance, now turning around me in a dancing circle. "Safe! Safe!" she squeaked along, twirling around and trying to follow the strange octopus dances that the twins were doing.

"...and here comes Becca." Whose eyes lit up when she saw the dancing ritual and rushed over to join, doing this elaborate wavy dance thing, albeit without the chanting. 

I stood there, shoulders slumped, eyes going vacant. Their "Safe! Safe!" rang too loudly in my ears. Becca's weird dance was weird. And deep within me came the gloriously firm conviction that whatever I said to stop them would definitely not stop them but make them more determined instead. 

Oh, if only Rosa, the commander of siblings, was here, I mourned, then frowned. Actually, if Rosa had been here, she probably would've joined them. Probably would have made it worse, even. She would definitely not stop at chanting. I could easily imagine her hooting and making weird sounds and teaching the little ones some "mathematically satisfying" dance moves at weird angles and strange shapes. 

I shuddered. At least I had some dignity left. Especially in front of a near stranger. I glanced down at Lindent, who still sat by the wall and once again had a hand surreptitiously held in front of his mouth, eyes dancing in mirth. I rolled my eyes at him. I gestured to the little kids, and he shrugged, as careless as he could ever be.

I narrowed my eyes at him for a second before an evil grin surfaced on my face.

"Okay, girls, enough!" I commanded, conjuring the Rosa inside of me. "First, we need to greet your benefactor!"

Lindent looked fairly alarmed. I hid my own enjoyment.

"What's a benefactor?" Roly asked, stopping for a second.

"Someone who helped you, and he has helped you a lot. We're all safe because of him!"

"Yay! Benefactor!" they cheered, then pulled him up (more like tugged at him until he stood up) and began dancing in circles around him, too, taking up their chant again.

He looked utterly bewildered. After a while, he raised his eyes to give me a helpless, pleading look.

Pretending I wasn't feeling intense satisfaction, I shrugged just as he had done and gestured towards the little kids, as if I was saying, What can I do? (Actually, I was thinking, Suffer, Lindent, suffer, but he didn't need to know that. He probably knew that already.)

He watched the little ones for a while, even as I watched him to see what he would do. Hesitantly, he raised his arms and held his hands a little ways from his shoulders. And then, in the most timid motion I'd ever seen him make, he flapped them.

I choked myself trying to tamp down an explosion of laughter. The kids reacted with a cheer and the circling became more frenzied. When he looked at me, I nodded in approval, hand pressing down on my mouth and shoulders shaking. I even gave him a thumbs up.

Encouraged, he went back to looking at the kids, then hopped back and forth on his two feet in time with his flapping. He looked like a chicken, light on his feet and flapping his hands, turning in a circle himself. I couldn't hold it any longer and let the peals of laughter rip out of me, high-pitched and gasping. This was pure gold.

Mother Lily came by, too, lured in by my screams of laughter, and soon she joined in with her own tinkling chuckles. Only Ryan stayed where they'd been, sprawled on the floor and staring blankly at the sky. After a few more minutes of crying in laughter, Mother Lily put a stop to the ritual, and then we all went back to help clean things up together.

And then to work for me, of course, but who wants to know about that?


A/N: Writing him without a name for who-knows-how-many-chapters long was not fun, let me tell you. I'm as glad as Filian is for getting his name out here. Whew.

Also, for anyone who is interested (lol as if) it turns out it was not only the screen but also the motherboard of the laptop, which sounds scary. Long story short, I was supposed to get it back today; guess I'm getting a new laptop instead. Will I have to resort to the horrors of phone typed updates?? Stay tuned for more.

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