Dimas enters the dining room. The walls are blue, whoever built the house probably only had one color at their disposal, with a single window looking out towards the forest path. There are pictures of Nicole's family throughout the generations adorning the walls, a few of them are strictly of cows. Knick-knacks sit on shelves, recently polished and free of dust.
Three empty bowls are placed on top of the doily decorated dining table, where Lilee is waiting.
As soon as she sees Dimas, her smile gets a tad bigger. Dimas replies with an annoyed glare.
Lilee is confused by his reaction. "What?"
"You used up all the warm water." Dimas sits down across from her, his right arm in a sling.
After everything that happened today, a nice warm shower sounded like just the thing he needed to end the long and arduous day. Only to be met with a frigid ice shower that evoked a gasp from him. As much as he wanted to run from the shower, it was the only way to wash off the layers of dirt, blood, and sweat that had accumulated on his skin. And the rotten cherry on the cake that was his day, the only clothes Nicole could spare belonged to her brother who seemed to like itchy clothes. Needless to say, Dimas was in a sour mood.
"Well then, I got sum good news for you Lefty." Nicole walks in from the kitchen carrying a large kitchen pot. "Soup's on!" She places the pot in the middle of the table. The strong and savory aroma soothes Dimas's mood but stirs his appetite.
Nicole sees the hunger in the duo's eyes. "Dig in!"
The pot is empty in no time at all, the bulk of its contents consumed by the duo.
Dimas slowly drinks his last bowl of broth, savoring every last drop. This was the first time he had ever tasted a genuine home-cooked meal.
Every meal he's ever had, whether from school or the orphanage, needed to be microwaved before they were borderline edible. The only time you would get a special cooked dish at the orphanage would be on your birthday. However, no one ever bothered to learn Dimas's birthday which meant he never got to taste the special dish.
He sets the plate down.
[So, these are the kinds of meals I missed out on…]
Dimas looks down at his left wrist. Specifically, he looks at the deep blue cloth. He takes a deep breath.
[Stop it…]
It's unusual, and extremely out of character, for Dimas to think about anything related to having a family. He had stopped having thoughts like these a long time ago.
[What's with me lately?]
He thinks back to when they were hiding from the bandits inside of a small cave. Dimas told Lilee about his blanket and what it meant to him. Something he's never told anybody. Back on Earth, the most he was willing to share about himself was his name and that's only if it was absolutely necessary. And yet with Lilee, it came out without him even thinking about it.
[What is it about her?]
"You want some more?" Nicole asks Dimas, pulling him back to reality. "The way you've been staring at the bowl either means you're hungry or you want some alone time with it. Which is it? I'm hoping it's the former, that bowl belonged to my nana."
"Neither. I'm just… thinking." Dimas slowly pushes the bowl away from him.
Nicole leans back in her chair. "I know it's none of my business but what are you two doing out here? Are ya eloping?"
Lilee spits out her lemonade.
"No." Dimas answers flatly.
"We're on our way to the tournament." Lilee begins to mop up the mess she made.
"Really?" Nicole raises a single eyebrow.
"What?" Dimas feels as though she's doubting them.
"Just a little odd is all. No offense, you two look like you can handle yourselves just fine but… aren't ya in a bit of a disadvantage?"
Dimas looks at his right arm resting in a sling.
"I ain't talking about just your arm." Nicole elaborates. "I'm talking about your team size."
"I'll be fighting, she'll be healing. That's all I need." Dimas says.
Nicole turns to look at Lilee.
"I'm still an amateur healer, but I'm sure we'll get through." Lilee says enthusiastically.
Nicole laughs, amused by the duo. "I'm going to be honest with y'all. You ain't doin much to raise my confidence but I do like your spirit. I'll be rooting for you both." Nicole stands up and begins to pick up the dishes. "You two have a big day ahead of you, I'll take care of the dishes while you two get some shuteye."
The duo make their way to their respective rooms which lie at the end of the hall facing each other.
"Nicole's really nice." Lilee says.
Dimas shrugs. "Technically, this is payment."
With that, the two enter their rooms and get a well deserved rest.
Dimas opens his eyes. The room is still dark, sunrise about an hour away. He checks his right arm but there's no change. Dimas takes a deep breath before heading outside.
A few of the cows are also up. One of them greets him with a MOO.
[Ten laps around the cow pen should do it.]
Dimas stretches before beginning.
[Just half a day away…]
First lap finished.
[It's funny… I'm not feeling any doubt.]
Second lap finished.
[When I first got here, that's all I had.]
Third lap finished.
[If anything, this feels like the fights back on Earth.]
Fourth lap finished.
[No matter who I was up against, I never doubted whether I would win or not.]
Fifth lap finished.
[And I always came out on top.]
Sixth lap finished.
[I shouldn't let my guard down though.]
Seventh lap finished.
[I don't know my opponents or what they're capable of.]
Eighth lap finished.
[And my ability can only be used as a last result.]
Ninth lap finished.
[I can do this.]
Tenth lap finished.
Dimas takes out the die that Corvus gave him. He rolls it around his hand, it feels hollow.
[I will do this.]
He places the die back in his pocket.
[Ok, twenty more laps.]