Dimas enters his 'locker' room, he gently places Lilee at the table, as gently as one can be when injured, before plopping himself down across from her.
"You didn't have to carry me, I could've just leaned on you and limped my way back here." Lilee's face is still a little red.
"That would've taken too long." Dimas rubs one of the many soon-to-be bruises on his leg.
The next match begins playing on the display but neither of them pay any attention to it. Dimas is wondering whether or not his bruises are going to end up being a liability in his next match. Wouldn't be the first time. Lilee, on the other hand, is choosing her next words carefully.
"Why are you such an ass?"
Carefully, not politely.
"Why? Cause I carried you?" Dimas waves his hand as if dismissing her. "Next time I'll leave you on the ground."
"This isn't about that." Lilee looks Dimas right in his eyes. It's a resentful look with a tinge of sadness mixed in. "I'm talking about earlier before the match when you said that you should've gone with something other than a healer and that I was no help. I'm trying!" Lilee holds back her tears. "And you treat me like I'm nothing but a nuisance!"
Dimas begins to find it difficult to maintain eye contact.
Lilee continues. "I know healers are pretty much pointless in a team, a cheap elixir at one of the markets can do everything I can do, the only reason my dad was invited to his team was because he was friend's with the fighter and his healing could be done from a distance. Every other kid back home made fun of me for it. They always said a weak healer like me would never be invited to a team. Their words never bothered me. I always believed in myself and nothing they said ever made me doubt myself." Lilee pauses for a moment. "But what you said really hurt me. We're supposed to be friends and friends don't make each other feel useless."
Dimas looks away. He's stared down dozens of foes without so much as blinking but he couldn't with Lilee. Not with the well-deserved guilt weighing him down.
He hates it. But should he really be feeling guilty? It's not like he knows he can trust her.
"Are we friends though? How do I know you're really on my side?" Dimas is still looking at the ground.
~ You're still on that? ~
[Goddammit, go away.]
~ I can't do that. You need me. ~
"What are you talking about?"
[I don't need you. I don't need anyone.]
"How do I know you're not setting me up to fail too?" Dimas instinctively grabs at his blanket bracelet. He may have said too much at the end there.
~ Not everyone is going to betray you... ~
[Shut up. You're distracting me.]
"Dimas, I have no ide-"
"Did Alastor say anything about me when you two were alone?" Dimas has no doubt Alastor would have told Lilee. He looks at Lilee, maybe she'll have a lying tic.
"He said you were planning on destroying Terrama." Lilee says it outright.
~ Oh? ~
Dimas wasn't ready for that. "A-And?" Dimas stammers, he was ready for a lie not for her to just come right out and say it. Especially not so nonchalantly.
"I didn't believe him."
[Liar.]
~ Give her a chance. ~
"How do I know you're not lying?" Dimas places his hands on the table and clasps them together. It's his turn to be on the offensive.
"Being here isn't enough proof?" Lilee looks hurt that Dimas doesn't believe her.
[You could be a spy for Alastor.]
~ Flimsy theory and you know it. ~
Dimas keeps a stern face and says nothing.
"What about saving you from the giant spider?"
[It's your fault I was there in the first place.]
~ There's no way she could've known it was there. ~
Dimas's doubt stands firm.
"Healing your injuries?"
[That's a little harder to explain.]
~ It's easily explainable, she's not your enemy. ~
His doubt begins to waver.
"Distracting Clarke and getting blasted with rocks?"
[...I-I don't know.]
~ Yes, you do. ~
Fractures appear.
"Crying because you got hurt? Crying because I thought it was my fault? Is that proof enough?!" Lilee's voice cracks but it's Dimas's defense that shatters.
[...]
~ You know what you have to do. ~
[Do I really have to?]
The voice doesn't respond, it had left. If only it had taken the guilt along with it. Dimas breathes deeply. He might be wary but he's not delusional, there's no denying Lilee was being honest.
"I'm...sorry, I didn't trust you." Dimas wants to look away but he doesn't. It's the least he can do. He stands up and heads over to Lilee's bag. "Where's your ointment?" Dima is quick to change the topic. The feeling of being wrong and the act of apologizing left a sour taste in his mouth and Dimas is more than ready to put the whole thing behind him.
"Dimas...I understand you're not comfortable with these kinds of conversation and I appreciate the effort but…"
Dimas begins to rummage through her bag.
Lilee continues. "Apologizing for not trusting me isn't the same as saying you trust me and that still doesn't excuse you for being mean."
Dimas pushes aside plants and herbs tied with string, none of them recognizable, as well as several colored baggies filled with what felt like berries and seeds to be met with smiling faces. It's a small picture of Lilee's family adorned on a journal that hugged the inner wall of the bag. The only missing member of the family is Lilee, she must've taken it before leaving. This is how much she trusted Dimas, she was willing to leave the comfort of her family and home to help a stranger. In return for her kindness, he has insulted, belittled, and distrusted her. Even Dimas has to admit that it isn't fair.
"I fought for money. Back in my world. I didn't care about fame or respect, it was all about the money. I even wore a stupid costume so nobody would know it was me." Dimas finds the ointment in an opaque bronze colored container with its lid tied with a single string. He takes it out and places it on the table. He covers up the journal once more. "That money was supposed to be my way out of that town."
"Sounds like something happened."
"That's because something did. You see, I fought in this 'underground' league that only had kids, only 18 and younger were allowed to watch or fight. Everyone acted like it was a secret but everyone knew about it, including the adults. No one did anything cuz 'kids will be kids' and cuz this had been going on for generations."
"Then what happened?"
"I'm getting to that. The Dean at my school was one of the few adults in the town that wasn't in on the secret and she heard rumors from stupid students who don't know how to keep their voices down. She ended up raiding the place while I was fighting. During the raid, I was unmasked and was forced to run and hide out on some mountains."
"What's going to happen to you if you go back?"
"I'd rather focus on the tournaments for now…"
Lilee gives him a smile. "I thought you said there wasn't a reason for me to know this."
"Technically there still isn't… but I don't see the harm in it. And sorry for saying you weren't any help. If I'm being honest, you're the most reliable person I've ever met."
"Thanks Dimas."
"Yeah yeah, just open this so we can get this torture over with." Dimas hands Lilee the container.
"There you go being overly dramatic again." Lilee hands Dimas back the opened container. "Here, I'll go first. I think Clarke gave me a few cuts on the back of my head. Those rocks sure do pack a punch, huh?"
Dimas scoffs and gives a half-smile. "That's putting it lightly." He grabs a cloth, dips it in the ointment, and lightly dabs it on a small cut on the back of her head.
"OW!" Lilee covers her head. "What is that poison?! I'm not working for Alastor I swear!"
Dimas shows her the cloth. "It's your ointment."
"What? It's not supposed to burn that bad. Maybe I added too much Yler…"
"Wait! Are you telling me you never tested this?!" Dimas shakes the ointment in her face.
[You put me through this twice…]
"Do you expect me to hurt myself to test it? Throw it out, I can make a better batch right now."
Dimas locks his arm around Lilee's head.
"Dimas?" Lilee asks nervously.
"Don't be so overly dramatic." He rubs more ointment on the cloth and begins to clean Lilee's wounds.