No way. And right after she'd been thinking about Ryllis, too. Maybe there really was something to this "power of the mind" stuff her oldest sister believed.
Ryllis gripped her spear tighter, eyes narrowing. Her eyes. Which Sam could see because she wasn't wearing her helmet. Though she knew it was rude, she couldn't stop staring.
The nephilim had sharp features, reminding Sam of a fox, and brown skin a little lighter than her own. A gnarled scar twisted her right cheek. Intimidating as it made her seem, it couldn't hide her obvious youth.
"Wow, how old are you?" Sam blurted. Here she'd been thinking Ryllis had to be in her twenties at least, but she didn't look much older than Sam herself.
Those hazel eyes narrowed even more. "What's it to you?"
"Sorry." Sam waved her hands, causing the flashlight beam to dance around the alley. "I know it's rude. I was just surprised 'cause I thought you were older. Um, I'm seventeen, if that helps?"
Ryllis snorted and turned away. "Same," she mumbled.
It took Sam a moment to realize Ryllis had answered. Delight bubbled in her chest. "Oh, that's so cool! I wouldn't have guessed. You seem so mature."
Another snort, but otherwise Ryllis didn't acknowledge her. With her right hand, she dragged her helmet closer to her side. The movement seemed oddly listless.
For a while, Ryllis didn't speak. Sam stood there awkwardly, wondering if she should just leave. But she didn't want to. Not when she'd finally run into Ryllis again after all this time.
Just as she considered trying to start a conversation, Ryllis snapped, "What are you doing here anyway? Get lost."
"Oh, come on." Sam put her hands on her hips. "I should be asking you that question. What are you doing here?"
"None of your business." Ryllis drew her knee to her chest and lowered her head. Her long skinny braid fell over her shoulder. The rest of her dark brown hair was shaved at the sides, leaving a wild mess on top.
But more than her hair, Sam noticed her hunched shoulders, the cheekbones jutting beneath her skin, the dark rings around her eyes. "Are you okay?" she couldn't help asking.
Ryllis jerked. "The hell do you mean?"
"I – I mean – sorry if I'm prying, but...you don't seem to be doing too well. Are you feeling okay?"
"Tch. Like I said, none of your business." Ryllis glared at the dirty ground beneath her.
"Okay, maybe it isn't," Sam said, "but if I can help – "
"Don't need help from wizards." A familiar vehemence slid into Ryllis' voice, but didn't quite banish the tired edge.
"Geez, why do you hate wizards so much? Did they – did they do something bad to you?" Sam pictured a wizard trying to order Ryllis around, like Ryan did to Avia, and a hot spark of rage seared through her. "If they did, I'll find who's responsible and beat the tar out of them! I might not look like it, but I'm pretty strong, y'know!"
She was babbling, her mouth running before her mind like usual, but she couldn't help it. Just the thought of someone daring to treat the proud, powerful, fiercely independent Ryllis badly made her see red.
"What?" Ryllis spun toward her, eyes huge. Caught off guard, she looked painfully young. "The fuck are you going on about?"
"Sorry." Sam coughed, her cheeks warming. "I, uh...I kinda got ahead of myself...?"
"You're fucking weird." Sighing, Ryllis leaned back against the wall. "Look, I don't need your pity, okay? I don't need anything from you."
"But you're all...you look tired."
"Just low on energy, whatever. I'll recover on my own."
Sam's heart squeezed into a tight knot. It must be tough living like Ryllis did. Wandering Earth without a wizard. No glamour to help her hide, nobody to depend on. Sam wondered how often she managed to sleep, let alone eat.
If only she could do something to help. It only seemed fair, after Ryllis had saved her ass multiple times in that last battle. But she clearly wasn't going to agree to become Sam's familiar anytime soon, and Sam wanted to respect her wishes.
Since Ryllis didn't want her here in the first place, wasn't leaving the best thing to do? Still, it didn't sit well with Sam when she was in such bad condition.
Something, something....
Then it hit Sam.
She swung her backpack in front and unzipped it, causing Ryllis to tense up. "What are you doing?"
"A-ha! Here!" Sam cried in triumph, pulling out a pastel pink packet of Mashuparo gummies. Her snack for the day, but she'd forgotten to eat it. "These'll get your energy up pronto!"
She held the packet out. Ryllis stared at it blankly.
"The fuck is this?" she snarled, not taking it.
It struck Sam that maybe Ryllis didn't know how to open a plastic packet. So Sam ripped it open and pulled out a strawberry-flavored Mashuparo – her favorite. "Here you go. It's really yummy."
Ryllis' brow knitted. "That shit's food?"
"Yep! Mashuparo gummies. Limited edition, straight from Japan. I got 'em online!" Sam chirped. "Try it!"
Stepping closer, she waved the gummy in front of Ryllis' face. Maybe it'd be smarter to keep her distance – she'd seen just how fast the nephilim could strike – but somehow, she felt that Ryllis wouldn't hurt her.
Ryllis continued glaring at the gummy. But this close, the lines beneath her eyes stood out even more, along with the grayish cast to her skin. It really looked like she hadn't had anything to eat for days. Which made Sam wonder if a single packet of gummies was going to be enough. Still, it was all she had, and she doubted Ryllis would agree to join her for dinner.
"I mean it, it's safe to eat. Here." Sam popped the gummy in her mouth, making a show of chewing it. After swallowing, she smacked her lips and said, "Delicious! You're really missing out."
"I don't need your handouts," but Ryllis sounded more exhausted than angry.
"Don't think of it that way! Snacks are better when they're shared, that's all!" Sam held out another gummy, this time a blue raspberry Tamapopo, Mashuparo's tadpole best friend.
"You won't go away unless I eat this, will you? Fine." Heaving a sigh, Ryllis reached out and snatched the gummy. When her armored fingertips brushed Sam's palm, a tingle ran down her spine. She hadn't expected the nephilim's touch to be so warm.
Leaning her head back, Ryllis popped the gummy into her mouth. As she chewed, her expression went through several increasingly perplexed contortions, and it took all of Sam's self-control not to burst out laughing.
When she finally swallowed, she sucked in a deep breath like she'd been saved from drowning and shook her head. "Fucking weird. You sure that's food?"
"You don't like it?" Sam said, unable to stop grinning.
"Whatever." Turning her face away, Ryllis flicked her hand at Sam. "Give it."
That floaty feeling swelled in Sam's chest again, until she felt like she might drift to the sky like a balloon. As she handed the packet over, her hands shook so badly she was afraid she might drop it.
But she successfully deposited the packet into Ryllis' waiting palm, and the nephilim wasted no time tearing it apart and popping the gummies into her mouth. She winced a little as she swallowed each one, making Sam grin wider, but didn't stop until she'd polished off the entire packet.
Yeah, she had been ravenous. Once again, Sam entertained the idea of inviting her for dinner, but even she recognized that was a bridge too far.
When she was done, Ryllis crumpled the empty packet in her fist and jerked her head toward Sam. "I don't like it, but looks like I owe you again. Don't expect me to agree to be your familiar for this, though."
"Huh? No, that's not why I did it, honest." Sam waved her hands. "I just wanted to help you out."
"Whatever you say." A smirk tugged up Ryllis' mouth, making Sam's heart flip a somersault.
Then Ryllis slammed the end of her spear into the ground. Sam jumped, her heart crawling into her throat. No way. Ryllis couldn't mean to attack her even after that? 'No good deed, huh?'
But all Ryllis did was use the spear to help haul herself to her feet. She swayed a little, and Sam leaned forward in concern. Still, she didn't come closer, sensing Ryllis wouldn't accept any more help from her tonight.
Ryllis settled her helmet atop her head with a decisive snap. Sam felt the faintest ripple of regret – she'd have liked to look at Ryllis' face for longer – but it quickly transformed into alarm when Ryllis tensed her entire body and leaped into the air.
Sam stared, jaw slack, as Ryllis landed atop the building. She was so high up Sam could only make out her silhouette. With not a single glance back, Ryllis took off into the dark night.
Sam blinked hard, feeling like she'd awoken from a dream. Maybe she had dreamed it all? But when a breeze blew a torn-open gummy packet to her feet, she knew she hadn't.
Smiling, Sam picked it up. Though it might be selfish, she couldn't help but hope this wasn't the last time she got to see Ryllis.