Touly and Min were sitting around a campfire, gusts of wind pushing down the rows of wheat in the field around them. The breeze felt refreshing on their skin, which was still warm after their disastrous adventure in town.
The moon wasn't in the sky, but the lanterns lighting the town in the distance gave some light to the night. This time, Min was the silent one. She brushed off all of Touly's remarks as she gulped down the cooked rabbit she had hunted.
"So, err, Never pegged you for a hunter. You dispatched that rabbit quite ...professionally."
"Hmm," Min replied, wiping her mouth. "My grandpa took me camping when I was little. He taught me to hunt small game, but I never actually did it. Felt too bad for the little critters. For some reason, I'm not feeling much sympathy tonight."
"M-maybe we should talk about our plan tomorrow? If you want, you can hide behind my back again, like when we started marching out of the castle."
Min glared at Touly, sinking her teeth into the rabbit. The offer had been indirectly rejected. She still hadn't forgiven her.
Not that Touly could blame her, she was yet to forgive herself either. Holding a companion hostage and then leaving them to fend for herself... She really was a deserter. The pilgrimage was well deserved.
Maybe saving face was the opposite of the honorable thing to do some times. Touly rubbed her arm and sighed. How could she make things right? Well, she had an idea of how to start.
"...Pork stew," Touly muttered.
"No, idiot, we are eating rabbit."
"You once asked me what's my favorite food, and it's pork stew." Min looked at the naked knight, an eyebrow raised.
"Well, good for you. I would tell you what my favorite food is, but you probably haven´t even heard of it."
"Still, I guess it would be good to know?"
"...It´s called a- let´s just say it´s chicken soup. Happy?"
Touly nodded, and the two woman remained in silence, each taking another bite out of their dinner. "So, errm, do you have anyone you like?"
"Not really. But, I can think of someone I really dislike at the moment"
"Me neither.I don't have a crush on any of my fellow knights… I did have one on a stable hand, though."
"Huh?"
"And, If I had to choose Min, I guess I would prefer to fight a giant rat than the alternative..."
Min stopped eating, her face contorting as she struggled to stop smiling. "You are finally sharing! And you called me by my name! Wait, nope, no. It's too late for that, I still can't forgive you. It's not that easy!"
"I know. I have wronged you, but I swear on my honor as a –suspended- knight that I will make it right. Just tell me what penitence you'll have me do…" Touly kneeled in front of an astonished Min.
"Oh wow, you are serious…But, well, this is too weird. Please, stand up."
Touly stood up, locking gazes with Min. "I'm serious. I'll do anything you ask. Just like I'm doing a penance for failing my Order, I must do a penance for failing you."
"Ok, fine, but I can't think of anything that moment. Wait, you are a trained knight, right? Your Order taught you how to fight and stuff?"
"Yes, they did. Why do you ask?"
"Great, this can work!" Min crouched to pick up a branch from the campfire, the furthermost end still on fire. She swung it around recklessly. "You can be my instructor!"
"Excuse me? You want me to teach you to do…what?"
"Be a knight, of course. I still don't know what my class is, but I'm thinking that I could be a knight! Cleaving monsters with a big ass sword, being encased from head to toe in metal. It sounds cool!"
"Right ...cool. Only one problem with that idea." Touly stepped behind Min, grabbing her upper arm. "Look at this flabby thing, how it squeezes like a piece of ham. This arm can't lift three pounds of steel, much less swing them to cut anything hardier than a carrot. You need to bulk up before I can even teach you the proper stance to hold your weapon."
"Oh…" Min pouted for a second, but then her eyes sparkled once more. "So, you are saying that I should be a light class, like a rogue!"
"Min, I have no idea what you mean by class."
"Yeah, stabbing people's backs and being sneaky! Plus, I already have practice sneaking around with how much I have been trying to hide these days! Besides, I don't think I have the discipline to go for the barehanded monk path. Thanks, I'll think about becoming a rogue!"
"No, what? That's not what I meant. Why are your life choices limited between becoming a criminal or joining the church?"
"Don't worry about it. I guess I won't need you to teach me how to be a knight after all."
"If you say so? Then what would you have me do?"
Min stuck her tongue out, deep in thought. The only thing she could think of at the moment was receiving a relaxing massage, but that was hardly a worthy penance.
Maybe she should ask Touly to pay her back? An eye for an eye? Send her back to the town to be humiliated like she was.
No, as much as her heart ached for payback, it seemed a bit too mean. Not to mention a waste of time, the sooner the pilgrimage was over, the sooner she was free.
"Eh, I'll think of something later. For now, let's enjoy our dinner."