Mass release: 4/15
※※※※※※
Tortak used magic to get to my bed and sit next to me, then he hugged me and made me lean my head on his small shoulder to cry, and I did, unable to control it. I just cried, cried, and cried until the tears had dried and my eyes were puffy, not saying a word, otherwise I would feel more pathetic than I felt already. Thankfully, Total respected my moment.
He petted my back softly and used his healing magic on me, "There, there, no signs of tears or tired eyes. It's okay to let it go sometimes, kid, anytime you're feeling like this, you can come to me, then I'll lend you my lend you my shoulder and help hiding that you ever cried at all. How about it?"
A weak laugh left my lips at my new unforeseen ally, "Deal."
The dwarf healer than lended me his hand and I stared at it, "Hold it, kid," he chuckled and I did, then he shook his with mine. "There, it's a deal."
"Thank,"
"No need to thank me," he used magic to hop off the bed, "I did it for her."
My mom. He didn't say it again but it was as clear as a ray of sunlight, he did it for her and for their friendship, "You still did it, so, thank you, Tortak."
He blinked, then narrowed his eyes, "How do you know my name?"
Oh, shit. "You… you told me," I lied.
"No, I did not," he frowned.
"You did, did you forget?"
"I have photographic memory, I did not tell you my name," he countered.
Well, shit. "Alright, I should go!" I jumped from the bed.
"My son was here, was he not?" He growled.
"Son? What son?" I quickly put the boots waiting for me in front of the bed on. "I saw nobody. I'm hungry, I haven't eaten in a week. See you!" Then I sprinted out of the healers tower, knowing my way because I have studied the map of the Arkhane War College before.
"Cadet Madalverel, don't lie to me!" He yelled behind.
I said nothing and just ran off there, doing my best to not tell him the truth, like his dumbass son asked me to, even though it's pretty damn obvious that he did come to me, I'm not telling him. Didn't he ask me to keep an eye on the guy? It'll be hard to do that if he thinks I'm a gossiper, I don't like that label.
My legs moved on its own, the memory of the maps I studied when I was younger, back when I hadn't lost everything, still in my mind, and with my mind focused on how hungry I am, I found myself running towards the dineark. I am still in the same half destroyed clothes that I had been when I crossed the bridge, there was only a new pair of boots there, and he had probably gotten me new clothes but given how I ran from him, I couldn't get it. But I couldn't care less, I can get my new clothes later, I need food.
It took me 27 minutes to run from the southernmost tower, I was in the top of it, to the northernmost dome facility where the dineark was, I didn't stop for any-thing, even when I passed by countless people, I didn't stop, I kept running fast, the adrenaline of finally being able to run like this rushing through me. Normal humans would have taken 58 minutes to cross that distance, but I'm not a normal human.
I kept running even when I got to the dineark, only stopping to stand where the kitchen people were serving the food, the menu was chicken broth stew and rice pudding with rum and beer. Numb to everyone and everything around, I focused entirely on the food, my mouth watering with the scent of it. Taking one of the trays for myself, I grabbed two bowls and filled one with the stew and the other with the rice pudding, then I grabbed the bigger glass for bear and filled it with rum instead, and lastly I grabbed two dragon-stone spoons, they make everything here from it.
When I turned around, being conscious of my surroundings again, I found all eyes on me, all the talk that had been going on when I ran inside ceased. Blinking at the overwhelming sensation of being the center of the attention, which I had long grown unused to, I ignored them and looked for an empty table, finding only one. Confidently stranding towards it, I sat down, it was in the very corner of the dineark and one would say it's the worse table, but not for me, so, I sat with my back to all of them, took one of the spoons and ate a spoonful of the stew, eyes closing with pleasure as I finally tasted food in more than a freaking weak.
Fuck, I hope I'm allowed to have more, or I'll riot. I'm starving.
Still with my eyes closed, enjoying the food, I felt twelve people dropping down on my table with their own trays. Focusing on their energies, I recognized seven of them as Percy, Barbie, Katos, Sage, Davalyn, Elias, and Rakhad. I only opened my eyes after half a minute, all their eyes on me, and I faced the person that was standing in front of me: Percy, because of course it would be him.
My eyes went from him, to Barbie, to Katos, to Sage, to Davalyn, to Elias, to Rakhad, and I couldn't help categorizing them by their now clean hairs. Straightt jet black, curly golden blonde, sholder-length dark cherry red, buzzed pale blonde, wavy and long ebony black, angelic short curly black hair, and dirty blonde wolf-cut with bangs. Then my gaze went the five strangers who joined them, and with whom my bridge companions seemed quite used to already.
Three boys and two girls.
Winter grey-eyed brown boy with thick dark brows and bald shiny head, a toasty topaz-eyed tanned boy with short curly honey hair that's buzzed at the sides and quite the full short beard, forest green-eyed white boy with medium dark brown spiky hair with the tips dyed dark pink and small pointy eyebrows, monolids ice green-eyed white girl with short straight black haired white girl and straight curtain bangs, and a quartz pink-eyed black girl with curly grey hair buzzed at the left side.
Aside from Elias who was in a attire almost identical to the one he was in back in the cliff, all the eleven others were in dragon black leather clothes, suited up from their arms to chest to the right pants and combat boots, identical to the ones I am using right now, all suited for each of them, tight and marking everything they have to show off. My eyes lingered on Percy for a long second, seeing how his suit was very wrapped on his muscles, but when I felt my cheekbones burning, I sucked on my cheeks and got back to staring at my meal, taking a spoonful of the stew.
"So, how was your beauty sleep?" Percy broke the silence, as I imagined.
I had to do my best not to cackle, "Do I look prettier?"
"Surprisingly, yes," he purred.
"Then the sleep was very effective," taking another spoonful, I looked up to meet his attractive monolid black eyes. "Should I thank you?"
"F-f-for what?" He stuttered and I couldn't help grinning amusedly.
"Taking some punches for me?" I tilted my head, my eyes going from him to Katos and to Sage, to him again, and back to my stew. "Thank you, the 3 of you."
"Did you just thank… me, Disgrace?" Sage gasped dramatically.
I rolled my eyes, "Don't get used to it, shithead," I took another spoonful.
"How… how can you eat this?" The question came from Katos.
"I was about to ask for the same thing," Barbie groaned. "Not even I can stand the food here, and I grew up with bad food as a poor girl."
"You eat as if you were loving it!" Davalyn gasped.
"You're a born Imperial Princess, how can you like this?" Sage asked.
Taking one more spoonful, I leaned back, and I sipped my rum before I could say anything, only speaking after I gulped, "I've long lost the luxury to care about any of that, to me, this tastes like haven. You can't be picky when starving."
There's food in the void, I was there for more than 500 thousand years.
"You starved?" Rakhad cried in dismay.
"Mmhm," I mumbled, stuffing my mouth again. "If you don't want to eat your meal, you can leave here and I'll eat for you. I'm very, very hungry."