Suna woke up, feeling unsettled.
She glanced up, and saw the innocent resting face of Beryl, her short, ruby bangs falling from her forehead.
She continued inspecting the face.
This person… She didn't know. She didn't really know what was happening to her, what these people have been through, what they were going through, what they were going to do. She… was starting to be okay with that. With being not in control. Ei's sentiment he tried to impart to her, of freedom, of letting her feet lead her… it was starting to become a little appealing. She would travel with these two Friends, and they'd struggle. They'd overcome great dangers, and grow, Together. She… she was fine. With taking it a little slow.
Unease. It was coming.
Suna squirmed, and shivered. Beryl woke up. Her face radiated contentment.
"Hm?" She looked at the small face close to hers. That Bright face, not overshadowed by her dark black bangs, nor her unusual dark, black eyes. No, she found refuge in these things, in this person. They were scared. But they weren't alone.
"Hi, Suna." Beryl smiled. Suna didn't. She seemed to be preoccupied with something, worried about something. "Are you alright?"
Suna shook her head nervously. "No, no we have to, we have to leave. We can't stay here." Suna's shaking became more pronounced.
Beryl wore a look of concern. "Why? What's wrong?"
"S-S-S-She's, She's coming." Suna looked around her, she broke off from Beryl's embrace, panicked.
Lilt woke up quickly. "Suna, what's wrong? What's going on?" Lilt prepared themselves.
"We, we can't stay here. We have to go." Suna leapt off the bed, and grabbed her pack. The others didn't take long.
They left to the street, Lilt and Beryl remaining confused. Suna didn't answer their worries or concerns, merely growing increasingly panicked.
"Come on, Come on!" Suna urged them, moving. But she was stopped by Lilt's hand.
"Suna. I know that you're going through something right now. But you have to tell us a little bit. Are you in danger?"
Suna shivered, pathetically. "No, no, no, no, no no no no…" She crumpled into a ball, she put her hands around her head, she shook back and forth.
Lilt and Beryl both stooped down to her, and they comforted her.
"It's okay, Suna. We're not going to let anybody hurt you."
After a bit of comforting, she seemed to be a little more cooperative. Her breaths were short and abrupt, but she was still trying to communicate through them.
"We, we, someone, someone's after, me, we, we have, to go. Now."
Lilt and Beryl looked at each other.
"...Suna, we still have to claim our reward for the quest, remember? Do you think we can go do that really quickly, and then we can leave?"
Suna looked terrified. She didn't want to.
She stood up. The others did too. She pushed Lilt's back, her head against it.
So the three walked, nervously, and quickly.
It was crowded. But this time, Suna had Lilt and Beryl to shield her from the onslaught. She kept her head down, letting her two Friends lead her to where they needed to go.
After some point, they reached a counter.
Suna didn't pay attention to the words spoken. The gazes cast her way. She hated it. She wanted to leave, to run, to escape, quickly. But she tolerated her discomfort.
As soon as they seemed to be done, Suna pulled on their arms. They were trying to tell her something, to congratulate her, but she didn't pay attention to any of it. They were wasting too much time.
So the two reluctantly chased after her.
"Hey, where are you going? The carriages are that way!" Suna was nearly running at this point.
"No, we, we can't stay! We have to leave!"
"Suna, Stop!"
"No!"
Lilt and Beryl were helpless. But Suna was getting faster and faster, they were struggling to keep up with her.
"She's, she's almost here! I can't be here!"
"Suna!!"
Suna felt bad. She didn't want to trouble her Friends like this. But this was nonnegotiable, she could not stay for another second. She yelled at them.
"I'll meet you at Alduress! I'm Sorry, I have to go!"
Then, she became a blur. An unstoppable, maddeningly quick blur. Lilt and Beryl stopped in their tracks. There was no point even attempting to keep up with someone so quick. They looked at each other, both confused.
Lilt shrugged. "Well. I guess that's that. Beryl, sorry for wrapping you up in her shenanigans, she's pretty weird sometimes, haha… Um…" Lilt fidgeted. "I guess… this is where we part ways…?"
Beryl still looked in Suna's direction. She wasn't going to let her get away with this hot and cold treatment. She clenched her fist, and smiled. "Hehe… Lilt. We have to go catch up with her."
"H-Huh? Are you, um…"
"Yes, didn't you get the memo? I'm staying with you guys, whether you like it or not." She rolled her eyes "Come on. Let's go catch a carriage."
"W-Wait! I, Can't I look around a bit, at least? We just got so much-"
"There's no time, Lilt, didn't you hear her? Come on!" Beryl grabbed Lilt's hand. They dashed for the carriages.
–
Obviously Suna felt awkward, and bad. She looked back – she did a completely terrible job at relaying what she was feeling and what she was going on with her Friends. Oh no… what if they leave me… what if they get fed up with me… But she looked back up. She… was going to try trusting them. She was going to wait for them.
Seeing It… reminded her. That she once was… no. She… was a person. A completely broken, disfigured, wandering mess. But still a person. She did not dwell on what she saw in that forest. If she did… she'd break. But she felt better, more equipped than ever, to combat those feelings It had arisen in her. That was why she was able to face It. It was because of Lilt. It was because of… Angie. They both did a good job of convincing her. That she was still a person. That was not an easy conclusion for Suna to come to.
She thought about Beryl. They had only really just met, but they both seemed to share a connection. They both suffered. And seeing someone else suffer… it aroused very Human emotions in Suna. No, this Nectar wasn't some sort of forbidden Lie… it was normal. It was Human. It was something all Humans had. It was each other. Suna valued it, just a little bit more. She appreciated the way Angie, and Lilt, and Beryl treated her. Well… had treated her, for one of them.
Suna stopped dashing. She looked around her. She was simply following the road to Alduress. She breathed in the air, she took in the sights. The Land itself seemed a tad bit more… mystical, to her. The way the road encountered certain land and rock formations, the way it graced plateaus and cliffs that offered bountiful, breath-taking sights, the way herds of animals graced the plains… It was full of Life. More Life than the Outer Edges. It was peculiar.
She didn't travel off the road, unlike in the past. She simply strolled. A couple times, passing carriages would holler at her, offering her a ride. But she didn't have any money. She entrusted it all to Lilt. No, she found this nice, sweet stroll… relaxing. It was a change of pace. It was nice. Yes, a small part of her urged her to find the next encounter, to slay the next Beast. And she would. Eventually. But for now… she let herself indulge in this nice, relaxing, atmosphere.
She came across someone. They stood out to her. They were dressed in an unusual attire, a sort of black robe, held together by a sash. They seemed strong, their body honed. They wore a large, conical wooden hat, one that obscured their face from Suna's gaze. They… were meditating. On a small hill by the side of the road.
She didn't know why. But she felt compelled. To join them. She sat by them, not too close, but not far. She looked ahead of them. It was a glorious sight. She closed her eyes.
"Hello, Traveler."
They spoke to her.
"...hello."
"Hehe, you're quite shy, aren't you?"
"Um…yes…?"
"Haha, that's okay." They spoke, but their body didn't move a muscle.
"..."
"Why did you stop by my rest?"
"...'cause I felt like it."
"Hah. That's not a bad response."
"..."
Their conversation was strange. It was plagued by silence. But it didn't perturb Suna. This person didn't perturb Suna. In the past… she would never let herself be so close to a complete stranger. Now… it wasn't that she trusted them. She just felt a bit… confident? Assured that she wasn't in immediate danger? It was strange. But she felt compelled to sit by this person, and so she did. That was all there was to it.
"I see you've recently gone through some struggles."
Ei's ability? Suna's danger assessment rose.
"Hah, you're wondering how I can tell, right?"
"..." Suna was silent. But it was likely this person would be able to discern the answer to their question with or without a verbal response from Suna.
"It's really quite simple, haha, you've never noticed? Here. I'll show you."
Suna felt it. Emotions. Blurry, hazy thoughts. Them. It was like a tip of the iceberg, something that they were allowing her to sense.
This sensation wasn't new. It was actually really quite familiar to Suna. She had been sensing these things… all this time. Beryl's emotions, Lilt's anxiety, Angie's doubt. She understood now.
"So you understand now. Good."
This person… was knowledgeable. A part of her wanted to barrage them with questions, about everything. About the World, about Magic, about Strength, about Her. But it wasn't time yet, to tackle those things. She just knew. If it was, then she'd ask about them. But she didn't.
"Cough, you're not a normal person, you know that, right?" The statement wasn't malicious. Suna could sense it.
"...Yeah."
"Do you happen to know why?"
"..." Suna thought. About Yrma. About Ei. About Herself.
"...Hahaha! You don't? Haha, I guess I'll leave it to you to find out for yourself."
Suna reflected. The person's words confused her. But they made sense, to a certain degree. She had simply been too lucky, she was too abnormal. Why… This question… she knew. She wouldn't know the answer to that question, for a while. But that was okay. It was okay not to know everything, right away. For some reason, ever since encountering that Thing, she just felt… more at peace. In certain, specific ways.
"Haha, you're interesting. Well, before I leave… I guess I'll leave you with a word of advice. From a more experienced Traveler to another." They turned towards Suna. She saw their face. Their… lack of one.
"Don't Trust Humans."
They disappeared. As if it was all a Dream. Was it? She was there. The sight before her remained the same. But was that person, ever, really There? She was befuddled. But she wasn't disturbed. That advice… She didn't need to be told that.
Suna got up, after an amount of time. And she continued her peaceful, relaxing stroll.