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Operia and Alarset exchanged a meaningful glance. This girl blamed the Shinya. Of course she did. It was only natural to blame the city’s sworn protectors. ”What do you want to be?” Operia asked quietly, her normally sharp eyes softening. ”Is there something, anything?” Lingering silence engulfed the three, punctuated only by the boy-thief’s tears. ”Let’s go, Operia.” Alarset looked over at his companion wearing a bittersweet smile.
”You don’t have to follow us,” she said, turning. ”but you must have questions. We can answer those questions for you, if you’d like to come along. Your choice.” With a fleeting smile, she rejoined Alarset. Whether or not Ai chose to move with them was up to her. The boy walked in front, dejected, flanked by his two captors. ”Another orphan,” she whispered. ”Another victim of that time… Just before the Day of Discord.” Alarset frowned, one restless hand running over his scalp. ”There are too many like her. How will the Shinya ever redeem themselves?” It’d be just loud enough for her to hear, just snatches of the conversation floating by.
”I don’t know,” she replied, sighing. ”I feel it, everyday. Had I been the one to speak, my tongue would have been cut out.“ She looked at him, desperation in her eyes. ”Yet I should have spoken. I feel that way.” It was his turn to sigh. ”We all do. But who would have been left? Better to have done what we did.”
”Was it?” She nearly stopped, just to look at him. Instead her feet lost just a bit of momentum before carrying on. ”When I see what has become of this city, I’m not so sure.”
Alarset looked pained, but they kept walking. The group of them moved quietly, onward to the Shinyama. By the time they arrived, there was a patrolmen ready to intercept the boy. ”Be kind to him and see that he receives medical attention. Send an acolyte for one of the Catholicon healers.” Luckily, the stab wound had been shallow and held at bay with just a bit of pressure.
e
Operia and Alarset exchanged a meaningful glance. This girl blamed the Shinya. Of course she did. It was only natural to blame the city’s sworn protectors. ”What do you want to be?” Operia asked quietly, her normally sharp eyes softening. ”Is there something, anything?” Lingering silence engulfed the three, punctuated only by the boy-thief’s tears. ”Let’s go, Operia.” Alarset looked over at his companion wearing a bittersweet smile.
”You don’t have to follow us,” she said, turning. ”but you must have questions. We can answer those questions for you, if you’d like to come along. Your choice.” With a fleeting smile, she rejoined Alarset. Whether or not Ai chose to move with them was up to her. The boy walked in front, dejected, flanked by his two captors. ”Another orphan,” she whispered. ”Another victim of that time… Just before the Day of Discord.” Alarset frowned, one restless hand running over his scalp. ”There are too many like her. How will the Shinya ever redeem themselves?” It’d be just loud enough for her to hear, just snatches of the conversation floating by.
”I don’t know,” she replied, sighing. ”I feel it, everyday. Had I been the one to speak, my tongue would have been cut out.“ She looked at him, desperation in her eyes. ”Yet I should have spoken. I feel that way.” It was his turn to sigh. ”We all do. But who would have been left? Better to have done what we did.”
”Was it?” She nearly stopped, just to look at him. Instead her feet lost just a bit of momentum before carrying on. ”When I see what has become of this city, I’m not so sure.”
Alarset looked pained, but they kept walking. The group of them moved quietly, onward to the Shinyama. By the time they arrived, there was a patrolmen ready to intercept the boy. ”Be kind to him and see that he receives medical attention. Send an acolyte for one of the Catholicon healers.” Luckily, the stab wound had been shallow and held at bay with just a bit of pressure.
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