Description
Uneasy Does It
by Ratte
Story
Just outside the doorway was the thud of something soft hitting the floor. Sura stood up, stretched, and looked back down to the both of us.
"Just a minute," she said with a smile before turning back around and heading out of room.
Some seconds after was the sound of someone losing their footing, likely tripping on something. A couple steps followed, and then an echo from a light smack.
"Ack, what'ya want?" came an unfamiliar voice.
"I've told you how many times to stop leaving your clothes on the floor," Sura complained. "Ya keep doing that and I'm gonna strangle you."
"Not if you break your neck first," they retorted. "That'll prolly happen first from the looks of it."
Another slap sound.
"'Scuse me, ma'am, but this is clearly domestic abuse 'n I ain't gonna stand for it."
"Oh, shut up."
After a couple looks of confusion between Xhianei and I, their conversation hushed to unintelligible whispers.
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry 'bout it," said the new person.
Before we could formulate any expectations the tarp curtain was drawn, revealing a rather tall, dark male figure. He stood there for a moment looking down at us before squatting down to better meet our height. I could somewhat make out the shape of some kind of club covered in spikes held over his right shoulder and a dark flat cap atop his head, shielding much of the upper face in shadow.
"So you're the kids I found passed out in no man's land, yeah?" he asked. "Take it you came outta Huot."
Xhianei nodded, but perhaps by instinct I found myself turning my head slightly away. The more my eyes adjusted to the light, the more uneasy I felt about him, his dirty clothes and ragged torn ear. He seemed like some kind of scrapper, even carrying a weapon into the room to talk with us for some reason.
"Not too chatty, huh? S'alright, still early, but Iโm sure ya got a lotta questions."
Xhianei looked back to me, then back to him. I could feel she wasn't terribly impressed with my behavior, but something just...didn't sit right with me about him. I could get used to the others, probably, but this was different. At least it felt different to me.
"Why did you bring us here?" Xhianei finally asked.
"Well surely it ain't the best thing a couple'a small kids sleep outside, what with the cold 'n corruptions 'n weirdoes roaming around," he answered, chewing on his wood splint. "Figured you came from that hellhole south'a here like the rest of us. We got no problem havin' ya both here if you do your part with helpin' people take care of each other. Yanno, chores 'n whatever else Sura prolly already said."
"What would we have to do?" she asked further despite my silence.
"Ah, just stuff like helpin' find food or gettin' food or mending clothes. Not askin' the moon or anything. We all play a part here, even Connor and he's, like, four."
"We could do that, right?" Xhianei turned to me.
"...Sure." I uttered.
"Good to hear. 'm sure you'll both fit in just fine. Got names?"
"I'm Xhianei," she said happily, turning to me a second time.
My back was hunched and my ears flattened. I couldn't help but fixate on his eyes, which even through the shadow cast by his cap were so light and unnerving they looked almost like they were glowing. It creeped me right out, especially with his heavy-lidded leer.
I felt a smack across my arm and looked at Xhianei, who looked right back at me in disgust.
"...Xhias." I finally confessed.
"Some interesting names, there. Can certainly tell you ain't local."
I squinted in his general direction, though this time he picked up on it.
"Kid, believe me, y'ain't want t'be local to a place like here. Y'wouldn't be where y'are now if everything in Huot worked out. Much as it sucks, things go how they do for a reason."
He looked over to our bag and grabbed it with his spare arm, gently plopping it on my lap.
"Sura will show you where t'put your stuff and where you'll be sleeping. This bunker thing's pretty big so there's plenny'a space. Welcome to the garbage kingdom."
He then patted Xhianei on the head and stood back up, stretching his legs and stringing his club up on some cables a short distance from us.
"Now, if you both don't mind, 'm tired and you're in my room."
Without a word the both of us stood up, the bag slung over my shoulder. We both took a long stretch before reaching for the curtain and taking our first steps around this place.
"By the way--" he trailed off as I grabbed the tarp.
I reluctantly turned my head to look back at him, now lying on the bed with one leg atop the other knee and his hands behind his head.
"I did take one'a your pastry things from the bag. Consider it compensation for bringin' you where you won't get mugged."
No words came to me, just an unimpressed glare.
"That's ok, we have a lot we could share with the others, too," Xhianei assured, tugging on my arm.
"Sure they'd like it. Ulimi makes some nice food."
"Ulimi?" Xhianei inquired. "The man at the store?"
"Sandy-colored, short hair, twisted horns," he listed. "That's him."
"Ah, he was very nice and the food was very good!" she chirped.
"'ll be sure to lettim know," he said through a toothy grin. "See the two'ya later."
Xhianei tugged my arm a second time as I scowled, finally drawing back the curtain to let him sleep and finally see just where exactly we were.
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Shane Miller
MemberWow Riv has really taken to talking commen from Daniel ๐
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