Renevere Mars: Part Two

Episode 15: Witch

"Good day to be a water type," Heath remarked. It would take them the full day to reach Portolm but they should be able to make it by nightfall if they didn't dally. It was a miserable day for traveling, though. Grey slate sky absorbing all the warmth from the air. It was hazy and wet, just enough to make them sodden and miserable but not enough to seek shelter from. Their woolen rain cloaks kept them from soaking but Ren still felt permeated by mist. When she looked over at him, dragging her gaze off the muddy road, she was shocked to see he didn't look nearly as miserable as she felt.

"Really? Your elemental preference is water?" she said, not sure why this surprised her.

"Yup, that's me," he said cheerily, reaching up behind his head to readjust the hilt of his massive broadsword which poked up over his shoulder beneath his cloak. "What's yours?"

Ren grimaced. "Don't have one."

"It's fire," Duren corrected, not directed at her but at Heath.

Ren eyed him irritably.

"Uh... okay," Heath said blankly.

Trish snickered. "Fuck you for asking, Heath," she joked.

"It is technically fire, but I really suck at it is what I meant," she said to Heath after long deliberating on a more mature way to say to Duren 'he was asking me not you' and failing to find one.

"Is that true, Duren? She really sucks at it?" Heath asked.

Duren hardly paused. "Yes."

"Oh, damn..." Heath made a face of genuine surprise that Duren had answered so bluntly. He tried to stop himself from laughing as he looked over at Ren's low-lidded gaze, but he failed to do so completely. "S-sorry, Ren," he managed between giggles.

"Yes, ha ha very funny," she sneered.

"Won't be very funny when it's getting one of us killed," remarked Trish. At this Ren genuinely recoiled, not expecting such harsh words.

Duren visibly rolled his head in exasperation and turned to face them from where he walked in front, halting them all. His mission mask made him far more intimidating. "What she lacks in elemental cha she well beyond makes up for. You would do well not to underestimate her. I wouldn't have brought her on this team if I didn't think she could handle it."

Ren's disgruntlement faded slightly.

"Sheesh, don't take it personally, Captain," Trish said, holding her hands up in feigned surrender. "I was only teasing."

Duren raised a brow at her but said nothing. His features were difficult to read, even for Ren, with his metal mask in place. She was surprised he was defending her since it was the Rexus who had invited her along, not him. He hadn't objected exactly, but she was pretty sure he'd wanted to.

"Not saying I doubt you but..." Heath hedged, "how exactly is she gonna 'handle it' with no elemental skills?"

Duren just slid his lazy gaze up to Heath for a moment and turned to the path ahead as he said, "Managed to save my life once before." At this Heath looked impressed, more for Ren's viewing pleasure than Duren who was already faced the other way and continuing down the road.

"Well hot damn," Heath said theatrically, smiling big now at Ren.

Ren tried to keep a straight face but blushed anyway. "It wasn't a big deal."

"Saved the life of the Lightning Flash! That sure sounds like a big deal!" Heath bellowed.

Ren couldn't help but laugh at his dramatics, the awareness that Duren had left out the fact she had saved his life only after he had nearly gotten himself killed saving hers fading to the background. "I thought only your classmates called you that," Ren taunted.