Four Unfortunate Souls

Chapter 2.5

Amanita stopped a gasp "I'm s-sorry, I really a-"

"no that's fine, I'm not sad at all that my mother left me, afterall I never knew her anyway, what I want is to start over again, to start a new life where I'm not a slave for anyone , a life where I actually get to decide for myself"

"Someday you will get to" Amanita looked at him, giving him a flat smile.

She held him tighter, fingers coiling around his wrist. Weakly tugging on him with that uneeded little pull , Reren let her pull him more than willingly anyway. He walked behind her, looking up ahead, one of his hand holding the strap of his tattered bag, the other held by Amanita.

The stone street they are taking ended and replaced it was a dirt path....well, it ought to be a dirt path, Reren thought. He eyed the path unsurprised. Mud puddles scattered everywhere on the exposed surface of the earth. With all that mud the dirt path looked effectively like a pig pen.

Amanita carefully walked the said pig pen. Still holding Reren, guiding him on where to step. She had mastered the road ,he can see, for she walked step by step without accidentally stepping on any of the puddles.

Reren released a breath he didn't realized he was holding in for so long when they finally reached the end of the path. No more puddles, the mud was replaced by gravel path walk that leads to a small cottage, with a roof as dilapidated as a broken dream. Its windows were large holes in the wall covered by a makeshift window frame. He wouldn't be so surprised if Amanita made it herself.

"I wasn't able to pack all my things, I thought you'd be waiting for me too long if I did" she said, finally letting go off him. "would you like to come in? Rest a bit before we actually go" she invited him , opening the creaky slanted door of the cottage.

"thank you" Reren chimed, before climbing into the house, surprisingly the house wasn't awful at the inside, contrary to the sigh it offers outside.

Furnitures are very few, very old. But was neatly arranged in a way that it not only beautified the place but as well made it appear more spacious.

"take a seat " Amanita offered a seat in a small table by the window.

Reren stepped towards her. Eyes looking through the window, on the soft little brook not so far away. He slowly sunk down a chair, still musing on the running body of water.

She giggled softly, noticing the absense of focus on his eyes.

"Yeah it's pretty, you'll get bored of it eventually" she too looked at the brook.

He looked at her and smiled, head slowly dropping down.

" It's just that I never got to see something like that a lot of times" He looked at her " all my life, all the seventeen years of it, I've been trapped in that tavern, working hard each passing day, thinking I should work harder to pass my limits so I could Show Konan I'm grateful to him for keeping me "

Amanita held a hand and cupped his cheeks. He is utterly a child, not even adult enough. It's funny how she thinks he's too young when in fact she is just a year older.

"Those days are over, you left that tavern" she looked at him. A hand still on his cheek "from now on you'll have to work hard for yourself only"

Reren just smirked as he knodded his head, telling her he understood.

"Excuse me for a bit, I'll need my things packed"

She pushed herself up her seat and started pacing around, looking for anything she'll need.

Reren observed her as she pulled out a leather bag from a chest. Putting the strap over her shoulder, she started pulling out clothes and shoving it in.

"Won't your family be mad if you leave?" He asked.

"I only have my mother, I'm sure she will be. But she works for the wealthymen as their maid, and only comes home once a week, sometimes she does not at all. Before she could know I left , I'm already too far" she answered, shoving a pair of pants in the bag. "we're good"

Reren just knodded and stayed silent.

Amanita resumed pacing around the house. She stopped in a specific portion of the floor. Tapping it with her foot. Reren was intrigued, he eyed her as she kneeled down, pulling a plank up the floor board. Reren stood from his seat to see more clearly, just in time as she pulled out an old short sword.

"where did you get that?" He breathe

"stole it from one of the drunk guards" she raised her shoulder. "together with the Helmet" she looked at the Helmet that sat on the corner . It's surface is already tinged with red, rust slowly eating on it's edges.

Amanita dashed to retrieve the said helmet and clutched it on her pits.

"shall we go?" She asked before sliding the sword into her makeshift belt of leather strings.

Reren knodded and opened the door for her. She bobbed her head courtly, making her way out the house, her leather bag stubbornly hanged on her shoulders.

They walked out the house retracing the gravel path they had walked on earlier. Amanita walked illy, still awkwardly carrying the bag.

Reren noticed it and stopped her. " could I carry that for you? " he asked reaching a hand to her bag.

"no thank you, you're too kind " she refused before pouring all her attention back to her lethear bag, and into her Old sword that had awkwarly hanged on her crotch, and to the rusty helmet on her pits that seem to fall out her grasp everytime she tries to settle it between her sides and arm.

Reren pulled the bag off her strongly,

"hey! " she shooted an arm in the air, pulling back , the rusty helmet slid off her pit and rolled on the gravel path underneath their feet.

" someone with a helmet and a sword should be unburdened of a heavy load, you are the one with the weapon in the two of us afterall, you should be light and free anytime you need to defend us" Reren hanged the single strap of the leather bag diagonally across his torso. His own backpack on his back. His lute on one of his hands.

Amanita gave off a breath, picking up her helmet by a hand, the other holding the handle of her sword to keep it from sliding off the side of her hips. He was right. She needs to be light and ready anytime someone launches an attack on their pair.

She straightened her back to look at him. His blue eyes are shining as they look back at her. A wide grin stretched across his face.

"please protect me Amanita"

She scoofed and hit his shoulder with her hand.

"I will, don't worry. You're safe with me"

Reren gave her a grateful stare and continued on their way.

They pass the dirt road turned pig pen much easier than the former time they did. Reren carried both the bags on his shoulder unmindingly, Amanita on his back clutching her helmet, her sword jiggling at her side each time she make a step.

"hurry Amanita, we're about to leave town!" He ecxcitedly looked around, they were almost on the outskirts of tow.

Like their town's central, this specific fraction of the outskirts is very lively too. It was the entrance and exit of their town for travelers and merchants . There are merchants with carriages full of trinkets for sale, there were traders that settled beside the Merchants, Trying to sell their Crafts and produce. Reren has seen so many people before when he was working on the tavern , but they were all drunk. It is a new sight for him to see many normal and sober people, making trades in one place.

"let's go" he jumped and reached for her hand

, pulling her into a run. His eyes looking back at Amanita.

Without looking where he is headed, Reren bumbed into a man, Hitting him on the shoulders with his face.

The man, quite shocked, looked at the pair of them with wide eyes.

"I- I'm, I'm sorry Mister"