If someone were to point out a single outstanding fault that Chell possessed, it would have been the fact that she easily gave too much of her trust towards those people who showed any kindness to her, regardless of whether she knew them or not. The dead had spoken to her countless of times in their cold and quiet whispers--before they had disappeared, of course--to be wary of people.
People lie, they reminded her in harsh tones. They are evil, cunning, selfish, and easily swayed.
Whenever Chell heard them say those words, she would always think that there must have been those few who weren't like that. At the very least, she once knew someone who was. But that person had been long gone now. Still, perhaps that small hope of goodness led her to believe that it was best to give people her trust rather than reject them. It reminded her that there was still enough of her humanity left for herself.
Careless, the ghosts used to whisper in warning tones. You are so careless, our Snow.
She knew this, of course. This was the main reason why she was willing enough to trust this stranger she had just met a mere few minutes ago. In this kind of situation where most would be wary and doubtful of, Chell had chosen to do the opposite. If the dead were still with her, she imagined them whispering in her ears at that moment, convincing her to turn back and leave him. She imagined the words they would tell her. Careful, our Snow. You must be careful. Protect yourself. Leave the boy.
"-Ah, little miss, watch out!"
A ringing voice warned her as someone grabbed onto her cloak, abruptly yanking her back to the path. Chell blinked a few times, regaining her senses. As she looked at the bustling cobbled street in front of her where people hustled on their own ways, she realized that she was currently in the kingdom of Uldard. A wagon rider was yelling something at her as he passed by, an angry look on his face. She then realized that if she had taken one more step, she would have been run over by his horses.
"Little miss, you should really watch where you're going," the voice chided. Chell spun around and faced Noct, escaping from his grasp yet again. She stepped back uncomfortably. The amount of contact they had was already more than Chell normally did in a month.
"Your head seems like it is in the clouds," Noct commented, a slight hint of humor in his voice. Chell shook her head.
He made a grin. "Well, just follow me. The inns aren't that far away from this part of the kingdom. Only a few more streets and we'll arrive! Just pay attention to where you're stepping next time, though. I wouldn't want you dead or injured before we arrive..." He laughed jokingly.
Chell was quiet for a moment before she decided to nod back. He nodded as well.
Noct turned down the path, leading her through the congestion of people. They walked at a moderate pace, him leading in front and Chell following close behind him. When she looked at Noct, she was taken aback by how much he seemed to belong to the scenery before her. His eyes shone brightly as he told Chell random facts about the kingdom while on their way: "Ah, did you know? Barry's Bread are the best in this town!" he said as he pointed to a breadshop filled with customers. "The Devina Festival starts one week from now. You should lengthen your stay. It's pretty fun!" he suggested. "Witch hunters flock the pubs, so it's best not to go near them. Their kind of people are pretty bad news." He shrugged. There was a dark look on his face. "Thieves are very cunning here in Uldard. You better watch out," he advised. "You're a very quiet girl, you know. Is this level of silence natural to you?" he asked as they passed over a low bridge, the rays of the midday sun casting glints on the water.
As Chell followed him, staying in her usual tone of silence and only looking up to nod once or twice to the things he would point out, she wondered for a moment if the people from Uldard were this easy to befriend or if it was simply just the boy named Noct himself. Clearly, he had a way with his words and actions. Everything about him seemed to point out the very definition of friendly and helpful. As the length of the time they spent together stretched, She found herself feeling somehow comfortable with him now. This surprised her. After all, she never took to people so quickly. Soon, the tense uneasiness she originally had towards him had disappeared as fast as it came to her.
Don't get too attached, Chell abruptly reminded herself, looking at the ends of his scarf as it swayed with his stride. You can't stay here for too long. No one can stay with you for too long, for your sake and theirs. Remember the short time you have with him, because chances are, you'll never see him again.
She was wrong, however.
After a few more minutes of walking and mostly one-sided conversations, Noct led her to a vast and crowded square. In the middle of it, an impressive fountain was fixated, spurting forth water that glistened underneath the midday sunlight. Children were playing by the water's edge, their laughter and shrieks loud enough to be heard. There were even more people here, their ear-splitting chatter blurring together and ringing out. They were a sea of different heads and colors, a large wave that seemed to swallow others.
Chell hesitated at the edge. She often did her best to stay away from places with lots of people, and crowded squares were of no exception. She dreaded the thought of having to pass through and avoid any physical contact. She was about to tell the Noct about this. Before she was able to, however, he had forged through the throng without hestiating, only turning around to offer another quick grin saying, "Through here, little miss!"
She had no choice but to follow. Parts of him were already lost in the bodies, momentarily secluded by passing people. Chell barely managed to avoid them as she stepped within the mass of bodies. It was hard for her, however. Someone would run into her without apologizing. Some of them barely brushed by. Others glanced at her with curious looks before moving on. Chell furrowed her brows slightly. The square was too crowded. There were too many people, a haze of blurred faces. As she navigated through them, she tried at the very least not to touch any of them. Anything but touch them. Chell looked up to make sure she was still following Noct.
She stopped. Slowly, her heartbeat began to quicken when she realized that he had suddenly disappeared from her line of sight.
For a blank moment, she thought he had just been hidden by the torrent of moving bodies. Considering this, Chell decided to stay very still in the middle of the bustling crowd, waiting for him to turn up again with an apologetic grin on his face. She searched for his crimson scarf, his unruly dark hair, his pale colored eyes.
However... Noct never came back.
After more than a few seconds had passed, Chell felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. Something was wrong. Her sense of wariness came back and this time, fear had accompanied it. As the flood of people pressed around her, Chell raised her bandaged hands instinctively to wrap them around the strap of her satchel underneath her cloak, a notion she often did to calm herself.
The next second later, however, she realized there was nothing to hold.
Chell froze in the middle of the square, still as a rock. Her usual expressionless face cracked slightly as her eyes widened in shock by her sudden realization. She fumbled around for the strap of her satchel, thinking she might have just missed it accidentally, but found it gone. It had disappeared.
No, it had not disappeared. It had been stolen.
At that exact moment, there was only one person that came into her mind. Noct.
"Thieves are very cunning here in Uldard." he had told her. "You better watch out."
Someone bumped into her from behind. She staggered forward and threatened to trip, but managed to steady herself. However, she wasn't paying any attention to anything anymore. Her mind was racing, and ever-so-slowly, so did her fear. The realization and the weight of what was happening made her feel sick to the stomach.
Chell didn't care about the gold inside of her satchel. She didn't care about the important paperwork it kept, even though it would cause her problems if she lost them. She didn't care about the priceless potions and herbs she had made and collected over the years she travelled by herself. She only cared about something else, something much more important than anything she owned.
The skull.
----> thank you for reading!