I didn’t hear or see Sy for the remainder of the day and I hadn’t wanted to disturb him, I had taken it easy and got a good nights rest, I had decided to sleep outside, the weather was nice and it was peaceful, and there was something special about staring up into the night sky, watching the stars as I let my mind fold into the blissful darkness that was sleep. The night sky was different here, there was a green hue to it bleed with a deep purple. The stars themselves littered the sky, in little clusters much like the constellations that I was used to but in different shapes. I had spend a good few hours mapping them and giving them names, seeing what shapes they formed. Mostly the ones that picked out all drew a similarity with weapons. I found a sword, bow a mace and even a tiny cluster that looked like a dagger.

I wondered if they were somehow linked to the skill trees I had seen and then my mind went down that rabbit hole for way too long. It had helped settle me after what had been a pretty traumatic period, there was so much I had learnt, so much that I had changed and at no point had I ever had any time to process it.

After waking up I had taken my self down to the lagoon for an early swim, leaving my clothes in a pile by the house, Raven was fast asleep on her hammock, peaceful and motionless. It was the only time she looked relaxed, the pale features ofher face, softening as she rested. I say the word loosely as she still had one hand tucked to the hilt of her scythe, ready to strike out at any moment if she needed to, coiled like a viper. It was enough to cause me to not get too close in case she woke and mistook me for an attacker and slit my throat, so I had got into the lagoon and done forty five to fifty lengths, I had lost count a couple of times a Is found myself getting lost in the water. It was enough to allow me to loosen the stresses of the last few days.

Finishing up I dried myself off with a towel, Sy had left out for me and returned to the house to get changed.

To my surprise, my clothes were not by my makeshift bed where eI left them, the towels draped over my shoulders I headed inside.

“Sy? Have you moved my clothes?”

“Morning,” he said, startling me. He was walking around the corner at the far side of his house. “Your clothe’s are out back drying, I gave them a wash for you while you were having a swim. They were a bit torn up and bloody so we will have them as good as new in no time.”

“You didn’t have to do that, but thanks.” The thought had crossed my mind, more so after the shog guts and Extendabull blood that had sprayed over me. My clothe’s stank.

“In the meantime, you can wear this. Sorry it’s not in your size but it is all I have. Maybe if you find a merchant you will be able to get some armour or something. The clothe’s you have literally offer you no protection and out there you re going to need all the stat boosts you can get, regardless of what you look like.” Sy tossed me an item of clothing. It drowned me when I caught it and had a rough texture too it, it reminded me of a towel that had been left on the washing line to dry for too long. It had a grassy smell to it, with a hint of lemon, and a spice that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I opened up the clothing to see that it was twice the size of what I needed. I put it on and it draped over me like a kaftan, it was dark green and frayed around the edges but it was better than walking around in my boxer shorts.

“Thank you,” I said as I stretched into it. “How are you feeling today?”

“I feel great, managed some deep thinking in my snug. If you ever need a place to chill and gather your thoughts you are more than welcome.”

I was curious what the snug looked like, having not been inside but I wanted to go and see Raven, I had something I wanted to ask her, something we had discussed on our way back here, well something I had said. I pointed to some fruit on the table.

“Can I?”

“Help yourself, that’s why it is there.”

The fruit I grabbed was the shape of an apple except it was bright purple, it was my favourite thing that I had eaten here and had a sweet flavour to it that matched the thicker texture to the fruit. The outer skin was a bit of a pig to bight through but once you did it was so worth it. Sy had told me they were called Nova fruits, he said they could also be used for alchemy but I had no interest in that. I just wanted to eat the thing.

I grabbed one for me and took a bight straight away, savouring the sweet, tangy taste before grabbing a second piece for raven, before heading down towards the lower part of the lagoon to speak with Raven.

“Once you guys are done down there, let me know, I got a few more bits I want to catch up with you both.”

“No worries,” I said as I made my way down the rope ladder to the lower level.

Raven was sat up right in the hammock and stretching her arms high and wide into the air as I approached her, she was smacking her lips together after what looked like a solid sleep. I tossed her the Nova fruit which she bought in both hands and she wrinkled her nose at it, apparently she wasn’t as keen on them as I was. I could demolish four or five of these in one sitting if I had the chance but Sy had warned it would play havoc with my gut so I had avoided it. They were so moreish.

“That’s all that there is today, it is better than nothing.”

Raven tucked into the nova fruit before tossing the core into the nearby trees, wiping the excess juice of her chin with her sleeve. Her eating manners were like she was a wild animal.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“So I was thinking that today we could spend a bit of time going over whet we discussed on our walk back here.”

Raven just gave me a puzzled look.

“Are you serious, I thought we had a moment.”

She just shrugged like she was bored of me already, she did not seem that interested in what I had to say.

“Well I know it's first thing but I thought we could maybe spend some time this morning, you showing me some signs. At least then I might be able to understand better what you are saying to me rather than keep guessing all the time.”

Raven gave me the double bunny sign before sniggering.

“Exactly, I don’t know what that sign means but I have a feeling it is not complimentary.”

Raven nodded, still sniggering in silence. She sat down in the long crass, crossing her legs and patted the ground in front of her, which I assumed she wanted me to sit.

Sitting down, I said, “Thank you,”

Raven held out her hand and placed it to her chin before moving it in a motion like blowing a kiss, without actually blowing a kiss.”

He then pointed at me.

I copied her and repeated the words “Thank you, is that what that means?”

Raven nodded.

“I don’t think I have seen you use that one,” I said with a teasing smile.

Even gave me a slow version of the double bunny and I laughed so hard.

The next sign was easy enough to under stand, Raven brought her right and moved it to the right in a kind of wax of motion.

“Oh I know this one,” I said, “Hi?”

Raven lifted her left hand in a closed fist and made a knocking motion like she was tapping on an invisible door, she nodded slightly as she did it.

“Is that yes?”

She repeated the sign.

“Great, ok then what is no?”

Raven used the same hand to make a sign that I had seen quite a few times from her, she used two fingers and her thumb and Brough them together like a hand puppet and shook her head at the same time.

I repeated it and said “No”

Raven gave me a thumbs up and for the first time I felt as though I was getting somewhere with her.

“Ok, I feel like we are getting somewhere now,” I thought for a moment, what would be helpful to us when we are out exploring. Then it dawned on me. “Can you show me the sign for help?”

Raven nodded and placed an open palm out in front of her before bringing her other hand down in a closed fist, with her thumb pointing upwards. She then repeated it again and then a third time, slowly as if she was speaking to a complete moron.

I repeated the motion, “Help,” I said.

Raven repeated the gesture again but this time when her thumbs up fist was on top of her open palm she moved it towards me, with an expectant look.

“Help me?” I guessed.

Raven shook her head and widened her eyes in exasperation.

I copied her and it took a few times and me, doing the sign slowly to realise what she meant as I looked up at her and gestured the sign a final time.

“Oh you mean Help you?”

She slapped her hand to her head sarcastically with a a wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

She then repeated the sign again, this time pulling her hand sign towards herself.

“Help, me?” I said.

Raven gave me a thumbs up.

“You see you are a great teacher,” It surprised me how empowering it felt to be learning a way of communicating that would help someone else. Then it dawned on me that I had never done anything like this before and I felt like an ignorant ass. I thought about all the people back home in my community that needed additional support, there was Freddy who was Mr And Mrs Dawn’s son, he was about twelve year old and had a learning disability and autism which affected his communication. I had always been polite and smiled and said hello but I had never thought about how it must affect him every day. Then there was Mrs Ferell, she lived a few doors down from me, she was in her forties or so I would guess and had a guide dog that we were not allowed to pet. She lost her sight in her twenties from a rare form of glaucoma. That was just a couple of examples, being here in this moment with raven reminded me just how powerful they were that they went about their daily lives despite the disabilities they had. They were both happy, they were both free.

As I watched Raven, who continued to sit in front of me I could help but wonder how long she had felt trapped, when was the last time she had a meaningful conversation. I wanted to do better, I wanted to try harder. Not just for the ‘whispers’ quest but also for her. Her body language was sunken, as confident and accomplished as she was with her blades she looked uncomfortable in this situation, one on one speaking with another, with nothing around us to distract us.

“Ok, this time I want you to teach me something that I don’t already know, except I won’t tell you, I want you to pick something and I guess I will kind of figure it out.”

Raven smirked to herself and brought her hands together.

“And don’t be giving me this one,” I did the double bunny sign pretty much perfect after all I was most familiar with this.

Raven laughed silently and sat motionless, legs crossed in deep thought. When her eyes lit up I could tell she had thought of something to teach me.

She stretched out her index fingers on both hands closing her other fingers into a ball and curved them into a letter c shape. She then linked them together for a second before switching and linking them the opposite way.

I watched her intently as she did the sign a few more times and regretted what I had said, how on earth was I going to figure this out. How could a hand gesture be so difficult for me to break down.

“Ok, Ok I have got this.” I said, while studying the hand sign.

Raven stopped for a moment and slowly pointed towards me then brought her hand to her chest before repeating the sign, it was like she was linking her index fingers like a half chain.

“So this sign is something to do with you and me?” I said, it sounded stupid to say it out loud but I just wanted to be sure.

Raven nodded again.

“Ok so is it something we are together?”

She nodded again and I could feel the excitement building up inside me, becoming more animated I said. “Enemies, hindrance, chain,” I said, reeling off all the things that I thought Raven would see me as. “Annoying, useless, pain in the arse.”

Raven shook her head, repeating the sight, pointing at, me then her then curving her index fingers around each other.

I stood up in front of her perplexed, what other insults could it be. When I looked down at her she was smiling at me, not forcefully or sarcastically, her freckled cheeks had softened and there was a kindness in her eyes that I had not seen before.

I continued to think about what the sign could mean when I had a hunch, it couldn’t be right though and I braced myself for Raven to laugh at me again. “Wait a minute, does it mean friend?”

As I said it, I repeated the sign back.

Raven’s cheeks blushed slightly and she bowed her head almost shamefully and she nodded.

I sat back down in front of her and smiled, pointed at her, then me, did the friends sign and nodded my head.

We sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the morning, watching over the lagoon. Something about this felt more powerful to me than any class, skill or trait I had learnt since I wound up here.