The time quickly passed and two weeks came and went. And with the book Merrill lent along with some help from Elizabeth he returned to peak condition with little effort on his part.

“Sigh, I guess it's time.”

He stood before Tina's room. He had seen Ruby, he had seen Agnes, he saw Lily drinking her troubles away with Vanessa, he saw Merrill on an almost daily basis at this point but the only person he hadn't seen for these past two weeks was Tina.

Even Elizabeth was starting to get worried, but given what happened, she had to make her way to town on a near daily occurrence to discuss business with some men from the capital. Add in the fact some guilds were very infuriated that people they thought were dead were being confined in nearby jails and Elizabeth was likely the person who had the hardest time throughout this whole period.

(“I don’t mean any ill will when I say this, but I don't envy being her henchman in the slightest if you have to go through that headache as a leader.”)

He knocked on her door and no one answered.

“Come on out, you big bitch.”

“...”

Nothing. Not even a groan of displeasure or a click of the tongue.

(“Damn, I don't think I've ever called her a bitch and got away with it.”)

He knocked on the door, again and again and again and….

He knocked on the door so much it was starting to annoy him yet the short-tempered woman inside seemingly didn't give a rat's ass.

“Come on out Tina, most people would think you're dead with this sort of reaction.”

Again, nothing.

“I'm gonna open the door if you don't answer.”

He sighed and walked away.

He returned with a Vanessa that stunk of booze and didn't need much convincing to pick open her door.

“T-the- *hick* there Tibby, now gi mi a kissssss.” She slurred as she walked into him, wrapping her arms around his stomach.

“Ask me that when you're sober.” He answered. (“At least she's not as bad of a drunk as Louise.”)

She released him, before groaning and heading back to her underground smith.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

He considered bringing Lily with him for support but she was wwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy worse than Vanessa. For his own peace of mind, he removed every sharp implement they could get their hands on before coming back here.

“I'm coming in.”

He opened the door to see Tina directly behind it, nearly giving him a heart attack. There weren't any smells, so she was taking care of herself at least. Her hair was messy and she wore only a pair of panties and a tank top. Worryingly, she did not attempt to cover up when her eyes met with Tibaut. She was like a completely different woman.

“...”

“He-hey there Tina.”

She didn't react to him and walked back towards her bed.

“Tina, come on, I know what happened was bad and all but-”

“Tibaut, I'm just taking a break. It's nothing to worry about.” She flopped on her bed and covered herself in a blanket. “I'm like a bear, or a frog or some other animal that sleeps all winter.” She said in a tone that carried no energy. It was like she was a text-to-speech program.

“Listen I know Ezekiel-”

“Never heard of the guy.” She quickly answered.

“Come on Tina, I know he-”

“Like I said I don't know who that is. I was taken care of by a woman who can't keep her legs closed by the name of Ruby after my mother died. She wasn't the best but at least she gave me a place to stay whenever.”

Tibaut sighed and decided to switch gears.

“Alright, let's ignore him. I suppose it wouldn't be my place to talk about him.”

“Why? You were friends with the bastard, not me.” She answered.

He clicked his tongue. “Listen I know-”

“It's good to see you've gained weight.” She offhandedly commented, interrupting him.

“Tina…” He walked towards her and sat next to her on the bed. “Are you okay?”

She turned away from him and covered her face with her blanket. “Why do you care?”

“I thought we were past this, we're friends aren't we?”

She turned back to him and began playing with his hair, which now was long enough to touch the floor.

“We are.” She answered. She looked hesitant to continue speaking but pushed through. “We are friends Tibaut. But, how do you expect a friend to feel when someone I used to consider a brother tried to kill you? How do you think I felt when I saw you covered in burns and bruises, looking ready to go to the afterlife? How do you think I felt when I walked into that building that night and saw you standing over a man who was supposed to be dead?” She answered.

“Don't act like any of that was your fault! That bastard-”

She covered his mouth. “Tibaut, I couldn't care about that sack of shit right now. I felt like I betrayed everyone by even knowing him.”

“Really? So you're saying you're okay with him walking away? You're okay that he's probably on some summer beach living out the rest of his life like nothing happened?”

“I am.” She answered. “I never want…” She gritted her teeth. “I never want to see-” Her body began to shake as she tried to get the words “I never want to see him again” out but her body just wouldn't let her. As the words he told her, before his apparent death, rang through her head, combined with the bare-faced bastard’s escape, it left her wanting to rip apart anything she could get her hands on.

Her body was engulfed in sparks as she thought about what happened that night and Tibaut quickly backed away from the bed.