"What the—" The chirp of thunder reintroduced itself at that moment, and Sima's shout fell on deaf ears.
Mariya stared unassuredly at the woman smiling across from them, not sure whether to trust her or tie her up and interrogate her. I mean, when has a person's identity ever get revealed in a flash of thunder and then turn out to be a good guy?!
"It's good to see you again, Sans. You look a lot better since getting outta that gaol, wonder if your brain also got sharper from last time?"
Sans— which she assumed was short for Sans-Culotte— turned as red as a rose from his playful teasing. Again, another wave of suspicion showered over Mariya, her patent-pending 'this-bitch-is-a-bitch' instincts kicking into high gear as she gave the cloaked lady the stink-eye.
Regrettably, the subject of her glares didn't seem to notice, "I'd like to think I've grown some common sense since visiting the void!" She scratched the back of her head while chuckling affectionately, "Darn, I miss ya so much, lad! It's been so long since that priso— wait just a dang second! How did you escape that hellhole?"
"Um, about that..."
Up to this point, Mariya could only find one word to describe the person in front of her: a puppy. Attention span short, check. Suspiciously cheerful, check. Easily excitable, check. And finally, endearingly cute—
"Oh! That doesn't matter! I'm just glad you're safe and sound!" She squealed, running up to him and hugging him hard, "I'm so so happy you've worked out your kinks with him, and he let you go in the end,"
"...Check,"
Everyone turned to her, and only then did she realize she'd let that last part slip. Hastily, she put her hands to her mouth, but it was too late for regrets as Sans was already firing off questions.
"Oh? Who's she? Is she a friend? Who is the other guy? Is he also a friend?" For a solid moment, everyone just looked at her helplessly, simultaneously racking their brains to shut her up without telling her to shut up.
Reflecting on their earlier conversation, Mariya realized something crucial, "Wait! Sans-Culotte—"
"Just Sans, please!" She corrected.
"Sans, did you say you lived in the void these past months?" She asked, incredulous and also giddy. If she was right and Sans did actually live there, then...
"Yup! I know the place in and out!" She boasted, her lips now a proud grin that showed off all her pearly whites.
She internally fist-bumped herself and said, "Are you gonna head back in? We need something there and—"
"No. We haven't talked about this yet! Don't go making decisions without us," But Sima was having none of it, and stopped her before she could get any farther with Sans.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Her glare bore into him, and if looks could kill, he'd be dead one-hundred-fold, but he was firm in his opposition. In the end, they had to be interrupted by Malkov, who suggested a better solution.
"Guys, let's talk somewhere more private? It's unsightly, and you're being a bad influence on the child," Which was basically stalling for the inevitable because gods know he isn't stepping into the minefield that was these two.
Reminded by his reprimand, Sima and Mariya apologized to the boy, gave him enough money to last a month, and sent him on his way. And soon, they were headed back to the inn...
----------------------------------------
Mariya sat on one side of the table, directly across from Sima while Malkov was facing Sans. Everyone had a tired look on their face, even the energetic Sans looked about ready to flop onto one of the beds beside them and just take a nap...
Why? Because the past hour or so had been spent entirely shouting, arguing, grumbling, and insulting each other for no reason other than, "I'm not fighting that thing," and, "Yes you will, ya pansy,". By the end of it, although they finally came to an agreement, it was easy to tell Sima was still sullen about the result.
"Can't believe I lost in the game of luck..." They could hear Sima grumble from inside his arms, his voice was muffled from having his face planted firmly into the crook of his inner elbow.
Mariya only chuckled, "Don't be a sore loser, I won fair and square. No such thing as a weighted dice, after all!" She half-gloated-half-consoled him, lightly patting his head.
You've read right, the whole hour-long debate was ended with a simple coin toss. Mariya heads, Sima tails. With a flick of her thumb, the metallic ellipsoid spun round and round as it flew up and above her head, before plateauing and heading back down. With a snappy thud, the coin landed snugly onto her palm, the head of Sultan Mehmed shown prominently smiling at the audience above...
"Hum... When are we gonna go down?" Malkov got up from his seat and yawned tiredly. He was, for all intents and purposes, the referee during their shouting match, and having to stop two of his friends from destroying each other with words sucked the life out of him.
"Voidworms are goin' back down in three days. We'll have about that much time to restock on supplies," Sans replied from her bed.
Voidworms, or Vacuumo Vermus, were a species of gigantic worms that lived underneath the sand and subsequent cave systems further down known as 'the Void'. The Voidworms, though not the only species inhabiting the Void, are the only ones known to travel to and fro the surface and the void, as their body releases an acidic substance that destroys the rock in between the two planes. First discovered by Symed Sitra, and later domesticated by Hassan Pinjah, they're now frequently used by explorers and researchers alike to discover what lies underneath the dark depths of the void...
'At least that's how all the stories went...' Mariya played with her hands as she reflected on the new information that came along with Sans' abrupt arrival. But as the quiet became too distracting, she spoke up:
"So... where do you guys think the scorpion i—"
-Bang!-
Suddenly, Sima slammed his hands onto the desk, a freezing look on his face as he declared, "I need a smoke break," Before curtly walking out and slamming the door behind him.
Mariya frowned, and when her eyes met with Malkov's, they both had the same thought:
"What was that about?" Sans craned her head to glance at the door, but it didn't last long until she dropped it back onto the soft pillow.
"Think he's mad?"
"Oh, he's definately—"
-Bang!-
But before Malkov could finish, Sima burst back in panting like he'd just ran a marathon, his complexion looking deathly pale.
"Guys! Get up! We gotta get outta here! The Dorbakah are attacking!"