Given the fact that there were only four of them, they did pretty well. Sukeena, for the most part, was able to forget what had happened to them—or, maybe the better way to say it was that she simply tried to bury it. Natharie and Orith must’ve been the same way and, unless there was something that required the topic to be brought up, they never talked about what happened. Umi was more or less getting along with everyone, too; Natharie didn’t like the fact it seemed like he was hiding something, but Sukeena always made a point to remind her that everyone had their secrets.
“Did we do well today?” Sukeena asked, walking over to Natharie.
She was setting aside the coins like Insith used to, though she didn’t seem nearly as satisfied or happy at one thing or another. “About the same as usual,” she replied. “Enough to keep us going comfortably.”
Sukeena sat down beside her. “I bet there’d be even more people willing to go and see you.”
“I’ve told you already, I’m done with the spotlight.” Natharie abruptly stood up. “I only did it because of Insith. It’s easier that I focus on managing the backend of things while the three of you are out there giving them a show. At least then I can always be watching you from the sidelines. Believe me, I’m not holding back anything out of a sense of duty. I honestly don’t want this.”
The Natharie of Sukeena’s memory had, before, been an admittedly colder woman who warmed up in the company of friends. She was fearless, a master with any animal or beast the troupe might’ve been capable of getting a hold of for a show. Looking back, maybe there’d been some hesitance to everything she did; maybe she’d looked back, her expression changed for just a moment when Insith explained what her part of the show would be. But at that point, it felt like that version of Natharie was still there somewhere… instead of going to a place where it could rest peacefully in the past, where she could take up the mantle they needed and she’d always preferred.
“I’ll… see you after the show, then,” Sukeena mumbled. She guessed it was encouraging to know that there was still someone watching her from backstage. “Don’t try to scare off random guests in the middle of the show this time? I don’t think that’s really helping us.”
Natharie mumbled something that sounded like a half-hearted excuse but, regardless, went to her spot to watch the show.
Sukeena glanced through the curtain separating her and the crowd that had gathered to watch. She’d brushed off most of the things that Natharie did but she was no less susceptible to them herself; she told herself she was gaining encouragement from their excited looks, when really she knew she was looking for any faces that had been there that night. Instead, she found there was a preteen in the crowd that seemed to be waiting with a certain spark in his eye. Sukeena smiled and decided that this performance, were it to be dedicated to anyone, would be for him.
She stepped out of the curtain to cheers and began the show as the ringleader.
…
She kept a close eye on him throughout the show. They were strangers—she’d definitely never met him before—but there was something familiar in his awed expression. After it was over, she left Orith in charge of formally thanking the guests for coming while she went to find that familiar stranger.
He must’ve had an intention of talking with her, too, because he wasn’t far from where they were. She guessed, given that he was startled for a moment after seeing her, that he’d been standing there in order to work up the courage to talk to her.
“Did you enjoy the show?” Sukeena asked brightly with one of the friendliest smiles she could give. She wasn’t here to intimidate him—even the people that are looked up to were only mortal, after all.
He smiled back and nodded.
She held out her hand. “Great! What’s your name? I’m Sukeena, that big guy over there is Orith, and those two are Natharie and Umi.”
“Detu,” he responded hesitantly. He opened his mouth to say something else, then closed it and opened it a few more times. Finally, he worked up the courage to ask, “Can I… join you?”
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Sukeena had to remind herself not to immediately accept his request. She had to think of it from a practical standpoint. What were all those things that Insith would say to anyone that asked him that, again..? “We’re travelers—we’re probably only going to be around here for another day or so, then move on to somewhere new.”
“I know.”
“You look pretty young… where are your parents..?” She only somewhat acknowledged Orith walking up to them and Umi more cautiously watching from afar. “Won’t they be worried if you come with us?”
“They… won’t care. Not really…”
Then Orith got close enough to put a hand on Sukeena’s shoulder. “Making some new friends?”
“This is Detu,” she explained. “He wants to come with us, but I’m not really sure what to do…”
“You already tried asking him about his parents?”
Detu interrupted to state, “I… already told her. They won’t… care.”
Orith clearly wanted to believe him just as much as Sukeena did, though knew that he couldn’t just accept that. “And why’s that?”
“They…” Detu trailed off, even if his expression proved he had plenty he wanted to say.
Sukeena didn’t know what else she could try to do and was glad that Orith seemed to. “Then let’s try to figure this out through simple questions. Are your parents nearby?”
After a moment of consideration, Detu nodded. “Yes.”
“Would it be possible to talk to them?”
“No.”
“Do they know that you’re out here?”
“Yes.”
“Were they the ones who paid for your ticket?”
Umi’s voice startled them all. “He didn’t pay—he snuck in with another group.” Detu nervously nodded, but Umi just sighed. “You said your parents wouldn’t care if you came with us?”
“Mhm.”
“Did they do something to you?”
“No.”
“Did they not do enough for you?”
“Kind of…”
“You’re out here on your own?”
“Yes.”
“Are you running away?”
“No.”
Then, with some kind of bitterness seeping in, Umi asked, “Did someone tell you to leave?”
“Yes,” Detu answered slowly.
Umi, satisfied, looked at Sukeena. “I don’t think we’re going to have to worry about his parents caring about where he is.”
“Sounds like it’ll almost be better if he does stay with us,” Orith mumbled. A bit louder and addressing Detu, he continued, “Do you have anywhere to go?”
Detu shook his head. “I’m just… supposed to be… gone.”
“You’ll be fine with traveling?” Sukeena prompted. She glanced at Orith and he recognized that was her silent request for him to get Natharie. “We’re never going to stay at a spot for very long. Sure, you get to see a lot of different places, but there’s never really a single place to call home. It’s not the kind of life that everyone is capable of handling—it can get hard sometimes even for the ones that are used to it.”
Detu seemed the most confident he’d ever been when he nodded again. “I’m sure!”
Orith came back with Natharie, who must’ve been told of the situation but still sighed when she asked, “Sukeena, what do you need?”
“Can Detu come with us?” Sukeena asked, gesturing to him.
“Someone like him should be in school right about now, not traveling the world,” Natharie decided rather quickly. “He’d be grateful for the normalcy when he’s a little bit older.”
Detu looked like he was preparing to find the words to defend himself, but Umi did it for him. “His parents didn’t want him and they asked him to leave. The only other place that’s left for him is the church, and I’d say staying with us is better depending on the circumstances.”
“I still don’t like the idea of this,” she remarked without a hint of hesitation. “It sounds like a perfect set up to get someone in trouble in the future.”
“Please?” Sukeena tried. “I’m sure he’s going to be able to help out somehow! And it sounds like this is the perfect place for him.”
“I… know the flute,” Detu offered hesitantly, like he wasn’t really sure if it would be able to help.
Sukeena gave him a smile to show she appreciated it, then turned back to Natharie. “See? He knows something! We’ll be better off if we can get more people to join the troupe. It’s just the four of us right now—we’ve got a lot of catching up to do if we’re ever going to catch up to the size it was when Dad was running things!”
Natharie looked between her and Detu, then sighed. “Alright. I suppose I wouldn’t be able to stop you anyway.”