"Liv, maybe you should slow down," Inu said, putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her from jumping out of the chair.

"Haaaah?" Liv turned her head around, making a show of her blindness. "Nah, you just gotta catch up."

"Liv, I can't get drunk," Inu responded solemnly.

Liv stopped, her expression dropping. Then she burst into laughter. "Aaa, thas right. Thas fuckin' right. O' course you can't," she said and laughed a bit more in pity.

Inu slumped against the counter. He had thought Liv could maybe have a drink or two in the company of other humans for the first time in over a year, but...

"Aaaah, I'm bliiiiind." She laughed as she spun in her chair. "A helpless blind woman traveling with a damn monk. The pain my ears've had to endure is limitleeeess."

'Is this the suffering that comes with truth?' Inu thought as he looked on from the side.

"That true? You a monk?" The bartender. He was a broad man with small eyes.

"I guess it is," Inu said tiresomely.

"Tooootally," Liv almost yelled as she jumped into the conversation, wrapping an arm around Inu's neck.

"Quite the lively helpless blind woman you are," the bartender.

Liv frowned and pointed a finger. "That's helpless blind individual to you."

The bartender raised his brows. "Okay?"

Then he looked at Inu who just shook his head exasperatedly.

Liv raised her hand. "Another one."

Inu turned to look at her with dead eyes. She just smiled.

"How many have you had?" the bartender asked.

"Not enough by at least one."

The bartender sighed. "Look, I think you're bothering the other customers," he said and pointed behind her.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Am not!" Liv turned. "Am I bortheri—"

"You're facing the wrong way," Inu whispered.

Liv turned some more. "He says I'm bothering you," Liv said, pointing at the bartender. Or trying to.

"Wrong way," Inu whispered again.

"I get it," Liv lashed out, pushing the Inu's face. Or trying to. After she missed, she only got more out of hand and yelled at the other customers, "Am I bothering you?!"

"Yes, you are!" one of the men yelled.

"Hah?" Liv was appalled. "Fuck off. Can't you see I'm blind?" Then her serious pretense dissolved and she burst out into laughter once more.

Inu sighed. "Maybe it's time we leave."

"Naaaaaah," Liv said, spinning in her chair and facing the bartender by sheer luck. "Give me one more. Just one. Come on. Give it to me. Now. Gimme. Gimmegimmegimmegimme." She only stopped when a drink landed in her hand.

She spun back to the men behind her. "Now, lemme tell ya cockgobblers a real story about how I lost my eyes."

***

"What? It was totally realistic," Liv argued as Inu escorted her out. "Don't tell me frogs don't pee."

Inu sighed.

Then she heard something and froze. "Inu, quiet."

Then she remembered Hakro flying into the cottage and her heart jumped. She took the blindfold off in a hurry and adjusted her eyes to the darkness.

Inu looked around seriously for a while but then relaxed. "I don't sense anything. Don't worry. It's not the Hexa. They can't find us."

Liv kept her eyes furrowed, but let herself be dragged along.

"Liv, did you have fun?"

Liv relaxed and chuckled a little with a smile. "Yeah? Thanks for doing this."

"I'm glad to," Inu responded. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you what it is you want to do."

"Mmh?" Liv's expression went flat. "I don't know what you mean."

"You have a plan, right? You're moving towards something."

'Has he realized? Does he know that I'm going to the capital? Is that how he caught up to me?' Liv thought as he glanced at the forward-facing Inu.

"I'm not sure."

Inu shook his head. Something was getting to him. "Liv, I know it's hard, but you have to think these things through. You have to know."

"No offense, but our deal was for you to help me recover and then help me train," Liv said, getting defensive. "I don't have to respond to your questions."

"But you're making the wrong decision," Inu said. "You have to think."

"Not this again."

"Yes, this again. You can't just do what your impulses tell you."

"Inu, I'm warning you."

"Answer me! What will you do when it's done?"

"Nothing!" Liv snapped, facing Inu and taking him by his collar. "I will do nothing." She let go, backed off, and looked up the mountain path they were walking as she gave voice to thoughts that had made a home at the back of her mind. "I don't do things out of hatred. I'm just angry because if I'm not, I feel guilty. I don't think that will ever go away. When I feel the anger slipping away and being replaced by warmth, the guilt pulls it back, twisting it, making it more and more centered towards myself. Because how could I ever forgive? If I did, what would it mean? So when the hatred leaves and I've done away with everything my guilt desires, I think... I think I'll just kill myself."