Chapter 37: Alone Together

Her act of seeking others out is a selfish one, but she isn’t at fault. No one could have foreseen her developing a love for people despite her presence being disturbing.

Not even me.

“We are anchored! The time has come.” Bolato hopped down from the stairway, as the sprinkling of rain and thunder dancing high in the clouds started.

As the yellow fog of the island moved like waves of the ocean, puddles formed on the top deck, soaking Vega’s new… outfit in rainwater.

Florato and Skaldi were tying a series of belts and blankets onto Vega, making her normally thin frame a thicker and almost muscular one.

“Here’s hoping this will be enough. You said the thing that tried to fight you guys was ….how tall?” The actress placed a cheap metal bucket on Vega’s head, now triple checking that all of the armor on her was tied.

“Tall as a tree. Gigantic and mean.” Skaldi took one more glance at Vega’s eyes to make sure she was not anxious about going to the island alone. Her grin didn’t buckle, so he continued. “And mushrooms for a face.”

“Must have been scary.”

“What-what was scary?”

“The giant elf guy that was chasing us? Remember?” Skaldi flicked her bandage nose while Florato flicked the elf in the forehead.

“Don’t blame her for forgetting things. You’d be surprised what she doesn’t remember.”

“You’d be surprised by what she does remember.” Sassy in his response, Skaldi laid a hand on his hip and jabbed at the actress with his elbow.

“I like it when people talk about me. Makes me feel-feel secure.”

“Really?” Kaliba chirped on her head, slamming its beak into her bucket helmet.

“Hush now you two. Need to finish securing it to your head.” Pulling hard on the last bits of string and stepping back to see their work, all they saw was a mesh of different fabrics and whatever metal that could protect the scarecrow.

Since Vega didn’t have the same weight as a person or the same size to wear armor, the team made a makeshift body.

Protective? Yes.

Ugly as shit? Also yes.

“Alright.” Bolato said as he yawned and stretched out his arms. “Repeat the plan.”

“Aye aye sir-sir!” Saluting, Vega’s face shifted to a military fashion, that much like the guard back home. “I will head into Tuivi’s Rest, find the port with the boat transferring the supplies, and steal the contents relating to Operation Stomach Breaker from the Tripolians. It will be landing today, on the fourteenth day of the thirteenth month.”

“And?” Florato crossed her arms and leaned forward till her face took up all of Vega’s vision.

“And… uhhhhh…”

“You’ll take care of yourself?”

“And that your hard work is worth it?” Skaldi insisted, following in Florato’s actions. In a twist of normal events, the actress and the elf stood side by side in their stern remainders to Vega.

“I’ll try to?” Bewildered by their silly teamup, Vega backed up and gave a few nods. They both leaned back and put their hands on their hips simultaneously. Turning his head to Bolato, Skaldi waved him over.

“You sure we can trust her with the map?”

“Skaldi, she traveled from Cold Cavern all the way to Core Civitus all on her own without getting lost. I’m sure she can follow the instructions.”

“While there’s a storm going on?” He responded, stepping to Bolato’s side.

“That’s the idea.”

“And if I-I get into any trouble, I’ll ask Ren for help. He’ll be in the river beside me.” Vega poked her head over the railing, waving at the family of mermaids ready to join her.

“You got all of the equipment?” Giving firm taps at her backpack and numerous belts, Florato felt the many varieties of tools that Vega in the best case scenario, wouldn’t need to use.

“Yep-yep. Got flash sticks, caltrops, the weird balls Skaldi gave me.”

“They’re called ball bearings and you know it!”

“Right. And if all goes wrong, that flare ya gave me.”

“Good.” Closing her eyes and putting two fingers to her head, she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. Suddenly, she felt Vega wrap her arms around her waist.

“I’ll do good! I promise ya-ya.”

“I know you will.” Giving her a hug back, Florato squeezed at Vega’s shoulders and let her go. As she began to walk off the ship’s bridge to the sandy shore below, her hands clasped together. She couldn’t handle seeing another person she cared about getting hurt.

Reaching halfway and stopping slowly, her feet felt like boulders were weighing her down.

“Hey Skaldi?”

“Yes?

“Promise that we’ll finish the song?”

“Promise! No need to worry.” His voice was almost everything she needed. It sounded the same when he comforted her. She felt recognized. Almost.

“Are you guys sure this will help you?” The only hesitation in her mind wasn’t about her own safety, her listening to the rhythm of the island, or how she would get back.

The only thing holding her back was the fact that she would be alone. Alone without friends.

Kaliba would be there, sure. But… there would be that aching loneliness that happens in the times between friendship. In the times between work. In the times between happiness.

“Absolutely, now get to it!” Bolato ordered, pointing toward the direction the river was heading. Accidentally mean rather than stern, Bolato felt a bit bad for her. But he didn’t apologize, this was how it had to be. Giving the scarecrow a salute, Vega saluted back and marched towards the spores. Within seconds, all of her body vanished without a trace, like dust in the wind. The only guarantee that she would return was the river and the waves of the mermaids following her.

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Right there, that guarantee felt more like a belief to the Skaldi. He could only believe, as uncomfortable as it was to say. Rain poured down from the sky, and a thin stream fell to his eye that was no more.

Weirdly, Kaliba didn’t seem the least bit disturbed by the spores. Then again, this is the same bird that outdrank an Iozian.

“Kaliba, are ya sure that ya want to stay above the umbrella?”

“Yes-yes.” The crow in an eerie mimicking of a person, laid on its back and put its wings behind its head, as if he were soaking in the sun on a hot day. Except he was just soaking in water.

“Suit ya self.” Vega giggled as she took out the map. About the size of the book cover, the map depicted the island in simple detail. Tuivi’s Rest had the vague shape of a crab’s claw, with the river Huidi bisecting most of it until it reached the north east most tip. On that tip was drawn Skyward Shroom (clever, I know), the source of the river.

Bolato judged that where the port is, if there even was one, had to be between the claw points and above the river next to the coast. Marking a general zone to investigate, Vega headed in the direction. It wasn’t a big island, but it certainly wasn’t no quick walk. If all went well, she’d be back within half a day and with plenty of loot. If it all went sour, she’d wouldn’t be back.

That wasn’t the problem. The real danger was Vega’s unstable emotions. That place where memory keeps us all. Weeds like being no good to anyone run rampant Where the imagination of friendship and love can’t exist in those fields of life. Perhaps in the future, but for Vega, not now.

“Don’t stop. Don’t let go.”

“What?”

“Nothing!” Vega blurted out, feeling a little better that someone could talk to her. This boost of encouragement sent her running off in the direction of the marking. A manufactured and very self conscious enthusiasm, but enthusiasm nonetheless.

Taking to skipping, the scarecrow’s joy made an effort to purge all unsavory thoughts from her head.

The land around challenged this. Trees extended into the sky until the spores made their trunks fade. Fungus in the shape of brown teeth created arcades across the bark and flesh of the woodland. The only plantlife unmolested by the growths were red bushes with rounded needles instead of leaves. Even the mushrooms had mushrooms on top of them, like barnacles on the underside of a ship.

Keeping the river to her left, Vega’s sense of safety pushed on if a bit weakened. Taking to singing aloud to herself, she broke on in song, revitalizing her spirit.

“I feel like I’m finally unbroken. Feel like I’m back from the dead!”

Yeah that.

“Out of my way cause I’m red!” Crying out, realizing momentarily that what she said made no sense, she giggled in embarrassment.

“Idiot.”

“Shut up. I’m having fun-fun.” With her eyes closed and arm up high, she felt that weightlessness that comes from jumping high up. For a second, Vega didn’t feel her feet hit the ground. Then another second had passed. And then another.

The scarecrow fell down a hill.

Tumbling down like a wheel of hay (clever again, I know), she bounced off whatever was in her way. Rocks sent her flying up and crashing back down, bushes stuck leaves between her armor, and trees sent her rolling off in other directions like a pebble on a gameboard.

At the bottom of the hill, she finally stopped when a pile of mud next to a pond forced her to fall into it slightly.

“That was more fun-fun!” As she cheered, the umbrella landed gracefully in the pond beside her, with Kaliba holding the map in its beak.

“Idiot.”

“Whatever.” With a strain in her voice, she pushed herself out of the mud and picked up the umbrella and put the map in her backpack. “But ya right, I should probably be careful.”

“~Need some help?~” Swiftly turning her head to the voice, she saw the head of Ren poke out from the river above her. A small opening from the river to the pond allowed him to swim over.

“Absolutely!” She cheered yet again, until she realized Ren’s face was that of lack of understanding rather similar mania. “~Oh, yeah!~”

An hour strolled by, with the heavy yellow spores and rain not letting up in the slightest. Every couple minutes Ren would have to swim down to regain his breath. This was the first time that the two were on equal terms and spoke.

“~So… what are you thinking about?~” Sheepishly asking, almost fearing her odd demeanor would suddenly jump out at him like a shark.

“~Okay. I’m better now that ya are here.~” Vega brushed her hair, shaking off some water in the process. Ren detected a vague vulnerability in her, one that he hadn’t seen before. On one hand, he was very off put by her persona, almost crushed under it. On the other hand, she seems so empty without it, to the point where he missed it.

She seemed so confident and loud, and now she wasn’t quite as vocally big. Not introverted, but different enough that he knew something was off.

“~You remember the stuff the redhead asked for?~”

“~Yeah?~”

“~What would you like? We can show you a catalog of goodies!~” Speaking like a salesman, he tried to entice her into that roaring sociability she has.

“~Don’t know. I’ll ask Skaldi or something. He’s helping me make a song.~” Her speech picked up a bit, taking a bite at the offer. Ren smiled, glad to have kickstarted her again. “~But maybe I should ask Valiato… whatever.~” Just as soon as it came, her voice slowed again, remembering what was behind her.

“~Vega?~”

“~Yes Ren?~”

“~What’s wrong?~” His hand grabbed at her leg, forcing her to pause and really think about what she wanted. What she needs so desperately.

“~I need to help people.~” Her answer seemed so comical that Ren couldn’t help but laugh. When he realized she was sincere, his shyness reappeared in shame.

“~O-oh. I thought the opposite?~”

“~Kinda?~” Vega sat down on the watery grass, making a splash as she sat down. “~People need me to do stuff, but I need to help them for… my feelings.~”

Ren was taken aback by this. The person that so attentively looked after him, freed his people, and was so interested in him became so understandable. As she said it, all of her actions made sense.

“~Is that a bad thing?~” He tested her, wanting to see how she values herself.

“~No!~” She answered so loudly that it stunned her. “~No. It’s just-just that I need to be happy for myself. That I’m ‘more than enough’.~” Recalling Florato’s words, it warmed her soul in the drowning rain and spores.

“~Then what’s the problem?~”

“~...Someone I know. Not with me or near me, but someone far away…~” She kept her voice low and shushed, as if the Voice was with them and had its back turned on Vega. “~Someone I trusted hurt me. Said things that made me think bad-bad about what I’m doing.~”

“~Keep going~” Entranced by her thoughts and explanation, Ren’s eyes did not blink. He didn’t even go back under water, only lathering water on his gills.

“~What it said made me feel wrong. I know what I’m doing and fighting for is-is right, but there is that creeping dark. That uselessness I feel. Like a night with no moon, it haunts me. And I fear… that if I’m alone, I’ll be consumed by that destroying dark.~” Her voice went soft, like a child being lectured by their parents.

And you might be either startled or astonished by this, but Vega’s eyes kept that animated drawn on quality. Her eyes didn’t become human nor her movements mimicking. All of that stream of flowing emotions came out of her, and she would remember this.

Ren was astonished by all of this. And if he acted there, he would have applauded her on that performance. Instead, he looked at her as if he looked into a pool of still water. A mirror into himself, that’s what he saw in her. Not a scarecrow he saw, but a living being.

“~Vega, I’m glad you told me this.~” He put both of his hands on her palm, staring down as he spoke. “~It’s not easy to just trust people in times like this.~”

“~Especially if they pull you on a boat-boat where you can’t breath.~” Vega jokes, making Ren snicker for a couple seconds.

“~Look Vega, my family. That’s all I have, and that’s okay. It’s okay to rely on others, but you need to have something outside of that.~” He lifted one of his hands off her and began to pull her forward. She stumbled when getting up but kept full attention on Ren.

“~Be it friendship, yourself, whatever it is or however it presents, so long as it's good and you can do good with it, that’s all that matters.~”

“~Ya make it sound easy.~” She let her umbrella fall to her shoulder, as her drive faltered. “~Ya are cool Ren. But I’m not going to see you. I’m gonna leave you eventually.~”

“~That’s okay. We all have to go some time.~”

“~…Don’t say that.~”

“~It’s the truth. Seasons change and life changes. But most importantly-~”

“~People change?~” Instinctually cutting him off, she realized his point before her mind did. “~And people can grow the strength to move on?~”

“~Huh. You really are something else Vega.~” Ren let his hand go off her as she started to push on. Amazingly, in that secluded conversation, Vega gained a pride that all people seeking self actualization. Feeble like candle light but capable of igniting a wasteland of darkness.

“~You looked at me and gave me that chance. The chance to be saved and to survive. If you can do all of that for me, you can stand up to that voice.~”

“~Ya know what? You’re right!~” Projecting her voice far and wide, changing the ugly rhythm of the blighted island, she proclaimed this as true. “I may be a fool-fool, but I can be more. I, Vega, will not fall to you!”

“~Who are you talking to again?~”

“~Uhhh, the voice? I don’t know-know.~”

“~Ha. You’re weird Vega.~”

“~Oh, thank you!~”