Wind Whispers: ENCOUNTER2

“So, what’s your name?”

Sam had managed to find the best-looking food service in the town, which ended up being right at the inn. Look through the suspicious looking characters in the corner, the weird looking people in the other corner, and you’d manage well. Despite going through a whole meal, they still haven’t spoken to each other until dessert came around.

Even then, the boy didn’t answer her.

He had that glazed, thinking look in his red eyes, and he poked his spoon in his vanilla-flavored ice cream for a bit before taking an actual spoonful. Sam raised a brow.

“Well, if you won’t tell, I won’t tell either,” she stated, taking a hearty spoon of her sundae. “Be glad I was feeling compassionate. I haven’t done shit for anyone other than myself for the past three months.” She also had no idea why she was talking to him.

Perhaps those three months without someone to connect with made her a bottle of emotions ready to erupt. After all, Sam had always found it easy to convey her emotions, and a sudden change in personality only made her stagger. Holding all that in only increased the pressure. Her victim now is the boy she saved off the streets, picking away at his melting ice cream, the boy that melted her heart at a crucial moment.

“You like the ice cream?”

The boy looked up at her in surprise, as if he wasn’t expecting Sam to say anything nice-sounding. He looked back down at the pale delicacy, put his spoon in his mouth, and nodded, a cute blush staining his tan cheeks.

Sam smiled. “Good. At least I’m spending my money on you for good reason.”
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While she was mapping out something on the table, the kid had left without a word. Samael half-expected it and was half-surprised, but she found that he probably got bored just seeing her do her work. The part that cared was disappointed at how he lacked interest in her work. It wanted to teach him the wonderful art of cartography. The other part that didn’t care was mumbling something about leaving him alone the next time he gets harassed by the same group.

Then again, it sounded a lot like Sam cared completely.

Finding herself unable to focus, she put away her work, and stepped out of the inn. She checked her coin pouch once, found it quite full, and went straight towards a place where she can buy new supplies.

Some new bullets, new change of clothes, and a new bag would do. She noted, having found a tear in her old one when she had checked it the last time she was journeying.

Sam started to notice how it looked nicer and much more modern as you go deeper inside the town while she trekked through the changes. There wasn’t as much trash and wasn’t as much people around. It was strange for her—usually the pattern she found was that it got worse as you went inside, not better.

She actually found sociable civilization, after realizing that the town was a lot bigger than she expected. Actually, it was more like a city, just replacing the tall skyscrapers with endless roads of side-stores and sales. So, while the kids were goofing off, the parents were at work, getting their share of taking care of the family. Now, the structure of the city almost made sense to her.

“Desert cloaks! New cloaks made for trekking out the hot sands of hell!”

What a way to advertise.
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Sam walked back to the inn, her new bag full of items and her coin pouch a lot lighter than it was before. For some reason, she still felt like she was missing something.

She stopped in surprise, however, when she saw someone outside the inn.

“…Oi, kid, what are you doing here?”

He looked at her with an innocent look. Well, as innocent as Sam found it. She put her hands on her hips and sighed.

“C’mon, get inside with me.” And she grasped the back of his head again and pushed him inside the inn. She nodded once at the innkeeper, who was slightly surprised at seeing the boy being forced up the stairs. It was slightly awkward, as the boy tried to get free from her grasp, but Sam didn’t bother letting go. She opened the door to room 15, pushed him inside, and walked in herself.

She chuckled as she closed the door, after taking a look at his face. “Relax, kid, I’m not going to rape you,” she said, rolling her eyes. She started to take off her bag from underneath the long fabric and purposely let it fall to the ground. Picking it up and placing it on the desk, she took out some things from inside.

The boy was caught off-guard when a heavy pile of cloth fell on him.

“There’s a new change of clothes and a cloak, just for you,” she pointed out. “I saw your weird bag already,” and she pointed to the belt with two bags adorned on it, “so I didn’t bother getting you a new one.”

He looked at her as if she was insane.

“I’m not.”

Then, he gave her a questioning look.

“Listen, kid,” she sighed, “I’m not out for your soul or anything. I won’t sell you off the streets for money, use you as my sex toy, nothing like that shit. You, then again, will be my new traveling companion.”

Then came his ‘what the hell?’ look.

“Three months is enough time to realize that I can’t do this thing by myself,” she said. “Plus, I need someone around. You are a perfect candidate.”

Why me? She couldn’t decipher whether he really was asking her or whether he was whining about it.

She smirked. “Let’s just say the wind told me.”

And he looked at her as if he realized she was a goddess who went a bit more than insane.

“Now go on, get to sleep. Rough day tomorrow, yeah? We can share the bed,” she said, taking off her cloak and revealing her shirt and shorts. She sat on the bed casually, taking off her boots, while he just stood there in the middle of the room, the clothes she gave him still in his hands. She went underneath the covers and looked towards him.

“Well? You comin’ in, kid?”

“Fray.”

And she raised a brow, a half of a smile going up with it.

“My name is Fray,” he said.

For a kid, she had to admit, she liked his voice—something smooth, confident, and full of wisdom; as much as a kid can have, anyway.

“Samael Garin,” she responded.

“As in…the demon Samael?”

“I prefer the God of Mars in Jewish astrology, considering my parents were dumbasses in naming me.”

And he smiled.