Chapter 32: I Want to Follow You
Who?
My eyes narrowed.
Even though the footsteps were trying their best to be sneaky, tiptoeing slowly toward here, the creaky boards of the tavern couldn’t help but betray the intruder. I swiftly waved at Barry to keep quiet, pulled my hood down over my head, and hurried to the back of the door, pressing my face against it to listen closely.
I could hear soft breathing getting closer… The footsteps became clearer; though slow, they were unsteady, almost floaty, like the person was a novice at this stealth business. They sounded like they were wearing heeled shoes, and the weight on the wooden planks was as light as a feather.
It must be a woman.
The tavern maid, perhaps?
I already had my suspicions forming in my mind.
Before I knew it, she reached the door and stopped.
Yep, definitely coming this way…
She must have heard the ruckus earlier.
Ugh, what a hassle…
I stayed put, listening quietly while the woman outside seemed to be doing the same, her steady breaths drifting in. I could tell she was pressing her face against the door too.
One second… two seconds…
After a moment of listening without hearing any further unusual noises, it seemed like she was about to leave. She took a few steps back but then hesitated, mumbling to herself, “What’s going on? I feel like that little girl is up to something…” Then she inhaled deeply and tapped on the door: knock knock.
“Are you there? Little girl, are you okay? Nothing’s wrong, right?”
Yep, definitely the tavern maid.
She might be the owner or the boss lady around here.
I took a couple of steps back.
Glancing at Barry, I saw him standing up, looking a bit anxious, staring at me with a puzzled and somewhat frightened expression. I shot him a look and cleared my throat, responding calmly, “Everything’s fine.”
“But I heard a noise downstairs…”
“The coat rack got knocked over accidentally.”
“…Oh.”
The maid sighed in disappointment.
Then she asked, “Really nothing’s the matter? Why don’t you open the door so I can check? If you’re hurt, you need to handle it right away…”
“I said, I’m fine.”
“…That’s strange.”
She hesitated, muttering “really strange” under her breath again, then yelled out to me, “Just be careful, okay? If you’re short on cash, come find me! There’s money to be made!” After her shout, the sound of her footsteps hurriedly faded away, no longer trying to be sneaky, as if she thought I wouldn’t hear her: “There can’t be anyone else in there… Could it be a fellow…?”
A fellow?
Did she mean a fellow worker, or something else…
I frowned, pondering for a moment, and only when the maid’s footsteps had vanished downstairs did I look back at Barry. I took off my hood, tilted my head, and blinked at him with a smile.
“Let’s go grab some food.”
I had never smiled so awkwardly, the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes, just a twitch of muscles like a poorly tuned puppet—there was no real joy behind it.
Thinking back…
I hadn’t tried to smile kindly at anyone in a long, long time.
To hide my awkwardness, I quickly turned around, strode to the cupboard, and tore open the large brown paper bag I had put down earlier. Inside, some warm food awaited: bread, a few sweet potatoes, ham, and, most importantly, some honey cakes… My eyes lit up at the sight of the pastries.
Sweet food! It had been forever since I last had any…
What a rarity.
I quickly wiped my hands on my cloak, grabbed a piece of cake, and stuffed it into my mouth, chewing eagerly with my eyes squinting shut in bliss.
Delicious…
Days with sweet treats and days without them? Happiness truly can’t even be compared! I suddenly felt I could really smile.
Of course, it was just an illusion, but after devouring a big cake, it added a bit of comfort and pleasure that I hadn’t felt in six months. I quickly grabbed another piece and turned around, just as Barry was lolling over behind me. I handed him a piece of bread, and the boy took it, sniffing it vigorously before shyly glancing at me. Then, like a ravenous puppy that hadn’t eaten in days, he began wolfing it down.
…He really hadn’t eaten in days.
Thinking about it, I handed him a whole piece of ham, noticing his cracked lips, bleeding slightly as he opened his mouth, and poured him a full cup of water. Barry finished the bread quickly, choking, pounding his chest and stretching his neck. He grabbed the ham with one hand and the water cup with the other, downing it in one go, “Ah—” he exclaimed as he finally caught his breath.
“Sit by the bed and eat slowly, no one’s fighting you for it.”
I said, watching him, then added, “The desserts are mine, though.”
“Uh-huh, I know you love sweet stuff… Hehe.”
Barry grinned at me, taking a big bite of ham, a mouthful of grease coating his face like he was competing in a “greasiest boy” contest.
That look made me frown. “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing…”
He lowered his head, pretending to focus intently on the meat in his hands.
But as he ate, I noticed his eyes were glimmering a bit.
For quite a while, we sat in silence, the small room filled only with the sounds of chewing, eerily quiet.
I settled beside Barry, holding two pieces of cake, eating slowly with him until he looked like he couldn’t do anymore, his belly visibly round. Finally, I set aside the remaining bit of ham, wrapped it back up in the paper, awkwardly rubbed my dirty hands on my trouser legs, clenched my fists, then let go, only to inadvertently touch his injury, making him hiss in pain.
“I told you not to move your right hand.”
Why does this guy seem more childish than ever after such a long time?
Shoving the last piece of dessert into my mouth, I couldn’t help but worry about him.
“You…”
“I…”
We both spoke at once, stuttering to a halt, looking at each other. Barry’s eyes were still a little red. He quickly turned away, facing the window, mumbling after a moment, “It’s so good to see you alive…”
His tone was deep, filled with an indescribable, heartfelt joy, soon tinged with a little choke.
“Of course, I’m still alive! Dying isn’t that easy!” I teased lightly.
“But the news said you were dead… with that whatever heretic demon, who even knows what all that is… you both went out together…”
“You really shouldn’t believe everything the news says.”
I said this quite earnestly.
“What the heck happened…”
Barry continued to stare out the window, hurriedly rubbing his eyes as if he didn’t want me to see his tears—though the window wasn’t even open; I had no clue what he was pretending to look at.
“Lilith told me most of what happened.”
I didn’t want to answer his question, nor did I want him to know things he didn’t need to know, so I quickly changed the subject: “One of your companions died before I got there, and the other one—you know how it is… Sorry, I couldn’t save him.”
In truth, I hadn’t felt much desire to save him back then.
“…Yeah.”
Barry replied gloomily.
Who knows what thoughts were running through his mind.
I considered for a moment before asking, “So, what are your plans now?”
“I don’t know…”
The boy answered dejectedly.
After a moment, he turned his head to me: “I want to follow you.”
