(RE) Chapter 11: Can You Please Stop

Chapter 11:

Can You Please Stop.

Biff carried Meath in his arms into the broken cabin and out of the rain. Luckily for the four of them, Vahn’s axe didn’t go through any of the bedrooms. However the area from the from the main window through the back of the cabin was destroyed. Some of the kitchen and living room did stay intact on the other side. Biff hopped over the gap still carrying Meath and headed for the couch. He laid her down and extended her rapidly healing leg onto the table. Biff took a second to observe how exactly the mist reformed her leg and it was strange to say the least. It almost started off as a shadow of what was there and slowly grew brighter and less transparent before completely reforming.

Meath grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward away from her leg. She looked him dead in the eyes and said,

“Don’t look at it like that.”

Biff looked carefully into her eyes and stated,

“It is what it is Meath. I just want you to be okay.”

    A tense moment caught them both glaring into each other's eyes. Meath shook her head then dropped back onto the couch and let go of Biff’s wrist.

“I’m fine.” Meath said looking off to the side.

Biff laughed noticing Deki and Polan cleaning up bits of wood and debris. He looked back down at Meath who was still looking off to the side as if she was uncomfortable to some degree and replied,

“You said the same s**t by the falls yesterday… In the same way too. So again, are you fine… or the woman’s version…”

“Biff.. Can you please stop.” She barked back, destroying his attempt at cheering her up.     

Polan and Deki turned their attention to the couch and then to Biff. Both looked at him expecting some snarky response, instead Biff cracked a nervous smile and blurted something almost out of character.

“Regardless of what you think, I need you as much as you need me. So… I need to make sure you’re okay and I need to make sure their okay.” He shouted, pointing in the direction of Deki and Polan.

Meath kept looking off to the side while he added,

“You’re keeping me alive so I can kill Narr and I’m gonna keep you alive until that happens. I’m not gonna sit by and watch you throw yourself into every altercation we come across because you feel like you can magically handle that!”

Meath quickly turned her head to him and yelled angrily,

“Did you think I was gonna die there!? Did you really think that if he cut my leg off that it would be enough for him to end me?!”

Sharply and directly, Biff said,

“No… but if he drove that sickle into you, you’d be nothing but black mist right now. You and I both know that...”

“I insist we get back to dinner! Or at least eat and stop arguing over who was or wasn’t gonna die. We’re all here. What else do you two want?” Deki interjected.

Biff turned around and saw both Polan and Deki looking at him desperate for him to cease his nonsense. He then looked back down at Meath who was staring off into the living room and said,

“Yeah, I’m with you on that Deki..”

With a pout to her face, Polan walked into the kitchen and took the four plates of room temperature food to everyone. She happily gave a plate to Deki, shoved Biff’s plate in his face and walked calmly over to Meath. Polan carefully laid the plate of food on the table and quickly glanced at Meath who wasn’t paying attention to anything. Polan let out a deep breath and began to walk back to the kitchen to eat her dinner at the table when Meath said,

“Thank you Polan... I’m sorry about your sister.”

Polan turned back around with a forced smile said,

“It’s okay. People are gonna do what they wanna do... Right?”

While still looking off into a random corner of the room, Meath smirked and replied,

“That’s right Polan. It’s what we do with that free will that makes us what we are.”

An uncomfortable jolt of realization hit Polan. All this time she simply did what was best for the cabin probably in the same way her sister did for those men. However Polan understood she was luckier than Aence. These were people who threw away the common misconception of cursed versus un-cursed. Biff, Deki and Meath never asked once for her to continue this way, but it was the strength Polan found with them that facilitated that venture.  It’s what she did with with her new found self that made her the person she is now. It’s also the reason in which Aence also seemed… different.

    As she began to walk into the kitchen again, Polan heard Meath picking her plate off the table and began to poke at her food. Polan smiled and she sat down at the dinner table in front of her meal. Ever cooling chicken, some rice and a baked potato stared back at her as she paused to think before eating.,

“What if Aence thinks I’m her enemy now…”

Simultaneously in the living room, Deki sat down on the chair and began eating. Every so often he would glance at Meath who didn't eat any of her food. Her expression was worn out and lifeless, she looked defeated. Biff had already taken his food and walked away into his room for what would be the rest of the night.

“You should eat. I get you don’t have to but you should do it for extra energy.” Deki suggested to Meath.

Naturally she still didn’t respond in any way. Suddenly she slid herself upright and leaned over her plate looking down through squinted eyes.

“Yeah… I know. I just needed a minute.” She mumbled back.

     

    The rain that was coming through the ceiling finally began to slow down little by little. Meath poked at her food but still didn’t eat anything. Then she turned and looked at Deki who stared back expecting her to say something.  Meath opened her mouth but nothing but air escaped her. It was if the words evaporated upon hitting her tongue. She drew her head back, closed her eyes and slowly asked,

    “...Are we actually capable of doing this? Are the four of us gonna be able to get into Alberth, while innocent people die around us? Are we gonna be able to run into the castle… all the way to Narr? Will Biff even be alive to kill him and end something that’s been going on for ages? Just like that?”

    Deki had no answer for her all he did was look at her with a straight face. One that left an uncertainty in Meath’s mind. A few moments later Polan shuffled back into the living room and noticed Meath finally sitting up and moving around. She rushed over and greeted Meath with a smile wondering,

“Meath! Are you feeling normal again?”

Pressed for an answer that would ease Polan’s worries, Meath smiled and said,

“Yeah I’m fine. It takes a lot out of you having your leg chopped off.”

    Meath then got up off the couch and headed for the main hall explaining,

    “I need sleep. We all do. Who knows what’s gonna happen next. We need to be alert.”

    Polan looked over to Deki who seemed to be mentally wrapped up in something. Then she turned her attention to the table in front of the couch. Sitting on top was the unfinished remains of Meath’s dinner. Polan shook her head and thought to herself,

    “...Is this what he means by the women’s version of fine?”

    “Polan I think Meath has a point. We’re gonna be getting a lot less sleep, especially after tonight. Who knows what we're dealing with now.”

    “We’re dealing with my know-it-all b***h of an older sister… That I do know” She comically replied.

    Deki chuckled aloud and got up from the chair and dropped his plate off in the kitchen. At the same time, Polan grabbed Meath’s plate and did the same. Both then headed to their respective rooms for the rest of the night.

   

    At some point during his slumber Biff felt a presence near him. He immediately woke up and gently patted the bed next to him but nothing was there. Cautiously he looked around but didn’t really see anything out of place. Then seconds later, his door began to creep open. The abundant moonlight from the hallway made it’s way in more and more as the door opened, revealing Meath on the other side. He loudly sighed and said to her,

    “Knock… God damnit. It’s the only thing I ever ask of you.”

    “Biff… I thought you were sleeping.” She whispered.

    “I was until you opened the door... What’s up?” He asked.

    She was silent at first inching closer and closer to his bed all while with her head down. As she approached the edge of his bed she sat down and explained,

    “I just want to sleep. Somewhere warmer. Okay?”

    Biff examined her closely as he wondered why she did these seemingly odd things. Why did she creep into his room? Her room is further down the hall and away from the damage therefore warmer. Obviously she wanted someone to sleep next to at night but there’s Deki, hell Polan even. If it’s just an innocent case of wanting company at night why the person you fight with most? Biff was almost turned off by the idea she did these things with little regard for what others may say.

    He then rolled over and gave her room to lay down while also turning away from her towards his window. Meath sprawled out on top of his covers in only her undergarments much like the other time she did this. She lifted her arm up to her red bow and pulled on it, removing it from her hair. Biff kept looking out the window and wondering why he had to deal with her when he just wanted to be alone.

    The bed shook a bit as Meath rolled onto her side and faced the opposite direction that Biff was. Quiet minutes passed and neither said a word up until Meath uttered,

“I think Miani talks to me in my dreams. That’s why I asked what her eye color was.”

Biff immediately rolled over to ask her,

“What are you talking about..?”

“Biff i'm not kidding. You said this sword killed her right? What if she's stuck in there too because there’s another person too.”

Biff got up in an uncomfortable fit and asked Meath,

“Meath why are you saying this s**t all of a sudden?”

She turned her head and looked up at him as he looked down at her angrily. She sighed and explained,

“You asked me earlier if I thought I’d still be alive after that man stick his f*****g sickle into me. I wouldn't be. I would have died without you there. I was scared that was it. That being said I would have never told you anything about my dreams.”

“Meath you’re so…” He started.

She looked up at him expecting him to lash out at her like he always did. Instead he flopped back onto the bed and continued,

“There’s a lot of people with green eyes Meath.”

“Not everyone with green eyes tells me to find you. Specifically you.” She nipped back.

    Biff looked up at the ceiling in disbelief. Thoughts of Miani's final moments stampeded through his mind until suddenly he felt Meath hand grab onto his wrist. She let out a sigh and pulled onto his arm until it wrapped around her. Biff was pressed tightly up against her while she began to shake. She then wrapped her hand around his, interlocking their fingers and held his arm close to her chest. Biff began to feel something cool and wet roll down his fingers, then heard Meath sniffle as quietly as she could make it.

“I never asked for this s**t...” She whimpered.