Jyri wasn't in the room. Snorting, Faye flicked on the light, and went to the bathroom. She tried on her corset, and pulled her shirt on over it. The shirt looked looser than it was originally, though not in an unflattering way. That, paired with her makeup, made her look normal. And maybe even... pretty? If only her eyes matched. She beamed, but closed her lips at the sight of her yellow teeth in the mirror. Maybe she wasn't pretty.
But I'm not ugly!
She heard the front door open, and left the bathroom to greet Jyri. Stepping into the room, he yawned, and shut the door behind him. With disheveled hair and rumpled clothes, he looked worse than Faye for once.
"Hi Jyri," Faye said, her voice high. "How was your night?"
Jyri looked at her. It was hard to see in the dim light, but he looked upset. He didn't answer her question, but asked one of his own. "What's that rubbish all over your face?"
Faye took a few steps back. "What?"
"Your face." He squinted. "Is that... are you wearing... makeup?"
Faye lowered her head. "Yeah."
Jyri made his way to the bed, flopping down on it to remove his shoes. "Since when were you into attracting men?"
"I'm not. I met these girls, and-"
"And they convinced you to alter your appearance to look good for men." Jyri shook his head. "Pathetic." He tossed one shoe aside, which thunked against the wall, and worked on untying the other.
Faye crossed her arms, glaring. "We wear makeup for ourselves, not to look pretty for arrogant man-children." Jyri stared, mouth agape, as she stormed back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Falling to the floor, she buried her head in her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks, probably ruining her makeup job. She wiped her eye, and inspected the black smudges on her hand. Definitely ruining her makeup job.
Jyri knocked on the door. "Faye?"
Faye sniffled. "Go away."
There was a pause. "Are you crying?"
"No."
"I'm sorry."
"Leave me alone."
"I need a shower."
"Too bad."
The door creaked opened, and Jyri stepped inside, still wearing one, untied shoe. Wiping away tears, Faye looked up at him, and they stared at each other for an awkward minute.
Jyri cleared his throat. "You look... nice."
"Thanks," Faye said flatly. She stood up, wiping her hands on her pants. "You can take your lousy shower then."
Jyri frowned at her back. "Where's your wings?"
"Bound."
He crossed his arms, eyebrow raised. "How?"
Instead of answering, Faye focused on her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were covered in black and red paint, giving her an almost comical look. She grabbed a towel from the rack, and attempted to wipe it off.
"Please tell me you didn't waste half our money on a corset."
"Alright. I didn't waste half our money on a corset." She continued wiping at her face. Most of the stuff came off easily, but there were a few stubborn spots above her eyes.
Jyri put his hand over his face, then ran it up through his hair. "You did."
"Maybe." Faye tossed the towel on the counter, and turned to leave, but Jyri grabbed her arm. She spun to face him, yanking her arm out of his grip. "Don't touch me!"
"Do you know the lasting damage corsets can do to a pair of wings?"
"Who cares."
Jyri hobbled out of the bathroom behind her, his shoed foot clunking and his bare foot slapping the floor in rhythm. "I care. After all that work, healing them. You're ruining them all over again."
"Good."
"Faye-"
Faye turned her head to glare at him. "Why don't you mind your damn business."
"How much was it?"
Faye flopped on the bed, on her back. "Go take your shower. I'm sure you need one, after making out with strange girls all night." She held her breath, and focused her attention on his face.
"Excuse me?"
It was hard to read his expression, but the way his voice sounded confirmed her suspicions. She sat up, squinting at him. "I saw you through the window of a pub, kissing some girl."
She waited for him to deny it. But instead, his arms fell to his sides. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, then clenched his teeth. "It was unwarranted."
"Sure."
Scoffing, Jyri stomped over to his knapsack, and dug through it, yanking out clothes. As he stepped into the bathroom, he looked out at Faye. "If you must know," he raised his voice, "that girl was a nymph. A nymph determined to discover why her magic didn't affect me. She wanted to fix that." His voice wavered, and he paused, taking in a deep breath. "I spent the past few hours trying to get away from her. But I'm glad you had a good night." With that, he slammed the bathroom door behind him. Then, opened it again, and threw his shoe on the floor with enough force to make it bounce. Then, slammed the door again.
A pain grew in the back of Faye's throat, and she rubbed her hands over her face. Maybe she shouldn't have snapped at him. Except he started it... Maybe he shouldn't have criticized her face and life choices. Faye ground her teeth, and sat up. Her eyes landed on Jyri's open pack. In his fury, he hadn't bothered zipping it back up. Nor had he returned the contents that had spilled out of it. His notebook had fallen out, onto the floor.
On any normal day, she would have ignored it. Or, so she told herself. Chest burning, she rolled off the bed and peeked over towards the bathroom. The door was shut, and she could hear water running. She reached for the book, and opened it.
The first few pages had names and numbers jotted down. It almost looked like scores for a card game, as though he and some friends were keeping track of numbers. She flipped through two empty pages, and came across what looked like notes from a science textbook on humanoids. There was another page that listed diseases and their cures. After another blank page, she landed on what looked like a diary entry. Faye grinned, and began to read.
I'm done. I'm done with that job, and I refuse to return. After what they tried to make me do... I'll be in trouble for how I got out of it, for sure. They have to know what I did by now. And King Lyon won't let this action go unpunished. Knowing him, he's probably sent guards out to capture me.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lVx46Odcv
It's been nearly a day since I left, but I think I have a good enough head start. I only wish Torf could be with me, but he's gone. And it's all my fault. I've been trying to forgive myself- what I did was necessary. But Odis, it hurts so much.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkkLIzesJA
I don't know where I'll go. All I can think of, is leaving the country. But I'd love to leave this universe. If only I could figure out how... 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBTIDgpn8v
But for now, Dorendi seems like a good place. Maybe I can even find Ransu. At this point, he's all I have left. But searching an entire country for him is nearly impossible. Finding another universe would be easier.
The entry ended there. His journal was just as cryptic as his answers to her questions. Faye bit her lip, and flipped to the next entry.
I'm so, so hungry. I'm trying to find a city, but I don't think I can make it to one for another two days. I wish I had thought to bring food with me. I haven't eaten since my escape, and I've yet to come across anything edible. Out of desperation, I managed to kill, and cook, a squirrel. But the taste. Oh, the taste. I couldn't help it. I spat it out. Hungry as I am, I could not make myself swallow it. Why do I have to have this problem? Why can I only eat meat from a bovine?
Faye snorted, and rolled her eyes. Drama King. She turned the page.
Oh journal, I am happy to say that I am alive! All thanks to a thieving hobo, who turned out being a witch.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PglV1iW3B
She almost paid for it, and I should've let the filthy thing pay, for stealing all my money. But guilt happened. I've saved her as she saved me, and am now waiting for her to wake up.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4g6LNWu1y
I had been having breathing difficulties, and I think I passed out a few times. I thought it was lack of food at first. I didn't realize I had been dying, until I remembered... You see, the day I ran away, I was handling a-
The bathroom door opened. Faye jammed the book into the pack, and leaped for the bed just as Jyri stepped out of the bathroom, eyes cast down on the dirty clothes in his arms. He wore a pair of loose pants, and nothing else. She watched him shove his clothes away, thoughts of what she read in her head. I was handling a... Handling a what? Certainly not astro berries. Her jaw tightened.
He lied.
Her body stiffened. Should she even trust him?
He had brought the saddlebags in the room, and rummaged through them, pulling out a blanket. Without looking at her, he turned off the light and flopped onto the floor, back facing her.
What else had he lied to her about? Faye wanted to ask him. She longed to know the truth. But doing so would mean admitting she had snooped. And he was in a bad enough mood as it was.
And yet he seemed to care so much for her. Aside from their current fight, anyway. But why would he lie? What was he hiding from her?
Coming up with answers would take all night. She shook away the questions, and pulled her knife out from her pocket. Surely if he meant harm, he would have pulled something by now. But, for the first time in weeks, she slept with it in hand.
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