"What time do you think it is?"
He pulled at his hair, thinking. "Dunno. Maybe nineteen or twenty hours into the day?"
She looked around the darkened jail house, shivering. "Do you think the guards will be back to check on us?"
The boy's crystal laughter broke through the quiet night air. "Those old goofs? They must be having tea with their old maids by now. Won't be back ‘til sunrise to wring my neck!" He laced his fingers tightly around his neck and pretended to choke with his tongue out playfully.
"Stop. Please!" She slammed a soft fist against the hay. It was becoming ever more unsettling, seeing how comfortable he was waiting for death.
He stopped, eyes wide, before giving her that puppy smile again. "Have I caught your interest already, love? Can't live without me, is that why you've demanded I stopped?"
She stared in disbelief before outright smiling. Slowly, she shook her head before breaking into laughter, "You're unbelievable. And you give yourself too much credit."
"Oh, that stings!" He hissed, gripping onto his chest.
She laughed louder, rubbing her aching belly. "Parred you good though, didn't I?"
"A bit, a bit," he chuckled happily, rubbing the back of his head. He stopped laughing and sighed, and the air thickened with sudden tension. His gaze dropped and his smile fell. Letting out a breath, his cheeks warmed up with a tint of ruby. "Since...since I'm headed off to the gallows anyway, I just wanted to say that I don't believe in what Madam Lord sees in our future. I haven't any hatred toward animans, man, woman, or child. I am not disgusted by them, and I don't find them vile. Frankly, I don't see how Madam Lord could hate animans so much. You're some of the kindest, most generous, most givin’ and unprejudiced people I know." He turned back to the girl, his expression pleading. "You're run by fear, but that's the fault of our own fear. We just don't know what to do when we're faced with...something different than us. We're just scared. Please, forgive us."
Her chest tightened as a sob stuck in her throat, his apology reminding her of all the terrible humans she’s ever run into. She kept her empathy well hidden, though, as she threw him a sideways glance. His twinkling eyes bore into hers, begging her to hear him out. She sighed, giving in to his earnest gaze and leaning back to stare at the stars. “There are some people I would forgive, like you for example. It's almost...too sad, the fact that your kind soul will be gone by morning." Her voice trailed off. She did feel guilty, but he was a Scorupion warrior for crying out loud! If he was sentenced to death, maybe he deserved it...
"That's another thing I wanted to say." His voice quivered and he sniffled, rubbing at his nose. "I thought I would be fine with it before, but now that I've had the chance to talk to ya, I'm suddenly frightened of my death. The way you'd look at me when I spoke of it made me realize that it wasn't normal. And it wasn't right. I have so much more to live for than to lay my head down at fourteen for somethin’ I don't believe in."
She bit her lip, letting that wrestle in her mind for a bit. "Then why join the military?"
"I was so young," he muttered guiltily. "I didn't know what I was gettin’ into. I just did what grandfather told me. But I've never killed anyone. I've hurt people who have hurt me, but none of them were ever animan. I guess it made the captain dislike me even more."
The girl’s mind relapsed, wondering why he was even telling her any of this in the first place. She trembled at the realization that she would be the last person he ever talked to, and at the irony that she was animan. She was supposed to be his enemy, why was he picking friends with her?
He sniffled again, wiping at his nose with his sleeve. "Ta for hearin’ me out, though. I feel like we could have been friends outside of these walls."
Her eyes grew wide with terror. Outside of these walls he was a Scorupion Warrior who did as his grandfather ordered.
The boy bit his lip once catching sight of the girl’s disdain. "I dunno. Guess I'm just sayin’ things I can't really promise. But I can promise that I would never hurt ya, warrior or not." His voice sort of grew strong toward the end, as if backing up his promise. Then he gulped loudly. "Not that it matters anyway. I'll be gone by morning."
"Maybe you don't have to be..."
The pair locked eyes as he looked at her in confusion. "What do ya mean?"
ns 15.158.61.20da2
