Irredeemable

Kingsport

"Alright pal, I'm gonna need you to explain that one. I've got no problem helping you out, but I need to know why they're after you."

When Vayne's request was naturally met with frantic charades, she sighed.

"This isn't gonna work, bud. I can't believe I'm gonna have to do this, but you're gonna have to learn how to write. I'll teach you when I can, but it's gonna take a while."

With that, Vayne began the first of many writing lessons. She would mostly teach them important words. The process was as simple as saying a word and writing it down. Gravel's handwriting wasn't the best, so it was sometimes difficult to tell if they got it right, but with time, it would hopefully improve.

Fortunately, the trek to Kingsport held few obstacles. This allowed more time for Gravel's writing practice. By the time they neared the decently large town, they had developed a small, but useful vocabulary. The pair decided to camp outside the town for the night, before going in to find whoever Otis's friend might be.

In the dark, Gravel was once again alone with their thoughts. They thought about how Vayne had saved them. There had been no hesitation. She recognized they needed help and stepped in. They hadn't given her the same courtesy. It took them quite some time to decide whether or not to save her. In retrospect, sure, they would have intervened immediately, but their inaction could have caused her death.

They thought more on their travels together. She was teaching them to write. It might only be so they could communicate, but it was still a difficult task that most wouldn't bother with. They thought back to Hopper's Town again. Something caught their attention: they had felt a certain way about Vayne during the escape, without even realizing. They had viewed her as a friend. Momentarily, they were shocked. They had a friend? It had been quite some time since they had a friend. The last time they had one was- they stopped thinking about it.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. Waking up, Gravel was mildly annoyed with themselves for falling asleep. It had been their exact goal not to. They didn't need to sleep since they were a vessel, so it only provided unnecessary risk.

Vayne was already awake, packing supplies from their camp. Gravel helped her finish packing and the pair headed towards Kingsport. For some reason, Gravel was absolutely certain they spotted a flicker of golden light. Despite watching carefully, they didn't spot it again, so they decided to pay it no further attention.

"Hoods up, bud." Came Vayne's order.

"Ok, if I know Otis, and I think I probably do, he has to be talking about Malek. That's his only friend up here anyway. Guy's a shop owner, just like his buddy. I think his shop is... this way?"

The pair slowly made their way through the town. As they did, they noticed that something seemed wrong. The citizens of Kingsport were thinning out the further they went. By the time they reached the shop, there were none left. It was odd, but perhaps the store wasn't particularly popular. They entered the store.

A small, meek voice met them as they stepped inside.

"I-I'm afraid we aren't open to customers at the moment."

"Well that's probably for the best, we're not here for shopping." Vayne jokingly responded.

Whoever was behind the counter then started what sounded like a mix of sobbing and a dead inside chuckle. "It just gets better and better, doesn't it?" They mumbled to themselves.

"After everything that just happened, we're being robbed! Great!"

"Woah, woah, take it easy pal, we're not here to rob you, we're looking for Malek." Vayne responded, attempting to diffuse the situation.