Only a Game

Envy and Indignation

 "And how will you two be paying today, dears?"

Jesper and Wylan looked at each other uneasily. They'd managed to evade the question until now. They'd gotten everything on Wylan's list and then some. For an old deserted shop, there was quite a selection.

Jesper cleared his throat. "The thing is...we're a bit low on funds at the moment. Is there any way we could...you know," he made an awkward vague gesture.

Alma laughed. She seemed to do that a lot. "Oh silly boys. I don't mean money. What I charge is far more valuable than scraps of paper big men decided had value."

Wylan blinked. "What's more valuable than money, ma'am?"

Alma's response came immediately, as if she'd been waiting for the question. "Life. Emotions. Love. Belief. Do little printed slips of paper hold a candle to any of those things?" She didn't wait for an answer. "No. of course not."

"But how to we give away any of those things? How do we pay in emotions? How do we give love?" Wylan questioned and then blushed when Jesper winked at him for the last question.

The resulting smile on Alma's face was far too unsettling for Jesper's taste.

----

Inej breathed in the fresh air as she looked at the setting sun. "Come on. We need to get back to the House."

"But we still haven't found your knives," Nina said.

Inej grinned and looked at her. "Who said I didn't?" Inej flashed the sharp blades. "They were in the shed."

Nina frowned. "Why hide them there?"

"Legend's a skiv. He likes messing with our minds and hurting us. Who knows what he's thinking?"

"Kaz has probably figured out his thought process by now. They can't be too different."

Inej laughed, and as she did it felt like a weight was slowly being lifted off her chest—not gone, but going. She pecked Nina lightly on the cheek and rested her head on her shoulder. They looked out at the canvas of orange and pink in the sky and the buildings pumping out smoke. She felt more at home than she had in some time. "Thank you."

Nina didn't have to ask what for.

----

Kaz was walking back down the hall when he heard the voices. They started as nonsensical whispers, almost coaxing him to follow.

"Kaz," Inej whispered.

Kaz shook his head, the wraith was not there, just another of Legend's tricks.

"Come on, Brother," Jordie taunted, his voice playful like they were playing a game back on the farm.

"Come home to us, darling," his mother spoke with a voice that sounded like the sweet honey she'd feed him and Jordie with a spoon.

"You miss us, don't you? Be with your family again, Son," the rough voice of Kaz's father filled his ears. A sudden memory of his father strewed over the fields flashed in his mind.

He heard Inej's voice then again. No words, just her genuine laugh. He followed that sound, and the whispers of his old family fell away. He followed that sound right back to her.

----

"I want only two things from you. Two emotions to be exact," Alma said, smiling as if what she was say was utterly normal.

"Emotions," Wylan said flatly. "Which ones?"

"I was thinking joy and courage, but we can negotiate if you'd like. Let's see..." Alma surveyed them both, analyzing them. "Yes. Joy from Elian and courage from David."