Honor, Oath, & Blood

Chapter 7

The group had traveled in relative silence for two days, even Nasorya was quiet. It was all business as everyone kept watch for threats, be they centaur or otherwise. While Gylledra found it bothersome that Varok was suddenly so distant, she thought perhaps it was for the best. They'd been distracted when the attack happened, and she wondered if she would have been alerted sooner if they had not been...preoccupied. Her cycle of self-blame had yet to be broken.

"Did I miss something?" Nasorya whispered, walking close beside Gylledra.

"Hm?"

"The two of you haven't said five words to each other since...the fire." There was legitimate concern on Nasorya's face.

"I suppose watching someone you'd felt some passing fondness for burn an entire camp full of people alive will put a damper on the desire for further canoodling. I told him I was a monster, I suppose he didn't believe me." Gylledra muttered, the words laced with bitterness and disappointment.

"Passing fondness...you're out of your mind. He's a fucking orc, Gyll, do you know what they do for fun? Violence. They do violence for fun." Nasorya went on.

"Nas..."

"Canoodling? That's what you were doing?"

"Please, don't." Gylledra sighed, feeling terrible enough as it was without having her choices picked apart as well.

"But..." Nasorya looked back to where Varok was bringing up the rear. "If it helps, he looks as miserable as you do."

"That's just his face...he always looks like that..."

"Want me to talk to him?"

"I will cover you in wards and strap you to a kodo." Gylledra snapped at her. Nasorya made an irritated noise, rolling her eyes.

"Did it occur to you to maybe have a conversation?" She asked.

"Would you cease hounding me if I asked you to stop?"

"Probably not." Nasorya put an arm around Gylledra's shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "You know I can't stand seeing you...sad and...surly."

"I'm not surly."

"She says, with surliness."

"I think it's probably better this way." Gylledra offered. "Such attachments are distracting and in battle...distractions are weaknesses that can be exploited..."

"Really? That's the route you're going with this? You think about things far too much."

"Perhaps, Nasorya, you don't think about things enough."

"Yes, and do you see how happy I am?"

Gylledra noticed that as the argument intensified, those around them had moved away somewhat and she wasn't sure if it was because they wanted to give them privacy or if they simply feared her. The latter did not help matters at all and she just shook her head, berating herself silently for having been so foolish. She glowered and marched onward, distantly aware and grateful that Nasorya had opted to stop pushing her about things.

She flinched, feeling a hand on her shoulder suddenly and was startled to find Varok walking beside her. Immediately, Gylledra looked around for Nasorya and spotted her where she was vigorously shaking her head to indicate she had nothing to do with it.

"Tired of riding?" She asked Varok, looking ahead.

"It's good to walk, too much riding make me stiff." He replied and Gylledra pointedly ignored the glaringly obvious opening for a joke.