Chapter 105: 106: Clearing the air

“Let me go! LET ME GO!” yells Basil, kicking and flailing like Fresh had done before. The priestess’ fists strike against the large metal helmet of the man from the sect, who lets out a disgruntled sigh and jolts straight upright, jostling both of them back into place on his shoulders.

“I will not,” is all that he says, as he keeps walking, ignoring the fists striking against the back of his head.

“It’s okay, Basil. He’s really nice,” says Fresh, hanging over his other shoulder.

“DON’T TALK TO ME!” shouts the priestess, swiping her hand out the other way. Fresh pulls her head back and the fist just misses her by an inch. “WITCH! DEMON!” Basil kicks and squirms. “YOU STOLE EVERYTHING FROM ME!”

Fresh scratches her cheek. “Huh? I didn’t do anythi-”

“Will you both just PLEASE shut up?” snaps Jubilee from up on ahead. “There might be people searching for us out here!”

“I WILL NOT!” yells Basil as loud as she can. “LET ME GO, YOU MONSTER!” The man from the sect lets out a heavy, agitated sigh.

“We’re all friends here, Basil,” explains Fresh, reaching over to grab the priestess’ shoulder.

“AS IF!” shouts Basil, slapping her arm away. “I won’t be associated with something so VILE! SO DISGUSTING, AS YOU!”

“IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP, WE’RE GOING TO JAM YOU IN A TREE AND LEAVE YOU THERE!” barks Jubilee.

“PLEASE DO!” yells the priestess, looking back and trying to kick down at Jubilee.

Feeling the priestess’ sharp words reach her, Fresh looks at Basil somewhat frightened and then looks away, staring down at the forest ground behind them, which is being stained with a trail of a constant trickle of wet every few odd steps. Just another thing in the world that is being befouled because of her existence.

All four of them are quiet for a time, two of them walking silently through the forest. The red sunrise shines in through the trees, the lantern, floating at Basil’s side, hovers quietly up and down, always avoiding her swiping fists as she swings at it, before floating back into place a moment later.

“I need to go back,” hisses Basil quietly, clenching her teeth and eyes shut. Fresh doesn’t look up, she just stares at the wet trail the man leaves in his wake. “I need to go back,” repeats the priestess, starting to cry now that her rage has settled. But she does her best to press it down, judging by the wet sounds coming from her throat that she seems to strain to clench tightly closed.

“You can’t,” says Fresh, feeling something hot in her chest. “None of us can ever go back, Basil.”

“I NEED TO GO BA -”

A sharp crack rings out through the air, echoing through the forest. The tree-line ahead of them rustles, as a small group of birds take flight, perhaps having been frightened off by the sudden disturbance.

“YOU CAN’T!” yells Fresh as the palm of her hand leaves Basil’s face, leaving a sharp, red mark on the priestess’ cheek. She looks at Fresh with wide, shocked eyes. “THEY’RE JUST GOING TO KILL YOU AGAIN!” shouts the girl at Basil, worming her way further outward to reach over and grab the cuff of her robe, pulling her around the man’s back. “YOU STUPID JERK!” yells Fresh as she looks at the priestess, who loses control now and starts crying with a loud howl. “We’re friends! If you like it or not! J- JEEEERK!” cries Fresh, starting to howl just as loud as Basil now.

“Okay. That’s it. ENOUGH!” yells Jubilee. “I’ve had enough! YOU! SET THEM DOWN! NOW!” commands their sharp voice, together with a few snaps of their fingers. The man from the sect lets out another loud, agitated sigh. But seems to be willing to follow Jubilee’s instructions this time and bends over forward, setting the two of them down onto the grass next to each other. He stands back up straight and places his hands down against his lower sides, as he seems to stretch himself out, now that the heavy load is off of his back.

“I bet you’re glad, huh?” remarks Jubilee. “That prophecy is really working out, huh?! Dumb-ass!” they say to him, pointing at Fresh who has trapped Basil in a desperate hug that the priestess doesn’t fight. “Here’s your witch! I hope it was worth it!”

“I have faith,” says the man, rolling his shoulders. “The moon reveals itself one night at a time.”

“Shove it, you poetic fuck!” barks Jubilee at him, their eyes clearly twitching in agitation as they then look at Basil. “And you! You’re afraid of that wet-mess?! Sort your shit! You should be afraid of the fuckers who killed you in the street!” yells Jubilee. “Gods! You all make me si- STOP CRYING!”

Neither of them stop crying.

Jubilee clutches their hood in exasperation. “What is wrong with you people!? Haven’t any of you ever had a bad day before!? Why are you all so emotional?!”

The four of them stay there in the small wooded area for a time. Jubilee flops down, laying on their back on the grass in the tiny clearing between the rings of trees around them. The man from the sect sits down against one of the giant trees. It almost seems to lean back as he places his weight against it, as if it were trying to escape him but unable to do so. All the while, Fresh and Basil sit where they are, the two of them babbling like the sound of water coming out from a distant fountain.

An hour passes and the heat begins to grow, but out here in the forest, it seems far gentler than it was inside of the walls of the city. The shade of the lush, green trees combined with the gentle breeze that leaks through the verdant woodland offers a soft calmness which makes the heat not only bearable, but comfortable in a dazy, sleepy manner. The world is filled with birdsong that comes from all around them and even the cicadas seem to make themselves heard out here. Soon enough, the two of them have calmed down enough to hold a reasonable conversation again.

“I’m sorry,” says Basil. “I know that you aren’t evil. I was just… overwhelmed,” says Basil, wiping her eyes. A black smear runs across her cheek, as if something dark had just dribbled out of her eye.

Fresh sniffs, rubbing her eyes dry. “It’s okay, Basil. I know that dying is really scary.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, uh, I mean, it has to be, right?” says Fresh, not sure why exactly she is hiding the fact that she has died before as well. At this point, she’s so deep inside of the ‘white-lie’ of it, that it would feel wrong to just casually mention it now, after all of this. Especially after all of the strong feelings her friends had shown when they thought she was in danger. It’s a secret, a deception, but in her eyes, a small kindness. She doesn’t want to tarnish their efforts.

“Do you think the children will be okay?” asks Basil, clearly worried.

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“I’m sure they’ll miss you, but I think they’ll be fine,” reassures Fresh. “After all, everyone thinks you’re dead.”

“Yeah…” says Basil, getting up and trying to wipe off her filthy robe. A few crumbs of dirt and grass fall off, but that does little to help its overall filthy appearance. The priestess holds down her hands, helping Fresh get up. “So what happens now?”

Fresh smiles and takes her hands, standing up next to her. “We’re going to a new city. Somewhere far away and we’re going to make a new store! All of us, together!”

“That sounds like a lot of work,” says Basil, uncertainly.

Fresh just nods excitedly. “I hope so! Ah!” Fresh grabs Basil’s hands tighter. “Will you come with us? Please?!”

Basil fidgets with her arms, but Fresh doesn’t let go and simply grabs on tighter. “Okay. But… no more secrets.” The priestess looks around at the kind forest around them. “I can’t stand secrets any more.”

Fresh nods excitedly, leaning in towards Basil. “Mm! It’s a promise!”

*- Fresh -*

Jubilee

Basil

“Fucking finally,” sighs Jubilee from a few meters away. “Can we get going now? It’s going to take us weeks to get there as is.” Jubilee pushes themselves up off of the ground, wincing as they use their hurt arm. Limping a little, Jubilee walks over to the man from the sect and without a second thought, kicks his armor right in the stomach area where he’s wounded. “Hey! Freak-show! We’re going. Get up.”

He lets out a disgruntled groan, lifting his head to look at Jubilee. He turns to the side, staring at Fresh who scratches her cheek and then gives him a nod. Straining himself with a hand against the tree, he gets up.

A light drifts out from next to her and Fresh lifts a hand over her eyes, as she watches the bright glow wrap around Jubilee and the man. The white shine, tinged with a rainbow glow like a slick of oil on a sunny day, encapsulates their silhouettes and then fades away a few seconds later, as it is carried off by the drifting wind that pushes through the forest.

“Ah, fuck me,” says Jubilee as they shake out their arm and legs. “You could have done that half an hour ago, you know?”

A loud metal clanking rings out, as the man from the sect pounds against his chest. “Acceptable.”

Fresh scratches her cheek, laughing meekly as she looks at Basil who is still next to her. “Ah… I think they mean ‘thank you.’”

Basil nods, looking uneasily at the lantern next to her. “What is this thing?” asks the priestess as she stares at the mangled depiction of the angel and the horrible monsters that are drawn onto the surface of the metal.

Fresh’s eyes light up with glee. “Ah! I made it for you, Basil!”

“Oh.” Basil looks at the cursed lantern which floats next to her. Its deathly purple shine silhouetting her features rather ominously. “You shouldn’t have...”

Razmatazz

Ah, the more things change, the more they stay the same =)

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