Soul Alight

[Mari]

“You would....stay with me….?” She questioned his kind, simple offer by repeating his words. Why would he offer to stay with her? Why would he mend her wounds and heal her? His concern seemed genuine, and she could deduce that he wasn't lying about Thom or Jack. If he had gotten into a scuffle with them she was sure he'd be injured.

Her eyes darted down to his attire; he was stained in blood. Amari guessed it was her own. She cleared her throat. “I don’t have anything to give you for payment.” She shuffled uneasily in the bed ignoring the pain illicit from her movements. The only items she had, were left at the bandit hideout. Even then, they were nothing more than threads, discarded bandages and empty jars. Just trash.

She lifted her head to glance at him again. Whenever their eyes met he seemed to pull his away from hers. It did not go unnoticed by Amari. At first, it was suspicious. Leading her to distrust him. Now, it just seemed like an awkward mannerism. Something he wasn’t even aware he was doing. In a way, it showed a hidden innocence the man had.

“Why are you being kind to me?”

The man blinked. Taken aback by her question. He rubbed his chin, glancing over her form. Amari's brows furrowed as she quickly took the blanket and covered herself.

"I'm sorry." The man said as he pulled his eyes away from her. "I was inspecting your bandages. They will require me to change them soon."

Amari kept the blanket draped over her, and repeated her question with an insistent tone. The subject change wasn't going to deter her. "why are you being so nice to me?"

"That's what decent people do. Amari. They help each other."

"No, they don't." Amari snapped back. "They use each other. They only help someone when they have something to gain from it." She retreated further into the blanket, draping it over her head like a hood.

"Is that what you really think?" The man asked, his tone saddened by her outlook, but Amari dare not glance back at him. What if he was lying? What if he was trying to coax her into a false sense of security?

But...

What would he gain from that?

If he wanted anything from her, wouldn't he have taken it by now?

If he was being truly genuine, and wanted nothing more than her health, and for her to return home...that'd make him the first 'decent person' she had ever met. Even her brother and father believed in the ideology that you were to only ever do something if you could gain profit from it.

As Amari mulled over the situation, she felt more and more guilty. This man offered her nothing but kindness and warmth, and she in turn offered him nought but bitterness and accusations.

"Hey..." She spoke quietly. Breaking an hour of silence. "What's your name?"

He didn’t respond. Instead, a slight murmur erupted from his form.

“Hello?” Amari poked her head out from the blanket, allowing it to fall freely to her shoulders. He stirred, but did not respond.

"Oh..." She muttered, disappointed. There went her chance of making amends.

He was asleep. Amari chose to let him be for now. Instead turning her attention to her wounds. Two broken ribs...internal bleeding... Shouldn’t she be dead? Amari wasn't a doctor, and she wasn't book smart. Nor street smart...let's face it, Amari just wasn't smart. So she wasn't sure on how much a human body could take, but she was pretty sure that ribs were damn important and that she were damn lucky to be alive.

Night began to settle as the man slept beside her. She wished it were a peaceful sleep, but his body kept twitching. His brows furrowing. Lips parting in ragged breaths as he began to mutter things in a dialect Amari struggled to understand.

The murmurs turned to screams. Amari's distrust and suspicions drowned in her sudden concern for the man. No one could fake such tortured cries. “Hey, wake up! Are you ok? You were screaming!” Amari edged closer to the side of the bed. Such small movements proved difficult...but that wasn't her concern right now.

Amari reached out. Her fingers grazed against his sweaty hand and the man jostled awake. Their eyes met again. And again...he quickly drew them away. The urge to question him why bubbled up, but Amari shoved that question right back down into her brain meat. Not today curiosity. Not today.

"Why do you do that...?" She whispered.

Then instantly bit her tongue.

The fuck did I just say Curiosity!

The mans reply was a gentle embrace. He leaned forward without warning. Gently pushing her arm away, he wrapped his own tenderly around her shoulders. Mindful of each and every laceration and wound. He wove his arms around her in a way that avoided the heavier injuries.

Amari drew a sharp breath. Warmth flooded into her being. She lifted her hands and rested her palms against his chest. Ready to push him away. Her lips parted. Ready to shout obscenities and insults.

But her arms buckled, falling to her sides. And whatever angered words she had became nothing more than unspoken whispers in the dead of the cold Salvic night.

How could she push him away? This warmth was something she yearned for, and she didn't even know it till now. Tears stung at her eyes. What was this feeling? What was this comfort? Did she deserve this?

Amari's thoughts were interrupted by his weary voice. Her brows furrowed when he said there was something to tell her, why he vilified slavers. Why he’d risk so much. Why he appeared so...maniacal.

“I don’t understand...why would you need to explain yourself? Aren’t Slavers hated by most people?”

"Most people don't have an insatiable urge to kill every slaver they come across." The man muttered darkly.

Amari pressed her face into the nap of his neck. His ebony hairs tickled her nostrils. He smelt like blood and citrus.The scents combined to create an oddly pleasant smell. Her body ached where his arms pressed their forms together. Still, she refused to draw away.

He seemed to need the human interaction just as much as she did. Her hand gingerly rose to rest on the mid of his back. Amari wasn't able to return the exuberance of his embrace, but she hoped this small gesture helped.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered, her breath tickling the nape of his neck. “I doubted you. I assumed you were just another captor. I don’t understand your reasoning or motives for being so kind…” She paused, she still didn't entirely trust him. How could she? However, this was not the time to voice that right now.

Right now, it seemed as though he needed her more than she him.

“Thank you. Stranger."