Episode 4.4

I stand in front of the shower.

When I later leave the shower feeling refreshed, Gasard is leaning against the wall. He holds my golden bracelet in his hands, which he seems to be studying. He seems so absent-minded that he doesn't even notice me. Nora only notices me after I say something, but more because she's eyeing the redhead with interest.

"Is that thing so interesting?" I ask him. A smile appears on my lips, which he returns after lifting his head.

"I'll explain something about the bracelet to you later," he says as he pushes himself off the wall at the end of his sentence and calls for departure.

The canteen is empty when we enter it. It's amazing how clean everything looks, considering that prisoners usually leave everything like a battlefield. Is that one of Tosa's and Akara's tasks? Somehow I can't imagine both women cleaning everything in such a short time. Gasard goes straight to one of the tables to sit down. Nora and I follow his example.

"Which of you two feels like serving?" he asks us both. His eyes don't leave the bracelet he holds in his hands. There's a mischievous grin on his lips. A certain anticipation can be seen in him.

We can't imagine what he means, so we both say, "No problem!" His fingers fly over the stones of the bracelet as before. When Gasard finishes, he looks towards the door. A grin stretches across his face almost to his ears.

Curiously, I follow his gaze and only understand when the door to the canteen opens a little later and a dark-haired man enters, whom I've already encountered a few times today.

While I grimace, Nora seems absolutely thrilled and waves to a man whose angry expression disappears as soon as he looks at Gasard next to me. The redhead swings the bracelet over himself.

"Does that have to be?" he shouts to us. Like the first time I saw him today, his hair looks tousled as if he just fell out of bed. With short finger movements, he tries to tame it a bit as he approaches us. He chooses a small gap between me and the redhead as a place to sit. He doesn't care that he has to push us both away to fit in there.

Disgusting! I find myself strengthened in my aversion to him.

"I was just sleeping so nicely!" he exclaims in a loud yawn. His head sinks onto the table in the heaviness of his fatigue.

"It's obvious you were sleeping!" "So why do you have to wake me up?" the guard asks, yawning.

The grin on Gasard's face hasn't faded. He taps the man next to him with the bracelet.

"What's up?" the man grumbles without lifting his head from the table.

"Hungry!"

The guard raises his head just enough to tilt it in confusion towards Gasard. But since Gasard doesn't say anything, the guard only gives a gruff order.

"Go get something then!"

That's certainly not what the other had in mind. So he tugs at the uniform of the guard, which identifies him as subordinate.

"You go over there now and get me something to eat!" The grin doesn't leave his face.

The guard doesn't even bother to lift his head. He rolls his face from one side to the other on the table to look at me.

"Girl, do what the gentleman over there says!" the black-haired man orders me before his face rolls yawningly so that he only sees the bright tabletop.

The grin disappears from Gasard's face. He seems rather impatient now that the other isn't following his instruction.

"But you should go and get me something," he now calls out with a clearer instruction.

First, the guard stretches and then lets out a loud yawn.

"I'm already doing as commanded!" he grumbles. With a snort, he gets up and goes to the food counter. "But you can expect revenge for this."

It's like last time. When Akara sees the black-haired man, she greets him with an enthusiastic hug. Only after a while does he come to ask for food.

His smile is radiant as he runs towards us with two bowls. He throws one in front of Gasard and sits down with the other at the table. But he doesn't even get to take the spoon. Before that, everything is taken from him by the redhead.

"The girls must be hungry too," he says, placing both bowls in front of me and Nora. The guard sighs and trudges back to the food counter. He comes back this time with a plate full of fruit slices and another bowl.

He places the fruits in front of Gasard, and with the bowl, he sits back at the table. "I am and will always be Akara's favorite," he says with a loud laugh. He eats the porridge with relish, while Gasard shakes his head and turns to the fruits.

Once again, I ponder if he might actually be Torsos. The extra portion from Akara would certainly speak for it.

"What do you think of the offer now?" he asks me when he notices me scrutinizing him.

"No interest!" is my answer. I look away from him and focus on my food. It tastes different than usual but just as delicious.

"Okay!" he says laughing. "I'll let the lady know that you simply don't want to move in with her!"

I refrain from replying. It's clear enough that he's trying to prevent me from being taken in by her for a while. However, I don't want to say yes either. I can imagine he's waiting for that to trap me.

"Lady?" Gasard speaks up. He raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"Kaia thinks the little one could move in with her," the guard replies.

"I've been told that Kaia is supposed to have a nice side." He shakes his head. "I've known this woman since birth, but I just can't believe she's serious about something like this."

The guard turns to me again.

"And what about the second offer?" he inquires, grinning at me.

Feeling sulky, I don't even look at him anymore. He won't give me a chance to choose properly anyway.

"Same answer as before!" I say simply.

Gasard laughs loudly.

"I'll tell Kaia that!"

"Dare you!" the guard retorts. Panic steals into his gaze. Both calm down again. The guard takes a few slices of fruit and then gets up.