Elin-15

When Elin returned to the tent, she saw Glocara sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a half-burnt makeshift cigarette between her right hand's fingers.

"Where did you get that?" Elin sat down beside her, asking. "Niaes keeps a tight watch over her subordinates. I haven't seen any of them with this stuff."

"A traveling merchant came by this afternoon."

"I thought you quit."

"I didn't. I only temporarily stopped when I had to work at the hospital. It's been a while since I've been inactive."

There was no light in the room, only a faint moonlight seeping through the tent's seams, weakly illuminating the ground. Glocara took a drag from her cigarette, and in the darkness, a faint glow struggled to light up, creeping slowly towards her fingers as the cigarette burned. She moved her right hand away from her lips, leaving a momentary trace of light that the human eye could barely catch. Elin heard her exhale smoke, sounding like a particularly long and weary breath.

"Cough," he pressed his throat with two fingers, "Cough, cough, cough, cough!"

"Don't be silly, it's not new anymore," she said. "When are you going to the office tomorrow?"

"Formally, it starts at noon. But I need to go early to prepare."

"Then don't wake me up when you get up."

"No problem."

"Tomorrow... Will I just wait here?"

"Of course. Don't go anywhere, seriously. I'll leave one of my men to make sure you don't wander around."

"Ah, staying here is so boring."

"It won't be for long."

She flicked the remaining stub of the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.

"Have I been of any help to you by coming here?"

"You're at it again. What did I say last time?"

"No... I mean something else. Jorgen said I could help you understand Tusha. But I haven't told you anything."

"Do you have anything to add now?"

"Not much. I don't know if I really understand him."

"Not surprising. Jorgen can't predict his actions either."

"But Jorgen and Tusha have only met a few times. I've been with him for several years."

"You're not like Jorgen."

She tapped his thigh. "Are you saying I'm much dumber than him?"

"What kind of misunderstanding is that, Glocara? It just means you both have different perspectives on Tusha."

She made a vague sound of agreement. After a while, she said:

"Tusha has always been very careful to protect me."

"And then?"

"I don't know if you want to hear it. I can keep quiet."

"Go on."

"A long time ago, when Tusha first started working for me, there was a merchant living in the upper levels of Booty Bay who wanted to force me to be his concubine. At first, I thought things wouldn't change, but that bastard suddenly disappeared. At first, I thought I was lucky, but then I started to wonder if it was too coincidental. At the time, I thought it was absurd to connect this incident with Tusha, because he looked so timid and cowardly. He wouldn't be able to stop one or two outsiders from causing trouble."

"What else can I say? He hid it well."

"Later on, he rescued me from a fire, escorted me out of Stranglethorn Vale, and after we arrived at Stromgarde, he found a way to keep the prince from laying a hand on me... In short, many similar things. Do you know what I think?"

"What do you think?"

"I wish I could like him. I want to like him. In a romantic sense."

"Well, of course... considering all he's done for you."

"But I can't." She shook her head in the darkness. "I just can't. There's always something invisible about him... warning me not to get close. I can't explain what it is. Elin, I grew up in Booty Bay, you know what it's like there. Everyone's trying to take more from others because that's the only way to survive. But Tusha, he's done so much for me, without asking for anything in return. All I've given him is a fake tooth and countless mediocre meals. It confuses me. I can't figure it out. Since that idea doesn't make sense, I've been thinking from another angle: maybe he's using me. Now that I know he's hiding his identity to do some research, I lean towards this latter idea, but it still doesn't explain everything. Until that night... after what happened that night..."

Elin could feel Glocara turning to look at him. He listened as she continued.

"...after that night, I think Tusha was indeed using me in the past, he finally showed his true colors. What's been preventing me from getting closer to him is a sense of danger. He's a dangerous man. I almost understood. Then, just like I hoped I could like him, I started convincing myself to hate him. Even if not for myself, I must hate him for you, Elin. To achieve that, I've replayed in my mind how cruel and terrifying Tusha was that night many times. But then I realized something."

"What is it?"

She opened her mouth but closed it without a word. Her palm pressed against the bed.

"That night he said... he didn't kill me to leave a witness. Why? Does that make sense? I'm just an ordinary person, my testimony in this matter is useless. If he wanted to threaten or pressure the Seventh, he had better ways... I think both you and him could imagine that, which is to kill me in front of you."

"Shut up, Glocara."

"Isn't that the case? But in the end, he let us both live. Now I have nothing useful to offer, and yet he chooses to protect me again. I want to hate him... but I can't."

"I told you to stop. This deduction is flawed. Do you know where the problem lies? He has no right to kill anyone, whether it's me or you. We both survived because we deserved to, not because of his mercy. It's normal for you to have a soft spot for him, but don't bother me with these things at this time."

"I don't want to bother you. I just... don't want you to be with him... Can we go back, Elin? Go back now. You can report to Jorgen about the situation and let him handle it..."

"Don't be so naive. I can't believe these words are coming from you. Listen." He placed his right hand behind her neck and squeezed slightly. "I am a Seventh Bureau agent, but my motivations are probably much simpler than most of my colleagues. This is how I see it, Glocara. Tusha defeated me in front of you, and then he made you dig out my eyes. I have to avenge this. And on the other hand, this is a task given to me by Jorgen, which indicates two things. One, he trusts me. Two, we've been friends for so many years, but now he's giving me orders. In any case, I must do this, to let him and everyone else know that I, Elin Tias, am the one who can defeat Tusha; what I can do, Jorgen may not be able to do. Glocara, do you understand? Do you really want a man who would flee at a time like this?"

"I just want you to be safe..."

"Of course, you would say that now, but who knows in a few years. You'll remember, the man by your side once failed miserably in front of the troll who was protecting you and betrayed Jorgen's trust. This will linger in your mind until one day you suddenly realize, you despise this man. You'll think, why did I let him escape back then, how spineless. Don't argue with me, I know how women's minds work. I don't want such a thing to happen, so there's no possibility of backing down now. Besides, how do you know I won't be safe? I'm just going to talk, get back a broken sword, and let the soldiers handle the rest..."

"You've tried hard enough already. These things were all arranged by you. There's no need for you to personally intervene."

"I've said too much in vain. Forget everything I just said, Glocara. Just one question: Do you support me or not?"

They were very close, and Elin could see her nod.

"That'll do. Interrogation's over."

He kissed her, undressing her. After a moment, she gently pushed him away, propping herself up.

"Something doesn't feel right, Elin," she said. "After saying those things... it feels like it's the last time."

"See, you're regretting it already. But it's okay, it's easily resolved. We'll do it twice."

She thought for a moment. "...Alright. Fine."

The next morning, just past six o'clock, Elin left the tent. When he got up, he removed Glocara's hand from his chest, and she rolled over, whether she woke up or not, he didn't know.

He stood on the grass, looking around. This morning in the refuge valley was busier than usual. The guards on the cliffs had increased to ensure that no tribal scouts would come to observe troop movements. Niaes walked towards Elin.

"Is Galin here yet?" Elin asked.

"Not yet. I think he should be soon. The prince is usually quite punctual."

Elin nodded. After a moment, he frowned at Niaes.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked.

"Did you comfort her properly?"

"That sounds so off coming from you."

"Elin, there's something I haven't told you. I've received some complaints here. Nearby soldiers say they hear noises at night."

"Is it because of yesterday's conversation that suddenly got into your head... I don't know how to put it." He gestured to his head with his index finger, drawing two circles. "Who complained, bring them to me, and I'll apologize for the fact that they don't have a woman like I do by their side. But honestly, Glocara and I have talked a lot and come to some conclusions about Tusha."

"What did you conclude?"

"He's not someone who likes to change his mind at the last minute. No matter how random his actions seem, they're the result of long-term planning. He's a resilient lunatic. If the conditions don't allow it, don't force to capture him, because he's definitely prepared for it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I need to check the situation. And talk to Galin as soon as possible... it's really annoying. See you later. Oh, and when you first meet Lawrence, don't get too excited."

Elin left. Niaes stood there for a moment, hearing the sound of the tent opening. She turned around and saw Glocara coming out, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Good morning," Glocara said.

"Good morning."

Glocara looked past Niaes in the direction Elin had left. She could still see his silhouette.

"Do you have anything else you want to say to him?" Niaes asked.

"Nothing else."

"It's early and cold. You should rest a bit longer."

Glocara nodded.

"Keep an eye on him for me," she said. "Don't let him do anything stupid."

"I will."

"Thank you."

They looked at each other, exchanged a simple smile.