Fractured Party

Returning is easy. Wyll helps me when we're crowded by lycans, and Warmth weakens the haunted snows enough for Wyll to help me with them too. Once we're back to the checkpoint at the beginning of level three, we just teleport back to Ward Academy.

We say nothing to each other before parting. Or rather, I say nothing and simply leave. It's not that I want to say nothing, I just don't know what to, I've never been put in a position like this before.

As I reach my dorm room and lay in my bed, I think to myself, has a relationship ever mattered to me enough to try and save it? Is this one such case, or can I find another party in the short time I have until my duel with Rex?

I go to sleep with these thoughts in my head, and when I wake up the next day, I wait for the quest to attend class to show up. When it doesn't, I remember that it's the weekend, there are no classes today or tomorrow.

In other words, I won't be receiving the extra two hundred experience points that I usually would. In that case I definitely need to visit the dungeon these last two days. I consider just going on my own now, but something makes me wait until the usual time of afternoon.

When I finally do go to the entrance to the Great Dungeon, I see that there are fewer students here than usual. Among the people not here are Wyll, Leila, and Perri.

I knew there was a chance of them not showing up… this might be the worst case scenario. My cynicism tells me to cut my losses and just enter the dungeon. I've improved, I can still get a decent amount of experience points on my own.

But some other part of me, some small hopeful part of me somehow manages to convince me to wait. I sigh as I look around at the smaller crowd of students. These must all be the committed ones, the rest are all taking the weekend off.

Then, I spot Wyll, and he spots me. He runs up to me, greeting, "Thomas! I didn't know if we were entering the dungeon again today, so I came just in case."

I stare at him, and the surprise must show on my face, because he explains, "I've heard a lot of rumours about you, and I haven't known you for long, but you don't seem like a cruel person. Harsh maybe, but not cruel. Still, I do think Leila was right, but I think she said it poorly, so I don't hold it against you for saying a few harsh things in anger."

…He's a lot more mature than me. Just hearing that I know what I have to say. I want to change, I really do, but I don't want to become like Thomas Filmore.

I say quietly, "Thank you… and I'm sorry."

Wyll grins, "No problem. And I said it before, right? I don't hold it against you at all."

Just then, we are interrupted by a gasp. We turn to look and see that Perri is standing there looking stunned, "Th-Thomas, you shouldn't have to apologise to a commoner! If you need another support, we can find plenty—"

"I'm sorry to you too," I interrupt, and Perri is stunned into silence. I turn to Wyll again, "Do you know where Leila is?"

"Probably in her dorm," Wyll says, "I don't think she's coming."

"Tell me where her dorm room is," I say.

Wyll looks at me knowingly, "Sure, what are you going to do?"

I raise an eyebrow, "Do you have to ask?"

*

"You've come crawling back, have you? Can't do without me?" Leila asks mockingly. It's the first thing she says when I knock on her door and she opens it.

I ignore her insults and say, "I've come to apologise."

"Have you now?" Leila smirks, "I must say, I'm surprised. Has my talent really wowed you that much? I'd think you'd have plenty of healers to take my place."

Thomas Filmore probably does. I, however, cannot remember most of his lackeys for the life of me. I barely even remembered Perri.

"I'm not asking you to come back, I just came to say I'm sorry," I say.

Leila stares at me, I can see the confusion building in her lazy gaze, "…What's this about?"

"You were right back then and I reacted poorly. That's all."

"Of course I was right," Leila says, a little more seriously now, "We'd lost a whole combatant and I'd used all my energy to heal her. We were down to only Wyll and you, it would have been reckless to continue."

"Yes, that's correct," I say, "Well, I've said my piece. See you." I turn to leave, and Leila says suddenly, "You're really not here to ask me to come back?"

"I'm not," I say, not stopping.

I'm at the stairs when Leila says loudly, "I'm not going to apologise back!"

I turn back to look at her, "Nor do I expect you to. You're not that sort of person."

"Neither are you," Leila points out.

Yes, she's right. Neither Thomas Filmore nor I are people who ever cared enough about others to apologise. But… "Maybe I'm changing."

I'm about to begin descending the stairs when Leila stops me again, "And that's it? That's all you came here for?"

She's still expecting me to ask her to come back, I realise. "Wyll said he agreed with what you said, but not with how you said it. I know you're not going to apologise, and I know the ultimate responsibility of getting angry and saying all that stuff falls on me, but I won't pretend that you constantly trying to provoke us didn't play a part either." I look her directly in the eyes, "You're an incredible healer and you're just as smart; you were a great asset to the party, but I'd prefer to work with people that don't try to constantly put me off balance."

I turn one last time and leave with a single wave behind me.