BEAUTY

It turns out that the snap Sponge heard was just her pants—or skirt, whatever it was—ripping, and it was relatively easy to sew while she waited for Vvh. Beside her, Cecil let out a snort as Sponge cursed, the needle pricking her thumb. "Stupid pants—why am I even wearing these," Sponge grumbled, flapping the skirt around angrily before sucking on her thumb.

"You don't know how to sew?" Vvh asked, stepping out from the smithery, holding gloves in her other hand as Sponge turned to her. "I never really learned. It's usually a half-assed job if I do it myself," Sponge replied, lowering the fabric and patting her leg. Vvh hummed softly, reached to pet Cecil on the snout, then pulled out an apple and handed it to Sponge. "You haven't had breakfast yet," Vvh said as Sponge took it.

"So you do notice," Sponge grinned, rolling the apple in her hands and wiping it on her pants before taking a bite. "Your leg," Vvh inquired, looking at Sponge's leg. "Oh, that? It's fine. My pants got ripped, but I managed to sew it back together—at least, it's shoddy work but it works," Sponge shrugged, munching on her apple. Vvh petted Cecil once more before motioning for Sponge to make room, then sat down.

"Is your sword finally finished?" Sponge asked, her mouth full, as Vvh pulled out a coin, deftly flipping it between her fingers. Sponge watched silently, chuckling softly as Vvh tossed it in the air and caught it smoothly. "That's awesome," Sponge murmured, before Vvh handed her the coin. "Learn how to do that and I'll take you as my student," Vvh stated as Sponge gaped at her, then looked back down at the coin in her hand. "I'll try my best," Sponge said as Vvh nodded, rose to her feet, and returned to the smithery, her steps quiet as always.

Sponge turned to Cecil, "Cecil, did you hear that? I could actually be her student!" Sponge grinned, giving the leftover apple to Cecil, who happily devoured it in one go. Sponge then tried to mimic how Vvh had handled the coin but failed, causing her to groan. "One step at a time, Sponge," she mumbled to herself.

—

December 27 of XXXX, Chinese Territory

Being a prisoner, especially under Vvh's watch, isn't all that bad, to be honest. She's not overly demanding, but her presence can be quite intimidating at times. Recently, she refined her blade, and then we were back on the road. I'm not exactly sure what my role is besides being her "ore sniffer" (LOL). Nonetheless, here I am, attempting to replicate that coin trick she effortlessly performed yesterday in hopes of unlocking her secrets.

Honestly, I'm struggling. My fingers always feel stiff, and I can't seem to match Vvh's fluidity. I keep dropping the coin, and whenever I toss it in the air, it's either too high or too low. You might be wondering what the point of this exercise is. I believe she's trying to impart a lesson on controlling one's strength. Although I'm not entirely certain, she mentioned that I need to learn control. The root of my issue seems to be my inconsistent force—either too strong or too weak—stemming from my lack of control. It's true; I tend to be stronger when I don't actively think about it. However, when I consciously focus on moderating my strength, it often weakens.

There must be a psychological explanation for this…

Signing out—

—

"What are you doing?" Vvh inquired, holding a candle as she peered over Sponge's shoulder, prompting Sponge to let out a surprised yelp, quickly closing her journal, her eyes squinting at the sudden light. "Hey, I was just—writing down some important things. Uh, you're up," Sponge murmured, slipping her journal back inside her hoodie, clutching it close to her chest as Vvh placed the candle on the table.

"Don't write in the dark, your already shitty sight will get even worse," Vvh advised, causing Sponge to let out an involuntary chuckle at her choice of words. "Is that one of your philosophies?" Sponge quipped, a small smile appearing on her face. "No, just a fact," Vvh replied, slowly turning towards the window and adjusting the blinds. Sponge frowned, watching her closely. "Is something bothering you?" Sponge inquired, standing up and approaching the other woman.

Vvh turned her head slightly, shaking it. "No."

"I see… Are you not going to sleep?" Sponge gestured towards the single bed in the room as Vvh waved a dismissive hand, walking to the table and sitting on the chair, crossing her arms and propping her feet up. "No need, you can have it," Vvh said as Sponge hummed, making her way to the bed and sitting down. "If you insist," Sponge grinned, bouncing on the bed before lying back and stretching out her arms.

"Don't you like the bed? It feels pretty soft," Sponge remarked, squeezing a pillow for good measure. She heard Vvh hum softly, "I'll make you sleep on the floor if you keep questioning me," Vvh retorted as Sponge chuckled, placing the pillow under her head without bothering to adjust her lower body on the bed, her legs dangling off the side.

"What exactly are we doing here?" Sponge asked again, turning her head to look at Vvh. Her mask caught the light from the candle, creating an eerie floating effect that was both beautiful and unsettling. "Test number two. Try not to ask too many questions and just trust me," Vvh responded, gazing up at the ceiling and letting out a small sigh.

"That's a tall order. How can I easily trust someone who is making me do things for her?" Sponge smirked as she sat up, facing Vvh who turned her head in her direction. "Another bounty hunter would have taken your bounty—" Vvh started. "I would have taken them out. I don't think I've encountered someone quite like you before," Sponge interjected quickly, causing Vvh to fall silent.

"Stroking my ego, I see," Vvh replied as Sponge barked out a laugh. "Can't be stroking your ego if it's the truth," Sponge retorted, "Your tongue may be sharper than your blade." Vvh rested her cheek in the palm of her hand, observing the other woman who awkwardly smiled, fiddling with the string of her hoodie. "I only speak the truth," Sponge replied, scratching her cheek. "Sometimes it's better not to," Vvh remarked, tapping a finger on the wooden surface as Sponge hummed.

"That sounds like you've been doing that a lot," Sponge commented, but Vvh fell silent, not offering a response. Sponge frowned, unsure if she had crossed a line, and slowly lay back down, staring at the ceiling, one hand over her chest where her journal was placed.

She knew she should sleep, but being nocturnal at heart, Sponge tended to be awake most of the night and sleep in the morning. This habit hadn't left her, even with her life potentially on the line with Vvh around. Despite Vvh's penchant for throwing threats, there was something that told Sponge that Vvh wouldn't truly harm her. Death seemed questionable at times—it might not happen. However, the idea of sleeping on the floor seemed quite plausible, especially with Vvh.

Glancing at Vvh once more, who had her arms crossed and her attention fixed on the windows, Sponge let out a small breath. She removed her glasses, plunging her vision into darkness.

—

Sponge's dreams have always been plagued by images of blood, screams, fire, and gunshots. Upon waking, she would gasp, her body slightly trembling, hands instinctively reaching for the weapons usually at her hip—only to find them absent, confiscated by Vvh. This time, however, she found Vvh standing above her, a shadow in the dark, as Sponge shakily slipped on her glasses.

"V-Vvh?" Sponge murmured, still half in the realm of sleep, blinking up at the other woman.

"You were screaming," Vvh stated, her voice calm, as Sponge stared at her, feeling her face flush with embarrassment. "Uh—ah well... haha, my bad. Must have... disrupted your beauty sleep," Sponge mumbled, clearing her throat as she sat up. Vvh took a step back as Sponge blinked away the remnants of sleep.

"I wasn't asleep in the first place," Vvh replied bluntly as Sponge huffed. "You have a problem," Sponge retorted, standing up and yawning, walking towards the window to peer outside at the passing people.

"Did you stay up all night?" Sponge asked, turning towards Vvh, who was strapping her armor to her body, offering no response. Sponge followed suit, retrieving her armor from where it was propped against the wall and securing it to her body.

"Considering you slept like a log, I took it upon myself to watch over the both of us," Vvh remarked sarcastically, to which Sponge snickered quietly.

"What a nice lady," Sponge teased, adjusting her armor straps before nodding to herself when they felt secure. She turned towards Vvh, who was once again gazing out the window, a ray of sunlight hitting her mask. A strange familiar sensation tugged at Sponge's stomach.

"Is your mask, perchance, a magical item?" Sponge blurted out, walking up to Vvh and examining the crack near the ears and the intimidating, beady eyes.

Vvh nodded, "How did you know?" she inquired, tilting her head.

"Just—well, you look kind of cool. It would make sense for your mask to be a magic item," Sponge remarked, rubbing her chin with a chuckle. Vvh let out a soft sigh under her mask, then turned away and made her way out of the room.

"Hey, wait," Sponge laughed, retrieving a gold coin from her pocket and following after Vvh, twirling the coin in her hand. It wasn't as smooth as Vvh's motion. "Look—I can do it," Sponge was about to demonstrate, but a passerby accidentally bumped into her shoulder, causing the coin to fly out of her hand. Vvh turned, watching the coin soar away as Sponge groaned in frustration.

"Then that can be your third test—find that coin while I get Cecil," Vvh announced, a hint of amusement evident in her tone, as she walked away to retrieve Cecil. Sponge could almost envision her smirk as she searched the floor, nodding to departing guests. Crouching beside a large potted plant, she reached behind it, exclaiming, "Aha!" upon successfully retrieving the coin. Wiping it on her pants, Sponge stood up and made her way downstairs to the hotel's first floor.

"Hello, good morning," Sponge greeted the woman at the front desk, who offered a half-hearted wave in return.

"Your friend has already checked out your room," the woman informed, absentmindedly twirling her hair as she typed on the computer, the keyboard clicking loudly. "Cool, nice seeing you," Sponge replied, waving once more before exiting the hotel. Glancing around, she turned right and spotted Vvh feeding Cecil an apple. Walking over, Sponge settled on a broken bench nearby.

"Hey, where to next?" Sponge inquired.

Vvh, busy with Cecil, responded with a hum. "We need more money, which means another visit to the mines."

Sponge resisted the urge to groan but couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Test number four—do not roll your eyes at me," Vvh interjected without even looking at her. Sponge choked in surprise. "How did you even know—Wait, where are you going?" she asked as Vvh mounted Cecil.

"Find the mine yourself. I'll wait for you... that's your fifth test," Vvh declared before snapping the reins and riding off, leaving Sponge coughing in the dust kicked up by Cecil's departure.

Sponge grumbled under her breath, teeth gritted, watching Vvh ride off with Cecil and her bag. "Does she have eyes in the back of her head or something?" Sponge muttered to herself, scratching her head in frustration as she followed the path Vvh had taken, lost in thought. Her steps slowed as she noticed a woman kneeling on the street, a can in front of her and a swaddled child in her arms.

Absently thumbing the coin in her hand, Sponge glanced down at it before tossing it into the can. "Thank you," the woman said, lifting her head and bowing repeatedly as Sponge frowned. I wish I had more to give—she thought, nodding stiffly before continuing on her way. It didn't take her long to locate the mines—after a few wrong turns and asking for directions.

"You're almost 40 minutes late. You wasted a lot of time, Sponge," Vvh remarked as Sponge resisted the urge to roll her eyes, retrieving her tools from her bag.

"My bad. Someone left me to walk to the mines on foot," Sponge mumbled, making her way towards the mine. Vvh secured Cecil to a fence before following Sponge inside.

Turning to Vvh, Sponge arched a brow. "You're coming with?" she asked, receiving no verbal response, only a gesture to proceed.

Grumbling to herself, Sponge clipped a flashlight onto her glasses and ventured into the tunnel. "Since we're here, I can show you how I find magic ores. Though it might not work for you because—well... it's hard to explain," Sponge began, stopping in front of an empty wall and pointing. "For the naked eye—the stones with magic ores tend to..." Sponge flicked off her flashlight, revealing faint glowing spots on the wall. These colors of light were subtle, visible only to trained eyes, hinting at the hidden magic ores beneath the surface.

Vvh approached the wall, reaching out to touch it before stepping back as Sponge positioned her chisel and struck. Fragments of rock fell to the ground, revealing a mesmerizing purple-blue glowing ore. Sponge grinned, flicking on her flashlight and deftly prying the ore from the wall with her chisel.

"See? She's a beauty. It's glowing with two colors," Sponge remarked, handing the ore to Vvh, who accepted it and rolled it in her hands, sensing the raw magic emanating from it. "I think that means it's responding to your magic or something. I'm not really sure—I haven't dabbled in these much," Sponge explained with a sigh.

Vvh remained silent, her thumb brushing the purple ore, observing as a blue aura spread from her touch.

"Well, nothing beats the feeling of being able to hold them," Sponge quipped, a slight smirk playing on her lips, before resuming her work, extracting more ores from the wall and collecting them in her waist bundle.

Eventually, they exited the mines, Vvh still clutching the ore in her hand, gazing at it before turning to Sponge, who was securing the bundle on Cecil's saddle. Vvh discreetly pocketed the ore, her actions unnoticed by Sponge.

—

December 28–29 of XXXX, Chinese Territory.

Seems like i forgot to write around December 28, i fell asleep right away after the mining trip we had. We had to find someone who would buy the magic ores for a high price, and we found someone—very eh.. Pompous, Vvh offered all our magic ores to him and we atleast got—around 5 bundles full of gold coins. So now we're kind of rich again, which is great. Though I don't really know if i get paid for this, I should probably ask because that would be borderline slavery if so—

—

"What an atrocious handwriting," Vvh remarked as Sponge looked up, a slight pout forming on her face as she slowly closed her journal. "It's something called cursive," Sponge grumbled, prompting a thoughtful hum from Vvh, who crouched beside her before taking a seat a bit farther away.

"Your cursive is atrocious," Vvh critiqued, causing Sponge to narrow her eyes. "Stop looking over my shoulder," Sponge grumbled, tucking her journal back inside her hoodie and patting it for good measure.

"The gold coin you were given, you haven't shown it to me yet," Vvh reminded Sponge, who let out an 'oh'. "Ah, well... the gold coin you gave me, I... uh, I gave it to a homeless woman," Sponge admitted, turning to gaze at the fire, her cheeks flushing red.

"Hm," Vvh hummed in thought, both of them falling into a contemplative silence. Sponge brought one knee to her chest, resting her cheek on it, the weariness of sleep creeping in.

"You pass," Vvh declared, prompting Sponge to raise her head in surprise. "I did?"

Vvh hummed, leaning back. "A student of mine must be humble, must also know respect, and must treat everyone equally and fairly," she explained, almost mechanically, as if she had recited these words many times before.

Sponge nodded silently, slightly taken aback when Vvh stood up, unsheathing her sword and lowering it towards the fire. Sponge watched in awe as the fire ignited in blue hues, attaching itself to Vvh's blade as she withdrew it. The flames danced, illuminating the dark trees as Vvh moved gracefully, the fire following her movements like a flowing ribbon.

"I will show you something about balance and control," Vvh announced, twirling around and guiding the blue fire with her sword in a mesmerizing display of skill. Sponge sat up, interested and captivated as she observed the fire obediently following Vvh's lead, as if completely tamed.

"You need to learn to control your strength. Too much strength will only hurt those around you," Vvh advised, flicking her sword towards a falling leaf. The blue fire lashed out like a whip, cleanly slicing the leaf in half instead of burning it. "Woah," Sponge gasped.

"And if you lack strength, you hurt yourself," Vvh continued, manipulating the fire until it vanished, plunging everything into darkness.

Sponge blinked, and a small fire reappeared on the ground, this time no longer blue. "But even the weakest can turn into the strongest," Vvh mumbled, standing over the fire as it slowly intensified, crackling until it illuminated the entire area once more. Sponge watched in awe as Vvh sheathed her sword once again.

"That was—" Sponge began, trailing off in amazement as Vvh slowly lowered herself to the ground. "Deadly, don't copy what I just did," Vvh concluded, but Sponge shook her head. "A blade is deadly, even fire—it consumes, it kills. But what you did, using both of them, is not deadly. In fact, it's… beautiful," she murmured, a small smile playing on her lips as she retrieved her journal.

Vvh gazed at her as Sponge began jotting something down in her book.