CHANGE

Sponge wasn't sure if what she was feeling was good or not, but at least she wasn't on the brink of feeling like death warmed over, which was good news. When she woke up, she didn't feel too horrible anymore, just a kind of lethargy that made her body feel extra heavy.

The rag on her forehead was already freezing—it would have been a miracle if it hadn't stuck to her skin by accident. Thankfully, it hadn't when Sponge tugged it off, though it was cold.

She looked around the room; the fire was now slightly dying down, and Vvh wasn't there. Sponge frowned, having expected her to be there the whole time, watching over her. It made her feel like some weird mama duck, which warmed her heart. At least Vvh still cared, somewhat… in a strange way, she supposed.

Sponge sat up for a moment, catching her breath. She still felt kind of rotten; breathing was hard, her nose was clogged, and her body felt heavy. She didn't even need weights to feel this way.

Unsure if she should stay in bed and rest or continue her work and training, she wanted to ask Vvh, but the other wasn't around. So, Sponge did the one thing she didn't want to do—she stood up.

The first place she stumbled to was the entrance of the cave, hoping to spot Vvh, but there was no one. She huffed, tempted to sit against the wall and wait for her to return.

Just then, she noticed Vvh walking outside, carrying more logs for the fire. "Vvh!" Sponge greeted, waving a shaky hand. Vvh turned to her and walked up silently. "Have I not told you to rest?" she asked, and Sponge chuckled weakly.

"Did you? I don't remember," Sponge murmured, rubbing her forehead. Vvh shook her head as Sponge grinned boyishly. They walked back to the room, and Sponge even asked Vvh if she wanted help with the wood.

"No, you'll only drop it," Vvh said, and Sponge pouted, shoving her shaking hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

"I just want to help," Sponge whined as they reached the room. She sat down on her bed, watching Vvh throw wood into the fire, feeding it. The flames strengthened as Sponge observed with interest.

Vvh stood up and turned to her. "Go and rest, let me handle this," she said, and Sponge gaped. "But—" Vvh gave her a look that made her zip her lips with a gesture, grinning at the other.

Her brows furrowed when she noticed black soot on Vvh's sleeve. "What's that?" Sponge asked, trying to stand but letting out a groan when her vision spun. Vvh turned to her, alarmed. "I told you to lay down."

Sponge nodded, laying back down and praying to all the gods for her vision to stop spinning. When she blinked her eyes open again, she stared at the soot on Vvh's sleeve, feeling a weird sensation in her gut. "Where did you get that?" Sponge mumbled, pointing at it.

Vvh looked down at her sleeve and raised it to check. "From the town, I suppose. Some children have been throwing this strange powder around," she said, sounding suspicious.

It almost looked like the black soot plastered over the door of the room. "I thought you said that the town is dangerous?" Sponge asked, looking at Vvh confusedly.

"For you. Now, go back to sleep and stop bothering me," Vvh said, and Sponge pouted again, rolling her eyes. "And if you roll your eyes again, I'll make sure to throw you over the lake," she added, causing Sponge to giggle as she laid on her side.

—

Sponge wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping, but she felt uncomfortable, as if someone was staring at her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her vision spinning. Her face felt as if she had been standing too close to the fire, yet her body was cold.

She was still lying on her side when she sensed a strange presence behind her—some kind of hand. Quickly, she grabbed the wrist and turned, freezing when she realized it was Vvh. "Vvh—oh, sorry," Sponge stammered, letting go of her wrist. The back of her neck tingled, as if someone had touched it.

Which was weird, because why would Vvh do that?

Vvh looked surprised, frozen in place, her hands dropping beside her. "I apologize, I don't know what came over me," she said, her voice strained. Sponge sat up, rubbing her eyes slightly. "It's okay. Were you checking my temperature or something? You know it has to be on the forehead, right?" Sponge mumbled.

Vvh didn't respond, still watching Sponge move like a hawk.

The intensity of Vvh's gaze made Sponge a little uncomfortable. She knew Vvh tended to observe more than speak, so she wasn't too weirded out, but the heaviness of her stare felt strange.

Sponge couldn't see Vvh's eyes clearly, but she could feel the weight of her gaze. "Are—are you okay? Are you also sick?" Sponge asked, confused and mostly worried, as Vvh looked away, though it seemed hard for her to do so.

"No—I'm fine. You should be the one resting. I'm here to give this to you," Vvh said, retrieving a warm piece of bread from her pocket. Sponge stared at it before raising her gaze to Vvh's mask and then accepting it. "You didn't have to; we barely have any gold," she murmured, guilt churning in her stomach.

"You need to eat if you want to recover," Vvh insisted. Sponge practically devoured the whole bread in three bites, swallowing it all and smiling wryly at Vvh, who had crossed her arms.

"In the end, you still ate it, huh?" Vvh said, a hint of amusement in her tone. Sponge blushed, grinning at her. "What? It's good! Besides, it was still warm… Did you eat?" Sponge asked meekly, hoping the bread she just devoured was supposed to be shared.

"Don't worry, I did," Vvh replied, and Sponge let out a sigh. "Cool, cool," she said. "You know… We should probably head to the next town. I'm getting the heebie-jeebies here, you know?" Sponge added.

Vvh gave her a glance. "I mean—I'm sick, and we still need to sell those ores I got… and, yeah," Sponge murmured, rubbing her hands together in a desperate attempt to warm them.

"The day after tomorrow, we can set off," Vvh nodded. Sponge let out a relieved sigh. "You won't recover in this kind of weather," Vvh added, and Sponge blushed. "Is that the only reason?" Sponge teased, noticing Vvh tense for a moment.

The shift in Vvh's demeanor made Sponge wonder if she had said something wrong, especially when Vvh looked away. "We need gold," Vvh stated firmly. 

Sponge pouted, crossing her arms. "So rude! Why can't you say you're worried for me? Oh well, beggars can't be choosers," she shrugged, chuckling slightly as she laid back, letting out a breath of relief.

She didn't see Vvh's fists clenching and unclenching. She didn't see Vvh's shuddering breath at the vision of her old student lying there on the bed.

Vvh shook her head, turning to look at Sponge, who had fallen back asleep, her chest rising and falling slowly, almost as if she had slipped into a deep sleep.

Something is wrong with this place, Vvh thought, but she didn't know what or enough to assess it. Perhaps they needed to leave sooner rather than later.