Waking To Bounty Hunters

The continuous plink-plink-plink of water dropping into the bucket had done absolutely nothing to lull me to sleep. If anything, it had only made me more aware of Kaelen's presence on the floor. 

I felt the creak of the old inn, every shift of his breathing and even his phantom hiccup. 

Thanks, System, for that 'Insomnia + Singing Badgers' penalty, I scoffed under my breath. 

I was restless with thoughts of Chain-Golems, singing badgers, and Kaelen's annoyingly perfect jawline. I was exhausted and just about two seconds away from snapping.

Just as I was finally slipping into a blissful sleep, the peace in the Leaky Cauldron was shattered. The door of our room exploded inward with a splintering crash. Shards of wood flew in every direction.

Three shadowed figures, stood in the doorway. They were dressed in mismatched rusty armor that looked more ceremonial than practical. And they clutched weapons that seemed to have seen better decades. 

Thank the gods they were not temple enforcers. These guys looked like they'd gotten their gear from a discount costume shop. My ever dramatic internal alarm system downgraded from "apocalypse" to "minor inconvenience."

"We claim the 50,000 gold!" one of them growled with a surprisingly loud voice. He was tall and gangly brandishing a rusty longsword, its tip wobbling precariously. 

"For the Chainbreaker's head!"

The other one, a shorter man with a bushy beard shoved past him. "And we claim the rat colony!" he declared, puffing out his chest. 

"There's a bonus for pest control, I heard!"

My eyes immediately snapped open. I was on my feet in an instant full of adrenaline. Kaelen was already awake and surprisingly agile despite his miserable night on the floor. 

There was a silent snarl on his face as his eyes narrowed. He was ready to unleash his shadow monster on these idiots. 

But for once, I was faster.

"Oh, for the love of everything that is holy," I muttered. "Are you for reals? Bounty hunters? At this time of the night? And you want the rats?" 

My voice was filled with disbelief and exasperation. This was just pathetic.

Clearly enjoying his big hero moment, the tall hunter stepped forward puffing his chest. 

"Surrender now, Chainbreaker, and your death will be swift and… dramatic! My ballad will speak of your valiant but futile stand! And yours, Lost Prince, will merely be a footnote!" 

He started swinging his sword in an elaborate useless flourish getting ready for his imagined epic tale. 

"The mighty Blade of Vengeance shall cleave your—"

I didn't let him finish. My scars flared with a surge of hot and ready familiar energy. This wasn't a Golem. This was just a glorified thug with a rusty prop. I channeled my power, not for destruction, but for… transformation.

I aimed my hand at his sword. The rusty metal rippled, then with a soft plop sound, it transformed. 

The so called mighty Blade of Vengeance turned into a bright yellow, squawking, rubber chicken. 

It was as if everyone froze in the moment. 

The hunter stared at the flapping rubber fowl in his hand with an open mouth. 

The ridiculous squeak-squeak sound it made when it flopped on his armored chest was the only sound in the silent room.

"Cluck cluck, moron," a tired smirk touching my lips. "Now, do you want to try that monologue again with your new weapon, or do you think we are done here?"

The hunter's face went from smug to confused. And then to a horrifying shade of purple frustration. 

"Aaarrrgh!" he growled tossing the rubber chicken away as if it were hot. 

Kaelen, who was watching the whole time, stiffened. He was still half-crouched and ready to strike, but his eyes were glued on me. 

I felt a little flutter in my chest. He was watching me. Not with disdain, or even just annoyance, but with something else. Like he was… intrigued.

____

[Kaelen's Internal Monologue]

This woman… she is very infuriating. And yet. She just turned a man's weapon into a rubber chicken with an ordinary gesture. 

He watched Zahara, her wild hair ruffled from sleep. Her eyes were still a little tired, but blazing with a fierce energy. 

She was unpredictable. Untamed. So unlike anyone he had ever met in his rigidly ordered life. 

The way she dismissed these idiotic bounty hunters, the sheer disdain in her voice… it was captivating. And terrifying. He should be disgusted by her crazy methods, by her lack of proper decorum. 

Yet, a strange, unwelcome surge of… something close to fascination sparked within him. 

She was a hurricane, leaving chaos in her wake, but there was a raw, untamed beauty to it. 

She's terrifying… and still fascinating. 

He hated that thought. He really, truly did. He was a prince. He was supposed to think about statecraft, curses, and honor. 

Not about the way the light caught her eyes when she pulled off something ridiculous.

[Zahara's Internal Monologue]

I watched the first bounty hunter flail, his rage was nothing against the squawking chicken. The other two just stared at their comrade, too shocked to even move.

A surge of satisfaction, almost glee, bubbled up inside me. 

This was my kind of fight. Quick, humiliating, and weirdly absurd. I felt Kaelen watching me. 

It was a physical sensation, like a warmth on my skin. He was silent, but I could feel the intense focus of his eyes on me. And then, a strange feeling washed over me. 

A flicker of fascination… amusement. Not my own. It was a begrudging amusement mixed with something that felt suspiciously like awe. It was his feelings.

____

I quickly turned to look at him with eyes wide open. He was still staring at me, a tiny, twitch at the corner of his lips. 

He was trying to hide it, but I felt it. 

He was fascinated. By me. 

And it infuriated me, and somehow, a tiny spark of something else ignited in my chest.

Just then, the golden text flared brightly in my vision. A sudden, overwhelming wave of shared emotion slammed into me.

____

[Bond Level 25 Achieved!]

[New Ability Unlocked: Soul Resonance (You now share core emotions).]

[…Congratulations. Now you're truly stuck with each other's feelings.]

____

The feeling intensified. It was not no longer just his amusement. It was his annoyance at being woken up, his disdain for the stupid bounty hunters, his grudging confused admiration, his utter sense of being out of place. 

Infact, it was a clutter of princely emotions, all flooding into my mind at once. Clashing with my own chaotic mix of tiredness, a little triumph, and fresh exasperation.

At the same time, I saw Kaelen flinch as a gasp suddenly escaped his lips. 

His hand flew to his head, just like it did with the shared pain. His wide and bewildered eyes met mine. 

I could see the dawning realization in them. He was feeling my emotions. My frustration at the world, my defiant joy in breaking things, my simmering annoyance at him, my exhaustion, my sudden, unwanted spark of attraction… oh, no. 

This was bad. This was very bad.

"Why are you… enjoying this?!" I blurted out, a confusing mix of my own exasperation and his amusement at my rubber chicken stunt.

Still clutching his head and looking utterly horrifyied, Kaelen managed to croak out, 

"Why are you?! This is… this is crazy! My brain feels like it's being assaulted by an aggressive flock of pigeons!"

"Because watching idiots get what they deserve is very satisfying!" I snapped back. 

But the raw joy in my voice could not be hidden. 

I could feel his irritation at my methods, even as I experienced my own delight. This was completely disorienting.

The third bounty hunter, a hulking brute who hadn't said a word yet, finally decided to act. 

Maybe, he was immune to rubber chickens and emotional suppression. He let out a roar and charged with spiked club.

The shared emotions hit us both like a physical blow. 

My own frantic adrenaline, mixed with Kaelen's deep-seated princely disgust at the crudeness of the attack, combined with his horrified fascination with my antics. 

It was an overwhelming, disorienting surge. 

Our senses overloaded. 

Our internal monologues screamed.

The world seemed to blur. Our muscles locked up. 

We were both frozen in place by the sensory and emotional onrush.

The hulking bounty hunter saw his chance and did not hold back.

He slammed into us with his large body, tackling Kaelen and I to the ground. 

We hit the grimy floor with a muffled thud in a tangled heap of limbs and confused emotions. 

Just as the world spun, the golden text of the System flared in our vision. 

An unhelpful, totally sarcastic pronouncement.

____

[System Alert: Emotional Sync at 200%. Overload Detected.]

[Recommend: Kiss to diffuse.]

____