The Fateful Heart

James fake-laughed and picked up his blanket, folding and rolling it up.

"Half of those things require more than just functioning legs, but I'm flattered you think so highly of my capabilities."

"You're probably right," Evaline said in a fake defeated voice, spreading the leftover ash and wood from the fire with her foot so they didn't leave traces of a campfire behind.

"I didn't think you could do it anyways."

James tied the blanket down to the back of the saddle and looked back at Evaline with smiling eyes. He met her eyes for just a moment before huffing and looking away, pulling the rope taut and secure.

"Maybe someday we'll find out," he said.

"Yeah. Someday," Evaline said back, taking in the loss with a smile. She didn't want to push him any further. Not when he was in a good mood.

Without thinking about it, she untied her hair and let it drape across her shoulder so she could undo the braid for him and following through their usual morning routine.

Her eyes were glued on his leg with the same soft smile as she thought about what this could all mean. James was healed, she didn't have to worry about this anymore, Marsha was right, and there existed magic medicine that could heal even the nastiest wounds. Although he seemed to be in a chipper pain-free mood, she wondered if there was another injury that was almost as painful, and he wasn't telling her about it, even though he said he would.

"But seriously, I'm glad it all worked out. Guess not all goblins are bad after all," she said, combing her hair with her fingers and shooting him a smile to convey 'I was right' without outright saying it.

There wasn't much left to pack. James pulled the strap on the saddlebag shut and made sure Elliot's saddle was secure. When he turned to look back at Evaline, he could hear what she said through her expression.

Though he squinted and barely smiled back, he wasn't quite sure what she meant by that.

He agreed with her. It was just... complicated.

"Seems so," was all he said as he walked closer and pulled his little comb out of his pocket. He sat down near her with far more ease than he had in the last month and gestured for Evaline to do the same.

"One braid or two?"

Evaline followed his lead, sitting down where he gestured and pushing her hair over her shoulder.

"Let's do two this time," she said, deciding to switch things up from the norm as a small victory to this morning's event.

As he combed through it, his words from two nights ago rang in her ears: I forgive you, Evaline. Consider it water under the bridge. Thank you, for your apology.

They haven't talked about that night since then and had since eased into a new ignorant normal, but now that he was fully healed and less stressed, she was itching to ask the burning question she had been locking inside of herself.

"I don't really know how to ask this, so I'm just going to say it," she admitted, wiping her palms on her pants as she felt them clamming up. She was glad that she was facing away from James so he couldn't see her face.

"Your apology from two nights ago. You meant it. Right? You're not upset with me at all?"

She grimaced at her own words as she realized that they could have been said much softer, but it was too late to take it back now.

"You can be honest with me. It's okay," she softly added, biting her lip in anticipation as she stared at the tree in front of her.

James paused halfway down her hair, coincidentally catching on a small knot at the same time. The was a split second delay before he gently started working at it to get it untangled.

He hadn't quite been expecting her to bring that up again - but he wondered just how long it had been lingering in the back of her mind. He wondered how long she'd played his apology through her head, wondering if it was true.

The knot came undone, and he gently pulled the comb through the rest of her hair.

"I did mean it," he said softly. But he wondered if he should say more - if he should be more courageous, and more honest. He knew that in some ways, he'd already promised to do so. It was just up to him whether or not he wanted to just yet.

It shouldn't have felt as scary as it did.

"I think, well, I know you already apologized, and I don't want to dwell on it too much..."

He finished combing and parted her hair down the middle.

"I know - well, I'm only assuming - but it seems like you're more comfortable with--"

He wasn't sure what he was trying to say, or how he was going to say it.

"--well-- I think--"

Suddenly, putting anything into words felt impossible.

"Okay. So, when you..."

Gods. The next few words came out quickly and quietly like he was ashamed to say them. And maybe he was.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is when you took care of my injuries while I was unconscious it just reminded me of things I didn't want to remember. I know that what you did made sense, and obviously, especially now that it all turned out fine, I'm not upset that you did it. It's just difficult when it feels like my mind is telling me something else."

Already, he felt like he said too much, and he was grateful that they couldn't see each other's faces because he knew his was painted with shame.

James seemed to have a hard time putting his thoughts into words, and it made Evaline wonder if this was how she appeared when she was trying to run away with a thought that wasn't clearly being conveyed. She made a mental note that she should do less of that.

She waited for him to finish talking, rubbing her fingers against each other while they were balled up as a way to fidget away the nerves. It felt oddly vulnerable to have this conversation right now, especially since it was daylight, they were facing away from each other, and he was braiding her hair of all things.

He was still being a little vague, but it was still an answer in the right direction, and for that, she was grateful and relieved.

"That makes sense," she said, trying to be empathize and be more careful of the words coming out of her mouth. "I know you know my intentions, but I can understand how it's natural to feel like it might be something else."

She thought about the nature of his wounds.

And then she strapped it up and closed the thought away again.

"We don't have to talk about your injuries," she blurted out loud, deciding to just put it out into the open even though her gut was telling her it was risky to even mention it at all.

"Or really... any certain subject. You don't have to talk about something if you're not ready, or if you just don't want to talk about it at all."

She thought about the demands of the note and how she was the one who brought up that maybe they should at least try to open up, even if it was a slow process.

But maybe it was better if she didn't know certain things about James, and he didn't know certain things about her.

James had to focus back on the braid. He almost missed a chunk of hair, and he didn't want to start all over again, but the subject matter of their conversation wasn't exactly helping his mind from straying.

More than ever, he was glad she couldn't see his face.

He pressed his lips into a frown as he kept his eyes on his hands and her hair.

Evaline said they didn't have to talk about it.

Why did he feel like that was her way of saying she wanted him to, though?

But she was extending him that option. It would be dishonest of him not to take it. Because she was right. He didn't want to talk about it.

He wanted to forget. Forgetting was just hard when he could still feel (almost) everything, physically, in his body, still.

"Thank you," he said quietly. He finished one braid. He leaned back just a little to get a good look at it and sighed. It looked good. Now he just had to match it on the other side.

He started at the top of her head and he gently pressed his fingers upward on the side of her face to tell her to tilt her head back so he didn't tug on her hair as much.

"The same goes to you."

Evaline tilted her head up at his touch, and she stared up at the sky and the sunlight lazily shining through the leaves of the high trees. She was glad to finally shed out of the guilt, but she wondered if she made things tense again. She wanted to say something to lighten the mood. Anything.

She had never been good at these things, but she was trying.

"I'm glad we had this conversation," she said stiffly, saying the only thing that came to mind.

James's frown faded, and his expression softened into a wistful, bittersweet sort of grin.

"Me too," he said, already halfway through the braid. With all of the practice lately, he'd gotten pretty quick.

"I think it was needed."

Evaline smiled lightly at his agreement, and she let the silence sit between them. This time, it felt comfortable. She was glad that the tenseness was under control and no longer something she felt could go between them, for now.

"I'm done," James said.

She peeked back to see his expression and was relieved to see that he was still smiling, further reaffirming her thoughts.

"Thanks," she said, reaching up with both hands to feel the braid. As usual, it was sleek and done well despite her hair not being the cleanest.

James nodded and handed her an apple from the saddlebag. "Ready to get moving?"

"I should be asking you that," she said with a sly smile, looking down at his freshly healed leg.

"Right," he said, returning the smile. "Let's continue, then."

The both of them continued to travel north, this time with James leading Elliot instead. They seemed to travel a little faster than normal since James could now walk normally, and it made Evaline wonder if this was a conscious effort to maximize distance, or if he was walking normally.

Their conversations seemed less forced and more natural, and Evaline was glad things were returning to normal. Well, as normal could be, anyways. It had only been three days since she found out that he could dream the lost memories and Marsha visited to deliver the medicine, but the aftermath was so tense, it felt longer.

So when nightfall came, Evaline wondered if they should even play the truth or dare game anymore. When their conversation died naturally around the campfire, she thought about mentioning how maybe, just maybe, they should just stop trying. And she really disliked how she couldn't make up her mind. Why couldn't she just decide what she wanted?

Did she want to play this game? Did she want to know James's story? Did she want him to know her story? Does she truly want to go home during a time of inevitable crisis?

Every day, it seemed her life was becoming more and more unknown. She didn't like it.

Before she could even think about putting her thoughts into words, James filled the silence by suggesting they continue the game, and that settled into stone that that was the way they should do this. Although she wasn't sure if this was the right method anymore, she was still glad he was trying. At least one of them was.

"I'll go first this time," James said, spending a moment to think about what to say. "Tell me if you have always been a vegetarian, or I dare you to smell Elliot's breath."

The sentence contrasted so much with her earlier thoughts, she couldn't help but laugh, which James seemed to smile at, like that was the reaction he was hoping for.

"I've been a vegetarian my whole life, yes," Evaline said through a lighthearted smile. "Unlike some societies, animals are living, conscious creatures with complex thoughts or emotions, like us. Killing to eat them would be like killing a pet to eat it."

James mused over this, clearly with retorts in mind, but instead saying, "So, you've never eaten meat?"

Evaline shook her head. "I've never eaten meat," she repeated. "Well, except that time you fed me deer jerky without telling me what it was."

They went back and forth with witty quips, but eventually, conversation died down and it was her turn.

"Let's see..." she said, thinking of easy options that wouldn't pressure either of them. She picked up a nearby rock that was big enough to fit on the palm of her hand. "Tell me what your favorite fake identity is, or I dare you to throw this rock as far as you can."

James seemed to chew on these options for a moment before finally admitting that he didn't have many fake identities since he had only been on the run for a year, but he was brainstorming for more.

"But if I had to pick a favorite," he quickly added, "it would be Rook. But he's not anyone really special. Just a quieter version of me."

"A quieter James, huh?" she said, leaning back on her hands. "Playing this game with Rook would be boring."

James scoffed. "The you're lucky to have me then, aren't you?"

"Maybe, maybe not," she said with a creeping grin. "You said you were brainstorming more identities, right?"

He narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously. "Yes?"

"Hmm. Okay, new identity idea," she said with a sly grin, leaning forward again. "Your name is Roan, and you like adventure. You choose your own path and are fiercely independent. You're charming and good with words, but would always do the right thing since you follow a strict code of ethics. You're brave, loyal, confident, and fun. Everyone likes Roan, and he'd be fun to play truth or dare with."

James let out a chuckle. "This is oddly specific. Sounds like Roan was someone you actually knew."

He gave her a side-eye, almost like he was trying to ask if Roan was actually someone she knew or not, and it was then that Evaline realized that, besides family, they have not talked about people in their lives at all to each other. Maybe James realized that too and ran with this thought.

"Kind of," she said, shifting her weight to her other leg. "Well, okay, he was. Not someone I actually knew well, though. Just an upper classmate I once looked up to."

"Oh?"

She couldn't tell if that innocuous statement was for her to elaborate because he was curious, or because—and she just realized this connection—he wanted her to clarify if she was saying that he was someone she looked up to as well.

"We're playing only one round today, so you're out of questions," she mumbled instead.

James seemed to concede defeat, and conversation flowed naturally well into the night. Evaline was glad that they went to sleep after a long talk about anything and everything without the need for a stupid game or stupid note. Although their conversations wasn't anything deep, she appreciated that it was still one out of friendship, and she could go to sleep without wondering if everything was okay between the two of them.

Morning came and went, and they went through their usual routine. Wake up, braid, eat, walk, converse, break, walk, converse, walk. It was midafternoon when they were at a small pond where Elliot could rest and lap up water.

Evaline stared at Elliot by the water, and suddenly inspiration hit.

"James," she called, turning to him. "I want to get better at riding Elliot."

James was writing or drawing something in his notebook when he turned to her with a surprised look. (Although, because she took a quick secret peep, she figured he was sketching Elliot.)

"Really," he mused, closing the notebook and letting her words sink in. "I wanted you to get better, but I didn't know this was something you wanted too." He smiled proudly. "I'd be happy to continue teaching you."

Evaline tried to return the smile, but she knew there were words they both weren't saying. He wanted her to get better so she could take off on Elliot by herself if she had to, but there was no chance that will ever happen. She would never leave James like that. But if there was ever an instance where they were separated again, she would like to learn how to ride Elliot just enough so they could find each other. The reasons were quite opposite, so it was best if she didn't mention anything else.

"Great," she said, standing up on her feet. "Can we start now?"

"Now?" he repeated, glancing between her and Elliot. "Well, sure. If you're ready."

She swatted away the observation that he seemed to notice how she was anxious to get started right away. It had been weeks since Butch and Reed caught up to them, but she had a gut feeling that they will see each other again. Between his slow sleepless week and healing leg, they lost so much time and distance. Now that he could walk faster, she was anxious to return the distance again and avoid any more dreadful memories. Plus, learning how to ride Elliot would mean she would be more prepared next time, if it should happen.

"I'm ready," she said with a nod, walking up to Elliot and petting his snout. "I hope you're ready too," she said, although it wasn't clear if it was directed towards James or Elliot.

They both got off into a clearing, and James seemed to lead Elliot with a newfound confidence thanks to his leg being healed up. He instructed her to get up on the saddle, which she had almost mastered at this point, and he slowly lead Elliot into a slow trot.

"I want you to get a feel of riding Elliot first," he said, glancing back every once in a while as he continued to walk forward with Elliot's rein. "You'll first have to be comfortable riding. If you're not comfortable at this speed, you won't be ready at any faster speeds."

"How do I know if I'm comfortable or not?" she said, holding on to the saddle for balance.

He barely had to look back to notice everything she did wrong. "Well first of all, you're tense. Relax, but stay grounded enough that you won't fall off the saddle. It's all about balance... And your posture. And your heels. Make sure to keep your back straight, and keep your heels firm on the stirrups."

They practiced doing this for a bit, and James even started to lead Elliot northbound again so they could move forward.

"I'm directing Elliot, so it's fine if we get practice this way," he said. "But once you learn to start to controlling Elliot yourself, I'd want you to practice in an open field. It would be difficult to learn in a forest since maneuvering is tricky."

After some time, Evaline finally started to get a hang of it. She felt like she had full control being on Elliot, even if she wasn't the one leading him along.

"Good job," James said proudly, beaming. Although she could probably slowly get down on the stirrups herself, he reached out a hand so she could jump down. "Next time, we'll do this without my help."

"Tomorrow?" she said, taking his hand to get down from Elliot.

He smiled. "Sure. Tomorrow."

But before tomorrow came, they stopped for the night and once again played the truth or dare game.

Evaline drummed her fingers along the ground, thinking. "Tell me a memory that makes you laugh, or..." She looked around, noticing a frog nearby. "Or catch that frog."

James stared at the frog, and for a moment it looked like he was about to choose the dare, but instead he slinked back and smiled wistfully, sharing a memory of when his little sister hid chicken eggs around the house right before they hatched without anyone knowing.

"And the next day, there were so many baby chickens appearing out of nowhere." He laughed, the smile reaching his eyes. "We had to hunt them all down."

The laughter was contagious. "That's quite a story," she said through a smile. "How long did that take?"

"A lot longer than you'd think," he said through a muffled laugh.

Soon, it was his turn again, and he decided to use her own question against her. "Now you tell me a memory that makes you laugh, or I dare you to make the silliest noise you can think of," James said.

Evaline shifted her eyes at him, realizing that she wasn't really a daring type, even though these dares were harmless. Maybe it was her pride.

"I guess you can recycle my question," she grumbled, trying to think of a memory that would be good to say. She had plenty of memorable moments that made her laugh, but they were so long ago, and she wasn't really sure how to bring it up without giving names or context.

But one came to mind, and it wasn't as difficult to explain.

"Okay, this wasn't funny at the time, but I got over it and I admit it's kind of funny now," she said, locking in on her answer. "I had a friend, and he was a bit of prankster, and another friend who was basically an illusionist with her power. I didn't know the illusionist at the time, but I did know the prankster, so I..." She trailed off, wondering if she should just say their names, but she didn't want to. She continued on anyways.

"Anyways, my friend somehow convinced her to use her power so that when I looked in the mirror, I would look like him. It lasted the whole day. I just about lost my mind. It wasn't until I learned about her power that I realized it was her, and I was so mad." She laughed even though the story ended on a bad note. "Anyways, we're friends now, so that was an interesting first impression."

Nightfall came, and morning arrived. Over and over, for a few days. By afternoon, James followed through with his promise by teaching her the next lesson to ride Elliot, because after every afternoon lesson, she told him she wanted to try again tomorrow.

"You're applying too much pressure on the reins," he would often tell her.

"Keep your heels on the stirrups," was another thing he would say.

"You're slouching," was another one.

As much as she tried, she just couldn't perfect it. But she was determined to not give up.

Nights seemed to blur together. They continued to only share lighthearted things. He shared his most fashionable outfit in the past being a suit with golden dragons and flowers, and she told him her favorite food was pesto pasta. He shared a story of his best dance being with his sister, and she shared that her favorite book was, ironically, a fantasy novel involving magic and dragons.

On the nights she kept watch, she reflected on all the answers so far and kept looking over at Elliot to see if he was awake. It shouldn't have bothered her that days have passed, and despite spending hours of practice trying to ride Elliot, she just couldn't figure it out—but it did, and she didn't like it.

Unfortunately Elliot seemed to not want to be bothered at night, but the frantic side of her hoped that maybe he didn't sleep for continuous hours of end, so she found herself sitting next to him in case he woke up early, and to possibly increase their bond. She didn't really know how these things worked, but the nights were getting long, and she was running out of things to entertain herself. She always moved before James could notice, though.

Another morning, another afternoon of frustrating horse riding, and another night of truth or dare.

"Climb that tree," she said, pointing at the one in front of them with thick low branches. "Or tell me how often you actually shower."

She let out a cheeky smile, feeling pretty good about her question, especially since she had been wanting to know this since they first met. He didn't only bathe because she did, right? This was something he did often?

James didn't even hesitate to climb the tree, and he did so rather fast, too. With his healed leg, he had no problem climbing it pretty high, but Evaline couldn't help but wonder if he was pushing himself too much. Before she could voice her concerns, he hopped down gracefully and seemed to look at her with a 'ta da' type of look, although she noted that he didn't even address her question. Someday she'll figure this out.

And then it was his turn.

"Tell me something that never fails to make you smile, or spin around in a circle really fast." James paused. "So fast that you fall down from getting dizzy."

She could have went with the truth. But she had passed on so many dares, and he didn't answer her question, and now she was feeling defiant and stubborn. So she stood up, smirked, and spun and spun and spun, only stopping because had deviated too far from her spot and tripped on a tree root.

"Are you okay?" James said through a laugh, offering to help her up.

Her head spun, and when she looked up, she couldn't quite place where his hand was, and she reached out in the air instead. His hand found hers for her.

"This was your idea, so I'm saying you take responsibility for any damages," she said as he helped her up. She noted that he seemed to support her a little too much, holding her so that she wouldn't fall again. She turned to him, and although his head wasn't exactly staying at one place in her vision, it eventually did, and she finally noticed him smiling.

"I'll foot the doctor's bill," he said, patting her lightly on the back.

"Yeah, you and your three coins, right?"

James rolled his eyes, still smiling. "Two coins. Get it right."

They continued to tease each other after this, leading to some rather childish retorts back and forth, and eventually ending in a small pushing contest until they both had to surrender in the name of their friendship.

Evaline later decided to take the first shift staying up, and as soon as James fell asleep, she went back to Elliot, only to find out the horse was once again sleeping. She was beginning to think he was on to her somehow.

Still, she sat by him, petting his mane as she thought about today's events. It was a rather nice day.

"Evaline," James said, and for a second she thought she was dreaming, but then her eyes fluttered open. James was kneeling in front of her, and he was grinning ear-to-ear. "You fell asleep."

"Ugh," she said, sitting upright. "Sorry. Won't happen again." Obviously she couldn't guarantee that, but she was too tired to think of something else to say.

James didn't seem upset about this though. "So," he said, drawing out his thoughts. "Were you sleeping next to Elliot?"

She froze, realizing that she hadn't moved from the spot, and suddenly she felt exposed. Her eyes frantically darted between him and Elliot. "I... uh..." she stammered. "...No?"

It was a panicked response. Elliot was still right next to her, and she had no idea why she said that.

James grinned. "Okay," he said slowly. "Just be careful. He's pretty comfortable with you, but I wouldn't want him accidentally stepping on you if he doesn't know you're there."

"Oh. Right," she said quickly, scooting away from Elliot before getting up. She just wanted to change the subject before she said or did anything that would embarrass her even more. "I know I slept for a little bit, but you can, um. Sleep longer if you want. Otherwise, I'm going to be over here now." She sat down farther away, next to a tree.

She was actually kind of tired and was hoping that James would ignore that statement and let her continue her sleep, but he actually took her up on it and she couldn't stop glaring at him until he woke up and turned over for the night.

Another night. Another morning. Another day. Another attempt of horse riding.

How long has it been now? A week? She wasn't sure. She said she wouldn't give up, but not seeing tremendous progress was beginning to get tiring.

"You are making progress," he kept telling her when it became apparent that she was getting frustrated.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong," was what she kept telling him, each time getting more and more snippy. Luckily, he was very patient and didn't let her frustration seep into his lessons, fixing every small detail that she did get wrong.

Still, it seemed for every small thing she fixed, two more problems kept popping up.

"You're trotting already with Elliot," he said. "You're doing good. I know you're working on perfecting your form, but you have improved so much in only a week."

She appreciated his words, but she still felt like she was doing the bare minimum, and couldn't last more than five seconds without something going wrong. "I'll try again tomorrow," she mumbled, deciding to end early for the day.

She wasn't going to give up entirely, but she needed a small break. Maybe tomorrow would be better. James always said that.

The rest of the day blurred by, like usual. And soon they were back to their usual routine of the game.

"What's something you like to do when no one’s around and no one's looking?" James asked. "You can answer that, or you can eat your own booger."

Evaline stared at him, and she knew that he must have caught on that she wouldn't do embarrassing or ridiculous dares. If this was the way he was going to do it, two could play at this game. She'd have to consider this for next time.

"Hilarious," she said in a monotone voice. "That's a tough choice."

She thought about what to say, but the truth wasn't that difficult. Maybe he already caught on to moments of it.

"When no one's looking, I look at them," she said somewhat poetically. "I guess it's kind of a habit. I had to do a lot of observations for drawing, and I picked up on it. I try to memorize the small details of people."

James was quiet for a moment before he said: "It looks like you've gotten pretty good at that."

Evaline shrugged, her finger lining the base of her neck down to her collarbone. "I've walked behind you so much, I may have memorized every, little, detail. Down to the muscle. On you."

She then stopped, realizing how weird this must have sounded.

"I mean. It's habit," she quickly added, backpedaling. "Not in a creepy way or anything. It just happens because you're right in front of me."

James looked away a little, like he was trying to hide his face. "Of course. I get that."

She suddenly felt her own second hand embarrassment, and she panicked as she thought of changing the subject. What was a quick truth or dare? She wouldn't escalate, even though he was already being strategic. She rather liked how easy the questions were right now.

Fireflies buzzed around them, and she was reminded how, weeks ago, she had asked him all sorts of questions about plants, animals, and insects. He told her what a firefly was, but at the time, she was too afraid to catch one herself. And she still kind of was.

"Okay, so food," she said a little too quickly. "Do you actually enjoy the food we're foraging? You can answer that, or... you can capture a firefly."

James dryly laughed, and she assumed it was because of the food question, but at this point, she didn't know what to think. Next thing she knew, he stuck out his tongue and then quickly smacked his hands into a ball at a nearby passing firefly, catching it.

It was like she blinked, and it was done. "Did you catch it?" she asked, crawling over to him and peering over his hands.

"Yeah," he said with a creeping grin. "Do you want to see?"

Evaline nodded.

"Okay, come closer."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Last time you said that, we were at a river, and you splashed water on—AAAH!"

He seemed to catch that she was on to him, so he wasted no time to shove and release the bug in front of her face, causing her to shriek and fall backwards.

James laughed, amused that he could once again fool her into this simple trick. He reached out and quickly caught the escaped firefly again. "Okay, but really," he said through a final laugh, seemingly ignoring her daggering glare. "Here. Look."

Hesitantly, she crawled back on her knees and peered over as he gently opened cracks through his fingers, but not before looking through it himself, possibly to inspect it to make sure the firefly was alive and well before he showed it to Evaline.

He opened his hand out to her, and she finally saw one up close. They appeared to look less mystical when they weren't buzzing around the air. It was just an ordinary-looking bug, but part of it lighting up.

She tilted her head and stared at it curiously. "So this might be a dumb question," she said as it lit up on his palm. "But they're not actually powered by fire, right?"

"That's a good question. I think it's an ongoing debate among experts whether or not the light is magically sourced. Personally, I like to think they're like little mages, in a way, but still just bugs. I don't know if it makes much of a difference in the long run, but that's what I choose to believe."

Evaline squinted at him, not knowing if he was serious or not. She vaguely heard about fireflies once roaming Earth, but she only knew of them; she never saw any pictures or knew much else about them besides them lighting up at night. It was also somewhat bizarre that two of the same animals could exist in different worlds, but she had a harder time wrapping her head around the fact that two of the same bugs could exist in both worlds, but one is sourced by magic, and one isn't.

She'd like to believe that he was serious. It was a fun explanation.

"I hope mage hunters don't catch them then," she said, leaning back and satisfied of the observation.

James hummed in amusement and let the firefly crawl over his palm and around the back of his hand as he turned his wrist. "Me too."

Night passed, and this time, Evaline didn't stay by Elliot. Suddenly the night became much more boring, and she made a mental note to ask James what he even does in his free time at night. It was about time she asked.

But for now, she looked up at the sky, already memorizing the constellations of Nye.

Another night passed. She was beginning to lose count of how many passed since his leg healed, but she stopped caring. It was nice to live in the now, now.

They go through their usual morning routine, but James suggested they find water before they head northbound. "We could fill up on a fresh water source. Plus I figured we could wash up," he said.

She wasn't going to argue with that logic. They headed towards a creek that James knew was nearby from his map, and he was about to head down the opposite way to provide privacy, but then he stared down into his bag.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We're officially out of soap now."

"Oh," she said, letting this sink in. Honestly, she was surprised it even lasted this long, but then she realized why he may be hesitant.

She shifted her weight on her other foot, her mind racing of what this could mean. "Are we out or low of anything else?"

James searched in the bag.

"We're low on fruit and vegetables," he said slowly. Foraging could compensate for some of that, but foraging could not provide soap. Not real soap.

He cleared his throat and took a step back from the bag, trying to sort through their options. Almost poetically, he felt his heel catch on a rock on the ground, and he felt the sole of his shoe tear open at the seam.

He froze, and looked down at his shoe, lifting it up to see.

That was definitely ripped. He could see his sock through the hole that the flapping sole now provided.

Things were just looking up, weren't they?

"Of course," he muttered.

Evaline had to suppress herself from laughing. Having a destroyed shoe was not supposed to be funny, but this an example of perfect irony.

"So between the soap, the shoes, and the food," she said slowly, now trying to suppress a smile as well, "that means we'd have to go to a town again, doesn't it?"

She shouldn't be excited, considering that last time they went to a town, it caused Butch and Reed to find them. But things were different now. She was more prepared. She was able to control things better.

It would be okay.

James sighed, but it sounded more like a growl in the back of his throat as he set his foot back down. Evaline already knew he didn't like the idea of going back into any town - but it was that, or their standards of living would lower even more. It wasn't like they were very high in the first place.

"...Probably," he said, reluctant. "I guess. Yes."

He sighed again and reached into his and pulled out his map, unfolding it quickly.

There was a town maybe a day away if they changed course and backtracked a little. But the next closest one was a week away.

He couldn't help but think of what happened last time.

"Maybe--" he paused. "We could wait a little longer..."