The town of Theib was the last town Petra and Jesse had visited just before entering the cave, and its where Petra found herself arriving once again. It was a small rural town in the largest plains biome across the entire world, home mostly to farmers and their families. The city limits were marked with cobblestone walls that were far older than anyone currently living in the town.
The first time they had came through it had been a rather happy affair. Together they had greeted the town, took some time to talk to it's citizens usually upon their mayor's request, and even stopped to get dinner before leaving. This time Petra couldn't afford such luxuries.
Steering her horse as fast as she can through the streets sends small pebbles soaring into the air as the wheels of her carriage roll over them. Never in her life had she sped through the streets so recklessly. Some part of her willed her to pull back on the reins, but her racing heart snaps them instead.
As a small alchemy tower comes into view, Petra pulls as hard as she can on the reins, brining her speeding cart to a halt just past the door to the tower. It was rather short, calling it a tower felt like an injustice, but it's circular shape and pointed roof said otherwise.
Petra wastes no time in leaping out of the driver's seat, rushing around to the side of the cart. She ignores the gathering townsfolk as she hooks one arm under Jesse's knees, and wraps the other firmly around her shoulders. Jesse's head falls limply against her chest. Hauling Jesse out was almost as hard as getting her into the cart to begin with, but she ignored her protesting muscles.
The gathering crowd makes way for Petra as she moves as quickly as possible to the door, one even holds the door open for her.
Before the healer can even greet her, Petra has dumped Jesse onto his table, huffing uncomfortably before turning to face him. He's an older man, the soft wrinkling around his eyes show it, but the gruffness in his features show a well bodied man.
"You can help her, can't you?" Petra begs, she doesn't mean to sound that desperate, she's not even sure why she felt so frantic. Jesse was still breathing, and nothing had ever stopped that before. Not unthinkable monsters, not portals to other worlds, and certainly not the Admin himself.
He approaches Jesse cautiously, carefully lifting her right hand and studying it carefully. Petra had hastily wrapped bandages around all of Jesse's wounds before rushing to town, which meant most of them were very poorly holding her friend together. He unwraps them slowly, moving carefully over the open wounds to cause as little unnecessary harm as possible. Once he sees the deep burns and cuts that lie hidden beneath, he drops the bandages to take a step back, holding his palm over his mouth.
"My god... I haven't seen a curse do intricate before." He breathes out taking a few steps closer before kneeling down to get a closer look, "This is unlike anything in my studies, I will need time to fix her wounds and to untangle this mess."
"Curse? What the hell are you talking about?" Petra takes a step towards the table, slapping her palms down over Jesse, her eyes narrow, "Curses don't exist."
"Maybe not anymore, but they did a long time ago." He tries to explain, slowing his voice down in an attempt to calm Petra down, all it does is anger her further, "They're often on old relics, I've never seen one on a person before. And this one is a nasty one."
"So what does that mean for her?" Petra all but growls at him, a burning feeling in her chest at the thought that Jesse was once again at the front of something dangerous.
"It means I need you to let me get to work. She has a lot of injuries, not to mention the mess that is her hand." His voice grows cold for a moment, shooing Petra back a few steps before his face softens, "It would be best if you busied yourself for a couple hours, I'll send someone for you as soon as I'm done."
Petra opens her mouth to argue before she looks down at Jesse. Since she had been knocked out her face routinely contorted into one of pure pain, now was no different. In her restless slumber, Jesse's body was plagued by shivers and twitches, if Petra watched her for long enough even her lips seemed to move as if she was talking to someone. No matter how hard she focused on Jesse's lips she couldn't tell what the raven-haired girl was saying.
Raising her hand to Jesse's cheek, she allows her knuckles to graze across her ivory skin. Even with her soft touch Petra can feel just how cold Jesse really is, a thin layer of sweat covering her skin. Petra takes a sharp breath, closing her eyes fo a moment before looking back up at the man.
"Fine... fine. I'll go, but I want to be notified if anything happens." She forces a certain hardness into her voice, but there's a soft watery hint to every word. No matter how strong she pretended to be, losing Jesse scared her to her core, "Just fix her, okay? She's my best friend."
The doctor looks between them with an incredibly tender look, but there's something behind it. Petra barely manages to catch it, bit it feels like he knows something that she doesn't.
"Don't worry, Jesse will be back up and running in no time." He rests a comforting hand on Petra's shoulder, leading her towards the door, "To keep yourself busy, there's a lovely ceremony today, a Unification. You should attend, maybe the party would keep your mind off things."
Petra tries to protest, but before she can choke a word out the door is closed firmly behind her, and she's left face to face with an incredibly nosy crowd. The bad part about being world-saving heroes was that suddenly everyone knew exactly who you were, something that was still very awkward for Petra. She had learned to walk in the shadows, aligned herself with shady dealings and mostly stuck to herself for the majority of her early life. Now here she was, hounded by an entire town of people, she wondered how Jesse even managed an entire town.
"What happened? Is Jesse going to be okay?" A younger child asks frantically, an echo if the question is a soft murmur above the crowd, but to Petra it feels like they're screaming. She takes a quick breath to compose herself, and then she responds.
"She had an accident, but she's gonna be just fine." Petra assures them, but even she isn't quite sure she's telling the truth. She repeats it in her own head a few more times just to convince herself of the statement, "Your healer has things under control."
They seem a little skeptical, some ever whisper things to eachother that Petra can only imagine aren't particularly amazing, and then the crowd begins to disperse. She feels guilty to feel so relieved that they're gone, but right now being in the spotlight wasn't what she wanted. If she could, Petra wished she could simply disappear.
After the crowd left, Petra finds herself standing there, unsure what to do next. Trying to clear her mind proves too difficult, and she finds herself walking in no particular direction.
What she hadn't noticed while she had raced through town was that every storefront and home was decorated, she assumed for the celebration. Gorgeous garlands decorated with colourful flowers were draped over every railing. They spiralled down every lamppost, creating an incredibly lush and romantic scene. Petals even dusted the street, some that Petra herself had disturbed in her haste.
No matter how beautiful the town was, all she could think was how much she wished Jesse was here to experience it with her. She stuck out like a sore thumb the further she walked through town, everyone seemed to be overjoyed compared to Petra's gloomy demeanour.
Unfamiliar celebrations had become a strange tradition for Petra and Jesse, between adventures they often found themselves deep in another culture. They had seen everything from a harvest festival to a public knighting ceremony. Jesse had taken quite the interest in them, often recording everything they saw in her journal before the end of the day. Petra couldn't help but wonder what her sketches of Theib might look like.
A crowd formed in the center of town, and Petra found herself standing on the cusp of being pulled into it. The sounds of upbeat music and an overwhelming wave of chatter sends Petra's stomach into knots. The last three years had been spent with Jesse constantly beside her, she had gotten used to always having a friendly face by her side. Now faced with almost a hundred strangers, Petra can't allow herself to be submerged into it.
Turning to another direction, Petra stuffs her hands into her pockets, keeping her head low as she travels away from the town center. Winding stone roads lead her to a small wooded area at the edge of town, where trees and grass had been left deliberately to grow wild. A small segment of the river even passed through the area, allowing for small stone bridges to cross over it. The morning light was now bright and blazing, luring the birds out into the sky to sing lovely songs that were lost on Petra.
When she reaches the center of one of the stone bridges, she swings her legs over the capstone to rest on the ledge. Allowing her feet to dangle over the slow-moving water, Petra relaxes into a rather comfy position. The area was quiet, far enough away from the celebration to block out the noise, but still lively enough to have the sounds of nature poke through. It was the perfect place to sulk.
For a few moments Petra sits there with her head in her hands, taking deep breaths now that she was completely alone. Between dragging Jesse from the cave singlehandedly, and rushing her back to town Petra barely had time to process. Now that she finally did she wasn't sure she wanted to.
As she sits in silence she swears she can still hear her own shrill, desperate voice calling out Jesse's name. It's like the soft breeze carries the sound towards her, an unstoppable sound that she wishes she could purge from her mind. The explosion replayed over and over in her mind, with her heart racing she searches her mind for anything else to think about, and settles on a rather grim topic, Jesse.
Jesse was always the one to take care of everyone else, especially Petra herself. She finds herself recalling every moment Jesse saved her, a dark pit forming in her stomach.
Petra had been one of the first victims of the Witherstorm, taken early on during Endercon. She remembered very little of while she was in the Storm, just that she had never felt so scared and cold in her life. Then Jesse managed to blow up the Storm the first time, Petra was released, but at the cost of her memories.
Then there was Jesse, waiting on the surface for her. She had no idea who she was anymore, but still Jesse didn't stop until Petra was safe. During that time, no one made her feel more safe than she did.
A small group of fish swims by under Petra's feet, she watches them weave through the sea grass as she thinks. The light reflects off their scales onto the surface of the water, making it shimmer softly. She wishes they could give her some answers, but they swim away before they can give her any, so she continues to think on her own. Her breaths slows slightly, but she's still struggling to calm herself down.
Jesse never seemed to give up on her, even when she had been chipped by PAMA. Unable to control her own actions, Petra was helpless against the machine. Forced to fight her best friend while every fiber of her being tried to fight against the commands. Yet even as Petra tried to end her life, Jesse didn't stop trying to save her. When she was finally freed from PAMA's control, she had never seen Jesse cry so much. The hug she received is one she's sure her spine will never recover from.
Of course, then there was the entire Admin situation. Before they were even in any danger, Petra had spent months lying to Jesse about living in Champion City, all while criticizing Jesse for running Beacontown. Then when they met Jack, Petra made an even bigger fool of herself. She wanted to jump into adventure so badly that she continuously left Jesse behind, just like she feared Jesse was doing to her. Her nose crinkles at the memory, an uncomfortable heat rising to her cheeks.
While she was pushing Jesse away, Jesse only continued to show her loyalty to Petra. When it came between Jack and her, Jesse always chose her, even though Jack might have been the better choice. Petra remembers feeling so honored when Jesse trusted her to get the clock, when she won the challenge she was so happy to see how proud her friend was.
Then she became the Admin's new champion, and she was ripped away from Jesse, forced to become a subservient lap-dog. She cringes at the memory of forcing Beacontownians to tear down their builds, and anything that tied the town to Jesse. It was a dark time for her, but she laid low until she could strike.
That moment came when she was taken to the Sunshine institute, where she was reunited with Jesse. Only their reunion was bittersweet.
Forced to once again fight Jesse, she refused to allow someone to control her this time. With Jesse's help, and on hell of a setup, together they made a desperate strike at the Admin. Though they failed, Petra had never been happy to be stuck in a prision before. Despite their situation, Jesse seemed much more hopeful once they were back together.
With Jesse by her side Petra always felt like the very world could crumble under their feet if they willed it to. Everything that she once felt was impossible, became possible. Now that there was any possibility that Jesse would leave, Petra couldn't fathom what life without her would be like.
The thought makes her heart race.
Taking a small pouch from her belt, Petra lightly tosses it from hand to hand. It's a thick leather, one that keeps the shards hidden within from slicing her hands. With each toss she can feel each individual piece, as if they weighed on her very soul.
Each breath begins to feel like a chore.
After Jesse had fainted, Petra gathered the broken shards of the gem, careful not to touch them in case they had any juice left in them. She's sure she didn't gather the whole gem, but with Jesse's condition she was tempted to leave the damned stone to rot in that cave. Unfortunately, she knew better than that, enchantments were too tricky to leave any evidence behind.
Finally the pouch comes to rest in the palm of her hand, she twirls the thin cord for a moment before pulling it loose. The leather falls limply across her hand, revealing a messy pile of dull purple crystals. Still too afraid to touch them, Petra let's the light hit them.
The pieces shimmer softly in the sunlight, but it doesn't compare to when they first discovered it. With the curse fulfilled, Petra can only imagine whatever energy it once held was now Jesse's. Closing her eyes tightly, Petra tries to breathe, realizing she had been holding her breath for quite some time. After a few deep breaths, her chest rises and falls evenly again.
"That's some beautiful gemstone you got there." A stranger's voice makes every hair on her body stand on end, reflexively she closes the pouch as she turns her head. An older woman waits behind her, smiling softly as she eyes the pouch, "Where did you find it?"
"In a cave, not that its any of your business." Petra grumbles the last part under her breath, the woman doesn't even flinch at her abrasive tone, "Do you make a habit of sneaking up on people?"
"Only when they're too distracted to see me." She says simply, leaning against the bridge with her forearms crossed against the capstone, "May I see the shards?"
Petra retracts her hand with the pouch, keeping it close as she processes her question. Every reason she can think up tells her not to open her pouch, but she finds herself moving before she can even decide on what to do. She carefully opens the leather, peeling it back to reveal the gem.
"Fine, but just don't-" the woman grabs a shard before Petra can finish speaking, forcing her heart to come to an abrupt halt. When nothing happens and the woman continues examining the stone, Petra let's out a confused, "Touch it..."
The harmless shard is turned over multiple times in the woman's hand, moved side to side and held up to the light several times at every angle possible. Petra marvels at her ability to not explode, swinging her legs so she's sitting cross-legged, now facing her. She stays quiet as the woman finally sets the shard back in the pouch, her warm smile crinkles the sides of her eyes.
"That's quite the treasure you have there, I've never seen an amethyst so dark, yet so bright." She gives Petra a soft pat on her hand before looking out onto the water, "You know, my brother, Keill, is a jewelry craftsman. I believe he's been working on an amulet that would do your gem justice."
"Is this some kind of shakedown?" Petra let's a certain acidity leak into her tone, but her interest is too peaked to just walk away, "Who even are you?"
"You'll find no trickery here, and I am Fern." Fern introduces herself so quickly and simply, as if it didn't really matter to begin with, "You're the one who came into town this morning, with your sick friend." She says it so gently it's as if she can feel Petra's heart shattering further with ever second.
"Yes, her name is Jesse." Petra replies sadly, hanging her head slightly lower. Now that she knows she can touch the shards safely, Petra moves a larger peice between her fingertips.
"Ah yes, the 'world's protector'." Fern puts a lot of emphasis around the term, even letting out a soft chuckle before adding, "Sounds like a lot of pressure for one girl."
"No kidding..." Petra trails, looking back at the river in time to watch a dragonfly skim gracefully across the water. It was just heavy enough to leave a small trail against the surface.
"Lucky she has a friend to worry about her so much." Fern stands up straight, giving Petra a knowing smile, "You warrior types, so tough and brave until someone you love gets hurt."
"Love? Who said anything about love?" Petra's head snaps up from the water, cheeks tinted a deep pink. She looks around quickly to find Fern already several feet away already, beginning to walk back to town.
"Hey! Wait!" Petra's voice cracks as she calls out to her. Carefully, she ties up the pouch, securing it to her belt before pushing herself from her perch. Within seconds of her feet hitting the ground Petra is walking side by side with Fern again.
"I don't know where you got this love idea, Jesse's my best friend." Petra pants lightly, the sudden burst of movement winding her slightly.
"My apologies, you just reminded me of my own partner, Miles." Fern sighs wistfully, reminding Petra of her own grandmother as she begins spinning a tale, "When we were young like you, Miles defended me from a pack of wolves. One took a decent bite out of my thigh."
She chuckles softly to herself, leaving Petra hanging for a moment.
"Milea didn't leave my bedside once." Her smile is so soft, her eyes glimmering with her memory, "My mother told me later that whenever Miles was forced to leave, they would sulk until he could come back."
Petra allows a tiny smile to pull at her lips, despite her mood she found the woman comforting.
"Once I was fully recovered, Miles gave me my bracelet... and the rest is history." Fern lifts her hand up so Petra can see the bracelet, silver metal dusted in dozens of gemstones and beautiful carvings.
"Why did Miles give you a bracelet?" Petra queries, happy to have a distraction from her thoughts. Though she's sure on a normal day she might not be so interested.
"It's a tradition unique to Theib, a Unification." She begins to explain as they stroll through the streets of the town once again, "Much like a marriage it joins two people together, but it's also so much more than just that."
"It's a symbol that in this life, and whatever comes after it, you are bound to that person." Fern explains, taking time to glance up at Petra every now and then as she speaks. Meanwhile, Petra finds herself almost tripping over her own feet as she tries to take half-steps to slow herself down to her pace.
"Sounds very... final." Petra says a bit nervously, unsure she could picture herself with one person forever. Of course, she ignores the nagging voice in the back of her brain.
"It is, and that's the point." Fern says slightly sternly, shooting Petra a gentle glare, "When you find someone that you want to be with forever, why waste time?"
Those words rattle around in Petra's head as they walk, making her wonder if she had been wasting time, but she can't place her finger on how that could be possible.
They find themselves back near the center of town, music and chatter begin to fill the air again. A fresh wave of anxiety blooms in Petra's chest, it makes her palms sweaty.
"Are you thinking of attending the ceremony today? You could see a Unification first hand." Fern inquires, gently trying to pry into Petra's mind.
"I... I dunno." Petra admits, looking ruefully at the crowd ahead of them, "Feels weird, attending something like this without her, she's gonna be so upset when she finds out she missed this."
"Maybe she would be upset to find out you spent the whole time brooding." Fern jabs, pushing her elbow into Petra's ribs as she walks into the crowd. After a brief moment of considering her option, Petra let's out an exasperated breath and rushes to catch up.
"I'll have you know I don't brood, I just... have a lot on my mind." Petra defends herself lamely, careful not to let her shoulders bump into anyone as she squeezes by.
Fern seemingly ignore her as she approaches a large fountain, sitting on the edge facing towards a stage. It was clear to Petra that it was out of place, clearly put up for the ceremony. Just like the rest of town, beautiful garlands of flowers were draped across the wooden support beams. Small petal even floated in the fountain behind them.
A gust of wind loosens some of the flowers from across town, allowing them to dance in the wind. A few petals blow right towards Petra, she manages to catch on in the palm of her hand.
Leaning on the fountain beside Fern, Petra examines the petal. A soft pink at the base fades into white, with speckles of magenta. After a moment of observing it Petra sets it down in the water, letting it bob away.
"You know, when Miles and I had our ceremony we didn't have this many flowers." Fern reminisces, letting out a soft sigh, "Sometimes you don't know you want something until it's over."
Before Petra can question her further, the chatter comes to an ubrupt stop. People who once were dancing, shopping or eating were now at a complete standstill, their attention on the stage.
Petra follows suit, finding an empty stage.
A beautiful series of chimes fills the air, a signal for the rest of the musicians in the area to begin playing. A cheerful orchestra plays from every corner of the town center, creating an amazing effect that made it feel like the music came from the very sky.
Petra had listened to countless music disks of old, travelled far and wide experiencing different styles of music. Yet as she sat listening to one of the simplest melodies, her emotions catch in her throat.
The crowd begins to split, creating two clear paths through the area leading up to either side of the stage. The openings come from behind the fountain and curve around to the front.
It takes a moment for Petra to understand what's going on, but an insistent few pats from Fern she decides whatever it is, is about to happen. Out of the corner of her eye she spots the first person approaching from behind, a well dressed man with black hair neatly combed back. Petra finds his goofy smile slightly sickening, she couldn't imagine ever being that happy.
On the opposite side of the fountain a woman weaves elegantly through the street, a flowing dress blowing in the wind. Despite her glamourous appearance, her face is wrinkled by her own equally wide smile.
When they finally reach the stage, they refuse to take their eyes off eachother. They drink eachother in as if they would never see eachother again.
Without a word, the both kneel down before eachother as the music begins to swell. They bow their head respectively to eachother, before their eyes meet once again. Petra blinks in confusion as she watches the bizarre ceremony, before Fern leans over to whisper an explanation.
"They are speaking a private vow to eachother. No one else is to hear what they say, we are simply here to witness it." Fern says softly, nodding forward to draw Petra's attention, "If you look closely you can see their lips moving. I remember talking so quietly, sometimes I wonder if Miles even heard me."
Petra squints, doing her best to focus on the two, just being able to make out the movements. Petra found it odd to have a public ceremony that was somehow also private, but she held her tongue.
Finally, after a long moment where they kneel together with the music playing elegantly, the next part of the ceremony begins. It starts when the man takes out a dainty necklace, one made up of small gems that sprawl up the chain in a beautiful spiral. Petra observes as the woman begins to tear up as he secures it around her neck.
Directly after admiring her necklace, she pulls out what Petra can only assume is a gauntlet for blacksmithing. It's much plainer than the necklace, but along the wrist line countless gems lay encrusted. He puts it on without hesitation, looking just as watery as she does.
They press their foreheads together lovingly, and Petra's heart skips a beat. Jesse had a habit of bumping their heads together very similarly, seeing a couple do it left her stomach in knots. There was no way Jesse meant it in that way, at least in Petra's mind there wasn't.
After a long moment, the music comes to an end. The crowd -- and the couple -- are completely silent. Petra finds herself holding her breath not to disturb it, as if her very presence could ruin it.
With beams of sunlight shining down over Theib, the couple stands up tall together. Hand in hand, they raise them together, allowing their gemstones to bask in the light. For less than a heartbeat, Petra can see the array of colours shimmering across the square. It reflects off every building, shining onto every person, and shining onto Petra.
The colours dance across her arms, and she welcomes the temporary joy that floods her system. It's warm, she swears she can feel their love through the light just as it fades away.
"Now, time for the party!" The man shouts through the silence, pulling them out of the peaceful serenity they had been in to an exited roar.
The crowd erupts into a bust of activity, music begins playing as people start to dance. Some people stands around talking to eachother, laughing as they talk deeply with eachother.
The switch is a little overwhelming at first, but Petra allows herself to transition into it. The crowd that once sent a cold shiver down her spine now felt warm and welcoming.
"That was really something." Petra says through a faint smile, turning to Fern, "How often does something like this happen?"
"About once a year give or take, really depends." She says simply, using shaking arms to push herself off the fountain, "Come, walk with me?"
With no reason to say no, Petra gets up, wading through the crowd with Fern side by side. She wonders where Jesse would drag her if she was awake, if they would have stayed for more of the celebration, or if they would have stayed further back and out of the way. One thing she's sure of is Jesse would have asked millions of more questions than she did.
"Didn't wanna hang around?" Petra makes idle conversation as they travel further away from town center. They heading in the opposite direction of the healer's hut from what she can tell.
"I'm not the party girl I used to be." She gives Petra a playful wink, her voice raising an octave as she suggestivly says, "Back in my prime I would have partied with them right through until tomorrow morning."
"Somehow I can believe that." Petra chuckles, and they fall into a brief silence again.
The quiet quickly creeps into her mind, her thoughts beginning to race again. It had been hours since she left Jesse, and somehow a messenger had yet to come find her. She willed herself not to think about what that might mean, but her pounding heart makes it hard to drown the thoughts out.
With the sun hovering just past midday, Petra walking in toe with Fern, now matching her slow pace with ease. Though internally she feels like her very soul is trying to rip itself to shreds, she manages to keep a calm and collected front.
"Where are we going anyways?" Petra decides talking is much better than silence, and Fern doesn't seem to mind at all.
"It's not much further." Fern assures her, seeming to see right through Petra's facade, "Just through these gates, you'll see."
The gates are just up ahead, two large metal grates hanging loosely on their hinges. If not for the large latch connecting the two, the wind might carry both of them right off. Fern effortlessly releases the latch, letting Petra step inside before closing it securely once more.
A graveyard awaits them, even with the beaming sunlight it was dreary. Though Petra's not sure anything could make a graveyard feel cheerful.
Across the small field we're generations of graves, with each row they pass Petra's heart sinks further down. She tries not to let any unwelcome thoughts in, but each stone makes it harder and harder.
Finally, just under a small tree, Fern comes to a stop before a stone. Though she smiles, a faint mist of tears fills her eyes. Petra takes a moment to read the stone, and her face pales.
"Miles, 'Millie' Gorgan." Petra reads out, taking in a sharp breath, "Beloved sister... mother... and... wife?"
"Yes, my wife." The old woman smiles, breathing deeply as she speaks, "We were friends for longer than I could remember, and then one day something just... changed."
"One day being best friends... wasn't enough." Fern sighs in a dreamy manner, shaking her head softly, "I never wanted to leave her side, she made me feel like anything was possible. When we were apart, I could feel myself fall apart."
Petra can't understand the way her heart races, or the way her palms begin to sweat. For some reason she thinks about Jesse even more now, unable to shake the image of Jesse waking up alone and injured.
"I believe it was your predecessors that said, 'nothing built can last forever'. The same can be said for people." Fern let's out a watery sigh, keeping her eyes on the stone, "Millie passed away a couple of years ago, I miss her dearly."
"I'm so sorry, she sounds like she meant a lot to you." Petra manages to spit out, fighting against her heart that has managed to beat it's way into her throat.
"Don't be sorry, her and I lived a very long life together." Fern waves off her sympathy, her tone slightly harsh before it softens, "The only thing I can say to you is, if there's someone special in your life you must act before it is too late. You never know how much time you have left with someone."
Petra looks down at the tops of her boots as she mills over what she's being told. Was there someone she was wasting precious time with? Was Fern somehow trying to allude to Jesse being dead somehow? The possibilities felt too endless and far too anxiety enducing. She couldn't begin to even wrap her head around the nature of Fern's Unification, the story felt all too familiar.
"I'm just some rambling old lady, dear." Fern gives her a comforting pat on the shoulder, earning a fearful chuckle from Petra, "Don't take what I say too seriously."
"Noted." Petra says with a false smile, unable to not let what she said turn over multiple times in her head. Fern eyes her carefully before leaning over towards the stone.
"Farwell." She raises two fingers to her lips before pressing them to the stone, whispering something inaudible before standing up slowly.
"Walk me home?" Fern asks sweetly, eyes still slightly damp, "It's not very far."
"Sure." Petra says a bit numbly, still stuck in her own head.
Together they walk back through the field, and through the gates once more. When they reach the town streets, Petra lags slightly behind, head bowed in thought. Though after two turns and a short straightaway, she doesn't get much time to think for herself.
They approach a small shop on a sidestreet, its out of the way and almost invisible unless you knew it was there. An old sign hangs off the transome, weathered to the point that the original paint had peeled off. A small symbol had been repainted over the years in a black paint, a pile of gems and coins.
Petra takes a moment to admire the storefront, dark wooden supports surrounding a combination of stone and wooden planks. A large display window is lit up softly by a hanging lantern, cascading light onto the jewelry laying below. Various different metals and gems glitter up at Petra, and for a moment she can't help but eye a golden circlet. It had no gemstones in it yet, so there were several spots where there were awkward gaps.
"Come on in, there's more inside." Fern gestures, heading through the door without waiting to see if Petra follows her.
Waiting an extra few heartbeats, Petra looks down the street in both directions, leaning forward to see as far as she can. No matter how hard she squints there's still no messenger approaching.
Her shoulders slump as she lets out a stressed breath, turning to enter the shop.
Though dimly lit, the shop was overflowing with the unnatural shine of gemstones against the ceiling. It was unlike any store Petra had ever been in, and she doubted she would ever see anything like it again. Every table was covered in various gems and expertly crafted chains, while mannequins hold bigger pieces of armor.
"Keill, I'd like to introduce you to a new friend of mine." Fern greets her brother warmly, and doesn't seem to care when he responds with nothing more than a neutral grunt, "This is Petra, she's one of the New Order members."
That gets his attention long enough for him to give Petra an odd look before turning back to Fern.
"Right, why is she here?" He's gruff, and rather solid for a man his age. Though he regards her with little to no respect, Petra can't find an ounce of fight left in her for the day. She lets it slide, but she doesn't intend to forget.
"She was nice enough to humor me, and walk me home." Fern says matter-of-factly, looking triumphant in her rebuttal, "I believe she deserves some kind of discount."
"Whoa whoa hold on, I don't intend on buying anything." Petra interrupts her, getting yet another disapproving glare from Keill. She raises her hands up in defense as she reiterates, "I was just walking her home, I don't need any kind of reward. If anything I owe her for taking my mind off things."
Petra tries not to look too desperate in her diffusal, but she doesn't hesitate to look into Keill's eyes for mercy. She really didn't want to fight anyone in her current state, especially not an old man. When he lets out an aggravated puff of air, Petra knows she's gotten through to him.
"Fern, it's time for you to rest. You've been walking around all day." Keill suddenly adopts a softer tone, waving his sister off when she tries to protest, "I'll take care of your friend here."
Fern gives her a gentle wave and walks through a door Petra can only leads to a home space behind the shop. Meanwhile Keill returns to his stone-hearted composure, narrowing his eyes at Petra.
"You know, you look a hell of a lot like Miles." His voice, though stern, is just above a hush, Petra almost misses it, "I appreciate you humoring her, since Miles passed Fern doesn't leave the house much."
After hesitating, she approaches the from counter leaning against it with one folded arm.
"No problem, truth be told I didn't do much at all." Petra confesses, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, "Jesse has always been more of the people person."
He examines her for a moment before her rummages around in a drawer to his right. Several chains and pendants are discarded onto the table before he finds what he's looking for.
"Take it, you never know when a good amulet will come in handy." It's trusted into Petra's hand before she can even try to deny it, "I've been looking for the perfect owner to the amulet, now I'm tasking it to you."
Petra opens her hand, revealing a beautiful silver necklace. Just like the circlet in the window, several spots have been left empty, while glittering diamonds take up several small spots. The silver is beautifully woven and carved across the face of the pendant. The chain was rather simple, but it was still a polished silver.
"I don't know what to say, thankyou." Petra whispers, opening an empty pouch tied to her belt, placing the amulet inside safely, "What about the empty spots?"
"That's for you to decide. Many people prefer to find their own gemstones to fill the space, make it more personalized." He explains, waving his hands as he speaks, "An adventurer like yourself should have no problem with that."
Petra gives him a brief nod, but before she can turn to leave, he raises a hand to stop her.
"One last thing, trusting someone with an amulet like that is like trusting someone with your life." He warns her, harsher than ever, "Don't give it away all willy-nilly."
"I won't." Petra assures him, digging around in her coin pouch for a moment before placing several gold peices on the counter, "And I don't take handouts."
Though he regards her coin warily, he nods his head in approval, seeming to soften towards her slightly.
"Good luck out there kid." He gives her a final goodbye, and with a firm nod, Petra turns and exits the building.
When she walks through the door the air has changed, what once was a warm sunny day was now a chilly afternoon. Petra takes a moment to roll her shoulders back, stretching out her body before walking towards the center of town again.
The closer she gets, the louder the echoing sounds of music become. It's a soft tune, an inviting stream of sounds that draws her in and keeps her racing mind at bay.
With the sun getting lower and lower in the sky, Petra finds herself standing on the outskirts of the celebration once more. Though most of the townsfolk had left, there was still a fairly large ground dancing around the fountain. Leaning against a lamppost, Petra observes them quietly, staying as far from the small crowd as possible.
Partners hold eachother close as they sway along with the steady music. Some dance gracefully together, heads held closely together as they whisper quietly to eachother. Others are a bit clumsier, tripping over eachother while they laugh at themselves, a neverending grin on their faces.
A certain tightness takes over Petra's chest as she watches, seeing Jesse in many of the faces she observes.
She sees Jesse when a young woman almost falls, and her partner catches her. They laugh before sharing a tender kiss.
Jesse is in the elegant couple to the left of the fountain, who dance as if they share the same mind.
Her breath hitches as she imagines them dancing together at the center of the crowd, where the couple that this celebration is about stands. It's as if she can see it as clear as day in her mind, Jesse standing close in her arms, their heads bowed together as their laugher fills the air.
Petra doesn't dare look when the couple kisses, feeling her cheeks heat uncomfortably at even the idea of kissing her best friend.
Trying to reason with herself, she repeats over and over in her mind that she's only thinking this way because Jesse is hurt. There was no reason to think that way about her, and there was no way something would ever happen between them.
Just as she's sure she's got her thoughts under control, she looks back up, only to be met with a sight that forces her heartbeat to a halt. The couple was still kissing, pressed ever closer than before. Even with all of her own convincing, Petra can't help but imagine herself and Jesse.
Unable to handle the image, Petra turns to leave, deciding staying here was making her thoughts run wild.
As soon as she turns around, she's greeted by someone about to reach out to tap her shoulder. Her hand rushes to the hilt of her sword instinctively, but a quick glance stops her.
It's a young man, one that reminds her much of Radar when Jesse first took him in. Very skinny, and incredibly intelligent looking.
"I-I'm so sorry, Miss. The healer sent me to get you, your friend has woken up." He manages to stammer out, looking like he might have collapsed just with Petra unsheathing her sword. Luckily for them both, her reflexes were too toned for that.
"That's great news, thankyou." Petra adjusts herself, hurrying to grab two silver coins from her coin pouch, almost throwing it at him as she rushes away from the boy.
Her mind a blur, Petra doesn't feel a thing as her feet pound against the stone street. Before she can take in any of her surroundings, she finds herself standing at the door to the healers hut.
She reaches for the door but hesitates. Pulling her hand away, Petra tries to catch her breath for a moment, ignoring the happy chuff from from her horse, which has been sitting tied up all day waiting for her return.
Closing her eyes, Petra takes a deep breath before she finally pushes open the door. Standing in the threshold, Petra stares into the room, where the healer stands with his back to her.
After a moment of standing there, Jesse's head peeks around him, looking confused before her eyes fall on Petra. Her entire face brightens, though it's covered in bandages, Petra has never been more relieved to see her.
"Jesse..." Petra breathes as they both rush forward, hugging eachother tightly.
"Petra." Jesse says simply, resting her head in the crook of her neck.
The healer, looking awkward, steps outside, closing the door to leave them in privacy.
"I was so worried, you were so hurt, and... and you weren't waking up." Petra feels her tears welling up again, and anxieties aside, refuses to release Jesse from her arms.
"I know, I'm okay. I'm not going anywhere." Jesse soothes her, but Petra can't ignore the tingling feeling her neck gets as Jesse's breath softly whispers against her.
Jesse pulls away from her slightly, her arms still holding onto Petra's to keep them close. Her eyes are narrowed worriedly, Petra tilts her head, carefully holding Jesse to not put any pressure on her wounds.
"Petra, I have to go back to Beacontown. Ivor is the only one who can help me with this." She says it like it pains her to even think about, then she looks up into Petra's eyes, "I know we both didn't want to go back so soon, so I understand if you can't come with me."
Petra's eyebrows furrow together, a thin frown stretches her lips for a second before she pulls Jesse closer again. She rests their forehead together, her heart racing as Jesse leans into her embrace.
"My place is with you Jesse, I'll always have your back." Petra says with an air of finality, gently squeezing her best friend, "You followed me out here, I'll follow you to wherever this leads us."
"What a relief, I don't think I could do this without you." Jesse confesses, tears dripping down her cheeks, "Thankyou Petra."
With her best friend so close, and her emotions running wild, all Petra can do is wish their lips would finally collide. The pouch holding the amulet suddenly feels much heavier on her belt, as if now more than ever the meaning of it was more than she could ever imagine. Without a doubt, Petra knew she was screwed beyond belief.
"Don't mention it." She whispers, swallowing her feelings as best as she can.