Sphere of Chaos

Abris returned after about a half an hour with a tray in one hand and a canvas bag over her shoulder, though she re-entered without knocking. The tray held a loaded bowl of what looked like a hearty stew and a half loaf of bread. The bag doubtlessly held the promised clothing. She set both on the desk and turned to Sin while beaming.

Sin had obviously bathed at that point, her long hair twisted up in a towel she had found near the tub. She had wrapped her body in the second towel that she had found in the room. She was fairly shameless when it came to nudity, which was obvious with the manner in which she was sitting at the writing desk and staring at the other woman openly. Abris looked her over with a grin and then nodded satisfactorily.

Abris stated, "I am a bit shorter than you, but I think these clothes will do for now. Surely an adventurer like you is not opposed to wearing skirts?" she asked playfully, an undeniable hint of mischief in her tone again.

Hmm, skirts

. Sin hadn't worn one since she was little. But she supposed that she may need to contend with that if she were to win over the acceptance of the magi. "Thank you," she muttered gruffly. Abris giggled once again.

"You really meant what you had said before, didn't you? You're not used to this. There is a good reason for that though..." she asserted, as if she knew.

"No, I'm not used to luxuries." It didn't occur to Sin that some people might not consider an inn to be a luxury. "Hell, I was raised poor and left home when I was about fifteen. That was about four years ago."

The smell of the stew wafted in the air, and Sin's mouth began to water. "That smells

delicious

!" Her eyes bugged out a bit, then narrowed in suspicion. "How much is all of this going to cost?"

Before Sin could think to go for the food, Abris put herself in front of it, her eyes sparkling more with the troublemaking intent that was impossible to miss. "It's going to cost you. I think maybe when you leave here, you can take me with you." Her tone had dropped to one of seriousness when she said that, though she still smiled all the while rather confidently. Though she didn't look like she could be one to actually prevent Sin from going for the food, or really anything else considering her slim build and apparently weaponless attire, she still asserted herself confidently.

Sin looked over the woman, taking in her mischievous expression. Then she noticed the woman was barring her access to the food, which was on the table. "W-wait, what?" Did this woman

seriously

just invite herself along? Sin's expression soured. "You're holding food hostage?" She was a bit crazed with hunger and thought momentarily about stabbing the woman for the food, but she had already been in too much trouble with the law. It simply wasn't worth it to risk it all for a single bowl of stew and some bread. But she looked determined. "I travel alone. No exceptions." She was, in a sense, issuing a challenge. As in,

I travel alone unless you can give me a better reason than free food and a place to sleep tonight

.

Abris blinked for a moment at Sin's determination. The silence drew out while she just stared with her own wide-eyed expression. Then she suddenly burst into another giggle fit. "Ahh, I like you, Sin. I think you have more stories to tell me."

She moved off away from the table to leave it open to Sin and instead seated herself delicately on the edge of the four-post bed, smoothing her skirts over her legs as her giggles faded. Sin watched the woman move away from the table, an almost animalistic look in her eye, like she was watching a competitor back down from a fresh kill.

Abris sure seemed to think most things were funny, which could have been a sign of a soft upbringing. Or insanity. Sin was certainly a bit annoyed that Abris was so lighthearted. Sin was just the opposite—so serious, so quick to anger, and completely untrusting. She was jealous, too. Jealous of the privileged upbringing this woman had (at least the upbringing she thought that Abris had—in actuality, she knew nothing about her).

"It's no matter. I think you'll decide yourself that you need me." That too, Abris said simply and confidently. In that way, she could have easily been a merchant's daughter, though it still wouldn't have explained why she could have thought herself a competition against Sin.

"Why would I need you? No offense, but you have never been outside city walls. Do you know what dangers lurk outside? I'll be rescuing your sorry ass from wolves, bears, giants, bandits..." She lurched over to the table, sitting down heavily, then ripped a piece of bread from the loaf and began digging into the stew.

Abris didn't take offense at Sin's words, but probably wouldn't have even if offense had been intended. She smiled to herself and looked up at the ceiling in thought while swinging her legs childishly. "That's true. I don't know anything about things like that," she replied agreeably. "I know about other things though." She didn't elaborate on it, but after a minute of letting Sin eat in silence, she got up again, making ready to leave. "Is there anything else I can get for you? Will that be enough food?" she asked, sliding into the persona of the perfect hostess after she had practically been intruding only a minute before.

Sin wolfed down the food at almost lightning speed. She had finished by the time Abris was ready to go. "Yes, I think that was plenty of food." She seemed to mellow out a little bit. Something about the other woman was nearly impossible to hate, no matter how hard Sin tried. "Are you going to be going with me to the mages' college tomorrow? I'll be going at sunrise, unless you recommend otherwise."

"Yes, I will go with you. Sunrise will be as good a time as any. Since you likely get up early, I'm sure I won't even have to come collect you, will I? So then, I'll meet you outside of here just as the dawn comes?" She seemed to be all business then, even perhaps a little impatient, though as for what, it would have been hard to say. She didn't exactly seem to be in a rush to be leaving, either. "Oh yes, and while I know you're tired, if you want to go downstairs to drink or anything, you're welcome to. Any food or drink you want is on me." She smiled again. "For now."

Sin tried to be patient while waiting for the woman to leave, but finally got up the gall to request to be left alone. She needed some space in order to decompress from the prolonged human contact. It was part of what she needed to do in order to prepare to leave the next morning. She was low on ale and water rations, but she figured she could fill canteens before they headed on the road the next day.

Sin slept fitfully that night. She couldn't stop thinking about that orb again—it was frightening, but beautiful. She had never seen anything so mesmerizing in her life. Amidst her thoughts of the orb were her thoughts of her family. Most nights she would think about them and where they were. When they evaded her waking thoughts, they haunted her dreams, which were full of tortured screams and agonizing images.

Abris didn't go to sleep immediately herself, though of course, she had no reason to be more tired than usual. She mingled with the patrons downstairs well into the night, collecting more tales and rumors about the fallen orb and its origins.