You know what man? I think, all things considered.
This whole team did very well to take care of themselves in the middle of a ridiculous situation.
Like, yes we're kind of in luxury right now. But still? We fought a lot. And it's not like we are, or they are soldiers, or ready for a fight.
They are normal people. With normal families. With normal jobs. Who never trained.
And they still managed to go forward with me, killing goblins and gigantic boars.
No on readied themselves for this kind of life.
And I can't ignore the mental effects from being kidnapped randomly in the middle of the day, just to be thrown in a blank room with goblins running at you.
So yeah.
I think my team, even if they are falling for this manipulative design and fake luxury. Has still done well.
My eyes drift and directly see mousy form on her own bed, she's just. Sprawled there. Back first on her bed staring at the ceiling like it owes her answers.
Her phone is beside her head, it look closed.
As I approach her, her eyes focus on me way faster that usual, and she slam herself back in a sitting position "luuuuuuuuuuuuuuudger, came to train?"
Well she look, fine? Am I just overthinking everything because of our talk?
"Nah, just to talk a bit" as I stop, just beside her bed, standing, I can hear a small music, really gentle.
My eyes focus back on the phone, she look at it too before looking back at me.
"if I music at a low volume, put plane mode, no luminosity and anything, it save a lot of battery and I'm pretty sure I can keep that going for 5 days"
She smile at me proud of herself.
"I calculated that"
Lifting my hands, I indulge her, clapping for a while. "wow, great, great" my hands freeze "and what after that?"
Look, I'm not the most subtle guy alive, I get it.
Her smile freeze a bit before she frown in thought "uhhh, I'll imagine myself some music?"
"All day long?"
She tilt her head, humming, a low "uhhhh" before she take her dagger out "I mean, I'll keep my training with the inventory?"
That's good at least.
I see her fall back on her back as she mindlessly put her daggers in and out, while looking at me.
Huh.
She let her daggers fall on her belly and twist them around, play with it, taking care of boredom, before putting it back.
"Alright, and what else?" She look at me, scratching her head "what do you mean?"
I nod toward the doors, she look at where I nodded. And just, kind of...stop her 'training'
"oh, yeah yeah, the doors. Well we'll do them of course, I mean, like usual, I mean that's what we're planning on doing and everything, so that make sense and all."
The fuck does that mean?
She talk weird when I poke there, let's poke more.
Smiling as widely as I can, not hinting at anything I poke "Great! Then you're fine if we do the doors right now?"
She blink before focusing back on me "right now? Right now?" I can see the hint of dried blood on her dagger, badly cleaned from the boar she was forced to stab last door.
Shrugging I look at the door "yeah, right now"
She turn her head to look at balrow, who's beside us, in his own bed, thinking as he called it.
Then her eyes shift back on me "I mean...sure sure but like? Why today? I mean?" She point at the sun above us, it's mid-day "I mean, it's not the best time to do it, like middle of the day?" She stop and retract, going in another direction when she realize that mid-day is great.
Really great even.
Everyone awake, everyone ready, I'm not injured anymore, we're in a great position really.
She keep looking at me, lick her lips and before she talk again I stop her.
"We can do it tommorow, don't worry, that would be better anyway."
That's a lie.
She however jump on the occasion "yeah, yeah" she smile at me as her daggers appear in front of her belly again "anyway, wanna listen to music with me?"
Shaking my head back, I turn around "no, later maybe"
"Alrrrright? See you later"
Taking steps toward the hole toward the archer challenge, I keep walking, my curiosity sated.
Passing in front of malfoy, he nod at me. I do the same as I rush toward the watchtower.
Just needing to see the damages around here.
As I reach the tower, I can see jenna pulling her string she jump in the middle of her training as she hear the wood creaking under me.
She turn to see me "Hello again"
Taking some steps until I rest under the light of the real sun, my hand come up above my eyes as a cover, looking at the dead goblin camp.
"Hello again jenna, still training?"
That's a wide smile alright, turning a bit to the right she wipe her hand on her shirt "Yes! I'm improving really well actually"
She look fine.
Well annie looked fine too.
"That's great to know, we're going to the door soon, you're ready?"
My eyes focus on her face.
It doesn't change, well, it does.
But not in any of the ways I expected. No hesitation, no freezing.
She just look excited.
"For sure, we're going now?"
She move forward to grab her last arrow and rip it out from the wood and cloth, just she walk toward me, ready for a fight.
Well didn't expect that.
So Jenna and malfoy are fine?
Raising my hands and waving at her to calm down I continue.
"naaah, calm down legolas. I know you want to kill goblins but we'll go tommorow"
She look a bit embarassed at her own reaction and laugh a bit nervously "Y-yeah yeah, sorry"
Unfortunately for her, I need this kind of attitude.
"Don't apologize for that, that's good to see you're ready, just came to tell you that"
I turn around and wave at her while leaving "we'll talk strategy tonight, keep up the good work"
She wave back at me like some kind of excited puppy "Alright alright, I'll be here. I mean" she stop for a second and look at her hands "like, like, it's not like I can go anywhere else and, and all" her hands move around as she nervously explain her own words. "But yeah yeah, I'll be there because we all sleep together. Well, not together together, but you get it"
Nodding and humming I take some step back "yes yes jenna I get it"
She nod before swallowing something hard and continue "yeah so, so goodbye, gonna train more"
Waving a last goodbye we both go on our ways as I think about what happened.
Jenna's fine, so who need some pushing for the procrastination?
I guess annie? And balrow, but everyone else seem just fine...
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Jenna gave a last glance behind her, wiping her hand on her shirt for the hundreth time or so.
She stopped counting.
Looking at her finger stuck in position, as if frozen, she slowly try to extend it.
It extend, slowly but surely.
It hurt but it does.
Taking her bow again, she take her usual stance, an arrow, lock it, pull it.
Perfect shot, like usual.
The pain of her fingers get muted out by the euphoria of feeling useful for once in her life.
The notification in front of her doesn't help too.
[Congratulation for reaching an enlightenment, your Basic form of the devastator piercing arrow reach level 8]
She know how to play.
She just need to grind a bit, like usual.
Pushed by this thought, she wipe her hand on her shirt by reflex.
Pushing her fingers straight again. Too hurt, too crooked and squirming to get back in position normally.
&&&&&&&&&