A puppet among researchers

Wanderer 4

Wanderer was weak!

Weak for trusting this forest ranger with his name!

Weak for falling asleep while the others picked up his slack!

Weak for even though he would never admit it, he liked having someone worry about him!

Sure Kusanali did! But that was a different kind of worry! The kind that you worry about the snake biting you but you need it for your street show!

Tighnari being worried isn't something the puppet understands! They don't need him on this project! They proved that when he woke up to find them making progress without him. He sees no reason for him to be kind.

So when he got up he remained silent. Hoping the two would forget that he was even there. So he could slip away.

No such luck!

Kaveh kept looking over at him. Like he was guilty of something.

Wanderer glared at him every time.

Even though he wasn't one to say anything! His eyes had more than once drifted to Tighnari. Wondering what the forest ranger would do with the small bit of weakness that he'd let slip.

When they had finished working for the day, the puppet headed back to his tent but the forest ranger wasn't having it.

"Stop right there." Tighnari said with that same look as earlier.

"Am I not allowed in my own tent?" Wanderer asked.

"No, it's not that! It's just you need to eat something!" Tighnari said.

Wanderer rolled his eyes. "No I don't!"

"You haven't eaten all day. Not that I've seen anyway." Kaveh said. So it was worry in his eyes earlier. Oh well.

"I ate this morning!" Wanderer lied.

Of course Tighnari seemed not to buy it. "Even if you did, you are supposed to eat more than once a day."

"And what if I said I didn't!" Wanderer said, testing if Tighnari would believe him or not.

Tighnari just glared and said, "You're gonna eat! End of discussion!"

Wanderer glared back defiantly. "Are you trying to poison me?!"

"What possible reason would we have to try to poison you?" Kaveh asked.

Wanderer could think of several things. One including revenge for a wind attack on Kaveh's private parts.

But he just sighed and sat down by the fire.

Kusanali did say he should be more trusting.

Besides, he knows what most poisons taste like. And if he even finds a slight taste of one of them...

There would be hell to pay!

~

There was no poison.

But the food didn't taste great either.

Collei had shown up and decided she was going to make the food.

He could tell that Tighnari and Kaveh both had similar thoughts to his. Neither one of them made a comment about it. So Wanderer didn't either.

After dinner they went to bed.

Wanderer didn't! He sat by the fire for a little while. Collei had apparently decided she was too.

After a while, Wanderer noticed collei nervously tapping her fingers on her lap.

Wanderer sighed. "If you have something to say, just get it over with."

"It's just that... I know what it's like to fear doctors." Collei said.

"Is it because of Dottore?" Wanderer asked.

Collei gasped. "How did you...."

"Your eyes. Do you really think I wouldn't recognize the archon residue?" Wanderer asked.

"No one else has!" Collei answered.

"I've met others like you." Wanderer said.

"When?" Collei asked.

But Wanderer remained silent.

A few minutes later collei left.

~

Wanderer once again walked around the village.

There was no wasteful fire this time.

The village was asleep.

Except for a girl with white and green hair.

"I told you that I wasn't going to be at the sanctuary!" Wanderer said.

"I came to make sure you were ok. You scared me yesterday." Kusanali said.

"I'm fine! Don't waste your time worrying about me! I've been through worse than... whatever happened yesterday." Wanderer said.

Kusanali just raised an eyebrow.

Wanderer sighed. "I saw them! They weren't real. It was like a twisted dream."

Kusanali thought for a second then replied. "I think I've heard of humans having similar issues. I'll consult Irminsul."

And just like that she was gone.

Not something she used very often but it didn't surprise him.

He returned to his tent not long after.

Not noticing Kaveh waited for him to return to actually get some rest.