18 I'm from Nowhere

A surprised look appeared on Damiens face before being replaced by a small cheeky smile in which he flashed his pearly white teeth at her.

Was this kid trying to butter her up?

Henri didnt know, but she guessed it didnt really matter if she was honest with herself.

"Henri your super smart. You should definitely enroll in Sunfall Cities Higher Education School when your older."

Looking at Damiens face, Henri thought of her own face that used to be much like his with the ignorance of innocence written all across it.

Damien sensing that Henri wasn't really wholly focused on him, a corner of his face twitched slightly, before he slowly and with uncertiantity waved his hand in front of her face twice.

"Hmm." Said Henri coming out of her slight daze of inner thoughts and returning to the outside world once more.

"Maybe." Replied Henri to his suggestion about some school or another.

Truthfully, Henri really didnt have the time or will to go to school. She could read a few languages well enough to get by and that was enough for her. She didnt plan out the later half of her life, she actually doubted that she'd make it to live that long anyway.

"Where are you from Henri?" Damien followed up this with a soul jerking question.

"Nowhere. I'm from a place that is now nowhere." Henri responded after a moment, as she gazed off into the sunset that was barely peaking through the trees overhead and around her.

"If you dont want to respond you could of just said so." Abit exasperated, Damien grumbled as he turned to see whatever it was Henri was so intensely gazing at.

It was just the sunset. Damien thought the sunset was a rather mundane thing to be interested in, after you battled bandits and made new friends.

After some thought, Henri decided to give this kid something to shut him up. Reaching into her bag, she slowly pulled out a large tooth the size of her pinky finger.

"Hmm what's that you have there Henri?" Damien noticed Henri stopped looking at the sunset overhead and had began to rummage in her rather dirty looking blue bag before he saw her pull out a out a small object.

"Its from where I'm from. Here have a Nowhere tooth." Henri said as she pushed the object that was apparantly a tooth or fang of some beast into his not ready hands.

Not expecting such a move, Damien subsequently proceeded to fumble the tooth and drop it into a small puddle of muddy water that was ever so inconveniently in front of his two small feet.

A snicker could be heard from somewhere nearby, turning his gaze he saw Marie looking at him from afar with a condescending grin on her face.

Damien first thought that maybe he had angered this black haired little beauty but now he was not so sure...

Could it be that she was just mean?

Henri watched as Marie continued to misbehave. She couldnt help but think that Marie's personality had indeed undergone a severe change in the past year...

Henri knew she couldnt hold it against her, afterall she herself now seemed like an entirely different person.

Sure enough, people were molded by their experiences.

Damien eventually bent down and picked up the tooth and grimaced at his hand getting a little bit of dirty puddle water on it.

The kid was already somewhat dirty from hiding in the bushes earlier. It shouldnt matter if he got his hand a little dirtier.

After this somewhat awkward item gifting, Savien gracefully walked over to inform Henri that this group had decided to stop traveling for the day.

Furrowing her brow, Henri asked "Why cant we just travel into the night?".

Savien has a sly grin on her face as she replys " Master, these people aren't that strong, and at night more powerful creatures and misfits tend to come out to lurk throughout the night.

They would not have sufficient strength to continue moving about and protecting themselves as well."

Henri looks around at the handful of guards remaining and nods her head in understanding.

"I see your point Savien, very well. I will retire for the night then I suppose."

The kid panics and askes " Aren't you sleeping with me and my uncle?"

Saviens eyes turn dark at even the mere mention of this idea, but Henri puts her hand up to silence Saviens surely bitter rebutal.

"No I'm sorry. I like my privacy. Besides, we just met today. Didn't we?" Henri states to the other child.

"Ahhh okay..." Damien replied quietly.

Turning on her heel, Henri motions for Savien to lead the way.

Gladly reciprocating, Savien leads Henri over to the tent set up for them.

"Alright, I'm retiring for the night." Henri announces as she enters the tent without even looking back once.

Marie quietly walks up to beside Savien and askes " Do you think Henri will relive that moment again tonight?"

Savien gets a sad look on her face as she replies, "Who knows, that's her own inner demon, it's up to her to chase that guilt away."

Savien says before entering the tent after Henri.

Marie stands outside the tent in the dark for awhile, looking around at their surroundings, before mumbling to herself "If only she could forget him. How I wish she thought of me that much..." Marie then stood stock still for a moment in sulking, before trudging into the tent herself.

The night had fallen.