10 ~Chapter 3: Searching for answers - Part: 4

~Neika~

"Well, this is the 'how to' section." He said lifting his arms in indication and turning to face her. "Now if you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks. Hey, what's your name?"

"Tornjak" he said, stepping forward like he might shake her hand.

"Thank you, Tornjak."

"No problem, oh and if you need help with anything, anything at all" he clasped her on the shoulder and looked her in the eye "all you have to do is ask me, okay?"

She nodded feeling awkward at his touch and the kind but peculiar way he was looking at her. Then he startled her with a kiss she wasn't at all expecting. It made her feel trapped, and she panicked. She pushed him away with all her strength and he almost fell over since he wasn't actually holding her there or expecting her to shove him. "Don't touch me" she shouted ready to fight or run as her mind raced through options.

Tornjak just put his hands up and stepped back slowly a trained calm washing over his startled face. "I won't. Calm down, I won't ever touch you without your permission again, I'm sorry."

She stared at him as confusion turned to embarrassment as she realized what had just happened. After a minute she choked out a thank you and turned blindly to the books on the wall until she heard his footsteps disappear out of the library. That's when she let out a breath, she didn't know she was holding. She looked to the door to be sure he was gone, then slumped in a heap on the cold marble floor. How was she ever going to be strong enough to go back for her sister? Her heart ached and her dyed-out eyes stung with tears once again.

~Takal~

From across the library, on the balcony Takal watched the scene unfold safely hidden out of view. It had been his idea, a ploy to see how true her words were that she was not here to bat her hypnotic doe eyes at all the warriors to try and trick them into following her into demon territory, and their slaughter. Also, Tornjak was supposed to use this opportunity to try and get more information out of her, he wanted to know why she was lying about not having magic. This test could only be implemented if she was found snooping around as she was now.

Torn had argued that even if her story was true and she wasn't trying to trick them she might still be looking for the comfort of a man to protect her and care for her. Takal however felt her defiant and determined attitude meant she didn't want to be comforted, so if she tried it would be a conscious effort to manipulate. Torn was the bait because he was kind and gentle and charming, 'good with the ladies' as he liked to brag, and it was obvious she didn't trust Takal. He also wanted to focus on studying her behavior for anything suspicious.

Torn reluctantly accepted the task of playing the love-starved fool after Takal ruled out the masters as too old, Murin was too young and would just screw it up, and the fewer people involved the better. Master Tazmaine didn't want anyone else to know she was here for her safety as well as to keep things from getting all stirred up. Torn was good at his part and likely being genuine despite the fact he knew his friend was spying on them.

As he watched her sneaking around he noticed she was not caught off guard long, she was witty, and… scared of him? Did she just call him scary? Normally he might take that as a compliment but he found it bothered him. Maybe because he couldn't imagine that he, a person would be "scary" after facing down demons; unless she was a spy and feared him because he was on to her.

Below the girl explained how he didn't really save her, but rather let her live. Damn she's spot on, he thought and her insightfulness made him feel vulnerable, transparent, and a little guilty. She was intuitive unlike so many of the other girls he'd met in the surrounding towns; a good trait for a spy to have. They were lingering now, time for Torn to make his move. Takal reined his thoughts in to pay attention.

Torn stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, comforting and supportive. Yet she took an unconscious step back. A discouraging sign for Torn but he missed it; closing the gap between them anyways and he kissed her. Takal tensed almost as much as she did, which didn't make sense as he'd known it was going to happen.

Suddenly she pushed Torn away with surprising force for such a small half-starved girl, tearing him away from his thoughts. She was shouting at him and there was no doubt in his mind by her tone that she was scared, panicked even. To her credit though, and he was quite impressed, she held a strong athletic stance as if she might fight but her darting eyes told him she was just as ready to run.

What could have made her so afraid of a kiss? remembering her earlier conversation with Master Robin about what the demons had been using the girls for he suddenly felt sick and guilty. Her reaction shouted victim, rather than a perpetrator. Her jumpiness and stand-offish attitude suddenly made sense. He felt like an idiot for not catching it sooner, he'd picked the wrong method to try and get information out of her. And now she'd be even more closed off.

Below him, despite Torns best efforts to calm her down, she was still too shaken to relax around him. So he quietly excused himself to go meet with Takal in one of the classrooms across from the library. guilt and disgust turned in his stomach again as he watched the girl a little longer. Once alone, or believed to be alone, she sank to the floor against a bookshelf; she wasn't as tough as she liked to appear he realized.

Part of him wanted to comfort her but he knew that it wouldn't work. It would likely frighten her further, and no doubt anger her to realize he'd been spying and had orchestrated her most recent traumatic trigger. Feeling that increasingly annoying twinge of guilt he instead left his perch to go meet with Torn.

Upon entering the classroom and seeing Torn's rather wounded and embarrassed expression, Takal found himself laughing; temporarily distracted from his bad mood. It would be a waste not to take this opportunity to pick on his best friend as he walked up to join him. "Irresistible with the ladies huh?" Takal said patting him on the shoulder pointedly teasing him for having just said those exact words, not a week before.

"You are way too happy about my failure. Doesn't this mean she's not a spy?"

"Hold on, let me enjoy this for a bit. That was the most dramatic and absolute rejection I've ever seen. How can I not, enjoy this devastating blow to your perfect record? you should see your face, like a sad puppy." Takal said still laughing.

"Well there's obviously something wrong with her, it's got nothing to do with me," Torn complained.

"There's nothing wrong with her, she's just traumatized and you were too blind to notice her trying to back away." He surprised himself by defending her, all light-hearted fun, gone from his voice.

"Does that mean she's telling the truth and she's not a spy?" Torn asked looking for an 'I'm sorry, you were right'. He wasn't going to get it though. He'd already concluded, from the rockslide and missing corpses that, she had somehow escaped without the demon's help and that it likely wasn't a trap as dawn would be arriving soon and no warning alarms had been sounded. But she had still repeatedly lied about having magic and was holding back something, now due to his mistake they'd likely never know.

"She's defiantly not telling us the whole truth, and though I now doubt she'd ever willingly work for them… well she did say they have her sister and she'd do anything to save her. And on top of that, we still don't know why she's lying about her ability to heal, if she wanted to help us that would be the best way. We are in desperate need of healers and there's no way she'd be worse than Murin. Yet she is lying, so no, we still can't trust her." he concluded.

"Do you trust anyone?" Tornjak asked exasperatedly.

"Yes, my horse."