Chapter 48

"After that, we kept meeting up randomly—sometimes intentionally, but most of the time, she'd just pop up in the middle of whatever I was doing," Pip said, her voice carrying a weight of frustration mixed with nostalgia. "It wasn't exactly the most stable of friendships," she continued, emphasizing the word with air quotes, "but it was the only relationship I had that actually felt real."

She paused, shaking her head with a wry smile. "Ironic, right? The only real connection I thought I had... was a lie?"

Pip glanced over at Xain, who looked down, guilt written plainly across his face. He shifted uncomfortably before trying to offer something, anything, to break the tension. "I mean... Annie was still real in her own way," he said hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly aware of how hollow the words might sound. "Ah... no, that's probably not what you want to hear."

Larkin and Zee exchanged glances, watching from the sidelines, both feeling that this wasn't their place to intervene. This felt personal, like something Pip and Xain needed to sort out on their own.

Pip sighed, frustration bubbling under her calm exterior. "How about you stop guessing what I want, Xain?" she said, her voice firm but not unkind. She uncrossed her arms and pointed at him, a mix of exasperation and determination in her gaze. "I don't know what you were going through, or why you did what you did. And..." Her voice trailed off as she crossed her arms again, her eyes flickering with a mix of anger and understanding. "I agree with you that Annie was real, in her own way—while also being a lie, at the same time. Honestly, I've been trying so hard to separate you from her in my mind. I guess, in a way, I blame her more than I blame you."

Xain blinked in surprise, as if he hadn't expected her to admit that. "That... okay. You have a better perspective on this than I do," he said slowly, clearly thrown off by her level-headedness. "And I'm the one who's guilty here."

Pip gave a short, almost defiant nod. "Hmph. I've matured a lot since then. I've realized getting emotional constantly doesn't help much. You just end up spinning in circles." 

There was a brief silence between them, charged with unspoken emotions, but beneath it all, there was a sense of healing.

*You have a lot of issues to sort through,* Ercale's voice echoed in Xain's head. 

*I don't want to hear that from a Demon Lord!* Xain shot back, his internal voice huffing with irritation. *If you've got nothing better to say than insults, do me a favor and stay quiet!*

Meanwhile, Pip was finishing up her story, turning her attention to Larkin and Zee. "Anyway, after about a year of knowing Annie, I started to take her advice seriously. You know, about being more selfish, more of a coward...greedy even. With The Captain's help, I managed to escape. I left The Shadow Baron behind, and well, running away from Ironhelm was the only option at that point. He was already a crime lord by then, so staying in the city wasn't even on the table anymore."

She paused, glancing around the tavern. "I smuggled myself out in one of the merchant steamstrider Mark VIIs—at least, I think it was a VII. I left, just like Annie would've wanted me to: a coward, not even telling her goodbye. After a while of drifting around, stealing, hitching rides where I could, I found myself here." Pip motioned around the tavern with a tired wave of her hand. "And the boss, despite my less-than-appealing appearance, took me in and gave me work."

Zee's face scrunched in a mix of emotions. "Wow, that's... a long story. And kind of sad."

Larkin, beside her, scratched at his beard with a slow nod. "'Kinda' is an understatement. But yeah, I agree 'bout it long tho. Cause look—" he pointed at their plates with a grunt, "the food's gone cold."

Pip shrugged nonchalantly. "We told you it was gonna be a long story. Don't know what you expected, to be honest."

Xain, still looking reflective, called out to her. "By the way, how's your boss?" He jerked his thumb toward a tall, older male orc who was making his way around the tavern, taking orders with surprising gentleness for his stature. "Does he treat you well?" Xain asked, raising an eyebrow.

Pip chuckled. "Him? Despite what he looks like, he's a softy. Honestly, a bit of a pushover. Sometimes it feels like I'm the one running the place, and he's just working for me." A smile tugged at her lips.

Zee's brow furrowed in confusion. "Despite what he looks like? Does he look threatening or something?"

"I mean yeah, guy's like a foot taller than me, green, and got tusks," Larkin said, chiming in with a casual tone.

Larkin turned to stare at the old orc. "Looks like the kinda guy that could tear a door off its hinges if he wanted to."

Zee's confusion deepened, her expression incredulous. "But that's just how most orcs look. Those things make them... adorable," she said, her head tilted as if it was the most obvious statement in the world.

There was a beat of silence. The entire group stared at her in disbelief.

"What?" Xain finally blurted out, his voice tinged with bafflement.

Larkin pointed over at the orc again, his eyes wide. "That looks cute to you?"

Zee nodded firmly, still confused as to why they weren't on the same page. Pip scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "Well... I guess I can't really judge, given my... taste."

Zee's eyes flew open wide, her hands shooting up as she rapidly waved them in front of her. "No, no, no, no!" she exclaimed, the panic in her voice making her words come out in a rush. "I mean cute like how people think puppies are cute! Not like... that!" She gestured vaguely, trying to clarify but only making the situation more confusing.

The group stared at her for another moment, their confusion only deepening. If anything, Zee's explanation had just muddled things further.

"You know what?" Xain said, clapping his hands together as if brushing away the awkwardness. "Let's just not think about it too much and eat already. If we wait any longer, the food's going to freeze solid at this rate." He rubbed his hands eagerly, eyes on the dishes like they were a welcome distraction.

"Ye-yeah, let's do that," Larkin agreed, quickly picking up a fork, eager to get things moving and avoid any further discussions on orcs being cute.

"Y-yeah, I've taken a long enough break," Pip stammered, looking around the table before awkwardly adding, "I should get back to work. You guys enjoy your food." Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away, her stiff steps betraying her desire to escape the lingering awkwardness.

Zee, still processing everything, looked between them rapidly before blurting out, "Wh-why am I the weird one here?!"