Chasing Catharsis (2)

"Now, Josh, what does this look like?" I ask, pointing to my crude drawing on the ground. Josh places his hand over his mouth and thinks for a few seconds.

"I don't know. It just looks like a circle with a curved line inside it and a couple of dots?"

"Bu-"

"Shh!" Sakura starts, but I place a finger over my mouth. I turn back to Josh and draw a frowny face on the ground. "And what does this look like?"

"It just looks like another circle. What's that supposed to be?"

"That is a frown; see the resemblance?" I apply an over-the-top frown to my face to mirror the image on the ground.

"No, it doesn't look the same at all."

"How about this one?" I smile widely while standing over the other face.

"No, I don't understand." Josh scratches his head in confusion. I turn to Sakura now.

"Josh doesn't have a good handle on facial expressions, especially when it comes to subtle emotional tells. Understand?" Sakura ignores me and walks up to Josh.

"You really can't tell what these are?"

"No, is that bad? Did I do something wrong?" Josh is starting to worry that he made a mistake. Sakura stands in place, observing him. I can see her eyes shift back and forth between each of his. This must be fairly shocking information for her.

"Well, I guess that means I'll have to be with you to make sure you don't misunderstand how other people are feeling." She crosses her arms confidently as if she's made a major discovery.

"You would do that for me?"

"Of course. I'll always be by your side." Sakura latches onto his arm as she responds.

"Wow, thank you, Sakura. I don't know what I'd do without you." Each of them is convinced that they have received the sweeter end of the bargain. They truly are a match made in heaven.

"Now that we've got that sorted out. Let's get to work," I say, breaking the mood.

""Right!"" We do our regular workout before making our way to the forest. we arrive at the fort an hour later, and I call out to Woohee.

"Fairy!" I wait a few seconds, but there is no response. "Oh well, let's head to the den."

I take a few steps forward when I feel something sharp poking my neck.

"Halt!" Inari's voice rings loudly in my ears. Adrenaline starts pumping through my veins. I realize my life is now on the line. My mind kicks into overdrive as I try to get as much information as possible.

[She claimed that we were friends and allowed us to live on multiple occasions. She wouldn't be threatening us now if she didn't perceive us as a threat. Inari is most concerned with the safety of her tribe, so I must be doing something that is threatening them. Fortunately, she can tell if I'm lying so I just need to keep talking and be honest.]

"Josh, Sakura, don't move." I firmly order them as they move to help me. "She's more powerful than all three of us. Remember to stay calm."

I can see the two of them relax their shoulders and wait for my signal.

[Confront your fear, stay honest, and be vulnerable. Run it.]

I clear my mind and allow my stream of consciousness to take over.

"You clearly view us as a threat, but we come only with the bare necessary defensive equipment. You should be able to kill all of us easily, so we are not a threat. We don't have anything other than a handful of blades to defend ourselves. We carry no magical equipment. If the concern is with our absence, that is due to the death of a friend of mine. I just found out she died yesterday, and I took a day to grieve. If it is necessary for us to maintain daily contact, then we should reconsider our relationship because that won't always be possible. Lastly, you know that I know that we gain nothing from going against you, and we have not made any moves to do so." I pour my case out as quickly and calmly as possible. My brother always talked about how you can't stutter during boot camp, so he ensured I could talk fluidly even under duress. All I can do now is wait for her decision. Inari moves the blade of her spear away from my neck and fades away. I take a deep breath of relief.

"What the hell was that?" I ask the two kids. They just look at me with wide eyes. I immediately realize I won't be getting any answers from them. "Let's head to the fort for now."

I guide the two kids to the collapsed fort's south entrance, and we take a seat. A chill runs up my back.

"Scatter!" I shout. The three of us stand up to run, but we're already surrounded. Several older and stronger people prevent our escape. Standing at the front is the woman I sold the goods to the other day.

[I made a mistake.]

"What do you want?" Talking is our best chance at survival, so I open the floor to discussion.

"Aren't we touchy?"

"I'm hoping that's not the case today."

"Huhu, you are just as quick-tongued as ever."

An opening!

"This tongue does more than talk," I say with a grin.

"Are you coming on to me?"

"Will you let us go if I am?"

"Huhuhu, not a chance."

"Well, it was worth a shot," I say with a smile. I've managed to gain some ground with my quibble, so I press the issue. "If you aren't here for my world-famous tongue, you must be after something else."

"Yes, I'm after your fairy."

"I'm afraid I lost it." I throw out a ridiculous response to try and throw them off. Denying them won't do me any good at this point, so I hold back asking how she figured that out and press forward.

"You don't just lose a fairy."

"Unfortunately, I lose things all the time. My mother always told me I'd lose my head if it weren't attached. Honestly, I'm lucky to still have all my limbs."

"Huhuhuhu, not for very long, you're not."

"What is it that I have to do to keep them?"

"I want you to bring me your fairy."