Extenuating Circumstances (3)

"Are we leaving yet?" Shinobu asks.

"Calm down, calm down. We just need to finish up some paperwork." I heed Travis's advice and take a seat beside the palisade. The Duke has imposed a bureaucracy at the gates to better keep track of the townspeople. Public opinion has begun to shift against him, and his measures to control us are only making it worse. When his army first arrived, people almost seemed excited, but now I mostly hear complaints.

[Presumably, this was all part of Jezabel's plan. By turning public opinion against the Duke's forces, she can begin to isolate them. Without the citizens' cooperation, it becomes much harder to occupy the town. Additional resources need to be put into security that should be used for fighting, and it can even affect moral. I don't think it will change the outcome of the war, but it will disincentivize the Duke from trying to invade the forest again if he fails.]

I mull over Jezabel's potential tactics for a few minutes while Travis finishes up.

"All set," he declares. I nod and rise to my feet. The pressure of our upcoming battle is still sitting on my shoulders despite my efforts to calm down. It's a very real possibility that we may all die without Inari's support. I look up at the forest in a new light. The woods have always been dangerous, but I can't shake the hopelessness growing in my chest when I see the leaves trembling in the wind. A sigh forces its way out of my mouth as we begin our march into the jungle.

"Where's all that talk from earlier?" Yuki goads me with her arm crossed, and a smug grin spreads across her face.

"It's currently trying to stop me from peeing my pants."

"Pfft, hahahaha. You're that scared, huh?"

"Yes."

"We won't be able to protect you this time like we did against those Equuivores. Maybe you should just go back to sucking your mother's teat?" She pauses to gauge my reaction, but I remain expressionless. "You know, I wasn't even nervous the first time I went into a dungeon. I even beat the dungeon master all by myself."

Her bragging is obviously mixed with lies, or maybe she actually believes her own bullshit. Given that she was knocked out of the fight in the opening blows, she may not accurately remember the battle against the Equuivores. Either way, I collect my thoughts before firing back.

"That's very impressive, but it does beg the question, why do you feel the need to rag on a scared child if you're so strong? Why even engage with me? I know you're feeling insecure now that your fighting potential has dropped due to your missing arm, but that doesn't give you the right to project that frustration onto the people around you," I elaborate.

"Here we go with your Bullshit again. Are you gonna read my palm next?"

"Palm reading is usually performed on the left hand, so I can't, unfortunately." I take this chance to return the smug grin she sent my way.

"Why, you little–"

"Hey, hey, hey, let's all take it down a notch. Yuki, I told you not to talk to him. Also, you should know that Nick and Josh held off one of the Equuivores on their own before the fairies arrived, so you shouldn't look down on him like that. He's a silver-ranked adventurer, and you know as well as I do that they don't just hand those things out for nothing."

"What? I never heard about any of this?!"

"I've told you all this before, but you never pay attention. I wouldn't be taking him and his party with us on such a dangerous quest if I wasn't sure of his skill."

"Fine. But, he opened his stupid face first." I glance back at the kids behind me while wondering why they seem to be maturing just fine while Yuki remains a child.

[I'm very lucky to have friends like them.]

"And Nick, you shouldn't make fun of someone for their disability. I know she egged you on, but I expect more out of you."

[Why can't you expect more out of her?]

I swallow my thoughts and compose myself before speaking.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Yuki, for mocking you like that. It was rude." I don't want to sew any distrust in our group before we enter the dungeon, so I quickly bow and apologize.

"You didn't mean a word you just said, but fine. It's my fault for talking to you anyway." She folds her arm across her chest and walks to the front of the formation to create some distance between us.

♪This ain't build a bitch. I'm filled with flaws and attitude. ♪

A tune gets stuck in my ear as I try to take my mind off my nerves.

"She's a good person." Travis pulls me back with his statement. I have to think about his words for a minute to figure out what he's trying to say.

"I'm sure," I reply flatly.

"I mean it. She might be rude at times, but she's saved my life more times than I can count." He defends Yuki, likely taking my tone for sarcasm.

"I know. She tends to see things as either black or white and feels strongly about what is right and wrong. She is vicious towards her enemies but the most loyal ally. It makes sense that the two of you would get along well together." Travis's Extroverted Feeling likely compliments her Introverted Feeling function. I may be wrong, but I'd say she was an ISFP at a glance.

"Yes… That's exactly right." He replies, perplexed. Feeling emboldened by his positive response, I scrounge together some loose information in my head to throw out and see what sticks. I imagine the two of them sitting across from each other at one of the guild's tables, the dim light of the dying fire stretching shadows across their faces. Countless empty glasses of alcohol are scattered around them. Yuki's face is bright red as she pours herself out to the only man that will listen. I can see Travis smiling at her with his pearly whites, laughing at all the crazy things that come out of her mouth. The stone wall that runs people over during the day is a squishy little girl at dark; who would ever guess? If only he could explain to everyone just how much fun she really is, how interesting and vulnerable she could be once she opens up. His eyes sparkle as he looks across the table at the light of his life burning brightly just a few feet away.

"I bet you're the only one she listens to as well." He nods slowly, so I continue. "It's interesting because this puts you in a strange position; you have to be the mediator between the kind, driven woman you see in private and the prickly wall that presents itself to the public. How could you convince anyone that she cares as deeply as she does?"

"Bahaha!" Travis's face lights up as I apparently hit the nail on the head. "I'm glad at least one person understands. We'll stay up all night talking and drinking, having a great time, and then I've got to cover for her in the morning."

"Don't think she doesn't appreciate that."

"I know she does, but you're right. It puts me in a weird spot." He looks up at the sky as if to think back on some fond memories. "We've had some good times together, so why does it feel like you were watching?"