Old Scars

Nelphy rushed past Bil and readied to jump in the large bath.

"Hey, you've got to wash off first!" Bil shouted, pointing to the buckets at the side. "I'll help you and Jash, okay?"

"Okay!" Happy for the help, Nelphy strolled to the side basin and sat on a stool.

Jash finally walked in and led Bil to the rinsing basin, sulking while glancing again and again at Bil's head.

They all placed their towels on a wrack. Then, Bil carefully rinsed them down and washed their hair, glad to see some soaps and creams available for the guests. He finished Jash's hair first, calming the unruly mess it was before the boy playfully leaped into the big bath.

Caring for her hair, Bil took longer with Nelphy, as he always did. She was all smiles as he pampered her.

"What's that scar from again?"

Chuckling to himself, Bil's covered gaze never wandered. "Which one?"

Jash clarified, "The one on your shoulder."

"Ah… From how it feels, I believe it was a demon," answered Bil, finishing Nelphy's hair care routine.

As Nelphy got up and turned to face Bil, she pointed at the center of his chest. "And where's this one from?"

"Hmmm, I think that one was an angel."

"How can you tell?" Jash blurted out as Nelphy guided Bil to the bath steps. "If you can't remember, how can you tell the difference?"

"Well.. Angels and demons aren't so different, after all," Bil explained, sitting himself between the kids. "Both are underlings of deities. And both are granted power for devoting themselves. But angels and gods use holy light to do battle, while demons and devils use surreal darkness to fight. The two energies feel very different, so I can tell what caused the injury."

"So gods and devils do exist?!" Jash shouted in excitement.

Patting them both, Bil continued, "Of course, they do. I've told you this before."

"And your other scars? What about them?" Nelphy asked, eyes wide in enthusiasm.

Sighing, Bil ran his fingers along his arm and chest. "I'm covered in little scars, so I don't remember them all. I'm sure some came from other people and warriors too. But the ones I can remember are the big ones, like the demon and angel scars."

"And your face! I want to see the scar on your face!"

With a hand on Jash's head, Bil continued to look down at the water. "Sorry, but I'll never show you my face. It's… It's something else. I don't want to scare you two."

"I'm not scared!" shouted Jash.

"I want to see it too…" Nelphy chimed in, acting cute.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. That's the one thing I can't show you or tell you about."

"But–"

"Jash, that's final," Bil stated while giving him a noogie. "Besides, I've got no hair or anything interesting up there. Why would you–"

"But I want to see it! Please! PLEASE, BIL!" begged Jash, dropping his tough demeanor. "I'll do anything! I've always wanted to see it. You're a warrior! I want to be one too!"

Shaking his head, Bil replied, "You don't need to be scarred or crippled to be a warrior. Most true warriors never made it back from the battlefield. If anything, I'm a shell of a former warrior–"

"That's not true! You're a warrior!" Jash insisted, standing up in the bath. "You're a real warrior! You saved us, and tried to save Mom! I want to be strong and save people too!"

"Jash… You will be strong, I'm sure. But you'll have to wait till you're older," stated Bil.

Nelphy wiggled and stood up too, grabbing Bil's hand. "You're my hero!"

"And my hero!" Jash added.

"We just want to know you more…" continued Nelphy, frowning gingerly. "If your memory is so bad, then tell us what you remember. Then we can remember for you."

Nodding frantically, Jash put his hands around Bil's free hand. "Yeah! Tell us! PLEASE!"

"Huuuu….." Bil waited a moment, letting their eagerness linger in the air. "Guys… I–"

DONG!!! DONG!!!

Leaping out of the bath, Bil retraced his steps to the wash basin. "Get out. We're leaving."

"HUH?!" Jash was startled.

Nelphy blinked, confused. "Wh-what–"

"Every town and city has an alarm bell, which you just heard," Bil stated, surprising them both. "They only ring that bell if the town is in danger of invasion, or something is endangering the whole town. So we're leaving."

"But we–"

"We're not staying here tonight." Bil cut Jash off, "We have to leave while the roads are still clear."

Nelphy whimpered, "B-but we just got here. We haven't even slept…"

"You're both right. We haven't slept and barely got to relax in the bath. But we can't stay in a warzone, or anywhere that will put you two in danger. So get up, dry off, and get changed," ordered Bil. "We'll go grab your backpacks and then we're leaving."

"Okay!"

Both Bil and Nelphy were surprised to see the change in Jash's attitude.

Rushing to grab his towel, Jash said, "This is like battle! I've got to be ready at any moment!" But as Jash snatch his towel in a hurry, he slipped on the watery floor and bumped into the wall.

"That… That's right, Jash," chuckled Bil. "Get ready, Nelphy. As long as we're careful, we'll all be fine."

"Uh-huh.." agreed Nelphy, following Jash's example, minus the tumble.