It was midday. The wind whispered gently through the treetops. Massive pines creaked and groaned steadily as they fought in their eternal struggle with the winds above. On the forest floor, a thick cover of pine needles, ferns, and dirt dulled the tumult above.

The quiet of the woods in the afternoon was peace incarnate. As it had done for millennia, the Black Forest continued on, silently ignorant of the happenings below.

And then a noise cut through the silence. At first, it was a whisper in the distance. Soon, it grew and grew, and…

“This is insane, Jim. How in the hell can anyone live in this? Stomping through the middle of the Black Forest with nothing but these damn bailwing backpacks to protect us is, well, I already said it. It’s insane.”

“Just backpacks? You forget these high quality spears I made… no thanks to you.” Jim would never admit it, but he was thoroughly enjoying the argument.

Seeing the captain, or Alia now, so out of her element had put him in good spirits indeed. As her mood darkened, his grew lighter. He was developing an odd fascination with her more extreme attitudes.

“Oh, is that what we are calling them? I’d prefer to call them what they are, sap covered pointy twigs.”

“Branches.”

“Excuse me?”

Jim stopped his canter over a nearby fallen sapling and turned to meet his accuser. “I said, they are made of branches. If you are going to go galavanting through the forest with me, you must get your terminology straight. That is a branch. Well, I mean, it’s a spear now but, it was a branch. And, I burned away the sap. You are just fishing for complaints,” he retorted with a wry grin.

Unlike Alia, Jim had not mastered the art of the infectious smile. His cheery mood only fed her anger, and she seethed, “I don’t care if you call it a damn tree trunk. This is crazy. Everyone knows that forests are full of every type of creepy crawly creature, each one bent on killing you. If it isn’t dragons, it’s these damn bugs.”

The worry in her voice betrayed her confident demeanor. “Dammit Jim, I’m a mechanic, not a bushwhacker.”

Jim leaned against a nearby pine. He tried his best to look smug while sneaking in a few precious breaths. A lifetime in the desert had trained his body for low elevation. Up here, he was struggling to keep his burning lungs filled with air.

He would have been saving his breath if he didn’t enjoy arguing with Alia so much. “You know, *breath* I never pinned you as the scared of bugs type. Surely in your many *breath* adventures, you’ve killed your share of giant scarabs.”

Alia set her hands on her hips and glared at him. Even while angry, she was beautiful. Perhaps that was why it was so hard for him to stay mad at her. She had a major advantage in any argument. He hoped she would never figure that bit out.

“Giant bugs don’t bother me, Jim. You can shoot a giant scarab or hack it up with a proper scimitar, but little ones? There’s nothing you can do but hope you see them in time to step on them. Disgusting.”

“I’m pretty sure fear of small bugs is embedded in the essence of every female. It’s ok though. I forgive you for your natural failings.” He knew it would draw her ire, but these arguments were invigorating. She was enticing and thoroughly entertaining.

Alia took the bait.

“You chauvinistic, pompous ass of a man…”

The argument continued for much of the day. He relished every minute of it.

***

***

Night had fallen. The sky, bordering on black and blue with a hint of purple, was alive with the sparkle of endless stars. Even through the thick cover of the pine forest, rays of milky starlight poked through and played upon the ground.

The song of crickets and popping fire played softly against the evening winds. Orange firelight cast shifting shadows in every direction and added much needed warmth to the chilly night air.

Jim was bushed. Every part of him seemed to ache. They’d been walking and arguing most of the day. Normally quiet and reserved, Jim found that Alia brought out a side of him he wasn’t even aware he had. The last few hours had been relatively quiet, however, as they both conserved their remaining strength.

Even the indomitable Captain Rychist was showing signs of wear. Her eyelids sunk as the fire beckoned them both to sleep. That didn’t stop her from gripping her spear tightly.

Jim tried another smile in her direction. “You don’t need to worry about using that. Most creatures don’t take well to fire. They won’t bother us so long as we keep it burning.”

Her darkened eyes shifted to him under a face veiled in shadow. “Asleep next to a fire with a weapon is still safer than asleep next to a fire without. I trust this more than I do your judgement,” she replied, leaning the weapon toward him.

He rolled his eyes. They had been taking verbal shots at each other all day. So far, as he saw it, he was winning. I can’t stop myself. “You know, that’s your problem, isn’t it? You don’t dare trust others. That’d make you appear weak.” His tone edged on slightly sarcastic. “Gods above forbid that the mighty captain be, GASP, vulnerable.”

“I trusted my crew. I trust my friends.”

Her emphasis on that last word stung him more than he cared to show but he continued, “I’m sorry you don’t trust me, but you probably should have figured that out about sixty kilometers south of here. Now, you’re stuck with me. Me and my untrustworthiness.”

Leaning back on his makeshift bed of needles and bailwing canvas, he folded his fingers behind his head and continued, “Actually, the way I see it, you never really trusted your crew either. Henry, maybe. The doc definitely, but not really anyone else.”

Alia’s reply was sharp, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve watched you these past few weeks.” Oops. Probably a bad choice of words there. “... and you do an excellent job of playing captain. Every night you went around slapping crewmen on the back and even making small talk, but you keep everyone at arm’s length. I’ve seen you sitting, lonely, starting into your drink night after night.”

Alia stared daggers at him as he continued, “And it’s not like you’re shy or anything - Trust me. I know brevity. No, you choose to keep your distance. You never really dropped the whole large and in charge routine while I was there. Hell, you’re still putting on a show right now.”

“You can’t presume to -”

“I’m not done.” This argument was going downhill, but he was committed now. “I had to carry your nearly lifeless body up a mountain for the better part of a day. You were weak, helpless, and vulnerable. Did I think less of you then? No. In fact, I’d guess the only time the real Alia Rychist showed up was the morning after I healed you and…” Oops again.

“Wait. Healed me? What the hell are you talking about?”

He’d gone too deep. In for a penny... “I… well, you were dying. I remembered the doc said something about earth awakened power and healing. As a prime, it’s supposed to all come as raw instinct. I figured it out in time to save you, thankfully.”

He added with a tinge of guilt, “I’m...I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t want you to feel like you owed me anything.”

“Jim… I...” Deep sadness crept across her face. “The doctor and I spoke many times about his healing powers. He considered it a gift. I always saw it as a curse, the worst of abilities among awakened. To heal another, you… you literally absorb the entirety of their pain and suffering. To heal is to take the essence of their pain. Not just the pain of the moment either. Literally the entirety of suffering from start to finish.”

She stared into the fire as she spoke, “Sure, you earth awakened types heal quickly, but the pain you have to endure… even for minor injuries is terrible. Jim… how bad off was I, exactly?”

He thought for a moment. “Alia, it doesn’t matter. You are healed, which is enough to...”

“Jim,” her voice was soft now, shaking slightly. The captain persona was again locked away, and her rare honest side was showing. This time, it wasn’t anger. Vulnerability. “I need to know. Please.”

Truth or fiction? He’d never been much of a liar. Might as well tell the truth. “Well, at least a few broken ribs, both legs broken, major loss of blood, concussion, broken lower back, a shattered right wrist bone, broken collarbone, and I believe a damaged artery or two. Probably from the gunshot wound. Don’t ask how I know all that. I just knew… somehow...”

She stared at him in disbelief and… another emotion he couldn’t quite puzzle out. “Jim, I’ve seen the doctor heal before. He usually only used his powers in emergencies because the pain would overwhelm him.”

She took a moment to recall a long buried memory. “There was an incident once where he saved one of our crew from a mortal head wound. The woman had suffered a split skull when a barrel of powder came loose from its rigging. He knew if he didn’t heal the entirety of the young woman’s head wound at once, she wouldn’t survive an hour.”

She drew her coat tighter against a cold that wasn’t there and whispered, “I watched him do it. Her skull healed within seconds. It was a damn miracle, but the doctor was… oh by the gods, it was so horrific. I have never heard a man scream like that.”

Jim knew the feeling. His level of respect for the doctor ticked up another notch. Another reason to miss you, doc.

Alia was looking straight at him now. Her eyes were concealed in shadow, but the glow of the fire betrayed the tears welling up. “Jim, to save me from that. Just… how? I… The pain must have been unimaginable. Even as a prime, you could have… no… you should have died from the attempt. I don’t understand. Why would you that? I mean, you hardly know me and obviously don’t think too highly of me.”

He had been honest so far. No reason to stop now. “Alia, you… the crew, and yeah, Henry, you are… well, were all the closest I’ve had to family in many years. Before my awakening, my life was pretty rough. There wasn’t time for friends or family when I had to worry about my next meal or surviving another night against whatever creature was looking for its next snack.”

He bowed his head in shame, “It was a pathetic and wasted life. When you brought me on board, I promised myself this time it would be different. This time I’d live more, learn more, and… love more.”

If she’d caught the meaning of those last words, she didn’t show it. “I don’t buy it. To use that level of power takes something more than will. It takes desperation and extreme dedication. Why were you desperate to save me? Who am I to you?” Her suspicious tone hurt him.

“Because… I... Because I care about you. It’s not fair… to you. You hardly know me, but most days you’re all I can seem to think about.”

The confession lifted a weight from him. Each word became easier. “When I saw you dying, I was willing to do anything, give anything to save you. I couldn’t lose the last person I had left. Selfish, I know, but I can’t explain it beyond that. You say I don’t think highly of you. The problem is, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

And he couldn’t. By all accounts, she had been distant from him from day one. Always kind but never close. After saving her in the cave, he’d discovered he enjoyed teasing her. It was in her moments of anger that he caught a momentary glimpse of who she really was. It was intoxicating. He was young again, teasing the girl he secretly liked.

Now, he’d just gone against his own personal code. Reveal as little as possible about yourself. He’d practically placed his heart on a table for her to do with as she pleased.

The kiss came as a complete surprise. She pinned him to the ground. Her tears fell on his cheeks as they kissed passionately. Jim’s heart was pounding out of his chest. None of it made sense. He didn’t care though. Only one thing mattered at that moment. And then -

Sudden as the kiss had come, it ended. Alia detached herself from his embrace and shuffled back to her small bed of jackets and bailwing bags. Laying down with her spear tucked safely under one arm, she turned away, closed her eyes, and whispered, “Goodnight, Jim.”

“Uhh...goodnight?”

How was he going to sleep after that?