They left the inn and she hurried for the gate, looking like she wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
He followed silently, walking behind her. They made it to the gate and left with ease. Reeve made it back well enough. He unlocked the shop and stepped in. It was one of the first things he noticed. He paled slightly, shutting the door and looking everywhere. He checked under his bed and groaned, sitting up slowly as he ran a hand through his hair. He got up, returning to his work room as he exhaled slowly, going to the wall and lifting an old sword off the shelf. He gritted his teeth, betrayal shuddering in his hands as he collected some items.
She was walking very quickly, standing in front of him. Normally, she was right next to him or lagging a little behind him, and this was unusual.
"From the city," she replied, shaking her head. "From all of this. I feel... I feel terrible. I feel so guilty. That was his most prized possession we stole."
"His family made it," she replied tearfully. "It's his. It's not yours anymore." She gestured vaguely to the land in front of them. "My family being able to eat during the winter means a lot to me, Zerras, but I didn't steal from people when we needed it, because that's just not fair. That's theirs. They worked for it."
Zerras went silent, pulling it out and unwrapping it. The red gem seemed to glow, its silver shining. He gave a small, wistful laugh. "It.. It was the last time my father ever gave me. He had it made for me after he died, like some sort of parting gift..'
She shook her head, not willing to cut him slack. This actually seemed to make her angrier. "Sentimentality is not an excuse," she replied. "That was his great-grandfather's sword and he was actually the one who made it. Those shirts I gave you to wear? Those are my dad's shirts and guess what, Zerras? He didn't kill anyone. Those are the shirts that my mum sleeps with at night because she will never get to hold him in her arms again, and I gave them to you because I thought it was the right thing to do. " She whirled, turning to him with tears in her eyes. "We all make sacrifices for other people because it's called being decent. We take care of other people even if it hurts us. Sentimentality is not an excuse."
"What?" he asked, that stern gaze hiding his hurt expression. "You want me to be a better person? You want me to give it back? I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what you want from me. I told you from the start that I wasn't a good person," he said, looking down again. "You wanted to see the good in me. You should have believed me."
"That's bull*squee!*, Zerras," she said sharply. She had never sworn at him before. "You are not born good or bad. There is no difference between the two of us except that when push comes to shove, you were unwilling to make that sacrifice. Those choices are what makes a bad person. You're not just..." She gestured at him vaguely. "You're not just implicitly a bad person." She was quiet for a moment before she faltered. Her eyes welled up with tears and she dropped her hands, looking down at the ground. Her voice was shaking and he was able to hear that she was crying. "Why can't you see yourself the way I see you?" she asked, her voice small as she turned away from him. "Why can't you see that?"
He looked a concerned and a bit resigned. "I don't know how you see me," he said quietly. "I don't know why you see me the way that you do. I don't see any act or reason that makes me a good person."
"You're good to me," she replied, her back to him. "You saved my life." Her shoulders shook with silent sniffles and her ears drooped. "I don't know why you don't want to try to be better. I don't know what makes me special. I don't know why I'm the one you've chosen to show your decency to and I don't understand why you can't extend it to other people. I'm nothing special. I'm just someone who was in the right place at the right time." A sob broke through her throat and she hugged herself, her figure shrinking from the weight of it. "I just... I don't understand."
One arm wrapped around his waist while the other hand curled in his shirt. It felt instinctive and natural, despite the fact that it was an unusual act. She was still crying a little, looking distraught. "I'm so mad at you."
She was quiet for a moment before she pulled away from him, wiping at her eyes. "No, you're not," she replied, sniffling a little. "If you were, you wouldn't have done it. Come on. Let's just get away from here."
