The Wandering Witch VOL. 1 - The Prelude Arc (COMPLETED)

9.2| An Exchange of Oaths

The small remains of the bread Noct had been eating slipped from his grasp and fell onto the ground. He did not move to pick it up. The thief was entirely still for a few uneasy seconds, not moving an inch from where he leaned on the wall. His half-shadowed gaze was fixated on Chell's, full of unexpected surprise. When he finally found his voice, it was filled with confusion.

"A... deal?" he repeated.

Chell nodded slightly deciding, in spite of her uncertainty, to continue on.

"... Come with me," she said in almost a whisper, her words soft. The moment they left her mouth, silence descended between the two of them once again. It stretched quietly, gradually. If the thief felt an uneasiness in the air, Chell did not notice. His expression was difficult to discern.

Then, he blinked once. "... What?"

His face mirrored a look of confusion. As Chell continued to meet his gaze, she realized the ambiguity in her words. She scolded herself. She shook her head and breathed in quietly. Of course, she thought. He must have been lost by her sudden announcement, her strange offer. She knew that she needed to explain everything to him properly in order to make him understand. She pushed back all the doubts and uncertainties she had. There was no more room for them. Chell breathed out.

"Come... with me," she started to murmur, her voice gradually rising as she tried to explain clearly what she wanted to say. "... in my travels. Accompany me, Noct, and in exchange, I will repay you with... anything you want. I'll... also be the one to pay for your necessities. I know this is sudden and possibly... dangerous... but I will make sure no harm befalls on you... and... and..." Chell trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore. She was never good with words from the beginning. Her confidence dwindled. Her eyes wavered. She glanced away. Chell suddenly felt uncomfortable without the bandages in her hands, realizing how cold her bare hands were. She felt the sudden and urgent need to cover them up. Weakly, she clenched them, her nails digging into her pale skin. An unsettling feeling rose from inside of her. She looked back to him.

Noct, on his part, remained still and silent. His eyes were narrowed slightly, as though he was deep in thought. Then a brief moment later, he did something unexpected.

The thief suddenly laughed.

It was a laugh filled with wide amusement, a wide grin spreading on his face. He doubled over and covered his mouth as his shoulders shook. Chell blinked, taken aback. She could do nothing but wait for him to finish, now her turn to be surprised. When he had, his eyes were shining with a wide look of glee. He tousled the back of his head, messing his hair.

"Are you... possibly trying to hire me, little miss?" he finally asked, the delightful grin still there.

Chell paused. Then, she nodded. "If that... is what you call it..."

"Pfft!" He chuckled again, clutching his stomach wound before bursting into another fit of laughter. When he quieted down, he looked up at her. "Are... Are you being serious?"

She stared at his eyes once more, giving him a look of resolve. His amused expression faltered. Noct turned quiet. He straightened up, shaking his head.

"You... you know we only just met yesterday, right?" he finally said.

Chell nodded.