Curse of Compassion

Chapter 4

When the Sabertooth members left last night, Mikal's priority was to take a long hot shower. She wasn't sure exactly how badly she smelled, but she didn't want to be the only target for Sting to tease. The heavy water pressure cleansed her skin as she stood under the steady stream of water.  The amount of dirt that flowed into the drain from her body was ungodly, so she made a point to focus on the white tile in front of her. 

The bathroom was huge, even for the already enormous guildhall of Sabertooth. Its pristine mirrors and sinks were so clean, they almost could have sparkled. After scrubbing her body for the sixth time, with the water flowing down the drain transparent again, she turned the shower off. She dried her body and hair while staring at her reflection in the mirror. The scent of the lavendar shampoo she had used tickled her nose and was already lulling her to sleep. Since she didn't have a hairbrush, she combed through her knotted hair with her fingers before tying it in a messy bun at the back of her head. 

Now that she was squeaky clean, she had no trouble falling asleep on one of the blue bean bags out in the common room. Her lavender-scented hair mixed with the blanket smelling of mothballs. The lights were out, with not a sound within the building. A clock silently ticked at the back wall of the room, almost as if it was reminding her of the three month time limit. She couldn't help but think of Rogue as she fidgeted with her citrine pendant around her neck. He was a good person, she knew that much. She yearned to learn more about him; about why he even bothered to stop her from leaving, and how he felt knowing he was endangering himself by being involved with her. She wanted to learn more about Sting, and how a young person like him became guild master of one of the strongest guilds of Fiore. And she wanted to learn more about Yukino, what kind of magic she wielded, and what she enjoyed doing for fun. These yearnings eventually helped her fall asleep like the melody of a lullaby.

It was eight thirty in the morning when she was shaken awake by unfamiliar and confused faces. "Um, who are you and why are you in our guild?" The person closest to her face interrogated her.

"Is she homeless?" whispered a woman next to him.  Mikal realized she had forgotten to wash her clothes the night before, and blushed. 

"Relax, everyone." Sting's voice rang out and echoed throughout the room.  "As of last night, we have a new guild member! Everyone say hello to Mikal."  Inaudible chatter reverberated through the crowd. Everyone immediately tried high-fiving, fist bumping, and hugging her. "Ah-ah! No touching her, guys. As per Mikal's request, everyone is to remain at least three feet from her, and no touching. For her...medical condition." 

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, please don't, I have a weak immune system," Mikal played along with Sting's half-truth. "But it is nice to meet you all!"  To her left, Rogue walked up through the crowd. He tossed her a paper bag. "What's this for?"

"Your breakfast," he replied. "You looked fatigued last night, so I thought you'd like some."

"Wow, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much!" Mikal opened the bag and spent no time wondering what was inside it. She stuffed her face immediately with what tasted like a croissant filled with raspberry jelly. It was fresh, with its warmth from the oven warming her insides as it reached her stomach. She stopped mid-chew when she felt eyes on her. By now, everyone was off doing their own thing, but Sting and Rogue were staring at her with their jaws to the floor. 

"Man, you sure can eat," Sting mumbled in shock. "Exactly how long has it been since you had food?"

"Maybah threh days?" Mikal swallowed her food as quickly as she could. "Ugh. Sorry. I was starving." She felt blood rush to the tops of her ears as she hastily removed the crumbs off of her clothes. 

"That...was impressive." Rogue nodded with a straight face, as if he was satisfied with the answer. He glanced at the clock. "Yukino, Sting and I were about to go shopping for new gear and clothes. Would you like to join us?"