“What do you mean?” Azure questions calmly.
“You left them all to die when you could have helped them!”
Azure looks down at her quietly for a moment, “And why should I have helped them?”
“So they wouldn’t die!” And now the tears come in a flood of grief, thick sobs choking the air.
“Do you remember what happened when I helped them before?”
“They...ran you out of town…”
“Right. So clearly they didn’t want my help.”
“But, helping people is the right thing to do!”
“Was it right for them to run us out of the town after we helped them?”
“But-“
“No.” Azure interrupts flatly. “They made their own mess and it buried them.” Ocher’s gaze flicks back and forth between Azure and the crying child in front of them. Is Azure being too harsh? He’s not sure, he has no experience interacting with young children. When the three year olds arrive, they’re all kept in self contained groups and no one coddles you in the army, no matter the age. You grow up fast or you get crushed under the weight. “Now, are you coming with us or not?”
Ocher’s gaze shoots back to Azure in surprise. He had to near beg to get Azure to take him along and now he’s bringing along this child with no issue? This child who can’t be older than ten and is a girl no less, she’s useless. There’s no reason at all to bring her along. “Why are you bringing her?”
Azure regards him with amusement, “Are you saying I should leave her to die?”
“You would have left me.”
“You’re not a child.”
“That’s right and I’m more useful.”
Azure turns away and he knows by now that Azure will ignore everything he says after. “Are you coming?”
She sniffles quietly and looks back at her destroyed home, “Yeah.” She takes a step towards them, then pauses. “Wait.”
The girl turns, running back into town and Azure continues to ignore his glares, so apparently they have a new traveling companion. A child.
She returns with a navy blue stuffed tiger tucked under her arm and a resigned look in her eyes. Ocher wonders if she saw the remains of her parents when she went back for that toy.
“Is that everything you need?” Azure questions.
“Everything is burned.”
“Good point. Then there’s no reason to stay here any longer.”
They leave with the child and Ocher can’t help once again questioning the fairness of the world. The way no one is able to choose the life or family they’re born into, but everyone always has to suffer the consequences of decisions made without their input.
He’s not sure why Azure took the child. Azure doesn’t do anything that doesn’t benefit him, so it’s likely not for a good reason. Or at least he tells himself that. Why else would Azure pick a useless child without hesitation, but not him? He's been trained to endure.
Is this just more of the bad hand he’s been dealt? He shouldn’t be surprised. Now that he’s free to make his own decisions, he wonders why anyone would make a choice that doesn’t benefit themselves? So far, he hasn’t met a single selfless person out here and Azure seems to be in a better position than he is despite his nonchalant attitude.
Understanding is coming to him slowly, but surely. Just a little more and he’ll have the knowledge necessary to survive on his own out here.
Chapter 7: Azure
The distinctive smell of fish and salty sea air assaults him as they near his childhood home and Azure frowns. The smell is never so strong whenever it's nostalgic in his memories. He looks to Ocher whose face is twisted as if he’s doing his best not to breath and then to Irisa, clean of ash after he’d tossed her in the lake. Fortunately, she could swim. She looks around curiously, clutching the blue tiger in one arm and Ocher’s hand in the other.
He could say that Ocher is good with kids, but that wouldn’t be the case. Irisa is traumatized and needed someone, anyone, to hold onto and Ocher just happened to be there, despite his reluctance to have Irisa along. And Ocher, after he accepted she was joining them, probably didn’t care enough about her holding onto him and found no point in making a scene. Irisa may be holding his hand, that doesn't mean they have bonded in the slightest over the past two days.
“Here is where we leave you,” Azure announces.
Irisa’s brown eyes widen and her arm squeezes the tiger tighter, “Where?”
“Cress is much bigger than your town and lots of fishing accidents happen, so they have an orphanage. It will take you in.”
“Can’t I just stay with you?” She questions, blinking rapidly.
He shakes his head, “Afraid not, it’s not safe where I’m going.”
“Where we’re going,” Ocher corrects.
Azure’s gaze darts over to the other boy, “You’re just as attached as she is. I expected better from you.”
He draws her away from Ocher and towards the gray brick building, pulling her forward when the other kids at the entrance stop playing to stare at their new resident. A harried woman, smelling of fish like everything in the town does, comes to meet them and Azure gives her a quick summary of the situation.
She sighs, “We’re already nearing max capacity, but if she really has nowhere else to go, she can stay.”
Azure disentangles himself from her grip, feeling a bit of remorse for her. He’s not the best caretaker himself, but she looks absolutely terrified to be left alone here. The most he can do is pat her head and wish her luck before leaving.
Ocher studies his face once he returns, glancing back towards the orphanage, “Don’t tell me you actually feel bad about leaving her there? I’m surprised.”
“What? Why should I feel bad? There was nothing else I could do with her,” Azure replies.
“Your face says you feel guilty.” Ocher looks back towards the building once more, “Is that place safe?”
“She’ll be fine, kids are versatile. She’s young enough to adjust.” He turns away and leads Ocher down the street, wrinkling his nose at the fish carcasses lining the sidewalk. “Next time we see her, she’ll probably belong like she’s been there her whole life.”
“If you say so…” Ocher grimaces at their surroundings. “Why is this place so smelly and dirty?”
“It’s a fishing town near the ocean. What did you expect? All that’s keeping this place afloat is seafood.”
“It’s so strong, I wouldn’t even want to eat fish.”
“When did you get so picky?
“I’m not, it's just...a lot.”
“Now you can see why I left.”
Ocher perks up, “You were born here?” He looks around quickly, “Manipulators come from here?”
“No, I wasn't born here, it's where I grew up once my family was taken.”
“Oh, that's less exciting then.”
“It's still more exciting than your whole life.” Azure speeds up before Ocher can come up with a retort. He doesn't plan on staying here long enough for the smell of fish to seep back into everything he owns.