Chapter 230: Ridiculous

Author’s note: Hey guys.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 230: Ridiculous - link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/125136190

─◇─◈─◆────────────────────────────────────────

Chapter 230: Ridiculous

"Oh, may I?" Birhane asked, but the mug was already halfway to his lips. No hesitation. He drained the rest of her ale, as if he had come back parched after a long run through the desert. Except they weren't in the desert, in fact they were so far from it that he felt the need to burrow deeper into his coat and scarf after quenching his thirst at her expense.

Ashe let out a slow breath, the old thought creeping in again. 'I should have stuck a dagger in his ribs years ago.'

"And? Where is he?"

"Oh, right - right. It's not good, guys."

"Kind of picked up on that when you barged in like a Yallaran beast was snapping at your heels," Zewdi grunted. Her brother nodded, leaning in, just as eager for answers as Ashe.

"Yeah. So? Zander? Where is he?" Yonas toyed with his fork, flipping it between his fingers - a habit that only showed when nerves got the better of him.

"Fuck, guys. Let me catch my breath - this cold..." Words died in his throat as Ashe’s dagger pressed into his inner thigh, dangerously close to something he would rather keep. A cold sweat prickled down his back.

"If you don’t speak, the cold will be the least of your worries."

"Hey, be careful with that. You could…"

Ashe brought the dagger closer to his crotch. "You were saying?"

"... that I'm fine now. Zander, not so much."

"What happened?"

"City guards got him."

"Bullshit." The dagger bit in just a little more.

"Fuck, Ashe. Chill. Not like I marched him to the stocks myself."

"Wouldn’t surprise me if you had." The pressure held for a beat longer before the blade vanished into her spatial storage. "Checked all the gates. Not a damn word about Zander, so..."

"That's because they didn't catch him at the gate," Birhane didn't let her finish. "There was some commotion, and..."

"Are you saying Zander was fool enough to make trouble? After he got in?"

"That doesn't sound like him." Yonas nodded, though doubt flickered in his eyes. "He’s hot-blooded, sure, but..." His words trailed off as the young waitress came over, bringing a plate of food and several freshly tapped mugs of ale.

"Did you actually see him?" Ashe asked as she danced off to another table. "Or is it just a street word?"

"What do you think?" Birhane snapped, frustration sharpening each word. No surprise there. Unlike the others, he found something - did what needed doing - only to be met with distrust from the ones who should have had his back. His own damn fault, though. Should’ve spilled the truth from the start instead of fucking around it.

"I think this whole thing you have going on is ridiculous," Zerai said, motioning at the state he was in. "You should get yourself a tool to keep you warm."

"Or some tit," Zewdi, his twin sister, added with a smirk.

Ashe’s jaw, on the other hand, tightened. "Don't any of you give a shit about Zander? Don't you remember what he did for us - for every single one of us?"

Their stories were not so different from hers. Whether having families or being mere street rats - all of them were lost in their lives, wasting away under Munca’s blistering sun. Zander saved them. He pulled them together, gave them purpose. Without him, they would be bones in the dirt.

"We owe him!"

"Do we?" Birhane raised an eyebrow. The dagger flicked back into her grip.

"He has a point," Zewdi said, her brother nodding along.

'Those fuckers! They can’t be serious.'

"Yonas. At least you..."

"Sorry, Ashe." He sipped his ale, eyes steady. "We all knew what we were getting into."

"You know what? Fuck you all!"

"Fuck you too, bitch," Zewdi hissed. "Not like you'd lose sleep if I rotted in a cell - so why should I give a damn?"

Ashe had a sharp reply ready, spite curling on her tongue - until the truth sank in. The raunchier twin had a point. There was Mewael, Henok, and Genet, of whom they had no news also, and in all this time, she hadn't given them a single thought. That was how things went. People came, people left. Life moved forward, faces faded, and nothing could change that.

'So why the fuck can't I just...?'

The question lingered, unanswered. No - she had known for a while now.

Yonas took a slow sip of ale, then set his mug down. "Look, Ashe, we know you're closer to Zander than the rest of us. I get it. But that also means you should know best what he’d want us to do."

"To forget about him," Ashe whispered, the ache in her chest pulling at her words.

"Yeah, exactly. We need to stick to the plan, to what we came here for."

'What had they really come for?' The fact that Ashe had to strain to recall their purpose said it all. The South was getting too hot for them, not just Munca. And the word was that there were coins to be picked up here in Castiana - a labyrinth city as far from Wagon'brei as Munca. It seemed like the perfect place to relocate, maybe even build something new. But the idea of a new home was one Zander had whispered only to her.

'Home without him? Never!'

Yonas sighed when he saw her attention drifting. "The others have already found a way to take over a small business left behind by some Rutledge and use it as an entry to a bigger game. It'd be great having you there, but if you've got other plans, we can get by without you."

"Yeah."

"It won’t be the first time we’ve handled shit without you."

It wasn’t only the twins who agreed with Yonas - Birhane did too.

"Shame, but not the end of the world."

'Bastards!' The weight of it hit her hard, just as badly as thinking she would never see Zander again. It wasn't like they were booting her out, but it was clear they would help neither her nor Zander.

"Fuck my arse!" The curse slipped out as the first bite of food met her mouth, the decision finally made. "Fine! Do without me, then. I'll see what I can dig up about Zander - and what happened."

"All right," Yonas nodded, respecting the choice. "Just don’t get caught in the process."

"I’d rather die." The weird part? Zander would say the same. 'How the fuck did they catch him? It doesn’t make sense.'

"What?" Birhane snapped, shuddering under all the layers of clothing as Ashe fixed her gaze on him. Chewing on another bite, she growled. "Before we go our ways, you’re showing me the place."

─◇─◈─◆────────────────────────────────────────

Author’s note: 

I have to be honest, not my best work. Quite a lot on my mind, and I think it took its toll.

─◇─◈─◆────────────────────────────────────────
                                                     Glossary

                                                   Korra’s Grid

Previous Chapter . . . . . . . Table of Contents . . . . . . . Next Chapter