Runaways

Outcasts don't fear judgement. They take care of the things they love no matter what; Shaesi looked over the Vasen with warmth, but she couldnt even try to meet her gaze.

It was only the first day she'd left town and already she'd gotten fist first into trouble, as a new guild graduate,   La'era found herself swarmed by a collection of Woodwicks. Shaesi threw herself into the fight, into trouble without thinking. After all, a pretty girl getting bloodied by some overgrown stump that didnt know enough to stay down?

That was simply not going to fly with her.

The code among outcasts is to do whatever you want. It wasn't they who chose the name of the spirit they held. The guilds chose that title. Not that it really bothered Shaesi but here she was looking at an embarrassed guildworker, dressing her wounds, taking care of her without a second thought.

She thought to herself, maybe that might have been the reason the Vasen wouldn't look at her. Why she looked so embarrassed. Or maybe it was just that Guild mages are supposed to be capable of taking care of themselves and she couldn't confess to her own weakness.

Shaesi didn't judge. All she cared about was how pretty her face was. "I'm Shaesi, by the way." she said, gently. Her voice rolled off her tongue like butter rolling around a heated pan. "I'll take care of you."

" La'era." the Vasen responded. Curtly at first. Then a second time, as if she hadn't heard herself speak.

"My name is La'era."

Shaesi smiled, tying the bandage into a bow.

"So, you can speak then? That's useful. I trust you'll tell me if the bandage is too tight then? Oh and by the by, you can look at me you know."

"You're not exactly decent right now."

"Oh, I thought I was being helpful, what with you being surrounded and now bleeding."

"That's not what I mean."

"Hm, well. Your loss."

La'era snorted. "What do you think I am? Some kind of simpleton?"

"Well," Shaesi paused, letting out a little laugh, "you were standing there watching. You seemed to know where everything was. What did you expect would happen?"

"A lot less blood than this."

"No one expects less blood than that. But I'm sure we can come to terms."

"We can?"

"Sure! I'll give you a nice long bandage and some ointment for your cuts. We'll talk about what happened later."

"And you won't hurt me?"

Shaesi laughed again. "Of course not! Now get up, let's go!"

They walked through the streets together, chatting away like old friends.

They'd spend the next few months together and those months turned into years both abandoning their guilds who refused to accept the couple together. But as time went on, both of them realized that as long as they never returned to the guilds, never took the time to integrate back into society, never took the time to be "normal" and acceptable, they'd always be hounded. Pressured by others.

After another fight, leading them down to the water yet again to dress their wounds;

Shaesi turned away from La'era's gaze, picking up a fallen sword. "At least you wont get a scar on that pretty face of yours"

"What?"

"I'm helping you get better. I'm going to go find something, a new way. And in the end, we should be able to cut away what binds us before long, don't you think? We can make a break for it, escape this place. Go home. Find somewhere else to live. Maybe join another guild. A different one."

La'era nodded slowly.

"Yeah," Shaesi continued, turning back to the Vasen. "We can run. Run far, until there's nowhere to run anymore. Until our legs give out and our lungs burn and our bodies ache and we fall to the ground, exhausted. And then when we wake again, we can start running again. Until the sun goes black and rises again and we're still running."

La'era shook her head.

"No."

Shaesi's smile faltered. She knew she shouldn't have pushed. But she wanted La'era to understand, needed her to see.

"There will always be places to run, to hide. Somewhere safe, where people won't come after us. Where we can start again. So why not run? Why not keep running, until we cant run anymore? Why would we stop? If we keep moving, if we keep running, nothing can catch us. Not forever."

"Then I will run with you, Shaesi, Until we become the wind."