Chapter 48: A Place to Live
--Chapter 48--
Title>> A Place to Live
"I want to live..."
Skylar stopped tapping her fingers against her arm the moment she heard that.
For a moment, she simply stared at him. Her gaze lost in the simplicity and yet familiarity of his words.
Xavier noticed the change almost immediately. Her relaxed posture had disappeared, and the playful curiosity in her eyes had been replaced by something more cautious.
"Live?" she repeated slowly.
"Yeah."
Skylar glanced around the alcove. Then toward the two male guards standing outside.
"You’re worried we’re going to kill you?"
Xavier frowned slightly at the words. "What?"
"You said you want to live," There was genuine confusion in her voice now.
Xavier stared at her for a second before realizing what had happened. She had taken his words literally.
"No. That’s not what I meant."
Xavier leaned back slightly, thinking about how to explain it without making the situation sound more complicated than it actually was.
"I mean I want somewhere I can live," Xavier tried to make it sound as civil as possible.
Skylar continued staring blankly at him. Her confusion was by no means alleviated. Somewhat compounded instead.
Xavier gestured vaguely toward the village outside.
"Not permanently. I don’t even know how long I’ll be here. But until I figure things out, I’d rather not spend every day wondering whether I’m going to be thrown out of the nearest settlement because nobody knows what to do with me."
Skylar’s expression shifted, her expressionless eyes bloomed with golden realization.
Xavier continued before she could interrupt.
"I didn’t choose to come here."
That much was obvious to her already, but he didn’t stop there.
"I didn’t know this village existed. And definitely don’t even know how I got inside."
He slowed his words. "I don’t know how to leave either... So I need your hel
Hearing what he meant, Skylar carefully considered the legitimacy of his words just how a jury would probe a defendant.
Xavier looked toward the opening of the alcove. The village continued moving outside as if none of this concerned it.
Fairies walked along the root paths. Someone was carrying a basket toward one of the living homes. A pair of children flew past overhead before disappearing behind another enormous branch.
It was strangely peaceful. And that was exactly the problem.
He had no idea what to do with that, yet.
He was still unsure, if the same rules that applied to other Fairy villages he strolled through during previous play throughs applied here as well.
For example, how could he leave if he wanted to, right now?
Everything was a blank page with only one certainty. He couldn’t remain blindsided like this for too long.
For now, he had no weapon, his resources were at their death bed and he needed to open up his class limitations.
Furthermore, there was an entire world waiting outside this place that he needed to return to. And a party he wouldn’t have thought he would be missing right now.
Xavier didn’t tell Skylar any of that. Instead, he looked back at the tiny fairy who finally looked less confused and instead somewhat thoughtful.
"I need somewhere I can recover. Train and figure out what’s next for me."
Skylar’s expression remained thoughtful.
"And if you find a way out?"
"I’ll leave."
The answer came so naturally that Skylar’s eyes shifted slightly.
Xavier shrugged.
"I’m not trying to make this place my home."
That seemed to settle something behind her eyes. At least temporarily.
Skylar lowered her arms. "I might have misunderstood your intentions. My apologies."
Xavier nodded, a small smile pulled the edges of his lips upward.
"I don’t expect you to trust me," he added. "Honestly, I’d think you were stupid if you did."
That earned the smallest twitch at the corner of her mouth.
Xavier continued. "But I can be useful."
His last words earned a simple nod from Skylar even as she twisted lazily in mid-air.
Xavier definitely had something to offer after talking a big game and Fiona needed something he could potentially provide.
That made the situation rather simple. If they allowed him to remain here, he could help when he was capable of helping.
"You’re very confident but this are all just words for now."
Xavier’s eyes moved toward her. "Then let me show you."
That made her smile for a moment before she looked else where, her expression turning strange again.
Xavier didn’t bother reading it, he had already learned enough about her to understand that she was considerably more difficult to read than Fiona.
Fiona guarded herself closely but Skylar was more curious.
If anything, Xavier suspected curiosity could be considerably more troublesome.
Skylar eventually leaned forward slightly. "That is still up to Fiona. She’s Chief, I’m only a lowly servant."
"I highly doubt that," Xavier was quick to curb her gaslighting.
"A lowly servant wouldn’t be here at this time, trying to find enough reason to allow me save her friend."
Xavier picked his words with intent. He knew from listening to Skylar that she wasn’t just here for the Fairies and their safety. She was here for Fiona precisely.
For several seconds, neither moved. Then Skylar’s tiny shoulders dropped.
"You’re annoying."
"I do my best," Xavier smiled. "So what next?"
Skylar’s lips twitched. Was it annoyance or something else, Xavier couldn’t tell.
After all, it was only after she looked away did her expression became a fully realized smile.
Xavier leaned back against the wooden support again. At least she hadn’t thrown him out.
That was progress. He still had no idea what Skylar intended to do with the information he’d given her.
But that was her problem. For now, Xavier had made his position clear.
He didn’t want protection from the fairies. Or anyone to spare his life.
He just wanted to be useful to precisely himself more than anyone else.
***
Skylar remained quiet for a while after Xavier finished.
She didn’t look particularly convinced, but she didn’t look suspicious either. Her gaze drifted past him and toward the village outside, as though she were considering something that had only just occurred to her.
Then she looked back."You know...she’ll find you if you try to pull a fast one."
Skylar paused. "We’ll find you."
Xavier remained silent. Just when he thought they were making progress, she kept dragging them back.
"Fiona has been outside," Skylar finally revealed.
The reason she did?
Xavier knew it was an obvious bait to tell him Fiona knew a way out or probably, Fiona was the only way to leave.
Xavier’s expression barely changed. It was unexpected information but it was also very welcomed.
"Is that so?"
Skylar gestured vaguely around them.
"YES! beyond the Grove. Beyond the boundaries of this place."
Xavier’s eyes narrowed slightly and nodded.
He had to be honest, he assumed Fiona spent most of her life here but never thought she knew more than just the preservation of her people.
Apparently, he’d been wrong. "How long ago?"
Skylar shrugged. "A long time."
Xavier raised a brow. "What is a long time to you ?"
"She hasn’t spent her entire life hiding here, Xavier. That’s my point."
Xavier found that answer a bit more interesting. "So...she knows what’s to come, outside?"
"Some of it."
Skylar’s gaze moved toward the village again. "If you want to leave as you say, then be certain you can heal her."
Xavier glanced at her. "I already told you I can."
"So are we doing this or ..."
"...Or what?" A calm and yet strained voice punctured a hole through their tedious conversation.
--End of Chapter--