Of Trails and Snails | Ch. 15: Take Me to the River (Patreon)

“Two-legs.” The stranger’s voice was as smooth and hard as the muscles on her arms. Even though the mask seemed to amplify the sound, the shape made it impossible to see her mouth. Jack couldn’t read the expression in her eyes alone, but he rested the balls of his feet against the floor anyway, ready to deflect an attack or launch into one as needed.

“‘Jack’ is another acceptable name to call me by,” he replied.

“You are stronger than you appear.”

Jack blinked and exchanged a quick, confused glance with Skye. “Have we met?”

She raised her arm and gestured to Skye with the same level of enthusiasm as a cop guiding traffic. “You overpowered this woman and mated her undarted.”

It took a good thirty seconds for the stranger’s words to sink in. By then, Skye’s face had turned a brilliant shade of red, and her eyes hardened into icy stones.

“You were watching us?” Skye spat.

Jack was torn between laughing and grabbing Skye’s arm to make a quick exit. He lifted his hand from the cutlass’s hilt and crossed his arms. “We, uh, did leave the drapes open.”

Skye favored each of them with an incredulous stare. Her mouth hung wide open, and a few sounds that started like the beginning of thoughts never resolved croaked from her throat.

“How did you know I wasn’t darted?” Jack asked.

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Skye snapped.

Bubble Mask rolled her shoulders, but she never broke eye contact with Jack. The dress she wore was a single piece of dark blue fabric, folded in such a way that covered her chest, lap, and backside, but ended in a choker around her neck and left the rest of her bare. Sort of like a sarong. “I saw you arrive. I followed you.”

“What the fuck? Why?!”

“To observe the two-legs named Jack.” She cocked her head to the side, and the dark ponytail that sat high on her crown tipped with it. “Why else?”

“This conversation is over.” Skye reached for her greatsword. “If you have a death wish, go ahead and share it now. Quickly.”

Jack touched Skye’s wrist and shook his head. This woman was definitely strange, robotic, and maybe a little voyeuristic, but he was beginning to wonder if he’d confused her anger with attentiveness. Her physique alone made her intimidating as hell, but she’d yet to say anything that suggested she was looking for a fight.

“Observe me for what?” Jack continued.

“Jack!” Skye screeched.

Jack knew he was going to pay for this one later.

“Your character. Your [Strength], [Stamina], [Dexterity], [Agility]—all things paramount in battle.” Bubble Mask crossed both of her arms over her chest and bowed at the waist. “I wish to travel with you.”

“No. Party’s full.” Skye’s nostrils flared with her breathing. “You stalk us to our inn, watch us like a snake, and you want to come with us? Salt me, bitch.”

“Skye—”

“Nuh-uh. Don’t you ‘Skye’ me. How can you listen to a single word she’s saying?” She dropped her voice to a hiss as the woman straightened, awaiting his answer. “She watched us fuck, Jack.”

He considered bringing up that, in fact, so had Mia. Besides, there had been a few nights in Jack’s memory where a snailgirl or two had watched him with another woman, but Bubble Mask had crossed a very delicate line with Skye—one that she was not likely to forgive. As far as Jack knew, no one else had ever seen her in such a compromising position, and now it was being framed as a weakness. There was no getting through to her like this.

Besides, as curious as he was, he never wanted to hurt Skye or Mia. Nothing was worth that. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Look… What’s your name?”

“Niamh.”

“Right. Niamh. I appreciate your, ah, interest, but I didn’t ‘overpower’ Skye. She’s a lot stronger than I am. Really.” I am not the two-legs you’re looking for.

Niamh looked at Skye. “Why would you allow him to place you in such a precarious position?”

Skye sputtered a laugh. “Are you serious?”

“Hey, we’re losing the point here.” Jack waved a hand and called Niamh’s attention back to himself. “We’re not the best Party for you. Especially if you’re looking for a two-legs that can go toe-to-toe with Skye.” Toe-to-foot? Oh well. Too late.

Jack didn’t want to notice the slight slump of Niamh’s shoulders or the flicker of disappointment in the top half of her face, but there they were.

“And if you ever eavesdrop on us again, I will claw out your eyes.” Skye raised a hand and curled her long fingernails into her palm. “You weren’t invited. You never will be.”

“…Understood. My apologies for disturbing you. It will not happen again.” Niamh repeated her crossed-arm bow, then turned and started toward the exit.

They watched her disappear through the door before Skye’s fist met Jack’s bicep in a strike that stung like hell. No more cute, sleepy Skye today. “I cannot fucking believe you.”

“I figured we could hear her out,” Jack replied slowly. “What if she’s been stuck here for a while?”

“And what if frogs shit Shells and hell’s copper gates are open for business? That doesn’t change the fact that she’s been stalking you. Or that she watched u-us… Ugh!” The blush returned to Skye’s face, and she covered it with both hands. “You’re supposed to be on my side, Jack.”

“I’m always on your side.” He sat back down on the stool and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You said the Party’s full, and I told her to keep looking.”

Skye groaned through her fingers.

He squeezed her shoulder and murmured into her ear, “I’m sorry I left the curtains open. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re fucking right it won’t.”

Jack chuckled. “You can punch me again if it’ll make you feel better.” He caught sight of their waitress returning with three plates of steaming fish and coaxed Skye out from behind her hands. “Or we can start eating. I think that’ll make us both feel better.”

Two of the plates of fish looked and smelled incredible. Long, thick slices covered in an herb mix and cooked up like something Jack would have seen at home. The third, however, was the entire fish—head, tail, and all. Its eyeball was still intact, though glazed over, staring helplessly up at Jack. He felt his cheeks flush and his stomach twist.

Skye looked between Jack and the unmoving fish, then laughed and pulled the plate in her direction. “You and Mia get so weird when your food has a face.”

It was good to hear her relax again, even if it was at his expense. “I don’t know how you can stomach it. What if it started talking while you ate it?”

“Who wouldn’t enjoy some entertainment with their meal?” Skye snapped the tail off the fish and popped it in her mouth, then she glanced back at Trisha. “Speaking of entertainment. What the hell are these lyrics? Did she write them under duress?”

Jack hadn’t really been listening. The first song had seemed simple enough; something about traveling the world and seeing the changing seasons. But now the words sounded like breathy whimpering, and the melody did anything but complement it. “Maybe the fish will sing us a better song.”

Skye picked the whole fish up off the plate and poked her nail over its lower lip. Wiggling her finger downward, she lowered her voice and warbled, “Jack won’t eat my stupid heaaad. But that don’t matter ‘cause I’m deaaad.”

Jack laughed. “You really missed your calling, Skye. You and Juniper could have made a killing together.”

“Pfft.” She stuck the fish’s entire face inside her mouth and bit down with a loud Crunch! A few, thoughtful chews later, she hummed and took another bite. “This is good.” Bits of fish escaped her mouth when she spoke.

“That one’s all yours.” Jack picked off a section of the nearest fish and gave it a try. Even without salt or garlic, the flavor was perfect. The meat tasted like it had just come out of the pond, and whatever the girls had added to it really made it sing.

They enjoyed their dinner in a companionable silence, though Skye did take every opportunity to snicker at Trisha’s strange lyrics. For a while, it seemed like the night was back to normal. That was until they’d paid their bill and started heading back toward the Larina.

“Hey, Jack.”

“Yeah?”

Skye wound her arm around his and looked up toward the dome’s ceiling. “You’d never replace me, right?”

“Never.”

She exhaled through her nose and then nodded. “Okay.” She was silent for a few heartbeats before she sighed. “Do you think we should find out what’s up with Niamh?”

“Only if you think it’s the right thing to do.” He squeezed her hand in his and smiled. “And only if she’s still around after we check out the hot spring tomorrow.”

Skye returned his smile. “Alright. That’s a good plan.” She paused and leaned her forehead against his shoulder. “Hey, Jack?”

“Mhm?”

“Don’t tell Mia that I made my food sing a song. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

He laughed. “Your secret’s safe with me.”