16

"Let me help, Sir Hermit."

Tahlia gave the pesky man a daunting glare, sharp enough to knock him off of the ground. Whatever is happening now is ridiculous. She was currently roasting some fish over the fire, ironically taking care of the foolish man who managed to put himself in a series of difficult positions.

The prostitute successfully sprained his leg this time. She scoffed in her mind when she heard the details of his unfortunate adventure. He was trying to find the cave they stayed in during the storm, and the destroyed part of the forest. In the middle of finding it, he got thirsty and discovered that the water container was empty. The idiot thought it was a good idea to venture further into the forest without remembering the twists and turns.

Luckily for him, he found a good source of water but out of his excitement, he did not notice the moss and slipped down the ravine and straight into the river. He got swept away but was able to cling on a rock long enough for her to discover him.

"Touch the stick one more time and I'll toss you back down the river myself." She warned him stiffly. There is something about this man that screams klutz. They were currently staying in one of her many shelters. She was waiting for his sprained to mend a little before they walked once again.

In the span of two days, a couple of small accidents kept happening to him, like he was jinx or something of that sort. He stumbled over a small stone and almost face planted but her reflexes were quick to catch him. The stumble jarred his sprained leg, so he was yelping like a starving hog while she was being crushed by his weight, and the stones underneath her were poking holes on her back.

Yesterday, he was trying to help her prepare a wooden bowl for their meal, but he spilled most of the contents accidentally.

The poultice she made from ginger and garlic ended up on the ground when he shook his already injured leg when she warned him of the fire ants. Again, he worsened his injury with his foolishness. And somehow along those little incidents, she suffered with him.

He also made sure to follow her everywhere. It was fucking ridiculous. How is he going to get better when he won't stay in one place?!

"I just want to help you. You've been cooking for us a lot. I feel useless." he gave her an apologetic smile. His hands were awkwardly clenched on his sides.

"Just stay seated," she said with no expression on her face. "And keep quiet." she added in a hurry.

She welcomed the silence after he obeyed her words. The sound that you can only hear in the forest was like a lullaby to her eyes. Never in her life that she thought she would miss the sound. Nodding in approval, she turned the skewered fish on the stick, making sure not to burn the fish black.

"You can't take back what you said yesterday, Sir Hermit." he said after a few minutes of silence.

Rolling her eyes in despair, she kept her back turned away from him. He had this habit that she disliked. Staring. Hence, she would always avoid talking to him, and would rather give her back for him to stare. She can't save her ears from his incessant talks, so she'll save her face from his staring instead.

"Sir Hermit?"

"Stop calling me Sir Hermit." she hissed, giving him a side eye.

"Then call me by my name." The amusement in his voice is obvious and it pisses her off somehow.

Begrudgingly, she does not know if she made the right decision or the worst one yet, but she decided to take him in for a few weeks. The idiot was determined to stay on the island. With or without her help. But before all of that, he made sure to guilt trip the hell out of her, and it worked like a damn blazing fire. Her conscience was wrestling its way out of her well-guarded solitude.

That is why looking at the man smiling in content like he got the most prize thing in the world annoyed her to no end. Thus, she ended with an agreement with the guy behind her. She would teach him the basics in surviving the damn island and after that, she would send him away to the farthest area. Even out of the island.

If everything went down south and the man would intrude on her doorstep, or won't leave her dwelling, she could fetch the head of district 5. Might be better to inform the owner of the pleasure pub where he came from to fetch the prostitute himself.

Tahlia might be miffed at the thought of him staying temporarily, but she still got the last trump card up her sleeves. A failsafe plan. She would let him enjoy his happiness for now.

"Keep that mouth closed. Unnecessary talks could put you in danger." She removed the already cooked fish from the fire. Giving him one of the skewered fish, she started eating her portion quietly. The man hesitantly took the food and looked at her.

"Am I annoying you with my talks?" he asked in between bites. Carefully, he leaned back on the wooden wall of the shelter. His sprained leg was propped safely on one side. She kept her face blank this time.

"You are annoying." Tahlia answered and took another mouthful of the fish. Later, she would make sure to gather some provision for her journey back to her dwelling. She doesn't want unnecessary stuff like foraging for food to slow down her plan. Now, she has to double the portion because of the man beside her. Lucky for her, she got a spare water container. The southern dugout shelter has a lot more gear than the rest.

"I'll try not to be." He responded with a hum enjoying his own fish.

"Is your foot better now?" she asked after a while. If she would like everything to go her way for the entire trip home, she needs to lay down the rules firsthand.

"It feels fine and the swelling's going down. The poultice you made was effective." He smiled once again, seemingly unaffected by her earlier comment.

"Then we will make the trip back home the day after tomorrow. You will not do anything that would put us in any danger. If I tell you to stay still, you will stay unmoving. Do you understand?" she reached for the water container and down some of the cold refreshing water.

"Yes, Sir." he agreed, still munching on his own food.

"Talon." she offered, if they're going to stay together for some time then she would give the man some leeway.

"Langdon or Lanny, up to you." he gave her a big grin and she gave him a glare as an answer. Quickly, he kept the grin to himself and quietly ate his share.

She cleared her throat softly and looked at him. "Langdon it is. Anyway, don't do anything foolish. Listen to me at all times. Focus on what I'm teaching you. Also, stop offering me your services. I don't want it."

After saying those words, she awkwardly stood up from her spot when she saw his offended face.

"Just so you know, I might not be the prettiest out of all the men working in the pleasure pubs but I am superior when it comes to my services. I am proud of my craft, and I worked hard for it. Let me show you." he passionately declared, sitting his food aside on a clean stone slab. He copied her movements and stood up in front of her.

Her chest thudded in nervousness when he had this determined look on his face once again. It seems like this is going to be a routine. Gathering her wits, she stood her ground, giving him a stare down.

"Try it firsthand before judging my services." He uttered in defiance.

"You're not my type." she hurriedly replied.

Silence fell upon them.