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‘How … pleasant,’ Asper said, blanching ‘Why would he be insistent?’
‘Neediness, maybe? Loneliness? A fierce desire to see half-clad pink skin instead of half-clad green skin?’ Kataria growled, taking another bite frooes on inside a lizardive us back our clothes?’ Asper asked, gesturing to the afore back to thehere …’ She paused and frowned ‘I suppose drowning would be preferable’
‘I feel like you’re worrying a lot about trivial things,’ Kataria said, licking the bug juices fro to sound like Lenk’
Asper went rigid, fixing a hard stare on Kataria
‘What,’ she asked, ‘do youher head to the side ‘I’ overly stupid about things that don’t htered, cooked and slathered a twitching roach for you’ She sneered ‘You’re welcos offensive about that sentence that I don’t feel bad for it’ Asper rose up, futilely trying to wipe the juices froht the urge to recoil as the shict leapt in front of her, but could do nothing to prevent the sudden beating of her heart Kataria’s arded the priestess with an unflinching stare
She heard ht She heard oing to … Asper’s face screwed up in confusion as the shict’s softened, her green eyes quivering Cry?
It certainly looked that way, at least The savage hu: all evaporated in an instant Kataria’sfor words to defeat this expression to no avail as she rubbed her foot self-consciously upon the moist earth
Asper found herself unable to leave for the painful familiarity of it all She hadn’t seen such a display since …
Since I saw myself in the river today
‘I need …’ Kataria spoke hesitantly, shaking her head and surowl ‘I want to talk’
‘Oh’ Asper glanced over the shict’s shoulder ‘Lenk went into the forest, last I saw’
‘Not to Lenk,’ Kataria snarled suddenly, then clenched her teeth, as though it pained her to spoke ‘To you’
‘What?’ Asper looked incredulous ‘What did I do?’
‘What is that supposed tothat priests do’
‘The last time I tried to bless you, you bit ; the one where we talk’
Asper looked at her curiously ‘Confession?’
‘Yeah, that’ Kataria nodded ‘How’s it work?’
‘Well, with people of the sa they seek atonement for, we usually sit down, they tell me their sins or their problem, and I listen and help if I can’
‘Yes, yes!’ Kataria’s nod became one of vicious enthusiasm ‘We need to do that!’
‘I’m not sure it’s--’
‘Immediately!’
‘Look, we’re not even of the same faith!’ Asper replied hotly ‘Besides, your proble someone in the eye What makes this one so special?’
‘Fine, then,’ Kataria spat as she turned away ‘I’ll figure it outdeparture should have been a relief, Asper knew After all, any problems Kataria was like to share were equally likely to be foul, unpleasant and possibly involving theof territory
And yet, she couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of Kataria’s face as she turned away A choked expression, confused, lost
The shict had a question without an answer
And the priestess had an oath
‘Wait a moment’ Her oords should have been a worry, Asper knew, but she forced a smile ‘I can listen, at the very least’
Kataria turned and stared as Asper took a seat upon a patch ofto the earth before her With a stiff nod, Kataria took a hesitant seat before her For an age, they si at each other with eyes intent and befuddled respectively After waiting long past ould be considered polite, Asper cleared her throat
‘So,’ she said, ‘what did you want to--?’
‘This is supposed to be anonymous,’ Kataria interrupted, ‘isn’t it?’
‘What?’
‘I thought there were curtains or so’
‘In a proper te the fact that we’re in a forest, disregarding the fact that you asked me to do this, I’ve known you for a year now Kat, I know you by voice and by smell both’
‘What I shtily than so should be able to ‘And you, ’
‘Oh Gods, fine!’ Asper loosed a low gru her back to Kataria ‘There, is that better?’
A sudden jolt was her answer as Kataria pressed her own back against the priestess’
‘Sort of’ The shict’s hum reverberated into Asper ‘Is there any way you could do this in a different voice so--’
‘No’
‘Fine’
The shict’s snarl was the last noise shemoment In the silence that followed, it occurred to Asper with some mild dismay that she had never actually wondered what her companion felt like She had always suspected that Kataria would bein slow and easy gulps of air
Someone who cuts ith as ht?
But there was nothing but tension in the shict’s body Not the kind of nervous tre her own that now enveloped Asper, Kataria’s tension waslike she had been twisted so tightly that she ht explode in a bloody, stressful ret for ever having agreed to this, Asper thought
‘So, did you want to talk about?’
‘What’s it like?’ Kataria interrupted