Suikoden VI

Chapter One: Part Twelve

Part Twelve

Tensions remained high within the group even after they departed Kõrkus. Despite having been rescued, Signe was still distressed by her ordeal and at being in such a different environment than what she was used to. Freyr did what he could to make his little sister comfortable, but the child didn't seem used to his doting behavior.

In normal circumstances he's probably a typical big brother—bossy and teasing. Daunte shook his head. Huh. I guess I'm not a typical big brother, am I?

Allise didn't say a word more after they departed. Gunther spoke with her in a gentle tone and used gentle gestures, but she politely rebuked him and kept to herself. Her reunion with her ex-husband, and the subsequent attempted murder he'd tried against her, obviously still weighed on her mind.

But she hung onto it in silence.

"She's going to have nightmares," Sierra said softly.

"She seems like a strong woman," Nash mused, just as quietly.

"Still, she's not dealing with what happened to her. It's going to flare up when she's most vulnerable."

"Speaking from experience, old girl?" Nash teased her.

Sierra laughed, but it was a hollow sound that chill Daunte to the bone. She reached out and pinched Nash's cheek hard. "Only from what I've witnessed, boy."

"Ow, ow!" Nash grabbed her wrist to try and loosen the hold, but her grip didn't waver. "A—ow—all right! I'm sorry!"

It was strange to hear the...endearments they had for each other. Sierra physically looked younger than Nash, but he kept referring to her as 'old girl' and even 'old hag', and Sierra likewise referred to Nash as 'boy'. It made him wonder how old they both were supposed to be.

Dr. Yulin said True Runes give their wielder immortality, right? So even though Sierra looks younger than Nash...she's probably much older than him. And even all of us, really.

And true to Sierra's words, each night they made camp and went to sleep, Daunte's sleep was broken by Allise's restless sleep, or the sudden short outburst she made when she woke from her nightmares. But she continued to keep to herself, and after each nightmare would wander into the dark away from camp. The first time she did it Daunte panicked and even woke Gunther up to go after her. They followed at a distance to see where she was going, particularly with how unsafe the wilds were at night.

When she finally stopped and sat down, Daunte believed it was a good opportunity to approach her and ask if she was all right. However, Gunther caught his shoulder and shook his head at him. "Wait."

"Why?" Daunte asked, but he got his answer when he saw Allise again. She had pulled her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and pressed her face into her knees. Then her whole body began shaking, although she wasn't making any sounds.

She's...crying?

"We should watch her and make sure she doesn't get attacked," Gunther told him. "Otherwise we should leave her alone."

"She's upset," Daunte said, stating the obvious. "Isn't there anything we can do for her?"

"If she wanted our help with this, then she wouldn't be out here by herself." Gunther ducked his head and frowned deeply. "Until she asks for our help, we should leave her alone."

Daunte didn't feel comfortable watching Allise from a distance, watching while she cried by herself. He felt like he was invading her privacy, but he wanted to make sure she was safe. Gunther also looked tense but he stood his ground and watched their surroundings in case a monster sprung out of the darkness to attack Allise.