Duskwood Legends [English Version]

As long as the hope survives

"Dan, do you mean the guy at the ironmongery store, by any chance?" I ask, somehow masking my disapproval. I try to steady my hand, which wants so badly to reach the forehead, in a blatant facepalm.

Maybe He's another Poke, who knows. Although, I really don't think there's anyone else in Duskwood with the same name.

But trying to find it out doesn't harm.

"Uhm yeah, are you two friends?" He gives me a wide smile but, the moment he notices a look of rejection appear on my face, he tries to adjust his pitch. "Sure, he may seem like a jerk at first, but he's a good guy." He nods at his own words, as if to add credibility to them.

"I see..." I don't know if he managed to catch the sarcastic tone or not, however, I huff and shift my gaze to Jake; like me, he has a look mixed between frowning and sighing. An astonishment that, of course, is not in a good way. I resume speaking after a brief pause, appealing to him specifically. "Jake, could you come with me? I'd like to check if we have something to eat." Then, I ask the rest of the group: "Would you like any snacks?"

"Uhm." Lilly exclaims, raising her arm to check the watch on her wrist. "It's almost seven o'clock p.m., if I eat something now I'll end up not eating dinner later..." It will surely be because of my staring at her intensely, piercing her with my gaze, which immediately adds: "But I might make an exception, I'm a little hungry, actually..."

"Very well." I don't even wait for the others' response that I immediately rush into the kitchen, followed by Jake. I approach the counter and take a bag of chips in my hands, before turning to him and muttering: "No, that's out of the question." I shake my head animatedly, giving him a questioning look. "You do remember who that Poke guy is, don't you? He's the person who provided Thomas the Hannah's apartment keys."

I roll my eyes at the same time that Jake bursts out laughing. I realize then, that it' s a hysterical giggle, dictated by the irony of the situation, shall we say. I sigh loudly. "Come on, how can you trust a guy with the name of a Hawaiian dish?" I attempt to downplay. I bring my hand to my forehead for a moment, exasperated, before getting to the point. "What do we do?"

I stare at him as he rubs his forehead, thoughtful. "Do you know anyone else who can do this?" He prints a strange grimace on his face. "Phil would be the right person." He mumbles, then continues: "However, if things go wrong, his presence is necessary."

Uhm.

Jake, I know you consider him perfect for that role just to keep him at a safe distance from you.

And from me, most of all.

But, as he said himself, if we should find ourselves in the situation of having to defend ourselves, we need Phil; there is no question of keeping him out of the game.

"No, I don't know anyone else who would be right for the job, just Helen and Peter..." I quickly restart talking, before he can come up with a remark. "But they are out of the question." I immediately stop, in the bud, the option of involving them. "They've already taken too many risks, don't ask me to drag them into all of this."

"I'd never do that." He affirms, with a serious tone of voice and an indecipherable grimace etched on his face. He rests both palms on my arms, still clutched to my chest. I squeeze the bag of chips tightly, venting my nervousness; I sincerely hope I'm not crushing its contents, although I have several doubts about that. "Let's do this..." A barely noticeable smile appears on his lips. "Let him ask Poke for help, we don't have any better options at the moment anyway."

I squint my eyes in amazement, remaining speechless for a few seconds. As soon as I recover from my state of disbelief, I retort: "Don't tell me you're really thinking of leaving everything in the hands of Dan and that Poke."