The Banditos

A Stranger Stumbles In

I lay against the hill, out of breath. I had been running from Nico.

"Hey," Clancy calls, skidding to the ground next to me and putting a hand on my shoulder. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm okay... J-just out of breath, t-that's all."

"I can see that," Clancy says, sitting on the ground next to me, his legs splayed out in front of him. "Don't suppose you mind me asking what you're doing all the way out here by yourself?"

"One word. Nico. He chased me away from the city and I didn't know where to go. But I saw a yellow light and decided to follow it. And here I am."

Clancy grimaces involuntarily at the name of the lead bishop. "You're lucky you found the flame." He says, "Most Dema citizens don't make it up here alone, especially not ones on the run from the bishop."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah. You're lucky," Clancy repeats, glancing over his shoulder back towards the bonfire and the other Banditos. He can tell they are staring, probably wondering what to do with me. "I'm Clancy, by the way."

"Hello. I'm Bella. Nice to meet you."

"Bella," Clancy says slowly. "Nice name. What got you into a situation with Nico in the first place?"

"My dad. He was a bishop. Keons. But Nico killed him for whatever reason. And now he's after me. So, that's nice."

Clancy's eyebrows shoot up towards his hairline. "Your father was a bishop?" He asks incredulously.

"Yeah. Keons."

"You're Keons' daughter?" Clancy's mind is reeling. He's heard of Keons. The one who had been considered the nicest of the nine. But the idea of meeting the daughter of a bishop is shocking, nonetheless.

"Yeah. I probably shouldn't be here, but it was either run or die. And I don't want to die yet."

"Hey, it's not like you're not allowed to flee," Clancy says. "Especially if it's from death."

He looks over his shoulder again. The other Banditos are still watching intently, some talking quietly amongst themselves.

A couple Banditos have their weapons drawn at the sight of me.

Clancy gets to his feet and raises a hand. "It's okay. She's not here to cause trouble."

The Banditos lower their weapons and go back to chatter, though a couple of them keep a close eye on me.

Clancy sits back down. "Do you have anywhere to go?"

"No, I don't. Our house got taken by the council."

"The council?" He asks. The Banditos and the council don't get along. "What happened?"

"After they killed my dad, they took our house. In an attempt to kill me. I've been living on the streets for months. That was, until y'know, Nico decided he didn't like me and wanted to kill me. I've been on the run for 3 days. I haven't eaten, drank water or slept... I'm exhausted."

Clancy stares at me. Three days without any food, water, or sleep. Just on the run from the city's highest Bishop. "Damn," he says, "I can see why you collapsed."

"I should be going. I don't want to take up your time."

I stand up, still looking drained.

"Whoa, hey. Where do you think you're going?" Clancy says, quickly standing up with me. He looks alarmed.

"I'll find somewhere to go."

"Not like this. You'll collapse again in five minutes with how tired you are," Clancy says. "Sit back down. You're practically stumbling."

"It's not like I can stay here. I'm not a Bandito. and Nico would probably give me another reason on why he should kill me. Not being a Bandito and staying at their camp is breaking rule #52. Punishable with death."

Clancy puts a hand on my shoulder, guiding me back to the ground. "Don't worry about Nico," he says, "and don't worry about being a Bandito. You've been through a lot, and you just need to rest. You can deal with the future tomorrow, after you've slept and eaten."

"Oh, by the way. I'm allergic to grass."

I shift my leg, so it isn't touching the grass anymore.

"Just thought I should tell ya. In case I'm staying here."

"Allergic to grass?" Clancy echoes, looking down at the place where the grass was touching my leg and then at me again.

"Damn. That sucks."

"Yeah. My leg gets all itchy and red."

"We don't have a whole lot of places to sit here that aren't grass though," Clancy says, looking around the camp. "We can try to find somewhere without a lot of grass, but I don't know how well it'll work."

"It's alright."

My gaze drifts to the circle of tents around the bonfire.

"That's where the rest of the Banditos are sleeping," Clancy explains, nodding towards the tents.

"Looks cozy."

"Yeah, it is pretty nice," he says, following my line of sight. From afar, the tents and campfire have a warm, welcoming look to them. "A sight better than living in Dema. That's for sure."

"Yeah, you're right about that one."

Clancy thinks for a moment.

"Listen," he says hesitantly. "I have a tent, you could stay in. Just for the night, at least. Just until you're rested and have been able to eat and drink. It's not like you're going to get in any better shape trying to find somewhere to go on your own."

"A-are you sure? I wouldn't be bothering?"

"Positive," Clancy says firmly. "You need a place to rest, and the other Banditos aren't likely to let you take a tent all to yourself. You can share mine if you like."

"Okay. Thank you, Clancy."

Just then, Torchbearer passes by with some clothes for me to borrow. A jumpsuit with yellow tape on it, yellow gloves, black jeans and a yellow bandana. I would fit in with the rest of the banditos.

He nods. "No problem. That's what we're here for - to help each other."

He watches Torchbearer drop off the clothes. He's a little surprised, but not at all displeased; it'll be nice to have another Bandito around.

"You should probably sleep for a while," he says, standing up. "It'll do you good. I'll wake you up when it's time to eat something, okay?"

"Um, what's with the yellow tape? I'm not a Bandito. I can't wear that..."

"Eh, it's not actually mandatory," Clancy says, waving a hand. "The tape, the clothes, the bandana; you don't have to wear it at all if you don't want. It's just what most the other Banditos wear as a... sort of uniform, so they know who's friendly. You don't have to wear it; it's just a suggestion. Plus, it'd make the other Banditos more at ease."

"If it makes the other Banditos comfortable, then I'll wear it."

"Okay, then," he says with a smile. "Now go get some rest, okay? I'll wake you up in a bit for some food."

"Can you show me to the tent, please?"

"Oh. Right," Clancy says, mentally cursing himself for forgetting to do the one thing he had promised. "Yeah, sure. Follow me."