Puppet

amends

I've successfully avoided having any real conversations with anyone for a full day. I'm growing restless. I miss my training. I'm not used to being holed up in rooms for so long. I'm almost looking forward to Foxfire tomorrow morning, which is disgusting.

Most importantly, I've stayed clear of Keefe. It hasn't been hard, he hasn't exactly been eager to talk to me either. Ever since our last conversation, we've sat on opposite ends of the table at dinners and kept both our heads down when we passed each other in the halls.

However, today at dinner, everyone was in a chatty mood for some reason. Dinners have finally died down in the number of people that show up. It's only the Vackers and Keefe who show up which I'm assuming was the normal people who came before I showed up.

"So, Sophie, are you excited for your first day of school? I mean, of course, the classes will be hard, especially for you, but I can help you. Maybe we can do study sessions together?" Biana says and I wonder what it would be like to rip out her tongue to get her to shut up. I shake away the thought and calm my emotions before the cretinous empath can take notice of my annoyance.

"Yeah, I'm excited. It'll definitely be an adjustment though," I say as I stab whatever chopped-up purple pieces cover my plate. I really need my daggers back.

"Don't worry, we'll help you through it," Fitz says with what I'm guessing is supposed to be a warm smile but I only see it as condescending.

I fake a smile and fork stab food my way through the dinner conversations full of talk of school and unmeaning patronizing attitudes towards my first day ever of school. The only person who didn't grill me on how I felt was Keefe, who sat quietly for all of dinner and excused himself early.

When I was done, I cleared my plate and got back up to my room as fast as I could. Sandor's still following me, but we haven't said very much to each other since our last talk.

I twist the handle to the room to open it, but I immediately get shoved away by Sandor, or as I now like to call him, pipsqueak. He doesn't like the name very much though.

"Hey! What are you- SHH!" He cuts me off and I glare at his back where he holds his ear up to the door. "Someone's in here. I can smell it."

"Oh please," I step in front of him and open the door, taking a step in. I wish I had my daggers, but if there's anyone in here who came for a fight, I have built up energy to use up just fine with hand-to-hand combat.

Unfortunately, there's no fighting needed, just a hard glare at Keefe Sencen as he sits on the corner of my bed.

"What are you doing here?"

Sandor scrambles in behind me, a throwing star drawn. He sighs in relief and puts it away when he sees Keefe.

"Thank Gnome! You can't just burst in like that! What if it had been an actual threat? We have protocols here! And Mr. Sencen, what are you doing?" Sandor goes off in his squeaky voice.

"S-sorry, I forgot you were Foster's bodyguard now. I just came here to... talk about something." Keefe stands up and looks down at his shoes sheepishly. Sandor narrows his eyes at Keefe and glances over at me, but I don't give him any indication of what this is about either.

"Fine. I'll be right outside then." He shuts the door behind him but Keefe doesn't look up from his shoes.

"Sorry for just coming in like this, I promise I didn't go through anything. I was just- I was going home but then I figured we'll probably run into each other at school tomorrow and I... I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Oh, no. That's not going to do it. You've gotta really apologize, make it from the heart, or else you have to restart, you know the drill." My words were emotionless, my expression blank. I don't have remotely enough energy for this after that dinner, but I taunt him with his past words anyway.

He presses his lips together in defeat because he knows what I'm doing. "You're right, you're right," he takes a breath before he continues, "Sophie, I'm sorry I forced that information out of you. I crossed a line and it won't happen again. From now on, when you say it's too much, it's too much and we can stop. I won't push or threaten or anything, we'll just stop," he finishes, and when he finally meets my gaze, I can tell there's actual regret in his eyes.

I can't explain exactly what is going on with me right now. I don't know what this feeling is. It's like a bittersweet appreciation? It's only now that I realize this is the first time anyone has formally apologized to me. Ever. And I don't know why it suddenly means so much to me that he did it, but I unwillingly forgive him.

I clear my throat because I know he can feel all this. "Okay. I...appreciate that."

"Also, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I'm here to listen to you want to talk about anything, and I'm not saying that to get information out of you, I'm saying it as an...acquaintance." I could feel how close he was to saying friend, and I'm glad he didn't. Because we're not friends. He's blackmailing me for information and I inflicted pain on him a few days ago, and friends don't do that.

"Thank you," I say and I'm as surprised at the words as he is. We make eye contact again and both look away.

"So, um," Keefe clears his throat awkwardly, unsure of where to go from here.

"So...I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow, right?" I save him from having to come up with anything.

"Yeah, I think we all have lunch together, so... I'll see you then. Bye," He walked out, and although the words were awkward, it didn't feel tense in the slightest. It almost felt.. natural.

Maybe Foxfire won't be the worst after all.