Written in The Stars

The Sixth Scroll

Eugene was sitting in a small clearing right behind the establishment where he and the guys were staying. At dawn, the streets were completely deserted. Now the guy was without his outer cape – an extremely rare sight. He was carelessly picking grass, looking into the distance and thinking about something.

"Hey-hey" Violet's voice, sly and cheerful, came from behind.

"I already told you to stay away," lyre said sternly, not even bothering to look at his companion.

"Nestor went hunting, Pete went fishing, and Lydia is still upstairs with her pet cat," the thief calmly said, sitting down next to him.

"Are you following my friends?"

"I have to know where they are so as not to get in their way," the redhead lightly nudged her companion with her shoulder.

"Why did you give Lydia your ring?" A note of puzzlement appeared on Eugene's face as he turned his head towards Vi.

"And why not? I got into character."

"You made it specially for yourself. I thought it meant a lot to you."

"Don't exaggerate," lyre waved her hand. "I have a whole trunk full of these trinkets. And I actually bought the stone from you. So that... It seemed symbolic to me. I think it suits your sister. She's pretty."

"Do you judge by appearance?"

"I'm not talking about looks," the thief snorted.

"You haven't even really talked to her," he looked at her incredulously.

"You would never let me," Violet said to her companion with a kind of doomed smile. "But I felt her aura when I was next to her. There is a fire burning inside her. And she has a kind soul."

The redhead did not notice the look Eugene gave her – it was something excited and trembling. With each new conversation, the guy got more and more confused in the image of his mentor. It seemed that the fragile nature of the girl was broken into an infinite number of fragments that still could not come together. Their sharp edges were now sticking out, scratching anyone who dared to get too close.

"How did you become like this?"

"Like this?" The thief looked at him in mild perplexity.

"Why did you start doing this," the guy clarified.

"Oh, that," the redhead grinned. "My father... I told you he started drinking. He appeared less and less often in the mines, and then he was completely kicked out for heavy drinking. And I was a little girl... And I was hungry," she shrugged.

"It always starts with hunger," Eugene chuckled mirthlessly.

"Yes, it usually does," Vi supported him with a smile.

The two were sitting very close to each other – their shoulders were touching.

"Then I got too involved," a hint of guilt could be heard in the girl's voice as she grimaced. "Well, you know, a young girl... I wanted to dress well, so that the boys would look at me... somehow I got along. And... I wanted to leave my hometown as soon as possible."

"Father?"

"And he too," the thief nodded, not looking at the interlocutor. "But actually... It's hard to go every day back to the house where your mother was torn to pieces. This picture constantly appeared in front of my eyes."

"This is terrible," Eugene did not try to say these words with sympathy. It was a dry fact that he had known for a long time.

"Were you with yours when they died?"