Chromatober 2024

Day 27 - Defiance

Series: Village of the Acolytes

- - - Time's P.O.V. - - -

"Um, Sabre?  Are you home?"  I startled when I heard the Yellow Village Leader's voice at the door, then hurried to get it before Sabre could.  The pale non-steve was halfway off the couch when I gently pushed him back down, then unlocked the door myself.  I didn't want him on his feet yet, even if he said he was feeling much better now.

The Yellow Steve frowned as I swung the door open, eyes darting to the keyhole.

"Since when did you have a lock?"

I didn't answer.  The truth was, I had gotten it once I realized that Sabre had become prone to sleepwalking, and had once wandered halfway across the village before I finally found him and brought him back.  I slept with the key under my pillow now, so I wouldn't have to worry about my friend stumbling off again.  I didn't want to say it in front of him, though, in case he got mad.

"Yellow Village Leader.  What brings you here?"

"I thought I'd pop by for a visit!"  he said brightly, expression instantly melting into a friendly smile.  "We've missed having Sabre around the village, and I wondered if maybe he could go for a quick stroll through the town, just to get some fresh air!"

"That sounds nice."  Sabre mumbled, sitting up.  I frowned.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea.  We wouldn't want other steves getting infected..."

"But you've been around me all week, and you're not infected."  Sabre pointed out.  "Come on, Time.  What's the worst that could happen?"

"What if-"  I struggled to think of something besides 'I don't like the way the leaders look at you.'  Something that sounded less... possessive.  Was I turning into my brother, not letting Sabre going outside anymore?  Or was this genuinely for his own good?  Was I only imagining the red flags the leaders were giving me?

...Oh Origin, why couldn't Thera be here now?

"Please, Time?"  Sabre wheedled, already springing off the couch.  "It sounds nice, getting to see everyone again."

"Green Village Leader will be right there, in case he needs medical attention."  Yellow Village Leader added.  I shrank away more.  I had taken one of his tea bags to Professor Red in secret, asking him to analyze the contents.  He had found peppermint and tea leaves.  Completely normal tea.  Still, there was something off about that Green Steve.  Something I couldn't put my finger on.  Something that made me hesitant to leave Sabre alone with him.

"He's going to stay here until he's better."  I said firmly, then added,  "Goodbye."  as I promptly shut the door and locked it.  I relaxed once the leader was out of sight, and Sabre slumped dejectedly to the sofa.

"I thought it was a fun idea."  he sulked.

"Once your fever clears up."  I promised, checking his temperature again.

"I told you, I feel much better now!"  he whined.  "You don't have to be a mother hen, Time!"

"Sorry."  I teased, ruffling his hair.  "You're stuck with me, now."  Despite my joking, though, I could feel the weight of worry settling over me like a cloud.  Nightmares had begun to plague me, replaying all my worst case scenarios.  Sabre starred in most of them, but several ended in Elemental finding us and casting the whole village into fiery ruin.  I woke up shaking and panicked, rushing quietly to Dark's room to check that he was still safe and asleep, then down to Sabre's spot on the couch.

Maybe Thera could prescribe something for that.

Until then, I'd stress bake another two dozen pumpkin-flavored treats and use the mailing system to deliver my orders.  Who needed a stand, right?

Certainly not anyone with a sick friend.

I spent the day measuring out ingredients and coddling the sick non-steve, losing myself in the pattern of it.  Eventually, though, I ran out of eggs.

"I'll just ask Dark to get some more tomorrow."  I sighed to myself, sitting down and double-checking the timer I'd set for the oven.  Only a few minutes left before I could take out the cupcakes.

"You could also leave the house and get them yourself."  Sabre reminded me, sounding half-asleep.

"I don't want to leave you alone."  I told him, taking some pink oven mitts out of my inventory as I waited for the seconds to tick down.

"For Origin's sake, Time.  It's not like I'm going anywhere."  Sabre laughed.  For once, the laughter didn't break into a fit of coughing.  "Go on and buy your eggs.  It'll only take fifteen minutes."

Four minutes,  I corrected mentally, if I speed up time to do it.

I hesitated, pulling the cupcakes out of the oven.  Their warm sweet smell washed over me, making me relax a little.  Without anything else to bake, however, I felt antsy, like my fingers were twitching for something to do.

"Are you sure?"  I asked.

"Go get us some eggs."  Sabre insisted.  So I stepped outside, feeling the fresh air and sunlight hit me all at once, and went on a quick trip to the marketplace.  It would only be for a little while.  After all, what could happen in four minutes?  That was only 240 seconds to worry about.

By the time I returned home, five dozen eggs carefully cradled in my arms, Sabre was sound asleep on the couch.  But he wasn't alone.

The eggs tumbled to the floor as I glared daggers at the Yellow Village Leader, who stood, sparking, in the middle of the living room.

"What are you doing here?  This is breaking and entering!"

He didn't reply, just slunk closer to Sabre.  I thrust one hand forward, freezing him in time, but I could feel my hold on him slipping like water through my fingers.  I rushed to put myself between him and Sabre, only to see something... strange.

Something was wrong with the village leader's eyes.  Instead of a bright lemon yellow, they were two black voids, split up only by thin slits of magenta.  Dark tendrils seemed to seep down below his eyes, like he was crying inky tears.

I jumped, alarmed, and my hold on him broke, far more easily than it should have.  He pounced forward, shoving me out of the way.

I didn't stop to think.  From within my inventory, I took out my trusty frying pan, moving with superhuman speed until I was right behind the Yellow Steve.  I sucked in a breath and brought the pan down with a harsh clang.

Sabre woke up with a start just as the Yellow Village Leader collapsed.

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Word Count: 1,063