Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 20: Exchanges over a Meal

Natashia almost forgot about Marlina's body, the holes in her were worse than when they first met. Looks like Tessa couldn't do anything to help her.

As Colonials themselves, their discomfort toward her didn't stem from the same place as Elek. They were unfamiliar with constructs and their functions, which were rare in their environment. To them, she was simply a person with a body strong enough to survive being swallowed by a hekoska, something they didn't know was possible.

For Neterion, this worried him. Although everyone in Englias can defend themselves, the intentions of newcomers were always a concern for him. To Neterion, everyone here had enemies to fear or evade—powerful ones that could put them in danger.

Natashia, being kind-hearted, sees Marlina as someone in need. Everyone here had reasons for ending up in Englias, seeking a better and safer life, intentional or not. Marlina may not have intentionally arrived here, but perhaps the universe deemed it necessary.

"I've been wanting to thank you both for saving me. I'm forever grateful." Marlina bows deeply to them, while Neterion taps his bowl with his spoon.

"You don't need to act like that, it's just our job. Just like how we saved those idiots today."

Natashia shakes her head as she sips some broth. "Let her be thankful; you're just bitter because those guys treated us like kids who don't know anything." Her tone revealed frustration from his mood and his taking it out on whoever.

Mordecai, able to hear them from the enclosed space, chimes in with another chair in hand. "At least I talked them out of the hunt, so you two can take a break. If they ask for a ride back, I'll take them."

Neterion was relieved that it wasn't something they had to deal with as he scooped some of his dinner. "At least it saves us the trouble. I could use a break from the heat."

Marlina nodded in thanks as Mordecai held out a chair for her before returning to the table. "Regardless, I am grateful. I would have been too stunned to move in your position. I'm glad you both had the courage. May I ask your name, sir?" Marlina asks Neterion.

Neterion felt a twinge when she called him sir. It was odd for him since no one had ever addressed either of them in any formal way due to their age. It was nice to be treated with a bit more dignity. "It's Neterion, just Neterion. It's weird with you calling me that."

"You'll need to get used to it since she addresses everyone as Sir or Miss. It's a habit I don't mind," Mordecai says between bites of his meal.

Before Neterion fussed over the name issue, Natashia redirected the conversation by asking Marlina, "I've been curious since we met: how did you turn your hands into blades?"

Mordecai raised an eyebrow. He hadn't heard about that detail from the skirmish. "What did she do with her hands?"

Since Natashia was the only one who saw it clearly, she took the initiative. "Her hands were like blades when we pulled her away." She presses her fingers tightly together to form the shape of the blades. "She was carving into that hekoska from the inside, making it cough her out."

"Honestly, Miss Natashia, that was just a complete fluke," Marlina admits.

"How do you fluke having blades for hands and carve a beast like a dinner roast?" Neterion asks.

"Out of desperation, I suppose. I could see it trying to digest me, and my body was being damaged. I panicked and pressed my fingertips into it as hard as I could, pleading with my hands to be strong enough. And it just happened."

That's not something the three of them hear often. Marlina certainly had no shortage of surprises. "Do you think you could do something like that again?" Mordecai asks.

"If I did it once, perhaps? I wouldn't know where to start. I wonder if it only happened because I was in peril."

Mordecai leans back in his seat and crosses his arms. "I'd prefer not to put that to the test; I wouldn't want any more of you to die."

"I was going to ask..." Natashia adds. "Tessa couldn't do anything at all?"

Marlina shakes her head. "It's been frustrating not having hands, and I constantly have to empty the wandering sand that makes its way into my gaps."

Neterion would merely respond by flexing his fingers, dreading the thought if he were in Marlina's position. However, Mordecai recognized the look on his face. He had something important to convey, yet he remained silent.

"Got something on your mind Neterion?"

He picked up his bowl and gulped down the broth, leaving it empty. "We've been meaning to tell you; we haven't had a chance to talk to you alone."

"Sorry about that; I got a bit caught up earlier. What's going on?" Neterion gestures towards Marlina, while Mordecai waves his hand dismissively. "It should be fine."

"I don't think so; it's about him."

Mordecai falls silent as his eye widens. "I'm sorry Marlina, but could you take these dishes back and keep an eye on the fellows in the tavern? I'll return later to spend the night with them." 

A furrow lined Marlina's brow, and Natashia's eyes seemed to agree. She was a stranger, unsure if she could be trusted to hear their discussion.

"I understand, Sir Mordecai," Marlina replied, trying to conceal her irritation. With Natashia assisting her with the bowls, she stepped out as the door closed behind her.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Marlina returned to the tavern, aware that the nights would be chilly. She made her way to the fireplace to start a fire. The others had modified the fireplaces, enabling her to ignite fires independently in case the temperatures dropped too low and her petals became damaged. A piece of metal equipped with flint was attached to the frame, and an already prepared metal basket filled with shredded palm fronds. By striking her forearm against the flint to create sparks, she could ignite the fronds and then tip the basket to light the kindling underneath.

Approaching one of the windows, Marlina observed the plumes of sand rising with a sharp gust in the distance. When the sand caught the moonlight just right, it sparkled like tiny stars. The lands beyond the Urushian civilizations were dense with trees, their canopies obscuring the sky. In the cities, they made sure the areas were well-lit at night to deter many nocturnal predators from the forests and jungles that muffled the visibility of the stars. On nights spent walking through the desert, she had to pay more attention to the ground to navigate and avoid obstacles due to the limited light.

At least here, the sky was clear, and the others kept their night wandering to a minimum to avoid attracting attention from desert-dwelling creatures. A dim lantern light inside the main building beelined a path from the barracks to the infirmary, catching Marlina's attention as it hurried by. Did something happen? Marlina felt concerned and wanted to investigate but didn't want to leave the men alone. Moments later, she spotted two figures running across the grounds in the darkness, making them difficult to recognize.