Colors of our Souls

11. Trust and Failure

Ikari:

"Back inside it is," I say victoriously, lips almost curving upwards yet again.

Suddenly, I hear a deep, bubbly rumble from behind me.

"I'm hungry"

"Well then eat some food," I reply frustratedly, realizing that I am beginning to get hungry too.

"I don't have any! That stupid Erza made me drop my cake..." She ends her sentence in a grumbled whisper.

"Which you stole," I add.

"Noooooooooooo......"

"You should know by now that you are a terrible liar, so just stop trying." I cut her off in a gruff voice, then, slightly more gently, I add "I guess we need to go buy some food."

She turns toward me, scrunching up her face and giving me a face that says 'you seriously belong in an asylum.'

"In broad daylight! Are you crazy?! People will recognize me, and I don't really want to run into that Erza chick"

"Well, I took care of that 'Erza chick' assuming she is the one that attacked you earlier. In regards to you being recognized, are you ever seen with someone else? And no, I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell."

"Okay... I guess that could work"

"Then as long as you stay close to me, people most likely won't recognize you."

"But -"

I cut her off again,"no buts, we are going now and that's final."

Pandora:

This is fucking stupid, does she not understand a word I just said to her!? When we get in a fight, I might be able to slip away while she is distracted. Ikari grabs my wrist and drags me back outside the cave, stopping just outside the entrance.

"Lead the way," she demands, releasing my wrist.

"Okay" I say with fake cheerfulness. "Let's go!"

She is immediately suspicious. Now it's her turn to look at me like I've lost my mind.

"Why are you suddenly so perky?" She asks suspiciously.

"Because" I say, just to be a pushy brat.

"It's not amusing Dora." She snaps.

"DON'T CALL ME DORA!" I shout automatically, used to my mother calling me 'Dora' just to annoy me. I realize my mistake immediately, Ikari could easily end my life just as fast as she saved it. But I'm too late.

"Really? And who is going to stop me Dora?" She antagonizes me in a teasing tone.

"Sorry I yelled." I apologize frantically "Please don't call me 'Dora', I don't like it."

"Alright, then I'll just call you something else... like Panda." Ikari reasons seriously.

"Hmmm..., I actually like that a lot. Do you have a nickname?"

"No," she sounds irritated again all of the sudden. Whoops!

I run back into the cave to grab my cloak, put it on, and start to head towards town, for the first time by daylight, with Ikari following close behind. We walk in complete silence and I actually thought I lost Ikari a couple of times because I couldn't hear her.

Ikari:

Soon, we reach the edge of a large, bustling town. The buildings are fairly close together, but two stand out larger than the rest. At one end, there is a huge cathedral... Actually, I may have read about it, if this is the town called Magnolia, then that must be Kardia Cathedral. On the opposite end of the town, there is another large building about two stories high, with a dark grey roof and an lighter grey flag hanging near the top that I can't make out from here. Several thin rivers snake through the town, providing transportation for many things.