Aequalis

Chapter 12 - (Un)bearable

Noah's POV

We head out, the Black Swan leading the way to the market station.

What happened back there...I don't quite understand it.

Sure, she could be scared of somehow dying in the process or a punishment from the guards or something like that. But I feel like there's something more. But I know she won't tell me and there's no point in forcing her into it. Besides, I don't care enough to try and find out why she doesn't want to do it.

Glancing at her while she's walking, I wonder for a bit what her story is. How did she become a half-breed? And why can she only use her Telekinetic powers? What happened to her parents after people found out?

Whatever. It may be interesting, but I still don't give any fucks about people or this fucking place.

After a few minutes of silence, she starts talking. "What place in the world do you like most? From all the places you've been?"
What a random fucking question.
But it's not the dumbest one. 
I think for a little while, and only one place keeps coming to mind.
"The place I was before being brought here."
She turns her head to look at me, and I can tell she's curious. But not like the curiosity that I got from everyone else in this shithole. 
It's a careful curiosity, like she wants to know, not because she wants to talk about it but because she'd like to listen. A careful curiosity, as if she's thinking it might be a touchy subject or I may not want to talk about it. 
"Um..."
I almost tell her, but then something inside me pulls me back to reality.
"Forget about it.", I shake my head.
She looks at the ground while we're still walking. "Well, my favourite place is where we are going right now.", she then spits out.
Huh? 
I chuckle. "Shouldn't you hate this building? And even if you didn't, why the fuck the market?"
"Well, I only have a small selection of what I can pick as my favourite place. The Lenimentum...it's all I've ever been to. And the market is great, okay? It's probably the only place where..." She stops herself from continuing her sentence. "Nevermind."
What was that all about? Well, I guess now we both don't have a complete answer to her question.
After a few more minutes of walking, I actually want to fucking shoot myself.
"For fuck's sake, how much longer until we're there?", I ask after we go through hall after hall for quite some time. 
"Would you shut up and be a little more patient?"
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but I don't really listen to anyone, let alone you."
I see her rolling her eyes. Satisfied with the effect of my words, I feel my lips turn into a smirk. 
"Can you not do that for once?"
Raising an eyebrow, I glance at her. "Can I not do what?"
"That smirk was what I meant but now that you ask, there's also your 'I hate everybody'- attitude or your rude behaviour." She gives me a teasing smile, but she seems like she means her words.
"Oh, Black Swan. You already know I can't do that."
She rolls her eyes, sighing. 
After about one more minute of walking, we stop. "We're here."
I look around in the big stations. It's not like the cafeteria station or the practice station, this one's pretty big, I can't even really see the end of it.

There are books, clothes, instruments, paintings and the list just goes on.

"There's about everything here except food. Any Alium above 20 can start selling things here if they want to, but it's mostly guards."
"Hm."
"So, what do you need?", she asks me. 
"Just some clothes, I guess.", I shrug. 
She looks around a little. "Follow me.", she demands. 
I roll my eyes, but I do as she says because I really wouldn't know where to go right now.
We arrive at a stand full of jeans and t-shirts for men. 
"Grab the things you want. I'm right over there.", the Black Swan informs me, pointing at a book stand, making me grin. And off she goes.
I look through the clothes. Honestly, I don't care too much about what I wear, but if I'm going to a party, I should do it properly.
I end up grabbing a white, dark red and a dark blue shirt and one dark red hoodie. I also buy two pairs of ripped jeans, one blue denim and one white and one pair of sweatpants. She really recommended me the cheapest and best place huh? Affordable but nice. I'm left with only 10 Croits, so I go to the stand where Black Swan has been this whole time.
"I'm done."
She jumps, again. Is it really that easy to scare her? I guess she was invested in the book she picked up. "Dammit!", she sighs.
I chuckle. "Did 'It' get too boring?"
"No, but I'm almost finished, so I want a new read.", she says, focused back to the book she's holding.

'Clouded Thoughts'. Really?

I skim through the books on the table with my eyes, when I pick up the best one, I could find. And one I think she might like, at the same time. 'Blinded by Eyes'. It really is a good book, an easy read as well. I hand it to her. "Read this one. That way, you won't waste your money."

First, she lifts her head to look at me, then she fixates on the book, leaving the other one on the table. After reading through the description, she gives me a stare paired with a frown. "You read it?" 
I nod. 
After standing there with the book in her hands for a few seconds, she shows it to the seller. "I'm going to buy this one." And she does, for 15 Croits. 
I'm satisfied with my work, pleased that she listened to my recommendation.
She buys the book and turns to me. "Don't get over your head and think I bought this because you told me to. It just seems like a good book, that's why I bought it.", she explains to me. No use though, I don't care what she says, I was the reason she even looked at it.
But I just shrug, raising my eyebrows with a chuckle. "I didn't say anything."

As we head to the exit, I realize that she stops in her steps, so I do the same and follow her gaze.

She's looking at a stand. Particularly, one for dresses. She doesn't move, she just stares at the stand, and I'm pretty sure it's that one dress hung up that she's eyeing the most. 
"You gonna buy that?", I interrupt her thinking.
She bites her lip, still undecided, while approaching the stand. "Um...How much is this dress?", she asks the salesman. 
"25 Croits."
"Oh, gosh.", I hear her whisper. 
She's not really one to reward herself with much except a few books, huh? What a fucking moron if she can't even let herself have one damn dress.
"Scared?"
This time, I don't ask her because I want to annoy her or because I want to scare her even more. I ask because I think she should buy the fucking dress.
She turns to me, confused at first, but then determined. "No.", she spits.
"I'll buy it.", she tells the man, handing him her Croits.
I can't help but grin, again, contented with her decision. Eyeing me, a little warning, from her short size, she leads the way to the exit, and I follow her, putting my hands into my pockets after running through my hair.
Finally, we're back at the cell. At the way here, we just argued about the dress and the book. She wouldn't admit she bought them because of my words, but she knows that's not true. 
As soon as we're back, I go to open the bathroom door when Storm stops me.
"Who told you, you were showering first?"
I look at her, raising my eyebrows, when I find a way to annoy her again. "I mean if you don't want to wait, we can just go together?", I offer with a grin. I don't really mean it though. Not that she's unattractive or anything, but I know at the party there will be enough for me.
Immediately, her face turns tomato red. "Shut up!", she stammers.
I start laughing. "It was just a joke, Black Swan. Don't get ahead of yourself."
Rolling her eyes, she sighs. "Can I please go first? I'll be fast, I promise."
"Fast, huh?", I smirk.
When I see her frustrated look, I chuckle again. "Fine. Whatever." 
She then proceeds to enter the bathroom and I sit on my bed to rest a little. 
After about ten minutes, she's out.

In a bathrobe.

Fuck.

"Close your damn eyes!", she demands.
"What for? I can't see anything. And I'm going to the bathroom, anyway."
And I do. 
After taking a quick shower, I put a robe around my hips and go to the bedroom, where Storm is already dressed. But not with the new dress she bought. Just her regular wear.
"Uhm, you ready?"

Was the dress for nothing?

As soon as she turns to me, she turns back again after seeing my naked chest, making me sneer. 
"I'm meeting up with the girls to get ready.", she explains. 
I shrug. Whatever. 
"See you then, I guess?", she leaves the cell with her dress and I'm left alone to get ready.
Maybe she wasn't as unbearable as I thought.