Enter Abyss

Chapter 22; Secrets and dares.

Cogs and Meera spent the majority of that day exploring the town of the Abyss.

There were musicians lining the streets, playing beautiful tunes on odd struments, and dancers in colourful clothing leapt and sprung to the notes filling the air. Cogs watched them in awe as he and Meera walked by, wishing she could see the dancers as well.

Besides the dancers, people of the Abyss crowded the streets, jostling Cogs and Meera in a not unfriendly manner. In fact, most of them smiled and greeted Merra by name when they saw her, a few of them even stopping to speak to her in their native tongue for a few moments.

It was then that Cogs would stand awkwardly beside her until they moved on once more, filling him with relief when he no longer had to pretend like he knew what Meera and an absolute stranger were talking about. And still ever they walked on, passing new and beautiful sights.

They crossed through market places that were laden with the heavy fragrance of strange food and spices. And though Meera tried to coax Cogs into trying roasted cave bats, he politely declined... even after she offered him the wing.

"It is the best part!" she said as they strolled casually past stalls selling earthen pots, lanterns and jewlery made of glowing rock. All of which Cogs admired while trying not to be sick at the sight of Meera happily crunching away at the bat wing.

"I'm sure it is... but I won't be able to tell when I throw it all up again."

"Fair point."

Cogs paused for a moment, "Pip might like it. She always ate strange foods, unless it was Archer's cooking."

At this, Meera's face grew cold slightly and though her eyes stared sightlessly ahead, he could see her shoulders tense. "You talk about Pip quite a bit." she remarked. 

"I'm sorry--"

"No, it is simply that," she paused, searching for the right word, "You speak so highly of her, and yet we have never met."

"Ah, well. We aren't on good terms right now, I'm afraid."

She gave him a genuinly concerned look. "Whyever not?"

Cogs sighed. He did not want to tell Meera that she was the reason Pip was so angry at him... that she was the cause of Pip's jealousy. And though he knew that Pip was driven quite heavily by her emotions and logic was more of an afterthought, he had not thought that she would become so angry. Why, did that mean she loved him after all? Could he simply have been too blind to notice?

Knowing him, that was a definite yes.

Shaking his head, Cogs steeled himself; no, he was done with Pip. Done chasing after her. He had found a girl pure and sweet. A girl who would never threaten to punch his lights out, or who liked to balance toads on her head for fun. No, Meera was something special and as he looked at her in the dim light of the street lanterns he knew for certain that she was.

Realizing she was still waiting for an answer, Cogs quickly replied with, "Oh, we had a fight, is all. Pip can be rather bull-headed at times. You know, once she was dared to sneak into the temple of Rathmir-- our god of good fortune-- and steal a coin from the alter. Well, she not only did it, but she brought back the entire offering plate."

The memory made Cogs smile, and though he could tell that Meera found the story entertaining, he knew it was laden with the memories of the days long past, when it had just been him and Pip and Archer. 

Cogs missed those days... and he knew the only way to get them back was to apologize.

Thus, once he and Meera had spent the rest of the afternoon wandering about the market place, he bade her farewell-- kissing her on the top of her hand and everything-- and headed back to his quarters in the palace, hoping to find Pip.