The Right Kind of Work

[Ren Caverly]

Things were weird. Now imagine that in a whining voice. But more adorable. That was how Ren felt. Things weren’t weird at first though. Oh no, things were weird when she decided she should take a job. She’d been walking around and looking and things, when lo and behold, a job caught her eye. Now it wasn’t common for Ren to walk past the job board, but she did take jobs sometimes. So she looked at this one.

Requesting a guardian for his most dangerous of trips. What was so dangerous about it? Well, like most jobs, it would be explained when she went to the client. So Ren took the paper and dressed accordingly. She even put on jeans for this day. Her usual hoodie, and a bag of little things she might need. This included a small amount of jewels, and a snack. Ren then locked her door and headed to Oak Town. She didn’t think it would necessarily be too bad of a job. It wasn’t a dangerous rated job, so why did he make it sound like it would be so tough? Well, she was going to find out. She didn’t mind escorting people. If she was lucky she wouldn’t have to fight, even if she would have to be with someone else for a long period of time.

223/1000

[Ren Caverly]

Ren didn’t take a very long time reaching Oak Town. When she arrived she went looking for the caravan. He had left information as to where exactly to find him, so she doubted she would get lost. Ren wasn’t known for getting lost when she actually tried to find something. She was more known for wandering around aimlessly, really. Ren put her hands in her hoodie and walked along cautiously. Her blond hair was getting a bit longer, now managing to cover her ears. She might normally have self-consciously pushed it back, uncovering the several silver rings in her piercings, but she didn’t. She kept her hands in her pockets. Her jeans, which technically might have been skinny jeans, were hanging loose against her body, and her hoodie just inflated her actual size enough she passed off as small, not dangerously underweight. Ah the lovely deception of a hoodie.

“Hello. Are you Mr. Reye?” Ren asked quietly as she approached a stout man. He was sitting up on his caravan, cutting up an apple and chewing on the latest slice. Ren made sure to look up at bearded face instead of at the ground. When she asked, he looked tense, glancing around quickly. He leaned forward toward her.

431/1000

[Ren Caverly]

“Who wants to know?”

The sheer amount of paranoia on his face surprised Ren. She was afraid of… everything. So it was a surprise to find someone acting more suspicious of people than she might be. He put his hand to his beard, straightening it a bit to give his hands something to do. It had only been a few seconds since the question was asked, but he couldn’t help but fidget.

“Um, I’m Ren. I’m from Lamia Scale,” she insisted. She could practically feel her guild tattoo on the back of her neck, but it was invisible to most. Her hair was hanging down low enough to touch the hood on her back, but even without that, the hood itself rose enough to completely cover her mark. While she might go ahead and show someone the mark if they asked, normally people just took her at her word.

“Oh? Really? Where is your tattoo?” he asked. Was he twitching? He looked over her shoulder, then back at her. Something about her speaking to him set him off. A bird flew overhead.

“Um… a-alright…” she said awkwardly. Even though he hadn’t asked to see it, she assumed he would want to. She pulled at the hood on her back, getting it low enough most of the green tattoo became visible for him. He seemed a bit more relaxed when she looked back at him.

665/1000

[Ren Caverly]

It seemed this was enough, because he calmed down. “I’m sorry. I just can’t be too careful. I transport some valuable things. Kids show up here saying all sorts of things and trying to throw me off. Its why I had to enlist the guilds in the first place. I have worked with your members before. They seem… more reliable.”

Ren didn’t know if that was the word he wanted to say. Maybe laid back? She wasn’t sure, but the fact that he knew she was Lamia Scale affiliated might have helped in his decision. He didn’t seem untrustworthy, but for how anxious he was, she kind of thought he would have accepted any help he could get. That was fine, but she was glad to be able to help him today.

“So… why is this job so dangerous? What all are you going to do?” she asked him, hands still in her hood pocket. He patted the caravan and scooted over. He was dressed nicely, more fashionable and presentable than she was. She didn’t look bad, but certainly not as nicely dressed as the merchant man. It reminded her a bit of her parents. Not because they were merchants, but because they appreciated nice clothes. She had dressed in nicer clothes back then, before they abandoned her.

883/1000

[Ren Caverly]

Ren now found herself sitting next to the man. His eyes were at her level. And she glanced down at their legs. He was her height. That made him fairly small. Maybe if they averaged out their body weight they would make one healthy person. Or… two healthy people, that was probably more ideal.

“Something is in the woods,” he told her quietly. Looking around a bit. “Its there, I’m telling you. And it is going to attack me when I’m not watching. Someone has been following me. It’s a monster, but its very smart. Never lets itself be seen, but it is there,” he nearly hissed this part. Ren felt tingles down her spine. She didn’t know if it was what he was telling her, or simply the idea that something really was out there. Either way, it sounded creepy. She was… good with creepy.

“How do you know it’s a monster?” she asked him back. She didn’t sound judgmental. She was curious. If he said it was following him, she felt sure he had a reason. Even if he was wrong, he deserved to be treated with respect. She was here to help him. He seemed to be alone. When she had been alone and homeless… she knew she was easily more frightened. With no one to trust. Well, she still felt that way, but at least it was better.

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[Ren Caverly]

“I just feel it. I’ve seen something, in the distance. It hides, but… you believe me, right?”

The small blond nodded slowly. She believed him.

“Good… good…” he sounded so relieved. “Well, we leave from here and go to Worth Woodsea. There is a village deep there which likes to purchase my goods. I have been working this route for years. The goods I bring depend on what they order each time I visit. It’s a reliable path… which means the monster knows I am coming. That is the biggest reason I need your help to keep me safe.”

“Well… if it is so reliable…” Ren said slowly. “… Why don’t we just leave now?”

Could she have suggested anything worse? He looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language. It was as if he simply did not grasp what she might be telling him. Then he looked concerned at the idea. Eventually he nodded. Why was he nodding?

“That’s a good plan. Anything to throw it off my trail. Are you going to be alert all night if we travel like this?”

“Uh, y-yeah. I’m… I’m good with nights,” Ren said nodding. She couldn’t say she preferred the night, but she was more alert at that point, for sure.

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[Ren Caverly]

Ren felt like perhaps this would be for the best. It was still the middle of the day, so they wouldn’t be setting out in dark. She wondered how much planning an actual “monster” would have done, but she was just looking out for Reye. She helped him check that everything was secure, and after that they set out. He had two horses pulling the caravan, and they both seemed nice. They were large and intimidating, but Reye spoke to them fondly, so Ren decided they were alright. She wasn’t going to go play with them or anything, but she supposed she would like them.

The horses had been with Reye most of their lives, as he told Ren. He seemed to be a fairly nice man when things got going. They weren’t to the woods yet, and being on the open road had a strange effect on him. His shoulders relaxed, he occasionally looked at Ren, and didn’t seem to be fidgeting. He started asking Ren about herself. That wasn’t a fun topic, and normally she shrugged things off, but she hoped it would ease his mind.

“Oh, well… erm… I’m eighteen,” she told him when he asked, “I joined Lamia Scale like a year ago… I, uh… I was just kind of wandering around before that, after the war.”

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[Ren Caverly]

“Mmm, the war… it was a horrible time. It feels like we’re still rebuilding. Even with the structures set up, we’re still wounded from it. It’s a shame to see the country in this state.” It seemed like Reye had some strong feelings about what happened. “Did you lose anyone in the war?”

“Um… Well… no,” she said, looking away. She had but it wasn’t because of the war. It was because she wasn’t good enough. The conversation shifted gears after that. Mostly Reye talked about what he had done during the war. Apparently he supplied magical gear and equipment to soldiers. It sounded like an interesting job. However this calm ended as they reached the woods. He started looking around again.

“Its here…” he mumbled. Ren perked up. However nothing was pointed out, he was simply anxious. They travelled along the path slower than they had been. About a half hour later his eyes widened, and he pointed past Ren, but when she turned to look… there was a frog on a rock.

“Are you alright?” Ren asked.

“Didn’t… you didn’t?” he stuttered. He shook his head, holding onto the reins so tight his hands were white. “We just need to get there.” He hurried up his horses a bit.

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[Ren Caverly]

“Okay,” Ren said quietly. The sun began setting a bit early. Maybe it wasn’t early, but Ren just felt like it was unusual. These woods were not a friendly place. She started feeling like she was seeing things too. The branches becoming twisted and leafless. Did things come here to die? She shifted a bit and they eventually stopped at a river for a small break. Reye refused to get out of the caravan. Ren sighed and clambered down. She took a few canteens and headed to the water.

The sound of moving water was soothing. The sound of things creeping along in the darkness was not. She rolled her shoulders around awkwardly as the bubbles floated up from the water bottle. As she finished her task she heard Reye squeaking. She turned quickly to look at him. He was shuddering and pointing into the distance. Ren turned to look and saw two ominous eyes peering from the dark. She tensed and stood up. With a blink of her eyes the other eyes were gone. A moment later a rabbit jumped from the area. She shuddered, coincidence or not, it was creeping her out.

Ren headed back to the caravan and climbed up, hardly having enough time to sit down before Reye was urging his horses forward. “We can’t stay still. Its watching.”

1982/1000

[Ren Caverly]

“How long have you felt like you’re being followed?” Ren asked after a while more on the route.

Reye was quiet at first. He stroked his beard a bit, thinking. “… Not followed. I’m not always being followed. I’m being watched. I just… its waiting. The moment I-”

The man immediately stopped speaking. He looked around, slowing his horses to a stop. Ren began to feel anxious. It wasn’t hard to make her anxious, but this was certainly not helping. The horses started making a bit of noise themselves, but Reye managed to calm them. Ren heard a loud creaking. It continued, then it stopped. She held her breath, looking into the darkness. Surely something… was moving? She heard the creak again and her eyes shot to the left for a moment before a large branch fell to the ground.

She finally took a breath, but Reye did not seem calm. He urged his horses forward. “It was just a branch…” Ren offered quietly. She wasn’t sure if she believed that, but she wanted to.

“It wasn’t. It… you don’t see it,” Reye insisted. His horses picked up speed, but kept making complaining noises. Ren kept an eye out, waiting for the sun to rise again, even knowing it would be several more hours.

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[Ren Caverly]

After that, nothing happened. Reye would look around periodically, but as his eyes strained against the dark, he found nothing. Ren looked out for him, but there really was nothing. She looked up and watched the stars as they began to fade into the rising sun. She sighed and started nibbling on some of her snacks to start the morning.

“Things are watching,” Reye would tell her. Ren would look around, but there was nothing. It was a creepy forest and a creepy path, but they were alone. He still insisted this. As they reached the small settlement he looked no more relaxed. Reye settled his horses near a building where he would unload his goods. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” Ren asked curiously.

“… there… you must think I’m mad. I’m not… but… you must think it,” he sighed.

“Oh, its alright. I don’t really mind. I mean, after all… I don’t really like fighting,” she told him with a timid smile. He offered a weak returning smile.

“That’s fair. But still… I appreciate your work. And not laughing at me. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I know what I know. I just can’t explain it.”

“That’s alright, Mr. Reye. Do you need any help on the way back?”

“No, no, I will be here for a while before I leave again. You may leave whenever you like. Here,” he handed her a pouch of already sorted jewels for her trouble. Ren awkwardly stuffed it into her bag.

“Well… thanks. Um… have a good… everything.” Money made her so awkward. She even stayed and helped him unload things, but didn’t say another word. After that Ren headed out, she was sure she could find her way back home.

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