A New Friend

Stern

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

Gravel scattered beneath her shoes.

The night sky stretched above, illuminated only by the glowing listals that lined the streets. And the people that walked through them.

THUD!

The door slammed open, ramming into the wall.

“HEY!”

A voice rang from inside.

The counter creaked as someone pushed themselves upright.

“YOU’LL BREAK THE DOOR IF YOU DO THA—-

Scarlett?”

She tilted her head, her black hair falling over one shoulder.

I panted, one hand braced against the wooden frame.

No time to stop.

The floorboards creaked beneath my shoes.

I grabbed Laurel’s arm.

“Huh—”

YANK.

I dragged her across the floor.

“HEY!” she shouted, nearly losing her footing. “At least tell me where we’re going!”

“On the way.” I muttered, cursing under my breath.

-XXX-

SKRAP!

My shoes skid against the ground.

The fountain.

And the lady playing the flute in front of it.

The footsteps behind me finally stopped.

“Who’s that?”  She panted, sweat trailing down her forehead.

My eyes were locked onto the musician. “She’s from Earth.”

“Huh?”

“Earth.”

“No, like!” She shuffled her hands in front of herself. “How do you know that?”

“The song.”

Her ears perked up.

“It’s cool.”

“It’s a song from Ashlynn Woods.”

“I don’t think I’ve listened to her…” She tapped a finger against her cheek. “Are you a fan?”

I blinked.

“What? No—”

“THERE SHE IS!”

A cry tore through the air.

Both of our heads snapped towards it.

A man stood in the distance, his finger shot out, pointing straight at me.

The local from earlier.

Some taller men trailed behind him in a beige uniform.

The town guards.

A groan left my lips. What now?

The man’s pace hastened immediately, stopping just out of my range.

“She’s the lunatic who grabbed and threw me on the ground!”

Skrrr…

Laurel scooted towards me.

“Scarlett, what did you do?” she whispered into my ear.

“Nothing much.” Probably.

Her eyes narrowed.

“Really?”

A palm dragged across my face. “All I did was ask him how much longer till the performance ends.”

One of the guards stepped forward.

“If that’s true, miss,” he paused. "You'll have to leave this area.”

I scoffed.

Not like what I did was even that bad.

“Do you have any proof?” The retort slipped out of my mouth.

Whatever.

This world doesn’t even have surveillance cameras.

Clink.

He held out a small green vial.

“Let’s hear it from you yourself.”

Huh?

I stared at the vial.

The hell was this gonna do?

Make me tell the truth or something—

…

Oh.

“Truth potion…?’

He nodded.

So that’s this world’s surveillance cameras.

…

Shit.

A finger tapped on my shoulder.

“Scarlett—”

“I was just about to leave anyway.”

She blinked. “Wha—”

Before she could even finish, I turned around.

Nope.

Not getting roped into this.

My shoes hit the ground as I headed the opposite way.

Oh right—Laurel.

I flicked my hand, pointing towards the fountain. Just enough for her to see.

At least she could deal with this.

Maybe.

-XXX-

A finger tapped against the brunette’s shoulder.

“Scarlett—”

“I was just about to leave anyway.”

She blinked. “Wha—”

Before she could even finish, Scarlett turned around.

Laurel glanced once at the guards, then back at Scarlett.

…

Did she actually assault someone…?

Just then, Laurel caught Scarlett pointing toward something.

Her eyes followed the invisible line until they landed on the fountain.

She expected her to talk to the musician?!

Her gaze flickered towards the blonde woman, fingers still moving gracefully across the bamboo flute as the crowd broke into cheers and applause.

The listals hummed faintly in the background.

She paused.

Actually, that sounds cool as hell.

Her eyes lit up.

“Ahem,”  coughed one of the guards.

In an instant, her head turned.

The guard arched a brow, still holding the green vial.

"And you?" He pointed at the med student. "Do you know her?"

"Not at all." She smiled, blinking a little too quickly.

The man sighed and slipped the vial back into his pocket.

"Better not see any more trouble around here."

She nodded immediately.

Shortly after, they left.

Their footsteps grew fainter and fainter.

A sigh tugged her lips. But it didn’t stay for long.

She had a musician to talk to! After all, that’s what her friend asked her to do.

She lifted her head back up, eyes flickering towards the cheering crowd and the lady blowing on the flute.

Whoever she was.

She was gonna talk to her.

…After the performance ends.

The song was too much of a bop to interrupt.

Her eyes landed on the local.

“So… when does the performance end—”

“DON’T ASK ME.” He screamed, jumping back.

She blinked.

Scarlett… What did you do to this guy?

Clearly, the guy was too traumatized to tell her anything.

She’d just have to wait.

And maybe…

Her head turned toward the growing crowd—and the performer at its center.

So this was the Snake’s Blessing.

Doesn’t sound slithery at all.

A smile tugged her lips.

She slipped deeper into the crowd.

The listals shimmered.

A warm glow spread across the fountain.

People clapped, jumped, and danced.

A joyous night.

One she’d enjoy for sure.

-XXX-

The moon glowed brightly, right in the centre of the night.

Listals shined brighter than ever.

While the song started to slowly die down.

One final applause.

Then the crowd began to disperse.

The musician sighed, her shoulders slumping.

She raised her foot, ready to walk away.

HKK–!

Her shoe hit a stone in her path.

In an instant, she dug her other leg to the ground. Catching her balance.

But the bamboo flute in her hands slid off her grip.

“Shit—”

Her eyes fluttered shut.

Waiting…

And waiting…

But the sound of it breaking never came.

“Here.”

Her eyes opened.

A lady stood in front of her, black hair falling over her shoulders, eyes a hazel shade.

“Name’s Laurel.” She smiled, holding out the flute. “It’s really well made.”

The blonde paused, staring at the stranger before her.

The silence stretched eerily long. Way too long.

A drop of sweat began to trail down Laurel’s face.

Then, the musician finally opened her mouth.

“Thank you, for saving it. And for the compliment.”

Phew.

Laurel wiped her forehead.

“No problem.” Her tongue clicked. “Also that performance was amazing!”

She paused.

Right.

She still had to ‘question’ her.

“I told you my name, so what’s yours?”

The lady slipped the bamboo flute into her bag.

“It’s Ashlynn. Ashlynn Woods.”

“Sounds pretty!” That was the exact name Scarlett told her. “So… how long have you been doing this for?”

In a snap, her mood dropped.

“Look,” she groaned, her palm pressing into her face. “If you're one of those guys…” she sighed. “Not interested in your deal.”

“Huh?”

She pinched the bridge between her brows. “I’d rather not waste both of our time.”

“What?”

Ashlynn paused, eyeing her down.

Then she stood still.

Waiting.

After a moment, her gaze faltered.

“Wait, you’re not here for that?” Her arm dropped to her side.

“No?”

“Then what do you want?”

“I don’t know,” she stated, blankly. “Well, maybe I do, vaguely.”

The musician pulled the zip of her bag.

“Continue.”

Laurel took a deep breath.

She just had to tell her.

Maybe just like how Scarlett told her.

“...Earth?”

…

Pfft—!

A chuckle escaped from her lips.

“Then why didn’t you say so?”

Laurel blinked. Dumbfounded.

But a smile crept up on her.

“I doubt that’s a great way to start a conversation.” She scratched the back of her neck.

But one thing’s for sure, the message definitely comes across.

Like that day when Scarlett yelled ‘EARTH!” in the middle of a street.

“I see your point.”

Her fingers tucked a stray blonde strand behind her ear.

“There’s a good restaurant here. Wanna try the food there?”

“I’m not really in a position to be spending money…” she laughed, her voice wavering slightly. Scarlett was pretty strict on the budget.

The lady paused. Then turned around.

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay.”

Laurel’s face brightened instantly.

“Really?”

The musician nodded.

“I never thought I’d meet someone from Earth here. I’d do anything to have a proper talk with one.”

-XXX-

KRRR—!

The front doors creaked, their shoes pressing into the wooden floor.

In an instant, the smell of roasted meat hit Laurel.

“This is the place?”

Her eyes perked up, practically salivating.

“Yep.”

The lady made her way through, finally resting on a seat near the window.

Laurel followed afterwards, slipping into the seat across her.

Second time she'd talked to someone from Earth.

Only this time, it wasn’t Scarlett.

She huffed, glancing at the woman across from her.

If she knew how to question people without sounding weird, she’d probably be a detective instead of a med student…

Well—an ex-med student.

Just a med student… and a musician.

She took a slow breath.

Her hand reached for the menu, lifting it until it covered half her face.

"So... you're that famous musician…”

"That would be correct." Ashlynn sighed, resting her cheek against her palm.

Laurel nodded, placing the menu down.

She pointed a finger at a dish.

“Also… could we get this?”

Roasted pork.

The musician’s gaze followed her finger.

“I don’t see why not.” She leaned back, chair creaking against her back.

Turning her head, she raised an arm.

“2 plates of roasted pork.”

She crossed one leg over the other.

“So, what about you?”

Her hand pressed against her chin.

“Uh… a med student.” Laurel gave a sheepish smile.

Ashlynn blinked.

“Wow.” Her fingers tapped against her cheek. “Did you die recently?”

“I think it was a month ago…”

Though… she wasn’t really sure anymore.

“Pretty recent.” Her tongue clicked. “I died around 5 years ago.”

“My condolences—”

“It’s fine. I like this place.”

Laurel tilted her head.

“Really?”

She shrugged.

“...Suppose it’s hard to wrap your head around—”

THUD.

A hand slammed onto the table.

“THAT’S AWESOME!”

Ashlynn blinked, again.

“Huh?”

“No—like—how you managed to make a life here!” She squealed, arms fluttering. “That’s just so cool.”

The blonde paused, her hand leaving her chin.

“I suppose so,” she coughed. “So how’s yours been?”

The raven tapped a finger on her cheek.

“Pretty fun.” Besides that time her wallet got stolen.

“I see.”

The floorboards creaked as a man walked towards them. He held two plates of roasted pork, steam still blowing.

Clink.

He placed them on the table.

Ashlynn let out a sigh.

“About time, I was getting hungry.”

“Hey, waiter!” The med student waved her arm. “Can you pack another one?”

The man nodded and left.

“Getting another one?” The musician’s head tilted.

“It’s for Scarlett.”

Laurel already began stuffing her face.

“...who?”

She swallowed. “A friend!”

Right.

She scratched the back of her neck.

Scarlett’s the reason she was talking to Ashlynn in the first place.

“She’s also from Earth.” Her hand reached out to the plate again. “I think she’s looking for more people like us.”

The musician paused.

“There’s more?”

“Could be!” And with that, she stuffed more food into her mouth.

The blonde raised her hand, slowly covering her mouth.

Her eyes lingered on the table.

“Here I thought I’d never meet anyone from Earth again.”

A pair of hands landed on her shoulders.

Ashlynn blinked.

“Why don’t you come to the flower shop? That’s where I work.”

The raven raised her head, smiling.

Her gaze remained on Laurel for a while.

Then, a smile tugged her lips too.

“Well, I’m free for the rest of the day anyway. Also…” She tilted her head. “Why isn’t Scarlett here then?”

In an instant, a sweat dropped from Laurel’s face.

“Scarlett! Right.” She laughed. “She’s not here ‘cause… I think she assaulted someone.”

She scratched her cheek.

That poor guy looked traumatized.

Ashlynn’s eyes narrowed for a second. Then she shrugged.

“She seems interesting.”

A chuckle escaped the med student’s lips.

“She definitely is!”

~A New Friend~