The City of Ionia

A week later.

“You ready, Jill?”

“No.”

“Well, too bad.” Harley grabbed my arm and raised it to the ceiling of the tent. “We’re going shopping! How are you not excited at all?” She dropped my lifeless arm without warning. “It’s ok. Once we’re done, you're going to beg to go back. Mark those words on your forehead.”

“I don’t think I will.”

“You need new clothes. As much as you love my amazing fashion, you can’t be hogging my wardrobe forever.”

“You force me to wear your clothes.”

She fidgeted her fingers close to her mouth. “I’ll have to map out where we should go. We can go just about anywhere on a horse. But where?”

“No clue.”

She mumbled under her breath after hearing those two quick words, so much so her lips seemed as if they were going to bounce out of her face. But that only sparked a torch in her head.

“That’s it! Jill, you're a genius!”

“What?”

“We’ll go to Clueknicks.”

My expression turned cold as stone. “That’s a place?”

“It’s one of the more higher-end towns. No normal person can walk in there and leave with something.”

“Do you even have the money for that?”

“Don’t worry about money,” she said with a devilish grin.

What in the world is she planning?

***

“Please join us!” Harley begged with a polite bow.

The honey-skinned, toned woman sighed without worry. “I have nothing else going on today. Might as well.”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

“Please don’t lean over my table.”

Harley quickly retracted herself, apologizing for her clumsy rudeness.

“You’re going to use Ruby as a wallet,” I whispered.

Harley waved her head at me in a shooing motion. “No way. I have my own money to use. I just thought it'd be fun to bring her along.”

I glanced over to Ruby, her fingers interlocked while sitting quietly on her desk. Her hair was tied behind her back in a clean ponytail, exposing her eyes that were sharp enough to chop through the thickest timber.

I wasn’t sure if Ruby’s ideal enjoyment was a shopping spree. She didn’t seem like the type that would. Nevertheless, Harley wouldn’t seem to be the type to enjoy ripping someone’s jaw off. That story Randy told me gave me the chills. Judging by appearance was such a scam.

Harley twirled around, exiting Ruby’s tent. “I’ll go get the horses ready. Jill, let’s go.”

I waved her off. “Just get me when you’re finished.”

“What, no way! I’m not preparing the horses myself. You're helping.”

“I-I-I have t-to talk to Ruby about something. Ya, I have to talk to her about something really important.”

“Bullshit. You’re lying through your teeth, lazy bastard.”

Goddamn, she’s cruel!

“Enough. If Jill has something on her mind, she’ll stay here.”

“Ya—Ya! There is something I have to speak with Ruby about.”

“No.” Harley grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out of the tent.

***

We waited for Ruby at the stables. The horses were ready to go. Harley rested on the hay with a straw hat covering her face. I couldn’t tell if she was sleeping or just closing her eyes.

It’s been a week since my first raid. Harley made sure she cared for my well-being, tending to every need. I almost choked to death, but that’s about it: no bruises or anything. Maybe it was a miniature cut on my hand, but that wasn’t even for me to whine.

She must’ve felt awful that she almost failed to protect me. It was just a guess. I wouldn’t know since we hadn’t spoken about the raid. It’s not like I didn’t want to speak about it. The timing was never right. If Harley wanted to talk about it, she would’ve done so already. I guess she wanted to forget that even happened. That my death almost occurred.

But don’t worry, Harley.

I have something that’ll protect me. Something that’ll guide me through battle. The creature from another land. The land in which someday I’ll get to.

I haven’t spoken to it since that day. In fact, I couldn't even sense its presence. It did say something about how it was too weak. Maybe it’ll spark some life during the heat of the moment? I wasn’t sure how it worked. The creature didn’t even seem sure how it worked itself.

Well, when the time comes, I’ll figure it out.

A few minutes later, Ruby arrived with a guest. I pushed myself off the pole I was leaning on, questioning why a certain someone was there.

“Wherever Ruby goes, I go. It’s a package deal, so live with it.”

I glanced at Ruby with a troubled look. With her fingers interlocked by her waist, she shrugged. “I didn’t feel the need to argue. I’m sure you won’t mind if Jeremy comes along.”

“N–no, I don’t. But I don’t know if—”

“Beat it, Jeremy!”

Yep, that’s what I was worried about.

Harley, who was wide awake, joined our miniature circle, throwing daggers with her eyes.

“You know this already. Wherever Ruby goes, I go.”

“I. Don’t. Care. Leave. It’s a girls-only trip. And you definitely aren’t one.”

Jeremy threw a cocky grin. “And how would you know that? Have you caught a peek down there? Pervert.”

Harley laid her head low. “Oh really now? You're calling me a pervert?” She cocked her head up, shouting, “I’ll show you how much of a crazy pervert I am!”

He never said anything about being a “crazy” pervert.

Harley grabbed Jeremy by the arm and forcefully dragged him out of our sight. From there, constant shouting emerged.

“Ha–Harley! My pants will actually fall! Stop!”

“Oh, if you’re a girl, you wouldn’t mind. So let me see! Let me see what you got down there!”

“Harley, I have one layer left! I beg you! Have some dignity!”

I looked over to Ruby.

“Um, should we stop her?”

“No need. These types of fights between them tend to happen.”

I was speechless. It’s been around two months since living here, but I’d never seen Harley morph into a demon against her comrade. I might’ve uttered something under my breath, but my ears could only detect Jeremy’s cries and Harley's evil shouting.

“C’mon! Let me see what ya covering!”

Those words were followed by more cries, along with an evil laugh that was obvious to whom it belonged.

“Harley, I beg—!”

A few seconds later, Harley showed herself, chucking as if she discovered an awful secret.

“He’s not a girl.”