longer visible. "I have a pot of stew boiling. Be sure to eat some before you leave. If it weren't for that ridiculous jewelry weighing you down, a good stiff wind could blow you away."
I looked down at my thick gold necklace covered in gemstones and shrugged. Nikketa was feisty, and had I liked Scavengers, I might have found her spunk endearing.
"Are all Scavengers as nice as her?" I asked Tallis, loud enough for her to hear. I watched as her head full of white hair shook in frustration before slipping out of sight.
"Nikketa's all talk but be careful. I’ve been on the receiving end of her kolo whooping and it's not a pleasant experience,” Tallis explained, rubbing his butt.
We walked into her home, and I had to crouch down so my head didn’t hit the ceiling. The entirety of the tent was about half the size of my tiny dorm room, with a slight partition in the middle. A ginger woven rug on the floor covered the entire space, and tapestries covered each wall. Goodness, how did people live like this? I crinkled my nose as Tallis lifted a calloused hand and pulled aside a white curtain blocking the other half of the tent. I inhaled and coughed at the strong smell of spice and mildew. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, I noticed him.
There, on a cot with thick green blankets, sat a young boy who was writing with a chewed pencil on tan parchment paper. Using a thick, tattered book as a makeshift desk, he scratched illegible words while ignoring us. Even in the dark, I noticed his grey-white hair and deep black eyes. My gaze involuntarily drifted to his missing leg before sliding back up just in time to greet his angry stare.
"What do you want?" Gordon barked out in a harsh yet high pitched tone.
Tallis opened the bag and pulled out the prosthetic that Maverick created. It was hard to deny the care and love that Mav put into it. Gordon frowned at us, his brooding expression illuminated by the glow of his lantern. It irritated me. Didn't he know how much effort went into bringing him this?
"We brought something to help you walk," Tallis said while walking towards Gordon. His deep and confident voice was full of scintillating authority. Gordon shifted towards the edge of his cot while letting out a painful gasp. Once again, my eyes zeroed in on his missing leg.
"Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to stare?" Gordon picked up his thigh and readjusted it, ignoring Tallis. This kid was bitter and angry—two emotions I knew well.
"Hasn't anyone told you to get used to it?" I asked, crossing my thin arms over my chest. I wanted to feel sympathy, but the stares were something he would need to come to terms with. "I mean, you're missing a leg. People are going to stare. You plan on being an ass to everyone that glances your way?"
Gordon blinked while raising his brow. "Who are you?" he stuttered, looking towards Tallis who stood there eyeing our exchange. Gordon met his match, and I was not backing down.
"I'm the girl that walked that heavy-as-hell leg here to your ungrateful self," I huffed out. It wasn't like I had anything better to do, but Gordon didn’t need to know that. "I even got lost on my way here! And look at my shoes, look at them!" I cried out. "They're ruined." Gordon's eyes widened as if he was watching a rabid animal come undone in his living room.
Tallis laughed, the sound deep and melodic. "I thought you knew where you were the whole time Agapimenos?" Of course he would pipe in with that little discrepancy in my story. This Scavenger leader was quickly becoming a major pain in my ass.
"Choke on thorns, Scavenger," I growled back.
“I-I don’t want it!” Gordon stuttered, bringing us back to the conversation at hand. His kept his fists clenched as he looked around the room, avoiding eye contact with me. “I don’t need it.” He added in a soft voice marred with defeat. His eyes held a thin layer of uncertainty, and I watched as he massaged his thigh.
With an exhale, I dropped my hands to my sides and stepped closer to him. “Look, the pride act is cute and all, but at the end of the day, it’ll get you nowhere.”
Gordon pulled his blankets over him in a last-ditch attempt at self-preservation. He frowned as he