103 A Straw Fortress

"I think it changes nothing," Kanai said, fidgeting on the hard seat of a railway station. In front of him, Orisa was walking back and forth - she couldn't stomach the wait at all. Impatient, mentally exhausted, and tired from the road, she latched onto the topic:

"About the Beasts?"

"Yep. First of all, I don't believe the crap about humans controlling them or giving them a conscience. If this was true, why the hell would they attack everyone? They would have either freed themselves or alerted people a long time ago, right? So they are mental at best, but even that is highly doubtful. Even if they are somewhat conscious, they have been attacking people for centuries, eating them for decades, and dying thousands of times. If they were human, which I don't believe at all, they went mad years ago."

"I don't know, man. There is another point to it if you think from a moment. What are Beast Knight's goals? What is he trying to do? Maybe he wants to save those trapped people? What if when the Wave is at its maximum, the Beasts will disappear and free everyone in the Spire?"

"Eh, do you really believe in this nonsense? What if they won't?"

"I don't know, just thinking out loud," Orisa let out a big yawn and scratched her eyes.

"Come here, you need to get some rest," Kanai tapped a bench seat to his right, inviting Orisa. "You can nap a bit, and I'll wake you up when your friend is here. I'm sure she'll recognize us."

"Thanks," Orisa occupied the spot and even leaned onto Kanai's shoulder. Her eyelids were getting heavier.

"Were you with Tiana all night?"

"Yeah... She is barely holding it together. Too much has happened in the past months, too much for a sixteen-years old girl," Orisa muttered, falling asleep.

A meeting that Nowa had held a day earlier had ended with Tiana in tears, bowing and apologizing to everyone present for the sins of her ancestors. Burning from shame and resentment, she had left the gathering and holed up in her room. After Orisa had been through with an immediate discussion with Nowa, she had gone to check on the girl and ended up staying there. While Tiana mostly returned to the norm after Orisa had patched her up, the girl's facade was barely holding, full of cracks and leaks. First was the betrayal from her father and vi Durek siblings, accompanied by the trauma and painful recovery. Next was her departure from the House Kavenfenn and the following life without any directions, an unclear future. Then she had killed her own father and learned about her family's unforgivable past. Tiana was only a step away from a major breakdown.

Orisa didn't know how to help her dearest friend and could only talk to her about random silly things, trying to distract from the gloom. They had ended up speaking all night, and Orisa had to leave to meet Rita in the morning.

It came as a big but welcome surprise how quickly Rita had answered Orisa's mail, agreed to everything and left the Military to move to AOG. Judging by her reply, she had almost been sitting on the bags, ready to leave any moment. The fact that Rita had treated Orisa's words seriously and thus had been prepared to move out immediately warmed Orisa's heart. Her mentor and friend respected and seriously considered her words, showing that she was thinking of Orisa as her equal. At least something had gone well and brought positivity.

Rita's reply came late in the evening five hours after the meeting with Nowa. The message stated that she would be coming to the specified railway station next afternoon, which brought Orisa, Kanai, and a few more AOG members to the city. While some of them went shopping or stood to guard their vehicle, our pair went to the station to meet Rita. And, apparently, take a short nap.

"Isn't it sweet?" a woman standing a few steps away from the bench said with a chuckle. She was the same height as Orisa, red curly hair had grown to a shoulder-length and was now partially covering her bright green eyes. Dark-brown leather pants and a jacket of the same color emphasized her figure, although the image was slightly ruined by a gigantic backpack behind her back.

"And you are, perhaps..?" Kanai raised his eyebrow.

"Rita Stronoff, nice to meet you. I think you were waiting for me. At least hope you were," Rita smiled brightly, her eyes constantly jumping between Kanai and sleeping Orisa. "And you are, I suppose..."

"Someone in charge of not letting this idiot here to be too reckless. I'm Kanai. I wish I could give you a family name as well, but that's the only one this crappy place gave me."

"Don't worry, silly. Short names are reserved for unique individuals with a promising future."

"Aren't you one smooth lady?" Kanai chuckled and woke Orisa up.

"Um, Rita..? Rita!"

Orisa jumped from the bench and assaulted her mentor. She even lifted Rita up in the air for a moment, but her backpack outweighed Orisa's enthusiasm, and the three of them fell on the ground.

"I'm so happy to see you!"

"I'm glad to meet you, too, but don't you think you are... Oh, to hell, I'm also happy," Rita gave in to Orisa's passion. Ignoring gazes from all directions, she cuddled with her younger friend for a few moments before getting up. "You should properly introduce me to your, um, friend here."

"Oh, yes, right. This Rita Stronoff, my mentor, and a close friend. This is Kanai, he is, well... It's a long story, um... Wait a second," Orisa said and pulled Kanai a few meters away. "Actually, Rita knows about me. I mean, she knows that I'm Satoru. Would it be alright for me to tell her about you as well?"

"I don't like the sound of it. What's the point?"

"Well, I felt much better after talking about it with her, you know? She was super understanding and sympathetic, so it helped me get through the rough start."

"Lucky you, I guess? Wish there was someone there for me as well," Kanai said with a slightly bitter look. Orisa couldn't help but hug him under Rita's confused gaze. Growing embarrassed, Kanai pulled away and continued: "But that's in the past. Right now, I don't see any reason to add more people to the secret. Weren't you the one who suggested us to keep quiet?"

"True, but... I don't know, it's your call. I just feel that it's not wrong, kind of?"

"I'll think about it, okay? Now, stop making her wait and let's move out already," Kanai said and walked back to Rita. "Well, it's complicated, so don't bother your head with this stuff. Let's go."

"Um, right?" Rita was beyond confused. She had gotten somewhat used to Orisa's tales and wasn't expecting anything ordinary coming from her general direction. But this exceeded even for Rita's expectations.

While having a small talk, the group went back to the vehicle, met other AOG members, and ventured to the base. It was already close to midnight when they made it back.

Judging by Nowa's words, Rita wouldn't be the only new member, but she definitely would be the first. With that in mind, Orisa was expecting some kind of procession or a welcoming party at the very least, but there was nobody at the underground entrance except Tomika Higo. A nutjob of a girl was in charge of verifying incoming people, so she answered Orisa's question:

"Nowazzi? Wa-ha-ha, you were expecting him, but it was me, Tomika! The big guy is too busy with whatever he is busy with, you see, so he told me to meet you. Tell me later what room you are going to take, I'll add it to the map. Food is dead, ho-ho, but here is a bit we've saved for you guys. Bye-bye!"

The welcoming hurricane dashed away, leaving behind a basket with food split and packed individually for each returning member. It even had glasses and bottles with juice. Most of their group took their portions and went to sleep.

"We should get acquainted better tomorrow, smooth lady. Good night," Kanai said and left.

"Whoa, am I missing something already?" Orisa blinked in surprise.

"You are always missing something, that's for sure," Rita winked to her, chuckling merrily. "Are you tired, or would keep this old lady a company for some time?"

"I don't see an old lady here, and aside from showing you your room, which we haven't even chosen yet, I have no plans. If you'd be so kind as to house this young adventurer in your apartment, I'll be most delighted," Orisa answered, easily getting infected with a playful mood.

After a little bit of wandering around, they found an empty living room not that far from Orisa's, and Rita settled there. While she was unpacking, Orisa went for an evening hygiene routine and to change clothes. On her way back to Rita's room, she came across Tiana. Dark rings beneath her reddened eyes wordlessly explained the situation.

"Tiana, dear, how are you?" Orisa asked anyway.

"I'll be fine. You shouldn't w-w-worry about me," Tiana answered and was about to leave, but Orisa stopped her.

"Actually, if you have a moment, there is someone I'd like you to meet." Orisa thought to introduce her to Rita, hoping to lighten Tiana's mood by a new acquaintance, since that's how new people worked on herself. "The mentor I've been talking about is finally here, so I was hoping to introduce two of my closest people to each other."

"Oh, your mentor? Mm, w-w-well, I don't mind," Tiana slowly answered, and Orisa noticed a speck of enthusiasm flashed through her eyes.

Without further delay, Orisa took Tiana's hand and led the way. After arriving at the door, she knocked and immediately peaked inside, whispering to Rita:

"Hey, old lady, remember how I told you about my most precious and closest friend? She is here, and if it's alright with you, I want to introduce you."

"Well, I can't say this old lady is absolutely ecstatic since she has already changed into her nightdress, but there is no point in reminding you of common sense, right? Give me a moment, I'll come out."

A few seconds later, Rita appeared in the doorframe. Her dark-green nightie was hastily covered by a long thick black shawl, but she still forgot to change out of her cute bunny slipper. Even Tiana chuckled lightly over the picture.

"I know it's late and midnight and everything, but I really wanted my most precious people to finally meet each other," Orisa began hastily, barely containing her excitement. The enthusiasm was contagious, so Tiana and Rita started smiling. "You both knew each other indirectly, and it just now occurred to me that I haven't even mentioned your names, so silly. Anyhow, now is my chance to fix this horrendous error, so I'm proudly presenting to each other Tiana vas Kavenfenn and Rita Stronoff."

As an overexcited puppy, Orisa was almost jumping on the spot, her eyes dashing between two people. But something was wrong. While Rita's expression darkened only a little, Tiana's face became completely distorted. Her lips began to tremble, and her eyes shot open for a moment, but then she narrowed them as her gaze started burning with hatred. She even took a few steps back, glaring at people in front of her.

"How could you..." Tiana said, sounding betrayed.

"Tiana, what's wrong?"

"Orisa, it's-." Rita tried to say something but was interrupted immediately.

"Don't open your mouth, w-w-witch!"

"Tiana?!" Orisa was flabbergasted.

"And you! I thought... I don't even..."

"Tiana, wait for a moment," Orisa tried to get closer and grab Tiana's arm, but the girl slapped her hand:

"You did it on purpose? No, but... You called her... Her..."

"Tiana, you need to stop and calm down right. I can't even begin to imagine what Rita could have done to you or-."

"It's not about me, she... This woman killed my brother!"

Orisa was silent for a moment, thunderstruck. Her gaze shot back to Rita only to find the young woman on the verge of tears. Pain and suffering completely overtook her beautiful face, and she was biting her lip to contain her emotions. Suddenly, Orisa remembered the whole story that her teacher from the training camp, Youko Satou, had told her.

"But wait, that's not what happened. I was told about it by the person who had been there. It's-."

"He stayed by her side to protect her, and she left him behind. She left him to die!"

"Orisa, she is right, it's my-."

"No, she isn't right! What's wrong with both of you?" Orisa was desperate. She felt everything she held dear slipping through her hands like sand. "Tiana, you know how dear you are to me. You know I'll do everything for you. But this is-."

"Of course you'll be on her side, I have figured this much already," Tiana spat the words and turned to leave.

"Tiana, wait, let's talk-."

"First, my mother, then my brother. And now even..."

"I understand that you are hurt, but please-."

"I need some time alone. Leave me be."

Having said that, Tiana marched away. Orisa tried to catch up with the girl, but the door to her room slammed shut in front of Orisa's nose. Not knowing what to do, she knocked on the door and said:

"Tiana, please, let's talk..."

Silence was Tiana's answer. It added the last bit of weight on Orisa's shoulder, breaking her like a straw. Everything that had happened to her since the cave incident, everything that she had been pushing to the corner of her head burst out, flooding her mind.

Orisa's legs gave way. She fell on the floor, holding the door handle. Everything she had been building all those months fell apart, and she didn't know what she had done wrong, or how she could fix it. She did nothing wrong, but at the same time, it was her fault. She was guilty of pulling Tiana into her quest, of getting her mixed with people like Nowa, and of eventually making Tiana destroy her previous life. Orisa neither meant nor wanted this to happen, but it nevertheless did. The weight of unfairness crushed her spirit.

Hopelessly trying to hold up her tears, she banged her forehead against the door. Once, then twice. On the third time, someone's hands grabbed her under her arms and pulled up. It was Rita, who almost forced Orisa to walk forward, holding her around the waist, and brought her back to the room where everything happened just a minute ago.

Orisa was in a trance and didn't remember anything. She missed how Rita walked her back, how she was settled on the bed, or how her mentor dimmed the lights in the room, sobbing quietly. She got somewhat back to her senses only when a glass full of smelly liquid was pushed into her hands.

Rita dropped by Orisa's side, and they sat on the bed in silence, leaning against the wall and slowly sipping alcohol. A few minutes later, a tight knot of emotions inside Orisa began to wriggle.

"I haven't told her, of course, but to me, Tiana is like a daughter. I know it sounds stupid, but…

When we went back to the cave after saving Sean, Tiana got badly hurt... I was horrified. Looking at her lying motionlessly in a pool of blood and knowing I can't do shit to save her..."

"You must have felt horrible, dear."

"And then I woke up in the middle of a courtroom cuffed like an animal or slave. Hearing what I have apparently done to her, it made me want to vomit..."

Orisa took a mouthful of the drink and rolled it inside before gulping down.

"Inside a cell... while they were carrying me there, I still couldn't believe it, but then I ended on a freezingly cold floor, alone in the dark, and it hit me. This whole death sentence and shit. And Tiana... they said she was in a coma with no chance of getting better..."

Rita hugged Orisa with her left hand and pulled the girl closer. Orisa's head dropped on Rita's shoulder, and a lone tear ran down her cheek.

"I was so scared. I was scared out of my mind."

Orisa fell silent again. Together with Rita, they were sitting in the dimly lit room, and the outside world disappeared for them. Without a clock, windows, or noises from the outside, time seemingly decided to disregard the pair and leave them in peace. Sometime later, Orisa continued her speech, breaking it with pauses of varying length:

"When we were on the run, I got feverish on the second day. Imagine the forest, endless rain, no basic needs like toilets or water, and you are dying from fever. If not for Kanai...

"You know, we went East after that. To hide from possible pursuers and maybe get stronger by hunting Beasts...

"A twice-evolved one showed up. It almost killed Kanai right off the bat. You know how it felt? I thought Tiana was beyond hope, and then Kanai...

The thing was so strong, unreasonably strong. Felt so unfair...

"At the very end, its attack broke my arms, then it broke my back. The pain was so... so intense... It hurt so much that I remember it even now.

"And then was a vision. Or a dream, I don't understand it even now. But it all felt real, as real as it is now. And there was Tiana. Inside the vision, I knew it was her, although she looked quite different. And she was mad at me for something, so mad that I thought she would attack me..."

Orisa didn't notice how she began to cry. Tears were running slowly but steadily, making Rita's nightie wet. Her glass was already empty, so Rita took it and left it lying on the bed. She carefully refilled her own cup, trying not to bother Orisa with her movement.

"One day, I came out of the inn, and a squad of Inquisitors attacked me. It felt disgusting and terrible when I was forced to blow off a girl's hands. I really felt like shit, but then... anyway...

"I don't know, maybe I had a glimmer of hope, but I was too worried not to get Kanai involved, so they nailed me so hard, especially one crazed brat. I thought I was a goner, but then Tiana showed up and saved me. I was so happy to see her again...

"It was when I found that she began to stutter, that the trauma from the cave was permanent. She was trying to put up a front, but I knew she was suffering. And every time she stuttered, I felt like shit. I failed to protect my precious little girl. I failed her..."

Orisa looked up at Rita, smiling bitterly.

"If it was all, but no. I knew Tiana was attached to her father despite leaving the family. I knew it would hunt her years to come. We had a mission, the two of us, and we met her father there. She beat the shit out of him, of course, but was obviously pulling punches. I knew I shouldn't... I probably should have stopped her, but I didn't. I wanted her to do it. It's because of me that her previous life was destroyed, and then I let my precious little girl kill her father. And now I somehow added even more on top of that..."

Rita was silent all this time. Not only had she been occupied by her own pain from the reopened wound, but now she was trying to digest everything that Orisa said. It was too much, even for her tempered character.

"I didn't want all that," Orisa muttered slowly, sobbing on Rita's chest. "Why me..? I'm so... so tired. It's unfair."

"It is, my dear. It sure is."