Priya threw her hands in the air in frustration. ”What do you want me to say?!” she yelled at Seia. The man glowered at her in return and turned his back at her, stepping inside the walk-in cupboard where he had stowed his belongings.”Anything! Just don’t lie!” he yelled back at her, glancing at her coldly over his shoulder. Priya followed swiftly in his trail, frowning at his accusation, her voice breaking ”I..I don’t think I have lied. Maybe I have not said everything, but I have said everything I could…say.” For Priya’s surprise Seia sat in the storage room and picked up his spear, starting to inspect the edge of it’s tip. The tone of his voice was suddenly strangely calm and acid ”You can say whatever you want. You just don’t want to.” Priya had been his friend for over a moon now, but she didn’t know him well enough to know what went on his mind. She knew she had tricked him, by leaving a few crucial things unsaid - and she had done a deal behind his back, leaving him out of it, but it was all just because he had a habit of being unpredictably violent towards other people. She stepped inside the walk-in cupboard and sat in front of him. She had attempted to sit on a box, which proved out to be an empty basket when she fell inside it. She looked at Seia from under her eyebrows, appearing slightly embarrassed, stuttering her reply ”I..I can not. I try. But sometimes..the words don’t come out. I told you I’m flawed like that.” Seia finished inspecting his spear and picked up another, starting to inspect it’s tip as well. ”Try harder.”, he said coldly.
Priya lowered her eyes at the tip of the spear, while she mumbled ”I try my best.” Seia put down the spear again and picked up another. This time he didn’t inspect it, like he had the others, but instead gripped it tightly. ”You are foolish.”, he said icily. Priya noticed his tightening grip around the spear and for a brief moment she considered the possibility that Seia might thrust the spear through her. Had she finally annoyed him too much? Her eyes grew wide and she stopped breathing. She froze for a moment, before managing to whisper in a fearful tone ”Why are you holding that spear?”
Seia looked down at the spear for a long time, before suddenly adjusting his leg, to place one booted foot against the haft. He quickly pushed his boot through the spear. The haft snapped with a loud crack. Priya winced at the crack, slightly jumping out of the basket, noticing she was actually stuck in the basket. ”Why did you do that?”, she asked clearly confused. Seia simply picked up a next spear and did the same thing, before replying ”If you do not wish me to fight, then I will not fight.” Priya stared at the spear bits, lying around ”I do not wish you to fight, but what does it matter what I wish?” Seia picked up his third spear and pushed his boot through it as well. ”Of course it matters.” Priya tilted her head slightly. ”Why? Aren’t I just a liar?”, she asked bitterly. Seia dropped the spear parts on the floor ”You are a liar and an avoider, and you are my only friend.”, he replied without looking at her. Priya sighed ”I don’t know if that is a good or a bad thing.”
Seia turned to his shield, which seemed to be made out of hides of several different animals, with bright colourful pelts, dark spots scattered across them. He slid his knife out of the sheath and laid it against the furs, searching for a best spot to begin cutting. Priya eyed keenly the movements of his hands ”Are you sure you want to do that? It looks like a good shield.” Seia found a spot to start cutting and pressed the blade against it. ”Good for what? You said you don’t want me to fight?”. Priya sighed and leaned forth as much as she could, being stuck in a basket. She laid her hand on his wrist, staring at his shield ”You don’t need to change for me.” She raised her gaze to look at his face ”And you don’t need to break a perfectly good shield for me.” Seia ignored Priya’s gestures and words. His eyes were bent on the shield as he begun to saw the furs, hardened by time. He struggled to cut them ”I want to change.”
