[Mkguild] Patrol III

[Jack Moore]

AN: My next part. This is a long story. I am left to wonder what would be
the hardest part of becoming a lizard.

I stood up and popped my back. My bed was stiff and more a slab that stuck
out of the wall. I grabbed my aba for my neck and a shawl for the top of my
head. As I wrapped it up, the only thing left was my face.
Nemo was already outside, eating something with his back to me. The fire
was going and it warmed my desperate bones. Nemo's hair looked a deeper
black then it had a few weeks ago. Which should have been no surprise, he
was growing younger. He didn't even look up as I sat down across from him.
"Why aren't I as hungry?" I asked. "I don't feel anything, even if I only
eat once a day.  Why?"
"You're becoming a reptile." Nemo said. "It means you require less
sustenance. In time you will adjust." He smiled at me. "I'm glad to see you
are awake James. The two of us have had a difficult few days."
"I still don't want to be here." I cautioned. "I want to go home." Nemo
nodded. "Why don't you want to go home?" He frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"You wanted to stay here." I said. "You got friggin' cursed and you knew it
but you still chose to stay. There are Followers here like Egland and you
choose to stay."
"Friggin' is not the appropriate vocabulary of the son of a noble." Nemo
said to infuriate me. "And Sir Egland is not a true Follower. Yet I will
concede that my behavior has been problematic. Can you accept that I just
wanted to be here for you?"
"No. I'm an asshole!" Now we both laughed. "Why would you care about being
here with me?" Nemo just gave me another smile.
Our dwelling still had no decoration, just the fire, table and earthenware
that Nemo had procured for us. The fire concealed half of Nemo's face with
shadow. I expected to see new youth, but he looked worn as the table.
Why does he support me? I turned my head to match his. I wouldn't, I don't
really like me. Nemo's hurting too. He hates the Ecclesia but I don't know
what they did to him. I don't know much about him really.
In the time we had been together I had seen Nemo display a superior
vocabulary to mine (despite me being the son of a Lord). I had seen him go
out every day on job hunting excursions and tell me of his interactions
with the Keep. I had seen his hatred for the Ecclesia and I knew something
bad had happened between him and them. But despite him being my man, I
didn't actually know him.
"Why won't you tell me more about you?" I asked. "What are you hiding form
me?" Now it was Nemo's turn to look confused.
"What makes you think I'm hiding anything?" Because a few days ago you got
into a screaming match with Sir Egland? "And you want to know more about
me? I'll tell you but I must admit I'm confused. Since when do you care?" I
averted my gaze from his, instead focusing on our worn table.
"I don't care." I mumbled. My claws dug out lines in the softwood. "Just
things have been tense between us and I don't want more fighting. And if
we're stuck together, maybe we need to talk more." I looked at the hands of
my guardian compared to mine. His were pink, looking worn but odd. They
were growing more textured and the nails looked uncut.  Mine were spindly
and scaled. Each finger was tipped with a little claw that stuck to the
wood.
I don't want him to grow young...I swallowed. I need Nemo to protect me. I
don't want him hurt either...
"We're not stuck together though. James you still view yourself as
independent of Metamor." Nemo said, "Don't pretend you don't. All I want to
know is why then do you want to stay with me? Why not leave me behind."
"I...You have the money."
"You can get places without money if you want it hard enough." Nemo said.
"I admit it would be very dangerous but it would not be impossible if you
wanted it." He smiled at me. "The way I figure it, you know the risks and
have decided to stay, which means you're becoming smart. Or you don't want
to leave me behind because you care about me, in which case thank you
James."
"Oh shut up." I mumbled. "No one asked you." Nemo just kept smiling. "Maybe
this place...isn't that bad. Maybe the people are nice. But I still want to
leave! I just can't yet; it's too dangerous for me to go alone. I gotta
have money to hire guards."
"Yes the only thing keeping you here is money." Nemo said with a tone of
mockery. I glanced around our abode.

"Since I'm going to be stuck here until I get some more money, let's do
something to make this place less crap. Decorations, art? A fucking rug
maybe? At least I can spend the months I'm stuck here living good."
"To have decorations we also will need more money." Nemo said. "That means
you will need a job. How goes your job hunting." I grumbled out a response.
"What was that?"
"It would go better if you didn't ask." I snapped. "I'm only looking for a
job because I want out of here, got it?"
"That's your deal, not mine." Nemo said. He bit his bottom lip. "Speaking
of lie in Metamor, we need to discuss something."
"Its been more than a day since I got into a fight with anyone!" I cried.
"What did I do to you this time? What could I have done?"
"It's nothing you did James." Nemo said. "It's something that has to be
done while we are living in Metamor." I found my attention starting to
drift. What do I care about what they do in Metamor? Oh God they're going
to want us to pay taxes!"
I scratched my claws into the table. Back home you've got to have your tax
money and your bribe for the taxman, I don't know if we have enough. Oh
gods what-
"So we're going on a patrol." My attention snapped back.
"We're going on a what now?" I asked.
"Were you listening to me at all?" Nemo asked. I chose not to answer. "We
have to do an amount of mandatory service to Metamor if we're going to live
here. So I volunteered us for a patrol."
"And you didn't ask me?" I snapped.
"Why would I?" Nemo said. "You'd refuse to do it. I had to decide for you
so you couldn't back out of it." I snorted.
"That's bullshit." No it isn't. "I should have a say so in my own life!" No
you shouldn't. "And why the hell should I give these people anything?
They're holding me prisoner here!"
"I thought you said Metamor isn't that bad!" Nemo cried.
"I don't want to go on patrol for anyone!" I slammed my fists against the
wood. "Especially a bunch of freaks who expect me to be happy about turning
into a lizard monster! Why is everyone so fucking happy here?"

"Because they've learned to adjust." Nemo said. "They've learned there is
nothing to gain by being relentlessly miserable. Finding something that
brings you peace is how you survive the curse."

"Not being cursed is how you survive the curse." I snarled. "Or trying to
reverse it. Why the hell aren't they doing that?"

"Maybe they've already tried James. It's not that simple no doubt." I stood
up.

"James what are you doing?" Nemo asked. I responded by making the figs.
"Very mature."
"I'm leaving." I snapped. "Don't follow me."
"I wasn't planning on it." Nemo said. "James tomorrow night we will be on
patrol with others from Metamor. Be ready, it is happening. You have to do
this." I rested my head against the door.
"You know, I've heard that my entire life." I opened the door. "No one ever
tells me why I have to listen to them." Before Nemo could respond I slammed
it shut.
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