Ludz

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Chapter 22

 

Today was giving Ludz a headache. Vince had been almost completely silent in a bad way since their little conversation, they didn’t find anything worthwhile for Ludz in the Leviathan, and Ayn was acting suspicious. She clutched her sack a little too close to her body like she was trying to hide something. Not to mention she also barely said a word to him when they reconvened to head back together.

 

“Find anything useful?” Ludz prodded. She jumped at his voice. That wasn’t suspicious in the slightest. He groaned. He’d have to deal with this before they got back home. “What did you find?”

 

Ayn took a defensive stance with her bag shoved behind her. She was being way too obvious. “Nothing, just bolts and stuff,” she said, her voice too fast and too high. She wouldn’t be hiding it unless it was something Handi wouldn’t approve of.

“Stuff?” He asked, dead serious. “Show me.” He reached around her and grabbed the bag. Ayn pulled it back. 

 

Vince put his hands on both of their shoulders in an attempt to mediate. Ludz had almost forgotten he was there, with how quiet he was being. “Hey, stop-” Vince began, but both Ayn and Ludz interrupted him, directing both their angered attention to him.

 

“Shut up!” They shouted in unison. At least they were in agreement that Vince wouldn’t help in this situation. He was ignorant of what this could even be about. Vince stepped back with a surprised expression. Ludz took the interruption as an opportunity to rip the bag from Ayn’s hands. He quickly found what she was hiding: a world map.

 

She couldn’t be considering leaving, not after what happened last time. He was teeming with rage.

 

“I- I can’t believe you two,” Vince said, disgusted by them.

 

Ayn rolled her eyes. “It’s just a map,” she said, trying to downplay it.

 

“And if Handi see’s this?” Ludz asked. His voice broke at the thought of her reaction. He waved the map in her face. “Are you trying to hurt her?”

 

Ayn shook her head. “She won't,” she said. 

 

“You're right.” Ludz wouldn’t let her see it. He tore up the map into as many pieces as he could on the spot and dropped the scattered papers to the ground. Ayn looked like she was about to cry, but instead she formed a fist and punched him in the jaw.

 

Ludz didn’t react. He knew what he had done was harsh and the pain was barely a tingle compared to what he had experienced before. He stood by what he had done. He could handle Ayn being angry with him, but he couldn’t handle Handi’s heartbreak. He never wanted to hear her cry like that again. 

 

Ayn stomped off toward their home base with a scowl on her face. Vince stared at them both in shock.

 

His cheek was tender to the touch. Today was really giving him a headache. He continued walking back home with Vince following close behind in bewilderment. Not soon after Ludz heard the familiar giggle of Yeshua up ahead. After a few more steps he saw Handi, a bunch of bananas in hand and a toddler on her shoulders. Yeshua tapped on her soft feathery hair like he was beating drums. His headache instantly cleared.

 

“On our way so soon, Handi?” he called out to her. She turned around and smiled at him. The way the light came through the trees and shined down on her was almost ethereal. In the right light her light brown eyes reflected gold, yet her smile was so casual like she was welcoming him home.

 

“You're one to talk,” she said. She waited for them to catch up for a moment. She nodded her head at Vince. “How’d the infant do?”

 

“Slow as a turtle,” Ludz joked back. 

 

She gave him a knowing look, and Ludz was reminded his jaw was probably pink. “Ayn,” he explained. “It was my fault.”

 

“Hmm,” she hummed to herself. He couldn’t tell what was going through her mind, but at least she didn’t seem concerned. Sometimes she was hard even for him to read. She kept a lot of her fears locked up in her heart. If they asked she’d respond with a smile and a joke, but not an answer. All she ever said about her past is that the island raised her, but sometimes when she looked at him it felt like she was looking through him. This time he was sure she was seeing his and Ayn's inevitable reconciliation past his sorry face.

 

“Handi,” Vince shouted.

 

Reminding them again of his presence. Vince didn’t really know how to be inconspicuous did he? Yeshua even stopped tapping to his beat to pay attention.

 

His voice became nervous with all eyes on him. “Ludz and- umm… Fiu. They were telling me more about the spouts,” he continued.

 

Ludz watched Handi’s fists tighten around the bananas and her smile vanished. “What about them?” She asked.

 

She seemed upset that they had been telling him about the spouts. Ludz looked back and forth between them, unsure how to explain. All he wanted was Vince to give up on leaving faster. “He-” Ludz began.

 

“They said the spout line doesn’t have any gaps,” Vince continued over him. Okay, maybe Vince had this covered; he’d only end up digging himself a deeper grave at this rate.

 

“The ring,” Handi corrected. “It’s a ring.” Ludz watched her gaze carefully. They were in dangerous territory.

 

“That’s what-” Vince started, but Handi wouldn’t let him complete another sentence.

 

“A ring. A circle, complete all the way around,” she insisted, in an almost sing-song voice. She twirled Yeshua around as she brought him to the ground, but she never let go of his hand.

 

Vince crossed his arms. “Not a single gap?” He asked. “No way through?”

 

“No,” Handi said with a smile so gentle it seemed insincere. Ludz couldn’t tell if she was mocking him or pitying him.

 

“There has to be a way!” Vince insisted, getting louder and more aggressive with each word.

 

“There isn’t!” Handi reflected Vince’s energy.

 

“I don’t believe in crazy people.”

 

“No wonder your family sent you away. With that one track mind who would want you around,” Handi said, knowing where to cut to reach Vince’s core. She let go of Yeshua's hand and stepped forward to get into Vince’s face. 

 

The tension and anger in the air brought back Ludz' headache with a vengeance. With the two of them fighting it made it difficult for him to think clearly. He put his arm out to block Handi, at least he’d be able to stop another punch if it came. “That’s enough,” he yelled. 

The two of them glare at each other. Ludz stepped between them and held Handi by her shoulders, making her look at him, only at him. “He’s been told by three of us now. He won’t just take our word for it.”

 

He knew her anger came more from fear than actual hatred. She’d listen. At least Handi wasn’t opposed to advice. “Why don’t we just take him up so he can see for himself,” Ludz continued.

 

She let out a seething breath like she was finally releasing the built up pressure of the conversation. “Fine,” she said.

Ludz sighed in relief. He felt like he could finally breathe again. He let go of Handi’s thin shoulders and turned to face Vince, who smiled smugly as if he had won. “Good. When will we go?” Vince asked.

 

Handi still looked less than impressed by him, but Ludz was happy to see her smile return even if it was a mocking one. “In a few weeks,” she said.

 

“What?! Why?!”

 

Handi looked him up and down, examining his fitness. “Do you honestly think you can make it up a mountain, baby chicken legs?” Vince looked down at his less than muscular physique and back at her with an annoyed look, but he couldn’t argue. “Aaand,” she continued. “There is a tropical storm coming.”

 

“You can’t possibly know that. You don’t even have weather predicting machines,” Vince said confidently.

 

Ludz shook his head in amusement. She may have given in to his request but she was still in control. “You have to stop doubting her,” Ludz said. Handi began walking home with Yeshua chasing close behind and Ludz gladly followed. He could already feel his headache subsiding again. Soon he’d be back in bed listening to Stein’s familiar tinkering as he relaxed in bed. Today was far too eventful for his taste.