Rorri

　　A few weeks after the market, Rorri was napping in his room - or trying to, at least - when someone knocked on the front door. Adar was gone, doing whatever it was he did to make money. Ordinarily, Rorri wouldn`t answer - it wasn`t long ago that he couldn`t - but this time, something tugged him from his bed, maybe boredom or curiosity. So he got up and followed the contours of his house for the nineteen steps it took to get him there.

　　"Who is it?" he called. A beat of hesitant silence passed.

　　"It`s me," the visitor called back. Though Rorri often had trouble recognizing voices, he recognized this one immediately.

　　"Oh - okay, yes, one moment!"

　　He smoothed his hair back, grateful that he`d bathed recently, and ran his shaky hands over the door`s surface until he found the lock. He twisted the lock open, then he fumbled with the knob, turning it first the wrong way, then not far enough. When the door finally opened, he teetered with its momentum. He must look like a bumbling idiot, he thought - but she always seemed to like his bumbling.

　　"Hello, Rorri," Shacia said.

　　"Hi, hello!" he said with a titter. "Come on in - it`s j-just me here right now, which is why I`m here answering the door, instead of Adar, so just, um, go on ahead, I can get the door behind you-"

　　"God, I`d forgotten what a mess you are," she said, though he heard a trace of good humor nestled in her stern tenor. As she passed him, he felt the breeze her movement provoked brush against his skin. He shivered, then shut the door, keeping his hand on the knob for balance.

　　"Sorry to come unannounced, like this," she said.

　　"Oh, it`s fine-"

　　"Mau?"

　　Hearing her voice, Poppy stirred from his rest. Shacia brightened. Rorri could see it in the darkness, almost as tangibly as in the illusory forest: a halo of pure affection, a color he`d never quite seen and couldn`t describe, rippling across her and stopping around her edges as she scooped up the cat.

　　"Oh, I missed you so much," she cooed, audibly smooching his fur.

　　"Mau?"

　　Rorri smiled, nearly moved to tears. But, he wasn`t wearing his blindfold, and somehow that made it easier to suppress them.

　　"Um, would you like some tea or something?" Rorri asked. "Or we`ve got some peanuts, if you like peanuts?"

　　Another pause. She seemed so much more hesitant to speak here, and he didn`t know why. Was she afraid of someone hearing her? Or did the squalor of life on the Wall make her that uncomfortable?

　　"I do like peanuts," she said. "Peanuts would be lovely."

　　"Perfect! Feel free to have a seat at the table, I`ll grab those really quick&"

　　Rorri counted his steps around the perimeter and felt for the notch in the kitchen door frame. Adar had carved to help him navigate his home. Finding it quickly enough, he made his way to the cabinet without stumbling, confident in his route. It felt good to actually do something, he thought, as he carried the small sack of peanuts to the table-

　　"Whoops - excuse me!"

　　"Oh - I`m s-sorry!"

　　-but he collided with Shacia who had unwittingly taken the seat he usually took, interrupting his practiced movement. She managed to catch him by the waist, and a heavy thump followed. It must have been Poppy leaping off of her lap; afterwards, the faint remains of her silhouette vanished. Normally, Rorri would have spooked and jerked away from the unanticipated touch, but he`d grown so accustomed to leaning into Adar from the hundreds of collisions he`d prevented, that he relaxed his weight into her instead, his arms floating uselessly in the air. Neither of them seemed to know what to do, so they stayed that way, torn between pulling away and hanging on. Their embrace lasted far longer than it probably should have, and it only ended when the thought came to Rorri that perhaps she felt obligated to keep holding him, lest she release him and he fall.

　　"Thank you for catching me," he said as he gently peeled away and steadied himself on the table.

　　"I didn`t have much of a choice," she said with an uncomfortable chortle. "Not that I wouldn`t have if I did, I mean - sorry, that sounded awful-"

　　"Not at all!" Rorri said, his voice jumping in pitch. "I know what you meant, it`s - it`s alright!"

　　Rorri`s face burned as he sidled around the edge of the table into Adar`s chair, still clutching the bag of peanuts.

　　"Anyway," Shacia said, "I brought you an invitation to the art gala next month. Would you like me to leave it on the table for you?"

　　"Oh! Um, thank you so much - yes, that would be fine," Rorri said. "An art gala& That`s where I`d have a booth for people to come buy my art?"

　　"Something like that, yes," Shacia said. "It`s a party, really, but they showcase local artists, and the wealthy attendees bid for the pieces they like. I managed to work in a favor for you. It`s not easy to secure a spot at the Palace."

　　Rorri`s jaw dropped. "The Palace? Like& The Palace?"

　　"With the King and Queen, yes," Shacia said with a small chuckle. "They rope off one wing for the event, so it`s really not as intimidating as you`d think. You won`t have to kneel at the throne or anything silly like that."

　　Rorri went quiet. His initial burst of excitement had turned to dread at breakneck speed. There was no way he could go to the Palace, not after what happened at the warehouse on Barker Street. That was months ago, but&If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

　　"If you`re worried about the Guard," Shacia said, dropping her voice to just above a whisper, "I assure you, they`ll be on the other side of the building, guarding the parts of the Palace that idiot thieves might think would be left unattended. It`s still a noble-run event, and nobles prefer hiring private security who they can dress up however they please."

　　"...Okay," Rorri said. "Will& Will you be there, by any chance?"

　　Another moment of hesitation passed. Rorri fidgeted, sure he already knew the answer.

　　"I will not, unfortunately," she said. "My wedding is the next day, so& Well, I`ll have to be early to bed, to say the least."

　　Rorri nodded numbly. "I understand."

　　"Mau?"

　　Poppy`s sweet meow brightened the spot Shacia occupied across the table. He chirped, and the memory of him kneading Shacia`s bed lit up in Rorri`s mind. It was Poppy`s memory, not his, but in it he could see the fine white floral stitching on her bright red comforter so clearly, it felt as if he`d slept on it himself every night for years&

　　"Can I have a peanut?" Shacia asked, and the memory vanished.

　　"Oh! Sorry, yes, I forgot&" He fumbled with the bag, hands shaking, and plucked out a peanut, offering his outstretched palm into the darkness ahead. He felt her fingernail graze his skin as she took it.

　　"Thank you."

　　Rorri nodded, then took a peanut for himself, setting the open bag on the table. There were so many things he wanted to say, but&

　　"Your mother is the absolute worst," he blurted out. Shacia burst into laughter, then coughed, having likely inhaled part of the peanut.

　　"Well stated," she said as she caught her breath and the coughing fit waned. "I wouldn`t wish her upon my worst enemy."

　　"Seems to me like she is your worst enemy."

　　"Well, she has to live with herself first and foremost, I suppose."

　　"Must be an awful way to live, walking around without a soul."

　　Shacia guffawed. He grinned. If only he could hold onto that sound, forever& He winced and shook the thought away.

　　"I hope you`ll live better with your, erm& with your new husband," Rorri said, saddened. "I just want you to be happy. I know it won`t be easy for you, but I really hope it won`t be as bad as you think&"

　　Rorri anticipated her hesitation this time, but the hesitation drew out into a much longer stillness. The void gave him no hint as to what might be happening. It stayed as dark as it had ever been, until he felt himself coming untethered again, like the world around him was expanding, and he was shrinking away. But a small gasp ahead pulled him back to the table, then another small gasp, then a whimper.

　　"Shacia?"

　　"I`m sorry-"

　　She gasped again. She was crying.

　　"I didn`t m-mean to upset you," he said. He wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, but he couldn`t. He didn`t even know how far away she really was.

　　"It`s not you&"

　　He saw her face in perfect clarity, as it was the night of the opera - the muddy grooves of running make-up, the way her eyebrows pinched together until they nearly touched.

　　"I& I know things, Rorri," she said in a hushed voice. "Things I shouldn`t know&"

　　"What do you mean?" he said, unnerved by the gravity in her voice. She sniffed hard, releasing a shuddering breath.

　　"I`m such an idiot," she breathed. "Why do I do this? I stick my nose in places where I know I don`t belong, and I& I&" Her voice drifted into another nearly-silent wail.

　　"You can tell me," Rorri said quickly, leaning forward. "You can tell me anything - you don`t have to carry this alone, Shacia, whatever it is. I promise I can keep it a secret - I promise&"

　　She took his hand in her cold fingers, squeezing tightly enough to hurt.

　　"I can`t," she whispered. "He`s military, Rorri - he`s a high-ranking officer - and it`s the sort of information they would kill people for. I`m not supposed to know, and if I told you&"

　　Her hands drifted away from his.

　　"Military&?" Rorri`s mind whirred, a pit opening in his stomach. "Is this about the Du閚?"

　　Silence filled the space between them. Even her breathing halted, answering his question more clearly than her words ever could.

　　"I have to go," Shacia said. The chair made a horrible screech against the floor. "I`m sorry. I`m so sorry..."

　　"Wait - Shacia, please don`t go!"

　　Without thinking, he stood, but in his blindness he stumbled into the table, nearly knocking it over. The bag of peanuts slid and fell, sending them clattering all over the floor.

　　"Please&"

　　But it was too late. The front door had opened and shut, and she was gone. Rorri sank to his knees, shaking, unable to hold back the tears this time. Poppy pawed at his leg with a worried meow. The door opened again. Rorri looked up, as if he could see who it was, a specter of hope flickering in his chest.

　　"Who was that?" Adar said, perturbed. Rorri`s heart sank. "What the& Why are there peanuts all over the floor? What`s going on?"

　　"I don`t want to talk about it," Rorri mumbled, hanging his head.

　　"...Seriously?"

　　"Can you just help me into my room, please?"

　　Adar sighed heavily. "I`ve half a mind to leave you stranded until you tell me what just happened."

　　"Then you`ll just have to watch me crawl blindly and feel terrible about yourself because of it," Rorri countered.

　　"Mau?"

　　"...Fine," Adar grunted. "Just promise you`ll tell me when you wake up from your nap."

　　"Fine."

　　Rorri dropped into his thin straw mattress, feeling as if he`d doubled in weight. Though she never asked him to take them on, her burdens were his, and they always would be. As he drifted into the restless twilight, her face persisted in his mind, her pulsing veins, her red-rimmed eyes. He wanted to wipe the make-up away for good, so he could see her as he knew her before everything went terribly wrong. He just wanted to smile with her again, to play their stupid little pranks without feeling like they were committing a crime. He`d give anything to take her away, to take her somewhere where they could be safe together&