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“Well you can’t stay at the inn, you’ll stick out and people don’t exactly take well to strangers here.”
She thought for a second. “There’s an abandoned barn about 20 minutes out by foot. You could stay there, probably.”
"Yeah…" Kaysen didn't like that plan, but what other choice did he have?
"I guess I'll do that." He concluded, "The only issue is I still need food and stuff. And the only way to get that is in town."
(okay so I want to turn him into a sword so Sandra can keep up with him and the two can still have a story, but I don't want Kaysen to look clingy. He's not like that. what should I do?)
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“I could probably bring you stuff,” Sandra said. “But only if you agree to stay away from my house. If my mentor sees you, she’ll freak out. I’ll show you the barn and get you some supplies.” She offered a hand. “Deal?”
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(I don’t think he’d look clingy- honestly the sword could probably “reappear” or smth)
Kaysen regarded the offer for a moment before shaking Sandra's outstretched hand and giving it a firm shake.
"Deal."
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She grabbed their spare blanket and headed for the door. “Margaret won’t be home until tomorrow so you can stay here tonight.” She led him to the back, where they kept the hay. “It’s clean, don’t worry. But you’re not sleeping inside. I’ll take you to the barn tomorrow, it’ll be too dark soon.”
She tried for a sympathetic look. “This is the best I can do tonight.”
(well the only way i'd give him any reason to change into a sword would be "to stay with Sandra because he doesn't want to be alone" and that's clingy to me. do you think there's another reason we could do? like maybe they get to the barn–possibly in the middle of the woods or smth–and there's some kind of beast attack that breaks her bow, so Kaysen transforms into a sword for her. she wouldn't know of course. and then she could go looking for kaysen to give back the sword but when she doesn't find him she assumes he went back to his world and that the sword got left behind. is- is that a good idea? P_P )
(i just sad I didn't have any ideas and then out pops THAT xD)
Kaysen smiled at her hospitality.
"It's fine," he said and took the blanket when she handed it to him, "Thank you."
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(That could work :) or maybe he changes into a sword to be able to go unnoticed at her house or in town cos the barn wouldn’t work. But then she’d know, but it would be less suspicious. Idk)
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The next morning, Sandra got the last of their bread and a bit of jam and took it out to Kaysen with a small mug of coffee.
“Ready to go?”
Kaysen was already up, having folding the borrowed blanket and being in torture of smelling breakfast and coffee.
"Ready," he said, and his stomach growled loudly. His face flushed with embarrassment and he gratefully took the plate and mug when Sandra offered it to him.
"How long did you say it would take us to get to the barn again?"
(do you want him to go ahead and reveal himself to be the sword? we can if you want to)
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(Up to u, he’s ur character)
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“About 20 minutes on foot.” She took the blanket back inside and fed Basil. She grabbed her bow and med pack before she and the dog went back outside. “It’s north of here.”
Kaysen followed, keeping up easily with her fast stride. He reached down and briefly scratched the dog behind the ear.
"Thank you," he said to Sandra, "For helping me. I can't say it enough." And he meant it.
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She cleared her throat, feeling slightly awkward. “Don’t mention it.”
They finished the hike in relative silence. A while later, they reached the barn.
Kaysen looked at the structure with a slight grimace, trying to prepare himself for the road ahead. He took the small pack of provisions Sandra had prepared for him and walked a couple steps towards the barn.
"Well," he said, hesitating, "I suppose this is where we part ways."
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“Yeah,” she agreed awkwardly. “Uh… there’s small game around, and the stream isn’t far to the east.” She cleared her throat. “Good luck.”
Something struck a cord in Kaysen's mind.
"Thanks," he replied, "I guess if I suddenly disappear one day, you'll know why. I just wish I had my sword… it will get left behind if I don't have it with me." He shrugged, and entered the lonely barn, waving goodbye.
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“I thought you took-“ a low growl sounded behind her and she stopped mid-sentence.
A small mountain lion stalked the edge of the clearing. Sandra hardly dared to breathe, biting back a whole string of curses.
She slowly reached for her quiver, watching the mountain lion. It stayed back, tail twitching as it paced.
She nocked the arrow and raised her bow, agonized at how slow she had to move.
The Lion snarled and pounced.
Sandra dove out of the way just in time, but its outstretched paw caught her bow. It snapped.
“Dammit! KAYSEN!”
Kaysen watched the event unfold before his eyes, frozen and not sure what to do. There was no water nearby, so his powers were out of the question. When the lion pounced and Sandra screamed his name, he knew he had no choice. He ran head-on at the girl, and at the last minute–with a flash of white light–he transformed.
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“WHAT THE HELL?”
A bright white flash temporarily blinded her. The mysterious sword fell at her feet, and she grabbed it. The lion pounced again and she rolled.
Before she could recover, it lunged again.
Sandra desperately curled up into a ball and raised the sword.
The Lion fell right onto it.
She stayed for a moment, praying it was dead.
When nothing happened, she pushed it off of her, leaving the sword.
She was shaking almost too hard to stand, so she sat back on her heels, fighting tears. “Oh God. KAYSEN?”
Kaysen winced, and almost didn't say anything. He knew how shaken the poor girl was and wished there was an easier way of explaining his situation.
"Um…" he started, still in his sword form, "I um…. can't move." He was glad he didn't have to make eye contact as a sword. Still, he wished he wasn't stuck where he was so he could transform again.
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Sandra stared at the sword, adrenaline still raging.
“Uh-“
Kaysen sighed, and in another bright flash, he was a boy again. He was standing close to the dead lion and he stumbled away quickly. A drop of blood stained the front of his shirt, but otherwise he seemed unaffected by what just happened. He looked at Sandra and rubbed his arm nervously. He didn't know what to say.
"I…" he stuttered, "I can explain."
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Sandra stared in shock. She tried to stand, but her adrenaline left her. “What the hell,” she whispered. “What the actual HELL?”
Kaysen went to approach the girl, but thought better of it.
"I–" he didn't know where to start, "I'm sorry. I lied about the sword, and i really should have told you sooner but I didn't know if– I didn't know– I'm really sorry, I–" He stopped babbling at last and rubbed a hand through his hair.
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(I know next to nothing abt mountain lions so just go with this lol)
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Sandra pushed herself to her feet, not sure what to say. She weakly gestured to his shirt. “There’s uh… ya got something-“
She took a deep breath. “This place probably isn’t safe anymore, uh… may- maybe you could-“ she cursed herself for the stutter. She never stuttered. “How long can you do… that?”
