A little pep talk

Quiet falls. The gnome lies face-down, his snoring muffled by a faceful of forest floor. Lux has no thoughts to spare for him. Naked, dirty, hopeless, she sits slumped against her tree, eyes closed, her breaths ragged and uneven. The world seems to close in, the pressure too strong in this moment to move a muscle.

“Lux?” A small voice breaks through the ringing in her ears. “Hey, are you—?”

“Leave me alone.” Lux has to **** the the words out of her, barely a whisper.

“But—” Minn’s normally excited tone is tinged with something like concern. “Those little blue guys are gonna be coming. It’s time to go!”

“What’s the point.” Lux sighs. “Where’m I s’posed to go? Look at me!” She gestures vaguely. “Do I look like I’m about to rescue the queen of the fuckin’ dryads?

Minn flutters urgently. “Not if they catch up to you! Come on!”

Sure enough, distant shouts reach Lux’s ears. They’re out of sight in the mist and the trees, but once the mites get organised and start searching, it won’t take long.

“And let some other fuckin’ thing get me,” Lux mumbles. “The dumbest weakest little bastards, and I wasn’t even smart enough to—” A sob shakes her body. “There’s no way out. I’m never gonna get out of here.”

No sound for a few moments but the distant noises of the mites – and the flitting of gossamer wings. Coming closer.

Lux trembles as she feels Minn land on her shoulder. A half-hearted shrug fails to dislodge them.

“Lux,” Minn says firmly, “you’re wrong about yourself.”

“What are you talking about,” Lux mumbles.

“I can see what’s going on, and you’re wrong,” Minn insists. “You think you’re a stupid fat slut, but you’re not stupid.”

Lux’s faltering train of thought hits a snag on the rails. “Wait, what was the other part — ?”

“You’re clever and you’re brave and you’ve got a good heart,” Minn says, gently. “And I know mortals say things like that ‘cause they’re idiots, but I can see what’s in your heart. I know what I’m talking about. You’re beautiful on the inside as well as a hot bitch on the outside.”

Lux sits still, lips moving silently, too confused to be angry.

“I’m not giving up on you, Luxie.” A tiny sprite hand presses against her cheek. “I won’t let you just give up on yourself either.”

For a long moment, her mind fizzing with static, Lux just sits. The distant sound of mites starts to get closer.

“You are – really fucking bad at this,” she whispers, finally. But she pushes herself up, away from the tree.

“Sure, whatever!” Minn calls out, flying up. “Now move that sexy ass!”

Lux takes a moment to find her feet, her legs still wobbly. Not ready to run yet, she cautiously approaches the gnome.

He lies motionless, apparently still in the grip of pixie-dust sleep. Lux’s heart pounds all the same as she draws closer, expecting him to spring to life any second. To her relief, he shows no sign of strirring as she slowly reaches down, searching near his belt among the assorted flasks for anything she can use as a weapon.

Her shaking hands find a small knife. She draws it quietly from its sheath, watching for any sign of movement from the sleeping gnome. Waiting to see if he’ll give her a reason – if he so much as twitches…

But, nothing. She cuts the straps of his backpack – no time to unfasten – and lifts it off him. It’s heavy, but she’s able to hoist it over her shoulder, tucking the knife and the pixie lance away in its pouches. Still the gnome slumbers on.

She pauses, some kind of witty barb hovering on the tip of her tongue. Something about how he’s the experiment now, or he’d better promise to be a good boy, or—

“Get fucked, you creepy little shit,” she mutters, and hurries onward.