A Very Lucky Lass

"It wasn't how I imagined it goin, honestly I never gave much thought to what would happen. It was voluntary on my part, I really didn't know what I was doin' or what I wanted t'be. I was lost, an' I wanted direction in m'life."

Felix nodded, squeezing her hand. "I know what that feels like."

Nyitzcha's eyes grew subtly as she looked up to him, resting her head comfortably on his lap. "You do."

"I do. I use to belong to someone, I was her property. She sold me off to a farmer who pitied me, I think he purchased me as a way of saving my life. He taught me how to run his farm and kept me nourished somewhat. Food was scarce for him, age was crippling his body so he relied on my hands to work the farm. I learned everything about agriculture thanks to that man."

"Shoot, what happen there den?"

He sighed as he glanced above into the starry night. "He passed away, ownership was distributed among his seven kids and I was once more reminded of what I was to him. I was lost and found myself without a home and purpose. Didn't have a clue what to do but wander and beg for work. Wasn't until years later I made a good impression on someone that he appointed me to look after his home while he went traveling. One rough storm passed through, I had to herd the cows under shelter when I noticed the tool shed had collapsed under the heavy winds. Found a pale white cat with brown spots in her fur unconscious under a pile of scrap, so I took her in. Imagine my surprise when she turned out to be a Nekomata."

Nyitzcha reached out and patted his cheek, smiling and joining him in his soft chuckle. She appeared to be in a calmer state now, gentle and tamed somehow, perhaps by the comfort of his presence or from the warmth of his hand. "Ye silly boy, findin' a lost cat like dat. She coulda killed ya."

"I know, somehow I felt she was more scared of me than I was of her. Love has a funny way of turning out, I guess."

"Aye, it does. Love is a terrible thin' lad, it motivates wars, killing, betrayal an' da like. Cults and wrongdoings, murders an' crime. Ye ever think we ain't right for dis love? Maybe is not meant to be so good a thing. Maybe."

"You really believe that?" He asked, looking back into her brown eyes. They trembled under his gaze and she felt herself shrink in his lap when he asked her.

"Sometimes. Zik was somethin' special t'me. I fell for 'im, not right away mind ye but the feelin's began dat night. I knew better den dat, deep inside, even though when it all happened it was so quick, so fast. I found myself out of breath an' fallin' to a coma dat night, woulda slept for fourteen hours if we each slept in private bunkers. We had several more missions together... das a lie, we had so much more dat I lost count. We made a good team, I found that each time we came back we got more an' more... animalistic wit each other."

She sat back up now, building herself up as her hands clenched and formed fists.

"It was so stupid o'me, I shoulda known bettah. He-He had a certain charm wit' 'im I dun know, when ye go through hell an' back, ye can't stay de same no more. We certainly didn't."

---

Nyitzcha clicked the belt around her torso as Bur Zik pulled up his trousers in the same room. Something slipped from her uniform and clinked as it bounced from the cement floor. Bending down, Nyitzcha held the metal pin in her hand, rolling it in her fingers as she studied the decoration embedded in it. She gazed into it with a focus in her eyes, recounting the day she was awarded this after her many years of service and victories.

A slap to her ass brought her to stand up straight as strong arms cuddled and embraced her from behind, a gentle chin resting atop her orange hair.

"Loving the view. Mmm... I remember the night you got that one. What was it, three years ago? Good times." Zik chuckled as the dwarf shook away from him, squeezing the pin in her hand.

Holding it to her chest, she looked up to meet his eyes. "Zik, it was five years."

"Five! You're certain?" She nodded as he stood back, appalled and scratching his head. "Time sure goes by."

"Have I really been fightin' a bloody war for seven years o'me life?" Nyitzcha asked, more to herself then to him. "All dis fightin' fer so long. I-I can't remember sleepin' without de sound o' gunfire an' whistlin arrows now."

"Take it easy, you're relapsing. Here, take some medicine." Zik offered his silver flask to her.

She reached in as their fingers touched, her eyes glancing at the flask and her tongue salivating at the taste it held within it. She hesitated and pulled away, shaking her head. "Nu, Nu I dun want more o'dat. Makes me breath smell."

"I like your smell."

"Zik, dis is serious! Open yer eyes man, we been shootin' blastin an' fuckin fer nearly a decade! Ah can't believe dis." She mumbled to herself, pacing back and forth.

"Nyitzcha, you're starting to worry me."

For a minute, the dwarf was restlessly walking in circles back and forth muttering to herself. She shook her head, contemplating and arguing alone before taking a deep breath. Exhaling, she approached Zik and stood before him with a worried look.

"I have my yearly report de followin' week at fo' hundred. Zik, ah need you to be honest wit me. What am I t'ye?"

Zik blinked, raising a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Am I yer fuck buddy, yer friend, yer comrade an' ally?"

"Of course, you're all of those things. We've been through this before, I wouldn't want any other at my side. Who's going to save me when I'm in trouble? Who will be saving you?"

Nyitzcha sighed leaning into his chest as he held her in a gentle embrace, keeping her safe. Still, the dwarf remained unconvinced.

"Is been fun playin' dis, hasn't it Zik?"

"Of course."

"But I get tired o' dese thrills, de game hasn't been fun fer me nu more. I think I'm done."

Zik didn't respond, holding her still before pulling away and giving her a troubled and puzzling look. "You're done?"

She nodded, clearing her throat in determination. "Aye, I'm done. I had me fun an' I want out o'dese games."

"What will you do?"

"Ah dun know, I saved up 'nuff to start over. I doubt people see an interest in bombs, an' really I feel sick o'makin em fer dis long." Nyitzcha breathed in once more, sliding her soft hands over his. "But I dun want dis to end, I want us t'keep goin."

Bur Zik held a curious look in his eyes. "I'm listening."

"I want us to leave, how many friends 'ave we known an' lost o'er de war?" Zik took a moment to think it over, which annoyed her. "We dun 'ave friends nu more, Zik!"

He stepped back and rubbed his brow as she carried on.

"It gets too much, I feel I seen too much now. We been running too fast, hurrying from one battle to de next without a moment to catch on. I'm tired, I think... I think I want to settle down now." She fell back on the queen-sized bed, slumped forward as her orange hair concealed her expression. "I dun want dese adventures nu more, I want to jus' sit down an' live my life. Oh gods, I be soundin' like Mum."

Zik sighed and sat beside her, glancing from one area of the room onto the next. His hands were fumbling, tapping his thighs and eagerly searching for something to do. Even his foot was tapping nervously, it all stopped as he closed his eyes and held his breath, repeating the breathing exercise they've relied on for dealing with stress.

"I guess it all had to end at some point. Are you sure about doing this? Life won't be easy outside, it's much more work and I doubt we'll be having any fun being... farmers or something."

"I dun fancy myself fer a farmer, dun want me home smellin' like cow shite." They laughed together, her small hand reaching to hold his. "But it won't be so bad wit you 'round."

Bur Zik swallowed heavily, squeezing her hand back and agreeing with her.

---

"We decided den to retire, leave our lives behind an' start over. We pooled our earnings together, found a nice patch o'road to settle in an' managed to buy ourselves a shop. It was a rusty piece o'crap, some sort o' ballroom er somethin' I didn't care for. Took us a few good months to turn it to somethin' useful."

---

"Right, das-das gunna need to take some t'get use to. Why didn't we put anuther name on it?" Nyitzcha whined, standing beside Bur Zik as they admired the newly rebuild tavern.

"Lighten up, I thought the name fits rather nice. Nyitzcha's Thirst!"

"Ye know, plenty o'folk can't pronounce me name right. Dis was a bad idea." She frowned.

"Give it a shot, besides I already told some friends to send word to travelers and locals." He chuckled as she slapped his arm. "Hey, you wanted a new start yea? This is it."

She sighed, crossing her arms. "It'll do, I s'pose. When dey coming?"

"Tonight."

"Bloody hell, t'night! We 'aven't gotten de mugs washed yet, how ye 'xpect we get de damn things ready by sundown? Das a few hours at dis rate." She fumed, growling as he brushed her arms and chuckled.

"Relax, ease your temper. You can take it out on me later tonight, if you're that pissed." She slapped his arm again, making him laugh.

---

"Well, he sounds like a good man." Felix smiled, enjoying her story.

Nyitzcha snorted. "Ay knew you'd like 'im, ye remind me o'him plenty."

"Really?"

"Aye." She rested her head onto his shoulder. "Ye got his smile an' spirit. De way ye took yer lickings an' still stood up, das de kind of man he was."

"You seemed happy with him."

"Aye, I was a very lucky lass." She smiled, reminiscing of that same night as the bar was filled with dancing, drinking and joy.

---

The dancing stopped as someone starting calling for the music to stop. Everyone stopped to look at the man stepping in the middle of the tavern floor, calling for attention.

"Right... just like we rehearsed." He sucked in his breath and downed a shot of liquor before clearing his throat. "Your attention folk! I would like to present to you our host for this fine evening, Lady Nyitzcha!"

Everyone clapped their hands as he pointed into the crowd, who dispersed enough to leave Nyitzcha standing alone with a look of shock on her.

"Nyitzcha, nothin' makes me happier then seeing yer-your name on this fine building of ours. When you approached me and confronted me with the choice, you or the service, I really didn't see a need for the dramatics. It wasn't much of a choice really, you know I refused a promotion back then because it would mean shipping me five hundred miles away? No way, I don't see myself surviving without this lass right here. But all the fighting we been through, the struggles we faced... well to be frank I do miss that sometimes."

He chuckled as the rest of the crowd smiled and giggled along with him. He raised his hand high. "But I knew it I made the right choice sticking with her then, and I want to stay with her now. Nyitzcha!"

He clapped his heels and saluted to her, she approached him and saluted back. A nervous sweat trickled down his brow which caught her eye, what the devil was he doing here? Falling on one knee, Bur Zik held her hand and slipped an object to her palm. She raised it as her eyes shot open with plenty of gasps heard around them.

"Will ye... will you be mine, Nyitzcha?"

Nyitzcha felt herself struggling to breath, a bit lightheaded and blushing furiously as she was placed in the front stage for everyone waiting for an answer. "Erm, yer askin' a dwarf t'marry an elf. Ah think ye had too many drinks, love."

"Rightfully so, but come morning I'll be sober an' on one knee waiting for an answer." He smiled back. She huffed, hating his guts for placing her in this position.

But damn him, the bastard knows how to push me buttons good.

"Fine."

"Hm?"

"I said fine, now slip the damn ring on 'fore I start sobering up me-self." Nyitzcha smiled, going deaf to the applause as Zik beamed and embraced her. Suddenly, she began to sob in his arms as she squeezed him tight, quivering in his care. "I fukin' hate ye, ye bastard."

"I hate you too." He chuckled, kissing her passionately and slipping the ring on her finger. "Oh, your turn."

"Heh?"

He raised another ring matching hers. "It's a magic ring, we say the words I do while wearing them and it-"

"Yea yea yea, I do damn it." She smiled, slipping the ring on his finger and kissing him once more. "But I'm keepin' me name."

"Of course." He held her close, sighing in relief under the comfort of her touch. A sudden thought shot through as she opened her eyes.

"Where did ye afford de bloody things, we went broke affordin' dis place."

Bur Zik kept quiet, hugging her still. She figured he was avoiding her stare and pulled away, noticing his eyes looking anywhere but her way. "Zik, where did ye get the money for dis?"

"I uh... don't get mad, but I may have done a quick favor to the boys for some coin."

She scoffed. "Ye went back, we agreed we dun do dat no more."

"And we won't, it was a one time thing. Don't worry, love. It was worth the trouble and I got back safe anyhow." He embraced her once more, rocking her gently before they partook in a slow dance together. She loosened up in his arms and imagined this all to be a dream, something beautiful that she was sure to awaken from any moment. His smell and touch made it difficult for her to believe this was false, as she looked up to see their hands with both rings she felt herself glowing inside knowing he chose her after all.

"No more fightin' love, promise me dat."

Bur Zik paused for a moment and whispered back. "I promise."

An' we lived happily ever after, had he kept dat promise.