Paths: Changes×Chances

Neferpitou slowly woke up inspecting the surroundings with other senses before opening her eyes, perhaps she still wanted to believe it was all a bad dream.

 She felt like laying on something soft, a bed maybe?

There were no beds like that one in the palace.

She sniffed the air around her body. She picked the smell of rotting wood and other mixed odours of various things

The palace didn't smell that way.

She sharpened her hearing and was overwhelmed by the sound of multiple people walking down the streets.

The palace didn't have that many people in it.

She opened her eyes, having to accept she wasn't in the palace anymore

She were in an abandoned building, that much was obvious, even at first glance. The window above her was covered by dust but still let the morning sun shine in. The room she was in wasn't too big and parts of the ceiling were missing

Suddenly a door from the other side of the room opened, Knuckle got in carrying a shopping bag made of cloth and another plastic one containing a couple of water bottles and some food

"You're finally awake huh?"

Neferpitou stayed silent

"How are you feeling?" He said while sitting down on a chair next to the bed

"So.... it wasn't all a dream huh" Pitou's expression got from it's initial confusion to complete melancholy

"Unfortunately for you, it wasn't" he said and Pitou sat up on the bed, noticing something was restricting her arms

"Why?" She said, and Knuckle locked eyes with her "why let me live and bring me here?"

"Me and Palm didn't think you had to die. Meleoron complained a lot but we managed to convince him to keep it a secret for now"

"I....don't understand, why would you two fight for me? I was the one that killed your friend and I must have been a top priority target to eliminate, your decision doesn't make any sense..." Pitou had regained some energy in her words. However it was simply because of the confusion caused by the situation, she didn't feel like doing anything but stand there and starve herself to death

"Both me and Palm have different reasons to let you live, she is away now to report on the mission. after all, you guys turned her into one of your soldiers so the association needs to understand if Palm is hostile or not. We should meet at a randevu point this evening so we can bring you somewhere safer until the situation is good enough for you to survive an eventual meeting with the association"

Pitou took all that information and pondered on some of Knuckle's words
"Does she hate me for what I've done to her?" The question surprised Knuckle, but he responded like he was prepared for it

"Palm doesn't mind her new form that much, I already asked her. Actually she thinks that had you guys never done that to her, she would have never gained the confidence she has now. However none of that makes it okay"

"I see" Pitou wanted to cry, but she had cried so much mere hours earlier that her eyes couldn't form a single tear

Knuckle noticed her lips were dry and pulled another water bottle from the bag

"Here" he opened it and handed it over to her

Pitou however tried to get as far away from it as possible, putting her back against the wall

 
"You have to drink" Knuckle insisted not intending to let Pitou die of thirst

"I don't want to, just leave me her-"