~C0771510n~ [Shrimpeh]

Apology? The other person was apologising to her? Anni had been all tensed up, expecting some harsh shouting or a lecture on how to walk, but an apology? That came as a surprise to the girl. Even though the young man had the decency to be polite, Anni still cowered where she stood, not sure how she was supposed to respond. Because although she had just received an apology, she wasn’t sure how to take it. Maybe it was a cover. Maybe this man really did want to hurt her. She just couldn’t be too sure.

The whistling of the wind filled the silence as Anni plucked up the courage to see the face of the person who she had ran into. Her first reaction was how similar the two were: no expressions. It wasn’t bad to finally meet someone who looked just as closed off as she did, but Anni was scared out of her wits. Because even if they appeared similar in that way, he still had more than 6 inches and 50 pounds on her.

Was she supposed to respond politely, insist that it was her fault? If so, how did she say all of that with minimal words? Being profuse in a situation like this would have been ridiculous and out of character for Anni. She supposed there really wasn’t much else to say, though.

“N—no. I should have paid...paid...more attention.” Her words came out as barely a whisper, the wind picking them up and moving them quickly away. With such a wind, it would have been a miracle if the man heard what the tiny girl managed to squeak out. Anni knew she had a small voice; she just despised when it was necessary for her to be louder than normal.

And that was when everything started to get awkward. As much as she wanted to leave, Anni couldn’t bring herself to budge. She was still expecting something to happen to her and couldn’t accept that all the man had to say was an apology. That was never anyone’s agenda.

Could it be that he was trying to prove himself different? Or he was just different in general? If the former, Anni appreciated that someone even cared. If the latter, she was happy that at least there was one other person. She had few acquaintances and all were more outgoing than she, even if all they did was visit another friend’s home once a month. It was much better than Anni’s typical drill of holing herself up in her room until she was needed.

Disbelief was honestly the only thing Anni could register. Everything else was floating around in that tiny head of hers, but the one thing that showed was her inability to figure out what had just happened. So she stared and stared at the man’s chin. It was her way of trying to use eye contact without actually using eye contact. And it always worked like a charm.

Anni shuffled her feet where they were, her way of relieving the tension in her body. Unfortunately, the anxiety kept building up faster than she could relieve it. Her eyes grew wider as she waited for something to happen. Perhaps the other person would go away first, breaking the scene and allowing Anni to move again. All she needed though was for something to happen. Anything to let her go home.

"You alright? I... I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"

He spoke. Anni didn’t know how to respond, still feeling as frozen as ever. So what she did was she stared. She stared at the young man, trying to see if she could see anything in his expression, manner, or look. And all she could see was the huge bruise.

It was in Anni’s nature to inquire about the bruise; surely no real person could inflict such damage on any person. The only way someone could accomplish that amount of damage was with a weapon. Anni could not help but wonder what had happened. And as much as she wanted to ask, it would not have been polite. Even staring at the bruise was probably too much. Anni reminded herself not to ask which was a lot easier than she had guessed since she never had a likening in speaking to anyone, even her family.

“I..I’m okay. Not hurt.” Anni kept shaking her head, wondering if there was some part of her still in denial. It could not be possible; there was nothing to deny. But she was beginning to reconsider that as her head kept shaking from left to right and right to left. Or maybe it was an assurance, trying to shake it off. Her eyes remained plastered in the direction of the young man’s face, something she always did whenever she met someone new. It was not as if they entirely cared; most people didn’t notice her until she was introduced. And that was how Anni liked it.

She finally tore her eyes aware, fourteen years of manners kicking into her system. She was ashamed that she had managed to stare for such a long time at something that clearly looked like something that should not be stared at. In other words, Anni knew she was rude. What could she possibly do to make up for it? Say that she was sorry? But that wouldn’t be entirely honest. Anni was curious and damn if she caved in every now and then. There was a biting voice in the back of her head that was trying to convince her otherwise; it was apparently called a conscience. Not many people listened to it, though, Anni included. But there was something else called morals, something Anni did not entirely lack.

“I’m…A—Anni. Anni…Dorst.” Anni had no clue why she had included her last name; it would only give the man more information about her and he could possibly hunt her down if there were any damages. Or he could hurt her at the dead of the night when everyone was asleep. Yet Anni was not getting that vibe from him. In fact, she was sure that he would not be using that information against him. Anni always doubted her judgment but for once, she was willing to go with it. It might have had something to do with the fact that she had already provided enough information for him to go around the area and inquire.

Finally, she couldn’t help herself. “Are…are you…okay?” This question was so general, she could have been inquiring about the recent turn of events or the bruise that kept grabbing her attention. As she stood there, she kept shaking, even though the wind was relatively blocked off. It still found some way to creep through, blowing against Anni and causing her to wave back and forth.

If she had continued on home, if she had pushed past the wind with just a bit more effort, she might have been at home, curled up on her bed. Instead, she was frozen where she was, talking to some random stranger she had ran in to. Just her luck.

The next gust of the cold wind had Anni nearly curling up on the ground. How anyone in the blasted district tolerated this weather was unknown to her. But she refused to leave herself completely vulnerable. She knew there was a sense of trust, but at the same time, she had to protect herself. Worst case scenarios spun through her head over and over again, just like her nightmares would late at night. But what was he going to do when he himself looked hurt?

Hurt. That snapped Anni out of her pessimistic mood. His words seemed so forced, Anni almost did not believe him. But what did she know about people? She was the little girl who stayed as far away as possible. There was no possibility that she could be the one who judged others. The quick smile that disappeared just as soon as it appeared worried Anni. She knew that smile; she had used it herself many times. It was the “trying to assure someone but also trying to push them away” smile. At least that was what it meant when Anni used it. She came up with the conclusion that there was something going on, but she was not going to pursue it. She never did pursue any matters like this.

Maybe it was a cowardly approach to everything, but Anni was truly frightened. She was usually the one on the other side of things, the one who was quiet and shuffled her feet. When two non-conversationalists came together, the silence would penetrate the atmosphere. And that was what Anni was feeling. The words on both sides were simple, stuttering, and to the point. Anni did not mind it when she was the only one, but there was something about this conversation that made Anni feel like she needed to speak up—and she typically never bothered. So there was either something wrong with the little girl or something new was happening. Sadly, Anni was hoping for the former.

Her mind tried to work through all the possibilities. Of course, she could always make her way back home after another quick apology. She could try to strike up a conversation. Or she could help the young man out. The first option was more optimal; she could lead her life as it was, and pretend that she had never met this man or that it was a mere accident. The second option would require her to speak up, something she hated deeply. Conversation was never her forte so she never attempted it. The third option seemed like a middle ground, but Anni never went for the middle if she could. It always led to undesirable results, some which were permanent. It felt like the right thing to do, but the amount of courage Anni was going to have to strike up would be unreasonable.

A bit of wind reached the area again, not as bad as the blast, but still cold enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. At least that was how Anni felt as she grabbed the ends of her coats and pulled them across her chest so the two flaps of material were overlapping each other. Even so, the material wasn’t that great in completely protecting her.

And then she did something complete uncharacteristic of her. She had no idea if it was because she simply wanted to go home or she felt the actual need to help the young man. She started to head in the direction of her home while pulling on the young man’s hand. Her insanity level must have increased tenfold because there was no way sane Anni would be dragging a stranger to her house, but he needed care for that eye and if her mother was there, then she would be able to help. Of course, since she was about half the size as the man she was trying to pull, she went nowhere. The possibility of dragging him along shrank to a bare minimum.

“We need to care for that eye. Come on, my mother should be able to help out with that.”

Her mother was no healer but between Anni and her siblings, her mother would have enough experience in that department. If only she could convince the young man that it would be safe.

The tension she had expected, but the fact that he was actually letting her pull him came as a shock to Anni. She had expected to be anchored, not even budging. Instead, she was freely moving against the wind on her way home. As she felt the wind continue to blow against her, she could not help but wonder how insane she would appear to her family members. Everyone knew that she was not the type of person to bring anyone home, even a close friend. And now she was pulling along a young man who clearly had not met the family before? Anni could only imagine the shock and surprise coming from her family members. But she knew her mother would tend to that dark mark no matter what.

Finally, Anni had a name from the young man. Prewitt…that’s an interesting name. Anni wasn’t really one to talk as her name was not common either. Then again, who did have a “normal” name? Prewitt had thanked her as well, another thing Anni had not been expecting. If there was anything she had learned from their brief meeting, it was that he was not one to say much or anything for that matter. It was a meeting filled with surprises, probably more so to Anni than Prewitt. She kept her eyes trained forward as she worked her way through the roads.

“No need to thank. You’re hurt.” Anni wished she could know how Prewitt had received a mark like that, but knew better than to ask. Her only guess was a bad fight with one of his friends or a bully from school or work. If he worked that was. He looked old enough to be permitted to work but whether he needed to or not was a different question. Anni knew that the school had drilled them enough to at least handle a small job, but there were some kids who didn’t have to worry about working long hours or working at all. So that left at least two different scenarios that Anni would have to continue guessing from. There was no way she was going to be bringing that up.

It wasn’t too much further before they were at Anni’s house, a small place but still roomy enough to house the family of five. While she did not have a problem with her siblings there, she was hoping that only her mother was in the house. There was nothing shameful about what she was doing; it was going to be tedious explaining what had happened to her whole family though. She could only imagine the grueling task of having to repeat what she had to say to every member of her family. Plus, they would have been worrying about her, wondering if there was something wrong with the young girl. She always spent her time in her room that to even have a remote glimmer of a social life would have seemed odd to her siblings. Her parents might have been a bit more accepting, happy for her even, but concerned that the very first person she decided to bring home was a bruised up young man. Even as Anni went over it in her mind, she found herself doubting her decision.

“I’m sorry. Is…is there anywhere you need to be? I…didn’t mean to be so…rash.” And yet Anni was leading some stranger to her house. It was a rather odd stroke of confidence especially for her, but the fact that Prewitt was actually following her lead made it easier for Anni to move forward. The wind was harsh and Anni knew there was nothing she wanted more than to be out of its way as soon as possible. She could only assume that Prewitt felt the same way, but for some strange reason, she could not help wonder if she was preventing Prewitt from going somewhere he was needed.

A half hour? I suppose it shouldn’t take that long. But where is Mother? Anni gave Prewitt a small nod as she wondered if there was anyone home. She could hear no loud laughter meaning her father and her brother were home, and there was not even a creak save the one that came from under Anni’s weight as she took a cautious step inside. With no one home, Anni wasn’t sure that anything could be done for Prewitt’s eye. Anni could attempt, but she wasn’t sure that she could handle such a task like that. Yes, it would have been extremely simple and yes, Anni could have done it if she had a little more faith in herself, but all she was able to do at that moment was grimace.

She dreaded telling Prewitt that she couldn’t do anything, that he made the trip for nothing. It would only make it seem like she was wasting his time and Anni just could not take that. She could attempt, yes, but was she going to? She turned on the spot to face Prewitt. It did look rather painful and Anni had a good feeling that just a small application of salve would make it feel that much better, but she wished there was more that she could do or at least promise a better handling than what she could provide. No matter, she would have to do something.

“I’m sorry. It seems my mother isn’t here right now.” Anni looked down in shame, not believing that she was really going to offer to take care of the bruise herself. “If you don’t mind though, I…I can look after it. It’ll be really…quick.” She didn’t dare look up to see Prewitt’s reaction as she turned around and went to grab the salve. She remembered her mother telling her where to find it, but as she rarely needed it for herself, she had forgotten the specific place, leading her to search the cabinets in hopes of finding the small jar her mother must have bought from some apothecary. They couldn’t necessarily afford a jar so small, but her parents had agreed that it would be better to at least have something as Anni’s brother often got caught in fights and her younger sister was a spirited one herself. That along with various accidents at work was enough to get the whole family to pool in some money to buy a pathetic jar. But it worked miracles so no one complained.

Only having it used on her once, Anni was still unclear what the effects of the salve were. It was a year earlier when she had accidentally ran into a machine that for some reason followed Newton’s third law of motion and reacted by running into her leg. It was probably some weapon force that was meant to attack back when a certain amount of force struck it, but at that time, Anni could only view it as an abomination and horror of the District. Never mind the fact that she was extremely biased against it. But a large bruise proceeded to show across her leg, the mere pain of it all preventing her from walking around. Her brother was the one who suggested it, knowing from experience what to do so her mother applied the salve. Anni vaguely remembered the cool feeling on her leg, but everyone knew that the area around the eye was much sensitive than the outer thigh.

She walked back to Prewitt and using the free hand, she motioned for him to sit on a chair. With him towering over her, there was no way she was going to be able to apply the ointment around his eye. In her other hand was the small jar along with a wad of cloth that would be used for application. Anni’s mother would use her own fingers but Anni was simply paranoid that she would do something wrong or it would backfire and affect her. Her small hands shook as she waited for Prewitt to sit, unsure of whether they would have the capability. If she did this correctly, then he could be well on his way. And if he was well on his way, then Anni might not see him around again. After all, it was only by chance that they met. But Anni was never one for friends so what did it matter to her if she never saw Prewitt again? He would just be another person in another part of her life.