Because of her energy drink addiction, Piper couldn’t sleep until late into the night. So naturally, she forced me to stay awake with her.
Out in the middle of nowhere, there wasn’t much for us to do. We spent the night talking about random, silly things. Nothing important. Nothing stressful.
When she finally got tired, we retreated inside the tent. The only one she brought.
A few years ago, when Maya and I were kids, Pip offered to take care of us during a camping trip my parents wanted to go on.
We were so small back then that her arms easily wrapped around us. She would bring us super close and gently pat our heads, until she was sure we’d fallen asleep.
Come morning, she’d have us in such a tight hug, we couldn’t escape her grip. We’d pretend to be asleep until she woke up, only to hear her calling us out for sleeping late.
This memory was precious to me, but it seemed even more dear to her heart than mine.
It was like Pip had forgotten I was a grown man now.
In her deep sleep, she hugged me from behind, with the same gentle strength. I was pulled closer against her chest. She leaned toward my ear and started giggling softly.
Also...
With a quiet voice, she sleep-talked things she wouldn’t normally say... things she would deny.
Quite a few complaints, too.
Unfortunately, time didn’t care for her feelings.
Piper was a tall woman, but I had grown taller. Her arms didn’t wrap the same as before. The position was familiar, but different, and this bothered her.
And it also bothered me.
I didn’t want to let her down.
Instead of letting her do as she pleased, I turned around and hugged her back.
My hands drifted to her waist as I pulled her closer, careful not to wake her.
Slowly, she began to lower her chin, her forehead pressing lightly against my chest. She brought the hand that had been resting around my waist back to her chest. She lowered her head so I could rest mine against her shoulders.
Her knees raised, almost folding against herself.
She’d shrunken so much, I could feel her accelerated heartbeat loud and clear, and, just like she did in the past to me, I gently patted the back of her head.
The mumbling stopped before long. While her head rested against my hand, her breathing started to stabilize. I could feel the peace settling behind her eyes, closed as they were.
We kept in this position even after I fell asleep. It was comfortable. Perfect.
After a while, the sunlight invading the tent became too strong for me to ignore.
My eyes opened to a calm Piper sleeping within my arms. On her face, she had a soft but wide smile.
If she cared about the heat, she didn’t show. Her grip on me was too tight, refusing to let me get an inch away.
Tough as it may have been to turn away from her, I had no choice. If she woke up and saw herself in this position, that’d be the end of me.
So, I trusted my back to her and pulled her arms, just like it was before we fell asleep. This time, I let her be until she was satisfied.
Piper woke up two hours later.
Her first instinct was to squeeze me. She rubbed her face into my hair and rocked me like I was her personal stuffed animal.
Her version of ’care’ was completely different from mine, but I didn’t mind. It was Piper all the way through.
Or so I thought.
A second later, after a sigh and a laugh, she started messing around.
Using me like a character model from a game, she turned my hair into an afro. Then into the long, smooth hair of a metalhead.
Finally, she settled on the nerdiest, lamest bowl cut she could imagine.
She rolled on the ground laughing and pointing when I pretended to wake up.
I had to beg her to change it back before we resumed our journey, and even then, she "suggested" I "try" a clown’s red hair and a long, Viking-braided blonde style.
Still, I was glad to see Pip in a good mood. She never took things as seriously as the other adults, so seeing her laugh to the point of hurting was a breath of fresh air.
I wish this could’ve lasted forever, but once we reached our destination, our laughter faded quickly.
In the vast desert before us, isolated from civilization as far as the eye could see, stood a military complex.
Automatic guns and radar systems, little more than moving chunks of metal from this distance, were mounted atop the tall white buildings.
The entire complex was surrounded by three layers of fences patrolled by dogs and men alike.
We couldn’t approach under these circumstances. To even get a glimpse, we had to rely on my skills and her Gift.
Even from a distance, something stood out...
Miwen: "...Otherworlders?"
Piper: "Seems so..."
The vast majority of men we could see carried weapons such as swords and spears instead of firearms.
Among Erik’s tricks, using manpower from other worlds was easily one of the most dangerous.
While it seemed to still be in its early stages, if expanded, this move could flip the numbers against the government. And if the theories are to be believed, it has already progressed to the point that one or two of the AOTG executives may not be native to Earth.
The girls showed me how big the barrier between Earth and most worlds was, so as much as I didn’t like it, I had to admit that Erik was using the otherworlders well.
Guarding a facility was a simple job that anyone could do, no matter where they came from.
However, without much knowledge of what’s normal on Earth, if something strange were happening around them, these men wouldn’t have the slightest idea.
Soldiers that can’t question their duty... It was the perfect way to keep information from leaking.
Looking at them work seemed to bother Piper more than I’d imagined.
Miwen: "What’s wrong?"
Piper: "I was thinking of taking a vacation in another world. You know, before the war started..."
This was news to me.
But it made sense. Piper would definitely enjoy leaving Earth for a time-
Oh.
Miwen: "It wasn’t a vacation you were thinking of, right?"
...She didn’t answer me with her words, but in a way, she told me everything I needed to know.
It was unfortunate, but I couldn’t say anything to convince her to stay, either. Going to another world, one where she doesn’t have a reputation to begin with, could be the start of a perfect life for her.
Her actions, and what she chose not to do, were none of my business.
However, I couldn’t help but wonder...
Miwen: "...Why didn’t you go?"
Piper: "...Enough of that. Let’s be professionals and focus on the mission, yeah?"
This was gold coming from her.
And yet, it didn’t distract me from the longing look she had on her face in the few seconds it took for her to answer.
Miwen: "You should think about what I said. Joining the Kingdom. It’d be pretty much the same, but... You’d still have access to things from Earth, too."
Piper: "Getting cocky, huh? I never said I cared about this world to begin with."
The strong intent her voice always carried was nowhere to be seen.
I couldn’t believe a lie so weak could come from her lips. She had fought for Earth multiple times. Decades had passed since the First Reminder, and she was still fighting to protect this world.
Even if she didn’t want to admit it, it was obvious. She wouldn’t go this far without caring.
Piper: "Besides. Even if you missed me, I could always visit."
She turned away from me, focusing on the base ahead.
I did the same. A few seconds of silence passed, and we both pretended not to understand each other’s underlying reasons.
I could keep at it all day, but Piper could not.
Once the silence became too awkward, she broke it.
Piper: "Once this is all over... I’ll decide."
I was worried that she still refused to look me in the eyes.
It felt like she wanted to avoid me in more ways than one.
Miwen: "Will you keep the Kingdom on the table for consideration?"
Piper: "Yeah, yeah. If you want it so desperately, I’ll give it some thought."
Despite not facing me, I noticed a small smile forming from the corner of her lips.
She was pretending to be mad, but deep underneath, she seemed glad to have someone think about her this way.
Piper: "Let’s focus on the mission now. Wanna do it stealthily? Or... Wanna make it loud?"
It was a poor attempt at changing the conversation, but it didn’t matter. We’d have more time to talk about it after finishing Erik and the AOTG revolution.
I wouldn’t fail to convince her then, so for now...
Miwen: "You already know~"
I’d already seen everyone from Alpha Team in action before.
I knew how they fought and what to expect.
Piper was the exception.
And I couldn’t be more excited for it.