Olive stood as still as a statue in the shadow of the alleyway behind the Devil’s Den, determination gripping her features. The wooden arm pressed against her shoulder, silent. Arwin and Reya stared at her in anticipation and worry as they all waited to see what the Cursed item would do.
Confusion started to make its way into Olive’s expression. A tiny frown played across her lips and she scrunched her nose as she looked down at the arm and gave it a small tug. The wood didn’t budge. It seemed to be stuck fast.
“That’s it?” Reya asked, blinking in surprise. “It’s done? I totally thought it was going to stab you or something. That’s almost a little bit disappointing. Don’t take that the wrong way. I’m glad it didn’t stab you. I just expected it to.”
“Thank you,” Olive said dryly. “I’m sorry to hear you’re disappointed. I…”
Olive trailed off, a frown stretching across her lips. Her head tilted to the side as if to hear a song playing far in the distance.
“What is it?” Arwin asked. “Do you feel something?”
It was several moments before Olive responded. “No. I… I don’t think so. I don’t feel anything, but I think I smell something.”
A snort of laughter burst out of Olive and she wiped her eyes with the back of a sleeve. “Way to ruin it. I’m not mind controlled. I think. I feel normal. It was just a very weird few moments.”
“What exactly happened?” Arwin asked cautiously. “And you are okay, right?”
“I’m fine. It was like I was speaking to something in my mind,” Olive replied after a moment of thought. She glanced back down at her hand and trailed off, staring quietly at it.
“Olive?” Arwin pressed.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” She tore her gaze away from the arm and shook her head. “I’m fine. I saw… visions, I guess. Not actual visions. Emotions. Desires. The arm showed me what it wanted from me, I think. I don’t think it’s a very nice arm. Well, it’s a nice arm, but it’s not a nice arm. It wants to kill things. A lot of things.”
“As expected,” Arwin said with a relieved nod. As strange of a thing to be relieved about as that was, it was basically exactly what he’d been expecting. It sounded like Olive had used a very similar form of communication to interface with the arm that he did when he spoke with his materials.
“Are you feeling any murder-y urges?” Reya asked. “Do you have a sudden desire to stab anyone?”
“Not yet. I’ll keep you updated,” Olive said, completely straight faced. She glanced back down at her hand, then ran her left hand over its wooden surface and swallowed. “I — I have my other arm back. This doesn’t feel real. Is this really permanent? It won’t fall off when I go to sleep?”
“It’s permanent as far as I’m aware,” Arwin confirmed. “Just… don’t go testing it too aggressively yet. I would avoid activating its full power for at least a little while. Get used to it. I’m sure you’re going to need a lot of adjusting to get used to fighting with two hands again.”
Olive nodded slowly, but it seemed her mind had started to wander again. She just stared at her new hand, opening and closing it as if to remind herself that it was there.
Arwin couldn’t blame her. If he’d lost his arm and then suddenly gotten it back out of nowhere, he had no idea how he’d react. He was pretty sure he’d be double-checking that it was still there for the next few weeks.
“Do you want to sit down for a bit?” Reya offered. “Maybe we’re done with sparring for now. You’ve got to get to used to your new hand anyway. Have to remember how to walk before you can run… or how to grab things before you can punch, I guess? I don’t know. I don’t really have a good analogy for this.”
Tearing her eyes away from her new arm, Olive glanced to Arwin. She swallowed heavily. “I don’t know how to thank you, Arwin. I wasn’t prepared for a gift . It doesn’t feel real. There isn’t any amount of gold in the world that could pay for this.”
“You’re a member of the Menagerie,” Arwin said with a shake of his head. “I don’t expect payment for that. My role as guild leader is to do my best to make things better for everyone, and making items is the best way I can do that.”
“Godspit, man. That doesn’t change the fact that you just made me a fucking arm.”
“As long as you put it to good use, I’ll be satisfied.”
“I will,” Olive swore. She hesitated for a second, concentration crossing over her features. Her left arm twitched, but she brought her new limb up to her chest and pressed her wooden hand to her heart. “I swear I will. I’ll do the guild right, and I’ll find some way to pay you back for this.”
“I already told you not to worry about it,” Arwin said with a chuckle. “I’m not one for extended shows of appreciation. A gift is a gift, and attempting to treat it as anything else is just an insult. Seeing a friend happy is more than enough for me. Now go get some rest and get ready to use that arm of yours. We’re going to need it soon enough.”
Olive let her hand lower. “If those are your orders, then I won’t say no. I’ll do everything I can to be ready for when you need me.”
I suppose that’s the best I’m going to get her to settle for.