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Thorn wasn’t sure she would ever get used to being free. Every morning that she woke up to the sun, to the freedom to go about as she wanted, felt like a dream. She wasn’t sure she would ever completely shake the feeling that one day she would wake up in that basement, her would be rescuer posed above her, knife in hand, with a cloudy look in his eyes. She was even less sure that Witch would ever reach that point.
It was a little bizarre to live with a past version of yourself. Beyond that, Witch was a fine roommate. She wasn’t great. She didn’t clean up after herself, or cook, and she kept hiding all the kitchen utensils in her room; however, she paid rent on time and hadn't actually tried to stab Thorn yet, which was better than some of the other versions of herself she had met. If there was something weirder living with a younger version of yourself, it was living with several branching paths you could have been and also the personifications of all of the personalities of the guy that tried to kill you. It had been a relief to move somewhere less crowded.
When they had first started living together, Witch had mostly kept to herself. There were times Thorn almost forgot she had a roommate until she found a room left trashed that she knew had been clean. That had never been the problem though. What really drove Thorn up the walls was how Witch behaved.
Witch was always hunched over, low to the ground and ready to move. Thorn couldn’t help but stand straighter when she saw her slink past. That had to hurt her back, right? Thorn couldn’t help but wonder if she had really used to stand like that or if Witch’s hunch had gotten worse since they got here.
Then there was her attitude. Witch treated every word as an insult, every movement as an attack, and every action as a transaction. She was almost impossible to get along with, except for one thing. Thorn understood exactly why she acted that way.
Thorn remembered exactly how everything had gone down, the hope of rescue smothered by a blade she hadn’t known was in his grasp. It was impossible to judge Witch for doing the same things Thorn caught herself doing.
It wasn’t like Witch wasn’t trying. The two could have afforded to live alone after all, but for all Witch tried to seem indifferent she had jumped at the opportunity to share this place. Thorn had been skeptical of Witch’s intentions at first, but she had been steadily improving the longer they were free.
What had really made Thorn realize how much Witch was improving had been at lunch a week ago. Thorn had invited Cheated over, one of the very few former voices actually allowed into their house, and had left the room to grab something.
Thorn had returned to find that Witch had made her way to the room and was talking with Cheated. Witch was sitting so she could see the whole room, and looked up when Thorn entered. Witch then turned to face Cheated fully, turning her back to Thorn. Thorn was pretty sure it was the first time she had ever seen the back of Witch’s head. She really needed to brush her hair.
Most people would probably see the action as an insult, but Thorn knew exactly how much it meant that Witch trusted her to watch her back.
Thorn had stood frozen for what must have been a full minute before rejoining the two at the table.
That led Thorn to right now. She and Witch were at Cheated’s place, watching him get his ass kicked by Opportunist in a chess match. Based on how they were playing, Thorn honestly didn’t think either of them actually knew how to play chess, but she didn’t either, so who was she to say?
Witch usually refused to be anywhere close to Opportunist, but had agreed to make an exception today, so long as she wasn’t left alone with him. Like Thorn said, progress.
Cheated’s apartment was a bit cramped, with the living and dining sections more or less the same area, and the couch faced the small folding table where the game was happening.
Witch stood just inside the apartment, next to the door. If she were any more catlike, her ears would be flat against her head. As she was, her tail was tucked close to her thigh, puffed up, and her eyes were fixed on Opportunist.
Thorn, much more dignified, sat on the couch. It was still on the opposite side of the room than Opportunist, but that didn’t matter.
The game, or rather series of games, passed quickly, with the two competitors trading insults, and Thorn had already called out Opportunist for stealing, and eating on one occasion, several of Cheated’s pieces when she felt the couch move beside her.
Thorn looked up to see Witch leaned over the arm of the couch. Witch looked to have finally begun paying attention to the game rather than its most disgusting player.
Thorn looked back at the board. She could feel Witch breathing on her neck, her own hackles rising in reflexively.
‘Just look at the game,’ Thorn thought to herself. ‘Witch would have poisoned you or something if she really wanted to hurt you. You’ve lived together for so long now. You know she wouldn’t hurt you unless she felt she had to.’
Thorn flinched as Witch suddenly shouted, right in her ear, as Opportunist made his next move.
“Really? That's the strategy you’re going for?”
Opportunist looked up from the game, his smarmy grin plastered on his face in an instant.
“I’m sure you could do so much better.”
Witch cackled. “It shouldn’t be too hard if you’re the one setting the bar, nasty thing."
Thorn held her breath as Witch leaned further into her space, leering at Opportunist.
“ I would have to pick it up off the floor to go under it.”
“I promise this game takes much more skill than you have,” Opportunist snapped back.
Thorn feels a hand on her thigh, with very sharp nails digging into her. Witch practically crawls over her, waving her free hand at Opportunist.
“You would know all about false promises, wouldn’t you?”
Opportunist opens his mouth, only for Cheated to slam his hand on the table.
“Can the two of you cut it out? It's your turn,” Cheated said.
Opportunist turns back to the board, greasy smile still stretched across his face.
“Right, right. Where were we?”
Thorn almost jumps, but manages not to, as Witch drops her entire weight on Thorn’s lap. Thorn looks down at Witch, who has made herself comfortable on her lap.
“The perfect distraction and he still didn’t do anything,” Witch mutters, barely loud enough for Thorn to hear. “He’s going to lose again.”
Thorn studies Witch’s face. It's soft like this, her confused expression nowhere near as angry as it had been when they first met. She looks vulnerable, still not relaxed completely, her hands kept accessible and her legs not properly tucked, but not as tense as usual. Her shoulders were slack, and though her eyes were still locked on the game it was with less urgency and more bewilderment.
Thorn resists the temptation to run her fingers through Witch’s horribly tangled hair. It would only scare her off. Instead, Thorn carefully intertwines their tails, hoping that she isn’t crossing any boundaries too soon.
“In this case, is losing really so bad?” Thorn asks softly. “Its not life or death anymore. There’s no reason to expect it to be, even if it still feels like it sometimes.”
Witch winds their tails tighter. It wasn’t an agreement, Thorn could see that much in her eyes, but it was progress.
“Check,” Opportunist says.
“No, wait a second,” Cheated protests. “You can’t move rooks diagonally. Put it back”
“It was right here.” Opportunist moves his rook directly back, definitely not where it had been before his move. “Don’t be a sore loser.”
Thorn catches the pawn that flies towards her and Witch as Cheated flips the table, throwing himself at Opportunist.
On Thorn’s lap, Witch is tense, tail fluffed slightly and completely still.
Cheated and Opportunist scrap on the floor, unarmed and punches pulled. Opportunist grabs a pillow from the other end of the couch and hits Cheated over the head with it.
Thorn wraps an arm around Witch. The ‘conflict’ makes her nervous, and she can tell it makes Witch wary as well, but as both incrementally relax it becomes more and more apparent that everything might just work out for both of them. Thorn squeezes Witch a little tighter, and Witch lets her. Maybe it already has.