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Petra sat, legs curled to her chest in an unfamiliar bed. She felt as if she could barely breathe, and not just because the minuscule space really made it feel as if the walls were closing in; for Petra, they already had. The apartment was sleek, almost too sleek; it was as if the designers just put the whole thing in greyscale and called it a day, the only color being splotches of teal and gold here and there. “Was this really worth her?” The question echoed in her mind, an iron sword sticking out from Petra's bag next to the door.
Outside her window, a beacon stood in a colorful city, the bright light piercing the sky, a stark contrast to the pristine, muted feel of the sharp angles and strict color palette of Champion City. “This was the right choice. It’s not like she needs me anymore. I can be someone here.” Petra told herself, her eyes catching the gate she had stood in front of just hours before.
Autumn burnt leaves played in the air, Petra’s hair thrashing with them, “Jesse loves this time of year,” she thought to herself, her hair getting slightly jostled in the wind. The world felt as if it was still, her eyes trained on the gate in front of her. A gate made of quartz stood before her, its polished material reflecting the sunlight. She had never truly taken the time to look at it before, the question: “Why is the gate made of quartz?” Popped into her mind. This was Jesse’s town. Jesse always claimed that “quartz gave her the creeps,” so why would the first thing you see when entering and exiting the town be made out of the ivory material?
“Maybe she overcame her fear of quartz… braver than I’m being.” The warrior sighed. In this moment, it felt like the quartz gate was mocking her. A pit carved its way into her stomach as she thought about what she was doing. In her gut, she knew leaving without saying anything was wrong, but staying here, in this town, felt so suffocating. Every morning, as her eyes fluttered open, she would wonder “why?” What was the point of her existence? Ever since they made it home from the portal hall, she’s been unsure what to do with herself.
No one had time to go on adventures anymore; all of her friends seemed to be enthralled with their own passions. Axel and Olivia had their own towns a ways away from Beacontown, and although they visited sometimes, it was always brief. Olivia would have to leave to work on whatever new invention she was making, and Axel would go and set up the next boom town rally- or something explosion-related; they never seemed to catch a break.
Lukas had become busy with the ins-and-outs of being an author, always cooped up in his cabin writing. When he was out and about, it was usually to work with his publisher or to sign copies of his book, "Witherstorm." It was undeniably a hit; Lukas had become a successful author. He rarely seemed to give himself any free time; even when Petra was able to catch him in the street, they were only ever able to have a brief chat before he had to go for something or other.
Despite physically being the closest, Petra felt that Jesse was the hardest to reach. Petra would always see her around town, but she was always doing work for Beacontown; hell, she was worse than Lukas. From helping residents with random builds to organizing events, she had really taken on the "Mayor" role, despite getting annoyed when she was called that. The "Leader and Hero in Residence" seemed to be the busiest of them all; there was always something in Beacontown that needed her attention. Petra just wished that she could catch it for once.
Petra had always had a soft spot for Jesse, and as they spent more time together during their adventures, Jesse only seemed to take up more of her heart. But now, when Jesse barely seemed to have time to even say "hi" to her most days, that affection that had grown started to feel like a growing ache in her heart, nothing but a stain of the time they used to spend together.
Every time Petra brought up the idea of going out on an adventure, her friends always seemed to have a reason not to. They were busy, sure, but how could she not be disappointed? After so many let-downs, it was impossible to not take it personally. “If I’m not worth their time… then what am I worth? How did this happen? Everything was perfect, but now I’m… alone again.” Her fingers curled into her palm, and she only noticed when it started to hurt.
It was weird to say, but she almost liked it more when they were in danger. Was that all that kept them together, fear? Sure, it was scary; the world was literally falling apart, she was sick, but at least they were all together, unified, moving towards the same goal. Now that they were all safe and free to choose their own paths, it felt like everyone knew what they wanted to do, but Petra felt as if her life lacked direction, not knowing what to do with her time.
What she did know was that she wasn't finding her purpose in Beacontown. She felt like a peg in a square hole, a stranger in her own home. Sure, she was a "hero," the townspeople admired her, but their kind words didn't help with her overwhelming loneliness. Every part of her body was screaming at her to run, run away from this town and never look back, but she just… stood there. Staring ahead blankly, an invisible force held her back. Maybe there was something, or rather someone, who kept her tethered to this town.
“Petra-?” The warrior nearly jumped out of her skin, turning her head halfway to see the last person she wanted to see today, overalls and all. "Hey, Jesse." She said, fully turning around to face her, trying to act as if it was just another day, like she was fine. Jesse seemed chipper as ever, smiling kindly. Despite her inner turmoil, Petra couldn't deny that she was glad to see Jesse; however, it was a double-edged sword. Petra was trying to leave this town behind, and if she wanted to do that, she needed to be detached from the emotions that kept her here. Being face-to-face with the cause of those feelings was only going to cause further issues.
"Youu okay? You were kinda just- standing here." Jesse asked, tilting her head.
Petra felt as if Jesse's eyes were burning into her very soul, as if she were being read like the simplest book. "Oh, yeah, uhm- I was just on my way to grab- something," Petra muttered out, unable to meet Jesse's gaze.
"Oh- what's with the bag? Did you pack your whole room in there?" Jesse asked jokingly, making Petra's heart drop to the floor. The bag on her shoulder suddenly felt like a rock, dragging her down. Jesse was joking around, but she was right, Petra had packed most of her belongings from her room in the order hall, leaving behind only the things that she felt she wouldn't need.
"I'm- uh- going mining and wanted to make sure I didn't run out of supplies in the depths of a cave." Petra played off Jesse's joke, her hand resting on the back of her neck. "dammit." That was probably the least believable thing she could've said; she just hoped that Jesse wouldn't look too far into it.
"Oh, you're leaving? But the mineshafts on the other side of town…"
"Right-! I uh- thought I better not disturb the workers- you know I like actual caves anyway." That wasn't a complete lie, but she wasn't being completely honest either. Her heart drummed in her ears, the soundtrack of a liar.
Jesse's face dropped slightly. "That… makes sense. Just be careful, okay?" She said with a slight smile. "You'll be back soon, right?"
"I-" Petra sighed. "Look, Jesse, the truth is-"
"Hey Jesse!" A towns person called out. "We could use some help over here!"
Jesse immediately turned to the person calling for her, her back to Petra. "Coming!" she said, quickly running over.
Petra was left there, frozen, her heart stopping for a second. Just when she was about to open up to Jesse, to tell her the truth, to explain how she's been feeling these past few months, she walks away as if she doesn't matter. She didn't even say "goodbye," she just walked away. Petra's teeth pressed together. What made literally everyone else more worthy of her time? They used to talk and hang out all the time, but now they can't even have one uninterrupted conversation. "This is hopeless. staying here is hopeless." Petra turned around, looking outside of Beacontown's gate. "I don't know where I'm headed, but anywhere is better than here," and with that, she began quickly walking, leaving Beacontown behind, her steps making a thud as she walked. But deep down inside, she knew no matter how fast or far she ran, she had already lost this race.
For how is the moon meant to shine when the sun turns away?