She took my hand and I pulled her up. Her eyes were still filled with doubt. She bit her lips as she held out her hand. "M-my name's Allen. And you?"

I watched her as she swung her revolver before unzipping her jacket and placing it in an inner pocket. In that short interval, my eyes made sure to take note of her jacket's contents. Bullets, a pocket knife and pepper spray. Interesting. Lots of things focused on defending herself. Just this alone allowed me to infer that she was not very strong, having to rely on a gun and spray to keep herself safe. But then why would she venture into the unknown, if that's the case?

"Um... hello?" Allen's voice was small. She didn't sound like the teenager pointing a gun at me at all. More like Felix when he was meeting a new person as a child. How strange.

"Ji-- Ah, no, Benjamin. Sorry, bad habit," I replied, as I shook her hand, trying to seem more like a friend instead of an enemy. If I want to make the most of this pair up, I need to be more trust-worthy. Allen yanks her hand away from mine, and I realize that I was fiercely crushing her hand with a vice-like grip. "B-bad habit. Bad habit." I murmured, more to myself than her. Allen looked at me, then turned away.

"So, uh, why are you here?" Allen asked as she went over yonder to observe what about the traps allowed me and the man to enter without setting it off. "Last time I heard, scary, armed men don't live around this area."

I chuckled. If only. I poured some water on the dried blood on my arm, beginning to wash it off. I felt her gaze on me. I turn to her, to see her giving me a sad, sorry smile. 

"Sorry. Has, uh, what I said cause some bad memories to pop up?" Allen said quietly, as she walked back to me. I looked at her in bewilderment. How did she pick that up?

"That..." I didn't know how to reply.

Silence filled the air. To avoid eye contact, I looked at her clothes once again. Her jacket she wears screams 'I'm from the Central Continent' with its design and accessories. Lines and lines trail across the fabric, creating an image of a mystic bird surrounded by mist, rising under the glow of the sun. As if that wasn't eye-catching enough, two gems were woven into its design. One light-blue and the other red. Its luxurious design went against the bland and dull 'style' of the West. Thankfully, with it being worn-down and covered in dirt, it was much less likely to catch peoples' eyes. The gems, however...

If smoky crystals were used for concealment, then red and light-blue ones were used to control the heat. The former brought heat and the latter cooling. But the ones this g... Allen had were not crystals, but gems. 

Unlike crystals, which were one-use only, gems could be re-used, their respective qualities maintained endlessly. This of course meant a steep raise in pricing, but I suppose money is the least of her problems.

Me on the other hand... 

Well, the vast amounts of raw, low-quality crystals scattered among the grass should be telling enough.

"Well this is... quite the collection." Allen scratched her head, as she kneeled down to help me pick up all these crystals from the dirt. I join her.

"Well... they have their uses." I paused, staring through her. "Had you known, maybe we could have avoided our... previous predicament."

Allen froze. She opened her mouth in an attempt to retort, but ended up saying nothing more than a quiet apology as she plucked the remaining crystals with great haste. I almost wanted to laugh.

Were children always so easy to manipulate? How did she get this far, being stupid as she is? If she doesn't know the value of these things, then maybe it's time for a swindle. That jacket seemed quite fine...

I touched my face, barely holding back a grin. No, no, that won't do. That won't do at all.

She's not useless; she has cash, a gun, a pair of eyes, and, if she really is from the Central, connections. I can't lose her yet. I decided to focus on the task at hand. Yes, stay focused. Look down. Find your purpose.

One, two...

Ah, three there? Three? One, two...

"Uh... Do you always mumble to yourself?" Allen asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Ah, I, uh... I never even noticed..." I replied, jumping slightly. Having been lost in my thoughts, I was caught off-guard. "I-I guess I do it when I'm alone, sometimes. Maybe."

Allen furrowed her eyebrows as she pulled up her jacket sleeve, revealing a branded watch. "W-Well, uh.... it's around 3am right now. We should probably rest...?"

For a moment, I was confused. Rest? Here? Where a gun had gone off? Where someone died? Where animals can track the scent of a free meal?

...Where people searching for me could investigate?

"No." My spine was tingling, my skin crawling. I couldn't let them find me. Not before I even take the first step. Absolutely not. 

In the first place, why was I so lax? What am I doing here? I curse myself.

"Why not?" Allen furrowed her eyebrows. 

They will find me. They can't find me-

"What do you think? Do you really want to be found sleeping next to a dead man you shot?" I lowered my voice, steadied my breath. Be calm, cool, reasonable. Just like that, convince, delude, deny. 

"That..." Allen's voice seems to tremble.

"And in these woods... I wouldn't be surprised if predators came for him." I nodded towards the dead man, making her look at her work once more. I take note of her still trembling hands. My eyes can't help but rise into cresent moons.

Not as tough as she seems.

...Good for me.