Two Women

The doorbell rang while I was wiping down my sword.

I put down the cloth, went to the door, and pulled it open.

A girl in a pale green dress stood outside.

I froze for a second. Sylphie was wearing a dress instead of men's clothes. She held a paper box in her hands, her shoulders a little stiff with nerves.

"You look much prettier than you do in men's clothes."

I regretted it as soon as I said it. It sounded like a compliment, but my tone was too blunt, as if I were judging a piece of merchandise. Sylphie's face turned red. Her lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

"P-please, come in." I stepped aside.

As she came in, I noticed that she was almost a head shorter than Rudeus, and very thin. Her wrists were slender enough for me to wrap one hand around.

"Sis, who's here?" Aisha poked her head out of the kitchen, her hands still covered in flour.

"A guest for Rudeus."

Aisha's eyes lit up. She wiped her hands and trotted to the door, looking up at Sylphie. "Hello! You're Sylphie, right? My brother mentioned you!"

Sylphie crouched down to meet Aisha's eyes. "Hello, Aisha. We met back in Buena Village. You were still little then. You've grown even cuter."

Aisha's face turned red at once, and she turned and ran back to the kitchen. "Sis, I'll get back to the pie!"

Norn came over from the living room, still holding a book. She looked at Sylphie, then at me, and said quietly, "Sis, I'll go pour some tea."

I nodded.

Sylphie handed me the paper box. "Honey cookies. They're a Sharia specialty. I don't know if you'll like them."

I took the box and opened it for a look. Golden little cookies were neatly arranged inside, with a thin dusting of powdered sugar on top.

"Did you make them?"

"No, I bought them in town." She lowered her head. "I can't cook."

"That's all right." I put the box on the living room table. "Have a seat."

She sat down at the long table, her back very straight. I sat across from her, unsure what to say.

About ten seconds passed in silence.

I spoke first. "What was your relationship with Rudeus when you were kids?"

Sylphie almost choked on her own saliva. She coughed twice, her face turning red again, then lowered her head and looked at her hands.

"He saved me when I was at my most helpless." Her voice was quiet but steady. "He's the most important person to me."

I stared at her for a while. Her eyes were red and clear. She wasn't lying, and she wasn't trying to flatter me. She was simply speaking earnestly about something that mattered a great deal to her.

The most important person. That was what she called him. It meant more than "friend," more even than "childhood friend." I didn't have to think to know what it meant.

I said nothing. I picked up the cookie box, broke off a piece, and put it in my mouth. The taste of honey melted on my tongue, sweet but not cloying.

"They're good," I said.

Sylphie looked at me, a little surprised.

"You're... not angry?"

"Angry about what?"

"Well..." Her fingers twisted together. "Rudeus and I..."

"You were his first friend. He told me about it." I broke off another piece of cookie. "You met when you were five. He taught you magic and how to write. Then he was sent to the City of Roa to work as a tutor, and you never saw each other again. After the Teleportation Incident, he thought you were dead and searched for a long time."

Sylphie's eyes grew moist. She didn't cry, but something was swirling in them.

"He told you all that?"

"Yeah. At home. He told the whole family." I looked at her. "Paul knows you too. He said you were that little green-haired girl who was always trailing after Rudeus."

Sylphie smiled, and tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

"Uncle Paul... he still remembers me."

"He's got a good memory, especially for things from the past."

Norn came over carrying the teapot and set the cups on the table one by one. As she put them down, she glanced at Sylphie, then at me. She didn't say anything, but there was a lot in those eyes.

"Thank you, Norn." Sylphie took her cup.

Norn nodded and retreated to the living room.

I picked up my cup and took a sip. The tea was warm, with a faint floral scent.

"Let me make this clear." I put down my cup. "Right now, I'm the most important person to him."

Sylphie looked at me without looking away.

"But you were his first friend. That won't change."

After I said it, even I thought it was a little strange. Coming out of my mouth, it sounded awkward. I was more used to solving problems with my fists, to letting my sword do the talking. But Rudeus had told me that sometimes words worked better than fists. Rujierd had done the same on the Demon Continent.

Sylphie's tears fell again. She wiped them away with her sleeve, then smiled.

"You're much kinder than I imagined."

"Don't be silly. I'm not kind at all."

But when she said that, Rudeus's face popped into my head. He'd once said, "Eris, you're much kinder than you think." I'd nearly punched him for it. But he'd smiled afterward, and that smile made it impossible for me to get angry. If it were Rudeus, he'd surely have found something nicer to say. He always knew just what to say.

Aisha called from the kitchen, "The pie's almost ready! Ten more minutes!"

I got up and walked to the kitchen door. Aisha was crouched in front of the oven, her face flushed red from the heat.

"Make an extra portion."

"I know, Sis. I already did." Aisha looked back at me and smiled. "What does Sylphie like to eat? I'll see if we have any."

"Go ask her."

Aisha ran out. I leaned against the kitchen doorframe, listening to her chatter away to Sylphie in the living room. Sylphie's voice was soft, and she laughed now and then.

When she smiled, she looked a little like the "Sylphie as a child" Rudeus had talked about. Quiet and timid, but very warm.

At dinner, the whole family sat around the long table. Aisha had made stewed meat, roasted vegetables, and a large beef and mushroom pie. Sylphie sat next to Rudeus, one seat away from me.

She ate slowly, chewing each bite for a long time. As if she were savoring it, or holding something back.

"Eat more. You're too thin." I put a piece of meat on her plate.

Sylphie paused, then said a quiet "Thank you."

Paul sat at the other end of the table, holding a wineglass in his one hand and smiling at everyone around the table. Zenith sat beside him, hardly touching her chopsticks, but the corners of her mouth curved upward. He didn't say anything, but his expression said it all.

After dinner, Sylphie helped Aisha wash the dishes. I was going to tell her she didn't have to, but she'd already rolled up her sleeves and was standing at the sink.

"You don't have to..."

"I want to help." She didn't turn around. Her voice was quiet but firm.

I stood in the kitchen doorway and watched her and Aisha stand side by side at the sink. Aisha washed the dishes, and Sylphie dried them. Their movements were surprisingly well coordinated, as if they'd done it together many times before.

Aisha asked her, "Sylphie, do you always wear men's clothes at the university?"

"Yeah. My work requires it."

"Doesn't it get tiring?"

"I'm used to it."

Aisha was quiet for a while, then said, "When Sis opened the door today, she said you were pretty. I've never heard her compliment anyone before."

Sylphie's hands stopped for a moment, then she went back to drying the dishes without a word.

I didn't say anything either.

That night, when Sylphie left, Rudeus walked her to the door.

I stood on the porch, watching the two of them from behind. The moonlight stretched their shadows long, all the way onto the stone path in the yard.

Sylphie glanced back. Her gaze passed over Rudeus and landed on me, lingering for a second. Then she turned and walked into the night.

Rudeus stood at the door, watching her disappear, then turned and walked back.

I didn't ask him anything, and he didn't say anything either.

We stood side by side on the porch, listening to the night wind blow in from afar, rustling the leaves of the crooked tree in the yard.