Continued from here
“Do you really think Nick almost died?”
Colter shrugged by the fire as he blew more flames into it- like any other day. Hopefully, the weather would warm up soon and he wouldn’t have to light the fire and keep it going all day. He could ask Sarah to keep it going herself, but she was still fearful of fire, even coming from Colter himself. She was more accustomed to it- accepted it- but it still freaked her out. Evidently so, if she was asking about Nick.
“Probably. I roasted him pretty good.” Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say. “Dear old Nicholas has the tendency to surprise me, and usually with a knife or something flashy. Very persistently, too.”
“I feel cruel,” Sarah said. “I told them I’d let them burn.”
Sighing, Colter stood from the fire and made his way over to Sarah, who was…rather distant. Not in a way that Colter had to walk across the entire room, but in a way that he could see her mind was somewhere very far away, possibly somewhere dark.
"Remember what they did to you, who they are, Sarah."
"I know," she whispered, and Colter heard her sniffle. The sniffle was louder than her words. He knelt beside her, taking one of her hands in both of his own. "I just"- she sniffled again.
Her hands were hot and sweaty. Colter couldn't help lifting a lip at the feeling. He wasn't very fond of water- in any form; sweat was just the same as H2O, only with more salt. It dampened his ability and made him feel uncomfortable. Colter put that fact aside, though, as he told Sarah, "They walked away. No harm was done."
She took her hand away. "But there was harm. Colter, they aren't just going to...to forget I told them they were breaded wings to be thrown into a deep fryer."
"Are you worried about their feelings, or your safety?"
Sarah's eyes met Colter's for the first time. She hadn't considered that question. Was she worried about herself? It would have made sense; a whole team against two people- a healer and a flame thrower.
"It'd be selfish of me to be concerned about myself when I said such horrible-"
"Selfish?" Colter's face contorted in disgust- more disgust than when his palm touched Sarah's sweaty one. "Don't you see that's just another spoon of bullshit they fed you so you'd do their bidding?" He stood from his kneel and began pacing. "They're wicked, Sarah, manipulating you like that. Look at yourself. Worried for a crew who only fed you any minimal amount of food, or gave you shelter, or gave you your own room, just because they wanted a behind-the-scenes...immortal crafter."
Sarah nodded. Taking a deep breath, she said, "They used me," and she repeated it, again and again. She forgot this fact so often and it slowly ate at her. It seemed to her as if she and Colter had this conversation every day.
"Do you want some hot chocolate?"
Smiling, Sarah nodded. "With vanilla and cinnamon?"
Now, Colter smiled. "Have I ever made it any different?"
Sarah's smile broadened. She was happy here- with Colter. This was where she was meant to be- not with the team who only pretended to care because Sarah was a convenience to have around. Sarah was a human, worthy of being a friend, and only Colter had ever been able to see that. He took care of her, and that's all Sarah needed.