Alyssa scoffed at her and got up, grabbing her staff and walking off towards Lucky while muttering something to herself.

“Alyssa,” Daniel called out as he stood up. Before he could move Triska handed him the cup of water and marched off after the witch.

“Stay there and eat, Daniel, I’ll handle this,” Triska called back. Daniel looked to the two cups of water and the fish in his hands then to the other girls, not being sure what to say. Squeak was chewing on her apple with small squeaks while Specca was watching Triska head off after Alyssa with a curious expression.

“Well… at least she doesn’t have her sword with her this time,” Specca reasoned with a small shrug. Daniel looked back to seeing Alyssa walking past Lucky with Triska following after, the two girls heading away from the campsite and around a few trees before vanishing from view.

Alyssa grumbled to herself as she made her way through some bushes, with Triska quickly following after through them.

“Hey!” Triska called out, with Alyssa stopping in a small clearing while still looking forward.

“What is your problem?” Triska demanded with her hands at her hips. Alyssa kept looking forward while not saying a word.

“Look, if this is about earlier, I said I was sorry. You kept riding me about my sword and wouldn’t back off, I lost my temper. I’m sorry for hurting you like that, alright?” Triska said with annoyance.

“I don’t care about that,” Alyssa snapped.

“Then what is it? I’m trying to be nice to you and you just blow me off, why?” Triska asked.

“Just leave me alone,” Alyssa muttered while still looking forward. Triska watched her for a moment before she shook her head with her arms held out to the sides.

“I don’t get it; I thought we were past this. I can talk to Specca and Squeak no problem, well, I can with Specca, Squeak isn’t exactly someone to start up a conversation with, but with you, you’re always trying to put me down and criticize me at every turn. If you’ve got a problem with me still then say it,” she demanded. Alyssa turned around and glared at her with frustration, with weeds and vines slinking up through the ground around Triska’s feet.

“You don’t belong out here with us, all you do is yell and wave your sword around like you know what you’re doing, but you don’t, you don’t have a damn clue what you’re doing!” Alyssa yelled out. Triska watched her carefully as the vines around her feet slithered through the grass and dirt without touching her.

“You attack anything that even looks at you funny, you shout practically everything you say every day, and even with your dumb sword you can’t protect Daniel and you know it!” Alyssa shouted as she struck her staff into the ground, a pulse of light rippling away from it through the grass as the witch shook her head before pointing to Triska accusingly.

“You’re going to ruin Daniel’s plan of getting monsters and humans living together, I just know you are! Daniel’s wrong with choosing you to make the call whether we attack a monster or not, knowing you you’ll just charge at anything you see thinking Daniel’s in danger!” Alyssa accused loudly.

“Is this about the fluugher earlier? I saw him get pulled under by that thing, it was staring at him like it wanted to rape him, I did what I felt was right!” Triska shouted back.

“And if that had been a different kind of fluugher Daniel would be dead right now,” Alyssa argued. Triska looked down with concern as the witch walked up to her.

“I don’t care that it’s your turn with him tonight, I don’t care you cut me on the cheek. What I do care about is Daniel succeeding in his quest, that everything he’s doing and risking with his life won’t be wasted. And the more I think about it every day, the more I realize that you’re the absolute worst person to be traveling with him,” Alyssa scolded. Triska looked to her with discontent as the witch shook her head slowly.

“I’m just waiting for the moment where you attack another helpless monster, one who could have led to mankind having a new ally in the world, and instead just made an enemy with. I’m just counting the minutes until you wreck everything with your temper and your sword, and I’m praying that when you inevitably do you don’t drag Daniel down into the underworld with you,” she stated solemnly. Triska looked at her with disbelief then down as she remembered the fluugher’s painful cries as the group left it alone, after she had cut apart its petals and vines.

“I hate you,” Alyssa said shakily. Triska looked up to seeing Alyssa seeming to be fighting back tears as she glared at her.

“I hate you, because I like you, Triska,” she admitted before looking down and away.

“What do you mean?” Triska asked.

“I mean I hate you because I like you. I like you, Triska, I don’t want you to get hurt out here or die, I don’t want to see that happen to you,” Alyssa said softly. Triska showed some surprise from hearing those words as she saw Alyssa slowly holding her staff close with both hands.

“I’m not blind, I know you’re not a bad human, I know you risked your life to save mine. You wouldn’t let me be alone when I was sad, and you actually tried to fight a Darker One all for me,” Alyssa said before looking back to Triska with a frown.

“And it’s because of your damn kindness that I like you, which makes it harder for me to deal with that you’re going to get yourself killed out here. You may have trained to fight monsters at your home, but we’re not out here to just fight monsters, we’re out here to talk about peace with monsters, something you and your sword can’t do,” Alyssa stated with remorse.

“That’s the first time you actually said… that you liked me,” Triska mentioned, feeling taken aback by the witch’s words.

“Don’t let it go to your head, I also like Specca and Squeak, but they’re not out of place here, you are. You’re too angry and loud, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into when you’re challenging a monster to a fight out here, you’re not going to survive this journey,” Alyssa said while looking down and away while trying to force a scoff to hide her frown. Triska opened her mouth to speak then paused, not being sure of what to say to the witch. After a moment Alyssa sighed and shook her head while still looking away.

“You shouldn’t be here, you’re going to ruin Daniel’s dream and wind up dead,” she said softly.

“Alyssa, I won’t let Daniel’s dream die out here, and I’m not dying either, none of us are,” Triska reassured gently. Alyssa looked back to her with a frustrated glare and started walking towards the teen, with Triska backing up a bit before she tripped and fell to the ground from vines and weeds binding her feet together. The vines slinked about and grew in size as they spread around Triska’s legs up to her waist, the human watching as Alyssa walked up and stood over her.

“I’m going to watch you die soon, and then you know what I’m going to do?” she asked with sorrow. Triska watched her with gentle eyes as the witch started crying.

“I’m going to cry, and be sad.