She cleared her throat, a nervous smile appearing on her face. "Right. Together, we'll find a way out."
Asher noticed sothing felt off, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
Little did he know, letting his guard down was a mistake. He felt relieved that she hadn't shown imdiate interest but didn't consider that his friendliness might change her view of him.
After all, he was the only man she could talk to.
"How do we start?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Index's gaze softened as she looked at him, her eyes lingering a little longer than usual.
She was still sorting through her feelings. What she felt wasn't romantic love—no, it was more that she was simply relieved to have soone to share her ti with in this godforsaken place.
"Well, the Void is unpredictable. But if we follow the flow of the debris, maybe we'll find sothing that leads us out."
Asher nodded. "Sounds simple enough. But how do we know where it's coming from?"
"That's the tricky part." She stood, walking over to a small table by the wall.
She picked up a strange-looking device, sothing that resembled a compass, but with glowing symbols etched on its surface.
"This is the best solution for now. When the needle moves, it usually points to a spot where space shifts. That's how I found you," she explained.
"Really? But how do we get to that place?"
"I can control this house with my mind." She pointed to her head.
Asher raised an eyebrow. "How does that work?"
"The house and I are connected, in a way. I can even change the interior. Don't ask how, though—I don't really understand it either."
"That's... impressive," he said, trying to wrap his head around it.
Moving a house in space wasn't really that surprising, considering everything he had experienced so far. So, he accepted her explanation without questioning it further.
His attention shifted to the compass, which didn't seem to be moving. "So, we have to wait?" he asked.
"Yes, but it can take a while. How about we do sothing else to pass the ti?"
"What do you want to do?" he asked. It wasn't like him to be this engaging, but the isolation he'd experienced before had made him crave connection.
After all, humans—and any sentient beings—are social by nature.
Before, he could afford to be aloof because the urgency to socialize wasn't as strong. But this ti, it was different. They were isolated, and talking had beco as important as breathing.
Her face brightened. "Wait here," she said, before running off with a hop in her step.
A few minutes later, she returned, holding a board ga. "I've been playing this alone, and I really wanted to play it with you."
Asher raised an eyebrow. "You play by yourself?"
She shrugged, a bit sheepish. "It's not like I have anyone else to play with."
Looking at her, he couldn't help but wonder about the other things she did on her own.
"Alright. Let's give it a try."
Index grinned and set the ga down, eager to finally share sothing with soone.
He watched her prepare, his thoughts still lingering on their conversation about how to leave this place.
On the outside, he might have looked calm, but within, he was worried about Lucy, hoping she wasn't trapped in this place too.
'If I was just stronger…' He trailed off, then recalled what Index had said. She had ntioned knowing how to use Magic.
'Should I ask her?' He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. He glanced at the board ga between them, then back at her.
"Index," he started, "you said you know magic, right?"
Her eyes lit up. "Yeah! It's one of the few things I can actually do really well."
He leaned forward slightly. "Do you think you could teach ? I an, I have so idea about it, but it's pretty basic."
"Sure, I'll teach you," she agreed right away.
"But let's play this ga first. Can you read the rules?" She handed him a small pamphlet.
Asher slowly read through the text.
"Monopoly," he muttered under his breath. "Never played it before, but I think I get the gist of it."
Her smile widened. "It's a ga of strategy, but don't be too complacent," she said with a wink. "I've played it a lot, and I always win."
"But you've been alone, right? I don't think you can even lose," he said, raising an eyebrow.
Index started pouting, crossing her arms and looking at the board with a frown.
"I'm sorry," he said, realizing that his teasing had probably upset her.
She glanced at him, her pout softening just slightly, but her eyes still carried that playful, childish look.
"You're just saying that because you feel bad," she muttered, but her lips twitched, trying to suppress a smile.
In that mont, he couldn't help but think she reminded him more of a younger sister than a cute girl.
They set up the board, the small tokens and property cards spread out in front of them.
Asher took the first roll, moving his piece across the board and landing on a property. "Okay, not bad. Looks like I'm off to a good start."
Index's smile never faded as she took her turn, quickly collecting properties and building up her resources.
Every ti he thought he was catching up, Index would pull ahead. She landed on a high-rent property or drew a card that gave her a boost.
By the ti they were halfway through the ga, it was clear she was running the show.
"How are you doing this?" he asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "I swear, every ti I think I've got a chance, you pull ahead."
"I told you, I'm just that good," Index said with a laugh, collecting another stack of bills. "It's all about making the right moves at the right ti."
Despite his best efforts, she always seed to have an answer for every move he made. Eventually, it was obvious he had no chance.
The ga ended with her having nearly every property on the board and he left with nothing but debt.
"I guess you weren't kidding," he smiled wryly. "You really do always win."
Index's grin was triumphant, but there was a softness to it. "I told you. But don't worry, now that we played enough, you'll have more ti to focus on learning magic."
He leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Yeah, I think I've lost enough for today."
"So, what kind of magic do you want to learn?" she asked, while putting the pieces back in the box.
"I can use elental magic," he raised his hand, and a blue ball of fire ford in his palm.
Her eyes widened in surprise. "You call that magic?"
Asher felt like she was looking down on him, so the fire shattered into two hundred tiny pieces that floated in the air.
He demonstrated his control by moving all the pieces at once, guiding them in a fluid, synchronized pattern around him.
"Seriously? What are you doing?" she asked, offering no complint. It was a stark contrast to Lucy's reaction to his progress.
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