The dust had fully settled in the arena bar. Chairs empty for years, booze way past fermented, the halls and ring long empty of any sounds of combat. And then that silence was disturbed as the front door was creaked open. “I can’t believe you left something here..” A tired, listless voice murmured as two girls walked in.
“I only thought of it now! I suppose we did leave rather suddenly.” A more energetic voice said as she rummaged around behind the bar.
“Is it even there? I’m surprised this place isn’t ransacked yet.”
“Ummm hmmm…did I leave it in the room instead? Let’s look around.”
The girls got up and wandered around. Through the practice fields, though the lounge, past places where people laughed and played and cried. Each time, the energetic girl couldn’t help but run her hand along various things, excitedly calling back things and who they were with. She wondered where everyone was now. Eventually they reached the room in the lodge where they had stayed and the energetic girl dug around before holding her hand up triumphantly. “Found it! The last of the winnings savings!”
“….why was it under the floor?”
“I thought it would be safe there.” The energetic girl grinned. She laughed about it for awhile, her laugh gradually getting softer and fainter. She looked at the small sack of coins. “You know…this is the last thing tying us to this place…we won’t have much reason to come back.”
The listless girl shrugged. “I’m just hungry..”
“You’re always hungry!” The energetic girl snickered a bit before that too quieted down. She bounced the coin bag in her hand, almost as if she was contemplating just dropping it back into the floor. But then she shook her head, setting it into a bigger bag on her belt. “C’mon, let’s go get something to eat.”
The two walked back out from the rooms and through the lounge. Soon the open door was closed once again. “Whoops! Better lock it!” One last laugh as there was a click of a padlock and the arena air was still once more.
~*~*~Greatest of Gladiators~*~*~
Fin~~
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