Chapter 8
Ienzo blinked several times up at Myde until he let the topic go with a sigh. Alaeus had also brought some cleaning rags to suck of the water. With a sharp breath he inhaled the air violently.
"The books", he said as he realized what Myde's little stunt had cost them. The shelve across the fish tank, the one Myde had hidden on before Xehanort, had been hit by the wave of the water and all the books from the lowest until the highest level were soaked wet. The shelves on the right and left were also humid but only the lower level had come in direct contact with the water.
"The books aren't waterproof?", Myde asked. Ienzo looked up, glaring.
"No. They are not."
"Well... then... ops?", he smiled apologetically. Ienzo's eyes were throwing bolts of lightning up to the merman and the smile vanished fast. Very fast.
"You better stay where you are until we're finished here", with one last look he turned and started to help Alaeus.
Some of the older books were unique pieces of wisdom, written with certainly not waterproof ink. Ienzo just hoped for Myde's sake that those had been able to escape the water attack. On the other hand, how could books escape?
"You're no fighter, are you?", it surprised both, Ienzo and Myde, that Alaeus directed his words at the merman. Ienzo smirked. He noticed the way Alaeus' brows knitted. It was an undoubtable sign that the explorer, the scientist in him had awakened. Ienzo had been excited to finally tell Alaeus about Myde, about all the things he had found out about the culture of another world. So exotic and strange and fascinating.
Myde shook his head. Perhaps he knew about his ungraceful movements with just air around him because he had stayed on top of the shelve. Just like Ienzo had told him to do so.
"No, I'm not."
"I've noticed. Despite your strength comparable to mine, I could aim much more punches than I thought I would. It showed me that you're not very experienced in this."
"You're right."
"Why that?" Ienzo couldn't help his curiosity and as Myde directed his words at him they were more gentle in tone as the ones directed towards Alaeus.
"I'm the third oldest in my family. My big sister, the first born, and my older brother, the second born, are both members of the Palace Guard. With that the debit for the government was fulfilled. So I could decide freely what to do."
"What do you mean by the debit is fulfilled?"
"Well, the town where I live... used to live has its own government. Just the King is over the Council in the White Tower. And since Antarctica is placed in a dangerous sea we have a quite function able military force. And every family is ordered to send one of their children into the Palace Guard.
My sister died in a mission some years ago. But my brother, he's just a couple of years older than me, had also decided to join. Especially because my father holds a very high rank in the Guard."
"How many siblings doe you have?", Ienzo interrupted their millitarical conversation. Myde however happy that Ienzo talked to him again, showed him a smile.
"Without my big sister were seven children."
"Seven siblings? That's quite allot." Alaeus said.
"You think so? I think it's standard. The children have normally a couple of years between their ages. My sister was way older than my brother. It is more uncommon that he's just 5 years older than me. Then I have another brother, then two girls, twins, another girl and at least my youngest brother, who's just a baby", Myde had counted with his fingers. Ienzo and Alaeus both shared a silent question, but nobody dared to ask the merman about their reproduction.
"So there was no need for you to join the Palace Guard", Alaeus piked the string up again.
"Oh, no. I've never said I haven't joined."
"But you-"
"I haven't joined them as a soldier. Normally I'm too young to decide on what I wanna do. My brother's too. But he's some sort of expect ion, because of the death of my sister and because he had always been firm on joining as a soldier.
But I have joined the orchestra as a musician and although of my young age I have a firm position", there was proud in his voice as he said this.
By the topic about his family and home he suddenly felt a stab of homesickness in his heart and his eyes travelled out of the window. The moon was big and white and the stars looked the same way like the night sky had looked at home.
Ienzo sensed the mood swing of the merman pretty well and so he changed the topic towards a more important one.
"So what're we going to do with you?"
"A validly question", Alaeus added and Ienzo gave him his full attention.
"The tank is broken. And we don't have a pool or a bathtub that would hold him."
"What's a bathtub?", but Myde asked more to himself but was also ignored by the too.
"Maybe we could float one of the dungeons in the basement. Those are naturally very wet."
"Dungeon? Dungeon as in 'underground prison'?"
"That's no good idea. Or would you want to live surrounded by dark stone?", Ienzo said to his big companion.
"I thought about the Pot", Alaeus finally said.
"The POT?", Myde was understandably a little panicked by word. He trusted Ienzo now. Or better said he knew that the little human wouldn't do anything that would harm him. And he knew that the big warrior wouldn't do anything that would cause pain for Ienzo. But who new? Perhaps in this world it was a friendly act to cook the guests?
"No. Don't worry. We're talking about a font lake, which is called Pot because of its shape", Ienzo calmed him. "It's not very big in diameter, but it is very deep, around 62 foot. It's the source of the river that floats through the southern area of radiant garden."
"Ah", Myde had his old careful expression on his face, he didn't seem very satisfied with the explanation.
Alaeus coughed politely in his fist to get their attention.
"I see the necessity to bring you there this night. And I also see no other way to do it fast. So would you allow me to carry you?"
At this Myde blinked as well in surprise as Ienzo. "By the way, how have you managed to bring him here?", Ienzo blushed at this question and turned to inspect the now highly interesting remaining of the tank.
"This is degrading", Myde murmured with a dark hint in his eyes. Alaeus had flung him over his shoulder and now they walked in a quiet odd ceremony through the woods. A giant ahead, with a huge fish on his shoulder, and a, compared to the giant, midget behind them.
"It's necessary. A cart would've been to loud and we're very fast this way", Ienzo smiled. He knew that this was hurting Myde's pride, but there was honestly no other way. And after the destruction of the library he was a little satisfied with the angry pout and the hurt scowl on his face.
"I've brought a first aid kit with me. Alaeus had hurt you pretty badly. What about the wound on your side and you tail?"
Myde gave him a hurt look. "It's okay. I still can't swim very well, but that's no problem. They itch."
"I still can't believe it. As I found you first I thought your tail was nearly cut in two, but know it hasn't really started bleeding. You're a fast healer."
"You think so?"
"Yes, a human would've died just because of the wound on your torso."
"Ah, yeah, you humans are so...", with a strange dreamy expression he took Ienzo's hand. Ienzo inhaled sharp, but Myde didn't force any pressure so it was just a warm and tickling sensation which filled him with pleasure. Myde stroke with his thumb carefully over the soft skin in his palm. "... you're really fragile creatures."
Alaeus made a big step over a fallen tree and separated the two. Ienzo flinched under the sudden loss of contact and he had to climb over the tree, while Alaeus had managed it with just one step. His eyes travelled up to the stars.
"We're here", Alaeus said and stopped. He put the merman down on the small beach out of pebbles. It was obvious very embarrassing for Myde to be carried like that.
Ienzo was about to kneel down to the merman, but Alaeus grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up like he had done it with Myde. "ALAEUS! Put me down!", he wriggled in his grasp, but Alaeus hold him easily.
"We really have to go back now", he said to Myde, "if one of the others in the castle notices our absence or sees us in the morning sneaking back we're in trouble. Especially Xehanort will get suspicious." He nodded curtly towards Myde, then he turned and with big steps he made his way to the Hollow Bastion. Ienzo hung helpless over his friends' shoulder, but the moon was bright enough that he could see the sad smile on Myde's lips
"Those folk Under the Sea are really strange", Alaeus said as they heard the splash from the small lake.
With "The Pot" I had this little lake in mind: http// en. wikipedia. org/ wiki / Blautopf and be assured: the pictures don't lie with the colour.
Waht else to say? Like always, without my beloved Scheme this chapter wouldn't be possible in this quality. And yes it's a short chapter, cause I hated it. I deleated nearly the half while writing it. so I gave up and I fear you have to deal with my impatiens.
Currently I'm working on a fulltime job during the late shift. My day starts at 11 in the morning and at 11.30 in the night I come back home . It's stressy and the job kills my brain cells, cause it's so boring. And I also fear that's the reason I won't come to write any further for the next month. But no panic! I have the next 2 chapters already in my computer ;)
