Another -6 june'12
Disclaimer: G-boys are not saru's... and saru already forgotten the details of the anime too.
chapter 12
'Are you happy?' the pale white hand stroking the underside of the small muzzle paused for a moment.
The lizard-hatchling squeaked a small high-pitched sound, its wide round eyes were conveying utter bliss it felt for just the fact that it was allowed to tag along... even if it would become a burden.
A small yielding smile tugged at the ends of the pale lips. 'Then...'
'...I will never abandon you...'
Lix woke up with a jerk, its head reflexively turned to the sides as if searching something... or someone. Perhaps the source of that lingering voice; it frowned when it realized that that was just a memory resurfacing its mind. Staring at the grassy ground under its bent front-legs, it decided that it didn't need that much of sleep anyway; walking silently to the river bank after giving a cursorily glance on the humans party and their horses and found nothing worth inspecting, the lizard took a seat on a big enough stone on the bank, which dark surface was smoothened by the water. The glassy-materials in the stone glinted in the moonlight like a compact starry-sky in its own glory.
"Couldn't sleep?" A deep voice asked the lizard from the dark shade of a tree.
The endless sound of running water seemed to have summoned them, as if promising to wash away all worries from their restless minds.
A man, a lizard; one person in minds...
Lix stared at the almost-frowning Odin staring it levelly; some darken thoughts were shading the man's eyes. The lizard blinked at him. It didn't worry about its rider's whereabouts, nor of his safety; what bothering it was his past. The demon's past would chase him sooner or later; the Shepherd's words today reminded the lizard about that fact. When that time comes, or before it come... it'd be easy to just flee its rider to somewhere unknown to everyone; but its rider wouldn't agree to that.
Where does your loyalty lie? Does loyalty give servants the rights to chose what's best for their masters? The round golden eyes asked without a sound.
Odin stared at the lizard eyeing him closely, he was sure the lizard had human-like intelligence but he still didn't understand its language.
"If you couldn't rest with us, you could just go find your rider." Odin stated his permission.
"It's not like we're in dire need of protection, either...!" he growled low voicing his displeasure.
Lix blinked at the man staring down at the river surface. The man must have suspected that the demon severed their links to protect him from pursuers, if it was the demon that was being targeted; and so the man thought of it as a type of insult to his competence as the benefactor.
The lizard let out a lizard-snort and inched toward the man's feet and rested there, beside the man who was resting his back on the tree; the end of its muzzle touching the river surface and it welcomed the gentle current as if it was caressing its skin.
"What are you so gloomy about? It felt weird that you're fawning on me; it's uncomfortable, Lesard...!" Odin growled. Lix let out a lizard-chuckle and closed its eyes; knowing sleep wouldn't come to it, so it put its senses to discern everything around the humans-party. Time flowed and it'd be a waste if the lizard didn't do anything even in wait.
Odin snorted at the lizard; he was trying to rein in his impatience as well. Looking back to his men who was lying dead-like in their merciful sleep, he felt a tinge of guilt for acting a bit childish for pushing them in such a haste to reach the Palace in their current condition, emergency aside; realizing that even if he could get to the Palace as fast as possible wouldn't mean that his demon would be already waiting there for him. No, most likely he wouldn't be there anytime soon.
He tsk-ed and cast a pebble into the river, hoping his frustration could be castdis away as easily as that too.
"Oh... you're awake..." Duo breathed with relief.
". . . I'm sorry... are you comfortable enough?" and asked in a subdued tone.
Heero's eyes were unseeing, the color of his irises were so light it was almost silver. He struggled to frown and show his displeasure, and Duo knew that the demon realized their arrangement.
"...ummm..." he tried to sound apologetic, "There's no enough space for you to lie down, so...-" he faltered.
"...anyway, the beasts are still lingering outside; perhaps they thought to guard the place where they found our traces last..." his mind gave a full agreement to his justification.
Duo silenced for a long pause, pretending he didn't realize that his heartbeat had taken a few notches faster.
"Yo-... You asked me to stay..." his words finally broke with a quiver. -Well he did ask you to stay, but most likely didn't mean that you could stay hugging him the whole time...! His other-mind jeered with a cynical chuckle; Duo shut it with a hard swallow.
"Sorry..." he breathed with guilt; "I'll let you recline by yourself and I'll keep my hands away-..."
". . . sash...!"
Duo blinked and paused, thinking his ears doing some trick to his own mind that the demon was speaking.
"...sash... left side..."
And he heard it again.
"Oh!" Duo almost jumped at the realization that the demon told him to search for something in the demon's sash. "So- sorry for the intrusion...!" his voice quivered again, and he hoped the demon didn't realize that it was quivered with excitement for the fact that he was allowed to touch-...
His mind stopped midway in its excitement.
He frowned as he dangled the things he found in the demon's sash in front of his face in that dark place.
". . . th- . . ." he tried to find the connection between his eyes and mind and voice, "...this is..."
The things jangled a nice clear sound.
"This is... " Duo tried to suspect something about the function of the dangling piece(s) of metal in his hand and his mind found a conclusion; "...a... wire-puzzle...?"
It was more like a handicraft-work of ...he couldn't actually say it was a nail-puzzle with such beauty; the thing dangled from his fingers worth to be called jewelry. It was made from a kind of silvery metal, twisted and crafted in such fashion that the wire itself had tiny detailed carvings on it; and at some point the wire was clear like glass or crystal, with speckles of small lights in it that changed colors depending on the light outside. And the shape was intricate enough to mimic a pair of wings, entwined in the middle by the outermost wires circling around each other. And he didn't see any opening in the wing-shape, so that thing couldn't be a puzzle if it couldn't come lose right?
"A-..." his brows arched, "...a pretty pin...!" he continued with a hoping victorious tone.
". . . wings . . ." the demon breathed almost soundlessly.
"What...?" Duo asked in bafflement.
"...your hands..." the demon's head lulled down onto his shoulder; ". . . off mine . . .-".
Duo's face paled and flushed in the same instant, eyes wide with shock and shame; Heero's last words before he lost consciousness again was ever more shocking than if he were suddenly punched in the face.
"I-...!" he struggled to control his voice volume, "I didn't hold you for...-!"
So the demon thought that he was still that inclined to do something to his wings...? Duo's face got redder with the thought; and in such condition, it's as if he was accused to being a pervert to a helpless person.
Duo stopped abruptly when he bit his tongue in his surprise; realizing that his words wouldn't do anything to justify his actions in the demon's perspective if he'd already labeled to have a too-busy-hands at that rate. So he was told to busy his hands with that pair-of-wings instead; his heart that was almost leaping out of his mouth fell into his stomach... it'd be good if he could digest it too rather than having it feel pierced by needles like now. The demon might be just being in his defense-mode in his helpless condition; Duo knew that. He might be worried about Duo being a human too; that one fact he couldn't blame anyone. But having his offered hand rejected with such accusation hurt him even when he understood the reason for it.
Or perhaps it's just as the demon thought of him, he had too-busy hands he should just keep it to himself.
"Sorry..." he said with disheartened tone, eventhough he knew the demon was already out of it to hear him, "...human touch must be disgusting for you..." covering the demon's head with the spare cloak he had around the demon's body and lowered it carefully; a hand behind the demon's head supporting it onto the roots surface. "I won't touch you aga-..."
He stopped mid-sentenced when he felt a tug on his waist. Looking down, he realized it was the demon's hand gripping at his shirt, and tightly too for such condition he was in that Duo couldn't tug it lose; was it that the demon had been gripping it the whole time when he didn't realize it? It's probably since that time when the demon asked him to stay too...
Duo felt a tinge of anger when he thought about what the demon thought about him; he did stay with the demon just as he was asked, and he might have gone ahead of himself keeping the demon in his embrace but that was for the demon's sake too since it had turned cold with the night coming and the tree roots were not as comfortable to recline on, and what he got in return was an accusation of being a perv- ...
Or maybe the demon was worried about him touching his wings accidentally? Duo's calmer mind took over at that instant. Heero did say that he will die if he touched a demon's wings.
Loosening Heero's grip gently, relieved when the stiff fingers yielded; he arranged Heero's body in a position he thought comfortable enough in that small space; staring apologetically at the sleeping face that didn't show any feeling of discontentment nor bliss.
"So..." he dangled the wire-puzzle in front of his face again; "What did you want me do with this, exactly...?"
"Ouw-waaaaaahhhhh...!" that was a yawn wide enough to swallow his own fist... Duo rubbed his sleepy eyes tiredly; on top of being forced to squat or stand on the uneven ground between the roots all night, he barely had any sleep at all... although the later was probably because he was forcing himself to de-puzzle the wire-puzzle in his hands. As much as the things intrigued him, or the fact that it was seemingly something important to the demon that was entrusted to him, but he concluded that there was no possibility to take off the wings from each other.
It's just impossible...!
Definitely...!
Absolutely impossible...!
And that conclusion achieved after he meddled with the things for... roughly 8 hours...?
So, it either he had too-busy-hands or too-inept-brain. "Damn...! What are these, anyway... wake up for a moment, it's not fair, Heero, I'm sleepy too...!"
Duo yawned again so wide that his jaws hurt and his eyes teary. With a little frustration he wiped them and thought he should at least look outside if the beasts were still in the area. The mosses were dangling at the opening of the roots like ragged window curtains. He took a peek outside, setting the covering moss aside, and was petrified as he found the beasts from last night circling their tree in rows, blissfully sleeping.
It took him a full minute to eventually dare himself to move.
Slowly and warily he pulled himself backward into the shelter behind the dangling mosses again; and as his body bent forward, he bumped his hand onto the root walls for there was barely enough room, and he dropped the wire-wings from his almost numb grip. The pretty wings bounced on the root before they fell on the mossy ground, making some pretty tinkling sounds.
Duo froze shutting his eyes as tightly as he could... fearing the worst.
The sleeping beasts jerked together.
A silent pause lasted for several second before Duo realized the beasts snores were definitely gotten louder. He fearfully opened his eyes slowly, and stared intently at the circling beasts.
"H- ...ha...?" he grinned disbelievingly with a sweat-drop. Carefully picking up the fallen wire-wings, he 'accidentally' jangled them mid-way, and the beasts shivered with apparently blissful dreams judging from their expression, like grinning lion-like beasts or smiling bird-like ones... some of them even drooling with silly faces.
"E- ...ehhh?" Duo exclaimed wide-eyed; and covered his mouth abruptly when the beasts jerked again.
Spinning on his heels, he managed to turn his body adequately facing the sleeping demon and cried out his frustration in angered whisper; "You could have told me so from the beginningggg...!" But of course the demon was still blissfully unconscious.
Wiping his frustration tears, he decided that he should get out of the circle immediately... before the beasts wake up because they definitely had enough sleep...! Covering the demon wrapped in his spare cloak with his own cloak as he carried him on his back, Duo thought he should at least find a means of transportation because even as light as he was they were just visible in that way.
"Must find a village...!"
"Alright..."
"A village is fine...!" he whispered to himself over and over, fighting his exhaustion as they left the circling beasts way behind them.
The sun had set high enough when he smelled the scent of burning furnace and some cooking in the air, though there was still no house visible from his position. Duo brightened and immediately searching a secluded place to hide the still sleeping demon. Loosening his two braids to below his shoulders line, he put some color from a small bottle from his pocket onto his lips, and arranged his bangs so that it was divided in the middle and pinned beside his temples.
With light steps he hurried to follow that human scents and almost running as he found a dirt road leading him to a village.
"Sir, do you know where I could buy a cart? A small one would be fine, just as long as it could carry two people. Oh, with the horse too, of course...!"
The elderly man sitting in front of the first house he found was only managed to gape at him when Duo asked him enthusiastically while trying to catch his breath. He pointed down the road further without a word.
"What is it, Papa; is someone there?" a middle aged woman came out from the house as Duo half ran leaving that house; he stopped abruptly on the road and bowed a little.
"Oh, I'm sorry... There's just... a cart... I'm buying, thank-you for the pointing...!" he smiled and continued running.
The village was small enough, but the distance between houses was enough to make him grumbled when no one was around; after he got to the denser housing area, he searched for a market-like place and found himself in the middle of the village.
...and everyone seemed to be looking at him.
"Cart-cart-cart...!" he chanted to himself looking for a house with carts outside, he found a promising one though it looked to be a tavern instead of a cart stall.
"Excuse me, Sir, I'm looking for a cart to buy. A small one is fine, at least for two people. With a horse; please...!" he said fast to the tavern owner at the bar table.
The people in the tavern were staring at him and his emergency-looking smile.
"Ow, Little Miss, please sit down first. Would you like a drink?" the owner said while putting a large mug of bubbly drink on the table for the man sitting there.
"No, Sir, I need a cart-..." but Duo pulled the mug and downed the content in large gulps and banged the empty wooden mug back to table, with a loud exhale; "-...it's spirit, in the morning...?" he asked accusingly at the gaping man at the bar.
"It's noon-" the man said reflexively.
"Spirit is for night-time after working hard...!" Duo said reflexively while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I'm a night-watcher; I'm just going to sl-"
"Okay, sorry for that, Sir, -a cart for two people, with a horse, please?" Duo turned his head to the owner again in the middle of the sentence.
The owner blinked his mind back.
"You need a cart for two people and a horse...?" he asked slowly.
"No, no..." Duo waved his hand in negation, "I need a cart and a horse for two people..., Sir." he added with a grin.
"You'll be traveling on cart and on horse...?" the man at the bar asked still half-gaping.
"No, no..." he waved his hand again, "A cart pulled by a horse, for two people...!" Duo added with rapid blinking at the end, wondering if there was something not understandable in his demand.
"Two carts and two horses...?" the owner asked in bafflement.
"No, no...!" he waved his hand again faster; "a cart and-...!"
"BWAAHAHAHAHAHAAA- ...!" and the tavern suddenly exploded with guffaws and catcalls and banging mugs.
"Slow down, Missy; the cart won't be going anywhere without the horse...!" a rough looking one-eyed man shouted merrily from the table near them.
"O- ...ehhh..." Duo flustered as the people in the tavern laughed and clapping at him. He bowed repeatedly turning redder as the cheering didn't seem to lessen. "I'm... I'm sorry for the intrusion; it's just that..." he fixed the hood covering his face up as he straightened; "I left my friend in the woods outside this-"
"You left your friend alone in the forest?" came the surprised yell from the people in unison. Some burly men suddenly got to their feet with serious faces and Duo realized they had commonly hunter equipments under their tables.
"Uwaah-no, no; I'm from here...!" Duo half-panic flipped open the lining in front of his hood that was folded behind, exposing the embroidery on it. The room fell silent for a moment, and Duo thought that there's no way they wouldn't recognize it as he stilled with face down showing the hood at everyone.
"Wahh... So, you're from the Covenant...?" the owner sighed with half surprised relief.
"What's a Mother doing in this part of kingdom...?" the burly men sat down again; and Duo sighed with relief.
"No, Sir... I'm not a Mother; just an apprentice...!" Duo waved his hand with a shy blush.
"Are you selling charms, then?" the owner smiled excitedly.
Duo sweat-dropped; "Umm... not quite selling, buuut..." he searched inside his bag and pulled out a velvet pouch. "I'd trade some for the cart and horse...?" he added hopefully; he had money that his cousin gave him but it's not that much to buy a horse cart, since he didn't expect he'd need one.
"Though, my skills are not yet enough to make fine charms..." Duo said with timid voice as the people gathered to the bar. He fidgeted while waiting as the men examined the charms he spread on a piece of velvet cloth on the table. Nobody made a sound, and he was thinking that his charms were actually looking faulty for roughen villagers and hunters.
Duo cleared his throat. "So, if they're not good-..."
"MISS...!" the men turned at Duo together. "These are practically jewelries...!" the owner said loudly.
"Eh? They are? I'm sorry; I never sell my charms before...!" Duo reflexively said, genuinely surprised that his charms worth to be called jewelries.
"Whoaaa... look at those gemstones, Dear...!" the owner's wife suddenly appeared beside the man.
"These are blue-shade silver, right? Aren't they rare...?" one of the burly men asked in amazement.
"These jewelries are fitted with charms, Honey? Aren't they too expensive to be sold in this kind of village? You should go to the town...!" the motherly-looking woman waved at Duo.
Duo's grin pulled to one end, "Ahh... no, they're charms! I just tried to make them look nicer...!"
"Really?" the gathered people looked back at the charms again.
"They're jewelry-charms...!" the villagers concluded confidently.
"Ummm... okay." Duo yielded, whatever getting him the cart and horse, he thought; Heero was in no condition to travel on his own feet. "So could I trade some for that cart and horse, then?"
"Honey, these are too expensive for roughen villagers like us...!" the owner's wife said apologetically; the men nodded with sweat-drops, they visibly didn't want their wives to see those charms for they wouldn't be able to afford them.
"No, I'm not selling them; these charms couldn't be traded with money, their merits would fade away that way. So I'm bartering some...!" Duo corrected making desperate face.
"But this village has no cart worthy for such a trade, Miss...!" the man at the bar earlier quipped.
"But, Sir; charms merit lies in their needed-value not their worldly worth... so I'm trading them for anything I could get, right now..." Duo tried.
"We can't rob you like that, Honey...!" the owner's wife said disagreeably, earning nods from the men.
Oh, please... I'm really in need for that cart and just one horse...! Duo's mind complained.
"I heard you have a friend waiting in the forest, Honey?" the owner's wife asked; Duo nodded. "How about this; I'll take the smallest charm and give you an antler wagon and pay these hunters to safe-guard your travel; you can just drop them in the next city or such. That way everybody is happy, how's that?"
The burly men nodded vigorously.
"See? They're just as happy to help you...!" the owner's wife chuckled.
Duo froze. No! That's just unbidden meddling, Ma'am...! His mind objected. Burly broke-looking hunters and an unconscious demon were just not meant to be in the same closed-walls wagon. Definitely a no-no!
. . . though an antler is faster than a horse... but hunters...-
"How about an antler coach for two people...?" Duo tried brightly. The people there seemed surprised at how Duo kept insisting the two-people part.
"You seemed to be in hurry, Honey..."
"That's right, the hunters could go on their horses so the wagon could be less slow carrying too many passengers...!" the owner brightened.
NOOOOO! That's even worse if those hunters could chase down our cart on their horses, old maaaannnn...! Duo's mind cried exasperatedly in his head, while on the outside he only stilled a petrified smile.
"Miss Apprentice, your friend waiting in the woods..." a calm female voice broke the tension, "...wouldn't be a Silens, would she?"
Duo snapped his head to where the voice came from, a female traveler sat on the far corner facing a window, was smiling at him. "Silens are not allowed to make interaction with people outside the Covenant, isn't that right? That's why she didn't come with you into this village?"
At that Duo nodded vigorously; it's not quite a lie, he thought... those were not his words, so he's not lying...! He took a fast glance at the charms spread on the table, between them was an average looking charm that was for detecting lies; he thought he didn't need it so he didn't alter its basic form from the usual. People would recognize that form soon enough; the gemstone on it should change color when someone lies in its vicinity.
And... Duo looked away from the table...
It's changing color now...!
"Your friend is a Silens? Why didn't you say so from the beginning...!" the owner's wife smiled.
"I'm sorry..." Duo fidgeted and tried looking uncomfortable to drag people's attention from the table.
"Is there an urgent matter?" the female traveler asked again; "Silens wouldn't come out of the Covenant unless there's something disastrous happening somewhere...!"
Oh yeah... thanks for alerting these roughen villagers; the only disastrous thing is that the Palace Demon is here lying unconscious in the forest while being chased by beasts and to add to the carnival you want me to escort some hunters to safe-guard him to a definitely almost-gone-berserk-notorious-Commander waiting in the Palace...! Duo was almost tempted to cry that out loud. That uncomfortable-looking effort seemed to backfire now...
The gemstone on that particular charm slowly turned back to its original color, Duo noticed; perhaps it sensed his thought as truth... But isn't that just making matters worse? So the Commander is really almost gone berserk waiting in the Palace as of now...? His mind complained; he'd heard lots of 'lessons learned' about a certain Commander from the soldiers escorting him the past days he was with them.
"Where are you heading? I might go to the same direction and give you a lift...?" the female traveler stood up.
"Ah- no... that's-" Duo's hand was too numb to wave so he just lifted it near his face; it kind of actually looking like an agreeing gesture instead of a negation.
"But with a Silens...?" one villager asked.
The female traveler laughed merrily; "Oh yes... I've spent a summer when I was little in a covenant because of some illness; although not in the Mother's Covenant...!"
"Ehhh... at some point I shouldn't be labeled as outsider, should I?" she reached where Duo was standing and smiled nicely to him. "Or not...?" she scratched her gauzy black turban; "How about asking your friend to decide?"
"Eeh- but..." Duo stammered.
"Palace, right?" the traveler whispered as she passed Duo to the doorway. "Hurry and leave before your own charm gives you away...!"
Duo stilled at the last part. "A-...alright...! Please wait a moment..." he conceded.
The female traveler winked at him with a smirk, and got out the tavern. Duo walked closer to the table and the gathered men automatically backed away a little; he sighed and picked a small charm looking like a pendant with a light purple gemstone on it and presented it to the owner's wife.
"Ma'am, this is a charm for good health, would you like to trade it with some spare clothes and provision?" Duo asked seriously, knowing the woman would actually decline.
"Honey..." the woman looked apologetic. "Something so luxurious looking wouldn't be good on me...!"
"Please." Duo asked, for some reason he wanted these people to have at least one of his charms.
"...besides, such magnificent charm would just attract the wrong-kind of people in this kind of countryside..." the owner's wife looked uncomfortable; she definitely wanted that pretty thing, but the place she lived in was just not that suitable to have such thing. The men nodded their agreement.
Duo looked dejected, and wrapped his charms back into his bag in silence. He took a deep inhale and exhaled it. "How about this thing, then...?"
It's the last resort; he didn't even know he put that thing in his bag when he left his room, but apparently that thing wanted to be useful to him.
The gathered people stared in silence at the big eight-sided cylinder; it was about 40 centimeters long, with wrought iron carving at its ends. The cylinder was clear with bluish liquid inside filling almost to the top of its height leaving about 2 centimeters of white cloud swirling at its surface.
"It's made of heat-glass, not gemstone. Apprentices practiced their skills by making that kind of charms before making real charms." Duo explained before anyone objected again saying that it's even looking way bigger than the other charms he had. "This one senses danger... like this!" he took the empty wooden mug and banged it as hard as he could to the bar table beside the cylinder.
The bluish liquid radiated a dim light in the middle of the cylinder and a tiny bubble traveled from apparently the bottom-end to the top-end where the white cloud swirled lazily, even though it was put horizontally on the table.
"You could make a use of it, right...?" Duo pleaded.
The hunters looked at each other; "Ehh, it's true that the beasts are active hunting preys in ambush lately...!" the one-eyed man tried.
"From how far away could it sense danger coming?" the earlier man at the bar asked.
"Depends on the danger itself. Ah, but it could sense natural hazards, too...!" Duo got excited when the people showed some interest.
"Natural hazards?" some asked in unison.
"Umm... like when an earthquake is coming, or a flood...!" Duo brightened.
"Really?"
"How to know which danger it is sensing?"
"How long does it take for the danger to arrive from the warning it gives?"
"How about the size of dangers...?"
"Drought! Can it tell us if drought is coming?"
"How about cheating husbands?"
"How about diseases?"
"Ahhh...!" Duo was suddenly rained with questions. "One by one, please...!"
The people quieted altogether. Duo cleared his throat.
"First of all, I made that in training, so it's not that much of such-charm..." he said apologetically. "How to say it..." he thought, "When a danger is coming nearer the ones around that glass-work who'd feel in danger, it'll shine. The bubble would show the size of the danger."
At blinking wide eyes he refined his explanation; chuckling to himself for his previous words. "It's like this; the thing itself doesn't have sense of danger, it's the people or living beings around it that have such. So this glass-work sensed how much you'd fear the upcoming happenings that could threat your lives...! About the interval before the danger comes, I think the bigger the danger then the sooner it'll show some reactions, since it'd be reasonable that the people fearing the danger would want more time to save themselves..."
"So it could sense cheating husbands too, right?" the owner's wife concluded.
"Uhh... I guess..." Duo sweat-dropped, pretending he didn't see the objecting stares from the men present there.
"Hey, if it senses danger through the fears of people, when a person doesn't fear for an oncoming danger, then it won't show any sign? Or when such a danger that everyone never knows about coming...?" a thoughtful looking young man asked.
". . . . . . that's right." Duo admitted, "That's why it's just a practice-charm...!"
"It's okay! It's okay, Honey. This should do just fine; I'll take it with gratitude!" the owner's wife waved spiritedly with a merry smile; the owner beside her frowned in discomfort.
"Woman, even if you find yourself a practical tool, I doubt you'll find slim-size clothes in your drawer for this Little Miss here...! -OWHH!" the owner received a 'wife's loving-fist' on his shoulder that almost send him off his chair.
"Ah, it shines!"
"It's a bigger bubble...!" the men commented while watching the glass-work.
The wife snorted, and waved at Duo; "Wait a moment, Honey; I'll bring down some nice clothes for you and your friend. What's her size?"
"...about mine." Duo answered. The wife nodded and went upstairs humming an off-tune song.
"Missy, how many days will you need provision for?" the owner asked.
"Oh..." Duo turned to the man already had some slabs of meat and bread out. "Just... two days worth for myself...!" and was a little panic at the amount the owner took out from the cabinet.
"Umm... my friend had wild fruits from the forest..." Duo admitted hesitantly.
"Is that about that Silens-thing again?" a man asked.
"Hahaa... not really; just being picky is all...!" Duo laughed; truth was he didn't know what a demon should be eating.
"Okay, then these are for the traveler-Miss too!" the owner nodded. "Don't worry about the drink earlier, it's on the house. But you're not bad to down it in one go...!" he chuckled. The men laughed at that.
Duo sighed and bowed with a smile, they were good people even living with the hardships, that's why he wanted to be useful to them; he'd be sorry if they caught some mischief because of him.
"Ahh... and the Missy left before telling us her name, too...!" the owner said dreamily while staring at the glass-work hung on the wall of the bar.
"Isn't that the better? If she gave us her name, you'd be thinking of a named-fantasy all the time...!" the wife snorted.
"I almost forgot that one-dress you gave her, you know? I thought for sure that you'd be ridding all of her clothes after that thing happened...!" the owner smiled to himself, sucking at his pipe.
The wife snorted again. "Are you a crazy dad? Why would I rid of our daughter's reminder just because of that...!"
The owner chuckled as his wife left him to the second floor. The customers had almost all gone to their own tasks for that noon, and the tavern seemed to become more spacious and subdued.
"Is your friend okay in there?" the traveler asked from the steering seat.
Duo climbed the ladder and sat next to her. "'s fine, 's fine. Just hibernating...!" he grinned with full-laughing eyes.
"Really?" the traveler smirked. "You're more curious about me than the other way around, huh? Or should I say cautious?" She was actually not too much older looking than Duo, probably around 18 or 19 years old.
Duo still had his full-laughing eyes, though his grin had lost its happy-value. He'd find Heero while having the girl wait for them somewhere, and dressed him in the girl attires including the headdress with long shawl tied from head to his chin to cover his wings, and covered the cloak hood on top of it; and joined the traveler's wagon, resting Heero inside.
"Well, it's okay. I wouldn't probe you about why you're pretending to be a girl, or why there's a demon inside my wagon. People have their own reasons...!" the girl chuckled. Her wagon was a four seat, pulled by two antlers. She packed quite a baggage on the roof leaving the seats relatively unoccupied; so probably she took passengers on the way for some extra earnings.
"...sorry." Duo's grin dropped.
"I said it's alright...!" she repeated.
"Why did you help me back there?" Duo asked slowly.
"You mean in the tavern?"
Duo nodded.
She stared neutrally for a moment. "You didn't need it?"
"No, that's not it. I mean..."
"But those hunters are on for a grand-catch, you know? They're quite good, too." she grinned.
"...they seemed like it." Duo admitted reluctantly.
"Yeah. With your demon playing dead like that, they'd easily get their grand-catch, right?"
"H-...he's not my demon!" Duo flustered.
"Oh? It's a he." the girl stared. Duo gave himself a mind-slap.
". . . you couldn't tell?" he tried.
"Ah, you mean I could recognize your gender right away, but not demons?" to that Duo nodded vigorously; he was quite confident that his girl-acts had never failed before.
"Yeah, that's just about it. I could tell with humans but not with demons." she stated.
"That's barely an answer, you know...?"
The girl laughed at that.
"I'm Duo, by the way." Duo offered.
"Myrica." the girl answered.
"Myrica...?" Duo frowned.
She laughed again; "If you're going to say about anti-diarrhea agent, I'll throw you off this wagon."
"Sorry..." Duo sweated.
She laughed; "It's fine; I like it...!"
"...the agent?" Duo asked.
"The name!" she barked. "If you're going to connect that illness I had when I was little and my name, I'll throw you off a cliff!"
"I'm not...!" Duo said exasperatedly.
They silenced for a long pause, the wind was stinging on Duo's tired eyes with their speed and he was about to nod off. But he couldn't trust this stranger yet, that's why he took the front seat, he needed to see where they were going.
"You're sleepy, aren't you? Go inside and rest!" she urged flatly.
Duo frowned at the dirt road. If it was only him, he wouldn't be as worried.
"It's okay. If anything happens to the Palace's Demon, then the whole kingdom would face the consequence, right? I won't be that stupid...!" Myrica frowned.
Duo stared her.
She snorted and turned forward. "I've had my hometown annihilated once; I'm not living through that again...!" she frowned. "Although the ones who did that were this kingdom's army..." she added less loudly.
Duo kept staring at her. She had dark skin and very light blond hair, her eyes were silvery like a mirror surface.
"It's rude to stare...!" she finally objected.
"You're from... the Roude Lord's hometown...!" Duo tried, he was recalling the name of the people but his tired brain wouldn't comply.
"Not of the same tribe..." Myrica chuckled; "They didn't tell children about what our people called themselves?"
"...I'm kind of too tired to recall..." Duo said reflexively with a frown, which earned another laugh from her.
"Well, I'll tell you what Myrica means in our language; 'steadfastness', 'determination', 'hope', and 'beauty'...!" she said proudly.
". . . that's so much meaning for one word." Duo commented.
"Yes. To hope... is to have determination to move forward; and steadfastness to fight through hardships; and that... is true beauty." she smiled.
Duo smiled at her.
". . . your people are strong fighters just as they said...!"
She laughed proudly. "...'course we are!"
Duo put Heero on the bed and loosened the tight shawl from his head, and forgotten the time while examining -staring at was more precise- the inert wings still plastered on the sides of the demon's face. He tried ghosted his fingers over the white feathers several times, only to test whether he'd wake up and reprimand him for it, maybe get mad at him for once; but nothing happened, the demon was dead to the world... and probably literally too.
Duo sighed and washed his face and hands at the sink; Myrica entered the room with a large tray of food when he was taking Heero's shoes off.
"Let's dig in...!" she grinned happily.
"Shouldn't you at least wash your hands first?" Duo arched a brow.
"Since you're paying the bill, I'm going to eat to my stomach's content...!" she chuckled and stuffed three spoonful of food from three different dishes into her mouth.
"To your heart's content, you mean...?" Duo mumbled but realized that she meant it about her stomach content.
"Say... since your friend won't be eating... I can have her share, right?" Myrica winked, talking over her full mouth, and finished the second plate after that.
Duo thought he should point out that she shouldn't say it in the middle of finishing that spoken share, but he resigned when he saw her happy glutton-face, somehow he was reminded how the Mothers raised him on the dining table... they always stuffed him with a lot of food and he never complained.
"...what are you smiling about with a rose-colored air...? It's creepy!" Myrica criticized while stacking the empty bowl and plates with her left hand, while her other hand was picking the smeared leftovers from around her mouth and chin.
Duo chuckled. "Nothing. I was just reminded of my childhood...-"
"Yes, that's the creepy part! I'm older than you...!" she snorted dignifiedly.
"Sorry..." Duo smiled and decided he should just back off from the subject.
"Don't do that... she'll mind it...!" Myrica said with a soft sigh.
"She...-what?" Duo snapped his head with a little flush on his face.
Myrica pointed at Heero with her chin. "You're going to wipe her body, right? She doesn't sweat, so you don't have to do that far...!" she said quietly.
Duo just felt his face poured by a bowl of hot water; "N-... not really! I was just going to wash the feet and hands and... just face..." he tried fast, but realized the girl was staring at him with knowing eyes; and her amazed smile unnerved him.
"Got a master, right?" Myrica asked while kicking her boots off and plopped down onto the farthest bed with a loud sigh.
"Master..." Duo frowned a little.
"In the Palace...?" she added.
Duo silenced. He didn't really want to stray his mind to that direction before, to him the Commander and the demon's relationship was that of a superior and subordinate.
"Ha, the master will take care of her; you just need to hand her over to that master...!" Myrica smiled already closing her eyes. "You could take some rest in peace; anyone targeting you wouldn't expect to search for a traveler party of three girls, right?"
Duo wiped Heero's hands with a wet cloth and took time to mull over the words and their situation. "...You're right...!" he smiled, and realized something; "Wait, you're sleeping in the same room...-?"
And a soft long snore answered him. Duo stared her in silence; she probably hadn't had decent sleep being alone in the road before meeting them.
Duo sighed, "...why would a girl cross some dangerous woods alone?"
But he knew the girl was being considerate of him so he didn't complain more, she'd left a bowl of soup and bread thinking that he was too tired to eat something solid right now. Duo smiled at the thought and finished the food quickly; after covering Heero's body with the blanket, he wrapped himself in his own blanket and slept.
The night passed without even a flash of dream. Figured, he was too tired to dream, he thought. When he opened one eye a slit, the sight of silvery wide eyes greeted him, staring him with wonderment.
Duo frowned and rubbed his eyes; ". . . what?" he asked grumpily.
"That's your good morning?" Myrica asked, she was squatting beside the bed, and was watching Duo's sleeping face for Sky knew how long.
Duo pushed himself to sit, and yawned as wide as he could, chasing his sleepiness away; moaning to himself when he hurt his jaws doing it.
"Had a good sleep?" she asked walking to the table.
"Ngggh... good enough if I didn't have nightmares...!" he said offhandedly; she laughed at that comment.
"I was thinking to tell you in the morning that you'd probably too tired to be wary of your surrounding when you're sleeping..." she handed a mug of steaming milk to Duo and sat on the middle bed.
"Uh-huh... what changed your mind?" Duo asked while blowing the hot milk.
Myrica chuckled, "The sight of a snoring-cocoon on your friend's feet...!"
"Yeah, well..." Duo tried a gulp, "...can't have anyone steal my friend from her bed while we're sleeping, right...?" he smiled at the warmth spreading in his body, and downed a couple of gulps more.
The girl chuckled over her own mug; agreeing that he should be aware of her too...
"What makes you think I wouldn't drug your food?" she asked.
Duo yawned again, "Ahhh... You're not that kind of people, from what I heard..." he scratched his head.
"My people? Don't you think that your people put too much credit on my people?" she smirked.
"Put a high price, you mean? Sorry about that..." Duo was aware of how much her people valued in money per head, too. "Oh, but I'm the last of my people, you know?" he arched one shoulder and grinned, "So, I don't think we should hold some grudge to each other's people...?"
"Really?" Myrica frowned, "What family are you?" a glint flashed in her eyes and Duo had suspected that she would recognize him from the first time she saw him, that's why she volunteered herself to take him in her wagon.
"Uhmm..." he felt uncertain for a moment, but his instinct told him to trust her for the time being; at least until they arrive at the Palace, so he admitted silently. "...Maxwffh-!"
Duo blinked twice rapidly in surprise, staring straight at the girl's alerted frowning eyes. He mumbled something to her hand covering his mouth, he didn't expect that... and in such instant.
". . . for real?" she whispered slowly.
Duo nodded.
"No way...!" she accused.
Duo nodded firmer.
"I heard everyone of them killed themselves...!" she frowned deeper.
Duo mumbled 'I didn't' to her hand.
She smirked with astonishment; ". . . no, you didn't." Myrica repeated, letting go Duo's mouth carefully. "Your life worth more than my people's heads, right?" she sat back on the bed.
"You could say..." Duo tried to smirk to his mug but failed, he saw what kind of face he was making by the reflection on the milk surface, now that it's not steaming anymore.
"That's why you're in the Covenant?"
"...'guess, that's why I'm here...!" he frowned.
"I see... I thought it was your friend that was being chased, but it's actually you...!" she mumbled, glancing at Heero's sleeping face.
Duo snorted. "Sorry 'bout that...!"
The girl snorted her cynical laugh in an un-lady-like manner, "Ha! That's okay... I'm glad you told me that!"
Duo eyed her for a moment, ". . . you're not afraid of me...?" he asked with a small voice.
"Are you afraid of me?" she asked back.
"...uhhh, probably?" he answered hesitantly.
She smirked, "Well, you should be...! If I'm afraid of you, then you should be afraid of me too; frightened beasts bite harder than wild ones...!" the girl chuckled at her own thought, Duo fidgeted a little witnessing the wildness in her eyes.
"Anyway, we should pass through Gertt's gate by tomorrow noon, so we probably reach the King's City by the next day..." Myrica smiled, "You'd take more time if you were to use horse cart, though...!"
"Gertt, hu...?" Duo frowned, though still smiling; "Why didn't we take Eretta's way?"
"Eretta?" she folded her arms, "I heard some great-man from the Palace tightened the security there, I don't want to be suspected just because of my color...! Don't you know Gertt is always complaining about not having enough enforcement...?"
"Haaa... so that's why the security there wouldn't be as strict as other gates, hu?" Duo's smile pulled unevenly to one side; he knew who that great-man should be, and the reason why the security tightened; wouldn't the Commander tell the Eretta's men to look out for his demon when they're in sight...? Though Myrica's decision might come to his favor as well, no one knew if the one sending those beasts to target him was among the Eretta's men, right?
Though, the culprit might be using the opposite-psychology on him too; which meant that them being with the girl was expected... but wouldn't that mean that she's behind this? Or maybe some ambush was already waiting for them on their way, or in Gertt's fortress? Then, she'd be in danger too if they kept hitching her ride...
"What...?" Myrica asked when she caught Duo stared at her at the sink; toweling her face dry, she urged Duo to finish his breakfast so they could hit the road immediately.
And soon enough, with those thoughts in mind, the antlers wagon carried them off towards Gertt's gate...
saru's note:
this chapter took some time to write, mostly because saru wanted to post a chapter of The Future-fic, since our editor... apparently... didn't mind it if we're late with the deadline anymore so he didn't give us any...
or he'd just forgotten he still have one project with us...? OTL
btw, on saturday 23rd june, he suddenly called saru to make a cover for the comics (the 32 pages that was for Canada exhibition) because he'd print them and sell it in Popcon event on the 27th.
well, in short we sent it on monday 25th, while being skeptical about the printing process... like, in only 2 days...? but it turned out that he photocopied the pages, not printed them... and made only 50 exemplars for that... hahahahahaaa
yeah, he said it'd be like early launching or promo... it's fine either way; we're happy to have the paper-form of the comics... we're the outdated type of geeks that feel more at ease holding a book than a gadget -insert happy Dakochan face here-
Thanks for reading