Hugs to WindKitsuneofDarkness, Ellie, Unfocused Mind, Tellie, Fushica, Judy, Moussi, Deviruchi, Marchen, Ashes Kittyhawk, K005, vollfield, Alchemygeek for reviewing! Last chapter you learnt of Genbu's story, it is only natural that Penguin's story is for this chapter. Plus you get to know his real name! Read on! XD
Scene XII – Pride of Identity
The crystals' glow was dimmer than usual today, some guttered like candles, threatening to snuff out. Since the crystals reflect the environment outside of the AYUS cavern, I knew it must be raining. The air told the same story, heavy moisture clung to the walls and to our noses like a wet towel.
"September?"
I turned to see her approaching, a bouquet of white roses in cradled in the arc of her arm, their snowy petals contrasting starkly against the black cloak she had donned for the occasion. White and black, tribute to the dead. She gave me a wry smile and sighed, then extended a gloved hand for me to take. But I did not move.
"What's the matter, September?" She could tell I wanted to say something if I did not obeyed her immediately. I resisted a sudden urge to pull her to me, to feel her head resting on my shoulder and stay that way for a long, long time. She did not have to suffer for even a second in my presence, but only if I could... The only thing I could do was to understand her, to know her heart better than anyone else.
"You don't have to act strong." I said.
"I have to." She touched my cheek. The silk was cold against my skin. "But you understand, don't you?"
I did not say a word to that. It was often like this, for me and her, no words are needed when your heart knows the answer. Safira Lazuli Myer, my superior, the cold, objective, confident woman who did not let emotions rule her actions, or so she seemed to everyone else except me.
"You know, September..." She touched a white petal as if in thought, "Death claims everyone at some point. I see no point to live in constant reminder of it. But it doesn't mean I don't feel the pain of losing good comrades...life must go on, no matter who gets left behind."
"But we will not forget them..."
"No, we won't." She smiled. "Let's go now."
We walked side by side down a long path rarely tread upon, cobwebs crawled aplently on the ceiling and in between the crystals. It was quite a long walk, as our destination was a far one, deliberately situated well away from the commonly used rooms. The deceased need peace and privacy.
When we finally arrived, laid out before us were four gravestones in a small clearing of moss, these were the only grass that grew in dark places.
"It's been two years already...on this very day." Safira mumbled to herself. "Julius, Augustine, Noiem...and her..."
Walking over to the first gravestone, she took out several stalks of the flowers and placed them by the slab of marble.
"Julius...you would have been a brilliant lord knight by now. I knew you would."
At the second stone, she did the same thing. "Augustine, Junee and Janua are fine. I won't let anything happen to them, you can trust me on that."
"MAI is fine, Noiem, she's been a great help." She said to the third stone, "Kannazuki has been taking care of her, she really inherited your talent and patience."
The fourth stone was a special one, it was smaller than the rest for two reasons: we never found the body, and it was for a child.
Only three roses were left of the bouquet that Safira had brought out. I watched silently as she slowly knelt down in front of the small stone and placed the flowers at its foot.
"Wherever you are, I hope you find peace. Our namesake..." She reached out a finger to trace the letterings. "Your brother is as stubborn as ever, but he has been rather...motivated lately. I don't know if it's a good thing, watch over him, will you?"
The name on the stone read: Juniper Haze.
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"I really insist! It's your duty as a brother and family to her!"
"But I promised to stay with you for the two months..."
"I won't suddenly disappear off the face of Midgard in the next few days, and I'm not made from glass."
"That's true...but-"
"I can't think of any good reason why you should put off this visit. She must be looking forward to it, I don't want to sabotage another girl's happiness."
"..."
"Besides, I plan to vend all day today, what could happen? After this week things will get busy, and who knows what might come up? Then only Odin knows when you'd have time...not that we'd drag you along or...anything...but you know..." Irya took a breath, searching her mind for some other meaningful thing to say.
Genbu was yet again in a pinch. After finding out that he should be visiting his sister in Prontera Monastry regularly, Irya had spent the past 5 minutes telling him that under no circumstances was he to delay this visit another day. The alchemist was quite passionate about it, since her own family was a disappointment to her. On one hand, Genbu knew it had been more than a month since he last went to Prontera Monastry, and his sister wouldn't be too happy about it. On the other hand...he didn't want to leave Irya for even a moment, having a strong sense of responsibility towards her well-being. But he probably needed to rethink Irya's status as a physically defenseless girl since that incident on the bridge...
"Alright. But I'll be back in about two days." He finally caved in. "Take care until then."
"Tell her I'd definitely come see her if it weren't for my crazy boss!" Irya called after him,
Genbu smiled and nodded, recalling with a little cold sweat her mentor and his...strange tendencies to...oh nevermind. The white light of warp portal engulfed the world around him, or vice versa to Irya who watched him disappear into the magical gateway.
Humming, the alchemist made her way to the Alde Baran marketplace in the square in front of the clock tower. Adventurers came to Alde Baran to brave the monstrosities of the infamous clock tower, and merchants profitted on this, selling supplies and equipment right outside the gates. Irya went right to her favourite spot, by the ledge that separates a grassy area and the pavement. It was still early and there were relatively few travellers and merchants already there. She unpacked a cloth from her cart and started to lay out potions and other items. It was a routine she was never tired of, her purse became heavier with her cumulating experience in potion brewing. She always believed in honest trade, and it had repaid her with a good reputation amongst the travellers and other merchants of the city.
As she was placing the price tags, Irya couldn't shake off a strange feeling that she was being watched. The alchemist looked up slowly, and nearly jumped out of her furry muff. Standing right at the edge of her mat was a skinny, black dog. Its blood-red eyes framed into narrow slits were fixed so intently upon her that she dared not move. For a few seconds, dog and human simply stared at each other. Just when Irya was about to grab the nearest thing that could be considered as a weapon (which happened to be a potion manual), the monster sat down on its haunches and yawned disinterestedly, showing rows of tiny, tapered teeth.
"Hey, I know you." Studying the creature more carefully, Irya relaxed. It was the same matyr that had appeared before them in Prontera, on the day Hiroki was acting strange. The dog glanced at her as if to say 'that took you too long to figure out', then stuck out its long nose and sniffed the laid-out merchandise before him.
"What's the matter, are you hungry?" Irya asked, feeling a little stupid as she wasn't sure if the matyr could understand her. "I don't have any food, I'm afraid." The dog ignored her and continued to prod its nose over her items. When it came upon a dagger priced "3m z", the matyr seemed to take an interest. It picked up the weapon with its teeth an proceeded to trot away like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Hey! Put it back!" Irya yelled. The dog didn't acknowledge her existence. The alchemist sweatdropped. That attitude...it reminded her of a certain someone... After some distance away from her shop, the matyr stopped and looked back as if to taunt her, tail wagging and dagger in teeth, when she didn't move, it trotted further into an alley and turned away from sight. Irya growled, sweeping up her merchandise into a bundle with the cloth and dumped the package into her cart. The dog made off with her most valuable item, and she was not about to let it get away with it.
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There were certain things a stalker did and did not do. For one, he would not be seen wide in the open without some dire purpose, and even so, he would be near some buildings just in case the situation required him to become sneakier than usual. Hence it was blasphemous that the navy-haired stalker was in the centre of a bridge, leaning on its railings, and spacing out. Spacing out of all things! Passer-bys looked curiously and whispered behind hands. But the rogue in question did not spare a stray glance in any direction. Not until something nudged his shins suddenly.
"What is it, Khalien?" Without looking down, the stalker asked. The nudging did not stop.
"I'm not in the mood to--huh?" When he finally looked down exasperatedly, the stalker found the thin black dog looking up at him, a dagger between its jaws. "Where'd you get that?" The matyr dropped his loot at his master's feet and sat back, seemingly proud of itself.
"AH! SO IT'S YOU!" A furious scream was heard from across the bridge, "I KNEW IT! THIS IS LOW, EVEN FOR YOU!"
The stalker sweatdropped. That voice...it can't be...
Irya stood at the foot of the bridge, hands on her hips defiantly, blue eyes narrowed. If he was reading all the signs correctly, she was angry (wow, how obvious was that?) and it was because she assumed that he had directed for his matyr to steal something from her and therefore lead her here so he could talk to her in person. Of course, this is quite possibly what she was assuming.
He was so clever, too clever for his own good. Oh wait, that was the wrong reaction for a situation such as this.
Oh shit. But as a stalker, he'd never let an expression that told of how he truly felt escape to the surface. Instead, he mustered a scowl. Yes, right back at her.
Alright, I'll try to be nice. I'll ask her if this dagger is hers and explain. "What the hell do you want?"
"Oh please." She rolled her eyes and strutted up to him, "What the hell do I want? What the hell do you want? Making your dog steal something from me because you're just too chicken to come and talk to me on your own?"
"You?" He screwed up his face and made a disgusted expression, "I don't need to talk to anyone, much less you, dumpling head. What Khalien does is his own business, I've no clue what you're on about."
"Right, I'm supposed to believe that?" Irya stepped forward, a little too close for comfort. The stalker found himself backing away, wondering if she was going to...touch him in any way. He immediately found it absurd that he, a stalker, was wary of a small alchemist like her. She picked up the dagger from where the matyr had dropped it and threw the weapon into her cart.
"Well, then. If there's nothing to say, goodbye. I doubt I want to talk to someone who didn't respect me enough to call me by my name."
The stalker let a "tche" escape from his lips and proceeded to return to his spacing-out. But the matyr named Khalien, who was sitting and watching until then, did not seem too pleased. Before the alchemist could walk any further, he jumped up and clenched his jaws on one of the corners of her cape. Irya spun around, trying to shake the matyr off, but he was nimbler than she and always remained behind her. What ended up happening seemed to be a human version of a dog trying to catch its own tail.
The stalker decided he couldn't hold it in any longer. He made a sound best described as a snort, then full blown laughter. Irya shot him a venomous glance.
"What's wrong with your pet?!" She growled after many failed attempts to release herself. "Tell it to let go!"
"Khalien's not my pet." He replied after catching his breath, suddenly serious. "He does as he pleases. My partner, if you will."
"Is this some kind of conspiracy?" She protested, no longer struggling. "And what kind of rogue has monster partners? I've never heard of such a thing."
"A rogue who used to be a hunter, perhaps?"
Now there was something new. Irya perked up immediately. "You used to be a...hunter? But I thought hunters have falcons!"
"Long story short, Khalien replaced my falcon partner after I quit being a hunter." He replied as if it didn't matter. But Irya sensed something peculiar about this fact. Penguin would have made an excellent sniper with his bow skills. Why did he become a stalker?
"I don't understand, why didn't you stay a hunter?"
"Curiosity kills the cat, girl. You're asking too much."
"Will you stop it with that attitude!" The alchemist snapped, silently cursing her curiosity, "You can't just start to tell me something and not finish it! And we both have names, let's use them like civilized people, eh?"
"Don't misunderstand, I don't know you, and you don't know me. What meaning is there in names?"
Irya suddenly felt hurt. This stalker who had returned her purse, who had bargained for their freedom, who had followed them headlong into this fray even though it had nothing to do with him. But most of all, he who had been what she would consider a "friend" by all means was now telling her that they were complete strangers?
"H-how can you say that?!" She cried, "How can you say something so irresponsible? I care because I consider you a friend! And I thought that you did too! Why else would you be here and...not frolicking about somewhere else like nothing is your responsibility, like every other rogue?"
The stalker gave Irya a long, thoughtful look, as if contemplating what she had said.
"Good question...why am I still here?" He repeated, more asking himself than her. "Safira's probably right. I'm doing this to redeem for something..."
"Redeem...for what?"
"There was someone I failed to save in the past...and I blame AYUS." Penguin admitted, "If you -and your friend- hadn't met that high priest. There wouldn't be a need for me to do anything. But now I just can't sit back and let you put yourself in danger, you know?"
"What has Hiroki got to do with anything? And AYUS?" Irya was puzzled, it made no sense.
"It would do you no good to get involved with him and that guild. But since you already are...I have no choice."
"Stop speaking in riddles!" It was Irya's turn to be impatient, "How can I do anything to help if I don't know the situation?"
The stalker stared straight at her, his light eyes icier than usual. When he opened his mouth to speak, it was not the drawl she was used to hearing. Every word and its meaning was conveyed crystal clear. "Two years ago. Not long after AYUS was established and I was one of its members, a hunter. We were attacked by mysterious but overwhelmingly powerful monsters. My little sister was killed."
Irya fell silent in shock, not because of the truth that was revealed, she had more or less expected something to that effect. What shocked her was the tone in which Penguin had told her. It was calm, composed, like he was talking of some event that didn't concern himself.
"I was injured, and couldn't save her when she was carried off by one of them that weilds a large knife. Pezzo -that is the founder of AYUS- went after the monster. But he couldn't save her either, he couldn't even bring back her body." He continued in the same way, as if he was simply reciting an essay. "People died in that raid. Everyone changed after that, especially Pezzo, he was once a good friend. But now I can't be sure if he is a friend or foe."
"That's..." Irya was at a loss for words, 'I'm sorry' seemed such an insignificant thing to say to him now. "Well...I kind of understand...but...why did you blame her death on AYUS? They could have been just unlucky."
"I was bleeding myself to death, but I could still hear and see. I don't want to describe what I saw, but when my sister was in the monster's grasps, I heard it utter one single word. I could never forget it, that word was...'AYUS'."
The alchemist's eyes widened.
"They were clearly after the guild for reasons unknown. Pezzo started acting strange after that. Safira would not utter a word about it. But my innocent sister, who was only nine years old and not even in the guild was killed just because she happened to be there. I find that unforgivable, and myself too."
"Yourself?"
"Everyone has a name. That name is your identity." Penguin looked away. "I became a rogue for two reasons: I was disappointed in myself, I don't live up to my own identity anymore. I gave up being a hunter for a life in the shadows. Second, I wanted information, on the monsters that attacked us, and what AYUS is researching."
"So...The Damn Penguin is a name you gave yourself when you became a rogue?"
"People added the 'The Damn'. I originally intended for it to be Penguin...a flightless, fat, dumb bird, I know. It was the point." The stalker muttered, suddenly feeling bashful.
Irya chuckled, and it seemed to loosen the atmosphere a bit. "Are we finally getting more civilized now?" She asked playfully, "I still want to know your real name, if you don't mind."
"Bah, it's been so long, I won't respond if you call me by it. But it's Phoenix, if you really want to know."
"Phoenix...is a lovely name!" The alchemist exclaimed, "Sounds much better than Penguin. And a phoenix certainly beats a penguin." She chewed on the word for a moment, and declared: "I'll call you Phoenix from now on! It's such a pity to throw away a name like that."
The stalker grumbled something along the lines of "suit yourself", and returned the scowl to his face.
"You have such a gorgeous name, I still wonder why you rejected it." Irya mused aloud.
"When my parents named me," He explained suddenly, "they picked phoenix because it was a bird that never dies, they wanted me to have a spirit like the phoenix. But when my sister died, that spirit went with her. She was named Juniper because--"
"Evergreen." Irya nodded. "Juniper is an evergreen shrub. I guess that's why she's called so."
"Not entirely, we aren't related. My parents found her under a Juniper shrub...but I've always thought of her as no one else but my little sister."
"She's adopted?" Irya was once again thrown off her foundations.
"She's dead. It doesn't matter."
The alchemist shifted in discomfort, the stalker always made her wonder what she should say in response to his bleak remarks. The tension was thick at this moment.
"I didn't know all of this until now...so that's why you're trying to protect us?" She asked tentatively. The stalker did not give a response, but Irya had a faint feeling it was affirmative.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For...caring...and being here."
"Don't say nauseating things."
Irya laughed, Phoenix or not, Penguin or not, he was still he. She missed talking to her stalker friend. And she realised she could have stood here all day without vending, which was unacceptable. The sun was climbing higher into the sky, and the streets were already bustling with activity. She needed to get back to the square.
"Say, want to come to the marketplace with me?" Irya invited.
"No, I have better things to do."
"Aww come on, please? I'm lonely by myself."
"Isn't that champion around like always?"
"He's off visiting..." She faltered, thinking that it was probably not a good idea mentioning that Genbu has a little sister who wasn't deceased, "...his family."
Phoenix didn't say anything in reply to that, instead shoved his hands into his pant pockets, Khalien had long let go of Irya's cape, he was originally sitting loyally at the stalker's feet, but shook himself then and stood up. Irya smiled.
"Come on!" She took the handles of her cart and started to push it off the bridge.
"One thing before we go."
She turned around and immediately sensed that something was not right. He had that smirk on his face again...
"I did ask Khalien to bring you here."
There was a moment of silence.
"But you said--"
"Though, I never asked him to do so by stealing something." He shrugged and started to follow her, "So I didn't lie, after all."
"ARGH! YOU, YOU--!"
Lesson learned: A rogue will always be a rogue.
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A/N: I don't like putting redundant details in my stories, so please pay heed to every detail x3 It would serve you well to understand what's going on much later. New fic arts are up on my profile page (there are a lot!), including Hiroki's new 'outfit' (or the lack thereof). Speaking of which, he's probably the most abused character I have EVER made. Oh Hiroki is going to be on the hotseat next, I imagine there's going to be a TON of questions for him (I'll be disappointed if there isn't!) Leave them in reviews or PM me through my profile! Thanks to Tela for beta-ing this chapter!
Extra:
Sal: Hi everyone, welcome to the first round of CotGB character hotseatting! How are you feeling, Yure?
Yure: I would have preferred to not be here, but get on with it.
Sal: So, when will you go transcendant?
Yure: When I'm good and ready, or in a week, or two chapters later.
Luz: CAN I PLAY WITH ULYSSEA?
Sal: O-o where did he pop up from? And who's that?
Yure: Ulyssea is my dancer alter-ego...
Luz: PLEEEAASE?
Hiroki: NO.
Yure: Alright, what he says.
Sal: Ahh, the following questions have much to do with Hiroki. Haha, people are really interested in your relationship with him. Well, first of all, have you forgiven Hiroki for killing your parents or do you still hate him?
Yure: Good question... I believe I started to get attached to him before I knew about that. So it came as a real shock. I wasn't sure what to feel then, I want to hate him so much for lying to me and for what he did, but I couldn't. No reason, I just couldn't hate him. The only thing left to do is to forgive him, especially with him promising to protect me...Damn that high priest.
Sal: So do you like Hiroki?
Yure: ...Well...I do, I mean, well...
Sal: In THAT way?
Yure: -mumblemumble- Yes. I'm a normal girl, I mean...who wouldn't like a cute high priest?
Sal: So it's not because he's Hiroki?
Yure: I do like him because he's Hiroki. He's done all these things for me, kind of hard not to?
Sal: Alright alright, what happened after Hiroki kissed you on your birthday?
Yure: Nothing. We went back to the inn.
Sal: That's boring, you know something must have happened.
Yure: Maybe, but nothing physical. Next question.
Sal: Fine. Next question...oooh, did Hiro sleep in your bed?
Yure: Define "sleep".
Sal: Well, you know, did you share a bed?
Yure: No. He's been sleeping on the chair so far. Though speaking of which, I kind of feel guilty about it.
Sal: So you'll let him share the bed next time?
Yure: I'm not going to answer that.
Sal: What about metaphorically "sleep"?
Yure: We don't even share a bed! How does that happen?
Sal: Well, it doesn't HAVE TO happen on a bed...
Yure: You're freakishly perverted.
Sal: Yes, I am :D How old were your parents when they married?
Yure: I think Mom was 21...and Dad was 26 or something.
Sal: Are you planning on getting married to Hiroki?
Yure: Heck, I'm 18. Too early to be thinking about that, isn't it? Besides, can I rely on him for steady income with his lenient work ethics? And I wasn't quite done trying to kill Vanhugen, so no, not yet.
Hiroki: Wait, does this mean you won't marry me because I'm lazy?
Yure: Maaaybe.
Hiro: I'll work hard just for you! But then again, I doubt I can keep it up. Laziness is my signature trait.
Yure: Exactly.
Sal: Well, that's all the questions for this round! Thank you, Yure!
Yure: Thank goodness it's over.
Sal: Dear readers. Next chapter's hotseat is for Hiroki! If you have any questions for this cute but lazy high priest with a mysterious past and purpose. Feel free to leave them in reviews or PM me from my profile!