Mmm... Your rage. It's absolutely delish. I still can't believe I was able to hide that from you. Got to remember to leave more lewd ideas in transitions- don't be that way. At least in this we are saving her from a life of depravity and misery. No... her final few days shall be happy until, you know, Chas, but even then this'll rout her out. After all, her love with an elf; scandalous.
Taking her sweet-ass time, though.
We've been out for for two months now, simply waiting... and that's it. Beyla at least had the luxury to go into town, to talk to others. Us? We were stuck with a girl who refused to call us anything but master, which I didn't mind but still felt weird because Fred felt weird and that means we felt weird and- this whole mind thing is confusing. Never thought about it that much before, but... yeah. Three, once five, separate thought processes all going at once, all mingling and clashing and- it must be one helluva headache. No wonder he tries to keep it at one at a time... Fred, of course. Damn, Hydel. Use your brain- his brain- our brain- see?
Fred groaned, leaning back in his tent, the third moon eclipsing the town, little more than a sickle this night. The other two were halves, making this... the fourth week? So almost three months. Lovely... Yrme cooed, hugging us tighter, looking up at us curiously, those pale greens gleaming so.
"What's the matter, master?" She said- and that reminds me: Beyla gave us the information long ago. Turns out there was a new prioritization of targets: us, first, THEN Chastity... That's right! Although we technically didn't do anything, we were more dangerous than the woman who was leading a small army to destroy the world... It's the small things, I g- "Master?"
Tell her to wait. I was in the middle o- "S-sorry. Plenty, to be honest."
She pulled herself closer, lips trailing his chin.
"Like what?"
"... So, why'd you become a whore?"
She rolled her eyes, sighing. "Master..."
"I know. You've told me countless times before you don't want to talk about it, but... I mean, there had to have been a dozen other suitors that have asked."
She shook her head, biting her lip, that pointed row shining so bright.
"Never, master. Even elves prefer himan over elves. For the most part, the ones that do hire us, they use us to simply beat, to get out their aggression –as I've told you before, as well. I... I was lucky. The other girls, they knew who I was, they knew I was nothing like my mother."
"Now that's a topic that was never touched."
"And it will remain that way." She rolled off, sprawling her arms, her corset loosing as she did. "Oh, master, won't you fulfill your role already, allow me mine?"
"Not right now, I'm afraid," Beyla stated, gripping Fred's boots and pulling him out, shoving a letter in his face. "We intercepted this. It's-"
"From Lilah." We could tell that perfume from anywhere. "So she is still alive?"
Belya nodded, glowering at the elf crawling out after, hugging our shoulders.
"Yes, and it seems she wants to meet you. Alone. Tonight, just outside of town, along the southern road."
"Do the guards know this?"
"No. Only my f... only the captain and I."
"The captain? Then I shouldn't go."
"Nah. That old coot may be a lot of things, but he trusts my word. He knows we're working together, and that you are working hard to bring this wench down... So... who is this Lilah?"
"An old friend... really. That's all. Will you stop glaring at me."
"I'm not. I'm leering at your cape. Better get moving."
He nodded, and tried to stand, held down by Yrme, nuzzling his neck.
"Don't go, master. Please don't. Stay here. I have a bad feeling," she mumbled, nails digging into our middle, legs wrapping around. "Stay with your Yrme."
Beyla rolled her eyes, and pushed her off, hauling him to his feet.
"You aren't going alone. I'll be keeping a safe distance, watching. That appeases you, yes, you little nub-ear?"
Yrme... She nodded, and crawled back into the tent, hugging her legs, watching us through tears as we walked away. Now, as I was sa-
"I don't trust her." Beyla stated- FUCK YOU. That was MY time. We're simply walking to the destination, so keep your lips s- "You hear me?"
"Y-yeah. Why, again?"
"Her mother was sweet-lipped. She could talk any man under her nail, and that trait is so easily passed in the rich and powerful, no matter how hard or quick a fall they have."
"We gave her the truth serum, though. We asked her if-"
"She was working for Chas. Yes, we've been through this, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have her own motives."
"Aside being happy? Both elf and human alike want her dead, save for a handful that actually know her."
"Wow. She has you hooked good... You really are becoming him, just for a taste of the orange meat instead of green."
"Are you ever going to tell me his name, by the way? I hate being compared to a phantom, let alone one I can't invoke."
"It... It doesn't matter. Saying it befalls grim tidings, so let's... let's keep going." With that, she finally let m- "By the way..."
… Fred, do me a favor. Grab that dagger out of your sleeve and carefully, gently... stab it into her neck over and over and o-
"How close were you with your wife?"
"Very?"
"Couldn't have been, considering how quick you are to fall for her."
"It's... My feelings for her at the end were... unsettled. Part of me loved her very much... the other wishes we killed her long before."
Whoa. Wait. Really? Hydel, you did... Well, it obviously wasn't me. Was it that fru- no no. He was always for peace and consideration and love and compassion and all that shit... Christof! You heartless mon- no wait. Definitely not you. You couldn't stammer it fast enough for him to understa-
"So you were already shut off when she was murdered?"
"No."
"Huh. Okay, then."
"You waited how long to finally ask that?"
"Thought it would have been a touchy subject."
"Still is... somewhat."
"Thus why I waited."
"Which is fine. You couldn't have known that it wasn't the s... You couldn't have known."
"Hmm... So Rebek was your first love?"
"H-how di-"
"Yrme Keber. Though I do think you mentioned her once before."
"... Right. Yes... You only had the one love?"
"All I needed. Thought we were going to run away and live together... Instead, he just... ran away."
"And you blame yourself for it."
She scoffed, pushing him... but didn't answer, simply shaking her head, stopping.
"You'll have to continue on by yourself. If this is a trap-"
"It shouldn't be."
"Very well... by the way?"
"Yes?"
She kissed his cheek, slapping the other, smiling wide.
"For good luck. To cover for the bad that elf left."
He shook his head, nudging her chin, and took off for the road, Lilah more than happy to meet us there, which means still no thoughts. One of these days I'll be allowed to talk... ONE D-
"You got it, then. I was so worried," she said, snuffling, embracing us. She cried into our neck, leaning against our hands as we held her tight, stroking her hair. Those golden curls were no longer so pure, twisted and disheveled around her eyes, bloodshot and weary. She smiled weakly, sniffling again, looking at us. "I thought you were dead."
"No. Chastity wouldn't allow it... Your father, though."
"I know. He... I was out in town, selling goods while he went to take care of 'nature's call'. I waited... and waited... and waited, but he never came back, so I packed up the stall and continued to wait until dusk. I went to find a guard and was knocked cold, waking in the back of the wagon." She bit her lip, paling a bit, burying her face against his chest. "When I opened it up... yo... your apothecary. Emry... the whole town was simply... gone. I rode to Coradoona after, finding my father... what was left of him, anyways, along the way, and saw the wanted posters once in town. That's when I knew I had to get back in touch with y-" She pushed away, looking around, backing into the brush. "We'll talk more later. I've got to get back to town. They know we're close. I risked much meeting you, and I'm glad. Until then, Freddy."
She bowed her head, and disappeared into the grass, leaving us to wait until Beyla shook our shoulder, pulling Fred out of his non-me thoughts.
"You okay?"
"... No. I took her whole life, all by just knowing me."
"No. She has her own life. You're just a small part of it. Let's get back to camp. There was a reason she got spooked."
The howl and glowing eyes sort of gave away one reason, but Fred's hair gave another, standing on end, something more primal, evil than those beasts watching after. If I had to take a hint? Chastity... I don't care if that breaks the mood. I was finally getting a word in, dammit. These damned women constantly ruined my chance to monologue, so you know what? Fuck the mood! Besides, it was doing a good enough job on its own, bringing in the dark clouds, loosing thunder and lightning.
Dropping us in complete darkness somewhere.