Not sure how to feel about this chapter. It's a bit...all over the place -_- anyway.

And thank you to ninken ear for the title :P Freaking titles...I hate finding titles.


Chapter 29 Need for scheme

Tiredness took the better of Verica after a few hours of laying in her bedroll, but already the sun was starting to brighten the sky. She had only slept maybe 2 or 3 hours when she was woken up by a deep and soothing voice. It startled her at first, not recognizing the voice, until she opened her eyes and remembered where she was. The fire was dead in front of her and she heard the incomprehensible mumbles of the baphomet jr. behind her, then the deep voice again.

"That's not my problem."

Verica turned her head slightly to see what was going on. The assassin was rolling his bedroll and gathering his things as the baphomet jumped and "talked" to him.

"I know that, but that's not my problem." He repeated again as he looked toward his small friend.

The baphomet mumbled and Verica wondered if he really was talking or if it was some kind of telepathic communication going on between them. The man took his shirt and paused as he looked at it. His fingers played with the torn pieces of material tangling at the bottom of the black garment. "Where is the rest of the shirt..." He said as he glanced around him. The baphomet shrugged as he looked around too.

"Nevermind. I'd need to get a new one anyway...it's kind of gross, with all that blood on it." The baphomet made a sound that looked like a snort and the assassin looked down at him. "Yeah, but it's usually other people's blood. This is my own. It's... unsettling." The baphomet mumbled again and the man sighed.

"You can be such a nuisance sometimes... Yes, I know, stop saying that. No matter how many time you say it, it's not going to make me change my mind... Of course not...Yes, I am, but that's not the point... Don't get all emotional on me now..."

Verica raised a brow at the show going on behind her. The sight of the assassin, seemingly talking to himself, even if she knew he was talking with the demon, was very strange...

The man sighed again after putting his torn shirt on, apparently not caring if it was drenched in blood and cut in many places. He removed his belt and put it on again on top of his open shirt that left his chest bare. "We both know this is not a good idea." The small creature gave him a hard stare and crossed his arms, making his master close his eye briefly before looking up at the sky. "I know that..."

Verica felt a bit out of place, listening to him like this, but she didn't know what else to do. She could have just gotten up and let him know she was awake...but she was curious to know what he was talking about.

The baphomet made a strange face and mumbled again, making the assassin look down at him with a thoughtful expression. The pet raised a brow at his master, apparently waiting for an answer to a question. The man sighed deeply as he closed his eye and mumbled. "Honor...I know..."

The baphomet jr. threw his small arm out toward the young monk, his eyes still locked on his master. Verica tried to deduce what he was talking about, but it was hard with only half of the conversation.

The white-haired man seemed to hesitate as he rubbed the nape of his neck, his eye still closed. Then he looked at his pet and whispered. "It's not so simple...No, let me finish, we both know it's not so simple..." He said, his hand in front of him.

The monster crossed his arms and glared at the tall man, mumbling something that made his master sigh once again. "Alright, alright...Look, if she asks, I will. Otherwise...No, I know that's not how it works but...You're taking all this way too seriously..." He said as he shook his head. The baphomet rolled his eyes as he sat down grumpily.

"Look, I always pay my debts. You know that." The assassin continued. "And yes, I know I have a huge one toward that girl...Yes, I know, but..." He hesitated a moment as he put his black gloves on, pulling them on top of his sleeves and up to the middle of his upper arm. He bowed his head and rubbed his face with his hand as he groaned. "Alright..."

The small demon looked up at his master with a raised brow and a hint of hope in his eyes as he mumbled again.

"Yes, yes, I will." The man said as he shook his head and tied his retractable katar to his arms. "You can be such a nuisance sometimes. You're lucky you're cute. I would have drowned you in a river long ago otherwise."

That made the pet smile and laugh, as much as a demon could laugh. He mumbled something again as the assassin took his rib cage-shaped chest plate. "I'll do as she want, but I still hope she won't ask that. It would be more dangerous than anything for her...But yes, if she asks, I will...Yes, I promise. Now stop pestering me with this."

Verica smiled lightly at their exchange. His relationship with his pet was somewhat...adorable. The assassin still had the same calmness and impassive expression, but he seemed more sociable than yesterday. She turned her head back subtly, not to let him know she was awake. Luckily he wasn't like Kenneth. Her sensei could tell in a heartbeat if she was sleeping or not. She shifted in her bedroll slowly, feigning to wake up. Immediately the assassin stopped moving behind her as he watched her sitting up and stretching. She rubbed her eyes and looked toward him with a smile.

"Good morning." She said, politely. The man stared at her with his blank gaze and nodded, probably his way to say good morning. Verica's smile faded slightly when she met his gaze. Now that she looked at him closely, he didn't seem more friendly at all. He was still cold and detached. It was as if the man she saw a few seconds ago had vanished. He looked away and raised his chest plate to put it on.

"Wait!" Verica got out of her bedroll quickly. "I need to check you wound." She said as she walked toward him.

"I'm fine." The assassin replied as he continued his work, but his small friend punched him on his leg with a glare. His master frowned at him and the baphomet frowned back. They glared at each other for a short moment before the white-haired man rolled his eye and put the chest plate back on the ground, obviously biting his lips to prevent the groan of exasperation from leaving his throat. The baphomet looked up at the young woman and winked, which forced her to muffle her laughter.

She crouched before him and was about to remove his bandages when she remembered what happened the last time she tried that. "Could you remove your bandages please?" She asked softly.

The man's eye widen slightly at her polite demand and she saw his shoulders relax, obviously his annoyance eased by her respect of his personal space. He removed his shirt from under his belt and stripped his stomach from the bandages, then the ones at his throat. She cast heal to make sure he was completely patched up. It didn't take long and she smiled after a few minutes.

"You're good now."

"Thank you." He said as he took the chest plate once again and put it on.

He got up slowly, adjusting all the pieces of his gear before taking his faded red scarf from the ground. He held it up in front of his face and frowned slightly at the big cut surrounded by blood in it. He sighed and put it around his neck, letting it fall on his back and pulling it up to hide his mouth. He reached for his bag and his sakkat, putting the first on his back and the second on his head. He adjusted his eyepatch a little and sighed in contentment.

Verica stood as well, standing only in her pants and her strapless tank top. She took a better look at him, now with the light of the rising sun. He was taller than her by a head. His skin seemed less pale than yesterday, but it was still lighter than hers. His chest had a few scars here and there, but besides the one she'd just healed, he was in pretty good shape. Especially compared to her sensei, but scars came with the monk profession. He was muscular, but not too much: his body was obviously meant to move quickly and precisely. His straight, messy white hair and orange eye gave him an exotic look. It was funny how he looked so eccentric while his behavior was so calm. His posture inspired her discipline, yet he looked stoic and disinterested. In all honesty, he troubled her. She simply didn't know how to feel about him.

"Thank you very much for everything." He said as he turned toward her.

"It was nothing." She replied as she tried to hold his gaze, but she found herself unable to. It was like talking to a statue and she felt somewhat uneasy.

"Is there anything I can do to repay you." He asked in a low tone.

Verica suddenly understood what their earlier conversation was about. She smiled widely at the assassin and raised her hand in front of her.

"It's alright mister." She didn't feel comfortable enough to call him by his name. "I did my duty, that's all. You owe me nothing."

"Nothing? I owe you my life, it's hardly nothing." He said with a shrug. "I'm in debt towards you...and I hate having debts." He stated as his eye narrowed at the young woman in front of him.

His last sentence almost sounded like a threat and Verica found herself playing with her hands nervously. "W-well...I don't know what to tell you."

"Just tell me how I can repay you. Whatever it is, I'll honor it." The man said as he joined his hands behind his back and waited for her reply, staring at her intensely.

Verica shifted her gaze to her feet as she thought. She hadn't anticipated this. Honestly, she half expected to wake up alone this morning. She never thought he would want to repay her favor like this.

Her first reaction was to ask him to come with her to Juno and escort her. He seemed very experienced and she felt she could learn a lot from him. But his behavior put her off a little. She didn't know what to think of him. And there was this baphomet jr. He seemed friendly enough, but he was still a demon. She couldn't find it in herself to thrust him; the heavy and dark feeling of his presence pushing on her shoulders every moment. But the man...his presence was so inviting. So warm and comforting. Like a family home, heated by a fireplace while it snowed outside. If she'd learned something during her years as a monk, it was that feelings of presences usually told a lot about a person. And she was incredibly curious about this man. The more she thought about it, the more the idea seduced her and before she knew it, the words left her lips.

"Well, as you said, I'm inexperienced. I've never been in the outside world before. I was hoping to go to Al De Baran to join a party but...well, if you'd want to escort me, I'd be glad to travel with you to Juno." She said as she looked up at him and smiled warmly.

The man made a small sound that looked like a snort. "You are awfully trusting. You have no idea who I am and you would put your life in my hands like this?"

Verica shrank a little under his gaze, realizing how dangerous the situation could be. But she thrusted her instinct and her feelings.

"Your presence feels too warm for you to be a bad person." She whispered with a soft smile. The assassin frowned in incomprehension which made her blush lightly, realizing he had no idea what she was talking about. "I mean, where would the world go if no one trusted each other anymore. Trust goes both way. You can't expect people to trust you if you don't trust them." She finished with a warm smile.

The man widened his eye at her a brief moment before it softened and his cheeks moved slightly, letting her think that he might be smiling under his scarf. But no way for her to know for sure.

"An interesting point of view." He whispered. "But naively idealistic." She didn't hear the second comment though.

"And beside." She continued with a grin. "I saved your life! You said it yourself; you're in debt. And I expect a man with the word 'honor' tattooed on his back to pay his debts, no?"

That got another reaction out of him. His eye narrowed at her for a fraction of a second and his back straightened slightly. But he ignored her comment and continued.

"I'm not a very good travelling companion." He stated. "I generally travel alone. You see...I tend to cause more trouble than anything else."

"I don't mind trouble." She said with a defiant smile and crossed her arms.

The assassin stared at her unmoved. "You'll mind this kind of trouble..."

The baphomet hit the tall man's shin with the handle of his scythe, causing him to wince slightly and glare at the small creature beside him. He sighed and gazed up at Verica once again.

"But...I do have a debt towards you." He continued. "If this is what you wish...but be warned that I might end up bringing more danger than protection..."

"Does it have something to do with this black smoke? With how you were injured?"

"No..." He whispered as he looked away with a frown. "I really don't know what was this black smoke. I have never seen it before and I have no idea what it was. I can only hope I'll never see it again."

"Then what is this danger you're talking about? Are you in trouble?" Verica asked with a frown.

"...I think 'trouble' is an euphemism in this case." He said slowly. Then he shrugged. "But I haven't seen them in a while. I suppose we should be alright until we get you to Juno."

"Who's 'them'?"

"The trouble."

"Do you always answer questions so vaguely."

"I generally don't answer questions at all."

Verica couldn't help but laugh at his honesty. "Alright, it has the merit to be clear."

The assassin stared at her a long moment, obviously thinking about the situation. He sighed and closed his eye, bringing his arms in front of him to cross them over his chest. "Very well, I'll escort you to Juno. But let's get things straight: I'm not a babysitter. I expect you to follow me and do as I say without unnecessary questions. I'll make sure you arrive to Juno alive, but don't expect me to nurse you. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes sir..." She replied nervously, a little taken aback by the sudden change of tone, going from calmed to commanding in an instant.

"Please don't call me sir." He replied quickly, his voice back to its earlier smoothness. "If my terms suit you, then we can leave whenever you're ready."

"You're ready to go? But then..." Verica narrowed her eyes at him a moment. "So yesterday when you said you weren't going anywhere, you actually meant it. You were just...what, wandering around?."

"Yes...'wandering around' seems like an accurate way to describe my current situation."

"Wandering around and away from trouble?" Verica said with a small smile and a raised brow.

The man nodded his head in a "indeed" manner. Verica hesitated a moment, then decided that this whole situation was very exciting. She was curious to see what was going to happen. She looked down at the small demon beside the assassin.

"And do you have a name?" She asked.

"Daniel."

Verica looked back at the man with a frown. "Pardon?"

"It's his name."

"...Your baphomet's name is...Daniel?"

"Yes."

Verica tried really hard not to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded. She didn't know how she managed to stay serious, but she did. She coughed and nodded to the pet. "Nice to meet you...Daniel..."

The baphomet waved his little hand at her with a happy eye crease. Verica really didn't know what to think of him. He seemed so friendly...but she couldn't push aside the fact that it was a demon. If she listened to the rules of the abbey, she would kill him right there on the spot without questions. But...he really didn't seem dangerous.

"We'll stop by Al De Baran, as you were planning, since it is the last city before Juno. In theory we could go west and stop by Einbroch, but it would take more time and I don't think it's necessary. Travelling from Al De Baran to Juno directly is more than doable. Does that suit you?" He asked casually.

"Hum...yes. It's alright..." She replied shyly.

"Very well. Let me know when you're ready." The man said as he removed his backpack and leaned on the tree behind him, hands in his pocket.

She nodded her head before she turned around to gather her things and get dressed. She glanced back at the man a few times and couldn't help but smile widely in excitement. This was going to be so thrilling...

Then she had a small thought for her sensei, who told her to stay away from assassins...

'Sorry sensei, I guess fate had other plans for me.' She thought with a sheepish smile.

She shook her head immediately, before the thought of her teacher could invade her mind further. She'd managed to forget him last night. She didn't want to feel miserable and sad all over again and so she pushed all her thoughts concerning him to a small room at the back of her head and locked the door, hoping it would prevent her from thinking about him too much.

Wishful thinking was still permitted, no?


Kenneth sighed deeply as he rolled on his back. It was morning already and he had to get up to go talk with Mathias and Tomoon about their "plan". He wasn't very thrilled by the idea and his body seemed determined to make him stay in bed. Why had he gotten involved in this?

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to go back to sleep, but the ambient sounds and light was making it impossible. He wasn't really sleepy anyway. He just didn't want to get up. He sighed again, rubbing his face with his hand and frowning. He really had to get up, before Mathias came and flipped his bed over...wouldn't be the first time...

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something in the bed with him. His body froze when he felt two warm hands on his thighs. He sat up quickly and look down to see a bulge in the sheets, as if someone was crouched there.

"What the..." He frowned and raised the sheets quickly to look under it. His breath caught in his lungs when his gaze met long purple hair. The girl to whom it belonged raised her head slowly to greet him with two deep dark eyes and a secretive smile, her mouth inches away from his crotch.

"Good morning sensei." She whispered, letting him feel her hot breath through the fabric of his pants.

Kenneth stared at her with wide eyes for a short moment before pulling the sheets back down quickly to look around. There was no one in the sanctuary anymore...

Oh please, not another dream...

He raised the sheets again slowly, as if somehow it would make the girl between his legs disappear. But she was still there, hands on his thigh and looking way too playful for his liking.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, as if she really was there and this was not just the fruit of his imagination.

"I'm here because this is where you want me to be." She said with a seductive smile before lowering her head to his navel, kissing his skin gently. He sucked in a breath as his body tensed from the warm sensation. He closed his eyes, trying to force himself awake.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He whispered to himself.

The young woman kissed his stomach tenderly as her fingers curled in the waistband of his pants. She pulled them down an inch as her mouth caressed the newly exposed skin, making him squeeze his eyes shut firmly and his hands fist in the sheets. Then another inch, and another inch; her lips following the descent slowly...

Kenneth's eyes snapped open as he sat up on his bed, breathing heavily and eyes wide. The girl between his legs had disappeared and the other monks were back in the dormitory. He ran his hand his hair as he tried to calm his crazy heart beat. What the fuck was that?

He lay back down on his mattress, panting and wiping the sweat from his forehead. This was really not funny. He had barely recovered from the first erotic dream, now this? Was he going to dream about her like this all the time? Good God he hoped not...

And the fact that those dreams replaced his usual one...what could it mean?

Maybe it didn't mean anything...

He sighed and closed his eyes. As if he didn't have enough problem like this. One thing at a time. Right now he needed to get up and meet with Mathias. The meaning of his dirty dream would have to wait.

He raised the sheets and looked down at his pants.

Yeah, well... he would wait a bit before getting up...

After a few minutes, Kenneth slipped out of his bed and got dressed, pushing his thoughts about Verica to the back of his mind. The moment he stepped out of the dormitory into the cafeteria, his eyes settled immediately on the three champions sitting in a corner, whispering among them and looking way too suspicious. Kenneth rolled his eyes as he walked reluctantly toward them. Really, they could try to look more natural. It was obvious they were plotting something. If Yolene was to enter the sanctuary now, she would spot them and know immediately that something was going on. Mathias was sitting in front of Tomoon with a glass of clear liquid that was probably not water and he smiled widely when he saw Kenneth approaching. He tapped the chair beside him with a grin, inviting him to their little conversation that the younger man was not so sure he wanted to take part in.

"Good morning boy." Mathias said cheerfully.

"Hi..." Kenneth sat down and nodded to Tomoon and Joey, his student, sitting beside him.

"Hey, you don't look very enthusiast there Kenny." Joey said with a smirk. Kenneth tried very hard not to glare as he replied to him.

"I don't see any reason to be enthusiast. And please...don't call me that..." He sighed, already regretting his decision to join them on their crazy plan.

"Kss, you're so boring." The blond-haired man pouted, joining his hands behind his head and leaning on his chair.

Kenneth bit the inside of his lips and sighed deeply at the other champion's attitude. He never particularly like Joey, honestly. He was a loud mouth always bragging and showing off. Kenneth prefered spending his time with calmer people, like Bashu and Carly. He was 6 years older than himself and his blond hair partly tied at the back of his head made him look even older than he really was. He never shut his mouth and always grinned in a most unsettling manner. It was like he was about to do a prank at any moment. Kenneth recognized his skills, of course, and the feat of going through Tomoon's ruthless training was indeed something to be proud of. The broad old man was a true warrior, pitiless and with very strict morals and opinions. That man was either white or black. There were no grey zone with him and every one of his qualities (that sometimes looked more like faults to Kenneth) had been carefully implanted into his apprentice. But Joey's personality in general was simply annoying and clashed with Kenneth's...

"Alright." Mathias took a sip of his "water" before looking at Kenneth. "Are you ready to do this?"

"You didn't leave me much choice." Kenneth scowled.

"Hey, people are getting hurt because of you." Joey said with a frown. "The least you can do is help discovering why."

"We already know why." Kenneth replied as calmly as possible.

"That's not enough. They'll keep attacking you again and again, until they get what they want. We need more information to beat them at their own game and keep people safe."

Oh. Because he was suddenly an expert of demonic prophecies maybe? Hell, he was not the one plagued with foreshadowing nightmares or persecuted by demons! What did he know about all this? He had just been informed of that whole mess! Who was he to get up now all cocky and tell him what he should do?

Of course he didn't say that out loud...

"Look, I understand the idea." He sighed, doing a good job at remaining calm for the moment. "But I doubt Baphomet will tell us anything. I'm pretty sure we're taking a useless risk here."

"You're just scared of going down there." Joey scoffed.

"I'm not scared." Kenneth replied with a fake smile. "I simply think it's a waste of time and effort." He looked at Tomoon and whispered. "And I'm honestly more scared of Yolene's wrath than Baphomet..."

"I agree with you on that." Tomoon said with a chuckle. "But Yolene is too soft. She's not aggressive enough about this whole situation. She'll never let us go if we tell her. Time is to action, whether she likes it or not. Let me handle her anger afterward. And if we do obtain more information, it'll help her forgive us I'm sure."

Kenneth leaned back on his chair and sighed deeply, glancing at Mathias from the corner of his eye. The man simply stared at his drink, making it swirl around in the glass. Obviously he had no intention of adding anything to this conversation.

"Always worrying Kenny." Joey said with a laugh. "You think too much, that's your problem."

Kenneth ignored him and his nickname as he nodded to Tomoon and shrugged. "Alright. You're the council member. I guess you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry about that." He said as he nodded back, paying no attention to his student's pout from being ignored. He better get used to it, because Kenneth was probably going to ignore him for the rest of their little expedition.

"Now that the little boy's worries about being spanked are eased, here's the deal." Mathias started as he put his glass on the table, catching their attention. Kenneth scoffed but let the insult slip. "As we were saying earlier, getting into the Shrine won't be a problem since you're in charge of its security." He pointed to Tomoon. "Just arrange the schedule so that Joey will be the guard tonight. It shouldn't be too suspicious and even if it is, we will be long gone before Yolene realizes what's going on. But if everything goes well, we'll be able to get in and get out before the sun rise and no one will know about it. The hardest part will be to reach Baphomet's prison. But with us four, it should be more than doable."

"Piece of cake." Joey smirked.

"You've never been the the Sealed Shrine obviously." Kenneth said.

"Neither did you."

"No, but I know it's not a 'piece of cake'."

"You're such a pussy..."

"I'm just careful."

"Same thing."

"I hope you two don't intend to bitch like that all along." Tomoon said in a low tone as he glared at the two younger champions. Mathias brought his drink to his lips to hide his smirk. This was going to be so entertaining.

Joey pouted and leaned back on his chair as Kenneth simply looked away, biting the inside of his lips like he always did when trying not to look upset.

"You kids are so charming." Mathias mumbled in his glass before taking a sip. "We're going to do this tonight. Any objections? No? Good." He didn't really gave them time to voice any objection. "We will meet behind the sanctuary tonight at midnight. Then we'll go to the Sealed Shrine."

"Sounds good to me." Tomoon said with a nod.

"And then what?" Kenneth sighed. "We go down there, alright. But what do you intend to tell Baphomet once we have him in front of us? He has no reasons to tell us anything and it's not like we have anything to bargain with him."

"Bargain? We never bargain with demons." Tomoon replied with a frown.

"N-no...of course not." Kenneth stuttered as he realized what he just said. "What I mean is that I don't see how we'll make him talk."

"He may not say anything directly to us. But by talking to him, we can manage to make him say things he doesn't want to...in a subtle manner. Demons are not perfect. They have their pride and their ego. We can play on that. We'll see once we get there, depending on how he welcomes us."

"Welcome us?" Kenneth chuckled lightly. "He'll welcome us like a prisoner welcomes his jailer..."

"Then we'll treat him like a jailer treats his prisoner." Tomoon said with a dark smile, Joey beside him grinning widely.

"He's a great demon. You can't just get in there and torture him like you did with the succubus." Kenneth pointed out as he shook his head.

"There's no need to worry about all this. Baphomet is bound by his seal. As long as we stay out of it, he can't do anything. There's nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine." Mathias said to Kenneth with a smile.

"Sure...I really don't see what could go wrong..." The younger man replied with fake confidence.

"You don't have to come you know, if you're too scared." Joey said with this unsettling grin of his.

Kenneth's eye twitched as he smiled politely at the blond man. "I'd never forgive myself if you were to die down there, without me to protect you."

Joey laughed loudly as he leaned over the table, his eyes shining with the thrill of a new challenge being accepted. He was about to answer back, but Tomoon put his hand on his shoulder as he got up.

"Alright, we'll see each other tonight then. Joey." He took a step to leave, nodding his head to the side to make his student follow him. The younger man scoffed as he glanced back at Kenneth, getting up to follow his teacher.

"Try not to chicken out Kenny." He whispered before leaving, his grin still in place.

Kenneth took a deep, very deep breath as he felt his whole body tense. "What the fuck is that guy's problem." He whispered through clenched teeth.

"He likes challenges...and you're the ultimate challenge, mister genius." Mathias replied with an amused smile.

"He really has to come?"

"You can bitch all you want about him, but you can't deny his skills."

"I know..." Kenneth sighed.

"You'll see, everything will be fine Kenneth. " Mathias patted him on the shoulder as he finished his drink, making a weird face afterward. Kenneth eyed the glass a moment.

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?" He whispered.

"About what?"

Kenneth nodded his head toward the empty glass. "It's not even noon yet..."

"What? It's water." Mathias said with smirk. Kenneth shook his head and smiled despite his worries.

"Yeah. Of course."

"You better take it easy today. We have a long night ahead of us...ah, that sounded dirty." Mathias laughed to himself, making Kenneth roll his eyes and laugh as well.

"You're disgusting." Kenneth chuckled.

"Considering who we're going to spend the night with, I agree."

Kenneth grunted in disgust as he hit his forehead with the palm of his hand, which made Mathias laugh even louder. "You have images now don't you?"

"Good God stop it." Kenneth shuddered as images indeed popped in his head. He tried to look upset, but Mathias' laugh was too contagious and he chuckled too. That man was so stupid.

"Alright, I'm sorry." Mathias said as he slowly stopped laughing, wiping the small tear from his eyes. "I'll see you tonight."

"Wait. There's...something I need to talk to you about." Kenneth said as he stopped laughing too.

"What is it?"

"I..." Kenneth paused, not sure how to bring it up. "You remember about my dream?"

"How could I forget about you dream boy?" Mathias said with a raised brow.

"Well I...I stopped having it." Kenneth said hesitantly.

Mathias' eyes narrowed at his student. "What? What do you mean? Since when?"

"Since yesterday." Kenneth sighed. "When Carly came to find me at the south cliff, I was sleeping. She woke me up and I wasn't having that dream. Last night neither."

"Did you dream about something else."

Kenneth looked away, trying to keep the heat from rising to his cheeks as images of a bold Verica licking his navel came to his mind. "No, I didn't dream..."

"You didn't dream at all?"

"Well, maybe I did but I don't remember it." He lied. "My other dream always woke me up and I always remembered having it." he said nervously.

"You're hiding something from me..." Mathias mumbled as he leaned toward him with a suspicious gaze.

Kenneth leaned away and crossed his arms. "I'm just telling you I'm not having the dream anymore, that's all."

"You didn't have it two times. We should wait until it happens more often before drawing any conclusion." Mathias said, still invading Kenneth's personal space and staring at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that!" He yelled with an annoyed stare.

"What did you dream about? It must be embarrassing if you don't want to tell me about it?"

"That is none of your business." Kenneth scowled, but his red cheeks were enough proof for Mathias who smiled widely.

"Was it dirty?"

"Mathias!"

"Hoho, it was!" The old man grinned.

"I hate you so much you have no idea..." Kenneth whispered as he sank on his seat, trying to trigger some kind of magic that would make him disappear. He wish he was a thief right now so he could hide...but that would be useless since monks can use ruwach...why was he even thinking about this now? Oh yeah; so that he wouldn't think about the erotic incarnation of his student his mind seemed to like so much recently...

'...Why me?'

"Such dreams are inevitable after such a long time without any kind of sexual encounter. I mean how long has it been since you-"

"No! Oh my God... no. Stop." Kenneth interrupted him quickly, his blush spreading to his neck.

"Obviously too long. We should go to Comodo together. Sasha still works there you kno-"

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"It would make you feel better-"

"No it wouldn't."

"That succubus probably awakened all kind of repressed desire inside you boy. It would be unhealthy to keep them all bottled up. They might come out at a most inappropriate moment." Mathias continued, his grin only widening the more Kenneth's face reddened. God he loved embarrassing him. He was so easy to embarrass.

"You're unbearable..." Kenneth whispered as he shook his head and frowned.

"Was your dream with the succubus? I bet it was. It was, isn't it?"

Kenneth took a deep breath as he got up from his chair. "I'm not having this discussion with you."

"Or maybe it was Carly?"

He took a step to leave and ignored him.

"Or maybe someone...more masculine? It's alright too you know." Mathias yelled behind him, smiling like a cheshire cat.

Kenneth wrinkled his nose as he shuddered and shook his head, hearing the old man laugh his ass off behind him. Stupid, perverted old man...

As he stepped outside he glanced up at the sky with an exasperated sigh.

"If this is some kind of joke, it is not funny at all." He whispered to God. "Do you really enjoy fucking up with my mind so much?"

Of course the heavens offered no reply to his question and Kenneth sighed deeply.

"Yeah...I thought so..."


Not much happened here, but I needed to do this chapter. Set up the stage...kind of.

I want Mathias as my grandfather...