Translation note: Yasashiburi means "long time no see."
Chapter Fifteen: Masks and Names"So this is Simafort, huh?" Katt said, staring at the extravagantly gaudy decor with wide eyes. "I feel like I'm in some kind of jewelry box."
"It is rather…um…stifling," agreed Nina, who was more accustomed to such displays of wealth when she was much younger, before her exile. She passed by a marvelously-woven tapestry and ran an appraising eye over it. "I had heard that the Creeping Clan enjoys the arts, but some of these paintings—and not to mention these vases—they would fetch princely sums in Windia or Hometown."
"They are an artistic people," Sten said learnedly. "Music, painting, sculpting, writing…they are naturals at it. Tha' only ones who can exceed their skill are tha' Tunlan, and that's only in the realm o' song and music."
"You sound like you know them quite intimately, Sten," Nina commented.
The Highlander shrugged. "I helped their current king take command during their last war of succession. I was a mercenary back then."
"That's right," Nina murmured, as if reminding herself, "Highlanders are all mercenaries, aren't they?"
Sten ruffled his fur irritably. "That's a bit o' an overgeneralization, lass, but more or less an accurate one."
Ahead of them, Jean and Ryu were conversing. Or more precisely, Jean was talking while Ryu simply ignored him while pretending to listen. "I shall compose a melody for you, the brave leader of my brave saviors!" Jean was saying. "I shall entitle it, 'The Blue Haired Knight!' What say you? Surely a strapping young fellow such as yourself has had romanticized dreams of the holy warrior astride his noble and white steed, armor and mail gleaming like mirrors in the dawning light, your sword held majestically high! By the way, might I ask where ever did you get that dye for your hair? It's simply fabulous. Very rich, if I do say."
This one talks too much, Ryu thought painfully. But I must endure it. We near our quarry at last, and he can expedite matters. Still, I wish he would stop talking. It…hurts.
The party arrived at the gates to Simafort Castle, with the ranger only half-mad from Jean's circumlocutions about ballads and Ryu's hair color.
"My subjects!" Jean declared loudly upon seeing the gate guards, who were moving toward him with their halberds strangely at the ready. "Your lord and prince has arrived at last! Hail and well met, my brethren! Huh?" Jean blinked his bulbous eyes as the guards shackled his wrists and prodded him into the castle.
"What's going on?" Katt asked, half-crouched to burst into action. "I thought they were going to help us out?"
Nina took a step toward the guards, ready to demand an answer, but Ryu reached out a hand and took her elbow. She stopped and saw that he was looking up. She followed his gaze and a saw a sniper hidden behind a windowsill two stories above…and arrow trained on them.
"Hail travelers," said one of the guards once Jean was taken away. "I apologize for this, but the man you were with is an imposter. The true Prince Jean de Tapeta is here in the castle, overseeing the remilitarization of the country."
"Remilitarization?" Ryu asked.
"Who gave him that power?" Sten cut in sharply. "Tha' war o' succession was declared over on tha' condition that tha' satellite states and country proper o' Simafort would put down their arms for a period o' twenty years. It's only been fourteen."
"The Prince believes such trappings no longer applicable to the mighty nation of Simafort," the guard replied easily. "The satellite states will eventually see the correctness of our path and put the war behind them. The last traces of the civil war will disappear under the unification of Simafort under Prince de Tapeta."
"And what o' tha' King?" Sten pressed, smelling something ill in the wind. "You said Jean de Tapeta will unify tha' nation under him. What happens to tha' King?"
"Oh, this all happens with his approval," the guard said evasively. "If you will excuse me, I have my rounds to attend to. Please, visit our tour guides if you wish to see our famed country." The guard bowed crisply and went back into the castle.
Suddenly, Katt bopped Sten on the head. "Old man! You got some explaining to do."
The Highlander looked at her crossly. "That isn't tha' proper way to talk to yer elders, lass."
"Spill!" the Woren demanded.
"I, too, am curious," said Ryu quietly. Sten looked at him. The ranger stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a cold expression on his face. "I, of course, was not old enough to participate in the war of succession, but I remember my history lessons. You sense it too, don't you, Sten?"
The Highlander nodded. "Aye, lad. Something very fishy is going on here. Something dark and evil. Someone's playing for mighty high stakes."
Katt growled in annoyance. "What the hell are you two talking about?"
Nina laid a calming hand on her friend. "Let them speak and perhaps they'll tell you, Katt."
"Aye. Now listen up. Here's tha' short o' it. Twenty years ago, tha' old King died. Officially, he died o' rheum. Fell down a stair as a result, they say. But some say it was assassination. Tha' King left no heirs, for his three sons all died before him. Creeping Clan politics being what they were in those days, every noble household all over tha' country were checking their bloodlines to see who was tha' closest relative to tha' throne. Of course, some houses tried to forge claims on tha' crown, which led to disputes."
"The war of succession," Nina said.
"Aye. Now, in those days, Simafort was divided into about six different provinces—satellite states that paid lip service to tha' crown, based in Simafort proper. Because of that, there was no unified military. Mercenaries were hired by each of tha' states to fight tha' war—I was one o' them.
"Eventually, House de Tapeta defeated all other opponents and claimed tha' crown for their own. Not everyone was happy, of course; House de Tapeta had a reputation for…stupidity, to put it bluntly."
Nina and Katt looked at it each other. "Jean," they said in unison.
Sten grinned despite himself. "To placate tha' dissident factions and to restore public order, King de Tapeta, Jean's father, agreed to sign a demilitarization treaty. Tha' provinces and Simafort proper would all disarm, keeping only enough weapons to equip a small militia. National defense was basically shut down. This was fine with everyone, though, since Simafort is located in a tactically useless region; few invaders would bother sacking this country. And that's today's history lesson," Sten finished with a chuckle.
"But what does that have to do with all this?" Katt asked, still confused.
Ryu stepped in. "The demilitarization treaty was designed to keep the peace throughout all of Simafort, including the satellite states. For anyone—and especially for someone from the de Tapeta family—to undermine it is to risk angering the states. In other words, 'Jean de Tapeta' is setting the stage for a another civil war."
"No matter how stupid tha' de Tapetas are," said Sten, "they aren't idiots when it comes to politics. They wouldn't risk their power and standing for something like this. Throwing their country into another war would be political suicide."
"That still doesn't answer what just happened here," Nina said. "The Jean we know just got arrested under orders of someone claiming to be him."
"Sounds like a conspiracy to me," Ryu said. "And I, for one, want to investigate. The thief's in Simafort somewhere, and we need Jean to get to her." And, of course, I was right about our luck. Hell, I should just put up a sign that says, 'Ryu Bateson: Strange Events, inquire within.'
Within the dungeons of Simafort—which were also nicely decorated, even if not as grandly as elsewhere in the castle—Jean de Tapeta painted. It was an unusual incarceration and it made Ryu and the others blink.
"Um, Jean?" Nina asked, putting her hands against the bars, "we're going to get you of here."
"Oh, how wonderful!" said Jean with a broad smile. He then went back to his painting. "A bit of red here, oh, yes, most wonderful!" He looked back at her. "Do take your time in securing my release, Miss Nina. I have still a ways to go with this."
Nina's jaw practically fell to the floor. Well, Sten was right about him being stupid, she thought.
"Aren't you worried about some guy posing as you?" Katt asked.
"No. Not really. I never wanted to be a prince, anyway." Jean slapped some blue onto the canvas. "Ah, lovely. You see, I know I'm not very responsible. But I want to do at least some good in the world, like any decent soul. I figured traveling was the ideal way to do that. Didn't work out too well, though; imprisoned on my first trip back. Must be my luck. Ah, that indigo was genius!"
There was a clanging sound. Katt was banging her head against the bars. "How can anyone be so carefree?" she grumbled.
"The legendary de Tapeta mentality strikes again," Sten murmured.
"Sten, if you can hold the bars, I can pick the lock," said Ryu, getting right down to business. "It's been a while, but these tumblers don't look too complicated."
Suddenly, a strong and authoritative voice said, "I wouldn't if I were you, foreigner. After all, that man is an imposter." A large and majestic Creeping Clansman entered the dungeons, a female and several guards beside him. The female did not look at all happy.
"May I introduce my sister, the Princess Petape," said the large man. "And I am Prince Jean de Tapeta, heir apparent of Simafort."
"You're not my brother," shouted the princess at the man. She looked to the jail cell and saw the man within. She went over to the bars. "Brother Jean!"
Jean looked up and smiled. "Oh, hello, sister. How do you fare this fine day?"
"Jean! It is you!" said the princess. "No one could be so stupid or so carefree. Brother, show them the ring! Your royal ring! Prove to them all that this man is an imposter!"
"Oh? This thing?" Jean took a fine ivory band out of his pocket. The little trinket bore the family crest of the de Tapetas.
The princess turned a smug look on the so-called 'Jean.' "Well, imposter?"
The large man smiled in such a way as to be disarming. It came out looking wicked. "My dear sister. Of course this man is lying. I have my ring right here." And he showed his own, identical to every degree. The princess' mouth sagged open and even Jean looked surprised.
Ryu watched the exchange grimly. If this is a conspiracy, he thought, it's a damn good one. Forging a royal ring takes skill. I can't even think of anyone who could pull off something like that. Who is this man?
The ranger trained his senses on the man claiming to be Jean de Tapeta. He was elegant, to be sure, with perfectly inflected enunciation and poise. He could very well be a nobleman. But to say he was Jean de Tapeta? No…he's far, far too cunning. He's like a fox, not a frog. There's a hunger in those eyes of his…wait…that smell…tobacco? No…not tobacco.
Ryu looked at Katt and saw her fur bristling. Of course, he thought. Worens have an uncanny sense of smell. She must have recognized the scent, too. Sulfur.
The ranger grabbed Katt's wrist and held her firmly. "Not yet," he whispered. She nodded in understanding.
"Please, honored travelers," said the disguised demon, "allow me to give you a tour of my humble home. These dusty dungeons are not fit for foreign guests."
"With all do respect, your majesty, but my companions and I have overstayed our welcome," Ryu said quickly. "If you don't mind, we will rest at an inn instead. Royal food and hospitality, while certainly excellent, will tax our humbler senses."
With that, Ryu practically dragged his comrades out of the castle. All the while, Jean de Tapeta kept on painting.
"What's going on, Ryu?" Nina asked as soon as they left the castle. The Windian looked at Katt and saw the grim set to her jaw. "Katt?"
"Didn't you smell it?" the Woren asked her.
"Smell what?"
Katt and Ryu shared a look. She turned to Nina and answered grimly, "Sulfur."
Nina blinked and then nodded in sudden understanding. "Another demon…like Joker."
"And like Angus, who we killed in Corsair," added Ryu. "It seems that the imposter posing as Jean de Tapeta has designs that extend farther than simply undermining the King's policies."
"A demon in disguise could have many motives," Katt said warily. "Not that I'm going to bother figuring out what they are—let's just pound the dirt-bag into the ground already!" She slammed a fist into her palm for emphasis.
"Easy there, lass," Sten said soothingly. "From what I've been hearing, these demon types are a bit out of our league."
"We defeated two of them before, Sten," said Ryu.
"That doesn't mean ye'll survive a third, boy," the Highlander retorted. "We have to play this smart—we have to figure out how to prove he isn't tha' real Jean de Tapeta and then turn all of Simafort against him. Then it'll be easier to defeat him, once we get a thousand frogs fighting alongside us."
Nina nodded in agreement. "The question, of course, is how to expose him for the fraud that he is."
Ryu was already three steps ahead on that one. "If you want to get someone in trouble, hire a thief," he said, a daring plan formulating in his mind. "Let's get back to the dungeons; we need to see Jean again."
Katt groaned. "More of the carefree fool," she grumbled.
As it turned out, Ryu only needed to ask Jean a single question: "Where is the female thief?"
"Oh, her?" said Jean, who was still working on a painting—it looked like some sort of lakeside sunset. "I do believe she is being held in the detention cells through that gated portcullis, at the end of the hall. Why ever do you ask?"
Ryu answered calmly, "She's going to prove that you're telling the truth." He went through the portcullis without hesitation. Indeed, he felt giddy. She can help Jean, he knew with certainty, but she can also…help me. And not just with Bow. That girl…the hair, the eyes, the wings. Okasan had those wings. Ryu trembled at the very possibility. Something was growing inside him…it was hope. Can it be? Is it possible? I have to see her again. I have to know.
The others followed close behind the ranger. Nina watched him, noted the purposeful strides and the set of his strong jaw. It's like he's someone else, she thought. Like back in the Joker's hideout…only not grim. Just…determined. He looks afraid…but hopeful at the same time. Why?
The thief that they had been searching for was lying on a cot in a nondescript jail cell. She was a pretty thing, petite and slender, with long blue hair like Ryu's, done up in a high ponytail. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the dungeon's dim lighting. The distinctive leathery bat wings curled around her like a cloak, parted in the middle.
When Ryu first laid eyes on her, back in Hometown, he only caught the barest glimpse. Now he studied her. Something tugged at the edges of his consciousness. A memory…of soft blue eyes. The hair, the eyes, the wings…can it be? I mean, it could have been a possibility—just a dream, a hope, a figment—back in Hometown. Because it was only a glimpse, I tried not to think about what it could mean. Hope isn't something people should bank things on. But now that I see her, really see her…can it be?
"Eh?" the thief said, noticing someone at her door. "Who're you?" The blue eyes glimmered. The blue hair flashed. A flash of blue hair. A memory of soft blue eyes.
"A ranger," Ryu said, somewhat distractedly. He jerked a thumb at his friends. "With backup. You'll be coming with me."
She did not look impressed. "Huh. So, a bounty hunter comes looking for me, eh? Who sent you? Trout?"
"A friend," the ranger answered, pushing away his hopes and doubts behind a wall of professionalism. Work had ever been his refuge when he was uncertain. "You stole something from Trout, and left him to take the fall."
"Ah," said the thief. "The Grassrunner. Yeah, I didn't mean for that to happen." She shrugged. "But shit happens in this line of work, y'know? Can't blame me for all of it. Had your friend been more competent, he would've hauled his hairy ass out of there."
Nina turned an aristocratic nose at the coarse girl. "So where'd you come from?" she asked snidely. "Were you raised by monkeys on Mount Manori?"
Sten prodded her in the back, hard. Nina blushed. "Sorry, Sten."
The thief smirked. "You've got quite a lip, for a rich girl, or that isn't Pupa perfume I smell on you."
Ryu pounded a fist against the bars on the door, rattling them. That got everyone's attention. "We're not here to chitchat like old maids at a club," he said. "You're going to help us. Because if you do, we can make things a lot easier for you back in Hometown."
Can it be? Ryu thought, even as he spoke. The hair and eyes…so much the same. And the wings that only a dragon could have…but its been so long. Yes, she would be about this girl's age, if it were true. Eva help me, don't let my hope disappear.
Ryu continued, "Frankly, I could care less about who you steal from, so long as my friend's name gets cleared. So here's the deal—you help me out with things in Simafort and then come with me to Hometown to clear my friend's name. After that, I secure your release and you're gone scott free." And once you're free, I can ask you. I can make sure. I should just ask now, get it over with…but I dare not let my hope die so soon. As long as there's the possibility that you're her…as long as I can hold onto that, I can…I….
The thief seemed to consider for a moment and then leaned against the wall languorously. "Y'know, sounds tempting, it really does…but sounds like too much work. No deal."
"You'd rather rot in this backwater?" Ryu asked, sounding disappointed—and not just because it made his job as a ranger harder. Please, Eva, please—though I can't believe in you, let me believe in this hope.
"Rot here? Nah," she replied, nonchalantly. "They've only kept me locked up for about a day. I'm just resting now. I'll be picking the lock and getting out myself after I've had something to eat."
A grin crossed the ranger's lips. "It seems you've not done enough reading on the Creeping Clan. They not only look like frogs, but they share the same appetites, too. That means flies and cockroaches for dinner, Miss Thief."
A disgusted look crossed the thief's face—as well as those of Katt and Nina. Sten just smirked, already understanding what Ryu was trying to do.
The ranger pressed the attack. "You're probably going to break free as soon as you can, just to avoid such cuisine, right? Well, I've been told I have the patience of a rock. I can wait right here until you do." And as long as I have that hope…I can wait for an eternity.
The thief looked at him nastily. "Seems you've caught me, then. Like hell I'm eating flies." She sighed and threw a hand up in surrender. "All right, I'll be a good girl. Now let me out."
Ryu turned to the Woren. "Katt?"
The Woren simply cracked her knuckles and yanked the lock off the door. The thief stepped out, whistling appreciatively at Katt's strength.
"Name's Patty," the thief said cheerily, extending a hand to the Woren.
"Katt Chuan," she replied.
Nina curtsied. "I'm Nina Windia. I…apologize for my harsh words earlier."
Patty smiled back disarmingly. "No problem. My brother uses to say that I'm a bit of a headcase sometimes, so it's understandable." She looked at Sten. "I don't see many Highlanders this far west."
Sten shrugged. "I get around. Sten Legacy."
"A pleasure, Mister Legacy." Patty finally turned to the ranger, who watched her with a stony face. "And who're you, tall, dark, and depressingly grim?"
Ryu, knowing that this would determine if his hope lives or dies, answered, "Ryu Bateson."
None of the others expected the reaction that came next. But Ryu was praying for it.
Patty's wide, soulful eyes flashed with recognition…then surprise…then disbelief. Her hands, delicate and dexterous—capable of picking any lock and lifting a thousand purses easily—trembled uncontrollably.
"R-Ryu…Bateson," she repeated softly. "Did you say that? Ryu Bateson?"
The ranger nodded, slowly, on the verge of tears himself. "Yes."
Katt blinked. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
The Woren asked that question because Patty had started to cry. Tears ran down her round cheeks. "No," the thief said happily. "No, everything's right. Everything's just right." She never took her gaze off Ryu. Indeed, she addressed him directly with a trembling smile. "Isn't that right, Ryu?"
It's true, Ryu thought. A part of him expected it, a good deal of him prayed for it, but when confronted by the open truth, he could only stand there, stunned. It's true, the thought ran through his mind at the speed of lightning even as it crawled like a snail. It lingered, rolled, and danced within his soul. It's true, it's true, it's true.
And then Ryu moved. He swept the girl in his arms, holding her close, never wanting to let go. He did not care that Katt was glaring daggers of jealousy into his back, or that Nina was aghast at his apparent boldness, or even that Sten was smirking mischievously. He did not care what anyone else saw. He knew whom he held in his arms, he knew whose heart was beating softly against his. He remembered.
A flash of blue hair.
A memory of soft blue eyes.
Both were solid, real in his arms.
For so long, Past and Present were distinct and separate, distanced by memory. But now Past and Present merged and danced together. And Ryu could feel it. The loneliness that had threatened to consume him for so many years since Gate…it was gone.
And he held the reason in his arms.
Patty murmured into his shirt, "Yasashiburi, Ryu-niisan."