This is roughly the chapter where focus shifted from Namari and Sati to Namari and Thalim and I do not regret it even one bit.


When Namari wakes up, he realizes that it feels weird, to be home and in his own house. He had become used to Radim's chatter in the mornings and the smell of coffee that Thalim makes. Everything is silent now. It's strange. Namari kicks off the blanket. He's sure that this feeling will pass, but for now, he misses having roommates.

It is a designated free day for all of them. They don't expect the contestants to be that fast, maybe with the exception of Hao. It will take them at least a day to get to the village and all the priests are planning to spend the day wisely, usually with their families or other friends from the village.

Namari doesn't have many friends. At least not from the ranks of ordinary Patch. The priests have been largely brought up together and consider each other family, besides their actual blood relations. He does have acquaintances but they're not truly close. They're just young people who he used to play with on the playgrounds or train with from time to time. They don't know each other apart from names.

However, he can spend the day with his parents. They're older now, close to 50 years old, and the least he can do is to spend time with them. He is lucky to have parents, he realizes and briefly thinks of Chrom and his brother whose parents died when Nichrom was young. Namari does like his mother's gentle touch. She used to do his hair when he was young. She only stopped when he was a teenager and insisted on being able to do it himself. She did it to Renim when he still had long hair. She used to braid Thalim's hair whenever the younger Patch was over.

Namari likes his mother. She is very caring and motherly, and likes to spoil him (he doesn't like that). His father is out working when Namari comes home. He hadn't sent a message that he would be coming, but his mother is ready and offers him food immediately.

"This is for you," she says and sticks the sweet buns under his nose. Namari looks at them.

"How did you know I'd be coming?" he asks, though he suspects he knows the answer.

"You're my son and you just returned. I know you, how could I call myself your mother if I didn't know my own son?" she says, and Namari smiles slightly. His mother always had a way to read him even when he manages to confuse other people with his stone-like expression.

He spends the day with her, and when his father comes home, Namari takes to tell stories from Tokyo. His parents listen; it's not often they hear stories from such a faraway place. Usually, they don't really go further than the next town over. They tend to stay in their area, even though his father used to visit places up in the north of the country. However, neither of them has ever seen anything beyond the ocean, so they listen to Namari's every word and he finds himself rather enjoying it.

He's returning through the dark streets. It's not even evening already, but he is tired. The time difference is starting to take a toll on him and Namari only wants to get to his own bed. He knows he shouldn't sleep though, to adjust to the American time again. It is, however, hard, and he finds himself just going to the cave of the officiants where he knows Goldva will be. Maybe he is a bit of a workaholic.

When he enters, he finds Magna, Nichrom, and Silva already there. He raises his eyebrow. He would've thought that Silva would spend some time with his family, especially now that he has the chance. But he can't judge. He greets everyone and looks at the oracle monitor. It shows the entrance to Mesa Verdede, but right now, all they can see are tourists. Goldva estimates that from roughly 500 people, only around 200 have survived. She thinks that at least 50 won't make it to the Patch Village. Namari thinks it will be more. Finding their village is actually hard to find, not even counting those who can't take the sight of the Great Spirit in front of them. He thinks that, in the end, they will end with around 100 shamans in total. Which is a completely fine amount.

Of course, he doesn't doubt that the Gandhara will find their way there soon. He doesn't doubt that they will stay conscious after looking at the Great Spirit, but it is still his duty to come and see.

It doesn't happen for another three days. Namari is bored. He has already gone to see his charges once (Hao's minions, Peyote Diaz, and the BoZ brothers). He actually had to carry them back to the village since they aren't as powerful as some other shamans and couldn't take the sight. Peyote was barely conscious, the BoZ brothers had to be carried. However, Namari just oversouled Red Rope and let the snake carry them.

He sees the Gandhara in front of the entrance. They're deciding just what to do with their elephant. Finally, one of the members decides to stay back with it; the animal doesn't fit in the caves. Namari is glad they're leaving it outside.

He shuffles and puts on the cloak, and leaves the room where everyone is gathered.

He takes a shortcut through the tunnels. He knows them like the back of his hand, and it doesn't take him long to arrive at the place most contestants collapse at and waits. The Gandhara aren't here yet, but Red Rope comes to him with a hiss. They're not too far.

"So this is the Great Spirit," Jackson comments when they finally get around the corner. Namari narrows his eyes. No one has fallen unconscious yet, not even young Komeri. He disappears into the shadows and jumps down, going to meet them.

His footsteps are silent and he smiles slightly when some of the shamans actually seem shocked to see him come out from the shadows. Namari blows the bang from his nose where the hair tickles him.

"Welcome to the Patch Village," he greets them. It's a generic welcome they had all practiced. Sati steps forward.

"It's good to see you again, Namari-san," she says, and Namari briefly, very slightly, nods. It is indeed a pleasure to see Sati again. He looks over her shoulder to find that no one has collapsed. They are all quite strong. Only some of the weaker members are wiggly on their feet, but they are supported by others and Namari doesn't worry that they would be left behind.

"Follow me, please," he says and turns around. He hears the Gandhara's footsteps behind him and one right next to him. He doesn't need to look to know that it's Sati. Briefly, he becomes irritated. He said to follow him, not go beside him. Namari is usually more of a follower himself, but in this situation, he is the leader. He is the leader and the contestants should listen to him.

"It is gorgeous," Sati states when the village comes into full view. It plays with all colours; courtesy of the Great Spirit who illuminates the caves for now and makes them seem more alive than they actually are.

"The Great Spirit only appears during a three-month period every 500 years," Namari explains, happy that he can showcase his knowledge. The Great Spirit is, after all, one of the Patch's proudest secrets. Honestly, since it appears only for such a short time, neither of the officiants have seen it before coming back home.

"That is fascinating," Sati says, and Namari hears affirmative hums from behind. He sees that Komeri is holding Sati's hand now and he slows down so the little girl can walk without almost running.

"Will we stay here?" Daiei asks. Namari looks at the old man. He is asking a good question, but he can't truly tell him that in three months, they will be relocating to Tokyo again, so he decides to go with an innocent answer.

"For the time being, yes. I recommend using that time to train and get some souvenirs," he answers and mentally pats himself on the back. Would Goldva be happy that he's promoting the Patch business?

He knows that the Gandhara probably won't train. They will keep doing what they always did.

"Are there any restaurants with curry?" Kado asks. "I would love to know how it is prepared here."

Namari gives him a side look, wondering if that was a trick question or not. Finally, he answers.

"There is one, called King's Corn . It's right next to the square. There are other restaurants, but I do not think they offer curry," he replies, seeing that Kado is satisfied by the answer. Of course he knows that King's Corn serves curry. It is Namari's own restaurant, and he has been running it ever since he was old enough to take over. He knows that now when only the officiants can interact with the participants, he will be alone for all the work. He isn't looking forward to that. Maybe some other members could help him out in the kitchen where they wouldn't be seen?

Namari doesn't have time to think about it as they descend to the Patch village and he shows them to their accommodations.

"You can settle down," he says, gesturing to the house. Everyone made sure that the contestants would have a place to sleep in. Namari once again thinks that the tribe is missing a business opportunity with having shamans stay there for free, but Goldva hopes that they will manage to get money during these three months.

"Will we get any information about the next round?" Sati asks, her gentle voice piercing the silence around. It is pretty quiet; Hao's groups are nowhere to be seen. Namari doesn't mind that. Instead, he turns his attention to Sati.

"You will receive all information by the oracle bell once more participants arrive," he explains. Technically, it's true. However, Namari doesn't know when will the Great Spirit decide to give the signal, and therefore, he can't relay the info to Gandhara.

"I see," Sati says. "Thank you for your assistance, Namari-san."

Namari slightly nods in recognition. He knows that here, he doesn't have to abide by Japanese etiquette. This is his turf, his home, and in theory, he doesn't have to do that. However, he does so out of respect for Sati. Namari realizes that if she ends up winning the fight, all ten priests will have to convert to the new King's religion. Such is their law. Namari leaves the Gandhara to settle down, pondering if he should start reading up about Buddhism.

It's barely another week later when the bell at the top of the restaurant's entrance rings and Namari looks up. His hair isn't in his characteristic hairstyle, but rather in a ponytail that reminds Thalim's - it's customary to have hair up whenever he's working with food. Namari doesn't want to get a bad reputation because of guests finding hair in their food.

The Gandhara is just coming through the door, he would recognise them even without actually looking up from his work. Their orange clothes are hard to miss, even with peripheral vision.

Even though Namari feels a strange nervousness settle in his stomach, he takes the menus and distributes them to the Gandhara members. He doesn't even know why he's so desperate for their validation of his food but keeps a straight face on the outside. He continues to do what he has been doing until now; take orders, distribute food, get the money. Sometimes, he helps out in the kitchen, but more often than not, he knows that he should keep watch at the bar.

The Gandhara, to no one's surprise, order curry.

"I would love to know what your curry tastes like," Sati smiles, and Namari once again feels the nervousness.

"Maybe we can swap recipes?" Kado offers, and Namari nods stiffly.

"I'm happy to trade methods and techniques. My restaurant always strives to provide better food and service," he gets out, a perfectly polished phrase. "Would you like anything to drink?"

Orders made, Namari retreats from their table. It is not his business what they are talking about; it is probably about the tournament and Hao - he seems to be everyone's favourite topic these days.

Namari can't say he's surprised. He had seen Hao up close a few times on the street; he just radiates power. It would be logical if he became the Shaman King, Namari knows. But yet, in his heart, he still carries the bitterness over what Hao did. Stealing the Spirit of Fire from the tribe, from the family he was supposed to be a part of; that's something Namari cannot let go for now. The elemental spirits are the Patch's greatest pride; losing one of them, stolen by one of their own nonetheless, is by far the greatest shame that could've befallen them.

The young Patch continues serving drinks and food to his customers, pausing only for a moment before accepting the plates with curry. Skillfully, he carries three plates. Namari knows that he can do more, but still, he normally doesn't do that. He doesn't want to risk a plate falling down if anything went wrong. With three, he is more confident. This isn't about performance, he reminds himself. It's about the food and the money he's raising for his family.

"Please, give them their food first. I can wait," Sati says when he initially turns to her, and he doesn't question it, even if he sees some members' eyebrows go up.

"Here you go," he says as he settles down the plates. Young Komeri goes first; despite her being a child, the Gandhara requested a full portion for her; Namari thinks that they will finish if she can't eat it all.

He has to return for the other plates, serving them all. As Sati had requested, he leaves her for the last, and their fingers brush against each other when he sets down her plate. She smiles at him and Namari has to keep his perfect customer service face in check.

"Thank you," Sati says, and he nods curtly.

"Enjoy your food," he tells them all and turns around, his ponytail swinging from side to side as he goes back to the counter.

He tries to busy himself with his other duties, washes the dishes, serves the other customers, but he can't help but glance back to the tables where people clothed in orange are sitting, trying to subtly study their expressions and if they like the food or not. However, their expressions are unreadable. Namari sighs. He doesn't even know why he feels so anxious for their validation. He wants to say that it is just about the food, but he doesn't want to lie to himself. It's not just about the food.

He quietly reminds himself that he can't afford to feel anything else than slight admiration, and looks down at his hands. He's washing the glasses automatically as he had done countless times before.

Namari looks up as more people enter. The evening rush is starting, there is no time to think about pointless things. He puts on his best customer service smile and greets the newcomers.

It's almost the closing time when the Gandhara get up. Not that the closing time is too late, because Namari needs to head to the weekly meeting of the priests. The contestants haven't yet received the instructions for the second part of the tournament, but he has seen them make teams of three. Someone had a big mouth and told them. Everybody already knows. It's interesting how fast news travel.

It's Kado who pays for the Gandhara. He presses the correct amount into his palm and smiles.

"If you can, I would love to know your recipe," he says. "Sati really enjoyed it."

Namari can't help but feel proud at this praise. It's something different when he gets praised by his tribemates, but getting recognition from a person about who he knows makes much more delicious curry than he does? He nods.

"I will be happy to exchange it, but I don't have time right now, unfortunately. If you stop by tomorrow or later on, I should be here," he says. It feels uncharacteristic of him to talk in this way. Namari likes to talk, he likes to play with people, he likes to talk to himself, but here, he is still the owner of the restaurant. Once outside, he drops this polite persona and grins.

Goldva briefly asks him about the restaurant's profits when he comes.

"The restaurant is doing well," Namari answers. "There are more people every day."

"Good," the old woman huffs, taking a breath from her pipe. Kalim coughs when the smoke reaches his nose.

"Thank the Great Spirit that Silva gave up smoking," he grumbles, audible enough for Namari to hear, low enough for Goldva. Bron raises an eyebrow from where he stands.

"Can't smoke around children," Silva replies, whispering. Everyone knows that he has a daughter, she's just a few months old. Kalim pats his back.

"Good for her," he comments and Silva looks away. Namari doesn't have an interest in smoking. He doesn't have an interest in children. He barely tolerates Nichrom. He has always been bad with kids, the only exception being Thalim and that was only because he was a very quiet, shy child.

He quietly stands as the screen flashes a picture of a few shamans who are about to meet the Great Spirit. Renim isn't there; he had already departed to pick them up.

"Anything new?" Bron asks, and Namari feels that he's looking right at him. He looks up slightly, his expression almost defying.

He and Bron don't have a very good relationship. Namari thinks that Bron is just a brute, Bron thinks Namari is a fool who doesn't believe in the Patch song. In a way, Namari is a fool who believes in his individual strength and great planning skills. Despite their disagreements, they still like each other. They're not best friends, but they manage.

Namari spends an hour there. He grows more bored to the point that he starts playing with the ponytail that he hasn't undone yet. He sees Thalim do something similar, however, they both do it in different situations; Namari when he's bored and wants to have something to do, Thalim when he's nervous. It's the same movement but done in different conditions.

Namari wraps the ends of his thick hair around his finger when Renim finally returns. He raises his hand to greet him but goes to stand at the other side of the room. Namari raises an eyebrow and gives him a toothy grin.

Almost like with Bron, he and Renim have a complicated relationship. He doesn't have anything against him, not anymore. When they were younger, however, they weren't friends. Namari suspects it had something to do with snakes being natural predators to chameleons. Over the years, they had to work on their relationship, overcome their differences, and become tentative friends. Still, while they are friendly now, they prefer to spend time with other people. That is why Namari joined Radim and Thalim while they lived in Tokyo. He thinks that Renim was relieved by that as well.

Namari sighs as he looks towards the fireplace where the flames are dancing happily. They fill the room with warmth, but as the Patch is looking around, the same warmth and happiness definitely don't reach everyone's eyes. The priests present look disinterested, tired, and bored. Even young Nichrom is sitting, propping his head up and his eyes are closing.

"Can we go home?" Rutherfor asks, not even hiding that she's bored out of her mind. For the past hour, she had been sitting next to Thalim, whirling her feathers between her fingers, occasionally playing in the dirt with him. Radim is standing alone a few meters away. Namari is also left alone, but he doesn't really mind. He never minded being alone; he is pretty much an individualist. He can work in a team but works better when on his own.

Goldva huffs.

"We're expecting a message from the Great Spirit any moment now," she replies, which, in rough translation, means: "No one can go home."

Namari hears several quiet, disappointed sighs, and he feels the same. All this waiting is boring. They all work six days a week, the seventh day being their day off. They're tired.

Namari stands up. The movement rises some heads to turn his way since it is shrouded in a complete silence otherwise.

"Where are you going, Namari?" Magna asks, rolling the "r" in Namari's name over his tongue lazily. Namari narrows his eyes dangerously. He knows how Magna works, he's playing with him, but two can play that game. However, it's irritating, especially after a long day of work.

"I'm going to get tea," Namari answers simply. He isn't in the mood to explain his every move to his older tribemate.

Magna lets out a low chuckle. Namari is on guard now. This never signifies anything good.

"Did you get some from the Gandhara when you went over for dinner?" Magna asks, and Namari briefly catches Radim's expression. The question "when?" remains unspoken.

It is only because Namari knows that Magna was planning something that he doesn't lose his composure. However, he can feel everyone's eyes on him. It makes him feel uncomfortable.

Magna folds his arms on his chest smugly.

"Rumours travel fast," he remarks. "Similar to how Silva and Kalim went to a restaurant, huh?"

Now all the eyes are on Silva and Kalim. Silva looks like he's ready to murder someone (probably Magna). Namari's eyes widen slightly, but he supposes that it's to be expected, to make favourites. After all, he has some of his as well, even if he shouldn't.

He uses the distraction that everyone is looking at the other two and slips away unnoticed, away to the small chambers they call 'kitchen'.

He sighs, partly in annoyance, partly in relief, as he gets the water for his tea. He has this green tea from India, but it is not from Gandhara. He wonders how Magna can know. Not even his roommates know what all happened that night.

Speaking of his roommates, he almost doesn't notice quiet footsteps. Red Rope hisses and that is what alerts him to Thalim's presence. To his credit, the younger Patch doesn't flinch; Red Rope isn't oversouled and can't harm him right now.

"What are you doing here?" Namari asks, leaning on a wall to wait for his tea to be done.

Thalim scratches his head.

"I figured that if it was alright for you to go get tea, I can get coffee too," he answers, and Namari smiles. If there is anything Thalim loves, it's coffee and his plants. Namari can't blame him, he loves his hobby too. It helps take his mind away from the fate that ultimately awaits all of them.

"You didn't have to wait for me to go first," he says, amused. Now, he can see the youngster flinch.

"I... I didn't really want to be the center of attention," Thalim admits nervously. Namari knows, of course.

"Relax, I'm just teasing you," he replies, leaning with his head against the wall. However, the ponytail is pressing against it, and Namari growls. He undoes the ponytail, breathing in relief when his hair falls free.

"How can you stand walking around in that all the time?" he asks, pointing with his chin at Thalim's own ponytail. He shrugs. This is not the first time they've had this conversation.

"I got used to it," he answers simply, and Namari believes that. However, he prefers his own hairstyle. It's only when he works with food that he wears his hair up, neatly tied.

"Naturally. Do something long enough and it becomes second nature," he remarks and checks up on his tea.

He almost thinks Thalim wants to say something, but in the end, he doesn't. They make their drinks in silence and return to the group. It almost seems as if nothing had happened there. Briefly, Namari wonders if something happened between Silva and Magna. It wouldn't be the first time, these two have been kind of rivals ever since he was old enough to understand. The only thing Namari gets is that it's somehow linked to Silva being Hao's descendant. He doesn't care about their petty dispute. He likes Silva; he's a good sparring partner. Namari knows that he sometimes lacks perspective and rather throws himself into things directly, without thinking. Silva is hotheaded, and that's usually what permits Namari to win over him in the fights they had. They are both strong, Silva has more furyoku, but Namari knows how to use it to his advantage. Outside of battle, they're on friendly terms. Nothing less, nothing more.

Magna grins when he sees Namari, but he pays attention to his tea. Thalim stands by his side, looking very uncomfortable. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

Thankfully, they are all saved by a beep of the oracle bell. Goldva gasps; she looks happy, and Namari raises his hand to look at the message. Sure enough, it's the instructions for the next round. It's not anything that he doesn't already know.

"Can we go home now?" Nichrom asks, seconded by Rutherfor. Namari almost curses; he spends an hour locked in here and once he makes his tea, it's time to go. He shrugs; he will just drink it on his way and return the cups the next day.

No one has the energy to go somewhere else afterwards. It's close to midnight, and Namari wonders why the Great Spirit sends out messages *now* of all times. He knows he shouldn't question it; the Great Spirit has some weird tastes.

He finishes the cup once home. He knows he might have trouble sleeping now, but Namari is so tired that he will gladly take the risk. He does the necessities and, despite the amount of theine in his system, he falls asleep quickly.

Kado wasn't lying when he said that he would stop by tomorrow. The problem is, however, that he comes at the wrong time. When Namari wakes up, he finds a message from Kalim. He needs help in his own bar, and, since it's Renim's free day today, Namari is the best person he could ask.

Namari grumbles as he stuffs himself into a fitting shirt and a grey waistcoat, the uniform of Kalim's establishment, and grumbles. The waistcoat is far too tight for his liking. Once again, he pulls his hair up into a ponytail and sets on his way.

Why couldn't Kalim ask someone who had nothing to do? Namari doesn't mind working elsewhere, but if that happens, he would prefer at least a day's notice. However, he is quick to adapt and crosses the square to the bar. Still, he wonders, Bron hosts karaoke nights and he's usually free in the mornings.

He spends the morning serving drinks. It's been a while since he had mixed different cocktails, but he gets back into it quickly. It's not just cocktails that he has to serve; beer is in high demand as well.

Kalim comes around noon.

"Sorry, my contestants were coming, you know how it is," he says, and Namari nods. All of his contestants are already in the village, and if not, he doesn't care about that anymore. If they want to quit, it's up to them. Namari did his job.

"I know," he nods. He's a bit winded from going around the bar, plus the tight waistcoat isn't helping at all.

Kalim notices too.

"Are you alright?" he asks. Namari presses his lips into a thin line.

"I might or might not have grown out of the waistcoat," he says. It's no wonder; he doesn't think he's had to wear it since he was 18. Since then, he had definitely gained some height and muscle.

Kalim nods.

"I see. Should I get you a new one?" he asks, but Namari is already waving his head.

"It's useless at this point," he replies. He has his own restaurant to run and that will be it. He won't ever need a fitting waistcoat because he'll be dead in a few months.

Kalim stands behind the bar with him.

"I can take over now, thanks for stepping in for me," he says. Namari nods curtly.

"I'll be going there. Have my own establishment to run," he says. First, though, he has to get out of these clothes.

He doesn't really get a chance to. There is a big commotion in the square, and it doesn't take Namari long to figure out what's going on. Hao is promenading around with his group, intimidating other contestants. However, he cannot be afraid of Hao. Even if Hao wanted to kill him, he's an officiant, and he needs him. Namari walks proudly around and goes in his home's direction.

He's stopped by a voice.

"Namari-san, hello."

It's familiar. Namari knows the owner very well, even if he's not in the mood to chat around.

He looks at Sati.

"Good morning, Sati-san," he greets her. He knows he sounds gruff, he's not trying to hide it. He is having a bad day. When he comes to the restaurant, he will plaster his customer service smile back on, but right now, he can't be bothered.

"You sound like you're not having a good day," Sati remarks gently, and Namari swallows whatever he wanted to say. He shrugs.

"A normal working day," he says, trying to downgrade it. He grows increasingly uncomfortable in this situation.

"Kado couldn't find you, Namari-san," Komeri says politely. Even if Namari usually doesn't care about kids, he can't help but loosen up when seeing the young girl's smile.

"I got called somewhere else at the last minute," he explains. "I will be returning to the restaurant shortly."

Sati nods.

"I will stop by later on then," she says, and Namari just nods. Sati probably sensed his discomfort, and he is glad that she's not trying to keep a conversation; he remembers the curry recipe very well.

He hurries back home and sighs in relief once he gets out of the waistcoat. He stuffs it at the bottom of his drawer - he probably won't need it again anymore. He changes into his own restaurant's uniform. The lunch break should start in some time, but if he hurries, he can probably catch a few customers hungry enough to try his cooking.

Sati keeps her words and turns up a few hours later. Namari has had time to get something to eat and calm down by then, and he is much more welcoming.

She comes in alone, but Namari is sure that her team isn't far away; they wouldn't leave their princess alone for a long time. However, he can imagine that Sati might want privacy from time to time.

She comes in during the break between the lunch rush and dinner rush, which is the perfect time if she wants to talk.

The two exchange greetings. Namari remembered, and he has the curry recipe neatly written down on a separate piece of paper.

"I presume you are here for the curry recipe," Namari says. He has this planned out, of course. He can give her the recipe and answer any questions she has about it.

The question she asks isn't one that he expected.

"Thank you, Namari-san," she says as she takes the recipe and studies it. "Could you please tell me how to register our teams? Does it go through you?"

Namari suddenly wishes that instead of sitting around doing nothing, they went through the organisation matters yesterday. However, he is quick to adapt.

"You can tell them to me and I will take care of it," he says. Sati tells him three teams of three people; Namari could swear that there were actually more people in Sati's group, but he thinks that they couldn't fit into another team. He writes the names down and pockets the paper; he will tell Goldva later on in the evening.

"Thank you," Sati says. She smiles sweetly, and for a moment, Namari hopes that she decides to stay and order something. However, Sati tilts her head.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to return to my group," she states, and he can't help but feel a bit disappointed. "Thank you for the curry recipe."

She turns around and elegantly walks out. Namari sees a few guys in the corner. He hears them snicker. By the looks of it, these guys won't even make it through the first round, he's sure of it. He turns his attention to the registry. Even though Sati's visit had been short, he feels somewhat calmer.

The Gandhara doesn't visit for the rest of the day, and Namari once again heads to the meeting room. This time, he undoes the ponytail and pulls his hair into his characteristic hairstyle, and he wraps the cloak tighter around himself. The nights are getting colder. He makes sure that he still has the list of teams for the Gandhara, and enters the caves. A lot of them are already there. Bron is missing, because he hosts his karaoke night. Magna and Nichrom are also missing, as well as Kalim. Rutherfor is sitting down in a chair, playing some games with Grey Saucer. She looks really into it, and Silva is cheering her on. Renim nods at Namari when he enters, and then squints at whatever he has in his hands. Namari presumes it's a piece of jewellery again. However, it can also be something for Renim to keep calm and entertained. He doesn't know. Radim is there, and he's talking with Goldva. Faintly, Namari hears parts of their dialogue, they're talking about the stadium and the camera that Radim has in his microphone.

Namari thinks it's ridiculous for Radim to have his camera inside his oversoul medium. There are many things that can go wrong during a match, and his medium could get damaged. However, he is not the one who decides that. He moves to watch over Rutherfor's shoulder, even when he's not really interested in what she's doing. However, it's better than being bored again.

A few minutes later, he sees that Radim is finally done talking with Goldva, and Namari seizes the chance to go talk to her.

"Namari," Goldva looks up and he tries his hardest not to wince when the tobacco smell hits his nose. "What do you need?" She asks that, but looks pretty disinterested. Namari finds the paper in his pockets.

"My contestants have decided on their teams," he says, and gives her the papers. The chieftain raises one thin eyebrow.

"The Gandhara, huh?" she comments and takes the paper from him. "Very well."

Namari thinks that he's free to go. He's mistaken. He realizes that when he sees her narrow her eyes at him.

"Be sure that you do not do something out of line," she warns him, her voice low, and Namari feels a shiver run down his spine. He doesn't know why; he's not scared of Goldva, he doesn't ever plan to step out of line. He's well aware of what would happen if he did, they all know.

"I won't," he says, his voice equally low. It's firm, but he makes sure there are no signs of defiance in his voice. It's not wise to go against Goldva. He knows that she could crush each and every one of them, maybe with the exception of Rutherfor.

Goldva nods slightly.

"Very well, then," she says, and their conversation ends there. Namari is relieved; talking with the chief is always exhausting. Goldva keeps on the same expression at all times; it's very hard to try and guess what she's thinking. Namari doesn't like that. He can read people well, but Goldva makes this difficult for him.

Namari moves to stand next to Radim. He's drinking a soda and is leaning against the wall. Namari does the same and crosses his arms on his chest.

"So," Radim says once he swallows. "You had a dinner with a contestant?"

Namari almost groans. He narrows his eyes at Radim, his expression not too far off from Red Rope. He must've gotten this death glare from his spirit.

Radim raises his arms in an attempt to calm down the situation.

"Relax, I'm not judging you, I'm just asking," he explains.

Namari scoffs.

"It didn't and won't happen again," he says shortly, considering this topic as closed. Radim nods and takes another sip of his soda.

The days roll into weeks, and weeks into months, and suddenly it's time to say goodbye. It's the evening before the departure.

Namari is having dinner with his parents. This is the last time he'll ever see them, and everyone has a day off to say the necessary goodbyes.

They eat in silence, with the occasional clanking of the cutlery. His mother cooked his favourite food. It brings a lot of good memories to Namari, and he's glad that he gets to spend this evening with them, off of all the duties.

They finish, but no one really cares for small talk. Namari can see how his mother's eyes are glassy; she tries so hard to hold back tears. He's glad that she doesn't openly cry; it would be harder for him to say goodbye then.

"I will take good care of the restaurant," his father says. Namari knows it will be in good hands then. His father is an exceptional cook, and he's sure his mother will help out.

Speaking of his mother, she envelops him in a crushing hug. Struggling for breath, Namari slowly hugs her back. He's not one for hugging, but he will allow this. It is a special situation, after all.

His mother wipes her eyes.

"We're very proud of you, Namari," she says, and he feels something wet prick at the corner of his eyes. Namari won't cry; he's come to terms with his fate, but he sure is close to.

"We will see each other again," his father says and puts a hand on his shoulder. "We're very happy to call you our son."

Namari feels a lump in his throat. It becomes hard to swallow, and he nods.

"Thank you. Mum. Dad," he says. They hug each other one last time and then Namari turns around and leaves. He doesn't look back. He only dries the corner of his eye and looks ahead, his chin raised proudly.

Namari only takes the most important things the next day. He's well rested; that's ideal for the long journey that awaits him. He needs all the rest. The journey will be long.

He gets his small backpack on his back; throws on his cloak and goes to meet with the others. He can see a lot of them already at the meeting spot, and he goes to stand in the front. Bron stands next to him and Namari does his best to ignore his presence.

There are 96 contestants. There are 12 of the officiants. If each of them takes 8 contestants, they should be fine. However, they need to set strict boundaries. Namari knows that there is at least 9 Gandhara members. He can't take them all, someone must board another group.

Ultimately, he doesn't even transport the Gandhara teams; Goldva does. Namari can't help but feel a bit disappointed, but also knows that if anything, Goldva can't be safer than with the pacifist Buddhist teams. Meanwhile, Namari is stuck with teams that calls themselves the Icemen, the Niles, and two members of Magical Princesses. Aside from some whispers, the teams are mostly silent, and Namari is glad for that. He's glad that he doesn't have to carry all of the big loads.

He has piloted a helicopter before. But it was never this far, and Namari feels himself slipping into a microsleep as they approach the abandoned island. He's tired. He's even more tired than he was when they all worked together to power the plane.

He's aware that the contestants are sleeping. He would sleep too.

He's very relieved when he finally lands. Keeping the oversoul intact, he waits for the contestants to wake up. He knows they're awake. The landing wasn't very smooth.

Though he usually prefers tea, he readily accepts some coffee from Thalim, the younger Patch is going around with cups. Even though they've arrived now, there is still a long journey ahead of them. They have to make sure that the contestants have somewhere to sleep and only then the Patch can retreat to their own beds. Goldva, of course, leaves the ten officiants to do that by themselves.

"Thanks," Namari takes the coffee and almost downs it in one go. He can see Thalim's nervous smile.

"That's... That's not how you drink coffee," he says, his voice trembling slightly. Namari waves his hand.

"It is now," he replies and gives Thalim the cup back. He had almost burned his tongue on the coffee, but he appreciates the warm drink. The air is cold, even though the island is of volcanic origin and houses several hot springs.

He watches Radim down another energy drink and he looks at all the contestants who are slowly getting out of the helicopters. There are more people than just the contestants, however. Namari sees several private planes as well, and there are more people - and are those zombies? Namari blinks and rubs sleep out of his eyes. He must be really tired.

He sees Hao and his friends (? Minions?) leave. He breathes a sigh; this means that they don't have to deal with them right now. One team less that he has to take care of.

A while later, Namari nods to the Gandhara.

"Follow me to the accommodations," he says, his voice filled with tiredness, and Sati nods and motions for the others to follow. She doesn't speak; Jackson carries sleeping Komeri in his arms, and they all follow Namari, who, despite the exhaustion, still manages to stand straight and look ahead. He brings them to one of the houses. It's a modest one, and he stops in front of it.

"This will be your home while you stay on this island," he says. "You can settle down, the matches will start in a few days."

The Patch generously allows the contestants a few days to adapt to the time zone difference again, even if, in truth, it is more for the Patch themselves to adapt to it.

"Thank you, Namari-san," Sati says, and it's visible that she is tired. Namari turns and leaves; he knows that not everyone is done but maybe he can get a few minutes of a nap before everyone arrives.

However, Goldva recognizes that everyone needs sleep and it comes like a blessing. Namari doesn't remember getting ready for bed and sleeping the next morning.