Where was he? Ayaka sighed, resting her head onto her hands. Tears of frustration pooled in her eyes, and she willed herself not to cry. Crying would mean that something was actually wrong, and she refused to accept that. Thoma was fine. He had to be. He probably just got caught up helping somebody or another. Those people she heard talking were probably just lying, spreading some random rumors for attention. "Thoma is fine," Ayaka whispered to herself, but couldn't shake the feeling in her gut telling her that something was awfully wrong.
Ayaka could still remember clearly the last time she had seen Thoma. They had promised to meet at the Teahouse in an hour, and Thoma had left with his signature smile on his face, hand lifting to do that small wave he always did. "Lighten up, milady! Everything's going to be fine– I'll be back in an hour."
"Thoma… be careful, okay?"
"Always do~ now wipe that frown off your face!"
And so Ayaka had smiled and waved as he left, despite seeing the bags under his eyes, despite seeing the exhaustion shrouding his body. Stupid. She should've called him out on it, forced him to take a small break and rest up… Maybe then they wouldn't be in this situation. Maybe then Thoma would be here right now, and worry wouldn't be flooding her mind and clouding her thoughts.
Sharp barking pierced her thoughts, jolting Ayaka back to the present. She placed a hand over her racing heart, letting out a soft laugh to try to comfort herself. Great. She was so out of it that even Taroumaru's barks were frightening her. She was Kamisato Ayaka. Calm and collected Kamisato Ayaka. She could not be seen falling apart like this.
"-ot Taroumaru so worked up today? He's always such a good boy…" Paimon's distinctive voice reach Ayaka's ears. Eyes widening, Ayaka quickly rushed toward the source of the noise. Paimon was there which meant so was the…
"Traveler," Ayaka whispered under her breath, sprinting into the room. "Hello, have either of you seen Thoma?" Stay calm, Ayaka.
"No, we thought he'd be with you! Why, has something happened?" Paimon's innocent answer left dread pooling in Ayaka. She locked eyes with the Traveler and understanding bloomed in their eyes. They made a move as if to reach out and comfort her, but stopped halfway when she ducked her head down to hide the wetness of her eyes.
"Then it's as I feared… On the way here, I heard that Thoma had been taken away by the Tenryou Commission," Ayaka said, surprised at how calm she managed to keep her voice. "I wasn't certain whether it was true, so I came right here. The fact that he hasn't arrived here as we arranged suggests that it is true. The Raiden Shogun is holding a Vision Hunt Ceremony at the Statue of the Omnipresent God today, to mark the 100th Vision seized under the decree. And the 100th Vision bearer in question…" Ayaka took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "The one who will have their Vision seized, I fear… is Thoma."
A silence settled over the room as the Traveler and Paimon took in what she just said. Ayaka couldn't stand the silence, hearing nothing but the roaring in her ears and the pounding thumping of her heart.
"Hold up a second… So the ceremony that Thoma said the Tenryou Commission were busy preparing for… that was this Vision Hunt Ceremony? And he was the target all along?"
"...I believe so. The shogun and the Tenryou Commission see the ceremony as a milestone. With the 100th Vision, they wish to mark the success of the Vision Hunt Decree to date," as the words left her mouth, resolve flooded through Ayaka. She would not, could not, abandon Thoma. "...This cannot happen. I must go and rescue him!"
Taroumaru barked three times in response. What he was trying to say, Ayaka was too preoccupied to try and decipher.
"Stay calm," the Traveler said, opening their mouth for the first time.
"Yeah! Like it or not, you represent the whole Yashiro Commission. So if you go and pull a stunt like that, you're basically declaring you and the Raiden Shogun are enemies now, right? And by doing it so publicly, you might be implicating a lot of other people from the Yashiro Commission, too…" Paimon trailed off as she saw the sharp look Ayaka gave her.
Deep down, Ayaka knew what Paimon said was logical, but she couldn't get herself to care. "There is no other option… I must act with haste– the ceremony is about to begin. I will not abandon Thoma like this. He is my friend! To think that not long ago, we were… all eating hotpot together…" Ayaka blinked fiercely, willing the Traveler to understand where she was coming from. Surely they wouldn't tell her to abandon Thoma…
"He is my friend, too. I will save him."
Ayaka's eyes widened in shock. "But–"
"You said it yourself. No time to delay," the Traveler's voice held no room for argument.
Ayaka bit her lip, knowing the Traveler would not back down, and Thoma needed them to act fast. "...Okay, I'll… wait here for your return. Get back safely."
"Don't worry, Ayaka. A friend's life is on the line– we ain't about to mess this up!" Paimon placed her hands on her hips in that way she always did to show she was serious.
Ayaka nodded, watching as they rushed past her and out the door. It's not just Thoma I'm worried about…
