A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession.
–Albert Camus
Brittle are the cages of bone that encompass the aorta, lined with openings that strain against their guard of flesh. The searing palpitations threaten to break through the marrow, each harsh beat slamming against the bars for escape. Throat and lungs forget how to breathe, swallowing and sputtering the same air through parched lips and parted teeth.
The consumption of air had never sounded so harmonious to the trio before that moment. The relief that encompassed them was nearly palpable as Ib continued to breathe evenly in Garry's arms. However, the lingering fear had not yet left them. The brunette's near true death was only a reminder of the danger that still awaited them and that they're lives were not a given.
Luno used his arm to wipe his face, sniffling a bit, before surveying Ib's face. It was still rather pale and the blood was still shockingly noticeable. He scooted closer on his haunches to get a better look at where the blood could have stemmed from. The other two only watched as he lightly brushed aside parts of Ib's hair to locate the source, and couldn't help the fear that followed the look Luno made when he found it.
"H-how bad is it?" Amelia shakily asked.
"It's not too deep, but she's going to need stitches. I can do that myself, but we need to get back to shore and get her body back to a normal temperature." Luno responded, trying to keep calm. He made eye-contact with Garry before saying, "I'm going to need you to help Amelia get us back."
The two teens stared at each other before Garry gently shifted Ib into Luno's arms, "I trust you."
Had it been any other situation, Luno would have been touched. The two teens would have shared a look overflowing with trust and understanding, and while the look they did share had those, it also contained fear.
Luno averted his gaze, unable to keep looking at Garry, at the hope and expectations that flickered in his slate eyes, and all the expectations weighing down on his shoulders. Though it wasn't Garry or Amelia's faults, Luno had an easier time looking at Ib despite the dried blood on her face because she didn't demand anything other than his focused attention and experience with first-aid.
He took out the floral clip that was still loosely clinging to her hair and used it to pin back the right side of her bangs. This allowed him to see the cut that just peaked out before Ib's hairline and extended back vertically about an inch in length clearly. The cut was crusted with dried blood, but the wound itself looked free from the black goop and coagulated.
Luno gingerly propped Ib up against him to get a better angle on the wound. His hands then worked behind her back to sterilize another needle with a disinfectant he kept in his sewing kit, reminiscent of the days he often had to stitch up his sister's injuries. She got hurt so often back then that it became second nature for him to carry around some medical supplies for convenience.
The jarring of the boat caused Luno to refocus on the task at hand. He threaded the needle and prayed that Ib wouldn't feel the pain or wake up screaming before he started the stitches. Luno's hands stopped shaking after the third time the needle sutured the laceration, falling into the familiar feeling of bringing disconnected fabric together, though this fabric was an organ instead of something inanimate. He pretended not to notice.
Halfway through, Luno let out a breath of air in relief that he didn't seem to be causing Ib any pain, though he knew it wouldn't last. He knew that time would be of the essence when Ib finally did wake because he had been both blessed and cursed with knowledge from the journals he had read. How he wished at that moment that he could be as ignorant as his other companions. Perhaps then he wouldn't feel so guilty for not arriving sooner.
Once they got back to shore, found shelter, and gotten situated Luno knew he would have to tell them of the severity of the situation – the time limit they would be under once Ib awoke. Despite knowing it was horrible, Luno wished Ib would continue sleeping until they had figured out a plan. He didn't want her to end up like the other people who fell into The Lake of Sleep.
He finished the last stitch and cut off the excess thread before Luno leaned against the stern, still propping Ib up against him to give her cold body some semblance of warmth. His eyes closed in exhaustion, relieved that his work was over for the moment. Luno knew that he wasn't a doctor or nurse so there would likely be complications, that Ib would likely be in pain when she woke up, and that she would have to wait until they got back to their present Nivis Alba for proper treatment and painkillers. Luno knew, but he moved it aside temporarily to idly listen to the grunts Garry and Amelia gritted out as a result of the sheer effort it took to tear the blades of their oars out of the water and their labored breathing before plunging the oar back into the thick water to restart the strenuous process.
Hearing them, Luno felt that he also needed to be doing something. He chose to think, trying to sort everything out that had happened and search for possible solutions or plans, but his suspicions about Soaru kept popping up. Granted, he knew Soaru was no final antagonistic boss, but there was something about his behavior that didn't sit well with him. Additionally, Soaru also had the same black substance from the lake on him. However, Luno wasn't sure if he was just reading too much into Soaru's behavior. The poor guy was probably confused and terrified and could have walked into something that caused the lake water to rub off on him.
Though he tried, Luno couldn't convince himself that this was true.
The lake water was black, sticky, and coated whatever it came into contact with. The stream water had been pure, perhaps even sanitary enough to drink from in any other setting, save for a few spots where the lake water had been. Even the foliage around the area was spotless. If the lake water let out into the stream, it should have also been contaminated; however, if there was some purifying system then that could explain the stream's purity and even impurity. The impurity could have just been a slip through the purifier that wasn't caught. Luno didn't believe that though. This space they were in barely made sense, so something as logical as the water being purified wasn't a likely solution, especially because the space was "frozen" in time and, while he didn't know if this included the flowing of water, likely meant the lake wasn't moving through its natural processes. Another possibility could be that the contamination was unique only to the lake. The water back at the inn had been clean and usable, after all.
His thoughts begged the question how had the black goop gotten into the stream and on those twigs in the forest? It was also connected to the questions why was the substance on Soaru and why did Soaru seem weary of going to the lake?
Luno opened his eyes, if Soaru had been the one to track the black water into the forest in the first place, then that would mean Soaru had been at the lake before entering the forest. The lake residue on his clothes, the coating on the stream and twigs from him either walking through it or trying to clean it off in the stream would answer how the substance got there, but why would he be weary of going back to the lake? Regardless, Luno couldn't be certain it was Soaru as he didn't know much about the properties of the lake water – such as if it was still sticky after prolonged periods of time.
He would need to gather more information or clues. Besides, he had a hard time believing Soaru would have left Ib behind if he had seen her fall into the water. Sure, the guy could be very indecisive, but he wouldn't go leaving someone to perish – right?
'But, then again, you're pretty good at abandoning people, just like you did to your father when you found out he was gay.' The very words he threw in Soaru's face just the day before resurfaced. It had been a low blow that Luno wasn't proud of, though it had felt sickeningly good to finally hurt Soaru's feelings after he had hurt theirs, because he knew that Soaru had had his own reasons and circumstances for leaving his father behind; however, he couldn't help but wonder if Soaru had it in him to abandon someone else.
Luno sighed to himself. At this stage in the game, he couldn't go doubting his friends, even those who didn't consider him much of a friend anymore. He cursed Ida for messing everything up, not caring about his religion's teachings on forgiveness – he was tired of always being worried and afraid. He knew only so much about treating wounds and he only had so much medical supplies. When they got back to school, he would need to brush up more on his first-aid and restock on supplies, just in case.
God, he wanted a latte. He didn't care how selfish that sounded, he needed some espresso shots to keep himself from falling apart. Just for good measure, he would ask for extra whipped cream…and some of those brown sprinkles he could never remember the name of, too. The blond suddenly had an even better idea; he would just buy two lattes with extra espresso and whipped cream and sprinkles – perfect. With fall descending upon the school, he supposed he could get a hot latte but, then again, it was still primarily warm so perhaps he should get it iced. The bench he often used when he worked was set up closer to the entrance, which for some reason was always cold, so he leaned more towards a hot latte. Just thinking about the caffeinated beverages he would indulge in helped him to feel more awake and alert.
Realizing how off topic he was, Luno pushed all latte thoughts aside after making a note in the back of his head to solve his internal latte conflict another time.
He took a look around and noted how they were very close to shore, which was heightened by the details he could make out on Soaru's figure in the distance. The Japanese teen seemed to be dragging his feet and his hands were fidgeting, but he was coming towards where the boat would likely dock on the beach. Luno tried to lock eyes with him when he could finally see his face clearly, but the other teen wouldn't hold his gaze for long.
When the boat finally came to a halt on the pallid sand of the shoreline, Soaru was there waiting for them. The tension in the teens body was so coiled that he nearly fell over when Amelia screamed a long sigh, stretching her arms and back while standing up.
"Rowing through that goo was rough," Amelia lamented as she stretched her arms, wincing at the resulting pops and cracks. "My arms felt like they were going to fall off."
"At least we made it," Garry said in agreement while he gripped his left shoulder and rotated it forward to work out the kinks before swapping sides to do the other shoulder. Once finished, Garry stepped off the boat and helped Amelia down first before taking Ib at Luno's insistence that he could get out of the boat just fine on his own.
"I-is she alright?" Soaru asked when he looked at Ib.
"She's breathing." Luno watched Soaru sigh in relief at his statement.
"It's fortunate that you made it in time," Soaru spoke up, but quickly realized he shouldn't have said that last part with the way their faces seemed to become downcast.
"Yeah, we were real lucky this time," Amelia's voice lacked its usual playfulness. "But Luno had to stitch her up on the way back."
"Speaking of that, we need to find shelter and get her back to a stable temperature. She felt rather cold from being in the water." Luno pointed out.
"Could she still get hypothermia?" Amelia anxiously questioned with wide eyes before realizing he was serious.
"She does feel rather cold," Garry worriedly said. He gripped Ib a little closer to him, his mind racing as to what to do. "If there was a fireplace or simply a safe spot with something burnable, I could light a fire."
Before Amelia could question if Garry had been a boy scout, Soaru unintentionally cut her off. "There's a house not too far from here…I could show you the way, if you want."
Amelia jumped at the chance and Garry agreed, his shoulders slightly relaxing at the news, but Luno's brows only furrowed as did his suspicions.
They followed Soaru further up the beach and into the forest, almost surprised that the trek lasted what felt like merely fifteen minutes, possibly twenty, before they arrived at a stone thatched house that was nearly hidden by towering elm trees, most coated in moss. Despite the dimness of the area that contorted the ivy clinging to sections of the stone into shadowy hands, the two-story house itself was rather pleasant to look at.
"There's a fireplace in the room to the left." Soaru informed them before opening the wooden door, which was miraculously unlocked. "I'll go grab some wood from out back."
"Alright," Luno responded before following Garry and Amelia inside, but he cast a glance back at Soaru's retreating figure until it disappeared around the corner.
The room they entered was rather homey with light oak walls and a patterned carpet that covered most of the wooden flooring. There were upholstered chairs and even a chaise lounge adorning the room along with a few other items of furniture.
"It sure isn't a sofa, but this should do," Amelia looked back at them before pushing the chaise lounge closer to the fireplace. "You go on ahead and start that fire, I'm going to see if I can find her a change of clothes."
"That's a good idea. Her clothes are rather damp." Luno remarked as Garry gently laid Ib down.
"Will you both be alright in my absence?" Amelia watched the tall teen flick open his lighter and ignite the bits of wood left in the fireplace.
"Going to need more wood soon—"Garry paused, eyes narrowed as he watched something in the fireplace for a moment. Finally, he turned to the other two still perplexed. "That black lake water is burning."
"Garry, you must be seeing things," Amelia said in disbelief as she and Luno walked closer. They followed Garry's line of sight to see that the black water that coated parts of the wood was in fact not evaporating, but actually burning.
Amelia reared back, "Did someone spike that water at the inn, because I'm seeing it, too."
"Yes, because that's what this all is – an acid trip," Garry sarcastically remarked.
"Well, that would certainly explain your snippiness." Amelia teased before looking over at Luno. "Are you seeing this too, or was it really just the water?"
"It's real, and it probably has something to do with the whole black substance coating the water." He looked away from the anomaly before him. "At least we now know that it's flammable."
"Highly," Amelia tacked on before heading out of the room. "Be back in a jiffy."
"The likelihood of finding something that fits Ib should be unlikely," Luno remarked out loud.
Garry nodded in agreement, but decided to just let Amelia occupy herself. The amount of rowing, running, and emotional turmoil that he had undergone in a small matter of time had left him feeling exhausted. He would love to just have some peace, even if only for a minute.
He sunk to the floor and leaned back against the chaise lounge, resting his head on the cushioned upholstery. A shiver coursed through him when the fire started to warm only his legs, which left the rest of him feeling colder than normal. "I can't wait to get back and put on some actual clothes."
Luno walked over to the writing desk on Garry's left and nodded in agreement, "it's suitable for the festival, but definitely not for all the running we've been doing."
"At this rate, we'll all be repaying the fashion department." Garry sighed at the truth of his own statement. His sister was going to kill him when she received the bill.
"Yeah, that's going to be a hefty bill. Our clothes are singed, you have a rip in yours from that talon, Amelia's missing her corsage and the back of her left leg stocking is torn, the ends of Soaru's yukata are stained, and Ib…she's missing her shoes." Luno listed, blinking when he realized that last one.
Garry turned his head to the right and saw that Ib really wasn't wearing shoes. "Probably fell off in the water."
"Seems that way," Luno said before looking back at the writing desk, specifically at some of the black substance that was on the stool. He knelt down and gently touched it with his index finger. The substance that he knew to be rather sticky was dry and didn't rub off on his hand when he proceeded to touch it a few more times.
"That's strange, that black water is on the stool over here, but it's dry." Garry looked over at him curiously.
"Does that mean it's not actually water?"
"I'm not sure. When I fixed Ib's rose the substance disappeared, but she was then damp." Luno narrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Perhaps bits of water are mixed into the substance or the substance itself is a perverted form of water?"
Garry shrugged, "In a way, I'm not sure that it matters."
"Maybe not in the grand scheme of things, but the fact that the substance is dried here indicates that it can dry after a prolonged period of time. Think about it, Garry, the twigs we found coated in the lake water and the bits floating in the stream were still sticky – do you know what that means?"
"That they hadn't dried…?" Garry guessed, wondering just what the importance of whether or not the weird lake goo was dry or not was.
Luno began to start making gestures and pace in front of the writing desk as he talked, "Yes, they hadn't dried, meaning that they were fresh – someone had tracked it all the way into the forest from the lake recently."
"Okay, but there's only us here…right?" Garry hesitated, looking at Luno in slight fear that there could be some dangerous person or thing walking around at that moment.
"There's nothing that indicates otherwise," Luno responded before getting back to his point. "Meaning, it had to be one of us who tracked the water into the forest. You and Amelia couldn't have, and I didn't either. Evidently, we didn't have any on us from before finding the lake."
"That would just leave Soaru seeing as how Ib certainly couldn't have."
Luno sighed, "I was afraid of that."
Garry felt a pit in his stomach and his throat felt tight as the implications that his friend was making started to dawn on him. He sat up and turned to face the blond, "what exactly are you getting at?"
"I just hope my suspicions turn out to be wrong." He responded solemnly.
Silence encompassed the two, save for the crackling of the fire as it continued to burn its limited supply of kindle. Both wrapped themselves up in their thoughts. Luno focused on his suspicions while Garry refocused back on Ib. When she woke up, he was going to tell her about how Amelia was going to teach them baseball and how, without her and Luno's guidance, he and Amelia were the most reckless partners in crime. He would make sure to highlight how Amelia broke into an unlocked farmhouse but, most importantly, he would make sure she knew how much she meant to him.
It would be a long talk that Amelia and Luno would likely interrupt to interject some tidbits of, most likely embarrassing, information that Garry would rather Ib not hear. That's what they would focus on – things they had been able to walk away from.
"I'm going to go see if Soaru needs help with that wood." Luno said before exiting the room to find the other male, thoughts racing with implications. He wanted to confront Soaru without worrying the other two – especially if he was wrong like he hoped he was.
Luno walked past the front door to the dining room, which was also homely like the sitting room but also bigger than what was needed for only two people, if the legend was anything to go by. Deciding the size wasn't important, he entered the kitchen. The kitchen was narrow but long, stretching out on either side of him. Cooking utensils and pans hung neatly from the wall with nearly perfect organization. He peered out one of the windows into the backyard, spotting a well and a hatchet buried within a clean cut stump, a few pieces of lumber neatly placed next to it.
Finally, Luno spotted Soaru near a lumber shed. He was bent down with his back facing the window. It was an innocent scene, enough to shake Luno into second-guessing himself. Pressing his forehead against the cool glass, he closed his eyes and rethought of all the evidence he had collected in order to remind himself that he couldn't ignore what had happened. He had decided to confront Soaru by himself after his conversation with Garry. The lavenderette had started to catch on, but it was likely he just couldn't fathom the possibility and then there was Amelia, she would be worse, much worse, because she knew Soaru. While he loved how Amelia always looked for the best in just about everyone, he also knew how devastated she would be if Soaru had really done what Luno thought he had.
However, Luno was only human, too. Soaru had been his friend and he didn't want to believe it either. Sure, he'd connected better with Liam and Dmitri, but unlike the latter he didn't feel pressured to put Soaru's happiness before his own – they were equals.
Luno took the memories of their friendship, his anger towards him, and any sympathy he had for Soaru and tried to cram it deep down inside of him. He owed it to everyone, including himself, to be a fair judge, even if he would have to come across as the 'bad cop' in the beginning.
Luno opened his eyes and headed outside.
If Soaru heard the screen door open or close, he didn't give any indication. His arms just continued to look through the lumber shed, sometimes pulling a piece out to stack in his lap with the others.
When he got closer, Luno's eyes locked onto the bottom of Soaru's yukata that was stained black. By then, he knew the other teen could hear him approaching, but just wasn't saying anything. He knelt down next to him, glancing at the five logs placed in the other's lap before looking at the neatly lined and stacked wood inside the shed. "The fire is dying pretty fast. I'll grab another five and we should have enough to last a while."
"You're probably right," Soaru quietly remarked. He adjusted the stack in his arms before standing up to go back inside. "I hadn't realized how long it's been."
"Or are you just avoiding us?" Luno questioned and then watched Soaru tense next to him. "Perhaps the reason why is related to where you got that stain on your yukata?"
"I-I…f-forest, it's just mud from the forest." He tried to explain, but stopped when Luno reached out to touch part of the stain before drawing back.
Luno stood up and turned to him before raising his hand to make sure Soaru could clearly see the black smudges that now adorned the blond's fingers. "I think we both know that's a lie."
"W-what are you t-talking about?" Soaru asked, taking a hesitant step back.
Luno took a step forward, "Isn't this house pretty strange? It's camouflaged so well by the forest, but you knew exactly where it was, you even knew where the firewood was – granted that could have been a lucky guess because most wood is kept in the backyard, but you also knew which room had the fireplace."
"Garry, Amelia, and I can attest that the substance on the bottom of your yukata is only found at the lake."
"But we found some in that stream." Soaru pointed out a bit more confidently.
"While that is true, I learned something not too long ago. This substance is capable of drying out after long periods of time. The fact that it was still sticky meant that it was fresh, just like your yukata." Soaru watched Luno take out two twigs from his yukata and drag his fingers along the branch, some of the black substance coming off onto them, which he then rubbed together, "Meaning that you were the one to track it into the stream, probably in an attempt to wash it off, but you couldn't get it all."
Luno looked directly at him, "you were there at the lake when Ib fell, weren't you?"
Soaru held tighter to the wood, furiously shaking his head, "You're wrong!"
"You just left her there, didn't you?" Luno's hands balled into fists at his side, a wave of pure fury prompted him to yell, "you let her die!"
"W-what do you mean? She's still alive…"
"She – Ib was dead when we got there, I fixed the rose…but she wasn't breathing... Amelia had to administer CPR…it almost didn't work" Luno looked down when he talked. It hurt his chest just to remember how lifeless Ib had been and how he had almost lost hope when fixing the rose seemed to do nothing.
The sound of wood crashing to the ground made Luno snap to attention. Before him Soaru had dropped to his knees, eyes wide, and voice fragile when he spoke, "No, that – that can't be…"
Luno wasn't prepared for the waterworks that followed, "I-I…it's all my fault. If I had just looked behind me when I heard that sound…I didn't know…I couldn't have known that it – oh G-God, it was I-Ib. S-she was that s-sound…and I…I just left."
He covered his face and hunched over on his knees, "I'm sorry…why…why didn't I just look behind me?"
Luno leaned down and touched the other's shoulder, "Soaru, what happened?"
"W-when that thing pushed me I fell through this doorway and onto the shore further up from the pier. I got up and – and nothing made sense. I was so thirsty, but I couldn't drink the water—it wouldn't come off," Soaru uncovered his face to shakily stare down at his hands as if he could still see the black goo on them. "I wiped it off on the bottom of my yukata, but not all of it came off. I wanted to go back to the festival and forget everything, but then I heard someone scream and I - I thought it was that thing coming after me so I…I ran away." Soaru took a few shaky breaths before he continued, "I found the stream and tried to wash off some of the lake water, but not all of it would come off. I wandered past this house without realizing it, far out into the forest where I – I saw that thing walking up these red-carpeted stairs into a building. She looked over at me and I ran away again, which is when I found the house, but I didn't stay long; I just wanted to go back to school. I went back to the lake and wondered around the forest until I finally got to the bridge…I was so relieved to see you all."
"But then I screwed it up because I was afraid…I even said such awful things to Garry."
Luno nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you did."
"Is…is Ib going to be alright?" Soaru asked. He recalled how she looked on the beach, dried blood on her face, the sutures peeking onto her forehead, and how small she had looked wrapped in Garry's arms, and knew he had played a hand in it because he had left her behind.
"That'll depend on us…I haven't told the others, but there's a chance she could die again if we don't hurry up and get out of this place." Luno cautiously responded. He glanced over at the house before looking back at the other teen. "We should get back inside before that fire dies out."
"Luno, are you going to tell them about what I did?"
Luno took a moment to look thoughtful before responding, "No, not unless I need too. If you had purposefully left her there I would have. Think of it as my way of apology for what I said to you the other day."
Soaru stared at him for a moment, flabbergasted, "How do you all manage to stay so strong?"
Luno almost laughed, "Realistically, we're all terrified, but we end up putting on a brave face in order to protect each other and ourselves." He walked over to the shed and picked up five pieces of lumber before making his way to the back door, Soaru hurrying to follow after him.
The sitting room had gained one more addition while they were gone. Amelia sat at the end of the chaise lounge folding up Ib's yukata. "Don't tell me you actually found clothes that fit her." Luno said as soon as he took in the scene. While Amelia grinned in triumph, Garry came up behind them with a bag that he handed to her to put Ib's yukata in before doubling back to take a few of the logs from Soaru to place into the fireplace for the flame's consumption.
"Thanks for bringing some wood."
Soaru, who had just finished putting the remaining kindle neatly on the floor by the hearth where Luno had placed his own five pieces, paused as if surprised that Garry had even spoken to him.
"You're welcome." Garry gave him a small smile before turning to Amelia as she presented Ib's new clothing. "The skirt was too long so I had to cut it and I used the obi as a sash to keep it together, but nothing else was too big."
Garry looked down at Ib, who was now adorned in a plain red skirt that was cut off at her knees and a white long-sleeved shirt. A wave of nostalgia almost crippled him, his vision swimming and replaced Ib with what he could only describe as a younger version of her in a similar outfit lying on the chaise lounge. She couldn't have been more than nine or ten. He barely noticed himself slide onto the floor, his vision blurring again like an inkblot. He cradled his head with the hand not gripping the edge of the chaise lounge, remembering to breathe as his vision returned to normal, but he was left with the makings of a headache.
"Whoa, Garry, you alright there, buddy?"
"Yeah, just got a little dizzy and I thought I saw something—maybe that water was spiked," he patted Amelia's arm in assurance and pointedly ignored the look Luno sent his way.
He refocused on Ib, the girl in front of him, but he couldn't rid himself of the recognition he felt when he saw that mini-version of Ib.
"I don't take it you scrounged up any shoes, huh?" Luno directed at Amelia to dissolve the tension.
"Well, there are a few pairs in different sizes, but we'll have to wait for Ib to try them on when she wakes up to see if they fit." Amelia gestured to the multiple pairs of shoes she had neatly placed underneath the chaise lounge. "There are some men's shoes upstairs if you guys want to try them on, but they're all the same size."
"We can take a look later, right now I need to tell you all something important." Luno pulled out a few of the journals he had shown them at the inn. "We need to figure out the secret to getting out of here before Ib wakes up and starts the countdown-"
"What countdown?" Garry interrupted and glanced over at Ib in worry.
"There is a possibility that Ib could die again." Luno finally admitted. "It's mentioned in a few of these journals about what happens to those who come back from the lake. When Ib wakes up, we will be battling against time to get out of here before the lake takes Ib back."
"I-I don't understand," Amelia said, looking between everyone in search of an answer. "if it was just going to take her again, then why didn't Ib stay…dead?"
"Amelia, when I fixed the rose, Ib was still dead. You administered CPR until you resuscitated her. It's thanks to you that she's alive now." Luno pointed out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder for a moment before withdrawing. "Aside from that, it seems those who come back from the lake are only on borrowed time until they break down and go back."
"How do you know this and what do you mean by 'break down?'" Soaru voiced.
In response, Luno grabbed one of the journals that he'd shown Amelia and Garry at the inn, flipped it open to a dog-eared page, and said, "I'll just read a few of the excerpts. I think all that we want to know are in these journals, but we have to put the pieces together."
The three nodded at him and sat up attentively in their seats, ready to hear whatever those journals had in store for them.
*Omakes*
1. (In a different scenario where Luno went to get firewood and put together that Soaru was a Judas)
*Luno slams open the door and looks at Soaru sitting innocently in a wooden chair*
Luno: you *in deep demonic voic*
*Walks over and bitch slaps Soaru twice with the firewood*
2. (While Luno takes out his sewing kit to fix up Ib)
Luno: Bitch I got this, bitch I got it. I got the shit you need.
Hey guys, sorry that it's taken nearly a year for me to update. I was really busy with my first year of college, working two jobs, etc. I'm going to try to update more, maybe three times a month if able. I'm job hunting now so I do have a bit more time on hand.