Chapter Two: What To Do Now?
Hinahoho laughed hysterically as he spoke, "They paid so little attention to you that is was really funny."
The Imuchakk's statement had the purplenette laughing hysterically as well, "It was hilarious, wasn't it, Hina?!"
Tettia snickered quietly as she continued to eat her kabab. "It was rather funny…" she muttered.
Sinbad sighed as he ate. "I didn't think the knights would be so unaccommodating," he said fairly disappointedly.
The young Sinbad's statement had Tettia, Tora, and Ja'far shocked by his dense observation of why what happened happened. "Of course they're like that, moron! They're the motherfucking governing organization that protects this kingdom," exclaimed Tora, almost choking on her food.
"Even if we get kicked out of the country, you can't complain if they're rude. Keep that in mind…" said Ja'far quickly.
Sighing once again, Sinbad said, "Ok. I'll definitely get in next time. My intuition says I can do it!"
Tettia's head snapped towards the young purple-haired man with blank eyes. "Oh really? Is your intuition anything like Tora's? Because if so, I hate to tell you, but you're sorely mistaken," she said.
Launching herself over the table (Tettia was sitting to the left of Sinbad, next to Hinahoho, and Tora sat in front of Tettia and Sinbad), Tora attempted to drop-kick her best friend; however, Tettia dodged the attack, sending Tora crashing into the table behind them. "MOTHERFUCKER!" shrieked Tora as she crashed into the table with a loud BAM!.
Looking over her shoulder, Tettia was smirking. "You okay there, Tor?" she asked in a sassy way.
"No the fuck I ain't! How are you compare my amazing intuition with that fucking moron's," yelled Tora, pointing angrily at Sinbad.
Hinahoho looked at Tora, and laughed even harder as she stomped back to her seat. "Well, you two sure are an interesting pair of friends, aren't you? Also, good, Sinbad. You gonna sneak in from the back? I'll help," he said, holding his cup of alcohol.
Tettia narrowed her eyes at Tora, replying to the purplenette's statement with a hiss, "Your amazing intuition is what got us in this situation to begin with; how can you say your intuition is better than his?!" After she said that, she turned her crimson gaze to Hinahoho as she answered his statement, "Also, yes, Hinahoho: we are an interesting pair of friends. I'll help too, Sin."
"I said I was sorry, bitch! You really think I expected THISto happen?! No! I didn't! My intuition is still better than Capt'n Moron over there! I will also lend my fucking help to that Moron," exclaimed the purplenette, throwing her hands into the air.
Sinbad laughed at the duo's interactions, then replied to Hinahoho, "No, I want to enter fair and square! I won't do anything underhanded."
Violent jabbing his fork-full of meat at Sinbad, the young white-haired child exclaimed, "Are you listening to me, Sin?! I'm telling you to stop provoking the knights. Stop going along with him, Lord Hinahoho, Miss Tettia, and Miss Tora!"
Slapping her hands onto the table and standing up, Tora looked threateningly at the young white-haired boy. "You wanna fucking go?! I'm not afraid to throw down with a ten-year-old! I don't give a FUCK," she exclaimed angrily.
"Tora, eat your meat," said Tettia.
"FUCK YOU!" exclaimed an agitated purplenette.
Tettia looked at her best friend and with a heavy sigh said, "That's not your job, Tor. That's nobody's job, currently."
Tora groaned loudly and sat down. "God I hate you sometimes! With your smart-assry bullshit," she hissed.
"But at the end of the day, you love me. Also, Jaffy, calm down. For us foreigners, leaving the trading facility — or rather, this designated area — at night is strictly forbidden. Meaning that we can't and won't do anything," said Tettia, looking at Ja'far with a smile.
Ja'far ruffled his own hair. "That's what I was trying to say. We can only act during the day, so it's impossible to make progress with the knights now…" he spoke, almost growling.
Stuffing his face, Sinbad spoke, "…don't be so pessimistic, Ja'far. We're foreigners here. But, compared to the streets, there's plenty of food to eat; we've got warm beds, too. This country seems strict, but living like this isn't so bad. No need to rush things. Why not negotiate patiently with the knights?"
The two females looked at the young purple-haired man in surprise. "You guys lived on the streets?!" exclaimed the red-head.
"Dude, I never knew that's how you lived," said Tora.
"Sin…" said Ja'far.
"Besides…" began Sinbad as a Sasan woman came to take empty plates away. "It'd be a shame to have too little exposure here… Sasan's women are full of modest beauty," he finished, looking at the beautiful and modest retreating Sasan woman.
Everyone was not surprised by the young man's statement. "…women, huh?" mumbled Hinahoho and Tettia as they stuffed their faces with meat, the latter seemed saddened by the purple-haired man's comment. "…is was the women?" mumbled a blank-faced white-haired boy. Tora glared lazily at the young moron. "You say that when you have a pretty young lady right beside you, really? You really are stupid… just like you always are…" she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.
The half-Fanalis mumbled something incoherently in a flat, uncaring tone. It was then that Tettia noticed someone hiding behind some barrels. She propped her head up with her left hand as her eyes stared at the boy.
Sinbad, after tearing his eyes away from the Sasan women, noticed Tettia's eyes gazing into the distance. "Hey, you alright, Tet? You seem to be spacing off," he asked, bringing his drink to his lips.
Lightly shaking her head side-to-side, Tettia directed her eyes at Sinbad. "Oh… yeah, I'm fine. Even if I wasn't, it is not something you should worry about," she said flatly, picking at her food. Sinbad looked at her with concern, as did Tora. Tettia directed her crimson gaze back to the boy.
The boy stealthily moved through the room, tapping on the table to the right of Sinbad. "Hey. Hey, sir… I have a favor to ask… may I share this table with you?" asked the reddish-haired boy.
Taking in his appearance, Tettia noticed how his bangs went down the left side of his face, covering his left eye. His visible red eye looked up and to the left at Sinbad. He's pretty cute, she thought to herself.
"There are plenty of open seats. You don't have to sit with us," explained Sinbad, pointing to the overturned table behind them (the one Tora crashed into) which had been set up right.
Sighing, Tettia spoke, "Sin, what if he has something important to say, hmm? Or what if he just wants to talk to some foreigners?"
The boy nodded. "Yeah! It's like she said, I just really wanna talk with you guys!" he exclaimed. "I can't ask anyone but travelers from the outside. The people of Sasan are forbidden to visit the outside world by our doctrine. Especially for me, as a knight apprentice, the precepts are very strict… travelers! Would you please teach a knight like me about the outside world?!"
Ja'far's eyes gleamed, that was their ticket to learn about Sasan as well. The white-haired boy immediately pulled up a chair, sat the young knight down and got food for him. "Please! Sir Knight, we'll be happy to help you with anything you request: food, stories of the outside world, anything," spoke a determined Ja'far.
"Well, take a seat, have a drink," said Hinahoho as he filled up the knight's cup.
Tettia looked at the knight with a sweet smile. "You're pretty cute," she said.
Her best friend snickered, "He is fairly cute, Tet!"
Sinbad raise his hand and exclaimed, "Miss! Please bring us some more!"
"Knight! If we can build a relationship here, we could gain a foothold into the Sasan Knights… right, Sin?" whispered the young Ja'far to Sinbad.
Sinbad gave a thumbs up and whispered back, "Yeah! Let's go!"
When the woman came back, she exclaimed, picking up the young knight, "Hey! This facility is for foreigners. Normal citizens, especially knights, aren't allowed in here! How many times do I have to tell you?!"
The young knight replied, "I know, but just for a little…"
"NO! Please think of your position! You're not just a knight… you're… you're the son of the Knight King, right?!" exclaimed the woman.
Everyone, but Sinbad, exclaimed in confusion, "Son of the Knight King?!" Sinbad exclaimed that with the biggest grin.
Setting the young knight down after punching him in head, the woman said, "He is Mystras. The son of the current Knight King, Darius."
Mystras smiled nervously and said, "I'm a candidate for the next Knight King."
Tettia and Tora smiled stupidly and looked at the Knight King Candidate. "Oh, even though I know that, I still find you really cute," said the half-Fanalis.
Mystras blushed and smiled at her. "Thank you, ma'am," he said.
"Oh please, call me Tet. My name is Tettia, but please call me Tet, cutie."
The young knight nodded, still smiling, "Okay, I will… Tet."
"If they found out you were here, Lord Mystras, it will considered a violation of your precepts and you'll be scolded by the Knights. So go on… go home. And stop talking so friendly-like with foreigners, they're not like us," exclaimed the woman.
"No, I don't wanna! I worked hard sneaking into this place! What do precepts and doctrine have to do with it?! I'm not going back until I get to hear about the outside world! Why would I stop talking to them, they all seem plenty friendly… especially Tet," exclaimed Mystras.
The woman was taken aback, "Wh-what are you saying?! You're a Knight…"
Sinbad grabbed the woman's hand and spoke sweetly, "He just wants to hear our stories, and we're happy to get a chance to speak with a Knight. Could you overlook this… just for a little while longer…" He smiled a sweet, charming smile that had the woman blushing.
"O-only for a little while," muttered the blushing woman.
The purple-haired man was thankful, "Thanks, miss."
Tora and Hinahoho crossed their arms over their chests. "As expected from Sin," they both said.
Ja'far stared at Sinbad and simply mumbled, "Wow…"
On the other hand, Tettia groaned irritatedly. "My fucking gods, no… this is just like that little pinkette brat," she mumbled, crossing her arms and pouting.
Quickly, Tora realized what her best friend was referring to, causing her to groan as well, "Oh fuck… you're right. I'm sorry, Tet." She put her hand on Tettia's shoulder.
"Ugh… it's fine," she muttered irritatedly.
Turning his attention to Mystras, Sinbad began, "I'm Sinbad. More specifically, the head of the Sindria Trading Company, a dungeon conqueror, and an adventurer."
Scoffing, Tettia added flatly to herself, "And a fucking womanizer, let's not forget that."
"A dungeon conqueror…? You're not just an ordinary traveler?" asked Mystras.
Realizing his name may not have spread that far, Sinbad continued, "Oh… that's right, my name hasn't traveled as far as Sasan yet. Then here, this is a book I wrote." The young man handed Mystras his book, which was a large scroll.
Mystras read the book and was amazed. "…You're the same age as me and you wrote this? Amazing! In such a confined country like Sasan, there aren't any people like you!"
The young knight's comment had the females curious. Leaning forward, closer to Mystras, Tettia asked, "And how old are you, Mystras?"
"Sixteen," quickly replied the young knight.
Tora choked on her drink; she was sent into a coughing fit, slapping the table as she pounded her fist against her chest. "Y-you're how fucking old?!" coughed the purplenette.
"He's sixteen… which means that Sin… you're…?" questioned Tettia, unbelievingly.
Sinbad looked at the duo with a confused smile. "Yeah… I'm sixteen. How old are you two?" he asked.
"Nineteen," replied Tettia.
"Twenty," said Tora.
Mystras continued to read. After the trio's age conversation, Sinbad turned his attention back to the young knight. "Well, anyway… do you dislike Sasan, Mystras?" he asked.
The red-haired knight said slowly as he was reading, "…I don't know… if it's dislike… in this country. There's no freedom to decide your own way of living, and everyone's so serious and stuffy that it's boring. If I have to live in this confined country, I'd rather die breathing freely in the wide world."
"… I see," said Sinbad with a tender smile. "Then, in honor of meeting each other… I'll let you enjoy a breath of fresh air!" He drew his sword.
"Huh?" questioned Mystras.
Tettia noticed Sinbad drawing his sword. "Sin. Sinbad, no! Put your fucking sword up, right now!"
"You're not my mother," he replied, activating his Djinn. "Anyhow, it's not just a story in a book. I'll personally tell you. The tale of the adventures of Sinbad… begins now!"
Both the purplenette and her red-head friend rolled their eyes collectively. "At least this should be interesting. I never knew how Sin started out," said Tettia.
"Neither did I," agreed Tora.
Sinbad smiled at the girls and started, "Through many years, a man traveled the oceans and new lands throughout the world. He conquered a dungeon shrouded in mystery, becoming the first adventurer to obtain a great spiritual power. His name was…"
Mystras had left, and Tettia was actually entranced by Sinbad's story. "That was… actually a really good story, Sin," she said.
"Story!? Tet! That all happened!" exclaimed the young purple-haired man.
Tora yawned loudly, drawing attention to herself. "Can we go to bed?" she asked.
Snickering, Tettia replied, "You're always tired, Tora."
"Piss off, Tet! Despite me being hella tired, I can still kick your ass! I am going to go cuddle with our little killjoy Ja'far," spoke the tired purplenette.
The young killjoy looked at Tora with wide obsidian eyes. "I never said you're sleeping in my room, Tora!"
Glaring at the young boy, Tora replied, "Well, I am, end of story. Tet is staying with Captain Moron."
Tettia blushed at her best friend's proclamation. "WHY?! We just met today, Tora! Shouldn't I stay with you?! I've known you longer!" exclaimed the half-Fanalis hysterically.
"You'll be staying in Captain Moron's room because I want to fucking cuddle with little Ja'far. End of story! Now, let's go to damn bed."
Tettia awkwardly laid in the bed, facing the young Sinbad. Her face was scarlet as her eyes stared at the back of Sinbad's head. "I can't fucking believe Tora sent us back in time! Sinny's sixteen years old… what the hell? I am three years older than him now… he's not older than me now… at least he's closer to my age. I have more of a chance with him now…" the half-Fanalis mumbled almost silently.
Shifting in his sleep, Sinbad flipped over on his left side, so that his front half faced the half-Fanalis. Tettia blushed even more as she took in his sleeping face. "How can he still be so handsome…? Was he born this handsome or something…? I still can't believe a sixteen-year-old Sinny is just as attractive as his thirty-one-year-old counterpart. Fifteen years younger… and three years after our marriage prank, this idiot womanizer still makes my heart bound… almost as much as Ali did…" she mumbled to herself, reaching out with her left hand to touch Sinbad's face.
Laughing silently to herself, Tettia spoke once again, "… I shouldn't be embarrassed to lay in bed with Sinny… it's not my first time, retrospectively… but it's my first time with a Sinny that doesn't know me well…"
The warmth of an unknown hand on his cheek stirred Sinbad from his sleep. Sleepily opening his eyes, he was met with teary crimson orbs. Furrowing his brows in confusion, he asked in a groggy voice, "Tet…? Are you okay…?"
Upon hearing his voice, Tettia jerked her hand away from his cheek, placing it close to her chest. "I-I'm sorry… did I wake you up, Sinbad?" she asked quietly, a hint of underlying embarrassment in her tone.
"It was the warmth of your hand on my cheek that woke me up," he said, smiling sweetly at her.
She frowned, damn her urge to touch Sinbad's face. "I apologize, Sinbad," she muttered.
Placing his right hand on top of her left hand, the moonlight shone through the window and highlighted the young woman's crimson eyes. Sinbad noticed and appreciated the moonlight. "It's perfectly okay, Tet. Now… care to tell me why I woke up to your beautiful eyes bearing tears?" he asked, his voice still quite groggy.
Blushing as he practically held her hand, Tettia looked away from him and mumbled, "…it was nothing… I was just thinking about somebody I used to know…"
"And that made you upset? Why would it make you upset, Tet?" he questioned.
Shaking her head, Tettia replied, "It does not really make me upset… it just has me missing him. He's very similar to you, Sinbad. Very handsome like yourself, he even helped me with a prank a while ago."
Sinbad looked at the red-head, smiled sweetly and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist (basically hugging her while laying down). "I'm sure he misses you, too, Tet. You're a very lovely young women and I'm sure he misses you just the same," he tried to comfort her.
Tettia wrapped her arms his shoulders, essentially hugging him back. "That's exactly what he would say," she exclaimed and buried her head into his chest.
Smiling down at her, Sinbad began to stroke/play with her hair. "Is it now? Well, then I guess I really am like him, huh?" he asked, still stroking her red hair. Sinbad noticed Tettia's pleasurable little sigh when he started playing with her semi-wavy hair; he smiled to himself and whispered, "So you like it when your hair's played with, yes?"
The half-Fanalis squeaked quietly as a response. HOW DID HE —?! WHY DID HE START PLAYING WITH MY HAIR?! mentally screamed a hysteric Tettia, embarrassed her weakness was found out so easily. "A-aye…" she whispered back.
"You're so cute, Tet. Remind me to do this more often… and to have you share a bed with me so I can do this more," he chuckled.
Tettia blushed more and nuzzled her face against his chest. "Fuck you…" she muttered.
"I might do that with you later," he retorted, a smirk on his lips.
Looking up, her crimson eyes were wide and her face was a tomato. "D-don't joke like that, Sinbad!"
"Who said I was joking?" he answered.
"At least get to know me better!" whisper-yelled Tettia.
Smiling, Sinbad agreed, "Fine. I will."
Fuck me running… thought the half-Fanalis, succumbing to sleep induced by her hair being played with, finally.