A bus carried Ricardo and Lirio over a desert road. As usual, the two of them sat in the back. Lirio was currently looking through an animal picture book that Ricardo had bought for her, and Ricardo was slightly nodding-off, head tilted back but with one eye partially opened.
He had been hired for a simple job: all he had to do was find a man and shake him up so he wouldn't squeal on the hang he was ditching. However, he did not want Lirio to be tagging along with him, so he had arranged for Nadie and Ellis to meet up with them in the town he was heading towards. They were practically the only people he would trust Lirio with in his absence.
Lirio tugged at his jacket sleeve and pointed towards her book. It showed a picture of a bird with a large bill.
"Oh, what a pretty bird. Do you like it, Lirio?"
Lirio, silent as usual, just giggled and nodded her head.
"I see. So, you like… um…" Damn, what is the name of that kind of bird? Toucan? No, something similar…
"Hornbill!"
"Right, hornbill. Got it."
Though he was slightly surprised that she had spoken, it was not entirely unexpected. Since the events that transpired at Wiñay Marka, Lirio had begun to speak more often. She was far away from being able to hold conversations, but at least she strung words into meaningful sentences now. Ricardo was glad for this; he was afraid that she would never learn how to talk properly. Whenever he tried to ask what had inspired her to start speaking more, all she would do is giggle and shrug.
It had to do with what she said that one time, when Ellis and Nadie died for a moment.
Ricardo often wondered what had spurred her to speak at that moment, but figured it was probably the intensity of the situation. But the words that came out of her mouth he did not quite feel were from her, as if she had heard them from somewhere else and had repeated them, or that someone else was using her to speak.
Regardless of the reason, it had sparked something within Lirio, and she had been speaking more with every day. She even insisted that she make a recording of herself to send to Nadie and Ellis, asking them to come visit. To be honest, it was one of the happier moments of his life. Though Lirio was not his biological daughter, she might as well have been. DNA-relation or not, she was under his care, and that was all that mattered in the end.
Ricardo then thought about the relation between Ellis and Nadie.
The two of them are definitely closer than just friends. And I've seen Ellis get jealous if Nadie was spending a large amount of time talking to another man. But what exactly are they? Nadie definitely has an interest in men, but does that necessarily preclude an interest in wo- wait, wait a moment. You're jumping to conclusions, Ricardo. Why are you even interested in their personal life in the first place?
It's because I want to see the two of them happy. And from what I've seen, they're happiest when they're with each other.
And what exactly do they do when they're with each other? They definitely cuddle, that's for certain. But do they do more than that?
Forget about it. It's none of my damn business anyway.
Is the very fact that I think about it at all make me a pervert?
Ricardo felt suddenly flustered and tipped his hat over his face. Lirio looked questioningly up at him for a moment, giggled, and went back to her book.
Little did Ricardo know that what he was doing was the act of "Relationshipping", otherwise known as "Shipping". Of course, not really being involved with any online fandoms, he would not be familiar with the term. It did not change, however, the fact that he was doing it.
Ricardo tried to think of other things. He thought of what to eat for dinner. He thought of where they should stay for the night. And he thought of Hornbills.
Ellis was having that dream again. She had it several times before, and she was in it again, a clear blue sky, a golden field before her. She was younger than she was, probably around 8 or 9. She was wearing a simple white dress and simple sandals.
Where am I?
She walked forward, moving her way through paths in the field. After walking for what seemed like a very long time, she saw somebody up ahead, a young girl with long red hair with blue jewels in it, her body shrouded in a cloak.
Is that Nadie?
The girl turned around, revealing herself to be a young Nadie. She stared as Ellis for a long time.
Those eyes…. Her eyes aren't as they normally are. They're full of sadness and doubt.
ELLIS
Huh? Who's there?
ELLIS, HOW DO YOU VIEW YOUR FRIEND?
My friend? Do you mean Nadie?
HOW IS IT DO YOU SEE YOUR FRIEND? WHAT WORD WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HER?
Well… to be perfectly honest, I love her.
LOVE?
Yes, love.
BUT WHAT KIND OF LOVE IS IT?
What kind?
THERE ARE MORE KINDS OF LOVE THAN MOST LANGUAGES HAVE WORDS FOR.
Is that so? If it is, could you please describe some of them?
FROM THE ANCIENT GREEKS, WE HAVE FOUR WORDS FOR LOVE: STORGE, LOVE FOR FAMILY; PHILOS, LOVE FOR FRIENDS; EROS, ROMANTIC LOVE; AND AGAPE, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. NOW, I ASK YOU AGAIN, ELLIS: WHAT KIND OF LOVE DO YOU HAVE FOR NADIE?
Well… I… I don't…
DO YOU DOUBT YOUR FEELINGS, ELLIS?
No! No, I don't doubt them!
THEN WHY DO YOU HESITATE?
Because… I don't know… how she feels…
The image of Nadie began to shimmer and fade until it was gone.
"Nadie, wait! Nadie!"
UNTIL YOU ARE SURE OF YOUR FEELINGS, ELLIS, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HER SHALL REMAIN UNCERTAIN.
"Please! Please, give back Nadie!"
IT IS FOR YOU TO FIND THE PATH TO HER, ELLIS! NOW GO!
"Nadie… Nadie… Nadie!" muttered Ellis in her sleep. She had fallen asleep as they drove down the road again, heading towards the town where they had agreed to meet up with Ricardo to watch after Lirio. The sun was setting in the West, tingeing the desert sky a myriad of colors.
"Hm? What is it, Ellis?"
"Na… hn… huh?"
"You were speaking in your sleep, Ellis."
"I… was?"
"Yeah."
Ellis' face adopted a slight red coloration. "W-what was I saying?"
"I couldn't make out most of it, but it mostly sounded like you saying my name a lot."
"Huh?!"
"Eh, don't worry, it's nothing to be embarrassed about!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! I mean, you've caught me saying your name in a dream before, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"So see? Nothing to worry about! You were probably having a nightmare, weren't you?"
"Y-yeah, that was it."
They drove on, seeing the town they were going to be meeting Ricardo and Lirio at up ahead. After a minute or so they were within the town, searching for a "Hotel de la Luna" where Ricardo had rented a room for the two of them and Lirio for the night. After ten minutes of looking around and asking people for directions, they finally found the place. It was a fairly generic place, but looked comfortable enough. Waiting outside were the familiar forms of Ricardo and Lirio. They parked the jeep and got out, Lirio running to greet them.
"Lirio!" they jointly shouted with joy. Ellis scooped Lirio up into her arms in a big hug, after which Lirio jumped out and glomped Nadie.
"Howdy." Spoke Ricardo.
"Hey, Ricardo. What's up?" responded Nadie.
"All's good. Just going to get this business out of the way, and then Lirio and I will leave in the morning. I'm sure you can take good care of her."
"You have no need to worry, amigo. We love taking care of Lirio."
"Good. Well, then, just let me speak to her for a moment and I'll be off."
Ricardo went up to Lirio, putting a hand on her head.
"Okay, Lirio. Be a good girl, okay? I'll be back soon enough."
Lirio gave a sharp nod and an enthusiastic "Nn!" in confirmation. She then hugged Ricardo tightly.
"I'll see you later, then." He gave one last pat on her head and turned to walk away.
"Bye, Ricardo! See you later!" spoke Ellis.
"Later."
As Lirio ran back to the two girls and began leading them inside, dark forces watched from a distance, waiting to strike out at our heroines. Little did these dark forces know that their machinations for slaying had a wrench stuck inside of them, and that wrench was a small, young girl with pinkish hair and a boomerang.
A truck drove towards Dido's compound. After several moments it stopped before the quaint, pseudo-Latin-American-style house that served as the front for the base. A tall, thin man stepped out. He wore a wrinkled grey suit, and his dark, oily hair was done in a messy ponytail. Most guesses at his age would place him in his late 30s or early 40s. He had dark brown skin, and most would guess that he was a member of some southwestern tribe of Native Americans. He went up to the door and ringed the doorbell. After waiting what seemed to be an eternity, the door opened to reveal Dido.
"Ah, welcome, Sr. Becoyo!"
"Um, Dido," asked Kennedy. "Who's this?"
"This is Sr. Becoyo, one of my main contacts! He's arranged for most of what you've seen so far."
"Yes, that is correct, Senorita Dido! And who may this young woman I see next to you be?"
"Oh, this is my partner, Sister Kennedy."
"A pleasure meeting you, Senorita Kennedy!" he gave a small bow as he spoke.
"Erm, hello, Sr. Becoyo." I do not trust this man. There's just something about him that's… off. He has the air of one who deals in mischief, like a trickster form folklore.
"So, Sr. Becoyo, is what I asked for in the box?"
"Indeed it is! Inside, you'll find the essential salts you need for the resurrection. I shall assume you know the proper incantations for bringing up the dead from them, am I right?"
"Yeah, yeah, Yog-Sothoth or somethi-"
"Wait, Dido." Spoke Kennedy. "What do you mean by 'bringing up the dead'? 'Essential salts'? Just what on Earth are you trying to d-"
"Easy, my sister! All shall be clear in due time! But first, we must get the box inside!"
Several minions emerged from the house to unload the truck. A thought occurred to Kennedy then.
"Wait. What are you getting out of this in return, Sr. Becoyo?"
"Well, that's a very decent question! To be honest, I'm doing it just because I'm such a good man, really! A little while ago your friend here was seeking a man who can arrange for the construction of a secret base and whatnot! So, here I am, doing more things out of good will!"
Of the words I would use to describe "bringing up the dead", "good will" is near the bottom of the list.
As the minions went inside with the box, Kennedy just stood there, wondering what on Earth was happening right now, and fearing for the horrible things that are going to happen. Very, very soon, unfortunately enough.
VVV More Notes form the Author VVV
Another short chapter. I wanted to put more in it, but I felt like I made you guys wait long enough for it. The last thing I want to do annoy the few El Cazador fans on this website, or even worse, cause them to lose interest. To make up for it, the next chapter is likely to be quite long. Without spoiling anything, a certain someone is going to be brought back up from "Essential Salts". Just what are essential salts? Why, that is just a fancy term for ashes. According to Borellus, one may raise from the dead a person if they have properly preserved "Essential Saltes" (sic) of the person. Of course, I only know about this because I'm an H.P. Lovecraft fan, and have read The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Yog-Sothoth is the entity that must be invoked in order for the bringing up of the dead to work. However, it should be noted that there is also a warning that comes along with it: Do not raise up what you can't put down. Seeing how Dido lacks any sense of the word caution within her, she is most likely just making more trouble for herself than necessary. The next chapter shall involve Lirio doing things with Nadie and Ellis while unknowingly foiling the plans of the triceraninjas with her innocent antics.
This is Fry, signing off.