The three exorcists walked through the town of Rouen for what felt like forever. They had trouble finding people to talk to, especially with Kanda around. Miranda and Silverton made sure to keep their eyes on him at all times, just in case he somehow disappeared. At lunch time, all three of them went back to the restaurant John had taken them to, but this time, they actually ordered food.
Kanda scowled when his food was brought to him. He certainly wasn't accustomed to French cuisine, and it showed. He fumbled with his fork and tried his best.
Silverton couldn't help but laugh, resulting in the samurai glaring at her. "It's funny how you're struggling to use a fork, but you're a master with chopsticks."
"Shut up, baka Tsubaki!"
Miranda stood up from the table. "Excuse me; I'm going to find the nearest restroom."
When Miranda was in the restroom, she couldn't help but be a bit creeped out. She didn't know why. It was clean and tidy and it even had a pleasant fragrance. What was so creepy? She didn't realize what it was that creeped her out until the washed her hands in the sink. When the sparkling water hit her hands, she could've sworn there was some sort of green spark. It didn't hurt her, but it made her stomach turn for some reason.
Someone new walked into the restroom. "Miranda? What are you doing here?"
The voice made her jump at first, but Miranda calmed herself when she saw their face. "Emeillia? What are you doing here?"
They both giggled softly. "I was expecting you three to be wandering the town, not taking a break." Emeillia answered, "The others are here too, aren't they?"
"Uh, yeah," Miranda peeked out of the restroom door and into the fairly empty restaurant. "They're over there," she pointed to the table where Kanda and Silverton sat.
Silverton was laughing and trying to get Kanda to try one of his side dishes. The brunette had stabbed something on Kanda's plate with her fork and held it to his mouth. Kanda would snarl and spout something at her, only for Silverton to laugh her goofy laugh yet again.
Miranda smiled and said to Emeillia, "They look like they're on a date, don't they? I really do think they would make a nice couple. I doubt they even realize it."
"I suppose so. Excuse me, I only came in here to use the facilities…" Emeillia walked over to use the toilet.
Miranda awkwardly waved and walked out to join the other exorcists. When she got back to the table, she chose to mention the creepy feeling in the water from the sink.
After they finished their meals, Kanda asked to see the restaurant's manager. A few minutes later, a scruffy looking man walked out to the bar where they awaited his arrival.
The man said, "I'm the manager. Which one of you wanted to meet me?" He politely tipped his hat to the two girls.
"That'd be me," Kanda stated, stepping forward. *"I better not be too direct…maybe I can still get answers by asking a more broad question."* "Do you mind me asking where this building gets its water supply?"
The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "This town draws water from the lake to the north. Why? Did your water taste wrong?"
"Something like that. That's all I needed to know, thanks." With a quick bow, Kanda walked away, Silverton and Miranda close behind.
"So, which way is north? I assume you want to go to the lake the town gets it's water from, right?" Silverton questioned.
Kanda nodded. "That is, if Miranda's story is as accurate as she said."
"Do we even know which way north is though?! That's what I asked." Silverton looked around. "Should we ask for directions? I rather not wander around without a clue."
"Maybe we could follow those..?" Miranda suggested, pointing to an aqueduct coming from the restaurant. There were several ducts headed toward the same direction coming from surrounding houses and buildings as well.
"Nice catch there, Miranda! I bet they lead to the lake!" Silverton patted Miranda's back.
Kanda motioned for the two girls to follow him. "Let's get going. We might be able to catch something by nightfall."
As the exorcists followed the aqueducts out of the city and into the forest, they could feel the texture in the air shift dramatically. If they thought the town was creepy, it was nothing in comparison to the forest surrounding it up north. They trudged through the bushes until they reached a path of rocks and leaves. They followed the path further north, with Kanda leading the way, for some unknown number of hours.
By the time they reached the water, the sky was red with the alpenglow of the sunset. Miranda and Silverton each held onto one of Kanda's hands suddenly.
Kanda slapped them away. "The hell do you think you're doing?!" he snapped.
Silverton held his hand again. "Men go missing at night, remember? The sun is setting and we aren't letting you out of our sight."
He merely grunted and accepted defeat. *"They're right. We don't know how the disappearances are happening, so we need to be prepared for anything."*
Suddenly, Silverton froze stiff. She didn't look frightened though. She looked completely focused, as if she were trying to hear something far away. "Shh, everybody hush for a second…" She closed her eyes.
Miranda and Kanda looked at one another, wondering what she was trying to hear.
Silverton opened her eyes suddenly and grabbed Miranda's arm. She pulled her over to Kanda. "Miranda, don't let him out of your sight. Don't let go of his hand no matter what, understand?"
Miranda's panic was obvious. "W-Why?! What's going on?!" She asked shakily, taking his hand in hers.
Silverton winked at them. "I'll be right back."
"Hey, wait! What the hell?!" the confused samurai hollered at the brunette as she ran off. He barely saw her hair melt into silver threads as she disappeared back into the bushes. *"She activated her innocence? But why? Akuma?"* He decided whatever the reason was, he should still be investigating the lake, especially since he had to let Miranda haul him everywhere.
~ ~ ~ Silverton ~ ~ ~
"How many we got here?" Silverton jokingly questioned as she watched a swarm of akuma head towards her, poisoning the night sky. "Let's just call it 'a lot'" Her innocence already active, she extracted a blade of silver from the bones in her arm. She leapt into the air, slicing through every level 1 akuma she came across. A few level twos showed up but they were no match for the razor sharp arm blades.
~ ~ ~ Kanda ~ ~ ~
He slowly dipped his hand into the cold lake water, wanting to experience the green sparks that Miranda had. Unsurprisingly, his experience with the green sparks was no different.
Miranda gripped his hand tighter slightly. "So…what do you think..?"
"There could very well be innocence in the water, so we need to search for it." Kanda answered wiping his hand dry.
"What about Lys?"
"She'll be fine," Kanda looked away, "…most likely."
~ ~ ~ Silverton ~ ~ ~
"Damn you're a pain in my ass!" Silverton hollered at the speedy level two akuma. She tried her best to keep all the akuma out of Kanda and Miranda's way while they investigated the lake, however, the number of akuma she was facing was too much for one exorcist alone to handle. She found herself stumbling and struggling to hold all of them back.
The akuma swung a spiked mallet at the girl while she was trying to catch her balance. "Die, exorcist!" it yelled as its weapon crashed into Silverton. In one quick rush, she was sent spiraling downwards as her vision faded to black. She drifted into the depths of unconsciousness.