Trust

By: Lucas McDrake

Chapter 4

~*~PETORA~*~

It was obvious; "that is a good question" was written all over his face.

"Maybe it would be better to ask what your objective is, since I don't have any specific one, and you don't know your Ivalician geography," I muttered flatly.

"Yes..." He burrowed deep into speculation, his eyes rather distant for quite awhile before answering. "It would be best if we searched for the source of...this," he stated, gesturing at his body to indicate vaguely the whole idea of this new existence.

"I guess that's a good start," I offered, crossing my arms over my chest. "However, what exactly do we hope to achieve from this objective?"

"Perhaps that we can reverse this transmogrification," he replied. "Should that not be our ultimate objective?"

"Sure," I answered abruptly, waving off his noble arguments; I had never bothered to learn much of the democracy supposedly required for my position except for the bare necessities. Besides, the sooner we were off, the better. "Then let us leave; standing here debating doesn't solve anything."

"Forgive me, but I still don't know your name," he interceded before I could take more than a few steps, grabbing my hand. A rush of warmth flowed up my arm.

Frantic thoughts consumed me; never had I held hands with a guy. For a moment, I tried to decipher what emotions I felt. I feel...

Distracted.

Rolling my eyes as I deterred from this pointless train of thought, I turned back towards him and stated, "Likewise, I have never heard yours." Sighing, I tugged my hand out of his and offered my other as I declared, "Petora."

"Yerik," he grunted, shaking my hand.

"Now let's go," I muttered, not waiting for him to agree before walking towards the Rabanastre gate. I could barely detect it with my heightened hearing, but I heard his footsteps softly crunching the sand, nearly inaudible. I realized quickly that I, too, barely made any sounds; I assumed that grace was another side effect of being transformed. Stealing a glance, I noticed Yerik was evidently speculative and probably wanted to speak further on the subject, but followed wordlessly. For this, I was thankful; I didn't feel like talking about objectives any longer.

Guiding him towards the Rabanastre gates, I stopped by a cornering wall that would conceal us from the guard atop the wall. He stopped in front of me, leaning against the wall with his arms crossing his chest. I couldn't help but note that he towered over me, and forced a threatening shudder back down my spine.

"How should we get in?" I muttered mostly to myself, gears whirring in my mind as I searched for a quick solution; this would mark the beginning of many difficulties.

Yerik stated, "What would they think if we just waltzed in?"

"Obviously something," I whispered sarcastically. It isn't as if I haven't already thought that far ahead, I silently added. Ridding my tone of sarcasm, I resumed, "I mean, they wouldn't think much about me; they're used to me wandering in and out of the city at night. They most likely wouldn't recognize major differences in my appearance from such a distance. However, I'm not as sure about you..." A solution came to mind. "Maybe we could come towards the gate separately, as to not arouse suspicions that we work together. You can slip into the shadows, and once I get the guards to open the door, you can slip through after me."

"Is there a place where we could...reside while researching this?"

Forcing myself not to think too thoroughly about it, I eliminated my abode, and any of the places I normally visited, where people would recognize me. Here, at the gate, not many would recognize me from a distance, so I was okay with walking up to the gate, but how could I hide elsewhere? "We'll need a disguise for me," I muttered. "Maybe I'll need to wear my hair in a different way..."

"A cloak will do," Yerik stated, "and a room let to us in an inn will suffice. Here." Rummaging in his travel pack, he revealed a cloak from its depths. "I'll carry it until we pass the gate; they'll need to vaguely recognize you before passing through. Afterwards, you'll put this on." Stuffing the cloak back within, he stated, "Let's be off; I'll follow at a safe distance, concealed in the shadows."

Nodding quickly, I walked out into the open. Act natural... Taking a deep breath, I slowed my pace to that of my average brisk walk. I think.

Why was I nervous? No one would suspect me unless I actually tipped them off. And this shouldn't be tipping them off. I'm just coming back from meditating under the stars...

"Open the gate," I heard one of the guards order from atop the wall with my sensitive hearing. "It's just Petora."

There was grumbling, then a click as a button was pressed and the doors opened slowly. For me, it seemed a little too slow, but that was just me. Finally, there was a gap large enough for me. Slipping through, I didn't dare go far enough into the moonlight to throw a smile up at them as I usually did on my way back home; they might realize that I've changed since going through last. Instead, I forced myself to wait. It didn't take long for Yerik to slip through just as the gates were closing behind me.

Wordlessly, he pulled the cloak out of the pack, and handed it to me. Putting it on quickly, he stated, "Show me to the closest inn."

"Wait." As soon as I flipped the attached hood over my head, I continued, "What will be my cover name? Our cover story?"

"I...will go by Yersh, and you by Tori," Yerik offered.

Before he could continue, I stifled a laugh. "Yersh?"

"Yersh," Yerik stated, emphasizing that, accented, the 'e' actually sounded more like an 'a'.

Silently chuckling, I conceded, "Alright... Just don't make me say it. I guess it's better to do a play on our names rather than something too...queer, anyway." Piecing together bits and pieces that would make sense, I told him our cover story-we were travelers from Archades, on our way to Mt. Bur'Omisace. We would be staying here for a few days worth of rest before continuing on our way.

"We don't exactly need to tell anyone of our cover unless necessary," I added once I was finished. "However, even if we don't tell anyone, we should always act as if they are our intentions from the beginning."

"What if our travels don't bring us toward...Mt. Bur'Omisace?" He had difficulty recalling the location's name.

Smiling, I declared, "We'll claim that we obtained a letter sending us elsewhere."

Thinking through it, Yerik then stated, "Then we may proceed, Tori."

"My pleasure...Yersh." I laughed once, resulting in a slight, reluctant smile from him. Then, I contemplated some more. "I'd have to say that, despite the changing times, a woman leading the party would appear odd. We need to somehow conceive a system where-"

He grabbed one of my hands, intertwining our fingers and holding our hands up for my inspection as he suggested with a slight smile, "Will this work?"

Again with the gush of unnecessary tendrils of heat up my arm. I stared for a moment too long at our hands before answering, "Won't this arouse even more suspicion?"

"We can say we're...siblings."

I considered this for a moment. "Um... Sure." Tugging slightly on his hand, I stated, with a teasing smile, "This way, dear brother."

He laughed, making it seem all the more as if he fit the part. Walking side by side, we proceeded toward the nearest inn, directly across the square from Southgate. Coming from Eastgate, I knew that we'd be perfectly safe with out cover; the way to-and from-Archades was through Eastgate, if you traveled on foot. If you traveled on foot... Well, we'll just say that we need the exercise, I thought, shrugging imperceptibly.

Why did I feel so...giddy? I found myself not on the verge of worrying over the fact that I'd probably never see Rabanastre again. Especially to see mother...

Shuddering, I quickened my pace instinctively before decelerating as I reminded myself of Yerik's presence. I could feel his eyes boring into the side of my hood, but I didn't say any words explaining my behavior. He grunted, dismissing my conduct, and relieved me of his stare.

As we entered, I let Yerik walk forward to the counter, letting myself trail behind.

"Do you have a room to let?" asked Yerik.

"For one hundred gil per night," the bartender answered, looking up from his task. "Care for it?"

Obtaining the amount of required gil from my purse, I slipped my hand out of his, replacing my hand with the gil. "Of course." Yerik placed the gil on the counter.

While he counted, the bartender questioned, "Where did you come from?"

"Archades," Yerik answered.

"Have you heard of the disappearances occurring of late?"

"No, I haven't," Yerik replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Glancing at me, the bartender stated, "Well, many people from Archadia have been suddenly disappearing without explanation. Best be looking out for yourselves," he chuckled, turning back to his task after placing the gil in a container. Throwing Yerik a key, the bartender informed, "Your room is on the second floor, number eleven."

"Thanks for the tip." Turning back to me, he engulfed my hand in his once more before proceeding to the stairs.

Entering our room, I saw that there was only one bed. I felt heat rush up to my cheeks. "He thought-"

"You'll take the bed. I'll take the floor," Yerik quickly offered, taking a small bedroll from his travel pack and spreading it on the floor.

Letting a sigh of relief escape me, I shed the cloak. I quickly noted the door connecting our room to the adjacent restroom. "I'll...take the restroom to change," I stated, grabbing some night clothes from my own travel pack. "You'll have some privacy."

He laughed once, glancing at me. "I don't have nightclothes; I sleep in my undergarments."

A blush revealed my embarrassment as I muttered, "Oh."

"Don't worry," he reassured me, chuckling slightly. "At least, if you don't mind me only bearing them, I can stay in my tunic-"

"Oh, whatever makes you comfortable is all right," I quickly gushed, retreating into the restroom to change. At least he isn't stark naked...

Closing the door behind me, I set my clothes on the counter of the sink, and glanced in the mirror.

Whoa. That was...me?

My appearance had changed drastically. My hair was still darkest of black, but had gained an impossible luster, while my skin was now the palest silk. My clothes were noticeably darker than they had originally been. My eyes were now dark coals, though the iris shone brilliantly, making it easy to discern from my pupil.

Overall, I was...did I dare say it? The embodiment of beauty?

Shaking my head of the vain thoughts flying through my head, I changed out of my traveling clothes into my night outfit. As soon as I was finished, I jumped into the bed, slipping under the covers.

"What should we do tomorrow?" I asked, hoping that he wasn't already asleep.

Thankfully, he answered. "Maybe we should dig into these disappearances. I have a feeling they're related to our predicament."

"Maybe you can talk to the bartender to get all the info out of him that you can," I suggested. "In the meantime, I'll go to Lowtown and give Dalin a visit."

"Dalin?"

"Yeah." I recalled the stories my mother had told me; though the legendary Old Dalin had passed away years ago, before I was ten, there was another who had taken his place, and was comparatively just as resourceful, according to people who had known Old Dalin. Because of his vast knowledge of things, he was nicknamed Dalin, after the previous street ear. "He usually gets a gist of nearly any and all rumors and gossip flying around Rabanastre. I rarely get wind of such things, due to my position, so I've visited him from time to time. Anyway, he'll probably know something."

There was a rustle of blankets as I assumed he shifted, and he then continued, "If you don't mind me asking, what is your position?"

I sighed; this was exactly what I hated to tell anyone I had just met. I knew it always changed the way they looked at me, whether they wanted to bed me all the more, or, if they were decent, they distanced themselves from me. Either way, I always regretted telling them. However, he asked for it, and you can't really say that I was that attached to him, anyway. Wouldn't hurt anything...right?

"I guess you could say that I'm an heiress." Not wishing to continue on the subject, I yawned, "'Nigh-"

"How exactly are you an heiress?"

And here was the part that ruined it for everyone. Taking a silent breath as to give time for hesitation, I finally relented, "My parents were close friends with the queen, and also assisted her in reclaiming Dalmasca from Archadia. In the queen's eyes, I have potential to be the next heir if she weren't to beget an heir of her own." There. Have I ruined this new existence for you enough, to know that you're standing-well, laying-in the presence of possible royalty? Not to mention that I hate the idea, myself.

Of course, as there usually is, there was a tense moment of silence. Just let it soak in...

"Good night."

I was totally caught off guard; what did that mean? He didn't have any comment? Was it that horrible? Deciding against taking the offensive-for now-I muttered, "'Night."

It took a little longer than I would have liked, but the slight anger flushed out of my system, and sedation finally pulled my eyelids down.

Pain. It's everywhere. Get it away! The black sword...impaling me... Why are red streaks appearing along its length?

It's my blood.

It feels so cold! Get it out of me! Stop draining my blood!

I sat up screaming, hugging myself to keep my middle from tearing apart. Finally, I realized I wasn't in the Estersands dying; I was still here in the inn, alive.

"Are you alright?"

Startled, I jumped, glancing at Yerik. He sat up on his bedroll, his blanket slipping down enough to reveal his muscular upper body, I couldn't help but note. A blush crept across my cheeks as I observed his abdomen, the ridges in great relief. After a few milliseconds of this, I abruptly realized what I was doing, and forced myself to look back into his eyes. Before I glanced away, I could see that he had his hand on his sword, lying next to him.

"Just...cold," I breathed, forcing a slight smile. "A nightmare. It was nothing."

"Would you feel better if I slept next to you?"

My eyes widened at the implications. "Wh-"

"No, not like that," he calmly stated, sighing. "I meant just to warm you. Survival one-oh-one." He smirked, but in a way that slightly reassured me that he didn't want to take advantage of my vulnerability.

I reminded myself of what I had just told him a few hours ago-I had revealed my standing to him. Was that his motivation? I reminded myself of the smile he had given me before we proceeded towards the inn from Eastgate-the laugh that I had so obsessively observed consume any undesirable features. No, I decided. This smile was the same smile from before; surprisingly enough, he still had to think of me in the same way, somehow.

After this pondering, I considered his offer; I was really cold. But was I that desperate?

If he can stop the nightmare from coming back... "As long as you promise not to do anything stupid," I grumbled. As he stood and approached the bed, I turned away from him to make my point even clearer, though I found myself trusting him to be honorable.

I felt the bed decline as he came to occupy the wide space I had left. I was able to keep up the annoyance that was somewhat of a facade in the first place until his arms wrapped around my torso.

Warmth seeped through me. I couldn't help but relax as the heat wave lapsed into my core. I even let out an audible sigh of contentment as I leaned into his chest. All thoughts of resistance were suddenly futile.

Surrendering to his embrace instantaneously, I let myself drift back to unconsciousness once more.

~*~