Part Twenty-Four:
The dinner around Mayor Tanya's table was a somber affair. Zellen was extremely quiet and hunched over his meal. Drysi didn't talk at all and only picked at her food. Tanya tried to get them to talk to one another, figuring it was the only way to get Drysi comfortable. It didn't work.
Her housekeeper appeared, and an awkward situation she didn't want to deal with cropped up. She asked, in obvious discomfort, towards Tanya, "Shall I put, Mistress Drysi's things in your nephew's bedroom."
Zellen, since he was a mage, was technically a minor until he was thirty so she had say-so over his life until then, but he was a married man now. Technically, he was now free to do as he pleased. She vowed to press for clearer punishment for people violating family law during the next Council of Mayors in the autumn. People like the duchess and the reverend should be prosecuted.
Tanya really wanted to kick Zellen's shin under the table because she admitted he was to blame for this, too. Instead she shook her head. "Put her things in the guest room. She's very tired and will want to get familiar with her surroundings. She'll want some quiet."
The housekeeper nodded and left. Tanya felt a flood of pity for the girl. She still seemed in shock over this whole fiasco. And, she admitted, she felt some pity for Zellen, too. He would glance at Drysi with such affection and longing that Tanya couldn't doubt his sincere emotions. That, and she knew he had no bad intentions towards the girl, just youthful bad judgment.
After the plates were cleared, she looked over to Zellen. "Why don't you show Drysi to her room and let her get some rest."
"Yes, ma'am," he said in that respectful tone that let her know he knew he'd crossed the line and was going to toe it.
She watched them leave. Both seemed absolutely frigid. All she could do was hope Zellen found a way to have an amiable relationship with the girl in their future lives together. When she heard that the girl had psychometry, on top of everything else, she gave up hope of Zellen having a real marriage with Drysi. There was no way he could even hold her hand or anything else beyond that, at least not without special provisions.
She slumped in her chair, puzzling out what she could do to help her nephew make peace with his bride. After all, Drysi was a noble. This was a huge social step up for Zellen he hadn't even thought about. Zellen was comfortable with court, because he had been best friends with Yuui for years, but he didn't understand how things sometimes played out among the rich and powerful.
If he could get snookered by a scheming duchess, things weren't boding well. Then again, Zellen was extremely bright and tenacious. She knew he learned from his mistakes. She smiled and shook her head at doubting her nephew. He had made messes before and always found a way out of them. She had faith he'd find a way through this, too, and finish growing into a man of character.
Zellen escorted Drysi to the guest room. He so desperately wanted to comfort her by holding her, but even if she didn't have psychometry, it would still be very obscene after his trickery. They paused in front of her door.
"If you want me to take you around Kella tomorrow, I can. It's really a pretty city. We have a large lake and a river next to us. Plus, we have some of the best bakers in all of Celes. Our pastries are wonderful. I'll get you something delicious for breakfast, anything you want."
She looked in his eyes for the first time since he'd revealed himself. "What I want, is for you to be yourself and not try so hard. Please just give me a chance to get to know who you are."
Zellen nodded at her sensible request. It made him admire her all the more. "I'll let you get some sleep." At this point, he really wanted to lean down and kiss her, but he didn't do so because of the same two reasons he had for no putting his arm around her shoulder.
Her brow furrowed. "Zellen?"
His heart thudded, hearing her say his real name for the first time. "Yes?"
"If you're the person I think you are, just be yourself and you'll earn my trust."
"Do you want to touch my hand? To see... use your psychometry on me?"
She shook her head. "No. That would be cheating us out of this situation. You have to earn it on your own, and I have to learn to not hold bitterness towards you. My psychometry won't cure the emotions from the situation. Only time can do that."
"Thank you for giving me a chance."
"I had little choice," she said before retreating into her room, her door firmly closed. He felt deflated and realized he had a lot of work ahead of him.
Fai was pacing, and it annoyed Kurogane, who was sitting on a mat and trying to meditate. When the mage passed by, he grabbed his ankle and glared upwards. Fai paused and looked down, baffled.
Of course, his annoyance gave away to concern. "I know you're worried."
"I can't remember the last time I felt him cast," Fai said. "It's not like him. He's always curing a flu or healing wounds. What if the princess can't get a hold of Ashura?"
"It's been two weeks since it went out by speed courier. Give it time, because those guys can only ride their horses so fast through all this snow. Which, by the way, the farmers are still blaming you for."
"I would teleport over to Edo, but I don't know all of Nihongo's ley lines."
"We have ley lines?"
"Of course. Any realm with magic in it has them, or else it would crumble and cease to exists. I should have seen if there was a map of them while I was at Shirosagi Castle." Fai sat in front of Kurogane. "Wait a minute, I'm getting blamed for the snow?"
"They figure you enchanted the sky because you're homesick."
"I could, but I didn't. I promise you, Kuro-kiro."
"I know. They can be a suspicious lot."
Kentaro came into the dojo through a side door, shaking off the extra snow. "Word came from Shirosagi Castle." He held out the scroll toward Kurogane and then left.
Kurogane unfurled and read out loud, "Greetings to Lord and Lady Suwa, and to the young lord and his companion, the mage of Celes." Kurogane paused and smirked.
"What is it."
"How we've adopted writing the word Celes. We use the two kanji characters for ice and ball."
Fai's lower lip jutted out. "That's not nice, Kuro-pon."
"Well... It's the only way I could write it in kanji, so don't blame me. Anyway, she says that she did contact King Ashura. There was a big surge of bandits during Celes' summer and Ashura had to deal with them. Yuui disobeyed and went to go help drive off the bandits, even though he was told to stay at the castle. He was attacked and put under a powerful sleeping spell before Ashura could rescue him. Yuui is stable, but recovering from the attack. He says it's something you need not worry over. He's recovering nicely."
Fai's expression grew troubled. "That's really strange."
"Oh?"
"Yuui's never disobeyed our father one day in his life. When we were little, he was so terrified Ashura would send us back to the pit, so he always went out of his way to please Ashura. He follows every word out of Ashura's mouth.
"And also, he'd know better than to confront bandits. We always tease him about not being able to hex his way out of a bag. He just pulls back when trying hexes. He will barely even touch a conventional weapon. He has no talent or will for combat of any sort because of his empathy, and he knows it. He's always good about staying out of the way of combat mages and setting up aide stations at a reasonable distance. For him to get close enough to be hit by a hex is odd. It's just not like Yuui."
"Maybe he had a good reason. From the letter, it sounded as though your father was dealing with a dire situation. Maybe a situation arose where Yuui had to put himself in harm's way to save someone? Isn't he that type of person?"
Fai's expression mellowed somewhat. "Yes, he is. Maybe that happened."
Kurogane gave Fai a vexed look. "Listen, don't you trust your own father to tell you the truth?"
Fai's eyes went wide. "Of course I do," he insisted.
"Then let the matter rest. What counts is that your brother is safe and recovering."
Fai took on a more relaxed expression, but Kurogane could tell the mage was still bothered underneath his false cheer. "You're right. Ashura has never lied to me, and he would never lie to me when it comes to Yuui, because my twin means the world to me."
"I've been looking for you, Son." They both stood and looked at where Lady Suwa stood at the doorway, bundled in a thick shawl.
"Good news about the mage. It seems his brother was hit with a sleep spell, but he's recovering," Kurogane said, rolling up the scroll.
"I'm relieved that he wasn't harmed. I'm surprised your bond with him is so close you could feel it."
"Our magic helps," Fai explained.
"Yes, I noticed that strange green aura that felt like your style of magic."
"Green?" Fai asked, looking baffled.
"Mother see auras. She says yours is normally pink, but it changed." Fai's brow furrowed and he looked worried again. "Now what?"
Fai waved his hand and flashed Lady Suwa a smile. "Forgive me, but didn't you came to talk to Kuro-wa?"
"Yes. You've received your groom's gift from cousin Ran, Aya's guardian."
Kurogane fought to not look at Fai. That morning after Lady Suwa told Kurogane he was engaged, he'd told Fai. The mage took the news fairly well when Kurogane explained he'd postponed the wedding until after the ice king was due to appear. He explained that Aya was due to visit Suwa in the Spring, however. Fai promised to not interfere or put pressure on him during the visit. Kurogane wondered if it might be easier on Fai to send him on an errand during the two-week long visit.
"Kurogane? Don't you want to see your gift?" his mother asked, disturbing his musings.
"I'll leave so you can do what you need to," Fai said, and rose to leave.
"Oh no, you should see him, mage! He's beautiful," Lady Suwa said.
"He?" Fai asked with one of those fake smiles that fooled most everyone. Kurogane even heard the slightly pointed tone in his voice his mother didn't pick up. He could tell she missed it because she smile back at Fai and clasped her hands.
"Yes. Cousin Ran sent one of his thoroughbred horses. The Tsukiyono province is famous for the quality of its horses," she said.
"I'm really a little tired, Lady Suwa. May I go to my room?" Fai asked, adopting weariness. Fai, if anything, was a great actor.
"Of course. You look really pale suddenly. Are you okay?" she asked.
"I feel a little sick to my stomach," he claimed. And indeed, Fai looked disquieted. She fussed over him and then dismissed him to the main house, telling him where she kept the herbs to make a tea that would settle his stomach. Kurogane felt frustration, wanting Fai next to him, but he understood why he'd left.
He went with his mother to the stables. Yes, it was a gorgeous horse. He was a four-year-old with wonderful muscling and was very tall. He also had a glossy, black coat.
"Cousin Ran made a great gesture towards you. I think you need to send Aya something special."
"Like what?" Kurogane had no idea or desire to send anything to Aya. If he were going to get a gift for anyone, it would be Fai.
"How about a nice hair comb. Something with our family crest and some rubies?"
"Whatever you think she'd like," Kurogane replied numbly, starting to wonder what kind of gift he could get Fai before he left for Celes. It had to be memorable and special.
His mother was gob-smacked, and then she said, "You should start your marriage with a personal gift. Your father sent me this shawl I prize so much. You should think about what you want to give her that will mean something worthwhile and that will represent you and Suwa."
"Fine. A ruby hair comb is good."
"Kurogane, you act as if you don't care about getting married!"
"I'm committed to doing it."
Lady Suwa got control of her shock and asked, "Is it Aya's brother? Should I pick someone else? It's not too late."
"No. I just don't care about being married."
"Why not?" she asked, getting a concerned expression.
At this point, he almost blurted out that he was in love with Fai and no girl in all of Nihongo, or the impending visit by the ice king, was going to change his heart. Instead, he gave the horse a pat on the neck and took a deep breath.
"I just have other things I want to concentrate on," he said simply before leaving the stables and his mother with a troubled expression.
"Bah! I despise Bridge! And you always stick me with Nagi," Schuldig fumed at Crawford, while tossing his cards aside.
"Go suck on an icicle," Farfarello said, scooping up his and Crawford's winnings, a pile of dried kidney beans, off the table and into a bowl.
"I'm sorry. I still don't understand this game," Nagi said, looking at the strange cards with black and red symbols on them.
"Don't worry about it, Nagles. These two shysters actually won a tournament back in our world. I bet you didn't stint on your visions then."
Crawford gave him a mildly annoyed look as he polished his glasses with a cloth. "Why would I use my Talent on something as trivial as a card game? That's something that someone with a Mundane's mindset would do."
Schuldig gave him a devious smile. "I know. I was just trying to get your goat."
Nagi knew one of Schuldig's favorite past-times was trying to egg on the precog; it never worked. Crawford was as unflappable as could be. Being snowed in with his three, adult companions had certainly taught him a great deal. They had taught him how to control and channel his staggering power.
They told him a lot of stories about their world. It seemed like a fantastic dream with lots of marvels. He couldn't wait to get there and experience these things for himself. He picked up the cards, but Crawford gave him a sharply disapproving look.
"Practice, Nagi," the man insisted, pushing his glasses high on his nose. Nagi set the cards down and concentrated on them. They quivered and flew into the air. He shuffled them with the power of his mind and then set them on the table.
"You dropped your shield when you shuffled them," Schuldig pointed out, leaning on the table closer to Nagi with a wolfish grin. "I could have Pushed you by now."
"Pushed?"
"Telepaths can hypnotize people and make them do whatever they want," Crawford said. "It's why you need to work hard on keeping your shield up. There are other Talents that don't share our goals and try to stop us."
"Rosenkreuz," Nagi said, remembering the dreadful stories about the school that trained Crawford and Schuldig.
"You have way more raw power than any telekenetic under their control, but you're still green," Crawford said. "By the time we kidnap the mage, you should be ready to face down anyone from Rosenkreuz."
"Even that smarmy asshole Burger," Schuldig said, with a smirk on his face. Farfarello snarled and plunged a knife in the table. Nagi could tell this Burger person had certainly irritated his companions. Then again, there weren't any people Schwarz, as a collective, did like. "Deal the cards, Nagles. We'll teach you Spades."
Nagi lifted the deck of cards with his telekinesis and dealt out the cards. Only this time, keeping his shields up when he felt Schuldig's mental nudges meant to train him.
Fai went to his room with a heavy heart. He sat by the writing table and slumped over it, head resting on his arms. He began wondering if it was a big mistake to get involved with Kurogane in the first place. This was the heartache he'd feared, and it was coming sooner than he'd anticipated.
He couldn't stand the thought of Kurogane with anyone else, but he promised to not make Kurogane's life difficult. Neither of them mentioned Kurogane's engagement, but it got brought up more and more by others around them.
Fai scowled at the thought of that insufferable cousin of Kurogane's sending him a horse. If he'd known all of this back when he met the hothead, he would have put a little more power behind that hex. He pictured Ran looking mighty good with a bloodied nose if they ever crossed paths again.
Fai picked up his head and looked over at his gold and fluorite staff propped in a corner. The thought of running back to Celes hit him. After all, no one would blame him for wanting to see Yuui, and he was homesick with all this recent snowfall. He got to his feet and lofted the staff. The casting point started glowing a bright pink.
He really wanted to get to the bottom of who hit his twin with a hex. The bandit had a green signal color, he could tell from Lady Suwa's description of his aura. That would narrow down Celes' population by ninety percent. He'd track down the bandit and make them pay for hurting Yuui, if Ashura hadn't already done so. Knowing his father, Fai was too late and the bandit was already executed with extreme prejudice. Fai knew Ashura was pretty mild mannered, but when provoked, he had a frightening temper.
Fai admitted to himself checking on Yuui wasn't the only reason he was going back to Celes. He was always good at avoiding pain, covering it, repressing it. Kurogane's engagement was too much to deal with. At least he wouldn't have to watch Kurogane forced into a sham marriage if he ran away.
He traced out the first three runes and then paused. Captain Demetri came to his mind when he saw the deceased combat mage's trunk of journals out of the corner of his eye. Demetri would berate him for being a coward and not fighting for something worthwhile. He lowered his staff's casting tip and waved his hand, banishing the three runes. No, he wasn't the same person as when he'd arrived in Nihongo.
"What are you up to, mage?"
Fai flinched and leaned on his staff. He turned around and flashed Kurogane a bright smile. "Nothing at all."
"Let's go for a walk. I know how you like all this crummy snow."
"It does make me less homesick." Fai set his staff back in the corner before putting on a cloak.
To be continued.
