"Far too much"
These were the only words Lawrence had thought throughout the entire evening as endless plates of food and liquor arrived at their table. Holo, despite her small size, could probably eat at least twice the size of her body. Though Lawrence wanted to stop Holo from ordering so much food, he could not, since he had made a promise with her. So he could only sit with a strained smile, while watching Holo eat, who was oblivious to his thoughts right now.
With plate after plate arriving, they started attracting the attention of other customers in the diner. Lawrence soon found himself the center of attention. A businessman always wanted to be center of attention, but in this situation, it was the complete opposite. As Lawrence sighed, the other nearby guest revealed a compassionate laugh, sharing in Lawrence's sympathy.
After Holo finally finished her long anticipated feast, and leaving a huge dent in his wallet, he carried the completely drunken Holo back to their inn. The innkeeper looked at Lawrence and smiled.
"Must be though to please a girl like yours."
Lawrence returned with a half-hearted grin
"You have no idea."
Lawrence placed the passed out Holo upright on the bed with great effort to keep her from lying down right then and there. He helped her undo the slash, the robe tied to her skirt, the shawl, and the kerchief that hid her wolf ears. Gently, he laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. Holo had long drifted into a deep slumber on their way back to the inn. He folded up her clothes and placed it on the desk.
He walked towards the window and opened it. The refreshing cold night air blew into his face, as the moonlight lighted the streets below. Not a single soul could be seen walking the streets of the busy marketplace. Looking further, Lawrence suddenly saw a dim light, and it was getting brighter as if it was moving closer to him. Taking a closer look, he saw that it was a night guard patrolling the streets, and it instantly reminded him on the dangerous situation of the town.
Lawrence pondered on his next course of action. The safest choice was to restock on supplies and move to the next city as soon as possible. But something in the back of his mind was hesitant about this decision; the interesting song he heard today. Holo recognized that song as one of the songs her companions had created. Meaning that person might had once arrived to this town. Realizing that, Lawrence whacked himself on the head.
"If I only knew that the song is connected to Holo's past, then he would have stayed in the store to ask him for more information on the song."
The words" Holo's past" echoed in his mind. Lawrence always wondered about her past. The life she had lived and experienced before meeting him, before being trapped in the wheat field, and before she started her journey south in the first place. She had always been secretive about her past. When he thought about it, he didn't really know anything about her, even though they had been traveling for a considerable amount of time together.
Lawrence had always been shy to talk about Holo's past because it was a sensitive topic. When he did find a chance to talk to Holo and her past, she would always avoid the topic by teasing him. Was it because she didn't trust him? Or was it because there was something she wanted to keep hidden from him, and probably everyone else except herself? The reasons were numerous, but one fact still stands, getting Holo to share her past with him was impossible.
However, this town might contain valuable clues on not just the location of her hometown, but maybe her past as well. To leave the town as soon as possible for their safety, or stay a bit longer to find and investigate a little fragment of Holo's past?"
Lawrence dwelled on the decision for awhile until he saw Holo soundly asleep in the bed like a child, and made his decision.
"I guess I will stay in this town for awhile after all. Besides, it is an extremely rare opportunity to find out more about the person that brought me such happiness and changed me so much."
With his mind and goal now set, he could prepare himself for a good night rest. He closed the windows to not let the room get too cold, blew out the candles, and carefully made his way to his bed. Because his eyes hadn't got accustomed to the darkness of the room yet, he was basically blind. Using his hands and feet to sense and feel his surroundings, he managed to make his way to his bed. He lied down on the bed and closed his eyes.
"Holo, an existence that has lived for hundreds of years, observed the change and evolution of humanity, and lived through countless life experiences. I wondered what it is like to be able to live for so long in an ever changing world like she did."
This was Lawrence last thought before drifting off in a quiet slumber.
Lawrence woke up early in the morning to get a good start at the things he planned for today. He turned his head and saw that Holo was sleeping deeply. She probably won't wake up until afternoon with all the liquor she drank yesterday. Little rays of sunlight shone through the small cracks from the wooden window, and the sounds of people hurrying about on the streets could be heard.
Lawrence opened the window, and the sunlight blinded his eyes for a moment. After his eyes had adjusted, he saw that people were getting ready to open up their stores, and quickly eating their morning meal. Seeing food, it instantly reminded Lawrence of his hunger. Because of Holo's gluttonous and merciless appetite, and watching her eat as much food that could feed a family of 4 for several days, he lost his appetite for supper yesterday, and drank only a couple of beers.
With his stomach growling, he made his way towards his vest, put it on, and headed to the door. He gently petted Holo's head, as his way saying "see you later until the afternoon". Holo responded with a groan, and seemed to be suffering from another hangover. However, Lawrence had already prepared for this ahead of time, and had a bucket and some water ready for Holo when she woke up. Lawrence opened the door, and quietly exited the room into the inn's hallway.
Making his way down the stairs, Lawrence was greeted by a warm smile from the innkeeper, and he smiled back at him. Lawrence walked up to the counter and sat at one of the wooden stools.
"I would like to extend my stay here for a couple or more days."
The innkeeper heard Lawrence's request and looked surprised, as if he had misheard him. He took out the book that contained the booking information for the rooms from under the counter.
"Well...I certainly don't hear that a lot these days. Usually you traveling merchants would just come and go like the wind. May I ask you why you are extending?"
The innkeeper's response was no surprise to Lawrence. With people that kept telling him to leave the city as soon as possible because of the turmoil, extending his stay in this dangerously unstable town would be considered absurd by other merchants. Not just merchants, normal people would consider it absurd as well. But he needed to do something in this town, regardless of how absurd it might be.
"I have some personal business that needs to be finished in this town."
Lawrence gave a vague answer to serve as a hint to the innkeeper that he didn't like telling him the exact reason, and that he shouldn't ask anymore about it.
The innkeeper seemed to have taken the hint, and dropped the topic. While the innkeeper was updating his booking, Lawrence figured that he should hurry and have a quick breakfast, so he could finish his morning plans before noon.
"By the way, do you have anything to eat around here?"
The innkeeper looked at Lawrence and sighed.
"We don't have any food here anymore sadly; the supply is all out."
The reply shocked Lawrence so much that he thought it was a joke. An inn without any food, how was that possible? It must be one of the first things Lawrence had never heard of in his life. The innkeeper noticed Lawrence's displeased expression, and took it as an offense, thinking that he was looking down upon his inn.
"We don't have any food because we can't get any food. No one is willing to risk trading with Revattle with all those bandits around. All those who actually do still keep trade contacts need to hire guards to protect their cargo. Only stores that are devoted to selling food can pay the cost of hiring guards. If you want food, go there and not here!"
Surprised by the innkeeper's sudden outrage and response, he immediately apologized and showed a look of understanding. The innkeeper also realized that he had let his frustration took control of him, and also showed look of apology. It seemed that Lawrence had underestimated the extent of the bandit's negative impact on this town.
Since Lawrence couldn't get any food here, unless he went to an actual restaurant, he quickly said farewell to the innkeeper and departed.
He could had just gone to the nearby bread store, and brought some cheap dark rye bread to eat. But he was extremely hungry, and wanted to eat something more appetizing. He went into a nearby restaurant, and decided to pay a few extra coins for some porridge. While eating his porridge, he noticed that the lively atmosphere of a restaurant was not evident here, but instead, a depressing mood that gloomed over the restaurant. The conversations around him were all revolving around the same topics; the bandits, the government, the instability, the lack of business…
Since as a merchant, Lawrence was able to share some sympathy for the ones that had set up a business in this town, only to have it turned into one of the most wearisome and frustrating things in their life. However, being completely surrounded by depressed and angry people whining constantly and the disheartening atmosphere within the restaurant, disgusted Lawrence. As a result, Lawrence quickly ate his porridge, paid the man, and hastily left the restaurant.
Lawrence headed down the marketplace, and after walking for some time, he saw a huge crowd of people standing in front of a store. Walking by to take quick look, he immediately recognized that all the people were either buying or trading. The store, or should be rather called the Hienado Company, stood out from the rest of the other stores due to its size, and was well protected by steel fencing and gates that surrounded the company. The company seemed to be center of all trade activity in the marketplace.
Taking another quick glance, Lawrence noticed that carts frequently entered and exited the company's back gates after unloading their cargo. "Interesting", Lawrence thought. All the trade the routes to Revattle was watched and under threat by bandits, yet the company was unloading its stock like the problem never existed. The company could probably afford to pay for protection for its cargo, or had established a secret trading route into Revattle. If that was the case, then leaving Revattle would be easier and safer if Lawrence was able to uncover one of their secret trade routes. Even though, Lawrence wanted to stay and investigate, he had more important stuff to do, and quickly walked passed the crowd of people.
He arrived at Marvin's store, and since the wooden door to the store was wide open, he walked straight in. However, he didn't see Marvin anywhere in the store. The store was one of the most interesting stores Lawrence had seen in his life. Strange and unknown devices littered across the shelves and around the store, which symbolized the passion and time Marvin devoted in being an inventor. But being an inventor was a risky job in most cities. Inventions could be easily accused of being tools used for witchcraft or magic by the church, which would result in a death penalty for the inventor. Seeing that Marvin was able to freely display all his inventions in his shop on the marketplace must indicate that he had some connections with some high ranking officials in Revattle.
Lawrence heard the sound of rustling papers and metals near the counter. He instantly turned to see what the noise was, and saw Marvin exiting out of a hidden doorway behind the counter. Marvin spotted Lawrence looking around his shop., Mr. Marvin revealed a big happy smile towards Lawrence. instead of the depressed expressions Lawrence had seen all morning
"Oh hello, Mr. Lawrence, sorry I couldn't greet you when you entered my shop. Since I was up late at night thinking of ideas for my next inventions, I dozed off just a little while ago. So, what brings you into my delightful store again, are you interested in one of my wonderful inventions?"
Marvin's face was full of excitement when he saw Lawrence. This is probably because most people would never come back once they set foot in his store, since they did not want to have relations with a man that could be accused of practicing in witchcraft. Greeted by Marvin's warming smile, Lawrence smiled back, and walked to the front of the counter.
"Sort of interested." Lawrence replied briefly.
Marvin's face grew further with excitement, like a child about to boast to their parents about their accomplishments. Marvin quickly wiped his hands and face with a handkerchief he pulled out from his vest pocket.
"Ah ha, really. You know being an inventor isn't an easy job. Every single piece of gadget right here represents all the…" Lawrence quickly interrupted Marvin before he went on a non-stopping ramble about his entire life as an inventor.
"Actually, I'm more interested in the song that your music box played."
"Oh". Marvin's excitement was spoiled, but he remained smiling, since he knew that at least someone was interested enough to take the chance to come back to his shop and talk to him.
"Ah that song, it's a good song, isn't it? It took me awhile to actually make the box play the song correctly. " Marvin said gleefully as he began to tidy up the front counter of junk, so he could rest his arms on it.
'Yes, the song was very intriguing, so I wanted to know if you knew any information about the origins of the song."
Marvin was surprised at Lawrence question, and cautiously asked.
"May I ask the reason for why you wanted to know the origins of the song?"
Lawrence noticed the sudden surprise and cautiousness in Marvin's face, but he didn't think of a reason why he would react this way. Lawrence gave a warm smile to show that he meant no hostility to him.
"As a traveling merchant, I travel to many different cities. During my travels I like to collect legends, and origins of things that interest me in each city, so I can have something to tell and think about during my travels between cities."
It was a blatant lie on Lawrence's part, but since he replied confidently without avoiding eye contact with Marvin, it made Marvin think that he was telling the truth, and slightly dropped his guard. Being able to tell a lie straight up in front of a person's face was one of the useful abilities a person could learn as a merchant. However, sadly it did not work on Holo, since her ears could tell if he was lying or not.
"I see. Well actually, I don't really know much about the song. The song is called The Solitary of the Sage, and that it was created around a century ago."
Lawrence's gut instinct told him that Marvin was trying to play dumb with Lawrence in order to hide something and to drop the topic. So, he decided to ask one more time.
"Are you sure you don't know anything else?"
Marvin backed away a bit from Lawrence, but restated that he did not know anything else. Even though Lawrence knew he wasn't telling him everything he knew about the song, he couldn't force Marvin to say it, since it would just lead to pointless trouble and arguments. So Lawrence just stared at him with his eyes not wavering, hoping that it would pressure him to spill more information for him to work with.
Faced with Lawrence's cold stare, Marvin began to avoid eye contact with Lawrence, and scratched the back of his head. After a few moments the pressure got to him.
"Well…I might not know about the song, but I think the city scribe does. He does keep the history of the town after all."
When people were faced with a situation that made them feel uncomfortable, they often tried to find a way to fix the situation. By telling him that someone else knew the information not only protected and relieved him from the situation, but also passed the responsibility to another person.
"Ah, that's great and who and where can I find the city's scribe?
Marvin immediately replied.
"His name is Robert Williams. He lives in the Church side of the city, across the church. He keeps an archive of pagan tales and other documents hidden in his house. Just tell him that I sent you."
Lawrence smiled, and began to walk towards the exit of the store, bidding Marvin farewell.
"Thank you, Marvin, you've been a great help to me."
Marvin can only reply with a strained and nervous smile.
"Anytime."
Lawrence walked out of the store, sensing that Marvin wouldn't want to see him again anytime soon.
Lawrence walked towards the entrance of the Church district. Thinking about what just happened, Marvin's reaction to his request was unexpected. What puzzled Lawrence more was the reason why did Marvin react that way. Was there a secret hidden behind the song? Lawrence pondered about it for awhile, but came out with no logical explanation for Marvin's cautious behavior. Whatever it was, Lawrence knew for sure that Marvin had something to hide that was related to the song. Like Holo's past, the song's origin was equally mysterious.
Lawrence arrived and entered the front entrance into the church district. In front of him was a wide brick road that led to the giant church on the other end of the road. The houses along the brick road were decorated in religious symbols, clearly indicating that this district was full of believers of the church and pagans were certainly unwelcomed. Walking on the brick road towards the church, the stores he walked passed were mostly selling bibles and other religious symbols. They probably weren't allowed to sell those items in the main marketplace, since it was supposed to be a neutral zone, free of any religious symbols. After searching for awhile for Williams' house, he finally stood at the front door of the house, or rather the front gate. Between the gate and the door to the house, was a large yard fill with green grass and flowers, like a garden of life. Williams' must have spent a lot of time and money in building and maintaining this garden. The house in front of him was the definition of luxurious; it was well kept with windows on every side, and twice the size of an average household. Lawrence never knew that a scribe could be so prosperous. Maybe it depended on the city's government to decide how much they would pay their scribes. But for whatever reason, Williams sure knew how to live in style, which also symbolized his wealth and power within the city.
Lawrence pondered for a moment to figure out a way to open the gate to the front garden. Since the gate was so far apart from the door, no one inside the house would hear it even if he banged at the gate. There's also didn't seemed to be a bell or anything that could notify the people inside that he was outside their gate. He examined his surroundings, and still could not find anything. He leaned on the gate trying to think. To his surprise, the gate went back as he leaned on it, causing Lawrence to almost lose his balance, and fall flat on his back. Apparently, the gate wasn't locked in the first place, and he could had just opened the gate. This was a blow to Lawrence's pride for being extremely stupid, but he was also relived that no one actually saw his stupid mistake.
He followed the carved trail through the garden and into the front door of the house. Taking a closer look at the house, it was more finely crafted than he had thought. The wooden and brick walls around the house contained no signs of scratches or weathering, suggesting that this house was just recently built. On the top of the house, there seemed to be a tower shaped room with rounded windows on all sides. Lawrence tidied his hair and outfit before knocking the door, since the man he was about to greet was probably a wealthy and influential man.
Lawrence knocked on the door three times, but no one answered the door. Lawrence's first thought was that he was away, but he quickly tossed that idea. If they were away, they would have locked the front gate. Lawrence knocked a few more times, and heard footsteps and the shuffling of objects inside the house. The sound of the door unlocking was heard. As the front door slowly opened, it revealed a man whose appearance was contrary to his expectations.
The man that stood in the doorway was best described as a mess. His hair was unkempt, and he was still in his sloppy sleepwear. He looked like he had just woke up from bed, even though it was already late in the morning. He was a bit taller than Lawrence, and seemed to be about the same age. If a person were to compare Lawrence and him, they would be polar opposites. Lawrence liked to keep everything organized and planned, and the other looked like he had just woken up from a slum. Because of his startling appearance, Lawrence did not notice that he had been standing and staring at him for awhile.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Mister?"
The man's question brought Lawrence back to reality. At first, Lawrence thought that he had the wrong address from Marvin, so he asked his identity to confirm that he had actually came to the right place.
"Are you Robert Williams, the city's scribe?"
The man shot him an uninterested glance, and answered in an apathetic tone.
"I think it is common courtesy for a person who suddenly shows up at a person's doorstep to give out their name first before asking someone else's, do you not agree?"
Lawrence felt agitated by the response because he had been mocked by man who looked like the poor, but also because he realized that the man was also correct.
"My name is Kraft Lawrence, a traveling merchant. Mr. Marvin sent me here because he said you may have information on pagan tales that existed in this region."
The mention of Marvin's name seemed to have sparked some interest in his rather emotionless face. He took a quick scan of Lawrence, and brushed away some hair that was dangling in front of his face.
"Ah, an acquaintance of Mr. Marvin I assumed. I am indeed Robert Williams, the city's scribe. Though I'm not sure what pagan archives you are referring to, please come in and have discussion between gentlemen."
The reason Williams invited him in was probably because he did contain a storage of pagan tales, but did not say it directly to protect himself. Even though Lawrence said that he was a traveling merchant, there was no proof that he was not related by the Church. And if the church discovered that Williams had hidden a storage of pagan tales in the Church district, he would most likely be hung on the spot.
Lawrence accepted Williams' invitation into the house. Once inside, he originally thought that the interior of the house would be a complete mess like his appearance. But contrary to his beliefs like the other things about him, the interior was spotlessly clean and tidy. The first room he entered seemed like the guest room, with a large polished wooden table in the center, and finely crafted wooden chairs around it. On top of the table was a golden chandelier, which hung over the round table like the sun. The bright golden surfaces reflected the sunlight coming into the room into his face and everywhere in the room.
At first, Lawrence thought they were going to talk in the guest room, but Williams directed and guided Lawrence to stairs beyond the guest room. They went upstairs into the tower shaped room Lawrence saw before entering the house, and seemed to be Williams' private room and office. The round windows on each side gave a perfect 360-degree view on the entire town, which looked dazzling from Lawrence's perspective. Stacks of books could be seen at the corners of the room, and a small desk and chair was located near the center of the room.
Williams sat down on the chair at the back of the desk, and signaled Lawrence to grab a chair and sit so they can have their "gentleman talk." Lawrence quickly grabbed a chair near the stack of books and sat in front of Williams, with the wooden desk between them.
"So, before we talk, do you have any relationships with the church in this city?"
Lawrence had expected this question from Williams a long time ago, and briefly and confidently replied.
"I am in no way related to the Church of this city. I just came to this city yesterday-"
Lawrence was interrupted by Williams when he told him to stop talking with his hand. In the current moment, Lawrence was really aggravated by Williams' manners. It's like dealing with a more arrogant Holo, but since he needed information from him, he needed to play by his rules. Williams also seemed to realize that, and was using Lawrence for his personal morning entertainment.
"Okay, that is all that I wanted to hear. Let's say I do have the pagan tales you speak of; why do you want to have access to them?"
Lawrence told him the same reason as he had told Marvin for his purpose of seeking these pagan tales. But unlike Marvin, Williams had a totally different response. Upon hearing Lawrence's reason, he smiled.
"This would be a lot easier if you were to just tell me the truth."
Lawrence was surprised that Williams instantly called out his lie right on the spot, and he seemed to catch his surprised reaction.
"You find it odd that I would be able to spot your lies? Who do you think I am, Mr. Lawrence? That lie might work on some dense and compassionate person like Marvin, but the man before you right now it's the city's scribe, the observer, a man that knows all the secrets and actual truths in this town. In this room on top of my house, I can see all the events and happenings in the city, and I record them as the town's history. Throughout my occupation, it is natural to develop an ability to detect lies from other people, like how merchants naturally develop the ability to lie straight in someone's face without looking away. And my instincts are telling me that you not really doing this for yourself, but for someone else. And that "someone else" is what I'm really interested in. So, are you going to start telling me truth, or am I going to ask you to leave?"
As a merchant, Lawrence had got to admit he had just suffered a major defeat and blow to his pride as a merchant. He severely underestimated this man. He was like the male equivalent of Holo. You let your guard down for a moment, and you'll get annihilated. The fact that Williams hadn't kick him out yet, was probably do to the fact that he was still interested in his true reason. Since Williams had seen through his lie, he might as well tell the truth.
"My companion is trying to locate her hometown, but because it has been awhile since she has returned to her hometown, she has forgotten its location. So, we are trying to find her hometown through legends."
Williams leaned forward, and his facial expression indicating that he did not think he was lying this time.
"I see, so what is the legend you wish to inquire?"
Lawrence thought that he had probably earned Williams' trust, but he should still be on guard, since he is assured that this isn't plain townsfolk he is dealing with.
"I am seeking information on the song, The Solitary of the Sage, and its origins."
Williams grinned as if he had just suddenly discovered an interesting secret, and almost couldn't contain his laughter.
"Pardon me, you are referring to the famous pagan song of this city, am I correct?"
Not knowing why Williams grinned at him, Lawrence had no choice but to play along; preparing himself to fall into a trap set my Williams.
"Yes, that's the one." Lawrence confirmed.
Williams leaned back and took a deep breath, and stood up from his chair. He walked towards the stack of books on the left corner behind him, and started removing the books.
"Well, I guess I can help you out, since you did provide me an amusing performance at my front gate earlier today." Williams said as he removed the pile of books, which uncovered a hidden trapdoor.
Lawrence obviously knew what performance he was referring to, but couldn't prevent his face from reddening with embarrassment. He apparently did see everything, even the smallest details.
Williams unlocked the trapdoor, and went inside. He reappeared later with an old dusty book in his hand. He opened the book, and quickly flipped through the books contents, until he put his hand on one of the pages.
"Ah here it is, The Solitude of the Wise. According to this record, the song came to Revattle about a hundred and fifty years ago. The person who created the song was not your average traveling musician though, but a pagan goddess, as some would describe. Her name was Myuri, and she had come from the forests up to the north. She resembles a young beautiful female with long flowing brown hair, and a pair of wolf ears on her head, and a tail. When she first suddenly arrived in the city, she was thought of as a pagan deity blessing the city, and the townsfolk showed great hospitality to her. In return of the townsfolk generosity, she sang a song, the same song you are researching right now. It is said that she has the voice of angels that are able to lift the spirits of the very depressed and bringing hope those who has given up on life. Apparently, it is also said that she was on a journey to the south, in search for her friend that has also made a journey to the south many years before she did, in order to inform her of news of great importance. Because her appearance greatly resembled a wolf girl with a voice from the heavens, she has been called "Myuri of the Tranquil Song" ever since."
Williams slapped the book shut and looked at Lawrence, who was in his chair as still as an undisturbed rock, as if he was still trying to take everything in.
"And that's all what is recorded in this book about the song; I hoped it helped you in some way."
Lawrence was still contemplating and sorting out the information he had just received. The description of the person, Myuri, matched exactly of what Lawrence would expect from one of Holo's old companions. The important news and her purpose for traveling south was to probably inform Holo of the destruction of her hometown, Yoitsu, and the whereabouts of her other companions. But she had arrived in this city a hundred a fifty years ago, so was she still searching for Holo somewhere in the south, or had she given up and gone back up north?
"Yes, it helped a lot, but does the book record where Myuri was headed to after she left the city?" Lawrence remembered to answer Williams' question.
Williams swayed his head sideways.
"Though it brings great shame to me and the other scribes that came before me, but this record has been defiled by someone."
Williams opened the book to the page where the information about the song was located. Some of the pages looked like it had been torn from the book.
"As you can see, someone has torn the rest of the pages that are related to this song out of the books. Though I do not know their intentions for committing such as heinous act, it does bring me great shame that an interesting part of this town's history has been desecrated and destroyed."
Lawrence was disappointed. He had thought that he had gotten a good lead to finding some crucial information about Holo, but instead someone purposely destroyed it. Their purpose for doing so sparked an unending curiosity from Lawrence's mind. Since Lawrence's only lead was dead, he might as well try asking Marvin again, or go find someone that might know a bit more about the song. But he was wary of that thought, since the probability of anyone knowing more than what Williams disclosed to him was rather slim to none. Sighing a sigh of defeat, he stood up and thanks Williams for all his help. He seemed to had noticed Lawrence's disappointed expression.
"Your companion must be a very special existence to you, for you to do this all for her own benefit."
Williams smiled, and seemed to being trying to comfort him.
"Yes, she is, she is very special to me."
Williams led Lawrence downstairs and to the house's front doorway.
"If you are still unsatisfied with the information, I recommend you to talk to the head of the theatre in the pagan district. They act out pagan tales there, and should know a little more on the song. And you should also bring your companion with you during your visit."
Lawrence's hopes went up, since Williams had just given him a new lead. Although Lawrence did not know how much the theatre knew compared to what he already knew, there was at least hope. Lawrence smiled thankfully at Williams.
'Thanks a lot, and sorry for suddenly disturbing you."
Williams turned his back to Lawrence and briefly replied.
"Don't worry about it, Mr. Lawrence; we will be seeing each other very soon anyways."
Before Lawrence could ask Williams what he meant with that comment, he had already closed the front door of the house, leaving only Lawrence outside in his flourishing garden.
Taking a quick check of the time, Lawrence noticed that it was almost already noon. After an eventful and rather enlightening morning, Lawrence decided to head back to the inn to see how Holo was doing. He entered the marketplace, and brought some bread at a nearby bread store as their lunch.
He went inside the inn, and was instantly greeted by the innkeeper, who appeared to have forgiven and forgotten about this morning's incident. Lawrence greeted back warmly, and quickly headed upstairs to their room, Holo should be starving by now. However, when he opened the door to their room, Holo was nowhere to be seen. Looking around the room, her city girl outfit was also gone.
"What is she up to this time. I can't believe she has the energy to wake up and walk around town even with a hangover."
Lawrence sat on the chair near the window and looked out. Form his room he could see a big rounded structure across the town with flags that hung from its highest points. That was probably the pagan theatre that Williams had talked about.
Moments later, the door to the room opened. Lawrence turned around and saw it was Holo. She looked surprised to see him, probably because she did not expect that he would back so early.
"Where did you go?" Lawrence asked.
Holo sniffed the air, and focused her eyes on Lawrence.
"Oh good, is that food your carrying? I have not eaten since this morning."
Holo quickly snatched a piece of bread from the bag, and began to munch hungrily on it. Having been ignored his question; Lawrence made a cough and asked again. But before he could get a word out, Holo replied.
"Why do you want to know? Were you worried about me?
The swishing of her tail could be clearly heard under her skirt. Lawrence knew that he was being teased by Holo, and gave an indifferent response.
"Not really, just wondering where you went so early in the morning, since you always sleep till the afternoon, and with a hangover from yesterday's feast."
Holo seemed displeased.
"Not worried about me? And I suppose you brought this large quantity of bread only for yourself to eat? What a gluttonous and uncaring companion I have here."
Holo grabbed another piece of bread from the bag, clearly mocking him. Lawrence had no words to reply because anything he said could be easily used against him by Holo's manipulative tongue. However, Holo dropped the topic and stopped teasing him.
"I should ask you where you have been today instead because you woke up so early in the morning, and went out. Maybe if you told what you did this morning, then maybe I'll also tell you what I did." Holo gestured.
Though Lawrence was curious of the reason why Holo decided to leave the inn in the morning, he also did not want to tell her that he had been trying to research her past without her knowing. Taking Lawrence's silence as a response, Holo continued.
"As you see, there are things that cannot be told even between you and me. However, since I have been kind of selfish, I will tell you, but only after you take me to this place."
Holo walked towards the window, and pointed out the window and onto a building. Lawrence looked at the building as if he was mesmerized.
"That large rounded building with the flags on it, I want to go there."
Now Lawrence was extremely curious. He was also planning on going to the theatre with Holo later today, but Holo had revealed a particular interest in that place for some reason.
"Why do you want to go there?" He asked looking at the direction Holo is pointing at.
Holo turned her face to Lawrence, gave a slight smile, and briefly said.
"Just to confirm something."
Lawrence's first thought was that Holo had also inquired about the song from the townsfolk in a similar way that he did. That was the most logical reason Lawrence could think of. Since he also needed to go to the theatre to get some more information, he was more than happy to agreed to Holo's request.
"Then shall we go after we finish our lunch?"
Holo gave a bright smile from the bottom of her heart, and hugged him. Seeing Holo's reaction, Lawrence thought that he would do anything for her to make her happy.
They set off to the theatre right after lunch. The pagan district was much different than the Church district. It had a livelier atmosphere. Various pagan symbols were seen around stores, and people with unique dresses and garments were seen walking around them. As they got closer to the theatre, it got more crowded. They held their hands together, so that they would not get separated in the masses of people. The theatre was like the church the in area, it represented the power that the pagans have in the city, as well the place where people of pagan beliefs gathered.
After pushing through a crowd of people, Lawrence and Holo arrived at the front entrance. Holo signaled Lawrence that she wanted to go in.
"I didn't know you were interested in human theatre." Lawrence inquired.
"You humans always find ways of entertaining yourselves. Since I actually have never seen a play before, I thought it will be interesting to see it once."
Lawrence shrugged at Holo's response, and went inside the theatre. It was compacted with people like Lawrence had expected, but it still gave enough room for them to move around. After shuffling through more people, they were near the front of the stage. They stood there, while they waited for the play to begin.
The crowds of people went silent as the opening statement of the play began. It was going to be about a legend on a Horse deity that lived and ruled the mountains near the east. Lawrence was really not interested in the acting, but pretended to enjoy it, since it was Holo's request. However, one thing Lawrence noticed was that Holo's hand started to shake as the play went on.
Was the story really that interesting? Lawrence thought, since it didn't interest him one bit until a particular actor emerged on to the stage.
Lawrence felt Holo's grip tightened on his hand. The actress was wearing a white robe that covered the top of her head and most of her body. Her appearance resembles Holo, with silky brown hair, red eyes, and a body of about 16 years old. She stared at Lawrence, or rather both him and Holo. Lawrence turned to see Holo staring back at her with her mouth wide open, and an expression full of shock. Then he remembered what Williams had told him, a young maiden with flowing brown hair, Myuri of the Tranquil Song. Lawrence looked at her again, who was still staring at them, and then to Holo who was also still staring back, though her expression had calmed down. Not believing that she could be the same person as Myuri, Lawrence looked closely at her, at which she smiled at them. She began to sing. Her beautiful voice resonated throughout the theatre walls, and across the audience. A voice that was able to lift the depressed, and gave hope to those who had lost their way in life. Lawrence got the feeling that her song was more directed at Holo, then to the rest of the audience. Tears started to flow from Holo's eyes, as she listened to her singing. This strongly confirmed that the actress on the stage was Myuri, Holo's friend from the past, even though Lawrence still did not believe what his eyes were seeing.
After she finished singing, she looked towards Lawrence and gave him a warm smile. She retreated to the back of the stage. The crowds around him cheered, roaring with undying satisfaction. Instead of cheering along with the crowd for a spectacular performance, he was embracing Holo who was crying on his chest, and his mind constantly asking himself.
"What on earth has just happened?"