Chapter Nine

Passage

The trip to Hargeon was the easiest part. Getting passage on a ship however, proved much and more difficult. As her companion had said, there were hardly any ships heading to Yi Kai let alone one that would take on a couple extra passengers. It had taken nearly all afternoon and well into the evening before they'd finally given up for the day.

"I thought we had that last one for sure." Cana complained, drinking deeply from her mug of ale.

"I thought you said this would be an easy one." There was that all-too-knowing smirk on his face again.

"Oh shut it." Cana frowned and finished her drink. "And stop rubbing at your face." She whispered sharply. On their train ride into the port town, he told her that his facial markings would hinder their passage, so she did the only thing a woman could do to cover unwanted blemishes; she covered it with make up. He struggled through most of the process, both of them getting suspicious glances from the other passengers when he wouldn't sit still with her leaning over him. Afterwards, he did admit that it was shocking how good of a job she had done and how strange his face looked. She also noticed that he would look at his reflection in every possible surface they passed as well. It made her wonder for a while just how long he had had those black dots beneath his eyes.

She was reaching her limit when it occurred to her that they didn't bother finding a place to stay for the night yet. Cana glanced over at Bacchus, noting how much more lively he'd become while chatting with the barkeep and another local. She must have stared too long or caught his attention somehow because he suddenly paused before taking a drink to glance over his shoulder at her.

"Need something, honey?" His still mischievous smile and slurred speech sobered her a little.

"We need to find a room." The way his eyebrow raised made the blood crash like a wave in her ears.

"Idiot." She said under her breath, giving him a swift kick to the shin.

"If it's a room yer needin' you can try the inn up the ways a bit." The man behind the counter offered.

"Maybe we ought to go check it out dear." The last word was emphasized maybe a little too harshly.

They had decided on their way to town that they needed a cover and, much to her dismay, the only believable option was as a married couple since they didn't look enough alike to be siblings or relatives. Ultimately, she wasn't truly opposed to it but nor was she fond of the idea, thinking they wouldn't be able to convince anyone as they hardly knew much about each other. He only remarked that many couples hardly did after years of marriage anyway and that it would be an interesting story after it was all over. Cana tried to argue that it wouldn't work due to her still looking freshly twenty even though she truly was seven and twenty, but he simply waved her off, as he was wont to do. She was still brooding over it and the fact that such an obstacle had already hit them so early in her plans.

Coming back to the present, Bacchus only continued to beam at her drunkenly. When she shot him a look, he waved his hand again, finishing his drink and paid for it.

"Shall we?" He had stepped away before turning to her and offering his arm. When she took it, he placed a hand over hers leading her gently despite his stagger. She made a mental note of how even after they'd left the building he continued to hold her hand.

Just as the barkeep had said, there was an inn a block down that had a vacancy. What the man had failed to mention was that it was the most expensive one in town. She settled on the idea that the barkeep likely was given some sort of commission for sending rich drunks to the location.

The owner himself was at the counter inside the elaborate and beautifully decorated lobby, and upon seeing, and possibly smelling how good and drunk her companion was, offered the largest room which happened to be near triple the price of a regular one. Yet, before she could protest, Bacchus agreed to it and paid the amount.

It took almost an hour for the room to be ready, but sure enough, it reflected the price when they entered. Therein was a large canopied bed with plush and welcoming covers and pillows, rich fabric drapes were tied to the posts with golden ribbon and expensive lace hung loosely over the slatted top. There was a small couch with obviously detailed, hand-carved etchings at the foot of it. Of course it's too small for either of us to sleep on. She dully noted. To the right of it a few feet away, a small fire crackled in the quaint fireplace which had fresh flowers in the vase on the mantle above it, making the room comfortably warm and explaining why they had to wait so long before they could settle in.

There was a wardrobe and vanity made of polished wood and gold leaf next to that and both hosted an array of goods including new hairbrushes, a jewelry box and more to make for a comfortable stay. Opposite of those was an ornate sink of carved marble and quartz and a porcelain tub that looked like it would easily accommodate the both of them. It had a wide wooden base around it so that guests could sit beside the tub and dip their feet. Bubble soaps and fragrant oils had been placed near the edge beside the neatly folded towels and robes. Though the only item Cana was truly thankful for was the screen meant for changing she spied sitting in the corner. Though she felt as if she would still have to kick Bacchus out while she bathed regardless of it.

"Big enough for you?" He said, casually walking over to the bed and laying down on it. Part of her wanted to kick him off, and the other part felt guilty as he likely hadn't slept in an actual bed for a few days; her small and now broken couch accounting for at least two of those nights and a train and station bench for the others that she knew of. It wasn't the first time she's had to share a bed with another person and it wasn't going to be the last she figured and so resolved to keep her mouth shut for now.

"This damned outfit is too hot." He complained, unbuttoning a few of the knots on his outfit. Not unlike the past few times he'd stripped in front of her, she turned away self-consciously. Aside from assigning roles, they'd also decided to hide their guild marks so as to not raise any questions or risk them being recognized. Despite how little she liked wearing them, she had donned a simple and mostly modest green dress, trying to convince herself that it would help her keep cool where as Bacchus had worn a gold and blue tunic similar to the purple and black one he had on during their meeting at The Games. Since his mark was so large and this armor did nothing to hide it and was too ostentatious to not be recognized, he had no choice but to cover up more than usual as well.

"Are you going to bathe?" She turned back around slowly, relieved that while his shirt was unbuttoned and exposed his chest, he was still fully clothed.

"Depends." He reclined back onto the pillows with his hands behind his head.

"On what?" She crossed her arms warily expecting a smart comeback.

"Whether or not you wanted to take one, too." Bacchus spoke calmly, blatantly looking her up and down and grinned while she sputtered and itched to reach for something to throw at him. "But I'd rather you go first. Gives me a chance to go down to the bar in the lobby and drink some more." The flush from earlier crept up her cheeks as she realized he wasn't hinting at bathing together. Yet even with how sincerely he seemed to be offering to leave while she did, she couldn't fully believe him.

"Go ahead then." She relented, too tired to bother with his twisting words and watched as he redressed into a lighter tunic. He was nearly out the door when he stopped and gave her another once over.

"You know, dresses suit you. I think you ought to wear them more."

"Just get out." Cana hissed and pushed the sniggering mage out into the hall. "And don't forget to knock four times so I know it's you." She added.

With yet another wave of his hand, he walked away and left her alone in the room. The little alcohol she had drunk had cleared from her system already. Sobered and tired, she pulled opened the dressing screen, placing it so that if he walked back into the room, she'd still be covered by it and started the bath.

The water grew cold quickly regardless of the warmth of the room, but she wasn't too upset about it. Despite Bacchus having just left, she felt as if the faster she was finished, the less likely he was to come barging in while she wasn't decent. After dressing into her usual sleepwear, she gave in and went to collapse on the bed. It was softer than it looked and felt as if it was about to swallow her into itself. This really isn't going to be as easy as I planned. The thought did little to rouse her from the exhaustion from the day and she could feel herself struggle to keep conscious.

It was a couple hours later before three knocks sounded at the door. She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep and quietly rose from the bed and went to listen. Three knocks came again, making her freeze in place momentarily. As she got closer, she heard mumbling, and strained to hear clearly.

"Oi!" A voice suddenly boomed and a single loud bang hit the door, startling her. There was no mistaking such belligerence.

"You idiot!" She threw open the door and let the drunk man who had been leaning on it stumble in. "Four times. It was FOUR times!" It was useless she knew to even attempt scolding him while he was in such a state and groaned. Cana managed to stand him up and get him to his side of the bed.

"Four is a wild number!" He yelled out. Immediately she covered his mouth with her hand, shushing him.

"Shut, up! Someone will hear you." She watched as his unfocused eyes found her and smiled for him. Nodding, he gingerly pulled her hand from his mouth, and much to her surprise continued holding on to it.

"I'm glad you're safe." His words slurred so much she almost didn't understand him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She furrowed her brows at him, wondering if he had run into trouble. The palm mage didn't answer her question.

"Thank you Cana." He said instead as he stroked his free fingers across the back of her hand. Cana went into shock and instinctively withdrew from his grasp.

"Don't thank me just yet." Truly fed up, she went to her bag and dug out a card not of her deck. The last time she had used this card on a person who wasn't an enemy left her feeling more than a little remorseful, but resolved that this was her only option. She sat beside him and before he realized it, touched the card to his chest.

"Sleep." The magic in the card acted quickly, lulling Bacchus to rest. Typically the magic wore off once the person was woken by a loud enough noise, but the alcohol in his system would likely strengthen it's effect and hopefully keep him from waking the rest of the night.

Once she was certain he was out cold, she placed most of the pillows in the middle between them, creating a barrier. Lets hope he doesn't move too much in his sleep. Silently she hoped that when she woke, the fence would still be intact and allowed herself to drift back to sleep once more.

A/N: ALRIGHT! Time for that super-upload! I may have only gotten three chapters completed for you, but three is still better than one right?! And I will still upload weekly. This was more of a challenge for me to see if I could really get my ass in gear and meet a deadline. So, here you go and enjoy! And as always, until next week, Betty B.