Chapter 30
The Honest Difference
Fiery. That's how Jaron's lungs felt as he raced forward. "Ciecro! Wait!" He exclaimed, trying to keep up as his brother darted around a tight corner.
"Come on! He went dis way!"
"No, I mean wait for the others!" Jaron shouted, stumbling around the corner, desperately trying to keep his head up despite his mind urging him to rest. Jaron's running was decent, but Ciecro was better built for it, and it became more apparent as with each turn the brothers took the older started to lose the younger. "Ciecro!" Jaron shouted, his lungs crying out for air causing gaps in his speech. "I can't…keep up!"
The flames of Ciecro's get were excited and cackling, swaying from side to side as Ciecro rushed onwards, disregarding or unaware of Jaron's fatigue. Soon enough, Jaron had to stop, supporting himself against the wall as he took heavy breaths.
If Jaron could sweat, he would have made a puddle at his feet. He pressed his arm up against it and leaned forward, pushing his forehead up to it as his breathing began to slow and his lungs began to cool.
His Wary warned him of the danger, but suddenly it shot him awake like a drug, making him spin around with his back against the wall. "What?" He glanced around, confused at why he felt it so near, and yet nothing was around.
No sooner had he had these troubles from his Wary that he heard a pained cry coming from down the alleyway he had been chasing his brother. "Ciecro! No!" He pushed off and ran as fast as he could, pushing himself from his body's protest at its interrupted rest.
As he left the alley he found himself in the center of a town with a fountain decorating the middle. He didn't recognize it, but what he did recognize was an orange object lying in the water of the fountain. Jaron gasped in horror as he rushed over, seeing his brother face first in its crystal waters, not moving.
"Hang on!" Jaron grabbed his brother to pull him out, but suddenly he felt a blow to his side. Before he could so much as move his head, he felt himself pushed down into the water with a hard grip on his throat, cutting off the air flow before he could get any air in his lungs. His Wary only aided his confusion as he flailed about in the water of the fountain, choking and clawing at the attacker holding him. The arms were dark colored and scaly, with the figure above hard to make out besides one noticeable detail. Two red dots of burning intensity that, despite the water's unrest, could be discerned.
He started to lose consciousness, making his flailing attempts now pulls of maddened terror. He couldn't even think of sentences in his head just slicing at the arms pinning him, or kicking at whatever body was above, and yanking around. However, nothing could break the iron grip that kept him choking and pinned.
In one last attempt to get a chance to breathe, Jaron flung himself left with all his might. His eyes shot open as he no longer felt submerged. His blurry vision was in motion as he felt his body collide with a hard, cold floor.
"Ouch." He rubbed his head as his vision started to settle, revealing his environment to be some basement storage room with its only lighting being a nearby window close to the ceiling.
A dream? He frantically browsed the room, seeing a patch of red on top of a box. "Ciecro!"
"Dyaaa!" The Charmeleon jolted forward, only to slide off the box he was sleeping on, and hit his head on the stone floor with a discomforting thump. "Owww!" He sat up, holding his head with a pained snarl. "Wha' dah hell?" He snapped at Jaron, who was too stunned to answer.
"Why'd yah yell like dat?" Ciecro demanded, using the box to steady himself as he stood up.
"I-I-"
Grumbling, Ciecro rested his elbows on the box as he used his claws to massage his hurting head. "Don' tell me it was cuz of some stupid dream."
The Croconaw scowled to the side. Maybe it'd be dumb to you. One frustrated huff later, Jaron got up to leave. "Just go back to sleep," he told his brother as he grabbed onto the wooden ladder leading out.
"Would gladly, ugh." Ciecro rubbed his neck as he groaned. "Bu' I think I've got a crick in my neck now."
Jaron rolled his eyes as he put his foot on the bar and was about to start climbing when he heard his brother again.
"Hrm? Where yah goin'?"
Jaron paused, Ciecro's softer tone, even if it was just casual, making the Croconaw second guess storming out. He's always been grouchy in the morning and did hit his head after all. "For a swim." Jaron sighed in his mind as he took his foot off the wooden bar. I know he's frustrating, but I did make him hit his-
"Guess no sense in sleepin'. S'pose I'll just work on trainin' som-"
Jaron's claw tightened on the ladder, digging into the wood as his expression shifted to pure anger. "Give it a rest."
"Huh?"
"You heard me." Jaron spun around. "You passed the exam, you got your shoulder run through, and we barely survived being attacked twice. What's it going to take for you to just stop for once?"
Ciecro walked over, leering down at Jaron with a scowl of his own, but it bore traces of confusion. "Wha'?" Ciecro snarled and Jaron snarled back. "I need tah be prepared tah figh' dose guys so I gotta keep trainin'."
"Oh sure, sure." Jaron crossed his arms and raised his snout slightly. "Why don't you go off on your own and put yourself in harm's way needlessly again to help out."
"Hey!" Ciecro leaned in closer, the loudness in his voice making Jaron flinch back although he didn't avert his angry glare. "If we hadn' gotten involved, Vragon might've been hurt."
Jaron's head lowered. Maybe, but…you were almost. The Croconaw tried desperately to fight against Ciecro's points in his mind. He couldn't accept them anymore, it was just leading down some kind of path, a path like that dream. "No, he wouldn't have."
"How do yah know dat?"
"How do you know he would have been? He had rangers and apparently Seliph there too." Jaron stepped away from the ladder to get into Ciecro's face, their snouts almost colliding. "You ever considered that maybe us getting involved is just getting in their way? That just rushing into battle like you do is just making it worse?" Jaron paused, his angry stare slightly caving at seeing Ciecro's responding scowl shift to something far more intense.
His eyes were wider, the orange irises like embers of a fire. The Charmeleon's right arm started shaking slightly.
Before Jaron could say anything he was brushed to the side as Ciecro started climbing up the ladder.
"Wai' Cie-"
"Jus' shuddup!" Ciecro snapped, not even looking at his brother as he punched open the trap door and climbed out, leaving Jaron down in the cellar with his mixed anger, bitterness, and sadness.
Why do I even bother? Jaron shook his head as he grabbed the ladder. He never listens. He never slows down. He never cares. He paused his ascent, his head tilting down a little as his angry stare went softer. I need a swim.
Once he made his way out of the inn, he was greeted by the cool air of a cloud-covered morning. The town looked close to colorless in a melancholy way, though perhaps it was just Jaron's mood projecting on his vision. He walked up to the dock and looked down at the river that flowed through town like a main street. The creaking and groaning of the water wheels was the only company Jaron had on this specific dock.
He carefully dipped his foot into the water, shivering a little as he felt the chill. Well, it'll wake me up, I guess. Taking a second to stare at the water as he prepared himself for the cold feel, he fixated on his reflection, slightly distorted by the ripples. His eyes narrowed. Why can't he understand? He always expects me to understand but he never bothers to-
"Jaron?"
Jaron gasped as he spun to the side, unfortunately too close to the edge to get a stable footing, and fell into the river. His nerves shot awake as his body shivered from the cold dip. He flailed in confusion for a second before regaining his bearings and looking around. The river water was surprisingly visible, despite its constant flow and the lack of a cloudless sky, probably due to the stone linings on both the sides and riverbed, somewhat akin to a canal.
He was startled as he saw something swim up to him but relaxed at identifying this mon as Aunt Dresha. What's she doing up so early? She swam up, looking concerned, but he gave a grin to indicate he was fine. He poked his head out of the water, getting a nice fresh breath of air.
A second later, her head poked out as well.
"I'm sorry, Jaron, I didn't mean to startle you and-"
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "It's fine. Helped me get the cold shock and whatnot over with." He swam up to her as he looked downstream, seeing if his accident garnered any attention. "What are you doing out in the river so early?" He inquired, secretly relieved that most mons seemed to be going back to their respective jobs or business at realizing he wasn't in danger.
"Oh, I always try and do a swim every morning and I also like talking with people in town. I don't get to do it that much in Perion, but the river here is very good for being sociable."
"I bet, heh." Jaron checked to see if anything was coming from upstream and realizing it was clear he swam around Dresha, saying, "Well, I won't hinder you from whatever your-"
"Oh no, it's no hindering at all dear," she swam up to him. "To be honest, I'm glad to have you as company."
Jaron let his head sink a little into the water as if he were trying to blend in with its gloomy blue. Her cheery nature was warm, but Jaron didn't want to ruin it. "No, it's alright. I-…" If I tell her I want to be alone she'll instantly know something is wrong.
However, her smile shifting to a more neutral expression pretty much confirmed she had guessed that very idea.
Shit. He let his smile go as he waited for her inevitable, prying question.
"Jaron? Is everything alright?"
He wanted so badly to roll his eyes, but refrained out of respect as he simply answered, "Yes." Turning to the side to look at the buildings, Jaron started tensing up as Dresha swam up to him.
"Are you sure dear? After last night, I would have hoped you'd still be in bed resting."
"Look, I just woke up and didn't feel like going back to sleep. I can't help that." His frustrations were becoming harder and harder to mask as he turned to swim downstream, though waited for her response.
"I'm sorry if it was a rough night, dear."
He felt her fin rub his shoulder gently, making his gaze lower in a mix of guilt but also gratitude. It was always nice to have her affection, even in times like this. Reminded him of the times his own mother would give him such warm contact and while Aunt Dresha certainly couldn't replicate Freya, she didn't fail in making him smile on the inside. But now the Croconaw was torn between wanting to wallow in his anger in solitude and being in the company of Dresha.
His eyes shut. "Why wouldn't it be?" He confided, allowing his bitterness to seep through his tongue, although doing his best to not direct it at her.
"I'm so sorry, Jaron. I wish that-"
"You don't need to apologize." He faced her. He locked gazes with her for a second before shyly looking to the side. "It's not your fault. It's those bastards' fault." There was a brief silence before Jaron's eyes shot wide. "Oh, I-I mean it's those bad guy's fault, heh." A nervous smile formed but went away as he saw her understanding face.
"It's alright dear. You've every right to be genuine."
Oh God, shit really is bad. He joked in his head, trying to retain some semblance of pleasure from her sentence, but he couldn't. Everything was wrong for him and he was tired of it. "T-thanks…" He turned around, not wanting to face her as he decided to be 'genuine'. "But to be honest, I just want things to go back to normal. But I'm starting to doubt it will."
"Oh, Jaron…" She swam around him, looking at him with compassion.
He at first wanted to look away but accepted she wanted to see his face and continued. "This…it's too similar to what happened before." His eyes shut. "I know it's not as bad but…it's just." A small sniffle came as he rubbed his eyes. "It being those same freaks again, Seliph being here randomly, And Ciecro being just…Ugh."
"It's okay dear, you can tell this old fish your mind." She swam up to him, nuzzling him on the side with her scalish, blue body.
Jaron felt his claws clench into fists, slightly embarrassed by her affection out in the fish's street of town, but at the same time he welcomed it. "I'm worried something bad is going to happen."
She pulled back.
"I'm worried and I hate being worried. I just…" His eyes shut once more as if to hide himself. "I wish I could handle this better."
"No one is upset at you dear. And Commissioner Hommel is doing everything he can to make sure we stop them."
His eyes slightly opened. "I know. I just don't think Ciecro knows." He mumbled to himself.
"You don't think Ciecro knows?"
Jaron froze. Oh shit, why did I fucking say that? He face palmed and let himself sink beneath the river. A frustrated scowl formed as he looked down at the stone. I should have just swam on my own. Now I've gone and clued her in. Like she needs to know we've been fighting right now-
His thoughts were put on hold as he saw her swim down to him, their faces only a foot away from each other. She gestured her head up as Jaron's eyes narrowed to the side. Fine. He mumbled in his head as he swam up and broke the surface of the water a bit harsher than before.
Dresha came up half a second later and immediately asked, "So what do you mean by you think-"
"I mean this." Jaron swam over to the wooden portion of the docks, his claws clamping on it like he wanted to snap it. A scowl formed, a scowl similar to his tone in the basement as he stared at the wood. "This morning Ciecro wanted to go do some training again."
"Really?"
"Yes. And I'm just done with it." Jaron let go of the post but kept a fervent stare at it. "Last night he snuck out to do some training despite the situation and we wound up getting wrapped up in the fighting. He still had that hurt shoulder, which was stabbed through mind you, and he could have died last night. And yet he just keeps doing the same thing, ignoring my concerns like some brick wall."
Jaron smacked the post. "I'm sick of his stubborn, uncaring attitude. All he ever thinks about is training to get stronger for, I dunno, protecting the town or whatnot. Why can't he get it through his thick skull he isn't anywhere close to that level and maybe he should just sit it out. It's like he doesn't even notice how-" Jaron sighed as he rested his forehead against the post. "Sorry, I got carried away."
"It's okay dear."
He looked over at her, a small smile forming at hearing her validation.
Her gaze, however, shifted to a nearby waterwheel, prompting Jaron to look at it too as it slowly turned from the flowing stream.
"Though, Ciecro sneaking out is odd."
"Yeah…" Jaron glanced back at her.
"I'm glad you boys weren't hurt, but him disobeying Commissioner Hommel is strange. He's normally very obedient about things like that, especially with regard to the commissioner. I wonder what he was thinking."
Jaron sighed and rolled his eyes. "He wasn't thinking." The Croconaw crossed his arms and looked at the waterwheel. "He was being a stubborn idiot."
"Jaron."
"It's true." His frustrated gaze locked with her calm, sympathetic one. "The guy is obsessed with training. It's all train, train, train, for what exactly? He doesn't tell me outside of just 'Uhhh, gotta geh strongeh tah figh' dah threats'. Pssh, sure."
"Why do you doubt that's the reason?" She asked.
"Easy, because it's no different from his exam. Back then, the reason was so he could pass. He's not changed since then, only changed the excuses he's making."
"But Jaron, those two reasons are understandable."
"Maybe so, but…I know there's something deeper about it. Ciecro just doesn't want to tell me and that pretty much confirms it." Jaron sighed. "I wish he wouldn't keep secrets from me. It's driving me crazy and maybe even him too." He crossed his arms as he thought back to when they were kids. "I feel like he's treating me like how our parents treated us back then. Keeping us in the dark about the whole situation or their own concerns. To be honest, I relate a lot to how Ciecro was back then and how frustrated it made him. But in hindsight, I understand why they didn't want to tell us. Just seeing that liquid she was studying made me feel…strange inside."
"Oh?"
"I never told you this, but me and Ciecro did get a peek at it one time. And…it's sort of why I don't feel like these guys are just common thugs." Jaron looked up at the sky. "When I looked into it, I saw safety. I wanted to look into it forever. I felt almost invisible looking into it. No Fear. No Wary. Nothing. It was…like I was in my parents' arms, but I knew it wasn't them. Ugh, it's hard to describe, but that's the general gist of it."
"That's…scary."
"Yep. It's why I don't want to get involved. My parents were fighters, and yet they were worried about these creeps. I don't want to know what they'd do to…" Jaron's eyes lowered as he halted that line of thought. "But in any case, I understand now why Mom and Dad kept us out. They wanted to spare us all this dark stuff away while still preparing us in case something happened. Ciecro…doesn't know any more about this situation than I do. I feel like he wants to rush in recklessly because of some desire to pay them back, which I get. But, if he gets hurt or worse…"
Jaron's head fell as he sniffled. "And nothing I say gets him to stop. I've pointed it all out to him, but he just doesn't listen." Looking at her with desperation in his gaze, Jaron asked, "He listens to you. What would you do?"
Dresha, who had been listening to this with a very serious look, finally softened up and looked upwards. "Well, I've only ever had one conversation like that with your brother."
"One?"
"Yes. It was when he wanted to go after Seliph."
Jaron's eyes widened. "Wait, when was this?"
"The next day. You were still in the hospital at the time."
The Croconaw's jaw fastened shut, his body froze, his mind went blank, and his inner ears listened intently to what she was going to next say.
"The poor boy was so upset at what Seliph said to me when he left. To be honest, I think he thought I was lying to him."
"Huh?"
"Overall, he wanted to try and get Seliph to come back. He had no plan. No idea if those bad guys were out there still. No experience too. And I told him that directly." She looked at Jaron with a neutral gaze, which was almost unsettling for the boy. "And Ciecro told me he didn't care and that I was a 'lying hag'. To be honest, I believed he had to find Seliph."
He was really going to leave me? Jaron's head lowered."Did he really say that?"
Her eyes lowered. "He was upset, Jaron, and just a child. It's why I don't blame him for being so hostile with me when it happened. You can sympathize with outbursts like that too, no?"
Jaron thought back to what he said to Ciecro, seeing how much it apparently bothered Ciecro. "I guess…No, I know from experience."
Dresha smiled softly and continued. "What finally dissuaded him, was when I told him that he couldn't leave you here alone."
"Huh?"
She nodded. "I told him that you needed him. That he shouldn't give up hope of finding Seliph, but that Seliph was better at taking care of himself than you were. To be plain, I said he couldn't have it both ways. I told him we would speak with Mr. Hommel the next day. He had survived more than any child his age should be expected to and it was alright for him to rest. I wanted him to know that." Her eyes lowered followed by a heavy sigh. "Of course, he didn't take it well. Pretty much yelled at me again before breaking down."
For the first time this morning, Jaron's gaze shifted to a sympathetic one. "I mean, you're not wrong. I probably would have been far worse off if he went away."
She nodded. "Though, I couldn't just leave him like that."
"What do you mean?"
"I tried my best to comfort him. I told him just how I felt about it." She brought a fin to her eye as her emotions from that time started flowing back. "I told him how when my late husband passed that I felt so…alone. That I wondered if there was something I could have done or not have been that would have added on more years."
You…you really felt like that? Jaron felt his heart tighten up as she continued.
"I was upset at everything, Jaron. I told Ciecro that's why I wanted him to stay. Because I saw so much of my anger in him. So much of my late husband's warmth in him, even we hadn't known each other very long. Even if our reasons were vastly different. I felt it wrong to not help him after all my life had led up to. Yes, I was a stranger, Jaron, but some things transcend social boundaries. I know I could never replace the mother you boys had, so I asked him if he would let me care for him and his brother, until he sees fit to leave." Her eyes shut for a second as she said, "And he agreed."
Jaron's head lowered.
"We can't make people see our reasoning or agree with it, Jaron. But you must never forget that Ciecro values you so much, even more than me."
"Don't say that."
"I'm not bothered by that fact, Jaron." She smiled. "I'm glad you have a brother that loves you so dearly. And even if it feels like he doesn't care right now, I imagine it's not because he's stopped caring. I think if you want to help him see things another way, perhaps you need to remind him of what he means to you."
"But he knows what he means to me. Are you saying he's forgotten?"
"I don't know what's bothering your brother, Jaron. I just know that right now, he needs you just as much as you need him. Anyone can tell him what he's doing wrong, only you can tell him what you truly think."
The Croconaw's eyes lowered. "How do I do that? What do I say?"
"I don't know Jaron. Some of these things just need to be done in the moment. But I know you'll do fine."
Jaron sighed. "Thanks for your confidence in me."
"It's well placed dear." She gave him a little peck on the cheek, making him instantly pull back and rub the spot.
"Did you really need to do that out here?" He snarled as she giggled.
"I give my nephews affection wherever I see fit. I thought you'd already know that by now." Her almost smug smile was contagious.
"Sure, sure." He shook his head, feeling better already.
"Since you're here, do you want to swim around with me for a bit? So you can get your morning swim in."
Jaron smiled. "Always."
Aunt Dresha swam past Jaron and he followed her. She's right. I know Ciecro can be a pain, but he's always been that way. I can't forget that deep down he does care. I don't know what I'm going to say to him or how to say it without pissing him off, but I'll figure something out. He shoved his face into the water, looking at the stone pathway at the riverbed as he swerved his body to keep up with Dresha. I didn't know he almost went after Seliph. Seems like a far cry from how he is now. But…I guess I can understand. I want Seliph back too, but he just…He doesn't seem to be the same. A troubled look formed on Jaron's face. I pretty much accepted he cut us off, so why come back now? I…I might need some time first, just to be sure.
O
"Uhm, sir?"
Snorting awake, Seliph jolted up and looked around frantically. "Oh sorry, uhm. Yes?" He hastily inquired, rubbing his eyes.
looking at the librarian Celfable, who looked either concerned or unsettled.
"Here is…the drink you ord-" A Clefable set a mug on the table. "It's fresh so quite ho-"
"Ah, thank you!" In the blink of an eye, Seliph snatched it and began gulping it down right in front of the dumbfounded librarian. One heated exhale of satisfaction later, Seliph slammed the mug down like one would at a bar, saying. "Another please."
It took her a second to process what she had just witnessed. "B-b-but sir, you've already had sev-"
Seliph placed a coin on the table. "I would like to order another one. I have work to get done and would like to be awake when doing it."
She sighed and took his coin. "Alright." The Clefable walked away mumbling under her breath and shaking her head.
His nerves felt jittery, wanting to bounce all over the walls. His gullet felt warm and comfy. Okay, back to my task. He looked back down at the book and pressed his finger at where he had left off, skimming through a few sentences before shaking his head annoyed. Ugh, not what I need either. Maybe this library doesn't have what I'm looking for after all. He stood up and walked over to the main desk, setting the book a bit harshly on the desk, due to his active nerves rather than any malice or frustration.
The Parasect clerk faced him, his eyes, being the white voids, were making Seliph feel a bit unsettled but also unsure if he had properly gotten the mon's attention until the bug spoke. "Ah, is that the book you would like to-"
Seliph held up his hand. "No, I'm not checking this book out. I just have a question."
"Uhm…alright."
The Parasect clerk looked over at the Clefable, who was grinding some seeds into powder as some water nearby was heating up a small metal casing with a red Emura in its center. She looked back and shrugged, resuming her task.
"Ahem, what kind of catalog question, sir?"
Seliph rested his arms on the desk, saying, "Do you have any specific works about the Clans?"
"Errr?" The Parasect said perplexed, his void white eyes staring blankly at Seliph in a creepy, albeit unintentional manner.
"He means, books about Clansmons," the Clefable clarified, setting the cup on the desk, which Seliph immediately snatched up.
"Oh! Of course, sir! My apologies." The Parasect pulled something from under desk, set a large writing book on top, and began turning its pages while browsing the entries.
Ugh, can't they afford databases? Seliph rolled his eyes as he rested his back on the desk, staring down at the wooden floor as he waited.
"Would you like a list of them, sir?"
"Yes, please." He began rubbing his chin. I have what I need for the trap, but not knowing why they're after the Fraxure is just bothering me. I wish I had better research so I could check if he had his memory tampered with since I think it's possible to use a soul link to investigate that. Maybe they have something here I could use. He slammed his fist into his palm and spun around, startling the Parasect.
"I'm sorry, but can you also add to the list books on the topic of mental manipulation?"
The two stared back with dumbfounded looks as Seliph groaned.
"Any books or papers about the mind portion of mons."
"Uhh…I can check sir, I'll just have to start at the be-"
"That's fine." Seliph slammed another coin on the desk. "Another one please."
"Sir, please," The Clefable scooted back his coin, with a concerned look. "Having too much is unhealthy. If you're feeling that tired sir, you should go get some rest. Perhaps you can do more of your research lat-"
The Greninja's eyes narrowed. "Look, I'm buying a drink. Are you going to make me a cup or not?"
"Eight is very excessive. This is a library, not a bar." She crossed her arms and scowled at him. "I'm sorry, but if you want another Blast Seed Brew, you're going to-"
"Got it." He got off the bar and started walking out, leaving the Clefable in surprise. "I'll be back for the list." The Greninja grumbled as he headed for the door, putting his hand on it but paused as he looked at a group of nearby tables where mons were reading or chatting. He raised a brow as he focused on one of the tables, but soon opened the door and left with a dark grin on his face.
Once out, he immediately took a right where he spotted the nearest café. As he started walking, he suddenly diverted course and went down an alleyway, pressing his back against the wall immediately. Let's see if you're gullible.
Stepping deeper into the alleyway, Seliph got down on all fours and hopped up. He formed a Night Slash stick that shot out both sides and stuck into the wall. He did this a few times until he was able to hop onto the roof and look down.
Hmmmm… The alleyway was still empty. Then is that mon following- Raising a brow he jogged to the other side of the building, but to his surprise, there was no one there too. Hrm? His eyes shot wide as he darted over to the front side, looking right at the café he was going to.
A white furred mon entered the café, vanishing as the door shut behind this stranger. Seliph raised a brow and smiled. Huh, so you aren't gullible. Sucks for you I have stalking experience.
He made his way down and started across the street for the café. He brushed himself a little as he entered, the bustling breakfast time forcing him to be a bit more aware to save himself and anyone else from an unfortunate collision.
"Need something, sir?"
He looked at the bartender and shook his head. "Not yet, thank you." He resumed browsing the café. Come on, where- Ah there you are. With a broad grin, Seliph strode on over to a booth and sat down opposite another mon obscured by a paper menu.
"I supposed I must be out in the rural fields to be dealing with all this paper instead of holocasters."
"Get lost, bub," A voice replied the attempt at sounding deeper was pretty obvious.
"I could say the same, but then I would still be curious why you're spying on me." He put a finger to the top of the menu and pulled it down gently, revealing Jasmine leering at him.
"I was reading that."
"Sure you were." Seliph leaned back, spreading his arms out in a lax position, making Jasmine's eyes dart to the side with annoyance. "So, gonna answer my question?"
"What's there to answer?" She replied coldly. "You're being paranoid. I always do some reading before I get some breakfast."
"Sounds a bit normal of a routine, given all that's going on I'd imagine you wouldn't do that." He leaned forward.
"Old habits die hard." She leaned forward too, his knowing grin matching her soft scowl.
Seliph chuckled as he looked out the window. "So you're telling me that going out in the rain post-midnight is normal for you?" Seliph's eyes darted to look at her as he finished, taking in as much of her reaction as he could.
Sure enough, her face twitched slightly with her eyes widening for a second before she looked back at the bar.
Gotcha. Seliph rolled his neck. "Am I wrong?"
She sighed, refusing to answer.
Raising a finger, Seliph said, "First rule of bluffing. Always have a strong resting face."
"I'm not bluffing," she snapped, her head lowering a little afterward as a wordless acknowledgment of her guilt.
"Of course not." Seliph shrugged. "By all reason, you are right."
"Huh?" She looked at him with a cautiously raised brow.
Seliph leaned back, rolling his wrist. "I didn't see you that night. I just said that to see if you'd recognize it, which you did."
She rolled her eyes. "That's hardly proof."
"Proof is for a court of whatever law is in style." He shrugged. "Some things are just easy to tell."
"That's a rather dangerous way of thinking about things."
Seliph smiled in the wake of her hostility, only interrupted by a waiter coming over.
"Uhm…are you two ready?"
"He's not wit-" Jasmine began but Seliph cut her off.
"I'll take a Blast Seed Brew. No additions." He held out a hand to her, indicating it was her turn to order.
It took her a second, but she finally sighed and uttered, "Just some Oran Juice." The waiter nodded and left, prompting Jasmine to speak up again. "So first you catch me spying on you and now you're buying my drink?"
"Why not? I respect your tact. But also, I'm curious what I did to get your ever-gazing eyes fixated on my person." Her lack of response prompted him to speak his mind. "It's because of Humphry, isn't it?"
Instantly, her silence was broken. "If you think he ordered me to do that, think again."
"Oh no, no, no, you misunderstand." She waited for the clarification. "I meant that Humphry doesn't trust me so you don't."
"I…well…those are your words, not mine."
Seliph raised a brow, a bit surprised at how flustered Humphry's mention made her. "If you think I'm saying that's wrong, I'm not. I'm sure Humphry has done much to earn your trust."
"He's the Commissioner and has taken a sworn duty to protect the town." She retorted, almost offended at his method of talking about Mr. Hommel.
"Many rangers don't let something like sworn duty get in the way of personal goals." Seliph leaned on the window as Jasmine countered.
"Yes, but you'd be surprised to know Humphry isn't one of them."
"You sound certain."
"I know a corr-" She paused, her built-up anger vanishing in a flash with flustered surprise.
Huh? Seliph faced her, but she had already shifted to a defensive, head-lowered scowl.
"I…I just know he's not like that. His guild is a good place."
History or something else? He leaned back. "You're training to become a ranger, right?"
"Yes…what about it?"
"Nothing about it." He sighed as he once more turned his attention to the window. "Look, don't take it the wrong way. I don't blame anyone here for not knowing much about the Red Eyes or knowing the perfect counter to everything."
"Sounds like you are. It sounded like you were upset that he didn't just do everything you wanted him to."
"I have no personal attachment to your commissioner." Seliph looked upwards. "He seems like an upstanding citizen and I'd be lying to say I wasn't grateful for his existence. But as I said, these guys are something of an anomaly when it comes to criminals. I've got the best experience and knowledge about them. I think that isn't something to be ignored."
"He's not ignoring you."
"I know and in any other circumstance, I'd be more lenient." Seliph huffed as he saw the work going on at the bar. "But time isn't on our side. These guys are willing to kill as you saw last night."
The two went silent, even as their drinks arrived. Seliph immediately started sipping his hot brew while Jasmine stared at hers, eventually saying, "What do you mean earlier when you said you were grateful for his existence?"
He let out a little chuckle and looked at her straight in the eye. "You mean to tell me you can figure out where I was and how to keep a covert eye on me, but don't know why I'd appreciate your commissioner?"
About a minute later, Jasmine let out a heavy "Hmph." Looking away, she said, "So you're telling me that you do care about them?"
Her words almost made him frown, but he refrained, keeping the change to just a neutral face. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Well…" Her head lowered as her face bore some manner of guilt, probably from how sharp her statement came off. "I mean, why didn't you at least send them some letters?"
Seliph raised a brow. "Why letters?"
"You know what I mean," She answered, tensing up like a heavy boulder. "Why didn't you try contacting them in some way?"
Seliph started on a long sip of his drink as he thought, Hmmm, let's see how sturdy that wall is. Would be worth it if this situation is dragged out. As he set the mug down, he kept his eyes on the swirling liquid inside. "I wanted to, but it's not easy." He leaned back, continuing. "If I sent anything truly heartfelt or sincere then they would have been brought into this."
She didn't look convinced, however, Seliph could see her expression was softer than before.
She must be very good friends with them. Perhaps… He paused, thinking carefully about how he wanted to go about this. "I don't know if you or the Commissioner know this, but maybe you'd be interested to know something."
"Huh?" She looked flabbergasted as Seliph chuckled.
"My brothers weren't discovered in the attack."
"Huh?" Jasmine tilted her head, confused.
He nodded. "I'm very confident in that. Anybody that did seem them was killed." He sipped more of his drink, finishing it up in a few gulps. And I'm certainly glad no invasive psychics were able to find that out either. "That's why I didn't want to send anything. Because they had something I didn't. Identity protection."
Her head lowered, processing this information.
"Does that answer your question?"
"It kind of does, but…" she sighed and shook her head. "Look, I'm not saying you don't care, but…"
He waited patiently for her to finish that thought, but she never did.
"Sorry, nevermind."
He looked at the window as a minor scowl formed on his face, almost without thinking about it. Maybe you're more like my brothers than I thought. His eyes narrowed fiercer as he finished that thought. However, he quickly shifted back to a neutral expression as he looked back at Jasmine. "Is that another reason why you don't trust me? Because my brothers are upset with my lack of contact?"
"Well…I'd be lying if I didn't say I could sympathize."
"In more than just imagination?" Seliph squinted as he focused on her body and its tells. She looked uncomfortable hearing that but didn't reply. Backpedal a little, Seliph. You don't want to overdo it. He rolled his neck, saying with a cheery smile, "But perhaps that's also because you're a good friend to them."
She looked at him in surprise. "Huh?"
"I can tell. You just give off a strong, caring vibe. I'm glad my brothers have a friend." He started drawing circles on the table. Let's see, if I want her to trust me better I need to come off as vulnerable. So, let's go with something believable. He put on a rather weary smile as he spoke, "You know, I sometimes was troubled that they were alone in that town. I know they had Dresha, but I was concerned they'd never have someone their age. So, seeing you here brings warm feelings to my heart."
He refrained from looking at her reaction, confident he pitched it sincerely enough to land the impact.
"I…Uhm…"
Perfect. His eyes widened as he suddenly felt a vibration coming from his belt. He raised a brow as he starting deducing what it was without looking. Back right pocket. Wait! He stood up and tossed two coins on the table.
"Huh?"
"Sorry, but I imagine that list is done by now. I have some business to do anyways." He gave her a pleasant bow and said, "It was nice talking to you, miss?"
"Jasmine…Jasmine Morteaih."
He nodded and headed out at a race-walking pace. Instead of going back into the library, he went down the alleyway next to it followed by a few turns. Once out of sight, he pulled out a rusted, damaged badge. In the center was the Norfarion Crest insignia over a faintly flashing orb welded to the metal. Sometimes I'm amazed this still works. He tapped it and it beamed up a holographic orange screen with various options. He tapped a button that was flashing and it went into a loading spiral. His eyes narrowed. Why are they contacting me now? I thought it'd take them at least three more days to get here. Though. He looked back down at the badge. Maybe it's not just the Red Eyes I shouldn't underestimate.
The screen shifted to a blank line that suddenly erupted with peaks and dips matching the audio static it started playing. "Hello?" A voice spoke from the badge, the orange lines easing up to match the voice.
Seliph's eyes slid to the right, fixated on the alleyway corner as he answered, "Yeah, it's me."
"Seliph? Oh, thank Arceus we got you at a good time."
He felt uneasy about this stranger's relief at hearing his voice. "What is it?"
"Oh, we wanted to give you a heads-up. We're nearing Perion Town. It's just a couple of miles away."
How did they manage that? He started stroking his chin. "Are you going by the river?"
Another voice answered, this one was a deeper, growling-like voice. "Yes. It ends at a pocket lake directly next to the town, correct?"
"Yes, that's correct." He reached into another pouch and pulled out a piece of paper. On it, he had a bunch of scribbled notes as well as the layout of an outer sector of Vergium Town. "There's something you two should know. We're at Vergium Town now."
"What?" The first, higher pitched voice exclaimed as the second one chimed in, it having a much deeper almost growling voice.
"Did something happen?"
"Another attack, but we're fine now. Listen, since you're so close-"
The chipper voice spoke first. "Hey, that's actually closer than Perion. We should be able to get there by nightfall if we book it."
"Where in Perion Town are-" The deeper voice began, but was cut off by Seliph.
"No. You're not coming into town just yet." He sighed as he heard the surprised reactions on the other side. "I need you two on standby."
"What? Why? If they attack again-"
"Their attack is going to be unavoidable. For now, I need you two to help with support. I have a plan."
"A plan? For what?" The deeper one asked, Seliph almost sensing the quizzical look coming from the audio hologram.
"I'll fill you in on the details, but right now I have to get back to some research and setting things up. Contact me tonight around eleven tonight and we'll talk about it."
"But…" Silence followed before it was broken by the sound of a sigh. "Alright. We'll wait outside of town."
"Thank you." Seliph pressed the button and the hologram disappeared. With a grin on his face, he looked to the right. "You're welcome to attend too if you don't mind being out in the open this time. You know where I'm staying." He turned and started walking down the alleyway, as Jasmine came from around the corner, an uncertain scowl on her face.
Seliph shoved his hands into his pockets, a narrow smirk on his face. Let's see how curious you really are, Jasmine. I hope you're there. You could be very helpful in keeping them in check.
