Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom - ep. 67
"Concrete Instants"
[Rocks and Rain, Part 3]
Over the next two days, we review our mission objectives as a group and make the small preparations needed for our journey into the Hidden Rock. Bear and Wolf split the task of completing our funeral clothing, simple black robes that have a small number of hidden loops and pockets to carry what we might need. They had prepared before our arrival and only needed our measurements.
After that, we finalize what we will be doing once we get into the village. There are a few people in the area who will be travelling to the funeral, as they had a positive view of the two jinchuuriki. Our group will be going along with one of the local farmers, who has a horse and open carriage. Today should pose no trouble in terms of weather. Once we've had a light breakfast and confirmed everything one last time, we get into our sandals, change our hair colour as needed, and then put on our straw hats before heading outside.
Bear, Wolf, and Sparrow have their civilian names to use later on. The rest of us go to our scheme for this particular mission.
"If we use code names too dissimilar from the list, it might cause issues when it comes to recording," Erika explains to Ino. She's decided to go with black hair for this mission, while Ino has chosen a light pink.
"We couldn't have done better than fancy rocks?" she whines. "Seriously, it makes us come off like...you know."
"Like what?" Fio asks. She's picked out the platinum blonde she wanted earlier.
"Like the pole dancers at night clubs," I say. I've decided on a chestnut brown today, like Luna. "They all love to use names like Ruby and Diamond and the like. Fine enough names for the most part if you want to be anonymous, but...well, imagine having the name Ruby as a child in the city."
"Oof. Yeah, kids can be vicious. I get what you mean now. But hey, it's only temporary for us. Sounds alright...oh, I guess I can be...hmm. Emerald, or something?"
"That name is approved," Erika says.
"Awesome. You guys can call me Emmy if you want!"
"You're having way too much fun with this," Ino says. She sighs and waves her hand at us. "Pick one and get it over with."
Erika nods. "Aquamarine it is. We will use Aqua as a shorthand."
"I really wish you wouldn't."
I shrug. "Ruby works for me. Appropriately spicy."
"Excellent. I will be using the code name Alexandrite. You may call me Alex as you feel comfortable."
"Then I guess that's all, unless our peerless leader Alex has something else to add," Ino says.
"Nothing else. Thank you for your input, Aqua."
Ino gives her an exasperated look.
"Is this how you guys are on missions together?" Sparrow asks. "It sounds like fun."
"Totally is," Fio says to her. "The most fun group of gals you could ask for."
"That includes the parts where we snipe at each other, by the way. Quality entertainment at any hour," I add.
"Don't listen to her. She's always stirring up some kind of trouble when we least expect it," Ino says.
"Oh, behave yourself. I'm just keeping you on your toes, like all good girlfriends do."
"And you're the last person who should be telling anyone to behave themselves, skirt-chaser."
"Now, now. No need to be so hostile over a simple name change, Aqua."
"The worst. That's you."
"That should be our ride coming up," Bear says as he looks into the distance. "Time to get ready, ladies."
"I'll deal with you later," Ino says jokingly.
"Mm. I'll be looking forward to it, darling."
We greet our local farmer as they arrive, and get into the carriage with their family and some others from the area. They're dressed in their own dark colours, some with lighter tones and differing states of wear on them. It reminds me of when I would visit the rice farmers with Mama long ago, and we were able to see a bit of how they lived.
"I admit to not thinking much of him at first," one of the women says to Wolf. "All of the stories made him seem terrifying, and that suit of armour didn't help."
"But you changed your mind after that?"
"Oh, yes. There was a boy that got himself lost some time ago, and Han found him and brought back to his parents. He wasn't treated very kindly for those efforts, but apparently he took no offence and left. It made me think that surely, a person like that who would have been so tormented by their existence would lash out or something...but he didn't. It made me wonder if everything I had heard was incorrect. Of course, you would have realized that faster than I did, Miss Amamiya. Being so connected to village affairs and all."
"I do my best to stay informed, yes."
"And these girls also want to pay their respects, then? I haven't seen you before, are you from out of town?"
"Yes, ma'am," Fio says. "We live out in the country, and heard the news about Lord Han there and all. He came out and helped when some bandits were fixin' to rob us of our money and dignity one day. It would have been a right awful thing if we forgot that, especially since he made sure to walk us home."
"Weren't just strong, but awful kind, too," I say with a nod. "Though I had myself a feeling with how those bigger fellows get along. They's about the kindest boys you could meet out in the world, real darlings and cute as anything."
"Ain't you tried to get him to flinch, sis?"
"I reckon I woulda done more than just try if he weren't behind that steel wall of his!"
"All us here wanted to make sure he got sent off proper. Maybe it was just the one time, but once is more than enough. I sure hope that Tsuchikage ain't skimped on the good flowers," Fio says.
"Figure I'll be able to tell at a glance," Ino says. "I ain't done all that flower watchin' for nothing, y'all."
"She ain't lying. I reckon she could sniff out one of them, er, facsimiles from a mile out."
The woman nods with understanding. "I see. The more I learn about him, the more impressed I get. It really is terrible what happened to him, then...and to the other gentleman...oh, I forgot his name again."
"His name was Roshi," Sparrow says.
"Roshi, yes. My apologies. I never did see him in my lifetime, an elusive fellow. I hope he's found peace as well..."
"We ain't been so tuned in to the big city affairs," Erika starts, "so we was wondering if the old Tsuchikage wasn't rarin' to salt the earth or sommat because of what went on recently."
"Well, this is just my gathering of whispers around the area...but there might be a series of negotiations or meetings happening soon with the other villages, according to what some of the local politicians are saying. They've spent a fair bit of time assuring us that we won't need to prepare for war."
"I figure that's to put a stop to any bank or food runs before they can get started," Bear says casually.
"Ain't that a bitter way of looking at it?" Fio asks.
"We ain't fed hungry mouths with optimism just yet," I reply.
"Hm. Might be the truth, but I don't like it much."
"I'm sure there will be plenty of talking on the subject once the funeral is over," Wolf says. "One just needs to know where to listen."
We reach the village not too long afterwards, and get off near the village entrance. The farmer goes off to find a place to leave their steed and carriage while we follow the lines of people in dark clothing towards our destination.
"Back again," Fio says quietly.
This is my first time in the village. It shares similarities with the Hidden Cloud, namely the many bridges that connect buildings and different parts of the village. Homes, businesses, and other important structures are built into the surrounding rock, either on top of plateaus or into the sides of slopes. Ramps and staircases have been carved out, windows are designed to capture the most amount of daylight and regulate temperature as needed. The tallest building in the village, naturally, is reserved for the Tsuchikage. The roof is shaped like a cone, and has the kanji for Earth displayed prominently on the outside.
As it is now, the village is very difficult to assault directly, something that I remember its shinobi are very proud of. It's surrounded by tall spires of rock, and all of the important structures are in the air, unlike in the Leaf or Sand. They don't have as many personnel but they're all decently strong, enough to repel most direct attacks. But they clearly didn't have enough, which is why they hired Akatsuki to supplement their forces. And the other side, which I nearly forgot: deniability. Akatsuki is a separate organization, which means that the Hidden Rock could use them to hide any of their plots from the other villages.
"Security is focused today," Erika says from behind me. "As expected, they are wary of infiltrators entering freely."
"That one's about to get nabbed," Ino says quietly. I can see who she's talking about, someone in a slightly worn robe that looks a size too big for their body. There's nothing obvious to most people, even other shinobi. But they probably made a wrong move near the entrance, or they could be a return visitor that didn't approach with consistency. Either way, they're approached from the front silently and moved off to the side before anyone in the crowd can take notice.
"Wonder how much we have to worry," Fio mumbles.
"Not much," I assure her. "We're guests of the Amamiya family and we have more than a few witnesses from earlier. Easy work in terms of deniability. You'll be more than fine, love."
"I trust you guys, always have."
"Things like this are exhausting at times, I do understand. Sometimes you would rather it come to blows instead of frying your nerves in suspense."
She chuckles lightly. "You really know how to empathize with people, Miss Ruby."
"Mm. Had to work at it a bit."
"That's a shock. You, having to work on social skills."
"If it's that shocking, it means that I've come a much longer way than I thought. Are you really alright, though?"
"Just fine, really. My old home is pretty far from here, so we don't have to worry about that, or anything. And obviously, my parents aren't around...well, maybe that could change. They had a pretty good relationship with Master Han, so...yeah, I did forget about that. Not likely that we'll bump into them. If anything does happen, I won't be too worried or stressed out."
"We'll keep an eye out either way."
"Yeah."
The amount of people walking around in funeral attire seems to be because of the occasion more than anything else, since the crowd is thinning the further we go into the village. A long set of stairs takes us up to the public square where the ceremony is to take place. A few bundles of flowers sit on a table, where framed photos of Han and Roshi sit. Slightly off to the side of each are urns which contain their ashes, unless they're symbolic or something similar. But it doesn't seem to be the case.
From the murmuring I'm picking up, there are enough people who are here just because. If we didn't need the cover they provided, it would be more of an irritant. Several visible shinobi are out in force, wearing the standard Rock uniform. Red outfits that some have changed to have one sleeve, and brown combat jackets over them. Using the lower level of my tracking, I can also sense that there are several lurking in the shadows, which is a matter of course. All of us will be moving about at the end of the Tsuchikage's speech, which is the time when everyone will be transitioning from their high alert phase and into something closer to the normal level of vigilance. It's a short and restrictive window to operate in, but it also yields the most opportunity. If there's anyone I can count on to exploit that kind of time frame, it's Erika. The rest of us will be doing comparatively safer activities in the meantime. An overnight stay isn't out of the question...we will have to see.
"The old man always did like taking his time. He runs the place, anyways," Fio says.
"Hopefully it's not too much longer," Ino says. "He's gonna be running off one of those speeches, and those get pretty boring after a while no matter how exciting they start off."
Several large men carry chiselled stones to the middle of the area, in front of the waiting crowd. They are stacked one on top of the other to create what looks like a podium. Then we can see someone flanked by several shinobi, and various officials trailing behind them. The smaller, floating figure in front is the man of the hour.
"They seem not to be taking any chances," Erika says from beside me. "A scent of desperation, to be sure."
"Mm."
Standing on the platform of smooth, polished stone is the man who has led the Hidden Rock for many decades, and could easily do so for many decades to come. He of 'Both Scales', the proclaimed great arbiter, Oonoki, the Third Tsuchikage of the Hidden Rock. The only known living wielder of an advanced power called a Bloodline Selection, beyond even a Bloodline Limit, which manifests as Dust Release: the combination of earth, wind, and fire.
"..."
He is small, especially compared to me. Maybe one and one third meters. His nose is large and red, and has strange bumps on the front of it. Bald at the top with white hair at the bottom, most of it tied back into a topknot. A moustache that is long on both sides, and forms sharp right angles coming down from his upper lip. There's the beard coming from his chin as well, neatly formed into a triangle shape. His eyebrows are heavy and thick. A green coat with yellow trim and a small red cape around his shoulders forms his outfit, which has similarities with the outfits worn by the other higher ranking officials of the village.
I wonder what would happen if I killed this man.
"Thank you all for coming," Oonoki says. "We of the village are heartened to see that so many have come to pay their respects to these two fine, brave members of our village. Those who carried a terrible burden on behalf of us all, and were tragically struck down by a ruthless enemy. We can tell you that their courage has already saved countless lives, and provided us with most valuable information that we will use to ensure the safety of this village, our precious home..."
I could do it. I know I could. I don't need to listen to his speech, the others can do that for me. This is something I should think about and address.
It wouldn't be very hard.
Killing the Tsuchikage would cripple the Hidden Rock immediately. They're not likely to have anyone good enough to take on the aspects of the job that this old man surely fusses over daily. He has a granddaughter, I believe. Would she be ready at this time? I doubt it. I could kill him and slip away easily enough. Leave this place behind. If it came down to it, the village that I gave so much for. The world would change, instantly. It might mean one less hidden village. It might mean chaos, a delay on Akatsuki's plans. If they tried to take advantage, we would know. We could strike them down with impunity for daring to interfere. The flow of time would change, the world's order.
How many things to consider? A clone. A decoy. I can see something at the edge of my vision, and it's probably the case. Or somewhere to substitute. Forming a clone of my own would solve that. None of these people would be able to react if I decided to strike now. None of them would be able to stop me if I just pulled my chakra together in that single second and blew this old man's heart out while he was speaking. I can see him falling backwards while his bodyguards scramble to find me. Or the blood flying from his throat as I cut through him while ignoring his decoy. Spaces and possibilities and outcomes, all dancing in my vision. Every one of them attainable, without even needing the height of my powers.
There's so much that I can do. It would be so...easy.
I can see all of the angles. I can visualize the scenarios and play them in my head, one, five, ten of them. Method, escape, routine. I know it all. I see it all.
"...the time they spent out of the village was of great importance as well. They used that time to master the power of the tailed beasts that they had been given from a young age, and..."
I can understand now.
Seeing this so often would torment anyone, wouldn't it? Especially those who craved peace so badly, an end to the violence that seemed so endless.
I can feel what my beloved aniki felt, during those times of struggle in the village. Decisions made for the greater good of a home, of an entire world. How do you sort them through? How do you deal with such pain, and ensure that these intrusive thoughts don't take over you?
Control. It's thick and cold, mixed in with my blood. The only truly useful gift from that man, who I once called my father. Itachi was born sensitive to the world, unable to use even that hardened shinobi shell to escape the feelings that welled up inside of him so often.
Kill this man in front of me? Why would I proceed without asking why?
There is nothing there. Killing him, especially here, serves me no purpose.
I seek a better world. To destroy a single man at this juncture would only ensure that this world's death spiral was fatal. An endless circle of violence, started at the drop of a hat. All because I believed that I knew better, that I could alter the fate of the world by repeating actions it has seen before. Blood for blood, sword for sword, vengeance and hatred forevermore. That is all I would accomplish.
In order to truly change the world, I must go beyond killing the children of men. I must grind their stubborn spirits and stupid ideals into dust.
But it's not all practicality. I can't hurt my friends and family. My allies who carefully prepared for my arrival, and have their own lives to live. It would be easy for most to be selfish. I'm not above such things...but my greed takes on forms that mortals struggle to comprehend.
That said, I have gained a new understanding of the world, and of myself. I think of Itachi again.
This power...my power. It's really...frightening. I don't know if this is what the people around me mean when they talk about how scary I can be. It's something else. Holding pieces of the world in your hands. All of this just makes my plans clearer. What I want makes...a lot more sense. And it really has to be me that does it all. Because someone else with this kind of strength...
"..."
Madara...Obito. Perhaps even that man, Pain. Were they driven to madness by this same vision? Or was it simply their greed that brought their ideals so low...I can't say for sure. I will find out soon enough.
"...with Akatsuki. Their betrayal cuts deep, and will not go unpunished. Rest assured, they will pay for their despicable actions. But we must also consider the other villages, and how they have chosen to respond to this ever increasing menace. They will have to answer for their part in this recent tragedy, and for their conduct with regards to their shinobi forces across the continent. The sacrifices of these two men, two of our proud village's bravest and strongest, will not be in vain. I promise you on the name of Tsuchikage that it will be so. Your presence is deeply appreciated in this dark hour, and will not be forgotten soon. Please take a few moments to pray for the souls of Roshi and Han."
I bow my head and say a short prayer for them both.
"You are all free to pay your respects to our fallen heroes, once I and my fellow village officials have done so. Thank you once more for your patience and support."
The Tsuchikage leaves his platform and goes towards the memorial, followed by the various parts of village leadership. Some of the crowd has already started to disperse, as expected. Erika taps me on the shoulder before leaving silently with Wolf. Bear is already chatting up a few people while we wait.
"I wanted to wait for the crowd to thin about a bit," Fio says to me. "Is that okay?"
"More than fine, love. We can wait as long as you need."
"Guess that means we're going ahead of you. See you girls later," Ino says. "Miss Amamiya, shall we?"
"Yep. See you, ladies," Sparrow says with a wave. She joins Ino in the queue, while Fio and I sit next to each other on a nearby rock.
"You alright, Lili? Seems like you've got stuff on your mind."
"I was thinking about...problem solving, so to speak. Maybe a bit stressful in its own way, but I'm fine. Itachi probably went through a lot of the same things, watching world leaders from up close."
"Not sure I get it entirely, but I won't worry too much if you say it's fine." She looks towards the memorial as Oonoki and his entourage start to leave. I can sense that the ANBU watchers are thinning as well. Bodes well for us. "Wonder if they're going to build something permanent for those guys. Probably not. A lot of the shinobi weren't all that fond of Master Han."
"It's the same almost everywhere for jinchuuriki, it seems."
"Yeah. Which sucks. At least people were kind of looking out for Naruto, but...I dunno. I never liked how he and Roshi were treated."
"Did you get to meet with Roshi?" I ask.
"Once. He was a pretty nice guy, a bit guarded but that didn't last too long once he saw me talking with Master Han and all. It wasn't any surprise that he and the old man fought so often, they were the same type of guy. Real hardheaded and stubborn, never wanting to admit they were wrong about anything. But I liked him." She tilts her head to get a better look at the queue. "People aren't spending too much time up there, so the line's getting small pretty quick. Let's head up now."
"Alright."
We go to the back of the line, and nobody ends up behind us. It seems that we'll have all the time we need.
Finally, our turn comes. Fio takes a flower from inside of her sleeve and lays it on the table in front of the photo of Han. She clasps her hands in prayer and goes silent for a while, before taking my hand in hers and squeezing it.
"Sensei...it's me. Fio. I don't have too much to say that I haven't already, but making it here to see you, one last time...was really important to me. I'm glad I could make it, and I hope it makes you happy, too. You've given me so much, and I don't want to waste any of it. Courage, strength, discipline and self-care. You taught me a lot of things in the short time we spent together. And to know that you were thinking of me, searching for me while I was in danger...I don't have anything other to say than thank you. All I can do now is become the best woman that I can be, to honour your memory properly. I love you, and I'll miss you. One day, we'll see each other again. But until then...this is goodbye. Rest peacefully, sensei."
"Master Han, I wish you a peaceful transition. The end of your suffering in this world has come, and we will carry your memory with us on the journey to a better world. Thank you for everything you've given Fio, and for everything that you made her. Rest well in the plane beyond ours."
We bow together towards Han's image.
"Roshi, I hope you find your peace as well," Fio says. "We won't forget you either..."
"You will be avenged, and kept in our hearts. Our justice will be yours. May you rest in peace," I say.
We bow towards his image before leaving.
"I feel like I got out everything that I needed to. I feel lighter," Fio says to me. "Thanks for being here, Lili. It means everything."
"It's the very least I could do for my beloved wife." I give her a kiss. "This meant a lot to you, and I wanted to do everything that I could."
"You did, hon. Thanks so much."
I look over my shoulder and notice someone trying to observe us subtly, but failing. This old man should make for an easy target...one of the officials I saw earlier. Good enough, then.
"I have something I want to take care of now," I say.
"Got it. I'll hang out with Papa Bear, then. Don't stay out too late, eh?"
"No promises. See you in a bit."
I rub her back gently before turning and adjusting my hat. He's doing a bad job of pretending that he doesn't notice me moving towards him, which confirms my suspicions. Then again, I am just a bit irresistible, hmhm.
"Well, excuse me there. I noticed you was up there with the Tsuchikage and all, earlier?" I ask while putting on my accent. "Couldn't help but notice ya." Not terrible looking, but not very interesting either. Married? No, seems like he's engaged instead. I wouldn't want to pull him away from his fiancee, of course.
"Is that so?"
"Mm, yep. You look like you used to be out in the field as one of them shinobi. Was I close, mister?"
"On the mark," he says with a chuckle. "I retired a few years ago...it's mostly administrative work for me now."
"Ain't that a peach? Well, I was just strolling up to say thank you for all of your hard work and service. I's out in the countryside with my sisters and them, and we just came out to visit y'all in order to pay our respects to Lord Han and all'at."
"You were acquainted with the jin-I mean, Han?"
"Yessir. Saved our lovely behinds a while ago from some nasty bandit fellows, while we was coming back from some shoppin'. Even walked us right home, gentleman that he was."
"I see."
"He probably kept that'un to himself, quiet fellow that he was," I say with a giggle. "That one was a day I couldn't ever forget, you know. But enough about me and my adventures, yeah? I was always the most curious when it comes to big city life like this, so...I was out ponderin', what does administrative work and all'at mean, exactly?"
"I-"
"Of course, I wasn't plannin' on talking your ear off for free," I say with a smile. "I've been wantin' to buy one of you distinguished fellows a good drink for a while now." I can see him eyeing me up a bit. Looks like I have him, then. "You look like you need something after a long day like this. O-oh, that's if I'm not doing anything untoward!"
"Untoward?" he asks, confused.
I nod and point towards his hand. "I bet you got a real purdy wife waitin' at home for you, and I don't wanna cause any tension or nothing..."
"Oh, no. We're not married quite yet, but I do love her very much. And she is gorgeous," he says. "But you're new to the village, and curious. I should be the one offering you a drink."
"Me? Oh, don't worry about any of that. I ain't much for the stuff, gets me wobbly way too quick," I say with a flip of my hand. "I do like fizzy things, though. Always sneakin' out to the shop and gettin' myself a bottle of soda as a secret treat. Those things can get a gal crazy hooked!"
"One of my favourite bars is nearby, and they'll be happy to fix you a non-alcoholic beverage as you wish."
"Okay, okay...but at least let me get you somethin' while we're there. There's this drink my big sis makes back home, and it'll set your taste buds alight like a big ol' campfire! You interested?"
The subtle little breath he does tells a story all on its own. Another attempt to dissuade any unwholesome thoughts, and then he smiles and nods.
"Alright, you have yourself a deal. But I'll be buying."
I pout at him. "Gosh, you men are so stubborn. I'm fixin' to treat you right, but I'll let you have your way this time..."
"Heh. The turnout for those bums was pretty pathetic, eh."
"Mm-hm."
It's about two or so hours later, and the idiot is done for. Has been since the first drink, in fact. I could drop my country girl persona without him noticing. The drink I "recommended" was something that Luna likes to make for Midori, a rather strong concoction that goes over well on cool, quiet evenings. The bartender didn't need much instruction in making it, and it easily hit my companion like a locomotive. So naturally, I encouraged him to order a few more. I would handle the bill, of course – just as we agreed on earlier.
This one isn't all that high up, so there are things that he doesn't know about. But I'm getting enough detail on things within this village, the opinions on their two jinchuuriki, and some of the next steps that are being planned out. Seeing as Erika and Wolf are out gathering the bulk of the information we need, I don't stress about what I'm collecting now.
"If they'd stayed in the village like the pet animals they're supposed to be...they wouldn't have gotten their monsters sucked out of them," he babbles on. I'm already sick of him, but I figured on that as soon as we got here. Putting up with this much at this point is trivial. I already had to listen to others spewing garbage about Fuu.
"You think so, huh."
"Yeah...both idiot monsters. Tch. Always running around and making more work for us. Pricks."
"What kind of work?"
"Details sent out and other crap," he says with a weak wave of his hand. "Had to send out ANBU to get their location...so that we knew what general area they were in. Could always find the steam can after a while...but the monkey man was always a damn hassle..."
"That's fair. It must have been very stressful for you lot," I say sarcastically.
"It was bullshit. Too bad they died, but good riddance. Only problem is that those psychopaths from Cloud might get ideas. Maybe...team up with those Leaf assholes. Fucking village...some hotshot bitch from there is causing trouble."
"Maybe I've heard of her."
"Scarlet...snake, or something? Bah." He hiccups a few times. "I seen her pictures. Guys want a go at her, and they're not quiet about it...I'm married, so I don't care about that too much...she is pretty hot, though...eh..."
"Your wife has found a good one." Deep within his alcoholic haze, he thinks of her. So I can be sincere about that much, even if he's fucking trash otherwise.
"You think so...that's nice of you to say. I should see how she's doing."
"I suppose we could arrange that." I finish off my sparkling wine and clear my throat. "Oh Mister Barkeep, sir? You reckon you can do me a good turn?"
"Ma'am. Did you need something?" the bald man asks.
"Yessir. This gentleman here is awful drunk by now, as you can probably see with those peepers of yours, and I was wonderin' if you had a way to get him home safely. If ya don't, I'm a real strong gal! Lookin' like nothing heavier than a wet sack of potatoes to me."
"Appreciated, ma'am. But you're in luck, I already have arrangements in place for this gentleman, as he is one of our regulars. And the drink you suggested, I tried it myself. Certainly has a kick to it."
"Big sis ain't a fan of anything that won't kick her teeth out these days, I tell you what. Polar opposites, she and me. Well, bless you for this. I didn't want to take off without making sure this one here was safe. I got some dollars burning hot in my cute lil' wallet, so let me just pay off our bill before I get to gettin'."
I hand the total payment to the bartender, and then an extra tip while patting his hand.
"Fine job you did today, so that's all for you. Don't go spending it all in one place, y'hear?"
"I'll be sure to remember that, ma'am. Be well."
"I reckon I will. And you take care too, Mister Administrator. Make sure you hug your old lady nice and tight when you get into bed tonight, y'hear?"
"Y-yeah..."
I pat him on the shoulder before leaving. From what I can sense...yes, it seems that everyone is moving towards our rendezvous point. Shouldn't be long before we get to leave the village and go back to the house.
"And it's a good thing, too. I'm already tired of this stupid, lifeless village...and its stupid, lifeless people. Maybe that's why those three choose to live where they do..."
I shake my head and put on my straw hat again. Time to see what we're dealing with next.