Drake was pretty sure they'd taken a wrong turn, and seeing as Elise wouldn't talk, he heard her own worry clear as day. Sorano didn't say how long it would take, but It shouldn't have taken them all day. They had taken refuge inside a small cave when it started to rain. Now it was more like a torrential downpour, and they were stuck in a dark cave with no fire.
"This sucks," Drake mumbled. "At least the cell was dry"
Barely He heard Elise think next to him, or rather, 7 feet away from him. He could understand her discomfort about him. She had been deflowered, after all. Now she was alone with a guy. Whether or not it was someone she'd known for most of her life seemed irrelevant. At least the cave doesn't smell like death She did have a point, the cave smelled a lot like the open air, probably due too how small it was. Drake absentmindedly played with the directions in his hand. He was pretty sure this was the right way, but by secret route Sorano must've meant wasn't really a path, it was just walk through the brush for insert hours here until you reach a town on the edge of a waterfall, nothing really saying This way!
"Is Nashi getting any better?" He asked, trying to keep some form of conversation going. Elise put her hand on Nashi's forehead.
Barely any warmer She thought back, Hows her heart beat? Drake listened for a moment before he found it. A very faint, unsteady sound. It pained him to hear it struggling so much.
"It's unsteady," He replied, staring at the cave floor. "We need to get there as fast as we can and find Meredy"
Is it just me, or does her name sound really familiar? Drake rolled through years of Jellal's visits, trying to remember if she was ever mentioned, but he couldn't find anything, but that was probably because he was tired.
"I don't know, I'm too tired to remember. I'm sure she was mentioned once or twice. Hell, she may have even visited." Silence fell on them once again. Drake hated the silence. It wasn't that he didn't have anything to say to Elise, it was just that she was so despondent lately, he really didn't think that anything he had in mind would garner a reaction.
Do you have any idea what Meredy looks like? Elise's thoughts jerked him out of his own.
"I don't know, Angel said to ask around. She might be concealing herself for protection. I just hope she's knows what she's talking about"
Me too. Nashi coughed, which silenced Drake and Elise's thoughts. Nashi didn't wake or even shift in her slumber, and Drake wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
Should we just keep going? I mean, it's not like either of us are going to be able to sleep at all. That and I'm sure the dark guild's noticed we've escaped. Drake hadn't thought of that. They had been gone for a few hours and Drake wasn't sure if how long that meeting would last, but 8 hours seemed a little long. Than again, Angel had seemed pretty confident they wouldn't get caught, so maybe it would be that long.
"Are you sure you want to walk through the rain? I mean, we really shouldn't risk getting sick"
So we don't want to get a cold while Nashi is knocking on deaths door? Pick her up and lets go, Drake. We need to get out of here. Drake could see the logic in that. Sighing in defeat, he picked up Nashi and followed Elise out into the night.
Drake had to admit, Watercliff town was a nice little place. A small town with a few buildings here and there, dotting the bank of the river leading to the waterfall. He and Elise stumbled in, the night before and the morning after had been rather difficult. No, neither of them got a cold or anything, but they'd trudged right through the night. Drake was exhausted, and he could tell Elise was as well. That and he'd heard a search party a few miles behind them at around midnight. They'd gone the wrong way a few minute later, but it still gave them both the reason that they needed to keep going.
"Where would she be?" Drake asked aloud, trying to ignore the looks he got from the townsfolk regarding the unconscious girl draped across his back.
I don't know...*Yawn* Maybe at the inn? Drake saw that as the best option, that and a bed would be nice, he hadn't seen one in weeks. Elise held the door open and he trudged in. His back was killing him. Nashi didn't weigh all that much, but he'd been carrying her for at least twelve hours. His body was about to give out on him. They walked over too the counter, and the bartender gave them a look that said he was curious, but wasn't about to intrude.
"What can I get'cha?" He asked, leaning forward. Drake had to do the talking, so he uncomfortably shuffled on is feet to get a better grip of Nashi before opening his mouth.
"A woman named Meredy, has she passed through here?" The man gave him a strange look.
"Who wants to know?" He asked gruffly, cleaning out a cup.
"A friend sent us too find her." He replied, watching the strange look the man gave him. Drake was too exhausted to try and hear what he was thinking, it was using everything he had too hear Elise when he had too. The man nodded slowly.
"Right, she's in the back room." He jabbed his finger at the room behind him, and Drake put his defenses up. This seemed rather sketchy, but he was too tired too argue. He followed Elise into the room, and the door shut behind them.
Shit. Elise murmured. The light flicked on, and in the corner of the room, the bartender sat, tied up, unconscious.
"What the hell?" Drake asked aloud. The door opened, and the same man tied up walked in and shook his head.
"Honestly, could you have been any more obvious?" He asked, a hand on his hip. Drake was thoroughly confused.
"Huh?" Was all he could manage. The bartender sighed, and waved his hand. He was enveloped in a golden light, and when in faded, in the place of the bartender, a woman stood, her pink hair flowing over her blue cloak. She, instead of the bartenders grimace, wore a warm smile.
"I'm Meredy, and you really need to learn how to be less obvious, I swear half the bar heard you." Drake didn't know if he was supposed to apologize. "So Angel told me only the bare necessities, but long story short, you guys need some help getting home?"
"Y..yeah" Drake managed, dropping to one knee, his legs finally using up the rest of his energy.
Are you okay? He heard Elise think.
"I'm in pretty bad shape, Elise. That and I'm pretty hungry" Meredy sighed, and walked up too him, and grabbed his wrist. It started to glow, and a small bracelet of magic, with a heart design, appeared on his wrist. All of the sudden, he started to feel much better. Meredy did the same too Elise, and waited quietly.
"What is this?" Drake asked, his voice suddenly very clear and loud, not raspy and weak.
"It's called a sensory link" Meredy replied, as she walked too the other side of the room and started throwing things everywhere, looking for something. "It shares the conditions of the people linked too it. Well, that's the version I used, anyway." Drake noted how she faltered slightly on her way back too them, carrying a bag.
"Did you... link Elise and I too you?" He asked. She nodded.
"It's not a very effective way of healing, mainly because it only works as long as I'm not receiving too much pain from you, which is why I can't cast one one your friend there" She jabbed her thumb at Nashi. "I don't think you want your help getting home in a coma." Drake saw the sense in that.
"Now what?" He asked, able to carry himself and Nashi much better now. Meredy grinned brightly and began too walk towards the door. She turned back too him and grinned even wider.
"Now we begin to go home. Oh, and if your anything like Erik, then your about to hate me." Erik. The name seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. No matter. He and Elise followed Meredy out and his curiosity got the better of him.
"Why will I hate you?" He asked wearily, turning to look at her as they strode through town. She laughed.
"Because we have to ride a train back!" She giggled. Drake paled.
Mavis help me... Elise groaned mentally behind him.
I love Meredy so much, and I tried my best too make her kind of childish and serious at the same time. Remember to leave a review!