The trio had walked through the city for perhaps half an hour, though in silence for the most part – that is, after Plum had made Artur sing the same song three more times. He was impressed at Gionis' patience, and that he hadn't tried to paint Artur's insides over the pavement. Maybe hearing a song unheard before, and most likely one so foreign to those that he was used to, was more of a novelty, or a spectacle, that Gionis might admit. Nonetheless, remaining silent more than suited Artur, who used the opportunity to keep his eyes open, observing as much as he could around him. It was funny, all the wee things that he'd noticed now, that he hadn't before. Like the peoples' clothes, for example. Everyone was dressed in tunics and other simple clothing, and if Artur was right, more or less out of only one material at a time. This was a far cry from what he was used to – it was almost… medieval.
Plum wiggled on his shoulders, trying to make herself comfier atop her 'steed', as she'd called him, much to his amusement. He was thankful that, with Plum on his shoulders, Gionis had volunteered to tow his rucksack and rifle on his back. It wasn't like Plum was heavy – not in the slightest – but it made a nice change to not have to carry those things around all over the damn place, as he'd more or less been forced to over the past three years. It wasn't the physical weight of the things that got under his skin – no, one of the fortunate aspects of being an officer was having to carry a lighter pack than his enlisted men. The greater weight, that which interfered with his psyche, was that the rucksack and rifle, more or less, were a psychological representation of the war to him – the war weighing him down to an infinitely greater extent than a rucksack or rifle ever could.
He remained lost in thought, and eventually shut himself off to observing his surroundings – if he had noticed his own slip-up, Artur would have kicked himself for being so negligent to ensuring ever-constant vigilance. As the trio turned a corner on the pavement, his thoughts were interrupted before he could notice, by the grizzly, though friendly, voice of the man who he'd only just met today.
"Do you see the stone walls over there?" Gionis asked, after having turned his face towards Artur, his arm outstretched and pointing at a white wall. "That structure serves as our barracks, and the command headquarters for the Royal Army garrison within the city."
It was a grand thing, indeed. From what Artur could see, the garrison's headquarters contained a large central Keep, and a number of smaller buildings surrounding it – though to call the buildings small would be far from the truth. The inner structures were barricaded off from casual access by pure white-painted walls, that Artur estimated must have risen about fifteen metres in the air, and only became more grandiose and impressive the closer the three got to them. The entire structure was surrounded by a moat, whose sole access across it appeared to be a wooden bridge – if it was anything like the castles and fortresses from his country, and from Europe, then he supposed that it would likely be a drawbridge.
Two armoured men stood across the drawbridge, behind whom was a large portcullis – currently raised in the air – which guarded an equally impressive, generously-sized, also unclosed wooden gate. On either side of the portcullis, draped from atop the wall's merlons, were grandiose banners, no doubt the standard of… wherever it was he found himself. Artur certainly did not recognise the orange, white and blue design, though he would have guessed it to be of Dutch origin, had he not observed so many other signs that he was most likely not anywhere near the Atlantic Ocean anymore. He had spotted that there were also a number of guards patrolling the ramparts atop the barrack's wall, as well as around the perimeter of the moat.
Gionis led the green-haired Plum and her unusual steed across the drawbridge, and nodded at the two soldiers between them and the fortress. After the soldier in front of Artur on the right nodded to Gionis, his eyes fell on Plum, and then cast down to Artur. His head moved backwards, as if to create distance between them without moving his feet, and the expression that fell on the guardsman's face… He didn't know if he was off the mark, but Artur wanted to describe the expression as one of horror. Unless he was mistaken, he noticed what was once a rosy-cheeked man suddenly have all the colour drain from his face. It… reminded Artur of the reaction he had received from the rude fruit man, though compared to this armoured man, the merchant's reaction was a much more subdued one. He supposed it wasn't important – he was probably quite the odd sight, after all.
Artur's gaze remained on the suddenly-spooked man as Gionis led him and Plum past the two soldiers – although the soldier to his right averted his gaze, as though meeting Artur's eyes would turn him to stone. Last he had checked, he did not possess snakes where his hair should be.
They crossed the threshold of the portcullis, and then of the main gate, which immediately led them into a vast courtyard. The place must have been larger than Artur had estimated, because what looked to be directional signs were erected at points where the paved stone pathways of the courtyard intersected. He had no idea what they said, of course, seeing that they were in the language that was completely indecipherable to him. He cast his eyes about the place, and other than a few old ladies, who seemed to be going about doing chores to keep the barracks in a good state of order, Artur had only spotted armoured soldiers – who were similarly dressed to Gionis.
They followed a winding path, taking them near to the centre of the exorbitantly-built fortress, where the mountainous inner Keep that Artur had spotted from outside the walls lay. Like the outer walls, and the other buildings which lay within the fortress, the Keep appeared to be built from stone, whitewashed to project the owner's opulence and wealth. He wondered how the place came about – it was unusual for a fortified location like this to have whitewashed walls, as it was usually done out of indulgence of the owner, which was why the treatment was usually reserved for Castles – the fortified residence of a landowner. Had this structure been a Castle, before being converted to house the city's garrison? Had it been purpose-built to house the soldiers, with the whitewash treatment being given to heighten the Royal Army's reputation? It was probably not what Artur needed to be thinking about at the moment, he realised with a shake of his head.
Stairs led up to the wooden door of the Keep, with a soldier standing at attention on either side of the stairway. Unlike with the soldiers at the drawbridge, however, Gionis performed what Artur figured to be a salute, placing his right hand, tightened into a fist, in front of his chest – right in front of his heart. The soldiers responded in kind, though they did not break their straight-forward, unblinking gaze, and nor did Gionis cease his forward momentum before the salute. As they climbed to the top of the stairs, where a generous landing lay, Gionis turned to Artur, and placed a rather unconvincing smile on his face.
"This is the main Keep, where among other things, the command room lies. Please excuse my thoughtlessness, however I believe the best thing to do would be for me to…", Gionis said before pausing, intentionally choosing his words carefully, "brief… the second in command, prior to his meeting with you."
Artur raised an eyebrow unconsciously, curious as to why that might be necessary. He wouldn't expect to be briefed if him and this 'second in command' had swapped roles, however he acknowledged that he knew absolutely diddly squat about this place – best to go with the flow and see where providence took him. "Ah, is that so." He said – a statement, more than a question.
Unless Artur was mistaken, Gionis visage took on an expression of guilt, before averting his eyes from Artur's. "Indeed, I believe it would be for the best…" Gionis said, as he scratched his face nervously, his brain racing to pick the right words to avoid offending the oddly-dressed gentlemen before him. "The Deputy Commander is a kind man, however, in order to avoid potential… social hiccups… I would strongly recommend allowing me to speak with him, prior to your meeting."
Artur would be lying if he said he had a clue about what Gionis was talking about – he hadn't the foggiest. Social hiccups? Surely it was him that was more likely to step on a landmine, to make a social faux pas, since he was a foreigner? He recognised that he didn't know anything about the unofficial Deputy Commander that Gionis had spoken about, so perhaps it was something in relation to his character, rather than Artur's? He'd go with the flow, regardless – there was no harm in it.
He nodded, his face remaining decorated with a neutral expression. "Of course, Gionis. Whatever you think is necessary."
Though still weighed by guilt, Gionis' facial features relaxed and softened at Artur's words, a wave of relief washing over the man. "Excellent," Gionis said with a smile, "For convenience's sake, I can take your equipment in with me – I will place it by the Deputy Comm… err, the unofficial Second-in-Command, if that is alright with you."
With the plastered-on smile remaining, Artur gave a polite nod towards the, for whatever reason, nervous Gionis. "That would be great," Artur said, "Thank you, Gionis."
The shorter man relaxed further, before nodding back in kind. "Not at all – thank you, sir," Gionis said, "I shall call for you when he – the Second-in-Command – is ready for you." With a polite bow, the armoured man turned away from Artur and Plum, before pushing open the double wooden doors, crossing through the threshold of the Keep, and shutting the doors behind him. The metal hinges were silent at both the opening and closing of the doors – clearly, the old ladies tending to the place were doing a good job.
Once Gionis had entered the Keep, Artur patted Plum's foot. "Are you okay up there, Plum?" He asked, his voice inexpressive. Doing this with Plum reminded him of looking after his wee sister, before she got too old, and decided it was embarrassing to ride on her big brother's shoulders. He supposed that he probably would have acted something like that when he was her age, although it still made him a bit longing when he thought about it.
"Yup, I sure am! Thank you, my loyal steed!" She said, before giggling. He couldn't help but break out into a warm smile – one that reached his eyes. A wave of… happiness? Contentedness? Whatever it was, a wave of a positive emotion, that he hadn't experienced in years, washed over him. The more he thought about it, the more it disturbed him. Was he so out of touch – was he so detached from his humanity – that he couldn't even recognise his own emotions anymore? Good God, what kind of monster was he?
Unbeknownst to Artur, his warm smile had been extinguished, only to be replaced by one of… severe displeasure, to put it lightly. He was caught in his own mind, a trance which he only broke out of upon the wooden door opening slowly, and a smile-wearing Gionis poking through the entryway. Upon spotting Artur's face, the smile that had been on Gionis' face almost immediately disappeared after a start inflicted by Artur's… less than welcoming face, to be replaced by one of concern.
"Is everything okay? I hope I didn't make you wait too long." Gionis said, a genuine tone of concern in his voice, mistaking the expression on the Officer's face for one of displeasure or impatience over being made to wait, rather than the self-targeted expression of loathing that it truly was. His brow was furrowed, and a frown lay idly on the man's face. He was still gently patting Plum's foot, however this was the only trace of kindness or friendliness that Gionis was used to on the man's face.
Broken out of the prison that was his own mind at Gionis' words, Artur's eyes experienced a series of blinks as he reorientated himself. Recognising Gionis, and processing the man's words, Artur painted a synthetic smile on his face, before gently shaking his head. "Not at all, Gionis. Just thinking about some… old times."
Somehow, the concern on Gionis' face became amplified, as though that was not the right thing to say. Gionis wondered what in the hell he had experienced to have a face like that… and then found himself confused as to why he was surprised that the Officer had lived through some less-than-pleasant circumstances. Better to change the subject, Artur thought.
"Anyway, have you… 'briefed' your superior?" The foreigner asked.
Forgetting the taller man's expression at the change of subject to a more relevant one, the look of concern on Gionis' face quickly morphed to one of recollection. He raised a hand, and pointed at Artur. "Ah, that's right. It looks as though we caught him at just the right time." He said, a smile coming to his face.
"Oh?" Artur asked.
The smile on Gionis' face contorted slightly, and with his left hand waved off his own words. "Ah, not to worry, not to worry. If you would like to follow me, I can lead you to him." Gionis said.
"Thank you, Gionis." Artur said, his faux smile returning.
With a nod, Gionis opened the door wider to easily allow Artur and Plum to pass through, though to Gionis' amusement, Artur had to duck significantly as he passed through the entryway – not only to avoid banging his own head off of the doorframe, but to also avoid de-saddling Plum.
The interior of the first room they entered most certainly reminded Artur of a barracks or command headquarters that he'd seen back in the war, although there were unmistakeably differences. There were a number of wooden bunk-beds lined up against the stone wall opposite the doorway, as well as a number of wooden tables and chairs tidily arranged in an ordered manner. The floor, similarly to the building's walls, was made out of a light grey stone, although the floor was much less barren, decorated with an array of carpets, rugs, and mats. Some were made out of animal hide – the animals' heads intact and all – whereas others seemed to be composed of a colourful, artistically-coordinated wool-like fabric.
The interior was illuminated with a gallery of candles and wooden chandelier-like fixtures which hung from the wooden ceiling above, lacking any windows to allow the entry of natural light. Artur assumed that, similar to fortifications from his own… land… that this was done to prevent the security issue that windows in a fortress would present. Throughout the large room, there were a number of men and women sitting at desks, dressed in what was undoubtedly in uniforms. They wore snow-white cloaks falling down to their ankles, coloured with an abyss-black outline finish, along with coats of the same colour under their cloaks that were adorned with upturned brown cuffs at the end of their sleeves.
Under the white coats, the men and women wore a black garment, which Artur assumed to be some form of mid-layer, under which a base layer may lay, or perhaps that it was the base layer itself. Every uniformed individual, regardless of gender, seemed to wear a pair of white dress trousers, along with a pair of white gloves, and black dress shoes. If Artur were to use one word to summarise the appearance of the men and woman present in the Keep, it would be 'smart'. He would be lying if he said that there wasn't a part of him that appreciated, and even enjoyed, a sense of professionalism in life.
Artur hadn't spotted anyone else in his short time wearing anything similar, and it piqued his curiosity – who were these people? He assumed they had some kind of martial role, considering that many were armed with sheathed blades at their hips, colossal warhammer-like blunt force objects, as well as some with bows and crossbows.
He swivelled his head to the armoured man leading himself and Plum. "Hey, Gionis – out of curiosity, who are these people?" The Officer asked in a whisper.
Gionis' head swung to face Artur's own, and he was greeted with pair of raised eyebrows, and eyes reflecting Gionis' sense of surprise. "You don't know who these people are?" He asked, matching the foreigner's low decibel speech, although not attempting to mask the incredulity at Artur's ignorance.
With a straight-lined smile adorning his visage, Artur simply shook his head gently, conscious of the green-haired girl who remained on his shoulders. He was very thankful that the ceiling was so high off the ground, or he might have ended up returning Plum to her mother with a first-in-a-lifetime haircut. As he considered his surroundings, he was also very pleased that nobody had bothered to pay attention to any of the trio as they entered – everyone appeared to be far too focused on their work at their desks, their conversations with their colleagues, or what have you, to notice the intruders.
Gionis' surprised, disbelieving expression faded slightly, although a raised eyebrow remained as he scanned Artur's face for any sign of sarcasm, tomfoolery, or deceit – yet he perceived none. "I must say, I am surprised. These are the Royal Knights – some of the finest men and woman, and the finest warriors, that the Kingdom possesses." Gionis said, maintaining his quiet chatter, though almost failing to do so at having to explain such a common-knowledge fact.
Artur's eyes swung away from Gionis to the Knights, taking a second to process what the shorter man had said, before pointing his eyes back at him. "I see. And, so…" Artur said, before pausing for consideration, "So what is your role, Gionis?"
"Ah, well, although I am a soldier of the Royal Army, I am no Knight," Gionis said, his face showing a… sad smile? "Although I do aspire to one day join the Royal Knights, I am yet to prove myself. No, I am a Man-at-Arms, one of the Kingdom's many footsoldiers." He continued.
Artur's visage remained inexpressive. "I see," he said. That was the second time that Gionis had referred to the country as a Kingdom, and yet, he had never heard anyone refer to their country as 'the Kingdom', 'the Republic', etc. before, but of course by the country's name. The longer he spent here, the less… Earth-like the place felt. Between the people with animal features, the beasts he had never seen before, the strange hair and the foreign language… it made Artur's head spin as he pondered the implications. If someone told him that he'd accidentally stepped through a wormhole into another dimension like something from science fiction, despite his rational mind, he didn't think he'd try to argue with them.
Gionis led them to the right, along the wall that the entry door stood, and up a flight of wooden stairs – despite the good care that seemed to be taken of the environment, it seemed that not even the most diligent caretaker could prevent the wear from heavy traffic, and the heavily-laden people, on the wooden stairs that Artur spotted. As his head passed the dividing line between the first floor and the second floor, he observed the few, though striking, differences between the two. Immediately obvious was the large amount of windows which bathed the higher level with an abundance of natural light, which he supposed made sense from a security standpoint when compared to the lower floor. There was much greater unoccupied space, too – where the lower floor was decorated with furniture, there was much less on this floor, with only four or five desks present on this level.
He followed Gionis as he led them away from the direction of the stairs, to the rear of the floor, where one of the desks was placed, behind which was a generous bookshelf – no doubt written in the script that Artur could not even begin to try to decipher. His attention was caught when a figure, who had been sitting at the desk on entry, stood up rather sharply.
It was immediately obvious to Artur that this man was of noble birth – the way he stood, his posture, the care he must put into his physical appearance, there was no mistaking it. The man was dressed in the same uniform as those that Gionis had pointed out were Royal Knights, although he could tell that this gentleman had put far greater care into the garment than the others. The man's face, decorated with striking yellow eyes, was refined, and undeniably handsome, above which was a head of well-tended violet hair, neatly arranged. Out of a crowd of a million, nobody could mistake anyone else for being an aristocrat.
The nobleman's eyes fell to Gionis as the three approached the man, and as his gaze moved to Artur, he noticed the unmistakable draining of colour from the man's face, along with a sharp widening of his eyes, and a slight opening of his mouth. As he observed the girl sitting atop his shoulders, however, the man's colour seemed to quickly return to his face, as he swiftly attempted to correct his facial expression. Only a half a metre from the aristocrat's desk, the violet-haired man smiled at Gionis.
Gionis, side-on to both the Officer and the Nobleman, extended an arm out in Artur's direction, gesturing to him. "This is the gentleman I was telling you about, Julius-senpai." Gionis said, the smile remaining on his face, and a tone of, perhaps pride, in his voice. 'Julius' was certainly a name he had heard before, though he had never heard a surname such as 'senpai' in the past. Before either of the two men to either side Gionis could speak, however, Gionis turned to face Artur, and looked up to Plum.
"Tell me, Plum-chan. May I ask you some questions about your mother, so that we might find her?" Gionis asked, his voice unmistakeably shifting to that which Artur might describe as 'child-friendly mode'.
Artur could swear he heard the wide smile come to Plum's face before she let drew in an ecstatic breath of air, after which she squirmed slightly atop the Officer's shoulders. "That sounds like a plan, eh, Plum?" Artur asked the girl who he could not currently see, before kneeling down to the ground, placing a hand on either side of Plum's torso, and gently lowering her onto the floor.
The girl, facing away from Artur, immediately spun around to look at him, not paying the violet-haired man any attention at all. "I'm going to find my mummy!" Plum said, her voice reflecting the happiness that seemed to threaten to burst out of her, and a grin on her face only possible due to the childlike innocence she embodied. Before Artur could respond, however, she jumped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Thank you, onii-san! Thank you for helping me!" She said, before letting go of the man's neck. Artur didn't know what kind of nickname onii-san was, but he'd be lying if he said that he didn't have to shove down an overwhelming feeling of warmth that rose from his stomach to his throat. It made a change in his life, to actually do some good for once. To betray the monstrous nature within him he was only too familiar with.
Plum raised a hand to her head, and removed the pink, flower-like brooch she had in her hair, reminiscent of a rose, before holding it out to Artur. Her wide smile, along with her piercing stare of expectancy into Artur's eyes, left no doubt in his mind that he would upset her if he refused. "Here! This is for you. My mummy gave it to me, but she wouldn't mind me giving it to you!" Plum said. Reluctantly, feeling somewhat guilty of depriving a child of a gift given to her by her mother, Artur extended his own hand out, before Plum placed the brooch on his upturned palm.
With a smile, excited to find her mum again, Plum turned her head to look up at Gionis, who extended a hand out to Plum. She enthusiastically placed her own into it, before Gionis led her away and back down the stairs. Unless Artur was mistaken, he was sure that he could hear Plum humming Billy Connolly as she skipped along with the sauntering Gionis. The Scot watched Gionis and Plum make their way to the stairs, and once they were out of sight, he turned his head towards the violet-haired man, before standing up from his kneeling position to his full height, his head rising over the aristocrat who was now smiling. Artur placed the pink brooch inside the right hip pocket of service dress uniform, his smile persisting as his fingers ran over the fine details of the hand-crafted memento.
"It would be incredibly remiss of me not to take the young girl's treatment of you into account when judging your character. As Gionis-kun said, I am Sir Julius Juukulius, of the House Juukulius." Julius said, before extending his right hand out to Artur. The taller man was slightly surprised at the formality Julius was showing him – or rather, the lack thereof. He supposed he lacked the foggiest idea of etiquette in this place, however, so he resolved just to go with the flow.
With a polite smile, Artur removed his khaki peaked cap with his left hand, before extending his own right hand out to Julius, and gripping it firmly. "I'm Captain Artur MacBruce, of the 9th Scottish Division. Please forgive me if I lack etiquette – to say I'm a stranger here would very conservative." Artur said, a slight chuckle following his words, shaking Julius' hand.
The violet-haired man's smile grew at this, after which he closed his eyes, and shook his head gently. "Not at all, this is only to be expected. It is a pleasure to meet you." Julius said, shaking the Captain's hand in return, after which, he released it. The Knight motioned for Artur to take a seat, after which, he took his own behind the desk.
"Please forgive my haste and the rude question," Julius began, "but, is there any chance you might be related to a man named Valga, or Rom?" Julius asked politely, before raising a hand to his face to brush away a part of his violet fringe that had moved to obscure an eye.
Once Artur had sat down, his hat laying atop his lap, he looked back up at Julius. "I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name. What was it that suggested a relation, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked, smiling politely at Knight, curious what it was about him that reminded Julius of someone else.
Julius waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, only some… minor physical characteristics, nothing worth mentioning." Julius said.
Quickly, Julius changed the subject before the Officer's curiosity could explore the reasoning behind Julius' question any further. "I am pleased," Julius begun, "that Gionis-kun informed me of your good deed. I must say, it is a rarity to sit down with a true hero." Julius said, the smile remaining on his face.
Artur's smile fell slightly at the undeserved use of the word 'hero'. He chuckled in response at Julius' words, and spread his hands towards Julius in a dismissive gesture. "Not at all, please. Anyone who spotted the cart would've done the same thing."
Julius' smile took on a somewhat sombre tone in response. "I wish that were true, Artur-san. The reality, is that few men would very nearly lose their own life to save the life of a stranger, child or no." Julius said, his eyes wandering over the right-hand side of Artur's face.
The Officer simply smiled back. He knew that Julius was right, however… it was the least he could've done. The least he could do with this life of his was to save that of a child's. As that thought passed, however, the Scot couldn't help but perform a mental double-take at Julius' words – specifically, Artur-'san'. It somewhat reminded him of Plum calling him 'onii-san'. Perhaps it was a social custom of this place? Something he could ask later, he supposed.
"Did I hear you correctly, Artur-san, that you addressed yourself as a 'Captain'? I must say, I am not familiar with the 'Scottish Division' that you referred to." Julius said, his eyes scanning his conversation partner's face. Although Julius' tone remained friendly, Artur could recognise an interrogation when he heard one – the Lord knew that he had conducted enough of them.
"That's right, Mister Juukulius. I'm specifically with the 13th Royal Scots Battalion, within the 27th Brigade of the 9th Scottish Division. I'm currently the Commanding Officer of the 132nd Lowlands Rifle Company – recently promoted from Lieutenant." Artur said, seeing no reason to hide information that could lead to him tripping up and looking even more suspicious than he must already. Julius maintained eye contact, and though Artur could not identify scepticism in the man's features as he returned the analytical gaze, he knew what he was saying must sound strange to him.
"Being honest," Artur continued, "I'm not surprised that you've never heard of my Division. I seem to be a bit of a ways from home." He said, before locking his hands' fingers together and relaxing them atop his Officers' cap.
Julius raised a hand to his clean-shaven chin, and scratched at it lightly. "I see. Why is it that you are here, if you would forgive my asking?" Julius asked, maintaining the friendly, uninterrogatory tone.
"I wish I knew the answer to that, myself. I found myself here, in this city, only today, and I'm afraid I've no idea how I came to be here." Artur said, before raising a hand to scratch at his own, bearded, chin. "The last thing I remember before finding myself here is…" He said, thinking for a moment. "Aye, the last thing I remember is leading an assault on an enemy position. The further I trace my memory, though, the foggier it seems to get…" Artur said, a scowl appearing on his face unintentionally. He refrained from mentioning to Julius that he suffered a tremendous headache whenever he tried to follow the thread of his last memory prior to finding himself here – he worried that it might sound suspicious, although he didn't entirely understand his own rationale for that.
"I see." Julius said, his eyes casting downwards towards his desk. He had an eyebrow raised as he pondered Artur's words, unconsciously tapping a finger on the arm of his chair. Nothing he had said smelled of falsehood, and his appearance combined with his strange accent, strange name, and lack of etiquette, may explain it. Something felt off to Julius, however, about the man's lack of memory.
"You truly cannot recall how it is that you found yourself in the Capital city of Lugnica?" Julius asked, his eyes evaluating Artur's face once more.
Artur's expression phased to one of bewilderment, his face an open book for even a blind man to read, though he quickly corrected himself and returned his face to a neutral expression. 'Lugnica'? There was no such country as Lugnica! What the hell was going on?! The turmoil raging inside of him swirled violently, and he put a hand to his forehead as the world spun around him.
"I'm afraid not," Artur said, a wave of nausea washing over him out of nowhere, "to be completely transparent, the truth is that there's no such country as 'Lugnica' where I come from."
An eyebrow of Julius' shot up in surprise, though he quickly corrected himself. He was about to speak, but he was pre-empted by the odd, though friendly, fellow in front of him.
"Truth be told, of all the things that I've seen here, very few are common to where I hail from. Take the beast-people, for example-" Artur began, before being interrupted by Julius.
"Ah, you refer to Demi-Humans." Julius said, interjecting, though with a smile on his face. He could sense that the odd man before him meant no malice, referring to Demi-Humans pejoratively out of ignorance rather than discrimination, prejudice or ill-intent. He couldn't leave Artur's error to go uncorrected, without a doubt – not only to prevent potential unintentional ramifications in the future, but also in defence of the Demi-Humans that he was lucky enough to call his friends and brothers in arms.
"'Demi-Humans.' I see." Artur said, before looking down at the desk between the two men, scratching at his beard in thought. It was definitely a phrase that sounded like something out of a book or a film, to Artur. It made him wonder – and he couldn't believe that his mind was genuinely entertaining the idea – but it made him wonder whether this place had other fantasy-like beings, like goblins, elves, centaurs, etc.. He was probably living some peoples' wet dream right now, being in this place.
"Demi-Humans are often discriminated against because of their features, and the differences they have to Humans. It just so happens that 'beast' is often a word used by the ignorant, and the malicious, to be derogatory towards them. To dehumanise them." Julius said patiently. He intensely scrutinised Artur's features and reactions to his words, and he couldn't see any malice or bigotry in his face in the slightest. To not know that Demi-Humans were Demi-Humans, though? Julius would have thought that even the most secluded of tribes would be aware of the existence of humanoids that aren't strictly fully human.
Artur's eyes widened slightly at Julius' words. Had he just accidentally offended the man? Julius didn't seem upset to Artur, but then, he considered whether the man would allow himself to show himself to be upset.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Julius, that was my mistake." Artur said, grimacing at himself ever so slightly.
Julius waved his words away, his warm smile remaining. "Not at all, not at all. If you have never met – much less heard of – Demi-Humans, then there is no way for you to have known."
"Aye… Like I say, Demi-Humans are only one of the things that are different to the place I come from. For example, hair colours – to see that everyone here seems to have very extravagant colours of… green, blue, or violet", he said, before motioning to Julis, "not unless someone decides to dye their hair that way, anyway. And take the big lizard-looking beasties I saw towing carts and carriages – there's certainly nothing like them, where I hail from."
Julius was absolutely taken aback. He knew a liar when he saw one, and the Captain was not one of them. Julius' mind went to the Great Waterfall, and the stories of people who had come from beyond it from worlds unlike their own. His tapping on the arm of his chair sped up, the information that both Gionis and Artur had given him swirling around his head. No, Julius did not believe Artur to be talking to a liar or a conman – the uniformed gentleman in front of him had risked his life to save that of a child's, and as far as Julius was concerned, that invalidated the potential for Artur to be spinning a yarn. Furthermore, there seemed to be no hatred towards Demi-Humans in him, despite his misstep. Any of those anti-Demi-Human bigots would surely have doubled down on their speech – they would certainly not have apologised and acknowledged their mistake.
There was only one possible next move, Julius considered, and that was to confirm beyond any reasonable doubt that, what the stranger claimed, was the truth. He explored all the possible routes he could go down that would lead to any doubts being settled, but regardless of how many times Julius thought about it, his mind settled back on one route forward. The only way to do establish the integrity of the situation that Artur stated he found himself in, Julius knew, was to take him to a certain red-haired friend of his. He wouldn't have even entertained such a thing, had he not been introduced by Gionis, or if he had not witnessed the interaction between the man and the girl he had saved. However, if both Gionis' and his own judgement was correct…
"You have found yourself in quite the predicament, my friend." Julius said, warmth in his tone, and his smile moving from a cold, analytical, polite one, to a smile that was genuine. He felt bad for the man in front of him – only the Od knew what Julius would do if he found himself in a world other than that which he knew, alien to only himself.
Artur's eyes met Julius', and he chuckled at himself lightly. "Aye, you could certainly say that." Artur said.
Julius interlaced his fingers. Perhaps the path that he had already planned today, would be of benefit to both of them. The suitability of Artur came to mind, and Julius considered asking the older man how he fared in combat, however he dismissed the idea of asking him before the words could leave his mouth. He had recently been promoted, and by looking at him… it was self-evident to Julius that the bearded man was most likely more than capable of the task he had in mind.
"I am unsure if Gionis-kun mentioned to you, but myself, and a few of my fellow Knights, will be undertaking a judicial action against a criminal element this afternoon." Julius said. "A certain issue is becoming more and more prevalent, despite the laws of the land, and the efforts of the Royal Guard. For the past few months, a small number of us have been planning to execute a particular operation, in the pursuit of hindering this issue."
To Artur, it was very… vague, as to what Julius was talking about. If the Royal Guard played a part in 'judicial action' on 'criminal elements', then a few things came to Artur's mind. It somewhat reminded him of some of the things he'd done as the CO of his Company. Was it drugs? Human trafficking? Prostitution, gambling, racketeering? Julius' intentional lack of specifics didn't clue Artur in, in the slightest.
The bearded man was just about to say so, before Julius spoke. "Please forgive my vagueness," the violet-haired man said, "but it is a very important thing that the operation is kept to only a few ears." An apologetic smile arose on Julius face, while Artur was simply curious where the violet-haired man was going with this.
"I would be more than happy to invite you to come along and provide support, should you feel ready and willing," Julius said, "and, of course, should you agree, then I will share more information with you on the nature of the operation."
Artur wasn't sure why Julius was offering him to help with something like this. He didn't doubt that they were most likely more than prepared for whatever it is they were planning, and Artur couldn't help wonder if there was an element of charity involved – though, as Artur reflected on that possibility, he wondered who would offer someone to risk their life as an act of charity. There must be something more to it, Artur considered. Did he want more of an opportunity to question him? Did he want to witness his combat ability first hand? There were many possibilities, the Officer considered.
He considered Julius' offer for a number of seconds, to the extent that Julius began to wonder if he had been partially wrong about his initial judgement of the man's character. Ultimately, however, the foreigner decided that lending his aid to a Royal Knight – and the Second-in-Command, as Gionis had put it – would most likely be far from the worst thing he could do, in as fucked a situation as he found himself in. And if it meant he got to kick the arse of some underworlders up to no good, and potentially help out the victims of crime, then, well that was just icing on the cake as far as Artur was concerned.
A smile arose on Artur's face as he made eye contact with Julius. "I'd be more than happy to help, Mister Juukulius." He said, his voice the embodiment of sincerity.
Julius returned the smile, and felt a little bit of relief, for some reason. "Excellent! Although, please, feel free to address me as 'Julius'. To address someone with the title of 'Mister' in Lugnica is…" Julius began, before raising a hand to scratch at his cheek. He paused a moment, considering what the best way to describe it might be, to someone unused to the social norms of his land as Artur was. "It is… Perhaps 'archaic' is the best way to describe it." Julius said, a somewhat sheepish smile coming to rest on his face.
The taller man smiled back, finding the differences between his homeland and here somewhat amusing. He let out a slight chuckle. "Is that so? Since you mention it, I did notice Gionis and yourself addressing each other with… well, I'm not sure how you'd describe it."
Julius' eyes raised for a second as he thought about what Artur could be talking about. "Ah, you are referring to honourifics, such as '-san' and '-kun'?"
"Aye, that's right. I think Plum called me… What was it…" Artur said, pondering for a moment, before it came back to him. "That's right, it was 'onii-san'."
Julius's eyebrows involuntarily raised at the man's words, his head leaning back slightly. "You do not address others with them, where you come from?" Julius asked, his curiosity thoroughly piqued.
Artur gently shook his head. "No, not where I'm from. In fact, it wasn't until you said the word there, that I'd even heard of it." He thought for a moment. "Of them, rather." He said, correcting himself.
With an amused smile coming to rest on his face, Julius acknowledged the strange man's words with a 'hmm' as he exhaled. Truly fascinating. Though he believed the words of the man in front of him – Julius was no fool – he would wait until he had introduced Artur to his red-headed friend before fully committing to believing the genuineness of him claimed situation. Julius did not want to diminish the significance of Artur's actions as witnessed by Gionis, but such an unrelated tall claim was something that nobody could simply take at face value. Not without verification.
Julius pushed himself up from his chair, ran a hand over his uniform to straighten it, and strode over to stand beside Artur's. "Let us depart, Captain. Perhaps, on the way, I can clear up some of the ambiguity around them for you."
The bearded man forced a smile to his face. It was a very odd thing, being referred to by his rank in such a situation as he had found himself in.
"Thank you, Julius. And, please – just Artur is fine."
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
The two of them – Artur, and his newly-acquired companion, Julius – walked with pace through the busy streets of Lugnica's capital. Artur couldn't help but notice the attention he seemed to be catching – something that he had absolutely no clue as to the reason for. It didn't bother him, exactly, that there was probably something about him that was a bit of an oddity to the general public, but he would have preferred to maintain a lower profile in such a situation as this. He was not used to being the centre of attention – even commanding his Company often felt far too outside his comfort zone, in terms of the attention it garnered – but he didn't think there was much he could do for it.
In truth, Artur was quite distracted from the stares of the local population – and that was mainly due to the pressure building in his head, threatening to make his skull explode.
"…and so while '-dono' is used to address an equal, somewhat similar to '-san', '-dono' is generally only used when the speaker has a great amount of respect for the person that they are addressing." Julius said, a wide smile on his face. It was clear to Artur that Julius was having an absolute gas at explaining the complex intricacies of this honorifics system to him, but to Artur, it just made his head want to burst. He supposed that if you grew up with this different system of addressing people, that it would probably seem quite straightforward, however.
Well, as far as he was aware, anyway.
The bearded man was right – Julius was having a gas. He was absolutely thrilled – although he had had to read about the nuances of etiquette, and all things associated, as part of his education and training as a noble, it was something that came very naturally to him, most likely because he expressed the Knightly ideals to the best of his abilities every day. To be able to explain it to a willing listener, who seemed more than happy to listen to him, it was a whale of a time for Julius.
Although Julius was probably causing an even more intense headache for Artur than trying to retrace his thread of lost memory did, he didn't have it in him to do anything but feign a smile and listen to the violet-haired man. If Julius was an arsehole, then fair enough, he could fuck right off with his descriptions and explanations of the inner weavings of etiquette and all things addressing others, however he had been kind to Artur. Plus, it made sense to him that it was probably an advantage that he understood the basics of what Julius was explaining to him – Artur didn't know how long he was going to be in this place, before he could… return…
Did he want to return?
He didn't know how long he was going to be in this place, and so, he reckoned that absorbing the information that Julius so enthusiastically dumped on him, was not only the polite and friendly thing to do, but most likely a very pragmatic thing to do.
A smile cracked on Artur's face, and he peered over at Julius.
"So, Julius, should I be offended that you didn't address me as 'Artur-donno' after I introduced myself?"
Julius' head snapped to face Artur's, a slight look of horror on the violet-haired man's face. "N-No, not at all! I- I simply was unaware of where on the social hierarchy being a Captain would place you in comparison to myself being a Royal Knight! Furthermore, though I respect your actions-" Julius said, desperately trying to resolve the social dilemma he found himself in, before being interrupted by a strongly chuckling Artur.
"I'm joking, man! I'm joking!" He said, before clapping Julius on the back.
Julius' eyebrows rose slightly, before a warm smile that matched Artur's came to land on his own face.
"I see, is that so? And didn't you know that assaulting a member of the Royal Guard is punishable by death, Artur-donno?" Julius said, his eyes scanning Artur's face for a reaction, and wondering whether he would notice being made fun of for the mispronunciation.
The taller man's laughter stopped for a moment, and his smile fell somewhat, before he removed his hand from Julius' back. He cast his eyes on Julius' face, more than a moment passing before it clicked that the violet-haired man was retaliating.
Artur burst out laughing even harder. "Get the fuck oot'ae here!" He managed, in-between chokes of laughter.
Julius' steely exterior cracked, and he joined in in the laughter. "You-" Julius tried, his own laughter interfering with him, "you should've seen your face there!" Julius said, wondering what the pair of them must have looked like laughing in public like that, before he realised how Artur might have taken his comment there. Julius immediately was immediately overcome with a sensation of mortification, and immediately opened his mouth to correct the situation when he realised how his words could be taken.
"Sorry, Artur, I did not mean anything by that – I just meant that, your expression, you looked as though you believed you had genuinely insulted me." Julius said, his face sober for a moment, his eyes scanning Artur's face once more. Julius wasn't used to this kind of banter – he had read about it in his upbringing, and even overheard it in public, but it was not at all something he engaged in – not with his family, his brothers in arms, or his friends.
At Julius' sudden seriousness, Artur's eyes recognising the sincerely sober look on the Knight's face, the bearded man's laughter fizzled out over more than a moment, and he had to reach up to his face to wipe a tear from his eye. "Hm? Mean anything by what, Julius?" He asked, genuinely puzzled, his mind retracing the conversation to try and figure out what Julius was referring to.
That the gentleman Julius recently met appeared genuinely confused, was of a massive relief to the violet-haired man. He clearly was not easily-offended – Julius supposed that a thick skin was probably a necessity in the military that Artur had come from, much like it was in the Royal Army, in addition to being required by the gent's… personal circumstances.
Julius waved his hand in front of himself in a dismissive gesture. "Nothing at all, nothing at all." He said, the relief raising his mood higher than it had been before his faux pas, and a smile came to his face.
Artur's own smile returned, and though he was slightly confused about what in the hell Julius was talking about, he dismissed it – he didn't see the need to delve deeper in that moment.
"Besides," Artur began, before creating distance between him and Julius, and raising a hand in front of his face in a faux fighting display, "if you wanted to execute me, you'd have to beat me in a fight, first." He finished, returning the conversation to its light-hearted atmosphere.
Julius' smile grew. "Oh, and it is your belief that you're superior to me in fisticuffs?" Julius asked, before raising one of his own closed fists in front of his face. Remarkably, Julius had failed to notice his formality slipping, though Artur certainly had not. He was happy to encourage the man that was helping him to lower his guard, even if only a little bit.
"I don't know, Jules," Artur said, "I've got quite the nasty right cross – and besides, are you even allowed to get your pretty white gloves dirty?"
Julius' smiled at the expression of familiarity – 'Jules'. Julius didn't know what it was about Artur, but he seemed to have a way of closing the figurative distance, and it was a welcome change from the distance that he was obligated to maintain with just about everyone in his life. The only people Julius could think of that he did not have to maintain such a barrier with, were his two closest friend, and fellow Royal Knights – even then, however, due to certain political realities, he had to be wary of what he said to them. Julius – Julius hoped that Artur was truly as he seemed to be.
"I don't believe the blood from your nose counts, so do not use my gloves as an excuse to avoid a spar." Julius said, before bursting into laughter, his raised fist falling to his chest at his and Artur's nonsense. Artur couldn't help but join in with Julius, before clapping the man on the back once more. He was sure that they were probably attracting some very confused gazes, but he was not concerned about that in that moment – Julius was not sure why, but he was sure he had found a truly rare individual, indeed.
After an unreasonable amount of time was taken for the pair of men to recover, and Julius had wiped an eye of a tear that had gathered, Artur was the first to open his mouth. "Jesus, man," the bearded man said, "no, I get the feeling you'd probably wipe the floor with me. Unless it was a headbutting duel only – no thicker a skull exists than a Scotsman's!" He finished.
Artur's words caused Julius to burst out laughing once more at the unintentional, self-inflicted insult, and as the bearded man took a second to wonder what it was that Julius was laughing at, his smile widened when he'd realised what he said, before raising a hand to palm his own face.
"I must say," Julius said, before coughing in a fit of laughter, "you are certainly a man unto yourself, Artur." He said, wiping more tears that had gathered. Julius could not remember the last time he had laughed like this.
As the two men travelled through the city, Julius leading Artur, they continued to banter back and forward, the afternoon taking a pleasant turn that neither of the men had anticipated. The city was large, however, and the sun seemed to be setting faster and faster as the pair neared closer to their destination. It was only as the environment changed around them, that Julius realised he had not yet explained to Artur what the task they would be tackling was.
"Right, right, onto the matter at hand." Julius said, a smile on his face, before wiping away a tear of laughter, not realising that he'd lost count of how many times he had done so.
Artur smiled back, shaking his head in amusement. "Right you are, Julius…" The bearded man said, before trailing off. As the humour died down, he began to take note of the change of environment comparable to night and day. Where once the men had been surrounded by well-maintained, affluent-appearing buildings, roads, and other infrastructure, they now found themselves having to veer out of the way of potholes in the pavement, and Artur would need to be blind to miss the dilapidated, run-down, neglected state of conditions that he could now observe. It was not required of Julius to inform Artur that they had transitioned into a poverty-stricken, lower working class area, and Artur's face shifted to a grimace as he unconsciously compared the area they were now in to one of the many bombed-out, war-scarred villages and towns that he had fought in and near during the war. Ypres came to mind.
Artur became silent as he took in his environment, and Julius followed suit, his eyes falling on his companion's face as he took the opportunity to speculate, and observe, how an outsider might view a part of the city that him, and many of the other Knights, were far less proud of. Unfortunately, it was as Julius predicted.
As they entered the new environment, the urge struck the bearded man. "Would you mind if I smoked, Julius?" Artur asked, his hand moving to up to the right breast pocket of his uniform jacket. He produced a small, bright yellow, rectangular cardboard pack – its bright colouring stood out against the dullness of the surrounding area they had entered. Julius was close enough to the man that he could easily make out details on the surface, and he identified symbols that were completely unintelligible, and entirely alien, to him.
Julius' curiosity was piqued, an eyebrow rising as his gaze wandered over the curious, flimsy-looking object in Artur's hand. "Is that… writing, on the box?" Julius asked, prompting his companion to move the pack closer to him.
"Hm? Yeah, it's written in the language from where I come from." Artur said.
"What does it say?" Julius asked.
The bearded man's eyes cast over the writing. "It says," Artur said, "REDFORD'S NAVY CUT CIGARETTES – MANUFACTURED BY REDFORD & Co – LONDON W.C.. Redford's a company that makes them, and London is a city, I'd assume where they make them. If you notice he colourful flag in the middle of the pack, it is of the country that my country lies within." The bearded man said, fascinating the violet-haired Knight further. Although it was a small detail, it was yet another nail in the coffin of the possibility that Artur was a liar. The amount of time and effort, not to mention money, to manufacture something as mundane as this… Either his companion was telling the truth, or he was one of the greatest swindlers that he had ever met.
As the violet-haired man's eyes took in the details of the design, a small smile came to his face. "It is intriguing. This written language looks absolutely nothing like that which is native to this land – it's entirely incomprehensible to me." Julius said.
Artur let out a small chuckle, although there was no smile present on his face. "Aye – you can imagine how the writing here must look to me. It was a shock, finding myself here and not being able to read anything."
Julius chuckled slightly as well, before he nodded at the man, his own smile fading as he rose a hand to rest on his chin. Artur being unable to read anything while he was in Lugnica would certainly be an obstacle if he wanted to thrive here long-term. He supposed that, technically, anyone could teach him the written word, however he would benefit much more from a teacher.
"So, would you mind?" Artur asked, gesturing back to the cigarette pack in his hand.
Julius smiled again, and shook his head. "No, not at all."
"Thanks, Julius." Artur said. He removed a white cigarette from the pack, before placing the box back into his right breast pocket. Holding the cigarette with his left hand, he withdrew a self-made trench lighter from the same pocket, and lit the cigarette, before resting the now-lit cigarette between his lips, and returning the lighter to its resting place.
The violet-haired man watched as Artur went through the process of lighting up, trying to recall if he had ever seen something like that before. It was banal to Artur, but to Julius, it was entirely foreign.
"It is an odd sight to see anyone smoking in Lugnica, the odd form you are doing it in notwithstanding. Most people I've met who smoke are from one of the Kararagi City States." Julius said.
Taking a puff of his cigarette, Artur looked at Julius, before blowing the smoke away from the Knight. "Kararagi? That's a bit ae a mouthful. Where's that?" Artur asked.
"It is a country that lies on the west border with Lugnica. Though I have never been myself, I have heard from…" Julius said, before pausing. "… from some who come from the city states." He finished, deciding not to mention his link to Anastasia-sama quite yet. Although he knew Artur probably would have no knowledge of his Lady, he saw no reason to take the chance. Not quite yet.
Cigarette in his mouth, and both men falling silent, Artur considered his surroundings further. Something that stood out to the bearded man, was the significant reduction in both foot traffic, and road traffic, as they crossed over into – what he assumed was – the more deprived part of the city. He pondered that it could partly be as a result of the setting sun, however, the Officer did not believe the increased quiet could be blamed solely on the changing time of day. After all, only ten minutes ago, the street was still swarmed with people tending their business – these people, however, had been in the better-maintained section of the city. Not the portion of the city that Artur surmised was neglected by the government.
Though Artur did not speak up following his observations, he did not need to – his face reflected exactly what was going through his mind.
"The slums." Julius said, his amusement and light-heartedness having departed from his voice, and his facial expression turning to a much more sober one – like that which Artur had seen when he had first met Julius in Royal Army's barracks. "As you have probably noticed, Artur, we are no longer in the area of the city where the nobility and merchant classes reside. These are the slums, and unfortunately, it is where we as Royal Knights conduct the majority of our anti-crime actions and initiatives." The violet-haired man continued.
Artur's eyes remained on Julius' face as he spoke, digesting them carefully. "That isn't a surprise." Artur said, before his eyes left Julius and scanned his environment once more. Julius found that interesting – the older man had never been here in the city before, and yet Julius' words didn't come as a shock? Julius was also somewhat taken aback that the bearded man had not commented on, or asked about, the role of the Royal Knights in allowing the slums to deteriorate to this degree.
"No? How so, Artur?" Julius asked, genuinely curious.
The bearded man's eyes returned to Julius following the question, and the violet-haired man could not help but compare in his mind, the contrast between the lightness that Artur's face had held only a few minutes ago, to the heaviness that it now seemed to possess. He didn't know why, but it looked as though his face had suddenly aged thirty years in three minutes – although Julius knew that Artur's appreciation for the circumstances they were in most likely played a part, he firmly believed that this could not be the only reason.
"Where there's poverty, there's a lack of opportunities," Artur said, before his eyes left Julius and continued to take in the surroundings, "and a comparative abundance in crime. Less investment in the local economy only exacerbates the poverty issue, causing it to grow, which is generally going to mean that there's an even greater lack of opportunities, and an even greater growth in crime as a result. Poor education, fewer means to make an honest living that could lead to a bright future, fewer ways for parents to help their children break the cycle of poverty…"
Artur's eyes returned to Julius face, who appeared stunned at how the same man who was joking so readily earlier, was now speaking so soberly and level-headed. Julius figured that the bearded man must have had some level of education, if he were to become an officer, but he was now wondering the extent of it, if his thoughts were an indication of some kind of sociological education.
"Poverty breeds crime, crime breeds poverty, and poverty breeds poverty. It's fucked." Artur said, before his attention deviated away from Julius once more.
Julius took a moment to appreciate the seriousness and gravity that Artur was taking of the reality of the issue. Why… Why was it that Artur, a complete stranger to this land, seemed to care more for the severity of the slums issue than the vast majority of the Royal Knights that he had spoken to? Royal Knights, who had been born and raised in the Kingdom!
"Negating the profanity, you share my sentiments, my friend." Julius said, looking at the unique man walking beside him. His face returned in full view of Julius' once more, and a melancholic smile came to Artur's face, before he clapped the violet-haired man gently on the back once more. Though it was Julius' own words, 'friend' had a nicer and nicer ring to it when he considered the man beside him.
They walked in silence for a minute, before Artur broke it. "Is there much being done to help combat the slums issue?" Artur asked.
A melancholic tone was present on Julius' face at Artur's question. He thought for a moment, before giving a gentle nod in response. "I'm afraid not, Artur. The…" Julius began, before wondering how much of his own thoughts he should share with him regarding his own class's involvement in the lower class's plight. Julius considered that, like mentioning Anastasia-sama, until a… concrete path going forward was decided, in regards to what was happening with Artur's immediate future, that remaining tight-lipped would most likely be for the best. Although Julius had deemed the chance impossible, the chance ultimately did still exist that the bearded man had intentions, or an agenda, that was less than congruent with that of the greater good.
He stopped himself. If circumstances developed as Julius suspected they might, then he would be more willing to open up to his newfound companion – until then, however, he decided some thoughts were best left unsaid.
Julius coughed to mask the change in direction he was going to verbally take. "Excuse me," Julius said, "I am afraid that less is being done to address the problem than there could be. Are you aware of the current political issue that's dominating Lugnica at the moment, Artur?" Julius asked – he knew the answer that Artur was going to give him, but he didn't want the man thinking that he thought he was stupid.
A faux, horizontal smile – more akin to a straight line – came to Artur's face, as he gave a gentle shake of his head. "I'm afraid not, my friend."
Julius smiled slightly, despite himself, at Artur's casual expression of friendship. "I see. When the task at hand is over, remind me to share that information with you."
"Sounds like a plan, Jules." Artur said, a small smile on his face, and his nickname of Julius' causing the man to smile slightly wider. "Speaking of the task at hand – did you want to brief me beforehand?" Artur asked, a hand coming to his face to scratch at his bearded face.
"Ah, that is right. Well, as I mentioned, the slum is essentially the hub of crime within the capital. For the past few months now, myself and one of my closest friends, and a few very trusted colleagues – all of whom are Knights – have been tracking a-" Julius began, and although Artur was listening intently, his focus was broken as his ears tingled. He could have sworn…
The bearded man stopped in his tracks, and raised a hand. "Sorry, Julius, one second…" He said, before squinting, tilting his head such that his right ear faced upwards, and his eyes unconsciously wandering the environment. He could have sworn he heard something.
Julius had stopped, and took note of the bearded man's actions. "Do you hear something, Artur?" The violet-haired man asked.
His friend simply nodded at him, before placing a cupped hand to his ear, in an attempt to amplify what he could swear he heard. It didn't seem to improve things, and so Artur removed the hand from his ear, although it remained raised in the air in front of himself, as he concentrated on his hearing. He could hear much in the distance – almost an overwhelming amount compared to before today. Footsteps, despite the area being deserted. The gentle splashing of liquid, perhaps by a dog at his water bowl. The crackling of fire, like that of a fireplace or campfire. It looked to Artur that fine-tuning, and getting the full gist of, his inexplicably amplified hearing, was going to take some work. It was taking energy to decipher the incoming sensory information, from who knew how far away, and as his face strained and mouth lay slightly open, the effort was clear to Julius.
…ant to…
He managed to find the sound again, and he leaned his head forward in an attempt to focus further.
"I do not hear anything, Artur. Are-" Julius began, before the bearded man moved his hand in a 'please wait' gesture.
"Sorry, Jules." He said, grateful that the violet-haired man did not seem to be fazed by what could be seen as rudeness.
…kaqudcumroohlfeielexrsmmsgfmoi…en copper coi…vtqorsnveuhlyowgurhfltvfcwqeuq…
No, that wasn't it.
…scdhswwweikghawbqhvgdbrkc…ean it…ppdednsvodkpaxd…
That – that was it. It sounded like it was a girl, and from the tone that he was certain he could make out, she did not sound happy.
Trying to find the direction of the sound, while still so unused to the queer change to his hearing, however, was easier said than done.
Was it… South-West? He didn't want to guess in case he wasn't correct, and it ended up being that something was wrong. He didn't know why his mind was so fixated on the sound – it was only one of many that he could make out, and he only managed to make out a few syllables, after all – but what little his ears had caught made a chill run down his back. Artur's instincts and odd hearing had already proved themselves once today, however, so he was going to trust them.
Julius remained standing near him, watching, and trying to see if he could hear anything himself, however the only sounds in the distance that reached the violet-haired man's ears were from the flowing river to the north, and even then, it was very faint.
…reliiegteenowqevytbbhpfeedmfbk…to hurt you…nfhqlatgmehsxebuildrwwitmliimu…
The chill that ran down his back grew in intensity – the hairs stood up on the back of Artur's neck, and a clawing, tearing sensation – one that Artur had never experienced before – spread throughout his chest. He didn't know what was going on, but it sounded far from good.
"Shit, I think someone's in trouble, Julius!" Artur said quickly, his companion's attention snapping from the environment to the bearded man's face. The look on the violet-haired man's visage immediately became earnest, reflecting the grim expression on Artur's face. When he considered what Artur had done that led to their meeting, he did not hesitate to take the man's words with gravity.
Before the violet-haired man could say anything, however, Artur burst into a sprint, veering off from their original course they had been taking along the main road, and down an alleyway that intersected with the street. The sun was in a two o'clock position in the sky, and so Artur was pleased that there remained enough daylight to illuminate the dark, grim pathway he found himself following. He didn't know if Julius had followed him, nor was he paying attention – the bearded man's hearing was focused solely on following the sound he believed to be distress, and his eyes did not look back, but forward in assistance in navigating the unfamiliar geometry around him.
End of Chapter 2
Reviews
To AstolfoBrHue:
Thank you very much for the feedback! I really like Frederica, who will have a large part to play in the story. I hope that this rewrite/re-imagining can live up to and exceed the original story. Thank you for reading!
To Enclave ranger:
Thank you, sharing your thoughts means a lot. God willing, the chapters will be getting published for a long time to come.