Chapter 75: Curtains up
Branches were moved and an unnatural lack of words accompanied the two as they made their way back. The forest was the same as before. Maybe a tad darker, since a cloud moving before the moon thought it was especially funny to leave them tripping in darkness.
But their path was not the longest and having walked it down twice it wasn't hard to follow either.
The soft sound of water bypassing the landscape filled the air within a minute and Izaya emerged from the top of the ledge leading to their gathering point.
"Izaya-" a quick hiss, filled with relief, entered the night and for a brief second izaya spotted Namie's expression.
She looked spooked, like someone had shown her a spider of her body's size.
"Expected someone else?" he joked quietly and the woman audibly groaned.
Of course she had.
Izaya didn't need to hear an answer to know as much.
Animals, monks, hell, even the demon itself, responsible for this entire mess, might turn up.
Who could reliably tell what was going to happen at this point?
Eyes moving to Leo, Izaya quickly approached the young man.
"I fixed him up as well as I could," Namie informed quickly and Izaya nodded as his sight confirmed what she said. They had washed the wound in the river from what he could tell. Most of the blood, dried as well as freshly seeping, had been cleared and a single layer of white fabric was wrapped around the area.
The pants had been torn all the way up to his thighs, and the cold surrounding the forest was visibly starting to get to Leo as his body trembled lightly.
"Can you move?" Izaya asked, and the boy swallowed hard before showing an insecure smile.
"I have to, don't I?"
"I could carry him," Shizuo suggested quicker than Izaya was able to scold Leo for putting up a tough act. A quick nod was given along with a sigh and the blankets he had stolen from the monastery were tossed towards the recipients in question.
Catching the three meant for the women present, Namie scrunched her nose at the material before sighing.
A glace was cast towards Izaya and she cocked her head to the side.
"If you were so kind."
Izaya snorted at the luxury of modern times and shook his head. "You should know I'm not interested in your body."
It was obvious that she was asking them for privacy while changing, and Izaya really got that. He wasn't into seeing this woman naked either, but somehow the request irked him as this was not the time nor the place to bother with such negligible requests.
"I am aware you lack common decency, but you refuse to let your sisters rest at ease too?" Namie glared, but her comment backfired greatly on her as the twins spoke up as well.
A single glance at each other was all they needed as Mairu spoke. "We don't care."
A blink followed, paired with a groan as the woman spoke. "You should."
It was then that Shizuo moved to the side of the forest.
Quicker than appropriate and Izaya's body stiffened.
"Shizuo?"
No word was said, no action made as the blond merely froze and the rest of the group did as well.
Careful eyes tracked the forest doused in black as Shizuo tried to make out anything moving in the shadows.
It took a whole minute until he said what everyone feared. "I thought I heard something."
Something.
The worst description, offering an array of possibilities and fears faster than liked.
"For our collective sake I suggest you hurry up," Izaya spoke quietly, and Namie did.
Eyes locked onto the forest on the opposite side from Shizuo, Izaya tried to cover as much of their vision as possible.
Pants dropped, blouses were discarded, along with bras and underwear. It took only a few moments of Leo covering his eyes in embarrassment until the three of them were huddled up inside the blankets Izaya had brought.
"Done." Namie announced, and Izaya moved quickly to repeat the action on his own body. Because not only Namie's and his sisters' clothes were going to speak their end if discovered.
The same went for Shizuo as his head emerged from his shirt without losing sight of the forest ahead even once.
It was by chance that Shizuo spotted Leo moving, or rather, struggling to get rid of his own set of clothes and he approached with quick steps.
"Sorry," he whispered apologetically, but there was nothing to apologize for.
Within a matter of seconds their clothes had been replaced by blankets of poor fabric, itching in the worst ways that barely kept any warmth.
Tugging at Leo's arm, Shizuo pulled the injured boy to his feet. His intention had been to carry him, but Mairu and Kururui were there quicker than he could try.
Supporting Leo they quickly nodded towards Shizuo, and Izaya saw. A quick glance was cast towards him and he whispered, "I'd rather leave sooner than later."
Tossing the last of their clothes towards the ledge and covering it with a batch of debris and leaves Namie turned to nod.
"Agreed."
No more words were wasted in this forest of unknown dangers as the group finally moved. Back up the path, towards the opening that led to the church.
It was a trip of under five minutes and the building came into sight much quicker than Izaya liked.
This was their new starting point. Once they approached they were set in a specific play. And he really hoped he had chosen the right one.
The fire had long stopped burning, but the smell of burnt coal still resided in the air.
The monks Izaya had spotted earlier when checking out the monastery had re-appeared. Having gotten rid of the buckets they had carried earlier, they now seemed to be guarding the front door.
Izaya had wondered earlier, but now he understood why he had seen no one upon entering the church.
Taking a deep breath he mustered his best act as a troubled expression made up his face. "Help-!"
Awfully loud the call for assistance tore through the night and not only the monks were startled by Izaya's performance.
Eyes narrowing immediately the monks took on a defensive stance- but considering they were trying to protect the church Izaya noticed they suffered from an awfully lack of weapons to use for that matter.
"Who is there-?!" one of them called, sounding even more freaked than Izaya had and he quickly adjusted his plan according to their reaction.
They were frightened. Of course.
The church had just suffered an all out attack and almost burned down.
Raising his arms in defense he made sure to show he harbored no ill intentions as he approached the light of a few candles sitting by the front door.
"We saw the fire from afar and hoped to find people. Where are we?" Izaya tried fitting what had happened into his play. After all, they were a group of humans, lost without clothes and food.
But it seemed his statement was not enough to convince the two monks as their eyes narrowed.
"Are you sane?" the second monk asked and Izaya blinked. Sane? It was by pure chance that he connected the question as one connected to sickness. Running around without clothes he might as well be someone expelled from a village for carrying a disease no one could cure. And asking for his state of mind-
Maybe he was afraid he was rabid?
A quick smile, albeit making sure to make it look devot, spread across Izaya's lips as he shook his head.
"I wish I weren't then I wouldn't feel so cold without my clothes."
Doubt was still planted deeply in the monk's expressions, and Izaya feared for a second that they would actually turn them down.
But his sisters were not his sisters for nothing.
"Kind sirs, can you help us?" Kururi suddenly pleaded with a tear brimming at the brink of her eyes. "We have been wandering around for so long, it's cold, and dark and we are scared," she whined as best as she could and her sister only matched her pace as she forced a hiccup mimicking one of endless tears in agreement.
Izaya would have snorted at the heart tugging performance had it not been as important to keep his role as it was.
"Children?" his partner suddenly asked and Izaya recognized him as the one supporting priest Marcius' decisions.
"What do we do?" the other monk whispered and the tone in his voice already spoke banners of how far he wanted these refugees away from the church.
A glare was sent at him for the obvious animosity as his friend frowned.
"What kind of question is that, brother Celso? Who are we to deny those who are led to our church?" he scolded, crushing every hope to turn away Izaya and his group and Izaya internally cheered at the good heart this man seemed to have.
Showing the greatest enthusiasm the monk Celso uttered words of disagreement under his breath as he pushed the door to the church open.
A smile was all that his friend showed as he stepped back and gestured inside the church.
"Quick. Come in. It is too cold to stay outside as you are."
Izaya quickly nodded, showing his most grateful smile. "I thank you very much, brother…" he faded out, leaving the unasked question in the air.
But the monk seemed quick on the uptake as he introduced himself with a smile.
"Aldous. Brother Aldous is the name."
Moving quickly, Izaya followed the monk's invitation and entered what they had already seen before.
The church.
So different yet so similar to the one in their own time.
More tables had been set aside in the short timespan it had taken Shizuo and Izaya to return and a batch of white blankets dressed the floor instead.
Two nuns were arranging what appeared to be emergency beds and looked up surprised as their newest guests entered.
"More?" one of them asked and Izaya recognized her as the one called Eclair before.
"We met these troubled travelers outside. They are seeking refuge for the night and a set of warm clothes." Monk Aldous quickly explained and the nun faltered in what seemed to be not the happiest reaction to their presence.
"One appears to be injured," the second nun suddenly spoke and Izaya recognized her as the one he had spotted earlier. Monica was her name if he heard correctly and she carefully eyed them with her old but sharp eyes.
"We didn't notice," Monk Celso quickly uttered in his own defense it appeared, and Izaya realized that an injury was probably a gateway to illness to these people and therefore someone to be cast away.
But his worries seemed to be nill of meaning as the nun approached Leo with a gentle smile.
"Child, what happened to you?"
Heh, so she was open to reason after all.
"We were on the way to our mansion when we-" Izaya started, but didn't get far.
"I would rather hear it from this boy's lips," the nun interrupted faster than Izaya was able to blink.
A glare sat in her eyes and made sure he knew it wasn't wise to ignore her wish.
She was obviously distrusting him. An adult. Prone to lies and schemes.
A child was more trustworthy in that sense.
Casting a short glance at the slightly perplexed member of their time travel group, Leo met his eyes for a second before nodding slowly.
Good thing he had paid attention earlier when Izaya explained what they were going to do. "My lady and her attendants were attacked on the road. That's when an arrow pierced my leg." A quick glance forced all eyes around to the only figure still huddled in her blanket.
"Lady?" monk Celso repeated and as if born for acting Namie pulled her blanket off her head. Eyes made for stares of superiority were directed at the few people present as she embodied her role perfectly.
"He is my errand boy if you question the truth of his words," her words hallowed and her back straightened as she approached the nun with dignity and unwavering confidence. "My estate was raided by bandits. They laid fire to everything they found and drove us onto the road. Should you offer us a place to rest and gather our strength anew I will make sure to reward you greatly."
The nun's eyes narrowed shortly as she looked at the unfamiliar woman declaring herself a ruler. But Izaya felt not the slightest hint of anxiety at her piercing stares.
Namie had delivered her role perfectly. And apart from missing her clothes everything about her screamed royalty.
"Bandits?" the nun called Eclair whispered frightfully.
"The assaults keep increasing despite the king's empty promises to take care of them," monk Celsus whispered between tight lips and couldn't hide the disdain he apparently felt for their king.
A glance cast to the side silenced the two almost immediately as the nun's attention shifted to Izaya and Shizuo instead.
"And how are you two connected to these four?"
Offering a quick bow Izaya lowered his gaze as a sign of respect for the person that seemed to be in charge of the church.
"We are their brothers. Looking after our two sisters ever so often, we happened to bypass the scene when it occurred but there were too many to protect to properly judge the assaulters." Demise, regret and a healthy portion of guilty defeat skillfully displayed on Izaya's expression as he met the nun's gaze. He could tell the moment people fell for his lies. And her expression right now already seemed awfully convinced. "Keeping our lives and leaving our clothes seemed like the better option to take," he continued with a strained voice, acting as if it had been hard to make the decision, to really seal the trust of what he believed to be the head nun.
"It always is." She suddenly agreed, and Izaya repressed the urge to smile as she fell right for their story.
"Eclair, you are to prepare our vacant rooms," Sister Monica ordered quickly, and the young woman nodded quickly, before walking off into what Izaya knew to be the sleeping chambers of what was going to become a large monastery.
They had succeeded.
With flying colors too if he could say so.
"You are letting them stay?"
A cold voice had asked the question, and for a moment Izaya felt his unrivaled victory challenged.
Upon entering the church he hadn't really paid any present people mind apart from the staff leading the church. But now that he had spoken, Izaya realized he had disregarded someone he shouldn't have.
Dressed in black and dark blue his robe was embroidered with fine lines of high quality metals ranging from silver to gold.
A veil similar to the nuns was hiding his hair, but held a much more dignified air.
Izaya had thought the guy to be just another monk of different rank, but it seemed his perception was wrong. Eyes piercing and unkind resembled the depths of an unforgiving ocean and the black hair peaking forth from the sides forced an even harsher contrast to his already pale skin.
A book was all that he seemed to carry under his arm but Izaya couldn't make out what it was about. All he knew was that this guy seemed to hold some kind of position of importance. He appeared to be fairly young, but didn't lack confidence. And yet despite all that the most prominent factor was not his appearance, rank or power, but his weakness. Malnutrition? An illness? Izaya couldn't tell what it was that he was suffering from, but he was definitely suffering. On a daily basis too.
"What other action do you expect me to take?" Sister Monica asked, but her question didn't sound like it demanded an answer. "God sent them to us, who am I to turn them away?" She followed up right away and the stranger closed his eyes with a sigh on his lips.
"But priest Marcius said-" Brother Celsus was the only one trying to make an actual interception, and immediately regretted his action.
"Priest Marcius is not here right now and the decision is mine to make."
Sister Monica's voice hallowed harshly inside the tall hall and even the somewhat dimwitted monk seemed to understand that this was not the time to question any decisions being made.
"Understood." He mumbled quietly, albeit while wearing a frown and sister Monica nodded pleased.
"Eclair," she called and slightly startled her young nun. "Take care of his wound." She ordered, pointing at Leo and the young man in question jumped lightly at being the subject of attention.
It was funny.
Upon entering the church it had felt warm and welcoming, not only due to the heat of the torches, but also due to the people present, but this woman's presence acted like ice.
"As for the rest, follow me," she announced with the same authority she had commanded her nun and monks and for the moment Izaya felt it was wiser to follow her orders.
Besides, the person he was most wary of right now was not that woman.
"I will keep an eye on you." The nameless man of battled health whispered as Izaya passed and his eyes narrowed.
Who was this guy?
to be continued~
Hehe we are slowly easing into our new setting~ xD New people, new views fears and most importantly tradegies C: xD Oh I love what kind of direction this story is going to head into in a couple updates xD
By the way I decided I will be dishing out the updates on Friday evening from now on instead of Saturday xD Cuz most of the time I have them fresh and ready to be served, and anything I didn't get done I won't get done on Saturday anyway xDDD
So yeah 3 Just so you aren't confused xD