Chapter Six ‘Mistaken’ Upon
their birth, everyone is given a name. Only
a handful is destined for another. The road was dark and deserted,
save one man walking down towards the next town. He had overslept that
morning and gotten a late start, and would not rest much tonight. The moon
and stars guided him as the dust rose up from his shoes with each step. Nothing
stirred in the night; the dense forest on either side seemed to be asleep. The man adjusted his pack and
began to sing a little tune form his homeland. It was strange how he hadn’t
sung it in years since his twenties, but the words came easily and carefree. “Oh I’m of the Third Army, a prouder man you’ll never see! I’ll cut
with my blade an’ axe until the land is free. An ale in one hand and sword in
the other, I’ll defend my all o’ m’ sisters and my brother. Oh I’m of the
Third Army, what a bunch of dan’grous rakes. With stealth and speed we’ll get
what ev’r you need no matter of the stakes. Oh I’m of the—“ The man suddenly stopped, a rogue breeze picking up around him,
sending his straw hat flying towards the woods. With a curse he followed
after it. Luckily, it was stopped by the roots of a large sycamore only a few
feet from where the road stopped and the grass began. “There you are, you rascal!” He
dusted off the hat, turning to continue down the road. “I always wondered why people sang
to themselves,” a voice said. “Huh?” The man spun around,
looking for what he could not see. “Up here,” the voice continued.
The voice could not be described as male or female; it rested somewhere in
between. It wasn’t the pitch of the voice that made it this way; no, it was
the shallow ‘echoing’ effect. As if someone were speaking into a jar without
it’s lid. Then again, what the man saw in
the pitch-black tree branches couldn’t be described as male or female either.
He saw nothing but shadow, and a glowing white orb about the size of an
acorn. Then again, he couldn’t be sure with the lack of light. “I wonder if it’s because they
feel lonely,” the voice continued, not interested if the man even remembered
the topic of conversation. “Then again, I’m rather lonely, and I don’t sing.” “What… What are you?” The man
craned his neck up, hat clenched in his right fist. “You can’t tell?” the voice asked. The man shook his head ‘no’; jaw
slack at what he was beholding. “I’m a demon.” The blood left the man’s face and
his heart began to race in his chest. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck
told him this was no joke. “That song you were singing… About
the Third Army…” the voice mused. “Were you in that army?” Trying not to flee and turn his
back on the shadowed creature, the man swallowed. He knew—never turn your back on a demon.
Never! “N… no… My b-brother was, and he t-taught me that song before he… he
died…” “Pity…” The voice seemed
displeased. “So you wouldn’t know who I’m looking for.” The man took a step back from the
tree, still unable to take his eyes off the glowing sphere. “Well then, we can’t have people
knowing about me in this area quite yet.” The shadows moved and seemed to
‘jump’ down from the branch with the orb. “W-what are you going to do to
me!?” The man backed away slowly and dropped his hat. “Isn’t it obvious?” The shadows
seemed to shrug when the man made no reply. His eyes widened as a metallic
silver glint caught his gaze. “I’m going to kill you.” Maroshi woke up the next morning
feeling rather refreshed. Then he remembered they had no money, were more
than a few miles to the next town, and River and Eva had been in their worst
moods ever. The feeling of refreshment did not last. “Mornin’ cutie pie!” Tabitha sat
down next to him. “What do you want for breakfast?” “Ugn…” Maroshi rubbed the sleep
out of his eyes and sat up against the tree trunk. “Eggs?” Tabitha nodded and put her gloved
hands behind her head. “Yeah, eggs would be nice.” Maroshi cast the redhead a
sideways glance. “Would be nice?” “You have to be kidding if you
think River-kun is in the mood to use that Ooshi Bowl thing,” Tabitha sighed. Maroshi looked towards the
highway. They had camped in a small clearing only a few feet from the road.
The two younger party members sat on a large sycamore stump a foot from the
dusty path, backs to Maroshi and staring out at nothing. “Oh man.” Maroshi groaned and
thunked his head against the bark. “They’re still like that?” “I’m afraid so. Without River-kun
to summon any food… No breakfast.” It was true Evangeline had been
pissed as hell when she heard that River lost practically all their money.
She had shaken him furiously, demanding where he left the purse of Rem and
gold. The truth was, River couldn’t remember. This only made the cleric
angrier. But as the evening wore on, the
two turned to each other for comfort and emotional support in a very trying
time. Maroshi and Tabitha weren’t particularly worried about money, but the
other two… They had both lived in luxury for so long that the thought of
poverty was worse than death. “I can’t believe we don’t have any
Rem.” Eva sighed softly, looking out at the road, not really seeing anything. “It’s my entire fault!” River
yelled, clasping his head in his hands. “It’s my fault we’re poor!” “No River!” Eva turned sharply to
him. “It’s the fates that are cruel! You mustn’t be so hard on yourself!” “No!” River suddenly stood on the
trunk. “I’m bashing my head on a rock so I can end this nightmare!” “RIVER! NO!” Eva caught him by the
arms before he could find a rock. “We must endure this! We may not have
money, but we still have each other!” River turned his head over his
shoulder to look at Evangeline. Brown eyes met violet for seconds before the
two erupted into boisterous laughter. “That was a good one, Eva.” River
wiped tears from his eyes. Eva finally subsided her laughter
into fits of giggles. “Oh, can you imagine someone who actually means it when
they say something like that?” “Only poor people say that, and
we’re not that poor yet!” “No doubt!” “Are you two shallow meat-heads
ready to go?” Tabitha stood on the stump looking down at them with slight
distaste. “How many more miles until we
reach the next town?” River grabbed his discarded Ooshi Bowl. “Hmm… According to the map I
bought in “Five miles!” Eva whined. “I’m
much too depressed to walk that far today!” “Five miles?” Tabitha muttered.
“What are you talking about? That’s like nothing.” “There, there, Eva.” River patted
his newfound ‘rehab’ partner on the shoulder. “Try not to think about the
money.” “I can’t help it!” Eva sobbed. “There
was so much of it… and… now it…
it’s…” Eva erupted into hysterical tears as she and River started down the
road. Truly feeling her pain, the blue-haired boy held Eva’s shaking
shoulders in the most comforting way possible. Tabitha turned to Maroshi. “Those
are some real shallow friends you got there, kiddo.” Maroshi shrugged. “They picked me, not the other way around.” Further up ahead on the road,
Evangeline had finally ended her crying fit and switched into nervous
hic-ups. River patted her back soothingly and tried to reassure her. “We
still have our looks, Eva! We can get by!” “Well, thank you, River,” Eva
sniffed. “But I’m sure you’ll need a reliable skill eventually.” River cocked his head to the side.
“What?” Eva’s hic-ups disappeared and she
gave the teen an honest look. “Well, I’m sure I could get by, but with that
hair I’m afraid you might not
make it.” River ran a hand through his spiky
locks. “What the heck do you mean?” “Well, you look like a porcupine
or a frozen pineapple. And not to mention blue isn’t a very natural color
anyway. Didn’t you like your original shade?” “HEY!” River clenched his hands.
“This IS my color!” Evangeline laughed. River glared at her. “Oh! You were being serious?”
Evangeline’s brows furrowed in confusion. River shoved her roughly, almost
causing the cleric to trip. “Too bad my
breasts are bigger than yours, then
you’d be on easy street.” “What!?” Eva straightened herself
and caught up to him. “You don’t have any! You’re a guy!” River fixed Evangeline with a sly,
toothy grin. “Exactly.” “Don’t tell me this is how they
normally act,” Tabitha whispered dryly. She had been watching the two sob
from a distance, but now they seemed intent on screaming at each other. The
woman could have sworn she saw cat ears on River and a dog tail on
Evangeline. Maroshi shrugged. “You get used to
it.” Then again, he was glad they were
a yard or so behind the arguing duo. By the time the four had entered
Jasper Ridge some hours later, the young cleric and River had not ceased to
argue. People gave them odd looks as they passed through the town’s tiny
wooden gate and into the streets. Jasper Ridge was a dusty town,
only an eighth the size of The town got its name for being
located near a ridge that was nearly a quarter of a mile tall. People wanting
to continue south would either need to climb down one of the narrow trails,
or go twenty miles out of the way east or west where the ridge became nothing
more than a hill. Further out from the ridge was a river that had once been
very large, as was the ridge at one point. Over time, the river became
nothing more than a stream and the grand canyon much smaller. “…of course, if you like wearing dresses, that’s really
none of my business,” Evangeline sniffed. “DRESS!?” River fumed. “It’s a
yukata, you hag!” Tabitha and Maroshi ignored it, as
they had the last hour. Inspecting the stalls to the left, Tabitha continued
behind them at a leisurely pace. However, Maroshi was more than a little
disappointed by how close the stalls were, and how crowded the market was.
First off, he couldn’t tell if there was even an inn, let alone a restaurant
anywhere near. Second, he now had to stick close to Evangeline and River so
they wouldn’t get separated by the crowd. Unfortunately, this meant being
associated with the pair. “…and I can get any man I want!”
Eva declared. River halted right in his tracks,
the other three stopping as well. “Oh really? Fine! Get one!” Eva stuck out her tongue and
pointed her index finger at Maroshi’s nose. “I choose that one!” River slapped Eva’s hand away.
“That one’s taken,” he growled. Maroshi blinked. “Really? By who?” “You’re not too bright, are you
hon?” Tabitha yawned from behind the samurai. River didn’t hear either of the
older travelers. People stepped around the four, trying to get past the human
road block to the stands they wanted to visit. “Then who!?” “The next guy that does something
for you,” River spat. “Fine,” Eva sneered. “Maroshi, I
think I dropped my—“ River cut her off with a death
glare. “I’m warning you.” “Ugh, do you have to be so picky Riv—--HEY!!”
Evangeline whirled around just in time to see a ragged man pickpocket one of
the satchels on her belt and take off down the market street. “I’ll get him!” Maroshi turned
without hesitation, only to feel something latched on to his elbow. The samurai turned to see River
holding on with an obstinate look. “Oh no you will not!” Before Maroshi could argue with
his friend, Tabitha broke in. “I wouldn’t worry about it; someone should get
it under control. This town’s full of cowboys anyway.” “Huh?” River, Eva, and Maroshi
looked down the street. The scrawny pickpocket was running for all he was
worth, but getting stopped by people and carts in the way. Finally, as he
cast a smirk over his shoulder to the people he had just robbed, a stick
caught his ankle and sent him to the ground. The satchel flew up into the air
as his face met the dirt. A long stick, about as thick as a staff should be
stuck under his ankle. Traveling their eyes up the stick, the company found
it to truly be a staff that had tripped the man! The staff was some five feet
long, wooden, with a blue gem the size of a small dinner plate at the top,
surrounded by wood. Four little wooden hoops hung under the gem. What’s more,
the blue crystal had black obsidian laced through it to make it look like a
slitted eye. Seemingly not to know what he had
done to the unconscious thief sprawled out behind him, the man holding the
staff pulled it back. Other shoppers stared at the robber, some even cheered.
The man still looked the other way, however, at a cart of apples, yet stuck
out his left hand and caught the stolen satchel with ease! Even more
astounding, it seemed the man’s eyes were closed, as if in meditation. Evangeline stared at the man. He
was rather handsome in her opinion: Very tall with silver-ish white hair that
was cropped short, but still flowed in the breeze. He made for a pretty
picture. He set an apple back in the cart,
and began to walk towards the four travelers. His shoes were nothing more
that black slippers like the monks wore, his pants loose and coming to his
ankles. His shirt was a purplish color with red stitches in the wide sleeve
cuffs and large shoulders—it almost seemed as if the shirt was really a high
vest with a matching shirt under it. The cloth was billowy and covered his
chest completely, though Evangeline could spot a huge jade beaded necklace
around his neck and the tips of white bandages under his collar bone. Eva poked River in the stomach
before the man got within earshot. “That’s
my man!” Eva walked up to meet him while River still held onto Maroshi,
glaring for all he was worth. Smiling attractively, the hero
held out the satchel in his hand without saying a word. Evangeline nor the
others could see the color of his eyes; they were still closed. I wonder if he’s a monk, Maroshi thought. Before the man could utter
anything, Eva grabbed the pouch and flung herself into the man, hugging him
gratefully. “Oh, thank you so much, kind sir! I don’t know what I’d have done
if—“ Suddenly Eva pulled back from the man, hands rushing up to her own
cheeks. Her eyes were wide and face a total shade of red. “What the hell?” River mumbled. The man had been a little stunned
by Eva’s bear-hug, and seemed too surprised to return it. Now, as the young
cleric had backed away, he simply cocked his head to the side in wonderment. “Eva? What’s wrong?” Maroshi
untangled his arm from River and stepped up to the blonde. Eva said nothing, but just
continued to blush furiously. “Hmm…” Tabitha sauntered over and
leaned in close to the mystery man’s chest. The man looked down at the
redhead as she veered in inches from the purple shirt. The five of them stood
there in surreal silence for a minute. Other people passed them by with
groceries, carts, and sleeping children, giving an odd look here or there. Half
a minute passed before Tabitha straightened herself back up and backed away
from the man to face them all. “Ahem. Upon further inspection,”
she stuck her index finger in the air in a scholarly way, “this man has
breasts!” The “man’s” eyebrow raised just a
little as the cleric let out a moan of despair. River smiled. “I’m really… really… really… so sorry…” Eva whined and
stared into her lap, blush not fully gone. “It’s no trouble, really.” The
short-haired woman chuckled and ate another nacho. “You’d be surprised how
often it happens.” It had been Eva’s idea to buy the
woman dinner with a quarter of what remained of their money. While Maroshi
had been expecting River to protest, the boy simply stated that nothing in the
world could hinder the joy Evangeline’s embarrassment had given him. Tabitha,
being the tallest, pointed out a little place nestled between a bookstore and
an ironsmith’s. “For out-of-towners, you sure know
how to spot the best restaurant.” The woman chewed happily on her chip as she
addressed the other four. Tabitha had to admit, it was a
lucky pick on her part. Had she ever been to Jasper Ridge? Probably not; she
would have recalled this restaurant instantly. The food smelled divine as you
came mere feet from the entrance, and the hostess was a kind old lady who
complimented Tabitha’s necklaces twice. The redhead enjoyed laid-back places
such as this; Tabitha decided to remember the little building for future
reference. “What makes you think we’re out-of-towners?”
Maroshi swirled his tea, sending little brown drops over the edge. The four
companions had decided not to spend money on food for themselves, which
earned their table a few curious stares from other guests. River’s Ooshi Bowl
would compensate for their own hunger later. Tabitha’s stomach rumbled as a
waitress passed them with a bowl of steaming stew. Then again, I might tackle someone and eat their dinner if I have to
smell something that good again… The woman chuckled. “You’re
certainly an odd quartet. One who carries a sword, one dressed in fine
clothes, another with a pan on his back—“ “It’s a bowl,” River muttered. “—and still another with the look
of a huntress!” The woman’s eyes, though still closed, turned towards Tabitha
with satisfaction on her face. “Huntress indeed,” Tabitha laughed
shortly. “And what is your profession? One who walks with a staff and keeps her
eyes closed in meditation, yet can capture a purse in midair?” “Oh, yes, we never asked you for
your name!” Eva shook her head at her own rude manners. “Nor did we give you
ours! I’m Evangeline.” Eva turned to Maroshi on her left and went around the
table full circle. “This is Maroshi, that’s Tabitha you’re across from, and
beside her is River.” “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you
all, and my name is Touya.” “It’s a pleasure here as well, Miss Touya,” Evangeline replied,
bowing her head down in renewed red-faced embarrassment when Touya smiled
cheerfully upon her. “Touya…” Maroshi contemplated for
a moment. “I’m sorry, but I thought that was a boy’s name.” “It is,” Touya remarked, taking a
sip of her iced tea and offering no further explanation. “And your occupation…?” Tabitha
rolled her hand in the air, trying to steer the conversation back to the
question. “I’m a monk.” So it was like I thought… Maroshi sipped the last of his beverage
in silence. “What are you doing all the way
out here? There aren’t any temples for many miles…” The corners of Tabitha’s
lips rose in amusement, like how a cat is amused by a rodent. The monk just continued to grin
happily, as if not a thing could bring her off her cloud. “Many monks often
go away on spiritual journeys to find themselves, Miss Tabitha.” “Aa,” Tabitha nodded a bit. “And
what have you found?” Eva was too busy blushing and
picking fuzz off her skirt to notice the sudden change in mood, though River
and Maroshi picked it up instantly. Touya’s smile wavered for a split moment,
as Tabitha’s coy look remained in place. Before either woman could say
another word, a cry alerted everyone in the restaurant. River saw it first—the old woman
who had seated them fainted to the ground, as a waiter rushed to her side.
Another man in militia uniform bent down to try and catch her, without
success. Other patrons rose from their seats to see what was the matter, as
did Eva. Her chair screeched across the floor, but a strong hand around her
wrist stopped her from getting anywhere. “She’ll be fine,” Touya said
flatly. “She’s just fainted; no use to waste your healing.” Eva’s eyebrows knotted together
and she watched the hostess being lifted by two waiters and carried into the
back. Reluctantly, the blonde sat back down, as did the other customers, and
conversation resumed once more. Before anyone at their table could
utter a word, the militiaman and a waitress came to stand by them, talking in
hushed tones. “What happened!?” “Now, now,” the man quieted her
down before continuing. “I’ll tell you what happened to your grandmother, but
you mustn’t say a word to anyone, y’hear? We’ll cause a panic if the news
gets out too soon…” The waitress nodded anxiously, and
Maroshi’s ears twitched. “Her nephew was supposed to be
commin’ home yesterday, but he never showed up.” The man glanced around a bit
then resumed his explanation. “He’s usually never late, so naturally the ol’
gal was worried.” “And?” the waitress asked. “And me and some of the boys were
heading back from scouting when… we found him… …tree… … blood… … …slashes…
Restless… ing Dem…” The rest of their talk was drowned
out from Maroshi as the man’s voice quieted and the jabber of patrons grew.
He crooked his head a little to see the waitress’s face pale before she
rushed back into the kitchen where the old woman had been taken. “You heard it?” Touya inquired
when the samurai turned back to the table. He nodded. “Most of it. Did anyone
get the last part?” “No.” River and Eva both shook
their heads. “I did.” Tabatha stopped her
sentence as a new waitress came to clear the table. After the girl had gone,
the redhead continued. “Something about a demon.” “A demon?” Eva’s violet eyes
widened. “The Restless Demon, The Restless
Wanderer, or The Restless Wandering Demon it has been called.” Touya crossed
her arms over her chest and frowned. “What’s that?” River piped up. Touya continued to face down at
the table, as if the information had been carved into it and she could see
through her eyelids. “It is a demon that has been around for quite some time,
only making itself known to ordinary people for perhaps ten years it is now.
It kills without warning, though always in the same fashion. Its victims are
totally random; it seems as if the demon travels from one place to the next
without consideration of where it shall be headed tomorrow.” “Hasn’t anyone tried to stop it?”
the boy questioned. Now Touya turned up from the table
to the ceiling, musing on something for a brief moment. “There have been
rewards put out, though no one knows what it looks like. The only thing
authorities have to link one death to the next is the fashion of the murder.” “I heard a few holy knights and
priests tried to go after it, though their luck was not good enough,” Tabitha
interceded. Touya looked down from the
ceiling, nodding in agreement. “Many monks tried as well, with little more
success… Some… Some are still
trying.” “How horrible,” Eva mumbled. The silver-haired woman chuckled,
her smile returning into place. “There are many terrible things in this
world, Miss Eva.” Touya arose from her seat,
grabbing the wooden staff propped under her chair. “I hope you shall not meet them
any time soon.” It was a nice night, so the four
companions decided to sleep outside under the stars. Well, two decided, the
other two were forced. River grumbled as he tossed more
sticks under the Ooshi Bowl, the little campfire casting odd shadows on the
ground. He was running out of sticks… How long could it take Maroshi and
Tabitha to get a branch or two? They were in a forest for the love of all things holy! Eva sniffed the air and sat down
beside River. “Mmm… That smells good.” “Thanks.” River turned the meat
over in the bowl to let the other side sizzle. “So… What did you think of
that woman?” “Touya?” Evangeline brought her
knees up to her chest and hugged them. “I thought it was odd… that a woman
would want to become a monk. Not to mention she seemed to know I was a cleric
without even asking me.” “No, no.” River put a stupid grin
on his face. “I mean… are her breasts bigger than yours?” “River!” “Hey, we’re just wondering, cos’
you were the only one to—OW!!” River rubbed his head tenderly where the stick
met with his noggin. “Can’t take a joke, I see.” Eva tossed the stick into the
fire. “Jerk. Why don’t you quit making fun of me?” River rolled his eyes. “Gee,
possibly because you always do the same to me.” “Hmmph… Well, if I stopped calling
you names, would you cut it out?” Eva bit her tongue. She wasn’t too sure she
could make that kind of commitment just yet. “Ch’.” River stirred the broth a
bit with his wooden spoon. “If I had half a Rem for every time someone called
me ‘gay’ I’d be a millionaire.” Eva giggled. “I guess about eighty
of those would be from me… What are you cooking anyway? It smells wonderful.” “Griffon steaks,” River mumbled. “I think that’s enough…” Maroshi
picked up one last stick. “We should get these back to camp before River
flips out.” “Yeah,” Tabitha yawned. “Sure is a
clear night out…” Maroshi looked up past the trees.
Through the oak leaves he could see patches of the milky-white moon. “Yeah,
it is.” Tabitha turned and dropped her
pile of sticks and branches at the base of a tree. “C’mon, River can wait a
few more minutes.” “Huh? What’re you doing?” Tabitha swung up on a low branch,
her gloves scraping against bark. “I’m baking a cake. What does it look like,
kiddo? Climbing the tree.” Maroshi frowned. They really should get back to camp before the
other two party members started to worry. Or kill each other. The young samurai looked up once again. The moon seemed to call him, its
feathery beams of light charming his soul. For an instant, the night he
encountered the wolf came back into his head. It had been a huge moon that
night, and he wondered how this one would compare. With a sigh at his own
childishness, Maroshi set his stack by Tabitha’s and leapt up the tree with
amazing speed and agility. In mere seconds he was beside Tabitha, sitting on
a bare branch that jutted out at just the right angle. The woman had chosen a good tree,
he thought, as he took a seat next to the trunk. This particular one was
taller than the others, and gave a fantastic view of the tiny town that
glowed softly in its own quaint way, and the stars that dazzled the sky with
a glory that only the moon could match. “It’s peaceful,” Tabitha murmured
in a near whisper. “I like it like this.” Maroshi said nothing, but was
inclined to agree. A slight breeze rustled the few
branches above them, and stray leaves began to fall. The yellow-eyed man
continued to look out at nothing, but seeing things he could not have
otherwise. “…remember me always…” Time seemed to trickle slowly into a fountain of youth. One by one
candles were put out in the town, a certain campfire burned into ashes, and
even the stars began to fade… They faded for Maroshi, and all he could see
was the moon… What happened to you, Mother…? Maroshi blinked. How long had he been up in that
tree? His back was stiff from sitting at an odd angle, and cracked when he
shifted. It must have been for a while Maroshi thought; the moon was much
smaller now and the constellations had shifted place. Tabitha was gone as
well. The young samurai looked around
the branches, and not seeing the redhead, leapt down the oak. His feet hit
the ground softly, knees bending to absorb some of the gravity, as Maroshi
learned in training. “You had this distant look in your
eyes, so I decided to leave you up there,” Tabitha said. She was leaning
against the tree with her arms crossed. “You’ve been looking at the stars for
some time now.” “The moon, actually. Sorry,”
Maroshi mumbled sheepishly and went for his pile of branches. “Leave it. I doubt River or
Evangeline has the fire going at this hour.” Stepping away from the trunk, the
redhead playfully slapped Maroshi on the back. “I hope we didn’t worry them,
staying out so long…” Maroshi turned to follow Tabitha back to camp. “Nah,” she yawned. “I went to
check on things fifteen minutes ago; the boy and the cleric were sound
asleep.” “That’s good,” Maroshi smiled. “They ate all the dinner, too.” “That’s bad.” Tabitha chuckled and continued
through the woods. Maroshi followed her closely through the trees and did not
look back at the moon once. “Will you two hurry up?” Eva
stopped on the path for what seemed to be the thousandth time. “For a warrior
and a huntress you two are awfully slow!” River snorted and came to stand
beside the cleric. “It’s pathetic, really.” The two ‘slackers’ finally caught
up, each moving carefully as if through a fog. Indeed, Maroshi had been up in that tree for a long
time. He and Tabitha only got four hours of sleep by the time they made it
back to camp. Maroshi yawned. “Sorry, Eva…” “I’m not a huntress!” Tabitha
whined. “Then what are you?” Maroshi
wondered aloud. Before the woman could answer,
River spat. “A drunk.” “You little…” Tabitha glared. “Oh my, if it isn’t the strange
little troupe I met yesterday!” Four sets of eyes looked over the
next rise in the dusty path. Coming towards them at a walking pace was Touya,
smile neatly in place and staff at her side. Eva blushed furiously and bowed
politely as the monk came to stand next to her. “How do you do…” “Quite well, thank you!” Touya
chirped. “Where would you all be heading off to?” River shrugged. “South. Whatever
town is next on the road and down the canyon.” “Ah. The ridge is very pretty this
time of year, it will be a pleasant walk for you all,” the monk replied. “Where are you headed, Touya?” Eva
inquired. Behind her, Tabitha and Maroshi’s heads had konked together and the
two were sleeping standing up. River glared at the drool coming out of the redhead’s
mouth. “Back into town. Oh dear…” Touya
chuckled at the scene. “Hm?” Eva turned around just in
time to see the blue-haired boy kick the back of Tabitha’s knee, sending the
two sleepers to the ground in an ungraceful heap. Tabitha gave a snort as she landed
on top of the sleeping samurai. “HEY!!” Tabitha snarled and leapt to her feet
in an amazing display of newfound energy. “You’re gonna get dunked into the
next stream we cross, kid!” River stuck out his tongue before
taking off down the path. “You’ll have to catch me first, hag!” Tabitha growled and chased after
the boy. “HAG!?! I don’t look that old, YOU PUNK!” “Oh dear.” Eva shook her head
sadly at the two running, yelling, and kicking up a storm. “I guess I better
catch up to them, and maybe even give Tabitha a hand...” “You do that, Miss Eva, but don’t
forget your friend.” Touya nudged Maroshi with her staff. “Zzz… Sam’rai… Mommy…” “Oh for goodness sakes…” Eva sent
a swift kick to his ribs. “WAKE UP!” “Oof!” Touya turned and hoofed it down
towards town, not even needing to see the duo to know what would ensue next.
The sounds of an angry cleric and disgruntled samurai would put the first
real smile of the day on her face… The inn-keep’s daughter flipped
through the newspaper idly, one page of black and white passing by with
nothing of interest. It was Tuesday, so that meant her father would be off to
the bank for a few hours, leaving her to tend the hotel. “Miss?” The girl looked up from the news
paper to find a woman standing there. Then again, the youngster was taken
aback. The voice had been female,
but the figure looked as if it could pass for a man, had her bandaged chest
not been exposed this much. “Yes?” The lass folded up the paper and put it under the counter. “How
may I help you?” “Well,” the silver-haired woman
began, “I was staying here last night, and checked out this morning. I don’t
think it was you who was at the desk.” The girl shook her head, sending
little blonde braids flying. “No, that must have been my father.” “Ah, I see!” The woman put her
thumb to her chin in a thoughtful manner. “In any case, I left something on
the nightstand. I was in room number ten; was anything found by chance?” “I’ll check.” The girl bowed and
scampered off to a room marked ‘Private’ behind the check-in. “Thank you!” A few minutes later, she came
bounding back out with a piece of paper in her hand. “Is this it?” Upon
seeing how the woman’s eyes were shut, the girl stammered a bit. Could she be blind? “It’s a… a letter
with a green marking…” “That would be it!” She took the
offered letter and flipped the young lass a coin. “Thanks again.” “Oh, sure thing! Come back soon!” I swear, if my head wasn’t attached to my neck… This little setback
may cost me half a day’s travel. No matter; I’m sure I can always catch a
ride from some farmer and his mules. Touya stepped out into the |