“I told you so.” Varhi boasted smugly, showing off what had previously been his wounded and bandaged side. Varhi watched Cyial slowly move and bury his head within his arms on the kitchen dining table, defeated. “Don’t forget, you promised me,” the mercenary continued to press.
“Yes, yes, I know…” Cyial admitted, muffled. “You can go out today…”
“Hmm, maybe I’ll just stay here and loaf around all day after all,” Varhi teased tauntingly, leaning his bare upper half back against the seat smugly as he interlaced his arms behind his head. “Just to rub it in.”
Cyial’s head peeked out from under his arms. “Don’t be a… a wise ass.” The demon grumbled.
Varhi snickered. “Come on, you know I’m just teasing. You’re amusing when you’re annoyed. Oh! By the way, if you guys get bored, you can always watch some broadcasts, though take whatever is said on them with caution. A lot of what is said is propaganda.”
“Watch… broadcasts? Huh?” Sairek let out quizzically from where he sat, having been busy leisurely digging into some pancakes that Nayleen had made for breakfast. He was on his second serving, though Varhi had already finished his second serving.
“That black box thing there.” Varhi righted himself properly within his seat and pointed behind himself with a thumb, and thus, ahead of them in the direction of what the group had now dubbed the “tree fountain” wall, though Varhi pointed higher up the wall to a large, thin, black rectangular object above it.
“I just thought it was some structure built into the house.” Sairek admitted. “There’s a few other black boxes like that all around here and there.”
Varhi nodded. “Yeah, those are ‘broadcast boxes’. There’s multiple of them around the apartment. It’s for news and stuff technically, but it’s not really news anymore. It's advertising. Propaganda bullshit mostly, like I said.”
Varhi dropped his hand back down onto the table to join his other hand in a fold, then leaned forwards onto the table, looking away from Sairek as he closed his eyes to rest his head on his hands in a carefree manner. “...Still, if you want to know what misfortune fell onto others somewhere in the city or what nonsense the government is cooking up, what the latest scheme is going on in the underworld, or to learn a bit about Kior, then you’ll use that thing.”
“Oookay…” Sairek drawled uneasily. “How do we make it work, then…?”
Varhi propped himself back upright after a pause, raised both of his hands in front of himself, angling them so Sairek could see, then clapped them hard.
Sairek jumped. Not from the clap, but when a foreign voice and a moving image from the above the ‘tree fountain’ in front of them abruptly emerged into view.
“—...cause of this incident, the train station will be closed today for maintenance. They expect that the trains will be operating normally again between 1:00 to 3:00 this afternoon. In other news…”
“Geez!” Sairek held his left hand to the royal jewel. “How the heck…?!”
“Aw? The station is closed until the afternoon? Shit.” Varhi fumed with a frown as his body craned to look behind himself at the box. He exhaled a frustrated sighed as he turned towards Cyial. “Maybe I’m lounging around for most of the day after all.”
“Oh, is that so? Truly, that is such a sorrow.” Cyial replied dryly with an equally unempathetic expression. “I think that’s called ‘karma’, Varhi.”
“Varhiiii,” Sairek insisted.
“Whaaaat?”
“How does it work?”
Varhi rolled his head back against the chair, staring up at the ceiling. “Good grief. You’re so insistently curious about everything.” He replied without heat. He rolled his head back down to face Sairek as he interlaced his hands behind his head, sinking more into his seat lazily. “It works by connecting a scrying lens to a tower, and then that tower broadcasts the images and sounds from those lenses to these boxes like ours here all over the city and other towers to transmit over large distances. When you see the super tall buildings with the triangular roofs with the really, really long metal pointy bits on top of them, those are the antennas to carry those images and sounds.”
“Amazing…” Sairek murmured, looking back towards the box. Sairek was more impressed at the novelty of the thing, rather than what was being broadcast onto the screen itself. Magic and technology combined together could truly create some miraculous things…
Varhi sighed, rubbing the back of his head and itching at his shoulder with his other hand. “I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll leave for the train in the afternoon, then,” he fumed, pressing himself up and pushing the seat back away from himself as he grabbed his armor. “Oh well, I needed to clean my stuff anyway. Last night's shower would be pretty pointless when my clothes smell like the plague.”
Cyial frowned. “But if you leave by the afternoon, you wouldn’t be arriving back until tomorrow morning.” He protested.
“And?” Varhi asked. “It’s a nine hour train ride. I’ll be sleeping most on the trip back at worst, if not on both going to and back,” he argued.
“Hm… I guess that’s true…” Cyial admitted.
“I’ll bring my own snacks with me, too. So don’t worry.” Varhi waved.
“Won’t that be another hundred seru just to get there, and back?” Sairek asked.
“No, it will still only be fifty. There’s a buy and return pass that’s valid for twelve hours after arriving.” Varhi clarified. “There’s also a monthly pass that will take you wherever you want to go for five-hundred seru for three months, but we’re obviously not staying here for that long.”
“Geez… It’s so expensive. I wonder how people can afford just going to work.” Sairek frowned.
“Workers get their own special pass, if required. Those are free, and valid as long as they work. Kior certainly doesn’t want to prevent people from working and contributing. That only allows them to go to their workplace and back, though. Wherever those locations may be.” Varhi explained. “Anyway, I’m gonna go wash up. Nayleen offered to help me with cleaning this morning, so I’ll take her offer. I’ll see you both later.”
“Bye, Varhi.” Cyial said, watching the sellsword go with his leather armor bundled under his armpit. “...I wish I could be that confident about exposing myself.” Cyial huffed off-handedly in a sarcastic tone, complete with an eye roll once Varhi left.
“You are with me.” Sairek commented, still looking at the broadcast box with fascination.
“Well, not in that way…” Cyial replied, his tone a little dry. “I’m older than you, but am smaller than you in almost every way… But I suppose I’ll catch up anyways sooner or later. Apparently incubi and succubi can grow to be quite tall, according to Father Abbot. Nearly seven feet sometimes.”
“How handsome you will be, then.” Sairek teased with a grin. “Until then though, you’ll have to live with being cute.”
“I wish I had good looks like you, too…” Cyial mumbled.
Sairek blinked. “What do you mean? You look fine.”
“Yeah, but you look… handsome, Sairek. Your face is perfect, your body is… uhm, how do I put this right…?” Cyial’s face scrunched up a bit in thought. “Basically what I’m trying to say is, you are naturally charismatic.” he concluded.
Sairek blushed, rubbing the back of his head, unsure of what to say. "Are you sure you aren't being just a little biased? I mean, Laure would have words with me and she saw how unkempt my hair has been as of late. I haven't exactly been combing it, and it would have been trimmed a month ago and would be ready for a second trim by around now..."
“Mhh… Well, I suppose a lot of people have a lot of self confidence issues, like I have. I mean, I don’t think I look ugly or anything Sairek, but I do think I look too meek. You can eschew a look of confidence about you, though. I can’t do that at all. All I can do is um… become incredibly pissed off.” Cyial laughed uneasily.
Sairek frowned. “Well… That was something I was taught since I was able to walk and speak, pretty much. People tried to control how I should react, and taught me early on to hide my true self. I don’t like it, Cyial. Though I can't argue that it has its uses, I much prefer not having to do that and just being myself instead of pretending. In that regard though, there’s nothing wrong with ‘being meek,’ Cyial. It makes you quite approachable.”
“Except when it comes to my glowing eyes in a dark cave.” Cyial giggled, reminiscing about how they first met.
“For three seconds. Imagine what Nayleen may have done to you in reaction if you looked more intimidating!” Sairek joked. He looked back to the broadcast box again, briefly listening to it and frowned. “Hrm… There’s a lot of negative news on here, isn’t there?”
“What do you mean?” Cyial asked.
“Listen,”
“...We are now bringing you the latest developments to an investigation that has been ongoing since last year. Guardian Asbel and his demon Falgyr were sent off to investigate a robbery suspect. Witnesses since then have reported they saw both the suspect and officer with his demon dip down into an alleyway, but they didn’t come out the other side. Inside the alleyway is a sewer grate, which people theorize where they may have gone, however, investigations since then have reported no evidence of where they may have disappeared to. Strangely, Officer Asbel and his demon have not been the only people who have vanished under similar circumstances in the past year, but these cases as well have gone cold.
“The access point to the sewers have been closed off for the investigation as the security force tries to gather more clues. As a result of these disappearances, Prime Minister Eseras has ordered that more security scrying lenses be displayed in alleyways to help monitor citizens on the streets and gather potential evidence to hopefully find clues as to how these citizens are disappearing.”
Sairek watched as the picture on the broadcast box changed. “Th-That’s her!” He announced.
“That’s… who?” Cyial repeated in confusion.
“Regenar Kior’s advisor—Or, now Prime Minister, apparently.” Sairek clarified.
She was a tall and stout woman, looking to be in her mid forties with strawberry blonde hair that cascaded down her back. It almost looked violet in the picture when the light landed on it a certain way. She wore a tall, prestigious hat, a hat like how most grand priests may wear, and vibrant robes with aqua green and white, sewn with many decorative patterns of gold and platinum within them. When she spoke, her voice was confident, yet reverberated in the air like silk. Each sound and vowel was well pronounced, crisp and clear. There was nary a stutter or hesitation in her speech. It was confident, conclusive and resolute; perhaps even rehearsed, though Sairek didn’t quite get that impression. It sounded more like it was purely from experience and confidence.
“There are many rumors and assumptions going on about these disappearances, but I must remind everyone that the security team needs to investigate these disappearances within the realms of reality. There is no secret facility underneath the sewers. There is a team that goes down there to maintain the sewage system bi-weekly and none of these workers have disappeared. No evidence has shown up that the sewers are involved either despite numerous investigations. I feel the need to remind the citizens of our glamorous city that frivolous tips only make it harder for the security team to investigate and bring these missing people back to their homes and families. We hope that these new surveillance systems will help with capturing more evidence should further people go missing in the future and that more security will regardless help our wonderful civilians feel more secure on the streets in areas where less eyes may be around.”
The picture changed back to what it was previously.
“We will keep you further updated on any new developments on this story. We will now go through the pictures of missing people. If you have any tips, please head to the nearest security HQ branch in your area. There is a monetary reward of three-thousand seru for tips which help advance the investigation.”
The broadcast box then began slowly going through pictures of missing people and demons in a slow fashion, with information about them. Their age, height, when they were last seen. However, Sairek pulled away from those as he looked down. “I— I don’t think she’s telling the truth.” He spoke, his own tone one of surprise at his own feelings.
“Huh?” Cyial let out in confusion.
“I’m not sure if she’s involved or anything, but to me it seems like more of an excuse to have more of these ‘lenses’ out to monitor the people; not to help aid the investigation or use them as a preventative measure.” Sairek explained. “I don’t know the city’s resources obviously, but it would make more sense to me to put such security in places you believe activity is happening, not places where the citizens believe such activity is happening, but expending resources to put them there anyway so ‘they feel more safe’. The citizens would feel safe once the kidnappers are caught, wouldn’t they? So that should be the ultimate goal. That’s why I think she’s using the kidnappings as a front, an excuse, to place them where she wants them, regardless of the crimes. Besides, what is the point of that kind of security if you announce where they are? The criminals would just now know to avoid that spot.” Sairek finished with a frown.
Cyial glanced back up to the box, then back at Sairek with a frown of his own. “What does a Prime Minister do? I’ve never heard of the term before. Doesn’t everywhere else just have a King, Queen, and maybe members for opinions and guidance, if they choose to? Even Malodia follows that system now.”
“Oh, uh… Well, it basically only exists for Kior, because every other government body is too small. Kior has a King, and can have a Queen, Prince and Princess like the rest of the countries, but because of its size, Kior has also created what they call a ‘round table’. My father has something similar, but it's more personal and casual. Anyway, those people on the table are usually the advisors, which she *was* a part of. The Prime Minister is basically a… a super advisor, to put it simply. Instead of the advisors giving advice to the King or Queen, they give advice to the Prime Minister instead, and the Prime Minister can en-act on those as if they were the King or Queen unless the King or Queen declines the advice, and they could enact smaller changes and announcements, like we just saw her do there without express permission.
“...But with Regenar basically out of commission, she is essentially ruling all over Kior right now, despite Regenar being alive, and Eseras not being a part of the Kiorian bloodline.” Sairek explained.
“How does that happen? An advisor becoming a Prime Minister?” Cyial questioned.
“It’s voted in by the citizens, from what I understand… but don’t quote me on that.”
Cyial turned back to the broadcast box. “It’s like Varhi said, then. Propaganda…”
Sairek frowned. “I don’t like it. When there’s smoke, there’s fire. We have our own problems to worry about, though. I’m sure Kior would get pissed if we tried to get involved out of nowhere, anyway.”
“Well, we’ve had breakfast. So, is there anything you want to do today?” Cyial asked.
“Hmm. Wanna relax out on the roof? It’s early morning so it’s warm, but not overbearing yet with the heat.” Sairek suggested.
“Sure.” We can do that. I’ll put the dishes in the sink for you.” Cyial offered, standing up as Sairek pushed his chair back and stretched while Cyial gathered their plates, as well as Varhi’s. The broadcast box began newscasting a different story as Sairek finished his stretching and began to walk towards the stairs.
“For our next story, Ceareste’s Prince, Sairek Ceareste was spotted within the city yesterday morning—”
“Gh—!?” Sairek let out of his mouth. He stumbled in his step and pivoted back around with the utmost urgency.
Cyial deposited his dishes and looked at Sairek oddly at the noise he had made, until in his peripheral vision, he saw the pictures on the box and his garnet eyes widened a bit as there were pictures, apparently through some of these scrying lens, looking down at them as they disembarked from the military ship. “Wh-What the…?” Cyial began until his voice got caught in his throat.
“—Arriving on a border patrol military ship, many Kior citizens have questions about the circumstances of his arrival. He was escorted by many soldiers to the Border Patrol’s HQ, but was soon released after normal initiation. Prime Minister Eseras has commented on his arrival.”
Sairek clenched his teeth as the pictured moved back to Eseras. She looked different this time, staring directly back towards the ‘lense’ as it were, but it felt a little more personal this time, as if she was speaking to someone directly, rather than to the general populace like before.
“The Prince had not announced beforehand his arrival, but has entered the city lawfully and is to be treated like a citizen as everyone else in the city. Please treat the Prince and his cohorts with respect should you see them.
“...However, Prince Sairek Ceareste, if you are watching this, your sudden arrival has been quite a surprise! I would like to extend the hospitality and invite you to the palace personally. It would be quite the honor to meet you. Your traveling companions are of course invited to come as well if you wish. I’d like to discuss the circumstances about your sudden arrival, whether it be just a courtesy visit, or if you wish to conduct business.”
Sairek tore away from the broadcast box and looked at Cyial, who followed Sairek’s gaze.
“I think we’re in a bit of trouble… She just outed us and put us in the spotlight…” Cyial grumbled slowly.
“Oh dear… Um… Shit. L-Let me get Varhi. Stay here and watch for now and see if anything else is said, would you?” Sairek cursed, bounding up the stairs to get the older boy. “VARHI!!”
He power-walked along the balcony to the other boy’s room, pounding on its door hard to get his attention, but he didn’t even bother to wait before opening the door. “Varhi!” He called again.
“I’m in the—” Varhi called from the bathroom, but he didn’t get a chance to finish as Sairek shoved the door open. “Oi!” Varhi yelled out as he sat up in the large bathtub in alertness, his armor dangling where the shower curtains would be, completely wet as they were slowly drying. “What the Blazes are you doing!?” The other boy demanded. “You complain about me ‘exposing myself’ too much and then don’t even give me any privacy! Make up your guys’ minds!”
“Eseras outed us!” Sairek stated plainly, and paused briefly. “...You know who Eseras is, right?”
“...What? Prime Minister Eseras? Of course I do!” The mercenary spat, his annoyance evaporating in an instant. He made no attempts to even cover himself as he stood up from the tub of water, beginning to dry himself off with a towel as the water in the tub began to drain. Sairek explained what he and Cyial saw on the broadcast box, starting with the disappearances and his discussion with Cyial, to what lead him to come here.
“Oh, that bitch!” Varhi cursed. “I never liked her! She’s always after something and now, she apparently wants something from you, too.” He fumed as he towelled his hair dry.
“What should we do? We were supposed to lay low but the entire city knows we’re here now and what Nayleen and even you look like.”
“I ‘unno.”
“Varhi…!” Sairek hissed. “Where’s Nayleen?”
“She went out. She likes to explore, you know that.” Varhi said, peeking out from underneath the towel that was basically on his head to eye the Prince.
“Shit…” Sairek cursed. “How long ago?”
“Relax, she’s inconspicuous. She knows how to handle herself. And so do I, for that matter. Though, a few… ‘select’ people know me more than her; for better or for worse. I don’t know where she went anyways.”
“Ugghhh…”
“What are you getting so freaked out for?”
“Eseras invited us to the Palace…” Sairek growled.
“So? Just don’t go.”
“It’s not that simple…”
Varhi blinked. “It sounds simple to me. From the way you described it to me, it’s an invitation, not an order. You can decline if you choose to by just staying here.”
Sairek shook his head adamantly. “She knows something is up about the circumstances of our arrival. How we came from Masirean, on a damaged ship; your ship, to be precise and that Jimmy was arrested leaving you as the ship’s ‘captain’. That military we were with probably outright informed her of everything. I’m willing to bet she made that news broadcast to put pressure on us on purpose."
“Really. I don’t feel very pressured...” Varhi frowned, pulling the towel off of his head. “Excuse me,” he said, stepping out of the tub, going to the bathroom sink as he grabbed a comb and began to correct his damp and ruffled hair that was currently all over the place from him scrubbing it in the water. “Besides, it’s not weird we came by boat. Just say you want to go to Yggdrasil and that you’re too busy preparing for your trip to parley. It’s not even a lie for why we’re here.”
“I have a feeling if we don’t go, she’s going to make us go.” Sairek frowned.
Varhi set the comb down and turned to Sairek, who flinched as the slightly older boy still didn’t cover himself up. He leaned back against the sink as he thought. “You know, I actually wouldn’t put it past her to do something like that. Maybe you have a point after all. So, how about this? I’ll go in your stead.”
“Huh?” Sairek blinked.
Varhi gestured with his hand. “A compromise, right? With this, you won’t be ignoring her, but she won’t get directly what she wants.”
“That’s not fair to you.”
“Pfft. I’ve got experience dealing with royalty. And considering I’ve basically been here longer than even Masirean, apparently longer than I can remember, maybe I could ask about who I am in the meantime. Maybe I have some citizenship records here or something.” Varhi reasoned with a shrug. “The palace, and by extension, her, would have those, and it’s a very minimum request to ask. No more than asking to pass salt at a dining table.”
“Why haven’t you approached her before?” Sairek asked.
“Commoners simply aren't allowed to. Sairek, almost all royalty isn’t nearly as approachable as you are unless you are working directly with said royalty itself; which Jimmy and I didn’t. We worked in tandem with the security force, basically as undercover agents. The security force in itself works under the Kiorian military. Even when working with Jimmy as a mercenary here, Kior’s government is… a lot harder to reach. This invitation, and being your ‘escort’ allows me to skip all of the rules I'd normally have to go through.”
Varhi pushed back against the sink to upright himself again, though his hands still grasped casually at the rim of the sink behind him as he still leaned his weight back into it. Hair combed, he set it down on the sink behind him before looking at Sairek again. “This isn’t a ‘punishment’ for me Sairek, or even much of a favor to you. It’s an equal opportunity.”
“I don’t trust it, though…”
Varhi raised an eyebrow. “What the heck do you think she’s gonna do to me? Jail me for going on your behalf? Shoot me with a gun like Avotash did? She still has rules and laws to abide by unlike Avotash, or even yourself. She may be Prime Minister, but she’s not Queen. She doesn’t have immunity. Even then, Kior isn’t that kind of government body anyway. Even the King or Queen has rules here. Because of how the country is structured, they are effectively also mayors. This was decided I think around a hundred and thirty years ago, or something like that.
"Look, I’m not saying they, or even that she couldn’t get away with shit if she wanted to, or that the system is close to fair; no justice system is, but I’m not worth that kind of trouble, I’m certain of it. Besides, the train is down until the afternoon anyway. I may as well do something productive until around then.”
“If the train is down, then how do you plan to get to the palace?”
“By airship or boat is the only way. Not even the train goes there anyway. Yes, it’s technically on the ground, but you’re not getting inside the palace on foot; it’s sectioned off on its own little island.”
“I-I see.”
“I should be back by late afternoon or early evening. Maybe even sooner if they don’t like me.” Varhi smirked.
“Don’t leave a bad impression…” Sairek groaned. His intention was to mock concerns on Varhi acting out, but he realized that his concern was still genuine for other reasons. “This is already awkward enough as it is. I thought Cyial and…I, or, well, all of us would just be able to… relax for a little bit.” He admitted with a frown.
“And you still can. Have fun today. I got it, no worries.” Varhi said confidently, hooking his left thumb to point at himself. “Asking if they have info on me is a simple request. I see no reason they’d deny me this. I’ll try to sniff her intentions with this invitation while I’m at it,” the mercenary assured him.
“Are you sure…?” Sairek asked, not entirely convinced.
“Yes I am bloody sure! Now get out of the bathroom! You’re starting to give me the creeps, of all people!”
Sairek made a face at him. “You’re good looking, but not as good as Cyial.” He scoffed as he turned around to leave.
“Apparently my body type is more popular to the girls, instead of the boys.” Varhi countered with an exasperated shrug. "Ain't that a pity."
Sairek couldn’t help himself and barked out in laughter at his comment. Varhi’s joke made him feel a bit more at ease and better. “Whatever you say. Thanks, Varhi.” He said, giving the boy an obvious look over, then an overly dramatic wink with his tongue sticking out teasingly as he closed the door shut before the mercenary could get a protest in.
* * *
“...So that’s Varhi’s plan.” Sairek explained to Cyial as they sat on top of the roof, looking along the northeast railing of the structure they were on, enjoying the city sights from their temporary home. “He said he’ll go and just… deal with it. Apparently.”
“How will they know it’s him?” Cyial asked.
“Well, he seems convinced since they broadcasted us and took pictures of us, that, y’know, they’ll just recognize him, I guess. It better not backfire.”
“Maybe you could give him something as proof?” Cyial suggested.
“Unfortunately the only thing I could give him is the royal jewel or my staff. And I’m not departing with either. Especially the jewel. I’d rather not be shirtless all day.” Sairek grumbled, looking around as they spoke on top of the rooftops, seated together at one of the many reclining sofas up here.
“I wouldn’t mind that.” Cyial flirted with a knowing smirk.
“E-Err… Maybe once we get back inside. In the room…” Sairek stammered, blushing. “Then I could ‘role model’ for you, or… whatever.”
“Oh, that one really got to you.” Cyial teased, then laughed. Sairek gave him a firm shove in the shoulder, causing Cyial to flop onto his side harmlessly. Cyial righted himself to sit back at Sairek’s side as he giggled.
“That is… Unless you want to go into the water.” Sairek reconsidered, angling his body to look a bit ahead of them at the pool of water. It was starting to look a bit enticing to try out.
“Soon. You still need to wait a little bit more for the food to digest first. It can cause complications to start swimming too soon after eating.” Cyial cautioned him.
“Oh? I didn’t know that. How long should we wait?”
“About an hour after eating is a safe bet.”
“Aw, that’s still a good twenty minutes away.”
“Well, we don’t have anything to swim in anyway. Unless you want to go in with just your underwear.”
“Well, actually I was going to ask Nayleen to get us some casual clothes, so if we have to go outside, it’s less conspicuous, including shorts, for… y’know. She’s already left, though.” Sairek frowned. “I guess if Varhi leaves before she comes back, it’ll be okay though. Not like anybody can see us up here, much less in the water.” Sairek reasoned. “...I wonder if it’s even possible to sunbathe with that dome in the sky?” He pondered out loud, glancing upwards.
“Probably not well, but it’ll still help dry our underwear after we’re done. On the bright side, that means no chance of getting sunburned either.” Cyial said, pushing himself away from the railing and beginning to step towards the stairs. “I’ll go get us some towels and stuff for us.”
Sairek lay on one of the many sofas, sifting through a random book that had looked interesting to him in one of the apartments many bookshelves as he waited for Cyial to return. It didn’t really interest him that much yet, but he had just started, so he wanted to give it a little bit more time before he set it down to find something else.
Cyial returned eight minutes later, carrying a bundle of towels under his arm. “Varhi said he’ll be leaving in a couple of hours. His clothes are still drying.” Cyial announced, placing the fabric down next to the sofa Sairek was laying on as the Prince closed the book, not even bothering to mark where he was as he sat up to meet Cyial, who took the free spot Sairek just provided to sit down next to him. “I hope everything will stay okay. To be honest, I’m not sure how much more I have in me after Karvadean.”
“We’ll try. Well, Varhi will try, I guess.” Sairek said. Cyial watched him for a moment, then suddenly shoved him, causing the Prince to yelp as he flopped onto his back on the sofa, with Cyial loosely pinning him down. “O-Oi?!”
“I think it’s time for some swimming.” Cyial smirked.
“W-Wait a minute, it’s not been an hour yet!”
“Close enough.” Cyial smirked. “Come on. I want to play with you.”
“Hee!” Sairek let out in a high-pitched tone as he felt Cyial’s hand tug his shirt from under his belt and reach under to touch his tummy, tickling him. He squirmed and hiccuped. “W-Wait, no!” He pleaded, amidst laughing. He tried a couple more times to squirm away, but to no avail. “I give, I give up!” He gasped, amidst hysterical laughing.
Wearing an expression of smug satisfaction, Cyial withdrew from Sairek, ceasing his brief torment of tickling, to allow the Prince to gasp and regain his breath back, he shimmied back, allowing Sairek to sit upright once more. “This is what you wanted, right?” Sairek asked, still breathy, as he tucked his arms into his shirt and wriggled out of it.
“Half of it.” Cyial said, still smirking smugly. He moved away from Sairek completely so the Prince could finish undressing to swim as he looked to the pool. “I should probably find where the heat setting is. If it’s set to hot right now, that’ll be quite unpleasant. Today is hot enough as it is.”
“Shouldn’t you have checked that before? We may have to wait for it to cool down.” The Prince asked, his pants halfway down his legs as he watched Cyial roam the edge of the pool in a circle, until he bent down onto his knees.
“Sorry, I only just realized it now.” Cyial apologized, adjusting the heat setting to turn it off. “But if you hop in now for a bit and then come out, the air will feel nice and cool to lay down for a bit.” Cyial suggested.
Sairek walked over and dipped his foot into the pool and quickly pulled it out. It was certainly hot, about as hot as he’d prefer if he was going for a hot shower. Still, he didn’t want to disappoint Cyial, so he went over to the ladder and slowly used it to sink himself in, but not too quickly. “Agh…” He gasped to himself as he submerged. "Yeah, I may have to get out to cool down before too long..."
Cyial wasn’t so slow. After disrobing, the demon outright jumped and splashed into the water. Sairek had to shield himself from a cascade of droplets. “O-Oi!” He protested, though unsure if the demon could even hear him as he swam under the water towards Sairek, emerging with a light gasp for air, his ashen hair flattened and darkened from moisture against his head as he blinked water out of his eyes, but laughed gently. Seeing Cyial enjoying himself and happy made Sairek’s chest warm; and not in the way the water was warming it. “Can you give me a minute or three to get used to this heat?”
“Of course. And then it’s more swimming lessons.”
“I thought you wanted us to play?” Sairek blinked.
“Yes, but you said you’d also put up with Fuyiki’s fitness training, right? Swimming is great for that, but it will only help if you learn to do it properly and effectively. You like it better than push-ups and sit-ups, right?”
“Of course. Mostly because it doesn’t make me sweaty and nearly as sore. Learning something new also helps. I like learning.”
“We’ve gotten you to be able to move a bit and learn how to float, but I’ll teach you some actual techniques to use, so you can actually effectively move through the water and work your muscles. Once you know how to learn to swim properly, we’ll take a break and if you’re up for it, then we’ll play some games in the water. Makes sense, right?” Cyial reasoned. Sairek took a second, but nodded his agreement. “Besides, I don’t think you’d want to work out too hard when the pool is this hot. You’ll dehydrate very quickly.”
“You’re surprisingly good at this. A doctor and a fitness instructor, aren’t you?” Sairek smirked.
“If I knew it wouldn’t be a bad idea, I would dunk your head under the water right now.”
“It’s funny you are only assertive when it comes to my physical fitness, though. Or flirting with me.” Sairek chuckled.
“I’ve got to make sure your body stays good looking.” Cyial smirked. “I want the best for you.”
"Uh-huh. It's only for selfless reasons, hmm?" Sairek teased.
* * *
*CLAP, CLAP!*
Varhi watched as the broadcast box emerged a picture at the sound of his hands reverberating through the rental bedroom. Still waiting for his clothes to dry, he lay back on his bed atop of the covers, hands interlaced behind his bed and between the pillow, closing his eyes as he listened to it.
The broadcasts weren’t exactly live. They were one hour long, and would repeat several times throughout the day, changing between 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. unless there was a very important announcement to interrupt the regular broadcasts, so it was only inevitable that it would cycle back around to whatever portions Sairek and Cyial heard.
He waited thirty-seven minutes, listening, but not really paying too much attention to the news that was broadcasted, until he started hearing the part about the train being under maintenance again. When he heard that, he started paying attention, because he knew only shortly after, did Sairek and Cyial hear the other stuff. He opened his eyes, pushing himself upright with a grunt, turning to the box to both look and listen.
“...We are now bringing you the latest developments to an investigation that has been ongoing since last year. Guardian Asbel and his demon Falgyr were sent off to investigate a robbery suspect. Witnesses since then have reported they saw both the suspect and officer with his demon dip down into an alleyway, but they didn’t come out the otherside. Inside the alleyway is a sewer grate, which people theorize they may have gone, however, investigations since then have reported no evidence of where they may have disappeared to. Strangely, Officer Asbel and his demon have not been the only people who have vanished under similar circumstances in the past year, but these cases as well have gone cold.
“The access point to the sewers have been closed off for the investigation as the security force tries to gather more clues. As a result of these disappearances, Prime Minister Eseras has ordered that more security scrying lenses be displayed in alleyways to help monitor citizens on the streets and gather potential evidence to hopefully find clues as to how these citizens are disappearing.”
Eseras’ image appeared on the broadcast box.
“There are many rumors and assumptions going on about these disappearances, but I must remind everyone that the security team needs to investigate these disappearances within the realms of reality. There is no secret facility underneath the sewers. There is a team that goes down there to maintain the sewage system bi-weekly and none of these workers have disappeared. No evidence has shown up that the sewers are involved either despite numerous investigations. I feel the need to remind the citizens of our glamorous city that frivolous tips only make it harder for the security team to investigate and bring these missing people back to their homes and families. We hope that these new surveillance systems will help with capturing more evidence should further people go missing in the future and that more security will regardless help our wonderful civilians feel more secure on the streets in areas where less eyes may be around.”
“We will keep you further updated on any new developments on this story. We will now go through the pictures of missing people. If you have any tips, please head to the nearest security HQ branch in your area. There is a monetary reward of three-thousand seru for tips which help advance the investigation.”
The broadcast box then began slowly going through pictures of missing people and demons in a slow fashion, with information about them. Their age, height, when they were last seen. This wasn’t unusual when people went missing for any reason, and not necessarily about this investigation. Unfortunately, most photographs were blurry, and honestly, this section of the news had an uncanny feeling to it. Silent, with poor quality photographs of black and white usually that made it hard to discern exactly what the person actually looked like. A couple of them were in low quality color, for more recent pictures, but for most people who went missing, pictures were a luxury more than anything else, usually reserved for family photos or special occasions, like a wedding. Though, this time was a little special, because usually individuals went missing, but sometimes, it was entirely families it seemed for this case.
Varhi wasn’t paying too much attention to it specifically, until a certain photo came up that caused him to do a double-take.
“Wait a... Wasn’t that one of the guys I escaped that prison with…? The guy with the pet rat. Elwin…?”
How in the world did a thief who wracked up petty crimes, yet aided him in a prison escape, end up going on a missing person’s list? More to the point, why would someone like that even be worth kidnapping?
Heck, even more, what would anyone want to do with an officer and his enslaved demon, too? As he watched the wanted posters, some of them all disappeared at the exact same date. Some of the people were criminals, or entire families like he noted before. Some were demons… It made no sense. It would look like just random disappearances, if these weren’t all within a relatively short time-frame.
Something was going on in this city. Something he didn’t like.
After the list of missing people was finished, it moved onto the next section, talking about how he and his group arrived within the city like Sairek explained. He could see why Sairek was unnerved about the announcement, but it wasn’t that big of a deal... Yet.
He would handle it. He just needed to appease them enough for a week’s stay. The city was after all just a temporary stop for them and honestly nothing more. He’d just play off on that.
Getting up from the bed, he decided he’d better have lunch before he set off and stall for more time for his clothes to dry.
He opened the door to his room, and seeing that it was clear, strutted his way down to the kitchen to grab some food and make himself a sandwich. At least until he heard the roof door open and Sairek and Cyial’s voices. Uh oh.
The two boys were chattering happily with each other, at least until they turned to look as they entered the kitchen, dampened towels wrapped loosely over their damp forms, but it was way more coverage than he had.
“...Varhi,” Cyial began dryly.
Varhi stood up straight and turned towards the both of them. “Yeees~?”
Cyial studied him briefly. “...Look, it’s wonderful that you are comfortable with your body. You’re lean, you’re muscular, you’re powerful. It’s great you’re so confident with yourself. With that said though…” Cyial trailed off.
“Uh-huh…?” Varhi pressed.
Cyial reached over to the kitchen counter, grabbed a frying pan and pressed it against Varhi’s pelvis, covering it. “Will you for the love of Yggdrasil put some damn pants on!? Seriously!”
Varhi pouted, grabbing the frying pan and pushing it away. “But they’re still wet! Besides, you guys aren’t wearing any eith—”
“Now, Varhi!”
Varhi rolled his eyes, grabbing his food as he walked unashamed back to the balcony. He heard Sairek trying to muffle laughter along the way. He failed, and burst out laughing completely.
“And for the record, there’s no excuse! There’s bathrobes in the closet and we have towels and underwear on, you smart ass!” Cyial called out after him right before he closed the door to his room.
* * *
“You better rinse that off. I’m pretty sure it touched his— …you know.” Sairek snickered and giggled.
“How about we just incinerate it and buy the owner a new one instead?” Cyial retorted dryly, grabbing the frying pan and rinsing it under the tap water, with thorough scrubs with a cloth. “How could Jimmy have taught him so much, and yet so little at the same time?”
“I think he’s doing it on purpose at this point, just to get under your skin. Or maybe he really doesn’t care. Or maybe even both.” Sairek commented with a shrug.
“Like, I don’t care… but I kind of do? I mean—ugh, nevermind! Here…” Cyial offered with a grumble, grabbing a glass and filling it with cold water before handing it to Sairek.
“Thanks,” The Prince took the cup, and drank it greedily. After the hot sun and hot water, and the somewhat taxing workout Cyial had given him with his lessons, the cold water going into his system was extremely refreshing and just what he needed. He wiped away at a droplet that managed to miss his mouth and roll down his chin.
“Careful.” Cyial cautioned him, watching how fast he was drinking. Sairek finished in nearly record time and let out a little belch. Cyial grinned at him and took the glass. He rinsed that out, too. “Take a little bit to rest, and we can go again to just play if you want to.”
“Sure,” Sairek agreed. He sounded, and felt a little winded, though the drink seemed to have helped revitalize him a fair bit. He moved to sit down, keeping the towel wrapped around his upper half loosely as he rested his legs. “How did you learn to swim so well? Did the Abbot teach you?” He asked.
“Yes. We did live pretty much next to the ocean after all in Lamen. Plus it’s just a good life skill to know.” Cyial said, pausing briefly before continuing. “It’s also good proof that I was born in the Overworld.”
“Eh? How so?”
“Apparently most Underworld demons can’t swim. It hurts most of them. Not nearly as bad as ethereal of course, but they still don’t like being submerged like that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I guess the ethereal in the water hurts them. There’s not much, but it is basically the essence of one of the four main elements, and water and ethereal sort of mix. They share a lot of the same properties, most human bodies are made primarily of water, too. In a way, I guess it’s kind of the same way how if the water is too hot or cold, it would still hurt us and affect us in a bad way.”
“Ah, I get it. But it burns them?”
“Well, they feel a burning sensation. It’s kind of like… bathing in acid, I suppose. Though less lethal and permanent if you disregard that they would probably sink and drown if you just toss them in the deep end.”
Sairek made an uncomfortable face. “Don’t they still need to drink water to survive, though?”
“Yes.”
“So… It burns going down their throat.” Sairek posed more in a statement than a question.
“Yes. I’ve actually been doing a bit of reading though. There are vending machines here that remove most of the ethereal from the water. That apparently makes it more bearable for them to drink. Many would probably still be starving from black magic withdrawal, though.” Cyial mused as he moved to take a seat and shimmy it closer to Sairek, in front of the Prince. “I kind of understood that whatever happened to them was quite awful, but I think I am starting to realize the logistics of how terrible life for them is when they are banished. It really is truly worse than the death penalty. Every day is… a constant torture.”
“It makes you garner sympathy for them, but I suppose it’s like Varhi said; many of them did perform extremely awful, heinous acts and crimes. At least I’d say that normally… but apparently people are getting banished on purpose to smuggle black magic over here, too.” Sairek frowned, then glanced over at Cyial. “Um… How do you think those three ‘cubi that um… tried to do things to me at Lamen got out of Kior?”
“I don’t know. There’s a small percentage of banished demons that manage to roam free. I guess maybe they smuggled too. Those three in particular sure seemed crafty enough. That incubus disguised himself perfectly in front of me. I couldn’t even sense he was another demon. I don’t know exactly what to look for either though, I suppose. I never knew many of the other acolytes or priests well. They didn’t like me, so I just kept my distance wherever I could, and there’s a lot of people. Some come and go all of the time. In a way, I’m not any different. I left to stay with you, after all.”
“And I’m so glad you did.” Sairek smiled. Cyial gave him a smile back in return, but it faltered seconds later.
“After everything is over there though, I suppose I will have to return back there. I’m sure Father Abbot will be waiting for me with welcoming arms. I’m not sure about everyone else,, but… I think it will be okay this time. I feel… more confident about myself now. I’m not going to let someone step all over me like Balgira did ever again. I won’t be ashamed of what I am anymore.”
Sairek reached over and ruffled Cyial’s damp hair gently. “Maybe you should join me in physical fitness as well, then. It would help a little, I think.”
Sairek expected Cyial to refuse, but he stopped to think about it. “You’re right, I should. I can’t let you get stronger than me and start beating me in our play fights, after all.” He smirked.
Sairek rolled his eyes, but smiled as he stood up. “Come on, let’s go outside and play some more.”
Cyial nodded, standing up with Sairek, and took the Prince’s hand as they walked back towards the stairs. “Are you finally getting what you wanted?” The demon asked.
“It would be nice to have more friends to enjoy time with, like in a gathering, but I suppose you’ll do for now.” Sairek teased.
“Eventually, but for today and tomorrow, at least, you’re mine and mine only.” Cyial grinned.
“You guys are like two teenagers in love.” Varhi called out to them for the balcony, startling them. Sairek nearly stumbled on the steps of the stairs as they pivoted around. The older boy was wearing his armor now, and he began to walk towards them.
“That isn’t too far from the truth…” Sairek mumbled, perhaps too quietly for Varhi to hear. When the mercenary caught up with them, Sairek eyed him momentarily, and poked the armor. “...Varhi, it’s still wet.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not letting you go out like that, come outside with us for a little bit and let it dry off in the sun outside at least.”
Varhi stared at him blankly. “Didn’t you just chastise me for being in the buff?”
“Yeah but keep your underwear on or at least cover yourself next time, or something? Look, ours are wet too. We’ve been swimming.” Sairek said, unwrapping his towel at one of his sides to expose his hip, where the damp white fabric clung to his skin.
Varhi opened his mouth to answer, but Sairek grabbed his hand and pulled him along with Cyial, causing the mercenary boy to stumble in his silver greaves. “O-Oi, careful! I’m comin’, be patient…”
Hauling his senior friends back outside, Sairek let go of them, tossing his towel to the side as he sprinted and with a shout, ran straight for the pool and jumped, curling his legs and arms around himself like a ball as he splashed in like Cyial had down earlier. He took a deep inhale of breath and held it a few seconds before the impact. The water rushed over his form. He kept his eyes closed, but kept faith like Cyial taught him only a short while ago. He moved his limbs in a controlled manner and eventually broke through the surface, exhaling the excess air from his lungs out, and shaking his head to rid the water from his face and pulling dark brown bangs of hair away from it as well, wading in place in the water as he balanced his buoyancy. The water was still warm, but it had cooled considerably from earlier, making it much more comfortable to swim in.
“How the Blazes am I supposed to get dry if you’re going to splash us both like that?” Varhi called out to him. Sairek didn’t respond though, merely laughing as he continued to splash in the water. “Ugh… What monstrosity have you created?” Varhi asked Cyial.
“A happy Prince.” Cyial answered smugly. “He’s a quick learner when he’s confident and you give him positive reinforcement. The people at the castle will hopefully do better for him next time.”
“Cyial~” Sairek called out from the pool.
“Oops. It appears that I am being summoned.” Cyial smirked, tossing his towel aside to join Sairek as he stepped closer to the pool, and hastened his pace in the last few steps as he jumped and angled himself into a not-very-good dive, causing Sairek to laugh as he watched a torrent of water splash out of the pool, much of it cascading on top of the roof outside of the pool.
Varhi sighed as he watched them begin to enjoy themselves. He disrobed to match their state of dress and lay his clothes far from the pool they were in on a table that was in the direct line of sight to the sky and then moved to lay down on a sofa, where a pink parasol helped shade his body somewhat from the heat. He interlaced his hands behind his head as he looked down at his body, more specifically, where he had been cut in the side. There was still a scar there, the skin pink, but pretty much closed. The cut looked like it was weeks old, rather than a couple of days.
He shrugged, repositioning himself to get comfortable. The sounds of Sairek and Cyial’s cheering soon faded into the background and to the back of his mind as the lazy heat soon caused him to doze off.
* * *
“Shh, look,” Cyial whispered to Sairek, pointing at the mercenary on the sofa. “He’s completely passed out.”
“I think he was more tired than he gave himself credit for. He’s been through worse than we have the past few weeks.” Sairek murmured. “He pushes himself way too hard.”
“We’ve been playing in the water for about an hour now. We should probably get out anyway. If we’re in here for too long, we’ll start to shrivel up.”
Sairek raised his hand out of the water to look at his palms and the underside of his fingers, which caused him to scrunch up his expression. “Yeah, you’re right. ...Carry me there?”
Cyial snorted, but grabbed the Prince as he floated on his back, carrying him in his arms while Sairek wrapped an arm around Cyial’s back and kept his other arm out for balance as Cyial paddled him to the pool ladder. They shared quiet giggles with each other at the silly and ridiculous thing they were doing together until they reached their destination. Cyial allowed Sairek to climb out first, but as the Prince was getting out, he felt Cyial press a hand on his bottom to push him. Sairek gasped. “You bastard!” He hissed with a wry smirk. He retaliated by pressing his foot against Cyial’s face and gently, playfully, pushed him away back into the water, giving enough time for Cyial to inhale a breath before he was dunked under.
Cyial arose a few seconds later, snorting out water, but laughing. “You made me get water up my nose…!” He complained.
“Maybe you’ll learn to keep your hands to yourself, then.” Sairek tutted.
“Aww,” Cyial whined.
Despite having pushed him into the pool a moment ago, Sairek went down to his knees and helped pull Cyial up. When he stood back up, the demon noticed he was shivering a little. “You feel the cold now, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I’ll be okay though. The air’s going to warm me up quickly. I might try to enjoy being cold while it lasts.” Sairek chuckled. “Can we lay down to dry for a bit before we finish up out here?”
“Sure. I think there’s still a little bit longer before Varhi’s clothes are dry anyway.” Cyial agreed. He reached over to the towels they had which had been damp before, but were now dry. He untangled and unfurled them, then stepped over to a series of three lounging chairs at the end of the rooftop, basically opposite of where Varhi was, which would allow them to talk with less risk of disturbing the currently napping boy. Cyial laid the towels over the loungers, and after pulling two of them together, he lay down in one seat as Sairek did the other beside him with a content sigh.
“All tuckered out now?” Cyial giggled.
“Yeah. I think I’ll be going to sleep a bit early tonight, thanks to you.” Sairek murmured, a lazy smile on his face. “We needed this, though. It was fun.”
“Certainly. Don’t fall asleep though. You need to rinse off afterwards to get the chlorine off of you.”
“Oh, I thought we were gonna stay until we dried off like this.”
“Sorry. It’s comfortable though, isn’t it?”
“Mhmm…”
“I should give you a massage some time.”
Sairek turned his head to look at Cyial. “Is there anything you don’t know how to do?”
“Haha, I’m no expert. I wouldn’t even call myself an apprentice. I had only started to learn, but I started learning because there are medical uses for it. It helps circulate blood flow and loosen tension in muscles.”
“Let me guess, because it’s a valuable life skill?” Sairek teased.
Cyial stuck his tongue out at him.
“I’ll take you up on that offer then.” Sairek smirked, settling back into his seat as he closed his eyes.
“When Nayleen goes shopping, I’ll ask her to pick up some oils, then.”
“Oils?”
“You’ll see. It’ll help the massage and your muscles.”
“I didn’t know we were going to go all out with it.”
“Where’s the fun in going half way? Besides, like I said, it has medicinal uses. It won’t be just for fun. It can improve the quality of your resting.” Cyial said, then glanced at Varhi. “...Maybe I should help him sometime, too.”
“Can you teach me as well, then? I’d like to return the favor some time.”
“Sure! You know I enjoy teaching you Sairek. And it’s always good to have knowledge readily available to use.”
“Ah, yes. Your, uhm… Your other personality made that fact quite well-known.” Sairek blushed.
“Oh, did it…? I um, remember sort of what happened, but specifics are a bit of a blur… B-But I promise it isn’t for that reason. You’re an enjoyable student.”
“Not according to Fuyiki.” Sairek laughed.
“His opinion of you changed. In the end.” Cyial smiled.
They continued to make small talk for about ten more minutes. Afterwards, Cyial moved to sit up. “Come on, let’s get rinsed off. You’ll get heatstroke if you’re laying out of the shade like that for too long.”
“Okay…” Sairek complied, standing up with a yawn. “You’re right, I am feeling sleepy.”
“We can nap soon if you want.”
“Yeah, I think I’d like that.” Sairek agreed. They walked close to Varhi, and checked his clothes and on him. “His clothes are dry now, should we wake him up?”
“Nah, let’s leave him for a little while longer. I’ll check up on him after we get cleaned up and I’ve tucked you in for bed. I want to make him a proper meal for his trip. I think he’d appreciate it.” Cyial said. He checked Varhi's clothes to make sure, and, feeling the bottom of everything was still a little damp, opted to turn each of them over so the backsides of his clothes would dry out properly as well.
“Wait... You know how to cook too?” Sairek asked.
“Not really. I know the basics. Like, I can cut or peel things. I’d be pretty lost without a recipe and instructions, though. I’ll keep the food filling, but light. Nothing complicated. I’ll probably stick with a sandwich or something easy.”
“Gotcha.”
They picked up their clothes and walked back inside, heading to their room and the bathroom where they proceeded to rinse off and do a little bit of joking around with each other. Sairek by this point was starting to become sluggish with his responses. Though still coherent, Cyial could tell he was nearly ready to nod off. He helped guide the Prince onto the bed and allow him to lay down on top of the covers.
“I’ll be back in a bit, okay?” Cyial said, slipping on his usual robe from the monastery.
“Kay…” Sairek slurred. Even as he was tired, laying on top of the covers, he still offered a smile to Cyial, to which the demon returned back. He knelt down Sairek and leaned forward, and Sairek moved his arms accordingly, as they gave each other a gentle hug. A moment later, Cyial pulled away and Sairek moved to rest himself back down on the bed. Cyial quietly moved to slip out the door.
In the kitchen, Cyial prepared a sandwich for Varhi, a small package of chopped up meat flavored with a couple of condiments and packed a utensil to eat it with, and mixed it with a couple of other simple spices for flavor. He chopped up and fried a potato as well for a bit of variety. He filled two canteens; one where he crushed ice into small bits and poured it down into the canteen and further filled it with cold water, packaging it in the fridge for the moment while he continued to work, and another with juice, also giving it crushed ice to help keep it cool. He packaged all the food into wrappers and put those in small containers he could find around the house to seal them ones he knew Varhi’s satchel would be able to easily pull in or out.
It took him about forty minutes to finish everything, and the day by now was just before noon. He knew Varhi basically had a second breakfast, but his appetite was insatiable, so he packed quite a bit. It was better to have a little too much than not enough and being left away from home hungry, in his mind.
Finally finishing everything, he walked back outside to the still napping boy, who had one arm shielded over his eyes to block out the ambient daylight. He snored so quietly and softly, Cyial had to do a double-take to see if he actually was emitting any sound at all.
Cyial’s eyes roamed down his body to the wound on his side and frowned. He still didn’t understand it, and it drove him crazy how Varhi could overcome wounds so damaging to everyone else so quickly, but he knew now wasn’t the time and place for that. He felt guilty for waking Varhi up because he looked so peaceful and relaxed for once, and knowing from both from Varhi’s stories and also from just witnessing him in experience, Varhi was almost always on guard, even in his sleep. Seeing him so relaxed and peaceful like this was a complete rarity, and also was evident that the other boy at this point had come to trust them completely.
Placing a hand on the other boy’s torso, Cyial gently shook him awake.
Varhi let out a snort and jerked away, looking like he was ready for a fight. Cyial expected this though, quick to back away as Varhi’s eyes danced around in alert. “Oh.” He sighed groggily. “Sorry. Bad habits from being shaken awake. It usually means big trouble in my line of work.”
“It’s okay, I was ready for that. I understand.”
“Shit… How long have I been asleep for?” Varhi asked, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles.
“Nearly two hours. You looked comfy, so we let you sleep in for a little bit.”
“Didn’t know I was apparently so tired.” Varhi grumbled.
“It’s because you haven’t been resting properly. You may heal fast, but your body still gets tired, Varhi. The fast healing might also cause you to fatigue more often, too. It’s using up more energy to repair the damage.”
“Oof. I’ll be fine~! Stop worrying. So, is my gear dry yet?”
“Yes.”
“Great.” Varhi said, reeling his legs back and pushing himself upright with a grunt without even using his arms, though the urge to stretch won over and he arched his back and outstretched his hands above his head, yawning. “Man, sleeping like that brings me back to earlier days here.” He murmured, rolling his neck around and tilting his head left and right to stretch the muscles there.
Cyial reached down, grabbed Varhi’s remaining clothes and handed them over. Varhi took them and started getting dressed. “I packed some food for your trip already.”
“Want me out of here that quickly, eh?”
“What? No!” Cyial frowned.
“Relax, I’m just joshing you. I appreciate how much you care for my well-being – even if it does get a little annoying at times. It’s nice to have someone as reliable as you, Cyial.”
Cyial smiled a little at the praise he was receiving from someone he knew didn't give such praise often. “I don’t hate you, Varhi. You’re overbearing and annoying to me sometimes, but you’re a good person. I can tell.”
“I kill things for a living, Cyial. Including people and demons. That hardly makes me a good person.”
“It’s as you say: Good isn’t the same as ‘right’. If someone tried to harm Sairek, I… wouldn’t be afraid to kill them, if I had to.”
Varhi didn’t reply to that but he did study Cyial’s expression for a few seconds, at least until he pulled his leather armor over his head and shimmied it down his body. Then, he grabbed his chainmail cape and tossed it behind his back before he slid it down over his head and neck. Then he began putting his boots and gloves on. “I’ll be fine. I’m actually looking forward to this a little bit. I have a lot of questions I need to ask. You remember the broadcast from earlier, right?” Varhi asked.
“Yes?”
“The missing persons?”
“I don’t remember the specifics of their faces or anything like that.”
“One of the people who was on that is someone I know. Remember the prison guy with the rat I talked about earlier? He’s one of the people missing. It’s very strange why someone like that would go missing.”
“Please don’t get involved anymore than you need to be…” Cyial pleaded.
“Yes. I’ll get involved as much as I need to be.” Varhi emphasised, his tone made his intentions clear, which didn’t help build Cyial’s confidence he would stay out of trouble one bit. “The priority is still for us to get out of here as soon as we’re rested and geared up. Missing people is still a lower priority than Karvadean. That won’t start a war. Our shit could.” Varhi hauled his sword’s sheathe and fastened it beneath the fabric of his cape and began to march back inside and downstairs. He went to his room briefly for a quick bathroom break, where he came downstairs into the kitchen where Cyial was to see him off. “Alrighty, I’m ready. I’ll see you guys in a few hours, hopefully.”
“Here.” Cyial said, pushing the containers of food and drink towards him. “It’s simple and I’m not as good as Nayleen, but it’s probably better than the train food.”
“Thanks. Like I said, I appreciate it, Cyial. Really.” Varhi said, putting the containers into his satchel. “See you guys later. Don’t party too hard in my and Nayleen’s absence.”
“Alright… Please be careful.” Cyial cautioned him in farewell. The elevator doors opened, and Varhi stepped inside them, and the doors closed off.
Now alone, Cyial marched back up the stairs to the bedroom. “Sairek?” He whispered.
But he could already tell the Prince had fallen asleep by the gentle snoring as he lay on his side on the bed. Cyial smiled as he removed his robes once more, and gently, carefully, cuddled his body against Sairek’s as they faced each other, wrapping an arm and a leg loosely over the Prince and pressing against him carefully, enough where they were connected, but not enough to disturb Sairek’s sleep or movement. The Prince had forgotten to shower the chlorine off, but there was probably no harm in letting him rest for a little bit longer like this.
“I love you,” Cyial whispered as he closed his eyes and snuggled against Sairek, completely content.
* * *
“To the palace, please.” Varhi requested, standing at the counter of the zeppelin station.
“Only authorized personnel or government officials are allowed to board the palace.” The demon in front of him, a blue, tall, and yet skinny individual said to him, his tone lacking emotion, like he was reading from a script that was in front of him.
“One moment,” Varhi paused, digging into his satchel, before presenting the passport he had been given. “It says here I am with the company of Prince Sairek Ceareste. There was a public invitation for him to come to the palace. Sairek Ceareste cannot accept the invitation personally, but he doesn’t want to ignore it, so I am going in his stead.” Varhi explained.
The demon eyed the passport, saw the briefest hint of intelligence behind the eyes, then slid the passport back. Unlike the train station and what other passengers were generally receiving, he instead got a fancy looking card that was slid over with the passport. “Sairek Ceareste’s escort then. Welcome. You may go on through.”
“Great, thanks.” Varhi said, pulling out three seru and hid them under his hand as he slid it to the demon’s side of the counter to retreive the papers as he whispered more quietly. “Two for you, one for the tax bag.”
The demon’s eyes almost lit up. Varhi could tell his patronage was appreciated though regardless as the disguised, mechanical movements of the demon briefly glances towards a scrying lens in a corner as Varhi slid his hand to meet the demon's hand that was still on the papers. Varhi moved his hand until both of their hands was almost touching, and then with a bit of sleight of hand released the covered seru from his hold and slid the currency into the demon’s hand in a motion disguised to look like he was making a gesture to grab his papers. The demon clasped the hidden money in his hand as Varhi began to pull back his hand to slide the papers to his side, off the counter and as if no exchange had just happened, moved to walk from the counter towards the zeppelin.
He followed the line to the vehicle which would lead him to fly straight to the palace. However, as he approached, two armed guards, masked like the men on the ships had been, stopped him in his approach. “Halt. Please show your pass.”
Still having it between his fingers, Varhi flicked the card to present it to them. They approached and took it from him, and examined it. “Who are you?” They asked.
“I am Sairek Ceareste’s cohort, Varhi. He’s too busy to come personally, but found it rude to ignore the invitation, so sent me in his stead. I’m with him.”
“Understood. You were on the broadcast now that I think about it. Please wait here a minute.” The man said, and stepped away behind a small station building… thing. Varhi wasn’t quite sure what it was. Probably a small guard post or something. The man returned after forty seconds while the second man silently overwatched him. When he returned, he was handed a different pass. “The Prime Minister has been expecting you. Please enjoy your trip and stay at the palace.”
“Much obliged.” Varhi thanked them. He stepped by them and onto the zeppelin without anymore engagement from the men.
He had never actually rode one of these before. It was smaller than he expected, but given how few people probably got to ride this, it probably didn’t need to be big. There was only about a dozen rows of seats, and each one could probably house at most, three people each. Given that there were two benches, one for either side of the compartment, it looked like it could maybe house around fifty people. Despite this, he was the only one inside. Within a couple minutes of him stepping inside and taking a random seat, he felt it begin to move, and his stomach dropped a little as it began to rise up into the air, and pivot as it turned. Varhi looked out a small circular window, only a little larger than a peep hole. The rest of the room seemed to be constructed between a mix of metals and dark hardwood. The seats were no exception, though there were soft red cushions to use to make one’s rear-end more comfortable.
The zeppelin, after it got some several hundred feet into the air, quickly began to pick up speed. Faster than Varhi expected, though not entirely; this was a pretty small airship, after all. They flew over the ocean onto a small island, where the palace was: A large, white building, nearly encompassing all landmass of the island, and still, larger than any other castle. It was roofed with a pearlescent green material Varhi couldn’t quite identify. It sat within the anti-magical dome, but it was near the edge of where the dome itself reached into the waters.
The ride only took a little under half an hour from embarking and disembarking when he reached the palace. The building was huge and towering as he stepped down the ramp from the zeppelin, where many soldiers were ready to meet with him. At the very top and front of the palace, was an incredibly large circular window, but Varhi couldn’t see on the inside. The angle from here on the ground level didn’t allow much of a view inside, and it was so high up, any details he could see were lost.
Looking back down, he realized there wasn’t just soldiers, but a lot of soldiers. There must have been at least fifteen. And two additional captains. It almost made Varhi feel nervous, but the reality is that this wasn’t quite an usual sight, even in Masirean or Ceareste. One of the captains approached and greeted him.
“Welcome Varhi. While we are disappointed to hear that the Prince could not make it, we are at least glad to know that the invitation was not ignored and was answered so promptly. Please come this way.”
“He brings his sincerest apologies.” Varhi lied in answer, giving the usual male Kiorian bow of greeting. The soldiers returned this to him.
“Please come. The Prime Minister is expecting you.”
Such a warm welcome. So warm in fact, that it actually unnerved him. He was used to the cold treatment, not… this. Regardless though, he followed them, or rather, was escorted, towards the palace. They did not exchange any more pleasantries. The fake formalities were out of the way, so now it was just strictly business until he met the Prime Minister herself.
Which… took a very long time.
First, were the like, five hundred, maybe even seven hundred steps to get to the front door of the palace. Then there was a long hallway, then more stairs, then another hallway, a doorway, and then more stairs. Then an elevator ride, a hallway. Stairs. More. Stairs. And they were still walking...
“...How bloody huge is this place?” Varhi thought to himself, his patience wearing thin. They were walking for so long, the zeppelin ride here was possibly shorter.
Finally though, they came upon a grand doorway with an equally grand (and long) hallway, which led, at last, to the throne room. The guard didn’t stop leading him though. The throne room was empty. Instead, he was ushered to a room behind the throne chair, where they knocked. “One of Sairek Ceareste’s cohorts, Varhi, has arrived.” The guard said.
“Thank you. He may enter alone.” A voice came through the door. One quite familiar from the broadcast box. Varhi swallowed and pressed his lips together as they opened the door for him. He nodded his thanks, as empty as it was, and quietly stepped through. He heard the door close shut quietly behind him. He took into the extremely expensive, lavish bedroom. An overly large circular table, made of dark oak and smoothly sanded, rested in the center of the room over an expensive, lavish red carpet, with a shimmering blue table cloth draped over it. Surrounded by large cushioned seats, one was already pulled out for him.
On the opposite side taking the opposite chair sat Eseras, sipping daintily a hot cup of tea and a fitting teacup. Soft steam billowed out from the porcelain cup. Her pinky, somewhat bony and starting to be worn with wrinkles, was extended for balance as she sipped. Her lips were red with lipstick, but that didn’t seem to leave an imprint on the cup or diminish as she drank. Pale blue eyes looked up at him as he entered, wordlessly observing him, as if the sip was more important than acknowledging him in this moment. Only after she had her fill of a sip, set the cup down with its dainty little plate on the table and finally, swallowed her tea, did she bother to appraise him. Her lips pressed together formed a smile, and he heard that deep, silken tone speak to him, far more clearly in person than what he had heard on the broadcast box.
“Welcome, Varhi. Thank you for accepting my invitation. I’m glad you were the one to answer the summons, because, truthfully, I was only hoping to see you the most out of anyone.”
Varhi raised an eyebrow at this information. “You… were?” Varhi questioned, confused. “You wanted to see me instead of Sairek Ceareste? The Prince?” He asked for clarification.
Her smile didn’t widen, but it became more defined as she gestured with her free hand. “Please, have a seat…”
Varhi walked slowly, carefully, as if a wrong step would somehow mess up the carpet, or incriminate himself against Eseras in any way. The walk for some reason felt extremely long, even though the door to the table was only thirty feet or so away. When he reached the chair, he slowly and carefully sat in it, adjusting himself so his sword on his back didn’t press too uncomfortably if he leaned back somewhat, and he adjusted the angle of the chair to fair the table, and Eseras. He kept some distance from the table and the chair, not enough that he couldn't place his hands on the table, but enough where if he decided he needed to get up in a hurry, that it wouldn't impede him.
Varhi studied her since she first spoke to him, to when he sat down; searching for any weakness of a lie for the claim she just made, but he didn’t find any at all. He wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth, but he was currently inclined to believe her. She wasn’t that good at lying, usually.
“Would you like some tea?” Eseras offered him.
“I appreciate the offer, but no thank you.” Varhi replied a little dryly. He made it a rule to not accept any gifts or offers from nobility regardless.
“Very well.” She said, and… didn’t say anything more. Instead, she took another sip of her tea. The silence was palpable. The motion, slow, taking her time. Varhi waited until he became important enough to speak to again. “So, when did you come back?” She asked him.
Varhi blinked at the question. “Come… back? I don’t understand the question. We arrived only yesterday. You even comment on that in the broadcast today, no?”
“That’s not what I mean. When did you come back?”
Varhi’s eyebrows furrowed a little in incomprehension. “I don’t understand what you are alluding to.”
Eseras moved to sit up from her seat, and moved over to a drawer where a small stack of papers lay. She rummaged through them, picked two, then walked over, then she slid one of the two papers over towards him. He had to reach over to slide it to his side.
It was…
It was a missing person’s poster…
…Of himself.
He looked a little younger. Less… mature and innocent; not yet hardened by the woes of being a sellsword. He was smiling in the picture, something he hadn't really done ever, it felt like, but he recognized his own face. Apparently, according to the date, he had been last seen a year and seven months ago. His full name was…
“Varhi Vloyis?...” He whispered out loud to himself.
“That is you, is it not?” Eseras asked.
Varhi was quiet for a pregnant pause. “It… It certainly looks like me. Uncannily so, if it’s not me. With the same first name…” He admitted.
“People have been going missing more and more frequently for the past twenty-one months.” Eseras began, shifting her posture to be more comfortable, interlacing her hands atop of the table. She studied Varhi for half a moment before continuing. “I need to know how much you remember. And what you don’t remember, I need to get you to remember.”
“So… I am also apparently part of the disappearances as of late? Even from way back then?”
“Correct.”
“I don’t remember being abducted at all. I barely remember anything from last year or so.” Varhi stated, his voice a bit hollow. “...I guess… It's not surprising. I was apparently found on the streets before my… benefactor took me in, and, probably saved my life. Even that is a blur though. Anything before that is just a miserable fog. I can only recount the basics of details about my life before then. I know I was an only child, I know I had a mother and father, and I could remember my first name. I don’t remember my exact birthdate, but I know roughly how old I am. If I went missing on this date, then… I was found possibly four, five… maybe six months after I had gone missing initially, I think.” Varhi glanced down at the papers again, then snorted. “I don’t even remember what my parents look like. I assume they had dark brown hair, but that’s only because I do.”
“If you’d like, I can have someone sift through the citizen records matching anyone with your surname. You are a citizen of Kior, Varhi, Vloyis.” Eseras punctuated his name clearly. “And so far, you are the only missing person who has been found since this investigation has begun. That makes you quite special.”
Varhi gulped. How much did he want to say? He resisted the urge to press a hand to his forehead, it was starting to hurt and ache fiercely.
“I’d… appreciate that.” He managed to let out. “The—The citizen records thing, I mean.”
Wordlessly, Eseras moved her hand under the table, then spoke loudly and clearly. “It’s Eseras with a request. Please look through the citizenship for anyone who has matched the surname ‘Vloyis’ in the past two years. That is V-L-O-Y-I-S.”
“Understood.” A crackly voice spoke from under the table. Varhi resisted the urge to dip his head underneath to peek.
“It may take some time to sift through. There are many, many people living under the city after all.” Eseras smiled. “In the meantime, to help with the investigation, I would love to know how much you are able to remember, who exactly found you and what you have been doing since then to now.”
“I…” Varhi grimaced. His headache was starting to get worse now. Why was this happening now, of all times? He drank plenty on the way here. He wasn’t dehydrated. “I’m sorry… I don’t remember anything between normal life and—and being found…” He murmured. “I barely remember even being found… Most of the details a-are… secondhand…” His grimace deepened. His ears were beginning to ring now…
“There must be something. Anything.” Eseras loomed over him, standing up from her seat, her hands planted onto the table. “Think very hard. It’s quite important…”
Varhi closed his eyes tightly and grimaced. The pain and ringing in his head was getting hotter and hotter and louder and louder. He couldn’t endure it anymore. He reached up to grasp the top side of his head where it hurt with both hands, clutching desperately. His forehead began to bead with sweat as he clenched his teeth in pain. He huffed in sudden agony as his fingers threaded through his hair in an attempt to try and hold himself together.
There…
There was…
“...A-An… acc…ident…” Varhi whispered in a pained groan, before the agony within his head peaked, and everything became a blinding, hot white.
