Vistus

Hotels in Blackstone city were more expensive than they had any right to be.

Lorelei stepped out of the shower, shivering as the freezing water soaked her fur. Her normally light blue pelt was dark and wet and her curled hair hung limply past her shoulders. She grabbed a towel and dried herself vigorously in an attempt to warm up, cursing the lack of hot water in the shower.

“It’s things like this that make me want to stop surveillance entirely,” she mumbled as she tied the towel around her body. “I can’t keep paying for poor utilities.”

The Feln hurriedly left the bathroom to find her clothes. She wouldn’t mind as much if Yuli walked in on her like this, but the Red Rogue was another matter entirely. He had no business seeing her in anything other than sensible attire.

She settled for her usual dark purple dress. Its length and elaborate design might be too elegant for the inhabitants of Blackstone, but her two guests were also foreigners in this city. The more she looked like herself to them, the better.

She sat on the stiff bed and waited expectantly for the first knock. Much to her pleasure, it was a single firm tap, and it sounded only seconds after she sat down. She stood up and opened the door to find an ice blue bat girl standing by the entrance. She was wearing a grey suit. That was rather unusual.

“Tananshians don’t give someone wearing a suit a second glance,” the bat explained in a quiet, steady voice. Her short black hair seemed even neater than usual.

“I see.” Lorelei regarded the bat girl with interest, then stepped back to let her in. “Did you see the Red Rogue on your way over here?”

“Of course not.” The bat sat down on the bed, already making herself at home. Lorelei found her lack of apprehension amusing. Under normal circumstances this girl was constantly on alert. “He’s probably sneaking around the city. I assume he’ll be here in a minute.”

“It’s not like him to be late,” Lorelei said with a nod. She sat down beside the bat and looked at her thoughtfully. “Though it’s not like you to be late, either.”

“I’m on time,” the bat protested with a cool gaze.

“You’re on time, but you’re later than I would expect you to be,” Lorelei said. “Any reason why you didn’t come here earlier?”

Lorelei’s guest blinked, her sharp blue eyes focused on the Feln. “If I am honest... I was exploring the city.” She sighed and finally looked away. “I have never had a chance to visit Blackstone before. I wanted to enjoy it before you sent me away on my assignment.”

Lorelei smiled as warmly as she could. There was something endearing about the girl’s honesty. “You’re in luck then, Yuli.” She put a hand on her shoulder. “You won’t have to leave this city.”

Yuli looked back at her. “Oh?”

“With any luck, you won’t have to go very far at all for this mission. I’ll tell you about it once that Rogue gets here.”

There was another knock at the door only minutes later. Lorelei opened it to see a Fillian boy hovering uncertainly outside, his hooded cloak hiding part of his face. “Did the receptionist really let you up here looking like that?” Lorelei raised an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t have many other clothes,” the Fillian muttered. “But you didn’t call me over here to tell me that. Let’s just get on with it.” He looked up at Lorelei with dull red eyes. Part of her wondered what had happened to get him in such a disenchanted state, but she didn’t have time or the drive to question him about it.

“Indeed.” She stepped back to let the boy through. He stuck close to the wall, leaning on it for support. She watched him for a moment before sitting back on the bed with Yuli.

“What do I have to steal this time?” the Red Rogue asked.

“Look at you, getting straight to the point.” Lorelei snickered, her smirk widening at the irritated look on the Rogue’s face. Winding him up was unusually easy today. Not only that, but he wasn’t fearful of her at all. Had something happened to him recently?

“You don’t have to steal anything this time,” she said. “What I actually need is information. Since I’m busy elsewhere, I need the two of you to look into something for me.”

“Information?” the Red Rogue blinked, and then sighed. “I assume I won’t get paid much then.”

“The quicker you get me the facts, the higher your pay will be.” Lorelei clicked her tongue. She knew the only reason the Red Rogue was helping her was because she paid handsomely. It was just as well he never looked beyond his wallet; she figured he wouldn’t like what she was actually going to do with this information. Not that she cared about his thoughts on the matter, but not having him on her side could slow her progress exponentially. Yuli was the only one she could fully trust, and even then she would not disclose anything to her until she finished her job.

“Will I be doing the same thing?” the bat girl asked.

“Yes. With both of you out there you should be able to find out enough to help me.” Lorelei put a hand to her wet hair. “The sooner I can leave this hotel, the happier I’ll be.”

The Red Rogue opened his mouth to speak, though Lorelei knew very well what was going to come out of his mouth. Sometimes the little Fillian could be quite curious despite his apparent disinterest in his surroundings. She shot down his question with a glare and he looked away nervously. He had no reason to know why she was staying here. He had a job to do, and that was all he should be focusing on.

Yuli narrowed her eyes as she watched the unspoken exchange but did not comment on it. “So what are we looking for, exactly?”

Lorelei looked steadily from Yuli to the Red Rogue. “I need to know where Vacerus was buried.”

-

Two weeks had passed since Feri’s suggestion to send Laerya to Greenglade. Fericeus had managed to get in touch with Akorri Lowe, though the boy said he needed some time before he was able to help out.

“I don’t need Akorri with me,” Lae protested once the conversation between him and Feri ended. “Especially if it’s gonna take him that long to get here. I can get there myself in the time it takes him to reach Blackstone.”

“I know,” Fericeus had said. “But I’m sending him not only for your sake, but his as well. He could do with the experience.”

Laerya hadn’t found anything to say to that, so she let the matter drop. She couldn’t deny the truth behind Feri’s words. She wasn’t sure how Akorri was doing these days; she hadn’t seen him in several months; but she figured his lifestyle wasn’t doing him any favours.

Now Lae sat in the living room with Kiyake, watching the young cat play some sort of fighting video game on the TV. She had tried it out herself but found little enjoyment in constantly getting beaten up by Kiyake, so she let the cat girl play by herself. It was just as well she wasn’t playing; when the doorbell rang it broke Kiyake’s concentration. Lae snickered as the cat girl almost threw her controller in shock and hurried off to answer the door.

She was greeted by a brown-furred Fillian. “Hello.”

Lae gave him a polite smile. “Hi. How’ve you been, Akorri?”

“Why don’t we save that for when you let me in?” Akorri asked, furrowing his brow. He paused for a second then sighed. “I mean... can I come in?”

Laerya fought the urge to frown at him. “Sure...” She stepped back to let him through, watching him carefully as he went into the house. His cloak trailed across the floor as he headed for the living room.

“Akorri!” Kiyake’s body was still facing the TV, but her head was turned as far as it could go in Akorri’s direction. “You’re here! Hi, hi!”

“Hi.” Akorri’s purple gloved hand waved at Kiyake.

“I’ll go get Feri.” Kiyake paused her game and rushed out of the room, leaving Lae and Akorri alone.

Lae sat down on a chair in an effort to get more comfortable. Akorri hesitated before he sat, his gaze fixed on the TV. Lae was aware he was being evasive, but she couldn’t find a reason why. Her eyes trailed over him, lingering on his messy red hair and ripped dark clothing. His tail tip kept twitching and she saw bags under his eyes.

He looked at her once he realised she was staring. “What?”

“Uh, nothing.” Lae tried to brush off her thoughts with a quick shake of her head. “So yeah, how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been okay.” Akorri glanced around. He stayed silent for a moment before replying, as if only just remembering that he was supposed to continue the conversation. “You? Still running around Vistus?”

“Yeah.” Lae rubbed her head. It didn’t seem like Akorri really wanted to talk to her at all. She never knew him to be shy, so maybe something was going on with him? Maybe his mind was somewhere else? Either way she wasn’t the type of person to stay silent, so she tried to keep the conversation going. “It’s lots of fun! My next destination is apparently a really cool place. And lucky you, you’ll get to join me this time!”

She expected an enthusiastic reaction given her news was indeed something to be excited about, but instead all Akorri did was look back at her and blink. “Ah, yeah. I’m aware.”

“You don’t seem too pumped about it...” Lae murmured.

“Forgive me for not expressing my joy,” Akorri said with a sigh. “I’m ecstatic on the inside.”

Lae narrowed her eyes. Was he being sincere or was he mocking her? She had been about to comment when Feri entered the room, his long hair tied up in a ponytail.

“Good to see you in person again, Akorri,” the wolf said with a bow. “Thank you for responding to my request.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Akorri replied. “So when do we leave?”

“Oh, once I get the supplies ready!” Lae chirped. “I’ve already got the food packed and some change of clothes. I even got some clothes for you from Feri in case you need them, though I think they’ll be too big for you.” She chuckled as she looked at the brown Fillian’s skinny figure. Feri was not only tall but quite broad-shouldered compared to Akorri. “I just need to pack a few more things and we’ll be good to go.”

“Please take the crystal ball with you,” Feri said. “Havran tends to rely on those rather than phones. I’m not sure there’s even a signal in Greenglade.”

“Whoa, outdated.” Lae blinked.

“Magic takes priority over technology over there,” Feri said with a shrug. “In exchange, I can reach you if you’re using the crystal ball from anywhere in Vistus, signal or not.”

“Guess it’s more useful...” Lae didn’t have a preference over which means of communication she used, though the crystal ball was harder to carry. They didn’t come in small sizes like phones.

“I’ve arranged your transportation as well,” Feri went on. “You’ll be taking the Dragonferry to Greenglade. The port’s a little far from the village but I’m sure you have no qualms about walking.”

“Always good to stretch my legs!” Lae said with a nod, though she caught Akorri sighing.

“How are we getting to the ferry?” he asked.

“Grab a train to Blackstone’s port,” said Feri. “You could even walk there if you like, but Blackstone itself is quite big...”

Lae left the two of them to discuss the trip while she packed the rest of her necessities. She made sure to pack enough money; since the trip was Feri’s idea he had essentially paid for all her expenses. She just had to carry his money around. She felt a bit guilty that she wasn’t using her own, but when she suggested that he had rejected the idea outright. “Some things will be too expensive for you,” he had said, “I don’t want you stranded on Havran just because you can’t afford to take a boat home.”

Lae paused once she reached a specific item in her list of essentials: her blaster. It was versatile; shaped like a pistol, with the ability to change between ammunition with a click. She hated carrying it around because that implied she was going to use it, but she couldn’t deny that it had gotten her out of a few scrapes. Not that she would ever kill a person with it, but it was useful for incapacitating a beast or two.

Once Lae put everything in her backpack she hurried back to the others. “I’m ready!” the rabbit announced, flinging her pack over her shoulders. “Let’s head out!”

Akorri stood up and gave Lae a nod. The two of them headed for the door with Feri and Kiyake trailing behind them to see them off.

“Have a safe trip,” Feri said, giving Lae’s shoulder a pat before opening the front door.

“Make sure to get in touch every day!” Kiyake said, her voice bubbling with excitement. “Well okay maybe not every day, but how about every other day? Okay maybe you don’t need to do it that often, but just let us know you’re alive at least!”

Lae chuckled and flashed Kiyake a thumbs up. “I’ll do what I can.”

She and Akorri left the house and Kiyake’s enthusiastic shouts behind, giving her and Feri one last wave before heading out to start their journey.

They travelled in silence for a few minutes, Laerya concentrating on reaching the train station while Akorri followed along autonomously. From his slow movements she could tell he didn’t want to do this at all.

“You okay?” she asked him after a while.

“I’m not used to large crowds,” Akorri explained, narrowly missing a collision with a passerby.

The streets were indeed crowded today. It seemed everyone had somewhere to go and something to do; Lae quite liked being among the sea of people, especially since she had a goal like the rest of them. Akorri however was not so happy. She felt him trailing behind; she didn’t want to lose him in the crowd so she grabbed his hand. It was interesting to feel the leather material of his purple gloves, though she only had a second to notice before he jerked his hand away.

“Uh, sorry,” she said, though it stung a little to have been rejected like that.

“Keep your hands to yourself,” the Fillian mumbled.

Lae almost stopped dead, just managing to glance at Akorri while they walked. That hurt, but the appropriate thing to do was ignore it or apologise again, so of course she did neither of those things. “Excuse me?”

“Did you not hear me?” Akorri raised his eyebrows. “I thought you could catch anything with those huge ears of yours.”

“Whoa, this is uncalled for.” Lae’s ears twitched in irritation. She had half a mind to pound some manners into her companion, but since they were in public she settled for picking up the pace, forcing Akorri to hurry along behind her. “What is your problem?”

“My... Agh, you know what?” Akorri looked away. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”

“But you said it anyway.” Lae wasn’t going to let him off lightly. “Any reason why you’re trying to provoke me?”

As if he forgot his own apology, Akorri looked back at Lae with a smirk. “Ah, it’s working.”

“It’s...! Wow.” Lae swore under her breath and fought the urge to yank Akorri’s arm out of its socket. “You weren’t this mean back at home.”

Akorri didn’t say anything, but his red eyes were firm, daring her to challenge him. She wasn’t going to give in so easily. She would deal with this when they were on the train, since it was difficult holding any kind of conversation in a busy street like this.

Fuming silently, she tried hard not to ram her way through the crowds, her ears twitching with every step she took. By the time they reached the station her anger had lessened somewhat, though her muscles were still tense.

She did not say another word to Akorri until they were sitting down on the train. Their cabin was surprisingly empty given the amount of people that had been milling around the station. There were a couple of seats taken but for the most part there was plenty of space in the cabin. It seemed the port wasn’t a popular destination today.

“Care to explain yourself now?” Lae asked, trying to keep her voice calm as she looked at the Fillian. He sat opposite her on the other side of the cabin, though since it was small they were still quite close together.

Akorri remained silent for a while, fiddling with his cloak. He was looking Lae in the eyes but there was no spark there anymore.

“Um... Akorri?” Laerya furrowed her brow as he stayed quiet.

“What’s to explain?” Akorri said, shrugging. “I’m an asshole. That’s all there is to it.”

Lae blinked, briefly stunned by such an abrupt admission. “Wow.” What kind of person just admits they’re an asshole? “Are you sure about that? I seem to remember something different back at the Bleakleaf Woods.”

“Ah, yeah...” A smirk slowly played on Akorri’s lips. “I nursed you back to health, didn’t I...?”

Lae frowned. For some reason the way he said that annoyed her. Did he think she was weak? “You did,” she said quietly.

“Mmm.” Akorri leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. “Now I see why Feri sent me along.”

Lae’s ear twitched as a spark of irritation pulsed through her. “Yeah?”

“I didn’t know I was here to babysit you.”

Something snapped. “Shut up!” Laerya leapt up from her seat. “I don’t need babysitting!”

“Don’t throw a tantrum now,” Akorri murmured, unperturbed by the rabbit girl’s outburst, “or you’ll just be proving my point further.”

Lae grit her teeth and forced herself to sit back down, glaring daggers at Akorri.  No matter what he said, she didn’t need him looking after her. She definitely didn’t need his help. She had been doing just fine on her own for years. What right did he have to criticise her? “Why are you being so rude?” she hissed, “and don’t give me that ‘asshole’ excuse. I’m not doing a thing to provoke you.”

“You are right, I’m being needlessly mean.” Akorri rubbed his head. “But it’s so easy to rile you up.”

“Doesn’t mean you should,” Lae grumbled, her body hot with suppressed anger. She hated being teased at the best of times, but there was something infuriating about the way Akorri was doing it.

Akorri looked at Laerya carefully for a few moments. She had been about to respond when he put his hands up in surrender. “All right, I’m sorry. Everything I said was uncalled for. I’ll try not to do it again.”

“Try not to?” Lae gave him a flat look. “What, is it hard for you to keep your mouth shut when you’re thinking mean things?”

“A bit,” Akorri said. “But I am genuinely sorry for everything I said.” He sighed heavily. “Listen, I’m... I’m not used to this.”

“What?” Lae blinked in confusion, but she was still seething from his insults so she wouldn’t let him excuse his behaviour. “You think that gives you the right to be rude?”

Akorri gave Lae a hard stare and said nothing. The two of them sat watching the scenery pass by, refusing to acknowledge each other’s existence. Even though she wasn’t in the mood to hear Akorri’s excuse, Lae had to wonder if she’d done the right thing in shutting him down.