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Chapter 09- Strolling Through Memory Lane

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My body was clinging rather shamelessly to my mentor when we seemed to drop through the water at the speed of a skydive, only to slow down about halfway and shoot back up as if being catapulted out of the water. I wasn't the biggest fan of roller coasters and trampolines, so I naturally panicked. When we emerged from a fountain in the middle of a town, I quickly detached myself from my mentor and frantically tightened the ties of my bathrobe. I didn't want to accidentally flash anyone, regardless of which dimension we were in. 

"What?" I questioned sharply when Makith shot me a strange glance with his golden eyes.

"I was simply going to suggest finding you both more clothing," Makith replied.

The fountain that the three of us were standing in adorned the center of an open market. What I assumed to be nymphs of all kinds were shopping for groceries and clothes while other nymphs took up entertainment with music and skits. My focus fell on the rough cobblestone roads. "...can we get some shoes first?"

"Need me to carry you?"

"Absolutely not." I immediately declined my mentor's offer.

"This way," Makith urged, stepping out of the fountain and onto the cobblestone without so much as a wince.

As we cautiously followed the nymph, I spoke in hushed tones with Revelin. "You said you narrowed the suspects down to three?"

"For someone to form a dimension rip directly into my home, they would need exact coordinates. The only people I truly gave such information to were my assistants." He explained his reasoning.

"I don't know the exact coordinates of the mansion." I pointed out.

"That's because I've only recently begun to fully trust you."

"Fair enough. So, we're looking at a Vim carrier, possibly an old assistant of yours..." I mused aloud. "Any idea what those shadow-like creatures were?"

"Did you just say shadow-like?" Makith questioned, stopping entirely in his tracks and causing Revelin to walk right into him.

"Yes, with different colored...objects over half their faces. They looked like visors to me."

"Such creatures were reported to have been seen during the attack on the kingdom," Makith informed them.

Revelin stiffened beside me. "Here as well?" He wondered aloud. I asked if he was still trying to narrow his suspicions to a single person, but he simply sighed. "No, I'm certain that I've brought more than a handful of people to this particular dimension."

"My home dimension is most welcoming," Makith responded with an amused snort. "Visiting and moving in are not crimes. Ill intent combined with destruction is."

"In light of that information, how can we be sure that they were after you, Mr. Eferize?" I questioned.

My mentor visibly winced. "You still insist on not calling me by my first name?" He asked in a wounded tone of voice that I did my best to ignore. "But, to answer your question, should they have wanted to cause chaos in our dimension, they would have attacked the main province, not my family mansion."

Makith shot us both an unreadable glance for a moment, and then he turned to open the door to one of the shops. To my relief, there were simple shoes of all kinds, along with sandals hanging on the walls. That particular shop was stocked with clothes and equipment. It reminded me of a sports store. The sizes were written in a language I couldn't read, so I held the clothes to myself as I quickly gathered a pair of navy blue shorts and a plain gray shirt. I grabbed a pair of gray sandals and looked pleadingly towards Makith. The blue-haired nymph laughed.

"Do not worry, friend," Makith said as he paid for everything. "No one would feel comfortable if they wandered into another dimension in clothes meant to be used in private..." He held up a hand to silence Revelin before my mentor could throw his two cents in. "No one with reasonable modesty."

I shook my head when I saw my mentor's smug expression and quickly slipped into a dressing room to change. The shop didn't sell underwear, but something was better than nothing. A part of me wanted to ask Makith why he considered me a 'friend' so soon. One would think that, after his dimension being under attack, the nymph would be a little more paranoid about trusting strangers. Similar thoughts drifted through my mind as I walked out of the dressing room. By the time I reached the other two, I caught the end of their conversation.

"... cannot believe you went that far. Our Alcaid is probably turning in his grave in disgrace!" Makith hissed. When he noticed that I was close by he turned towards me, and I recognized the pity that formed on his face.

"I'm going to get changed," My mentor uttered as he speed-walked to the dressing rooms.

Hmm, I thought to myself. Revelin wasn't usually the type of person to scamper off. He thrived in the limelight. Just as I was getting ready to ask if they had been talking about me, Makith beat me right to it.

"Do not worry," he told me softly enough that only I could hear him. The rooms you will be staying in have anti-Vim enchantments, so your privacy will be completely secure."

I could feel the heat of my blush all the way down to the back of my neck. So, that's what they'd been talking about. I couldn't bring myself to tell Makith that I was a more considerable danger to myself, having limited self-control. Hell, I was still trying to come to terms with it. And that bastard didn't help at all by shoving his tongue down my throat and making up a contract around a kiss. 

"H-how long have you and Mr. Eferize known each other?" I asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject. 

The concern on Makith's face slowly morphed into childlike glee. "We studied at the Academy together." He explained. "We were two of the five brightest students in our year. Naturally, we were all competitive with each other and argued often. It wasn't until our final years at the Academy that we finally managed to get along...Revelin, Itharos, Alexandra, Verity, and myself," He mused as he counted them off on his fingers. "We were a force to reckon with." Then, the smile gradually fell off his face. "If any one of them had been here at the time of the attack, it would have been an immense help."

"If any two of us had been here, their forces would have had to retreat," Revelin added as he rejoined us. 

He placed a hand on Makith's shoulder. "The kingdom can always be rebuilt. What's important is that the majority of you lived to see another day." The Wanderer had chosen to wear a sleeveless white shirt with an unbuttoned dark burgundy blouse over it, along with long pants that seemed to be made out of a soft material in black. My mentor had opted for sandals as well.

I tried to keep myself from staring, but it was difficult. "So, you two were schoolmates," I commented, trying to change the subject back to something a little lighter for Makith's sake. "Did my mentor ever go through a teenage punk phase where he either dyed or spiked up his hair?" 

Makith beamed. "He did shave it. He lost a rather intense game of cards between the five of us."

"Yeah, yeah," Revelin scoffed as he waved his finger in front of Makith's face. "You didn't come out of that game unscathed either. You never did tell me how Itharos's kiss tasted," he teased. "That was quite a tent he had after your lap dance. We all thought that he would cream his pants."

Makith's blush had a lilac tint to it. How interesting. I had never seen anyone blush that color before. "You wouldn't happen to have any pictures of him with his shaved head, would you?"

"I'm afraid that any pictures I had were lost..." Makith admitted. He turned his attention back to Revelin. "How are the others? Is there any way we can get in contact with them?"

"Itharos and Verity wander through entirely different dimensions. The last time I saw Verity was sometime before the tsunami incident. And I haven't seen Itharos since our last reunion..." Revelin thought aloud. "Lexie still has her bracelet, so I'm sure we can get a hold of her without much difficulty."

The nymph smiled gently. "It will be nice to see Alexandra again, despite the circumstances."

The two of them had lost me halfway down their trip through memory lane, but I waited patiently until they began to walk to the residential area of the island. Makith warned that since the rooms had anti-Vim enchantments, the only way to keep the room from getting too hot was through electric fans. I was starting to miss the mansion already.