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The fluttering flames of the candles do a poor job at lighting the bedroom, but it is enough for Cyrus to feel improper. He hurries with the tangle of gauze.

It is not easy to bandage oneself, luckily he doesn't need to be precise with it, the wounds span the totality of his back, so he wraps it around however. What a waste of gause, he's using so much on such superficial wounds.

…

How could he have known? His hand moved before he could even think…

A knock on the door.

“You done yet? I need my pack.”

It's Mito.

The door slightly creeks open as Cyrus slides Yohei’s pack out.

“…Do you need help—”

The door closes right back.

Yohei shrugs and sighs. He rummages through his pack until he finds a teapot. He had it packed with green tea, so he empties that in his coat's inner pockets and gets up.

Before he can head out again Clematia calls out for him.

She has her hands held up towards him. “Give me your face.”

Mito’s a bit intimidated by the ‘doctor mode’ Clematia, and Cyrus had gone and made her even scarier. He reluctantly gets closer to where she sat on the sofa and bends down until he feels her fingers get a hold of his chin. The other woman is sitting right next to her... oh this is sooo awkward.

Mito's face is really… something else. The closer she inspects the more tiny scratch scars she finds. It’s like he shoved his face right into a bucket full of angry kittens.

"Siiigh you're pretty badly bruised too, and it'll only feel worse tomorrow so brace yourself."

“Pfft have you seen my face? This is nothin-”

The fingers tighten around his cheeks.

“…Yesh m'aam.”

She turns his face this way and that, then lets go and hands him a metal box.

"Massage your face and stomach with this later, sleep with it, don't wash it off."

"..Okay.."

He stashes whatever it is in his coat and hobbles back to his spot next to the fire outside, slightly thrown off by the proximity.

.

.

Soon the smell of citrus flowers fills the air as Mito pours each of the ladies a cup of tea. They had brought out some dried meat, dried fruits, cheese and bread from their packs, now neatly set on the plates their host kindly provided.

They are halfway through their meal when Cyrus finally walks out of the room, fully dressed.

“Where are we now?”

“the other world!!”

"PFFT! Pfft haha-...." Yohei notes that he's the only one laughing. "Ahem. It’s a small community North-west from the dock... sayyy, a quarter of an hour distance on foot.” Although it took them much longer while carrying him. “The charitable lady over here offered us shelter."

He motions to the woman, she was not eating with them even though they offered her food, and despite politely accepting the cup of tea Yohei held out to her, he didn't see her take a sip once… perhaps she already had lunch today.

Yohei was sitting on his rolled up sleeping bag that he layed next to the thankfully low table, and Konran was on her knees on the floor, devouring more cheese rations than she was supposed to in one day.

Clematia doesn't look his way, eyes glued to her tea.

"I see, thank you for your hospitality."

Cyrus bows his head to the woman then heads to the outside door.

"eh?? Where you goingggggg"

"I'll check the area a little. I'll be right back."

Yohei gets up abruptly from his spot and turns to him.

"Wait! You're heading out now? You just woke up."

Cyrus sighs, he really doesn't want people not minding their own business at the moment...

"Yes. As I said, I'll be right back."

And he heads out.

"can I have his shareeee?"

"Wha- Konran no- uuurghh."

Yohei goes after him, following behind.

"Cyrus! The surviving pirates could still be around, they might as well have come here."

"Okay."

He was ready to argue, but he really doesn't have the energy for anything right now... he just continues looking around, ignoring Yohei.

"...."

‘...This must have been a babysitting mission all along.. If he wanted some air, he could have stood by the door, why going adventuring now of all times.’

"Siiigh"

Mito walks lazily behind him, annoyed.

"If all you plan on doing is following and sighing then you can go ahead and get back." Why's he so much moodier than usual? He normally does a good job staying stoic.. he needs to get his act together at once.

‘Last time I let you off on your own you got yourself tortured.’ Mito wisely chooses not to voice his thoughts.

Cyrus is not sure if its nighttime or if its just always dim out here. They pass a few houses, but they don't cross paths with anyone.

"Urgh-" Cyrus sways slightly, bumping into one of the trees, he holds on to it and pants... Then suddenly he trudges to the tree behind it and the next thing Yohei hears is-

BLEEEEEGHHH

"....." He waits for him to finish puking and keeps watch instead, looking through his surroundings for any pirates.

The woods are dense, dark and foggy, they do not allow much in terms of field of vision, that does mean however that it is the perfect place to hide. Mito looks up. It's hard to tell what time it is, but its not nighttime yet.

He moves in closer to Cyrus. It reeks of fish.

"Still puking? Just what did they do to you?..."

"Hah..." Cyrus takes a moment to breath, then wipes his mouth with one of the handkerchiefs he kept in his pant pocket. Standing straight again, he dusts his clothes out of reflex. "Let's head back." He feels much lighter now. But this really killed his appetite.

Yohei knew he wasn't going to get an answer, but it vexed him anyway.

"We'll be travelling together for a while, we should tell each other of what happens... I'm really sorry you had to deal with that on your own." His apology felt genuine this time, beyond being worried about his own fate, he feels bad that Cyrus had such an experience on his first travel.

Cyrus can't suppress a shiver from the cringe he felt. Gosh he really doesn’t do well with heart-to-hearts.. they are so embarrassing..! Although he does appreciate the concern. Or at least tries his best to.

"It doesn't matter now that it passed and got taken care of. We should focus on the road up ahead. We aren’t fully out of trouble yet after all.." What happened to him doesn't matter. He feels disgusted just remembering it.. and it’s not like doing so would fix anything.

"MHA!! It doesn't matter he says! Right after passing out cold and puking! If you told Clematia on the boat she would have known how to treat you, you don't have to recount it in detail either, is that so bad? Because if you keep this up in a place like this it will be very difficult to keep you alive."

The nobleman was speechless for a moment, the audacity of this man to be using this tone with him! How dare he?!

"Siiiiiiiigh You're right.” He begrudgingly acknowledges. “My apologies if I gave you a scare earlier."

Mito was expecting to get cussed out or ignored at best, so he was pleasantly surprised by Cyrus's answer. He smiles at him.

“It’s fine.."

He starts stepping back to the house.

"We'll have the afternoon to rest, we can resume our journey tomorrow at dawn.. if you feel better of course."

Cyrus only nods his head, and the walk is quiet after that.

When they arrive back, Clematia is sitting on a small wooden chair right by the doorstep, it looks like she's carving a small wood piece with a knife, Mito was walking ahead so he gets inside first after he spares a second to see what she’s doing. As Cyrus approaches, she looks up at him with a passive face.

"How are you feeling?"

The aggravation has completely left her voice by now. She pauses her carving and scans him. Now that Cyrus has a better look it seems she was sharpening the wood?

“I'm alright.”

He looks as though he wants to add something, but he turns instead and gets inside the house. ’I must smell disgusting..’

‘…I wasn't done talking... Fine! Agonise from the pain or whatever they fed you!’ She puts a finely sharpened wood piece down and picks another, calming her nerves with the repetitive motion and the focus required. The wood in her hands is slowly shaped into a makeshift knife, she was unable to retrieve her darts and knives earlier, it would be good for her to make some more.

Inside, Konran was staring intently at Cyrus’s cup after having two of her own, her entire torso on the table as her legs hang off.

Yohei's glad she listened to him, but he feels kinda bad now, maybe he should have brought a bigger teapot.

"That’s your cup by the way.."

He says to Cyrus before turning to look at their host.

Cyrus picks up his cup —Konran's eyes following the motion— and reluctantly sits at the other edge of the sofa from the woman. He doesn't trust her... She looks unstable.

"Excuse me ma'am, I was wondering if we could stay the night?” It was a bit challenging for Mito to look the woman in the eyes when hers are unfocused. “We'll pay, of course.. we can just use the living room since we have our sleeping bags, we'd be incredibly grateful." It was a bit awkward to ask, it’s a bit much, but somehow she didn't seem to mind their presence? At all?

"Hm..? Oh yes... of course... you can stay for... the night..."

She smiles slightly as she glances at Mito's general direction.

‘Yup definitely unstable.’ Cyrus concludes.

"Thank you very much."

Mito bows his head. He got used to her by now, but.. He wonders what is up with her... He unrolls his sleeping bag and places it in a corner. He should probably wash the bed sheets they bloodied, he'll lay down for a little bit first though. ‘Cyrus seems fine now thankfully, but we lost the horses... this has just gotten more difficult.’

Snore

"woah he sleeps easily!"

"You're the odd one out here Konran."

Getting only a few sips of his tea, Cyrus decides to give her the rest. She's going to enjoy it more anyway…

"Siiigh what a day...”

The group spends the rest of the afternoon resting, some of them had a hard time to do so though, and Clematia joined them later after she finished washing and hanging the bed sheets.

.

.

.

Mito had intended for a nap, but he doesn't wake up until dawn of the next day. The sun rises, yet the light doesn't come too brightly to the stuffy hamlet.

After a quick breakfast, they ready themselves to depart once more, as quietly as Konran allows so they don't needlessly awaken their host at such an early hour.

Yet before they set foot outside the house, the bedroom door creeeeeeks open, and the sickly looking woman emerges.

"You... know the path... to continue...?"

They all turn their heads to their guide.

"...I know the direction, but it would be easier if you showed us the path."

The tree canopy was too dense, Mito couldn't see a path the last time he came by.

"Of... course... Let me show you..."

She smiles and disappears behind the door for a moment before coming back out with her baby, carefully wrapped in an old cloth as usual.

She heads outside, not looking back as she sways her way out into the town...

Clematia adjusts the pack on her back and starts walking.

"Here's hoping yesterday's bad luck doesn't follow us."

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.

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⋅⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅⋅