Day 6: Year C - 009.

...

Patiently biding time in a small, hushed hotel lobby to pass the time, Billiam meticulously scanned the newspapers with his watchful good eye. Despite the peaceful atmosphere with barely any people, the medic sat tensely next to wilting winter flowers.

‘This evening’s news is rather slow, nothing but reports of upcoming spring festivals and happy couple stories from what I see... Oh, not even a reporting of Verde Street’s Priestess being replaced. Useless as ever, aren’t you? Trashy newspaper.’

The medic continued scanning other uneventful headlines until he gazed over the papers to spot Chenille and Mikey, whose faces and hair colours were altered to have matching appearances. At first, Billiam barely recognized the duo until he tested, lightly tapping the floor with Morse code, which spelled out, ‘Chenille’.

The Guard subtly glanced over at Billiam, to whom the medic ever so slightly smiled as he tapped the number 11 in Morse.

Meanwhile, Chenille easily understood the code and casually walked up to the front desk.

“My kid brother and I request to use room 12.” The Guard demanded as they discreetly displayed a small piece of pristine silver.

“Hm, I like the way you talk.” The owner smirked at the money. “Very well, here’s your key. Room service can be contacted through the radio with a simple press of a button.”

“Thank you, and have a good night.”

Chenille and Mikey walked down the red hallway toward the room with the number 12. Before Chenille twisted the key, Zanna poked her head from room 11 and waved her hand, gesturing the duo to keep her company and chat.

As Mikey and Chenille walked into the room, exhausted but relieved, they were greeted by a cozy, green and white themed room and sat down. The Guard and Medium immediately noticed the radio set on the dresser was turned off and covered in tiny white pillows.

“I silenced the radio, per Billiam’s request.” The ex-Priestess merrily greeted as she floated toward Mikey and gently patted him on the head. “It’s pleasing to see you both safe and sound.”

The Medium tolerated the greeting and simply nodded. Chenille smiled at Zanna’s expression of relief and gave her a warm hug.

“I missed you, a lot, Zanna,” The Guard whispered while caressing Zanna’s blushing face. “The entire time without you, I wondered if you were safe at every moment.”

“P-Please, not in front of the child, Chenille. We shall protect his innocent ears from our flirtatious banter.” Zanna half flirted, half voiced with concern, as her eyes twinkled with adoration.

“Child?... Ugh, you both are so weird and sappy.” Mikey’s left eye slightly twitched as he plopped onto one of the beds.

“I know, right?” Billiam teased as he strutted in the room with a grin, “Consider staying in the other room with her, not-so-Lone-Wolf.”

“’ Course I will. We’re not changing groups just yet, so I’d like to spend as much time as I can with her.”

Zanna cozied up by Chenille’s side, smiling with delight the entire time.

“I’m sure having a romantic evening is part of an important strategy.” The medic rolled his eyes as he hopped into his bed. “Well, whatever, it’ll be just us guys, right, Mikey?”

“Uh-huh. Only one’s a thief, the other one’s not,” The Medium cracked a small smile.

“Ah-ah, remember the book you stole with underhanded methods?”

“I planned on returning it... But, now I can’t since we’re on the run. Doesn’t the thought count?” Mikey shrugged.

“And I’d like to return everything I’ve ever stolen,” Billiam sarcastically bantered back, burying himself in the layered blankets.

“That’d take a lifetime and a half, Airhead.” Chenille grinned.

“Well, whatever not-so-Lone-Wolf. Go spend time with your girlfriend.”

“Hmph. I will. You two stay safe, and Mikey, don’t forget to wash off your makeup before it damages your skin.”

“Already on it, Chenille.” Mikey dragged himself out of his cozy bed and marched to the small, grey bathroom.

...

 As the black fog thickened outdoors, the Lady in green and Guard pushed their individual beds together and lay in the middle with content. Cuddling under warm, woolly blankets brought the two immense bliss, which led to Chenille leaning in for a gentle kiss. But Zanna pulled away to decline, her expression saddened.

“T-Too soon?” Chenille awkwardly asked, their eyes shone with worry.

“I deeply apologize, but it is...” The lady in green looked away with embarrassment. “I-I sincerely hope you refrain from disliking me-”

“Not at all, Zanna. I was just confused for the moment, that’s all.” The Guard averted their eyes and let go of the Lady.

“Ah... I simply... Feel as if sealing our relationship with a kiss is a cruel betrayal of my Mother.”

A wave of pity and confusion washed over Chenille. They understood the ex-Priestess was likely under the fear of her Mother’s judgment in the afterlife. Though at the same time, they were mildly annoyed with Zanna latching onto the opinion of her deceased Mother.

“But you’re not a Priestess anymore. Lucian betrayed you, and won’t give back your role or high status, no matter how much you try to convince him.”

“I-I completely acknowledge that as fact...” Zanna’s eyes began to water. “It’s just that... My Mother was a genuinely kind woman, and I had spent my entire life under her tender care. She would’ve despised the fact that I am giving up fighting for my rightful title-.”

“Zanna. While I have no clue what you’re going through and don’t understand the closeness of your Mother, she shouldn’t control your life beyond the grave. You're your own person, remember?”

“B-But Dearest Mother knew what was best for me!”

Chenille and Zanna had both tensed up and stared each other down.

“But how could you know?...”

“Know of what, Chenille?”

“How could you possibly know what your Mother did was best for you? As far as I know, she was a mortal like the rest of us and couldn’t have known every outcome.”

“She was an intelligent woman as well as an extraordinary planner!”

“But didn’t you preach us mortals were prone to mistakes? That includes her too-”

“I do not wish to hear another word about Mother Dearest.” Zanna shut down the conversation with tears stinging her emerald eyes. “My word, I cannot believe my ears. How could you speak upon a dead woman like that?”

“H-Hey, I didn’t mean to outright disrespect her. But fine, think that way.” Chenille shook their head. “What about the Goddesses? We don’t know if they held a different destiny for you.”

“Excuse me?” Zanna remained upset with the discourse.

The Guard had realized their conversation would go nowhere with a similar tone. Gazing at Zanna with calmer eyes, Chenille loosened their shoulders and changed their expression. 

 “...Please hear me out, Zanna. What if this was a challenge from the Goddess of Life to find out about your true self? Maybe, just maybe, she wants to test your devotion to her, even when everything was taken from you despite your Mother’s plans?”

The Lady in green paused; her expression slowly wafted from anger to deep thought. Her lowered eyes shone gold, as she pulled the sheets close to her chest.

“Perhaps, your judgment is correct. Even Mother Dearest could not have predicted the whim of the Goddesses... But even so, I pray you understand with Lucian and the assassin around, I am simply not ready to further our relationship just yet.”

Chenille closed their eyes and nodded in understanding. They were delighted to know Zanna was speaking from her heart, and not with her Mother in mind.

“I’m just happy this opinion is coming from you. Whenever you’re ready, just tell me, okay?”

Zanna lay beside the Guard with a kind smile.

“Of course, I will...”

The two remained silent for two minutes, before Chenille reopened their eyes after thinking to themself. The Guard bore a sting of guilt, not from the previous conversation, but from their want to kiss Zanna before. They attempted to wake the Priestess, but she wouldn’t wake from her deep slumber.

...

Meanwhile, Zanna’s psyche had drifted into an old memory, the first day Chenille and Billiam had begun to recover after a night of enduring treatment from Zanna and Mikey.

The Priestess recalled being polite with the medic, who had woken up first. She fed him a savoury bold mushroom soup, and chatted about exaggerated tales of Billiam’s feats as a “professional” healer. Though their conversation was rather short, as he begged to catch up on his sleep, which the Priestess obliged and gave him his desired space.

Mikey sat by Billiam’s room, nervously eyeing the medic, remembering the previous night of panic and the scent of blood in the air.

Her memory skipped to sitting beside Chenille, as they stirred from being knocked out from the previous evening. Their sleepy hetero chromatic eyes dazzled as they were greeted by Zanna quietly reading a Scripture to herself. The Priestess wore a deep-midnight cloak around herself, appearing as an angelic figure of Death.

Unsure of whether they were even alive, Chenille slowly opened their mouth and reached out to the woman in a haze.

“...Are... you an angel?”

Zanna blinked and felt a sense of confusion at the sudden remark, so she chose to ignore it for the time being. Though a part of her felt a little flattered to be compared to a Heavenly being.

“You have finally awoken from your deep slumber! Thank the Heavens above the easy path to a full recovery is within your fate.”

Zanna emitted a friendly smile toward the stranger and floated toward their bed in the guest room. The Guest shook their head and realized what they had said and quickly scanned their surroundings. Heavenly painted clouds, imagery of previous Head Priestesses of the Island, and all black furniture.

‘No wonder I thought I was in the afterlife. Religious imagery’s everywhere...’

“...Where exactly am I?” Chenille asked with slightly less confusion in their tone.

“The Verde Street Temple, of course! Your blonde friend was clever enough to request dire-aid.” Zanna folded the Scripture and gently shook her sleepy head. “My word, to endure the pursuit of dangerous bandits is quite the terrifying story, especially considering that both of you were innocent bystanders.”

Chenille raised a brow, but decided not to elaborate for the time being.

“Anywho, I remain present to provide a healthy serving of bold mushroom soup for a healthy recovery. My choir boy and I cooked the dish with the utmost diligence and thoughtfulness.”

Truth be told, Chenille disliked soups and despises mushrooms even more. But they silently nodded and forced the food to go down.

“...Thank you. It was really good soup...”

“Then I shall prepare lots more-”

“A-Ah. Miss... D-Do you have... Maybe blue carrot soup instead?”

“Miss? Ah, I am a Lady, not a Miss,” Zanna politely scolded, waving her finger. “Second... if you prefer blue carrot soup, I suppose I could scavenge for that recipe instead.”

“You’d really do that?” Chenille’s eyes slightly lit up.

“I mean, you are a sick... Ah, I-I had overlooked to inquire about you...” Zanna leaned in and shyly asked, “I-I hope you do not take offence and hate me, but could you perhaps tell me if you are male or female?”
Chenille blinked, and veered their gaze to the side.

“To put it bluntly, I don’t care for being labelled as either.”

“Wait just a moment... Are you referring to a person like Duke Stargaze, who held vivacious passion for dressing up as a man and a woman? Her younger sister was Head Priestess Diana, and he cherished the Goddesses like no other living mortal!”

“Uh, not exactly like that. I don’t like being called either a man or a woman.”

Zanna thought for a moment, until a light bulb went off in her head.

“Ah, so then... You are just you, a person, correct?”

“That’s more like it,” Chenille smiled and recentered their hazy gaze towards Zanna.

“I see, a very free-spirited approach for self-expression! So then, you are a sick person who requires blue carrot soup for a full recovery.” Zanna nodded to herself and smiled with delight. “Which other vegetables do you prefer in your soups?”

“...I like glittering celery and happy potatoes.”

“Then when lunch arrives I shall prepare the most delicious blue carrot soup for you!”

Chenille’s eyes sparkled with amusement, letting a chuckle escape their bruised mouth.

“Hah. You are the most cheery person I’ve ever met.”

“Hm? Really? You have concluded I am an amiable person?”

“...Amiable is a good thing, right?”

“Of course! It is a friendly way of describing a likeable person.”

“Then, yes, I think you’re the first woman who properly tended to my injuries or even asked what kind of soup I liked.”

“Is that so?” Zanna voiced with concern, holding her left hand over her heart. “...Under my supervision, I declare you shall be treated with the care and respect you deserve. As the Goddess of Life preached in Scripture 13; When us mortals understand the concept of love for one another, our lives will brighten as warmly as the sun itself."

At that moment, within Chenille’s mind, red roses had suddenly begun to bloom. Their face suddenly flushed a gentle pink, as the Priestess’ eyes widened, mistaking the redness for a fever.

“O-Oh! You are burning up! I shall fetch some ice bits for your aching head at once!”
Chenille reached out for Zanna’s hand and gently held it.

“Please don’t fuss over me, I’m feeling alright.”

Zanna felt enamoured when the mysterious stranger held her hand so calmly.

“A-Are you sure of yourself?”
“Y-Yes, My Lady. I think the sun hit my face at an angle that caused my face to burn up a little. I apologize if I made you worry for nothing.”

Smiling at the formality, the Priestess simply nodded and took away the empty bowl of soup and the scripture with her gravity magic.

“It is not at all an issue, or even an inconvenience. All I pray for right now is for you and your friend to get well soon...” Zanna waved and closed the door, revelling in delight for the Temple’s new company.