Fwsh!
Oscar's halberd cut through nothing but the dry, cold air, which resulted in that woosh sound, without the following sound of flesh.
He looked around, confused. There was no sight of Antoine. Not his forearms, nothing.
He sighed, coming to a single, rational conclusion.
So they've got a user of spatial magic on their side. Troublesome.
. .
Dinet, Sar.
The trio, Yezekael, Caelum, and the unwilling Natalia all occupied a single hotel room. A grandiose one, as expected for the capital.
They were forced to reside there for the day, since the meeting was happening tomorrow.
The room gave a maximalist kind of energy, as if the interior architect believed that 'less was never enough.'
Two beds, with pillowcases of silk and white milky bedsheets of satin. The red blanket was bulky and made of cotton and fleece.
Along the wooden plank walls, there were different paintings everywhere. The largest one hung in the space between the two beds.
A portrait of beautiful green scenery. Lush with trees. At the bottom right corner, there was a sandy shore, with receding waves. A bright ocean.
"… You've been looking at that painting for a while."
Natalia managed to get comfortable in her own bed, sitting down. She looked at Caelum's back, who seemed a bit infatuated with the painting.
Hearing her voice, he quickly snapped out, turning around.
"Hm? Ah… yeah. It's a really nice one."
"You know, I'm friends with the woman who painted this," she said proudly, her eyes turned to the side.
Caelum looked at her blankly.
"…Okay?"
"Aren't you going to be surprised?"
"I don't really… care that much."
This is what I get for trying to sympathize with my captors! Any chance I get… I'm gonna escape!
She huffed, falling onto her bed.
Yezekael busted through the door, with a bag in hand. He closed the door behind him, walking over toward the kitchen.
This… hotel has some really big rooms. Yezekael noted inwardly, as he placed the bag down on a table.
"The food is here!" He called out.
Natalia sprang up, her feet landing onto the thick wool carpet. Before walking over to eat, she went into the bathroom to change.
She removed the uncomfortable dress she had once worn and changed into something a lot more comfortable; a white nightgown with Jacobean floral patterns.
Is it really safe for me to wear this?
She turned and twisted, all whilst staring at the mirror.
I think…. I guess it'll be fine.
When she stepped out to enter the kitchen, the bag was already opened, and the contents were placed all over the table.
"Barbarians! You couldn't even wait for me?!"
She yelled this inwardly, the courage to say such a thing not yet in her.
An arrangement of foods had been bought. Bread, chicken, steak, and potatoes. There were more foods, seasoned and topped with different things, like chopped green onions, or garlic salt.
The smell wafted in the air.
"This isn't gourmet— yet I feel so… compelled to try it."
Her hand grabbed a fork.
"Dig in."
She stabbed her fork into the potato, picking up pieces of bacon and green onions along with it. A smile subconsciously crept onto her face as she chewed.
"And… you guys cooked this?" she asked, disregarding any manners.
"It was me. Yezekael."
"Maybe the people of Anore aren't so bad after all."
"Food is all that it takes to change your opinion on something? Wow!" Caelum mocked openly.
Her nose scrunched up in anger.
"Shut up!"
Caelum laughed. He suddenly remembered what topic he was supposed to bring up.
"Right, right. So, we'll find the king. What will we do after that…? Any ideas?"
Yezekael pitched one. "I think we should kill him."
"Are you crazy?!"
Natalia's hands slammed onto the table, and she rose up.
Quietly, she descended, realizing how rude the action was. Her tone was lowered a lot.
"I mean… that'll be hard. He has a lot of guards, but he's also really strong."
"How strong?"
"It's a rumor between royals… maybe it's just idle chatter. But it's said that at his full strength, with the mysterious power given to him through the crown he wears, he can destroy the entire world."
Caelum and Yezekael stared quietly. She quickly grew flustered.
"L-like I said… idle chatter-"
"So we really… have to take this guy seriously."
. .
To pass the short time between twilight and dusk, Caelum shot at cups safely with his AHMC. Yezekael and Natalia played chess, which she managed to win each time.
Night fell.
The moonlight peeked softly through the blinds of the window, leaving lines of white light shining against the carpet.
All was still.
Every so often, you could hear the howl of wolves, the chirping of grasshoppers, and the faint buzzing of cicadas.
Caelum was fast asleep. Yezekael and he shared one bed, while Natalia got her own bed. Despite the safety, she felt a little weary and felt the need to comment on it.
"You two better not think about pouncing on me."
She through the blanket over her, covering everything but her face.
Yezekael laughed, letting out a huff of air.
"You're rude. Irritating. Stuck up. It's more likely for you to pounce on us."
Yezekael said all this with his eyes closed, enjoying the comfort of the soft mattress.
Natalia took offense at his words.
"F-first of all, that Caelum boy is, what, 14?-"
"He's 16."
"Whatever! I'm not attracted to prepubescent children!"
Caelum doesn't look that young… Yezekael thought.
"And you? Well…"
She took a good look at him.
Now that I'm really looking at him… he's not all that bad. And the cuts actually fit him. Makes him seem a little bit more… manly, I guess.
"You're just… too brutish. Not my type, not my type! Ugly! Unattractive! To add to that, you guys are my captors."
Yezekael felt his confidence slowly suffer from the relentless insults Natalia threw at him. He quietly sulked.
"Goodness… how impertinent. Have you ever heard of Stockholm?"
"What?"
"Never mind."