I stood still like a pole while Risha tested the limits of my malleability with her bear hug. No, not a bear hug—she clutched like a lifebuoy in a storm.
"That's so good you ca, Voren! What are you doing here? Did you look for , too?" Risha asked, raising her big, shiny eyes at .
"You know him?" Yvenna pointed at with an expression of dumb shock on her face. "Hey, you girl, who let her hug him, whoever you are? He's—" she caught herself, paused. "Show so more respect, will you?"
Surprised, Risha let go. "Huh?"
"Hey, my sister can—" Rosha started defensively. Seeing a storm of a conflict brewing, I hurried to step in while I could still affect it. A mont later, and I'd probably have to run away from all the shouting and drama… Oh, after I tried Yvenna up so she wouldn't hit anyone.
"Stop fighting for no reason!" I barked at them. "Yvenna, Risha wants to hug , let her. Risha, Rosha, this is Yvenna, just don't give her a reason to punch you, I don't think she can control herself even when she actually wants to."
Yvenna looked at her clenched fists and, with what looked surprisingly like angry sha, hid them behind her back.
"And, girls," I looked around the Guild's hall, "too loud for so many ears. Yvenna, let's go sit at your place. You have food there?"
"Sothing was sowhere, I think…" Yvenna shrugged. "I hate cooking."
"Oh well, we will deal with that later. Co on."
⠀⠀
A short while later, after a silent and tense walk, we sat around the table in a guest room of Yvenna's house. It was a place that felt barely lived in: bare walls, bare shelves, bare table. The only food Yvenna had were so potatoes that went green long ago, and a lonely carrot that I crunched down raw.
"So… You know each other," Rosha gave Yvenna an appraising look. "I thought you don't keep company to adventurers, Voren."
"She's an exception. I've t her in the mountains—she's actually the one who told about the church of hers. And Rosha here has been providing with equipnt for a while now," I explained to Yvenna.
"The church?" Risha's clueless eyes flickered between us. I grinned. This was just a perfect opportunity to bring her into my secret. After all the ti we spent together, I was pretty sure she won't turn away from because of it.
She didn't even ask about my mask and clothing, like it was all alright as long as it was . Sweet, naive girl.
Rosha gave her younger sister a doubtful stare. "I don't think this is a sort of conversation that you should stay around for…"
"Don't tell to go away, Sister! I won't hide under my blanket again!" Risha imdiately protested and turned towards and Yvenna. "What is that church you are talking about?"
"Go on, Yvenna, you tell her," I encouraged with a nod.
She only needed a word to stand up and start preaching.
"It's the Church of the Devourer! The saviour of our world and the… the smiter of the people who do shit, to him or in general! The greatest being to walk our earth… and you are sitting at the sa table with it! Isn't that a blessing, or what?" Yvenna gestured at . "He'll kill gods, and we all will be better for it!"
"Kill gods? Devourer?" Risha looked at Yvenna with round eyes, then at . "What? I don't understand any of that!"
I sighed. Yeah, eloquent Yvenna was not. "To explain this better, Risha, I've been hiding sothing from you, because your sister said she's gonna kill if I didn't."
"And I still can do it!" Rosha threatened, raising up. "Dammit, this wasn't even supposed to co out!"
"What? What you were hiding?" Risha frowned helplessly. "Rosha, why? We are sisters, there aren't supposed to be any secrets between us!"
"I'm a demon that ca here from Hell, and Yvenna and her little cult worshipped for almost a century because of so prophecy soone made. I don't know about the prophecy, but the demon part, it's here. Just look."
And to show what I ant, I took off my mask.
Risha gasped. "Your face! B-but… I've seen it before, it was… It wasn't like that!"
"That's just a part of what I am, Risha." I put the mask back on, since no food was in sight to put in my mouth, and shrugged. "Can never guess what I will look like next month."
"See? So things you just better not knowing about," Rosha said, gesturing at . "I was keeping this from you to protect you, Risha. Voren, he's… He isn't as good as you thought. It's safer to know less about him for you."
"What about you, then?" Risha challenged her sister. "Why not for you?"
"We signed a contract to not share what we know about each other for harm," Rosha explained.
Yvenna huffed. "One day, the entire world will know about Voren, and will praise him and shit. Now that will be a day… Oh, and we will execute all the followers of the Twelve who won't convert to the new faith! Hundreds of them, thousands…" Her eyes turned dreamy. "There will be rivers of blood."
"R-really?" Risha paled. "That's awful!"
"She's exaggerating, Risha. But…" Rosha grit her teeth, then tsked. "See what we are dealing with? Nutjobs and demons from the deepest pits of Hell. See what I was protecting you from? Don't bla for it."
"I…" Risha looked at again. "I won't, Sister. But only this one ti! Because, well, whatever you didn't tell , it doesn't change what I know. If not for Voren, we wouldn't have the money for better things, and Teren would've…"
"Don't think about him, Risha."
She nodded resolutely. "I won't.. He's gone now. So, I still want to help you with what I can!"
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