"How long were you stalking ?" with a tilt of her head, Jotou crossed her legs on the table she sat upon.
"Don’t put it like I’m so creep," Fuko squinted. "Just enough to know the news. I was looking around for maybe so trace of Frost; maybe she’d return to the scene of the cri and all that," her eyes pierced right into Jotou’s.
Jotou’s mind calculated, "Sounds like you figured sothing out..." nothing was given away in her visage.
Fuko placed her steps into the tent, "Let’s just say your informant blasted off a cliff."
Jotou closed her eyes and simply smirked, "I told you; I know you’re smart enough to guess who it could be. I’ll tell you you’re right at least," she hushed.
"Nobody’s around to hear us, I checked so don’t worry. But what happened to not confirming nor denying any of my theories?"
"I’m not playing it safe; I said that more than a week ago, when she hadn’t blasted my detective off a cliff," her eyes sparked. "If she’s sohow listening, I think I’m justified in doing what I’m doing."
"So no more loyalty to Frost then," Fuko stood right in front of the blonde.
"Whatever odd sense of loyalty I had, it’s faltering. Keeping you safe and well is higher on my list of priorities than any intel she could ever give . And if she’s gonna hinder that, then no dice."
Fuko’s eyes darted away and her cheeks took a rosy shade. She exhaled and bead, "Thanks for saying that. The main question is though, what intel are you losing by losing your informant?" her more inquisitive expression took over imdiately after.
"Well, I may have sothing we can piece together detective," Jotou pondered whilst the brunette gave an ear. "I’ve got the closest reason as to why Trailon is trying not to kill and Daiyu. All the elites even had the sa orders."
"They haven’t killed cause of what happened in Kria and my dad’s reputation, that’s clear enough. You two—I an you said it—being from another world has sothing to do with it."
"Right, but we had no idea why. We jotted it down as ’we’re special, so they wanna capture instead of kill’ and moved on. After all, Trailon knows well that we both died and ca back to life.
But it’s sothing Feather said; that if she killed either one of us, then- blank. She shut her mouth and said that it’s information for Frost to find out," Jotou folded her legs up and sat completely on the table.
"So you’re telling , Frost would know the intel by now then. But why wouldn’t Feather tell her that earlier? Why would she have to tell Frost right then or after she teleported?"
"As Frost put it, they don’t get along very well; none of the elites do."
"Maybe it could’ve been a deal then," Fuko held a hand to her chin.
"Which also ans, Feather knows of my nature being here, but maybe not the whole of Trailon, otherwise Frost could’ve found that information elsewhere. Rain didn’t know and I doubt Dread did.
Feather also said, ’a little birdie told ’, which all makes think Feather wasn’t supposed to know that info in the first place and it’s what made Frost chase that lead to make a deal."
"Too bad we don’t have Feather; if I won against Frosty, maybe we could’ve gotten the info."
"We were playing on her battlefield, there was little to no chance of interrogating her. Fighting magic against magic is one thing; but when all it takes is one prick to get poisoned? We were at a severe disadvantage.
I could’ve kept sparking out to kill her poisonous birds and maybe could’ve outlasted her mana, but with others around; all it took was poisoning soone else.
I would’ve talked or ca to so kind of agreent when Feather started talking, but in the heat of the mont I thought intimidation was the best tactic..." Jotou held the bridge of her nose.
"Too late now; I don’t think she would’ve given it anyway," Fuko crossed her arms, "Any guesses as to what that lead is?"
"I don’t know," Jotou shook her head. "Whatever it is, we’ll only find out if or Daiyu are killed is my best guess. I’m not exactly excited to find out."
"As you should be. I don’t think any of us like the idea of you dying..." she pouted.
Jotou gazed away, "I know." A mory of her in Hartamat played itself as she looked back to the brunette... "Anyway, pair that with or Daiyu being unable to injure ourselves, it seems like dying is a really, really bad idea."
"There’s also another thing to consider; Frost is interested in so info regarding you. Why?"
"To dangle it over my head? To get more leads? Because she’s curious about ? Any number of reasons," Jotou listed.
"Vas..." Fuko mumbled, "They call you that. They coined that specific term, because you were back from the dead from another world." Red strings began to form in her mind, "Coining a term for one specific person is a bit odd isn’t it?
When you make a new term for sothing, there’s usually a couple or a few cases; like velatos. If it’s one person or one thing, you give it a proper term; like titles to a person.
Why give you—one person—such a basic term, which is just the Regimian word for vessel? You agreed with Asobi, that it could be the sa reason they want Daiyu caught and not killed.
I know I’m making a bit of a stretch, call it intuition, but it could an Trailon or the Regis know of a few ’vas’-s. Which would an..."
"My friends; the Regis know of them," Jotou uttered. "Vandlevela has on their radar, Frost said. It ans they could have eyes on where all my friends are..."
"It’s a theory at best," Fuko shrugged. "There’s plenty of reasons they could call you vas; Daiyu and you- or Anastasia and the previous princess, died to them and ca back to life."
Jotou breathed out, her eyes softened, "We have so lead, but we can barely piece it together. The term vas, vessel, just makes feel bad..."
Fuko cocked her head to Jotou. The blonde stared into the palm of her hand, "Because I am inhabiting the body of a dead woman."
She moved each finger gingerly, feeling her nails graze across her palm, each knuckle moving independently, the strands of hair against her neck and the flutter of her eyelashes as each breath entered and exited her lungs.
"But, I don’t feel that way; because I feel like this IS ," with a shake of her head, she shook the frown off of her, "Just a thought, that’s all. No matter what, I’m ," she smiled to Fuko.
"You’re you to too," Fuko smiled back, "No matter what body you’re in, I’ll know it’s you."
"Hm," Jotou chuckled, "What would be a giveaway?"
"I don’t know; the catty spite, calling detective, the wink with your tongue out, the way you walk. Hell, if you’re sitting on a rooftop late at night looking up at the stars, that’d be the biggest tell," Fuko snickered.
Jotou was about to laugh before- "Wait," a lightbulb lit up over her head. "Stars."
"You wanna go stargazing? Right now? Guess it’s a nice night with the sll of corpses," Fuko snarked and furrowed her brows.
"No, no, no," her eyes widened, "Frost said sothing to that didn’t make sense. I asked how well she’d think we’d do against Trailon in the last stand.
She said she’d wish luck, but we had two stars with us," Jotou leapt off of the table in recognition. "At the ti, I didn’t know what it ant and just brushed it aside cause Frost left before she answered.
But now, considering that only Daiyu and have the similarity of being called vas, that the term ’star’ could just be another word for us!" she threw out her hands to Fuko.
Fuko took a mont to think, "Vas, vessel, only the two of you; stars, only ntioned two... With our theory of vas being a term for multiple people, and if she said we have two stars, it could an there are other stars...
Makes sense," Fuko raised a brow to Jotou, "But why star?"
"Stars—space—magic—aliens?" Jotou forced a smile?
Fuko’s eyes glazed over, "Asobi could do better."
"I have no clue," Jotou tightened her lips.
"So we’re back where we started... Ehhh..." Fuko wilted and sighed.
"Hey, we cracked sothing detective. We just don’t know what it is yet, which pisses off, but it’s sothing. I think we at least have a couple of steps from where we started. It’s just a matter of ti before we crack this mystery wide open."
A shadow glimred in her eyes as she flipped her hair back and stood tall with fists to her hips, "That’s right! With this detective duo, no mystery on this planet will go unfigured!"
Jotou’s head slanted all the way to the side, "When did I sign up to be a detective?" her eyes closed.
Arabella poked her head into the tent and gave a whistle to grab their attention. She signalled with her hands. It appeared their transport had arrived.
_
"Asobi," one poke. "Sobi~" another poke to her right cheek. "Ah, so, bee," Hotaru poked the sleeping elf over and over. Even with the prodding, Asobi slept soundly on a dical bed dragged out of the nearby tents.
Hotaru sighed, "Co on, our transport’s here." Wearing her magician’s attire once more, every bruise and injury healed to perfection; perhaps one or two scars for a later date.
"Wake up, you can go sleep in our tent," Hotaru hushed and pushed her shoulder; still no use. The redhead leaned in close and lifted Asobi’s head up lightly, "There’s rainbow-flavoured cotton candy in front of us," she whispered into the pointy ears.
"...hhh...Huh?" she muttered awake, her jade green eyes waxing ever so slowly.
"Hi there," her fangs glistened.
"Ho-taru," Asobi blinked a few tis then squeaked a yawn. "I feel, collapsible..." she tried to lift an arm.
"Here," Hotaru set her head back down and handed her wand into her grasp, folding her fingers in. "Fuko found your hat too, it’s right next to you."
Asobi sided her head to her hat sat beside her. "I rember, a lot of feet and... pain... I saw white light, but it wasn’t happy white lights, it felt like, like I couldn’t think anymore..." she murmured.
Hotaru tried her best to conceal the frown upon her lips, "You really had worried." She petted her raven-black hair and held her shoulder, "I healed you the best I could; you still need a lot of rest."
"...I’m sorry I got, hurt so much to make you, worry. I should’ve stayed invisible," her weary face glanced to the wolf-woman.
"Asobi, no, it’s not your fault, don’t worry," Hotaru soothed. "Can you walk a bit?"
"Hm..." Asobi wriggled her bare toes and attempted to lift a leg only to flinch a little.
"Really sore?"
Asobi nodded.
"Want Jotou to carry you?"
Asobi nodded.
"Then I’ll get Jotou to carry you. Plenty of hot food and rest for you, okay?" Hotaru bead softly.
Asobi humd into a small smile, tired and hurt; but it could still brighten a room.
"You can go back to sleep, I’ll heal any scars once you feel better. Make sure to have nice dreams~"
Asobi didn’t giggle, didn’t make a sound. Her waning eyes rely stared at Hotaru, the smile persisting on her lips, "You always take care of us and even scold us.
You make feel very safe... Thank you for playing with all those tis. I had so much fun with you. Thank you Hotaru..." that’s all the strength before she smiled warmly asleep.
Hotaru could not help but giggle. She held Asobi’s hand with both her hands and pressed it gently. "Whoever dares to hurt you," she glared and her ears spiked as her eyes flickered a sprinkling of blue rainwater...
_
’We made it back in one piece; back to Division Six. I carried Asobi to bed, Feyan rushed for us imdiately and panicked.
Two elites left and that’s it. And I have no idea what Frost is up to. I’m so tired...’ Jotou looked to her bed; all around her were exhausted faces, who slept the mont their heads hit the pillow.
The fact that the Sun was present and it was already the next morning did not bother them at all. ’The king hasn’t returned from Division Five and we’re making changes in positions tomorrow; or, ’today’ I guess.
Ti to get the most sleep I can. I’ll never know when Cinder might attack.’ Jotou sat on her bedside and already she could fall asleep. That is, till she felt sothing slip into her coat pocket...
Jotou imdiately turned to the brunette, who was fast asleep. ’Don’t tell ...’ She reached a hand in and felt. ’Of course...’ An envelope.
Unbothered of being discovered, she opened up the letter; the paper was cold to the touch as expected... ’Congratulations. Nice job pretty Princely, you’ve done really, really well.
Sorry about the little detective; hopefully you don’t resent , but I have to keep appearances up, don’t I? Besides, she got so good hits on that I think even you struggled to get.
You won’t be seeing again in the last stand, so you only have one elite left. Careful, the last I saw Cinder, he was already pissed off. With Feather out of the picture now too...
Well, you definitely won’t hear from again if you’re a pile of ashes. So, good luck. I hope you win. And speaking of piles of ashes, zap this letter for , will you?
-V.’
...
...
Jotou sighed and got up to the trash can. Crunching the paper in her fist, she zapped it into black dust and let it scatter in and out. She let out another huff.
"V. I got one letter of your na, huh? Is it the initial of a first na or a last na? Ai, ai, ai," Jotou walked back to her bed. ’Correction I guess; five down, one to go.’
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