"Kazuo Namora, greatest detective in Burnetrout. His claim to fa was tracking down the head of the Deuctus Cult and shutting down their operation.
I'm not sure what exactly their deal was or what their cris were, I was too young to rember. All I know was that I was to stay inside the house and I had tutors to be ho-schooled as long as I can rember...
We- we had an argunt... a few months ago. So, I packed my things and left through my window in the early morning. I stowed away in so cargo carts and used what little allowance I had on food on the way.
I entered Kria by night, showed my Burntish ID—which doubles as our passports—to the customs and made it to the East Kria Krialin Station where I applied for the detective position.
...By using a letter of recomndation from my father... that I forged. I slept the night and when I woke up, everyone was talking about so blonde girl who ca back from the dead.
I snuck my way into the filing rooms and read through the new docunts and learned about the Velatos Case; it was perfect to show that I could be a detective and then I t the blonde girl," Fuko looked at Jotou.
Hotaru leered closer... The brunette's eyes would shift, her shoulders shut off her body. Nothing new she had not seen during a trial, "You're not telling the whole story ko."
"I," Fuko grumbled, but she could not pull off the trick to the lawyer who tricked her and Jotou the sa way, "I don't want to talk about it, alright!?"
She sat up, arms crossed, "I'm a runaway who wanted to be a detective and now I want to adventure with all of you, it's as simple as that. And clearly my dad doesn't want to 'interfere' either."
"If he's such a good detective, how hasn't he found you yet?"
"Silly Jotou, he's the greatest detective in Burnetrout. ko's smart enough to co to Kria so he's not the greatest anymore!"
Jotou gazed to Asobi, "That's... not how that works."
"I swear," Fuko shook her head. "But I don't know the answer. When I left, I said I'd be going north and to not co looking for in a note.
Apparently, the genius workings in the Krialin sent a letter back to him saying that I was doing fine here and they were keeping an eye on .
They weren't wrong, they definitely kept an eye on ... But that should've ended that goose chase and I guess this newspaper's told why I never got a letter; not like I wanted one anyway."
"I suppose you don't want to tell what that argunt was about then?" Hotaru closed the paper, eyes softening and ears falling, "You don't have to; okay?"
"The dia going in and out of Kria was being controlled, right? So your dad wouldn't actually know what danger you were in... Maybe that's why he didn't want to check up on you, thinking you were safe," Jotou supposed.
"Sounds uncharacteristic of him, but that's the only reasonable conclusion. He, probably doesn't want to talk to ..." her eyes watched the floor.
"Aw, ko..."
"Asobi, if you hug , I will bite your ears off."
"...Not even-"
"Not even a little one."
"Just hug her Asobi," Jotou allowed.
"Yay!" the elf wrapped her arms around Fuko.
Fuko's arms flailed out, "Hey! Why d'you listen to her over !" Though she protested, no ears were bitten off. Another empty threat as she accepted the hug in the end...
A grumbling Fuko sat, eating her food... She peered up to the wolf-girl, sheepishly hiding away her eyes, "Thank, you... For not making explain it... I'll, I'll say it at so point."
Hotaru's lips rose only by a little, "And if you never do, it's fine too."
"I'll probably keep annoying about it, but, know that you don't have to tell either. You wanted a new start, freedom from your parents and guess what? You did detective. We'll always be here for you Fuko."
"Yeah! So cheer up ko!" Asobi floated over a butterfly onto the top of her head.
The pouty face softened, eyeing them with her face turning slightly red. "Can I eat in peace now?" her head ducked while the illusory white butterfly walked over her headband.
_
"We've reached Hartamat; we'll be stopping here for the night," the coachman relayed through the little door.
"Okay!"
"Gah!" the driver shivered as an illusory Asobi sat next to him, her wand poking through the gap.
Fourteen hours later, in the darkness of night and lampposts they walked, barely registering the cracking soil under their feet. "Four rooms please," Hotaru stood at the counter.
Most of the carriages had parked at the inn at the edge of the town. All the lights from any abode or shop were off in the near vicinity.
Small houses were built row by row. Asobi squeaked a yawn whilst Jotou stretched from back to legs. The sky showed no stars—the slight silver shine of the moon peeked through the clouds.
Both arms pressed against the booth counter, she flipped the pages of the registry. Brown hair hanging loose, so to cover the bags under her eyes.
Her hand made about twenty movents to reach for the pen a few re centitres away, "Sorry ma'am, we only have three rooms left."
"Oh. Then, a room for four please."
She took a breath, "The cabins left only got two beds. So, if you want the floor."
"We can take two and split up," Fuko voiced from behind Hotaru.
"We'll do that then."
"Works for . Two silver per night, enjoy your stay. Soap and towels will co to every door at nine and the water starts pumping at nine thirty," she handed two keys.
Hotaru paid for the night before one key was swiped from her grasp. "I choose Jotou as my roommate!" the brunette blinked away.
"Hey, I wanted to- Fine, it's just one night. Wait till we get to Cravolta City," Hotaru walked back, "Co on Asobi."
_
"Yay! Our rooms are next to each other. I can send my illusions through the windows to wake you up!" Two small cabins of brick and stone.
"Please don't do that," Jotou requested, putting the key into the lock.
"I can blink through your window and break your wand."
"EEP! PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!"
"Shhh," Hotaru held Asobi's mouth shut, "It's late, people are trying to sleep."
"Mhm."
Jotou opened the door and dragged her luggage along inside. "Goodnight, sleep well," Jotou waved whilst Fuko walked in.
"You two too, goodnight."
"Have wonderful dreams!"
In a tired daze, Jotou uttered, "Hey, can you look the other way. Like old tis?"
"Yeah, yeah," Fuko faced the bed while Jotou changed into her nightgown. Two beds, a dresser and windows at each bedside, "This... kinda reminds of when we first t, doesn't it?"
"What, when we frantically ran all over town and fought Ana's dead mother?"
"I an the room idiot."
"Oh, well," her heavy eyes squinted to the room of wood flooring, lit by two magical lamps on the wall in a mild yellow and walls painted peach, "A little."
"It was nice; having a friend like you to explore Kria with..."
Jotou turned, adventuring gear put aside and her sword she placed against the nightstand. Yellow fabric, comfortable and floaty, "Where's this suddenly coming from?" the blonde bounced as she sat on the springs of the bed.
"What? I can't get nostalgic?" the brunette snarked turning back. The blonde locks loose and face still adorned with light makeup... Fuko gulped, "You are, my first, ever friend..."
'Is this sothing to do with her parents? She was ho-schooled. She must've been a bird locked in a cage pretty much if she had to jump out a window to run away.'
"And I couldn't be happier that I accepted your help that day. I'd normally tease you for being so kind all of a sudden; maybe it's because I'm tired, but I really appreciate you ko.
I can relate to having tough parents and choosing to be with a family made up of your friends. Being the daughter of the greatest detective in Burnetrout, you must have so serious pressure on your shoulders.
I'll ss with you all day long, but I don't doubt your ability. Be who you want to be and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If you want to be an adventuring detective, then I support you all the way," Jotou's smile was alit by the dim yellow.
"I- I want to show you sothing," she looked to the lamp... The warm glow, curtains shut—she turned her back to Jotou, unbuttoning her pinafore and pulling down the zipper of her poofy-sleeved white shirt.
"What are you doing?"
"Just, wait," Fuko took a deep breath and took her pinafore off. She couldn't do it... she wouldn't... To her fear, she took another deep breath... and then pulled the back of her shirt to one side; she exposed her back and winced her eyes tight.
Going down past her black undershirt, across her back, starting from her waist and patching up towards her abdon were marks, red against her otherwise pale skin.
Spotted and stretched; the burn scars had grown with age, so odd patches of scars trailing with rivers of her normal skin passing through.
"Is, that why you're scared of fire?" Jotou's eyes lowered.
"You wouldn't know of the Great Fire of Burnetrout, seventeen years ago... I was in that... when I wasn't even a year old. My dad at the ti was a firefighter called down from Luxinor.
After he saved from one of the burning buildings, he eventually adopted . I never left the house, because he was too scared to let go...
I knew I was in a fire when I was a baby, I knew I didn't have a mother anymore, but I didn't know he wasn't my father... I even thought he was from Burnetrout. It was, an ugly argunt... but I wanted to leave, I had planned to many tis before.
I got to go out, a few tis a year under my dad's watch and that's as far as my experience goes. The rest was through a window I can look down onto the streets."
Fuko endured watching the wall, showing her scars. She placed a finger on her headband, "This is the only thing I know is my mother's. All of that, probably explains my pyrophobia.
It doesn't scare too much, but when it gets too close, I don't like it," Fuko turned back to Jotou; she was still in a pout as her eyes watered under the yellow glimr.
Jotou tilted her head, hands steadying on the covers, "Why are you telling all of this? Why didn't you tell everyone I an?"
"I'll tell them at so point... I feel more comfortable around you than them—maybe Hotaru. You won't believe , but I prefer to keep Asobi happy... but more importantly, I'm telling you this because...
Jotou?"
"Yeah?"
Her heart quickened, "You're, really clever; you'd make a good detective... So," she gulped, "You know that I like you, right? More than normal..." her eyes stared straight to the blonde, face flushed red.
'Huh!?' "I an, it was kind of obvious. Though, I'm also very paranoid so, I rarely think of anything as absolute. So, yes and no," she shrugged.
'Nice save Jotou you clueless idiot... It makes sense now; the way she acted around and the way she acts when no one else is around.'
"You don't have to say anything!" Fuko threw her hands up. Jotou peered up from her pondering. "I know you like to focus on one thing at a ti.
I don't want an answer or anything right now. We're all on an adventure together and it can stay that way, I didn't want to complicate the plan or anything.
I just, it was bottling up and, you look very pretty tonight," the slur of words ca out as Fuko dashed her eyes to the side, gritting her teeth.
'I... I have no clue what to say...' "Alright."
"Alright? Alright!? What kind of response is that!?"
Jotou recoiled slightly, "You, asked not to think about it. So I won't. Nothing's gotten complicated and we're all still friends going on an adventure. I'm... very anxious about these sorts of things."
"Oh. Okay," Fuko nodded—her smile subtle.
Jotou moved her bangs behind her ear, "Listen, we'll hop on a train tomorrow, go to Cravolta City and see what's there. Whatever happens, promise we'll have fun and you never stop being a detective to discover everything there."
"That," she cleared her throat, sitting up, tiny sparkles of hope in her pupils, "That I can promise."
"Good," Jotou stretched a yawn, "Then let's get so sleep shall we? I'm running on four hours."
Fuko shuffled under her blanket after popping her shoes off. She shrivelled up in the bed, looking towards Jotou, "Goodnight."
"Sweet dreams," Jotou shut off the lamps, curling into her bed that she could lt into. She did not think one second of it; the bed was too comfy for her sleepy head. Sleeping like a baby, a small shock went over her hair in comfort.
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