Where chaos stops and more chaos ensues. Where Filia plays the electric keyboard.
Where anything goes.
-//o_O\\7 *Home of the Awful, Mediocre and Pathetic* -//u_u\\7
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Where chaos stops and more chaos ensues. Where Filia plays the electric keyboard. Where anything goes. -//o_O\\7 *Home of the Awful, Mediocre and Pathetic* -//u_u\\7 |
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Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - The Wayward, Part VIII.i - 25. Someone? You mean he was that guy? "Wait, don't tell me!" I exclaimed as I jogged through my memory, and found a street sign which looked like it directed me to what I was looking for, "You were that guy heading in the other direction down this road ... riding in a horse-drawn carriage." "Well, seeing as to how I'm presently riding a horse-drawn carriage away, I don't think that's a particularly specific observation ..." Io Aoi demurred, scratching the base of his chin provocatively. "No, really, I know who I'm talking about," I asserted rather insistently, accentuating my confidence with the slap of my fist into my hand, "It was a brown-haired guy ... who was really mean, who yelled at me and told me to get that monster behind me out of the way. Isn't that right, huh?" "I ... well ..." And then his expression flickered as the light bulb of epiphany behind his eyes seemed to suffer power difficulties, "Yeah ... I guess ... I figured that the person under that hood must've been your little sibling or something, seeing as to how the two of you were walking together for most of the time that I could see you ..." "Little sibling?" I repeated indignantly, before glancing behind, and gazing into the empty hood of the creature devoid of a visage, and realised that it should not be despised for not being an adequate substitute for a sibling but pitied, for unnecessarily (and unexplainably) being more than one. "That's not the nicest way to describe our friend over here!" I retorted, instinctively defensive. Well, come on! It's always nice to own something ... something that responds to and obeys you ... "Haha, don't worry about it," he chirped as he laid the reins of the horse in his lap. Having crossed over most of the undulating terrain I remember passing through on my way to the laboratory, the way ahead looked straight and clear and the animal should not be needing any more guidance, "We all have our own little things in life. Like my horse here, for instance, Io's Iiuuaa, who stuck with me through engorged and emaciated. And other things, too, like ..." And he mysteriously fell silent, not continuing the sentence, instead simply sitting there pursing his lips oddly as if he was sucking on a dry reed, or the thin stem of a pipe. Halfway back to town, I guess ... we were back at that precipice where I remembered finding myself, lost and disoriented, and sniggered bemusedly at the fact that I was still lost and disoriented hours later, despite having embarked on an adventure of sorts. The beauty of the cliffside view had dissipated somewhat with the clearing of the clouds, and the sun making headway up into the sky to scorch the earth mercilessly, the now dull and coarse lukewarm breeze seeming to buffet it on its way. Io's silence seemed to arise at that very point, on the road between the farm and the cliff, and in my mind I could imagine him lying back in the warmth of the sun and reminiscing on his past 'adventures' in his younger days. Heh. And I guess my adventure with him now would likely be one I remember some day in the future, when I too lie back and dream. Unlike Io Aoi, I had no dreams to ponder for the present, however, and my short attention span drove me to notice something else. As the carriage jolted a little upon rolling over a loose stone, the items in my pocket thudded heavily through the layers of my skirt and sounded off the wooden floor, reminding me of their presence. Ah, yes! And what better way to relieve a bored and unentertained mind by fishing through the secrets inscribed in the diary of someone full of fantasies. Um ... fantasies about the Princess? Maybe that wasn't such a good idea ... It didn't matter, anyway ... fishing both items out of my pockets I glanced at the seductive and enchantingly arrogant smirk of the Princess Uaeouue, before setting it on my lap and turning my attention to the leather-bound diary-like book I had found beneath it. And I promptly realised that, since I couldn't understand the written language of the people here, I didn't have a hope of actually finding out who the owner of the diary was, let alone just what was written inside. Grumbling at missing out on a potentially amusing (or, possibly, potentially outraging) glance through the thoughts of some individual or another, I stuffed both items back in either pockets and turned my gaze to the main road, where judging from the gradual proliferation of houses by the roadside, it seemed that we were entering a settlement. Io Aoi noticed my curious gaze, and before I could ask where we were going he was quick and instinctive in answering that very same question. "Maybe you don't know this already, but I'd better tell you, anyway. This is the town of Ouaiie ("What?"), and it's basically a happy, laid-back centre for farmers to gather and exchange farm stuff and gossip. Lovely place. I don't live here, of course, being an explorer, but since this place is rather backwater and the closest town to many of the places which offer the greatest adventures, I do pass through here pretty often. The local innkeeper knows me, I'm a regular." Suppressing the urge to ask the most obvious question, which was to repeat the name of the town so I could here it properly, my choice of replies was strongly affected by nothing other than my irreverent stomach, which gargled angrily upon hearing the mention of the word 'inn'. "You said that there's an inn here ..." I murmured, caressing my growling belly, "Do they happen to serve food as well? Can we have breakfast?" "Breakfast? Oh, I was thinking about heading to the next town for that ..." he remarked rather affectedly, perhaps proclaiming his ability to go without food for a long time or similarly criticising my inability to do so, "But I guess, since you asked, that we could try to get a meal here." Yeah. Didn't he just say that there wasn't another town for quite some distance? Either he meant to say 'lunch', or he was simply up to his usual blustery lies to show himself off. "Um, great, yeah," I hummed, not particularly pleased with his response but hoping to avoid a similarly annoying follow up, "Let's do just that." It was clear that we had reached the town centre as the gravel road, now lined on both sides by small brick or wooden houses, gave way to a large circus in what was presumably the town's nexus. In its centre stood a elaborately carved fountain, the water spurting from it so full of energy and clarity that it almost seemed like a natural spring. Numerous passers-by strolled the roadsides of each path leading from the crossroads, no street being clearly designated for them, and were free to cross the road at their ease, indeed, just about all of them were careful enough to stop and look before they walked, thus avoiding the various horse-drawn vehicles traversing the roads without incident. Io Aoi turned right, away from a road teeming with shoppers which looked like it led to the seaside, and then made another turn, this time into the roomy open-mouthed garage next to a building bedecked with more windows and lamps than the usual. So that was the inn, and this was the stable. "You sure no one's going to ... to kidnap it or something?" I questioned rather timorously, not too relieved at the thought of my good friend being left in the carriage alone while Io and I went off to get something to eat. "Pshaw, who'd want something like that!" smirked an Io Aoi somewhat impressed at my concern for something so ... unworldly, "For starters, I think it's perfectly capable of defending itself if need be, and if it really did listen to you, you'ld tell it to just stay here and it wouldn't move an inch. What really begs the question, however, is whether it needs to eat or drink anything like the rest of us." "Yeah, good point," I pondered, giving the silent companion one last glance before Io latched the louvred doors of the front of the carriage shut and padlocked them tightly, "I never really thought about that. Maybe it just lives on water from the air? Or it picks up whatever it ... moves over, on the ground? I don't really want to find out ... and besides, it doesn't even look like something that can die, so maybe it should be fine to let it be ... um, are you there?" I glanced behind, to see that he had not even waited to listen to me attempt to answer his question. Instead, he was standing outside the large, heavy wooden door of the establishment, muttering something to himself as he put the key to his carriage back in one of his belt pockets. "Hmm ... so how do I put this across ... how to present myself ... don't want anything unpleasant ..." Hopefully he wasn't planning on putting a proposition to any unlucky lady within, because while he looked the type who could bear disappointment, it was unlikely that many could bear much of the farcically chauvnistic attitude he propped himself up with. "Why don't you go right in? There's not much point standing out in the middle of the street mumbling to yourself, is there?" I chirped, sounding natural, as I placed my hand on the doorknob and opened the door for him ... to his alarm, it seemed. For behind the door stood a small counter, behind which sat a plain-faced, middle-aged, slightly balding chap with a pencil and a heavy guestbook lying open beside him. He didn't seem much more than your average nameless storeholder (in this case, innkeeper) until his wandering eyes fell upon the doorway ... and the rather dumbstruck Io Aoi standing in the middle of it. "Io Aoi, self-proclaimed intrepid explorer, courageous and dauntless adventurer," snarled the innkeeper in a voice thick and rubbery with cynicism, "I am surprised that you are still brave enough ... to darken my doorstep, after I told you never to come back again until you've repaid your debts! Perhaps I should thank you for your favourable patronage ... assuming I was running a charity! We don't provide free food or lodging here, and it pains me to waste precious breath in telling you to clear off yet again, and take your stupid hat with you at that!" His voice suddenly softened, at the flaring fury in his eyes dimmed as he shifted his gaze a little, to fall upon me. "Now, young lady, pardon me for my outburst. You are more than welcome to patronise my inn, but if that is not your intention, please do me the good favour of shutting the door on that worthless filth behind you. Thank you." "?!" My jaw hung agape at this tirade so direct and focussed it almost sounded prepared, and as I turned to the target of it for advice as to my next action, I found that once again he had pre-empted me by speedily ducking behind me and back to the passage leading to the stables, shivering wildly. Too de-energised to groan, I could only huff one as I shut the heavy door carefully and turned back to confront my courageous companion turned cowardly chicken. "You said you were a regular here?" I demanded, not particularly pleased at the reception he and I had received. "I ... I am ..." he stammered, chomping on his fingers to keep his teeth from chattering, "I'm popular at the bar there, but it seems that the proprietor finally got wind of my ... hehe ... uh, did I say a regular?" he laughed uneasily, scratching the greasy hair of his peeking out from under his hat, "Maybe I meant, 'irregular', heh heh ..." "And he said that you didn't pay up, or something like that," I accused, fuelled no doubt by resentment at missing out on food, even though it might be for only minutes at best, "Aren't you a famous adventurer? Isn't exploring and questing and doing jobs enough to help you make a living?" "I ... well, yeah, of course I adventure! That's what I do!" remonstrated a fretful Io Aoi as he straightened a hat which was beginning to slip off his crown after all that scratching, "But it's not as if monsters and fearsome beasts carry gold and valuables around with them, you know? When it comes to dealing with bandits and criminals, it's more often that I have to save what little gold I have from them before they run off with it! It's an interesting and exciting job, but not the most profitable one, at that!" "Then what about your horse? You ride around on one," I retorted, spotting the obvious logical flaw, "But it's certainly not the cheapest animal to upkeep! She can get some from the wild, but how do you keep your horse fed every day with fresh, tasty grass and clean water?" "Oh, horses mightn't be the cheapest animals to feed ..." Io Aoi remarked somewhat knowingly as he led me back to the stable, "But they certainly are the easiest. Have you fed well, my dear friend?" he grinned as he patted the horse's mane, the horse currently feeding hungrily out of a trough of golden hay, undiscerningly prepared earlier for some unknown customer while being patronised by a skinflint Io. Freeloader to the extreme, I must declare. "But there's still the question of our breakfast!" I exclaimed rather indignantly, perhaps at being left out while Io concentrated his attention and his affection on the pet of his own, "You obviously don't have money enough to pay back your debt at that bar enough to get some food, and it's the likely case that you won't be getting paid for this job until you report back to ... that Palace you talked about, so how are we going to eat anything? I'm not a graminovore, you know!" "Huh. I told you to wait until we got to the next town! I was hoping not to resort to this, but ..." he demurred as he unlocked the padlock sealing his carriage and unlatched the doors, to reveal my robed companion still resting quietly where we had left it, "I know of a family around here who would be more than happy to provide me with some food, and probably some for you as well. I don't want to burden them unnecessarily, but ..." "But? You're daring enough to swipe a free lunch from a corporate enterprise, and yet you're not willing to ask someone polite and generous enough to give it to you for nothing? What kind of messed-up economist are you?" Seriously, he was asking for that one. Common sense dictates that getting something for free, no strings attached, was better than getting something for free but having a large angry man yell at you for it afterwards. "I ... well ... it's personal, you see ..." he murmured as he clambered onto the carriage, then extended a helping hand for me to pull myself onto it in a decent fashion, "But since you asked, I guess I'll give it a try. Which makes me wonder ..." "Wonder what?" I asked as I gave the creature a quick look-over, to see that it really hadn't changed a bit (beyond a slight ruffle of the robes) ever since I had left the carriage earlier, then gingerly removed the items from my pockets, them having been clanking painfully against my legs as I was climbing off and on the carriage. "I wonder why I'm doing so much for you, even though you're the one who's in debt to me after I did you the favour of taking you back to civilisation ... and more," Io Aoi sighed as he ensured that the carriage was securely fastened, before plonking himself in the driver's seat and giving the horse the gee-off, "Seeing as to how I'm in so much financial trouble, as you can see, I wonder why I'm willing to go thus far, for you." "Heh," I chuckled quietly as I fondled the items in my arms, before giving the Princess' portrait a quick glance, then turning away, "I think I might know why." So, it's your call again. Direct this bewildered adventurer on to the path of reason. Or not, well, as I said, it's up to you. 29. I'm still a prisoner! It's your responsibility to provide for me! 30. Don't imprison yourself! You just feel responsible for others! - Your adventure ... "Yay!" *runs around adventuring* ... Hey! Come back here, or I can't end your adventure! - posted by Charlotte | 3:45 pm
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Disclaimer : The Slayers and Filia Ul Copt and all images thereof are the property of Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I don't own any of them, although if I had a choice I would want Filia ... ~//n_n\\7 |
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