Doorway to Mystery

Michael had been hovering over a geographical map with a sour look on his face. Just a moment ago he'd gone to take a sip of coffee from his mug, only to find that said coffee had been drunk already and there was nothing left but that disgusting matcha stuff Evelyn loved so much. He shuddered at thought and twisted away from the map sprawled across the table, grabbing a bottle of water instead. The sound of heavy footsteps drew his eyes up to the door and he inwardly groaned at the person who entered, their arms flailing humorously as they swatted away the fabric flap from the door. He took a rather large gulp from his bottle and smiled stiffly at Frank, watching his glasses slide slowly down his nose. The man took a breath wiping his forehead with his sleeve and Michael watched in morbid fascination as more sweat ran down the sides of his face and neck, drenching the collar of his shirt. He made a small but disgusted noise and raised his eyebrow, urging the breathless man to talk. Frank awkwardly patted himself down and flashed a crooked smile.

"Sorry ah, you need to come with m-me. Take the cam-camera too." Michael had always known Frank to be a bit odd, especially when it came to social situations, but this was more than the usual oddness even for him. Being blunt and partly rude didn't suit him and neither did it suit Michael either, so without saying a word he nodded and meandered around the table to snatch Evelyn's camera from her desk.

It didn't take Frank long to return back to Kurt and Evelyn, her brother carefully keeping up behind him. The look on his face when he arrived was worth all the waiting in the world, she thought. He'd had this natural calm going while Frank had tried to talk to him, only allowing Michael to nod and hum in response to his fast pace. His brain hadn't given much thought to the conversation until they arrived and he looked down towards his sister, dirt stains all over her legs and clothes with a clear but happy smile on her face. It wasn't until Frank had told him just a second before he leant over the edge that they'd found what they were looking for that his face contorted into this odd sort of happy/surprised/shocked look. Evelyn laughed loudly and surprised pretty much everyone gathered. She crooked an eyebrow at her brother.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get down here!!" He didn't need to be told twice and almost as if fate had decided for him, he took one step down into the hole and gently trudged towards his sister and Kurt. Evelyn took her camera, "I need to get a few pictures before we break it…" and a few flashes later she had snapped a still.

"Any signs of a way to open it?" She shook her head in the negative and continued documenting the site. Kurt, on the other hand, slapped a hand on his arm and announced quite smugly.

"Since I got better eyesight than you two combined, I took a gander and I think we have a bit of a clue…" Both Michael and Evelyn shot him a dirty look, eyes narrowed and pointed. Kurt swallowed at the sight, shivering almost in cold. "Anyhow! If you look closely, you can see this faint line going down the middle…" Evelyn skirted back to take a look, eyes squinting before going wide.

"I think I see it…It's underneath all this caked mud, hold on a sec…" Her fingers, still shaky from nerves, cleared a small area from the stone and revealed Kurt's observation. She tried to dip her fingers into the groove, but it was tight and apparently her fingers weren't made of paper. She sighed.

Michael raised his hand to pat his sister softly on her head, fingers gently weaving through her hair as he bent down to peer into her eyes. It was an unspoken conversation between family that Kurt felt almost awkward to see. He smiled and gave one last pat before calling out to another member of the team she was unfamiliar with. He climbed out of the pit carefully and disappeared beyond the reaches of their curious eyes. They looked to each other, a silent question and curiosity apparent on their faces. It wasn't until he returned hefting a large hammer, a chisel and a lopsided grin did they understand what he had planned, and Evelyn let off a sort of high pitched giggle in response.

"Well let's get to cracking this beauty open, shall we!"

It had started to rain. Rain. Mizuki hated the rain. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in the worst possible way. It was lucky that he had arrived at his destination when he did, because the moment he stepped through the plain noren of the kichin-yado it had started to pour down. He let out a breath and closed the sliding door, shutting out the elements and the light of the stars. The room wasn't much but it served its purpose, wooden flooring and very little else. There was a space to cook meals and wood already piled up by the side, ready for lighting. So, Mizuki began to settle down and gingerly pulled out a couple of packages wrapped in bamboo leaves and placed them by the fire pit, spreading out the rest of the contents of his pack to create a makeshift bedding. He groaned in satisfaction as he lowered himself to sit down and crossed his legs comfortably while reaching for the firewood to chuck them into the pit. There was a small grate on the top that acted as a platform to place food upon and as gently as 'humanly' possible he placed the packages on the top and closed his eyes, concentrating. When he opened them again the logs were burning a bright blue and he cracked a worn-down smile into the light, opening another package that seemed to contain some sort of leaves. With water from a Well he had encountered on the way and a rather crude looking container, he brewed some tea and sat back to enjoy the peace. This sort of peace was rare, especially in a country almost completely controlled by the military. A bitter look crossed his features as he stared into the warming glow of the fire, thoughts raging like bubbling water at the mere thought of what this country was heading towards. There was a silence in this inn that calmed him, turning the liquid fire in his head to a soft simmer. It was broken only by the sound of the fire as the wood burned with an audible

Crack!

[Matcha - Tea that is made by grinding down green tea leaves into fine powder]

[Noren – Traditional fabric dividers hung between rooms, on walls, in doorways of in windows.]

[Kichin-yado - Facilities that offer accommodation to general travellers but not food.]