Two Boys and One Girl in A Room

It had been three days since they hid in the tavern's back room.

Bennie Heyes owned the small tavern since he was fifteen, a legacy his grandfather left. It was supposed to be his father's, but he had died fighting in the Elderland War a few decades back.

Not only a good listener, but Bennie was also a talker, it seemed.

He also kindly informed that Sunny and Azran – the companion he somehow acquired throughout this insanity – were officially deemed as his partners in crime from the new posters released by Littlebarrow City Guards.

Therefore, they had spent the last three days sleeping in one little room, sharing two bunk beds, and ultimately driving each other crazy.

"I'm not dying my hair!" Azran grumbled loudly, throwing the gooey potion supposedly used to dye one's hair into bright pink at Sunny's red head.

"It's the only way so people won't notice you!"

"Why don't you dye your own pink and let's see how that goes?"

"I'd like to, but that's only some shades lighter than my own hair. I'll look like your washed up shirt and frankly, that's the least interesting color for my taste!"

"Oh, and you want me to turn pink? You hypocryte murderer!"

"Alleged! Your claim is unproven." Sunny denied it vehemently. "Besides, the only murderer around here is Heon."

Hearing that, Heon flicked a peanut shell to Sunny's forehead. "Don't drag me into your couple squabble."

The red-haired healer mage sneered and threw a peanut shell of his own to him. "

The owner had graciously provided them with bags of peanuts. Partly because he was kind enough to give them food. But mainly because Sunny was a jerk enough, Bennie refused to give them a more nutritious meal.

And if Heon had to point it out, this minus one-star hospitality was because Sunny called Bennie a halfling due to his ears that stick out, thin eyebrows, an angular face, and defined cheekbones.

Apparently, elves existed in this universe. Heon would unpack that for later.

Now, he must get down to business.

"Are you sure dying our hair would get us far?"

"Of course, I'm sure!" Sunny enthusiastically answered. As if he was more eager to dye his hair a different color for fun. "No one knows us well enough to easily pick out our faces in public. Changing our hair color is easily the first thing we should do."

"But not pink," Azran grunted in displeasure. "Unless you want to attract people's attention."

"Exactly!"

"Huh?"

Sunny brought his left hand on Heon's shoulder to pull him close and pointed with his right hand at the green-haired mage. "The first thing people will notice is your bright pink hair. It means, people would not pay so much attention to Heon!"

Sunny's logic didn't sound so bad. In fact, it kind of makes sense. He shared a look with Azran.

"Besides, we don't even need to dye your hair," Sunny grinned and playfully ruffled Heon's dark brown hair – which mostly had become white naturally in the last three days.

"And what about you?"

"Me?"

Sunny grinned and ran his fingers through his red hair, brushing it back. As easy as that, and his red strands turned to blond.

"What do you think of this look? Handsome, ain't I?"

"How did you do that?" Heon asked because no matter what, that was kind of cool. Although, healing a hole in his body was way cooler than simply changing his hair color.

"I can teach you how," Sunny winked at him.

"Now is not the time to show off," Azran interrupted, glaring at the now blond-haired healer mage.

"Okay, later then," the manic boy said to Heon, "She's so bossy, kinda reminds me of my former teacher. The only thing to make her shut up is if I shove my co–"

A punch suddenly landed on Sunny's handsome face.

"Can we please focus?" Azran's eye twitched in annoyance. She raised her fist again when Sunny growled at her.

Not wanting to prolong this unnecessary fight between his fellow unfortunate people, Heon elbowed Sunny's ribs to shut him up.

Alas, it only resulted in precisely the opposite of his desired effect. "You guys love to maim me just because I can heal myself, do you?!"

Heon sighed and turned to the green-haired earth mage. "You don't really need to use the hair color-changing potion if you don't want it."

"Then I won't," Azran didn't miss a beat to say that.

"Hey!"

"It's already decided," she grumbled, throwing the potion's little bottle to Sunny's forehead again. "Give that back to Bennie. I know you stole it from his drawer."

Sunny opened his mouth to deny, but he seemed to think better and shut up a moment later.

"Do we really have to cross over the sea, though?" Heon didn't like the idea.

"What, don't tell me you get sea sickness easily," Azran frowned. A bit of concern crossed over her features.

He grimaced in response. "That, and I can't swim."

Both mages in the camped room blinked.

"Seriously?!" They said in unison.

Heon avoided their gazes. No matter how much he had practiced swimming throughout elementary and junior high school, he still sucked at it.

The only swimming style he ever mastered was Stone Style. As in, he'd drown the moment he let go of the float hence why Physical Education became his least favorite subject in school.

"Again, I wonder how you murdered king Verghan if you can't even swim," Sunny muttered bitterly.

"How many times should I tell you that it's not me?" Heon's shoulders sagged down. He didn't want to go through explaining his side of the story to Sunny and Azran again.

The green-haired mage massaged her temple. "That's why we should cross over to Ecklet Island. There's someone who used to be a guard in the capital. He must know something about this ."

"How much do you trust him?" Sunny quirked an eyebrow.

"As much as you trust Bennie," she said.

"Not that much, then."

Heon and Azran gawked at the manic boy's indifferent tone.

"If you guys are done with your nuts, let's get going," the green-haired girl dusted her still dirty pants as she rose to her feet.

Utterly oblivious to what her word choice sounded like for boys like them.

Heon cleared his throat and stretched his arms, slowly standing up and taking the small bag Bennie gave him in his hand. It was filled with two underwear and a bag of peanuts for the journey across the sea.

Bennie, the tavern owner, also provided them with new clothes. They were not of the best quality and the same model, making them look like a bunch of orphan runaways. But it was ultimately better than wearing nothing, seeing as their clothes were too dirty or full of holes and tears.

"Wear your cloak, damn in," Azran eyed the now blond-haired healer mage. "Better yet, don't wear those ugly jewelry you love so much. It'll give us away."

"They are pretty and you're jealous cause I rock with it!" Sunny pouted, showing off the jade beads that made up his necklace and bracelets.

"Then, at least wear your freaking cloak!"

"It's hot outside!"

"I swear, if we can't get onboard on the boat because people recognize your shitty shiny jewels, I'll throw you to the sea myself. I'll be glad if a kraken eats you alive."

Hearing their heated banter, Heon stiffened. "There's kraken here?!"

"Ugh…"

"The queen seriously put one billion Pasai on this idiot's head? Ridiculous!"

"That's why we need to get going and get some credible info without being caught." Azran glared. "Put on your bloody cloak."

"Jeez. Fine. But I keep my beads on me. Shifas knows, they keep me alive."

Heon should be offended. Except, he's not.

There was something fundamentally wrong in this entire thing, and he would like to get some explanation for it.

Because frankly, there was no way he slew the king, right?

Right?!