Chapter 36: Reconvene

Saoirse is pronounced as Sir-sha.

...

Chapter 36:

Reconvene

"Welcome, Lady Ivana, to Cailith." A tall man bowed outside of an intricately decorated inn. The stone walls were clean and light, like ivory, and there were few people walking in and around the hotel at this time. There were a few passersby whispering and talking amongst themselves, shooting glances towards Eva as she stood in front of the inn.

"That has to be Lady Ivana. My, she's prettier in person!"

"What a beauty. I hope her voice is as sweet as her face." They whispered under their breaths.

Eva stood tall in her high heels, her long red dress covered by a decorative black, velvet cloak that draped around her head and shoulders with an elegant air of looseness. Her makeup had already been put on, and her lips were warmed with a sweet burgundy rouge, making her look pale. Her complexion was paler than usual, and her companions had noticed this as they entered Cailith.

"Thank you, Sullivan. Where will my companions and I be resting?" Eva lifted her head high, making herself appear as the lofty, beautiful singer she had been seen as across the continent.

The old man bowing to her, Sullivan, was the owner of the inn, and had the backing of a well-known, lower standing aristocrat. With his position, he was able to work with many of the popular figures in the empire and earn a handsome sum through them. Using his inn as cover, Eva would be able to collect Silas and Meredith through their other team members and drop off the package while she was "performing." Hopefully, they would be able to regroup before the end of the night. Holland Joey was a good worker; she had no doubts in his ability.

The two companions hired by Eva stood out in the Yursear Kingdom. Two of the girls traveling with her were from the Kyhmal empire. Their skin tone was dark, lighter than Holland's by only a few shades. While their facial features were similar, one had pink toned hair, and the other had dark purple hair, making them both appear young, even with their sharp features. One of the girls had a rapier on her hip, while the other carried a heavy book in her hands.

Behind the two girls was a tall man, taller than many of the human men in the Yursear Kingdom. His head was almost tall enough to touch the ceiling, and it was difficult for his steel armor to hide the large muscles underneath. His shoulders were broad, and his face effused a dangerous atmosphere. His short black hair was cut close to his head, and his black eyes were deep.

When Sullivan's eyes brushed over Eva's companions, he felt his back break out in a cold sweat as he adjusted his tight tie sitting around his thin neck. "Well then, Lady Ivana. We have a room prepared for you on the second floor, not far from the stage where you'll be performing. Shall I take you there?" The man was sweating so much, the thin hair at the top of his head was shiny. Carefully, he grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and began to pat it on his forehead, attempting to hide his nervousness.

Eva nodded her head and smoothly turned her head towards the large man behind her as she said, "Vaan, please carry my things."

"Of course, my lady." Vaan responded in a low voice, bowing his head towards Eva. The dip of his head did little to change the drastic difference in height between the two, but somehow, Vaan appeared to be smaller than the cool, imposing Eva. As the unusual group followed Sullivan, Vaan carried the luggage with apparent ease, and Neema and Saoirse carried their light baggage on their backs, their small packs managing to tower over the two small young women. With Eva leading from the front, dressed elegantly in her cloak and dress, blending in with the sophisticated patrons that stayed in the hotel. Yet with Vaan, Neema, and Saoirse following behind, she looked like the mother hen with her chicks. Some of the customers inside the inn could not help but stare in curiosity at them, especially as they recognized the elusive Eva, or, as everyone else knew her, Lady Ivana.

It was not until Sullivan stopped in front of the suite that he stopped sweating and turned to face Eva, holding a pair of keys in his hand. "This is the key to the room, madame. Inside, there are six separate rooms, including three bedrooms and a sitting room. The bathroom and the washroom are separate for extra privacy. Please let me know if you need anything during your stay, anything at all, Lady Ivana."

"Thank you, Sullivan."

"We are grateful to have you perform here, Lady Ivana. Thank you for the opportunity." He bowed again, expressing his gratefulness as he prepared to leave, standing up before he began to quickly walk backwards towards the end of the hall with his head lowered. While the man hurried away, Eva opened the door to the suite using the keys, pushing open the door with her hand before she stepped inside to look at the room.

"There did not seem to be any other guests in the nearby rooms, did there, Vaan?" Eva asked with a wave of her hand as she looked around the room with curious eyes, occasionally taking a closer look at some of the antique Yursinean decorations and furniture.

Vaan responded flatly, "No, we are safe to speak here, Lady Eva. Shall I stand by the door to keep watch?"

Eva walked to the armchair in the middle of the room and sat down, smoothing her dress behind her as she slowly lowered her body down. "Not for now, Vaan. You will be leaving shortly." As she sat down, she sighed heavily and put her arms beside her, letting her head fall back.

"What a chore." Eva mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes up towards the ceiling.

The pink haired girl, Saoirse, moved away from the door and closer to Eva while asking, "Since Yulia is in the Faelfier Kingdom, who will go with Vaan?" Yulia was another one of their companions, a forest elf like Silas. Being in the Yursear Kingdom was deemed too dangerous for her, so she was left to complete affairs in the Faelfier Kingdom for Eva until they returned from their delivery mission. With Silas's disappearance, a wrench had been thrown into their plan, and Eva was still organizing their next moves.

With Saoirse's question, Eva tilted her head towards the small group and gently rested her gloved hands in her lap, "Vaan, Saoirse, you two go other to regroup with Meredith and Holland. They used the communication stone already, so you should know where to go. Neema, you stay here to assist me with the upcoming performance. "

"Of course." Saoirse responded, holding her luggage bag that was previously on her back in her hands. Her pink eyes moved to Vaan with a large smile on her face. "It's been a while since we've done a mission together, hasn't it, big boy?" Saoirse put her bag to the side and patted the armor on Vaan's arm, which made a loud tinking sound with the path of her hand. Saoirse laughed as Vaan's face stayed the same, almost expressionless, as if she had not patted him on the arm just now.

"They're on the other side of the city, right?" Neema asked to clarify for her leaving companions.

Eva nodded her head, casually crossing her leg over her knee, "Yes. They shouldn't be too far from the southern fountain. Vaan knows where that is, so follow him. Use the stone to relay the message when you find them and bring them back here. Sullivan shouldn't give you any problems on the way back in." Eva's eyes flashed for a moment before they returned to their normal color, making her look somewhat listless. "As soon as you find them, come back here. I'll discuss the rest of the mission details later."

The three in the room bowed to Eva respectfully before they stood up and arranged themselves to do their assigned tasks. With a quick goodbye, Saoirse nodded to Vaan and both stepped out of the room, as Neema joined Eva and sat down on the long couch in the room, looking exhausted from the journey.

"Hopefully we can find that trouble-making elf and quickly get out of here." Neema said with a quiet voice, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

Eva looked over her shoulder towards the bedroom door as she said, "I hope so too."

…

Cailith was bustling with an influx of people and an air of excitement and energy that had not been seen in years. People from nearby cities and towns gathered in the city to see the performance of the beautiful Lady Ivana, who was said to be a heart-stopping beauty, as well as a fallen noble, cast away from her family due to her passion for singing. Crowds of people, both commoners and nobles alike, came to the city with hopes to catch even a glimpse of her.

This was a good thing for both Holland and Meredith, since the crowds made for an efficient disguise. After entering the city, the two were able to make their way to the south end of the city, around the brick pathways and tall buildings to the less busy artisan part of town. Various blacksmiths, glass makers, and even some tailors and bakers were calling out to the people on the road, hoping to use this gathering to earn more profit for their businesses.

Meredith used the stone to change his appearance again, now with recovered mana. The appearance he took was short and slim, maybe even simple-looking Yursinean man with youthful features and hair color. Standing next to Holland Joey, there was a difference of night and day between the one sticking out like a sore thumb, while the other looked like the common Yursinean man. Even with the hood covering Holland, he still towered over most of the people, and his large muscles were not easy to hide with his iron armor.

The strange pair sat on a wooden bench not too far from the fountain in the middle of town as they waited for Eva's companions to come find them. While they waited, Holland shared more of his snacks with the happy Meredith, who enjoyed the frosted ginger cookies the most. Chewing on one, he smiled sweetly, looking almost cute.

While the pair rested, a strange woman stood on the other side of the fountain, a fan covering half of her face as she stared fervently at the two with her burning bright eyes. Her dress was a soft brown color, and the pattern of the dress train hung over the crook of her arm was particularly extravagant, showing off her wealth in a proper Yursinean style. Her hat hid her hair, which had been tied up underneath it, and her skin was almost pale white. Just staring at her, one would not forget her appearance.

Holland felt somewhat uncomfortable, sitting with Meredith at his side. Not so nonchalantly, he made awkward eye contact with the woman as he turned to Meredith and asked, "Hey, is it just me, or is she kind of creepy?"

Meredith, having finished his cookies, said in a low voice, "Strange indeed. Just keep an eye on her. And for the love of the Gods, quit staring at her!" Meredith hissed in Holland's ear, making the tall man recoil back with his hand on his ear, looking aggrieved.

While Holland nursed his ear, the strange woman walked around the fountain and towards the men with a pace unmatched by even Holland. Meredith's eyes narrowed as he wondered what he and Holland would do if this woman recognized them somehow. If she started trouble, they would have to hurry and run to one of the alleys nearby and hide until she disappeared. For now, though, he sat on the bench with a careful eye, feeling the woman was no threat to them.

The woman walked over to Holland and Meredith and stopped with her fervent gaze, her eyes looking apologetic as she bowed her head and said, "I apologize for staring at you two like that, it's just-" Her voice trailed off as she reached into her large handbag on her arm, putting Meredith at alert, and pulled out a thick book. The red cover was decorated with gold lettering, and she smiled as she held up the book in front of Holland and Meredith. "I'm an author, and you two are a spitting image of my main characters!" She lowered her fan, exposing her flushed face, covered with light makeup. The woman was young and attractive, albeit a bit strange. "I couldn't help but come over and speak to you two. It's just like fate!"

Before Meredith could respond, Holland enthusiastically stared up at the woman as he asked, "That's so cool! What's the story called? Can I have a copy?" Meredith had never wanted to slap the man so hard as he did now, his hand tensing on his trousers as he itched to hit the man repeatedly.

Meredith hissed out a low, "Hush." This caused both the novelist and Holland Joey to look over at the annoyed, simply dressed man. Being admonished again, Holland's face fell a little, feeling a little depressed. He was just excited to know what the novel was about.

The woman's pink lips were lifted into a sweet smile, and her cheeks burned hotter as she stared at the two with a bashful gaze. She seemed a little reluctant to share the novel under the shorter man's gaze, but she decided to listen to the taller man and gave the novel to Holland with both her hands.

"I have more copies at home. I was supposed to give this to a friend of mine, but I think giving it to you is okay too." She laughed to herself, bringing the fan back up to her face shyly. "Maybe you can become one of my biggest fans."

As Holland and the strange novelist said goodbye to each other, Meredith kept a careful eye on the woman, watching her retreating figure as she hurried away, looking strangely excited. Holland held onto the book in his hands carefully, as if he had been given a precious treasure to protect. When Meredith asked him about the book, Holland slowly opened the cover and flicked through the pages without looking carefully, making sure nothing dangerous was added to the pages.

"I can't believe you just spoke to that random woman. What if she was an undercover guard? Or an informant?" Meredith said with an annoyed glare. Holland glanced up from his new book to look over at his companion, whose sharp stare remained forward.

"I know you're worried about your nephew." Holland said, his voice barely above a whisper as he looked down at the book in his hands, trying to hide a grin that was coming to his lips, "I can only imagine how you feel right now. And, for the most part, you've managed to keep a level head. I respect that." Meredith kept his demeanor cool, but his heart sank as he listened to Holland. Meredith felt a twinge of regret for being so sharp with Holland, but his only focus was finding Silas and rescuing him.

And he would let nothing get in his way.

"I understand, and I apologize for my sharp tone. Saving my nephew is-" Meredith paused, trying to think of the words he wanted to say, "I promised his mother I would take care of him, and my word is very important to me."

"Of course." Holland said with a nod of his head, no longer trying to hide his smile, "And I'll make sure you don't break your word." Meredith finally glanced down, then away.

With that, Holland closed the book, just as a strange pair began to walk towards them. A pair Holland Joey instantly recognized. When he saw them, he stood up from the bench and nudged Meredith's shoulder with his hand, saying, "My companions are here. We can go now."

Meredith was met with a vivacious pink haired woman with a tall, muscular man at her side. When her bright, peach-colored eyes met with Holland Joey's figure, her smile widened as she waved towards them. Though she was wearing Yursinean-styled armor, it was easy to tell by her appearance alone she was from the Kyhmal empire, particularly by her dark skin tone and colored hair. The man next to her had features common in the Bethell Kingdom. The man's short cropped hair and narrow eyes made him appear intimidating, but Meredith smiled at the familiar pair.

"Oh, don't worry. I know these two." Meredith said coolly as he stood up, fixing his shirt into place.

As the new pair approached Meredith and Holland, the girl stuck out her hand, the bangles on her wrist jingled with her movements, "Nice to meet you, I'm Saoirse. This here is Vaan. We will be escorting you today."

"No need to pretend you don't know me, Saoirse." Meredith said with a small smile. He turned to Vaan and nodded his head, "Vaan." Saoirse grinned back mischievously at the disguised Meredith as she retracted her hand, "Glad to see you're keeping up your magic practice, Saoirse."

She shrugged slightly as she leaned her head to the side, "It's not by choice, unfortunately."

Meredith opened his mouth to ask her to expand further, but Saoirse shook her head and held a finger up to her mouth, hushing him, to his endless annoyance.

"We'll speak more once we're back," She then turned forward with a smile, saying lightly, "Where we can speak openly, Meredith."

Meredith held back an annoyed reply and glanced over at Vaan. Vaan's glance never moved from its forward stare, and he said nothing with his flat expression, making the atmosphere slightly awkward. Finally, the four began to move towards the luxurious inn Eva had booked for her show, and they were easily able to enter with Eva's guest token.

Entering the luxury building, the strange group of foreign guests were somewhat out of place in their mercenary armor and travel cloaks, but with Eva's token, they were allowed through the halls to the room where Eva was waiting for them. Using the extra key given by Eva, Vaan unlocked the door and opened it, allowing Meredith and the others inside before he entered the room and closed the door, locking it behind him.

Now sitting on the sofa, leaning back with her leg crossed over her other, Eva smiled at the new guests and said, "It's been a while, Meredith."

"It has, hasn't it, Eva?" Meredith said as he walked forward, getting close to the well-dressed woman. Eva's flowery perfume seemed to dance around him as he approached her, and he could not help but notice she was dressed up even more than usual, with special care applied to her makeup, accentuating her already sharp eyes.

"It seems Holland had no issue getting you here." Eva said as she glanced over at the lightly blushing Holland, content as a fed kitten by the compliment, "Why don't you take a seat? We have so much to discuss."

Meredith nodded before taking a seat across from her, leaning his arms heavily on his knees as his eyes stared deeply at Eva's perfectly made face. She smiled coolly in response.

"So, what are we doing about our little problem?" Meredith said, letting his disguise disintegrate, starting at the head and quickly working its way down. His long, icy blue hair trailed behind him, lengthening as the mana worked its way through his veins. Meredith's hair fell into place like waves, and when he blinked, his blue eyes returned to their natural bright luster, making him look more ethereal than before.

Eva dropped her leg and leaned forward, her nose almost touching Meredith's as she warmly smiled, tilting her head slightly, "First, the package. Is it safe?"

Meredith smiled back, though his smile did not retain the warmth Eva's did, "Of course. Now, the plan?"

Eva sighed slightly and sat back in her seat before smiling again, her painted lips contorting darkly, "Where do you want me to start?"

…

As Alywin and Clarence finally began to approach the entrance gates of Cailith, they could hear excited screams and shouts from behind the tall city walls.

"I wonder what's happening?" Alywin asked aloud as he stared at the distant city gates, his eyebrow raised.

"Maybe a festival?" Clarence thought aloud, his face stern, "A perfect excuse for an elf to move in the city without suspicion. Especially in disguise."

Alywin looked over at Clarence, his concern growing, "How are we supposed to find them then?"

Clarence sighed and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief, "I'm not sure, but we'll find them. I know it."

As Alywin opened his mouth to reply, a group of young women ran past the two on their horses. The women hurried around them, giggling and whispering to each other as they carried baskets full of flowers in their arms and on their hips. Alywin watched them pass for a moment before he shouted out to them,

"Excuse me, ladies," Alywin shouted with his brightest smile, "My companion and I aren't from around here. Could you tell us what's happening in Cailith?"

The young women slowed down as they looked at each other. Then one with a long, messy braid answered, wiping her hands on a clean part of her dirty apron, "Have you heard of the singer, Lady Ivana? She's here in Cailith! She's doing a special performance soon."

One of the young women elbowed her and smiled, her red hair fraying around her messy cap, "Everyone's welcome to watch her performance, so you both should come!" She then smiled sweetly, gesturing towards the basket of flowers sitting on her hip, "We'll be selling these flowers during the performance. If either of you have a special lady, one of these flowers would be a perfect gift for a special sweetheart."

The young women giggled at their friend's forwardness, and Alywin smiled in response. Clarence kept his eyes forward.

"Maybe I would buy one of your baskets, if you ladies could promise to do me a small favor?" Alywin said, unhooking his coin purse from his bag and jingling it lightly at the women, who perked up immediately. They glanced to themselves, then their baskets, thinking to themselves that if they sold one of their baskets, they would be able to watch the performance faster. The ability to make some quick money ran through their thoughts.

"That depends." The red-haired woman said, watching the two handsome men closely, "What could a few flower sellers do for two nobles?"

Alywin leaned towards the young women, a mysterious smile never leaving his face, "There's a few things I could think of, but there's one very important thing my friend and I need. Don't worry, it's really quite easy."

Finally, with a raised eyebrow, Clarence looked over at Alywin, who slid his eyes over to him in return.

"Alright, we're listening." Another young woman from the group said, her eyes brightening up with the thought of quick money, but still watching the two noble men closely.

"Excellent." Alywin said before dismounting from his horse and advancing towards the women, his hand slipping into his traveling jacket, "We're looking for an old friend who we think is in Cailith," Alywin began as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his jacket, "We don't know where though, and with the big crowd, it would be very difficult to find him. With all of you ladies helping us though, I think we would be able to easily spot him." He passed the piece of paper to the women, who took it and opened it. They looked heavily at the detailed sketch on the paper, then nodded and looked at each other,

"That's it?" The red-haired woman asked.

"That's it." Alywin said with a smile, "Keep the paper. If you ladies see him, and we're able to find our old friend, we'll buy the rest of your flowers. We'll pay double for all of them, of course."

"Why are you looking for this old friend anyway?" The young woman with the messy braid asked, looking suspiciously at the two men. Her red-haired friend quickly elbowed her and hushed her, though. She then angrily whispered to her braid-haired friend, then smiled back at Alywin.

"Consider it done." Then she thought for a moment before adding, "How do we let you know we found him, if we do?"

"Do any of you know how to whistle?" Everyone jumped slightly in surprise as Alywin's silent companion finally spoke, looking lazily over at the group. All of the women looked over at the young woman with a messy braid, who glared at them in response.

"She can," The red-haired young woman said with a smile, grabbing her friend, "So, if we see your friend, we whistle to get your attention?"

"And throw this in the air," Clarence said, pulling something from his saddle bag and throwing it to the women, "That'll tell us where you are."

"What is this?" Another one of the young women asked, poking at the small, circular object in one of her friends' hands.

"Don't worry about it." Clarence said shortly, "When you see him, throw it directly up in the air. Do you understand?"

The women all looked at each other once more before they uneasily nodded, curious to what they had gotten themselves into, but wanting money all the same. With their quick agreement, the girls continued their short journey back to Cailith, their eyes and ears alert with the reward of quick money on their hungry minds.

Alywin looked over to Clarence as he remounted his horse, but his face had not changed since he had handed the mysterious ball the flower-selling girls.

"Do you trust those girls? They could try to trick us for that money." Clarence said coolly as the two proceeded forward.

"Of course I don't," Alywin said matter-of-factly, "But those girls need that money, that much is obvious, so I think they'll do their best to get the right person." Alywin shrugged his shoulders, "If not, they won't get a coin out of me. At that point, they can starve for all I care."

Clarence nodded, but did not respond. Instead, his thoughts went back to when he saw that elf again in the brothel after ten years. I'll make you pay very soon, Clarence thought to his elusive prisoner, Then you'll see what you did to me for ten years. I'll make sure of it.

...

Here's a peek at the yandere Clare you all are anxiously waiting for! Hopefully I have my new baby DSM 5 by the time we get to this... We will really explore Clare's PTSD in the future, as with Silas, hence the novel tags :D

And, unfortunately, I may have carpal tunnel, so I need to take a break off my wrist, so all my drawing and webtoon work has to stop for a while until it heals.... I'm sorry (ಥ﹏ಥ) Just writing this, my wrist hurts fml...

Thank you all again for reading, my lovely lurkers! Sometimes I get anxious that y'all won't like the chapter, but it seems like all is working out ♥ As always, thanks to Hunny for cleaning up my typed garbo and adding to it! I will be updating the character sheet soon on the novel page, so check that out!