Chapter thirty-three: Ythem City

Thanks to Pick’s associations from visiting the city so many times for Duahe over the years, we were able to get two rooms for us at a great price. We got one room for the men, and another for us four girls for only 30 hotto*. It makes me kind of sad to not be next to Zaru anymore, but at least he has other people who care about him. I wonder if Oumi’s okay…

Someone knocks on the door to the girl’s room and Ari answers. “Oh hey; Zenox right?”

“Yes M’lady, you are right.” His crazy eyes look to me and he hands out a bag. “Master Kakashin managed to grab the clothing of you and your friend when you visited the main house; can’t run around a city after dark in a torn-up outfit.”

From his words, I take a look at the very attire I’m wearing that he described to me with some blush on my face. Uncle did want the fight to seem real after all, which couldn’t of been done without ruining my clothing some.

Ari takes this as a signal of my privacy and snatches the bag from him. She then shoves him away from the door into the hallway and closes it. “Don’t mind him, Vila,” Ari sweetly speaks to me as she comes over to hand me the sack. “Let’s just relax a little and have some fun tonight.” Her dark red eyes gleam at me with joy as her messy dark blue hair flows chaotically over her face.

I stare at her a little confused. “Tonight?”

“Well yeah.” She doesn’t seem tired or psychotic. “This place looks like it could be fun!”

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The girls and I stray from the hotel to go sight-seeing for the time being while the city traffic is still running. Dad and Zenox wanted to check out the place as well apart from us while Pick stayed at the hotel to watch over Zaru. I think he’s had enough of this town anyway. This place is pretty packed compared to what I’m used to, though, with all of these rivers of people going in a particular current. They all act like they know where they’re heading and just go straight for it as if they’re mindless or something. Some locals even allow their pets of various sizes to be beside them. I manage to see one guy walk past me as his tall Thrunan* walks beside him. There’s also plenty of races of people from Kiram to Bemish* and anywhere else.

We walk around looking for something to do while I warm up to my usual attire of a magenta dress and grey rain boots again. I can’t believe that I’ve been wearing that skimpy stuff this whole trip since Zaru cut into my dress for medical purposes. He’s a doctor, so there’s no need to be embarrassed about it, right?...

Ari and Caru spot a make-up shop in the market area and drag me over there.

“I think some blush will do you good,” Caru comments as Ari binds me by my forearms. “That might do something about your freckles.”

Haru joins with a stick of mascara. “Yeah, and this should help with her eyelashes!”

Oh no you don’t! I swat Ari’s hands off of me and assert myself. “I’m not wearing make-up!”

They all stare at me astonished until Caru comes closer and gently holds my jawline. “You’re right Vila, it would ruin your cute, innocent face.”

My obverse strays away from her, blushing. “I am not cute!”

“Then tell that to Zaru when he wakes up.” Caru gives me this terrifying sensual look as she leans in close to me with her hands on her hips. “He’s the first one to mention it after that action in Erekinxon. He told me that he thinks you’re cute.”

“Why are you telling me this now? That was over a month ago!”

Ari tries to lean over Caru to get closer to me. “Well you like him, don’chya?”

Haru protects me from the two by embracing me. “Okay, that’s enough! She’s obviously not ready.”

All three of them giggle as I stand there paralyzed with a rosy color covering my entire face.

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A majority of the night is spent looking around the market area. Caru buys some food in case something happens with the ship’s stockings when we leave the shore tomorrow. I think that she’s also planning to cook up something with it when we get to Catherr, like as a souvenir. Ari, on the other hand, can’t really buy anything since there’s no currency system going on in the Mad House. It kind of makes sense since there were those shadowy things everywhere. Burning the currency she had to keep a fire going seemed more logical to her at the time, besides, I don’t think Henganger-or whatever that era was called-I don’t think that currency would work here anymore.

Haru, however, is kind enough to talk to me about what Catherr is like and what they do specifically as Duahe members. Since Catherr is so small compared to other territories and islands, it’s spilt into two halves, the North Coast and the South Coast. This is so that Ridjia up north and Garmul down south can have an even share of the land. Haru, though, tells me that they’re lax about who’s going over the boarder to reach the opposite half since they see themselves as one unified territory separate from both countries. Catherr does have its own separate culture from the rest of Zemfen anyway, even the people have common traits that are different from the rest of the world. Apparently, when Catherr was discovered it was already inhabited by a tribe called the Ine and they all had a peculiar eye structure called the tanyu eye. It’s basically when the pupil is a color other than the usual black. It can be white, bright yellow, sometimes even a dark purple, or navy blue. Anyway, there’s a whole herd of holins that live in the woods of Catherr and basically Duahe was founded to eradicate them from the island and perform other sorts of jobs to keep the community going. I’m pretty sure all of this has something to do with my family, but it’s nice to take my mind off the whole ordeal for a little bit.

Another rain cloud strolls in to unleash a cool rain on us as we head back to the hotel. As we pick up our pace to the building, all the shops around us close one by one. Ari and Haru shout to the sky with glee as Caru and I watch the multiple lights around us turn off and allow the residents to sleep. We finally make it to the hotel and stop at the door to dry ourselves a little.

“Oh boy, that was fun!” Ari giggles as she strains the water from her hair underneath the banner at the hotel entry. The liquid pours out in clumps each time she twists her massive hair.

“Oh golly!” Father rushes under the banner and cringes. “It’s like a water fall out there!”

Zenox simply joins us without the least bit of discomfort from the bad weather. “Hehe, been a while since I felt rain.”

“Righ!?” Ari shouts in agreement with him.

The owners were kind enough to hand us some towels before we could enter the building and head to our rooms for dry clothing. We decide that heading to the spa area would be a nice way of warming up.

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“Ooooooohhhhhh yeeeeaaaah…” Ari savors every moment of sliding into the warm bath tub with us like it’s the first time she’s been to a spa in so many years, which is probably true.

“Ari-kan,” my hand shields me from starring at her completely naked body, “are you sure about not wanting one of the disposable bathing suites?”

All she does is groan at me and slumps deeper into the water.

Never mind then…

That reminds me. “Hey Ari.”

“What?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

Her position straightens as her attention comes back in shape. “Yeah, what is it?”

This is gonna get awkward. “Well, you don’t have to answer it or anything-but”

“Spill it girl!”

“Well-You’re Uncle Roukuu’s wife, right?”

“Yeah.”

How do I put this? “Um-do you know why he’s on prohibition?”

Caru gets involved like she always does. “Wait, what are you talk-“

Ari cuts her off by raising a hand and then leans back on the wall. “The guy you met back in that crazy mansion place was not Roukuu.”

Forgetting about her nudity, I look to her and tilt my head in confusion. “You mean-that wasn’t my uncle?”

She nods her head to make it clear. “He’s an imposter.”

“W-what?” Great, more mysteries to be solved!

Ari continues, "It all started in the Hengengandr Era, about one million and two thousand years ago."

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Hotto- A form of rai with the value of one American dollar.

Thrunan- A horse-eagle-tiger-mix used for pulling cargo usually. They usually stand at 6ft at the shoulder and weight over 1200 pounds. They’re incredibly weak compared to an ousada but can still cause serious damage if provoked.

Bemish- Another country of Fupum located on the northern quarter and southeast of Aishy in the Danaken Sea. Bemish is known as the coldest and possibly also the smallest country on the planet.