Maybe Serafina also felt the same way I did when May''s entire goal was for me to win against that adventurer. I was sure it wasn''t for me, for the city, it''s for her pride.
Whatever that case I want to check on them. Surely, if there is one person than can tango with her it''s Serafina... Maybe Neil too.
Lilly said that I was a celebrity for what happened earlierand sure to be swatted by a swarm of people. But, I let myself be dragged along the river of merry townies as I traversed my way to the church. Everyone was batting their eyes at the ceramic vases and decorative, spicy smelling brown powders, velvet fabrics and succulent looking green fruits, and bins of rare red spices, to name a few.
This, made my travel to the church without hindrance and in quick span of time considering how every townie is cheek to cheek on the street.
“Well, well, well, look who''s here,”
Identifying his ever so confident tone and smile. It took me a mere second to find him and I was just outside the small stone hedges of the humble church of buzzing townies and prayers.
“The great adventurer slayer. White hair hero. Commoner''s pride -- Oh, I smell communism in that one.”
I haven''t have much talk with him since last night, furthermore I want to check on him if he''s alright after receiving Bolt''s devastating attack.
Sausage, drinks, and munching roasted chicken was his response to my concerns. He was just on the middle of his break, as he told me, when I was trying to navigate my way in.
“You look better than I expected.”
I commented on Neil whose teeth was all merry with his chicken leg and as if he didn''t fought earlier.
“Well, an hour of rest and some healing was good enough to remove the burn marks away.”
He then tried to unbutton his clothes but then hesitated.
“I''ll show you my flawless body at the Inn.”
I walked with him back to the Inn.
“So why did you do that?”
I asked him about the fight he should have won.
“Do what?”
He arced his eyebrow at me.
“You were clearly winning on the first few minutes of the fight, but why didn''t you finish him when you got the chance?”
When he hammered Bolt to the ground, he could have followed it up with another attack but he didn''t.
“You want to fight me that badly?”
He formed a smirk.
“Well, no, but... I don''t know. Confused that''s all that a guy like you would do such last standoff-ish move... Um...”
What do they call it? I snapped my fingers as I try to recall what they call that final standoff.
“Dangerous right? You saw how stupid was that. So stupid that I couldn''t resist it -- the power.”
He giggled in a devious manner.
“Me, Allan, and Roland took a vow to Sefarina to keep our full potential restrained when there were no danger, but when the tournament was on and I can go all out against the adventurer. Ohhh..."
He was grinning ear to ear clenching his fist and head upwards towards the sky.
“Someone''s being maniacal.”
But I do understand what he meant by that. That all consuming adrenaline rush that barked inside my mind to go all out and be wreck everything around you. To feel like you have a greater proportion of Superman''s power itself.
It''s a good thing May have been teaching me discipline these past weeks.
“Either way,”
He straddled his arms around my neck.
“I heard your mother got drunk and got scolded like a child by Serafina herself. Heh. When I saw it myself it was like a cosplaying religious teacher scolding a drunk delinquent student wearing black armor."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Uhuh... By the where are they?”
That''s why I went to the church in the first place, thinking that Serafina dragged May there.
“A tipsy woman being consoled in a small church isn''t going to bode well. That''s why the firm wrist slapping was done in a loud house.”
He then pointed our bustling Inn. Men and women alike drunk and smiling, palms slapping clapping as their throat sang a drunken chorus. We past through the fully occupied tables me and May set up earlier. We entered to see Roland and a very young braided black haired girl wearing a green dress and small ribbon bow tie that kept her hair to a bun. She was serving out the order that Allan gave out who was manning the bar and the kitchen at the same time. Furthermore, once Roland''s eyes got a glimpse of us he hurriedly met up with Neil and looked at him squarely with a stiff pointing finger.
“Even if you got him home that doesn''t excuse your half an hour tardiness!”
He scowled and wiped some sweat of his brow.
“I was onbreak plus I was severely wounded earlier, don''t you have a heart?”
A playful giggle and smirk form up Neil''s face as he raised his hands up. Vein''s began to pulp on Roland''s head and began clenching his large fist.
“Wounded my ass! Get back in the kitchen, were understaffed here!”
“Take care of Elfien then.”
Sliding up his sleeve he went to the kitchen all the while giving out some ‘hey!’and‘how are you doing?’to some of the customers reciprocated with the same sunshine warmth.
“Well, he''s gotten quite popular.”
Gruffly whispered Roland.
“Whose that girl?”
I pointed at the braided black haired girl now carefully holding two mugs and delivering it to a table whilst attempting to lift her lips to a smile to the SeaDogs who cocked an eye at her and returned their own slow moving smile before bursting a laughter that made her red and walked away to Allan.
“Sheryl,"
Smiled Roland,
"An orphan living in the Monestary. Shy and cold girl when we first met her, but anyone a few weeks with Neil will change drastically. She''s a lot of help, but I didn''t expect the Inn would be this rowdy. Maybe too much for her.”
Well it''s a good thing I am here now.
“Let''s do this then.”
I also rolled up my sleeves,
“Hold your horses,”
Roland stopped me.
“Before you go and help us, head upstairs. Serafina and the innkeeper has been quiet for a while now, and Serafina is badly needed back at church. I don''t know much of the details but Serafina was fuming because of the innkeeper''s attitude during the tournament. First time I saw her like that."
Serafina being angry? I''ve heard her raise her voice to frighten a nun but a crossed face, sharp gaze, and fuming Serafina? I simply couldn''t imagine.
After thanking Roland for handling the Inn I mazed my way through the customers and slowly crept upstairs to May''s room.
When I got there, I carefully crept and leaned my ear on the door hoping to get a silver string of whisper as I held my breath and focused my entirety on hearing beyond this wood.
“Eavesdropping is a bad habit to enjoy,”
My ear hasn''t touched the wood that I was caught red handed.
“Don''t you think?”
She added with a playful tone.
“Sorry...”
I gave my most apologetic blushing smile when I opened up and met Serafina''s deep ocean eyes that made me bounce away immediately when I was staring at her for too long. My eyes continued to bounce in this mini museum that May calls a room.
Her collection of blades, shields, flags of varied colors and symbols littered and curated carefully around her.
Above the window hung a great wooden lance with it''s tip broken and besides the window was a wide map that almost occupied the entire section. It was dotted with cross and red circles and inked with dates and notes and scribbling of twisted letters, words, foreign and native, crossed out the entire map. I can''t even tell if it was her hand writing as it varied from cursive, to simple, to brutish straight lines. Below that atlas parchment was the table where mug, flute, a box of jewelry, and many more small trinkets flood May''s table. Then there was a rag doll here, a paper parchment with a crude drawing there, and carved wooden rabbit on top of it.
Underneath that table was a basket of pale white shells and eye catching color varied conch shells that filled an entire chest. There''s a total of three chest of different designs and each one probably holds more exotic souvenir like the chest filled with shells. Probably the cream of the crop stood east of the room
The armor rack with only the gleaming black helmet of May''s armor was on display. The straw hat with the cloth made sunflower still rested on it.
All of these, for me at least, was a mosaic of May''s lifetime adventure that I can guess but never read.
The rest of the black armor encapsulated May who was asleep soundly on the bed while her head pillowed on Serafina''s lap. Her face and eyes seems she was just fresh from a certain emotional battle as Serafina combs her brown hair all the while silently humming as she held the picture frame I know shouldn''t exist. I''m dead... How can it follow me?