Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ XXXVI. CHIRO ❆ ❆

Chiro throws himself on the plush bed and sighs in relief.

"This is the life," he mumbles into one of the five pillows on his bed.

"It sure is!" Kumari calls from her own room, squealing as Chiro can hear her opening and shutting drawers and cabinets, looking for what she may find. "There's a Quran and a Bible in here! How's that for fancy?"

"I just love the little chocolates," comes Jae's voice. "Right under your pillow. Hey Chiro, mind sharing yours?"

"You can have the dark chocolate," Chiro shrugs. "Too dark for me."

"Awesome. I'll eat any chocolate, so long as it's not white."

Chiro can almost feel Kumari's pout, "But I love white chocolate."

"Good. Then you can have the ones they left for me."

"Yayyy!"

Chiro laughs tiredly. It's good to relax.

Jae is the one who just has to ruin it, though.

"But guys, listen. There's no time to relax," seriously? "We have to get to the edge of the city as soon as possible."

"But why?" Kumari asks.

"Because... That's how to get to Ruisea? Should I show you the map again, or—"

"No I know that! I mean, why can't we relax, though?"

"We've come all this way... We're in the home stretch, Kumari. We really really need to get to Ruisea, find out what's causing the ice in Cevalon, and get as far from Sho as possible."

Kumari groans, "Sho is way far off. The Empress's blessing protected us, and he's probably stuck in a whirlpool or something."

"I don't think that's how blessings work," Chiro says from his position among the pillows.

Kumari sounds like she might just throw a fit, "Whose side are you on!"

"Y-yours, of course."

"Chiro!" Jae glares at him.

"Well..." Chiro sighs. "After what happened in Qiluca, yeah we should stay put... But."

"But what?" Jae raises an eyebrow.

"But," Chiro sighs again. "It's just... My sister lives pretty close to here."

Jae falls quiet for just the smallest of moments, and then says, very simply, "Oh."

He shakes his head promptly and adds, "But from what those detective guys said, the mafia's not too far from here either."

"Oh come ON," Kumari wrinkles her nose. "What are the chances of us running into the mafia— no! A single mafioso — what are the chances of that, seriously? "

"Kumari," Jae says in a warning tone. "Don't jinx it."

"Mashallah," she insists. "We're fiiine! Shukur Allaha, too. And inshallah we'll be fine."

"There you go again," Jae throws his hands up. "What does all that mean?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Kumari chirps, and Chiro grins into the pillow, waiting on her explanation. "There were four words my grandmother used back when I was a girl."

"Here we go," but from the corner of his eye, Chiro can see Jae's smiling. "Long-winded story time, isn't it?"

"Yup! Now listen closely... Four words. Three are Cevalonian, and the fourth I always thought she made up."