DD2 - CH20: Sorry Serenade

Rhen awoke surrounded by warmth. He opened his eyes to the sparkling purple crystals and black stone of the inn. Teal light swirled around, sending watery ripples across the ceiling. Water slid down a steep shoot on the right wall, warming the pool, and another drain led out the left side, slowly cycling water.

He was in the bath, but why, he didn’t know.

“The hot water accelerated your healing,” Aki said.

Rhen looked down to see he was nearly nude, beside a pair of tight shorts. Aki was swirling around and around, under his legs, between the seats, and over the stairs. Rhen’s right arm sported a nasty looking scar, and the skin was still a bit yellowed. He ran his finger along the tender spot and winced.

It would’ve been so much easier if he could’ve just died.

“Yes, but tonight we take the train to Desedra, and tomorrow we remove Welsh permanently,” Aki said with thick satisfaction. His color pulsed between yellow and pink as he swam faster through the pool.

“How can you be sure this will work?”

“Tsu’me and Derk are here. She has a pact with Welsh, physical evidence he cannot deny.”

Rhen stood, fuming. “You let her back in here?”

Aki swirled to a stop. “I misunderstood her. She is afraid. She needs protection.”

“She tried to destroy our resurrection node!”

“Yes…”

Rhen’s eyes widened. He twirled his hand through the air as he said, “Yes, and yet you still brought her back here.”

Aki swam closer. “You are too angry to see what I want to explain. I was angry, too. May I try something that could help you understand?”

“What kind of something?”

“I am communicating words that have meaning to you, but I may be able to communicate concepts that cannot be explained by your language. It would require physical contact.”

Rhen had some smartass retort lined up like, “If you can’t explain it with words it’s not worth knowing,” but he knew that wasn’t true. Music wasn’t words, and that was definitely worth experiencing. He did like Tsu’me’s jaunty tunes.

Rhen sat back down. “Sure, let’s see if you can convince me I shouldn’t hang her from her tail and let Jakira whack her to death.”

Aki wrapped his tentacles around Rhen’s arm and climbed up to his shoulder. He planted his forelimbs on each of Rhen’s temples. “Please, try not to think of anything.”

Rhen rolled his eyes.

“Please.”

Rhen sighed, then let his attention drift to the ripples on the wall. He breathed deeply through his nose and watched the lapping of the water take shape into images. A sphere made of black needles twisted and jerked through the bath until it consumed his entire vision. The needles stabbed toward his face at random intervals, and he never knew if one would actually hit him. He tired to move but couldn’t. He was trapped under this blanked of dark, painful needles.

Aki released him and Rhen flinched away. “What was that?”

“Fear. The fear that Tsu’me feels.”

“How…?”

“Language is but one tool for communication. The Prelusk rarely use words because we are able to convey much more complex meanings. This was such a meaning I wanted to share with you. Tsu’me feels that every waking hour of her life. She has grown a well cultivated shell to protect herself inside, but I discovered the truth.”

Rhen crossed his arms. “But still…”

Aki slipped down his arm and back into the pool. “Yes, she attempted to destroy the resurrection node. No, you do not have to forgive her for that, but she is attempting to make amends. She did not understand that we could protect her, that we would protect her.”

“She thinks we will now?”

“The only promise I made was that we would not allow Welsh to harm her if she helped us remove him from power.”

Rhen groaned. Tsu’me was greedy. She was haughty. She was rude. And she didn’t love the delve. She loved wealth.

“I beg you to look past her outward behaviors, and remember her pain.”

Rhen took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The vision of sharp needles prickling at him from all directions, caging him in and threatening pain with every movement returned. It was uncomfortable. He wanted the vision to go away… but he persisted with it instead. He let the discomfort grow.

When he opened his eyes, his hands were balled into fists, and his shoulders were all the way up to his ears. His face was strained in a clenched-tooth scowl, and his throat was tight.

“All her life.”

Rhen nodded. “I think I understand… but Aki, she didn’t have to be this way. I haven’t had the happiest upbringing, but you don’t see me screwing over people I just met for a few marks.”

“So, she is to be condemned for eternity because of past mistakes?”

“Just because I don’t want her to eat at my table doesn’t mean I don’t want her to eat at all.”

Aki’s colors pulsed between blue and yellow. “I understand. Some wounds are too deep. The fact remains, I promised her safety in exchange for standing trial.”

“I’ll keep that promise. We can start working on the topside inn. She can stay there, but she’s not allowed to step foot in the dungeon, understand?”

Aki turned blue.

“She’s already in the dungeon, isn’t she?”

“Yes…”

Rhen pinched his nose bridge and blew out a long breath. “Okay, well is someone watching her at least?”

“Jakira would not let Tsu’me out of her sight. Alex and Ulecks likewise are… giving her shit.”

Rhen laughed. “Aki, you cursed!”

“I did.”

“I was beginning to think you were incapable.”

“I am capable of all things.”

“What about using conjunctions?”

“I choose not to. It is my distinctive communication style.”

“Okay, buddy.” Rhen laid his head back against the warm stone, suddenly feeling quite tired.

“You are not recovered yet. Two more hours will be enough, I believe.”

Rhen closed his eyes and the visions of spiny needles blurred through his mind’s eye. The more he sat with the visions, the less anger he felt toward Tsu’me. While his body healed, his mind went to war, each side standing firm.

Tsu’me had wronged them.

Tsu’me was scared for her life.

Tsu’me had chosen a weak path of violence and cheating.

Tsu’me had not known another path existed.

Rhen had himself succumbed to stealing, lying, and cheating on several occasions. Hells, he was living a lie right now.

What if that lie came to light tomorrow?

Rhen felt Aki’s tentacle slid up to his shoulder and he rested there. “I investigated the system carefully before proceeding. If your identity is called into question, it will become a different case and will not have any weight in the current one against Welsh.”

That was a small comfort.

“Did you find the Faust family?”

“I did. They were three realms away in Jovan, working in Desedra III. I have brought them here as well. I hope that my use of the dungeon marks was allowed. I did not ask beforehand.”

“I haven’t really been paying you a salary, so I’m sure you’re owed much more than whatever you used. Besides, this is my business, the money you used isn’t even what’s owed to you.

“In any case, what did they say?”

“Their youngest daughter died in the fire at the inn. Wyland, Joseph, and Valine are searching for a metal bracelet she would have left behind. This is part of the physical evidence we will bring to the case of the fire. We will be pressing Welsh on two different accounts—the inn burning and the node tampering.”

“Who is this we you’re speaking of?”

“Jakira, Arannet, you, and me.”

Rhen’s head jerked up and he looked down at Aki. “Arannet?”

He didn’t distrust the D.O.G. assistant… in fact, he was growing a bit fond of her. But still, she was with the Guild. She wasn’t supposed to get involved in these kinds of things—at least he thought.

“Untrue. The health of the dungeon is in her purview, and thus her responsibility. She has been instrumental in the progression of this case. She submitted files on the burned inn the day after she arrived, and I approached her about further legal action we could take.”

The sting of betrayal needled his heart like the black blanket he’d seen in his mind. “Why didn’t you talk to me?”

The Prelusk made a shrugging motion with his tentacles. “You have so much to do already. You worry too much. This was something she and I could do for you. Like you said, with Welsh gone, his delvers will have no other dungeon to come to but ours, or Desedra. Given the choice, I believe they will come here. This will be the necessary boost you need to get Wyland’s designs completed in time to meet the deadline.”

Rhen let out another long sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going looking for Tsu’me?”

Aki patted him gently. “Because I knew you would not understand. I only understood as she was leaving… she is very adept at resisting cebrum spells, as one would assume of a cebrum mage.

“She lost her calm as she left. She was helpless and devastated. The black needles, as you put it, closed in around her and strangled her. I kept this to myself and involved you when I believed it was in the best service of you and the dungeon. I did not want you worrying needlessly.”

Rhen didn’t like feeling left out of the loop, but in the end… maybe it was for the best. He trusted Aki, that was for certain, and having Tsu’me’s pact as evidence if they couldn’t find the Faust girl’s bracelet would be their saving grace.

But what if she screwed them?

He’d have to make sure that didn’t happen.

Rhen spent the rest of the rejuvenating bath considering how he would word his pact with Tsu’me.

When it was finally time to get out, he dressed quickly—and painfully—and jogged back to the inn. Jakira loomed over the bard as she plucked her three string lyre, attempting to look cool and calm. Rhen kept his expression placid and approached, though he felt all the way from rage to fear swirling inside him.

He held out his hand to her. “I promise to keep you safe from Welsh, Desedra, and anyone else who would come after you if—”

Tsu’me reached to take Rhen’s hand, but hesitated at the if. She eyed him warily and he went on.

“If you promise in return no more lies. Come clean about everything you’ve been instructed to do by whom—”

She tried to take his hand, but he wasn’t finished.

“Andyou promise you will not attempt any type of sabotage against me, the delvers who work here, the dungeon, Arannet, or the nexus node… or the people of Yu.”

Tsu’me rolled her eyes. “Is that it?”

“An apology would be nice, too,” Jakira added.

Tsu’me put her lyre aside, uncrossed her legs, and tucked her newly regrown tail around to her lap. She clasped all four of her hands in a prayer motion in front of her, and closed her eyes. She sucked in a deep inhale, and began to sing a sad tune.

“I was lost, secluded in my world of pain,

It never ended, there was no gain,

We ran from dungeon, to village, to city,

Yet no one would take any pity,

We starved, we scraped, we fought, and tried!

It was as if no one cared we were alive…

But Aki came and he made me see,

The error of my way, it was within me,

I’m not pure, chaste, or perfect,

My lyrics don’t always rhyme,

But take my hand, and this promise will affect,

My future actions for all time.”

She held her hand out. “I will never knowingly hurt you or your dungeon family, if you can protect us.”

Alex clapped sarcastically. Arannet wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. Apparently, the performance had a different effect for each person in the room.

But Rhen believed her. None of her syntials had lit up, there was no magical mist about her… Tsu’me had sung from her soul, not with her spells.

The memory of black needles prickling Rhen’s body from all angles came to mind. He wouldn’t want to live like that. And while Rhen was afraid from time to time about his identity—now more than ever—he didn’t perpetually live in a state of fear. He had found hope somehow and clung to that.

It was the joy of lying in a dark cave next to a man he called father in his heart, and seeing anima crystals light up for the first time. It was the spark of adventure, of wonder, and of safety—not that the creatures weren’t dangerous but… in his own dungeon, he had a forever-home.

He wanted to share that.

And yes, Tsu’me still had a shit attitude with the rolling eyes and the scoffs—but she was truly sorry and willing to change her ways. She hadn’t known Rhen, what he stood for, or how he cherished everyone that worked with him—hells how could she have? She’d only been in the dungeon a day and a half.

Now she knew better. Or at least, she’d have the opportunity to find out. And maybe, hopefully, as the black needle blanked fell away, she’d stop being such a pain in the ass.

Rhen took her hand. “I accept.”

A white glow zipped down Rhen’s arm and into Tsu’me. There was a reply surge of anima, and each of their id syntials had been branded with the promise. He noticed she had changed the language of the promise there at the end. Rhen wouldn’t just be protecting her from Welsh or Desedra, but anything.

A few months ago, he wouldn’t have let her take advantage of him like that, but it was different now. He had the means to take responsibility for the people he employed, to keep them safe, housed, fed, educated, well-geared, and happy. Hells, it wasn’t even that hard, especially when they worked just as diligently toward that end.

This was okay by him…

He would take care of them, and help them learn to take care of themselves.

He would help them find hope.