⋅⋅⊱༻ LIVING ROOM ༺⊰⋅⋅

The room is spacious and cozy, probably the most decorated place in the house as the rest only has sparse furniture, or maybe the house is so big that one resident can only fill it so much. Despite being big, it’s not particularly extravagant, but rather comfortable and homey. Two sofas and one armchair surround a small wooden table, pillows and throws strewn about.

⋅⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅⋅

The crutches knock on the wooden floor with every step the homeowner takes, his strides are light and practiced. He heads straight to the living room, quickly rearranging the pillows into a more presentable form, and adding wood to the dying flame of the fireplace. When he turns to his visitors, a lot of the irritation has already left his expression.

"Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be here a minute." Then he heads off to who knows where.. although you can kind of guess the direction from the sound of wood knocking on wood.

"…..... He's not THAT bad I promise." Clematia says.

"Sure.." Cyrus sarcastically comments as he enters the living room.

"Okaaaaay~" Konran belatedly answers to Mito who's already left by now. She does exactly as he said as she flops on one of the sofas, throwing her arms out as she snuggles happily in the softness of the fabric. Cyrus on the other hand stays standing as he scans the room, not impressed but not let down either.

"No no really, I only ever see him receive high profile guests, I hear he even worked for the royal family before." Dimitri takes a seat on the other sofa, while Briony tries to have a spot next to Konran.

"I'm aware. If he wasn't recommended to us by the duke himself I wouldn't have gone through the trouble to come all the way here." It is a long distance after all, and one can only guess what they had to face along the way. Being disrespected is nothing compared to all that trip, but it is still unacceptable from Cyrus’ point of view.

"Maybe you shouldn't have, after all. I'm on winter break."

True to his word, it only took him a minute. Mito settles in the armchair, glad no one took his favourite spot. He waits a bit for Cyrus to take a seat, but he doesn't press. "I must... apologize, for my earlier behavior. That is no way to welcome guests…” It didn't sound difficult for him to apologize, but while it did sound sincere, he was not the most enthusiastic with it, stating it matter of factly instead of offering an apologetic smile. “I'm Yohei Mito, a cartographer as you must already know, what brings you here?"

"I'm glad you realise your mistake.” Cyrus says, still standing. “And the reason we've come all the way here is because we need a knowledgeable guide to get us to the Enthralla continent, and so you've been recommended."

"And you're not getting your tea unless you agree! Right Briony?!" Konran giggles at her own rhyme as she peeks from the pillows to look at her new friend.

"Mhm!" Clematia giggles as well, amused.

Now Yohei REALLY looks like he tasted lemons. "Enthralla?! At THIS time of year??! You... someone must be trying to get rid of you."

"Wait for real?!" Konran seems to take words at face value.

Cyrus' eyebrow twitches slightly as he's getting quite annoyed by this man who speaks far too daringly. "The intention is none of your concern I'm afraid—"

"—None is any of this, actually.” Yohei waves his hand dismissively. “The most I can do for you is give you a map. Though I warn you, it will not be of much help in a place like that… And don't tell me it’s just the two of you??"

"Mrs Evanthe would say otherwise, Mr. Mito."

Clematia had straightened her posture, now fixing Yohei with a determined stare, it takes him aback.

"Now that I know where they're headed, I'm interested as well. You see, there are herbs in Enthralla that you cannot find anywhere else. I was planning on waiting until summer to cross during warmer weather, but even then the only people who cross are criminals and shady people who wish to escape the law and be forgotten.” Her lips curl into a cunning smile. “It’s not very safe for a young lady like me wouldn't you agree? When else is a group of respected individuals going to pass by again?"

"WH- you wouldn't expect ME to go there, right?? I mean look at my leg!" He gestures frantically to his missing limb.

"Oh? But you've had that even before you went to Enthralla, no?”

Yohei scowls at her, ‘You did NOT have to tell them that.’

“And besides,” she continues, “We'll be traveling by horse... Mrs Evanthe will be veeery grateful~”

Now he just looks defeated. It looked as though the mention of Mrs Evanthe's name settled it. He does owe her a lot…

"Woah you're super convincing Briony!! So this letter is useless now?" Konran takes out a formal, rich RICH looking letter from her scarf.

"Konran since when did you have that?" Cyrus remembers having that in HIS bag.

The cartographer boggles his eyes at the sight of it, he sits up straight and grips at his armchair. When he speaks, his voice has a little tremble to it. "That's..!!! Why didn't you tell me earlier?! Who are you?!"

Truly, it is a terrible evening for mister cartographer.

"Now we're talking..." Cyrus mumbles under his breath as he lets out a sigh. "I'm Cyrus Redwood, and my partner over here is a mercenary named Konran Ripley who's to accompany us to the Enthralla continent." Cyrus walks across the room as he speaks, his footsteps loud and rhythmic, until he gets to Konran and snatches the letter out of her hands, then flicks her forehead.

"Ow!!"

He then turns around and walks up to Yohei. He stands straight in front of him, looking down at him coldly as he hands him the letter.

The hairs on Yohei's skin stand as he grabs the frighteningly familiar texture of the letter and makes sure of its authenticity: a deep burgundy bordering on purple, with delicate swirling decorations on either side, made with real golden thread.

There’s no doubt about it, it is a letter from Vargas…. but.. something is off, the intricate bright red seal is not properly placed—

"GASP You opened it?!" He exclaims in a whisper, as if it’s something to hide, looking at Konran like she is out of her mind.

"Nope, never did never will didn't read any of it no idea what you’re talking about"

When Yohei opened the letter, it read as follows:

⋅⋅⊱༻ 𝕬𝖈𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝕺𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖗 ༺⊰⋅⋅

𝕷𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖗 𝖉𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖔𝖓 𝖄𝖔𝖍𝖊𝖎 𝕸𝖎𝖙𝖔, 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖆𝖈𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖆𝖓𝖞 𝖜𝖍𝖔𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖗, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖌𝖚𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖒 𝖘𝖆𝖋𝖊𝖑𝖞 𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖚𝖐𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝕰𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖆, 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖇𝖞 𝖇𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖙𝖆𝖝 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖆 𝖞𝖊𝖆𝖗.

⋅⋅⊱༻༺⊰⋅⋅

Yohei looks up from the letter and shoots a sharp look at Konran, but before he can say anything, a bell rings from where he had been before.

"O-oh! Tea is ready!" Mito exclaims, he looks grateful for the retreat as he puts the letter back in its envelope without reading any of it aloud, and walks away with it, gait quicker than before.

The tension finally breaks, and Dimitri remembers to breath.

Cyrus takes a long deep breath, holding the bridge of his nose. He gives Konran a quick ‘When the guests are out you're dead’ look before walking up to a wall near the window and leaning against it, arms crossed.

‘I guess I wasn't supposed to open that...’ Konran thinks as she starts sweating under Cyrus's brief but promising glare ‘But what's so bad about that letter?!’.

They sit in silence for a bit, each deep in their own thoughts. The wind picks up outside, it’s pitch black now.

The knocking comes back as Yohei wraps around the sofa to put down an ornate tray of tea and biscuits. The smell of herbs fills up their lungs, relaxing and comforting, the cookies have various forest berries in them instead of chocolate chips.

Clematia inhales the smell "Mmm, that’s chamomile? Look who's tryna calm his nerves hehehe."

"...." The comment doesn't seem to bother him as he pours everyone a cup, he settles down on his armchair and looks at Cyrus expectantly.

"Ooh smells nice!" Konran holds the cup happily, she blows on it and takes the tiniest sips so she doesn't burn her tongue. "And tastes nice too!!"

Cyrus was staring at Konran as she drank her tea content with life, when he noticed Yohei looking at him. ‘…Does he want more information?’ "...We can depart tomorrow I suppose. Unless you had other plans then do let us know." He gets to business quite fast, maybe he didn't see the cup of tea Yohei placed near the EMPTY spot on the sofa, or maybe he simply rejected it.

‘Well I DID have other plans.’ Mito thinks to himself. ‘Finally not having any trips during winter, just taking it easy for a month or two while I detail maps I never quite got to finish, work on bigger projects like merging maps together and making a bigger, encompassing one... that kind of stuff, work that wouldn't require me to leave. Maybe even have some spare time for myself! Discover new hobbies! Siiiiigh, perhaps I can do that when I come back.... but the mission itself is difficult.’

"No, tomorrow is reasonable.” He finally concedes. “the weather isn’t the best but it could always get worse... you will get dinner and some rest... I'll need to stock up and revisit the map... hmmm" He looks Cyrus up and down, then Konran. “You will need to get warmer clothes, hiking boots, and a hat like mine, you'll show me your baggage once we're done with tea."

"...Alright." Cyrus hates being bossed around, but this guy was just doing his job. It's not very proper to make a scene out of a tone so unnoticeable.

"Okaaaay~!!" Konran sips on her tea, burning her tongue a little... Then she remembers something important- “By the way! I got us kinda robbed a few days ago so we've got no money! Also, this is some great tea!! You're a great tea maker, Mister Mito! Hope I can taste more of it in our trip!!”

"Bahaha you flatter me!! But that would be a compliment for Miss Betty! This will make her so happy! And don't worry about the money, I can cover the costs, it’s enough that you made it all the way here safely. You're not hurt or anything are you?" …It seems the cartographer is easy to please after all.

"Miss Beeetty? Who's that?!" She looks excited at the mention of another lady, her eyes sparkle and she grins from ear to ear.

"Yeeess she's his wife you didn't know~?" Clematia says with a mischievous grin.

"SHHHHH she is NOT my wife Clematia!!" He somehow screams in a hushed voice while a blush quickly creeps up his face. "Speaking of! Are you sure you should be coming with us? Who would go to Enthralla just for some herbs, you could end up losing your life." A quick change of topic is the way to go.

“‘Some herbs’ can save lives.” She quips. “And it’s not like I can just let you collect them for me. The last time you brought us herbs to sort for tea, you put at least two poisonous species in, identifying the plants is a big part of the job."

"Woaaaaaaaaaaaaaa." Konran blows on her tea some more, then sips on it again. "So who's Miss Betty?"

"....She lives with me." Yohei answers dryly, suddenly regretting that he brought her up in the first place. But they outta know there is someone else present in the house.

"So is she like your maid or your roommate?" Dimitri bites his lip after pushing further. He couldn't stop himself from asking. Mr Mito had always avoided the question, and he never saw Betty before even though she's always been here. Perhaps she's shy?

"More of a roommate, but instead of paying rent she tends to the house."

"That’s a maid." Clematia says flatly.

"No, a maid is lower than you in status." Yohei really isn't keen on continuing this conversation, but the more he avoids it, the more they will pry. "She is very secretive I know, but that is her personal choice."

"Cyruus~, have some tea! It’s not poisoned... I hope?" Clematia says playfully as Yohei shoots her a fake angry stare.

?

He was staring at Yohei, studying his reaction, tone and expressions until Briony got his attention. "Thank you for the offer but I'll pass." He bows his head gratefully, then stares out the window, a little bored of where the conversation went.

Konran looks at Yohei with big, cutesy looking eyes. "Can I have his?"

"Oh of course! You can have as many refills as you'd like." He sets his own cup down, then gets up to pour her some more, he doesn't sit back down though and instead turns to Cyrus. "Well then, can I have a look at your packs?"

"Yes. I left them with the horses since I was unsure if you'd open the door. I'll be right back."

Konran looks shocked at that. "We still had stuff left?!?"

"Yes, I figured it'd be best if I kept it from you."

‘Well he isn't wrong-’ Konran thinks, she seems to have at least that much self awareness.

While Cyrus did leave the bags with the horses for the purpose he just noted, he also wanted a breather from people. He doesn't tend to enjoy crowded spaces.

.

.

.

Cyrus is welcomed by the cold breeze the moment he opens the door. He quickly closes it behind him and lets out an exhausted breath. This was a long trip and they've finally found a proper place to sleep. He's pretty hungry too, but that doesn't matter. He steps out, heading towards the stable, his steps much more relaxed now.

It’s peaceful outside. When the wind quiets down and stops shaking the tree leaves, you can even hear the various critters of the night.

As he approaches the stable door, he hears stirring inside.

Perhaps he opened the door a bit too briskly, because one of the horses startles and rushes towards him, or rather, towards the door..

?!

His eyes widen and he quickly moves to the side, doing his best to get out of the way.

He slams against the door, but he moves just in time to avoid the horse rushing outside, kicking the air on its way out. It keeps going, running with no destination in mind, frightened. It disappears into the woods.

It couldn't have gotten too far as he can still hear it… The other two horses are still there, safely attached to a wooden beam by their bridles. One of them is visibly uneasy, while the other is perfectly calm.

Cyrus stares at the open door, his heart beating so fast after that sudden jumpscare????? What the hell was that?!?!

"...."

He looks back inside the stable as he breaks in a cold sweat... If the horse ran so fast then... Something must have scared it...

He takes a deep breath, then slowly and quietly enters the stable.

.

.

.

⋅⋅⊱༻To be continued༺⊰⋅⋅