Chapter 346 Fire II (1/2)
CHAPTER 346
FIRE (II)
A beautiful, quaint and small village rested on top of the flourishing hillside decorated with wild patches of flowers and willow trees. All roads leading in and out of the village were muddy due to last night's rain, with droplets of water still cascading down the slanted roofs of the wooden houses fit into perfect squares, spaced neatly into a rectangle.
People began slowly waking with the beams of the dawn, its muddy streets soon becoming occupied by nearly a hundred souls regardless. Cries of roosters beckoned out immediately after, forming a strange sort of serenade to the world around.
Outside one of the taller buildings, on top of the small, front porch where a couple of tables rested, two young women were currently enjoying a plateful over two cups of tea. While Alison had a rather rested and pleasant face, Lucky on the other hand appeared rather drained and sleepy, half a mind away from leaning back into her chair and falling asleep right then and there.
”Do you do this often?” Alison suddenly asked.
”Wake up early?” Lucky glanced at her, taking a sip of tea -- which in reality was wine. ”Sure. All the time.”
”He he, no, I meant just... randomly walk into a village and book a room in one of the inns.”
”... that? Oh, yeah. It's kind of necessary part when you're traveling around.” Lucky replied.
”You travel around a lot?”
”No, of course not. I'm not traveling now either. You've dreamed this whole thing up.”
”My my, someone's cranky in the morning,” Alison chuckled. ”Would you have liked if I let you sleep in?”
”... I would have ignored you if you didn't bust into my room.” Lucky shrugged.
”I know you would have. Why do you think I busted in?”
”... you pretend you're this sweet, innocent girl,” Lucky said. ”But, you're one mean, evil bitch. I'm onto you, just so you know.”
”... he he,” Alison chuckled coyly. ”What do you want to do today?”
”... you know what I want to do today.”
”Besides sleep, I meant. And rest. And lazying off. And dosing away. And--”
”--I get it, I get it,” Lucky grumbled, sighing deeply. ”What do you want to do?”
”Well, as long as we're here, we may as well look around.” Alison replied, glancing out onto the muddy street with slight perturbation.
”How about we just stay indoors and chat?”
”Really?! Khm, I mean, sure... if you want to have a really boring day. Whatever you want.”
”... yeah,” Lucky grinned faintly for a moment, taking another sip of her tea-wine. ”I was always curious, by the way, about the Holy Grounds. What are they like?”
”... hmm,” Alison thought for a moment, taking a deep breath before replying. ”They're really just like any other sect, I believe. Highly hierarchical and rigid, with so many rules it's practically impossible to remember them all.”
”... you don't like it, then?” Lucky questioned.
”Oh, no, I love it,” Alison chuckled. ”But, then again... I imagine my experiences differed vastly from those of ordinary Disciples. Ever since I was taken in, I was given practically everything... just because I happened to have a proper talent. Most of my childhood I struggled greatly with it, never quite believing I deserved everything I was given.”
”What changed?” Lucky asked, immediately noticing a flash of pain cross through Alison's eyes, mixed with anger.
”... a... a friend of mine,” Alison said, biting her lower lip. ”She... helped me get through it. Unlike others, she didn't treat me any differently. If I did or said something dumb, she would point it out and laugh at me. She would listen to my troubles... and then just hug me.”
”... she sounds like a great friend.” Lucky said.
”... she was.”
”...” though she wanted to ask what happened, Lucky could already imagine; after all, it wasn't difficult to infer that the friend was Hannah, which could easily explain the complex look in Alison's eyes at the moment.