Chapter 17 - Putting It All Together

Yukiko hung a painted sign outside of one of the Vagrant’s private booths. In bold black letters, with a few random pictures scattered about (mostly of her familiar spring in various silly poses), the sign read “RESERVED FOR THE SEEKERS OF TRUTH.” Ever since her father got the idea of building these booths when she was a girl, she had always dreamed of gathering her own party and hosting a meeting in them. Those moments where she and Akaja played pretend as children didn’t count.

When Akaja met Yu and started going on adventures with him, she was unfortunately left behind. Being a few years younger, and having an overprotective mother postponed her eventual debut as an adventurer, but that didn’t matter anymore! She had a group and a mission! Yukiko wanted to start off her career with a real bang! She hummed a cheerful tune to herself as she organized a nice spread on the table. Meanwhile, Spring darted about on the floor, playfully swatting at a cork she had dropped earlier.

Drinks and a multitude of finger foods covered the table. There were little meat skewers covered in spice, squid chunks battered and fried to perfection, freshly baked roti smothered in garlic butter, slices of the sweetest watermelon, fried pork skins, and a large pot of white rice. There was even more on the way, too. Kuana had promised to bring some dessert, and even Tendo had volunteered to send some food their way as well. Even though the past week hasn’t exactly been easy, especially for Akaja, Yukiko was more than looking forward to the future adventures she and the other seekers would share.

Yukiko caught a glimpse of her reflection through one of the plates on the table. Divines… I look hideous! She had spent the entire day working, and most of the evening prepping for the meeting! Her hair was all tangled, and the yukata she was wearing had a nasty stain from when she had accidentally spilled ponzu sauce from earlier. And she was sweaty. It was also hot and humid in Issei, but today of all days was especially hot and humid. She needed a bath, and she needed to style her hair, and-

The door began to slide open.

Please don’t be him please don’t be him please don’t be-

“YUKIKOOO~”

Thanks the divines! It’s just Akaja…

“Kaja, Kaja, Kaja! I need your help! It’s an emergency!”

“What?” Akaja glanced around and shut the door. “What happened? Who was it? Do I need to bust some skulls?”

“What? No!” Yukiko frantically motioned towards herself. “Look at me! I look like a crawled out of a sewe- no scratch that! I crawled out of a sewer earlier this week, and even I didn’t look that bad!”

“Yuki…”

“And they’ll be here any minute!” She began to pace around the room, her familiar trailing after her.

“And by ‘they’…” Akaja said, crossing her arms. “You mean Andros?”

“Yes!”

“Relax… I have the perfect solution for you.” She reached into her pack and pulled a small wand out. “What was the word again… oh! Radiance!” A series of small shimmering lights shot out of the wand and began to dance around Yukiko. The wand washed away the sweat on her skin, straightened out the wrinkles on her clothes, and untangled her hair in the span of a few seconds. Once the lights faded, they left behind the subtle scent of cinnamon.

Yukiko’s eyes widened. She spun about, inspecting herself before grinning. “Incredible! What did you just do? I didn’t know you knew magic!”

“I don’t,” Akaja said. “It’s all in this wand. It comes in handy when you’re crawling through some nasty places! Yu got it for me during my last name-day. I hope you, or more importantly, Andros, likes cinnamon!”

Yukiko grabbed Akaja and pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Should I run back home and change, or am I fine?”

“Yukiko, you look perfectly fine,” Akaja said. “You. Are. Gorgeous! If Andros can’t recognize it, he’s either bland, or doesn’t like women. Speaking of… what’s the deal with you and him, anyway?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Akaja began. “It’s obvious you have a big crush on him. You keep gazing longingly at him whenever he’s around. Are the two of you not… official?”

Yukiko frowned. “No… not yet.” She let out a long sigh. “I don’t know… maybe he’s just not interested? Plus, him and that bard seem to have a history.”

“its old history though,” Akaja said. “I’m 99% sure he likes you. Whenever I bring you up at the temple, he always asks how you’re doing.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” She grinned. “He’s one of those smart but oblivious types. The best way to get to those types of people is to just ask them outright.”

“Is now really a good time for it though?” Yukiko asked, frowning. “I mean, we’re in the middle of our big investigation. I just… well, he seems to have a one-track mind about things. Maybe it would be better to wait a litt-“

“Yuki…”

“Yes?”

“I’m going to make it my mission tonight for him to give you a straight answer,” Akaja set her hands on her hips. “And don’t worry about it effecting the mission. Adventurers ‘mingle’ within the party all the time. Your parents are a prime example of that! Now, once the group is finished discussing the investigation, I think we try to get Andros drinking. Not drunk… I’ve seen him while drunk and it’s not pretty. No, we’re going to just get him tipsy enough to open up a little, and I’ll subtly push him in your direction.”

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“He does seem to get more talkative after a few drinks,” Yukiko murmured. “Alright! Let’s do this!”

Some time later, Kuana and Andros arrived at the booth. Andros came in first, carrying a bulky chalkboard in with him, with Kuana following not too far behind. In one hand, the Goliath carried a basket filled with a sweet purple pastry, and in the other, he carried a wooden tray covered with sashimi, and he had a hefty keg strapped to his back.

“Time to eat!” Kuana exclaimed as he started to set his goods down.

“Oooh!” Yukiko gasped excitedly. “What’s all this?”

“Fish is from Tendo, and these are ube pastries. My Kuia’s recipe.” The Goliath grinned and patted the keg proudly. “Inside is my recipe. Shokum, my people call it. Sweet liquor. Do not worry, though… this is a batch I made for smaller people.”

“And what’s with the chalkboard?” Akaja asked. “You’re not going to lecture us, are you?”

“I brought it to easily compile all the information we know so far,” Andros answered. “We didn’t just come here to eat, you know… although those skewers look absolutely delicious.”

“Help yourselves!” Yukiko said, grinning. “Tonight is a night for business and pleasure! The first meeting of the SEEKERS OF TRUTH!” Spring popped up behind her, fluttering in the air as it summoned colorful sparkles for that added effect.

As they poured drinks, the Seekers began their feasting, as Andros began to draw out a series of diagrams to represent their investigation thus far. The Admiral’s name was written and circled at the center of it all. He helped himself to one of the meat skewers, then tapped on the chalkboard with an empty bowl to get everyone’s attention.

“Let’s get down to business, everybody!” Andros said. “Sooner we go over everything, the sooner we can focus on what’s important… food.” He grinned, then cleared his throat. “I’ve already briefed Kuana on the basics of what’s been going on. Nearly two weeks ago, Yu Akiyama was found dead in his own bed. Our prime suspect is his brother, Kazuki. Akaja already has a good motive for us.”

“Jealousy,” Akaja explained. “When I snuck into the castle and ran into him… he seemed very resentful.” She shifted uncomfortably. “Acted as if I owed him by affection since he was the new Admiral now… but we also have confirmation from Xue and Talai. Xue hired me at his behest.”

“And that connects to the culprit’s interest in my research,” Andros continued.

“Yeah…” Akaja murmured. “Kazzy also had powers similar to mine. The ones I got from Andros’ weird artifact thing.”

“So… we’re pretty certain the Admiral is our guy,” Yukiko commented. “But we still don’t know what his deal is. He’s taken control of the Syndicate, but it’s clear he has bigger plans. Andros and I learned at the wake that he’s been funneling samurai and ships away from the city. He’s buying up all the adventuring parties too! Some of the regulars here were talking about it. Something to do with jade coral.”

Andros hummed in thought, taking a bite from his skewer before writing out in big lettering “JADE CORAL” on the chalkboard.

“Do you know where he is sending them?” Kuana asked.

“I’m not exactly sure,” Yukiko said. “But wherever it is… it must be dangerous. Considering all the adventurers, he’s hiring out.”

“My people call it Totatua… erm… ‘god blood’…” Kuana explained. “It is found near sacred and profane places.”

“What is it?” Akaja asked. “I’ve heard Yu bring it up a few times before…”

“A powerful alchemical substance,” Andros said. “Very sought after, and very expensive. They say it can do almost anything, but so far it’s just been used to get rich folk extremely high. It can also be processed into a coal-like substance that can burn almost indefinitely. Up until recently, most people just thought it was another drug, but now everyone and their mother want a piece. Mainly the Imperials and Estrellians.”

Kuana frowned, then poured himself a tall glass of his special liquor. He normally seemed so carefree, but this topic clearly was bugging him.

“You alright, big guy?” Yukiko asked softly

Kuana nodded.

“So far…” Andros said, grabbing another skewer. “Kazuki killed his brother and took his position as Admiral and head of the syndicate. He has an interest in cognitive studies, which have borne fruit due to his powers, and he’s using Xue as the catalyst for his research. Perhaps the Jade Coral is integral to it somehow? I hadn’t considered the possibilities for my own research, but perhaps-

“Let’s not get carried away, Andros!” Yukiko said, smiling.

“Right,” Andros cleared his throat again. “He told Xue he’s working out a deal with the Empire, but we’re not quite sure how related his research and that deal are…”

“There’s something else,” Akaja said. “When I was exploring the castle, I ran into a strange little girl. She looked Imperial, but also said she was nameless. Maybe she’s the connection we’re looking for?”

“We should press Xue on that lead, then,” Andros said. “Perhaps she’s a ransom? The daughter of some powerful bureaucrat? Oh, and there’s one more thing… although Akaja has made her thoughts very clear on this.”

“I don’t like it.”

Yukiko tilted her head curiously at her friend.

“Has anyone here ever heard of someone called ‘The Pallid Lady?’” Andros asked.

Silence…

“Talai says that this woman is true, master,” Andros continued. “Our blood mage friend is supposedly a part of a group that really hates the Empire. Talai has also offered to arrange a meeting with this ‘Pallid Lady’ in exchange for her freedom.”

“I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw Kuana,” Akaja murmured.

“But… if this ‘Pallid Lady’ is as well-connected as Talai implies… she may help us with our Empire lead. Thoughts?”

“We should probably be super cautious,” Yukiko said. “Talai alone was almost a match for the three of us. If it weren’t for Akaja interfering at the last minute…”

“I will keep an eye on her hands,” Kuana said.

“If we do pursue this, then we should do it together, too.” Yukiko added. “All the Seekers! Together.”

Andros glanced over at Akaja.

“Fine…” she said, sighing. “But I don’t like it.”

“Then we should pursue this lead as our next move,” Andros said. “Agreed?”

The Seekers nodded.

“Perfect!” Andros sighed. “Now, onto more pressing matters… dinner!”

“Have you tried some of Kuana’s brew yet, Andros?” Akaja asked. “It’s surprisingly sweet! But still very good!”

“Hah!” Kuana grinned. “You have good taste, little one. The best things in life are sweet! Sweetness gives energy, and energy lets you live life! And Andros, if you loved my last brew, you will love this one.”

Andros let out a short chuckle. “Divines… the last time I drank something of yours I had something stolen from me,” He gave Akaja a teasing look. “But I can’t say no to one of Kuana’s big boy brews.”

With a satisfied grin, Akaja grabbed the biggest cup she could find and began to pour. She gave Yukiko a sly wink, then tilted her head towards him, silently saying: you’ve got this!

As the night went on, The Seekers of Truth indulged themselves in each other’s company. They feasted on the dishes before them; the room filling with the sound of laughter and the telling of tales. With every drink came more laughter and stories, and Yukiko couldn’t help but to get caught up in the atmosphere. Nearly drunk on Kuana’s brew, which hit you like a powerful fruity fist, she couldn’t help but to nuzzle herself next to Andros.

“I should… Divines…” Andros belched, then chuckled. “I need to get up… I think I went a little overboard again..”

“I think what you neeeeeeed~ is some fresh air!” Yukiko said, grinning.

“Good idea…”

“Take a walk with me then!” Yukiko said. “Please?”

Andros nodded. “Yeah… let’s…”