Eri had slept a half hour after Saran was forced to go to his room before she opened her door. She peeked through his opened door, but Saran wasn’t there. Instead, the window was open, letting in chilly gusts of wind. He must have decided to sleep on the roof again. Eri placed the two maps she had acquired from the ship into her drawer, slid into the comfy bed she had been dreaming about all day, and fell asleep before her head reached for his pillow.

The next day, Eri woke up with a yawn. Faint beams of light danced in her eyes. She must have woken up early today. Eri had slept early the night before. She got up and stretched.

Is Saran still sleeping outside?

She approached the window and leered out. Low and behold, Saran was sleeping. Eri was slightly amazed at how he had managed to sleep sitting up. Eri reached for her belt and grinned as she felt that her belt containing water was still there. She opened the bottle and splashed Saran’s face with it.

In a moment, she was awake and standing. Saran wiped down his face and glared at a smiling Eri.

“How come you didn’t scream? I distinctly remember the last time you were wailing like a baby bat.” Eri grinned.

“I hate you, Eri,” Saran seethed. Eri gave him some room to climb back into the house.

“It was just a harmless trick.” It was also payback for last night, but Eri didn’t feel the need to include that.

“Sure it was,” Saran growled, then softened his features before whispering, “Sorry for yesterday.”

It’s fine. Eri wanted to say, but for one reason or another, she didn’t. Saran walked out of the room, his usual haughty demeanor back, and Eri followed closely behind. They walked over to the bathroom. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to wash my face.”

“Didn’t I already do that for you?” Eri asked as the door shut. She didn’t hear a response. Eri sighed. She walked down the stairs and was met with a sleeping Kaiser on the sofa, wrapping himself in a cocoon. She looked over at Shelby, who was eating toast and tea for breakfast.

“So that was where Kaiser was sleeping.”

“Yeah,” Shelby said in between bits. “There’s bread over there,” she said, pointing to a half-eaten loaf across the counter. “Make some coffee or tea and eat it.”

“I think I’ll wait for Saran to do it,” Eri replied, plopping herself onto the sofa. Shelby muttered something under her breath.

“C’mon Shelby, you don’t think I’m lazy too?”

“I’m choosing not to answer that question,” Shebly said, setting her plate and cup in the sink. She walked up the stairs, and Eri watched as she disappeared toward her room.

Honestly, she and Saran only got to live in the house because they kept the authorities from investigating much into the hotel. Also, because Shelby insisted they were ‘family’ and whatnot, Eri didn’t think that a thirty-six-year-old woman wouldn’t keep a pair of criminals in her house, no matter the reason.

Saran walked down the staircase. Eri sprang up like a coil and ran up the stairs, bolting herself into the bathroom before yelling. “Saran, you're making breakfast today!”

All he heard was Saran’s grumbling, which sounded a lot like Shelby’s. Well, she did raise him. Eri thought as she walked over to the sink and washed and face before brushing her teeth as fast as she could. She then ran down the stairs and prompted her onto a stool before Saran had the chance to say anything. Eri peaked at what he was doing.

Saran grabbed a loaf of bread from the counter and turned around. The pan was already on the stove and he turned it on. He placed three slices of bread on top of the pan. While it was cooking, He grasped a pot and started brewing a hot cup of tea. Eri was more of a tea person, so she was pleasantly surprised that Saran managed to make that for her as well as coffee for himself.

Saran finished cooking and placed two plates of toast, each with exactly three slices and a cup of coffee and tea, respectively.

“Thank you,” Eri said, dipping his bread into the tea and preceding to eat it.

Saran sat down and rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you’ll ever do it.”

Eri ignored his remark and they both silently agreed to eat without talking. Eri was on her last toast when Kaiser woke up with a yawn. She glanced over at him. “Good morning Kaiser!”

“Good morning.” He said, rubbing his eyes. He slid the blanket off of himself and stood up. “Do you mind if I use the restroom just to wash my face?”

“Actually we do mind,” Saran said.

“Don’t listen to him, you’re free to do so whenever you like.” Kaiser raised an eyebrow at Eri but did what he was told and walked up the stairs.

“What was that?” Eri hissed as Saran got up to put his dishes away and make Kaiser breakfast.

“I was being sarcastic. Is that so much of a problem?”

Eri resisted rolling her eyes. “Would you quit giving a cold shoulder? If you really mean you’re ‘sorry’ then you wouldn’t treat Kaiser like this. He’s been through so much already.” She said.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Okay.” He said, returning to breakfast, following the same steps as before, placing three slices of bread on the pan and turning it on.

“Does Kaiser like tea or coffee?” Saran asked without lifting his head.

She was still grumbling at Saran but ultimately decided to tell him, “I don’t know, but I saw him drinking coffee yesterday.” Saran obeyed and started brewing another cup of coffee.

She placed her plate in the sink and tried sneaking away. “Get back here, Eri. I made breakfast and I’ll be damned if you don’t at least wash the plates.” He said, not looking up from the toast.

Eri groaned, “Come on Saran.” He lift his head and stared back at her with a bitter expression, “You know what, sure. And I’ll also tell Shelby that you wanted to move out.”

Eri groaned and trudged back to the sink, and started washing the dishes. Kaiser walked down the stairs. Saran placed Kaiser’s food on the counter just as he sat down on the high stool.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, Kaiser.”

Kaiser smiled, “Wow, I think that’s the first time you’ve been nice to me.”

“If we’re going to work together from now on, we might as well be on good terms.” Saran said and fake coughed, “Also, you weren’t half bad on the ship. I’ll give you credit for managing to break yourself out of a Caprian jail cell.”

Eri smiled. Finally, Saran was starting to listen to her.

A minute of silence passed between them as everyone started doing their own thing. She looked over at Kaiser, still scarfing down his food. It wasn’t much, but that’s all the local people of Sango had to eat while the rich Caprians ate all the best-imported goods. A trio of birds sang outside, and just by sound, Eri could make out each one. A blackbird, a bluebird, and a jay. Eri prided herself on knowing. A moment later, a strange shrill sound joined them and was gone at the same moment. Only the jay and blackbird were singing. The bluebird was taken by a hawk.

Eri sighed and rested her hand on the counter.

Kaiser finished his food and sighed like he had been holding his breath the entire time he ate. “It’s like you said though, if I was actually any good, I wouldn’t have been on the ship.” He said, breaking the silence. There was darkness in his voice.

Eri had heard it thousands of times before in the voices of her comrades. She heard it most in her voice. Like the smiles and friendly nature of her words were being worn down, twisted, and contorted by a slight edge of darkness in her voice. She wondered how Isen, the self-exiled prince of Miko, managed a smile. Every time Eri spoke to the boy, his eyes would twinkle and his black, sandy skin would glow. “There is a sadness in all of us.” He would say, “I’m just better at hiding it than most people.” Isen then laughed and said, “I should add that to my list of proverbs.”

Eri raised an eyebrow. “Still adding to it?”

“Always.” He grinned, but for the first time, she saw darkness on the edge of his words. Maybe that time he had let Eri see it, because never again did she see nor hear the darkness in Isen’s voice.

“I have to go,” Kaiser said. Breaking Eri away from her memories.

“Go where?” Saran asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Grocery shopping,” Kaiser said. “Eri wanted to show me the city.”

Eri nodded, “Kaiser,” she started, “I went out last night to fetch you a pair of clothes. There in the bathroom, I thought you would notice, but I hung the jeans and shirt behind the door. Get changed as come.”

“Okay,” Kaiser said, and ascended up the stairs.

Saran looked at her disapprovingly. “Those were my clothes.”

Eri shrugged, “You said they didn’t fit you, at least now you can put your biznea to use.” She looked at him and groaned, “What are we going to do now?”

“About Kaiser…?”

“He’s too dangerous to let go. But killing him doesn’t feel right either.” Eri said.

Saran hummed, “So, what can we do?”

“Go to Nahida?”

“She’ll just vote to kill him, and asking Varun would be enough worse. He’d most likely torture Kaiser into giving up all his secrets.”

Eri laughed, “I thought that you were the one who wanted to kill him first.”

“We don’t know his power yet,” Saran said. Poking another point at the ever-increasing problem that was Kaiser.

“We’ll find out eventually,” Eri reassured him.

“How about this?” Saran started, “While you go shopping with him, I’ll go to both of them and somehow convince them.”

“And if they don’t agree?”

Saran shrugged, “Nothing I can do about it then.”

“You would kill Kaiser if they told you to.”

“I would try to convince them otherwise,” Saran said. “But if I can’t, well, I can just drag him into one of the abandoned apartments in the east and kill him there. If I can, I’ll make it look like Ajax did it.”

“Sure, I guess.” She tried to sound indifferent, but the situation was just too sad. Poor Kaiser went through all that trouble yesterday, only to die tomorrow if Nahida so chooses. Well, let’s just hope she chooses mercy. She then laughed at herself. When has Nahida ever chosen to be merciful?

Kaiser walked down the stairs, and Eri had never been more grateful to see his face in the one day she knew him. She waved at him. “Ready to go out?”

“Yeah, ready.” He replied.

Before she followed Kaiser out, she glanced back at Saran as if to say: this conversation is done. Go to them and ask for their verdict.

He nodded grimly: If they vote against it, you won’t see him ever again.

“I know,” Eri said bluntly and disappeared out the door.

“You’ve ever been to a city before?” Eri asked, catching up to him.

“Never,” Kaiser said in awe. “Somehow it looks better in the day.” Eri lead them to the edge of the canal. They wouldn’t be taking the canals, but a stroll around the narrow streets of Shareen. She let Kaiser walk ahead. Looking to her right, she saw the bloodied remains of the bluebird. Only the feet and talons remained. Eri grimaced.

She reached into her pocket and slipped on a clean medical mask. Her dirty blonde hair got caught behind her ear and took some time to untangle it. Kaiser stopped to look back at Eri. “Why the mask?” He said, pointing to it while Eri ran up to him.

“Shareen has a lot of dust. I get allergies.” Eri lied. She wasn’t about to tell Kaiser her fear of blood, so making up an excuse was to best way to avoid it. Kaiser nodded sympathetically.

They continued down the streets as Eri was leading them to a market. “Are you sure you can walk around Sango without being discovered?”

“As of right now, Orion thinks that I’m dead.” Kaiser deadpanned.

“Mhm.” was all Eri could respond to. “So what does your tattoo do?” She asked. Kaiser looked back blankly, “Tattoo?” He echoed.

“Runes. What does it do?” Eri had forgotten the Amberians called them runes. Kaiser made an ‘o’ face.

“It’s actually pretty useless.” Kaiser said matter-of-factly, “I can see wherever the light touches, where it’s the sun or any light source for that matter.”

“I don’t know about you, Kaiser, but to me, it sounds really helpful.”

“Helpful. Doesn’t matter,” He scowled. “What matters is how good it is when I’m fighting, and in that aspect, I’m just as worthless as a regular human. Except I’m not even treated as half of one.” His words were laced with anger.

Eri was taken aback for a moment. Kaiser must have realized he had talked too loudly, “Sorry.” He said Kaiser had meant for it to be apologetic, but not a drop of actual remorse played on his face.

“It’s fine, really,” Eri responded. Digging her hands into the safety of her pockets.

“We need to buy bread, milk, tea leaves, and, if we’re lucky, some fruit,” Eri said. Kaiser nodded.

“Let’s get this over with,” Eri scowled, though the mask hid her expression well.