After coming out of the bathroom, Charlotte sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Gut, as if stares were capable of speaking with people. He was sitting in a chair looking out of the window, wondering about the news he just read and its consequences to their journey.
“How long do you plan on being there? Let’s start moving!” She finally said, albeit a bit angry.
“I thought you were angry at me?” He answered while turning his head, he was grinning while raising his left eyebrow.
“Sigh, even if I’m angry, there’re some things I can’t help. C’mon, do my disguise. Or let me die if that’s your wish.”
“I will not let you die. It is not part of my contract.”
“Heh, so professional!” she motioned to the side, as if she was spitting the ground.
She wanted to mock him, to get back a bit of the dignity she felt she lost the night before. Remembering what she had wanted to do yesterday, she sighed.
At first, I just wanted to mess him, to make his face show a different one from his usual stoic one, at the end, though…
She was having so much fun that she lost herself in the moment. Doing things she normally only did with her friends and close ones.
He got up and walked towards her. Having an idea, she nodded at herself.
“Hey, wait a moment, uhm, you can start five, no, ten seconds after I close my eyes, ok?” She said hastily before he could start.
“Okay?”
He wasn’t sure what the purpose of her demand laid, but would comply to at least ease her grouchy mood. After she closed her eyes, he saw her expression turn blank once again, as if she was in deep meditation.
That state, huh? She wants to do something while staying like that? Her ghostly show?
Raising his left eyebrow and wondering about what she would do, he counted the ten seconds she asked for. He started to work on her face once the timing was right.
When Charlotte entered the Crystal’s Space, she said as ‘loud’ as she could:
Prism! Hurry! Put on the projection! Let’s see how he does it and record it! Uh… Let’s say it’s Disguise Skill!
The External Projection took a little longer than usual, which meant White Prism was still a little drunk. Not minding it, as soon as it was on, she saw that Gut has started working already. She kept looking at his work eagerly for the first minute, after a while, however, she fell into boredom. Only looking at it with sleepy eyes and trying not to fall asleep.
She saw how he did everything. Though she wasn’t sure which blush he used, nor what color it was.
Damn, I was too hasty…
After he was done with the disguise, she saw he smiling softly. She was astonished, she had never seen him smile like that! She promptly went out to the real world and smiled smugly at him.
“Heh, so you can smile like that! Good good!”
Gut frowned at her remark, he was sure she had her eyes closed all the time and when he perceived she was about to open them, he solidified his face. Thinking again, he realized something she could do while in that blank state.
“… So, you can look around you when you make your face go blank?” He said in return for her previous offence.
“! Wh-what? No, I just saw you smiling when I opened my eyes!” Her eyes darted around, not knowing if he would believe her or not.
Fuckfuckfuck, I made a mistake! A serious one!!
She didn’t want to tell anyone about what she could do or see.
If this kind of information got out, scientists will be coming after me! I d-don’t want to be a guinea piiigh!
She was more scared of them than the world’s governments, she was also a researcher and an inventor, she knew all too well to what extent some people would go to discover new things.
“Do not worry, I will not tell anyone… If you stop mocking me, that is.” He said after seeing her face.
“… Promise?” Her eyes were watery, looking at him as if what she had done was bad enough to be punished by the world.
He saw a chance and he took it, now he would be safe from her antics.
“Yes.”
He nodded in affirmation, his expression a satisfied one. Immediately after that, he saw her expression once again, her face was on the verge of falling now, her imagination had taken her to a world too obscure to describe. Then, he realized his mistake, albeit a wrong one. He wasn’t that bothered by her mischievous attitude, but only when she went too far. She was easy to get carried away, after all. So, he tried to correct his words.
“No. Just stop going overboard, that will be enough.” He conceded her, with sympathy in his eyes.
“… Okay?” She tilted her head, still tears on her eyes. She didn’t understand what he was trying to say.
She was imagining herself becoming an experiment of crazy scientists, those who didn’t follow the law and only did what they desired. The lot that was most common in Paversia. Thinking about it, she had cried a little! She was going to the place where the craziest lot were and was just realizing this now!
After regaining her bearings, she went to get her things packed.
“Now we’re ready, let’s go?” She said, red eyed.
“Yeah.”
They were now going to the next city, Igry. It had a port, so they could choose between going to Gercy by boat or by train, though if they chose the train, they would need to make a stop in a city, though a short one if they wished to go faster.
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Once they were in the train station, Charlotte noticed that there was a heavy atmosphere, as if the end of the world was announced. Everyone had a serious expression, averting their gazes and keeping themselves alert, as if searching for someone.
“What happened?” She asked Gut without giving him a glance.
“I can only guess, we should look for a guard.”
“Yeah…”
As they both started to walk towards a guard, someone suddenly shouted:
“Charlotte Eschette!!”
“What!?” She turned to look at the place the voice came from with horror in her face.
When she found the man who had shouted she didn’t know what to do. He was walking around, staggering constantly and muttering unintelligible words. He wasn’t pointing at her nor was he looking at her general direction. His clothes were ragged and fully white. He obviously had been partying all night long but now….
“… what’s with him?”
She couldn’t help but breath out. She almost had a heart attack!
“Are you okay?” He asked with some worry in his face.
“Yeah, what’s happening though?”
“Want me to tell you or do you want to ask a guard?”
“You know?”
“I read some news this morning, and now with that man shouting aloud I confirmed what is happening.” He nodded as if he understood the wolrd.
“Uh? News? Something big, then?”
“Pretty big to make a man be like that, look, no one is batting an eye at that man’s getup, minding their own business without caring about the ‘little things’.” He stressed out the words at the end, making it obvious that the man was a little thing compared to the news.
“And it has something to do with m- this Charlotte?” She bit her tongue.
“Obviously so. It has everything to do with that Charlortte.”
“Everything… What’s it then?”
“The atalasians announced that if she is not caught within one month and delivered to them, they are going to declare war to Gercia. An ultimatum of sorts.”
“Wha-?!”
She couldn’t believe it! What she had done was nothing big enough to warrant a war. At most, some enmity would appear between the two countries.
“Yeah, poor girl is being used by the United States of Atalasia.” He continued, not waiting for her shock to subside.
“W-what do you mean?” She looked at him, the fright in her eyes going down a little bit.
Hearing him say that, Charlotte understood that he was trying to keep her from panicking. And it was super effective!
“What she did was severe enough for her to become a wanted criminal thorough the world. But not close enough for a war between countries to explode like that.”
“Then, you’re saying that…”
“Yes, she was used as the detonator to the war. I believe that even if she surrendered herself, the war could not be stopped anymore. At most, it would only be delayed.” He finished his explanation with a grave tone.
“I see… If it’s delayed, then, let’s hope she surrenders herself.” He touched her heart as if prying for that bad girl to get caught.
I TOTALLY WON’T!
She understood what he had wanted to say. That even if she surrendered herself, there wouldn’t be anything that could be improved in a world like scheme like this. There could even appear another fabricated lie to detonate the war and more sufferers would appear!
“Yeah.” Gut nodded seeing her serious expression.
“Let’s get going.”
She started to walk towards the counter while making a grave expression. She kept thinking about her friends and family. At that moment, she was behaving as the surrounding people, making her go unnoticed by those keeping an eye for those of similar stature as her.
In Igry, the atmosphere wasn’t any better. Even after going out of the train’s station, one could see people coming and going while keeping their heads low. Some were as haggard as the man who shouted her name before. There were vestiges of the party last night on some places but no atmosphere to continue with much of it.
“I guess the party‘s over, huh?”
On the train was the same, it took only 40 minutes to arrive but no one was talking, their mood was as somber as it could possibly be.
“It is obvious, a war is about to start, after all.”
“Sigh… Why is everyone so unreasonable?” She asked to the sky, not wanting an answer from humans.
“That is how the world works.” He answered nonetheless.
“Yeah, but still…”
“Do not worry about it, there are things that are more worrisome, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
She had played with the External Projection while on the train. Prism was apparently better now, as she was getting to her usual speed while invoking things and the projection had its edges somehow restored. There were still some irregularities but it didn’t matter.
Charlotte had asked Prism if she was feeling as good as before and the answer was no, she wasn’t feeling 100% good but was close to it.
Had I known it was possible to communicate like that with Prism, things would’ve gone much faster.
“Let’s find a hotel now.” He started walking while he was followed by his puppy, the kid Shuck.
As usual, she decided to leave all the troublesome stuff to Gut. She didn’t know this city at all!
They were only staying in the city for one night, with the ambience as heavy as it was, it was a gloomy city to partake any kind of touring.
Once in a hotel, the first thing they did was to go to the restaurant. She had had only one meal today, and it was almost evening now!
After being satisfied with three full course meals they went up to their room.
“Uhm, we need to be more reserved with our money.” She said after taking out her nightwear.
“Oho?”
They had been expending money as if there was no tomorrow. Even though she still had around 70 thousand Gers, spending 30 in a little more than a week was something she wasn’t used to, nor she wanted to get used to it.
“We’ve been spending a lot. From now on we’ll get only the necessary.” She nodded at her good decision.
They needed to be more frugal or else she would be broke in Paversia.
“The things that are more costly for us are the hotels and your meals.”
“And that’s why I’m saying! We won’t be eating in such fancy places from now on! And hotels need to be downgraded too!”
Except for the one hotel in Villeshervil, they had rented rooms on very expensive ones to make themselves, herself specially, as comfortable as possible without having any issue with the personnel.
“And whose idea was to always go to the best suited ones?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore! Or else, you pay too for it!” She pointed finally at him, wanting to get her point across.
“Okay, I will pay for it from now on.” He conceded without much problem.
“E-eh? Uh, okay, then we’re good.” She stammered at his easily given answer.
Having her request easily accepted, she wasn’t sure how to respond. She had other words she wanted to say, but now it was for naught.
After the little exchange, they got ready to bed. She played a little on her portable console and then played a little more with Prism before finally falling prey to the god of the dreams.
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In the afternoon of the next day, they were again in the train station. They wanted to go directly to Gercy, but all the tickets for the day were sold. The woman working on the sale’s desk also told them that it didn’t matter if they wished to go by train, air or water, everything was booked as people were going there after the previous day’s announcement.
They had to go to Atives first and from there get another train to Gercy. Once in the capital, they would have to take a ferry to Igny’s Roraillevante and from there they would continue to the free city, Paversia. They wouldn’t make as much stops as they did in Gercia. Time was getting dire and war was approaching for the alliance.
“Why don’t we go in a plane? Isn’t it faster?” she asked in wonder, he had never given that option to her.
“Heh, it is easier to be recognized when using airplanes, so it is a no.”
“Is that so? I always thought it was the same no matter the means they used. They all have cameras and stuff, no?”
“I do not know why, either. It is only safer that way, I say it from experience.” He had reminiscence in his eyes.
“Experience, heh. Fine. Let’s go!”
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Although they planned to go directly to Gercy, they still had to wait for two days in Atives. All the tickets until then were sold. They found a good looking but relatively less expensive hotel to stay in and simply toured the next two days.
There wasn’t much of a change in their relationship, Charlotte wasn’t up to get more intimate with Gut anymore, and he didn’t take the initiative.
When it came to White Prism, she made progress in an unexpected direction. While they were in the train going to Gercy, she wanted to see what could be done to the projected ‘image’, so she tried to move it, and to her surprise, it moved however she wanted. She didn’t have to exert any force, at all.