Chapter 136: Risqué Girls
Having access...
Losing access...
It doesn't even make sense; none of it does. This is an extremely outlandish theory that hardly stands on any ground, especially because Authority is likely intricately linked with this lack of information.
My question in all of this is, did I ever even learn the name of our language?
I know that I instinctively came to understand it at birth, but no one ever directly stated its name to me did they?
And not just that-
The powerful Duchies-
Their parents-
Names-
Nobles-
...What was I thinking about again?
Right.
Information, or the lack thereof.
And now I pass this question on to the others. Did they ever even learn about other languages? Or do they believe that they've learned and have now forgotten, or are they simply assuming that they had to have known, otherwise it wouldn't make sense?
But, in the first place, the Domain of Light is a Crucible of Madness...
"Losing access, losing memories, blah, blah, blah~ All bullshit, I tell you. Remind yourself this: Does it even matter? If we can't, then we can't. Nothing we can do about it. If it pisses you off so much, get stronger, improve your Authority, then figure it out in the future. We wouldn't be having this conversation anyway if they didn't want us to." Vanessa crossed her arms, pumped her breasts up, and scoffed with a snarky grin. She couldn't help but mock Nemora for even entertaining these conversations.
And I, funnily, agree with her.
This is a useless point of conversation.
All is irrelevant before the power of Authority; before the Mistress and the madness.
"Not necessarily." Esme disagreed with us. Standing to my left, she pressed one of her fingers on the table and leaned forward, "It's important to keep track of what is different between the us that was in the Domain of Light, and the us that is no longer in the Domain of Light."
Focusing her calm golden eyes on Vanessa over the other end of the table, "If there comes a point where we blindly believe something that is not a fact to be a fact due to the knowledge ingrained in us from the Domain of Light... It may well be the end of us. Do not further disagree with us, Vanessa. Stay quiet. Your input is affecting the integrity of this meeting."
Vanessa clicked her tongue, "Tsk, getting feisty? What? Don't like my face or something?"
"No. I don't. This is for what you did to Alora." The finger that Esme had planted on the table lifted itself slightly, then planted back down with force.
The spite in Esme's voice weighed heavily on the atmosphere in the room; heavily enough to draw out an unexpected voice-
"Stop, Vanessa. Nemora, continue."
Yulei, from the corner of the room, who was sitting there staring at her empty palms, quipped up without an inch of movement. Her voice slithered throughout the Cabin like a shadowy tendril, hidden yet potent.
That command from Yulei reined in Vanessa and Esme, allowing Nemora to regain full control over the conversation.
"As Alora said, we must keep track of the differences between the Domain and the Sunless Skies. This includes your mental states. Don't forget your Ornaments-" Tucking her hand into the inner section of her suit, Nemora pulled out a decorative dagger that shone with a dark-golden hue embedded with onyx stones, "-keep yourself grounded."
"Now then, let's continue."
---
Biting wind cascaded down my back, slipping through my shirt and down my back. This body of mine didn't shake nor shiver; it withstood it with no issues.
Standing with my back to the railing surrounding the back of The Canary at the quarterdeck, I stared at Hildekar's busy arms preparing The Canary for sailing once more through the waters of the Sunless Skies.
I'd yet to attempt another Counter at the Darkness to find our way through the darkness; one, because we aren't in a position yet to even get to the Uclidian Mountain Range, and two, I don't want to risk compounding backlashes for future me that may be impossible to handle.
This might sound crazy, but I'm against signing my own death sentence.
...Regardless of all that, Hildekar guided Nemora through each 'corner' of The Canary and had her lift and lock the anchors to the hull of The Canary again. The massive, thick metal chains and even larger anchors rattled and slammed against each other as they came to a rest beside the hull.
Once that was complete, Hildekar gave Nemora a nod.
Although the sound of deafening waves was gone from The Canary, due to being close to this first checkpoint, Hildekar and Nemora were practising their non-verbal communication in case of emergencies.
However, now that it was all in place:
"Time to sail. Forwards and past this monument." Hildekar passed his gaze over the monument, and, similarly, I also stared at it for a minute.
The unknown words carved into the black-stained silver monument stared back; they glared back with emotion...
Tap.
Nemora's signal echoed from below us; it was the sign for us to leave.
...what was I thinking about again?
Never mind, likely not too important. I have other matters at hand; Nemora and I swapped positions for a reason. She wants me to check for any distant Curses that I resonate with, possible checkpoints hidden in the dark.
Or, if not a checkpoint similar to this one, then at least survey for any incoming Heathens.
This will be a while.
---
The innards of The Canary hung in a prolonged quiet.
Aside from Esme and Hilda, who remained awake, the former patrolling the corridors and the latter seated in the Captain's Cabin, the remainder of the ship fizzled away the prior liveliness drifting throughout its hallways.
Vanessa and Yulei shared a room, while Lily shared one with Esme. As a result, she slept on her own. The two remaining men, Jill and Elden, also shared a room.
Esme's light feet echoed like skipping stones across the lamp-lit halls. Her wavy, tied-up snow-white hair hung loosely behind her head; each time she took a step, her golden eyes would wander over upwards, almost as though she were staring through the ebonous wood.
The target of that gaze was plainly obvious.
"...Sister."
Except, this time, her gaze then shifted backwards, towards where she had come from:
The Captain's Cabin.
"Hilda."
Esme's usually relaxed, lovely voice dipped in tone. It hardened with sticky darkness, putrid darkness; darkness she hadn't dared once imagine could spread in her heart.
It was incomprehensible.
The source of this emotion... It was beyond her.
---
Squeeze.
"Stupid little dummy."
Squeeze.
"Where's my daily squish?"
Squeeze.
"Dummy."
Pouting her delicate cheeks, Hilda poked relentlessly at the table mapped out with well-stuck paper.
This girl, unlike the others, was spending her time...
"Dummy, dummy, dummy~ I want to squeeze the dummy~"
...imagining certain risque scenarios.
Put simply, it had barely been 24 hours, and she already wanted to pick up the cute, tiny little girl into her arms and squish her body, kiss her face, and absorb every hint of that addictive, empty scent of hers.
'I'm so naughty.'
Her flushed face, fidgeting hands, and squirming thighs more than revealed that thought of hers.
It was becoming harder to hold back by the second...
"I want to gobble you up!"
---
Meanwhile, while one girl began to spiral into her inappropriate thoughts, and the other was in the midst questioning the odd feelings sprouting in her chest, the third and final girl was:
Crack.
Crushing a rock between her slender fingers, Nemora stared a hole into the distant darkness. Her other hand held onto a spare book she had brought along for note-taking, while the other kept itself busy to hone her emotions inwards.
Anything to keep her Curse, her now innate personality, at bay.
If not...
'Fuck. These idiots should-'
Crack!
Smashing another rock that she'd pulled out of her pocket, Nemora ground her teeth together and calmed the scalding emotions rising from her chest.
"What am I doing?"
Her teeth slipped into her gums, splitting the flesh.
"What are we even doing all of this for?"
Letting go of the crushed fragments in her palm, they trickled down and into the darkness beneath her, "What are our goals? What is our final destination? What do we do after we escape the Sunless Skies?"
Briefly sighing, Nemora rubbed the crumbs of rocks off her hands and sluggishly slid her hands across her face.
Glancing through the gaps between her fingers, Nemora vaguely mumbled:
"Stop staring, Vanessa."
.....
...
.....
'...Fine.'