Chapter 198: Meeting you in person
Felix nervously took his seat with his tray of salted beef, peas, onions, chopped carrot, dry bread and a cup of cheap wine served to him. Mesa and Raz took their seats facing him. Raz glanced down to his cup of water and took a long swig, while Mesa remained fixated on Felix with an adoring grin plastered across her cheery face. The young man shifted nervously in his seat, taking a bite of his beef before sipping some wine to wash it down. He scoffed in a half-kept chuckle, smacking his lips to savor its fruity sweet aftertaste.
"Enjoying the wine?" Asked Mesa, batting her bright blue eyes at him.
He nodded, staring down at his plate as the wine reminded him of months before on the night that Janette served them a bottle in celebration for stowing down the nervous uprising occurring at Farmer's Den. Those were calmer days when it was just him, KuliKuli, Reta and her enjoying their time together. Back when KuliKuli's memories were then beginning to resurface in brief flashes, functioning like glimpses into a past life that rendered him nervous. He decided it was better to ignore those visions and even argued against Janette, who was offering to help KuliKuli recall her missing memory.
He closed his eyes, grimacing at the belief that he could have done better to prevent this before things grew out of hand.
"Something troubling you?" Raz leaned forward with a look of concern, resting both arms over the table.
"It's nothing." Felix replied quickly, shutting down the notion as he glanced back at the building not far behind the two, where Nukka and the others were lying in wait.
"I don't think we caught your name, what was it again?" Mesa asked, tapping her foot under the table with frantic energy almost as if it were a nervous tick. But her widened smile showed otherwise, it never faded since they met which left Felix uncomfortable.
"It's... Edward."
"Edward?" Raz raised his brow.
"Do you have a family, Edward?" Mesa inquired, glancing down at her lap as she fumbled with something just out of sight beneath the table. "Any children or siblings?"
"No siblings, ma-" He held himself back in time, recalling her quick temper. "Miss."
"Mesa will do fine, Edward." Her eyes darted back to him. "No children? You don't have any lovers waiting for you back at Faehorn City? You're cute, I'd be taken aback to hear that no woman has tried courting you or the other way around."
Felix chuckled before chewing on a spoonful of peas. "Mm, maybe one."
"Of course." She poked her brother in the gut. "Why not help me with this one? He's too shy to talk to women."
"I spoke to Emyri easily enough, and her daughters." He retaliated, catching Felix's interest.
Mesa waved her hand in dismissal. "Those are cat monsters, not beautiful women like me."
"You think yourself easy on the eyes?" He scoffed, "P'raps if you rid yourself of that golem you have 'round your beck and call, that could be a start."
"You leave Big Brother out of this!" She hissed, pointing a finger at his face. "And don't talk about him like that so loud. He has feelings."
"He's a rock given a false sense of sentience from magic. Send him away, see how far he can drag himself before crumpling apart once you're too far out of range."
"Heartless brute!"
"Wretched wench!"
Felix cleared his throat, disrupting the two from their petty squabble. "Cat monsters?"
They recomposed, adjusting their uniforms and taking a bit of their food in mirroring unison. Raz was the first to break silence, finishing his cup before pouring himself a second serving of water. "The Nekomata. Although Father detained most of them, there are still a few fragrant groups hidden amongst the elves somewhere in the forest."
"You mentioned someone by the name of Emyri?"
Ray's eyes opened with notable intrigue, glaring at him while he sipped his drink before setting it down. "Yes, one of the cat girls Father and I apprehended."
"Just Father, you mean." Mesa reminded him in a cold tone. "If you had contributed then he would have mentioned so."
"Putting such matters aside, Emyri is the mother to the cat girls we need for the eclipse in ten days' time. Have you not heard news from Fort Bowey recently?" Raz asked as he leaned back. "The fort's been raided last night by wild elves. Freed a bunch of cats we had there."
"Woodland Elves." He corrected them, his eyes flashing open as he cursed himself mentally. "Er so I hear. I mean it's what some of the others call them. Not that it matters, I suppose."
"No, it doesn't." Raz agreed, somewhat annoyed.
"What about this cat? Is she one of the ones freed from Fort Bowey?"
"So, you haven't heard then?"
He blinked before coming up with a retort. "No, I've been out making deliveries for some time. Hard to keep up with word around here when you travel often. You know, with the forest being dangerous and all."
"Well, Emyri wasn't one of them."
"With respect, I fail to see how Fort Bowey relates to Emyri."
"We think the elves were searching for her, or perhaps her daughters."
"But you said you were searching for a cat girl named Syri."
"I-" Raz paused, forming a frown as he leaned closer. "I did not mention that name to you before, Edward."
"Forgive me, I overheard your brief conversation with the captain upon your arrival. Something about a cat named Syri. Does she have any relation to this Emyri?"
"Hmph. Emyri is her mother." Raz admitted, tapping his fingers along the table edge. "You seem rather invested in this, Edward."
"Shouldn't we all be invested? Father Perdilius needs her after all, does he not?" Felix reminded him, glaring back at him. "Why return with the mother but not the daughter?"
"We had them all. Syri escaped after we were ambushed by the wild elves."
"The mother as well?"
"No, she remains with us. Not that it matters."
"Good." Felix answered, sipping his wine without breaking eye contact. "And they're Woodland Elves."
Raz scowled as he sliced a bit of beef before munching it with annoyance. "Mm-hm, sure. Whatever."
"Forgive him, Edward. My brother was born with an empty head, he's rather slow." Mesa grinned, leaning on her elbow over the table. "It's why I was gifted knowledge and beauty, the perfect package. Maybe I could be so lucky to find a handsome man like yourself and raise a family together. Are you a family man, Ed?"
"I-... hm." Felix paused, weighing the question in his head. "Not sure I'm the best equipped for a family."
"Well, your thing works, yes?" Mesa giggled, covering her mouth. "Unless you've an eye for the more masculine type? That's sinful, you know?"
"It works fine." He frowned, pressing his thighs together below the table. "I only say because I had no parents to raise me. I haven't..."
She seemed taken aback by his confession, dropping her smirk as she looked at him with sympathy.
"It's just not something I've given thought of, that's all." He admitted, drinking his wine to ease his nerves before glancing at the building where the others lay in wait. He momentarily checked behind him to see the stables, recalling the centaurs' presence before turning back around to face the two. "And I would prefer not to discuss it further."
"Who raised you?" Asked Raz. "Or did you go at it alone?"
"A friend of mine, we shared similar misfortune. More or less helped raise each other." He answered back, lamenting the loss of his friend Zena.
"Good for you. "I'll have to congratulate your friend when I meet them."
"She passed away not long ago." He sighed, hanging his head.
Raz sucked in his lip before exhaling loudly. "These are trying times. Too many people have lost too much."
"Which is why we need to find that cat as soon as we can." Mesa agreed.
Felix stood up from his seat. "Thank you both for the meal, but I think it's best if I get going."
"Of course," Raz agreed, getting up from his chair and shaking his hand. "Better now while there is light. Wouldn't want you roaming around at night with those slimes lurking around."
"Or wolves." Mesa snickered, "Do take care."
He nodded politely before excusing himself, walking quickly toward the building where the wagon was kept.
No sooner had he slipped inside, he found himself pinned against the wall with a knife to his throat and an arrow aimed at his forehead.
Spi'Reto sighed and released him, lowering his knife while Sans shook her head and withdrew her bow.
"Where the hells did you go off?" Asked the young elf.
"Good to see you in good health." Felix frowned, rubbing his neck. "I think it's best we get going."
"Finally!" No'Val exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
"But don't forget about the centaurs," He reminded them, bringing in a groan from No'Vak.
Spi'Reto exchanged looks with Sauza and Sans before facing Felix. "I've been informed about your discovery. It's not an easy thing to ask, but we'll keep them in our minds upon our return. Let's just go home before things get out of hand."
"Agreed."
Nukka stuck her head out from under the wagon, wiggling her round furry ears. "So does that mean we go now?"
"Yes, Nukka. We go now." Spi'Reto smiled, "Get up in there, you big oaf."
"Finally!" She beamed, dragging herself out from below before climbing up the rear of the wagon with her tail wagging excitedly.
"Make sure not to break or touch the bags!" No'Vak called out, hopping in after Sauza with Sans right behind him.
Felix breathed in and put on his leather cap. With haste, he climbed onto the front reins and managed to turn the wagon around before they slipped out through the curtains. Once they were in sight, one of the guards stationed at the front gate whistled for his companions, signaling them to turn the mechanism to open the large wooden doors. They ran to their positions but came to an abrupt stop when Raz and Mesa approached the wagon with Raz gesturing with a raised hand for them to stop.
Felix turned around, watching them as Mesa leaned in resting her arm against the front seat with a smile.
"Hey there, almost lost you on the way out. We forgot to ask where you're heading off to?"
"Oh, that's alright. Um, back to the city to resupply." He hoped that was the correct answer.
She nodded, unfazed by his response. "Well, we've got a quick detour in mind. A quick spot for you to head to before being on your way back."
"Okay." He leaned back, somewhat puzzled by her suggestion.
Mesa inspected the front seat briefly, scanning around his feet and then eyeing his pockets. "Where's your map? Nevermind that, I've got a spare one for you to take. Come with me."
"Um." He frowned, his grip on the reins tightening as he narrowed his eyes with suspicion. It felt like all eyes around the fort were on him now, and he had just noticed that Raz was silently watching the whole time.
"C'mon, don't chicken out on me now handsome." Mesa giggled, tugging at his pant leg. "It's a quick walk. I'll mark where on the map, you'll go and then be on your way. The wagon's not going anywhere, you're with friends now. Big brother can keep watch for you."
Hesitant, he nodded back before climbing down, following behind as she skipped around leading him to the captain's quarters.
From within the wagon, Spi'Reto looked to Sans as they held their breath to keep quiet. Nukka had a large blanket draped over her curled up position to keep her somewhat hidden, but the elves were completely exposed inside. He watched through a hole in the fabric as Felix was escorted by Mesa inside the building, all while the once idle Golem began to approach them.
With the door closing behind him, Felix stared as Mesa skipped gleefully toward the other side of the long table where the map was displayed for them. On her way over, she hummed a little tune to herself syncing with the tapping of her feet.
"Can you set me freeee... lead me to my destinyyy..." She sang, bobbing her head side to side.
Felix slowly approached her, keeping her on his sight as she dragging her finger around the map.
"So, we're on this fort right here." She explained, making sure he was following. "And the place I need you to go would be right here."
"That's some distance, I might not arrive before nightfall."
"No, it may be an overnight trip."
Felix looked at the map before lifting his head. "I thought you said this would be a quick trip?"
"Yes, it would." She replied shortly, fetching a bottle of wine and pouring two glasses.
"What am I expecting to find there?"
"It's across the Mountain Pass, where the cat mother is being held." She said as she passed him the glass. "Here, a quick drink before you go on your way."
He eyed her suspiciously, pressing his hand around the glass. She smirked and pulled her head back as she emptied her glass with one gulp. When it was his turn, he nervously held the cup to his lips before taking a sniff. No odd smell to it, which eases his nerves over it being poisoned.
She giggled in response. "It's not poisoned silly, just wine. But I respect you for taking necessary precautions!"
He didn't respond.
"I'm glad we got to you in time before you took off. See I was very curious about you since I've been put in charge after Father went off along with that stupid hunter of his. For some reason, he wanted to take Raz by his side instead of me." She scoffed, sipping on a second serving of wine. "But that's okay. Now he's given us the task of correcting my brother's mistake and finding that Emyri girl."
"Wasn't her name Syri?"
She grinned. "Right, Syri. That's twice I should be thanking you. You've been a very big help for me, Edward. See, I had a feeling you were special. For some people, it's in their nature to be deceiving and spout lies."
He nodded back, looking down at his cup of wine as the surface reflected a mirror image of himself staring back. His leather cap was off center, and his hair seemed a bit messy.
"You see, the trick is looking into the eyes. The eyes never lie." She sneered, setting her cup down.
Felix squinted into his reflection before his eyes widened, realizing his cat eyes were staring back.
"I wanted to thank you for helping me in this way, Ed." She giggled, drawing a circle around the map that enveloped the direction of where Alma and the others were hiding. "I had a nagging suspicion that the elves were hiding there along with our cat. But with you here, I'm feeling much more confident about finding her."
Felix's heart sank as she sat down facing him, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's start over, shall we? It's a pleasure to get to meet you in person, Felix."