Picco had to keep an eye on Keith. He knew the disappearance of Raima caused Yotoh to go mad, he was afraid the man could go against her child to find his daughter. Anger drew on his face new lines most people had never seen.
"I am not about to ask you to go to bed, because it is morning, indeed. But I don't know what to do with you either. You surely heard Leton's request, I won't question you but if we may pass time together, yet we might have a talk for the meantime."
The remnant of Picco's images from the scene were still hard to believe. A room, reddened from top to bottom, that couldn't possibly be a crime. Was it a beast? Impossible. But was it Raima then? Why would she do such an horror.
The last piece of the puzzle had vanished from everyone's sight and this woman was the sole trail he could follow. He was impatient to question the kid and planned to do so with or without Leton's agreement.
"I heard mother this morning. She is the one that woke me up, but she was nowhere to be seen when I opened my eyes. To be honest I am looking for her too."
Picco coughed in surprise. Of course the kid could speak by himself, and it was the perfect way from keeping him unaware of Picco's actions behind Leton's back.
But he had this feeling deep inside. There was something he missed, so obvious he could only blame himself for not knowing more about kids.
"She woke you up and vanished? Everyone wants to find her today anyway. She better have a good alibi."
Keith had no idea what an alibi was.
A cold feeling ran through his back. Show's voice echoed in his head.
'Kid, tell the man you don't want to be alone, he'll certainly find a way to shelter you.'
The boy shrugged and then nodded to Picco's surprise. Then he said.
"I don't want to go back home. Nor do I want to see my neighbours."
His position in the village required him to help his people as much as Leton. He took a deep breath and answered.
"I'll ask Merald to take care of you for the time being. Don't get used to this kind of treatment I almost never share my wife. You'll go back to your house when this bunch of people outside scatters."
Picco threw a pillow at Keith, pointing at a door while exiting the room. He did not hear Keith's last phrase.
"Where are we?"
He had no idea who's house he was in. Leton brought him while covering his eyes, he could only pay attention to his voice.
'Can't you recognise his house? That's his.'
After observing his surrounding, he remembered the style of the furnitures and the light engravings surrounding the doors.
'Kid, I have a slight idea of what your mother did. But it went wrong, because she is as dumb as those wide leaves you use to wipe your-'
"Enough!"
Keith shouted while covering his ears, hoping to not hear the last word.
Picco was still next room, explaining Merald why he would keep the boy for a while and stuck his head to the wall to the sudden talk Keith was having alone.
"We are both unhappy to be here but that's free comfort. Take it or leave it."
A low voice, distorted to its whole amplitude resounded. It was very hard to discern words, but Picco couldn't believe two people were in the room he just left one person alone. His curiosity made him want to burst open the door to surprise the two. But his brain told him to wait and listen.
Merald stood behind Picco with a frown. She couldn't hear the second voice and she was shooed away by her husband who wanted more quietness.
"I'll help you find her if you cooperate more heartedly."
Mister Show gave hope to Keith who nodded.
"First when you get hungry, tell me."
Picco wasn't certain such a voice couldn't belong to Keith. He had assumptions about the kid's sanity due to the one his mother displayed. The mistreatment he suffered daily was displayed on Keith's arms. He could imagine instabilities growing within the kid.
What does hungry meant though, he had plenty of food given by Leton at home.
Could it be, an imaginary friend? A relief to a torment it is! If the kid knew where was Raima, he could let the seed grow and follow him from afar. But Picco also began to be affected by Keith's condition and had pity for him.
To the creaking planks, Show reacted and hid in Keith's shirt instantly.
When the door opened again, Picco put his hand over Keith's head after seeing no one else around, it confirmed his thoughts. He said.
"I forgot to tell you. She'll prepare some food to you, she is a very good cook. You can help her in the kitchen by the time I come back. I am sure you'll have fun. Be at your ease here. Don't think about what happened alright?"
Thinking about the scene. That is precisely what Picco wanted Keith to do. He wanted to see Raima as soon as possible, by putting his attention on the matter little by little he hoped to be guided to her earlier.
Among the villagers, Leton tried his best to not let them approach. Too much eyes were indirectly the worst case scenario to the child promise he had with Raima. He was looking for her to clean her name.
He tasked Randi to help clean the scene in Ublee's room. The night patrol was overwhelmed by the iron smell twice and had to clean his stomach's rejections as well.
His mind was tormented by the wink he received. Fear rose without him noticing and so his hate toward Keith. The main point that got on his nerves were the difference between them, a fully grown up man, with more than enough muscle and to be fair, some fat here and there.
He was an elephant afraid of a mouse.
Randi put up his mind to hunt the kid after he noticed his hand rotting under his now brownish cloth. Gangrenous wounds were doomed to amputation.
Back inside Picco's home, Keith held tightly his pillow. Picco's sudden coming back had him surprised, he learnt he shouldn't expose Show when not sure to be alone. So he tried to reach him.
Laying down against a wall, he forcibly closed his eyes and attempted to reach the Explanation state.
A few minutes later he was interrupted by Merald who required a kitchen hand.
She used over a handful of spices and love, the boiling red stew gave off a nice colour. The presence of pepper made her scoff a few times before she decided to open the window. Light entered once more in the house. and soon, dinner was served.
The heavy mood in the room was hard to not notice. Picco's burning intent were hard to hide and so the man ate his meal quickly and went out, pretexting he had business outside.
Merald arranged a bed in the middle of their living room and left the boy alone. She was intrigued by her husband's behaviour toward him. In her point of view, she was helping a poor lamb. She was glad to help Keith because she was already impatient to take care of a child.
In his bed, Keith fell asleep quickly. He found out it was a way to reach the Explanation.
He found himself in the middle of a wide dark area. A crimson, gigantic stain with a black sky. He could see a crescent moon, that moved slowly.
"That's how your eyes look like when you go hungry, boy."
Show was toying with Keith's shadow, moving an arm or a leg as a puppet master. He continued, smoke came out of his mouth as he spoke.
"Your mother wanted you alive, but she went over something she did not know much about. She attempted to do shamanism. She is the one that killed Ublee for sure. But because she is gone, you understand something must have gone wrong."
Keith frowned.
"Everything is wrong here! Why would she try something such?"
"She wanted only good for you. She did her best, but you are a bit more particular than a human since I am by your side. That couldn't work. Such sacrifice in vain is gruesome indeed."
Staring at the moon, Keith asked.
"What do we do now?"
The blood stain froze along with Keith's shadow. The moon's dark side turned to only display the bright one.
"We go find your father. That is our current plan."