The twins quieten. I can almost see a buffer icon above their heads, trying to process what Obrecht just said. Clenching her hand, Tukare pointedly glares at Obrecht, even as the metallic utensils on her small table bend and twist on their own, along with the fluctuations of her mind.
Lady Amani, "Oh dear."
"We'll... be sure to straighten them later", Laris whispers to the Lady.
"Who are you to Videre", Tukare asks Obrecht.
Obrecht opens his mouth to answer, but I beat him to it.
"What would it matter even if he tells you? What could you do when even if you knew?" I deliberately add fuel to the fire.
You don't want meddling in your decisions? Then, don't meddle in mine.
With fuming eyes, Tukare growls, "What could I do? A ton shit of difference, that's what."
"I don't have the right to intervene with your decisions, but you have the right to intervene with mine?" Angrily, I feel the shadows climbing up the dining hall walls, stubbornly crossing our gazes.
Whoever looks away first loses.
"I'm older than you. I know better." She tilts her chin up a little, one hand on her waist, the other slammed on the table.
Silent for a while, I watch her. "When I said that even if I tell you it wouldn't matter, I meant it. Show her your arm", I direct the last sentence to Obrecht, who heaves up his sleeve.
As the arm is exposed, the shadow vine rubbing itself on his arm gets exposed as well, startled.
"..." Why are you there?
I made the mistake of glancing at Tukare. My facial paralysis nearly cracked.
"..." Don't glare at me, sister. I'm just as surprised as you! I swear, no matter how I angry I get, I won't have that kind of kink. The kind where you tease the other secretly in front of a crowd...
I command the shadow vine to disperse along with my embarrassment. I did nothing shameful, so I must not be embarrassed. When the shadow vine reluctantly does so, the runes on Obrecht's arm show. Tukare's face darkens upon its sight.
"What is that?" A few people ask, but no one can answer. The only people who are part-Wraith are me and Tukare after all, and she's too furious to acknowledge them. If her stares could burn, Obrecht would've long resembled something like charred chocolate.
"Hoho~ What joyous news, congratulations."
"..." Oh, I forgot about this person.
Raising a curled finger to his mouth, Lady Amani grins as I glimpse at him with meaning.
"As you wish", he says, seemingly understanding the look I give him-for him to keep his silence on the subject. "It is a good secret after all, and we still have a round left to play afterwards."
Girtro pesters Lady Amani, but thankfully, the Lady kept his word.
"Videre", Tukare shouts my name. I play deaf.
"Sister, please take care of me", Obrecht earnestly says.
"You! Who's your sister, pig?!"
"Sister, he has a name. It's Obrecht."
"Yes, sister, my name is Obrecht. Let's count this as our first time meeting. It's a pleasure to be in the same family as you-"
"Next player", I immediately say, before Tukare explodes, and before Obrecht says something much worse. It's one thing to make Tukare angry with the truth, but it's completely another for other people to know.
Laris, "Oh." Though a bit dumbfounded, he does start his turn, as Tukare fumes. The people sitting beside her, lean away, afraid to get involved in the crossfire. It's enough to have their utensils twist, not their neck and extremities.
I feel comfortable though, after getting my revenge. There's no revenge back as well, so long as I make sure Tukare doesn't win. I take another peek at Obrecht. He had a 'praise me' aura all over him.
My eyes shift to anywhere but him, before I give him a small nod. His grin widens, satisfied with such a small gesture.
I look at Laris, while leaning on my propped up hand, and trying hard to pretend that my attention isn't still at the pleased person on my side.
"I confess: I failed my etiquette classes once, so to be honest, I'm quite cautious about it to the point that I nag Letitia and a few others about it." Laris embarrassedly scratches his cheek with his index finger.
"I know about that already", Letitia raises a hand.
Girtro does the same, "Me too."
"Sorry, Laris. Girtro told me about it", Theo gives Laris an apologetic glance, lifting his hand up only by an inch.
"Girtro."
"Tehee~" Girtro scratches his head, raising his shoulders like it's some sort of defense, or desperate act of cuteness.
Or maybe it's a defense made by using a desperate act of cuteness?
"Seriously, Girtro", Laris sighs. "Fine. This really changes my plans. I didn't plan on winning, but since I'm now short of one secret, I'd have to use that, huh." Laris' face uncharacteristically flushes red as he clears his throat lowly, but he strangely looks determined as he utters, "I at least have make the most of you forget about it. But, I do hope that Lady Amani does not change her views of me."
Lady Amani, "Don't be rigid, Laris. Sharing secrets merely brings people closer. It does not change my impression of you, regardless of what shameful thing you did in the past."
"That's... reassuring", Laris replies. "There's a certain age when we start taking classes about... The young me at that time thought that it's a good idea to study with seeing and touching real samples, so that's what I did."
"I don't see why it's something to be shy about. I use real plants to study apothecary. The best way to retain and understand the lectures is by using the five senses", Virgil answers.
"...Yes, it would be fine if it were a subject a like that. Unfortunately, I was studying physiology and..."
Letitia, "And?"
Laris gives her a squint as if to ask 'why are you the most curious about this' to which Letitia shrugs.
"And the foundations of child making", he says softly.
"Wow, Laris, you're even worse than Theo."
"Shut it, Letitia."
Letitia zips her mouth with a pinched fingers. The next player is obviously her, but she gestures at her zipped lips. Laris gives her a dull look. Without looking, I know I'm doing it too.
Is this person really related to me? Does she really have Satori blood?
While we wordlessly question, Letitia's IQ, again, she unzips her own mouth and speaks her turn.
"After our first acquaintanship with Lady Amani, she proposed to built a camp here. The first distribution for four tents was that me, Laris, and Theo share one, while Serena and the others divide themselves with the rest. There were more males that time because we hid the females somewhere before traveling. We planned to pick them up and decide where to go after talking with Lady Amani. Now before I continue, please know that I one hundred percent support Girtro's cause in training Theo's courage."
"Not you too", Theo groans. "What do you all have against me?!"
Girtro, "You're so adorable, we can't get enough of you. Aren't you glad?"
"With that being said", Letitia continues. "Let me share to you guys the real reason for the tent separation of males and females." She urges everyone to clap.
"That wasn't my fault! You just barged in", Theo argues.
Letitia, "I haven't said anything yet~"
Theo, "But you'll say it anyway! Are you really my friends?!"
Gitro, "Good friends train people's courage."
Letitia, "So during dinner one time, when everybody was at the bonfire, Laris was busy discussing plans to get the people we hid. I went to our tent to look for him, but what I saw was so glorious I-."
"Cake!"
Letitia pauses at Theo's desperate yell.
"I'll ask the cook to make you cake. I'll trade whatever you want, to make whatever food you want-just don't say it."
Letitia pretends to think it through, but rapidly says, "I saw Theo alone in our tent, bending over his backside to the mirror with his pants down. I'm pretty sure he was inspecting his backside."
"I was checking the corruption on my legs!" Theo's face up to the neck is red, like a person who had an allergic reaction. "I was going to wrap anti-fouling charms but you barged in without even a say! I should be the aggrieved one for having my dignity and purity tarnished!"
"Dignity, what's that? Can you eat that?"
A familiar root comes up again. This time it aims at Theo's pants.
"Wait, wait!" Theo refuses for his pants to disappear. He asks if he can just exchange a secret for his clothes, to which the Lady agrees. The root doesn't disappear though, as if waiting for a feeding (secret) before disappearing.
Serena ask, "You really don't want your pants to disappear? Theo, don't tell me. You're not wearing undergarments?"
Letitia gasps. Laris puts down his tea cup with a loud clink.
"Shut it, I'm wearing one! Stop looking at me like that, who would go outside without wearing underwear?!"
Girtro, "Eh, maybe you're the pervert that Serena was talking about?"
Serena, "Ah, that's-"
Theo, "I am not! I'm not even part of the scouting pack! I'm on inventory duty with you all the time!"
Girtro, "So that means... I work with someone who doesn't wear underpants?" He digustedly leans back on his chair, eager to put more space between them.
Theo, "That's why I'm telling you, I wear underpants, alright?! There has been no time, no day, where I have not worn my underpants!!" Theo determinedly defends his dignity.
Girtro innocently asks, "Even when bathing?"
Theo flops backwards on the chair, resignedly. He doesn't look like he wants to talk to Girtro anymore.
"Whatever. I confess: I'm straight." Theo wipes his face with a hand, fiddling with a piercing on his ear. "But for some tragic reason, I attract... guys. It would've been fine if they were small, sweet ladies that can cook well. I'd be happy. But!" Theo grieves, "Why do big gay wolf men keep on asking me if I need a sugar daddy? It doesn't make sense?!" Theo grips his hair with both hands, distressed.
"Ahahahahaha!" Girtro doubles over with laughter.
"So the voluptuous lady in his dream... is a manifestation of him not wanting big gay men after all? Aah, I feel bad for Theo now, ahaha", Letitia laughs.
Lady Amani hands a perfume bottle to Vera, who skips to Theo's table and sprays a few on his clothes.
Theo coughs, "It still smells awful no matter how many times I smell it."
"What's that", I ask.
"It's made from the leaves of the same mountain flower. If you boil it in water for a day and a half, it surprisingly counters the effects of the fumes made from its own nectar", Amani explains.
I study it for a second, as the thing that coated Theo's shirt wrinkles and dries before falling off to show his shirt, like dust particles.
With one whole rotation finished, the new rotation starts again, until two rounds are done. In the end, the ones who won were Laris, who was desperate to have the majority forget about his peeping tom tendencies, and Girtro, who gave away people's secrets 'til people can only utter truths.
Thankfully, I'm not included in his target roster this time.