[A/N: Slight warning for a comment by a character that's somewhat ignorant at best and vaguely homophobic at worst near the end of the chapter.]
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(Ophelia)
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That night was… strange. Unlike usual, I didn't have the sunny dreams that allowed me to live for a limited time in another realm. I only saw black, no light or warmth to comfort me. There wasn't a castle. There wasn't a sun. There wasn't a blonde-haired princess ready to greet me in the dining hall. It was a void, and frankly, that scared me.
Yet I had forgotten how a night without dreams passed as quickly as a leaf blown by the wind.
I woke up first to the gentle light of dawn in the east. I wasn't as adamant about keeping my eyes closed as I was the previous morning.
*No telling if I'll get zapped somewhere else if I don't take a look.*
My neck hurt a lot from being bent backwards all night, so I moved it around to work out the stiffness that was worsened by the tense way in which I slept.
I used a single hand to massage the aching muscles; my other one was smashed under Koharu's thigh at some point, probably leaving little indentions in the rough skin. Nonetheless, that arm felt numb with only the semblance of needles to prove there was still circulation.
*I'll be fortunate if this thing doesn't detach itself later.*
I glanced over at Koharu. While she hadn't entirely displaced herself to lay across the bench, she managed to put herself in a slightly diagonal position with her leg on top of my knee and her head angled at least a foot past that. Her arm still made a pitiful attempt to wrap around my back, but only her forearm was still on my torso. Through the bars of the seat, her blonde hair hung down like a shaggy dog with her face still obscured.
I scooted over and turned around to lean over far enough to see her. She looked funny like she was struck by lightning, hair sticking up in weird directions.
*What would the castle administration say if they saw you looking so disheveled like this outside?*
I smiled, thinking how lovely she was, but it faded when I noticed the details of her face. Her cheeks were a faint crimson and two upside-down trails of tears led from her eyes.
She must have had a nightmare. That was the only potential downside of not going to the other kingdom at night.
I examined the empty facility and surrounding streets before I picked up her head to relieve the stress from her neck and then, with much effort, removed my hand from under her thigh to play with her hair and wipe the dried tears away. I figured she was asleep, but a gentle hand reached up to grab mine.
"I'm sorry, Ophelia," she muttered, grasping me tighter as she spoke.
A small sniffle emerged from her nostrils. It was a defeated sound, and it lacked the essence of hope and optimism. Spite lingered in me towards her for her irresponsibility, so I was too stubborn to give her a completely soft answer.
"Then, show me you are. I can't hate you, but I don't condone what you did."
Hesitantly, I kissed her cheek; she made that pained noise again.
*You don't have to break my heart in return!*
To face away from me, she turned over. "Why are you as hard as stone like my dad? It's always repentance and a finite number of chances with that type." She pulled her arms to her chest.
I raised my eyebrow at her. "You know I don't usually let people off easy. This is easier than I'd give anyone else. I'm only asking for honesty." My face tensed into a harsh expression. "How is that hard or unreasonable?"
"It…" Koharu didn't know what to say, so she shook her head violently. "Let's just start the day off well."
She avoided taking responsibility. I clenched a fist.
*We might see the end of our world here. The least you can do is own up to everything before anything happens!*
However, I just went along with it and nodded. There was no telling what the day ahead of us would be like, so I didn't push for any other invalidated statements.
I looked around the park for a minute. On the other side of the area under pavilions and canopies, many people were spread atop the grass and slept under thin blankets with large parcels and backpacks beside them. Though I wouldn't have normally batted an eye, I felt bad for them as they were far more unfortunate than us even.
There were other people, too, who sat upon their blankets with sandwiches and smiles as new arrivals. Laughing heartily, they clanked metal rings with keys on them. These visitors seemed much happier. I gave them a slight grin.
*I want us to pretend we're that second group. We can still make this enjoyable enough. Dying of boredom is useless, yes?*
"All right."
I stood up, extending my hand to Koharu. With reluctance, she took it to get to her feet. We still looked ridiculous in our silk pajamas, but we decided to ignore them as we started down the sidewalk.
"If you *really* want to go back," she muttered so quickly that I hardly understood her, "let's do what I said last night. Let's figure out where to go."
She lacked some of the vibrancy she normally had. I couldn't tell if it was because she was upset or tired, but she tried hiding whatever it was with a grin.
"Okay. Should we ask the passersby?" I pointed with my thumb over my shoulder when we reached the monstrous buildings.
Koharu nodded, and we studied the complexes around us like snipers.
The city was much different than it was the night before. The blinding lights from the buildings were extinguished, and the sidewalks were packed with people like a cramped honeycomb. Each was consumed in their own world, looking at a small box that radiated light. Some laughed—some frowned—but most were utterly stoic. Only families acknowledged each other, yet they moved as urgently as everyone else with intertwined hands. They stormed like flocks of pigeons, disregarding when they dropped something trivial or when a stranger dared to say hello.
*It's like I'm spectating an entirely different society.*
We didn't move as hastily as everyone else, so we both got pushed and shoved down the avenue while trying to observe the commotion. Eventually, Koharu grabbed my arm to keep us from being separated (which flustered me in the middle of the crowded street), and she approached a pale woman who was barely older than us. She wore a thin scarf above a floral sundress and had bouncy brown hair with curls.
"Hello, ma'am." Koharu bowed her head politely.
The lady stared at her, holding her light-box still. She narrowed her eyes at Koharu, and her nose appeared as if she had smelled something rancid.
"If you're trying to flatter me, calling me old isn't the way."
She then zipped straight past us like she just got punched.
Koharu and I turned to each other. While neither of us could fathom why the woman was offended, Koharu laughed over the sound of clomping footsteps.
"If respect is disrespectful, does she want me to address her by 'asshole'?"
I chuckled at that despite my mood.
*Seriously, what was her problem?*
"Let's try again." Koharu pulled my arm again to drag me.
*You're going to give me a headache if you keep spinning me around so fast.*
"Hello!"
She smiled and bowed at a man and woman in their thirties with shiny gold rings on their fingers. The two were obviously a couple. Both were blond, which made their hair and white skin seem drowned out under the strong sunlight. They wore simple pants and plain shirts, and thick red sunglasses rested on the lady's face.
The man beamed as the woman replied, "Hi!"
I waved awkwardly at them, glad Koharu knew how to carry out a conversation with strangers. The novelty of it had yet to wear off on her.
"I was wondering if you could let us see a map. We're lost and trying to find the capital." Koharu nervously squeezed my hand, and I grinned.
*Ah. It's not that you're not scared; you're just better at hiding it.*
"Of course, dear," the woman replied.
We must have appeared very young to her based on the sweet way in which she spoke to us. She pulled another light-box from her pocket and poked its front a few times. I couldn't understand what was so hypnotizing about the object, but she soon stopped tapping.
"Here's a map."
She held onto the block and showed it to us. It was incredibly bright, and the colors fluttered around the screen with strange typography that lacked serifs. It took a moment to process the optical assault, but she soon explained what we saw.
"We're all in Magnarb, and you're facing north." She pointed to a red dot on the screen and trailed it along a blue line. "You just need to head west through Hallisville and Flor. Then, you go north to Centauri, and once you've passed through there, you'll be at Orbis, the capital. Got all that?"
"So… west two towns and then north?" Koharu reiterated.
"Yes!" The lady grinned, probably thankful she didn't have to give the spiel multiple times. "You can always ask people if you forget, especially in Flor. They're all very nice from my experience."
Koharu and I bowed.
She said, "Thank you so much."
"Of course." The couple beamed.
"Oh, can I ask something?" the woman then said as her husband glanced at her.
"Sure," I replied.
*It's a small price to pay for your help.*
She smiled before whispering, "Pardon me if my assumption is incorrect about the two of you, but who, you know… who's the one who wears the pants for you two? Who's the man?"
*Is it *that* obvious we're dating?*
She pointed to Koharu since she had shorter hair than me. "It's you, right? I'm curious."
I furrowed my brow, forehead becoming impossibly wrinkly. Her voice sounded innocent, but her words were ignorant—regardless of if there was any malicious intent. I tried explaining my perspective to her calmly.
*This lady has got to be kidding me… Has she never met two girls or two guys who were dating?*
"Clearly, we're both wearing pants, so I don't see where your confusion is. I don't get how looking feminine or masculine has to do with anything in our relationship."
Koharu scratched her ear.
*Please don't say anything stupid.*
"Maybe we eat each other out. Ever thought about that?" she told them with a straight face, and I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.
If a stare could have slapped someone, then I was sure the one I gave her would have. Why would she have said something like that to a stranger? Nothing could have made me more embarrassed, I thought. (It was worse because we hadn't done such a thing, but it wasn't as if the couple knew that.)
"Koharu!" I elbowed her in the side.
The couple in front of us became shocked—almost horrified—and the lady didn't know what to say.
"…I think she appreciates your answer. Sorry about that. Safe travels," the man said with an uncomfortable chuckle, eyeing Koharu down while trying to sound apologetic.
They then walked off, joining the uniform crowd in racing across the city.