"Anima! There you are. We didn't find any signs of the girl in that bathhouse, and Ken got slapped, so we decided to come back out. Did you see anybody?!" Ipa asked me. It was weird seeing him so hyped up about a simple game of hide and go seek... but I guess he didn't know that's what they were actually doing.
"Not a clue. I haven't seen anybody stand out that fits her description. Maybe she's hiding in someplace you never would expect?" I offered the idea to the man, but he shook his head.
"No, I can smell her over here!" He said. He seemed pretty proud of that but definitely came off as a creep.
"You can smell her? Don't you think that's a little weird?" Ken asked the man. He shook his head with a proud smile.
"Of course not! It's part of my job as her husband to be able to discern her position just based on what I smell! And what I smell is that she's around here somewhere!" He exclaimed. He started to peer in all the nooks and crannies.
He was getting pretty close to her location... it would only be a matter of time until she was found.
"Hey, I think I saw somebody with red hair walk into that building over there." I pointed, not realizing where I was actually guiding them until I looked at the store.
"Zeus's Undergarments: Befit for a God?" Ken sounded out the store name and left me completely embarrassed.
"So, you were looking at the store with panties and then you saw somebody walk in there who fit our description? You weren't keeping an eye out, were you?!" Ipa scolded me.
I guess lying really didn't pay off.
"What can I say, I get distracted," I told them.
The man put his hands on my shoulders and praised me for my excellent work, taking in a full stride with Ipa and Ken toward the underwear store. I guess this counted as a diversion...
"Hey, I'm losing her scent over here. Maybe she moved." The man said out loud.
"Yeah, maybe..." I mumbled as he passed right by me again. He was pacing back and forth, trying to identify the smell for what felt like three hours at least, when he finally stopped in front of me.
Oh shit.
"Why is it coming from you?" The man asked me.
I stood silent with a stare and then immediately turned my back on him, running up the stairs far away from him.
"Shit!" I said out loud. The man picked up his pace and was definitely faster than me as he ran up the stairs with both Ipa and Ken in his hands.
As if he had the highest charisma I've ever seen, both Ipa and Ken were pissed at me as well. I needed a way out! What would they do if they caught me? Would they rip me in half?
No, I shouldn't be that ridiculous.
I turned around and saw them rabidly chasing me through the crowd. I guess if they caught me, I would be dead and this story of mine would be put to an end.
"So sorry ma'am, I love that dress on you!" I said while bumping into several people. I jumped over boxes and through streets and alleyways just to escape, but the man and my friends were far too fast for my speed.
I was starting to slow down from the fatigue when I used [Blessing] on myself, but I hit everybody else in the crossfire which meant I was now running against my friends who no longer felt tired. I would be caught soon!
I slid under some more boxes and planks and eventually climbed to the rooftops once more. I felt a brief moment of nostalgia while chasing the rat boy before promptly falling off of the roof and into the river.
Ipa and the others stopped on the roof and looked down to me. "Anima, you have a lot of explaining to do..." Ipa said, smashing his fist and hand together.
"But don't you see? I've already won. I've gotten you far enough from the girl so now you'll never be able to find her." I said, spitting water out of my mouth.
"Shit! He's right! Damn you Anima... Hey, Dex, let's go!" Ipa said, turning the opposite direction and running.
I felt a boat bump into the side of my head lightly when a fisherman peered down at me with a confused look.
"Are you lost or something? Do you know where you are?" He asked me.
"I feel like I may be in a river, or at least somewhere wet." I sarcastically told him. With a hearty laugh, he pulled out a small metal stick and pointed it at me.
"[Engulf]" He said.
A brief gust of blazing fire blew past me and I covered my eyes out of fear. "Hey! What the..." As I uncovered my eyes and looked down at myself, I could see that my clothes were now dry.
"Thanks... hey, [Engulf], is that a fire skill?!" I asked him in surprise.
"Possibly. Don't tell anybody though." He said with a wink. He docked his boat and walked off before I could ask any more questions, so I thought I should return to the old location where Hex was.
And I just realized... Hex and Dex were the names of the married couple? That's weird.
I walked back to my old location and Hex came out with a smile on her face. Dex, on the other hand, looked pretty upset she won the game.
"Sorry Dex, can't blame me." I said with my hands up, mimicking an innocent tone.
"Thank you so much Anima! You helped me win!" Hex said to me. Her tail was wagging again and I couldn't help but watch it. It was like a metronome, mesmerizing me.