2 weeks went by as Riki and I simply stalked... I mean followed the Princess and the rest of the people of the theater as they began their journey back to Riguo.
There were times of course where I wanted to interject into conversation as the Princess talked to the various people of the theater, but to be honest, I didn't really see the need to. One, for the long term sake of her personal growth, it was important that she developed a sense of self independence from not just people of her circumstance of birth, but also, even from me as well.
For there would be times where I am not there where she will have to make her own decisions, and use her own words. So in spite of all the times I wanted to interject and plead my case when she talked about my sweating habits and unkept hair, I did not interject. For my observation of the Princess, as she existed independent of any of the forces that influenced her previously, were more than precious enough.
It was Princess Riko, as she was, or rather, it was Riko Nashi as she was. Just there, being, with the many many people of Riki's theater. Who of course, if one really sat down and thought about it, are not just the people of Riki's theater, but of life's theater as well. For 2 weeks, all she did was seemingly talk about nothing of too great importance. Getting to know each member of the great theater individually.
Did I get my fists ready if any one of the people of the theater tried to make any sort of romantic move on the Princess? Nah, I'm a peaceful guy, the princess can protect herself. She was still pretty much bald at this point anyways.
Her hair had grown back slightly, but if I had to say, she still looked more like a monk than a princess at this stage of its growth. And even though her outer beauty within her eyes still dazzled, it didn't shine the same without her beautiful hair. At least, not to those that didn't know her soul.
Most of the people of the theater did not therefore focus much on the Princess's beauty. Most instead, had their attention focused on Kaisaki. She really did have all the makeup of a star as part of the theater. Even Riko could admit that much as she watched her dazzle in conversation brilliantly. It wasn't just her appearance that shined either, it was every part of her being.
The aura she carried herself with, the aura she talked to people with. There always seemed to be a sense of... purpose. As if she had a reason to exist with whoever she talked to and whoever she walked with. A star in every sense of the world.
I could see the Princess grow envious of her. It must have been a new emotion for her as well as I would imagine it was usually others who envied the Princess. It must have been humbling as I could see in the Princess's heart. And from it the Princess developed a competitive spirit. She honed her personality, in those 2 weeks, honed her craft, honed her...
"It's not that dramatic."
"Huh, what?""
I broke back into the present time to Riki who had been walking alongside me as we continued to walk from about 200 meters away from the people of the theater and the princess but still maintaining the same pace so that we would travel at the same speed using theory of relativity calculations. In doing so...
"Hu!"
Riki slapped me.
"Owww... what was that for?"
"Hu..."
"Yeah?"
His face was melting.
"Riki..."
The realizations were beginning to hit me.
"Riki, that candy you gave me just now..."
We had of course been smoking and taking Kush candies routinely on this route traveling at a pace relative to the Princess and people of the theater. But today however... 2 weeks into our journey there seemed to be something... off about this Kush candy he just gave me.
"Hu, you're getting it now, right?"
"..."
The forms of the grassy plains and the landscape itself at this time of day began melding together. It all looked like something out of a surrealistic textbook as everything began to feel wavy.
"Riki, that wasn't just Kush was it..."
He looked at me with an expression of... I couldn't really tell as his face was still melting.
"No..." he said in what felt like slow motion.
"It... wasn't. It was..."
"Magical mushrooms?"
He shook his head.
"LSD?"
He shook his head again. I hadn't tried either of the above 2 mentioned drugs in over 5 years, but the effects I could still remember.
"Then?" I said, "Is there some other sort of commodity the llama traders have that also makes it so it appears your face is melting off?"
"There is," he said, taking out of his pocket a bag. "It's blue lotus."
I blinked as I looked at the formless bag he took out trying my best to understand his words.
"Blue lotus?"
He nodded his head.
"It's basically the same as magical mushrooms but blue lotus is a cooler name so it has more marketing potential. You know how it is being a merchant and stuff and this silly nonsense known as "branding". You have to admit though, as a merchant it is cooler saying you are using "blue lotus" instead of magical mushrooms.
"I don't know, magical mushrooms sound plenty cool to me," I replied, "But also I don't remember agreeing to take blue lotus or any form of psychedelics. Riki, why would you do this?"
He shrugged, looking at me.
"I don't know, I felt like it."
"I'm pretty sure it's illegal to just give someone drugs without telling them."
"True, but so is taking the Princess of the royal palace out to go on adventures or whatever so are you really going to try to report me?"
"...fair enough"
As we kept walking, I was beginning to see patterns in the sky and colors I felt that I hadn't previously seen before. It was as if the patterns and shape of reality as it was in my sober state, was in reality a malleable one. Drugs aside, I did read in a textbook at least that the sky isn't even blue at all, and the true color is black and we only see blue in our reality because that is the trick of the earth's atmosphere.
In this way I suppose, the sky itself is a natural "lie". Created in many ways, similar to mathematics, for humans to have a more convenient way of understanding the world.
"Do you think there's a god in this world?"
"..."
I didn't even turn to look at him when Riki asked.
"Is this what we're doing today Riki? We're going to ponder about religious nonsense?"
I could feel him metaphorically raise an eyebrow.
"As good as any topic being the psychonauts we are, no? Do you have any religious affiliation at all Mr. Hu?"
"Woah woah, I'm a psychonaut right now not by choice. I thought this story was going to center around only Kush."
"The drug doesn't really matter that much, Hu. The essence and meaning of the words I say are still the same," Riki replied, "Sure, now being in the mind state you are, you see yourself as separate and perhaps more meta 'aware' compared to a sober person. But even when you are sober again, the things and memories you experienced tripping are still with you. In this way Hu, your sober mind, and your tripping mind is one."
"... that didn't answer my question at all and sounded like generic space filling nonsense that most people sound like while tripping. Again, what is the purpose of why you giving me Blue Lotus now?"
"You need to preview tripping for the Princess if you are going to introduce it to her in later parts of your story, no?"
"I guess? But even if that were true, what does that have to do with..."
The real realization hit me.
"You have inventory don't you..."
He chuckled.
"Always the sharp merchant you are."
He reached into his pocket and took out what looked very similar to Kush Kandy. So much so that it could easily be mistaken as such.
"This here indeed is a bag of my own personal blend mix containing Blue Lotus, Lion's Mane, and a few other narcotics as well. I'll sell it to you at a price of 20 Cive per bag."
"And there it is," I said chuckling, "I don't know how I feel about buying something after I was tricked into consuming it but that price does seem more than reasonable.".
The sun began to almost fully set now as the light of the glowing full moon was coming out in full display. At that moment, it was as if the entire world was one.
"Yeah, despite feeling like I just got marketed towards, I'll take a bag for later perhaps."
I began reaching into my pocket for some coins.
"Woah woah, later later," Riki said putting the bag back into his pocket, "you're already tripping so not a time to think of capitalism right now is it?"
"I suppose not. At least not in a non abstract way."
"What's your answer to my question then?" Riki asked, "That's the real thing I wanted your opinion of. Do you think God exists?"
"Does God exist? Hmm..."
I clenched my fist at the topic and question.
"I'm not sure, but if they did, he most certainly wouldn't be in the form that all the nonsense organized religions say he is like."
Among his melting face, I could see a smile.
"So you think the same then. As expected from you Mr. Hu. Go on, what specific religions and examples do you wish to call out? You've already offended the super religious and have been condemned to hell by a billion people from just your previous statement. Why not offend a little more? It's not like the super religious are going to be reading a story filled with psychedelic drugs anyway so you have no need to worry from the demographic standpoint of your audience."
I blinked looking at him.
"Riki, what are you even yapping about? What audience, it's just you and I talking."
"True true, ignore what I said. Anyways, go ahead, say something offensive Hu. You're not truly free until you do."
"Is that how it works? Alright then."
I thought about this carefully, choosing words that although still offensive, could at least be spoken with tact.
"Yeah, religion be whack as shit yo. That shit is oppressive."
"Yeah, I know right! Like who the hell do the priests think they are?"
"Yeah it's like, shit, so what, some random dude wrote some mid ass book thousands of years ago about events that scientifically speaking, could never had happened and the world just accepts that oh... because someone said so, it means they talked to 'God' or spread the word of 'God' or whatever. That's so stupid! I can do that too. Here watch."
I turned to him with a straight face.
"God actually told me Riki, that... actually, you have to give me those blue lotus candies for free because uhhh... that's just what God said. Who are you to argue!"
At that Riki began to laugh as well.
"Your line delivery still needs some work but your point couldn't be more true. The reality is, institutional religions that form around a concept that cannot be disproved are a breeding ground of corruption and personal greed. A priest, like you said, due to having the unchecked power of being able to speak 'for god' can use such a power to say whatever 'he' the individual wants. It creates a sense of entitlement and narcissism, especially when the very nature of the rules do not allow priests and other religious authority figures to ever be challenged."
I nodded.
"Yeah it's pretty messed up man, it reminds of the government from where my parents and ancestors are from."
He paused for a moment in his tracks.
"You mean Naka right?"
"Oh, so you can tell?"
"Well yes, do you take me to be an uncultured man, Hu? The syllables of your name, Hushuiliu, are not found in Riguo or even Kuhan. It's just odd you know..."
"That a Naka citizen is here in Riguo?"
"Of course! You know why right?"
"Obviously... everyone from Naka knows why."
He was of course referring to the thousands of years of war between the two kingdoms about some political nonsense. Trade or whatever. I could get more into it now but it wasn't really something I liked putting my mind on unless necessary to do so.
"Alright, so why did you come here then? To Riguo?"
"Because it was an oppressive nation." I replied, turning away as to not show my angry face, "one that due to a set of rules, makes it so the authority figures can never be challenged. What they say is thus the absolute law of the land."
"I figured you might say that." Riki replied, "You're not the first to leave Naka I've met believing that. And the others that did had the same realization when I posed my next question.
I blinked.
"Go on?"
"Do you see what the rulers of Naka are like now?"
I nodded my head.
"I had thought this for years, but never felt it was necessary or practical to say it out loud."
"Alright let's say it together in unison then. Corrupt totalitarian governments that rule with an iron fist where they cannot be oppressed... is very similar to..."
"Organized religion."
We both said in unison. As if a line we had rehearsed for years. But I can assure you dear readers we had not. Because the truth is, humans can just understand each other in this way. To finish each other's sentences naturally as we just did. Especially after these 2 weeks of spending every day with Riki and...
"Princess are you alright! Why is your nose bleeding?"
I stopped in my tracks looking ahead to notice we had come close enough to be within talking distance of the Princess and the people of the theater.
"Good time to stop and let them get a bit further ahead." Riki said, sitting down onto a stump. Fortunately there was a second stump as well where I sat down at.
"She really is a lively one isn't she?" Riki said smiling.
I looked at him awkwardly. It was a nice compliment for sure. Even so.
"Yeah she is but..."
"You want to talk about something else?"
I nodded.
Not that I was never not in the mood to talk about the Princess, but it was always necessary as well to talk about the other societal forces of the world if nothing else but to prepare for them when needed in the future.
"Yes, there are other things to talk about, but to be clear, you are from Riguo as well Riki, are you not?"
"In name only," he replied, "I wasn't even born there. My parents had moved to Kuhan back when it was occupied by Riguo where I was born. And that is where I say I am from if I was forced to pick just one place. I haven't seen my parents in years though as like you, I began doing things on my own when I became an adult. Not sure what they're even up to now but the only thing that ties me at all to Riguo is my name."
"I see,"
Like Naka, Kuhan had a very peculiar history with Riguo in that as Riki stated, the kingdom had once been occupied during war times even as recently as 50 years ago which is when I assumed Riki moved there.
"I consider myself however, a person of the world," he said, "not someone from any particular nation. But someone that wishes to entertain for humans of all cultural backgrounds. So I would not call myself a Kuhanian either. Such affiliations limit the artistic form one can take."
"Is that why you hate religion as well?"
He smiled.
"You really are a sharp one. Indeed Hu Shuiliu, for any institution that limits the freedom to display individual art, is an institution worth fighting against. It goes against basic human rights. The freedom of expression."
"It certainly is important," I replied, "even so, why do you bring this up now? Do you plan to do something about it?"
He nodded his head.
"Perhaps not in this book of the extended story, but it is something that had been on my mind for a while, you know Hu. A true stage performance recounting the narrative we know as history."
It was I who raised an eyebrow now.
"For what purpose? I can't imagine an entertainer like yourself, enjoys politics at all."
"No, but unfortunately that does not make it any less important."
"I don't know... even if there are political implications and historical nonsense, wouldn't it be better to just ignore all that in favor of knowing the future will be different?"
He shook his head.
"That is what I am speaking of when I say it is unfortunately important. Try as we might, you and I Hu, still live within the laws and ecosystem of greater society. And in order for that to be a more fair society, it is not only I feel my passion, but my duty in fact, to help make it a fairer one."
I chuckled.
The blue lotus must have taken full effect at this point because I swore I could see lightning in his eyes as he said that.
"True, it's just generic. I did not expect a person like you who has studied all the art forms of society, to wish to create something with such a simplistic premise."
He sighed, not changing his serious expression as he looked up at the moon.
"Simplistic premises is how one gets their works to be understood by the general public. Of course it will be a work with a lot of deeper subtleties and references, but since it will be one I wish to perform to an audience, it still needs to be in a language, and an order of events, that is easily understood."
"Fair enough, you are the expert after all."
We just sat there in silence for a few minutes after that both gazing at the moon as the stars began to come out. In my altered mind state, even the stars looked unnatural, as if they were wavy and came out of a painting on the canvas of 3D reality.
"But... that's not for a while," Riki finally said, breaking the silence, "Still, life is very long and these are things that we must constantly think about and be aware of. It is my dream that my next performance after recovering the people of the theater or otherwise, will be one that can bring further peace within Kaijie. For now though... have you thought of a plan yet Mr. Hu?"
I blinked, looking at him.
"A what?"
"A plan Mr. Hu. You said at some point we would reveal ourselves to the people of the theater and the Princess again, but never did you state when that would be. We are fast approaching the kingdom palace now."
"Well, I mean, we should allow them to carry out their plan first, no?"
I looked ahead and saw the traveling theater was a good deal ahead of us now so we could get up and follow from a reasonable distance away again. We got up from our stumps doing just that.
"Once Kaisaki replaces the princess, we can then just come in and talk about how we were following them the whole time but didn't want to disturb what they were doing. Would that not work?"
He stopped walking for a moment and glared at me. His eyes still with lightening within them in an almost frightening way.
"Plans are never that convenient. And plus..." he said, continuing to walk, "I don't know if I can let the star of my show simply walk away like that."
"Is that the issue now?" I chuckled, "Surely any singular member of the theater is replaceable though, no? Even yourself it seems. Why would that be an issue?"
"They're not like her." he snapped, "No one... no one acts like Kaisaki."
His eyes were glowing red now in admiration.
"I've never met anyone like it. Someone that dazzled the crowd by the speech of every word in her performance. Although their plan makes sense, I am not sure I can endorse it."
"I don't know Riki, it sounds like you just have a bit of a crus..."
"And furthermore," he interrupted, "I am not one that thinks it is a good idea to just 'let things be' and 'let things run its course' that normal philosophy states. Doing that for too long and naturally one will run into endless conflict when the story of their life does not go the way of the projection in their mind. For example..."
He pointed ahead at the people of the theater. It all happened so fast and felt especially surreal given what we were on, but there all the same, trouble was starting again. As suddenly, a large group of people on horseback, wearing what I recognized as the royal uniforms of the Riguo palace, began riding up to the Princess and people of the theater.