章 17: Chapter 14 - Ilma and Irma
Perhaps it was the blistering heat of the scorching sun, alternatively, it could also be the sudden divulging of the predicament beset against him, regardless, Subaru found a ceaseless chatter unable to leave his mind barren.
An indecipherable wave of pure chaos, one where sense and meaning fail to find form. Comprehension swept away in a roaring tide of anxiety and dread.
Where his feet trod towards, he barely even acknowledged. All focus and attention usurped by the trepidation of what lies before him tomorrow.
"This is crazy... this is crazy!" He snapped in a hoarse whisper, clutching a few strands of hair, with his head casting downwards to the cobblestone street.
Then behind him, a voice. "Crazy? It's really quite a simple task, at least compared to what the rest of us are doing, Subaru-kun."
Subaru felt the resounding slam of a free-fall of nerves deep within his stomach. Elsa trailing closely, confronted his hasten turn backward.
"What... what are you-?"
"My job, Subaru-kun," said Elsa, filling the gap of words. "A close eye, a close sight. You'll find I can be rather - tenacious... when it comes to fulfilling my task."
Subaru turned a corner, Elsa clinging by with distance marginal, fronting them, came a horde of citizens.
"Aren't you a wanted person? What if you're seen?" asked Subaru, as they pace ever closer to the crowd.
An amused giggle slithered through sealed lips. "People can look all through their lives and see absolutely nothing. Normalcy hides malevolence very well, especially if no one wants to see it."
They walked on through the dozens, bearing smiles, sounding laughter, going about their days without burden, without thought to any abnormality in sight.
"See? People don't see unless they want to." Elsa spoke, the clueless mob far behind them now.
Rushing forward, favoring silence, Subaru trudged on, attempting to retrace steps back to the fountain, where he parted with Kris, hoping beyond hope he'd be there and, catching sight of Elsa, would immediately call upon the guards for aid.
Foolish it may be to hope for nigh impossibility, Subaru could care less, fleeting improbabilities was all that could rid the parasite that stuck to him close.
"Your clothes..." Elsa reached, her tight grasp tugged at his shoulder, "dry blood is sticking to it."
Swift, boorish movement pried him loose from her clutches, and he turned to face her, "yeah, no thanks to you."
"We can't have that." Elsa eyed the narrow incision at his throat, encrusted by a thin clot, below it, a blotch of brown smudged the area where skin and fabric meet. "Change your clothes."
"Change my - with what?!" exclaimed Subaru, his arms outstretched, emphasizing the nothingness he carried.
"We'll find something..." muttered Elsa, already scouring the premises that were within vicinity.
"Don't steal anything... I don't need my face in the newspapers too," said Subaru, catching sight of the glimmer in the deep violet of her eyes.
"My... fame too bothersome a thing to tolerate, then? Notoriety might suit you actually... given your mission. Now stay put," She began heading to a building across the street, "I'll be back sooner than you think."
Subaru witnessed her steps, watched her weave gracefully across the heavy masses of denizens, shrinking in discernibility evermore before vanishing through a doorway just as it swung to a close. A minute. Two minutes. Then it was three. Every moment in every second, Subaru anticipated her emergence from the premises, only to find the wooden door shut tightly still without even a creak.
He'd resigned himself to her watch, he knew futile to escape her watchful gaze.
But now?
He lurched a step, then another. Not a moment too soon, he spurred to a run.
Collisions were a near miss. A few missteps had him almost diving headfirst into crowds with only seconds to spare for a swerve sideways.
He kept pace, head twisting to and fro, scouring glimpses for landmarks that would assure him a safe return.
Running... and running... his feet carrying him towards enfeeblement.
Looking... and looking... finding himself disoriented with every unrecognizable structure.
The breath he heaved, the sweat that poured, hopelessly deranged. The twinge of regret had started to pervade, more and more as the distances he walked grew evermore uncharted. Once more, stranded in the deep metropolis of Kararagi.
But a step forward brought promise. An expansive space, littered with the most colorful of stalls, shading beneath it, were items of the most extravagant kind, as well as fresh products of all sorts. Their scents intermixing through the air, swaying with temptation, enticing potential buyers that filled almost every inch of space available. A marketplace.
A friendly face. That's all he needed to find. Someone was bound to help him find his way back. Subaru joined the bustling crowd, movement constantly impeded across every step by the fluctuating stream of rush hour, his pleading cries congested among the more vocal shouts of bargains.
"Excuse me, I'm a bit lost... can you help me find my way back?" He asked a stall owner only to be immediately shoved aside by a group of buyers.
Subaru staggered clumsily to a balance and eyed loathingly at the group. "Kararagi's all about money, huh? They could certainly do with a bit of kindness... freaking dumbasses."
Cursing in a hush, he broke away towards a more secluded part of the marketplace. Then, per the slightest of chance, in the quickest of glance - spotted amongst the crowd, skirting through citizens of a dozen... an inkling of black woven with the tint of violet. The sway of her dress, Elsa's.
Was he spotted? How was it that she found him so quick?
He needn't waste precious seconds in wonder. He trudged backward in haste, nudging and shoving along his wayward escape. He kept low and he kept huddled, maintaining to places teeming with others to blend himself with. Minutes in constant vigilance, the slightest shades of purple, lashing him with bouts of panic. He knew soon enough that inevitability was at hand. The cold eventual outcome.
He'd be found.
Like a hunter to prey.
A clumsy panic-riddled round of a corner had him bashed his face against the edge of a wooden pole that pillared a stall's awning.
"Use your eyes next time, yeah? Perhaps watch yourself before you break your nose on the next one." reprimanded the stall owner, flashing a reproving look.
"Sorry." Subaru squeaked, hands clutching the swelling pain prickling his nose, slight tears emerging through closed eyelids.
Subaru stalked off, a hand still caressing his numb nose, scouring and assessing for signs of approaching threats. On bended knees, he moved forward in a creep, peering corners and gaps before lumbering himself, inches at a time.
Though all form of attentiveness fixated on sight, it was the lack of foresight perhaps, that sound had failed to gain as much prominence as it should. Heedless attention neglected the clacking of heels at his rear. Too late was the looming shadow that cast over him to warn him.
"Acting suspicious now, are we?"
A voice.
His eyes widen in alarm.
But in tone - the inflection. A soft-pitched gentleness threading amusement. It did not sound like her one bit.
The terror streaking through him froze.
Subaru turned at once.
A woman... no, a girl, still frolicking in the tenderness of youth and beauty. Etches of grace and elegance defined every soft curve, every sharp edge of her face. A radiant bright blue, almost ethereal, brimmed her pupils full. Locks of lush white that streamed down to her waist, her hair swaying lightly in the breeze. Frills and laces adorned the dress she wore, a shade of ebony contrasting starkly with her hair.
Subaru, stunned, unaware he was staring, continued to do so.
"Silence is also suspicious." She spoke, piqued curiosity filling her expression.
As if prying away from a trance, Subaru spoke in a blunder, "Oh, no, no - I wasn't doing anything..."
"Did you steal something?"
Subaru stood up, "What?! Of course, I didn't steal anything! I was just-"
"Hiding?" She suggested, then witnessing the silence that overtook him afterward, continued in a widened smile, "Crouching all around, peeking around corners... are we sure you're as innocent as you say you are?"
"Search me, then. Go ahead. I don't have anything on me," said Subaru, eyes frantically sifting, eager to depart right away, fearing capture.
A gloved hand rose to her lips in ponder, and her brows scrunched downwards, she continued to stare at him, silent in contemplation.
"Well... I suppose since you're suggesting that, you couldn't possibly have stolen anything."
"Yeah, see, right? Look it was nice meeting you, but I gotta run now... so see you," said Subaru, legs already on a march.
"Wait!" She called, walking after him. He stopped, annoyance vocalized in the click of his tongue. She fronted him once more, "Can I just - I just saw... what's that you got over there?"
Her finger raised and pointed. Immediately, with little regard to repercussions, Subaru clutched the bulge at his chest, his glance offset to the cracked ridges on the paved stone.
"It's nothing." He muttered, walking away, striding long in pace.
She followed alongside him, suppressing laughter, "Really, you could at least try to make yourself sound convincing. By Maka, you're a terrible liar."
"Leave me alone," said Subaru, staving his eyes from her rousing interest.
"That's rather rude. I don't suppose you know who I am?"
He stole the smallest glance, saw amusement plastered across her face, enthusiasm in her vibrant blue eyes, looked away and fasten his pace, "Haven't the faintest idea."
"See, I thought so."
She outpaced him and stood before him in obstruction, her hands outstretched to her sides, barricading his escape. "Halt, I say!"
"What is it?" He snapped impatiently.
Her steps shortened their distance and her eyes fell to his tracksuit, "It's just mere curiosity, is all. Come on, just a little peek? Appease me and I'll go. You have my word."
"The answer is no and that's final."
"Ooo, your rudeness knows no bound. But you don't suppose that will stop me now, do you?"
Subaru brushed past her, resuming his march, "You wanna talk about rude... disturbing people isn't exactly the nicest thing you can do. Leave already!"
She did not depart. Instead, her hand fell and gripped tightly at his shoulder. Impeded once more, Subaru, teetering the boundary of anger, turned to face her.
"Now look here!"
"It was you!" She said aloud, her eyes sparkling in incredulous astonishment.
"Huh?"
"It's... you were the one... how did I not notice just now?"
Complete utter disbelief riddled the silence they shared. But his confusion paled in comparison to her awestruck expression.
"What... are you talking about?" Subaru spoke slowly.
It was her turn to break from a trance, blinking rapidly away her stupor, she took his arm, smiling with joy, "You need to come with me now! You just wait... wait until sister hears about this... she will be most pleased. Come on! Come!"
Stricken so by the unexpected, Subaru, in spite of his better judgment, permitted himself to be yanked away towards somewhere unknown. Trailing in her steps, listening to her marvel continuously to herself.
"I knew I caught something, I just knew it. And sister didn't believe me - hah! The look on her face, later... oh, I just know it'll be priceless."
Where he was taken astray, he soon found out. Hiding his utter amazement proved a task insurmountable. His mouth fell agape, and his eyes teemed wide with glints and glimmer. An extravagant carriage of such exquisite design stood rooted in front of him. Painted white, with traces of pure gold in patterns of roses, illustrated its aesthetics. Sculpted in the middle, a crest bejeweled with gems of a wide variety donning the mark of royalty.
The ground dragon affix to the carriage reared its head at the sight of their arrival.
"Hey hey, Diona! Did you miss me?" She spoke the dragon, waving her hand in greeting.
The ground dragon huffed in delight, then warily growled as it spotted a newcomer.
"Oh, that there is... uh..." She turned towards him, "I never got your name... I should have asked earlier, in hindsight. Diona likes to bite the fingers off of people she doesn't know too well."
"It's Subaru. Natsuki Subaru." He answered in haste, aware of the precarious glare still glued onto him.
"Well, you heard him, Diona!" She spoke to the dragon, with an air of amity, "This is Subaru, and he is a friend. Friend. Remember that. Subaru. Is. A. Friend. No biting, or I'll be mad."
As the dragon gave a reluctant huff of understanding, Subaru only then noticed a guard standing idly by beside the carriage, his armor of white and gold blending well with it.
"Almor. This is my guest. He shall board with us, and I wish for us not to be disturbed. Is that understood?" She spoke to the guard, promptly transitioning to a manner of utmost diligence.
The guard named Almor conceded a gracious bow forward, and clutched the handle of the carriage door, opening wide for their access.
"Right then, mind waiting here for a second? Sister needs some informing or she'll freak. Meeting strangers isn't really her most favorite thing in the world." She said, seamlessly back to informality.
She took his silence as a positive and entered in a rush. "Sister. Oi, Ilma! Wha- You're sleeping?! I wasn't even gone that long. Get up! You're never gonna guess what I found."
As he stood there, lounging in the strange awkwardness, of everything. Staring all around for something. That's when it happened. He saw. There. Far in the furthest edge of the city street. Her haunting eyes staring back at his and her smile harboring sinister intent.
"You can come in now, Subaru! Sister is absolutely dying to meet you!"
He only had mere moments to register the horror - a blemish, a trick of the light - he would never know, for he was immediately skirted inwards into the carriage by the girl with spirits on high.
The darkness engulfed his sight, already too accustomed to the light. It took a while to readjust his vision, and when he did, founded himself in the impressively large interior of the carriage. Thick dark drapings block the sunlight from filtering through, and every slight movement brushed him with the sensations of a million feathers, as it was, as pillows in all shapes and sizes carpeted the entire premise.
"So it's you then, the one she was referring too?" sounded a silky, faraway voice.
Subaru trailed the source of the voice.
The girl sat, clutching a pillow close to her chest, resembling with dead accuracy to the other girl he had met. Exempting, of course, the glaring disparities he noticed. Her hair, a dark contradiction to the white of the other, as inky as the darkness that surrounded them. And her ominous gaze, staring at him with eyes that seemed to stare without seeing. Her pupils a pure murky white.
(Twins.)
"Say something, why don't you?" She spoke again.
"Hey Ilma, don't be rude." said another voice, across from hers.
The girl called Ilma, displayed a flicker of surprise, her lips thinning in response.
"I... I'm sorry. I didn't know that was a rude thing to say. You were just so silent, I thought... argh! This is why I don't like meeting new people! Irma, why didn't you give me time to compose myself?"
"Excuse you, you had your time. Not my fault you're so socially inept." said the girl called Irma.
"Umm..." Subaru began, doubting even himself of a proper meticulous response, "What... what am I doing here?"
The white, Irma, beckoned him a seat, "Come here, right here, beside me! Just hold your questions for a second. Sister, go ahead. You can confirm it yourself."
Subaru slowly navigated to his seat, watched with close scrutiny by those misty white eyes.
The black, Ilma, left hers, and slowly moved towards him, her face inching towards his own. Her eyes, like a hazy gray thunderstorm, it arose feelings of dread to stir within him, and he found himself questioning once more as she crept ever closer.
"What are you-"
She jumped. A frightened jolt and a small whimper of fright.
Irma, the white, mustered all strength to stifle a laugh whilst Ilma could only manage a downcasted gaze.
"Please don't talk... while I'm doing that," said Ilma meekly.
After a moment of composure, she proceeded once more to close the distance. Then with contact barely an inch away, she took a whiff and immediately thrust herself backward to her seat. The same look of astonishment - just as before, riddled her expression.
"It really is. I didn't think you'd actually..." Ilma turned to her sister, who was positively glowing with satisfaction, "I guess I'm the fool for once, huh?"
Irma nodded her head vigorously. "Indeed so. Now I expect a week's worth of your desserts to be ever so graciously relinquished to me."
"Two day's worth," said Ilma.
"A month's"
"Three day's worth, then."
"A year's"
"Fine! A week's worth... all yours as you desire them." relented Ilma, a sigh of resignation escaping her lips."
A grin of absolute delight was plastered across Irma's face. "Yay! Now I'm a happy little princess."
"Okay!" shouted Subaru, confusion a pester for far too long, "Can someone tell me already what the hell's going on?"
"Don't have to shout. We'll tell you," Irma spoke through pouted lips, "Well basically it's-"
"Your scent." finished Ilma.
Subaru felt a battering in his chest... a heavy mallet of realization.
(My scent?)
"You smell just like us," said Irma, stealing a whiff once more, "the smell of pure exhilaration."
"The smell of love," said Ilma, clutching tight another pillow, "the love that all of us share."
(Love?)
"You are loved," Irma whispered.
"Just as we are." Ilma finished.
"And that makes you..."
"One of us."
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