章節 8: The Man
(Alice Lovegood)
"Listen," the man said as he pulled his hood and showed his brave face to three elf girls. "I have no bad intentions."
The slim man had golden wolf ears, coloured just like his hair. His black eyes were like a night trapped on a leaf, such beautiful eyes for Waff.
Airi lost a word as her jaw dropped. While Alice was stunned and hid her lips behind the book, she hugged.
Kil whistled in admiration, then murmured. "Waff, the handsome one. What a roll." She guffawed. "Well, bringing Alice gave us luck after all."
"Shut it and focus on that Waff," Airi cut it off.
The Waff pulled both hands like a bird tried to fly. "I have no bad intentions. I didn't know about those bandits. I'm a traveller and ask for water, food, and perhaps a warm place to spend the night."
"You asked for a warm elf, heh?" Aki smirks. "Dirty Waff!"
"No! I'm not that kind of animal!"
As a [Fatat Muharaba], Kil's duty was to ensure Alice and Airi's safety on their journey. She pulled her string and was ready to release her arrow.
'It's too much!' Alice hugged her book tightly. She wanted to pull Kil's arm down, but she had no courage.
"Alice, are you sure you can't read his mind?" Kil whispered.
Once again, Alice shook slightly. "I have been trying my best, but I can't. Perhaps, uhm, my skill, not good enough?"
"Shut it. You are the best [Qari Al Ahlam] in a hundred years," Airi murmured. "Your skill is exceptional. It must be because he is a bad guy."
"Uhm, I-I don't think so," Alice's voice was almost nothing. "Perhaps, we could—"
"So, how about it?!" The man yelled.
"Back off and leave now!" Aki prepared to release her first arrow. "Or my arrow will kiss your forehead."
"I'm just a traveller and lost my supply sack. I could pay if you want." The man snatched two silver coins from his cleave tunic. "It's enough to stay at a tavern for a night."
"Well, we are not interested in gold." Aki giggled. "Can you show us what is inside your sack, gentle Waff?"
"Stop playing and shoo him," Airi grudged.
The man slowly kneeled and opened his sack. Inside, there was not much. A single strange Cubix, dosen of strange leaves, and an unknown fang. "See, nothing strange."
"They're all strange, gentle Waff." Aki put her bow down as there was nothing wrong inside the man sack.
"Wait, you are kidding, right?" Airi protested and forced Aki to face her. "You can't let your guard down. He is the Waff!"
"Look at him. He's just a poor traveller." Aki focussed on the Waff. "Waff were too 'advanced' to be 'him'. No Waff would travel with a rugged robe, alone, and didn't carry any high-tech thing. He must be Nawaff."
"Nawaff or Waff, he's still a Waff. He must have tried to trick us!" Airi raised her voice. "All Waff were sly. He would trick us! Do you forget what happened with The Willow Maiden? The Waff tricked her! He will trick us!"
"It's not a trick." Alice tried to calm them down, but her voice was not enough. "It, uhm, it's love."
Aki and Airi kept discussing and almost raised bickering while Alice focussed on the man. Somehow the man smiled. Could he hear what Alice said early?
Well, Alice agreed with Aki's argument. He must be Nawaff, the Waff who got exiled because they were against the great war many hundred years ago.
It would be bad for Elves not to aid Nawaff as they willingly defied their government when Waff invaded Elf hundreds of years ago.
"Alice, you with me, right?" Airi put her palms on her slim waist as he was slightly bent, aligning her strong face to intimidate Alice. "Right?!"
"Uhm, sorry." Alice dared not face her directly. "I, uhm, with Kil. Nawaff sacrifice a lot for elves in the past—"
Airi moaned hard. "Do whatever you want, but no food for him! It is my food, my rule!" She entered the hut, leaving two Elves on the deck.
"Thanks for sticking with me." As gratitude, Kil revealed her white teeth as she patted Alice on the shoulder, winked, and showed her thumb. "Don't worry. I will keep an eye on him."
Then she waved at Nawaff. "You may rest beneath our hut! Don't ever dare think something funny. My arrow never misses its mark!"
'Lucky Nawaff, he could stay and be safe tonight. Thank you, Guenevere!'
It's been two hours already since the bickering ended.
The breeze was bitten skin as the night dimmed. The night was calmed while the man played an alluring tone of leaf flute. It was captivating.
'Strange, how could he play the starry night in the serenade forest?'
Only [Qari Al Ahlam] knew how to play it.
The soothing tone made Airi sleep, snoring, like a log on her bed of leaves, after leaving food on the table unguarded.
Alice knew Airi was a kind heart elf and would not allow Nawaff to go hungry. She even prepared an extra blanket next to the plate on the table. She was just too proud to admit it if she cared.
Bringing a plate of food and blanket set on her arm, Alice walked toward the ledger.
"Where are you going?" Kil asked as she sat on deck leaning on the wall with his bow on her lap. "Airi's going to eat you alive if she finds out you disobey her rule."
Alice giggled. "She left the password on top of this blanket. She must have asked me to do it."
"Auh, she's sweet. Alright, let me accompany you," Kil gave Alice an ornamented obsidian dagger. "Better prepared than sorry, eh."
Hiding the dagger inside her thick robe, Alice hoped never to use it. Both Elves get down in the forest and track their path to the man guided by fireflies.
They found that Nawaff enjoyed the night as he stretched one leg, leaning on the tree while blowing the leaf. The alluring time came to an end.
"Hello, Nawaff, here, some food. Eat well." Aki kept her distance from the man as she was ready with a bow and arrow. "Come, Alice, hurry up, will ya, before the Witch wakes up."
Alice put the plate and blanket near the man. "Uhm, it's not much, but, well, enjoy."
The man pulled the blanket slowly as he kept eyeing Alice. "Your eyes. Such beautiful eyes."
Alice gasped and pulled herself away as she was flushing. She is not used to receiving male compliments.
"Woah, that's enough." Kill pulling her bowstring. "Don't push your luck, Nawaff."
The man smiled. "She reminds me of an old friend."
Alice controlled her breath before asking the question. "How, how, uhm, how could you know that melody? I mean, uhm, the starry night in the serenade forest?"
"My friend told me—"
"Excuse me!" Bandit yelled, still wiggling on the tentacle of Herbivore's snap. "How about us?"
Aki was distracted. "Well, diet. You must keep your shape. You are not a man anymore."
Alice kept her voice as calm as she moved closer to the man. "Who? Only [Qari Al Ahlam] knew it, and no one of us would tell it, let alone teach it to Waff."
The man smiled and started eating his food. "It's delicious. Give my thanks to your Witch."
Alice kept eyeing him and tried to enter his mind and discover who he was. As [Qari Al Ahlam], she could do that in close quarters.
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