Part 22
"So she just visited the town?"
Cherry had gotten tired of repeating herself.
"Yes Zoen! She just went around Bami and bought stuff! She didn' do any o' that handsy thingies y'all talked aboud!"
Jess let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like the player hadn't been given orders to kill whatever was left of her crew. The demon placed a hand on Cherry's shoulder.
"Hey, how 'bout ya com wid us? We can protec ya easier thad way."
Cherry shook her head.
"Sorry cap. I have thingies tyin' me to tis town, I actually got married ya see?" she lifted her hand to reveal a ring. "I mighta forgottin to mention befor."
Zoen's eyes popped out of their pockets.
"You? You got married? Is your husband deaf or-"
His words were cut off by the hard elbow he received from his sister. The strength of the strike didn't spell out friendly in any way.
"She'z more than capabel of marryin' Zoen."
Cherry started cheering for the demon.
"Yea, show him cap!" she suddenly took a more serious demeanor. "Anyway, as I said, I ain't leavin' Bami. But ya can visid me any time ya need som rest or mones."
There was another person sitting at one of the tables in the herb store. It looked to be a noble, trying to learn poker.
"So royal flush wins this? Oh it always wins? Makes sense, it's royal."
A few words were exchanged in front of the counter and the man teaching her suddenly waved at the shopkeeper.
Jess was surprised.
"He's yar husban then? The one that'z teachin how to gamble to the violet girl?"
"Yeh it'z him, y'all wanna go say hi?" responded Cherry.
Someone sat down next to the noble. She turned her head around to see a pair of horns.
"Guela, huh? So yar the guy marryin' my sweet Cherry. Can ya fite tho?" asked Jess with a challenging tone.
He was not threatened by the words of the demon.
"Yes, that would be me. As for the second question, I have records of winning several expert level tournaments. Does that answer satisfy you, miss Jess?"
The demon chuckled before throwing her arm around Cyeen's shoulders.
"Partially, thoug I have to chalenge ya. Beat Cyee and I'll be convinsed."
Cyeen didn't even do anything about the muscular arm over her shoulders. She was too focused on the poker cards.
Guela lifted an eyebrow.
"Why her? Too scared to face me head on 'cap'?"
Jess let out a loud laugh this time, alerting Cyeen of the arm around her. The noble pushed the arm off her shoulders as Jess began speaking again.
"Scayred, me? Nah, I don' wanna embrasz ya in front of ya wife bud. Mind ya, I never lost a one on one ever."
"Well, Cherry tells me the exact same thing on a daily basi so I'll believe your word for it. What do you say Cyeen, a mock duel after this game?"
She lifted her head up again.
"Huh? Me? Why?"
Jess sighed,
"Cherey! Come ere and deal us the cardz! As for ya one eye, I'll show ya when I decimayte ya in poker."
***
"Take a step forward Cyee."
The noble did as she was instructed with a flameberge in her hands.
Jess's eye twitched.
"Ya call that a step?! No wonder we losed the fite back then! Put mo intent into each step ya dumb noblee!"
An almost metallic material hitting the ground was heard as Cyeen smashed the large sword against the floor.
"Intent? How the hell does one take a step with an intent?!" yelled out Cyeen, who was clearly frustrated.
The demon rubbed her eyes together. summoning a flameberge of her own and demonstrating whatever she meant.
"See Cyee?" she said. "Not that hard!"
Cyeen sighed, leaning against a tree.
The two girls had went out the forest right after the poker session ended with Jess winning back to back.
They were out training as the duel between Guela and Cyeen was set to start tomorrow, giving the noble enough time to strategize.
"What's your issue?" asked Cyeen in an insulting tone.
A red flameberge was pointed at her throat in an instant, making the noble flinch.
"It's ya, both of ya." the dark red sword was dismissed. "Ya just cannot admit how weak ya are, just how much ya need me to..."
Cyeen lifted her eyebrow. The demon's hesitation to speak had caught her attention.
"Go on, continue." she said.
Jess turned her back to the violet haired girl.
"Whateva, just keep yar end of our deal."
Tens of violet blasters appeared around the demon, although, Jess knew they wouldn't fire.
Cyeen spoke out.
"I am trying. It's you who is making it harder for me, Jess." The blasters came near firing before they were dismissed. "I'm not good at helping someone while his sister is being one hell of a jackass."
The demon turned back to Cyeen once again, grabbing her by whatever could be called the collar of her sundress.
"Ya agreed to bein' someone he could lean on if I transformed ya into yar strongest version. Do not dare going back on yar words."
Cyeen looked at the hand grabbing her. For a second — Jess seemed weaker than she had ever looked. The noble wrapped her hand around the demon's wrist, squeezing it.
"You like your brother that much? Then go talk to him. I can't fix your issues for you."
The part that resembled a collar on the sundress was let go as the demon left Cyeen's side, leaving her to train all alone.
***
Guela was sitting on the couch, reading a book.
"I hate that demon." was the first thing he heard as a violet haired individual sat next to him.
He wasn't expecting a rude comment from the noble this fast though he was sure Cyeen would eventually say something like that. She was a noble, it was inescapable.
"Huh? Oh. You know what, me too actually. Can you imagine your wife loving her old captain more than you?" was his response.
Cyeen laid back.
"No, I don't have a wife."
Guela sucked his lips in with embarrassment.
"Riiight... You're from Enidia right, the Flameberg family?" he asked, trying to change the topic.
She moved around in discomfort.
"Took you long enough. And it's ex-noble. I'm tired of playing the facade forced onto me."
"Woah, that's... that's a little deep actually. When did they start giving nobles philosophical thinking capabilities?"
Cyeen stared at his face with disappointment. That was a terrible joke.
"Sorry fam, couldn't hold myself." He said in an apologetic tone. "Anyhow, how's your training to beat me going?"
"Gave up, wasn't having fun. Jess spoiled training for me today. As I said, I hate that demon."
A long moment of awkward silence followed her sentence. What would one even talk with a noble about?
The guy adjusted his position as he opened his mouth,
"You wanna learn blackjack?"
***
"Thirty silvers, can I see fourty! Fourty, do I see fourty five?!"
There was nothing of importance going on down in the auction room — just like how it's been for a long while. Small bids were being raised left and right, most only reaching prices up to a single gold.
sAnd there he was, a man hiding under a mask of white and black lillies. He wasn't there to buy something let alone try bidding. That guy was there just to have some alone time. He was almost about to get away with it too, if only a demon behind a mask decorated with euphorbi milii hadn't sat down next to him.
A hand was placed on top the man's hand. This was a hand rougher than stone, a hand he was familiar with.
"We had a promis. No matter wha happened we wouldn' turn against eachotter." whispered the red mask demon.
The guy spoke under his black and white mask.
"I'm so sorry, I... I shouldn't have—
"I broke that promis. I shouldn't have talked to ya lyike that." she said, cutting his words. "sorry." she added silently.
His eyebrows were lifted under the mask. Clearly, he wasn't expecting that.
"No, you were right. We were terribly weak there. If only I listened to you we would—
His words were cut once again, this time by the hugging of the red masked demon. The guy pat her back as his eyes watered up.
The guy's stiffness died down soon enough. He looked so comfortable in the embrace of the demon that one could even say he was smiling under that mask.
"Even you can apologize from time to time huh?"
They seperated, allowing him to see the grin on the face of the red masked demon.
"Don't push ya luck. I still mighte a be a bit angrey."
The guy's mask moved as he chuckled.
"Sorry sorry, let me take you out to dinner, it's on me."
"Really? Ya sait it, no takie backies anymore." the demon whispered as she got up.
***
"Check? I checked you right?"
Cyeen looked at the board, it was impossible for her to lose from this point forward.
"Of course, that's a check. You also pinned your queen to your king."
"Oh crap." responded Guela, looking at Cyeen's bishop which just blocked the check.
There would be a sinister grin on Cyeen's face if she wasn't keeping a poker face.
"Your move, Guela."
"I forfeit. What does this make, zero to ten?" said the guy in defeat.
"Eleven actually. But let's not count that one as that was your first game. Chess is much more fun than card games isn't it?" responded Cyeen.
Blackjack wasn't that exciting of a game unlike pocker, at least that was what Cyeen thought. She had gotten bored of the card game after mere minutes leading to her eye catching the glimpse of a board game. And now there they were, playing chess.
Guela swept the pieces in fake anger, actually intending to put them back in their original place.
"Maybe. I wouldn't know since a noble who played this game from the day she was born, didn't let me win once."
Cyeen scoffed.
"A win has to be earned, who would like something being spoon fed to them?"
"Quite a lot of people actually." he said, running out of topics to talk about once again. "So Cyeen, what happened to your eye and hand?"
The noble looked at her healed hand before touching the bandages over her eye.
"This hand, I injured it in a fight with a tough opponent. This eye? I can't help you with that."
"You're no fun, your highness! Just a little hint please!" he pleaded, adding a chuckle after.
Cyeen had already lost interest in the guy, instead observing the room around her. It was almost nighttime and all she had done today was beating a beginner in chess — several times.
"Can you ask your wife to make green tea? Haven't had it for a while."
"For sure, wait a sec." he said before kindly asking Cherry for tea across the house.
A moment later, three cups of tea were put down on the table they were playing chess at. Another game had started under the watch of the ex-pirate.
"Why does de horsey moove liyke that?" "Check, what'z that?" "Didja win honey?"
Those were the questions of the person who had bought the game — Cherry. Cyeen was initially confused on why a pirate like her would buy a game as elegant as chess. That confusion was quick to be cleared after learning Cherry had bought it thinking it was something she could gamble with.
"Ooh, quite a daring attack." said Cyeen, looking at the position Guela set up. "But you left your king hanging."
A white rook gracefully glided towards the guy's backrank, resulting in a checkmate.
"God damn it, I keep forgetting about the backrank! One more, I'll beat you this time!" he said.
Although slow, Guela was starting to show improvement and an actual interest towards the game.
Cyeen lifted her hand, signaling she was done with the game.
"Play it with your wife if you're so interested." the noble said, getting up from the table and going back to the guest room to sleep.
The guest room had a bed in each side, originally made for two people to sleep. Since the makeshift gang was consisting of three people, they had to improvise.
Jess and Zoen were sleeping together, curled up into a comfortable position. By a comfortable position she meant; the right leg of the demon that was thrown over the guy.
The siblings had went to a restaurant after the auction without speaking a word ever since the masks came off. They didn't talk because they didn't feel the need to, knowing what the other would say. They didn't need to talk as that was what being siblings was about.
Cyeen laid on her own bed, befuddled about how much time she had spent with a commoner. It was fine though, they had played a noble game. The violet haired girl slowly drifted asleep while reassuring herself that it was okay to interact with a commoner over a game like chess.