"NO-- I'm pure. Nothing can stop me! I have millions and billions of Gincoins. I won't just give them all away for nothing! You hear?!"
Devlin sighed and chuckled, slapping Jesica on the back.
"OH, come on. Jesica, you have all the money in the world and don't know what to do with it. HA HA! Seriously? Are you going to act this stubbornly this early in the morning? Have you ever considered others?"
Asahi raised an eyebrow. He leaned over to Devlin and whispered, looking concerned at Jessica.
"You know her?"
Devlin nodded and patted Asahi's shoulder, peering with his golden eyes at the sun.
"Yes. Jesica is one of the meticulous ones. Heh. She's more of a brat than every goofy jester in Destia--
Devlin and Asahi's bodies froze as Jesica's penetrating voice sounded behind them.
"NO NO NO! LIARS LIARS! You know nothing of my origins! I advise you to shut up, my little rabbits, and get on the carriage immediately. NOW! NOW! NOW!"
Aletha rolled her eyes. Even she couldn't tolerate Jessica's selfish and annoying attitude. As Jesica continued to ramble and COMPLAIN, Aletha stealthily sprinted behind her and pressed her hands on Jesica's back...
"HEY?! GET YOUR ICKY, IMPURE, POOR HANDS AWAY FROM ME!"
Asahi, Devlin, Drimi, Sally, and a few outsiders helped Aletha and forced Jesica into the carriage, slamming and locking the doors so there would be no way for her to escape. Her shrieking voice could still be heard, despite locking her up.
"YOU DARE LOCK ME UP! I will contact my knights and order them to lock you up in my dungeon so that you will never escape! I paid for this! WITH MY OWN MON--
"SHUT UP!" The entire group clamored.
. . .
After everyone surrounding the carriage screamed and begged Jesica to be quiet, Drimi and her crew continued their preparations before they departed.
While waiting, Asahi and Aletha met a young woman with long ruby hair tied up in a drooping ponytail.
"OOH!"
She was super energetic and social, talking to everyone in the group and making most smile.
"Hope you're having fun! It looks like a fine day today, am I right?"
A crewmate of Drimi nodded and gave her a thumbs-up.
"You bet!"
She wore a bright violet skirt, a hot pink crop top kimono, and long dark stockings that stopped at her thighs. The girl rushed to the wanderers and bowed, keeping her beautiful smile fixed on her face. She greeted him.
"Oh, don't look so down, guys! Stand up and be happy; today is a wonderful day! Look at how bright the sun is shining!"
The birds chirped, the wanderers shrugged, and the crowd cheered as carriages passed by the street. The enthusiastic, high-spirited girl couldn't get enough of both Asahi and Aletha's pleasing scents, so she tried to be as close to them as possible while lifting up their spirits.
She gestured with her thumb, wrapped her arms around both Asahi and Aletha, and kept her grin while seeing them slightly lifting their smiles.
"There you go! Glad you two are hyped up! I sure am!"
Her crimson eyes widened in realization, gesturing with her thumb and winking at the wanderers.
"OH! I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alaia; nice to meet you two!~"
Without consent, the ruby-haired girl, Alai, grabbed both the wanderers' hands and shook them intensely, having a bright smile plastered on her young face.
Asahi and Aletha nodded their heads and chuckled nervously.
"Yeah, we are!"
The ruby-haired ponytail girl giggled and slapped her knee.
"That's great to hear! Call me and snap your fingers if you need any help or navigation."
Asahi and Aletha jumped up and replied with a jovial tone.
"You got it!"
* * *
(5 minutes before departure...)
As Asahi and Aletha stood next to the carriage, gazing at the girl, a gray-haired man wearing hoop earrings and a rather intricate black outfit that exposed his chest approached the wanderers, accompanied by a dark-skinned man and yet another stranger.
The gray-haired man vaulted over the carriage entrance and pulled the door open, revealing Jesica snoozing against the wall. The sunlight streamed from the opening, nearly touching almost every corner of the carriage. He mumbled while smelling the woody scent lingering within the carriage.
"So, this is the carriage captain Drimi assigned me to? It doesn't look that chaotic as she described."
His silver eyes darted to the white-haired siblings sitting on the back of the carriage, with their legs dangling over the hardwood floor.
Aletha waved at the man, her face blistering red from the hard slap Jesica gave her and Asahi a few minutes ago.
"Hi, hi!~ Who are you?"
The gray-haired man bowed down, his face turning red as he saw Aletha's gorgeous appearance standing out from the rest. His voice started to stutter.
"Well... my name is Ubel, that other man is Zeru, and the blonde-haired woman is Aurelia."
The tall woman standing behind Ubel, wearing a tight golden dress and two white roses in her hair, bowed down and greeted.
"Greetings. I come from the nation of Zomrack. It's a pleasure meeting you... um..."
Aletha gave a radiant smile and courteously introduced herself to the strangers.
"Aletha,~" She pointed to her brother, clapping her hands as she saw the carriage doors shut and the horses slowly dragging. "And that's my brother, Asahi."
Ubel scratched his pointy chin.
"Hmm, Asahi. My, you two look so presentable. Where do you two come from? I don't recognize the style of your attire..."
Asahi scratched his head, and so did Aletha. Neither of them could determine their origin. Their birth was so long ago that it was almost impossible to recollect their origins. Telos' voice sounded out in Asahi's mind as they stared silently at Ubel and the rest.
(I advise you not to answer. I don't think they remember the flourishing, sacred city of Cleira.)
Asahi nodded his head, mumbling.
"You're right."
He raised his voice, seeing the others shocked by the pulsating tattoo on his chest.
"We just came from neighboring countries."
Ubel's cold, glacial midnight eyes widened.
"Oh, that's nice."
As Ubel, Zeru, and Aurelia all take their seats on the benches inside the carriage, a petite green-lavender-haired woman jumps up and pulls the door open, hollering to Asahi.
"Hey, Asahi!"
Asahi lifted his chin and turned to the door, where he saw Kali raising her hand in greeting.
"Kali? What are you doing here? We're leaving in two minutes!"
"O... Oh. Well, I just want to tell you something."
Asahi shrugged his shoulders.
"What?"
Kali paused, winked at him, and gave him a flirtatious look, speaking without hesitation.
"I love you."
A slight embarrassment pinkened Asahi's face and neck, while Aletha's face flushed red with absolute shock; the others, however, were not surprised.
Asahi raced to the door and asked Kali as Drimi gave gestures to the other three carriages behind them.
"Kali, w...what are you doing?! Why would you say that!"
Kali's face turned apple-red.
"I... It's just... I want you to be safe."
"There could be many ways you could say that not... I love you. It's not genuine. I didn't earn that."
(Take the hint, Asahi. She has a deep adoration for you.)
"Not the time, Telos."
(I'm just saying... this is your chance. If I were you, I would--)
"Quiet."
An awkward silence formed. Asahi never expected Kali to speak so abruptly. But as Asahi tried to reach for her, Ubel closed the carriage door, and Drimi's voice shouted.
"Alright, time's up. This is your last chance to get in the carriages."
Bells rang, the wind blew, and Kali sprinted away from the carriage toward the fourth one. As Asahi returned to the bench, Jesica jumped up and screamed.
"Something's coming!"
Everyone in the carriage fell silent, clueless about the power that Jesica manifested. Only one could see the true terror in her eyes. Ubel scratched his head and leaned to Jesica, seeing her face pale from terror. As the horses dragged and the carriage began to move, he asked.
"Why do you look so paranoid?"
"S... Something is coming..." Her personality looked to have changed completely. The atmosphere of the carriage turned sour. "...Something bad."
The moment Asahi saw Jesica's trembling purple eye, Aletha and he felt the presence of Aiyana lingering in the air.