Chapter 4: Lendga


As Louis gave the threesome a brief, roundabout tour of the village, Vivi noticed that all of the buildings had one thing in common: They were all carved into the sides of the cliff. The only actual buildings were stands or small shops.

"Nma, your people build into the cliffs?" Vivi asked.

Louis nodded. "They've been doing that forever. Our livelihood depends upon these cliffs and the riches within them."

"What kind of riches?" Bananas asked, interested when she heard the word "riches".

"A long time ago, our ancestors found iron ore and gold in these cliffs. The trade of the metals as well as other things has been our source of income for hundreds of years." The half-bird explained. "Especially considering that the soil around here isn't very good for crops."

Another ten minutes of walking later, the group arrived at a part of the cliff face that was elaborately painted on the outside with what looked like a mural of the local history. Mikey presumed that it was the chamber of commerce, but he wasn't about to speak much. He knew that Tori and Neko had a history of not getting along, but Louis was just a respectful guy.

Louis entered first, motioning for the three travelers to follow him. "Louis, what is your business here on your day off of work?" A man with graying hair, rust-colored wings, and the same white eyes asked.

"You received word from the queen that two humans and a Neko would be arriving, correct?" Louis asked in return. "I found this group on the highway and they fit the description pretty well. They are Captain Michael Way of the queen's guard, Bananas Edward IV, and Vivian Sunnis." He introduced, motioning to each one. "This is our chief, Ivan Raltz."

Mr. Raltz gave Mikey a hard look, almost like he was glaring at him. Mikey returned the look in a fight of white and gold. "Hard to believe a Neko became captain of the royal guard…" Raltz mused.

Mikey nodded, on edge. "It can happen if someone perseveres enough."

"Either way, welcome to Lendga." The older man greeted. "Please make yourselves at home and feel free to use the hot springs."

Mikey had a feeling he was going to get stared at a lot during their stay. He mentally sighed, knowing that they were at least on the right track. Knowing that he would have time to himself, he decided that he would take a walk later.

piraparapiraparapirapara

"Ready to go to the hot springs, Bananas?" Vivi asked, tying her hair up so it wouldn't get wet in the water, knowing by the smell that it was a sulfur spring.

Bananas nodded, putting her own hair into a bun and wrapping a towel around herself. "It's been a while since I've been to a natural hot spring, so this will be nice."

"Nma, I've never been to one before. I've seen pictures, but the closest thing I've been to is a bathhouse when I was 14."

"By the way, how old are you, Vivi?" Bananas asked. She couldn't recall ever learning her true age.

Vivi glanced at her, tying her own towel. "I turned 17 a few months ago."

Bananas looked shocked. "No way you're the same age as me!"

"Yep. Nma, I am." Vivi deadpanned as they went out to the spring from the changing room. "I've never even thought about marrying before though."

Mikey sighed as he settled himself into the near-scalding water, tired muscles being soothed by the heat. He hadn't had the chance to do this in a long time, especially after hiking. Much to his own surprise, he had found more than he had expected to on his hike. But he just needed to find out what use it was from Louis.

As if he had heard the captain's thoughts, Louis came out of the men's changing room and settled himself into the steaming water, cool as a cucumber like usual. "Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked in his usual calm demeanor.

"Absolutely. This feels great." Mikey smiled politely.

"I have to apologize for the behavior of some of my fellow tribesmen." Louis said after a minute of silence. "Many of them to not trust a Neko being in the village, much less with last year's unrest and your working for the queen."

Mikey shook his head. "It's no trouble. I was nearly killed by the Inu tribe while I was with the resistance. A few glares are nothing compared to that." Louis smiled back, which was a good sign. "But why are you so unbiased?"

"I know what it's like to be discriminated against because I have wings. If I did that to you or Vivi and Bananas, it would almost be… like I'm blaming my problems on you three, even though you're innocent." Louis explained. "It's complicated."

The raven-haired boy shook his head again. "I understand." But then he remembered what he was going to ask the white-eyed boy. "Hey, Louis, I found this really strange patch of flowers out on the mountain road. I wanted to see what it was, so I took one."

"Why did you pick it?" He asked.

"I know Mom's not going to be happy that I killed one of her creations."

"But can you describe it for me?"

Mikey looked up at the starry, moonlit sky in thought. "It was really odd. Had blue, almost… feathery petals. And it smelled really, really good."

"Oh, that's a blue promise-keeper. You know, the kind you propose with?" Louis explained. "I'm a little surprised you found that on the road though. Usually they only grow on the mountain tops or in No-Man's Land."

Mikey looked away. "Propose, huh…"

"Are you thinking about proposing to Vivi?" Louis asked.

Mikey nodded. "I want to."

Louis gave him a quizzical look. "What do you like about her?"

"Well…" Mikey began. "She's intelligent, funny, patient, nice, a little clumsy…"

"Pretty?" Louis inserted. They both heard giggling on the other side of the wall where the women were bathing.

"Beautiful." Mikey corrected. "I just feel happy whenever I'm around her. But I need to figure out a way to propose to her…"

Louis cut in suddenly. "And not make yourself look like a total fool?"

Mikey shrugged. "Well… yes."

The already-engaged man chuckled a little. "I had the same problem. Every time I tried to propose to my fiancé, the timing was either all wrong or someone else was there." Louis smiled. "Just try to make sure you two won't be bothered and you should be fine. But does Vivi even know of that custom?"

"You've got a point there. Where Vivi comes from they probably do this differently."

Suddenly, Vivi sneezed very loudly. "Nma! Who's gossiping about me?" She sniffled.

"Probably Mikey." Bananas grinned. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he gave you a promise-keeper."

"Shut up." Vivi chided. "No way he'd ever… what?"

Bananas looked at her for a second before remembering. "Oh yeah, that's how guys ask girls to marry them here. They offer them a really sweet-smelling flower called a promise-keeper."

"Nma, a flower? It sounds lovely… usually a man gives a woman a ring in my world." Vivi mused. "I'd better get out. I'm about to fall asleep.

"Good night." Bananas waved.