While Enyo hid her face further into her head, Jacob tried to slow his rapidly beating heart.
The idea of being a couple, or even just pretending, did have appeal, both on a practical level and a personal one. At the same time, he wasn’t sure it was a good idea. His feelings for Enyo were too jumbled right now. He hadn’t sorted them out, and they didn’t have time to sort them out in this situation.
He was about to tell Fellis what a bad idea it was—
“I… don’t mind.”—when Enyo spoke first.
“Hm?” A grinning Fellis placed her elbows on the table, leaned forward, and set her chin on the butt of her hands. “What’s this? Is Enyo finally taking the initiative?”
“It’s not that,” Enyo said, though her blush said otherwise. “I just think that your idea is a good one. That’s all.”
“If you say so.” Fellis glanced at Jacob, her grin still in place. “What say you, hero?”
Jacob needed to actually think about his answer. He didn’t know how useful he’d be if he and Enyo were in such close contact. At the same time, it might be a good idea to get these issues out of the way quickly. They were going to be together for the foreseeable future, and that meant working closely together, so it would be better if he sorted out his feelings now while he had the chance.
There was no telling what might happen in the future.
“It would make a good cover…” Jacob glanced at Enyo. “However, we should really do something about your cloak.”
“Is something wrong with my cloak?” Enyo asked, frowning.
“You mean aside from the fact that it makes you look completely suspicious?” Jacob asked. Enyo blushed.
“It does make me think you have something to hide,” Fellis added. “If I didn’t know you, and I saw you walking around the north gate while the city was under lockdown, I would assume you were up to something bad.”
Enyo’s cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. “I get that, but what can I do? It’s not like I can take my hood off. Everyone will see my face.”
“We could always dye your hair,” Jacob suggested.
“Fweh?” was Enyo’s intelligent response.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Fellis agreed.
Durandal, fortunately, said nothing. A talking sword was too conspicuous for such a public place.
After paying for their meal, Jacob took Fellis and Enyo through the streets. His destination was an apothecary.
Apothecaries were the places where herbalists and potion makers sold their products—medicinal herbs, healing potions, antidotes, and so on. Jacob had spent a lot of time in apothecaries when he was younger. Journeying to defeat the Dark Lord had required that he and his comrades keep constantly stocked with medical supplies.
Aside from medical supplies, apothecaries were also the place where people could go to get their hair dyed.
Jacob didn’t know when dying one’s hair had become popular. He remembered seeing several times people who used to have black or brown hair suddenly having blond hair like him. They had been trying to emulate him, he later learned.
As they entered the apothecary, the scent of several dozen ingredients assaulted his nose. It wasn’t a pleasant smell, though it wasn’t horrible either. Still, his nose wrinkled as he was assailed by various scents. He glanced at the potions and ingredients lining the shelves that sat along the walls. Many he recognized, like newts and frog eyes and monkshood, but there were a few that he couldn’t name.
The sound of their footsteps along the hard-wooden floor must have alerted the clerk to their arrival. A bored-looking man raised his head from where it rested against a counter in the back. He glanced at Jacob, then at Enyo. He frowned when he couldn’t see her face.
Then he looked at Fellis.
Jacob almost snickered when a blush spread across the young man’s face. Not that he blamed him. It wasn’t every day that a woman wearing what looked like strategically placed leather straps walked into your store.
“C-can I help you?” he asked.
Fellis took the lead, walking to the front with an exaggerated sway in her hips. Jacob and Enyo hung back, watching as the poor man’s face turned into a bonfire of color. He must have been a virgin.
“I do hope you can,” Fellis said, leaning against the counter. “You see, my friend over there is very insecure about her hair color, so she wants to get it dyed. We were hoping your apothecary had hair dyes that we could use. Think you can help us?”
Placing her hands on the counter, Fellis leaned over, and from the way the man’s eyes popped, he was getting quite the view.
“I-I think we… have something… w-what color are you, um, looking for?”
Jacob felt kind of bad for the man. He was clearly not used to someone like Fellis putting the moves on him. However, he also knew that Fellis was doing this so the man wouldn’t focus on Enyo.
“I hadn’t realized she was so good at seduction,” Jacob remarked.
“Fellis excels at all manners of combat, including seduction,” Enyo said, glancing at Jacob before looking away.
Jacob ran a hand through his hair. They needed to clear the air between them, but he honestly didn’t know how to do that, or rather, he didn’t know what to say yet. He was still unsure about his own feelings. The fact that he didn’t have time to explore those feelings didn’t help.
Fellis continued to tease the skittish lad until he said something about checking the back, and then ran through a door behind the counter. Chuckling in a self-satisfied manner, Fellis turned around, leaned against the desk, and winked at them. Jacob rolled his eyes while Enyo gave a small smile.
The man returned seconds later. He was carrying several vials.
“Um, so, ah, these are our… hair dyes.” He placed the vials on the counter. “W-which, um, which one do you—does your friend want?”
“That is a very good question,” Fellis said, turning her head to look at them. “Enyo, do you have a color preference?”
Enyo’s thinking face was pretty cute, Jacob admitted. “Um, why don’t we go with something simple, like… black?”
“Black?” Fellis sighed. “How plain.” Enyo pouted, causing her to wave a dismissive hand through the air, as if she was swatting flies. “All right. All right. We’ll go with black.”
After paying for the hair dye, he, Enyo, and Fellis left the shop and walked to their next destination. Since their new inn didn’t have its own bath, they needed to dye Enyo’s hair at one of the local bathhouses.
Bathhouses were a popular commodity in Terrasole. They were essentially massive baths where dozens of people bathed together. The idea behind the bathhouse stemmed from the idea that by being naked with a bunch of other naked people, they were baring their souls to each other, which would foster friendship.
Jacob didn’t really get it, but he had been born in the United States, not ancient Greece.
Bathhouses were separated by gender. Jacob heard that they used to be unisex, but after an incident several decades ago, it was changed to keep people from getting too… rowdy.
It wasn’t the first time Jacob had ever been in a bathhouse, but it had been awhile. After putting his clothes in a box and placing a towel around his waist, he headed inside.
Since bathhouses were meant to hold dozens of people, it didn’t surprise him that this one was quite large, easily spanning two dozen meters. There were already about a dozen people there. They ranged from old men to young children. He frowned.
I really don’t want to be here… I should have stayed at the inn.
He walked into the bathhouse. Durandal wasn’t with him, having been left with his clothes. His feet padded against the rock tiles. Jacob tried to ignore the stares of others as he sat down on a stool and began cleaning himself. When taking a bath, it was important to cleanse yourself first. That way people didn’t spread filth when they climbed into the water.
After cleaning himself off, Jacob sat in the steaming water as far from eve
ryone else as possible. With luck, no one would notice him, and he’d be able to remain that way until—
“Excuse me,” someone said as they sat down next to him.
Jacob groaned. This is great. Some idiot’s gonna sit by me. What the heck did I do to deserve this? I don’t want to talk to people while I’m naked.
“It’s been a hectic day, huh?” the other man said.
Someone please kill me.
“Yeah,” Jacob muttered unenthusiastically.
The man sitting next to him had dark hair, dark eyes, and a chiseled face. Jacob put him at twenty-something years old. From his build, muscular without a trace of body fat, he was either a warrior of some kind or a blacksmith. His hands were also calloused from wielding either a sword or hammer, lending further credence to Jacob’s theory.
“I can’t believe how much they’ve had us patrolling the city,” the man continued. “I’m not even a part of the garrison here, but they’ve been working me like a dog.” A self-deprecating chuckle issued from his mouth. “Then again, I did offer myself and my squad when I learned of what happened. I guess I only have myself to blame.”
Jacob perked up. “You’re a knight?”
The man nodded. “I’m a paladin, a captain of the Drakon Squadron, to be exact.”
This city didn’t have a drake squadron. Also, now that he was looking at the man more closely, he did seem vaguely familiar. Jacob thought he remembered seeing this face somewhere before…
“What’s a member of the Drakon Squadron doing in Tellus Caelum?”
“I’m chasing after a pair of criminals,” the man admitted.
“Uh huh…”
“I’m also looking for a man named Jacob Stone,” he continued. Jacob suddenly felt more uncomfortable than he had been several seconds before. “However, the trail for him has gone cold.” The paladin looked at him. “Speaking of, has anyone told you that you’re the spitting image of Jacob?”
“It’s been mentioned once or twice,” Jacob said, keeping his cool. “My friends were always jealous because I look like the hero. Course, I had to dye my hair first.”
“I can’t say I blame them.” The paladin nodded as if he agreed with Jacob’s non-existent friends. “Ever since I first saw Jacob several years ago, he’s been my hero and the person I’ve aspired to become like.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s been a long-standing dream of mine to one day stand side by side with him, fighting evil for the sake of the kingdom.”
How lovely. Not only was he sitting next to some dude when he just wanted to be left alone, he was also sitting next to a sycophant, who just so happened to be unknowingly chasing after him and Enyo. This was just what he needed to make his day complete.
While Jacob contemplated smashing his face against the wall, the paladin continued talking. “Ever since that parade at the end of the war, I’ve strived to become a knight worthy of fighting alongside Jacob. I want to become a person who helps protect people like him.” He paused. “By the way, I don’t think I ever got your name?”
“It’s… Jake,” Jacob said.
“Even your name is close to his. Now I really am jealous. My name is Caslain, by the way.”
“A pleasure,” Jacob said, even though all he wanted to do was gouge his eyes out. This entire situation was beyond ridiculous.
At least he doesn’t seem to realize who I am. He probably doesn’t suspect that a wanted criminal or his hero would be bathing in a public bathhouse.
As he listened to Caslain jabber on, his thoughts went to Enyo and Fellis. He hoped they were having a better time than him.
***
Fellis had somehow managed to secure a room for them. Enyo didn’t know how she’d done this, though she suspected that Fellis’s Mind Manipulation magic had been involved.
Enyo sat in a chair that tilted backwards. There was a bowl of water behind her, which would be used in the hair dying process. Fellis was untangling her hair so it would be easier to dye.
“It really is a shame that we’re dying your hair,” Fellis said as she ran her fingers through Enyo’s locks. “You have such beautiful hair.”
“I don’t think my hair color really matters all that much,” Enyo said.
“I bet Jacob will be sad once you no longer have your natural hair color, too.”
Enyo didn’t say anything at first. She was busy trying to master her blush. “I… don’t think that will be the case.”
“Why not?”
“Because he… I don’t know if Jacob even feels that way about me.”
“Have you asked him about his feelings?”
“Oh, I-I could never—”
“Why not?”
Enyo tried to come up with an answer. Sadly, the only answer she could think of was, “because it’s embarrassing.”
“Well, with an attitude like that, it’s no wonder you two haven’t gotten anywhere.” Fellis hummed as she had Enyo lean her head back. “Speaking of, is there a reason you’ve been avoiding looking at him since this morning?”
An excuse lay on the tip of Enyo’s tongue. She paused, however, when she realized that Fellis might actually be able to help solve her dilemma.
“I… might have kissed Jacob last night.”
Fellis stopped moving her hands for a moment, though she recovered with admirable swiftness and began putting the dye in Enyo’s now wet hair. “I see. That is indeed a big step. However, now I’m even more confused as to why you two aren’t more intimate.”
“It was kind of a spur of the moment thing,” Enyo admitted. “Jacob was being controlled by an illusion, so I needed to break the illusion.”
“I understand. You injected him with your light magic.”
Illusions were a rare branch of magic. However, they were not entirely unknown. Having been trained by Fellis, who was knowledgeable about illusions, Enyo had learned that there were several ways to break out of one.
The first was for the person under the illusion to recognize it, and then break out by causing themselves physical pain. The pain would force the foreign energy inside of their mind to vanish, breaking the illusion. The second was for someone with the opposing element to inject their magic into the person who was under the illusion.
In other words, that she had been able to break Jacob out of the illusion had been a case of luck. If Darkness’s magic hadn’t been a subcategory of dark magic, she wouldn’t have been able to break him out.
“What do you think I should do?” asked Enyo.
Fellis hummed as she rinsed Enyo’s hair in the bowl of water. “I suppose that would depend on what you want to have happen. Are you looking to form an intimate relationship with him beyond that of mere companions?”
“That… would be nice,” Enyo admitted.
“Then maybe you should ask him about his feelings,” Fellis said.
“I can’t. I already told you it’s embarrassing.” The bowl was removed and Fellis began to gently towel Enyo’s hair off. “B-besides, if we did talk about our relationship, I’d rather he be the one to bring it up.”
“Sit up please,” Fellis instructed. Enyo did as told. The towel returned to her hair as Fellis continued speaking. “If you want him to speak to you about his feelings, you’re going to be waiting for a long time. Do not forget that right now we’re in an unusual situation. We’re on the run, with people from both sides coming after us. Jacob doesn’t have time to think about things like love or romance, not when there is already so much on his plate.”
“I know that,” Enyo muttered.
“If you know that, then you should also know that Jacob is a man,” Fellis countered. “Most men aren’t prone to talking about their feelings during the best of times. Waiting for him to bring up how he feels about you while we’re in the middle of enemy territory is like trying to teach a dragon to speak English. Not happening.”
“Then are you saying I should do nothing?” Enyo asked.
“I’m not sayin
g you should do nothing.” Fellis finished drying off Enyo’s hair, then presented her with a small mirror. “I’m saying that you should at least clear the air between you two. If things go on in this awkward state, you’re going to be distracted, and we can’t afford any distractions in our current situation. By the way, what do you think?”
Enyo looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was now pitch black. It was so dark it seemed to absorb light. She brushed several strands that fell in front of her face, and then sighed.
“I think I liked my original hair better,” she declared.
“So do I,” Fellis said. “This hair is just too plain. We’re lucky it washes out easily.”
Twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, Enyo couldn’t help but agree.
“Now, then, let’s go and meet up with Jacob,” Fellis continued, her face splitting into a grin. “I bet he’s sick of waiting for us.”
***
Jacob had gotten sick of listening to Caslain, so the moment he was able to, he slipped out of the bathhouse, got dressed, and waited in the lobby for Enyo and Fellis to return. He fortunately didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes after he exited the men’s side, his two companions came out of the female side.
Enyo’s hair was midnight black.
“What do you think?” Fellis asked as Enyo blushed and made a face that all but screamed she wanted to hide somewhere.
“Honestly,” Jacob breathed out deeply, “I think her original hair color was a lot prettier.”
Enyo froze. Her eyes were wide like an animal staring down the mouth of a fire breathing dragon. Traveling from one side of her face to the other was a fierce red blush.
“I said the same thing,” Fellis admitted.
“Still, this should help. No one is going to recognize you with black hair.”
It was a well-known fact that the thief who stole from Queen Alice had pink hair. Not only was it in the description, but someone had actually taken the time to make the posters in color, and every poster had Enyo with pink hair. The fact that the drawing wasn’t very accurate further helped ensure that no one would suspect her.
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 1 Page 22
