With the dinosaur situation resolved, Roko's group bid farewell to Perry and Isla, leaving them to deal with the aftermath of their short fight and reunite with the rest of their party later that day. There was a sore temptation from Corissa to stay a while so that she could meet more of Varis' old teammates but the rest agreed they were eager to get back on the road. So with a pouting Corissa in tow, the group returned to traveling. She was still pouting four days later when they stopped that night to camp out.
"Even I'm starting to feel bad." Helena remarked, "Why're we ignoring Corissa again?"
"Because you said it was cute." Momo answered.
"Oh yeah, she is, isn't she?" Helena chuckled as her drone floated around the still upset Corissa, looking at her pouting face from different angles, "Though to be fair, a pouty Corissa is pretty rare."
"She's been like this for four days though." Kaguya added.
"I know, my photobook is almost done."
"Aren't you going to get sued?" Momo asked.
"Yeah but I can afford the fees."
"Damn, laws really are only made to stop poor people huh?"
"Kaguya, stop getting radicalized. Besides, this photobook will make BANKS. Like several banks worth of money."
"Do you really need the money though?"
"I mean, why not?"
"Roko, can you talk some sense into her?" Momo called.
"I'm still busy cooking." Roko replied, "But keep her away from Eresh in the future."
"Hey, it's not JUST about the money okay?!" Helena complained, "When you see a chance for art so fleeting, you have an obligation as an artist, no, as an art appreciator to capture it for posterity!"
"You'd just love to capture Corissa's posterior too wouldn't you?"
"Hell yeah I would." Helena remarked, prompting Roland to hold out a hand as Helena high fived him, "Also, I've already got pictures of those already."
"What?" Roland said, looking up from his meal.
"Aight, I'm cutting in here." Roko sighed as he carried a tray over to the main camp, "Here. Drinks."
"Sweet! What milk tea is this?" Helena asked, grabbing a drink immediately.
"What makes you think it has to be milk tea?" Roko scowled.
"Tastes like milk tea." Helena said, taking a sip of the drink.
"...It's grape fruit tea."
"We had grapefruit?" Momo asked.
"No, it's grape *space* fruit tea. It's tea flavored with fruit, specifically grape."
"No milk?"
"No."
"Damn." Helena said, "Still good though."
"Yeah, eating Roko's cooking is a real treat." Momo said, "I mean, Corissa's cooking is more technically impressive but Roko could start a restaurant if he wanted."
"I guess that's a complement." Roko sighed as he finished passing out the drinks and sat down.
"It is." Momo nodded, "What's in this fried rice by the way? It's delicious."
"Well, Corissa was planning on making shrimp fried rice today."
"Damn, where were we gonna get a shrimp to make fried rice for us?" Helena smirked.
"Haha." Roko said dryly, "I've never made shrimp fried rice before and while I'm pretty sure I could, I just decided to make something more familiar instead. It's still fried rice, I just added some sour fish and diced up some spinach for greens instead of peas."
"So this is how the poor live." Helena nodded.
"Okay, rude." Roko frowned.
"I like it. Tastes nostalgic." Kaguya nodded.
"Nostalgic?" Helena frowned.
"I forget that you all are rich sometimes." Roko sighed as he began eating his own meal.
"Hey, we only use our powers for good." Momo smirked.
"We including Helena in that?" Kaguya asked.
"Heck no!"
"Rude." Helena frowned, "You including Roland in that?"
"Heck no!"
"Aight, then that's fine."
"What did I do?" Roland frowned.
"Archaeopteryx." Roko answered.
"Okay but what recently?!"
"That was recent."
"Aight well...look, can someone deal with Corissa?!"
"Didn't know you cared." Roko scoffed, "And Corissa's doing fine."
"She's still sulking!"
"Yeah but Varis is feeding her." Roko said, watching the black knight spoon feeding his pouty princess.
"Thank god Isla isn't here." Kaguya chuckled, "She'd never let Corissa live it down."
"That's fine, she's enjoying being spoiled." Roko said.
"It's so weird seeing Varis act like a babysitter." Helena remarked, "Still not used to it."
"Varis has always been a softie when it came to Corissa." Roko remarked, "And Corissa always cared about Varis first. Why do you think she's so upset that she had to give up her biggest lead on Varis' past?"
"Hmmmm...hard to believe indeed." Helena smirked, her eyes pointing slyly towards Roko.
"I've always been saying that Corissa cares about Varis the most." Roko scoffed, "None of you believed me."
"We still don't." Momo remarked.
"Why?" Roko sighed.
"Because Corissa cares about everyone!" Helena smiled, "And like, we know she cares about Varis. Obviously. But like...more than everyone else?"
"Yes." Roko insisted, "You all need to get better at listening to the silence."
In response, everyone stopped talking, pretending to literally do what Roko said metaphorically. Roko didn't care. He let the silence sit until dinner was over.
"Here we are!" Helena announced as they arrived at the next town they would be staying at, "Seawood County!"
"There's no sea here." Kaguya noted, "Nor even a river."
"Still a pretty lively town." Momo remarked, "Way more than the last town anyway."
"Hmmmm...Interesting." Roko said as he looked around.
"Notice something, Roko?" Helena asked, clearly looking for excitement.
"It's just...no, on second thought, give me some time. Let's go register for our rooms for tonight."
"Okie dokie~!" Helena gave a thumbs up.
"Something wrong?" Momo asked Roko as they walked off.
"Well...let me ask you. Do you notice anything?"
"Not really I guess?" Momo shrugged, "Pretty nice place I guess? It's no city but seems like a fine place to live in. I can see why so many people are around."
"...Right..."
"Why you gotta be so secretive?" Roland frowned, "Just tell us."
"Nah, Roland. Let Roko cook." Helena replied, "Due diligence is a thing, you know."
"Hmph. I don't know why we trust Roko so much." Roland rolled his eyes.
"You know why." Helena retorted simply, "Not just know, you understand why."
"Okay but we can't just rely on this one guy forever!" Roland scowled, "It's getting ridiculous! Like, what if Roko betrays us?!"
"Roko, you gonna betray us?" Momo asked.
"I wouldn't tell you if I was." Roko sighed.
"And he would've already if he was." Helena laughed, "Especially after your little sabotage with the Archaeopteryx."
"It wasn't sabotage!" Roland cried, "Aw, whatever. I'll just kill him if he ever betrays us."
"You wouldn't be able to." Roko scoffed.
"Says you!"
"You wouldn't be able to." Momo repeated simply.
"Says...you..." Roland said, his confidence faltering.
"You wouldn't be able to." Helena added.
"Okay, can SOMEONE support me on this?"
"Not without your cool new swordstyle anyway!" Helena added with a sly grin.
"THANK YOU!" Roland sighed.
"Welcome to Goodwood Inn!"
"That's certainly...a name." Momo giggled.
"Yeah, I've been saying that for a while." A woman behind the bar sighed.
"Aw come on, that's a good name!" The man next to her said, "We're in Seawood after all!"
"So you're the owner?" Helena asked.
"Brian Syain!" The man offered a hearty handshake that Helena accepted, "Owner of the Goodwood Inn! Welcome, welcome!"
"Business looks to be booming." Helena remarked as she looked out at the tavern floor bustling with people eating and staff rushing around, "Still got room for travelers like us?"
"Nope!" The woman replied immediately.
"Lydia!" Brian frowned, "Sorry about that, that's my wide, Lydia Rydia. She can be a bit of a sourpuss."
"Rydia?" Momo blinked, So she didn't take your name after you married her?"
"...No..."
"Aight." Momo nodded, "She uh...seems kinda shy too."
"Oh, uhh..." Brian glanced towards Lydia who was doing her best to shield her face with a hand as she avoided looking at anyone, "That might be because your friend there is staring at her real intently."
Everyone turned to where Brian was pointing to find Roko staring incredulously at Lydia.
"Hm." Helena smiled, "I'm sure that's nothing. So you got any rooms for us?"
"Of course!" Brian beamed, "We've got rooms for however you want to split up your party! Rooms of one? Two? Four?"
"We like our privacy so rooms of one for each of us, okay?"
"You got it!" Brian gave a thumbs up, "That'll be about 5,600 gold for all of you!"
"How much per night?"
"It's 700 gold for one night and only 300 for any further nights!"
"Nice. Roko, how long we staying here?"
Helena turned to Roko who was now glaring daggers at Lydia.
"Eh, we'll pay for a week." Helena said, placing a bag of gold on the table.
"Splendid!" Brian said as he picked up the bag, "I'll confirm the payment real quick and prepare room keys for all of you! If you want, take a seat down at a tavern table and you can have your first meal for free!"
"Ey, nice!" Helena grinned, "Let's check it out. Come on, guys!"
As everyone walked off to find a table and Brian walked off to sort out the room, Roko walked up to Lydia who was still refusing to look at him.
"We need to talk."
"No we don't." Lydia said as she hurried off to jobs unknown.
"Ah, sweet fluffy beds." Helena said, throwing herself onto the inn's bed, "Seems like things will be pretty quiet this time."
"I know you don't believe that." Roland scoffed as he put down the rest of Helena's luggage on the floor, "How long are you going to 'let Roko cook' anyway?"
"As long as he needs to. You know Roko always lets us know what we need to. And even if he doesn't he'll still tell us in the end if we ask."
"Makes you think how much we still don't know because we just 'never asked'." Roland frowned.
"A ton apparently." Helena smirked, "But hey, it's not important stuff."
"I still feel like we're relying on him a bit too much." Roland frowned.
"You feeling okay? Where's all this hostility coming from?"
"Interacting with him." Roland snarled.
"Ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy?"
"Whatever." Roland sighed as he turned to leave, "I know how much you like him."
"And I know how much you hate him." Helena replied, "For no reason."
"...Hmph. Good night, Helena." Roland said bitterly and left.
That night, Roko left his room and walked around the inn, looking for someone he knew would be around. So he wandered around until she spoke out to him behind the inn.
"You shouldn't be here."
Turning around, Roko found Lydia standing there, already looking unwilling to be here but knowing this was unavoidable.
"What's going on?" Roko asked, crossing his arms.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lydia insisted, irritation entering her voice, "Please go back to sleep. And if you know any better, leave this town first thing the next morning."
"Why?"
"I'm not telling."
"You're really going to keep up this disguise?" Roko scoffed, "You know they don't work against me."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Lydia said stubbornly, her annoyance building.
"Last chance. Not coming clean?"
"..."
"...Oh Lydia." Roko sighed, "Hm? Wait a minute. Oh? Lydia? Oh Lydia? OLIVIA?!"
"You didn't have to put on an entire show pretending to figure me out!" Olivia cried as she finally dropped her disguise, her white skin turning tanned and her horns, wings and tails popping out as the demon finally showed herself.
"Should've just been honest from the beginning." Roko said, the irritation now in his voice and attacking the poor demon, "Congrats on being married now by the way."
"I'm not married." Olivia scoffed and began floating, crossing her arms with a pout, "That's just the disguise we settled on."
"Do demons even get married?"
"Yeah?" Olivia frowned, "What, got a problem with it?"
"No it's just...where do you get married?"
"Where do YOU get married?"
"At a church."
"Huh." Olivia blinked, "We uhhh...do not do that."
"Look, it doesn't matter." Roko said, pushing his derailing curiosity aside, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm on vacation."
"Really?"
"Really."
"We doing this again?"
"...I don't know wha-"
"What vacation includes disguising yourself as a human and running an inn with an army of OTHER DEMONS?"
"Dammit!" Olivia snapped.
"Olivia, you KNOW what I can do." Roko scowled, "Unless you actually forgot about me."
"I wish I did." Olivia mumbled.
"Listen, I'm not here to ruin whatever you have going on...just yet." Roko said cautiously, "We just so happened to cross paths again and last I checked, you were looking for more plants with Oarbine's journal. How'd that go by the way?"
"Dead end." Olivia scowled, "At least, that's how it went for me. Someone else was supposed to take up the lead for me since I got better things to do. Dunno how they're doing."
"Uh huh. And now you run an inn?"
"Look, it's...it's just a front."
…
…
"...You don't say." Roko said sarcastically.
"You know I can leave at anytime." Olivia scowled.
"You know this will go much smoother if you just BE HONEST."
"Okay Roko, I know we know each other from that one crazy night at the Oarbine Mansion."
"Phrasing."
"But let's be so real right now." Olivia scowled, "I don't know JACK about you. And now you bought your friends with you and I've got MY friends here so I genuinely don't know if I can still trust you."
"What changed?"
"I just said it. You have your friends. I have mi-"
"Between us I mean."
Olivia remained quiet, unable to come up with a real answer.
"Are you protecting your friends?"
"Are you?"
"They can protect themselves."
"..."
"But if there's something going on, I need to know what that is."
"...Are you going to help us?"
"If you need it, sure."
"Really? Even though we're demons?"
"Good point."
Olivia released a frustrated sigh at Roko's answer.
"Let me put it to you this way; how long have you been running an inn?"
"...Probably like three months now?" Olivia muttered.
"So you've made no progress in three months?"
"Gh." Olivia winced, the truth of Roko's accusation seeming to cut deep.
"If that's the case, then how much worse could it get if you ask me for help?"
Olivia looked away, considering Roko's point though it was clear the hesitation was strong.
"...Alright then." Roko sighed, "I see how it is."
"Er...no-wait." Olivia said, not even sure what she's objecting to.
"You don't trust me."
"No no no, it's not tha-Where are you going?" Olivia asked as Roko turned and began to walk off.
"This was the easy way." Roko replied, "Your one chance to explain everything and see where the chips land. And you couldn't even come clean about your identity when you KNEW I knew."
"No, it's just...I mean...I had to try right?" Olivia asked desperately.
"No, I get it." Roko said loudly, "I know it's hard to trust someone you barely know."
"Come on, Roko, don't be like that..." Olivia said, not even sure what she's de-escalating.
"I clearly have to prove myself." Roko continued, ignoring Olivia's efforts, "So I'm going to go off and see what I can figure out on my own. I'll see you tomorrow night and tell you everything I've found out and then..."
"...And then?"
"We'll see if you're willing to be honest then." Roko said as he walked off.