"Urrg…" I groaned over the toilet. How long I have been hugging this porcelain throne, I could not answer you. But all I knew was that it was morning…I think.
How I got back, no idea. All I can remember is leaving for the Outer Ring. Wait, that's not right. There was more. A beautiful hostess was there with us—
Have you ever killed anyone?
"URK!?" I heaved over the toilet, ejecting nothing but stomach acid. I must have been doing this for a while now.
But more importantly, who said those words? Was it someone who knew I had killed someone? That's impossible; only Margaret and Muller know that. Was someone following me?
*Knock Knock Knock*
"Hey!"
A familiar voice called out from the other side of the door. My heart skipped a beat as my thoughts melted away. My legs moved before my mind, and I swung the door to the bathroom wide open.
Golden hair.
Scarlet eyes.
Wait, she was petite with a younger-looking face.
"Oh…Rinne."
Rinne's eyes widened before turning away with shame. She held her hand to her chest as she stepped back. Looking down, she stiffened her body before she looked back up at me. A smile, one that tried to mask the uncertainty in her eyes that stared into me.
"You look like crap." She said, stepping around me, keeping as much distance as possible as she tried to retreat to the bathroom.
I reached out my hand; she stopped and squeezed her eyes shut while clenching her fists. Seeing this, I pulled back my hand.
"I guess it only makes sense that you would learn to hate me."
I turned around, making way towards my room.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I heard Rinne's voice trail behind me.
When I closed my eyes, I could still feel the world spinning around me. The short trip from the bathroom felt like I was navigating a maze while my stomach screamed with pain.
Why did Muller let me drink so much?
Before I knew it, the noon chime of the city played overhead, waking me from a quick but well-needed rest. My mouth was dry, and my head pounded, but other than that, I could move.
I reached for the bandages on my eye as they were starting to come loose. The moist cloth clung to my fingers as I tried to put them back in place. It was time I changed these; I could feel the damp cloth burning my eye a little.
I looked around my body, making sure I was still decently dressed before leaving my room. On the couch were two girls.
Two?
One was Rinne, and the other was a small girl with brown hair, playing with a teddy bear Rinne had pulled from a corpse. Seeing that made my stomach churn a little, but why was Sara here? She's supposed to be Muller's problem, not mine.
"Good morning, Drunkard."
Rinne must have noticed me as she turned around, leaning over the edge of the couch to address me.
"Care to explain yourself?" She spoke in a rather demanding tone. Can't say I hate it, but did I do something? "What did you mean by 'I guess it only makes sense that you would learn to hate me?'" She said in her best attempt to mimic my voice.
I said that?
"Care to explain why Sara is here?" I said, turning my attention toward the small girl. Rinne clicked her tongue.
"She came home with me last night."
Home? That's bold of you to claim this place as your home.
"But," she continued, "Muller told us when he dragged your pathetic limp body here that she'd be under your care till he gets back."
"So I'm a babysitter." I sighed. "Well, whatever. Sara, welcome to my humble abode."
"Mmm…" Sara turned around and gave me a smile. But looking at her little, round, vacant eyes, I could tell that she'd lost more than she let on. She was strong enough to hold her own for this long, but to the trained eye, she isn't fooling anyone.
But I suppose that isn't a fair assessment, as Rinne glared at me while holding Sara close to her. Maybe she could see the void that was in her soul. Or maybe it was her own experiences that made her hold her close. Either way, I was not gonna complain.
I turned in the direction of the bathroom.
"So, are you not gonna answer me?" Rinne's voice stopped me.
There was nothing I wanted to say. What she heard was not anything I wanted her to hear me say. My chest stung as more thoughts entered my mind.
How much did I say?
How much did she hear?
Have you ever killed anyone?
I rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. Was it her? Did she say those words to me while I was drunk? There's no one else, right? Rinne, her steps are practically nonexistent, so maybe she was there that night when I killed that man.
Stop overthinking so much.
Her voice came into my mind. I rushed to the mirror.
A hazy mist loomed behind me. Not the usual shape it took, but a strange silhouette of a woman. I frantically searched for my medication and took a few pills using sink water.
I placed a hand on my chest as the figure in the mirror dissipated.
One…
Two…
Three…
My heart returned to normal. I looked back in the mirror to find that the bandage over my eye had fallen off, floating in the sink as the water still ran. I turned off the sink and tossed the bandage away.
The burn on my right eye looks worse than I thought. But what can I do about it? It's only karma that I earned this. I tried to open my eye, but the pain screamed against it. Then, I undressed, staring at the other set of bandages around my chest. I untied them, letting the strands of fabric drip toward the floor. Unlike my eye, these wounds were not that serious; at most, I'll get some minor scarring.
But that was fine.
What happened to me is something minor, but to Kelly…she's probably going through way worse. Now that the mastermind behind her brainwashing has both artifacts…no, I'd rather not imagine that.
I will find her.
Even if she's broken beyond help, I won't let her suffer the fate that many people had before her.
But what can I do?
Where do I start?
This city was too large to be looking for a woman who's been brainwashed and now is probably a slave to this Ritair's desires.
"Desires."
Before we entered the town hall, I remember a look in her eyes. She was acting strangely, but deep down, she looked as if she were longing for something while Muller and I suffered from our desires.
"Desires."
I tried to wrap my head around the subject. Then a thought clicked. Margaret and Muller are not random people. Muller would never have taken me to a new bar just to drink…or at least I hope that's the case.
So maybe…
"I should look into the Brass Light without drinking."
How can I do that with both Rinne and Sara with me? Is there some part of a plan that I have been left out of?
"Whatever…" I stepped into the shower and turned on the water. The water ran from my head and trailed onto my right eye. It forced me to grit my teeth, but that was all. "There was no point in thinking about that right now," I said. "Focus on what I can do now."
Sara and Rinne. The two girls were enduring more than they needed to at their age. I want them to be happy. Though, how can someone like me do that?
What would Rinara do in my situation?
Just be yourself.