CHAPTER 411: ARC 6, CHAPTER 27: UNMIMICABLE VENEERS

"Hey look, the room actually has something this time," Fumeko’s head poked through a door.

"Technically every room had stone and air," Jotou walked right in. The small room hosted a few crates strewn about the room and a barrel or two by the corner. "Must be an antechamber," the blonde pointed to the other much bigger door on the opposite side.

"I’m more suspicious of the treasure," Fumeko had her back against the wall, observing a lone chest on the other side of the room that had sparkling gold chains hanging out.

"Hm," Jotou stood beside her and watched it.

Fumeko crossed her arms.

Jotou knitted her brows uncaringly.

"Call it intuition, I don’t like it."

"Well obviously detective," sparks caught like fire onto the armite sword she drew out. "This is basic dungeon bait. Ever heard of a mimic?"

"Think so," she shrugged.

"I’m not sure what this world’s rules are, but mimics can pretty much mimic most manmade objects to lure people close to it and ambush them. They commonly appear as chests and over-clichéd-ly live in dungeons," Jotou approached it.

"What’re you gonna do?"

"Exploiting the stupid flaw of a mimic," Jotou stood a safe distance away. "If you know what a mimic is, anyone with a brain cell knows its one advantage is an ambush. So," she moved moderately fast and stabbed her sword through the top of it.

Instead of the wooden appearance, her sword sunk into gelatinous flesh just as sharp teeth appeared from its opening maw. It tried to screech or shift, but jolts of electricity were charged into it in an instant, electrocuting the creature into a fried glob.

"You always just hit it. If it’s a chest, you break some wood and if it’s not, you get the first hit. It’s a cool creature in concept, but in reality it only works if you’re careless, stupid or both," the blonde sighed.

The mimic melted into viscous liquid as its bones began evaporate into itself. A few bits of gold and gems glimmered from within its dead form.

"I guess so, when you put it that way," Fumeko warped the treasure into her palms one after the other, clear of muck.

"How’s that ring?" Jotou stabbed into the barrel, only to realize it was wood.

The brunette wriggled her fingers, "Don’t know, haven’t used it. I like how it looks though." She watched a flicker of flame spark off of it while it was securely on her middle finger. "Anyway, you’ve been off lately."

"Really? I wouldn’t say so," she stabbed a crate, which was also wooden.

"You’ve been a lot more serious."

"It’s a serious time; they’re terrorists about," she stabbed another crate—it was wood- Why was she still trying this? "And this is coming from you of all people? You’ve been depressed the past few weeks," Jotou gave a dry chuckle.

"I’m not depressed, just..." her eyes moved from corner to corner. "I’m going through some stuff; which is also what’s happening to you, but it’s a lot more public."

"It’s a complicated set of events that I’m so done with at this point," Jotou sheathed her blade and kicked a barrel for good measure.

"Are you and Aru breaking up?"

"Worse—it’s limbo. I think we wanna get over it, but you know her. She wants the due process, she wants the ’proper time’ to pass first, however long she’s made up that is.

Hell forbid we move on because we just decided to leave it behind. But she still wants the benefits of a relationship it seems," Jotou opened up the next door. "If you wanna ask who’s acting off, ask her."

Fumeko furrowed her brows and walked, "What even started this damn argument?"

"I’ve already said more than what needs to be said Meko, you can stop prying."

"It’s none of my business, but if it’s gonna start spreading out to all of us..."

The blonde sighed.

"You were a lot more fun with Daiyu around," the detective’s voice grew gentler on the ears—her expression softer.

"..."

They stood in a large chamber with no seeming exit. On the walls were drawings and symbols, while a large ornate wheel of silver was affixed to the wall, with clear view of gears and mechanisms behind it.

’Maybe it’s cause.’ "I miss her. It took me a while, but I did get used to this world and accepted my life here. Then Daiyu pops up and everything gets better.

But in the end, I’m pretty much forced to leave her," Jotou began absentmindedly examining the symbols. "Me and Daiyu had a conversation once—about how one day, no matter how far away, we’ll have to separate and live our lives.

Unexpectedly, coming into this world simultaneously prevented that and made it worse. It’s one thing for friends to drift apart and you’re unable to keep up your friendship.

It’s another thing to make a choice to split with no phones or quick easy ways of checking up on each other, especially when you don’t have to; but you also know you need to."

"What are you implying?"

Jotou faced her from the side, "I made that choice for you Meko."

...

"We could’ve come for your graduation and left for the palace. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m happy with my choices and I’m not putting any pressure on you. But that’s what’s going through my head—since you asked."

"Sorry," Fumeko muttered.

Jotou’s examining gaze relaxed and that is when Fumeko heard the blonde giggle like she always would. "I wouldn’t miss out on a grand adventure with you all. It’s all just a little bittersweet," she petted Fumeko’s head and ruffled her hair-

"Stop!" Fumeko batted the hand away with several flailing slaps.

Jotou stuck her tongue out. "I have to keep going and I always will. We’re just hitting a speedbump and trust me, I’ll get my fun back and those new gods’ asses will be handed to them on a silver platter."

"Good," Fumeko revealed a small smile as she patted down her hair. "You at your best makes me feel a lot more confident."

Jotou smirked and blushed a little. She huffed out a breath, popped her arms out and looked around the room with a lot more vigour, "Alright, let’s solve whatever the hell puzzle this is!"

_

"AGHHHH!!" the muffled screams of Asobi made it out for Tiffany to hear.

The concerned Tiffany tilted her head left and right, wanting to scream at the problem, but worried that the elf might also take the brunt of the spell’s damage.

Chewing and chewing, Asobi’s legs and arms were the only parts of her dangling outside of the mimic’s chest lid-like mouth. A white butterfly eventually formed on the tip of her wand that she was flailing about.

"CHFFFFF!!!"

Searing through the mimic’s flesh, it spat her out, but not before the light burned into its body causing it to screech, squeal, move at the pace of a squirming snail and expire a few inches away.

"Uagh..." Asobi forced open her eyes, on which slime had stuck her eyelashes together. Much like her hair and face and form—it all dripped into a puddle she was in the middle of. "Glad the stomach acid isn’t too acidy."

"You just had to open an-nother one?" Tiffany’s face cringed.

"The first two were mimics, why would there be a third one in the same room?" she queried as she got up.

"For exactly this outcome. I told you, mimics disguise themselves as chests, y-you should be more c-careful of them."

"Well!" Asobi shook like a wet dog, causing Tiffany to flee back. "It’s not like they hurt too much with all my enchanted attire! You should get some too!"

"I’d like to, but they’re w-well beyond my budget."

"I’m sure you can talk to Hotaru silly, she manages most of our funds. Since you’re in the party, you should be prepared. Plus, we’re fighting the cult now that I think about it, you’ll probs be torn like paper without it," Asobi poked her wand under her chin.

After a gulp and a nervous sweat down the side of her head, "In the party," she repeated to herself. "It, still doesn’t feel real... W-what are you doing!?" her eye bubbled up.

"Hm? My hat’s in here," Asobi was reaching her hand down the mimic’s corpse.

"Ewgh," Tiffany squinted and looked away. "About earlier..."

"Earlier?" Asobi was half way back in the mimic’s mouth.

"About ignoring my problems," she crossed her arms uncomfortably.

"Pop!" "Oh, you mean when you went quiet for a while," the raven-haired elf slipped herself out with a black top hat in hand.

"I was not being anti-social, I was just t-thinking," their eyes did not meet. "I can confide in you, right? You w-won’t..."

"Cross my heart and hope to die, I won’t tell a soul unless you say it’s alright," Asobi gave a firm nod and an attentive ear.

"I’m scared..." Tiffany admitted. "I was always alone. So, eventually I found confidence in that," her words were slow and methodical. "But after things with Fumeko... I felt even more comfortable in my confidence.

Now though... I feel like a fool. I got attached too quickly. After she broke up with me, all my confidence shattered and I barely can hold it together. I let someone in and I shouldn’t have. I feel hurt and angry, but...

She still showed me kindness and asked me to come here and join you all. Now I’m here, far away from home, with people I barely know but have to trust and one of them is my ex as of a few days ago.

I’ve never even left far from Dolpool, this is the furthest I’ve ever been. Two of your party members, one being your leader and the other the responsible one, are going at it on a daily basis, constantly fucking up.

And our loose mission is to face the cult known for one of the most traumatic events in Burntish history and are famously illusive, vicious and cunning.

What part of this circus show of a circumstance wouldn’t give me pause? So I feel scared, I don’t e-even know of what," she told before puffing out a breath, all while avoiding looking at the other.

...

Asobi tilted her head, "Do you regret the choices you made?"

"I-I don’t know."

"Hm. Do you hate Meko?"

"No, of course not, that’s a bit much. A little upset maybe, but not by a lot. It’s partially, my fault anyhow," she shut her eye tight, fighting back tears as she tensed up her arms and legs.

"You’re just a normal girl after all," Asobi tittered and said in a bit of a realization.

Tiffany finally looked at the elf with a narrowed eye.

"That’s called anxiety!"

The blonde palmed over the eye without the eyepatch and massaged her cheek, "I know what it is..."

"Then you also know you can’t really do much about it, right? It’s nothing you can control, so just forget about it," Asobi cheerily replied.

"It’s not how that works, why did I tell you anything," she palmed her face even deeper.

"Because you want someone to talk to," Asobi shrugged. "Anyway, worrying about the situation isn’t gonna help since it’s already happening. And if you don’t even know what you’re scared about, there’s no use trying to find out what it is."

Tiffany began shaking her face into both her palms, "I’m sorry, your mind is too simple for this."

Asobi hummed and messed around with illusions of colourful butterflies, "Well, simple doesn’t mean bad. Think of your worries this way; it’s kinda like how a baby cries more when you give it lots of attention.

It’ll cry, and stress you out more. But when you stop giving it so much attention, it’ll do it less so and get used to crying less. Kinda like how Detective Namora is starting to stop lifting up Kineko."

Tiffany stopped and looked at Asobi. She readjusted her eyepatch, "I g-guess, t-that makes sense..."

"Yeah, he seems really strong though, he could probs even lift Hotaru pretty easily."

"..."

"Sorry, distracted," she dispelled the illusory butterflies.

"N-no, that sort of helped a little," the blonde contemplated her thoughts. "It’s just the problems don’t feel like they’ll end anytime soon is all."

"Not everything that happens is a problem, even if it’s working against you. Sometimes things happen cause sometimes things happen. The best thing you can really do is step aside and let it happen.

It’s best just to move forward with the things you know and just think about the next thing you’re gonna do."

"You’re right. I already made my choice, no going back on them now," she rationalized to herself.

"Then let’s keep going till you find out whether this choice is a good one or not. If you stop now, you’ll never know. Either way, I bet it’ll be a grand adventure!" slime dripped off of her as she raised her wand.

"Indeed it may..." she pouted her lips to the side.

"And you don’t have to say my party, it’s yours now too. You’re with us for the ride. We all had to start learning about each other from somewhere; none of us are gonna stop you from asking questions about us silly, haven’t you noticed that?"

The pout shifted and curled up into a fraction of a grateful smile. A ripple of transparent white waved up her visible eye, "My sincerest apologies. I proclaimed thou a buffoon in mine ignorance. I glean now thy sagacity. Thou are no mere bard nor magician."

Asobi’s head buzzed with grinding gears that were stuck, "I don’t know what you’re sorry for exactly, but I’m just me and, I am a magician, though people’ve been calling me a bard, which I guess can be correct, but I can’t play any instruments-"

"Let us venture forth and conquer this labyrinth," Tiffany had struck a pose.

"Ooo, yes!" Asobi rushed forward and grabbed Tiffany’s hand. "A story doesn’t work if you keep flipping it back to the last page. And the story of Stella Vespertillio needs to continue!" she pulled Tiffany towards the next door.

Tiffany had completely broken character and squealed as Asobi’s slimy hand grabbed hers before she was dragged away.