"No, please continue. It was just getting good as well" Suna'a voice knocked some sense into the pair. It forced the much-needed break in their argument and allowed them to consider their options.
Maria felt as if she was coming down from a high. Nothing made sense inside her mind and everything felt like it was too much and too little at the same time.
The feeling of guilt and betrayal was so thick inside her heart that it made it difficult for Maria to look Nao in the eye. Nao seemed to be having the same problem as her. So they both chose to focus on Suna instead and Maroa could see that they were making her nervous.
"What? I was just saying that to break the tension. Don't look at me like you want to kill me" Suna's voice was light-hearted and cheery. It was the perfect voice to break the heavy atmosphere.
Or maybe that was just lt Maria's optimistic mind thinking. Maybe Maria felt like that because she could not look Nao in the face.
"You have successfully broken the tension but that does little for our current situation. We need to find a hiding spot as soon as possible" Maria was not sure whether Nao was being sarcastic or not with her initial words. But Nao did have a point with her last words.
They needed to either hide or find another way to get out of town. As confident as Maria had been in Princess Neah, the glimpse she saw back there with Howl had scared her.
Was that how everyone else but Maria saw Princess Neah? A demoness who was a control freak and would not mind involving innocents?
"We do? What's wrong with the party from the adventurer's guild? Did they not wait for you?" Sun asked with a surprised look. Maria did not find the surprise out of place on her face.
ραпdα -n૦νe| , c૦m The people from the adventurer's guild were people Suna had grown up with. She held a bond with them that was not easy to break. Maria understood her feelings since she had thought the same about the royal court and her family as well.
And look how well that turned out for her.
"The party we were supposed to travel with has been compromised. We need alternatives soon" Nao, thankfully, had not lost her compassion and chose her words carefully.
Maria knew that they had likely been betrayed by Marcus and his crew. The lack of violence on the Royal guard's part convinced Maria of this assumption but she could not say that with 100% confidence.
Still, it was better to spare Suna this heartbreak. The poor girl was already dealing with a lot on her plate.
"Compromised? Already? This is not good but father did say that it was a possibility. He never trusted Marcus or his crew since the beginning" Suna looked like she wanted to curse but was holding herself back for their sake. Was she trying to be considerate of the oracle and her hoky status?
It made Maria itch to curse in front of Suna just to see her reaction. It also lightened Maria's dark mood and the tension started to slip from her shoulder.
Maria finally risked taking a look at Nao and found her to be relaxed as well. It looked like Maria was not the only one finding Suna's attempt humorous.
"If your father predicted, did he also predict a solution? I would like some kind of direction before starting" Maria tried not to show her desperation in her voice. She was the oracle and should not need help in an ideal scenario since she could see the future.
But the reality was far from pretty and often left one disappointed. It had betrayed Maria more than once with its actions.
But it looked like this was not one of those times. Suna looked relieved when Maria asked her for the plan and her worried expression faded away.
"Father has a plan. Well, more like the beginning of a plan but it is crazy enough that it might work. So, do any of you know how to operate a train?" Suna asked and Nao hesitantly raised her hand.
Maria's head had never moved that fast and her neck hurt at the sudden motion.
It still did not distract from the important information she had just gained from Nao. Why did Maria not know that Nao could operate the train?
"You know how to operate a train? How, why, since when?" Maria asked in a rapid succession of questions. She could just not wrap her head around the fact that Nao knew how to operate a train.
What else could Nao do that Maria was not aware of? A quadruple backflip? Fly? Anything else?
"I'm not great at it and I never got a license for it but I do know the basics. I can try to operate it if we get our hands on one" Nao explained and her eyes shifted away in nervousness.
Maria felt the need to ask more but she was not sure she could handle any more surprises today. She was already at her limit and things just kept on piling up.
"Come, I will get you two to the train station. I know a hidden passage that will take us there. It has been stocked for days and is ready to leave at any time" the pair followed behind Suna without any word.
They entered the underground passage and Nao changes her position with Suna at the front of the group.
"I know this passage as well. I'll take the lead from here to scout out the route ahead" Nao didn't even wait for verbal confirmation before she was off.
It left Suna and Maria behind with an awkward air in between them. They both were not sure what to talk about and the conversation halted to a standstill.
"So, are you and your partner close? You seem close but the argument earlier seemed kind of serious. Do you know each other well?" Suna asked.
It was obvious to Maria that Suna was interested in her and Nao's relationship. It was kind of cute how mindful Suns tried to be of her boundaries and would not have bothered Suna under normal circumstances.
But with the recent development, Maria could not help but feel unhappy with those words. They felt mocking and like a personal attack.
"I thought I knew Nao well but with the recent development, I cannot be sure anymore" Maria forced out and she knew Nao had heard her.
The air became stiff at her confession and Suna summarised it all in one word.
"Awkward. This situation is so awkward."
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