The doors finally shut on the temple doors as it closed for the night. I let out a sigh of relief. Many were coming as of late before visiting their families for Sanno Matsuri. I'd been more tired than usual today and was glad the day was mostly over. I went to shower and bathe. Letting all bad energies wash away, getting rid of the day's job mindset. Cleaning my body felt like cleaning my mind, it was extremely relaxing. I nearly fell asleep in the bath and would've if it wasn't for a knock on the door.
"Aki, I made dinner!" A voice called. I turned the shower handle and let the water flow twice as my sign of thanks.
I dried myself up and dressed before heading over to eat dinner with the others. It was a small temple though so there were only about ten monks and some volunteers. I sat next to one of them and patiently waited as everyone received their food. After giving thanks I began eating. It was good, I could tell who made it. I turned to the person next to me and tapped on their shoulder for their attention.
"Thank you for the food, Pris. This is very tasty." I signed.
"You're welcome, I made sure to make you some extra tofu. I know you really like it." She whispered back. I smiled at her to show my thanks. She was very sweet and probably my favourite person in this temple. She was a real friend.
"Hey now, don't tell me you two are secretly crushing on each other." One of the other monks teased.
"We're just friends. Besides, I don't want a spouse." I signed. One of the other monks was translating. Only a few knew sign language.
"Yeah, and you guys know I'm waiting for my fiancé to get here."
"Right, what was his name? Jones?"
"James. His name is James."
"Well James better hurry before Nakamura steals you from him." Another monk laughed.
"Whatever." She scoffed. I rolled my eyes and smiled. They loved to tease us because we were so friendly with each other, was that weird? I didn't think it was weird, I thought it was normal. We finished up our meals and headed to bed. Pris slept in a different area for obvious reasons and I with some of the other monks.
In the morning, I woke up and did my daily chores, returning for breakfast before resuming my day. Around midday during lunch I heard a visiting group had arrived. Most likely travellers or people visiting their families. They'd be joining us for our meal for company. Some of the monks had received vegetables and other foods from the people the day before. Pris and some of the other volunteers had been working in the kitchen and had finished cooking by the time lunch rolled around. The group sat near me, towards the far side of the table. They were very unique looking, standing out compared to the rest of us.
One was quite tall, I guessed about 244 centimetres. I considered myself tall, but not that tall. I only hit at 179. He was a towering figure with broad shoulders but a lean body. Large hands but a gentle touch. His skin was blue and scaly. A Draconic subspecies. What were they called again? Drakos? Descendants of a Drake species. The second was the opposite. Tiny at around 90 centimetres. She seemed like a mythical imp or at least a similar species but much taller and with purple skin. The sclera of her eyes were golden yellow and the iris a silver grey. Despite the colours seeming to not fit together, they did. The third was actually a child. I could only really compare part of her to Pris as they had some resembling features. She seemed about 130 cm. Her hair was light brown, almost dirty blonde and her eyes were blue and brown. Heterochromia. She seemed like a sweet child. I felt like I knew what the counterpart could've been, it's just been a while since I'd seen it. The last was the middle height. The middle ground if you will. Average height of 176 centimetres for a werecat. Her skin was a tan colour but her hair was a snow white. Her piercing blue eyes struck me, slit pupils that dilated on command. They always fascinated me and I wanted to be her friend.
As the food was being set out, I noticed she wouldn't respond to the other monks unless they tapped her or one of her companions got her attention visually. A spark lit in me. However I've never been the best at social occasions. Pris became my friend by chance. I helped her out by letting her stay in my home before I decided to become a monk as her home was much too far from here. Her staying in my home was actually really nice. I could come home to a friend instead of being alone. I believe she was what I needed after my adoptive mother abandoned me. Either way, I was intent on becoming this werecat's friend.
So naturally I stared at her. She didn't seem to notice for a bit but quickly looked my way as if out of instinct. I waved at her.
"Hey, are you deaf?" I signed. Her eyes lit up as she signed quickly.
"Yes! I am. I'm so glad I found someone else who knows how to sign!" Her movements were filled with relief and her shoulders relaxed. "Are you deaf too?"
"No, I'm just mute. Though sometimes I pretend I'm deaf so people stop bothering me." She chuckled.
"Sounds like fun, what's your name?"
"Nakamura." She made a confused face. I realised she probably doesn't know what it is because it's not in Quavik sign language. It also might've been because it's in slang and not a 'regular' name so I spelled it out. "N-A-K-A-M-U-R-A."
"N-A-K-A-M-U-R-A." She spelled out. I nodded.
"To make it easier, this is the sign for my name." I signed my name and she nodded receptively.
"My name is T-Y-R-A." She signed her version of her name. "Nice to meet you, Nakamura."
"Leaving me behind already, eh?" Pris joked as she sat next to me. I turned to her and smiled in excitement. "Jeez, you're way excited."
I nodded and turned back to Tyra.
"This is my friend, P-R-I-S-C-I-L-L-A. Priscilla." I gave her the sign for her name. "She understands sign language."
"Howdy." Pris signed. Tyra seemed ready to burst with happiness. The three of us talked, or really, moved throughout the meal. They were travellers visiting different villages looking for the best housing and jobs after completing their studies. The tall guy was Atlas, he studied medicine as a nurse. There will never be too many nurses. The shortest one was Adelheid, she was a historian and was looking for a job as a professor or a teacher. The child's name was Lexie, Tyra had adopted her shortly after the war when she learned she'd been left an orphan. She was actually a small-time farmer whose land was destroyed during the war but given monetary compensation by the kingdom. She'd come out this way in search of new land to buy and till. I recommended a sales person I knew but didn't know too much about. Luckily, Pris could fill her in on the details of the person. I told her about the town's college that had been looking for a new history professor for a while and that the hospital was always short staffed. Tyra flashed a smile. It was a very nice and toothy smile. She tapped on her companion's arm and whispered the information to him who then told the other. They both nodded in thanks. Deaf but speaks. The opposite of I. I found that funny. The rest of the meal was spent getting to know each other more.
After the meal, the group went out in search of their original goals. I resumed my daily schedule until nightfall. We had dinner every other night, so today there was no dinner. Some of the monks had gone to bed early so the bath times were more open and breathable. The shower and bathwater felt nice on my skin. Anything negative I experienced or witnessed during the day was immediately washed away. I examined my green scales that stretched on my body. It was almost time to shed. Luckily because of the fact I resembled mostly a regular human, minus a few details, I didn't need to shed too much. I dried off and dressed before heading to my room. Pris caught my eye as she stood in the hallway talking to Atlas. She noticed me and waved me over.
"What's up?" I signed.
"Atlas wants to know if he can stay the night here, I said yes but I don't know where the visitor dormitories are for the guys." She admitted. Atlas smiled nervously.
"I'll show him, you go to bed. Goodnight, Pris. Thank you for the food today."
"He said he'd show you then bid me goodnight."
"Alright, thank you. Goodnight." He spoke, his voice was pretty deep but soothing. She waved at us for a bit as we walked off then stepped inside of the room she sleeps in. I showed Atlas his room and bid him goodnight in sign language. I don't think he understood me all that well considering he likely understands a different version. Sign language accents must be interesting to experience. I mouthed the word to him and he seemed to understand.
"Oh! Goodnight, thank you for today." He smiled kindly. He'll do well in the hospital. I waved goodbye and headed to my area to sleep. I slept like a log, I was unusually exhausted.
I woke up in the morning and was completing my daily chores when I heard a scream. I recognised it as Pris. I dropped my broom and sprinted to the area where I heard the sound. I arrived at the scene and found Pris with two others.
A tall man with a lean build hugged her. He was about 182 centimetres and had medium length hair that faded from black into brown. His eyes were greyish green. He seemed about the same species as Pris. With him was just one other. A teenage girl about 170 centimetres with... black..? hair and light brown eyes. She resembled the little girl from yesterday a bit in terms of features in a way. Lexie, I believe, was her name. She carried an energy about her, like two forces fighting against each other.
"James!" Pris cried out. This was her fiancé? Did that mean she'd leave now? Really? Well... At Least she'd be with people she trusted and loved. She spoke a different language.
He spoke but I, again, didn't understand. They hugged for a few seconds before Pris broke the hug.
"Stacy!" Pris hugged her as well and seemed relieved. They spoke for a bit in their other language before Pris made gestures towards the temple. When she turned to gesture to it, she saw me and gave a toothy smile. I waved and she signalled me over. I walked to them and she introduced me in Quavik.
"This is Nakamura Akihito, he's one of my closest friends in the temple. He's helped me out a lot."
"Nice to meet you, Nakamura, I'm James Leland and this is Stacy.. Uh.. Baruzzo..?" The man spoke, unsure of his friend's surname. Really? His voice was deep and satisfying, a great voice for meditation. His accent, however, was one I didn't recognise and was quite big. I could understand it plenty but anyone could guess they weren't from this part. The friend nodded in approval of the surname.
"Hey." The accent was present, though it wasn't the same. Like two different accents fighting for dominance over a language. Both of them spoke well though. I waved at them as my greeting. The signal for breakfast rang. My stomach suddenly growled.
"Oh! You guys got here just in time for breakfast! Come, come!" Pris led the way and I followed behind her. I glanced at the newcomers every so often. Their presence was strange, they had very hardened energies. Though Leland's was more airy and light. Pris sat next to me per usual while Leland and Baruzzo sat across from us, one over though. Tyra sat directly across from me and waved, Lexie on her right. I greeted her back, as did Pris.
"Hey, how's your day been so far?" She signed.
"It's been fine, it's mostly been just my usual chores. Any luck in searching for a farm?" I responded.
"Actually, yes." She told me about her conversation with the person Pris and I, though mostly Pris, told her about. Apparently one of the elderly in town was moving to live with her other family for assistance and decided to sell her farmland. She told me all about the price, the size of the land, all of the details. She was very interested. I noticed Lexie was extremely quiet. She seemed very content and excited. Pris was keeping the two others occupied while the food was being handed.
"That sounds nice. Things are starting to look up, huh?"
"Yeah! Finally! Do you know if there are any schools here for kids about Lexie's age?"
"There's one down by the town's square. It's a primary and lower secondary school. There's an upper secondary school up by the river near the cafés and bakery."
"Thank you! It'll be such a relief to know she'll be safe and continue learning while I'm out. You're a huge help, now we've just gotta buy that farmland and we're set."
I smiled at her before giving my thanks for the food. She'd be leaving soon too, huh? Both of them are leaving. On good grounds and positive reasons so I should be happy for them.
"Fate likes you."
The meal went on, Leland and Baruzzo learned I was mute. I learned they're not originally from Kiln Mohrer, but rather Terra Grandina. Leland was a werewolf and Baruzzo was a noble vampire. It lined up with the accents and mannerisms, though Baruzzo's was a bit off. I tried asking them about it but they didn't understand me for obvious reasons. Pris translated to them and Leland responded. Baruzzo had been distracted by the enthusiastic Lexie who seemed to recognise her. I noticed Tyra paid attention to their conversation as best she could, though I noticed it was quite difficult. I debated whether or not to help out for a second before giving in. I listened intently to Leland while at the same time shifting just enough to have one more fully functional head come out. It listened to their conversation and wrote under the table for me using a notepad I carried while I listened to Leland. Because the head had control over the body, which was really just another head of mine with everything the exact same, it directed my hands to tap Tyra who looked down to see a page torn out of a notepad. Each time a page got full, it was handed. Meanwhile, Leland was telling me about his job as a teacher. He told me some government officials were aware of 'non-humans' and tried to keep it under wraps while ensuring their safety, both the politicians' and the 'non-humans'. Some of the politicians and government officials were 'non-humans' themselves. The human ones made sure they were safe out of fear, were they threatened? How did this man know so much about this? He told me they all met during the last Great War. He droned on about the war for the majority of the meal. Soon enough, it was over. I retracted the head before cleaning up and washing the dishes with Pris. The head didn't have my same brain, so it had its own memories I did not receive. After the dishes were cleaned, I pulled Pris aside. A question irked me.
"Will you leave soon with them then?" I signed. She paused for a moment, surprised like she hadn't thought about it before.
"I.. I never thought about that.." Anguish spread on her face. "I don't really want to leave the temple if I'm being honest, I like it here. I like spending time with the people here, with you. I don't want to lose you as a friend, you've become special to me and I get worried about you."
"Pris, that sounds like a confession." I chuckled while signing.
"That's true, I guess. But I mean it. I don't want to leave you, I wanna stay here with everyone." She sighed and cupped her hands on her face. "Aki, what should I do?"
I reached out to put my hand on her shoulder. I wasn't sure if I should simply comfort her like this or if I should hug her. Her shoulder felt tense and her energy stressed. She was actually really distraught about this. Hopefully I wasn't too bad at comforting. She looked up at me with a worried expression.
"I-I think.." My voice wavered, Pris' body jolted a bit in surprise. Her mouth opened slightly but she didn't say anything. I guess it'd been a while since either of us had heard my voice. It surprised me too. It's not that I couldn't speak, I just didn't want to. I cleared my throat to stabilise it. "I think you should do what your heart tells you to. Whether or not you le-eave with them, you're still my friend."
"Thanks.. I'm really glad we're friends." I thought about when we first met again and realised that if she didn't want to leave, she didn't really have to.
"Apartment." I muttered, I didn't like the feeling of speaking anymore. It felt weird on my throat. I opted to signing. "You could stay in my apartment, if you really don't want to leave. It's not like I'll need or use it for a good while."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to invade your property like that, I know how much it means to you."
"It's fine, I trust you. Besides, you used to live there with me before anyway so it's not like I don't know how you are."
She gave me a thankful smile before springing a hug on me. I gingerly reciprocated it. I suddenly couldn't remember the last time I'd hugged her and I felt bad.
"You're a sweetheart, you know that? A real push-over too." She chuckled and I did too. I guess I was. I'd give the world for the people I trusted. Though I thought about it as a good trait. She broke off and smiled at me again. "Thank you, Aki. I'm really grateful to be your friend. Hopefully James agrees to stay here."
I nodded and smiled. Hopefully he agreed too, Pris was amazing. As we walked back, Pris was brainstorming ways to let Leland know about her decision. I offered her an idea.
"How about you just ask him if he's got a place for you two. If he doesn't, let him know about my offer. If he does, talk it out and come to an agreement. I'll be here no matter what."
"Let's hope he doesn't. We used to have a place before but it got destroyed because some kids thought it'd be funny to mess with our house while we were deployed." She paused. "Fuck! He doesn't even know about the house."
Her eyes went wide with realisation and then profusely apologised to me before looking around for a shrine or something of the sort. We were near one so she went over and started praying for forgiveness. You're not supposed to say a curse word while in the temple, in general honestly, but specifically in the temple. I stood by her and gave a quiet one as well, though asking for wisdom. She finished and apologised once again. I smiled at her in approval before continuing on our walk back.
"The house, he doesn't know?"
"No, after the war we got separated because they messed up when transfering us. We got scattered across realms and areas pretty badly."
"The military really messed up that badly?"
"Yeah, though I guess I'm not all too mad about it since I got to meet you and the others."
I smiled endearingly at her. I loved her as a friend very much, I was glad they messed that up too. We soon arrived at where her fiancé and friend were hanging out with Tyra and Lexie. Baruzzo wore a pleasantly surprised and relieved smile. Tyra seemed pitiful yet thankful towards Baruzzo, I wondered why that could be. One of the monks was joking with Pris' fiancé.
"Man! We were starting to think you never existed and those two were just using it as an excuse to hide their relationship from us!" He joked and laughed. Leland chuckled lightly before he realised what he said. I saw what type of person he was for a split second in its raw form. Vulnerable and still learning, like a fawn. It was a weird experience I'd rather not see again.
"What? What do you mean?"
"We're friends and have only ever been friends. Don't make it sound like I cheated on my fiancé with Aki now, Sato." Pris jumped in before Leland got the wrong idea.
"Aki?" Leland repeated, he seemed unnerved. Seriously?
"What?"
"Who's Aki? Another friend of yours?"
"No, this is Aki." She gestured to me.
"Isn't his name Nakamura Akihito?"
"Yes, Aki-" She made a gesture to sort of separate my name "-hito. It's just a nickname."
"Oh, I see." Was he a jealous boyfriend? "So you call him by a shortened version of his last name?"
"No, it-" She sighed. "His first name is Akihito and his surname is Nakamura. It's just a custom to call people by their surname."
"So why do you call him by his first name? Even a nickname?"
"Because we are friends."
"Oh, okay." He nodded in understanding. He was very.. interesting.
"I'm not looking for a partner, I've already made it clear. Pris and I are and have only been friends, Sato. Please don't make jokes like that anymore to him, he doesn't seem the type to take them well." I signed, he watched my hands as I scorned him.
"He's not, James is pretty calm about a lot of things but he does get jealous sometimes." Pris signed as well.
"Fine, fine! I get it." Sato replied. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again. "
"What?" Leland questioned.
"Nothin', don't worry about it. Go have fun with your friends now, I've gotta go and do some chores." He excused himself and went to do his chores, humming a melody.
"Alright, well.. When do you think we could leave? I'd love to go back home and get settled again."
"Actually, about that.." Pris smiled nervously. "I went back a bit ago and found some of the kids had basically turned it into an urbex area, the bad kind of urbex area. They completely destroyed it."
"What? Are you serious? Fuck!"
"Hey. Have some respect for the temple and the sacred grounds."
"Oh, sorry." Pris sighed.
YOU ARE READING
Questioning Means Uncertainty
FantasyA story of a teen who gets bitten by a vampire and spends an entire year comatose. Honestly y'all Idek what I'm doing anymore I'm just writing impulsive thoughts now fr good luck tryna figure out wtf is going on 😭💀 PS. This is a WIP so I may be ch...
