Book of Valors

5-Calliope

     Clementine seems happy enough that Calliope and Reo decided to accept the task.

     "Meet me on the east outskirts at dawn. Don't be late." She kicks them out of the tavern.

     "She's quite the...character." Reo says, raking a hand through his wildly curly auburn locks. Calliope turns on her heels and heads into the direction of her home. The anticipation is rising up in her. This might be the only opportunity to get her freedom from Him. Reo walks up next to her, matching her stride.

     "So Reo, you're Allori?" She asks.

      "Yes."

      "But your accent, you sound like a Roschan native." Reo's hands wrap around his satchel tightly.

     "I've lived in Roscha for a while now." From the melancholic look on his face, Calliope decides to not pry any further. Calliope begrudgingly allows him to come to her home after an awkward conversation about where he would stay. All they could do now is plan and wait.

     Calliope's home is a very small apartment at the edge of the harbor, overlooking the sea. Her apartment has one large room for a kitchen and living area and one small bathroom and bedroom. Calliope never minded the miniscule size of her home, she knew that it was the only place that He couldn't get to her. Calliope and Reo sit in silence for a moment. It's not awkward, they just have a lot to think about. She's perched on the arm of her couch and he's at the table. So many thoughts are running through her head about this job. Where is it? How are we going to get it? What if we don't succeed? Suddenly, a thought pops into her head.

     "Reo, do you know where this book is?"

     "Yes, actually I do." His slate grey eyes light up like a child's. "Do you have a map? He asks. She goes into her room and comes back with a thick atlas. She flips through the pages until she stops at a map of Allori. It's a large country surrounded by mountains on all sides except the farthest eastern corner home to The Nightlands. Reo takes the book from her and runs his hand down the page. He points to a city that is situated between the westen and northern mountains. Calliope leans in to get a better look.

     "Fhalhandre?"

     "Yes, it's a small city that is the epicenter of Allori culture and customs. On the outskirts, there's a temple where people worship Sulondé, The God of Valor. The Son Drasha esh Valoras is being kept there. It's guarded by some of the most talented and powerful Valors to exist. He pulls out a sheet of paper and begins to draw something.

     "What is that?"

     "The temple." He does a rough sketch of a circular building with odd shaped rooms. He points to a small room in the center of the building. "This is the chamber where the book is. It's guarded on all sides and is only accessible through the high priest's office. There's a main entrance but it has a huge amount of security checks that we might not make it through for obvious reasons. But there's an underground entrance on the east side that leads directly into the high priest's office." Calliope points to the scribbled pillars on the outside of the temple.

     "Are these guarded?"

     "Yes, especially on the East towers where the beginning of the entrance is." Calliope begins to pace. Six million lerche is nothing. She needs her freedom so she won't have to run anymore.

     "Okay, so we need to find a way to get past the guards undetected, get into the underground entrance, take the book and bam!" She slaps the table. "We get our money." Reo looks down at his drawing and smirks as if he finds Calliope funny. Calliope bristles while staring at him.

     "Easier said than done, Gorgeous." Calliope crosses her arms.

     "I don't care if it's hard. I need to do this, and don't call me Gorgeous." Reo laughs. She rolls her eyes, but her insides flutter at the light, warm sound of his laugh. His genuinely happy expression and the spark in his eyes makes her realize how attractive he is. She takes a deep breath and inwardly kicks herself. Ew no. Feelings are nasty.

     "Well since you're adamant on doing this, there's something you need to know. It's imperative that we don't get spotted under any circumstances. If they know we're trying to steal the book, they'll set off an alarm, capture us, and execute us right then and there. My people are kind, but they do not tolerate thieves." Calliope rubs her temples, so many different ideas are running through her head, but all of them seemed impossible with only two people. Clementine's words run through her mind. Not a solo mission. Of course she has to be right.

      "What is Clementine thinking? This is impossible with two people." Reo pinches the hair curling over his ears.

      "Maybe we can use the good ol' you hold, I punch." The punches his flat palm. Calliope rubs the bridge of her nose.

       "Honestly, that's all we can hope for at this point" Reo rolls up his sketch of the temple and shoves it in his satchel.He tosses his satchel onto Calliope's desk in her room. His stomach loudly rumbles. He looks up at Calliope sheepishly.

      "Mind if I use your kitchen?"

      "Um sure, go ahead." She responds awkwardly, not totally sure how to react. Calliope watches him as he moves through her tiny kitchen, pulling out ingredients and moving in slow, methodical movements. During her years of stealing, spying, and blackmailing, she can figure out many things about a person just by the way they move. He moves in a slow, methodical manner. His hands are very delicate when he works. Even though he's only cooking, his face is utterly focused. A healer maybe?

      "Why the staring? You're making me nervous." Reo's says with an air of innuendo. Calliope scoffs and jumps off the couch. So he thinks he's funny. She enters her bedroom and pulls a small bag out of her trunk at the foot of her bed. She begins to pack a few things when something catches her eye. It's Reo's satchel with his journal poking out. She turns to leave. It's not cool to infringe on people's privacy. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she begins to snoop. She deflates when she realizes that it's all in Allori. She does however pick out one sentence she understands from learning it when she was home in Lora. Her heart begins to ache at the memory, but she quickly pushes it to the back of her mind. She looks closer at the Allori text, "Sen'na, Læo." I'm sorry, brother. The rest she can't understand. She flips through his journal.

       "Hey! Food's ready if you're hungry!" Reo's sudden voice makes Calliope jump. She slams the journal shut and shoves it into his satchel haphazardly. Reo is humming to himself while serving up some stew. Calliope stands in the doorway of her room and wraps the white curtains that she uses in lieu of a door around her arm. She instantly feels guilty when she sees his peaceful expression. She takes the food graciously. Calliope jumps up on the counter and sits cross-legged. Reo leans on the counter next to her. The two of them find themselves talking about nothing. She doesn't know why, but she feels comfortable talking with him as if they knew each other all their lives. It's refreshing, but his kindness and goodness unnerves her. The demons of her past won't let go of her that easily. The two of them turn in for the night with Calliope in her bed and Reo sprawled out on her sofa.