Put back together

19. Why are you..?

Roman woke up slowly.
His face was pressed against warm, sweet smelling fabric.
He slowly opened his eyes and realised with a start that the fabric was Patton's shirt and that his arms were wrapped tightly around the baker.

He flushed deep red and moved to pull his arm away.
Patton made an unhappy noise.

Okay, then he wouldn't move.

Logan was on Patton's other side and had an arm draped over him aswell.

Roman didn't want to look at Logan. He knew that he had been in the wrong when he had forced Logan to come with them but his pride wouldn't let him admit it.
And it was true what he had said, they needed the book and they needed Logan.

They still hadn't had the chance to actually take a look at the book and now they had no plan and no idea what to do.

They couldn't go back to Natica, they couldn't go back to Sallerow and they couldn't stay here, either.
The only place they could go was Terona.

He didn't know much about Terona, besides of the fact that there had been a war between Sallerow and Terona, that had ended when he was about three or four years old, the current king was very young and his father hated everything teronan with a passion.

Most people in Sallerow hated Terona.

He wouldn't be surprised if it was mutual.

Still, safer than here.

His thoughts took him back to Corinn and to his family.
Either they were already dead or held captive by the revolutionars.
He wasn't sure which was the better option.
His father was already ill and weak, who knew how long he could survive in a prison cell.

He was snapped back to reality by aproching footsteps. The curtain was pulled back and dirty black boots entered Roman's line of sight.
He glanced upwards and his gaze met small dark eyes, half hidden behind messy white hair.

"Jesus fucking Christ, I thought you were hallucinations," Virgil muttered. "And please tell me you didn't fuck last night."

Roman sat up, careful not to wake Patton.

"Why do you think we're together?", he asked. He recalled Virgil saying something about them being married the day before.

"Aren't you?"

"No!"

"So the whole cuddle party was just dudes being pals?"

Roman frowned.

"I don't know what that means."

"...I don't know how to explain it."

For a moment both men were just looking at eachother, both unsure what to do.

"Quick question - I barely remember anything that happened yesterday - why are you here again? I mean, I remember that you are looking for something or were chased - not sure about that - but why are you here?", Virgil broke the eye contact and the silence.

"Do you mean this cave?"

"No- well, yes - but more... Why are you on these Islands? Surely there are better ways to get where you want to go?"

"Not really. I'm not even sure where we want to go. Probably Terona. That's actually the only place we can go right now, I think. We were in Natica when the revolutionars attacked and the bridges to Terona where destroyed so... We came here."

Virgil made a noise of acknowledgement.

"And what are you looking for?"

Roman snorted: "We don't know yet."

Because in a very cruel way it was funny. They were on a wild goose chase with no way back and with no idea what they were trying to find.
Who knew if they hadn't walked right past one of those stupid pieces already without even noticing?
It was stupid.

"And why are you looking for this mystery thing?"

"Because of a prophecy. It's supposed to safe the kingdom. An ancient artifact of the gods."

"You don't sound very convinced."

Roman sighed.

"I'm not. I have no idea if there is any point to this. For all I know it might be too late already... And I'm scared to know."

He rubbed his hands over his face, tried to rub off the tiredness that was starting to sink into his bones only overcome by rushes of adrenaline while running from the danger that kept chasing them.

How long had it been since he and Patton had left Corinn?

Seven days?

It felt like an eternity.

"Are you alright?", Virgil asked hesitantly.

"Just... tired."

"Do you... I could give you something... that helps... Do you want that?"

"A spell?"

Virgil shook his head.

"Closer to a potion but it's not magic."

"Okay," Roman shrugged.

Virgil turned and held open the curtain with an inviting gesture.

The part of the cave Roman stepped into was giant.
There was only a dim light, that seemed to come from minerals in the walls and the ceiling and an few glowing balls hanging over part of the cave, connected by a thin string.
There were a few shelves, some made of wood, some of metal and a few made of both. They were filled to the brim with books, flasks and all kinds of things Roman couldn't name.

Virgil moved towards a wooden plank hanging from delicate iron chains.
On it was a weird apparatus and a box with a few small white boxes in it.

"A cup..," Virgil muttered and a mug flew into his hand from the nearest shelf, "... of coffee...", he poured a dark liquid into the mug from a can he had taken out of the weird apparatus, "... and one of these...", he took a small pill out of one of the white boxes. "There!"

"What is that?", Roman asked.

"A cup of coffee and an antidepressant."

"And what does that mean?"

"The drink wakes you up and the pill makes the world seem less hopeless, simply put."

Roman took both.

"If the coffee is too bitter for you just tell me. I can add some milk and sugar," Virgil added.

Roman swallowed the pill, took a sip from the warm 'coffee' and made a face: "This is disgusting!"

"Too bitter then," a bottle with milk and a container of sugar flew through the air and added themselves to the coffee. A spoon moved to stirr it as Roman watched.

The liquid was now more a light brown than black.

He took another sip.

The taste was still strong and a bit bitter but at least it was drinkable now.

Virgil poured himself a cup aswell without milk or sugar and for a while it was quiet as they drank.

And Roman had to admit that he felt a lot better afterwards.

He still had no idea what to do but somehow he felt less like the uncertainty was crushing him.