"Wait, how the hell did you know that I'm looking for the king?!"
My voice was louder than I intended, a sharp exclamation that hung in the air between us. The morning streets of the Town of the Culinary were beginning to fill with the usual hustle, but for a moment, the world around me felt entirely silent except for the frantic beating of my own heart. I stood there, rooted to the spot, staring at Hinashighi. She just gave me that same cryptic, energetic smile, her eyes sparkling behind her thick lenses like she was privy to a secret that the rest of the world hadn't even begun to suspect. She didn't look like a stranger anymore; she looked like someone who had been watching us from the shadows for a long time.
Just as I was about to demand another answer or ask if she was some kind of spy, a familiar figure emerged from the morning fog and the steam of a nearby soup stall. Ishighi walked past me with his usual measured, silent gait. He didn't stop to greet me or offer a casual nod; he simply stepped right up to Hinashighi. He looked at her, and she looked at him, and for a second, a strange, heavy silence settled between them that felt different from any interaction I'd seen him have with the rest of us.
Ishighi turned his head slightly to look at me, his red eyes calm and steady as ever, though there was a hint of something softened in his expression. "She's my sister," he said. The statement was so matter-of-fact that it took my brain a second to catch up. He didn't wait for my jaw to drop further before he continued. "We have been communicating by telepathy and they have been trying to find the king for weeks now."
The revelation hit me like a physical weight. All this time, while we were traveling and worrying about the mission, Ishighi had been in constant contact with this chaotic whirlwind of a girl. It explained how she knew my name, how she knew our objective, and why she had been "accidentally" in my path this morning. The "they" he mentioned suggested an entire operation I was only just becoming aware of, one that had been moving in parallel to our own journey.
Hinashighi didn't let the serious atmosphere last long. The moment Ishighi finished speaking, she lunged forward with a burst of speed that nearly knocked him over. "He's so cute!" she squealed, her voice reaching a pitch that probably hurt every cat's ears within a three-block radius. She reached up and grabbed both of Ishighi's cheeks, squeezing them with enough force that his face began to bunch up, turning his stoic, legendary expression into something absolutely hilarious. She shook his head back and forth, cooing at him like he was a prize-winning puppy. "My little brother is so diligent! Look at that serious face! Isn't he just the most adorable thing you've ever seen, Sogha?"
Ishighi did absolutely nothing to stop her. He didn't pull away, he didn't swat her hands away, and he didn't even blink. He just stood there, letting her stretch his skin into ridiculous shapes, his gaze fixed on a point somewhere in the distance. He was just ignoring her entirely, a feat of mental discipline that was honestly more impressive than any combat skill he had shown so far. It was clear this was a routine they had played out a thousand times, and he had learned long ago that resistance was futile.
I managed to regain a bit of my composure, though my head was still spinning from the telepathy reveal and the sight of our most serious warrior being treated like a plush toy. I looked around the immediate area, noticing that another one of our party members was missing. "Where is Zhandra?" I asked, looking back at Ishighi, who was still currently being treated like a stress ball by his sister.
Ishighi didn't use his hands, since his face was still occupied and his sister was currently trying to see how far his ears could stretch. He simply shifted his eyes and pointed toward a nearby vendor, a small stall with a bright yellow awning that was releasing a thick, savory cloud of steam. I followed his gaze and saw Zhandra. She was standing there, completely oblivious to the sibling drama. She had a skewer in each hand and a small mountain of wrapped snacks tucked under one arm. She was eating a large, grilled meat skewer with a level of focus that was almost intimidating, her cheeks full as she worked through a massive amount of food.
I chuckled, the sound bubbling up before I could stop it. Yesterday had clearly left its mark on everyone. The culinary charms of this town were apparently a universal weakness, even for someone as disciplined as Zhandra. It was a comforting, normal sight in the middle of all this sudden confusion.
Ishighi finally managed to tilt his head enough to break free of Hinashighi's grip, though she immediately began trying to pat down his hair as if she hadn't just been mauling him. He looked at me with a serious expression. "Get everyone," he asked me, his voice firm and leaving no room for argument. "We're going to a private room aka hanashighi's lab."
Hinashighi did a little spin, her energetic personality flaring up again as she adjusted her glasses. "Yep! My lab! The center of all things brilliant and occasionally explosive! It's much better than talking out here where everyone can smell what we're thinking! Plus, I have chairs! And things that glow! And it's mostly safe today!"
I nodded, realizing the gravity of the situation. We were finally going to get some real information, away from the prying eyes and ears of the marketplace. "I'll be right back," I said, already turning to head toward the inn.
I hurried through the streets, my mind racing with questions I didn't have answers for yet. The quiet morning was gone now, replaced by the bustling energy of the town, but I barely noticed the vendors or the smells. I reached the inn and took the stairs two at a time, my boots thudding against the carpeted hallway. I reached our room and pushed the door open, the wood creaking slightly.
Elphyete was sitting on our bed, having clearly spent some time fixing herself up while I was gone. Her silver hair was brushed and smooth again, but her expression was anything but happy. The second she saw me, she pouted, her lower lip sticking out in a way that made it very clear she was upset about being left alone. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me with narrow, questioning eyes.
"Where have you been?" she asked, her voice dripping with a mix of concern and annoyance. "I woke up and the bed was cold, and you were just... gone! I thought maybe you went back to that burger stall without me!"
I walked over to the bed, offering her a small, apologetic smile. "I said that it's complicated," I told her, knowing that trying to explain telepathic siblings and exploding mana boxes in thirty seconds was a losing battle. I reached out and took her hand, pulling her up from the bed. "Come with me and we'll ask everyone as well. Something important has come up and we need to move."
She didn't move immediately, her pout remaining firmly in place as she scrutinized my face for any signs of breakfast she had missed out on. "Complicated? You always say it's complicated when you're doing something interesting without me. Is there a reason we're leaving this comfortable bed? It better be a good one."
"It's a very good one," I promised, "but right now we have to gather the others."
That seemed to pique her interest enough to overcome her desire to stay in the room and pout. She stood up, smoothing out her clothes, though she still kept a tight grip on my hand, leaning into my side as we left the room. We began the process of rounding up the rest of the group from their various spots in the inn. We found Euphyne in the common area, Tokine and Celdrich in the lobby, and Eufrien and Alea were already heading out and sir vael sitting in the lobby. After gathering everyone, we headed out to their location.
The group was a bit confused, especially Euphyne, who kept asking if the "private room" had a buffet, but I kept them moving. I led the way back to the market square where I had left the siblings. Elphyete walked right beside me, her shoulder pressing into mine, still acting as clingy as she could while we walked through the crowded streets. She was looking around with a sharp gaze, clearly ready to meet this new "sister" I had mentioned.
As we approached the spot near the fountain, I saw Ishighi and Hinashighi waiting exactly where I had left them. Hinashighi was currently trying to see if she could balance a small spoon on the tip of her nose, while Ishighi stood like a statue beside her. Zhandra was there too, having finished her skewers but still looking wistfully at a nearby pastry stall.
"Is that the sister?" Elphyete whispered, her grip on my arm tightening.
"That's her," I said.
When we reached them, Hinashighi dropped the spoon and gave us a massive, sweeping wave that nearly hit a passing merchant. "The whole gang is here! Wonderful! Excellent! Marvelous!" she shouted, ignoring the confused stares from the rest of the party. "I'm Hinashighi! Follow me, and try not to step on anything that looks like it might catch fire! My lab is just around the corner, through the bakery, down the stairs, and past the giant vat of pickling juice! Let's go, let's go!"
Ishighi gave me a silent nod, and the entire group began to move as one. We wove through the tightening crowds of the Culinary Town, heading toward a cluster of older, more industrial-looking buildings that sat on the edge of the main district. The smells changed from sweet and savory to the sharp, metallic tang of ozone and old paper. Everyone followed closely as we headed out to their location.