Kumi sat down on her knees, copying Ayaka.
She glanced to the side before answering Ayaka's question in a soft tone.
"I wanted to leave."
Ayaka sat in silence, waiting for Kumi to continue her reasoning.
Kumi chose her words carefully.
"I couldn't choose anything. I didn't want to fight in a war. I didn't want to be a weapon. I didn't want to be imprisoned. I really didn't want to live... there."
Ayaka frowned, her expression showing something like pity.
Kumi continued.
"I was never given a choice in this."
Thinking for a moment, Kumi chose this to be the time when she showed one of her cards.
"I know. I know that I was stolen away from the East and that is the reason for the threat of war. But why do I have to fight then? Because Hilde decided it? Because I am a weapon first and person second?"
"Kumi..." Ayaka hesitated, "It is already too late for this. Death's Doorstep has already invested too much in you to just let you go."
"No. There was never a proper time for me to make a choice. It is too late for me to go back. If I do, then there will be nothing left for me.
I took the chance given to me, and I need to see my choice through. I am not going back."
Ayaka was conflicted as she looked away from Kumi.
She bit her lip, she was ordered to bring Kumi back. It was what she had to do. At the same time, she couldn't bring herself to strip away her last chance of freedom and drag back a child so young to live as a sealed up weapon.
"Again, Kumi. The investments made are too large to just allow you to leave."
"Then I'll pay it all back. Just act like you never found me. Please, Ayaka?"
Kumi looked up at Ayaka as she spoke her last sentence, hoping her plea for sympathy would be accepted.
Ayaka furrowed her brows. The orders that bound her were absolute. As long as she Could bring Kumi back, she had to.
Still, she at least wanted to hear her full reasoning before stripping away this thread of freedom.
Ayaka didn't look forward to the hate she would receive from Kumi for this.
"Your adventure is over, Kumi. I need to bring you back."
Ayaka stood up, as did Kumi who took a wary step back.
In a silent instant that Kumi couldn't react to, Ayaka stood by her side, hand reached out.
But Ayaka hadn't grabbed Kumi, rather, her hand couldn't reach her.
"Now, now. This here is my customer, you see."
Thursdon stood there, besides Ayaka, his hand clutching Ayaka's outstretched arm.
"She already paid me, ya know? I don't want to get involved and kick you off the ship since fighting someone like you would be scary."
Ayaka looked at the man, eyes wide as she couldn't move her arm.
"It's our time for departure and you refuse to provide any payment. My customers all have rights to my services, so I kindly ask you to leave."
Kumi took a step away from Ayaka, glancing again at the 'merchant' named Thursdon.
At first, she paid little attention to his appearance, treating him as nothing more than a quirky merchant character.
On second glance, his grey hair and pale yellow eyes should have indicated that he was a unique one.
"Come now, maid. I was naturally curious about my customer's situation so I listened in, but this goes against even my own morals."
Ayaka grit her teeth as she managed to tear her arm away from the man.
Kumi couldn't feel nor sense it at first. Not until now. The Mana that this man emitted, no words properly described it.
Scarlet crosshairs appeared in his irises as he rubbed his chin.
"Well now... I'm beginning to have quite an interest in you too now, maid."
Ayaka muttered in both disbelief and annoyance, "Don't tell me... you're that Thing."
Thursdon smirked as he clapped his hands.
"My Title exceeds me."
He then turned to Kumi, ushering her back towards the stairs leading to the bottom deck.
"Don't worry dear customer, you will get what ya paid for. Safe passage on my vessel. If someone tries to take you against your will while ya have me in employ... they won't."
Kumi couldn't muster a word nor fight back as she descended the stairs.
"Death's Doorstep, huh?"
Thursdon muttered as he turned back to face Ayaka.
Ayaka took a hesitant step forward.
"Ms. Maid, I'm guessing here that ya have a Ritual Protocol in place? Funny thing, scamming and finding loopholes in them is necessary to use them correctly."
"It really is... I am correct in my assumption, right?"
Ayaka asked for confirmation on her theory.
"Your theory is probably right, yeah."
Thursdon said as he took off his hat.
"In this Era, I am-"
"You are-"
" "Prominence." "
Kumi couldn't hear anything more from their conversation as it suddenly became muted by a Barrier Realm.
So she sat there, on the bottom of the stairs. Not brave enough to walk back up and too anxious and hesitant to go rest like nothing had happened.
Her analysis of Thursdon as a mere merchant was off the mark. Infinitely far off the mark.
This Thing called Prominence, a title bestowed by the realm to one sole being. That was what Kumi could gather from the hints of the conversation she picked up before the silencing barrier was cast.
Since he could make Ayaka, an individual with the Time Element hesitate like that, Kumi was certain that he was a big shot.
The fact that such a big shot was working as a merchant or that his face or features weren't well known or even his immense reserve of strange Mana.
Kumi was uncertain if meeting this person was a lucky turn of destiny's wheel or an unlucky accident.
She was lacking far too much information on how the Realm operated and what existed outside of the small bubble that she knew.
'...'
Kumi's thoughts were silent, unsure of what to think about this turn of events.
Suddenly, she could hear the conversation upstairs again.
Ayaka spoke up, loud enough for her to hear.
"Kumi, the guild won't stop. So as a recommendation from me, you in turn must not stop either. I'll be relaying everything about today to Hilde in a moment... good luck, Kumi."
Thursdon spoke up as Ayaka's quiet footsteps on the creaking wood grew more faint.
"Yikes. A scary maid ya got there, lass."