The next morning is quiet inside the inn room for everybody. Markus is rubbing his forehead near the window while looking outside. A remnant of pain could still be felt from the translation magic Aurora performed earlier. It's now becoming a daily ritual they've grown to accept.
At this point, Markus is finishing the last part of dressing himself. Zipping up his green jacket, he then moves over to the bathroom to wash his face. The faucet is turned on and the sound of running water fills the room. After a few quick washes, he looks up into the mirror. Markus starts rubbing his chin and jaw, feeling the growing stubble he sees.
A knock suddenly comes from the door. Markus reacts immediately to the sound by shutting the water off, and rushing to the night stand by the bed. He lays a hand on his Steyr pistol sitting out in the open. Before he can respond, a newspaper slides underneath the door. Another knock further down the hallway is then heard.
A sigh of relief comes from Markus. He looks over to the fae at their dresser drawers, seeing relieved faces too. The knock also caught them by surprise. The girls are nearly done dressing, with only a few final touches left.
Markus walks to the door and picks up the newspaper left behind. He unfolds it, feeling the paper between his fingers. There aren't many pages, and most of the words are Latin. However, in the top right of the front page, Markus sees English that catches his eye. Sunday Edition, March 4th.
“Days and calendars are the same too... just like home.” Markus says to himself. He then turns toward the fae asking “Hey, how many months and days are in your calendar?”
Eclair perks up from her drawer. “Twelve months. We have three hundred sixty-five days all told. Even kids know that.” She says before going right back to finishing her hair.
“I can see what you're asking.” Aurora replies. She's hanging over the edge of her drawer, watching Markus trying to read the newspaper. “Noverra took the Earth calendar too. Same months and days. Times and hours. Everything. But there is a difference, and that happens at the end of December. Noverra is slightly bigger than Earth, so a full day is left out each year. The thirty-second day of December. Most places call it The Lost Day.”
“Ya, figures. Not exactly the same, but pretty damn close.” Markus says back to Aurora. He goes back to flipping through the pages, but sees nothing of interest. The newspaper is folded back to the front page and placed flat on the bed. “Tell me if there's anything important.”
Markus walks back to the window as Aurora flies over to the bed. She's done getting ready, and begins walking around the newspaper reading the articles. Her eyes jump around until she spots something of interest.
“They got the body. The one we found on our way here.” Aurora says loudly. “His name was Jeremiah Carlson. A medical student from Port Morrison University. Says he was part of a team researching various mushrooms for medical drugs.”
“Shit... I wasn't too far off with my story last night.” Markus says to himself. He then asks Aurora “Does it say anything about his death or anything about us?”
“They're calling it an accident. Missing for more than a week. Nothing about us specifically.” Aurora responds.
A deep breath comes from Markus. He says “Alright, thanks for reading that. If we get a chance, we can send back his journal. Might be closure for someone.”
Markus continues looking outside, but an image of the dead man's face suddenly flashes in his eyes. Partial bits of skeleton and rotting flesh covered in mushrooms. He blinks, and the image vanishes. Only his reflection in the window remains.
An engine sound can now be heard from the outside, and Markus focuses his attention to the street below. Gus and Abel are just arriving at the Evergreen restaurant. They park right in front of the restaurant which gives Markus a clear view of the pair getting out from their truck.
Abel looks the same with his gear, but Gus is now wearing an old style blue suit with suspenders. He's smiling and chatting with Abel as they head inside Evergreen. It's still early in the morning, and people are only now starting to move around for business.
“They're here.” Markus says to the girls. Aurora continues reading through the newspaper and flipping pages on her own. Eclair is finally completes her hair, and flies over to Markus to look out the window too.
“Inside already?” Eclair asks Markus.
“Ya, you just missed them. I haven't seen the sheriff, but he might already be inside.” Markus replies back. He then moves back to the bathroom to finish what he was doing before the newspaper arrived.
Eclair hovers near the window as she watches the street below. She occasionally flies higher or shifts position for better views of anything interesting. After a short while, she says to Markus “So what is the goal with Gus and Abel?”
From inside the bathroom Markus says back “I don't have a set plan. Talking with them more might help me settle on a direction or a place to go to next. Maybe if we become friends he might be able to give me and Aurora a ride somewhere.”
“Really? You just met the guys. I really think you both need to stay here as long as possible. Think things through.” Eclair says with concern.
“I know what you mean... trust me I wouldn't even think of anything like this if I were back home, but he really might be our best chance.” Markus replies. He thinks for a moment before saying “If you didn't have to go back to Little Creek, I'd invite you to join. But I know you have a job and family waiting. I'll be sure to thank you for everything. I still need to visit Rodrick and get more supplies for the trip ahead. Wherever it might be.”
Eclair smiles slightly. “It would be nice to go, but with ever-” Her words cut out. She stares out the window and yells “Hey! Something is going on at Evergreen!”
Markus jerks himself up from the sink. He turns off the faucet and washes his face quickly on a towel before moving over to the window. Eclair and Aurora are already waiting, both looking outside. Markus joins the fae, but sees nothing of interest for a short moment.
All of a sudden, Gus and Abel fling open the front door of Evergreen while moving toward their truck. They are shouting and yelling to someone inside the restaurant. Gus is incredibly angry, shaking his fist and becoming very animated for a big man. The front door of Evergreen opens again, and a small group of people walks to the pair.
Three people, and in the middle is a woman with long brunette hair. Wearing a leather vest over a dark red shirt. She has brown leather pants and a sheathed dagger hanging off her waist. The other two beside her are burly, thuggish looking men. Markus realizes the men are from last night. The one with the scar and his buddy.
“What the hell is going on?” Markus says to girls. They both shake their heads in response because neither knows why. Looking closer at the group, he sees red bandannas on their left arms. Near the truck, another man is standing looking at the commotion. Across the street, a pair of men are waiting to walk over to Evergreen. All of them have red bandannas on their left arms.
