Poseidon in Arknights

"There's plenty of time," Yuzuki said, walking ahead with the bag. "From day to night, there's plenty of time."

Texas walked behind, frowning. He wasn't puzzled by anything else, but rather by the fact that something about the route they were currently taking seemed off; this route seemed...

Texas looked at Yuuki, then down at the bag in her hand, glanced around, and after a moment of silence, said, "Yuuki, this road doesn't seem right."

“There’s nothing wrong with that, we can just go straight through.” Yuuki paused slightly and turned to look at Texas. “What’s wrong, Texas?”

"..." Texas looked at Yuuki, "You're not thinking of going to find Lappland, are you?"

"Eh~"

Seeing Yuuki turn her face away, Texas slapped her forehead. She should have noticed it earlier. So, Texas stepped forward and reached out to pinch Yuuki's cheek.

“My dear Miss Yuzuki, why are you thinking about such things?” Texas looked at Yuzuki. “I’ve been avoiding her like the plague, and you’re actually taking me to find her?”

"If I hadn't come along, would you have just brought Lappland to our door?"

“But you can’t keep going like this.” Yuuki stepped back lightly, dodging Texas’s clutches. “Texas, I know you want to escape your past.”

"I have no right to judge your past."

"So I don't..."

Yuuki gently touched Texas's lips with her finger: "Texas, you escaped your past, but Lappland is sinking deeper and deeper into it."

"..."

“Lappland’s obsession with you runs deep.” Yuzuki patted Texas’s head. “Perhaps in all the time you’ve spent together, you’ve always been the only one by her side.”

"Should we go find her?"

"..." Texas looked at Yuuki and stood in the middle of the road in silence for a long time. Before she was half-dragged by the Emperor to establish Penguin Logistics, before her family was purged, she and Lappland had indeed fought side by side.

As assassins, they have challenged the lonely souls in the wilderness, escaped the pursuit of their own families, and even slaughtered the heads of their families, all to complete the tasks assigned to them by their families.

They supported each other, grew together, and honed their skills together. They protected each other during crises, and in the end, they may have become friends, until that nightmarish reckoning.

In that moment, she ignited the last fire, igniting the shadow of her family that had once bound her; at least for now, she was just Texas.

Texas knew that Lappland was looking for her. She knew that Lappland wanted to drag her back to her old life. What she wanted to see was the original Texas.

They were intertwined in this process. Texas saw only the darkness and bloodshed of Syracuse in Lappland, the dark past that she should have avoided but had to face.

What did Lappland see in herself? When did she become the target of Lappland's pursuit, and what was that target? Perhaps only Lappland herself knows.

And now, had she truly escaped the darkness of Syracuse? Texas gently pinched the pads of her right hand, wondering when that contract would resurface...

Texas closed her eyes and took a breath. Perhaps she really should talk to Lappland.

Where does she live?

Chapter 117: The Unsuccessful Treatment

“If Yuuki and Miss Texas have things to attend to,” Muirsay said with a smile, looking at the two of them. “It’s time for me to take my things and head back.”

After all, what follows is Texas's private matter, and it's best not to get involved. It's reasonable for Yuuki, who was the matchmaker, to get involved, but it's better for me to leave first.

"Yes, we'll be back soon." Yu Yue looked at Muerses with some apology. "I'm sorry, Muerses, I'll have to let you go back alone first."

“It’s alright.” Muirses shook her head. Beside her, a water sphere floated in the air, slowly taking shape. Finally, with a tremor, it transformed into another Muirses.

“Then I’ll take the things back first, so that Yuuki and Miss Texas won’t have to carry them around.” As Muerseth’s figure followed Muerseth’s words, it stepped forward and took the bags from Yuuki and Texas.

"Okay, then I'll trouble you." Yu Yue nodded apologetically to Muersais, then added with some concern, "Be careful on the road."

"Don't worry~" Muels waved to the two of them, "It's getting late, Yuuki, you still have to make lunch later, right?"

“Ah, that makes sense.” Yuuki nodded, then looked at Texas beside her. “Let’s go then, this way.”

Muirsey watched the two leave and sighed, "Today's time together was only moderately successful. Oh well, let's not meddle in other people's business."

----------

"Is this the place?" Texas looked up at a house in front of her that was clearly converted from an unfinished building, with the damaged parts almost entirely covered with sheet metal or wood.

Such houses are not uncommon in slums, and many residents live in such houses.

“Yes, it should be on the third floor.” Xiyue nodded confidently, then looked around and pointed to a room on the right side of the third floor, “I’ll stay there.”

"Is that so?" Texas looked up at the room Yuuki was pointing to, and then looked at Yuuki with some suspicion. "Speaking of which, how did you know? You didn't come here on your own without my knowledge, did you?"

“Oh, no.” Xi Yue shook her head. “However, for me, finding someone in this city is still a very simple matter.”

She simply turned to this street, and then all that was left was to open up her senses and search for a specific person within Lungmen's territory, which was relatively easy.

"I was wondering why I heard such a familiar voice," Lappland's voice suddenly came. "It's Miss Yuzuki, and Texas too."

Texas looked up in the direction the sound came from. Lappland was leaning against the railing, watching the two of them with a perfect expression.

"What's wrong, Texas?" Lappland looked down at Texas with a mocking smile, as if she were looking at prey that had walked into her trap. "Didn't you come here yourselves?"

Why aren't you saying a word now?

"Why aren't you saying anything? If you're not going to say anything, then I'll just have to—" Lappland stared intently at Texas, then braced herself against the railing and jumped down.

Seeing Lappland jump down, Yuuki quickly created a water ball in the direction Lappland was falling, catching her in mid-air.

"be careful."

"Thank you, Miss Yuzuki." Lappland bowed slightly to Yuzuki. "However, the height of the third floor is far from enough to injure me."

“Your judgment is your judgment. My judgment is my judgment.” Yuuki looked at Lappland. “Anyway, it’s just a small thing for me to do, to prevent problems before they occur.”

“What a worrywart doctor.” Lappland glanced at Texas, who was silent beside her. “So I guessed the doctor brought you here, Texas?”

"What do you want from me?" Lappland stared at Texas. "Weren't you the one who wanted me to avoid you like the plague?"

Texas took a deep breath, looked at Lappland in front of her, and inhaled the bloody scent emanating from Lappland that seemed to be indelible forever.

Despite it being a cold winter day with a biting wind, Lappland was still wearing shorts, almost blatantly displaying the Originium crystals covering her thighs.

Unlike other patients afflicted with Oripathy, Lappland made no attempt to conceal it, instead openly and blatantly displaying the Originium crystal to everyone, as if to demonstrate his danger.

"I've come to talk to you about something." Texas looked at Lappland, but her hand kept reaching for the hilt of the knife in her pouch.

“Is that so?” Lappland chuckled as she watched Texas’s actions. “Then let’s go up and talk. It’s rather cold.”

"...Hmm." Texas sighed softly again. Should she really have come now?

"If you're going to make a move, now's the best time~" Lappland's voice drifted from ahead. At this moment, he had his back to Texas and seemed completely unguarded.

"..." Texas took a Pocky stick out of her pocket, put it in her mouth, and said, "Take the way, Lappland."

“What a great opportunity.” Lappland’s voice seemed to carry a hint of mockery at this moment. “I don’t get many chances to be this unguarded in front of you.”

"You wouldn't have let me off the hook in this state before."

“I don’t want to go back to the way things were before,” Texas said, biting off a piece of Pocky. “So I won’t do anything.”

"Heh~" Lappland's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of the corner of her mouth, full of mockery. "Didn't you just reach out your hand?"

"Texas, wanting to break free from the past?"

"........."

"Ah, the smell of gunpowder is unusually strong." Standing behind the two, Yuuki forced a smile, but a headache was creeping in. "We'll just have to take it slow."

——両————————

Led by Lappland, the two climbed up to the third floor via the external fire escape. The reason they didn't take the stairs was that the staircase in this unfinished building had collapsed on the second floor.

As for repairs, the "landlords" who maintain the area say, "There are still escape ladders, aren't there? As long as we can get up there, that's fine. We'll wait until all the ladders are broken before we talk about repairs."

Fortunately, only the staircase collapsed, which did not affect the fact that the building was still habitable. In fact, the collapsed staircase was even transformed into two habitable rooms.

It's obvious that even the outside fire escape is broken, and the "landlords" here will most likely just get a new one.

So if you want to get to the third floor or above of this unfinished building, you have to climb up the outside fire escape first, and then walk up the stairs on the third floor.

“This is it.” Lappland stopped in front of a somewhat dilapidated and even rusty door, inserted the key into the lock, and tried to turn it several times, but found that it wouldn’t turn.

"This damn lock." Lappland tried to turn it a few more times but still couldn't open it.

"Did you take the wrong key?" Yuuki asked, watching Lappland helplessly pull out the key. "Should we get it from the outside...?"

Before Yuuki could finish speaking, Lappland kicked the door open forcefully below the lock.

"Alright, come in." Lappland put the key away. "It's nothing. This lock has been locked several times a day. It's probably all rusted up inside."

"If you can open it, then open it; if you can't, just kick it. Either way, you can open it."

"Alright, what are you still standing there for? Come in." Lappland looked at the two who were still standing there. "I was just making a mille-feuille."

Lappland pointed to the puff pastry she had just finished making on the small table: "Would you like some more?"

“But don’t expect it to taste like the one I used to make for you.” Lappland looked at Texas and pointed to the simple stove next to her. “After all, that’s all I have.”

"Are you moving?" Texas asked, looking at the several boxes that Lappland seemed to have already been packed behind her. "Are you leaving Lungmen?"

“Yes.” Lappland nodded, patting the box behind her. “Because it’s pointless, and this city isn’t right for me, there’s no point in staying any longer. Anyway, I already know you’re here.”

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ve given up.” Lappland still had a smile on her face. “I still have some patience, Texas. You’ll be caught up with sooner or later.”

Texas paused for a moment before asking, "Where are you going?"

"Why do you want to know where I went so you can hide from me?" Lappland looked at Texas. "But, it won't hurt to tell you. I'm planning to go to Rhodes Island."

"..." Texas looked down at the black Originium crystal on Lappland's thigh. Under the dim light overhead, the edges of the black Originium crystal emitted a chilling light.

"You do need to get treatment."

"Perhaps." Lappland casually touched the Originium crystal on her leg. "But, in my condition, how long can I hold out?"

"..." Texas looked at the crystal on Lappland's thigh, then turned her gaze to the side, to Yuuki, who was sitting a little further away.

“It depends.” Yuuki also looked at the crystals on Lappland’s leg. “If we’re lucky, it will be a few years; if we’re unlucky, it’s hard to say. It mainly depends on whether there are any acute attacks of Oripathy during this period.”

“Miss Lappland, as your doctor, I am telling you that you need treatment and a long period of rest.”

Lappland smiled at Yuuki: "Thank you for your suggestion, Doctor. I will go to Rhodes Island to receive their treatment."

Texas stared at Lappland in front of her: "Yuzuki has the ability to heal you."

“Texas, I don’t need to be cured.” Lappland looked at Texas and shook her finger. “Anyway, if you’ve only come here to talk to me about these things, then that’s it.”

“Of course, I won’t let you come all this way for nothing. Wait a little while.” Lappland stood up and walked towards the still-uncleaned stove. “Consider it another way of taking you back to the past, Texas.”

—————Downstairs from the unfinished building—————