Chapter 197: The irrational ask.
Elias was still on a ship, but it was in a different place. It was moving along the river, lumped in with other ships on the water. The ship was following a group of smugglers who had split into five.
He was inside the lounge, partly listening to the new updates a lion beast man was giving, and partly watching the news which was replaying a clip of his wife handing out water at the scene of the factory collapse.
His heart ached for her. This was not what she signed up for as his wife. Not even his mother would dig through rubble to rescue trapped beast men. She was too noble for such work. At most, she would hand out blankets while smiling prettily at the cameras. Sienna on the other hand, she was not afraid to get her hands dirty and sweat alongside his men.
She belonged to the tribe more than some people he knew!
The lion beast man, named Jord, cleared his throat. "Elias, if you take a minute away from admiring your wife, you will notice that group one had delivered their stolen spoils to an apartment building whose occupancy is 90% white snakes and owned by the white snake tribe."
Elias raised his eyes. "Got it." He called the only white snake that would answer his call at the drop of a hat. And she did.
"Mija," he drawled, "your people seem to be getting into all kinds of messes that they shouldn’t be in. I am looking at an apartment building in Green Sky city which is owned by your tribe. It is being used as a hide out for a group of smugglers. Speak."
Mija’s laughter rang out, high pitched and unbothered. "Elias, Elias...always so serious." She deepened her voice, "Speak!!" and laughed again. "Ah, you are so funny. There are 6.6 million white snakes in this kingdom, they all belong to the tribe but we don’t control their actions. Green Sky is not our city, we don’t govern it. If a white snake is committing a crime over there, I can poke around for you. But only if you make Sienna admit that she likes me better than the queen."
Elias blinked. "What nonsense is this Mija?"
"Not nonsense," Mija replied sweetly. "I just want to be Sienna’s top best friend. I have been offering her my heart, but she won’t take it. You have to make her say ’I love Mija more than Serenya.’ Otherwise, no information."
"You are being silly." Elias barked.
Mija laughed. "I have never been crowned for being clever, so.....just give me what I want. And what I want is your wife to admit that she loves me and I am her best friend. You and Serenya are the ones coming between us."
"You sound crazy." Elias snapped.
Mija snorted. "And those kids...who I love, if Sienna asks. Don’t get me twisted by the way, this is a platonic love. I like Sienna. I think she is the most tolerable human female I have ever met. Her tomatoes saved me today when I was having a mental break today. I even sent some home to my parents. My father..."
Elias groaned. "You are talking too much."
"Then I will keep it brief. Get me what I want and I will give you names, locations, family histories. Whatever you need." She hung up immediately, before the rejection or could come.
Elias almost crushed the phone. The beast men in his company pretended not to hear anything. But Jord sat across Elias, and smiled. "Make the call."
A grunt came from Elias. He stretched his legs, growling deeply in this throat.
"Make the call." Jord encouraged, again. "If you can’t, I will make the king order you to make the call. This mission is too important to compromise over a few silly words strung together. Besides, the sooner we finish, the sooner we all go home. I don’t want to spend a month on a ship, with a bunch of men when I have a new wife at home. I got married two weeks ago. This is supposed to be my honeymoon."
The other beast men chuckled.
Elias was unhappy, but he still made the call.
When Sienna heard the condition, she nearly fell from the hospital bed her mother insisted she rest on after a grueling day. "Excuse me? I am supposed to declare favoritism like a school girl picking her best friend?!"
Elias rubbed his temples. "I thought the exact same thing. It is stupid. It is irrational, but if it will get us answers, then let’s just clench our teeth and do it."
Sienna crossed her arms. "Irrational? It’s a joke. Who knows what she will use the recording for? I should not have to flatter a snake woman just to help your investigation. Next, she will demand that we wear matching clothes and I write her poetry.
What if she wants to move into our house and share my bed? Must I say yes to that as well? I am not sleeping next to a snake Elias!! Can’t you just give her a nice bag or something? She is into bags."
Suddenly, Mija’s voice joined the conversation. "Poetry and a sleep over, I am in!! Oooh, we can wear matching pajamas."
"Mija!!" Sienna exclaimed, turning around to find the woman standing in the doorway. She had a basket of fruit, and appeared unbothered.
The snake beast woman slowly made her way to Sienna, and settled on the bed, with a sly smile. "The poetry should be something about my shimmering scales. They are brighter than moonlight and more beautiful than six tails."
Sienna snorted. "Brighter than moonlight? I admit, your scales do have a shimmer but they are not brighter than moonlight. More like someone spilled porridge in the floor."
Mija gasped.
On his end, Elias coughed, trying not to laugh. "Sienna..."
"Just say the words." Jord snatched the phone from the table, bellowing into it desperately.
The lion seemed a little unhinged. Alex pulled him back, while Elias took his phone back. "That is Jord," He shot the man a glare. "Until two weeks ago, he was a virgin. He is really...really, desperate to finish this mission and get home to his wife as quickly as possible. Have mercy on the man, Sienna. Consider it a wedding gift to the couple."
Sienna snorted. A wedding gift to a stranger. How did that benefit her? But on the other hand, the sooner Elias returned, the earlier she would return to her lazy seaside life. "Fine, I will do it."
One squeal came from Mija, and one loud protest was heard from Jord just before Elias ended the call. "I was not a virgin."
