"Great Grandmother," Buse knocked on the room's door.
"I'm awake, come in," a rather frail voice replied.
Buse pushed open the door and entered. It was the same room where Hao Xuan and Jin Wang were sitting just an hour or so ago.
Right now it was only occupied by one person. Agueda was sitting on the same chair, just staring out into space. Buse's usual cold expression softened in an instant looking at her body that was all but turned to stone.
She walked up to her and took out a box of herbs from under one of the shelves. As she opened it an extremely potent smell hit her head-on. But it seemed like she was used to it so she didn't react much.
She took the jelly-like brown paste from the box and started rubbing it on Agueda's hands and feet, massaging as she went along.
Agueda watched her with sorrowful eyes. Now that her journey in this place was coming to end, the old days were all she could think about. Thinking about what she could have done differently was how most of her days were spent now.
"Stop child, it's useless," she whispered. Buse faltered for a second but continued. She lowered her head and didn't want to meet Agueda's eyes.
Agueda looked up at the ceiling and closed yer eyes.
"You're just as stubborn as your mother. What will you do when I'm gone? I…don't have much time left…" she mumbled to herself.
Buse shook her lowered head, "We can find a way. There has to be a way! Maybe in the outside wo-"
"SHH!" Agueda's expression turned serious instantly. She looked left and right and breathe out a sigh of relief upon confirming that no one was listening.
"Never talk about that again, I told you that. Do you want to end up like me?!" she glared at Buse who lowered her head even more. She felt wronged but couldn't argue with her.
*Sigh*
She leaned back and closed her eyes once again.
"What about those two? Was what you said true?"
Buse nodded like a child. She could act like this only in front of her.
"Un. I saw them myself. They saw the ancestral essence and knew it was worth a lot out there but chose not to take it. I think these ones are different. They aren't as greedy as the others, at least one of them isn't…" she said as Jin Wang's smug flashed past her eyes.
Agueda's brows furrowed while she thought about what the next step should be. A minute or so later she came to a conclusion.
"Hmm. Show him the antecedent's tablet. If he passes the test, then we can trust him."
Buse's eyes widened in shock, "But that's our trib-"
"I know what it is," Agueda cut in. "And I know what it implies. But we are out of time. If I don't do anything right now then it will be the end of our once-great tribe. All that history, all that fighting, and for what?"
Buse seemed like she still had her doubts but nodded nonetheless.
"Yes."
***
"Yo, can you hear me?" Hao Xuan snapped his fingers in front of Gavril's face.
"Huh? What happened?" Gavril looked around in confusion. His head felt like it was banged against the wall repeatedly. He was rubbing the back of his head when he realized something.
"Wait, I can understand you?!" he looked at Hao Xuan in amazement.
Hao Xuan scratched his head with an awkward smile, "Yeah, kind of. Although I'm not very good at it just yet. Anyways, what can you tell me about that guy that fought Ra?"
He quickly tried to change the topic but Gavril wasn't having it.
"Wait wait, how can you just speak my language? What happened to me back there? You gave me that thing…"
*Sigh*
Hao Xuan waved his hand.
*Wack*
A tentacle appeared behind Gavril and smacked him in the back of his head, knocking him out instantly.
"Go sleep sleep now," Fortis said while brushing Gavril's hair gently. He then jumped on top of Hao Xuan's head with a proud smile.
"Yeah yeah you did good," Hao Xuan tossed a large biscuit in the air which then disappeared.
*Beep*
"Now what?" Baracus spoke up.
"Now we wait. Buse should be coming along soon as well," he said looking at the time.
Currently, they were in Gavril's home. Buse visited him almost every day for dinner.
He sat down on a chair and looked around. His home was extremely simple. There was one bedroom and one bathroom. There was no furniture other than two chairs, a table, and an old rock bed.
Hao Xuan waited for an hour. The time for dinner came and went but Buse didn't appear.
"Hmm, something's not right," he mumbled looking through the window. From what he could remember Buse never missed dinner once in the last 3 years.
He tucked Gavril in the bed and rubbed a white paste right under his nose. It would keep him knocked out for a good 10 hours or so as he didn't want him waking up and making a fuss.
When the coast was clear he slipped out of a window and ran back. Only a few kids saw him and he gave them some candy bars to keep them quiet.
When he reached the temple he found out that it was empty. He looked around but couldn't find Jin Wang anywhere.
"Where the f*ck did he go…."
