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“Brother,” two masked ghouls said in unison, nodding at the passing Clergy member.
The man barely acknowledged them, speeding past them and disappearing as they rounded the corner. They walked down a flight of stairs and turned into a wider corridor, slowly making their way towards the exit.
The sun was still high up in the sky when they stepped outside, but the air was chilly and smelled faintly of rain. The two ghouls walked at a leisurely pace, heading towards the farthest, most unkempt part of the garden. They passed a few Sisters of Sin and a group of young acolytes, but no one paid them any mind, allowing them to easily disappear in the shrubbery between ancient apple trees.
“It’s fucking cold,” Dewdrop finally spoke when he was sure they were alone. “I didn’t think it’d be this cold.”
“We can turn back,” Rain offered softly, following him slowly.
“Nah, I’ll be fine,” the smaller ghoul insisted.
The two trudged through the tall grass until they reached a garden wall and, after checking if no one was around, slipped through a hole in the stone structure. They sneaked alongside it for a while, then turned onto a narrow game trail and took off towards the forest. They didn’t stop until they were hidden by tangled branches, safe in the shade.
Dewdrop shivered as he took off his mask and hood. It was even colder in the woods; patches of snow still dotted the ground.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go back?” Rain asked, running his fingers through his hair to comb them into place, mask clutched under his arm.
“I’m sure,” Dew muttered, letting his own hair down. “We made it this far.”
“It’s not worth it if you’re going to freeze your butt off,” Rain chided.
“I’m a fire demon, I’ll be fine.”
That seemed to settle the matter, at least for the time being. Without another word, the two ghouls hid their masks in a hollow tree and resumed their walk down the game trail.
“So,” Dewdrop started again. “Have you thought about the thing?”
“I… have,” Rain said. He offered Dew his hand and he grabbed it eagerly. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
“How so?”
“It’s a lot of pressure,” the taller ghoul explained quietly, gaze trained on his feet. “All that travelling—And I don’t even know anyone there.”
“You know me,” Dew insisted. “And Mountain! You know Mountain, right?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“See? So it won’t be that bad.”
They stopped when the trail entered a clearing and stood for a moment, taking in the sight in front of them: a small lake, still covered in a thin sheet of ice, glistening in the sunlight. Beyond it, the trees formed a dark, unbroken barrier, as if keeping the rest of the world at bay.
It was their little oasis. A place where they could exist free from the Ministry’s grasp.
“I don’t think I’m good enough,” Rain whispered.
“You are,” Dewdrop told him sternly, squeezing his hand. “More than good enough.”
Rain gave him a small, grateful smile and Dewdrop couldn’t help but return it. He squeezed Rain’s hand again before letting go.
“I don’t mean to force you,” he said, making his way towards the lake. “It’s alright if you say no.”
“You’re not forcing me,” Rain assured him, walking behind him. “To be honest, I—I kind of want to do it. I’m just—”
“I know.”
They stepped onto an old wooden bridge and cautiously walked towards the other end.
“Do you really think they’re going to send us on tour?” Rain asked.
“Well, they’re recruiting,” Dewdrop said and shrugged, plopping down onto the floor near the edge. He drew his knees to his chest and watched as Rain carefully sat down opposite him. “They wouldn’t look for new band members if they didn’t plan to use us.”
“But who’s even going to sing?” the taller ghoul questioned, frowing sceptically. “After what they did to Papa Three—will they let him go again?”
“I mean, are there any other options?” Dew snickered. “Papa Nihil’s not getting any younger, I doubt he’d go.”
“I heard one of the cardinals may.”
Dewdrop shrugged and leaned back, propped up on his outstretched arms. Closing his eyes, he turned his face towards the sun, soaking up the early spring warmth.
“Honestly, I don’t care as long as they let me play,” he muttered. “Could even be Sister Imperator herself.”
Rain chuckled. It was a soft little sound; endearing and still surprising to hear.
“I don’t know,” he said, a subtle note of mischief in his voice. “If she sang, I’m pretty sure people’s heads would explode.”
Dewdrop opened his eyes and looked at him in disbelief. Then he burst into laughter and Rain quickly joined him, their voices echoing on the water and in the trees.
“Fuck, I’d pay to see that!” Dew barked out between shaky breaths. “It would end our career, but what an end that would be!”
“Very gory,” Rain quipped.
He was smiling brightly, completely relaxed now that he was away from the Abbey. Out in the forest, he was so open and playful, and visibly happier—a far cry from the timid, compliant ghoul he became around the others. It made Dewdrop happy to see this side of him and he didn’t bother to hide it.
For a while, they just sat on the bridge, looking out at the lake. The silence between them was warm and companionable, broken only by a distant chirping of birds and occasional gusts of wind.
It was nice.
“It’s a lot of fun being out there, y’know?” Dewdrop eventually spoke, eyes closed and face still turned up towards the sky. “You get to see things, do all the fun stuff you can’t do here.”
“Like what?”
“See all the new places, other bands…” Dew trailed off. He sat up straight and shot Rain an excited look. “You can take off your mask in public ‘cos no one knows who you are.”
“I like wearing the mask,” Rain mumbled.
“Yeah, but you get to blend in with the mortals!” Dewdrop crossed his legs and leaned forward. “On the last tour, Papa let us all go out every night. We’d go sightseeing or sneak into parties, or see other shows—”
Rain was biting his lip nervously. “I don’t know, Dew.”
“I mean,” Dew leaned back and gave him a reassuring smile. “We won’t have to do that if you won’t feel like it. But imagine the possibilities!”
“Mhm.”
They fell silent again as they watched the sun descend towards the trees. The wind was picking up and it made Dewdrop shiver.
“It’s getting colder,” Rain said, giving him a pointed look. “We should go back.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Rain rose to his feet and offered Dewdrop his hand, helping him up. They brushed off their pants and slowly made their way back onto the trail.
“So who else is staying, besides you and Mountain?” Rain asked as they hiked through the underbrush.
“Only Aether, I think,” Dew said, scrunching his nose. “He’s an uptight jerk, but he looks out for us. I think you’d like him.”
“Do you?”
Dew just shrugged.
They walked in silence until they reached the edge of the forest and stopped to retrieve their masks. Rain carefully brushed the dust off of his before he put it on. Dewdrop watched him, chewing on his lower lip.
“It’s really alright if you don’t want to join, you know?” he said quietly, gathering his hair into a ponytail. “But I just—ah, nevermind.”
Rain turned to him and tilted his head quizzically, a hint of worry in his kind eyes.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing, I just—” Dewdrop looked away, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment. “I missed you a lot when I was away.”
When he chanced a glance at Rain, he was smiling.
“Oh, Dew,” he whispered. “I missed you a lot, too.”
He extended his arms and Dewdrop hesitated for a split second before he dove in and wrapped his arms around the taller ghoul. He felt Rain hugging him tightly, resting his chin on top of Dew’s head. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
“We’re never gonna speak of this again,” he muttered, going for a menacing tone.
“Promise,” Rain said with a soft chuckle.
Dewdrop would never admit it out loud, but he loved being hugged. He clung to Rain until the other ghoul gently patted his back and let him go.
“We should go,” he said. “Before someone notices we’re gone.”
“Yeah.”
Dewdrop stepped away from him and put his hood and mask back on as fast as he could. Then he straightened his uniform and took one last longing look at the forest.
“Alright, let’s go,” he said and started walking.
No matter how often they sneaked out, he always felt sad going back to the Abbey. But this time he was hopeful.
Rain followed him home. And he would follow him everywhere else.