"How can a human be capable of doing that? Maybe it was just in my head, but I felt like I saw a huge snake tearing its prey apart," she explained.
Soren looked at her. 'How can I explain this to her,' he thought. Deep down he wanted to tell the truth, but it was impossible.
"You must have imagined things, it was probably the stress or something like that," said Akyo, who, unlike Soren, was used to lying about that kind of thing. "Anyway, we're glad you're alright."
"Yes, probably. So, what are you doing in Bergen? Akyo, you're not Norwegian, right? You're too tan, and your name doesn't really sound norwegian, doesn't it?" asked Sofie.
"Good guess. My father is Greek and my mother is Japanese. She's the one who chose my name."
"Greek and Japanese? That's unusual. You speak our language really well."
"Thanks. I've been here for a while, that's why," he explained, but he was lying. 'Soren doesn't realize it, but we gods can naturally understand and speak any language,' he thought.
Sofie turned her head toward Soren. "And you, Soren, are you from here?"
'No idea, but I guess so,' he thought. "Yes, I come from a small village not far from here."
'I need to change the subject,' he thought. "So Sofie, what do you do in life?"
"I started studying not long ago because i'm only seventeen, and I work here a few hours per week. How old are you two, by the way?"
'Great, I couldn't do better,' thought Soren, who again had to answer a question he didn't know the answer to.
"We're both 19," answered Akyo.
Still without news from Nicolo, Soren and Akyo talked with Sofie for the rest of the afternoon. She was constantly cheerful despite how long they spoke. Soren was happy to see her like that, he didn't expect so much when he asked her to talk with them. Akyo, on the other hand, was relieved to know that Soren hadn't traumatized someone in addition to killing two people. 'At least there's that,' he thought watching the others talk.
Six o'clock struck. Time had passed quickly, very quickly. Suddenly, when Akyo and Soren were thinking about it the least, they heard a call in their ears.
"Hello, Soren? Akyo? Can you hear me?"
The two looked at each other, and Akyo took the lead. "Wait, I'll go call outside, I'll be right back," said Akyo before getting up and going out.
"Hello, is that you, Nicolo?"
"Yes. Sorry I didn't contact you earlier, I spent my whole day listening to the mic you put on Gellahan."
"And? Any news?"
"Listen, he enjoyed himself. He visited the city, talked to a lot of people, and honestly he seems like a pretty classy guy. Nothing that interests us."
"I see. So why are you contacting us now?"
"He's going back to his hotel room, so I'm going to need you two to do the same, if you haven't already."
"No, we're still outside. We'll do that then, I'll go pick up Soren."
"Ok, perfect."
Nicolo ended the transmission.
Meanwhile, inside the building.
Soren and Sofie were talking, or trying to. Without Akyo's help, the conversation had become more complicated. Not because of simple embarrassment, but because each of them was afraid of saying the wrong thing.
'I have to say it, but he'll think I'm crazy. But I have to do it, I need to know,' thought Sofie.
So she gathered her courage, turned toward him, grabbed his hands, and spoke, her expression determined.
"Soren!"
"Uh, yes?" he answered hesitantly.
"I didn't dare say it in front of Akyo, but even if I don't remember everything, I'm sure of what I saw," she said confidently.
'Oh no, where is she going with this?'
"Soren, you're a monster!" announced Sofie, who had dangerously gotten close to Soren's face while speaking.
A brief silence settled. They stared straight into each other's eyes.
"What?" exclaimed Soren.
"You're a monster! I'm sure of it! Even if everything is blurry, I know you slaughtered those two guys!"
'She's completely insane?'
"I know you must think I'm crazy."
'Right on target,' thought Soren.
"Do you know who the men you attacked were? I guess not. Those two men were wanted! They assaulted and killed many young girls these last months, and that was going to be my case, but you're the monster who came to save me!"
'What is she talking about? She's rambling,' he thought, taking hit after hit from Sofie's sentences. 'But why a monster?' he wondered.
"Akyo can't make me believe I'm crazy. I saw a detached arm on the ground! I'm absolutely sure! Only a monster could do that!"
'I'm not sure how to take this,' he thought.
She moved around while speaking, then turned her back to him, slightly hiding her face. "It's kind of romantic, actually," she murmured.
"What did you say?" asked Soren, who hadn't understood.
"What? Nothing, sorry, I thought out loud," she said, starting to blush with embarrassment.
At that moment, Akyo walked back in. "Soren, we have to go, Nicolo just contacted me."
"Already?" thought Soren, forgetting he just had ten hours of free time. "I'm coming."
Sofie stood up to let Soren pass. Akyo arrived next to them. "So you're leaving?" she asked.
Akyo nodded, confirming their departure.
"Thanks for this afternoon, then," she told them. "Will we see each other again?"
At this question, Soren turned toward Akyo, hoping for confirmation, which he discreetly received.
He looked at her, happy to say, "Yes, we'll come back." At that answer, Sofie's face lit up.
They said goodbye, and Akyo took the girl's contact information for Soren, who didn't have a phone to do it himself.
Then the two headed back to their hotel. They finally arrived there, passed by the crazy guy at the reception, and of course avoided any contact with him, visual or otherwise.
They sat in their room, making sure the weird guy hadn't followed them.
"So, what's the plan?" asked Soren.
"We're going to wait for someone to contact us, and that's basically it."
"Wow, exciting," he sighed.
So they waited for something, a sign.
—--------------
Nicolo had spent his day listening to Gellahan's microphone. Although there was nothing really interesting, he stayed focused on every interaction he could pick up. Buying fish, visiting the city, greeting old people or history fans recognizing him in the street.
'Is he going to keep being super polite forever? He's supposed to change the world, that bastard,' thought Nicolo, getting impatient. He was starting to think it was all just talk.
When he saw that Gellahan was going back to his hotel, he contacted Soren and Akyo and told them to do the same.
Time passed. He heard nothing but the man's footsteps on the concrete floor, then inside a building, probably his hotel.
"What is he going to do now, jerk off with class?" Nicolo raged. He couldn't take waiting anymore.
The sounds he heard allowed him to perfectly imagine the scenes.
Gellahan climbs the stairs, Gellahan opens the door to his room, Gellahan takes off his shoes, Gellahan announces that he is back.
'Wait, who is he talking to?' wondered Nicolo, so fed up that his brain took a few seconds to understand.
"I'm back, sorry for keeping you waiting," apologized Gellahan. He walked into the room.
"I thought you weren't coming back," replied a voice, unknown, male but rather young.
"Yes, sorry. I should've come back earlier, but don't worry, you'll be able to go out soon," said the historian.
"So, it's the big night, then," replied the stranger.
Nicolo listened, speechless. He expected anything but that.
'They're working as a pair!?'