Chapter 8

"Why did you ask?"

With the expression that Ja Lia was wearing, he could tell that he was trying to hide something. Twas so obvious. Lia wasn't best of a liar. He could be smooth with words, but never the expression. That did militate against him.

Ja Lia walked closer to him and requested he adjust a little bit this he might seat beside h too. He had been walking. Like he had walked and walked that his legs were beginning to curse him. He wished that he could soothe them. That was not even really urgent.

What lie was he going to say to his brother. That was the prime of the day. He couldn't dismiss it. He spoke:

"I wanna start a little bit of a research on it. Might have something to do on it in the nearest future."

His brother sniffed. There seemed to be something itching his nose. He had been trying to pull it out all along but twas too tiny. And sniffing had just complicated the who thing. He was supposed to sneeze. Hell of a misconception.

What he sniffed seemed to had fought its way up his skull to his mental horizon. He guessed he could deal with that. He had been there before.

"If it's a research work, then go for it. What's the point in telling you when you'll still figure."

Ja Lia wanted to give up. He knew that he could never play his brother in such manner. He would need to come out clean. No! He would play more games before hitting the deal.

"This is a surface work. Gathering data for now. Like an introduction into the whole thing."

He felt like he had bruised his brothers bone. He knew he could never say anything to object anymore.

"Oh! I see."

Yup! That was it. He couldn't had said more than that. Lia then awaited a response on who the Nymph is. But the face of his brother folded into a thin smirk. He was familiar with that. That meant that he hadn't kowtowed. How invincible his instinct was. He couldn't be too sure though.

His brother spoke again:

"Few metres away from here, there are some men in some huts who offer scrolls for introducing a research work. Name it, no research topic you have is missing there. Like I wonder how possible it is for them to generate so much a data at a go."

Ja Lia laughed. What a crazy brother he had indeed. He would never give in to defeat. He had never and wouldn't start to.

He would have to plead his reply:

"Jimin, you win. Please say."

Jimin stood from the gravestone and took few steps forward. Probably that was to flex his limbs. The remonstrating veins cursed the muscles for obstructing their path. How demeaning that was.

He looked into the Ninny's tomb and turned to Ja Lia again. Probably he was trying to break barriers and understand his fear to be able to tame it.

"Nymphs are beautiful ladies. Extraordinarily beautiful ones."

He started taking dramatic steps towards Ja Lia. Few steps away from him, he halted and continued in akimbo:

"Be sure, this ladies are spiritual and are known for gracefully being blessed with tits and delicate forms. They live majorly in waters, but could live on land too. If they are not in waters, they are in grottos..."

Ja Lia cut in, "What are grottos?"

Jimin looked away. He caught the sight of a lady walking away in the rear of the site. He couldn't be sure if he was seeing clearly. He restored his gaze on Lia and continued:

"These are small caves which are located beside waters. When I mean waters, I mean, lakes, streams, brooks, sometimes rills too."

Ja Lia nodded. He seemed satisfied, but Jimin wasn't.

"They live in woods and in the sea too. And they love sex a lot. When they come in contact with a human, they come with trouble and grace. One could be greater than the other."

He stopped talking. He seemed to be tired. Then he opted for:

"Where is the helmet?"

Ja Lia smiled and mused:

"I left it at home. Will go and bring it."

"From where are you coming?"

"Home?"

Jimin felt like punching his kid bro in the face. What the heck was that. He didn't even know what to say.

"Go and get it."

Ja Lia stood and hastened down the path that led outta the site. Jimin called:

"Wait, let's go together."

He didn't. He wanted to make a flash of himself. Jimin would have to walk-run to catch up with it him or just use his discretion.

He saw the lady again, but couldn't ignore at that time. He should say hello to her.