Hero, Don't Kill The Demon King! Chapter 1: Lives Not Yet Thrown Away

[Balcerzak]

Of course he knew how. Nodding to herself, the only thing that kept a confident smile from spreading across Jade's face for having properly read his background, was the bit of shame that came from slightly butchering his name. So instead of confidence, the bit of grin that actually formed showed more awkward embarrassment than anything. ""Ah, sorry! Do forgive the gaffe with the name, still trying to learn everyone's, and clearly need to work harder at it," she paused a moment here briefly, and patted down her clothes a bit, finishing settling into place the few bits that were still in a slight disarray after her dismount. Then she reached a hand into her pouch and drew out what appeared to be an apple, much like any other, save for the silver color of its rind.

"The 'mares are quite intelligent, I'll have you know. I think they mostly infer judgement of new people based on my temperament and how I interact with them, so if you're not threatening me, or making me angry or upset, you're already off to a good start, but," the zombie held out the apple, presenting it to Agni. "I'm sure if you give her this it'll help cement a good impression. This one is Burnt Umber," she explained, scratching under the nightmare's chin as she did. "But I call her BV for short sometimes. I'll introduce you properly to the other once we've returned to the wagon, and then we can get to work on everything that needs to be done."

Getting caught up in her explanations, and distracted by her feelings for the 'mares, the curiousity about the holy sword had begun to settle into the back of Jade's mind, mostly forgotten.

Edited August 25, 2019 by Balcerzak

[scorri]

Bladen stared at Xal, a small smirk on his face. "You're good at trying to quickly move past a thing, huh? No need to apologize though, I understand needing to find the answers to something." He gave a small shrug. "As for what we were talking about, sort of Requiem, sort of I just wanted to get to know you a bit better. I figured you're one of the only other monsters here that doesn't seem to want to follow every whim of our glorious leader. Since we have at least that much in common, it seemed worth getting to know you a bit better, see what else we have." He paused, hearing the words he just said. "That was probably the worst way I could have said I wanted to learn more about you, huh?"

[Nanami Touko]

So Marina was up for it... The poor girl, she was so tired. Erephis smiled and slowly placed her hands on Marina's shoulders, trying to stabilize her just a bit. "Let me show you, okay?" Pulling her tail along, the lamia placed it in front of the tree Marina had just been leaning against, quickly hoisting Marina up a bit under her arms, before placing her in front of the temporary body pillow. "Get comfortable however you'd like, Marina." Erephis adjusted her glasses a bit, fetching a tome out of her cloak, pressing her upper body against the tree to rest, as the other half of her tail piled under her to 'sit' on. "I'm not going anywhere, so you don't have to worry. Try and get some proper sleep."

[Ursali]

So she was good at rushing ahead? That got a small laugh out of her. "Hah! I wouldn't really call it a good thing. I've been trying to reign myself in more since..." She paused for a moment, then quickly skipped to the next step of the topic. "Anyway, I've clearly still got a lot of work to do if I left you in the dust to ask some questions." She crossed her arms but nodded along with what Bladen was saying. He just wanted to get to know her, huh? Not what she had been expecting when Bladen had approached her, though she shared the sentiment.

 "Yeah, you could have said that a lot better, but I agree with you. Everyone else seems all too eager to follow the Hero around wherever she'll go. It's refreshing to have another person who's not afraid of expressing their doubts, I'll tell you that."If she had been alone in her criticism it would have shaken her already marred conviction. "So what did you want to talk about? I'm not really great at small talk."

[GoldsbroTSG]

Marina wasn't sure how she felt about being lifted the way she had been. It made her feel like she was still a kid. Then again, compared to most of the people here, she was still just a kid, so for now, she could forgive it; she'd have plenty of chances to do some growing up. Eyeing the way Erephis set up for her to sleep, Marina gave a light nod, deciding before she would just set herself down, she took a minute to remove all of her armor pieces, setting them to the side and unclipping her cloak from her back. A courtesy since Erephis had given the girl a place to sleep.

Laying on the lamia's body, she laid her cloak on top of herself. Tattered, filled with small holes, stains she had no idea where from anymore, but it would have to do. She laid there, expecting to fall asleep right away... However, that wasn't the case. Was it fear? Maybe, but she considered her conscienceus a bit as she looked up at Erephis,

"I... I'm sorry I yelled at you, Miss Erephis," She was still frustrated, no doubt, but seeing how nice this woman actually was, Marina couldn't help but feel guilty for it.

Edited August 25, 2019 by Silver Gallade

[Xinnidy]

Jade was a nice change of pace compared to most monsters. She was made of dead flesh... but that didn't stop her from being the most proper soul around there parts. "It is fine, like you said: Still a new name for you to remember."  He did not mind such a gaffe when it came from someone clearly expressing respect, and followed Jade along without a thought.

The Nightmares looked... just as unsettling as he'd expected, but Agni took Jade's words to mind. If she could handle these horses, surely Agni could as well...? "Burnt Umber... easy there, boy..." Taking Jade's advice and apple, Agni offered it to the horse as he approached the horse slowly, but never halting his steps. It seemed Burnt Umber was a bit too eager for that apple, going for a bite that was almost sure to catch Agni's figers as well. With a hushed gasp, Agni managed to back his hand away enough that the steed sank its teeth exclusively on that curious apple. It looked a bit annoyed... nothing a few reassuring brushed couldn't help, yes?

[scorri]

"Mmm, well, I guess I'm always interested to learn more about the different races. We Fallen tend to keep to ourselves, so I don't really know much about dragons. Well, beyond that one was married to the last Demon King. What are your people like?" He leaned against a nearby tree, careful to keep his wings comfortable as he did. "You all have different elements, right? Do you inherit that from your parents or is it just random? It's interesting seeing how different people within the same race can be. Fallen pretty much all have the same set of powers. Black wings, sometimes a small talent for magic, and that's about it. Oh, there are rumors of powers we had in the past, the ability to create things out of nothing, but these days most of the magic we have is more party tricks than true magic."

He had never had much of a talent for that, if he was being honest. There was one time when he'd managed... something, but that had really just been an accident and he didn't like to think about it if he didn't have to. It seemed like the dragons had true magical abilities. And plus this seemed like a slightly less personal topic to pursue, which should hopefully keep him from putting his foot much further into his mouth...

[Nanami Touko]

"You had every right to, Marina." Erephis hushed her with a gentle pet on her hair, gently taking off her own cloak and hoisting it over Marina's tattered one. "Try and get some sleep, little hero. Fixed clothes and a proper bed will greet you tomorrow~ You should be ready for them." The people of Aensbrook didn't have to know who Marina was, not yet. So long as no one found out she was the Hero, then no issues were likely to arise. If they did... They were still just villagers, not even their militia could hold a candle to even Nessraya, let alone everyone else here. Marina had to be protected, until she could prove her resolve to the whole country.

[GoldsbroTSG]

Marina wanted to object, That doesn't make it right, but she was shushed and told to get some sleep. She agreed that sleep was the best plan. Wrapping herself in the second cloak, she felt showered with warmth from the cold night, almost in a state of peace again, despite still feeling a tad frightened of the woman she was laying on. There was a small nod coming from the pile of cloth, "Good night, Miss Erephis," was quietly spoken, before there was total silence from the Hero's spot.

[Balcerzak]

Jade couldn't help but snicker a little, it was almost too funny. Not Agni almost losing his fingers, she trusted BV enough to only nibble there if he hadn't dodged, though that would have been amusing too. "Ahhh, nooo. She's, both her and DV--Deep Vermillion--they're both mares. Girls. 'Easy boy,' really. Ha, okay, sorry that's a little rude of me, but sometimes you just have to laugh."

The nightmare also seemed like it was in on the joke. After Burnt Umber had finished chewing that first bite of silver apple, she curled her lips up, exposing her teeth, and nickered, slight streams of smoke wisping from her nostrils.

Jade turned her back on the pair, making her way to the wagon to pull out some brushes and blankets and things, but continued to explain as she did. "While of course there are stallions, they're extremely temperamental, at least that's what Morwen told me. I've never met any other nightmares but these two, though, so I can't speak from experience, but the way she explained it, they only have two modes: fight and fu...inding mates. You'd never dream of getting them to do anything domestic."

While the zombie was occupied, BV had finished her laughter display, opting next to stick her tongue out and lick Agni on the forehead before lowering her head and nudging her nose repeatedly against his shoulder. Deep Vermillion had also come around, though she was a little more calm, simply swishing her tail expectantly, snorting every once in a while.

When Jade saw this, she laughed again. "Wow, BV is really playful tonight. I guess maybe it's because of all the new faces, we usually don't get much in the way of company. Here, I brought some brushes, and an apple for DV. Which one would you rather work on? I'll take the other."

[Ursali]

A few words immediately sprung to mind at Balden's first question, some less kind than others. "Stubborn," over "protective, powerful..." Xalrei paused then added, almost begrudgingly, "Wise. Though, I might not be the best person to ask, to be honest. Aside from my father, I haven't known other dragons for more than about... four years now? So if we stumble across other dragons on this trip you should ask them, to get a better idea."

Thankfully, his next question was a lot easier to answer; Xalrei had been thoroughly taught about her draconic heritage by her father. "All dragons, and dragonewts too, inherit their elemental magic from their parents. When there's more than one element in the mix the more dominant one gets passed down to the child. There are cases where they clash though, and you get a dragon that's elementally unstable. They can't use their magic properly and their scales don't develop proper magic defense, so all elemental magic hurts them a lot. Aside from different elements though, dragons are all pretty similar. They get stronger as they get older and accumulate more magical power and eventually they can transform into a much stronger and bigger form."

"If you want to see differences, you're better off finding some dragonewts. They take on the traits of their parents as they get older at the cost of being unable to transform as dragons can. Like a dragonewt that was the child of a dragon and a fallen might have wings like yours instead of mine. There are a lot of dragonewts in Zreiya, so I've seen a lot of unique looks. Your, uh, creation magic sounds really cool, too. If you were hungry you could just like magic yourself up a snack, haha."

[scorri]

 An interesting mix of information rather quickly, but it summed up a lot of what he wanted to know. "Sounds like the stories I've heard of them. Powerful, wise creatures that you don't want to get on the wrong side of. The elements thing is interesting though. I mean, I knew about it, but I didn't realize it was possible for that to hurt rather than help, if it can become unstable like that. I wonder if they try to keep from having that happen..." Though love would trump all of that probably, right?

And finally, he had an explanation for the difference between a dragon and a dragonewt. He'd heard the term before, sure, but no one had ever actually explained it to him. The differences in species hadn't exactly been high on the teaching list with his family. After all, Fallen never left their village, so what did it matter? "Oh, huh, so dragonewts are half dragon, half something else then? Interesting. That would make for a mix. Imagine having dragon scales and feathered wings, ha. That'd be a sight." As she switched to the magic he mentioned, he blushed and shook his head. "Oh, no, it's not... It's not like that. Not anymore. Anyone who could do that is long dead as far as we know. It's legends, really. Might not even be true, might just be the sort of bedtime stories Fallen parents tell their children. To give them magical dreams, you know?"

[Xinnidy]

"Oh, a mare, I'm sorry. I did not realize." Well, a gaffe for a gaffe... it was fine, but the Nightmare's playfulness felt a bit disconcerting, what with being a rather... different breed of horse. Agni flinched briefly as it huffed smoke, hardly expected, but he had a sense not to show fear. Animals sensed that, after all. "Well... remind me to never cross paths with a nightmare stallion. So they wouldn't even be used as war horses, huh?" It was a curiosity Agni was almost certain would never be useful in his life, but he kept it in mind nonetheless.

When Jade returned with a choice for Agni to make, he hardly hesitated. "I'll take the brush... is there something special I should keep in mind about that, too?" Just to make sure of any further differences...

[Ursali]

"Yeah, I don't really think the stories are that exaggerated if I'm being honest. My father, if he really wanted to, could do a lot of damage." As much as she didn't like to admit it these days, her father really was impressive. For a lot of different reasons. "From what I've heard, there's a lot of stigma surrounding it. Not because of the actual relationships, but because of the risk of just ruining your child's life because of your different elements. It's considered more irresponsible than anything else." She didn't linger too long on the topic, not wanting to bring down the mood.

She leaned back, her crossed arms dropping to her sides as she let herself relax. "Hmm... But there's always truth in legends somewhere, right? It might just be stories now, but it really could have been the case that your ancestors could do that. I just, think that's really amazing to think about. What it'd be like to see it in action." She hadn't even heard of something like this before. She was sheltered for most of her life, and monsters outside of Zreiya hadn't really made it into her curriculum. "Maybe you're right, and it's just stories, but that's why they're told, right? Because maybe they are true."

[Michelaar]

Confused, but relieved, Gabriela sat down next to where Asami deciced to lay down. "Huh, so you knew about Erephis? Did you let yourself get kidnapped, then?" It was quite something to be able to talk so freely to THE Asami of the Dawn. She was quite famous... or infamous if you'd prefer. Is this... friendship? Gabriela never had friends. She never fit in with the other young sirens. They thought her attitude was that of a spoiled brat who only thought of herself... and they weren't wrong. But to finally have someone she can talk to like this... it made her very happy, like a mother who hears her baby say 'mama' as their first word. Asami seemed very comfortable on the ground, and Gabriela had to admit, it wasn't too terrible laying here. "Hey, Asami.... could you tell me something about yourself? i don't really know much about you.. my employer, I mean."

[Balcerzak]

"War horses..." Jade stopped midmotion, as she was handing Agni a brush. The thought hadn't crossed her mind, honestly. "Sounds like something for only the very brave, or the very dumb. But maybe I'm wrong! If their rider was durable enough... maybe? I'd think the flames would turn off most potential warlords, though... Speaking of which... not that she's likely to, but if BV's mane does light up, just let go of the brush and back away. The bristles come from the pelt of a fire rat, and the handle is ebony, so the brush itself'll be fine. But it'd definitely be uncomfortable to hold, and more importantly, it'd mean you've somehow upset her, and oughta stop and rethink your approach. Just, pretend you're brushing a girlfriend's hair: be gentle, if it snags, don't pull it. The common sense stuff. You'll be fine. I'll take over if you get in a pinch."

Edited August 27, 2019 by Balcerzak

[Nanami Touko]

"Did I let myself? Heavens no! Hahaha~" What a curious thought, letting herself get tossed about by a Lamia... "She managed to surprised me, that was all. I figured Thesephine would do something like this... Tried to get the jump on her, and got jumped on. Oops~" Asami chuckled, amused that the Siren was clinging to her so much, instead of other people in the group. She was even trying to play friendly! It wouldn't get her a raise, but it was nice~ "Something about me? Hmmm... How about, I always tell the truth~ Always." She stuck her tongue out, cackling quietly. "Just kidding~ There's not much to learn about me, Gabriela... Whatever the rumors say... They're probably true~"

---

With terror behind them, for the moment, sleep was able to overtake most all of the group, Lavinia and Jade being the only ones awake and on watch all night long. As morning approached, and the vampire donned her cloak and gauntlets once more, gathering the group together into the zombie's wagon. Aensbrook was a stone's throw away by Nightmare drawn wagon, and despite Erephis weighing the back of it down, they were able to make way towards the village without hassle...

As houses slowly pulled into view, Lavinia sighed, smiling. "Finally... Somewhere pleasant." Aensbrook was far from the rowdy center of commerce that Tepel had become over the years, but it was a direct stop on the main trading route running through Vaia. Thus, it had a decent population, people trading and bartering, multiple places to stay, and its main attraction that even Tepel could not boast: An arena. As the wagon pulled itself into the village, Lavinia hopped off, fixing her gauntlets to make sure they weren't about to part anywhere. The slightly bumpy ride had jostled her armor somewhat.

"Alright, everyone! Welcome to Aensbrook. Jade, I'm going to ask you to come with me to the Old Moon Inn, unless you have much more pressing business. I'd like to register all of us for rooms, and get your horses a place to stay. Once that's settled, please, head there tonight, when you're done spending time around the town, and sign in. The owner will give you a key to your room... It has proper baths, and even a sauna, for those of you that wish to freshen up further. With that said... It's this way, Jade." Lavinia only took a few steps, not wanting to commit Jade to her course, if she had something that needed doing.

Asami also hopped off, clearing her throat. "Alright, everyone! Here!" From within her kimono-- somehow --came several bags of jingling coins, being tossed back into the wagon around the group's feet. "Call it spending money~ Three hundred gold for all of you, and some for Lavinia and Jade as well. You're all free to do whatever, you don't have to accompany Lavinia on her errand~" With a chuckle, Asami turned and headed for the tavern, tail swishing.

Lavinia sighed. "She's right, unfortunately... Marina, I'm going to ask that, if you go anywhere, you stick to someone. If anyone finds out who you are, alone... There could be trouble. There's plenty here, though, so by all means. You can head for the inn to relax, or try the vendors. The tavern is moderately fun, sometimes... And there's always the arena. Whichever pleases you." Lavinia bowed slightly, and turned back towards what she needed to do.

"Oh, hey! Hey, Xalrei!" Taliyah hopped off the back of the wagon, holding up a bright red gem with a smile. "Wanna come sell this with me? I figure we can make a pretty penny off of it, and maybe find a cool sword or something!"

Erephis also, awkwardly, slid herself out of the wagon, carrying the vial Taliyah had given them the other day. "I'll b-be heading towards the library... Or... Well, I suppose it's more of an old friend's house, but everyone here treats it like one. If you need me... It's the house next to the arena." With a small bow of her own, the snake began to slide off, ready to try and figure out what was in this thing.

Edited August 27, 2019 by SnakeMomMelissa

[GoldsbroTSG]

The Princess and the Hero Part I - A Budding Friendship

It had been almost three months already...

Marina woke up all of a sudden one day in a church, being hailed as the Hero of Coteon; summoned from another world to save them from evil. Nerve-wracking, to be sure, and Marina still felt ill prepared for such an arrangement. However, she felt a strong obligation to help despite feeling like not the best choice for someone to be the great savior.

The past few months have been trying for the normally fairly passive, and meek hero. Days would be spent training with the Kingdom knights in swordplay; her time playing high school baseball complimenting her surprising vitality and endurance, or spent in classes being told about the world she had been thrown into. It was tough work, but... she thought it would work out in the end.

In an attempt to go out and possibly meet some new individuals from outside the castle, she was met with an intense amount of sheltering-like protection, claiming to 'keep her safe if the demons attacked'. An admittedly annoying, but fair point. That was when she had a quick audience with King Tyon, she was then told about someone who might be able to help her with some of her... social anxieties.

Princess Tenna Oweyn.

She remembered briefly meeting her alongside Prince Asger when she first arrived; very shy and meek as well, something they definitely had in common. She thought, Maybe we would click pretty well. As well, during her discussion she had been informed of Tenna's... issues. Something heartbreaking to Marina, that also got her admittedly intimidated if things with the princess didn't work out. A story of an assassination on her life, as well as the prince's. A group of monsters attempted to murder the two children only to be saved by their mother, who was slain in the process. After that, despite being on her way to becoming the Saint, had shut herself in her room and left herself to her studies for years...

And here she was, scrounging the halls of the castle in an attempt to find the right room in order to meet the princess. When she found the correct door, she stood in front of it, taking a deep breath,

"Here goes nothing," She gave the door a soft few knocks, "Princess Tenna? Are you there?"

It's better this way. This way I'll be safe. This way I can become stronger. Strong enough to help my Father. Strong enough to not worry my Brother. Strong enough... So that my Mother, wouldn't have had to...

Marina's knock on the door was met with some intense crashing sounds, a yelp, shuffling, and finally, silence. That silence persisted for a good minute, until a voice spoke up... "Wh... Wh-What, do you w, want...?" The shy voice was barely audible, despite the silence surrounding the two... Just how much of a shut in was this princess?

What was that crash? Did the act of Marina knocking on the door spook her that much? Maybe they weren't that much different, all things considered.

There was a moment of pause. Marina didn't really know how to respond. She was so... plain, compared to the princess, at least, that was the anxious part of her talking. It was almost... biting at her to leave, but Marina decided to persevere. She spoke up,

"Um... My name's Marina. The... The Hero? May I... May I come in, ma'am?" She asked, in as polite a tone as possible. Was she busy? Maybe, the king did say she dedicated herself to her studies. That's pretty awesome. I may have to tell her that if she'll let me in.

"... No." A blunt reply, but it did receive a followup. "It's... I-It's a m, mess in h, here... You c-can't come, in..." Her voice was picking up a bit, at least. "What... Do-Does the hero want w, with someone l-like me?"

Marina's face soured once she heard her answer. Then, she was able to elaborate, thanks to her continued words.

"Um... Your da-- father told me about you... I thought maybe... We have some stuff in common, so maybe... We could be friends?" She asked, honestly hoping maybe she'd follow through as well. Then, she had a small though, "Oh! I-I could help you clean, if you'd want some help."

Friends... Tenna shook her head, leaning against the door. "I don't... H-Have time for f... F-Fff-friends... I have to get, st-stronger." She had to study, learn more impressive magic and... And... Even Father is, this worried about me... Is he...

The door slowly opened, the red haired mess in front of Marina hiding her eyes beneath her bangs. Twintails tried their best to support her hair, though it was still shockingly long, passing her waist. A sundress, one of many that Marina would be able to see if she peered past, kept her covered. "Okay... Th-Then..."

Her room was... A mess. There was no kind way to put it. Piles of books and tomes lined the floor, stacked up around a small desk, with a single candle on it, facing a window. Her bed had an unkempt sheet barely attached to it, blanket not much better, wrinkled and rolled up in the corner, several pillows scattered about the mattress... And her clothes were, just... Everywhere. All over the floor, was there any floor left? A dresser stood in the corner, several shelves open, with more clothes hanging off of them or spilling out.

Marina heard the girl's desire to be stronger. If she's been doing this for four years, and still strives, either she was making little progress, or she has to be mega powerful. Either way, Marina was impressed by her dedication.

Suddenly, the door opened and she... never mind, she couldn't see her eyes. Poor girl. Marina gave a bow, taking a step in, gazing the room around her. She was appalled.

Oh wow, and she gave a small laugh. "W-wow, I remember when my room used to look like this," she answered, turning back to Tenna, giving a warm smile, "It's alright Princess. This'll be an easy fix, no problem. It'll take a bit, but I'm sure this room will be spotless in no time." Where did all of this charisma come from?

"You... D-Don't, have to sugar c-c... C-Co... Coat... Things..." This was the first time someone had stepped into her room, this month... Her Father ordered the maids to break in and attempt to clean things up every once in a while, but... They were always professional, they never tried to talk to her, some were even disgusted with how she lived... It's not my fault... They don't... They don't understand.

"If... If y-you, say so, miss Hero."

"Sugarcoat?" The hero had asked in that sudden cheerful tone she had. "Not at all, my poor parents had to put up with me every time a new comic series came out." She started pulling out all the loose clothes, figuring out where everything went in the wardrobe, either carefully folding or hanging things in a manner she saw fit, or setting anything she found dirty to the side.

"I've never had to do anything amazing like learn magics, but... I loved my hobbies. Unfortunately, I was good at always taking out everything I wanted to read, watch, or work on, then just... never put it away," She gave a small chuckle, "Then my parents stopped cleaning my room for me. That was maybe... I think I was eleven?" Marina was reminded how it had only been a month before coming here that she had turned seventeen.

There was a momentary pause in her clothes-folding, "I wonder how they're doing...? O-oh," then she was reminded, "Sorry, milady. I... I was told about your mother. I'm so sorry." She tried apologizing, deciding to return back to the clothes folding.

"Don't... C-Call me, milady." Tenna sad down on her bed, slowly brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Just... C... Call me T-Tenna. I'll... Stop, c-calling you, h, hero.. If you... y... y-you, do." Why was she told about her mother? I guess it doesn't matter...

"Please, d-don't... Pity me." A frown her settled onto her face. "Everyone... S-Says... 'Oh, how, s-sad for the pr... p-prin, cess, she must, be s-so, upset'... No one, e-expects, me to do, do anything. I'm so... So sick, of everyone j-just..." Tenna ended up holding herself, trying to calm herself down, gritting her teeth and letting the moment pass.

"Sorry... Thank y-you, for... The, help."

As she folded, she listened to her words. Marina didn't answer just yet, she had an idea of how Tenna would be feeling, so she gave her a second. A couple of minutes passed, and Marina was able to close the wardrobe perfectly, the floor clothes free with the exception of the dirty clothes. She walked over, "I hope it's alright if I may sit,"

She took a seat next to Tenna, deciding... No wait, Marina we didn't want to do that! and she wrapped her arms around her, "I'm not pitying you, I... I have no idea..." She couldn't continue, instead, she tried another approach, "I... I think you're pretty cool. You must put in so much work to be the Saint. We don't have magic where I'm from, and seeing how others use it, I'm amazed with how much work goes into it."

Then, Marina pulled herself out of the hug, the shut in probably not wanting the hug, knowing how shut ins are, "S-Sorry if I... overstepped. I'll... I'll just leave now if you want me to."

A hug? She hadn't been hugged in a long time, now... It felt weird, she didn't like it. Who was this girl, anyway? I just said, don't pity me! You, how dare you, just...? The follow up, though... "I... I see..." Praise... Huh... It didn't feel that bad. It felt pretty nice. Yeah, the hug had been so very unwarranted. Still... People, didn't really see her hard work. They just said 'I'm sorry', hugged her, patted her head, and left. No one noticed how hard she was trying, to master her magic, to follow her duties...

"You c-can, stay... Marina." A handle gently took hold of Marina's shirt, looking away, trying to hold her there. "I... Th-Thank you, for... Noticing. My... M-My, work..."

Marina had been ready to get up and walk out until her sudden reply, and her hand on her shirt. She... did it? The girl gave a warm smile again, "Thank you... Tenna" She nodded, trying to figure out how she felt referring to the the princess so casually. Soon enough, Marina patted her hand in an attempt to give an action to let go, knowing she wasn't looking.

"Of course. I'm happy I get to fight for someone so dedicated." She looked around the room again, still plenty of things needed to be done,

"If you'd like, I can tell you more about my world. I'll... I'll be stuck here a bit, yeah?" followed with a laugh, referencing that her room was still dirty, Marina's expression still gleaming as she tried ever so hard to help the princess.

"Mmm..." Tenna let her go and shrunk back onto the bed, unsure of what to say... Marina seemed to know exactly what to say though. "S... Sure. Go ahead... I, I still c-can't believe, That. That... There's a-another, world." There had to be, though. Marina knew so many weird things, things that never exists here on Xensat. She had to have come from somewhere else. It only made sense, no matter how fantastical it was.

"Th... Thank you, Marina." Tenna finally pulled her head up, trying to smile, and failing to do so, but she was glad she'd tried. "I don't... H-Have, any f, friends..." Unsurprising, to most. "So... I... Th-Thank you, fo-for, uhm... Y... Y-Yeah..."

Standing back up, she looked at her next objective. This... stack... and another stack... and another... aaaaaand another. Six stacks of books. All of them looked... very heavy. Looking around, no bookshelf to be seen.

"...Oh no we're gonna have to carry those aren't we?" She shook her head. She was determined. Ready to make this the nicest room in the kingdom. "Easy. This'll be my workout for today." And before starting, she did make sure to address Tenna's comment about her lack of friends,

"Me too, actually. Not having friends, I mean. I always kept to myself. Even back home when I played sports for my high school, I didn't really interact with anyone after games were over. I just had... well, mom, dad and me." Marina gave a smile, "I guess I should be thanking you too, huh?"

Now, to get to these books... what was heavier? She could take down what she could, and stack them into categories from heavy to... super heavy. She could hold how many...? Well, she'd find out once the actual carrying part started. As well, what could she tell Tenna about, "Tell me about something you like, I'll figure out something that'll catch your ears."

"Oh, uhm... M-Marina, leave the books." Tenna almost got up, holding a hand out, before sitting back down. "I... I-I don't know wh-which ones, I've, f, fin, ished... Yet. I only n-notice when I s, start, reading them, and, remember r-reading the words, before. So, S-So, just... uhm... I'll, d-deal with, those... Okay?" Hopefully, that was okay.

"As for... What I l-like..." What did she like? "Uhm... I, I don't know..."

"You can remember what books you've read just by looking at the words? That's... amazing! I wish I could do that," She exclaimed, but she still kept her eyes on the shelf. She thought, "At least... could I straighten them out, in alphabetical order, or... something?" It really did itch at her that the books were in no particular order. That thought however, led to an idea,

"Do you like reading... like fiction, at all? Stories, I guess?" Reading books would've meant slightly less in her world, it wasn't like there were movies, or comics, or video games. Maybe she could lead into that depending on her answer...

"I-It's r, really not that, amazing..." Tenna ended up blushing, it was hard for her to hear praise all of a sudden. Wasn't it just weird? Not amazing? It's not amazing, it's, just... Something I can do... "Uhm... F-Fiction?" Oh, like, legends, myths. "Y... Yeah. Sometimes." Tenna smiled, for a moment. "I... R-Really, enjoy silly things, l, like... Like, the brave kn-knight, coming in to, save... S-Save the Princess. Consi-sidering, my, position... It's really f-funny."

And sad. The smile left, Tenna shrinking back again. "I don't th-think I'll ever, ge-get a brave knight, though."

"Good, that actually works, I have som--" She was interrupted by the comment on her feelings. Marina turned to her, giving a small frown. "Oh, Tenna, don't say that..."

What could she say? Marina knew nothing of stuff like that. She was a city girl from her own world, vastly different from the one she was in now. It was a bizarre situation. Maybe...

"Maybe one day, I'll get to be your brave knight? How does that sound?"

She'd get to be her brave knight? That was a pretty mean joke. After all...

"Sorry, M-Marina..." Tenna put on her best fake smile, looking over at Marina. "That's impossible."

Marina was admittedly confused, it even showed in her face. She tilted her head, reading Tenna's smile easy. She's seen her real smile. This wasn't it.

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Tenna?"

"Don't w-worry about it, Marina... Uhm, i-if I have to get off the bed, f, for, for the sheets, just llllet, me know when, o-okay?" Tenna wasn't going to talk about it. What Marina's future was, and how things were already set. Besides, they'd just met. Entertaining that kind of joke would get her nowhere...

"Oh, alright." She still wasn't sure what she meant, but she just wrote it off, maybe Tenna would talk about it when they'd spent some more time together. If not... It's fine. She was happy she made a friend like Tenna. Marina at least gave a friendly smile to princess.

"That all depends. It would make things easier for the dirty stuff, but... how long has it been since your sheets have been changed? If not too long, we can leave them. If it's been a while, I know a trick to making carrying dirty clothes super easy."

"About... Two, weeks a-ago... So, it, sh... Sh-shhould, be fine. Probably..." There was... Nothing left, then. Marina would head on out, and she'd go back to studying. It was a nice diversion, at least...

"Two weeks, fine? Nono, come on," She gently took Tenna's hands, gently lifting her out of her bed. "It should be weekly. Gotta be as fresh as possible, cause the longer you lay in it, it gets more gross and stuff. You want to have a nice, clean bed as much as possible." Moving Tenna to the side, she pulled the sheet off the bed, laying it on the floor.

Going over to the pile of dirty clothes, she stacked up everything as neatly as she could. Then, going back to the bed, she took off the pillowcases, and the blanket, playing them on the pile. With a bit of a struggle, she was able to lift the sheet up, tying the corners together at the top. Now, all her dirty clothes were in one, giant sack.

Marina tested the weight, lifting the sack with a good amount of struggle. "O-Okay. Now, s-show me where this goes..."

"Wha..." Really? That was too long? Tenna was rather surprised to hear that... And Marina wasn't stopping at just that, grabbing everything up together, finally hoisting it. Wasn't it heavy? Why was she going this far? "I... I don't kn-know where it, g-goes... You... Sh-Should ask, one of the m, maids..." Tenna sat back down on her sheetless bed, staring at Marina. "Th... Thank you, for... C-Coming by, today."

"Huh?" The princess just was gonna sit there while Marina took care of all of this? "Nonono, you're coming with me. That way you'll know where it is too." She would've went to get Tenna back up again, but she already had the sack in her hands, and she refused to put the thing down. "You gotta be able to do this one day, too." She smiled. "Pleaaaase?"

Marina was nice... But it was too much, finally. "Y-You, mean well, M, Marina, but... not, th-this time... Thank you." She shook her head, she wasn't going to follow her... Maybe next time, but, it was too much. Too much to do without being ready..."Maybe n-next, time."

And the Hero just decided to nod. She understood, "Okay, no problem. It was nice, Tenna. I'm glad I got to meet you," She walked over to the door, getting it open with her free arm. Barely getting the bag out, she turned around again, "If you ever want someone to talk to... It gets lonely being at the castle when they're not having me train, or in class. Bye..." She noticed people around as she stood outside. Marina gave a wink, "'Princess'." And she closed the door, going off to find a maid to figure out where she's going...

"H-Hey! It's... J-Just, Tenna." She was gone, then... It was so nice to speak to someone, someone that didn't just belittle her, or pity her. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed this... Managing to smile, Tenna went over to her desk, opening a book to read. "I'll m-make sure to, t, talk to you, later... Hero."

•  

[GoldsbroTSG]

"T-Tenna..." was mumbled, as Marina found her way back to consciousness. How long had she been out? She felt surprisingly rested again, looking up and remembering why. Erephis, who had attacked her, and then almost immediately gave her a place to sleep for the night. She's still asleep... I gotta remember to thank her later, Marina did what she could to slowly, and quietly remove herself from the lamia's body. Taking off Erephis' cloak, she laid it on the same spot where she had slept. Maybe Marina was warm in that spot, best to try and mimic it. Gathering her belongings, she made her way back to her tent. She had her things she had to pack up.

Returning to her tent, and opening it up, she noticed something... surprising. And almost relieving. A stack of folded clothes laying on her bed. Really nice looking clothes, as it seemed. Taking the note, and reading the letter, it was a gift from Jade. Well, gift was generous. More of, a small loan. In any case, Marina was almost teary-eyed at the sight. In some way, Marina could at least feel slightly normal again, remove a bit of what made her feel so awful, gross, etc. Who was in here? Agni? Hope I don't wake him. She took the clothes, and left the tent quietly, and running around behind it, providing at least ample cover from the rest of the camp for her to change.

Hope nobody's spying on me anywhere... And within minutes, Marina was all out of her old garb, wearing these surprisingly nice new clothes. A little bit big, but it didn't bother her. It aired out everything. Then came the next thought, what to do with her 'Hero Garb', as Asger and Carlon referred to it. Honestly, to her, any chance her identity would be revealed to the Vaian populace would be a terrible idea, but... the clothes were essentially a part of her. She wasn't sure if she'd ever wear them again, but she decided she'd at least keep them as a memory.

Try not to hate what you used to be, rather, try and love what you want to become.

"That's not me, anymore," She quietly told herself, folding the garb all nice and into a stack, wrapping it all together with her cloak. Today will truly be the start of a new, better Marina Fairchild.

 

The ride in the wagon was nice, because it gave Marina time to work on a thought she had the day before. She sat in the back, focused on a notebook she had in her pouch. A quick glance would be a lot of words scratched out over and over again. The poor girl couldn't think of anything that would work as a decent cover for her identity. Suddenly, a metaphorical light bulb went off in her head, a small "Aha," escaping as she wrote.

Cianna Katarn
On a pilgrimage by the goddess, helping heal a ruined Vaia in wake of the Hero's sudden disappearance

Marina-- er, Cianna would get someone to proofread, and help go more in depth, but for now she thought it'd work. As long as no one asked for details. She shook her head, trying to remove any doubt she had, as she took some time now to really eye the clothes Jade had given her. These were extremely nice for someone like her. Even at the castle, she never wore anything like this... Marina almost felt guilty wearing them. She'd have to find something to replace these and return them to Jade as soon as possible.

Now focusing on Lavinia's talk, she was suddenly thrown a bag of money; the first time she ever had to handle money here, too. She had to be careful, be stingy if she had to. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any need. Unfortunately, there was the main issue she was going to have. You stick to someone. Marina saw this coming, and knew she'd probably have to, but a sigh still couldn't help but escape from her lips. She nodded, "I understand. Thank you," The unfortunate part was that she was definitely going to either buddy up with Lavinia or Agni. Xalrei and Bladen were pretty much one-hundred percent out of the question, she didn't know Taliyah at all, Jade was already going with Lavinia, and she knew Agni would still be breathing down her neck if she tried going anywhere with Nessraya, Gabriela or Asami (Though going anywhere with Asami wasn't a thought to begin with). One hell of an unfortunate situation. She leaned back in the wagon, Maybe just laying back and not doing anything would do wonders today, anyway.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Silver Gallade

[Ether]

Aensbrook...  Nessraya could only hope that they could avoid any unwanted surprises for this leg of their journey, but based on prior events that seemed... unlikely. Oh well, they would need make the best of what came, there was little else they could do. Speaking of things to do... where to begin, in their little rest stop? There were a few options... make some spending money at the local arena, peruse the shops, try to snag a catch to play around with... Asami had obliged her after their lamia debacle, but the kitsune had been tired and quite... well less pillow princess and more pillow queen. Nessraya didn't mind playing into that sort of thing, but given the circumstance, she had been hoping for a bit more... Asami was always like that, though.

But to look at their little group again, or prowl the town? There was always trying for a round two with Marina... that would right piss off Agni, which at the moment was a positive in her books... the hero even had a new outfit on. Sure, let's give that a try. Floating over to her, Nessraya's eye was drawn to a little notebook she was carrying... Cianna Katarn? Ah, that was actually rather smart, if lacking in execution.

"What a cute outfit... Cianna~" Nessraya greeted, pressing her chin against Marina's neck, and lips against her ear, as she uttered a quiet whisper.

"Although an alias works a bit better if you tell your companions about it first~"

[Ursali]

While Aensbrook was likely a welcome sight for many of the group, Xalrei felt nothing but dread as they rolled into the bustling village. If Erephis wasn't lying --she probably wasn't, with her current personality-- then Laselia was lurking around here somewhere, lying in wait for her. If she was caught, she'd likely be on a one-way trip back to Zreiya. She couldn't let that happen. Though, that was easier said than done; evading a master assassin in such a small area was nigh impossible. Still, she wasn't going to just give herself up. If she could just get to her room without being spotted, she could just hole up until it was time to leave...

Xalrei surveyed surroundings as she disembarked from the wagon, ready to bolt at the first sign of Laselia. However, before she could get much more than a glance, Taliyah called out to her, demanding her attention. "Ah!? Taliyah?" From what little she'd gotten to see, Laselia wasn't out in the open, at least. "Go with you? I, er..." Right now she just wanted to go hide, but, somehow, she didn't want to refuse the girl smiling up at her more. And, as much as she didn't want to admit it, Laselia knew her well enough to know what she'd try to do. Maybe going with was the right call?

"Sure, I'll tag along with you for a bit. And after we do that, we could get a bite to eat or something, yeah?"

[Nanami Touko]

"You will...? Really!?" Taliyah's smile was brighter than the sun, pumping a fist into the air and nearly losing her balance, her tail catching her from falling. "This is the best!" Unafraid to show her jubilation, this much gave her the confidence to pry just a little further. "Oh, uh... Marina! Do you wanna come with us too?" She couldn't really see what was happening in the wagon, but there was no way she was getting in the way of anything... Right? "Maybe if we find a cool sword, you can use it! Since, uh... Neither me or Xalrei really can. Oops, haha~"

[GoldsbroTSG]

Spooked again by Nessraya's sudden intrusion, she replied with a light laugh, "O-oh right, uh... thanks. Jade got them for me," as well as a blush as she hid her face in embarrassment. "Sorry, I uh... just came up with the name. I hadn't told anyone yet," As she gently removed herself from Nessraya. "I uh..." she gave a whisper, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten your offer," She'd love some time 'rejuvinating', but she heard the chance to get to explore. Also at least some time to mention it to Agni... She shook the doubtful thought as she thought back to Taliyah, Maybe... Taliyah would prove to be a fun person to hang out wi-- and her thought was cut short when she saw who was with her.

Every point so far that she's had to have any sort of interaction with Xalrei has led to... dismissal, unfortunately. Even more unfortunate would be if the time they'd have stuck together would lead them into something like arguing... or worse. Leaping off the wagon, Marina gave the best smile she could, "I'd uh... I'd love to, as long as... well, if Xalrei's okay with me staying with you." Oh right! The cover! "Oh um, and who is this 'Marina' you speak of...? M-My name's... Cianna~" She tried to playfully mention her alias, but fumbled in her attempt to be jokey.

Edited August 28, 2019 by Silver Gallade

[Ether]

"Well I would be concerned if you had forgotten already~" Nessraya teased, unable to hold back a chuckle at the exchange between Taliyah and Marina... amusing as it was, she only hoped the sloppy execution didn't mean that her identity got out... she wanted more than anything for Aensbrook to remain peaceful. Granted, if they went out as a little group containing both a human and a half-lizard, well...

"I think that sounds like a lovely idea, Taliyah. You wouldn't be fussed were I to tag along, would you~?"

[Michelaar]

Gabriela was more than happy to receive some pocket money to spend, and she wasn't going to let this opportunity to unwind have some fun. Perhaps this too was a good chance to bond with some of her allies. She saw how Marina was once again a bit flustered, and it seemed like she was going to hang out with Xalrei and Taliyah, if she succeeded in convincing Xalrei, at least. So, instead, she lept towards Nessraya.

"Hey, Nessie, how are you today? Do you wish to spend some time together?" She approached Nessraya in her usual cheerful tone, hoping that she would enjoy spending time together. Nessraya always seemed like a nice general, it would not hurt getting to know her.