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


Nanami Touko
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Ayane made her way to the exit, but managed to stay in the hall to watch Taliyah's battles. Her movement was quite good, about as quick footed as her. Her blows were quite precise as well. Though sadly when the elven warrior stepped out none of it mattered, it was over in a few short moments. Clearly this man was first class. Despite that, she was impressed by Taliyah's performance. Xalrei had rushed out to her friend's side, but not before Ayane returned the wave at least. "Hm..." She watched her tend to her friend, just for a moment though. She turned to leave. 'Good battles...but I must be off on my mission.' The oni girl had left the arena after she collected her earnings, it was sure to help her push forward on her journey. However before she continued on her way she noticed something from the corner of her eye: Nessraya. The woman those two girls called general was it? Well there she was, approaching a pair of interesting individuals. One of which wore an outfit that seemed familiar to Ayane, and those ears...kitsune? "...." She stopped for a moment and let her eyes gaze at the woman curiously, studying her. Was she from her homeland as well?

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On her way out of the arena, Nessraya was quickly called upon, and looking towards the source of the voice, it appeared to be Asami, dragging Bladen along. So she had decided to cling to that one, had she? Well, the question was simple enough to answer at any rate.

"I am looking for our more... vulnerable companions. As luck would have it, Marina and Agni have ended up together and away from the rest of us, in the middle of a Vaian town... I'm hoping to find them before something regrettable can happen."

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General Nessraya was truly kind, boy was she lucky to be working with someone like that. Gabriela felt bad to have worried her, but it seems that Nessraya didn't think much of it. Nessraya suggested to, perhaps, fight a few rounds in the arena, huh? Hmm, that doesn't seem like the best idea. Gabriela was never really a fighter, and even if she was, the people that were in the arena weren't exactly people who she wanted to hang out with in her spare time. Then again, hanging out here in the hall isn't exactly something she was looking forward to either. That's when she realized: her money is still in Marina's hands! She couldn't even fight if she wanted to! At least looking was free... 

Stepping further and looking in, she saw a woman pass by on her way out, but saw no one on the battlefield. Maybe there were people in the waiting room? As Gabriela went inside, she saw Taliyah passed out, with her head on Xalrei's lap. Gabriela couldn't help but feel spooked by the sight of one of her allies passed out. "Oh goodness! Is everything alright? What happened?" Gabriela worried, but stood a safe distance from Xalrei, waiitng for a response.

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Hmm, she hadn't raised to his tame fox comment as much as she had the last time. He'd have to find a new tease then, if this one had stopped working. No matter. "Well, you seem to fight well enough in our fights. As for cheering me on..." He sighed. "Well, it's just the way I was taught. Fighting for money... I should raise my blade for training or for life or death combat. One could probably argue that the arena is training of sorts, but to me I can't help but see it as fighting for sport. Sorry to have dashed your hopes."

He was saved from a potential dangerous teasing by the arrival of the general, with news that she was looking for the misfits of the group, the two most vulnerable in a situation like this. Why did it somehow not surprise him that the two humans were managing to cause trouble already? Didn't they realize how dangerous it was for them to be around here? He shook his head, looking around just in case they were lucky enough to stumble into the area and instead spotted an unusual figure. She looked almost human, until you noticed the horns. Her style of clothing and armor were completely foreign to him, but that didn't necessarily mean much. With how isolated the Fallen were from the outside world, for all he knew this could just be a new fad. Still though, she stood out enough to keep his attention on her and away from the conversation between Asami and the General. He gave her a small nod, wondering if she would even noticed since she seemed more interested in the his companion than in him.

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Jade blushed again at Lavinia's further teasing, picking on her sloppy choice of wording. Sitting up, hunching forward a little, she turned her head over her shoulder and looked back at the vampire. "I... when I said. I meant... Haaa," exhausted sigh. "I just meant the feeding thing, not the bathing thing.  And you were the one worried about the humans getting the wrong ideas in the first place! So, night seemed... natural." Why was she so weak to the archer's cruel jokes any way, she wondered briefly.

But Lavinia was right about one thing at least. "Mmm, you have at least one good point, though," Jade stopped craning her neck for a backward view, faced front, and slowly stood, exitting the bath. "We probably were getting close to the limit there." She walked over to the towels, grabbed one, and began drying her hair, listening to anything the vampire might say back. As for her evening plans...

"I'll definitely accompany you. Now that playtime is over, it's only right to get back to business. I'll help out with the restocking, show you what skills I do have, and then... that will be the right time for us to negotiate what it's worth to you to keep me along. I'm sure we'll settle upon an agreement that works for all parties," a slight smirk finally found its way across the zombie's face, as she looked forward to situations she felt she'd have the upper hand in, for a change.

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Taliyah started to stir as Gabriela came into the waiting area, blinking several times as she tried to remember where she was. "Wha... Happened... Wh, X-Xalrei?" Wait, I'm on her lap-- A rather flushed face followed, as she sprang up, caught herself on her hands and knees on the floor, and swiftly rose up... Only to groan, and fall back against the nearby wall, clutching her head. "I... Guess, I lost, then?" Only thing that could explain why she was here now, instead of still out there... And why she had a splitting headache. "Ah, s-sorry. Didn't really, put on enough of a show, did I? An', hi, Gabriela. Watch out for the guy with the big sword. Heh... I'm gonna need some water, and a lot of rest..." Why'd Xalrei put me there, anyway? I don't... I shouldn't, get that close to her...


"Not one for sports, are you... I'm a bit surprised, but it's not a terrible way to think~" Nessraya had taken her waved invitation, though the knowledge she bestowed wasn't exactly pleasant. "Best find them, then, before..." That was when Asami noticed their new 'friend', staring at them. Her eyes went wide for a moment, before shaking her head a bit, and grabbing Bladen's arm tightly. "L-Let's go and find that food you were interested in, Bladen! I'm sure there's something nice in a tourist town like this, yes. Perhaps the tavern!" She was definitely trying to hurry, now...


"Ahahah, hahaha~!" Adorable! Lavinia couldn't help her laughter as they picked themselves out of the tub, heading to the other room to grab her own towel. "What a delight you are, Jade! Of course, of course, show me what you can do. Ahhh, I've missed fun like this... I know the gravity of our situation, but I must say, I revel in small moments like this." Hopefully Jade was fine with being chuckled at, she was certainly deserving of it, but she seemed about as human as she wished she was when it came to teasing. Perhaps going too far would cross a line. "Do reprimand me if I'm having too much fun, at your expense... I simply can't help it~"

Joy reestablished in her day, Lavinia went after her hair next, thinking about the stops they'd need to make. The armory was a must, extra copies of weapons would be a necessity in the fights to come. Having a sword snap or a bowstring break on them would be the absolute worst situation. "Hmmm..." After that was clothes and necessities, perhaps several salves of vulnerary. Her wounds would heal if given time to, but the humans and other monsters wouldn't. Another heal staff wouldn't hurt, either... Perhaps something stronger? She hadn't quite tested her hand at better implements yet.

"I'm sure the town has some odds and curious items, as well..." She wasn't quite speaking to Jade, though it was loud enough for her to hear. "Alright. I have my plan set." Her hair was still definitely wet at the ends, but that could dry off in the subtle breeze of spring. Having dried herself as best as she could, clothes were first, and her massive pile of armor would follow. "I hope you're up for haggling several different people, Jade. Show me a good time~"

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She noticed the girl tense up just from locking eyes with her. How curious. Not only was she dressed like she was from Izuna she also seemed to know Ayane. Or at the very least she knew what she was. She had no leads so far, it was very frustrating. Even if it was just a small one she refused to let it get away. So... "A moment please." She stepped up to Asami and Bladen's group with a cleared voice and a polite tone. "I don't mean to interrupt whatever you have here, I was simply curious. You see I'm not from around these lands, there's a lot of different kinds of people I have only recently met during my time here." She kept her eye on Asami. "However you seem to dress as though you are from my homeland. May I ask where you are from miss?"

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That was... Unexpected. It was clear Asami knew something about the stranger watching them. Either that or there was something Bladen had missed, a thought he couldn't discard. Asami was better at that sort of thing... But no. When the stranger approached, asking about clothes, it had to be her that had spooked the kitsune. Interesting. A connection to a homeland perhaps then? Or a part of her past she didn't want brought up... Either way, it was interesting. And worrying.

He gently rested a hand on Asami's arm and smiled at her. "Well now, there's no harm in answering a few questions before we get food, is there? Perhaps in exchange, you would answer a question or two as well? I can't say I've ever seen anyone like you, which would make sense if you're from far away... Could you tell us a bit more about yourself?" She was being polite, he would be polite back. But not relaxed. If she had Asami spooked, he wasn't going to take that lightly. He kept his hand away from his sword for now, not wanting to provoke a reaction, but he was ready for this to turn ugly if there was more to all of this than simple curiosity.

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"She just got knocked out in the arena," Xalrei assured the siren. No sooner than she'd spoken Taliyah was already starting to stir, much to the dragon's relief. As the lizardgirl sprung up Xalrei was already rising to catch her, but she managed to cat herself, at least. Now she was just standing with her arms crossed. "Hey! Be careful, Taliyah. The healers patched you up, but you still got knocked on the head pretty hard. Take it easy, okay?" Honestly, she should've just stayed on her lap if she was just going to get up and hurt herself.

"Stop that." She was tempted to flick her nose, but it probably wouldn't work out so well with her claws. "You did fine. I mean, you probably shouldn't have tried your luck against Puff, but other than that you put up a good fight. You're a lot lighter on your feet than me, so it was cool to see you dashing around the arena."

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Gabriela couldn't help but let out a sigh. This is precisely why she had no intention of fighting in the arena. Looking at Taliyah so wounded only fortified that idea in her mind. Xalrei seemed awfully calm about all this, and Gabriela didn't really like that. "Knocked out? And she needs rest? How long is that going to take? I hope she recovers before we have to leave again." Gabriela clearly looked a bit worried. "Is it not better to take her to someplace more quiet?" That's when Gabriela stopped talking. Worrying over Taliyah's safety like a mother was unnecessary and a role that Xalrei already seems to be fulfilling. Funny, Gabriela didn't expect Xalrei to have a side like this, she sat down near Xalrei and Taliyah and waited there, wondering about what to do next.

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"You're lucky I have things to do, Asami. It's rare to see you vulnerable... especially at another's hands. Be careful around this one by the way... she jumped into the arena to challenge Xalrei when she was finished her fighting... something about aching blood?" Nessraya noted, giggling slightly. Ayane was... interesting, but she didn't seem harmful so far. Between Asami and Bladen, as well as any interloping townsfolk, there shouldn't be any danger for those two. Now for the other two... where to look? Floating away from the little congregation towards the clothing store, since that was the obvious first direction to check, the General scanned the area hoping to come across Marina and Agni before trouble did...

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Asami sighed and grumbled. Bladen wasn't playing along with her escape plan, and Nessraya had left them, for... Admittedly it was a moderately important reason, but now she was somewhat trapped. Of course, she could just run, but that would upset Bladen, and wouldn't stop her being followed for questions. "Why is there an Oni here...?" she muttered, slowly freeing her arm from the Fallen to fold it alongside her other under her chest. "No, you may not. Instead, you can tell me why an Oni from Nanbu is here... Are you working for Ouka? Is she here? Tell me she isn't, we've got enough nonsense to deal with. And prepare yourself..." A shuriken slid into her hand, gently glinting into Ayane's view. "If you give me an answer I don't like, it'll mean your life."


"I-I'll be alright, Gabriela... Promise. Just, will need to relax, prolly drink way too much water..." Xalrei wasn't upset at her performance? Really? That was a bit of a surprise, all things considered. She hadn't even gotten halfway into the gauntlet... "W-Well, thanks... Uhm... O, Oh, Gabriela, so are, you gonna try?" Swiftly changing the subject, Taliyah smiled at her. "Try your best if you are. The enemies here are pretty tough, but... Well, you've got light magic on your side. You should be pretty alright." Ducking her head a bit and heading for the exit, Taliyah kept her claw against her head to try and cover up the slight blush Xalrei had ended up giving her.

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Her gaze turned to the man, a rather handsome red haired man with...wings on the back? They were so small though, Decoration? Either way he was quite nice, and polite. He also seemed to keep the girl here, which was perfect. This one also seemed to know Nessraya, the general succubus from before. She simply gave a nod to her as she left. How big was this group she wondered. She didn't have much time to ponder that, Asami had come up with her response. A rather bold one. She knew words familiar to Ayane right off the bat: Oni, Nanbu, and... "...Ouka you say?" Her eyes narrowed and they almost flickered into full red. But they went back to normal quickly. "My name is Ayane Kusanagi, and no I do not work for that damned witch. In fact I have come to take her head clean off her drunken body as repayment for this curse she laid upon me." She balled a fist as she spoke out, her tone was a little intense.

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That... had been a surprising question from Marina. It came as an explanation as to why she felt uncomfortable to ask to begin with, and why she had to drag him to this corner of a room to speak of it. If Thesephine had little faith of her in the end, what of the church? It was rather loaded... 

Agni placed a hand on her shoulder.

One last glance to his surroundings to make sure they were not followed by some curious soul...

"Marina is the Hero." He affirmed, "There is no other way to look at it. You hold Myrithali, you hold the power to shape this land unlike most, it is not chance that you are here, and if the church were to revoke your status as hero --that's blasphemy, defilement of their own holy ritual!" At these words, Agni almost worked himself up a bit, but gave it pause as he caught himself, with a flinch. It wouldn't do to get loud here...

"Still, my orders were clear. To guide Marina Fairchild. Even if there were --political shenanigans or not-- a decision to bring in another hero, I'd be protecting you, because that is my mission." He stepped back, to give Marina some space after he said his piece, "But also, because they would be wrong."

For what it was worth, Agni's conviction, borne of faith, led him to believe Marina to be the true hero, and a replacement to be unthinkable.

When you have the messiah in front of you, and the church turns agains the messiah, a man truly pious to the scriptures would turn to protect the messiah.

Edited by Xinnidy
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Fighting in the arena? Definitely not. We hardly need a second person needing rest for the unforseeable future. Especially since she was a mercenary now, being seriously injured could cost her her job. "Oh, i'm not much of a fighter." Gabriela gave a little smile to Taliyah. "Besides, it's not like I have any money with me. I left it all with Cianna, so I couldn't fight even if I wanted to. A delicate maiden like me has no place on the front lines either way, can you imagine what that battle would do to my wings? I'd have to spend hours to make them beautiful again! Besides, if some strong enemy that I would have no hope of defeating approached me, I would, instinctively, hypnotize them with my song, which Lavinia forbade me. No, it would just be trouble." 

That last part may have been exaggerated a little bit, but anything to keep her off the battlefield. She was content with sitting here with Xalrei and Taliyah, waiting on Nessraya's return.

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Marina listened intently. This... wasn't an answer she expected. But, it filled her with a sort of reassurance if Agni still believed in her. But now, her thoughts ran all over the place. Was she wrong about not trusting him? Was she wrong for subconsciously pushing him away? She wasn't sure what to think. Even then, there was the other thing she was told.

Despite everything, Marina was still here, and she's the one who was chosen to be a hero. What she did with that title was up to her. She wasn't just 'The Hero of Coteon'. Maybe Agni understood that. More than even her. And here she was, continuing to doubt herself in front of the one human who she could confirm still believed in her.

"I..." What was her response to all this? "T-Thank you Agni. I'm... I'm so sorry. You're here because of me. You're here to protect me, and all I've done is step on your toes." She sniffled, but she held back the idea of crying again; this wasn't the time to do this again. "I want to be better, stronger, I do. I'm just..." She paused, "I'm scared. I wanted to help Vaia, and Thesephine didn't believe me. How do I know anyone else travelling feels the same way?" Another pause, "What will I do when all this is over? Will both sides just see me as a threat? Will I... even get to go home when this is over? I don't know. I just know I'm scared and I don't know what to do..."

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"It's free to enter, if that's impacting your decision at all," Xalrei corrected. She wasn't sure if it was a genuine misconception or if the Siren really didn't want to fight in the arena. She didn't know her that well, but she probably meant the part about getting dirty. The bit about hypnotizing someone on instinct was a bit worrying; though it seemed Gabriela was well aware of the risk so Xalrei wasn't really worried about it. "If you change your mind about the arena tell me how you do, yeah?"

As Taliyah tried to leave Xalrei called after her. "Oi, you shouldn't be moving around if you're hurt, Taliyah." She followed after her, quickly closing the distance between them and put a hand on her shoulder. "If you want to leave to go lay down at the inn or something, I'll carry you there, you know. Wouldn't due to hurt yourself more getting there."

Edited by Ursali
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"Oh, yeah... I don't think Nessraya's coming back to the arena, Gabriela. She already did her run... And... Well, finding Cianna, p-probably very important." And there was Xalrei, following after her, causing the lizard to squeak and retreat out of the waiting area faster. "I-I should be fine to head there myself! Th, Thanks and all, but... J-Just, well, you know, I, I don't want to bother you Xalrei." She was certainly a bit dizzy still, but it wasn't bad enough to require being carried... Probably...


"Tch..." Asami huffed, groaned, sighed, and finally retreated her weapon. "Why? Why is she here...?" She wasn't speaking to anyone in particular anymore, staring at the ground, tapping her sandal angrily and trying to think of something. "So you're, not working with her then." That was good news, and meant there wasn't about to be a fight in the middle of Aensbrook. "What do you want with me, then? Surely you've seen a Kitsune before... I don't want anything to do with that witch, that's why I ran away here in the first place." She almost bit her lip, scowling a bit. She hadn't meant to go that far with her words, but she couldn't take them away now. That had been so long ago, too...


"Pardon me..." The inn's always working werewolf had slowly approached what... Seemed to be two vampires. "I do hope that I am not interrupting anything important, but, I must ask... Is there anything that I may do for you?" With a small bow, and a smile, he adjusted his glasses. "My name is Geoffrey, and I run this fine inn. Do you require rooms? Food? Rest? ... Blood? I am here to accommodate, should it be necessary."

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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"Marina... you will find your way when you find it. Only otherworlders can wield what you can, and its power can't be understated. You will be able to mold this world a bit if that is what you want... at least, I believe so." Agni was a soldier, first and foremost. He'd stuck with Marina out of duty, but the monsters were truthfully getting to him less. Agni wasn't about to dismiss everything because he disagreed with Marina, and, for what its worth, he'd come to expect results from Marina's wavering heart.

Agni retreated his hand, gaze still firm. "I don't know what monsters will think of you later, but know that I will fight for your reasons to be heard, once you discover them." Agni was sure the journey would provide Marina's answers.

As for the now... they were being bothered. "Ah, huh? Oh. Thank you, Mr. Geoffrey. We're with a merchant group travelling past. If this rings no bells... then yes, we would like a couple rooms, if you could." Better safe than sorry.

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The arena was free? Nessraya wasn't coming back?! Well, that simplified matters. "Sorry, the arena is just not my thing, unless it's a singing competition!" Gabriela gave a wink. "Hey, I could sing for you, to help you rest. I don't have to hypnotize you. How about it?" She might as well try to enjoy herself. Truthfully, she didn't want to return to Agni and Marina yet as it would feel a little awkward, after what transpired earlier, and she could think of things she'd enjoy more than hang out with Lavinia. She was worried about Taliyah's safety, and Xalrei's company wasn't as bad as she had expected. She would feel better if she knew Taliyah was safe, so the least she could do is stay here with them, if only for a while. As they went on their way, she might as well follow them to make sure they don't run into trouble.

Edited by Michelaar
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Marina continued listening to Agni speak, and it admittedly brought her spirits back up. She gave a light smile, knowing even after the past couple days, Agni still had faith in her. It was enough to make her believe in herself again. At least a little bit. Marina raised her head to meet Agni's. After a moment, she gave him a thumbs-up with a confident smile.

"I'll do my best. And hopefully, I'll find my way sooner rather than later," She replied, trying to emulate at least a little bit that she was trying to improve.

A surprise voice however, caught Marina off guard, giving a light jump and yelp as she turned to the man, named Geoffrey. After Agni spoke, she nodded, "Y-Yes sir, um... I believe a woman named Lavinia came through here not too long ago, if I'm correct?"

 

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"Well, I can't make you go into the arena if you don't want to. Not everyone's idea of a good time is sparring in front of a crowd." Maybe that would spark Gabriela's interest? She seemed to like attention, though, given the firmness of her stance on the arena, Xalrei doubted it would make her budge. Still, no harm in trying. Meanwhile, Taliyah's expedited retreat only caused a faster pursuit from Xalrei. "You don't need to act tough in front of me, Taliyah. I don't mind giving you a lift. And..." In one fell swoop, Xalrei caught up to her and scooped her up into her arms, carrying her like a knight would a princess. "It'd bother me more if I let you head back by yourself when you're not even steady on your feet."

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To say that Bladen was confused would be an understatement. The two women were right on the edge of fighting and talking in what almost seemed like a foreign language. Presumably the woman in front of him was one of these oni, but who was Ouka? Where was Nanbu? He tensed as this oni spoke, ready for Asami to attack, knowing he wouldn't have much time to try and intervene, but thankfully it seemed the answers that had been given pacified the kitsune for now. Though the incident seemed to have also rattled her slightly, as she spoke of running away from something in her past...

"Well, uhm... I don't really know what's going on here... But perhaps you could meet with us later? If you have more questions or something? We were about to go get some food, and it's... sort of a date. So we can't really invite you along." Maybe he could give Asami a chance to breathe, to get her feet back under her? It worried him some to see her out of sorts like this. He was the reason they'd stopped to talk. She had just wanted to blow on past the oni. Maybe he could help her escape for now at least...

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"That's why you ran away?" She echoed. "Why? How do you know Ouka? Just what is going on?" Then Bladen stepped in with his proposition. "A date?" She looked back at Asami. She wasn't sure about this "date", mostly because she hadn't really been on one herself. Most of her life was training and combat, and days in the court of course. Still, she could tell this news did stagger the fox girl a little. It didn't seem like she wanted to talk, still she couldn't let her get away so... "...very well." She answered back. "Out of respect for your politeness I will withhold my questioning good sir, as important as my mission is." She relaxed herself a little. "Still I want answers. So please don't skip town...I don't wish to play hide and seek."

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Jade sighed a little, but also laughed a little herself as Lavinia guffawed. It was somehow contagious, she couldn't help it. While the zombie found herself wishing she still had her fancy clothes to change into--as the situation was, she'd been forced to settle for simply shaking the worst of the dust from the road off of her breeches before she slipped them back on over a fresh pair of underthings--the inconvenience wasn't enough to make her regret lending the outfit to the hero. The vampire seemed to be in a similar situation as well, so it's not like it was a unique plight or anything to really get worked up over.

Towel draped over her shoulders for the moment, ends hanging down her sides until she would get around to getting back into her top, Jade followed back to the other room to keep the conversation going. And embarrassing as it was to admit, she managed to work up the following response when the vampire expressed concern about crossing the line into bullying.

"It's... I doubt it will come to that. You're honestly... probably right. What reason could you have to push a trivial lie this far? While I probably wouldn't turn as many heads as you might, it's unlikely I'm so bad off as I fear, and I really ought to take a little more pride in my appearance. Maybe this kind of pushing from a person like you is just what I need."

Perhaps seeking distraction, but part honest curiosity, Jade picked up one of the pieces of plate armor thigh coverings that had become available as Lavinia diminished the size of her stack. It was lighter than she was expecting. Jade frowned. Or was she not regulating her strength properly again? Worrisome.

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