Fire Emblem: Curse of the Goddess [IC/PG-16/Not Accepting]

[King K. Azo]

"What you do on your free time is your own business, but I will not have you take advantage of a lady while I'm around...And don't forget. Penelope is a princess and your employer, treat her with respect or suffer the consequences." Gunther stated. Asura felt something welling up inside of him... The drunken moved in front of Gunther defiantly, smacking his hand into the armor.

"... Who the hell do you think you are, Gunther?" he looked up at the knight, a dangerous glint in his drunken eyes. "What? Because I'm a monster in your eyes, I'm just going to take advantage of a defenseless woman that helped me? Your mind sicken me. You're no better than the people in this city," With that, he moved out of Gunther's way and headed for his bed. "Good night Flower Boy. Try to work on that lying habit of yours. Maybe then I'll give you and your princess the 'proper' respect you want," And with that, Asura flopped in the bed.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"Lady Ciela."

 

"Yes, my dear?"

 

"I think it's best for you to go, before you do something you'd regret. Come with me, milady, I will escort you to your room."

 

"Awww...but daaad, I still want to play!"

 

Ciela was clearly pouting as Gunther refused to follow her command to strip himself, but she didn't resist it when the knight took her hand and took her away from the room. Still quite winded from being drunk, she turned around for a bit to wave goodbye to both Asura and Edrick, before Gunther took her away. She didn't really realize that Asura was replying to Gunther's warning in a somewhat hostile way before hitting the bed, and how Edrick wasn't even in the room anymore.

 

"See ya later! Next time, let's share some warmth again~!"

 

The trip towards Ciela's room was relatively quiet. As Ciela left her staff on the two young men's room, she held on to Gunther closely to avoid tripping herself or hitting anything along the way. She was eyeing him along the way, thinking that he looked quite cute, although the fact that he was still fully clad in armor was quite a pity. She repeatedly pressed her body to his, but the coldness of his armor wasn't really the result she wished for, so that eventually ceased.

 

It was a bit silent when the two reached the room. Ciela didn't leave it locked and the key was still dangling on the inner part of the door, and even while drunk she was aware of this, so she pointed it out to Gunther that he could just open the door and enter it with her. However, as soon as both entered the door, Ciela let herself go from the knight, and quickly went back and locked the door behind the two, taking the key in the meantime.

 

"T..thank you for being here with me~

 

Their room was too hot, but if it's just the two of us, it would be quite warm, wouldn't it be?"

 

With the alcohol taking Ciela's sense of reservation away, what was left was just her desire to be with someone for the night. She went forward towards Gunther, and spoke those words to his ears (or as much as she could, he was significantly taller than her), the strong smell of alcohol was quite evident there. Her hands explored his armor, as if she was trying to figure out a way to take it off by herself. Her gown was looking more disheveled than before, but Ciela was not in a position where her pride would be hurt from such a scene right now. Even against the cold metal, she pressed her body closer and closer to the knight, and continued to talk.

 

"Just the two of us, tonight...wouldn't it be fun?

 

This is an order, flower boy~"

 

Her voice started to sound more desperate. It was as if she realized that he could've just left from the place at any time even if she locked the door. Even knowing that he was a lot stronger physically than her, Ciela attempted to hold him, hoping that he wouldn't get away. For the drunk Ciela, the thought of missing this opportunity of finally spending a night with a proper companion felt like a nightmare. It was so close, but if he left her alone here, then she would...

 

"Please, this is an order...stay with me...I want to be warm too...

 

Gunther, I don't want to be lonely! Stay here with me!"

 

---

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

"... Who the hell do you think you are, Gunther?"

Gunther felt his body stiffen at the realization how hostile Asura was at the moment. He made sure to keep Ciela off to the side just in case the drunken man did something in his impaired state. Thankfully it seemed that Asura wasn't going to do anything but speak with intense venom.

 

"What? Because I'm a monster in your eyes, I'm just going to take advantage of a defenseless woman that helped me? Your mind sicken me. You're no better than the people in this city,Good night Flower Boy. Try to work on that lying habit of yours. Maybe then I'll give you and your princess the 'proper' respect you want,"

He could say many things. How Gunther was Asura's employer's guard, how he had absolutely no idea what the man was talking about, but he had a job to do and Ciela's incessant presence was growing more and more obvious as time went on.

 

They moved slowly along the halls. In part because Gunther didn't want Ciela to trip. But mostly because she was basically clinging to him. He tried to ignore it but the bright red blush on his face made it obvious that he was failing.

This girl was much different from Penelope, and even more different than Catriona. Though she also seemed even frailer, which, given her earlier attitude, Gunther hadn't expected. Of course this could be due to the drink which only made Gunther more certain he made the right choice.

 

He didn't know anything about the three involved, when it came down to it. And given that both sides were inebriated...Gunther gave a start when he realized they had reached the room. He was still in a state of semi-confusion and didn't question when Ciela suggested he help her inside. When he heard the lock click, however, he was brought to attention immediately. "What are you doing...?"

"T..thank you for being here with me~

Their room was too hot, but if it's just the two of us, it would be quite warm, wouldn't it be?"

Gunther felt himself sweating nervously. "Warm. Yes, indeed. Warm for sure. Yes." He said. It was indeed getting warmer in here and Gunther knew it wasn't just the armor's fault. The girl got even closer and whispered into his ear, an action that made Gunther's heart pound erratically.

"Just the two of us, tonight...wouldn't it be fun?

This is an order, flower boy~"

The strong scent of alcohol made Gunther's nose wrinkle and brought back to attention how bad Ciela's state was. He was flustered, somewhat confused, and a small bit frightened, but he knew what he had to do.

"I cannot, Lady Ciela. You'll understand in the morning, it's just..."

 

"Please, this is an order...stay with me...I want to be warm too...

Gunther, I don't want to be lonely! Stay here with me!"

 

Gunther paused. That tone, it was...it drew something out in Gunther. He felt a sudden surge of pity. That wasn't the tone of someone who was manipulating, or someone who was eager, but more...lonely, and scared. Gunther could understand the feeling, and he sighed.

"I won't leave. But...you need to lay down, Ciela, er, Lady Ciela." He gently took Ciela's hand again and tried to lead her to her bed, to set her upon it.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"I won't leave. But...you need to lay down, Ciela, er, Lady Ciela." Gunther led Ciela back to her bed. She was disoriented and almost crashed into several different things along the way, but there thankfully was no big incident along the way until they reached the bed. As Gunther tried to put her in her bed however, she gripped his hand, and looked at his face.

 

"H-hey...I...didn't I order you...please, stay here with me. Sleep with...sleep with me, Gunther!

 

You...you won't dare to defy my order...right? You're thinking of leaving me, right?!

 

Please, stay here...sleep on my side."

 

Her grip weakened as she pleaded. She was struggling to stay awake now. However, her eyes were still locked at the knight's eyes, and as she tugged at him, the best effort she could manage to pull him towards her, her other hand went to caress the knight's face.

 

"While you're here...at the very least...can you discard your armor? It's cold...it's cold, heavy, and dirty.

 

I can't feel you while you had it on. This is not an order...but please, do it for me.

 

Dad, can you hear me? I want to sleep with you tonight if you're fine with it.

 

I'm scared..."

 

---

[Hakima]

---

---

Link hadn’t touched his ocarina in weeks, but it wasn’t a skill he could forget. He had started off with a slow song, to serve as a warm-up, and extended into more complex iterations of the same song after a short period of time. It was a haunting, melancholy piece that spoke of life after tragedy and the long, difficult road to recovery. Link knew it had many different names, and an innumerable number of unique versions, but he had learned it as the Song of Healing.

He was just concluding the song, drawing out the final piercing note, when the door to the inn swung open to reveal a baffled Alois. It took him a moment to notice Link sitting down behind him, and in that time, the soldier didn’t do a very good job of alerting the boy to his presence. "Hey,” the axeman offered when he did finally notice him. “What’s up?”

Link fidgeted, holding up his ocarina to show Alois and then shrugging. Translation: nothing much, just practicing my playing.

The door burst open again immediately after that, and a distraught Penelope burst out. She looked as if she had just rushed away from her personal quarters, with no shoes or weapons to be found, and Link had a sinking suspicion he knew what had her so upset.

It’s not your place, Link told himself. If she wanted your advice, she’d ask. Even so, he decided that he wouldn’t tell her what had gone on at the barracks just yet. She would have to be told eventually, but for now, he would avoid piling more stress on the young girl’s shoulders if he could.

 

So, when she noticed him, Link opted to wave meekly in greeting.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

Penelope took a deep breath as she emerged into the night. There was a slight chill, which was aided by the fact that Penelope was barefoot. She could feel the cool ground beneath her feet and it made her suddenly realize that she had rushed off rather recklessly. Especially given the incident earlier. She wondered if anyone in the inn had noticed her go and if it would cause any sort of alarm.

"well, I guess we're just having our own party out here, aren't we."

 

Her head whipped to the side, a slight panic in her eyes, and she settled down slightly upon seeing it was only Alois...and Link, evidently. The latter of which waved at her. She started to wave back and stopped, hovering in an awkward position of still being in half flight mode.

 

"Where's Gunther?" Penelope said finally. Then paused. Perhaps she shouldn't be asking that. The young Knight would likely be resting at this point. And even if he wasn't she had no idea what she'd say to him.

 

"That song." Penelope was speaking slowly, obviously focusing on her words and nothing else. "I have heard it before...." She trailed off, shook her head, then rattled off a string of information about the date of it being written, first played, who made it, and the reception of the people at the time. After her rapid fire information she just stopped awkwardly and stared up at the moon.

---

 

"H-hey...I...didn't I order you...please, stay here with me. Sleep with...sleep with me, Gunther!

You...you won't dare to defy my order...right? You're thinking of leaving me, right?!

Please, stay here...sleep on my side."

Gunther flushed, hoping he was misunderstanding the implications. What was it this girl wanted? She was surprisingly forceful, but also...weak. The grip that had given the young man a start at first was loosening even as the girl looked up at him pleadingly. He let her pull him closer, despite his discomfort, and practically jumped as she touched his face.

"I will. I will. I'll stay." He said softly. For how could he say anything else when she was like this? It would be wrong to just leave her in such a state. No matter how scared he felt at this surprising development.

 

"While you're here...at the very least...can you discard your armor? It's cold...it's cold, heavy, and dirty.

I can't feel you while you had it on. This is not an order...but please, do it for me.

Dad, can you hear me? I want to sleep with you tonight if you're fine with it.

I'm scared..."

 

Gunther's eyes, which had widened at the start of her next drunken statement, softened as she finished. The line about her father really struck a cord with him. "You know. I, too, know what it's like to have a missing dad." He muttered, almost more to himself than her. He realized she was falling asleep even as she spoke to him and decided it wouldn't do any harm to stay in this position until she slept. However he just couldn't bring himself to take off his armor. He would feel defenseless in several ways, and he wasn't ready for that sort of thing.

But he kept speaking to her, softly, assuring her he wouldn't leave, and that she would be okay, and asking her to sleep easily.

 

Soon enough he backed away slightly, making sure not to disturb her. He wasn't going to leave. He couldn't, now, since he had promised her. Despite how bad this would look to anyone. He decided he'd rest at the door. In part to keep her from leaving without him, in case she was still in a vulnerable state, and in part to keep anyone from wandering inside. He still had no idea who this girl was. Someone could be after her. Or, the thought just occurred to him, she could be after someone. Despite how she seemed at the moment there was still the chance that she meant them ill of some sort. Though that idea seemed almost laughable now he couldn't help but worry at the position he had put himself in.

 

With a sigh Gunther took up his vigil. It was his duty. To the princesses, yes, but also to this young lady who seemed lost, alone, and afraid. He only hoped that the morning wouldn't be as awkward as he expected.

[Sethera]

Penelope shot Catriona an incredulous look, causing the white-haired girl to reflect over her last question. Did I say something wrong? She had attempted to be...nurturing? No, that wasn't the right word. She had attempted to be...sympathetic? Yes, sympathetic to Penelope's situation. Were her words incorrect? Perhaps she should've used different ones? She tilted her head to the side. Ah. I should've offered her a drink. My apologies, Penelope, but though a drink would be beneficial to your eventual recovery, I don't think it would be the wisest decision right now, seeing as we're in hostile territory.

 

Though it didn't seem like the others would heed that counsel, especially if the sounds she was hearing through the walls were what they were. "It's...I don't know!" the girl's voice rose with each word. "I have no idea what I should feel, what I should do! I knew what battles were like, I read so much, why can't I handle them? I did everything I should have, what am I missing?"

 

I feel that way about talking sometimes, the lord thought.

 

Before she could reply, a knock came on the door, accompanied by a familiar voice, though she had not heard it sound quite so...slurred. Except for that one time when he was on the verge of fainting due to his injuries. "Heeey, Penelope, Catriona, I figured I should let you two know that we're all cuttin' loose back in my and Asura's room. You two could probably use some relaxation too, so why don'tcha come over? I've got Zeeeiiiiiiiiiillaaaaaa!"

 

The offer was tempting, and the princess might've taken him up on that, were it not for Penelope's sudden flight. Watching her little sister race out of the room with a bit of a dumbfounded expression, Catriona automatically rose to follow. Fleeing from one's troubles wouldn't do one any good. However she found her path inadvertently blocked by the very...shirtless figure of Edrick.

 

It wasn't as if she had never seen a shirtless man before. In fact, she had seen more shirtless men than she had women, from her experience in the military. Each of them rather nicely toned. Though she had never done anything more than look, and even then it had felt awkward, especially as she got to know them and thought of them as comrades. However, Edrick was not only shirtless, but had been injured, and had gotten even more badly injured not too long ago. So she didn't want to jostle him and possibly aggravate his injuries.

 

"You make a very tempting offer, Edrick," she said, with no trace of sarcasm. After all, she had drank Zeilla before. Many of her fellow soldiers said it was one of the few things Pontus was actually good for. Though she preferred wine herself, one of her favorites being Snakefang, which was so named because of its bite. Not something she had tried before the army, having been accustomed to the upper-crust Nalbina vintages, which were also known as clarets. "Though it seems Penelope isn't in the mood to drink." She frowned. Talking it might have to be then. She would have to recruit Link for that, seeing as that was the method he used. Though I don't remember that working out too well for him, she thought with a trace of worry. Perhaps Penelope wasn't the only one she should be concerned about.

 

However, that would have to come later, as first she had to get past Edrick to chase after her sister. Unless this is one of those times where I shouldn't chase after her? The princess hesitated, unsure of what she should do. Still, I don't think I can just let go of this. She needs help. Looking up at the lancer, she started to speak. "You might want to get out of the way. Unless you want to help me look for Penelope?" Though asking an inebriated man to walk around was like asking an injured soldier to fight. They would be able to do so, but not very well. Speaking of injuries... She returned her gaze to his body, lingering on where she remembered his wounds to have been. "Do you...feel well?" she couldn't stop the guilt that rose at the thought. He had been laid low for a week because of wounds he had obtained in helping her, well, her and the group. The group that was gathered because of her. Penelope who was experiencing this pain because of her.

 

She shook her head. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on such thoughts. Though she couldn't stop the guilt, if she let it, it would eat away at her, forcing her into a state of stasis and regret. Which would not be at all conducive to the overall goal of stopping the goddess. Her own life, Penelope's pain, Edrick's injuries, all of them were minor in comparison to the major problem that faced all of them. And tomorrow they would hopefully be on the road, so they all needed a good rest. "It might be better for you to go to bed, Edrick."

[Asriel Dreemurr]

What should have been a simple invitation to some drinking and cutting loose after a stressful day...really didn't end up going anywhere nearly as well as Edrick had hoped it would. In fact the princess he'd been hoping the most to invite over up and ran off, almost bowling him over in the process. Not that he really had much opportunity to speak out against that, given that Catriona stepped up to the open door and stood there staring at him. In that moment he felt rather naked, given his exposed state.
 
"You make a very tempting offer, Edrick, though it seems Penelope isn't in the mood to drink." Well yeah, he could see that. Though there was the matter of the princess in front of him if he wanted to invite someone off for some drinking. She was pretty tempting herse-
 
BAD EDRICK, BAD! But she's hot, she's right in front of us, and she just implied she'd be up for it! Yeah, but we came over here to try and cheer up Penelope! Oh. Yeah, yeah we did. The end result of that momentary mental spat with himself was that the farmer just stood there looking a little ways past Catriona for a while, before she brought his attention back to the present.
 
"You might want to get out of the way. Unless you want to help me look for Penelope?" That caught his attention, and reminded him exactly where he was. It also brought a sheepish grin to his face, and spawned a telltale shade of red coming to his cheeks as he set about rubbing the back of his head with the hand that was not busy holding a bottle of liquor.
 
"Yeah! Of course I wanna go help look for Penelope! What else would I want to do?!" As it happened, Edrick was a terrible liar when he was drunk. His voice was quivering as he said that, his cheeks flushed red, and his left leg was twitching up a storm as he panicked about whether or not Catriona had picked up on where his mind had gone just a few moments ago. Thankfully, it seemed that she didn't notice if his gaze had made its way down to her bust. Of course given how much taller than her he was it might not have been that noticeable anyways. In any case, either she didn't notice what was happening or else thought that what he was experiencing were symptoms of some sort of illness.
 
"Do you...feel well?" Now that was something he could answer honestly.
 
"I feel great!" He even gave a little flex of his muscles as if to try and convince her, and then promptly remembered what they were doing. "Oh. Right. I'll head out first! I think I'm a bit faster than you." Now, anyone who has ever seen a drunk person try to negotiate a flight of stairs at any appreciable speed likely knows what happened next. He made it about two steps down before he misjudged the distance between the next two and ended up tumbling head over heels. In his first encounter with the stairs, he landed hard enough on his chest, and face, that his tumble set him flipping over onto his back. However, in a display of acrobatics that he would never be able to replicate sober, he managed to continue flipping down the stairs and land on his feet without any more painful encounters. Though when he turned around to face Catriona, proudly displaying the open bottle of Zeilla which had somehow not lost any of its contents in the process, his nose was obviously broken. "I didn't spill it!"
 
"It might be better for you to go to bed, Edrick." While the Princess' concern was touching, he waved it off with his free hand and set about making his way outside. Of course he stumbled a bit, both from the alcohol and from his firsthand encounter with centripetal force, but he managed to slip outside of the Inn without causing further injury to himself. Penelope, given that she was standing out in the street alone and staring at the moon, was easy enough to find. Now, rather than call out to her and risk upsetting her further, what made the most sense in Edrick's mind was to cross the distance between them and stand beside her, albeit a respectful distance away. He wasn't that drunk yet.

 

"Nice night, huh?"

[Alaina]

Alois's expression became slightly less amused as the green clad man responded to him. Not with words, though, simply his usual set of hand gestures. From what Alois could garner, the man was trying to show him that he had some kind of instrument. This much was already obvious to him as he had been playing it when he came out. So he was probably just trying to say he was playing it. "Right." The fighter hadn't talked with this guy all that often prior to now, but when he did things were usually like this. So he wasn't entirely sure why he was expecting anything different, but just shrugged and moved on to the princess, who seemed to be incredibly shocked that they were there to begin with. However, her almost immediate reaction to them being there was asking about where Flower Face was.

 

Alois was a bit confused about this, as from what he remembered the guy was quite clearly in plain view of anyone who was outside their room. So shouldn't she have been able to see him when she came out? Maybe the guy went back to the room while Alois had been outside? Regardless, the only thing Alois knew for certain was that he wasn't outside. So the boy simply shrugged and told the girl, "last I saw he uh," he mulled on it for a moment as he started to mutter, "I don't really know what he was doing. Talking? I guess," looking back up he continued, "yeah, he was chatting or something with the party crew up there," he pointed towards the upper floor of the inn. After telling her that, she then seemed to spill out a ton of, probably useless, facts about the song that the guard man had been playing. The fighter's expression reverted back to the same one he had in response to the gesture speak of Link. "Right, thanks for the lesson." 

 

As he continued to stand out there, he suddenly realized something odd about everything all of a sudden. A more confused look crossing his face, he then said, "wait, I know why I'm out here, but uh," he looked to the swordsman, "why are you just sitting there? You do know that it's called an Inn and not an Out, right?" As he looked over to the princess, thinking she was here for the same reason he was, decided to ask regardless, saying, "and why are you ou-" though before he could finish someone else made their way outdoors. As the new arrival to their outdoor gathering appeared and commented on how nice a night it was, Alois just remarked, "it must be if no one wants to stay inside." He then realized something about Edrick and then asked, "so have you just decided to not wear shirts anymore?" 

[Hakima]

---

---

Link frowned at Penelope’s failed attempt at waving. Was she truly that distracted? She had a spaced out expression, almost like she barely knew where she was, or that he and Alois were with her. "Where's Gunther?" she finally asked them, but she seemed confused by her own question.

He blinked. Gunther...her official guardian. That was a good question. Why had he allowed the princess to run out in the street on her own? Link felt his heartbeat pick up, and without realizing it, his left hand had wrapped around the hilt of his sword. Had something happened inside the inn? His gaze swept across the street twice, looking for danger, but there was none to be found. Regardless, it did nothing to placate his rapidly rising anxiety. Maybe the threat was still inside the inn. He had expected the citizens to be rude to them, but he had thought that most wouldn’t have the guts to try a violent confrontation.

Link was a second away from leaping to his feet and kicking the door open when Alois spoke. "last I saw he, uh. . . I don’t really know what he was doing. Talking? I guess.” He nodded, affirming his previous statement. “Yeah, he was chatting or something with the party crew up there,” the axeman concluded, pointing towards the second story of the inn.

Oh. The Galtean soldier released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, his hand shakily falling back down to his side from where it had gripped his sword.A party. Link almost laughed in relief, the bundle of fears that had built up in his stomach subsiding. They were just having a party. Of course.

 

Why wouldn’t they be? he asked himself. They’ve had a long day. They deserve to blow off some steam.

 

Link had been guilty of worse when he was with the Garou. He had developed a full blown drinking problem, using it as a way to forget all of his problems until they came back the next morning, along with a terrible migraine. It helped him get by for a little while, but he had kicked it and sworn off alcohol after he had panicked and drawn his sword on a soldier that had surprised him while he was drunk.

Pushing those memories away, Link listened to Penelope rattle off details about the Song of Healing. He wasn’t really surprised that she had known so much about it, but he was impressed nonetheless. She didn’t really seem to be that attentive, though, choosing to walk a bit away from both of them and stare up at the moon.

Once again, Link had to remind himself that it wasn’t his place. Princess Penelope was strong, she just needed time to pull herself together. She would be alright.

“Wait, I know why I’m out here, but uh,” Link suddenly became aware of Alois staring at him. “Why are you just sitting there? You do know that it’s called an Inn and not an Out, right?”

 

Link shrugged, not completely sure why he had come to the inn himself. He had been given permission to stay at the barracks for one last night, but he hadn’t wanted to, and so he had ended up here.

Alois went to question the princess after that, but before he could, a very obviously drunk Edrick walked out, ignored the both of them, and stumbled up to stand beside the princess. "Nice night, huh?"

 

Link was on his feet quickly after that. A drunk boy being near the distraught princess was bad enough, but Link had a feeling if the Knight found out about the Pontic so much as touching her, it would end badly. Leaving his backpack by the door, Link approached the both of them and cleared his throat. “It’s past curfew,” he told them both quietly, “and you all have to be off tomorrow. You should go rest.”

[Sethera]

As soon as Link left, the captain let out a sigh. "I'm surprised at you, Marcus," he said lightly. "Nothing to say?"

 

"I would never dare question a superior, captain. And..." the guard hesitated, before plowing forward. "I'd say he's better off with them anyway."

 

"Aye," the brunette nodded. "Did you see his eyes, Marcus? They've been dead for so long, but just now...they held a spark." He glanced sideways at the guard. "Try not to cry," he teased.

 

"I'm not going to cry," the blond grunted. "Though I daresay Trumpion will when he hears of this. Tears of joy. Just...he was one of the few who could give me a good challenge."

 

Captain Aurelius massaged his temples. "You'll have challenge enough ahead. The first one will be how to cope with my daughter now that Lincoln is gone."

 

Marcus paled. "Crud." Shaking his head at the thought, he caught a flash of moonlight off metal and glanced out the window, noting a troop of pegasus knights spiraling in the sky as they landed on a specialized platform near the city hall. "Oh, I didn't expect them to leave until tomorrow."

 

The captain frowned. "Lincoln and his friends might have a harder time of it than they thought."

 

--

 

After Edrick exited the inn, Catriona made her way down the stairs as well, bemused at the boy's unorthodox behavior. "He must be one of those acrobatic drunks," she decided. Soon after exiting the inn, she caught the tail end of their conversation, mainly Link's reminder of curfew. The way he said it reminded her that he wasn't going with them. "Ah," she let out. I had forgotten. His presence reminded me of old times, but he's not truly on my side anymore, is he? Or, as her father had taught her, he was one of those green units. Not an enemy, but not an ally either, technically.

 

Speaking of allies, she had yet to discern whether this Ciela was in fact, an ally. True, she had helped them in the battle, but her behavior was suspicious, and she spoke Pontic, though her accent sounded Galtean.

 

Despite the sudden plummet of her mood, the girl made her way to where Penelope was. "It is unwise to leave the inn at so late an hour," she scolded, "I had thought you more mindful than that." An awkward pause ensued when she realized it might not be the best time for this, but it had to be said. If neither Link nor Alois had been outside, it would have been Penelope alone out here, and had there been another ruffian in waiting...well, her flight would have been the end of her. She had to learn to get a better rein on her emotions, or she might very well regret it.

 

Speaking of, she turned to the others, giving them a nod. "Link, Alois, good evening," though it was far past evening, and not a very good one at that. "Thank you for keeping watch over Penelope, and Edrick, thank you for finding her." With a last nod, she turned around to head inside, meeting the innkeeper on the way. Informing him of the group outside, she returned to the room she shared with her sister, not daring to fall asleep until either Penelope had returned or she was assured of her whereabouts.

 

Meanwhile, the innkeeper ushered the trio outside back indoors, where he invited Link to stay as well as soon as he saw the guard standing there awkwardly. "I know I'd feel better if a guard like yourself were around to prevent any problems from occurring," he said. "I have no problems against these people, but I know a few of my guests do, and I don't want no fighting here."

 

Despite his words, the night passed quietly. And the next day around midmorning, the group found themselves escorted out of the city by Marcus and Mirana, who had arrived right at the inn doors, passing by Trumpion and Gelasius scrubbing at the bloodstains from the fight before. It seems they've been relegated to cleaning duty, Catriona thought.

 

As soon as they reached the gates, Mirana, whose face had been scrunched up the whole time, burst into tears. "Uwaaaah! What am I going to do without you, Link?!" she wailed dramatically. "You're like, the best part of being here! Without you I'll have to deal with stinky old Marcus, and you know how fun that sounds."

 

Said stinky old man rolled his eyes. "Yes yes, your big brother Link is leaving, woe is us, let's move on."

 

"Rude!" she stuck out her tongue. "Bleh. Don't mind him, Link. I think he forgot to take his cranky herbs this morning. Anyway," she continued amidst Marcus' indignant sputtering. "I didn't find out about father's decision till an hour ago, and I'll be sure to give him crap about that later on, but." She paused. "Here, Link," she thrust out a sheaf of papers toward him. "These are music sheets. They have traditional Ithome songs in there, including a couple made by the Great Dragon itself. They were said to be a good musician. Kinda like you!" she giggled. Turning, she spoke to Gunther next. "Take care of yourself, big boy," she winked.

 

Marcus rolled his eyes and urged the group forward. "Right, right, move it, let's go, no dawdling, now."

 

Wait, why are they saying Link's leaving? Catriona wondered. But she would soon find out why, when they shoved Link with them out the gates. "...Link?" the woman asked.

 

Still, as soon as Ithome's gates closed behind them, Catriona turned to the group, resolving to ignore the matter of the green-garbed soldier for now. If he had decided to accompany them, then she wouldn't stop him. Rather, she would be glad to have him on board. "So, this sector didn't give us any new information," she said. "But I've heard that the other sectors are friendlier. The innkeeper told me it'd take about a day to get to sector two and two for sector one. Sector two is ruled by Olivette, who is notoriously hard to read but she's rather neutral when it comes to outsiders. Sector one is ruled by Harris, who is extremely welcoming of outsiders, especially Galteans." She paused to let the words sink in. "I think, even if it takes longer to get to sector one, it might be better to head there," her mouth twisted sardonically. "Olivette might heed our words, but she might not. It's a gamble, whereas Harris seems a sure bet." She didn't really want to waste time, especially living on borrowed time, but she could sacrifice a day if it meant they would for sure get what they needed.

 

Soon after she finished her words, the flap of wingbeats could be heard. Glancing skyward, the lord's eyebrows rose at seeing a formation of pegasus knights departing the city. Pegasi were beautiful creatures, and in flight they were even more so. She hadn't seen too many herself, as they mainly stuck to Histia, but the few she had had marveled her.

 

However, it didn't do to dally. Soon after, she started on the road. It would take them a bit to get to the point where they needed to make a decision, so it was best to start walking right away. They walked by farms and the occasional house, though the princess noted that the people seemed to get friendlier the further they traveled. As they walked, Catriona took the time to inspect their new companion. She seemed a picture of contrasts, and she couldn't really get a handle on her.

 

After a few hours they reached a fork in the road, where they stopped. A crossroads sign pointed out their destinations, an arrow pointing to their left toward sector one and a nearby stream, the other pointing right toward sector two, where they could see the sun climbing the sky.

 

"Which direction should we pick, then?" Catriona asked of the group.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

Penelope didn't seem to notice Edrick's drunken greeting. Nor Alois' sarcastic responses. It was as though part of her mind was shutting off all possibilitiy of conflict. Be it dealing with a drunk man or getting annoyed at Alois' attitude. She just wanted to continue looking up at the moon, trying to recall all she knew about it.

 

Granted it wasn't much. There was less studying about the moon than many other things. Theories abound but nothing concrete. She wondered if it related to the history of cheese somehow.

 

As her mind tried to find the link, the actual Link started talking. And his words managed to get through to her.

“It’s past curfew, and you all have to be off tomorrow. You should go rest.”

 

Right, they were in trouble still. And she couldn't afford to get even more trouble. As she turned to leave, Catriona arrived.

"It is unwise to leave the inn at so late an hour, I had thought you more mindful than that."

Penelope frowned as she was unable to suppress her next words. "And how would you know anyway?" before leaving in a huff, trying not to show the pain she felt as her feet walked over a couple stones in her path to the inn. Not wanting anyone to worry about the minor pain the stupidity of going barefoot brought her. Today really did suck.

---

 

Gunther groaned as he stirred. He was sitting in a strange room, on the floor, why? And why was he so sore?

The Knight noticed a stirring and looked up to see his answer. It all came flooding back to him and he blushed crimson as he saw Ciela moving around in her sleep.

 

He struggled to his feet, wincing in pain, realizing that he had, while it was brief, fallen asleep at some point in his armor. He knew he'd be paying for that one during their trek. However that wasn't what he was worried about.

Ciela was waking up. And he had no idea how she would react or if she would remember anything. Or if that would be better or worse.

 

He considered leaving but then thought that, if she did remember, she might expect him to be there. He spent so much time in indecision that the girl in question awoke before he could do anything one way or another.

And she yelled. A lot. Demanding that he left. He didn't even bother trying to calm her down and left as soon as possible, lest she decide to throw something more than the key, fumbling at the door for a while before getting out.

What a day.

---

   

 

The trip out of the city was somewhat awkward for both Penelope and Gunther. Though for vastly different reasons. Penelope asked Gunther where he had been and he just muttered that he was asleep without further answer. Which concerned Penelope. Though she was too wrapped up in her own issues to think about it too much.

 

That they shared in common. Their thoughts were both running a mile a minute. Gunther worried someone saw something and had the wrong idea. That Ciela was going to be angry with him. That Ciela would say something to impliment him. His thoughts were mostly on Ciela, understandably, and he had to force himself to avoid glancing over at her constantly. Though he did react when Mirana spoke to him. Blushing and stammering out a goodbye to her, adding on he hoped to see her again sometime, then correcting himself and saying "see you all again". "Despite the...troubles, you all seem like...good people...mostly...um, goodbye."

 

Penelope, meanwhile, was starting to feel better the more they walked, despite her feet being slightly sore from last night. She had checked and noticed that the rock had cut her foot slightly and, while bandaged, it still stung.

They were exploring, though, that was all this was, and that was something she could understand very well.
In fact she was getting so back to normal that, when they saw the Pegasus, she blurted out to everyone, "Ah, the pegasus, the proud, winged horse. You know, they only attach to someone they accept as their master. And did you know that it was once thought that pegasi fly by kicking the air, not by flapping their wings?. I also heard that their feathers could be used to make potent aphrodisiacs."

 

When the time came to choose a direction, Gunther coughed awkwardly and looked at Cat purposfully, glancing over at the, looking rather annoyed, younger princess. It was clear what their answer was. The same it had been before, Harris.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

“Ow…ow…gee, my head really hurts…”

 

Clutching her head as she followed the group the next morning atop of her horse, most of Ciela’s efforts was used to recall what had happened between last night and now. Now, it had been clarified that she was very drunk the last night, probably as the result of her visit to Asura and Edrick’s room (where she found her staff and bag this morning), which explained the bad hangover she suffered now. Although, she was lucky that there was no incidents apart from how Gunther somehow got stuck in her room. That was something she rather not think about, but her yell probably got the point across to him, perhaps. He seemed to be viewing her with caution, perhaps she did something last night? Whatever it was, Ciela felt that she’d need to silence Gunther one way or another later.

 

Managing to get past that, she then had to retrieve her horse. Just as she thought, the stall keeper ended up getting kicked several times, and with how bad Remy had been treated by him, she decided against giving him any tip. After passing through the gates by being escorted by two of Link’s friends, she then came into the realization that the city she was in was not just a random Histian town, but its capital, Ithome. That realization was further hammered down when Cat addressed the group on where should they go next. Thinking about it, she never really learned about where they were going.

 

Shouldn’t matter however. At least they have a direction when she didn’t have any idea where she’s going. The people they passed seemed to be friendlier than before, and soon, they reached a fork in the road. One would lead towards Sector 1 of Ithome, and the other would lead to Sector 2. Of course, it’s an easy choice for her. Sector 1 seems to be the one with the best chance of actually netting them anything, and to tell the truth she couldn’t really stomach more flavors of the same city again.

 

Ciela got her horse closer to Penelope as she started rambling when a group of pegasi and their rider passed above them. Was she delirious or something? Delirium was sadly not a physical wound and thus not something she could heal, though the part about using pegasi wings as aphrodisiac made her snicker a bit. She’s somewhat aware of what it did, but she at least knew that it’s quite improper to know, especially to a girl as young as the silver-haired girl. Granted, with how she dressed…perhaps Pen really did know more about it than her? As they went closer to the forking, Ciela decided to voice her question while also making sure that the group took the most rational decision, at least according to her.

 

“Hey Penelope, a bit sudden, but what’s an aphrodisiac? You seems to know a lot about it, so figured I’d ask you about it.” A brief pause, and she turned towards Cat’s direction. “I like Sector One more. If Olivette refuses to give any lead on whatever you’re looking for, we’ll end up taking more time since we’ll move to Sector One anyway. No point in wasting time there."

---

[Hakima]

---

---

Link couldn’t find it in himself to deny the Innkeeper’s offer, but shook his head at the man’s attempt to escort him to a room for the night. He instead elected to take up residency at the bottom of the stairs, to stand vigil for the night so he could be sure nothing happened while the majority of the party was inebriated. One night’s sleep isn’t worth the risk of someone sneaking up on the Princesses and their companions, he told himself, but a part of him knew that regardless, he hadn’t been planning on going to sleep that night. It was a normal occurrence for him to go two or three days with no sleep, because sleeping meant facing another round of nightmares, and he couldn’t summon the courage after the day that he’d had.

And so it was that Link was still awake when the rest of the party began to stir and come downstairs, some (Penelope, Alois, and Catriona) more alert than others (Asura, Edrick, Ciela, and Gunther). He offered them all brief greeting, and joined them when they ate breakfast, but overall he remained relatively silent. Occasionally, as the time to leave grew closer and closer, Link would glance in Catriona and Penelope’s direction apprehensively, but never found a very good opportunity to inform them of what had happened at the barracks and that he wished to accompany them.

Soon enough, Marcus and Mirana had arrived outside the inn to escort them out of the city. Link felt guilty, looking at how upset Mirana was when she saw the backpack he was carrying, and he gave her an apologetic look. She was part of what had made his time in Ithome pleasant, the younger sibling that he’d never had.

They were off before any words were really exchanged, leaving the inn behind them. Link couldn’t hold back the little smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth at Trumpion and Gelasius scrubbing the streets clean, fleeting though it was.

Mirana suddenly burst into tears beside him, and Link looked towards the ground. He had known something like this was going to happen. "Uwaaaah! What am I going to do without you, Link?!" she wailed dramatically. "You're like, the best part of being here! Without you I'll have to deal with stinky old Marcus, and you know how fun that sounds."

He chuckled at her description of Marcus, who rolled his eyes. "Yes yes, your big brother Link is leaving, woe is us, let's move on."

"Rude!" she stuck out her tongue. "Bleh. Don't mind him, Link. I think he forgot to take his cranky herbs this morning. Anyway," she continued amidst Marcus' indignant sputtering. "I didn't find out about father's decision till an hour ago, and I'll be sure to give him crap about that later on, but." She paused. "Here, Link," she thrust out a sheaf of papers toward him. "These are music sheets. They have traditional Ithome songs in there, including a couple made by the Great Dragon itself. They were said to be a good musician. Kinda like you!" she giggled.

Link blushed at her compliment, and didn’t hear her flirtatious remark to the Knight, focused intently on the sheets of music that she had given him. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he had no idea how to read it. He had been the one to teach himself to play the ocarina, and it had all been by ear and memory.

Casting her a sincere smile of gratitude, he carefully tucked the music sheets into his tunic. I can probably figure it out if I take the time, he thought. It was something he could work on during the long, sleepless nights.

"Right, right, move it, let's go, no dawdling, now." Marcus urged, ushering them forward, and moments later, the gate was swinging shut behind them. They had left Sector 3 of Ithome behind; Link thought it was oddly freeing.

"...Link?" The Galtean soldier noticed Cat looking at him curiously, and for a moment, he was scared she was going to tell him to leave. But she didn’t, and soon enough, she turned her attention away from him to address the group as a whole about where they would travel next. Link chose not to offer his opinion, because he was sure Princess Catriona and Princess Penelope were much more educated in political matters like this. Besides, he still wasn’t entirely sure on what they were even trying to do.

Truth be told, Link was enraptured by the crisp mountain air and the warmth of the unfiltered sunlight. Sector 3 was a loud, busy place at all times of the day, and his job as a City Guard had meant that he had to spend long hours cooped up inside stuffy buildings like City Hall. He had always preferred to be outdoors, where there were no walls or societal standards to adhere to, and just being able to move of his own volition was cause enough for him to be in high spirits.

It wasn’t distracting enough that he was completely at ease, still scanning the ditches, farmhouses, and whatever else his brain deemed as a potential hideaway for highwaymen, but he was much less tense than normal.

While they walked, Link kept pace with the group easily, habitually falling back into old marching routines. He noticed that his backpack was heavier than he remembered; strange, since he had carried twice as much gear for much larger distances at the border. He adjusted it to fit more comfortably on his shoulders and said nothing. The first rule he had learned when marching, after all, was to never complain. Complaints beget complaints, and if you started, it wouldn’t be long before everyone was whining about something.

They soon reached the fork in the road that meant it was time to choose which sector they were traveling to. Princess Catriona called them to a halt, asking their opinion on the direction. Link took the time to pull his flask from his waist and indulge himself in a few conservative sips of water while he listened to the group’s opinions, quenching the thirst he’d worked up. It felt good to exert himself in a way that wasn’t combat related, he had to admit.

Gunther and Penelope were in favor of Sector One, it seemed to him. His sense of guilt returned when he noticed the looks the two were casting at the elder princess, reminding him that he had been the one to lead them astray. He had been naive enough to think that Silas would help them, and wasted everyone’s time in the process.

The green-clad soldier probably would have berated himself further, if not for what Ciela said next. “Hey Penelope, a bit sudden, but what’s an aphrodisiac? You seems to know a lot about it, so figured I’d ask you about it.” He coughed, choking on the water he had been in the process of swallowing, his face turning bright red. Link had learned what an aphrodisiac was when he had overheard one soldier telling another how his wife didn’t give him enough. . . attention, when the second soldier had advised him to try using one and explained what it did.

But why ask a seventeen year old (at best guess) Princess about it? Link couldn’t wrap his head around it, pounding a fist into his chest to help clear his throat. Besides, in his opinion, if a relationship had progressed to… that point, they shouldn’t need something like that in the first place.

If Ciela realized how strange her question was, she didn’t show it, pausing only slightly to face Catriona and clarify her opinion on what they should do before continuing to wait for an answer.

 

Shaking his head to clear it, Link straightened and saluted Catriona. Translation: here to serve. He would go with them wherever they decided, since they were better equipped to make such a decision.

[Alaina]

As Alois had asked Edrick about his newfound love of being shirtless, the green clad man who hadn't said a word and just sort of sat back until now finally got up. Walking over to them, alerting them that they had to go back inside because of an apparent curfew. Hoping that the people in doors had settled down by now, Alois simply sighed, shrugging and saying, "alright Chatterbox, if you say so." As he was about to back into the inn, another person exited the building, causing Alois to wonder if they had all simultaneously gained some kind of allergy to the indoors. Regardless, Alois walked back to his room, not really thinking much of the "talk" that the two princesses were having and simply back to his room. 

 

As he opened the door, he noticed that things had probably quieted down quite a bit. Wondering if the others had passed out, he then realized that it also made sense given half of their entire group was outside to begin with. It wasn't long after that he noticed that something else was slightly off here. This was a room for two, and he was the only one in it. Which meant that his roommate, the flower faced knight, had wandered off somewhere by himself. The young fighter looked outside his room briefly, trying to take a glance through the halls to see if he had somehow missed him but saw nothing. Thinking on it, the last he saw him he was in the hallway with the other three of the party crew, though clearly he wasn't by the time that Penne had left the building. Shrugging, thinking that he was probably just in someone else's room for the night, Alois walked back into his room and went to sleep the rest of the night away .

 

When the morning came, Alois reconvened with the rest of the group to see that there were a quite a few that didn't seem to be having the best of mornings. Chuckling a bit at the obvious hangovers some of them seemed to have, the boy had gotten all of his belongings together and left the inn alongside everyone else, only to be greeted with a pair of guards. Alois let out a bit of a sigh, as he thought that they were there to take them into some form of questioning again, only to be pleasantly surprised as they just walked alongside them instead as they took their path outside of the city. He didn't really pay attention to most of what they were saying, as it was more so directed towards their guard companion then anyone else, though when he did listen in on it they made it sound as if he was leaving the city for an extended period of time, if not forever. These thoughts were only further reinforced as he stayed with the group as soon as the gate closed behind them, making Alois just say a short little, "oh," of affirmation to these thoughts. 

 

As the group continued to walk along, things seemed to go on pretty normal with no one really, openly at least, paying any mind to what had happened yesterday. To this effect, the littler princess had rattled on about some random few facts about the winged horses that were native to this country. Feigning interest Alois simply responded by going, "oh? Neat." As the group had eventually reached their crossroads to decide on which direction they were supposed to go in, Alois was about to jokingly state that they should go check up and see if Silas would give them a second chance, but even he felt it would be in poor taste to say it. And so with a look of nonchalance and acceptance on his face he simply said, "well it appears like we're going to sector one then." 

[Asriel Dreemurr]

Before Edrick could actually get into trying to cheer Penelope up, he was made aware that there were others around. First there was Alois, who made some comment about their being outside of the Inn. He might have laughed at it normally, but in his current state of mind he could not exactly make much sense of the joke. Then he asked something that left the Pontic boy confused for a moment, before he remembered what he was lacking.

 

"So have you just decided not to wear shirts anymore?" It was a bit of a silly question, and it brought a silly smile to the young farmer's face as he turned to face his...yes, he supposed he would call Alois a friend. At least he was the closest he had to one in this group.

 

"Nah. Just lettin' it dry." He felt that was enough of a response, though he did not have the opportunity to really say more anyways. In short order thereafter, Catriona emerged and thanked them all for finding Penelope, to which he could not help but blush a little, and then Link told them that there was a curfew in the city and they should be back in their rooms. Well, at least he'd tried to help cheer up Penelope. He could try again in the morning...and really he was feeling quite tired anyways. So, he said his good nights to those around, and made his way back into the room he shared with Asura. After making sure he'd resealed the bottle of Zeilla, even though it was now only about a third full as compared to before he'd opened it with the group, and returned it safely to his pack, he laid himself out on the bed and laid down for a night's sleep.

 

The following morning was both early and painful for the young man. In fact it was early because of the pain, and also because he had a habit of getting up before the sun rose. Though the main reason was that he rolled over onto his front somewhere around five in the morning, and ended up crushing his broken nose into the pillow. His cry, both of surprise and pain, was probably not appreciated by his room mate, but Edrick didn't care at the moment. Instead, he sat up on the bed and gingerly touched his face, finding that his nose was in fact broken. Well, he'd just have to deal with that wouldn't he? Between the pain in his nose, and the throbbing ache in his head, he decided not to go back to sleep and instead to get ready for the day.

 

When he was about half-way through getting ready, and thankfully fully clothed except for his cuirass pauldrons and head-protector, Ciela made her way into the room to retrieve the staff she had mistakenly left in the room. He tried to get her attention to have her heal his nose, but she left before he could get her to. Grumbling about that, he set about getting the rest of his gear together and making his way downstairs to find his own treatment. So it was that, when the rest of the group got together to make their way out of the city, he was down in the common room drinking a piping hot cup of tea with a raw egg and goat's milk mixed in. It was a cure for hangovers his father had taught him, and as vile as it tasted his headache seemed to be receding. Of course the call for them to leave came up before he had finished it, so he chased the whole of it down, thanked the innkeeper, and shouldered his pack and spear to follow after the party.

 

Their escort out of the district was, thankfully, the serious guard who had bailed them out the other day and an energetic woman who Edrick had not met before. They seemed nice enough, so he paid them little mind. Though the girl's whining was aggravating his headache. He chose not to say anything about it though, and instead kept his piece until they were outside of the district and the question of where to go next came up. He was somewhat less excited than the rest of them to go and speak to this Galtean loving man, especially since he figured that would mean a less-than-welcoming attitude towards Pontics. Still, the rest of the group seemed to be in favor of going to that sector. Ah well, his Galtean was passable. Still...

 

"If I may play the Dragon's Advocate," he didn't even think of how strange that might sound in his present company, "I might make things a bit dangerous for us in Sector One, and this Harris person might not even listen to you if I'm along. Still, even if we do not go and speak to this Olivette woman about...what are we going to ask them anyways? Well, even if we decide not to speak to her I would still like it if we could pass through Sector 2 on our way to Sector 1. Might be able to get a lead on that horse thief I'm chasing."

[King K. Azo]

Asura was not happy. Not one little bit. He was still steaming from Gunther and his accusation from last night. That was just a line you don't cross, even if he was a monster! Speaking of monsters... he had a monster headache that just wouldn't go away. The sun was also far too bright for his eyes, for some reason, and everything just sounded too loud. Was this the dreaded hangover his father told him off? 

He now knew why swordsmen that could use Drunken Style was so respected...
 
He didn't even know how he slipped on his shirt, or how he even grabbed his things. The pain was perhaps the third worst thing he had ever felt in his life... By some miracle, he managed to join with the group, where they got an escort right to the gates. These people had a real problem...
 
"Uwaaaah! What am I going to do without you, Link?!" the female guard wailed dramatically, causing Asura to grunt and cover his ears. It was bad enough the light was unbearable, now he had to listen to a woman screeching?! "You're like, the best part of being here! Without you I'll have to deal with stinky old Marcus, and you know how fun that sounds." 

Asura couldn't care less. The group finally began to make some progress when Cat asked,
 
"Which direction should we pick, then?"

 

"Whichever one will guarantee us an answer," Asura muttered as he slid his bandanna over his eyes. "I rather not deal with this city any more than we have to,"

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

   

 

Penelope couldn't help but smile slightly smugly. Sure not many seemed to care about her Pegasus facts but it looked like the decision was to go to Sector 1 next. Except for Edrick's response which she wasn't sure what he meant. She would have pointed out his flawed and confusing logic except that Ciela had asked her a question. Something about this girl bothered her but she was happy to have more reason to share what she knew.

“Hey Penelope, a bit sudden, but what’s an aphrodisiac? You seems to know a lot about it, so figured I’d ask you about it.”

 

She could see Gunther looking over at them with curiosity. He, too, didn't really know what such a thing was. It was an unusual word but he figured it must be something to do with magic. "Ah, well, glad you asked. An aphrodisiac is a food, drink, or drug that stimulates sexual desire. In this case it would be a sort of drug made from the feathers of Pegasi. Of course, this is likely an urban legend, but there has been several plants that have been known to give similar effects."

Gunther's eyes widened, blushing as he looked between the two girls, unable to fully grasp what he had just witnessed. Why does Penelope...what was he talking about, of course she knew about it, he should be more surprised when she didn't know something at this point. He now simply had to try not to think about aphrodisiacs and Ciela in the same vein, especially after that rather awkward moment last night.

 

Penelope seemed to realize that people would be paying some attention and decided to add on a slight addition. "It's said that Pontus is full of such things, created by the Goddess to increase the number of her worshipers."

 

Gunther, having heard enough, looked around for something else to think about. That's when he remembered Asura had said something. He coughed and spoke to him, softly, hoping that he was feeling better from the night before. "From what I've been told Sector 1 should be much less...er, unfriendly. I'm sure things will get better for us."

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

"Ah, well, glad you asked. An aphrodisiac is a food, drink, or drug that stimulates sexual desire. In this case it would be a sort of drug made from the feathers of Pegasi. Of course, this is likely an urban legend, but there has been several plants that have been known to give similar effects."

 

"Sexual...desire?"

 

Hearing what Penelope explained to her, Ciela expression was filled with confusion at first. Ciela felt that she had read about it somewhere, albeit was more of an offhanded footnote rather than anything concrete. If she could remember it right, it was said that it had something to do with husband and wife. Night activity, perhaps? Struggling to think properly due to her hangover-induced headaches, she tried to figure out what kind of night activity would require a drug to stimulate a desire. Wait, since nights were cold, and people would want warmth at that time, would that mean that aphrodisiac was something people use to get warm with each other? Ah, so that was what husband and wife do at night. It felt nonsensical and she still didn't understand why they had to be naked. Perhaps it's just getting too hot for them if they use that drug?

 

"Ah, so that it is for! For getting warm, it definitely is! To think that there's something that could warm up bare bodies just by snuggling...no cold nights would have any effects anymore! That will prove to be useful in our journey, so...in the next city, I'll try getting it for our group, alright?"

 

Ciela's thoughts became words as she got carried away with how she felt that she had completely guessed the mysterious substance's function on her own. She puffed her chest on top of her horse with pride, showing just how much she thought that her conclusion was the right one. The feeling of outsmarting the group's resident brain felt great! That would be something she should do more often.

 

"Don't worry, I'll buy enough for all of us so we won't spend our nights freezing in the open!"

 

---

[Sethera]

 

When the pegasi flew overhead, Penelope immediately started to spout some inane facts that Catriona tuned out as per habit. However, her ears pricked up at the word "aphrodisiac." Enough for her to actually turn her body toward the girl, eyebrows soaring toward her hairline. Does she even know what she's saying there?

 

"Hey Penelope, a bit sudden, but what’s an aphrodisiac? You seems to know a lot about it, so figured I’d ask you about it." She then proceeded to answer Catriona's question, but the lord paid that little mind, mind whirring with the implications of her question.

 

"Ah, well, glad you asked. An aphrodisiac is a food, drink, or drug that stimulates sexual desire. In this case it would be a sort of drug made from the feathers of Pegasi. Of course, this is likely an urban legend, but there has been several plants that have been known to give similar effects."

 

Why does she know this? the white-haired woman thought. The only reason she knew was because she had heard about it but Penelope hadn't been fighting alongside horny soldiers. Immediately, her mind jumped to the worst conclusion and her heart sank. Do I need to check whether Penelope...has been compromised? Or perhaps...she willingly partakes of such...items? Her mouth thinned. I will either have to kill someone or I will have to instruct my little sister on proper noble behavior. Perhaps both. She had been much too lax as a sister, too lax on preparing Penelope for what was to come. She would have to rectify that.

 

"It's said that Pontus is full of such things, created by the Goddess to increase the number of her worshipers."

 

Catriona cast an uneasy look at Edrick and Ciela at that.

 

"Sexual...desire? Ah, so that it is for! For getting warm, it definitely is! To think that there's something that could warm up bare bodies just by snuggling...no cold nights would have any effects anymore! That will prove to be useful in our journey, so...in the next city, I'll try getting it for our group, alright? Don't worry, I'll buy enough for all of us so we won't spend our nights freezing in the open!"

 

Meanwhile said Pontic had completely misunderstood Penelope's words somehow, and now the lord was starting to become paranoid, already predicting an event where Ciela laces them all in aphrodisiac to keep them warm, and--

 

No. That would not happen. Distractions such as that could be fatal. What if a bandit group were to happen upon them at that moment? Or if they were to meet a powerful enemy? No, she would make sure that sort of scenario would never come to pass.

 

"I think you misunderstand the meaning of aphrodisiac, Ciela," the white-haired woman cut in. "It has nothing to do with keeping warm, and would only hinder our journey."

 

--

 

Glancing over the group, having heard all of their opinions, Catriona made her decision. "Edrick, my apologies, but it seems you have been outvoted. However, if we do not find what we need at sector one, rest assured sector two shall not be forgotten." With that said, she started in the direction of sector one.

 

The walk was relatively peaceful, in comparison to how it had been on their way to sector three. No bandit attacks, and by now they were getting friendly waves from most of the people they passed. One even gifted them with a crate of cabbages, which Catriona held awkwardly in her hands, staring at the vegetables blankly.

 

Several hours after the crossroads, as they passed a strand of trees, they happened upon what looked to be a roadside fortune teller. An old man in a robe, he was currently holding a pack of cards at a makeshift table while humming mysteriously. In front of him stood a cowled figure with what looked to be some sort of fur scarf wrapped around their waist. As they approached, they realized the figure was female, had white hair under her hood, and was avidly listening to the old man's words.

 

"Ho huuum so you want to know your fortune young missy? Well, Old Hubba sees many things with his Einherjar cards." He quickly flung the cards out, and even Catriona couldn't help but be impressed at how they landed in a perfect line of three.

 

"Normally I'd do the Celtic cross--not that you'd know what that is hoho--but something will be coming your way pretty soon, so I'll do a simplified reading for now. To represent your past is this," he picked up a card, showing it to the woman. "Lena. The high priestess, she represents your past struggle with your weapon, the study and contemplation you undertook, and eventually, the hope that finally appeared to you.

 

"Next up is the present. For that, the Three of Pentacles. Looks to me like you'll be joining together with a group soon, if you're not already part of one. Some sort of task that needs to be done.

 

"And then the future. Oh." He paused. "Jagen or justice reversed. You will find you will have to make a decision. Your past actions might catch up with you. However, it being reversed means that most likely there will be a lack of justice. Either that or something hindering what is fair and true. I wish you luck with that, as it might be up to you to change that." He glanced up, noticing the group, though he didn't seem surprised at all to see them. "And it looks like the group I mentioned is here." He turned to directly address them. "Seems you're to team up with this young lady here," he gave a lecherous grin her way. "And what a foxy young lady she is."

 

Gathering up his cards, the old man gave one last wave to the group. "Treat her well." Snapping his fingers, he shimmered and faded like a mirage, leaving behind a single card. Catriona could catch only a glimpse of purple hair before she heard a ghostly chuckle. "Ah, you're not supposed to see that yet," and the card disappeared as well, leaving nothing but the group and the lone traveler.

 

"Ah," Catriona broke the silence with her usual awkwardness. "Um, my name is Catriona. Who are you?" she wouldn't normally give out her actual name, but she felt like it was only right to do so, if the old man's words were to be believed. That this woman in front of her would soon become a new companion. She then realized she was still holding the crate of cabbages and held one out to the stranger. "Do you want a cabbage?"

 

[spoiler=OOC]

So new person! I wonder who it is... Anyway, post your reactions and stuff.

 

 

[Wind Rider]

It had only been at least a week since she had started her journey, but Sienna was already finding new and interesting things outside her forest home. One thing in particular, an old man claiming to be a fortune-teller, something of a seer of the future and past. Sienna couldn't help her curiosity and decided to get a reading from this mysterious human.

 

"Ho huuum so you want to know your fortune young missy? Well, Old Hubba sees many things with his Einherjar cards." Sienna nodded her head at the old man's question and watched as he threw the cards down in an even row of three. She had heard of these cards from her father, about how they contained some type of power, but it was her first time actually seeing them. "Normally I'd do the Celtic cross--not that you'd know what that is hoho--but something will be coming your way pretty soon, so I'll do a simplified reading for now. To represent your past is this," This was so exciting, Sienna couldn't wait, she remained silent for the fortune-teller as he pulled up a card and showed her.

 

"Lena. The high priestess, she represents your past struggle with your weapon, the study and contemplation you undertook, and eventually, the hope that finally appeared to you. Next up is the present. For that, the Three of Pentacles. Looks to me like you'll be joining together with a group soon, if you're not already part of one. Some sort of task that needs to be done." Sienna could only look in amazement as this fortune-teller seemed to know her, and a group he said, she was under the impression that this would be a solo journey, but the thought of company interested her.

 

"And then the future. Oh... Jagen or justice reversed. You will find you will have to make a decision. Your past actions might catch up with you. However, it being reversed means that most likely there will be a lack of justice. Either that or something hindering what is fair and true. I wish you luck with that, as it might be up to you to change that." Sienna didn't know what to think of that last telling, though it sounded very important to her and to whatever this group had in store for her. "And it looks like the group I mentioned is here."

 

"Huh?" She turned around and she did indeed see a group of people there, a young lady at the head of the group seemed to be listening in on the old man's telling. "Seems you're to team up with this young lady here, And what a foxy young lady she is." Sienna turned to the old man to see that he was gathering the cards he had placed. "Treat her well." And with that, the old man snapped his fingers and seemed to disappear as if he were an illusion of some kind. Sienna turned to the group behind her, so these were the people she was to travel with? They were interesting to be sure.

 

"Ah, Um, my name is Catriona. Who are you?" The young lady seemingly leading the group addressed herself as Catriona, she certainly had a cute face to her but Sienna shook that thought out of mind, for now. Catriona even offered a cabbage to her, this was obviously an awkward situation. "Umm... Sienna, and uh... thanks..." Sienna adjusted her cowl before accepting the lady's gift. "Uh... so... you don't look like ordinary travelers, what are you uh... doing?" Sienna asked trying to keep a straight face.

[Hakima]

---

---

Link had heard much worse, in much more detail, from fellow soldiers during his half a decade of service to Galtea. It was different when it was coming from the youngest princess of Galtea, though, and not a pent-up middle-aged man that hadn’t seen his family in several months. Turning his attention to his boots, his face flushed red, he tried to tune out the conversation taking place between Penelope and Ciela by meticulously studying his laces. It didn’t really help, since he was standing close enough that he couldn’t help but hear them, but it didn’t stop him from trying.

 

"Sexual...desire? Ah, so that it is for! For getting warm, it definitely is! To think that there's something that could warm up bare bodies just by snuggling...no cold nights would have any effects anymore! That will prove to be useful in our journey, so...in the next city, I'll try getting it for our group, alright? Don't worry, I'll buy enough for all of us so we won't spend our nights freezing in the open!"

 

What is she talking about? he wondered, confused. Wait, did she say…? If at all possible, his blush grew even more intense at Ciela’s implications. She didn’t seem to grasp what she was saying in the slightest, he decided, risking a glance at her and finding her expression was completely innocent. Honestly, the way she was talking and acting, it almost reminded him of a child who thought they were helping. There’s no way she doesn’t know… She can’t…

 

Link glanced around the group, hoping someone would say something, and thankfully, Catriona did. "I think you misunderstand the meaning of aphrodisiac, Ciela," the princess interjected. "It has nothing to do with keeping warm, and would only hinder our journey." The Galtean soldier hesitated. She hadn’t explained why she was wrong, at least from what he could tell, and if Ciela had been naive enough to not understand in the first place…

 

“It’s… It’s not that kind of warm, at least,” he mumbled, trying to find the proper words. “Erhm… It’s for…” His voice was failing him, like it always did. How was he supposed to explain this? “It’s for married couples,” he finally decided on. “We have blankets to stay warm, so we don’t need it.” To emphasize, he patted the blanket and bedroll strapped to the top of his backpack.

 

His nerves at their limit, Link stood there awkwardly for a moment, cleared his throat, and then hurried to the front of the group so as to avoid any more questions.

 

And people wondered why he didn’t talk very often.

 

~~

 

Several hours on the open road, on top of the friendly greetings from those they passed, and someone who gave the group a box of cabbages, had helped Link calm down significantly. He had even managed to stop expecting brigands to leap out of every ditch or abandoned farmhouse they saw, and aside from one instance where he had heard a very noisy bird, he had avoided gripping his sword for reassurance. Normal people don’t do that, he reminded himself several times.

 

He was wondering if the proper thing to do was offer to carry the crate of cabbages for Princess Catriona when they came upon the old Fortune Teller. Slowly, most of the group stopped walking, and listened as he told the fortune of the woman seated at his table. Link was immediately uneasy, but he couldn’t find any sign of anyone hiding among the trees waiting to ambush them, so he didn’t say anything.

 

According to the old man, the woman was destined to join their group. Link thought it strange that Princess Catriona was so readily willing to accept the words of such a queer old man on the side of the road, but then remembered the fact that she hadn’t questioned him either, and decided it wasn’t his place to pass judgement.

 

"Um, my name is Catriona. Who are you?" she introduced, and then offered the stranger a cabbage. Link had a weird feeling about her, almost uneasy. She seemed… strange. She wasn’t abnormally tall or anything, even if she was a bit taller than him, and the strange fox tail-scarf-belt she wore around her waist was foreign to him. He couldn’t find any trace of weaponry, regardless, and Catriona trusted her. Sienna did immediately ask what an odd group like them was doing out here, and though Link was wondering the same thing, he wasn’t sure this was the best place to address it.

 

Realizing that he had been staring at her blankly for almost a full minute, Link waved meekly at Sienna, feeling stupid, then looked away.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

   

"Ah, so that it is for! For getting warm, it definitely is! To think that there's something that could warm up bare bodies just by snuggling...no cold nights would have any effects anymore! That will prove to be useful in our journey, so...in the next city, I'll try getting it for our group, alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll buy enough for all of us so we won't spend our nights freezing in the open!"

 

Gunther's shock came in the form of his sputtering and coughing. "Er, that, well, that's not...that is..." Even he knew what a bad idea that would be, even if he hadn't really know what it was until now. But he couldn't seem to bring himself to actually speak up. His face was getting redder and redder as he thought of the night before and decided he might not be the best person to try and explain this. Thankfully Cat and Link were more than willing to save them from this terrible fate.

 

“It’s… It’s not that kind of warm, at least, Erhm… It’s for....It’s for married couples. We have blankets to stay warm, so we don’t need it.”

 

It wasn't the best explanation but it was simple enough that perhaps Ciela would drop it at that. Gunther let out a sigh of relief that turned into panic as he saw the grin grow on Penelope's face.

"That's silly talk Link!" Penelope said. "Don't listen to them Ciela, it's certainly not something just for married couples. There is a rich history of people using it for recreation between unmarried lovers, and even friends!" Of course, she would be extra careful to check what she ate and drank around Ciela, but Penelope couldn't resist the, slightly distorted and vague, truth she spoke.

 

"You're a monster." Gunther muttered to Penelope, briefly dropping his servile attitude, reminding Penelope of their childhood days and causing her to smile wider. "I know" She chimed. And Gunther couldn't help but smile slightly. It was damn good to see her acting like...herself. Though he did notice that Katarina was still tucked away more than usual.

-----

As they traveled on, Gunther was having a crisis of identity. On one hand he felt a bit more carefree than earlier, given his interaction with Penelope, on the other he was still her guardian. And Link seemed to be highly alert. Noticing that Gunther realized he needed to try and emulate the man and be more aware of their surroundings.

However Gunther, between worrying about Penelope, and Ciela, and just being too concerned about if he was doing this soldier thing right, ironically almost completely missed the old man on the side of the road until he made a show of vanishing. He stopped in his tracks, almost causing Penelope to run into him, and whipped his head towards the scene.

 

There was a girl there, hooded, with unusual clothing. He frowned as Catriona approached her and made his move to stand by her side as the girl responded to their leader

"Umm... Sienna, and uh... thanks...Uh... so... you don't look like ordinary travelers, what are you uh... doing?"

It seemed the girl was even more confused than they were. Gunther would have spoken to her but he figured that....

 

Right on cue Penelope slipped between Gunther and Cat, looking quizzically at the girl. She had, unlike Gunther, noticed the entire ordeal with the old man. And it made her curious. This was something she knew nothing about. Fortune telling, that man, and this odd girl. She had noticed something was off with the way the man spoke but the pressing concern now was that her sister the idiot told this stranger who she was. However since the Cat was out of the bag, she figured she'd try and speak with the stranger and see if she could learn something new.

 

"We're traveling of course." Penelope said. "We're on a grand top secret quest!" she said with a wink and a laugh, attempting to make it come off as a joke. "We're heading for Sector One is all. But you seem to be in a much more interesting situation. How did that man vanish like that? I see none of the usual trappings of street magicians, nor sign of warp magic, quite odd wouldn't you say?"

 

Gunther didn't quite like the Princesses being this close to the stranger but...Something about the girl calmed Gunther. He couldn't quite explain it but it was almost as if she belonged here or something of that sort. So he settled with simply introducing himself. "I'm Gunther." He said.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

 

"I think you misunderstand the meaning of aphrodisiac, Ciela. It has nothing to do with keeping warm, and would only hinder our journey."

 

“It’s… It’s not that kind of warm, at least. Erhm… It’s for…It’s for married couples, we have blankets to stay warm, so we don’t need it.”

 

Why did everyone seemed to be against her idea? Of course, the easiest thing for Ciela to infer from that was that her conclusion about the use of aphrodisiac was wrong, however, why would she believe that? If she's wrong, then why didn't anyone tell her what's right? Ciela felt that she's kept in the dark about the proper reason why she shouldn't buy those aphrodisiacs. As she was deep in her thought however, Penelope turned to her with a grin on her face.

 

"That's silly talk Link! Don't listen to them Ciela, it's certainly not something just for married couples. There is a rich history of people using it for recreation between unmarried lovers, and even friends!"

 

Now that's reassuring. Some times, perhaps it's best to listen to someone that speaks just like you. Recreation would definitely be what the group need after bouts of stressful battles, and it wouldn't give them as bad of a headache as alcohol! Well, money to get it would still be an issue as she was still looking for books on herbs and a portable bathtub to buy with her last gem, but with a little bit of...craftiness, it shouldn't be complicated. She didn't say anything about it for the rest of their way, but her big grin was all the indicator people need for what she had in mind.

 

 

They had been walking for a while (well, kind of, Ciela didn't walk a bit), and it seemed that there was barely anything of note along the way, however that soon change with the appearance of an old man. He did some divinations when Cat approached him, and soon disappeared into nowhere before Ciela could properly react to him. However, soon there was someone else nearby. A hooded girl of sort. That definitely wasn't suspicious at all. This girl seemed to be the shy type with how her speech was seemingly impaired in some way, and perhaps she's interested in joining the group? Before anyone really properly answer her though, Penelope once again came with her save.

 

"We're traveling of course." Well, that one, Ciela already knew. It's obvious, really. "We're on a grand top secret quest!" Wait, was she serious about it? The tone felt like a joke, but that fact perhaps passed over Ciela's mind. "We're heading for Sector One is all. But you seem to be in a much more interesting situation. How did that man vanish like that? I see none of the usual trappings of street magicians, nor sign of warp magic, quite odd wouldn't you say?"

 

"Yeah, it's pretty odd for him to disappear like that. Unless someone's using the goddess' magic here on him or something. That aside, you're joining us?

 

I guess I'm as out of place on this group as you, but y'know, we're probably not just traveling in a happy fun journey across the continent. So hey, if that's something you're into, then great! Just don't be a drag."

 

With her best attempt to follow Penelope's tone due to the similarity in the way they sounded, Ciela chimed in immediately after Penelope was done. She wondered whether the girl could do anything on this roadtrip, but hey, it's nice to have more people around. More people to take care of could mean higher pay perhaps. However, that wasn't in her mind right now, and Ciela then turned to Penelope. Probably the only openly honest one on the group.

 

"Hey Pen, can you tell me more about this supposed grand top secret quest? I kinda just realized that I tagged in without knowing where we're going,

 

Don't think I'd leave you guys with whatever you might say, so just tell me the truth, will you?"

 

---

[Alaina]

After having the meaning of the word "aphrodisiac" explained to the group, Alois didn't really pay much mind to the fact that the princess had known this fact to begin with. However, while he was nonchalant in his acceptance of this, there was a feeling of dread that spread across him as the girl atop the horse voiced her thoughts on the matter. He was almost positive that she was getting the application of these "aphrodisiacs" wrong, and was worried what it was that she was planning to do, only to nod in agreement as Link seemed to try his best to derail her from her train of thought. While he was a bit relieved by this, the same sense of dread seemed to fill him again as the little princess seemed to affirm the girl that she was indeed on the right track with how the supposed drugs were meant to be used. Looking to the little bookworm, Alois knew that this required some kind of counter measure by him. While the boy could try and convince her that the princess was definitely wrong, it was likely to not work coming from the axe wielder of all people. So instead he off handedly said, "man, maybe she really did need to heal her head after all." With that comment out of the way, he continued to walk along with the rest of the group. 

 

As they continued to travel across the road, in contrast to the loud day and night they had prior, the trip was rather uneventful. Not minding the peace, Alois continued just continued to look around his surroundings, trying to take in the sights of the Histian mountain range, before his attention was drawn to something rather odd. There in the middle of the road was an old looking man, with a cloaked figure standing near him. The man seemed to be doing some kind of tricks with the cards he held and based on what he had seemed to predict the future. Alois was very unsure as to how either really correlated with each other, and wondering whether or not the man seemed to just be making up things on the spot, but their white haired leader seemed to not care. Just like that, they had another member added to their traveling party.

 

With introductions going on, Penne had decided to  tell the girl that they were on some kind of quest of some manner of secrecy. Alois honestly wasn't sure how secret what they were doing was supposed to be, as they had seemed rather open about telling their purpose to him, but as Ciela asked what exactly the quest was, the boy was unable to help himself. "Well the fact is, what we're doing is a great secret. And what kind of secret quest would be fun if the secret was just spoiled to you right from the get go?" The boy seemed to speak as if this statement was one of the most obvious facts to be uttered, even more so than the note about the aphrodisiacs earlier. Turning to the new person in their group, the fighter said, "so, Sienna was it? Alois," he gestured to himself as a way of introducing himself. "I'm just gonna go for the obvious here and ask what is a cloaked figure like yourself doing on a road like this?"