Fantasy Wherever the Wind Takes You

[Shreb]

Before she got the chance to ask him what he wanted to talk about, he made sure to gesture with his hands that they'd have to talk back and forth, pointing at her, then him, and alternating between the two a few times before he 'rolled' his fingers around one another. The final glance at a bed- hers, although only because it was in the room, should have sealed the matter as far as his idea was concerned.

Oh! He wants to talk!

The last time Laila talked, she had dove into his dreams, which was partially what caused so much of her sleep deprivation that day; luckily, it hadn't affected her, but a second slip would definitely garner some major consequences. She hadn't expected to have dreamwalked for so long so she had slept sitting up...She would need to position herself better for this conversation.

She tapped her cheek. "Okay...I can enter your dreams asleep and lying down, we just have to be holding hands while I do it, so we'll be together!"

Very close proximity, indeed.

The answer was clear: she followed.

 

[Gary Sue]

"It's hard to tell if we actually need to be holding hands or if that's just Laila being Laila. I hope I don't knock her mood down too much."

A low sigh as Reeve lead them over to his room, quietly taking the armor off of himself and exposing his rather casual attire under the knightly visage- the blue hoodie and his plain, brown pants. He took the pouches off his belt too, quietly placing them alongside the rest of his belongings next to his bed. Once he was ready to go, he gave her a quiet glance and laid down, facing her with a confused look on his face. He'd always slept facing the sky, or ceiling in this case, so this was definitely... a change of pace.

"And if she wants me to hold hands, then... I assume like this.", he huffed and stretched a hand out somewhat, so they could have a solid grip on one another. By the time she gave him hers, he was silently lost staring at it. After a moment's daze though, he nodded and closed his eyes, taking a few minutes to finally fall asleep and allow her entry to his mind once again. When he was finally asleep, his breathing was heavier and he looked as peaceful as he probably did troubled.

As for his dreamscape... It was the same, plain field on the side of a cliff as it was last time. He stood by the edge in his armor, although there was no sword by his hipside this time. Everything but the see was once again painted in what looked like watercolors, giving the same unreal aura to the entire sequence. The sun's bright shine was undeniable, as was the smell of salt in the air. "...", Reeve looked off into the distance, waiting for his friend to fall asleep and hopefully emerge just like last time. At least while he was still asleep, yet consciously in control and not disillusioned into believing this isn't anything but a dream, like he did last time.

 

[Shreb]

Nice! To be truthful, Laila didn't really need the handholding, but it gave her a sense of security because dreamwalking was something that was done together, so it made sense to feel like there was a guiding hand through it all...Plus, it just felt better. Who wants to dream walk criss-cross? This was a far better alternative.

"Alright, I'll see you in Dreamland..."

---

Laila wasn't kidding; she had a stronger presence with a hand on Reeve's and their connection so close together, so much so that part of her dreaming subconscious was bleeding against Reeve's, as if two fragmented worlds were now connected. Laila wasn't so watercolory, hers was far more ink-like, with hard lines and brush strokes decorating her landscape of the sounds of polite and gentle singing, Laila's young voice unmistakeable as she sang to the tune of Clair de Lune. Its main chords were played in what sounded like a mix between a musical saw and a theremin, its sound ethereal in motion. Young Laila was no opera singer, but with training, she could become an extremely talented singer, her lower tone a natural contrasted harmony with the music.

Her terrain looked like flat bamboo tiles, her dream world some form of floating platform with the distinct smell of chrysanthemums, nectarines, and touches of beer salt. Though Reeve's sun overlapped Laila's, his was far more powerful, illuminating the painting-like world Laila seemed to display.

"Hii!!" She squealed with excitement as soon as she saw him, running up to Reeve with the trails of her world fading just to keep up with Laila. "Good to see you again!!"

She just spoke to him 20 minutes ago, so...Long time no see.

 

[Gary Sue]

Reeve heard her voice, and quietly turned to look over his shoulder as she ran up to him. Whatever was behind her, this painting of sorts... it looked like what he would imagine when thinking of Laila, honestly. He smiled, watching it fade into a clean nothingness as she approached and the 'walls' of their mindscapes blended together. He opened his mouth to talk, his eyes widening as nothing came out initially. A ghastly presence took over and almost felt like it was choking him up, the words stuck in his lung alongside the air he'd breathed in, until with a wave crashing against the cliffside, they finally came out.

"I'm still not used to this.", he changed up what he wanted to say, feeling a looming sense of dread if he were to give attention to the fact he could talk. But that wasn't the matter he wanted to talk about right now, so he buried it in the back of his mind and huffed, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "... So you're going to Sesseth next, right?", he asked, although the question was rather rhetorical. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and looked down at it, furrowing his brows.

"... I want to find out more about this. I feel like I could do so much more, if I just- knew. Knew what it does. What it is.", he nodded quietly to himself and looked at her, concern on his features. "... But it's dangerous. I didn't want to take you with me. I wanted to wrap up with the Church so I could move on and not drag you into anything more risky, especially for my sake. I am the bodyguard.", Reeve exhaled and looked away, feeling a burden off his chest, but at the same time, he looked equally worried now as he did before. The waves were a bit harsher, crashing against the cliffside continuously and not looking to be holding back anytime soon.

"The sword is from Sesseth, but I'm not allowed to go there. And if that man... the man from the tavern, if he's after me or the sword for any reason, then this means it is not safe for you to stick together, Laila.", his tone became firmer as he looked back at her quietly, giving her some room to think things over and give him an answer. "I don't want you to get put in any harm's way for nothing."

 

[Shreb]

A ghastly presence took over and almost felt like it was choking him up, the words stuck in his lung alongside the air he'd breathed in, until with a wave crashing against the cliffside, they finally came out.

Laila went from excessively excited to being on the brink of a heart attack, trying to wave her hands wildly and remind him the proper way to "communicate."

"... So you're going to Sesseth next, right?",

"I suppose...I can't think of much else to do around these parts...Kind of crazy that we met by sheer coincidence, huh?"

Such is the magic of destiny. "As much as I wanna stay...I've never felt more excited to go somewhere since I've met you."

He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and looked down at it, furrowing his brows.

"... I want to find out more about this. I feel like I could do so much more, if I just- knew. Knew what it does. What it is."

"Heh...Hey, you've tapped your ears into the world of magic...Maybe in due time, you'll get a better idea just what your sword might be..."

...

"Maybe the Abyssals really did figure out a way to make an ego weapon..." She muttered.

"... But it's dangerous. I didn't want to take you with me. I wanted to wrap up with the Church so I could move on and not drag you into anything more risky, especially for my sake. I am the bodyguard.",

...

"Gotcha...Hey, I can hold off on the Church. What the heck is one little shrine priestess and a bodyguard gonna do that her mom, a diehard vampire, and an assassin can't?"

"The sword is from Sesseth, but I'm not allowed to go there. And if that man... the man from the tavern, if he's after me or the sword for any reason, then this means it is not safe for you to stick together, Laila."

That surely hurt a little. She felt like she was a bit of a burden...

"I don't want you to get put in any harm's way for nothing."

But they were nothing short of good points. Laila let loose a deep breath, silence overtaking her as she thought longingly to the scent of saltwater and nectarines.

"Then we could split and meet down the middle. You can figure out more answers about your sword...I'll ditch the outfit for a more wanderer-like attire...And the first thing I'll do is grab that little delivery. And then I head straight to you. My family has never been one for scrying but it is one of the basic magic techniques that must be performed before you're able to learn the drawing of talismans..."

She chuckled. "Grandma always sounded so cool about it. 'By seeing what is not there, you can draw out power, even in darkness.' But we can still use it to locate each other...More specifically, me to you. But since you don't quite know magic...I suppose there is one idea..."

"If you're worried about me...How about giving your sword a taste of my blood? I like to think it's similar to a dog that you're a little too scared to tame, but I'm sure if you show the proper leadership, you could command even the dark arts to follow your will." Laila grinned, clearly uncertain herself where she got these words from. "Something you learn about the weapons you take is that they often draw out the latent emotions of its wielder. Dark arts just tends to put on a face when it happens."

...

"OR!" Laila put on a cheeky grin. "I don't care how dangerous it gets. We'll be partners instead and you won't have to worry about protecting me. We travel hand-in-hand, put on some new faces, and run our little errands together as bonafide traveling adventurers."

 

[Gary Sue]

That plan was good, they could split up and then they'd make their way together to Sesseth after... after when? They'd figure that out, as long as he managed to make sure the two weren't spotted together until he got his watcher situated and whatnot. Changing outfits was good, and he could probably have a similar change in attire too, looking more like an adventurer and less like a travelling knight would probably garner less looks and make it harder for Abyssals along the way to identify him too.

Everything was solid and fell right into place, just until she mentioned feeding his sword any amount of blood, especially hers. He seemed immediately uncomfortable, a wave crashing against the cliffside loudly as he took a step back and furrowed his brows. "I really don't think that's-", he tried to talk back, just for her to try and paint a picture like his sword was some form of pet. It wasn't, and he knew fully well just what it could do if he allowed it to lead him on- just not to what extent.

"OR!"

How abruptly the rest followed put him at ease more than anything. Taking a moment to think about it, his thought process could easily be told apart just from the shifts in his facial expressions. "If we did split up and they've already spotted you, then you're in even more danger if I'm not around... And I suppose I'm... n-not good at fighting against magic myself, so you're the most suited to deal with that, too...", the man scratched his head quietly and groaned, pressing a thumb on his forehead and thinking.

Think, think, think... There really weren't any other ways about it, were there? "I... I suppose we can... take it all the way together. Being an adventurer, huh..?", he repeated her words somewhat uncertainly, holding his arms and looking to the side in silence. "... It shouldn't be much different to being a bodyguard as I am right now, right? Except instead of doing jobs for you to get my money, it'll be from... what, adventurer associations..? And if I can't enter Sesseth, you'll have to be picking the jobs and everything. Ari's money should keep us for a while, but we'll have to work for more eventually..."

All of these thoughts would need to be sorted out sooner rather than later, but maybe this was all noise to shut out what really grabbed his attention this entire time.

"As much as I wanna stay...I've never felt more excited to go somewhere since I've met you."

Words that carried over more passion and excitement than he knew how to respond to. Hell, he wasn't even meant to be able to talk, so why would he know how to respond to that? He didn't, and he was doing his best not to dwell on it, not even acknowledge that he heard it... yet. He'd have all night and then some to ponder it over, after all.

 

[Shreb]

She reached for her bow and arrow, only to realize her dream self doesn't actually carry one around. Why bring weapons to a dream?

She pretended to hold them up anyway. "Look, we'll figure it out. If I look gruff and grangy enough, I'll definitely pass for an outlaw that shouldn't be messed with!"

Not quite how it works but slay, queen.

"There's enough problems in the world to solve, we just gotta get our foot in so we can show we're right up there with the best of them!"

She pet pat Reeve's shoulder. "We can't be strong as a team if we worry about each other, right? Gotta wipe that bodyguard mindset off and think of each other as equals! I dunno how we'll split loot though...I guess according to our styles, hehe."

"The only thing we'll have to worry about is logistics and dungeon architectural integrity! Which, I mean, I'll deal with," she said with a confident smile. "If you're pretty strong, then there's nothing to worry about, right?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Being heroes that would just go out there and save the world... it was a bit childish, honestly. But- "... Yeah, alright. We can go with that then... I'm just not used to working in a team after the... 'incident'.", he threw his excuse out, as if they hadn't been travelling and even fighting together on occasion all this time. She'd seen how he worked, and he'd seen how she had. Trying to apologise now was a bit insecure of him, if not insincere.

And then came the topic of his strength. He looked away, quietly. It still felt off, that she had saved him any time magical creatures were involved. After talking with her, the least magical creature they ever encountered was either a hillibilly with pent up rage, or the dragon. And dragons were by no means 'not magical creatures' now, were they? "Well... I want this trip to be strong. I'm just a knigh-... adventurer with a sword, right now. I can't even talk, so being 'street smart' isn't doing me any favors either. So... I'm counting on you, until I can get strong enough. Okay?", Reeve admitted quietly and gave her a silent stare, with a small smile to accompany it.

A dizzy spell washed over him, but he couldn't tell if it was the fatigue from the mental rollercoaster that he went through that day, or if it was something else. Regardless... it was nice, being able to converse like this. Even if they could get along regardless, it felt so rare, wrong even that he could be heard, even if it was only in his sleep. Come think of it, everything painted by his mind was beginning to get a bit more blurry, more dreamy. His consciousness was probably slipping away, so he wouldn't be able to get much more than a few more words in after she responded. Then? Then he had to sleep and actually get some rest.

"Do you want to say anything?"

 

[Shreb]

"Do you want to say anything?"

She shrugged. She was pretty satisfied with what he had to say, so she didn't share much more than a polite smile and an excited nod. She clapped her hands with a bright little hop. It was quite clear there was nothing more to say, at least for now.

"I can't wait to see us out there."

 

[Gary Sue]

Reeve smiled upon hearing her parting words. He nodded and put his hand on his chest, giving her a bright grin once more. "... Same here. I'll see you tomorrow, Laila... and thanks for talking with me.", he waved her off and in moments, her own landscape and appearance began to waver as she disappeared, promptly getting kicked out of his dreamscape and back into her own reality, probably to wake up.

"Talking with me, huh... Maybe I didn't lose my voice after all. But...", the knight turned back to the cliff he was looking over, frowning and looking down at the raging waters that were now much less calm than before. "... This shouldn't be possible."

It shouldn't be, and you're none the wiser about it. I'd be grateful if I were you.



A foggy cloud appeared just a bit further ahead of Reeve, with two red orbs idly floating as though they were eyes, looking right at the man. As the purple mist moved away from the still cloud, it disappeared, giving it this ghost-like feeling. But he knew what this was. "And why shouldn't it have been possible now, and before was fine? If you'll talk with me, be useful.", he narrowed his gaze and glared at what he could only imagine was the manifestation of his sword's voice, his grin replaced with a bothered frown.

You weren't aware it wasn't a dream last time. But now you are trying to break the curse's rules.

"And? Why's it working."

... Because I'm curious. You found the only person that heard your voice since we met, and still you tried to push them away.

"...", the vanguard quietly averted his gaze from the apparition before him, exhaling and closing his eyes to clear his mind, even if just for a minute. Once he had, he looked at the apparition again and furrowed his brows. "You've been quiet since we met almost. So why are you so talkative now? It can't be a coincidence."

It's not. It's punishment. For breaking the rules. The more you fight back against the curse, the more I awake. You'll need to sate my thirst if you want these 'privileges' to keep up. And if you do, I can give you power.

"You're talking about the writing too, aren't you?", a scoff before he crossed his arms, tapping his foot on the ground quietly and giving it a moment's thought before he pressed on the sword's abilities themselves. "Your thirst for what? Blood? And what do you mean 'power'?"

If I answered, you wouldn't have to go to Sesseth. I won't take your purpose away from you. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll find out all you want to know soon enough.

And before Reeve even got the chance to complain, argue, stop it in its tracks somehow... it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Tsk.", the man's tongue clicked in annoyance as he felt everything around him slowly start blending together too, his consciousness finally drifting away. In the real world, he tensed up for a brief moment, squeezing Laila's hand before falling into deep sleep and tapping out for the night. And as if it wasn't written on his face already, he was tired and finally relaxing, but far from peaceful as was.

 

[Shreb]

Laila and her sleep came fast.

And then a dream came along.

"Strength isn't quantifiable, Lilac. You don't just get stronger. You just get better."

Alina and Laila sit close to each other under the tree of an endless moonlight.

"Then what would you consider yourself?"
"Not stronger. Just deadlier."
"How's that any different?"
"Difference between two kids and their sticks is how big their stick is."
"You sure have a lot of funny ways to describe stuff..."
"Verdina loves the Western side. Yee's her haw, whatever that means."
...
"What do you think of yourself, Alina?"
"Huh? Where'd that come from?"
"I'm...Just feeling a little lost right now."
"Hm. Don't expect me to give you the run down. No one knows where they're at."
"Yeah..."
"I'll tell you what I think, I guess. I think I'm living the way I need to. I don't have to change the world, but I think having the freedom to is nice. I'm shooting for that. Someone who can pick and choose their influence."
"...That's nice..."

Like a piercing javelin, her dream is overwhelmed with a foreign presence.

"...You...Sesseth...Find."
"What the..."
"...I...Wait..."

Undoubtedly, her grip had tightened on Reeve's hand and her sleep wasn't quite so peaceful.

 

[Gary Sue]

Although unbeknownst to Reeve, Laila seemed to also have her own demons and troubles, something he honestly hoped she didn't have to go through too. So feeling her hand squeeze his, even while asleep, he slowly pulled himself slightly closer and through another arm over her, almost holding her in a hug and trying to 'keep her safe'. He only figured what he had done once a few hours had passed, it was some good time through the night, and he was as uncomfortable as he was confused. He remembered the two talking, but did they do anything else afterwards, or was this just cruel coincidence?

With a low cough to himself as if scolding his own actions, he pulled his arm from around her and pushed himself a bit further away, looking at the ceiling quietly. His arm was cramped, as was his entire side squished- probably from sleeping on it to support that protective hug of his. Whatever the reason... he hoped Laila was able to sleep peacefully until the morning. He turned his head to look at her and although quietly, the exhaustion lulled him back to sleep as his heavy eyebrows closed and he was unconscious one again. With their hands holding throughout the rest of the night, lest Laila pulled her own back, they rested through and through and when the morning came, he groaned.

He moved around a little and opened his eyes, met with the same sight of the ceiling once again- and some sunlight prying into his poor, sensitive eyes. "Ngh... Is it morning already..?", he grumbled and tried to stretch, noticing the familiar weight on his hand and looking at it silently. Maybe... it was best to limit his movement, for the time being. Not wake up his friend until she did on her own. So Reeve silently sat there, looking at her with a curious look on his face. "... I guess she didn't wake up and go to her room after we talked, huh. I wasn't... expecting that, honestly."

 

[Shreb]

Not much of note happened following that sleep. The dream had become little more than a passing thought, but the pressure did bear down on her up until the time to awaken came along. Her unconscious body ended up embracing him in his entirety, only just being noticed when the morning came.

When her eyes awoke, she felt the familiar heat and weight of a familiar companion.

And her face caught on fire.

"Hah- uh-"

She nearly sprung away from Reeve, surprised by the close proximity they had for likely a fourth of the night.

Shame he was already awake.

"H-heh, guess I didn't come back to my room...?" She said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "S-sorry!!"

This seemed to be the line of physical contact. She hadn't ever slept with a guy and seeing their togetherness as little more than a happy dream conversation made the actual ritual a lot easier to bear...But now she straight up slept with him in bed. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, but embarrassed was one of the first waves of emotion currently roaring through her cheeks.

"Um- were you uncomfortable, by any chance??"

 

[Gary Sue]

Seeing just how he hadn't moved away, be it because he enjoyed the sensation or because he didn't want to wake her up, she probably had her answers right in front of her. Still, seeing her be so sheepish and apologetic only made him offer a small grin, and an attempt at nodding. Turns out, it's hard to nod when resting your head. When she asked about him being potentially uncomfortable, he found it a bit... problematic. "... H-How am I even meant to respond..?", he grumbled as a light rose tint appeared on his cheeks, looking away and shaking his head as he pursed his lips some.

Come think of it, their hands were still clasped together. Although it was nice and comfortable, they should probably stop that. So he slowly pulled his hand back, although she could probably tell some slight... hesitation? Was it want for more? Something was definitely up, but even Reeve wasn't quite certain yet. He exhaled shakily and sat up after a moment, looking around and holding his head as his body took a minute to wake up in full. If they were going to head on over to Sesseth, they'd need to start sometime early on in the morning.

His stomach growled, giving them a pointer for a start- breakfast would be good, then they could prep up and get the show on the road. Provided they run into villages or some other smaller settlements along the way, they had the money to keep them afloat for more than enough. Hell, they'd probably be able to pay enough for the trip back over to the shrine, if they ended up sticking together for that long. Some worries for the archer were still going around his mind, but... the main concern was the foreboding words of his sword from last night. He gave it a quick glance, resting alongside his armor, but nothing. He'd just have to wait and see.

 

[Shreb]

"Breakfast! Yes! I can do that!"

She loved breakfast? With a question mark?

Either way, she had just barely noticed his hesitation once their hands disconnected, some loose sense of disappointment and regret barreling in the back of her heart. Not a comfortable feeling, no sir.

Speak of the devil!

"Breakfast? You're not cooking, young lady."

Lo and behold, Tomoe was around the corner, hair tied in a chignon and an apron laid over her shrine outfit. One hand was holding a wok filled with smells of spices, meats, and leftover rice. The other was holding a pan, passively flipping eggs up and down.

"Hi, Mom."
"Hi, Lilac. Reeve." She eyed him just a little suspiciously, the same way a mother would whenever something's going on that isn't quite right. "I hope you two have kept yourselves safe."

"Yeah! What's for breakfast?"

Tomoe held up the pan and wok again. "There's also juices and waters in the dining area, so please help yourself."

Laila hummed excitedly, grabbing Reeve by the hand again. "Alright! Let's get you fed!"

"Alina's in the guest room. She said that you need to see her before you two head on. I've brought you more things for the road...And a bit of a surprise when you leave the shrine." Tomoe grinned, flashing a great wink for them.

Laila couldn't decrypt that one.

Food first! Right, Reeve?

 

[Gary Sue]

It was like Laila had dug into his brain and was thinking all the same things he did sometimes, but he wasn't going to complain honestly. And neither was his stomach, she was so capable a smell even started to seep into the room, and it was excellent... It was like... a charming blend of meat fried to perfection, with rice and an undeniable scent of... eggs? "Is this a magic trick, or did-", his question was stopped short as Tomoe showed up, giving him the stink eye and killing his enthusiasm for Laila's cooking.

Better yet, was the fact that he completely misconstrued her suspicious stare, thinking that the sword gave off a bad feeling from yesterday. "F-Fuck, it does that... cursed thing after all, shit. I'm sorry.", he dipped his head in apologetically and bowed forwards slightly, making for a funny misunderstanding if Tomoe didn't catch on either. When she showed the wok, it (unsurprisingly enough) had all the foods Reeve was able to make out, and then some spices and finishing touches. He didn't even get enough time for his mouth to start watering before Laila pulled him alongside her towards the dining room, giving a smile to Tomoe's... curious wink?

".... Do they really always have gifts for one another every single time..? Oh shit, actually...", he huffed and looked at his companion as the two arrived to the dining area. "If Laila fell asleep with me yesterday, then she probably didn't have time to tell Tomoe or Alina about the trip, right..? I should let her catch them up to speed once we're done eating, it might be a while before we're back here... Few weeks at best."

 

[Shreb]

Tomoe rolled her eyes. He definitely didn't get why she was giving him the stink eye.

Laila was already starting to get a move on, yoinking him as they would soon set out for breakfast!

The table looked quite comfortable, sitting on top a thick blanket to stick feet underneath. Placing legs under the table would put one under the realization that it was oddly fuzzy, warm, and cozy underneath, like a fresh radiating warmth was entirely contained underneath the wooden table.

Tomoe was already putting it all into bowls for them, yawning as she commented, "Lilac, you're going to be gone, aren't you?"

"Heh? Uh, how did you know?"

Tomoe chuckled, somewhat melancholic. "You have the same face as you did whenever you ran away from home. I haven't seen that in years..."

Laila, flustered, rubbed the back of her neck, hand still firmly holding onto Reeve. "O-oh. Uh...Yeah...Sesseth."

She eyed the both of them. "Together?"

"Y...Yeah."

...

Tomoe sighed. "It's hard to imagine you growing up this fast...But here we are now." She placed her wok on the table. "Lilac, please stay as safe as possible. It's dangerous on that side of the world. You as well, Reeve. She holds a lot of trust in you, it seems...I can't give you my sword because I'll need it for an upcoming walk."

"Ah...Right..."

Whatever "walk" meant.

The sounds of a horse and hooves clapping the sand could be heard just outside the shrine, Laila's eyes blinking wildly.

"You didn't."

"I got you a horse for the journey...Though he was supposed to keep quiet. Should speed things up, no?"

Laila stared at Reeve. "I- uh- I haven't really ridden horses that much..."

"Relax, he's a Clydesdale from the army. They're trained very well, and I quite like him. He's one of my favorites. Just don't be behind him when he needs to go. He won't hesitate to fire at you."

"...Jeez...Still, thanks, Mom!" She started pulling in rice straight into her mouth. Yum!

"Sweetheart, you're gonna wear out the thanks at this rate. Just consider it an obligation since you'll probably be gone...Just like the days you'd be out and about in the forest. You know how stressful it was to watch you? You were more a danger to yourself than the nature around you."

She glanced at Reeve. "Don't forget to treat her well. She can throw quite the fit."

Laila choked. "Mom- please-"

"And keep her on her side or else she snores."

"Mom!! I- I snore?"

"Loudly. Just like your father."

Laila wanted to die. "Uuu...Gods...Well, good to know..."

 

[Gary Sue]

The table's leg room under it was odd, but... it was an interesting change to say the least. Sitting down, he noticed Laila hadn't let go of his hand and quietly looked at it, up to the moment Tomoe opened her mouth. She caught Laila by surprise, although Reeve couldn't say he was all that woed she'd found out somehow. She was a bit suspicious to him from the start, in the sense that he could never get a proper read on her. Knowing how strong she was too- "... I hate how she's always in control of everything. At least she doesn't have devious intent anyhow..."

Something about the way she portrayed everything to revolve around the two of them being a pair, no, a couple almost... It was starting to get him as flustered as it probably was Laila. As for the comment on being unable to lend Laila her sword... "... A walk, uhuh... And me and Laila are just going for a stroll, too."

That's around when the horse sounded and that got him looking at Tomoe wide-eyed too. As much as he wanted to get excited about all the ways the journey would become faster, they were going for a visit for Reeve's sake, and a delivery pickup for Laila's. If they ended up becoming adventurers, it might be best to not stick around a city he was banished from, but even so- the horse was another life they'd have to look after at this point. And with an assailant or potentially more, on Reeve's track, he couldn't guarantee anything. "Damn it, that's... Ugh. We'll have to tread very carefully."

Hearing the chopsticks Laila was using click together made him realise that at this rate, the food would go cold before the even started. So he dipped his head in and bowed gratefully, before starting to clunkily handle the chopsticks so he could dig into the food right after she did. He wasn't too used to eating with anything that wasn't a fork or spoon, so they'd have to watch him commit crimes against their culture instead for the time being.

Although he idly listened to the two's banter, he sighed like an old man at the snoring comment. He wasn't sure if to Tomoe, he was Laila's bodyguard, boyfriend, husband or caretaker more than anything else. Still, despite not looking like he was enjoying the breakfast much, this was the last most-cheery encounter he'd be having for a while. Hopefully not too long, provided they can keep the horse out of harm's way until they're back at the very least, but only time would tell. Maybe the melancholic smile on Reeve's face gave his train of thought away, maybe it did not. There's only one thing that remained the same regardless.

The food was good, and you bet he was enjoying it. He'd scarfed it down within moments, although he probably horribly misused the chopsticks as a glorified shovel in the process. Only once he was done had he noticed that the other two were using them a bit differently, at the very least. Now all that was left was to see if Tomoe had anything else to add, and once Laila too was done, Alina wanted a word too. Then, they were going off to Sesseth, approximately a few weeks away on foot, now maybe one week on horseback.

"Still, a single horse for the two of us, huh? It's probably going to get fairly tired like that, so it might take longer than just a week assuming all else is good... Hmm."

 

[Shreb]

Just watching Reeve eat was good enough for her, Laila smiling happily just to see him struggle with the chopsticks. She looked very entertained as Tomoe was already on her way.

"The tea is in the kitchen," Tomoe happily said, "Now, I'll leave you two to your lonesome, but just call me when you're about to leave." And there Tomoe went.

Laila nodded happily, already finishing up her bowl with great gratitude. She didn't seem to care too much about his warcrimes against her culture, but she did pass along a spoon and fork for him. They seemed to be used to this.

She glanced at Reeve. "Hey, I'm thinking...Is it gonna be hot in Sesseth? I don't know if I should bring any extra clothes...Actually, I don't even really know much about the place. Is it big?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Come to think of it, he'd been to Sesseth before, yet he never thought to inform Laila about some basics on the city. He rubbed his chin, giving the question a moment's thought before he shook his head at it. He made a motion as though putting a coat on, although even so he seemed uncertain. The truth was that Sesseth, being a city by the seaside, was more humid and cold than it was warm. Even in the dead of summer, it wasn't exactly hot as much as it was an odd mix of pleasant cool with irritatingly bright sunshine.

They still had the cape that they bought prior leftover, although he wasn't quite sure if it'd be useful for anything more than wrapping stuff up so they're easier to carry around when travelling. The preparations they'd have to make for the trip really only just struck him, as they'd need some provisions for the road and water. For the rest... Maybe it'd be better to scrounge up more ideas alongside Laila, wouldn't it? After all, he travelled from town to town, staying over until the next client came around. The point being, they were the ones that got supplied for the trip, and usually they were also taking care of Reeve's few needs in the meantime.

"Come to think of it, this is the first trip I'm making that takes this long, without a caravan or tents, some form of shelter... It's a bit exciting to think about, but equal parts scary. I know we can handle it with Laila though...", he reassured himself, although perhaps more than he really believed in himself. "At least the elements aren't going to be our issue."

Never mind that, maybe it was time to check on what Alina needed. So he quietly pulled himself back, preparing to stand and gesturing towards the corridor with his head just to make sure Laila got the memo. "I'm curious what she wanted to talk to us for, other than the weapon for Laila... Oh, wait. Maybe it's ready? If it lasts two weeks like she said, then... it's going to last long enough for the entire journey, probably."

 

[Shreb]

Meanwhile, Laila was muttering to herself. "Huhh, I should get us some canteens, maybe get some extra fabrics if for tents, maybe some waterskins and some more dry venison..."

Thinking on the logistics of this operation, it seems. Laila groaned, clapping her hands very suddenly. If Reeve wasn't entirely certain how big it was, she could only imagine it was probably pretty sizable compared to their neighboring town. There must've been enough popularity to make it large considering the package was going through it? Whatever.

Laila sighed, standing up. "Alright, if you're done, let's head over to Alina! Maybe we can get the sword and make a move on! We'll either regret this or we don't!"

Gotta get something out of the way, right?

 

[Gary Sue]

When she stood up, so did he and the two started making their way over to Alina's room. While they had most of their planning down though, they'd probably have to map a route out. Having been to Sesseth at least a few times before, he knew the settlements and most of the path's general details. There were a few kinks to sort out though, like the fact he was banished from their destination, or the potential threat of people following behind them... Right now, they were almost at the center of Ceril. If they wanted to get to Sesseth, they'd be required to move further down and to the east side of it.

With many villages sprinkled in between, he was now considering whether taking a detour would be better, so as to attract less attention and avoid any possible ambushes set up for them along the way. Although Tomoe and Alina would deal with the Church mystery, there was no guarantee they didn't have assailants to look out for from over there. There was also the mystery of how the Abyssals would react to Reeve approaching their hometown once again, so they couldn't raise any suspicions or set off any alarms...

It was tricky, but thankfully the road over to Sesseth was known for many things, and magical creatures were not one of them. "No matter what direction we go, we won't have anything more than a rogue group of thieves to worry about... Dragons have never been spotted there, and the most dangerous wild creature I've heard of was a Bog Diver, but the swamp isn't even in our path this time.", he nodded to himself in thought, continuing to look at the map that he took out (from under his armor, of course) until he eventually took one step too many and bumped into Laila.

To say he was distracted was an understatement. "Ah crap, sorry!", he rolled it up and stashed it away again, dipping his head in apologetically and looking at her slightly concerned. Thankfully, his steps were slow so he probably wouldn't have knocked her down like that, but Laila was so much smaller in stature too. That's when he noticed, she came to a halt cause they were already at Alina's room. It's not like the shrine was that big in size, after all.

Once he made sure Laila was alright, he knocked on the sliding door softly to get the vampire's attention before opening the room up so they could enter, looking at Laila and gesturing for her to go in first.

 

[Shreb]

"OW!"

Ow. Laila lazily waved off Reeve, a bit distracted herself...Still, ow. She kept forgetting that Reeve was noticeably stronger than she was.

Following their somewhat clumsy movement to Alina's room, there's a bit of darkness trickling out of the door.

"Oh, it's you two. I suppose I should've figured that out since we're the only ones here."

The door slides open, a yawning Alina greeting the two; she's dressed in some mediocre robes and there's a stack of clothes alongside a sewing kit messily placed around it, alongside several spools and rolls of thread.

"Hi, Alina!"
"That's me."
"How's the sword coming along?"
"Coming along great. It kind of looks like one of those swords you'd see in fairy tales. The ones where they prophesize a dark lord using their unholy blade to vanquish the hero, or something like that...I kind of went overboard on it 'cause I forgot you'd be wielding it."
Laila blinked. Should she walk around with something that makes her look like a villain? "Will it be fine?"
"Probably. You can just say you collected it after vanquishing a great vampire."
"What were you doing?"
"Fixing all of your old clothes. You need to stop climbing trees."
"Heheheh...Sorry." Laila opened the door, moving inside. "Reeve, you ever consider trying tailoring? It might be something you like!"

 

[Gary Sue]

Once the two had entered, the man couldn't help but gawk at Alina's... sewing... factory? It felt bizarre and spontaneous to randomly start sewing all her clothes, but she had been trapped for so long that he could 'allow' writing it off as something on her to-do list, probably. When the sword was brought up however, he looked around to see very little. The room was still dark, but it's not like she'd just carry the entire canvas she was painting on along with her everywhere she went.

Laila mentioned tailoring, and the memories came back to Reeve. He was probably a kid, trying to help his mother out with fixing some of his own and his father's holey clothes. The result never really came, seeing as his fingers could still feel the prick of the needle. So he shuddered, letting out a shaky sigh and shaking his head at his companion. "No, I'm... really clumsy. Not a good idea to have me do much of anything, although I guess I'll have to do my best starting from when we set out..."

...

Adapting was such a pain, wasn't it? "Ah right, I had completely forgotten about the sword actually. Then that's what Alina wants to talk to us about, right?", he seemed to have suddenly snapped back to reality as he nudged Laila with his elbow and looked at the blonde, putting a hand on the hilt of his-... right, it wasn't on him. He made a motion as though he were drawing a sword, smiling at her slightly and tilting his head.

 

[Shreb]

"Darn. What a shame."

Wah!

Following the nudge, Laila was prompted to Reeve's blade, a look of confusion crossing her face like a child had told her to slap them.

"OH! Oh, oh, yeah. ALINA!"
Alina stared at Laila like she was insane. "I'm right here..."
"How's the sword?"
Alina replied by gesturing to the blade just hoisted over the corner of the room. "Give it a swing."



Laila went on and grabbed the blade; it hadn't changed much in appearance, though it had taken on a unique translucency that looked as if she was holding the ethereal projection of a dark lord's blade. The crossguard was a bit too fancy-shmancy for her tastes, with all of the curvy metals and gemstones plasted on the side. The pommel was easily detachable and when she unscrewed it, there was even a second pommel right underneath. She wasn't sure why that was, but she screwed it on right after giving Reeve a bit of a confused look.

The grip was stippled, giving Laila the feeling like the sword was grabbing as much as she was grabbing it; and the sword itself felt weight-less, its double-edged metal having no sheen and only a center line alongside the decorum Laila and Reeve had made distinguishing what should've been steel.

All-in-all, the kind of sword only a creature of the dark arts could manufacture.

"I'm not gonna give this a swing in here," Laila commented.
"Then cut meh' arm of'," Alina commented with her fancy pirate lingo.
"No!"
"Well, you'll see how well it fares for you. Just consider it your intimidation card in case you meet with some people who don't like the way you're looking at them. I've got a reunion to make, so you guys should head out while it's still lights out. Reeve."

Alina snapped her fingers as she gestured to Reeve and his equipment. "Want some blood or something? I won't be here for too long, and I heard about the little thing with Tomoe's funny ritual, so now's the time to decide if you want it."