With her trip to the local healer behind them, and after
downing a small flask of what the healer described as a “solid minor healing
potion” (a concoction that had a somewhat sour 'lemon with honey' and mint taste)
explaining to some detail how it would be enough to help deter any possible
bruising and help with “muscular stress on the affected area”.
Ayi found herself anew in a complete daze. With the
realization that all the surreal events that had transpired during the morning,
had been in fact, very real.
While her mind was going in circles about her own actions that
she now knew were not only rather violent and perhaps unfair to others. While
she was pretty sure that any sort of pacifist solution would have been very
unlikely. She was certain that she could have ended the scuffle with only bruised
thugs and way less exposed fractures.
With Zoey dragging her by her hand, she took the empty flask
and pondered on that that little boney detail.
Well perhaps with
magic and potions existing, he will be alright. Or so she briefly thought about. In all honestly, she didn’t care much about
the fate of a thieving scoundrel. Or a whole band of them. In her mind he had
it coming. Her only real concern was how it could have affected Zoey to see
such a gruesome scene.
She then came to the realization that they have yet again
reached a different part of the kingdom. One that she was no familiar with
which she found disconcerting. Now that she was paying more attention to the
structures around, it came to her that the architecture was actually quite
different to what she remembered from her gaming days. It was still a mostly
medieval European look on the buildings. Mortared stone on the walls, wooden
supports here and there assisting with the ceilings and windows, she even saw a
few houses with eroded walls, showing worn adobe bricks. “Easy to work and easy
to damage” she thought.
Her inner thoughts filled her with doubts and a lot of
questions about her current situation. Ironically the massive amount of
thoughts on every single detail that affronted her on her new situation, made
her unable to properly focus.
Luckily for her, her guides knew where to take her, taking along through less crowded streets until she found herself in front of a tall and
imponent building.
Tall mortared rock walls with simple wooden framed windows at
the first 2 levels, leading her to guess those were either living quarters and/or
offices of some sort. As archer slits on the third level and a crenellated parapet at the
top of the building would immediately make it seem like this building was supposed
to work as defensable position within the inner walls of the kingdom.
But why are there windows on the first floor then? Wooden-framed windows
are not adequate for defensible structures.
“Ta-Da!! Here we are Mo- er! Mistress!” Zoey merrily extended
her arms as she showcased the entrance, she had done with a cutesy hop that had
made her frilly dress bob along with her white short hair and fluffy tail which didn’t stop it's merrily wag.
“Uh? W-where are we? What is this small fortress?”
“{This is the adventurer’s guild, they are expecting us inside,
Master}”
“Oh? 'Adventurer's guild' uh?! Who is this ‘they’ you-”
“kyah!” A sharp surprised squeal from Zoey, immediately
distracted Ayi, her body had already taken onto a defensive stance as she was now
expecting another attack.
“Zoey!! What took you guys so long?!”
Well... it seems we are certainly under "attack"…
In front of the outstanding fortification, Ayi was observing
how her cute adoptive daughter was now under a fierce siege… of cuddles.
A young human girl was on her knees, hugging the cute
wolfkin girl, without any inhibition or apparent concern about where they stood.
Ayi found herself without words at the sigh taking place. Zoey herself seemed
to be unable to free herself from the youngster embracing her, facing a barrage
of head pats and seemingly endless snuggles.
“mmh! AH! Mi-Mimiru stop! My mom-! I-I mean my mistress is here!” Zoey exclaimed after she was somehow able to free her head from the barrage of affections aimed at her.
“EH?! WHAT?! Where is she?” The blonde girl quickly stood
and started looking around, a quick glance at Ayi and then her eyes darted
around looking for someone else.
“She here, just besides Feugan, we brought here to meet with
the guildmaster”
“Oh?! Her?!!”
Ayi couldn’t find it in herself to interrup the cute comedy exchange
taking place in front of her, when the spotlight was finally brought to her,
she did the only possible thing that came to mind to her.
“er… Hi?” giving her best timid/confused/apologetic smile,
Ayi waved back shyly.
The human girl immediately darted forward with long stiff
strides until she was in front of Ayi. She stood tall in front making Ayi
making her look slightly up to meet her eyes, guessing the girl was somewhere
around 5’11” of height.
And with a continuous showcase of a stiff nervousness, the
blonde girl extended her right arm in one single swift overly mechanical motion.
“My name is Mimiru! I have been under Feugan’s care for the
last couple months. Nice to meet you”
With the overly serious tone, the stiff and nervous body language.
Ayi had to stifle a chuckle. Surely there would be time to asks the girl all the questions that came up in her mind, all in due time. With a wry smile she reached forth and welcomed the
attempt at a handshake. At this very moment it would be rude to not respond to such an enthusiastic greeting.
“I am Ayi’Naa, just ‘Ayi’ please. Nice to meet you, Mimiru”
They remained shaking hards firmly in one of the most
textbook handshakes the realm had ever seen (not that the realm was a place for
many of those). For an uncomfortable amount of seconds. Until Mimiru broke the
eye to eye contact to look at Feugan with consternation in her face.
“W-when do we stop, Feugan?! Was this enough time or is still
too little?!”
