[center][b]Empty Past, Faded Moments.[/b][/center]

At Mamoru's sudden squeezing of one of her tails, Ashara's face lit up with a slight tinge of pink, and her tail quickly retracted and slid out of the assailant's hand. The squeeze wasn't hard or painful, but it was surprising and something the fox hadn't been prepared for. She would have to remember to be more careful around the head maid, given her proclivity to selfishly snuggle and grab her tails. Still, Ashara made no sound or fuss about the incident, merely keeping on smiling.

Gromgard's comment about the date, however, left her feelings - as usual - unwilling to respond. His inability to know how to speak to a lady, much less differentiate between what was an acceptable activity for a date was just abhorrent. Not to mention, what kind of woman would want to be tied down with a bunch of filthy, smelly goblins all around? Truly, the Goblin General was an oaf among oafs, with nary a single sliver of courtesy in his bones... Then again, given his nature, perhaps he didn't have bones to begin with?

Regardless, Lady Kath had given her agreement, and so she was off, heading first for the foyer of the Chateau and then out through the large, sturdy main gates.  Into the fresh and cool night air outside.
[hr]
[center][b]Words of Wisdom, Moving Shadows.[/b][/center]

Standing out in the middle of the night, gazing up at the three, waxing blue moons, Ashara smiled to herself. While she loved the Chateau and the Shadowtower Shrine, it had been oh-so-very-long since she had last been outdoors and stood beneath an open sky. Only in her very early youth had Lady Deka_Ribbon ever taken her out of the castle,  to visit areas and places that the Supreme Being desired to draw inspiration from for her work on the, at the time, unfinished shrine and fox. Bittersweet memories of travelling with and observing her energetic creator mill to and fro as she made notes and comments, it brought a melancho0lic expression to the nine-tailed fox face. Her trip down memory lane was soon ended though, as the sound of Lady Kath's voice brought Ashara back to the present.

Indeed, the dragonoid librarian was as swift as she had said, having arrived not long after their initial seperation. She carried two books with her, thick and heavy-looking as always. In truth, Ashara never was much of a reader - not that her duties within the Chateau allowed her much time for such frivilous activities to begin with, but even [i]when[/i] she was free, the beautiful woman prefered to spend her time either with the other shrine maidens, or visiting the gardens.

That aside, it seemed that her companion was a bit uneasy. In fact, she seemed rather unsure of herself and began to spout nonsense about bringing more books on how to fight fires, or asking their Lord to reconsider sending her. Granted, Lady Kath had a much more important role at the Chateau and a much greater respnsability than Ashara, the fox knew this, and the librarian was also more or less a sheltered princess who - at this point - was being forced inot a vast, unknown world. Thinking about it that way, Ashara could understand why her superior was feeling uneasy and nervous about this trek, but sitll... This [i]was[/i] a direct assignment given by their one and only Sable Lord, a mission of great importance for all of the Chateau.

Ashara cast a gaze out over the mountain and that which lay below. The nighttime breeze making her almost radiant white hair and her equally white tails gently sway and move in the breeze.

"I cannot say I know our Lord's mind, Lady Kath." Ashara began, brushing a strand of hair from her own face. "But he chose you, out of all the possible Chapter Keepers, to go and see this task through. If I may offer my own thoughts, he could have chosen those better suited for battle to deal with violence, or those with cunning minds to concoct clever and devious plots. But he did not." She turned to look at Kath, a gentle smile and friendly expression on her face. "He chose you, Lady Kath. Because out of all the Chapter Keepers, you are the most knowledgeable of them all. I am certain he wished for you to make use of all that knowledge you have gained from your tomes in order to help secure the Chateau's future in this new, uncertain world." She paused, glancing at the three moons once more, before returning her gaze to Kath's own eyes.

"If there is a fire, I shall be the wind that puts it out. If there is a robber, I shall be your spear and strike them donw. If there is a vandal, I shall be your shield and keep you safe. This I swear and pledge to you, milady. As long as we travel this road together, until our task is done, I will use whatever skill and strength I have to keep you safe." Ashara promised earnestly.

And it was an honest promise, as Ashara did not lie - Deka_Ribbon had made it a point that liars and those who spoke falsehoods were the epitome of scum. Of course, Ashara would not make a promise like 'I'll protect you no matter what!' or "Nothing will happen to you while I'm around!' because, as it stood, she could not possibly guarantee such things. Even back in their old world, there were plenty of creatures who could best the fox in battle, but that didn't matter now, for her promise was to do whatever she could, to the best of her abiltities, to keep her superior and fellow Chateau-denizen safe.
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[center][b]Up a Mountain, Down a Mine.[/b][/center]

The trek down the mountain was largely uneventful, to say the least. Apart from a few animals, including a particularly verbal mountain goat, there really wasn't much of note. A distinct lack of vegetation and wildlife made for a dull scenery, with only the occasional cave being worth any immediate note. Ashara's ears would periodically flit, twitch or bend, taking in the noises and sounds of their surroundings as they walked. Honestly though, even with the three moons not being full, the abundant moonlight made it quite easy to see. But she [i]had[/i] promised Kath to do everything she could to keep the librarian safe,  and that included using her ears. Had she been on her own,. she likely wouldn't have been quite so vigilant though.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain however, Ashara stopped briefly, looking over at her ally and speaking.

"Please hold for a moment, milady. I should get changed." The fox stated.

Closing her eyes, the white hair on her head suddenly flushed with color, turning a deep, raven black color instead. The ears atop her head shrunk and shrunk and finally seemed to just disappear down into her head. Her tails seemed to  just suddenly vanish, as if they had never been there to begin with - completely and utterly gone, as if someone used the 'ctrl+x'-command to simply cut them out of existence. Finally, when she opened her eyes again, they no longer had their amethyst, purple tint, but were now instaed a deep and dark brown, like that of freshly turned earth. To anyone looking at her now, Ashara would indeed look like nothing more than an incredibly attractive, far-eastern woman, though her attire stayed the same.

"There, I believe this eappearance should cause far less alarming to anyone we meet." She said with a pleased smile on her face. It wasn't often she had gotten to use her fully human-form back in the Chateau, as there was never really a need for it. Unfortunately, her brilliant idea didn't extend to remembering to also use her illusion-skills to help disguise Kath's appearance...

..

As they waited for sunrise, Ashara didn't say much. She looked around the area, surveilling the wildlife and enviroment, keeping watch and making sure all was clear and safe. When they had finally managed to circumvent the village and made their way onto the road, as per Lord Rodias instructions, they could finally see smoke rising from the chimneys back over at the settlement, and the sound of hammering and metal could soon be heard close thereafter. Nodding to Kath in a silent affirmation, the pair began to advance and would soon come upon the town proper, entering the boundaries of the little but lively mining-town.

Ashara internally made note that the overall feel and appearance of the town was... Lacking... It had an idyllic, rustic feel no doubt, but it lacked form and elegance. It was a very rugged and unpolished place, with equally rugged and unpolished people. Men with broad shoulders, wide backs and muscly arms, along with women - who sadly also had broad shoulders, wide backs and muscled arms - seemed to be the unfortunate majority populace of this place. Ashara let out a disappointed sigh, not at all appreciating this den of testosterone and sweat.

As they came upon a single, larger structure - having two whole floors to boast about - they were suddenly stopped. A man, who eyed them sternly and suspisciously, had appeared to block their path. From the way he stood and moved, Ashara could only assume he was some kind of spear or polearms-wielder as well, though it was difficult to say at what skill he was, given that he wasn't holding any weapon for her to make that judgement upon. He then spoke, blunt and without eloquence, rough and unfriendly - hardly a way to speak to two gorgeous ladies, much less so people you had never met before. The buffoon had not even given his name before asking them questions! Such lack of manners, truly, this was a backwater and dingy settlement.

Now, Lord Rodias had given instructions on how to handle themselves. They were to avoid answering questions about from where they hailed, and were to assume the role of Soldiers of Fortune. Fortunately, Ashara [i]had[/i] thought ahead, and had withdrawn her spear from her inventory while they had descended the mountain - so at least she [i]had[/i] a weapon, albeit slung on her back, with which to play the part of a travelling adventurer or sellsword.

"Fine greetings to you as well, Sir." Ashara said politely, giving a small bow and a calm, friendly face to show. "We would fall into the latter category I believe." She answered. Normally, Ashara would have stayed quiet and let her better, Kath, deal with this fellow - but as the Chapter Keeper had demojnstrated uncertainty and anxiety earlier, Ashara thought it best to at least handle this mundane and menial introduction for now. This would also allow for Kath to gather her wits, come up with something quite brilliant, and allow the Chapter Keeper to take over and ask all the right things later on as the conversation proceeded.