~Day Ten~
Gwynn, Maoin, Swen
The kitten's eyes gradually opened, her mistress still keeping her arm around her even after all those hours. Her dark eyes drifted to look at the window ... and she noticed that it was morning. Maoin thought for a few moments about waking her owner up ... but she looked incredibly peaceful.
And, well, the kitten didn't want to move yet, despite that it was past time to start getting ready. But after twenty minutes of ... shameless cuddling ... the black haired girl slipped silently away from her owner and started heading to the dressers to pack things up for the two of them that week.
Of course, the kitten would have to prepare her for their journey still, and this was possibly the nice decent bath that either one of them would get, but she could still get everything else ready. Eventually all the bags were packed, and the neko started making the last decent breakfast she imagined either of them would have for a while, along with preparing some decent rations for the road.
About that time, a loud yawn and a grumble about five more minutes coming from the bed indicated Gwynn had likely woken. Fortunately for Maoin, she wouldn't have to spend any time making Gwynn get out of bed. A minute or so after, she sat up, yawning again, stretching and taking a sleepy look around the room. Something smelled delicious, likely Moain making them some breakfast. She moved to the edge of her bed, stretching again.
Urgh, as much as she liked adventuring, she wasn't looking forward to following Swen's orders. Especially after that comment about seeing her in a servants dress.
"Morning, Maoin." Gwynn greeted the cat.
Maoin was scrambling eggs at this point, lowering the magical flame and putting them onto a plate for her owner. It was a little surprising to see her mistress up this soon, but it was better than opening the blinds to the outside world.
"Good morning, mistress. Breakfast is just about ready!" A few seconds later, the cat produced two plates and placed them on a small table in their room that they usually ate on.
The black haired girl was still walking around the kitchen, looking at various drawers as she looked for silverware.
Gwynn got up off the bed, slowly shambling over to the table where they normally ate. It was probably obvious she still wasn't fully awake yet as she took a seat. The food looked good though, as always and Gwynn was glad that she finally had that talk last night. She was honestly able to sleep a lot easier, and Maoin seemed...not scared of her at all. Maybe in the end, talking about things like that wasn't so hard as she thought? Granted, she was objectively an idiot and words like that weren't easy for her...but well, from here on out she could at least try.
"Didn't I tell you to call me Gwynn?" She said to Maoin, waiting for the silverware to be handed to her. Not that she was ever actually expecting Maoin to call her that. The kitten was too formal for such a thing.
The black haired girl paused for a moment as she was searching through the cabinents, glancing back towards her owner. Then she shrugged, returning with a set of silverware for each of them. After a few seconds she nodded slowly, waiting for her owner to take the first bite. After a few moments a slight blush ran across her cheeks and the neko twirling a piece of hair.
"... And ... thanks ..." It was obvious she was a little embarassed about spending the night with her owner, but it would be a lie to say she hadn't appreciated it.
Gwynn looked at Maoin somewhat blankly.
"For what? Did I do something special?" She asked, not really sure about what she was being thanked for. Had she done anything to be thanked? Gwynn took a bite of the food, chewing slowly before swallowing. Tasted just as delicious as it smelled.
The kitten reached a fork down into her food, placing a small piece into her mouth and blinking a few times at her owner. Hadn't that been incredibly obvious? Well, that was assurance that her mistress was still Gwynn.
"For ... erm ... uh ..." It was becoming increasingly obvious that the cat was trying to avoid saying exactly what for.
"... would you like me to ... erm ... get a warm bath prepared for you before we go?" Maoin returned to her food, eating piece by piece and doing her best to act incredibly interested in it.
Gwynn seemed to be trying to figure out what exactly she was talking about at least. A step up from not thinking at all at least, even if it was unsuccessful. Was Maoin trying to change the subject though? That was...well, incredibly fun and she was tempted to tease her just a bit about it until she got an answer. In the end though, Gwynn dropped it and decided that it wasn't worth it.
"A warm bath, huh?" Gwynn replied, a smirk forming on her lips.
"That eager to be naked together with me?~" Besides, teasing her with this would be much more funny anyways.
The kitten actually failed at chewing for a moment, her face gone completely tomato. Maoin checked herself for a moment, and after almost chocking for a second swallowed her food. The cat's eyes darted around the room a little nervously, and after a few second the girl was ignoring the food she just cooked and simply paid attention to her hair as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"... I ... I figured I'd take mine ... after yours ... but ..." Of course, the girl wouldn't say no to anything. This was simply ... a lot of 'progress'.
Gwynn chuckled impishly at Maoin's reaction. Teasing successful, today was a good day. She supposed she just needed a bit more confirmation that Maoin was alright and back to normal. Now that she had...teasing will begin in full force. Gwynn leaned forwards in her chair, seeing the cat didn't seem to want to eat her food. Using her fork, she reached over and picked up a forkful of the food on the Kitten's plate.
"What? You're always so eager to dress me, so I don't see why helping me wash would be any different." Of course, Gwynn would end up doing the same for the cat once that was done, but she didn't need to know that just yet.
The kittens ears simply went flat on her head, the girl managing to stammer something out after a few failed attempts at speaking as her eyes simply darted around the table.
"... Um ... well ... I'll ... it-it would be an honor ..." The kitten's mind was reeling slightly. Truthfully, her owner was right. It was perfectly normal for her mistress to be naked in front of her, but the opposite had only been true once before. It wasn't exactly her place to be overly modest around her owner.
"I-I'll go get that ready ..." The kitten stood up after a few more hurried bites of food, heading to the small bathroom the pair of them shared. It wasn't as exquisite as the campuses large baths, but it could hypothetically fit two people ... if they were okay being close. The sound of running water was heard, and the black haired girl returned to the table, obviously still flushed.
"Is-is there anything else mistress?""Yeah, I told you to call me Gwynn." She replied.
"But hey, if the water's ready, let's go! Don't wanna keep Swen waiting. I want to get this over with already." Gwynn got up from her seat, walking over to Maoin...and deciding it'd be best to drag her to the bathroom whether she protested or not.
For a moment, the kitten almost felt proud that her owner was thinking about the man who would be her future husband. Well, that was until she began being dragged off to the bathroom by her owner who seemed ... very insistent about getting her to take a bath. After a week of worrying about getting beaten, this week would probably be occupied by being dragged, carried, and lifted to various places instead.
"Misst-Gwynn!?" Eventually the pair arrived in the bathrooms, the kitten removing the clothes from her owner with her usual speed ... and then standing there awkwardly as she remembered what would follow, shifting slightly as she reached to remove the first of her clothes.
"What are you being slow for? Come on, off with the clothes!~" Gwynn excitedly hopped over to Maoin and started helping the kitten removing her own clothes whether she wanted her to or not. She wasn't as fast as Maoin was about removing her clothes, but after a few moments of struggling with the kitten's clothing she finally got the neko completely disrobed.
"There! No need to be shy either, Maoin." Without waiting for Moain to respond, Gwynn stepped into the bath, which was heated to a pleasant temperature. She took a seat in it, sighing as it helped shake off the rest of any morning grogginess she might have been feeling.
"Well come on in." She said, turning her head to Maoin.
The kitten stood there, covering herself instinctually as she obediently lowered herself into the tub opposite of her owner, curling up her legs so the two of them wouldn't touch eachother. The black haired girl's heart was pounding slightly as her eyes kept on drifting between herself, the water, and her mistress. This was embarassing.
"Mistress - Gwynn, is the water ... to your liking?" The cat's tail was wet and simply laid lazily on the side of the tub, and her lowered ears were twitching slightly in a display of her excitement.
Gwynn grinned, still finding the Kitten's reluctance amusing. Unlike Maoin, the blond decided to make full use of the space provided. She extended her legs fully to the other side of the tub, letting them rest right next to Moain's head and propping her her arms on the back of the tub. She didn't try to hide anything from the kitten, wasn't like she hadn't seen it before.
"Yep, it's perfect." She replied to the cat with a small grin.
The kitten's eyes drifted down her owner's legs as the taller woman extended them down the other side of the tub, observing the older's woman fine physical ... the cat shook her head, trying to avoid the distraction that was her owner.
"Yes mistress ... those are nice." Maoin was so thoroughly distracted that she didn't even realize that she wasn't responding correctly to Gwynn's words, and had spoken aloud without meaning to.
Gwynn blinked at Maoins words, stifling a laugh. Did she just...either the cat really wasn't thinking and misspoke, or she just really liked her legs. Not that she could blame the cat, she had some pretty nice legs if she had to say so herself. Either way, this was going to be fun.
"'Those' Are nice?" She inquired, moving one of her legs just a bit closer to the kitten.
"What exactly are you talking about? I was just talking about how nice the water is."The kitten looked at the leg as it approached, although she tried to avert her gaze. A familiar couldn't lie to their owner, but ... even the loyal Maoin had to try and force something out here, heart pounding a bit harder. It would be appropriate ... this infuriating mistress of her and their damn bond that made something well up within her ...
"... um ... the-the water of course ..." The girl's dark eyes darted up to her mistresses face for only a moment before drifting downwards slightly to Gwynn's upper chest. It was incredibly obvious that the girl was lying and had been thinking about something other than the temperature.
Gwynn smirked at the cats poor attempts at lying, but said nothing.
"Oh sure, the water." Gwynn replied innocently with a shrug. One of her legs dipped back beneath the water next to Maoin.
"Well, didn't we agree to wash each other? If we don't hurry up, we're gonna be late."Maoin's ears twitched slightly as Gwynn's leg touched her. She had been breathing a sigh of relief for getting away with her lie, but the kitten's breath cut off suddenly.
"Well ... I said I'd wash you, mistress ..." Somehow, the girl could tell her mistress wanted to return that favor.
A very red faced kitten found herself breathing heavily and yet not breathing at all as she lifted Gwynn's leg out of the water. The black haired girl's animalistic features made her combination of nervousness and excitement known to her owner. The familiar suddenly realized that she hadn't picked up the bar of soap even, and without looking away from the leg she reached for it ... only for the thing to fall into the water.
"... I aumso-" Words. How did they work again?
Gwynn simply watched the kitten fumble around with the soap, much too fixated on her leg. It was obvious no matter how much the kitten probably didn't want it to be. That said, Maoin was looking surprisingly out of it now. Maybe she had taken the teasing just a bit too far? Eh...nah.
"Maoin? Hey Maoin!" Gwynn said, lifting her leg out of Maoin's grasp...and poking her right in the nose with her foot.
"Uh, you alright there?"The kitten looked over towards her mistress, blinking slightly as she was bopped in the nose. More blood would have run into her face if it was possible.
"... of-of course, mis-tress. Let me just ..."Well, this view was amazing. Straight down her owner's leg and - The kitten somehow started to fall to her base instincts, thinking that since one of the several bars of soap were gone that the next best way to clean her owner was with the traditional and patented method of all kitties - a few licks of the tounge on her mistress' leg. After a few licks, the girl looked at her mistress and said the only thing she could manage.
"Meow?""M-maoin?!" The blond suddenly stuttered. Gwynns face went as red as an apple. Her kitten was...licking her? That wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she said they should clean each other. Not that she particularly minded, but it was...odd, to say the least. It was rather amusing seeing her suddenly being somewhat assertive though, and she wasn't exactly going to tell her to stop even if it was somewhat odd.
So Gwynn said nothing, other than looking towards the water, a silent acceptance of Maoin's actions.
The kitten blinked a few times, getting on all fours towards Gwynn so that their faces wouldn't be too far apart from eachother ... and started to lick her owner's neck a few times before pausing for a moment.
"... meow ...?" The cat's tail was going back and forth slowly, and her ears were standing up assertively, if that was possible. Maoin's mind wasn't exactly there at this point, the black haired girl simply acting on their bond and the instincts she abandoned a year ago.
At this point, Gwynn was unsure what to do. She had never actually seriously been in this position with anyone before. Her heart was beating fast, and her mind trying to keep up with what was happening. She liked Moain, certainly and she was pretty sure the kitten liked her. But this? Did she
really want to do something like that? It wasn't exactly...odd for familiar and master, and being this close to her...
Gwynn stifled a yelp as she felt Maoin's tongue on her neck, unsure of what to do.
The black haired girl countinued, licking her, starting to bite softly around her owner's neck for a minute or two, breathing heavily when she needed to. Her tail wrapped around her mistress' ankle, the girl eventually taking a break for a moment to look deeply into Gwynn's eyes ... and then at those perfect lips.
"... mistress ..." The kitten had never felt this way before, and wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to be doing ... but she wanted to belong to her owner in every way. She knew that.
Gwynn's eyes turned away from Maoin, her hesitation clear. She couldn't deny she wanted it, but...she bit her lower lip, trying to convince herself to say yes. There was no reason to not say yes, and well, it was clear Maoin wanted it. Gwynn was silent for a few seconds, before finally deciding the hell with it. Maoin had never been this clearly aggressive before, and she found it incredibly attractive.
Without warning, Gwynn wrapped her arms around the Neko's shoulders, holding the kitten tightly and pressing her lips against Maoin's.
The kitten's eyes opened in surprise and a small yelp let out as her mistress pulled her close, forcing the kitten from all fours onto her knees. The girl returned the kiss after a few seconds, opening her mouth to let her owner in. The neko's tail drifted into the water and touched Gwynn's thigh as the kneeling servant wrapped her arms around her owner in return...
... The kitten's tail went back and forth as the two finished, giving her mistress a kiss on the cheek. Maoin's tounge was rather tired, and her mistress was laying down in the tub holding her pet close. The pair of them had ... a degree of fun. As the black haired girl recovered her senses though, she had to ask her owner a question.
"... mistress ... so ..." It was rather obvious the familiar was having difficulty asking something.
"...what?" Gwynn simply looked at Maoin, petting the cat gently, unsure what she was asking. She was honestly a bit tired from that, and had no idea what she could say at this moment. Honestly? She just wanted to stay there a bit longer.
The kitten simply enjoyed the pettings for a minute or two, but eventually she had to ask.
"... so ... is this going to be a um ... normal part of my duties, mistress?" Truthfully, the girl wanted to know how this would change their relationship.
Gwynn blinked. She hadn't really thought of that...she definitely enjoyed it, no doubt about it but...would it become a normal thing? She didn't exactly do that sort of thing that often, but it was certainly true she liked teasing the cat in such a manner.
"Uhm...why would it be?" Gwynn replied hesitantly.
"I mean, it was fun and all and I liked it don't get me wrong!" She continued quickly, trying to find the right words to use.
"But...I don't think it needs to be a normal thing? If it happens I guess I don't mind but..."The kitten nodded, but her ears deflated slightly. True she had enjoyed ... the feelings of the moment ... but she liked being close to her owner like that. The shorter girl laid her head down on the blonde's chest, closing her eyes slightly as she countinued to recover. Eventually she spoke a few words, one of her fingers idly tracing her owner's arm.
"... I like ... being close to you mistress. I don't know if it's the bond or what ... but ... it makes me feel ... secure." At any other time, that would be too embarassing to admit. But after all of that ... she felt she had to.
"I uh, well, Like having you around too." Gwynn replied hesitantly, pulling the Neko tighter into a hug. She did. Maoin was...well, the one person she'd come to trust more than anything else, especially after the events of the last week. She said she'd trust her, so she would no matter what happened now.
"But uhm...I don't mean to ruin the mood," She said, gently stroking the cats hair.
"But uh, we're gonna be late since we still haven't really washed and I don't want to really tell Swen what we were up too."The kitten was caught off guard for a moment by Gwynn's sudden surge of responsibility and she stood up.
"Of course! I err ... yes, let's get going!" Luckily everything was already packed and the pair were able to bathe (actually this time) and both of them had a good variety of clothing avaible for their vacation.
The magierprinz once again looked at the sun, sitting on the side of the fountain where his lady and him went on what was hopefully their first date. Swen knew he was no traveller of the wilds, but it was far past noon time. The man tapped his foot impatiently on the ground, searching through his tome just one more time to make sure they every spell he wrote down had no mistakes within it. Periodically he would glance up, wondering where his companions were for this venture.
After dressing in something appropriate for travel, making sure she was 100% clean, and telling Moain to let her handle the talking if Swen got curious as to why they were late, they finally arrived where they decided to meet before heading off on their little adventure. Gwynn was looking forward to it, and at the same time, absolutely dreading it. She
really wasn't looking forward to following Swen's orders for this. As long as he didn't order her to do anything funny or odd, she'd probably do it...but at the first hint something funny was happening, she was going to nope out of there.
"Hey, Swen." Gwynn said, walking up.
"Sorry about that, overslept."Though she didn't linger long on the topic.
"We ready? And just so you know, if you order me to do anything funny at all....well. Boots. Strung up by. Pit of sea monsters. Bad times for you."The Prince raised his eyesbrows at her for a moment, listening to her threats. He laughed softly for a moment before responding.
"Well, at least I'd know of a new area featuring diverse animal life. We should probably get going." With that, the magierprinz headed off towards the teleportation room, a little irriated with his tardiness although he refused to complain.
"Someone's not taking my threats seriously." Gwynn replied with a small smirk of irritation. Well, whatever.
"Come on Maoin." She followed Swen to the room housing most of the teleportation functions of the school. She was eager to get to Greece, it'd be fun regardless of what Swen ordered her. It didn't take them long to reach it, and after discussing a few things with the staff they were ready to set off. Round trip to Greece, orders of Headmistress Livia. They probably wouldn't be staying more than a day or two, but hopefully things would resolve swiftly enough.
The three stood in the middle of the circle, and after giving the go ahead, the circle activated. A brief spark of energy, and a moment of disorientation was all that happened for the three. A few seconds later, they had already arrived at their destination - Greece. As soon as the momentary disorientation wore off, Gwynn hopped off the circle. They seemed to be in some sort of hub for the mages of the area to travel with.
"So...what now?" She turned looking back to Swen. She remembered something vaguely about the headmistress saying that they'd be meeting someone here.
The Prince looked towards some notes that he had taken on a small page usually meant for alchemy.
"We are looking for ... a man named Clete, related to one of the local schools in the area." Swen briefly started looking around the teleportation hub, to see if the man was waiting for them there.
After a quick look around, the party managed to find the older man waiting for them. The magierprinz approached, extending a hand.
"Mr. Clete, I am Magierprinz Swen Runvall de Zaberbuch, and these two ladies are my companions Gwynn of House Foghlu' from Ireland and her familiar Maoin." To keep things brief, the nobleman decided to introduce all of them.
As for the kitten, she remained close to Gwynn as if making sure the noblewoman didn't wander off.
Clete had been on the look out for the three students he had been told would be coming. Livia had assured him these three would be perfect for the job of tracking and hunting this beast, whatever it was, but he still had his misgivings. They were children, really, and how exactly could they tackle this creature? Perhaps he was just worried, but either way it wasn't his place to voice such thoughts at the moment.
"Greetings, Sir Magierprinz." He said, voice sounding as dry as it always did taking the hand and giving it a firm shake.
"Lady Foghlu, it is a pleasure as well.""Uh, sure yeah. Nice to meet ya." She replied in greeting. She wanted to wander off just a bit, but she really didn't want to get in trouble with the headmistress.
"You have mine and Lord Kostis' thanks for coming out here and helping us with this problem." Clete continued.
"Headmistress Livia informed you of what we are possibly dealing with here, correct?"The Prince nodded slightly.
"We were simply told that something involving a chimera was running around local villages. Do you have anything else to tell us, or any idea where the creature may go next?"Maoin, for her part, largely was keeping an eye on her mistress. Despite their recent ... bonding excercises ... her owner could still be very frustrating at times.
"Yes, we have been tracking the movements of it the best we can." Clete replied.
"The last village it attacked a few nights ago, and if we are correct we know which one it shall be going after tomorrow night. A small village about a half a days travel from here. If you wish we can set off after I finish some other business I have here and likely be there sometime shortly after nightfall.""Chimera?" Gwynn replied, somewhat curious. She didn't know much about whatever that was, but it sounded like it could be fun to fight.
"No idea what that is, but if its big, scary, and shoots fire I can handle it." The noble confidently grinned, looking forward to the prospect of being able to finally fight something for a change.
Clete seemed less than impressed with her enthusiasm.
"I should remind you that whatever the beast is, it is incredibly dangerous.""More fun for me, then.""...very well. If we have nothing else to discuss here, then feel free to look about Ambracia if you wish."The prince nodded, giving a slight bow. The nobleman was somewhat worried about the noblewoman's enthusiasm, although he felt fairly confident that she wasn't stupid enough to be putting on anything more than an act.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Getting a day ahead of the Chimera ... thingy ... does seem very useful indeed. On the matter of today, is there anything interesting in Ambracia we would probably want to see?"Maoin felt far less confidence on that matter, stepping a little closer to her mistress so their arms were touching slightly, as if reminding her owner that she was still there.
"I apologize, Sir Magierprinz." Clete replied.
"I am not the one to ask. I live here, Ambracia but work usually prevents me from much leisure outside of spending time with my wife." He seemed to think for a few seconds though, as if trying to come up with an answer that would please the young noble.
"I have head the river is a popular spot for young couples. There are a variety of shops as well...but other than that I am not one to ask about traveling plans.""Erm...what are you doing, Maoin?" For the most part, Gwynn let Swen do the talking with Clete, turning her head to her familiar. She knew what she was thinking, of course. She was going to get berated and told not to be reckless again, wasn't she? Well, the kitten shouldn't be distracted by such things. They should at least be distracted by something else that was more fun, at least.
As innocently seeming as she could, she leaned slightly into Maoin...before giving her a kiss right on her cheek.
Swen didn't see the kiss, but rather kissed it and turned around slightly to observe the kitten being awkward.
The black haired girl's eyes started scanning the room, shifting her feet slightly, her cheeks flushing slightly and her ears and tail clearly showing that combination of nervousness and excitement.
"... oh um ... thank you mistress." While the girl probably would freak out so much in private, they were in the middle of a crowded area. Was this really an appropriate place and time for such things?
The Prince looked over to Gwynn, clearly curious.
"Is ... is your familiar alright?" Clete probably saw what was going on, but the magierprinz was clueless.
"Maoin? She's fine." Gwynn replied, grinning slightly. If Clete saw, he decided to say nothing. Wasn't any of his business after all, and he had no intention of drawing attention to something. Instead, he turned and started to leave the building they were currently in.
"Meeting back here in an hour or so will suffice. And if it wouldn't trouble all of you, try not and be late."The nobleman nodded, turning away from Gwynn for a moment.
"... then perhaps we can find something to eat during that time. Thank you." The magierprinz spinned around.
"There's probably a few nice places to eat by the riverside. We should probably eat before we travel, so I suggest we go there." Of course, the man was also interested in seeing the local culture and how it operated.
As for Maoin, she remained loyally quiet, put back into her place for just a while as her eyes nervously looked around the floor.
"Food sounds good." Gwynn replied.
"Though I would kinda wanna look at those stores he mentioned. Wonder if they have anything worth, uh, buying." She glanced over to Maoin, thinking that perhaps she should maybe buy her something nice out on this little adventure but...well, she was completely broke. She had all of the money so getting some from her would be difficult. She'd probably ask for the reason she was wanting some.
The magierprinz nodded.
"Oh uh ... of course. The shops around here are probably quite the site to see. We can always eat back at Sappho, after all." It was a little awkward, and the mage wasn't exactly sure what the noblewoman was looking for.
Maoin raised an eyebrow curiously. Her owner wasn't one to usually one to be curious about the small trinkets a shop they could afford would possibly have ... although she couldn't quite figure out what her mistress wanted.
"We ... we can probably afford something small, mistress." Unless Swen would be willing to buy it, Maoin was a little concerned about the pair's ability to get anything worthwhile.
"We can always stop on our way back, if you guys want. I'm not going to be uh, buying anything at least anytime soon. I just really kinda wanna look." Gwynn replied.
Swen nodded, and Maoin tilted her head curiously although she didn't say anything.
"Well, I guess we'll head off there." The magierprinz set off in the direction of where he guessed the river was, and after a few minutes of passing by some strange architecture the small party arrived at their destination.
"So ... what type of shop are you looking for?""Nothing really?" Gwynn replied with a shrug as they arrived at the river. Not a total lie.
"Just curious as to what they have for sale here and stuff. It's got to be a lot different than anything back home or in Europe." It was true. That was one of the reasons she liked traveling so much - or at least the thought of it. Aside from possibly fighting beasties, it would have just been fun to see different stuff from around the world.
The prince nodded, looking around to see what she would probably be interested in. The river was mostly populated by more prestigous shops than an armory, mostly jewelry and other things meant to facilitate the world of dating ... although there was a tailor an other things. Maoin looked around the stores, ears perking up as the sounds of the riverside market filled her ears.
"... I see tailors, jewlers, candlemakers, reasturants ... it's quite lively here, mistress!" The black haired girl seemed to enjoy looking around the shops.
Gwynn took a look around the various shops. Most didn't seem to be too different from the ones back home, really. Granted, a lot of them seemed a lot fancier and perhaps a bit more elegantly designed. The weapons and armor looked especially nice...and equally expensive. She had half a mind to get up to some small mischief and get up to some breaking and entering, but...really, she wasn't interested in any of that. That's not what she wanted to come here for.
The noble stopped when they came to a jewelry store. Normally she wasn't interested in anything like that, but this wasn't something she was going to be wearing. Her eyes drifted to Maoin, wondering what exactly she would look good in...before deciding standing here too long might make the kitten suspicious.
"Hmm...they've got some pretty neat stuff out here." Gwynn said with a small hum.
"Ah...if only I wasn't broke...Hey Swen, buy me something expensive."The magierprinz's facial expression almost dropped as Gwynn spoke those words.
"Have you heard of the word 'subtle' at all? I'm simply curious." Swen would of course buy her something, but ... the way she requested it was awfully rude, even for a man dedicated to his future bride.
Maoin resisted the urge to facepalm to the best of her ability, instead rolling her eyes to the heavens.
Subtlety? Well, it should have been obvious by now she was nowhere near subtle in anything. Really, It had been a joke. She hadn't expected him to say yes, but if he was offering...heh~
"Wha? Really?" Gwynn grinned, obviously happy.
"Come on then, buy something. Surprise me."The man had to resist the urge to facepalm, then a thought obviously crossed his face as he looked towards Gwynn with a degree of uncertainty, pulled Maoin aside, and started whispering to the kitten quietly. Whatever was being asked resulted in a lot of shrugs and uncertain responses from the familiar.
"H-hey! What are you two whispering about?" Gwynn loudly questioned, somewhat offended. She walked over to the two of them, somewhat unsure of what was going on. She only saw Maoin was shrugging quite a bit.
Swen pointed at the ground a few feet away, clearly out of the whispering range of the pair's quiet talking.
"You stay there." It was technically an order, although the situation was so casual the Prince didn't think of it that was as he waited for the noblewoman to back off.
As for Maoin, a somewhat guilty look crossed her face as she looked towards the ground, lightly kicking a non-existant stone. It was clear that while she was involved in the guys planning, that she wasn't neccessarily happy about not telling her mistress when she asked.
Gwynn, did not like this. Not one bit. She didn't mind letting Swen do whatever shenanigan he was planning. She frowned. Orders from Livia be damned, she didn't care one bit. She was pretty sure she'd get in trouble, but fine.
"First of all, Swen," She said, poking him rather hard in the chest.
"I don't mind standing over there, and I really don't mind whatever you're planning. I was mostly joking about you buying me something anyways, thought it'd be funny. What I do mind is you ordering Moain around...you have no right to order her around or tell her to do anything, especially if she's uncomfortable with doing something. So don't. Got that?"Gwynn walked back to where Swen had indicated, folding her arms across her chest, obviously not too happy. She was slightly curious to see what the two were planning, but...Maoin was obviously uncomfortable with whatever was happening.
At this point Maoin looked up at her mistress, frowning slightly.
"Mistress ... he was just asking what you ... might like. I just ... wasn't certain." Although she didn't like planning against her owner, part of her awkwardness with Swen was her lack of knowledge. The kitten felt she should know such things as a familiar.
Swen for his part backed off, then looked towards the noblewoman.
"I mean, I'm clueless when it comes to this sort of stuff. You said surprise you, so I asked someone besides you for advice."...
well this was Awkward. Gwynn honestly had no words for this. She looked towards the ground.
"Uh...well...that's...I'm just gonna shut up now." She replied, face reddening in obvious embarrassment by her little outburst there. Urgh, she should work on thinking rather than acting first. Even after what happened, she couldn't just change her complete way of thinking in a few days.
"Sorry." She shook her head, mumbling out a quiet apology and took a few steps back.
"Jeez, you could have just asked...I would have been happy with pretty much anything." She muttered to herself, once out of earshot. Really, she probably would have been, even if it wasn't something that she'd normally use. She didn't exactly get a lot of gifts or things bought for her.
The two looked at eachother, as if seeming uncertain if it was okay for them to countinue talking. A few more words went between the two of them and the familiar was dismissed with the wave of a hand. The prince seemed to walk down a few stores, heading into a jewler's shop while Maoin nervously returned to her owner. Of course, her ears picked up on every word she said.
"... mistress ... the Prince is trying. You might be happy with anything, but he wants to get you something you'd honestly appreciate."Gwynn said little, shifting uncomfortably on the spot.
"I said I was sorry..." She grumbled, unsure what to do at the moment except wait.
Maoin wasn't really trying to reprimand her mistress, so she felt a little bad at this point. The black haired girls eyes drifted around nervously, a slight frown crossing her face.
"Don't apologize too much. It doesn't befit a lady of your status." The kitten wasn't sure how much of that was what she honestly believed and how much of that was trying to behave 'normally' so her owner would have returned to her usual self when the Prince came back.
Gwynn sighed, looking up at Moain. Well, standing around being mopey because she messed something up again wasn't going to get anyone anywhere, was it? She reached over, and gave the cat a small pat on her head.
"Please." Gwynn scoffed, rolling her eyes with a small grin.
"A good lady would apologize when they're wrong, wouldn't they?" At least, that's what Gwynn always thought. Still, it wasn't exactly a topic to linger on. Swen had mentioned food, and they hadn't exactly spent all that long here, had they? There was probably a little place they could get food somewhere around here. Probably somewhere cheap and not so expensive either.
"Anyways, you hungry? Swen is right we should probably at least eat a little something before leaving."It probably would be a good idea for the pair of them to eat, and Maoin quickly smelled the air before licking her lips slightly.
Fish. And plenty of it. The kitten suddenly nodded, looking a bit excited. As her tail shifted back and forth slightly and her ears twitched, although she tried to contain her enthusiam.
"The man does have some wisdom.""Well, how about we find a good place to eat while we wait for him to return?" She was a bit hungry herself, since it was well into the lunch hour. Sea food did sound good, and if the way Maoin was acting was any indication then she definitely smelled seafood or fish of some sort.
The lunch was pretty nice, actually. Gwynn and Maoin picked out a nice little cafe by the river. Maoin, had fish. She, brought something a little less expensive, still feeling somewhat bad about earlier. Seriously, why were people always so hard for her? At least Swen didn't seem entirely upset about it...or maybe he was? She wouldn't know even if he was, really. He didn't come back with anything either...so maybe he was upset? As much as she didn't want to marry the guy, she didn't want to..not be his friend or something either.
She decided not to think about it for now and just enjoy the food. No need to ruin the moment for now. About half an hour later, the three were done. Gwynn was leaning back in her chair, quite happy with the food. One of the best things about traveling: Food. Just as good as just traveling itself, really. She might not be a glutton or anything, but free food always made her happy.
"So, we should probably get going soon. Clete's gonna be waiting on us probably."The magierprinz nodded, placing some coin on the table and rising from his seat. The man was a little anxious about what he had bought Gwynn ... but based on what he had seen between the two others they were back to normal, with the familiar reminding her lady to ... well be a lady.
"I agree - it would make a bad impression for us to be late."Maoin rose slowly out of her chair, her usual dissatisfied face returning to her now that the fish was gone. The meal of course had been enjoyable, but the black haired girl had been busy keeping a constant eye on her owner. The servant threw the large backpack on containing her and her ladies luggage, prepared to head off.
The party eventually headed back to the teleportation hub, arriving a few minutes early. Swen kept eyes open for the older man, and the kitten kept her ears raised.
It didn't take Clete long to return, dressed in his usual white robe and rather neutral expression. He spotted the three of them easily enough, and approached with a somewhat hesitant seeming step. For a moment, his brow furrowed, breaking his netural expression before reverting back to its normal neutrality.
"Ah...good to see you are here." He greeted them.
"I trust you are ready to be off?"Swen nodded, looking back to the others briefly for confirmation.
"Yes, I think it would be best for us to go as soon as possible. I'd like to be ahead of the monster, personally."Maoin stood next to her mistress, and nodded slightly as she looked up to her owner. The kitten hoped her mistress was happy again after the previous confrontation - after all, she could hear the soft clink of metal in one of Swen's bags that hadn't been there previously.
"Hm. I agree. Getting their sooner would be preferable." Clete shifted slightly, turning and leading them down the street, where a rather ornate carriage had been arranged for the three of them. It was definitely something one of high class would have, and would need money to have to buy or travel in.
"Lord Kostis has arranged for you to at least have comfortable travel arrangements." There was at least room for four people to travel fairly comfortably.
"Wow. Fancy." Gwynn said, walking up to it, though she didn't sound particularly impressed as she climbed in.
The kitten followed in after her mistress, sitting down next to the older woman with a little bit of space between them, placing the backpack on the floorboards and streched slightly. There wasn't anything for her to do, so it was the perfect opportunity for a cat nap. The girl leaned her head on some of the cushions, relaxing and allowing her tail to shift itself around idly as she looked out the window.
As for Swen, the magierprinz nodded as he entered the carriage. Despite the comforts within it, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to be. The man kept looking around the inside of it, as if studying it's design.
Clete was the last in, taking a seat next to the young magierprinz, after telling the driver to get moving. It'd take a few hours to get to their destination should they not have any interruptions in their destination, so it was a good time to get started discussing something that had only recently became...well, perhaps a slight problem. He waited for a bit for the carriage to get moving before speaking.
"...I feel as though I must mention Lord Kostis has an interest in capturing this beast alive." He said.
"You will likely be rewarded should you decide to hand this beast over to him whenever you find it."Gwynn frowned.
"Eh? Wouldn't it just be easier to kill it?""Indeed, it likely would...but Lord Kostis has made it clear I should at least mention this to the both of you."The magierprinz contemplated for a few moments before responding.
"... and does Lord Kostis have a reason why? That's a strange request for a beast that has been rampaging the countryside violently." For now, Swen was thinking along the same lines as Gwynn. Capturing something was much harder than simply ending it.
As for the kitten, her ears perked up as she listened. She didn't like the thought of her mistress putting her life in danger for a fools errand, when beating the animal would already prove itself difficult. Her face turned onto it's side, eyes drifting between Clete and her owner, but she kept her thoughts silent.
"I can only assume he wishes to keep it alive as some sort of trophy." Clete continued, though he didn't elaborate any more.
"What you do with is of course up to you. I was simply told to mentioned that a reward will be given once you do." Well, Gwynn wasn't really one to turn down a reward for something, but this sounded...somewhat shady to her. A trophy? What sort of...trophy would a live animal even be? Not that she particularly cared much.
"What's the reward, exactly?" Gwynn asked, obviously at least considering it.
"Money, as well as a few other rewards of high value. He did not specify, but Lord Kostis isn't one to be light on rewards for those he employs." Well, money was always fun. If she could get some money of her own, that would be pretty good...she could possibly by Maoin something with it before they left!
Did the man wish to keep the creature as his familiar? Put it into some sort of cage? For a proud beast rampaging the countryside, a cage would probably be tourterous to the thing. And to force it into being a familiar when you weren't even the captor - that seemed somewhat immoral to the prince. If one fought a dragon, they could claim it. It wasn't something one simply bought.
"My companion and I would like to discuss this among ourselves before making a decision on that matter."Maoin's tail flicked her mistress' leg lightly, hoping a small signal from her would keep her owner complacent for now.
"Of course," Clete replied.
"The desicion is ultimately up to you. I was merely told to inform you of the opportunity."For the most part, Gwynn remained silent. This smelled like bad times for everyone involved, really. She wasn't a fan of nobility in general, and if she was working on her assumption that ll of them were no good evil morons, then this Lord Kostis was one as well. Ultimately, she supposed she didn't care that much in the end, but...she looked down at her leg, noticing Maoin's tail brushing against it.
"Yeah, I guess we'll talk about it once we get there."
The rest of the trip was made in relative silence. Gwynn ended up petting Maoin just a bit as the kitten slept, but for the most part she just made herself at home looking out one of the carriage's windows. She wondered what exactly they were up against. Not that it particularly mattered, she'd fight regardless...but she was curious as to what could be causing so much trouble.
Eventually, they made their way to their destination with little trouble, and just after night fall the carriage rolled to a stop in front of a small, two-story Inn in a little village. The village was definitely not anything special, maybe just a couple dozen people perhaps living there. Most people already seemed to be inside of the evening, likely already asleep or getting ready for work tomorrow.
Clete was the first out of the carriage.
"Apologies if this small village isn't to your liking, Sir Magierprinz, Lady Foghlu." He said once he had stepped out onto the street.
"Lord Kostis has arranged your rooms here free of charge, and has arranged for them to be at least...somwhat tolerable."The Inn in question, was definitely not one of the more luxurious looking places. Two stories tall to be sure, but they likely only had a handful of rooms.
"Eh, don't worry about it." Gwynn said, hopping out of the carraige, tired from the long ride.
"I'm not one for fancy arrangements anyways. This place sure is remote though." She commented, taking a look down the streets.
The magierprinz frowned slightly, but nodded. The rooms back home were far more opulent than anything this place could offer, and even the rooms back at Sappho were more suffiecent than this small inn. The nobleman didn't quite like the idea of himself or his lady staying there, but it would be tolerable for one night if it was essential for their mission.
Maoin seemed to agree, frowning slightly as she stepped out of the carriage with the backpack on her back. She didn't like the look of the place - it seemed rowdy, the sort of place that drunkards would go to once night fell - and knowing her mistress that would ... cause a few problems. Her facial expression furrowed slightly towards the older man, voice making her thoughts on the matter clear.
"Mistress, I advise we retire for the evening. Our party has a lot to discuss." "Wow...someone doesn't trust me in a tavern. I'm a little hurt." She teased the kitten, giving her a small grin. Well, wasn't like she was going to be doing any...drinking at all. Not even a little. She decided that...well, maybe that wasn't exactly a good idea. Well, aside from the occasional one.
"But yeah, I'm beat from that travel. Also, hungry. Can we get room service here or something?""I am not aware if that is a possibility." Clete replied.
"But we should probably get to rest soon. We should discuss how exactly we plan to go about finding this creature early tomorrow."Well, he was right about that. Gwynn walked into the Inn. Aside from a few locals eyeing them somewhat suspiciously, none of the said anything. It definitely looked like a seedy place, though, and like someone could have some pretty fun times here...well, they should probably get to their rooms.
"Welp, come on guys. Might as well see where we're sleeping."The kitten blinked a few times in surprise, looking at her owner with a bit of surprise and confusion. Her mistress seemed to geniuenly mean what she was saying ... the cat wasn't sure how to react to this really. The black haired girl's voice raised in pitch as if she was questioning the validity of the universe.
"Of ... of course mistress?" The girl looked at the ground, feeling a little guilty for not trusting her owner as she fidgited slightly.
For a moment the girl felt a little useless until she remembered the other part of what her lady had requested.
"I could ... bring something up for you when we settle in, mistress?" The black haired girl's voice and posture made it sound like she wanted to do it ... and well, Maoin wanted to give Swen a little time with her owner if he wanted it.
Swen for his part shrugged slightly. His desire to gather more knowledge conflicted with his desires to speak to Gwynn and ... hide from this seedy place.
"The lady is right. So what are the room arrangements for us?" Since Clete had rented the rooms, he assumed the man also had a plan to go with it.
"Uh sure, yeah, if you want Maoin. Sounds good." Gwynn replied to Moain when she offered to bring food. She didn't get very long to question or tell the cat what she wanted. Clete's next words caught her slightly off guard.
"Two rooms." Clete replied.
"One for me, and one for the three of you. Apologies if it is not a preferable arrangement, but it is the best Lord Kostis could do in this situation." He said, following them into the Inn.
"They should be upstairs." "Hold up...you mean I have to share a room with Swen here?" Gwynn, of course, was less than enthusastic about sharing a room with Swen if her choice of words and tone of voice was anything to go by. Not that she really minded in the end. She'd sleep wherever as long as she could sleep, but...She had never slept with a guy before. Well, erm, in the same room. General area.
Swen cringed slightly as his betrothed displayed little enthusiasm, but the kitten spoke first.
"Good sir, these two are betrothed. People sleep together when they are married! Such an arrangement does not suit my lady's status." Whatever her mistress thought about the situation, the cat would not be happy with this. At all. The girl's tail went back and forth quickly like a snake slithering towards it's prey, her ears raised to full height. The magierprinz simply looked on with a bit of surprise at the black haired girl's blatent hostility.
Gwynn was somehwat surprised by Maoins little outburst. If she didn't know any better, she'd tease the cat about being a little possessive, but that'd probably end somewhat badly for the both of them.
"Uh, down girl." Gwynn said to the kitten. They were getting a few unimpressed looks from the patrons of the Inn.
"No need to be so hostile. I mean, I'm not a fan of it either but we don't exactly have many options here...unless you want to rent us another room?" Clete didn't seem entirely fazed though. He had expected it on some level at least. He didn't know the two of theirs maritial status, but two women sleeping alone together in a room with a man was likely to be met with some resistence regardless.
"Apologies. I would not mind sharing my room with Sir Magierprinz, though it is...less than suitable for someone of your status."The magierprinz at this point frowned slightly, unsure of what to do. Swen needed to speak to his lady, and the older man ... Clete simply creeped him out a little.
"If there are no other rooms to rent, then I will go with the lady. As our guide, I am sure you need your rest." He felt bad imposing on the two girls, but with that kitten around surely his betrothed could feel reasonably safe.
The kitten's ears lowered as she went silent obediently, but the way she was absentmindedly kicking a non-existent rock suggested she wasn't too happy about it. Quietly, she nodded her agreement.
"Very well." Clete replied.
"I will be turning in for the night, in that case. We should discuss what we will be doing tomorrow morning so I would like to get up early to prepare everything." With that, the man headed up the stairs, leaving the three of them to decide what they would do from there.
"Might as well head up ourselves." Gwynn said.
"Figure out these sleeping arrangements. You gonna get some food, Maoin?"The kitten nodded for a moment, looking through a coin pouch as she was doing a little math in her head before putting it away and giving her owner a curtsy.
"I will return as soon as possible, mistress." Despite being upset, the girl's demenor seemed to cheer up a little bit as she headed into the tavern, seeking something nice to purchase for her owner.
As for Swen, he watched the familiar wander off before commenting.
"I ... think we shall." As the pair headed up the staircase and opened the room they were instructed to go to, and immediate problem became apparent.
There was only one bed. The Magierprinz looked over to his future bride, then back to the single item.
"Well, this is a problem." Of course, his chivalric attitude told him to take the floor. But his blue blood told him that the soreness from a ride in the carriage needed those soft sheets. In truth, the bed wasn't too small ...
"So ... err ..." The man's awkwardness was obvious.
Well, Swen was obviously more than a littler nervous about this. She couldn't say she wasn't a little nervous either, but that wouldn't solve anything. Gwynn sighed, looking less than impressed with both her betrothed and the situation.
"Remember when I said confidence?" Gwynn said with a somewhat mildly annoyed huff.
"We'll have to share the bed, so don't look so embarrased. We won't be doing anything else other than sleeping got it?"Truthfully, she didn't want too, but they didn't exactly have a lot of options here. Besides, teasing him might be a bit fun.
"I mean, unless you actually have a chance at doing anything with me."The man blinked a few times, nodding as he sat down on the bed looking away from the woman, as a small flush ran through his cheeks in embaressment.
"I'm sure if I tried anything else, your kitten would probably smite me on the spot."The Magierprinz felt he was forgetting something that he needed to do ... suddenly he reached for his bag, untying a few strings and pulled out a silver ring with slightly glowing gold runes inscribed on the surface. He turned around, holding the ring in a single hand out towards the woman.
"... err ... so when I went shopping I bought a little something for you ..." Swen would likely find it much easier to explain what it did than to offer it, although hopefully Gwynn would prompt him since it was magical in nature.
He...actually bought her something? Gwynn was...she didn't entirely know what to say to that. She tentatively took the ring from him, holding in her hands and looking at it. It was...well, nice to say the least, and definitely magical in nature. What...exactly was this? She looked at the object in her hand, unsure of what exactly to say, so she defaulted to her usual attitude.
"...You uh, know I said you didn't have a chance. Actually...proposing isn't gonna change that." Though, her voice lacked a bit of confidence.
"Uh...what, does it, uhm, do? I mean, its obviously magic..."The Prince smiled at her awkwardness, then countinued.
"When equipped, the ring will allow you to summon an item of your choice. So for example, you could bind your sword to it. At your will, the sword will appear from an extradimensional storage straight into the hand wearing the ring as soon as it has the room to apparate."Suddenly the prince seemed a little excited.
"Go ahead. Try it." The man hoped his explanation had been simple enough.
Gwynn's hesitation was completely gone upon hearing what the ring could do. Immediatley, she put the ring on her ring finger, eyes lighting up with obviousy excitement. That was...really, really, useful. She wouldn't have to carry her sword anywhere at all, just store it in this ring and then...well, Swen had just earned some major points with her. She didn't entirely understand all the words he was using, but she understood the basic premise of the ring at least.
"So...I just bind the sword to it..." Gwynn unhooked her sword from her side and activated the ring. Immediately, the sword disappeared in a small wave of magic energy into some other realm. She was absolutely amazed. She hadn't heard a lot about magic like this before, granted she was no magic expert....but either way, this was amazing.
Activating the ring again, her sword appeared in her hands not a second later, about the same time she would spend drawing it from the sheath.
"This...is amazing," Before he could respond or do anything, Gwynn wrapped him in a full body hug, obviously quite happy with the present.
"Thanks, Swen! Really!"The Magierprinz had been expecting a thank you, but the full body hug after being straight up denied was a little surprising, although he returned it after a few moments.
"Err ... thanks Gwynn. Just thought it was a little trinket you might like ..." A flush ran down his cheeks, but pride ran through his veins far more.
By the pairs luck, this was the moment that Maoin returned. Food had been ready for the tavern's family, so the kitten convinced them with some cute pouting to hand it over for a little coin. As she headed up the staircase, she heard the sound of their embrace and opened the door quickly but quietly. She held the food in one hand with an eyebrow raised as she inquired what was going on, looking straight at her mistress.
"... I leave you alone for two minutes and you are already..."Gwynn released Swen as soon as Maoin commented on them, blushing slightly at what she was implying.
"N-no! Nothing like that! Just thanking him for a present!" She stuttered quickly, deciding best to change subjects.
"Y-you got the food?"Swen followed suit, backing a good foot away from Gwynn as if to confirm the woman's sentiment. Maoin raised an eyebrow at her mistress, but didn't comment further on the two. Truthfully, it was nice to see the pair getting closer to eachothe..
"It's not the reasturant we went to previously, but it's food and it's not poisoned, mistress." The black haired girl pulled out a loaf of bread for each of them, and placed a large pot of broth straight on the table and poured two large portions into two bowls and a smaller one in the final one, which she dipped the bread into and started chewing. Not too shabby for peasant food ...
Well, she was glad Maoin didn't press the issue. Although it could have been kind of fun if she did though, but Gwynn just took the bread, dipping it in the bowl not seeming to really care much if it was 'peasant' food or not. While she did like seafood of any kind, usually, she honestly was never that picky. As long as she could eat something she didn't care.
"Sho," She said with a slightly full mouth.
"What about...that offer from that Kostis guy? Sounds really shady." Gwynn commented once she swallowed her food before proceeding to take another bite.
"Also probably really, really, hard. We don't even know what it is. How could we even possibly 'capture' it or whatever?"The Magierprinz nodded, taking a bit of the food. It tasted both too bland and overly flavored for him, but he resisted the urge to make a face at it and countinued.
"I agree. There's far too little detail about the situation for it to make sense. And why does he want to capture it? Did it escape from him or something?" The Prince was curious.
"I think for now we should try and subdue it, but if the opportunity arises on the spot then we'll make a decision there. We'll know more about the situation by then anyways."Tonight, he would be sure to prepare a spell meant to speak with animals. He hoped things turned out alright.
"Anything else either of you two figured out about this guy?" The man was curious if the kitten could pick up on anything else with those ears of hers, but she shook her head to the negative.
Gwynn shrugged.
"I dunno? I just met him. Seems like someone who doesn't know when to quit working and slack off though. That voice of Clete's is just...ugh, boring. Seriously, I almost fell asleep listening to him." He kind of reminded her of a teacher, or at least someone that might lecture her for doing something bad...though he seemed a lot less...presence? Not a bad thing really.
"But yeah...I say we just kill it and be done with it. That'd be the quickest way to do it."With all of them in assent, the man nodded slightly. The magierprinz lifted up his Grimore, flipping through the carefully written in pages as he double checked all his writing. Of course, there was nothing wrong with anything. The man just felt compelled to make sure before such a dire combat.
As for Maoin, she sat down next to her mistress and quickly ate her meal. As soon as she finished and had returned the dirty dishes to the basket, the girl looked up at her owner for a second before looking down at the bedsheets. She spoke a few soft words, voice filled with concern.
"Mistress ... is there anything I can do for you before we ... head out tomorrow?" The black haired girl wasn't entirely comfortable with this situation, and was worried that something bad could happen to her owner. Obviously she'd still be there with her ... but the kitten knew she wasn't the best warrior.
Gwynn frowned. Something she could do? Well...honestly, she couldn't think of anything. Wouldn't be her first time fighting something, so she'd be fine. Maoin's concern wasn't needed...if anything she was more concerned about the kitten then anything.
"I'll be fine, Maoin." Gwynn replied.
"So you just...don't hurt yourself, alright?"The kitten nodded a little bit, still looking to the floorboards.
"... I will do my best to remain in a good enough condition to serve you, mistress ..." Of course, Maoin knew that was formal even for her and knew that to some degree she was using formality to hide her nervousness.
The black haired girl started going into their bag, laying her owner's pajamas on the bed and heading into the bathroom to change her own. A minute later she walked out, servants uniform removed and instead wearing a simple black set of clothes. The girl pulled two blankets and a small pillow out their bag, placing them onto the floor. For now, she simply sat on the small nest she had made for herself, worry still written across her face as her eyes darted around the bedposts.
Swen finished eating and placed his stuff into the basket as well, yawning.
"Your cat had the right idea of sleeping in the carriage earlier."When she finished eating, Gwynn didn't bother changing into anything. She was perfectly comfortable sleeping in what she was currently wearing. Instead, she plopped down onto the bed, yawning tiredly. She didn't entirely too concerned with sleeping here. One bed was as good as any other in her experience, and she wasn't really one to be too choosy about where she slept.
"I...guess?" Gwynn shrugged, laying on the bed.
"Then maybe you should have slept, then." She yawned again, stretching her arms as she fumbled with the covers for a few seconds before managing to pull them over her.
"I'll sleep just fine."As for the prince, he removed his thick robes and slipped into the bed as well, being sure to face away from Gwynn. No need to invoke her wrath ... or more importantly, the nekos. That attempt of starting a conversation had failed, and that was the mages signal that it was bedtime. The man closed his eyes ... and was soon gone.
The kitten watched her owner go to bed, collecting the pajamas she had neglected to wear. Normally the black haired girl would have protested, but for now the girl was satisfied with simply stuffing them into the bag. The cat's eyes were focused on the door, her ears taking in the sounds of the seedy tavern. For now, the girl decided that it was a good idea to have someone keep watch.
The night went on for a bit as loud as a tavern would be though the upstairs was quieter than that and allowed the three travelers some rest they most likely deserved. A few dogs barked outside and the spooky sound of a catfight in the alley might have caught an ear as well. Everything sounded as fine, until there were loud voices that sounded less of cheer, and more of fear. Calls of terror filled the air of the tavern as an unearthly howl echoed within.
Gwynn woke with a start, falling out of the bed with a loud thump as her chin met the ground.
The kitten practically jumped to the ceiling as the howl filled the air, a natural fear of dogs running over her. The girl quickly ran over the magierprinz, forcing his grimore into his hands and sprinting over to her mistress a second later, helping her up.
"Mistress! Are you okay?" Looking over the blonde though, her fall had likely only caused discomfort. Now that she thought about it ... shouldn't she have heard something beforehand?
"... It ... teleports or something!? I didn't hear it!" As for the girl, she stepped outside the room silently with a small dagger, trying to see where it was. The darkness didn't bother her but ... where was the damn thing?
As for the Prince, he woke up much slower, wondering what was going on. Seeing the Grimore in his hands, the man went over his spells mentally. He had avoided any ice spells, and instead had chosen spells involving a combination of earth and holy magic, and a few spells that would hopefully slow down the things manuverability.
"Owowow...urgh, ow." Was all Gwynn could really say after eating...wooden floor, as Maoin helped her up? Argh, that actually hurt a bit. Pretty sure she bit her tongue on that.
"Yea, yeah, I'm fine. What the hell was that?" Gwynn said as she stood up, glad that she hadn't changed out of her clothes. If that was what they were up against, then she was glad she wouldn't be fighting in pajamas.
"Is that...whatever it is we're hunting?" Gwynn frowned. If it was, then this was a complete unexpected turn of events. Clete had said it should have been there tomorrow night. Had he got something wrong, or did he completely expect this? Before she could ponder it much though, Maoin had already left the room, heading out into the hallway. It was difficult to see at night, but that was fine. She could handle it.
"Maoin! What are you doing? get back here!" Without thinking Gwynn ran after the cat, grabbing her hand and pulling her back.
"You're not fighting whatever that is!"As the three figured their situation, screams continued downstairs with the rapid slamming of tables, breaking plates and glass, and smacking of people running out the door. "No! Stop" was an apt description of the occasional cries from down the stairs.
Maoin's eyes opened in horror as she heard the sounds, and for a moment was glad she was pulled back in the room. She was willing to die for her mistress. That was simple. The black haired girl looked at her dagger, searching the room.
"Mistress. I'm going to get out of the tavern and see what I can do from outside. Be safe ... okay?" With that, the kitten headed to the window and jumped out of it, landing on her feet like cats always do. She tried to see what was going on from outside, and what her ears would tell her.
"You're the one that needs to be careful!" Gwynn shouted rather loudly. Knowing that ordering the cat to stay there would likely be futile and only upset her more.
"Don't...get yourself hurt. Try and see if Clete's awake if you can! He might be able to help." She shook her head, her sword appearing in her right hand with a spark of magic. Clete didn't strike her as the combative sort, but if he didn't intentionally mislead him, then he should at least try to help in some reason.
"Swen, hurry up and finish that book of yours! I'm heading downstairs!" Gwynn shouted, and before he could order her otherwise, she already bolted out the door, heading to the lower floors.
As for the Prince, he had woken up and was flipping through the pages, going after Gwynn.
"SLOW DOWN!" The magierprinz knew that they might die if they sat still for too long, but also understood that they would certainly die if they charged in one by one. Now what spell was he thinking of? Divine chains? Denial? The groggy man's head spun slightly as he stumbled down the staircase after the noblewoman.
The kitten from the outside scaled the wall easily and peered into Clete's room obediently, seeing what was going on. The dog ... the dog made her limbs shake. This was utterly terrifying.
Clete had of course, woken as well...and also made sure to listen at his door for any sounds that might prove troubling, aside from the hound below. That was definitely what they were after...but why was it here? Their trackers must have been wrong. Clete backed away from the door, hearing Gwynn and Swen heading downstairs. Well, that was good. He wasn't a fighter, and he was perfectly content to stay up here in his room. He walked over to the window, opening it, seeing if there were any commotion in the streets. Several people had gathered around the tavern outside, dimly illuminated by the moonlight and the lights from the Tavern.
At least it didn't seem like anyone had been hurt...yet.
"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" The kitten's normal formality went out the window (pun intended) as she hung, trying to get answers from the man ...
As the two humans arrived downstairs, they would have seen something that looked to be right out of nightmares. A black colored hound-like being with spines portruding from its back stood over a person, as if staring into his soul. Flames lightly spewed out of its mouth as it put a paw on the man's chest. The beast turned quickly as it heard the pair come down the stairs and growled at them with a greater amount of flames spewing from it's mouth. On its sides, Gywnn and Swen would notice that there was a red color brightening as it moved its head down slightly before raising it quickly and opening its maw, releasing a spew of flames toward the two on the stairs.
Gwynn didn't seem to hear Swen. She wasn't waiting around for this thing to start hurting anyone else as long as she was around. It didn't take her long to get to the first floor, and eye the carnage that had been wrought. Plates, chairs, and other things seemed to have been smashed to pieces...and the black hound that was standing on top of a person. She didn't have much time to react to its presence. It's maw opened, a gout of flame blasting from it in their direction.
Gwynn held her hand up, A shell of ice quickly forming in front of the pair, the fire blast from the hound slamming into the frigid substance. Drops of melted water dripped onto the floor were the flame hit the shield. Gwynn may not be the most skilled spell caster as of now, but a vendetta to kick someone's ass is a pretty good motivation for training, and in the last week she had been almost doing nothing but that and attending classes.
Without waiting for a word from Swen, the shield of ice broke into several sharp shards. Against a fire beast she wouldn't be doing much, but if something could bleed or cut...she'd just have to cut it until it dropped. The shards of ice shot forwards, towards the beast as Gwynn moved away from Swen. It wouldn't be a good idea to stand close to each other.
The Prince debated moving behind Gwynn for the additional protection, but decided to let her distract the beast. Swen frantically flipped through a few pages until he found the spell he desired.
"Hold it still and protect me!" The Magierprinz commanded as he started mentally reading the spell off, the grimore beginning to glow.
The hound swatted the first couple of ice shards out of the air with its paws, but took a few hits from the others. Whatever success there was in hitting it, there was likely disappointment in the low amount of damage it seemed to inflict. It bled a small bit from the wounds, but they quickly patched themselves up as the red in it's body decreased some. Of the two, the girl was a more direct threat, but at the same time, the boy was just standing there, reading something out of a glowing book. The beast breathed up a ball of fire and shot it from its mouth at the one with the book before turning to the one with the sword and pouncing at her.
"Don't just shout 'protect me' and whatever you're fighting know you're doing something, you idiot!" Gwynn shouted, somewhat annoyed that he'd go and do that. Granted, this was a hound, but it was obviously by now at least not a dumb animal of some sort. He went and made himself a target! If he was going to do something he should just keep his damn mouth shut and do it! And now she had to go and protect his sorry ass!
Swiftly as she could, Gwynn formed a thin barrier of ice between Swen and the fireball. Enough to at least cause it to dissipate...but that left her wide open. Before she had a time to properly defend herself, the hound slammed into her, knocking her to the ground with the hound on top of her, pinning her and causing her sword to clatter to the ground some distance away.
With the fireball blocked, the prince fired off the same spell he had used against the sets of armor, although not quite as non-lethal as the one used in the library. A gust of wind shot from his hand, hopefully launching the beast off of Gwynn. That wasn't what he had been preparing for, however.
During his research, he had managed to find some things that were useful against cerebus. Hercules used lion skin, for instance. At the end of the day though, the Magierprinz settled for something that could defeat any dog: a muzzle with heavy, heavy shackles. The books glow ended as a series of chains shot out, a muzzle aiming to close the fire breathing dogs mouth and force it to stop moving. He didn't expect it to stop moving completely, but he hoped it would at least make the beast manageably fast.
As the gust of wind was something the hound had not expected exactly, it released some fire from its maw, scorching a bit of the wall it faced and toppled one way off of Gwynn. The fire spewed into multiple places, catching a bit of cloth on fire as finally found its balance, but then was chained and muzzled soon after. It struggled a bit with it's mouth closed and fire still jetting out as it tried to free it's mouth. One thing that Gwynn or Swen might notice though, was that rather than flames, it what came out was a bit more viscous. Hot, and burning where it touched.
Gwynn rolled to safety, getting up the moment she had put some distance between herself and the hound and making sure to grab her sword in the process. Honestly, she was really fucking annoyed with Swen right now. He had almost gotten her
killed. Damn it, he better be glad they were trying to do this together or she'd have punched his lights out. Seriously! Teamwork! Did he have no idea what that was? Gah, thoughts for later. He had muzzled it, but next time he should think about putting himself in danger or something.
Gwynn readied her sword, noticing the scorching substance that was coating the floor. Fire started slowly spreading from it, starting to consume the entire tavern. She took a few steps back, glancing over to the muzzled beast. Of she could kill it here, then it'd be over with, but she wasn't sure how fast the fire would start spreading. If they left, then they might not get another chance to find it...or at least it would take longer.
It was a reckless idea, really, but she wouldn't pass up this chance.
Pointing her sword at the hound, she focused her magic on the air above it. A large, heavy chunk of ice formed above the creature about two feet wide...and dropped it on the hound. Immediately after, she ran towards the beast. Ice likely wouldn't do much damage, it was already melting swiftly before she could even drop it. But hopefully, it would be distracted long enough for her to drive her blade into its skull.
Picking up on Gwynn's cue, the magierprinz flipped to another page in his book.
"I'm summoning water then firing a lance!" He flipped a few more times, found his page, then muttered a few words and lifted up his free hand, taking a few steps to the right to ensure there was plenty of room.
The moment Gwynn was out of the way, he started shooting out cold water straight at the beast. Highly pressurized, and plentiful water. This was a pretty basic spell, but amped up a dozen times to make sure it was enough. For a moment, the man was worried the force of the spell would send the beast through the tavern wall, but he tried to increase it's force.
He could pay the village for flooding damages. Hell, he could buy a new one.
Seeing little option left, the hound decided that it's best course of action was to gain mobility for an exchange for its power. The creature's body erupted into a burst of flames and the overall size of the creatures body shrank and moved out of its bonds whilst doing so. As the practically small-scale inferno disappated, the body of a large chested, dark-skinned girl appear with what appeared to be black clothing. Quickly she dodged out of the way by jumping to the wall and bounced off at the male. Behind her, fire followed and seemed to flow into her body as she landed in front of Swen. Her eyes glowed red and seemed to even flicker like a fire as she spoke,
"You all couldn't have just escaped, could you? I was just wanting my feast and you all ruin it." The creature's hand seem to have sharp nail-like claws almost ready for a reply she wouldn't like.
Gwynn, was totally not prepared for that. She planted her feet in the ground, stopping herself mid swing as the thing avoided her attack. She turned her head, almost concerned for Swen when...whatever it was bounced off in his direction. She had half a mind to run after it, but it was...talking? And looked human now. She slowly took a few steps towards it as she spoke. Close enough to intervene if it intended more harm, but far enough away to maintain a comfortable distance from her.
Swen didn't even bother replying. His grimore was already on create water. The Prince snapped his fingers, and all the water in the tavern and more gushed towards the girl standing in front of him at incredible speed, trying to force her away and mid air as a ball of water would attempt to hold her in place. More freezing water was being summoned from his hand at the same time, pressurizing the floating orb more and making sure she didn't escape. If she tried to swim out, the mage would shift it in such a manner as to make her flow back to the center. He noticed Gwynn standing there, a little tired.
"Can you like ... freeze her into this ball, or maybe poke her?" The prince at the same time was trying to use the water to actually crush the girl with large amounts of pressure.
"I mean...I could try?" Gwynn said, somewhat concerned. The thing was talking here, and it had stopped attacking them...and while she wasn't one to let someone get away with doing something bad, was freezing her solid necessary? Not that she had much of a choice in the matter though. That would probably count as an order, and she really didn't want to end up as a maid for the headmistress for a week. Honestly though, she was exhausted. That bit of magic she already used tired her out more than a little...but she'd try.
The creature got pulled into the ball of water and catered into mid-air as the boy wished. However, one thing he might notice, is the distorted look in the center near where the girl's body was. As if the water was being boiled from within. Soon enough, the outside became increasingly hot as well, and water began boiling off on all sides. As it seemed, the orb was not going to handle itself much longer and fell apart from the water unable to hold itself together.
"You are becoming more and more annoying." Her eyes held more ire in them than before, but was still catching her breath from being held inside water for so long.
At this point, Swen nodded.
"I agree." He recasted the same spell over again. The man had a strong understanding of science, and knew that water had a ridiculously high specific heat and took a long time to boil.
"Gwynn, I'm trying to subdue her at this point. If you could poke her in the leg or just keep the water cold enough not to boil, that's fine. I can keep this up for probably five, ten more minutes.""Yeah, well, I'm about out of steam." Gwynn huffed.
"I'm no expert mage. Cooling down boiling water would already be difficult, but I just dropped a 2-foot block of ice on her! That's kinda draining!" It was quite clear she was at least a little annoyed with this. As much as she would have liked to follow those orders, she just wasn't skilled enough.
"Besides, if you didn't notice she's already stopped attacking." Certainly, the mutt wasn't getting off easy from attacking this place but...The mutt just didn't seem entirely like she intended to actually hurt them, did it? It had the perfect opportunity to maul her when she was pinned, and there wasn't exactly anything that looked like it had hurt someone.
Swen thought for a few moments, then nodded. After a quick look around, he noticed a lack of bodies. He looked over to Gwynn.
"... Um, yeah. Just saw the lack of corpses." The mage released his spell, although remained on guard.
"So, what err ... what was your reason for coming here?" The mage was flipping through his book idily as he spoke, having something ready just in case.
At this point, Maoin wandered into the tavern behind Gwynn.
The Dark-Skinned girl was still trying catch some of her breath, coughing up a small bit of steaming water. When she had the chance she spoke,
"I told you. I wanted my feast. The hunger keeps eating away so I must eat and eat lest I become food for my own fire." Now, the flickering flame in her eyes did't seem as angry as they did prior.
"A friend told me this land was a great place to constantly feast if I didn't harm the humans. But I found nothing fitting except these places that stockpiled plenty of food in one place."At this point, Swen resisted the urge to facepalm. He started screaming angrily with frustration.
"THEN WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING PEOPLE!? Don't they have jobs in hell!? Couldn't you have just asked for some food!?" The Prince pointed to Gwynn, trying to get her to back him up. The sudden shift from 'almost getting killed' to 'handling a non-lethal problem' confused the man.
Maoin was still panicking slightly at seeing the dog, but had figured out earlier than Swen that the beast wasn't perfectly dangerous. Gwynn would feel the kitten brushing against her.
Well...Swen did have a point. Though, well, she wasn't once to talk much about stealing food, heh, so lecturing the hound herself would be somewhat hypocritical. That said, this was getting annoying, and she really would like to get back to sleep. She looked over to Maoin, giving her a reassuring smile that everything was...more or less okay.
"Well, uh, maybe we should first get out of this tavern? We did kinda just...trash it. Or at least get back upstairs."The creature-girl looked confused.
"Why? Everyone left so I get to eat the food they left behind." If she didn't eat enough, she'd likely go feral like so many of her kind. She couldn't have that happen.
"It was mentioned that if they leave their food, it was free for the taking so I shouldn't worry about it." The part she missed was the fact that it was meant for single points of time and not in a town. Not to mention she wasn't meant to just scare people off.
"If the peons leave their food, then they don't deserve it."At this point Swen's mouth dropped while mentally he steamed. It seemed the creature geniunely believed what she was saying ... and well ... it hadn't killed anyone. Looking over at Gwynn, he muttered a silent prayer before continuing with a patronizing, sarcastic lecture he could manage.
"Listen. Whatever your name is ... If you promise to stop attacking people and come with us, I swear I can feed you food. Lots of food. More food than you could imagine! You can ask those two ladies over there, I have given them food before. If you come with me back to Saint Sappho, you can get lots of food there too." The man looked over to Gwynn, nodded, and started to head back up the staircase. He had no idea what the hell just happened, but he was done with the night. If that meant feeding the damn beast, he'd feed the bitch.
"My name is Eith." The Dog-Girl said simply, watching the man go up the staircase.
Maoin nodded in agreement that Swen in fact did give them lots of food. A second later though, she ducked out of the creature's sight behind Gwynn.
"M-mistress?" Was that mangy dog really going to be staying in the same place as them?
"Well...he does feed me free food if I ask nicely, Eith." Gwynn said with a chuckle, an impish smile forming as she walked over to the girl.
"He's actually really rich and could probably by you all the food you want. So yeah, he can feed you all you want!" With that, Gwynn gave her a friendly pat on her head, and started back up stairs. Introductions could continue once up there. She gently tugged Maoins hand, pulling her along with her.
When the Hound-Girl recieved the pat on the head, she merely flinched slightly hardly experiencing it much at least in her recent past.
"Don't worry, she's perfectly nice, I'm sure. And if she even thinks about hurting you...boots. Strung up by. Sea monster pit. Bad times for fire mutt." The kitten followed behind, nervously and loyally, still trying to stay out of the site of the bad wolfy ... and she was a little jealous of the pettings Eith had recieved.
Eith quickly ate what food she could find whether it was on the floor or sitting on a plate and quickly followed upstairs. She wasn't letting her meal ticket leave her behind, especially when he said he was going to give her more food than she could possibly imagine.
After they all returned to their room, Gwynn flopped down on the bed and yawned loudly. She was tired. After using that much of her magic, she was a bit tired and could go for a nice warm bath right about now. She stretched, taking up most of the bed in the process. As much as she was annoyed with Swen and his complete lack of making sense in battle, she was more tired and really, really, would rather sleep.
Swen simply walked into the room, a little groggily after Gwynn. The magierprinz simply pushed her aside with some effort, reclaiming the other half of the bed as his own and going back to sleep. He felt rather stupid about being so hostile towards the dog, and now his wallet was doomed. Gywnn made a noise that sounded halfway between a growl and an annoyed huff as she was rolled aside, but said nothing as she laid on her side of the bed.
The kitten simply looked at the two of them ... seeming utterly confused about how they could calm down so quickly in the prescence of a literal hellhound. However, the cat realized the problem: the dog would be with them, and she was the only person left to instruct it.
"... Um ... hi ... you can sleep there." The girl pointed to the nest she had set up for herself previously, while she thought about where she would sleep on her own.
"Very well. As little as I need to sleep, if I need to stay here, it might as well be comfortable." Eith said as she took the spot the cat suggested. She could hold back her hunger for now so if she needed to stay for a bit, she might as well.
The cat looked at her a little nervously, and backed up towards the bed with her mistress. For a few seconds the neko pondered if her owner would be alright with sharing the bed a little more.
"... mistress ... mind if I join you ...?" The entire building was fairly wet, so sharing body heat wasn't a bad idea.
The blond looked up from where her face had been buried in a pillow. She wasn't upset about that dog, was she? Gwynn sighed, slightly annoyed but she couldn't just leave Maoin out there. Problem was, there just wasn't exactly much room to go around.
''Sure...just, find somewhere? I could always use you as a pillow." Gwynn teased, sounding half asleep with that statement.
The kitten blushed slightly, but nodded. A few secons later Gwynn would find her head in the kitten's lap as the girl leaned against the wall, taking her owner's pillow and using it for herself. The cat pulled the covers over her owner ...
"Is this good, mistress?" "Hmm...softest...pillow ever..." Gwynn yawned, but she was quickly off to sleep before the kitten or anyone else could say anything.
Gwynn, for the most part slept like a rock until morning. She was completly exhausted from that little bout with the hound, Eith. Plus, Maoin's lap was surprisingly comfortable though the request had been made when she was already half asleep so thoughts about that didn't happen until after she woke. When morning finally came, Gwynn yawned, opening an eye tiredly as she realized her head actually wasn't laying on a pillow.
What was...she laying on, then? She reached over, and poked it.
Maoin let out a high pitched yelp from the surprise of being poked in the lower stomach. Glancing down, the kitten saw her mistress was waking up.
For the entire night, the cat had kept a careful watch over the savage beast they had decided to bring along. In short ... she hadn't slept at all, instead loyally acting as a pillow for her owner. The poke came in right as her sense of sleep was about to overcome her natural fear of the beast.
"Good morning, mistress." The nekos tail brushed lightly up against the taller woman's side.
Eith had barely slept. Not in a bad sense of it, she just didn't need it too much. Still, the noise around her woke the hound from her slumber. Somehow, she stayed in her human form all night and was curled up as animals tend to do. After a quick stretch she stood up and looked at all the others. The annoying male, the swordswoman and the one with animal ears.
"I believe the saying is, 'Good Morning?'" She was trying at least.
Gwynn's eyes widened as the thing she poked, sounded suspiciously like Maoin. She shot straight up in the bed, scooting backwards away from the cat. What...just what? As she woke up, the events of the previous night came back...and when she had jokingly said for her to use the kitten as a pillow. Gwynn let out a breath, deciding best not to really comment on that.
"Jeez, next time don't yelp so loudly." She replied, still looking half asleep, placing a hand over her mouth as she yawned.
"Morning, Maoin." She stretched, feeling a bit sore from fighting the hound last night. Hearing the dog up, she turned to see her standing up.
"Morning, Eith." Might as well be somewhat friendly.
The kitten frowned slightly.
"Sorry mistress, I didn't expect it. Won't happen again." Maoin was too tired to realize that her owner probably hadn't been entirely serious when she said that, and seemed to be deeply apologetic.
The magierprinz rolled out of bed. Literally. The thing wasn't as large as he was used to, and a second later the Prince hit the floor with a thud. A few seconds later, he began to wake up, raising himself up out of the bed and collecting his robes as he looked over the remainder of the party.
"I suppose we should prepare to depart?" The man yawned, stretching again ... and wondering why his side hurt.
Reciving only a somewhat...taciturn nod in reply, Gwynn looked at Maoin who seemed completely out of it. Had...she stayed up all night? That was really, really, bad. That wouldn't do at all.
"Maoin, did you stay up all night?" Gwynn asked, obviously concerned.
"I know you're probably not comfortable around fire mutt, but you should at least sleep! I mean really! You're sleeping on the way back! I don't care if Eith's there or not." She hopped out of bed, stretching again about the time Swen fell on the floor and asked if they should get going.
"Can we eat first or something? After that workout last night, I'm starving." It'd be half a day before they got back to Ambracia at least, and she was pretty sure she'd starve by then.
At the first sign of food, Eith's ears perked straight up. As much as she could hold her hunger, the mere mention of food was enough make her so very hungry.
"I agree with this sentiment, mealticket, get me food." Even in her human form she seemed to have a tail as well, and it was moving quite quickly.
The magierprinz simply blinked at Eith in response to the name 'mealticket'. Once they returned to Sappho, the prince would probably have to talk with Livia about what to do about the hellhound ... but for now.
"If your a good puppy and ... stay in this human form, I will feed you lots ... I hope the owners have returned by now." Swen remembered for a few moments how he had practically flooded the place, but he would simply explain that he was putting out the fires.
Maoin looked towards her mistress with ears flat on her head and exhaustion in her eyes.
"... Yes mistress ..." Her owner seemed upset with her, which only made the girl upset in turn.
Maoin looked horrible. Gwynn sighed, shaking her head. The cat was probably really tired, so she shouldn't mess with her too much.
"Maoin, I told you to call me Gwynn." She said with a lighthearted chuckle, reaching over and petting the cat.
"Come on, get up you silly cat. Getting something to eat will make you feel better."About that time, there was a knock at their door.
"Pardon the interruption, but are all of you awake?" It was Clete. Gwynn had to wonder where exactly he had run off to during the night, it was a little suspicious he was a bit absent after they were ambushed like that.
Clete opened the door to their room, taking only a few steps inside as he observed the...four of them? His eyes lingered on Eith for a few moments, but ultimaltey said nothing to her. He could put two and two together.
"It is good to see you unharmed. The headmistress would not be entirely happy should you have been." Clete said, though his tone of voice indicated very little concern.
"Concerning the matter of the beast...what happened to it?" Clete looked over to Eith, but waited for an answer from one of them.
The prince at this point shrugged.
"We annoyed it sufficently, and it decided to inform us of that." Swen wasn't really in for giving much more of an answer than that. While the bonus reward from lord Kostis would be nice, the nobleman had made a deal with Eith, and he'd keep it or ensure another did.
This old man was new. Someone Eith had not seen yet, but well, she'd just let the others say stuff. He seemed to be talking to her, though she tilted her head slightly, confused as to who this exactly was. Still, she was getting hungry and started to tap her foot unneccesarily rapidly, though it seemed rather quiet.
"Yeah...it won't be a problem any more." Gwynn replied with an assuring grin.
"I see." Clete replied dryly.
"I suppose that is for the best. I trust the Headmistress' students wouldn't lie." The older man seemed to buy their story, or at least didn't press the issue. Really, it was for the best. If he had to be honest with himself - he would rather not see the beast end up in Lord Kostis' hands. Of course, he was obligated to do what he must regardless of what he wanted in the end but if these children didn't want to hand it over, then that was fine.
"If you don't mind, I have made breakfast. The people in the village were more than kind after you resolved that situation last night. I convinced some of the few who worked on the farms to give us some fresh vegetables and the owners made some fresh bread."Free food? Well, that sounded delicious. Gwynn was more than happy to accept. Though, Clete didn't exactly seem like the best cook...
"Well, sure why not. Better than having us pay for it."The magierprinz looked over to Eith for a few seconds, and then back at Clete.
"That is nice to know, our new companion will require rations as well." If this could get him off from paying for her for a day, then that is what he would do.
As for Maoin, she reached into the backpack and nodded after a few seconds, speaking a few tired words as well.
"I brought rations for us as well, mistress ... in case we require another meal down the road." The familiar had prepared for the two of them to have nothing to eat at all, so this was a welcome relief.
"Maoin you worry too much."Gwynn joked, petting the kitten again. Really, there wasn't much of a need to prepare food either way. If they had run out or got into a situation where they were out of food, they could just hunt. Couldn't be
that hard.
"Very good, then." Clete replied.
"There is a table set up in my room." He left the room, leading the way to his. Most of the space in the room had been cleared out, the bed shoved to the side of the wall, along with any other furniture to help make room. Clete had probably moved everything himself. On the table, was a small feast of freshly picked vegetables and produce and a loaf of freshly baked bread.
"The townsfolk were quite happy you took care of that beast before any major damage was done."The houndgirl followed the others and found the table of food. Before anyone else really had a chance, she quickly walked over and shoved a plate-full into her mouth. She was half-tempted to turn into her beast form, but that would likely be bad. Probably. Still, it would have been quite the sight to behold. The food was . . . Meh at best. It was vegetables and bread, the worst of all. At the least bread was a good compliment to meat, but there seemed to be a lack of meat. She really wanted to eat something else now. She blinked a few times and turned back to the others.
"Is it just this?" She had to question.
Clete frowned. Well, certainly it hadn't been the best but the new girl he hadn't been introduced too didn't seem entirely impressed.
"I apologize, miss. It was prepared on short notice so any meats could not have been prepared."Gwynn, for the most part took a seat and started eating. While she also preferred meats of the seafood kind...vegetables and fruit weren't so bad, as long as they were juicy in some manner. For a little village like this, they grew some pretty good ones.
"Heey, this isn't have bad. Tanks Clete." Gwynn replied with a grin, stuffing a carrot in her mouth.
Swen joined Gwynn in eating the meal, taking a few bites of peasant food. He had eaten far tastier in his days, but the fruits and vegtables were fresh. The magierprinz eagerly ate more, giving Clete a simple wave of thanks.
The kitten reached into the bag she had brought with them, bringing out some dried meat for rations and handing a pound of it nervously over to the dog.
"Hopefully this will ... satiate your hunger." The girl brought out some more, placing it onto her owner's plate as well. It didn't seem like they would need it really, and Maoin didn't want to become dinner.
Eith took the meat from the kitten, eating it quickly yet savoring it. It was dried, sure, but it tasted pretty good. Better than the sad and lonely feel from vegetables and bread. Not long after, Maoin would feel softness on her back as Eith's arms wrapped around her and the hound pulled her closer.
"I want this one to be my follower." She rubbed her cheek against the cat's.
"She'd make a good one for me if she carries food around."Gwynn stared at Eith in disbelief, end of the carrot she had been eating sticking out of her mouth. Maoin looked absolutely terrified, but this was priceless and Gwynn was definitely not gonna pass up the opportunity for a little teasing. A few moments of silence passed before she couldn't restrain her laughter.
"Oh wow, Maoin," Gwynn replied through a peal of laughter, holding her stomach.
"Looks like the fire mutt has a crush on you. She's kinda cute, you should say yes. I'd probably at least flirt a little, heh." She continued, though her laughter soon died down before giving Eith a somewhat antagonistic seeming smirk. As much as she would have liked to continue...Maoin looked terrified.
"But uhm, she's mine so go get your own kitten, mutt."Maoin had frozen the moment she was grabbed, shaking slightly with fear and trying to form words but failing to do so. The black haired girl was glad that her owner decided to stand up for her ... eventually.
Eith blinked at the blond when she mentioned the cat was hers.
"How sad you already had a mistress." The hound said as she released Maoin and put her hands up, showing she meant no harm.
"That aside, sword-woman, what did you mean by, 'Flirt'?" That was hardly a word Eith had ever heard before so she became curious as she cocked her head to the side slightly.
At hearing Eith's question, Gwynn blinked. Flirting? She didn't know what flirting was? Oho. Ohohohohohoho. Heh. Now that was...
fun. That hostile smirk went immediately into her normal impish smile as her eyes drifted over to Maoin. Perhaps in a moment. For now, she simply turned back to Eith, smiling at the hound.
"Flirting, hmm?" Gwynn moved closer to Eith, standing only a foot or so away from the hound.
"Maoin...mind helping me show Eith what 'flirting' is?"The kitten had practically ran across the room when Eith had released her ... but she returned loyally to her owner's side. Maoin wasn't the best at flirting, and wondered what sort of demonstration her mistress was requesting. Did her lady want her to flirt ... again?
"... meow ...?"Eith looked between the two, still confused. What were these two trying to do? She really didn't understand.
"Are you going to inform me or not?" It didn't come off as hostile, just. . . A little aggressive.
The kitten frowned at her failure. Perhaps Eith required a better demonstration? This time, the kitten licked her owner's neck, moved closer to her, and leaned slightly into her. Maoin was still a little afraid, but when being this close to her lady ... the world seemed a little less scary.
Swen simply watched the show, taking a drink of whatever was provided.
Gwynn gave a small huff of annoyance, cheeks coloring slightly.
"First of all. You're supposed to be flirting with Eith. Secondly, you're terrible at this. Lemme show ya." Gwynn grinned, moving away from Maoin and a bit closer to Eith. She gave the hound a confident smile as she spoke.
"So, Eith." She took a step closer.
"My fiery little hound," Another step, close enough so that the two of them were practically touching.
"How about I take you on a tour of Sappho once we get back? I know some pretty tasty places we could dine at." She moved to Eith's side, throwing an arm around the hounds shoulder, leveling her head with the hounds.
"We could go back to my place after that" The arm that had been thrown over Eith's shoulder pulled her more tightly to Gwynn.
Clete for the most part, remained silent. He would have no part of these young ones shenanigans.
Swen at this point raised his hand.
"To be fair milady, I've been paying for you when you go out. I don't think you could afford to take Eith around town." The prince was fairly sure that Gwynn wasn't even in control of her own finances somehow.
Maoin seemed to nod in agreement, not understanding why her owner would offer such a thing.
"Do you want me to ... to flirt with the beast, mistress?" The black haired girl's ears were still down, tail between her legs as her owner seemed disatisfied with her performance and left her, as well as simply being in the presence of the evil creature.
Eith was slightly confused still. Human convention was excessively weird. So, flirting was getting close and being nice? Perhaps she was finally understanding flirting? If this "milady" or "mistress" as she kept being called was flirting with her by being nice, close and friendly. Would that mean what she had done with the cat earlier was flirting then? From a being such as Eith, being allowed to be a follower was quite the honor.
"I believe I understand." It was her turn to try the human method. She lived among them for a while so she was sure she understood their ways. Building on the method of "milady", the hound spoke.
"Well then, "milady", I would love for your beautiful self to "give me a tour of Sappho" and I'm sure you know many places to eat." Regardless of what she was saying, there wasn't much emotion in the way she was.
"I would be honored "go back to your place" with you." She didn't know if she was going to be given a place to sleep after all.
"I believe the correct human response to such is this?" The hounds hand reached over to Gwynn's chin and turned it to her before their lips met.
Gwynn frowned a bit, humming quietly. No no, she didn't think Eith still understood what 'flirting' was. That response sounded just so...mechanical and generic. She was missing all of the nuances that were associated with flirting. Not to mention, a lack of emotion. Well. She would have to take drastic measures then.
Well, at least before Eith decided to do exactly what she was going to do. Eith's hand met her chin, pulling her face in close...and their lips met. The first thing she realized, was that the girls mouth was incredibly warm. Secondly, she was kissing an incredibly attractive girl at the moment, and she was one hundred percent okay with that. That didn't stop her face from turning a shade of red though, and she realized that maybe she knew exactly what flirting was after all, despite her incredible lack of emotion when speaking.
For a few long seconds, Gwynn kept the kiss, enjoying the warm feeling from Eith perhaps a bit too much. When she finally did pull away, all she could do was take a few steps back.
"Wow....uh....wow." Gwynn replied, breathing heavily, face red despite her obvious enjoyment of the act.
"Uh...I don't uh, think I have anything to uh, teach you in regards to flirting...but uh, yeah. Sure. Food. I'll buy. My place. It's a date."Maoin at this point looked on in somewhat abject horror, then dissapointment. It wasn't really her place to tell her owner who she could and couldn't play with ... since Eith was a girl, it didn't really matter ... right? The black haired girl walked over to a corner of the room and sat down.
She wasn't really hungry anymore.
Eith nodded, whatever it meant, she had free food. Perhaps it was better to be friendly to people for food? The sword-girl looked like she enjoyed it at least. That said, the kitten didn't seem too happy now. Perhaps she wanted to be friendly too? Well, if the hound were to be nice to the mistress, she should show kindness to the follower that gave her food. Be nice, give a compliment and repeat what happened with the sword-girl. She walked over to the corner the cat decided to make camp and kneeled down to her, talking in the same almost emotionless voice she had before.
"Sorry for not showing proper kindness to you, cat-eared-one. If your beautiful black-haired self needed to "flirt" with me to fulfill your "mistress' wish, I shall oblige." As with Gwynn, she brought her hand to the cat's chin, lifted it up and brought her lips to the cat's. She did the same as with the sword-girl since it seemed effective before.
Before Eith could manage the kiss though, the cat slapped her face with one of her paws and hissed at her animalistically for a few seconds. A second later, she was on her feet trying to tower as high as she possibly could, and be as threatening as possible. Cold, emotionless words followed.
"... You appear to have been educated on the matter already. My mistress wants your company - attend her properly."The black haired girl began to back out of the corner she was in slowly, trying to get as close to the window as possible. Based on her heightened ears and slightly lifted tail, she was ready to bolt.
"I'm merely being friendly with both you and her. You happen to be her servant so it seems." The hound was obviously irked as it even showed in her voice. If she were in her beast form, her teeth would probably be showing.
"You are the one to attend to her. Otherwise you would be a worthless servant." Eith could not understand why the cat was trying to run as she was. At this point, she should just be sitting there waiting.
"You're lucky that girl is your master." Eith narrowed her eyes at the cat, a flame practically alight in them but she stood up and went to the otherside of the room. As she passed Gwynn she said with a slight anger in her voice,
"Collect your servant."Gwynn watched Maoin slap Eith. Honestly, she should have figured the kitten wouldn't like being so close to the mutt, but to actually attack her? That was...a bit unreasonable and really something Gwynn hadn't expected. She frowned, looking from Eith to Maoin as she walked over to where the Kitten was. She was tired, that much was obvious so Gwynn wasn't going to say anything until the kitten actually got some rest...but they should probably have another little talk. About what, Gwynn wasn't sure but she was at least mildly annoyed right now.
"Hey, Maoin." She said, giving her a pat on her head.
"I dunno what that was, but we're gonna have another little talk after we get to Sappho, alright?"Maoin remained on edge as the hound lectured her, although the words insulted her. She HAD been attending her mistress - the black haired girl was simply trying to get that thing her owner was having fun with back to her owner ... right?
As her lady approached though, she looked down, feeling a little ashamed. Truthfully, the black haired girl knew that slapping her owner's new friend was bad conduct ... but when the neko looked over to the hellhound again, she shook slightly with some sort of fear.
The kitten was slightly surprised by the petting though, and instinctually she leaned into it just a bit. Maoin could tell her mistress was not completely pleased, but it was obvious this wasn't a conversation she wanted to have right now. The kitten's eyes went downwards as they started to water slightly from the recent and overwhelming emotions.
"... Yes Mistress ..."Swen lowered his Grimore as the two seperated - he had been prepared to force them apart (non-lethally, of course) if he needed to. As Gwynn approached her servant, the Prince took a few more bites of the food then turned to Eith.
"Eith, let's go stand by the carriage. We should get going soon anyways." The mage saw that his betrothed and her familiar were relatively happy with eachother, so he wanted to give them the time they needed. He was a little confused about their romance, but it was obvious Eith enjoyed Gwynn's company as well.
After they were done, the group made their way outside. The tavern didn't look too damaged from the fire thankfully, and the tavern owner gave them a brief good bye, and thanked them for getting rid of the beast. Clete and the carriage was already waiting on them by the time they got outside, and after everyone got in, they set off. The trip back was about as uneventful as the trip there. Maoin ended up sleeping on the way there, Gwynn let her use her lap as a pillow. When they arrived back in Ambracia, Clete said goodbye to the group, heading home and asking them to send the headmistress his regards. After a brief lunch, the group headed back to the teleportation hub and then back to Livia's office.
When they arrived, It was a few hours into the afternoon and classes had just let out. Livia was sitting behind her desk, Fia was sitting behind the couch with her studies. Cynthia seemed absent though, likely having headed back to Livia's Villa so she could prepare food for the evening as well as make sure everything was in order for her and Fia once she returned home. She wouldn't be returning home for a few hours, but Cynthia was a...perfectionist to say the least.
She was enjoying the silence, really. The scratching of her pencil as she filled out a few forms.
And then someone had to go and ruin it.
"Having fun, Livia dear?" She'd recognize that demon's voice anywhere.
"I was." Livia replied, only pausing her writing briefly.
"Wow, no need to be so harsh." Myrilla replied.
"I simply want to have a little talk about...Greece."Livia frowned. What could she possibly have...she knew Myrilla was from Greece, but that was -
"...I swear if you have something to do with those incidents that have been happening recently, so help me whatever gods don't hate me, I will smite you." At this, the demon Lord chuckled lightly.
"Aha, see, about that...it might be one of my...acquaintances." Livia dropped her pencil, looking up from her desk and glaring at Myrilla.
"Now now, don't be so hostile, it's not my fault...probably~" Her words definitely weren't assuring.
"We'll talk about this later." She harshly replied pointing to the couch.
"SIT. And stay quiet. MY students have returned.""Yes, yes, I'll be a good little Demon Lord for once." Myrilla giggled, taking a seat on one of Livia's couches...which also happened to be the one closest to Fia. She was of course, hiding her demonic traits, though her normal attire hadn't changed.
A few seconds later, the door to her office opened, Gwyn walked in followed by the others.
Fia of course had simply given up sitting on the couches, and instead was reading a book behind the one she had claimed as a friend some time earlier, resting on a small pillow. The crimson haired girl was fairly sure that she wouldn't be noticed so long as she remained quiet, and so she made an effort to be silent and keep flipping through the pages of her book. Today she was wearing the more conservative piece Lyssa had purchased for her ... although the abused girl was starting to wonder if the overly cheerful one had abandoned her ... A small amount of sadness was coupled with a large amount of relief as the girl remembered the overly pushy way pink hair had dealt with her.
Still, the young teenager felt she owed pink hair something in return. She wasn't naive enough to believe in chairty.
Maoin and Swen entered the room after Gwynn, both of them looking around at the familiar place. Maoin's head was down slightly as she waited for her owner's talk ... the kitten was sure it wouldn't be as intense as the previous one, but she sensed it wouldn't be the most cheerful of discussions. The magierprinz also was nervous, but for a slightly different reason.
"Headmistress ... we ... solved the problem ..." The man awkwardly gestured towards the hound-girl,
"... I promised to feed the beast, and now it won't stop calling me 'meal-ticket'." The man wasn't quite sure if that could be considered completing their mission, but while they had gotten rid of the problem he wasn't sure how happy Livia would be about it.
"You say it as if I'm incorrect." Eith mentioned. She seemed less irritable than before, though it still seemed to be there in a small sense. She couldn't help but take a peak over the room. It was definitely more civilized than the rock dens she use to inhabit. As she continued her search, she noticed someone that really didn't belong here.
"Myrilla, what are you doing here? If you have time to give me wrong information, than you have time to do more productive things." Not that the hound should say much, considering she spent the last so much time scaring people away from their food.
At the mention of Swen being a 'meal-ticket', Myrilla had to stifle a laughter though quickly responded in a somewhat playful tone.
"Wrong information? Eith, love, I said Greece was full of delicious food. It's not my fault if you're a silly little mutt that doesn't know how to behave around humans."Eith growled from her human form and jumped on Myrilla,
"Grrrrr! She bit at the woman's arm, trying to prove a point, though her jaw strength as is wasn't all too powerful, so it was like grip on her arm that was more an annoyance than anything.
Myrilla didn't seem too impressed, and she was smiling more than a little bit at Eith's obvious anger.
"Oh my, Eith. Biting me so eagerly? Shouldn't you buy me dinner first?~" Without a care for the girls anger, she reached out with her other and gave the hound a gave her a pat.
The magierprinz's eyes opened a little wide as Eith literally pounced on Myrilla, Swen going forward to pull the hound off of the (unbenownst to him) demonic entity.
"Sorry about that! If you want treats, be a good girl!" Truthfully, the prince had considered training her like a dog. With food. Lots of food ...
Fia put her hands over her mouth as she resisted the urge to yelp when the couch was impacted by the hellhound, placing her hands over her mouth to keep anything from coming out. Maoin was simply a little relieved that the beast wasn't near her, and seemed to relax slightly.
Eith fought against Swen a little bit,
"Meal-ticket, you said you'd feed me as long I don't attack humans. I didn't attack a human, so what's your issue with this?" The Hound-girl said out of irritation. She kept her word, so Meal-Ticket better keep his.
"Oho, it's fine. This little hound is incapable of harming me." She replied with an amused smirk as Eith was pulled off of her. She wouldn't comment on that little comment she had made about her not being a human. That'd be slightly suspicious. Instead, she'd focus more on Eith. She smirked at the mutt.
"You've picked up some rather troublesome baggage though. Eith, the Shellagh Alpha. You have my sympathies...if you want, you can hand her over to me and I'll take good care of her~""I've not had a single person meal-ticket before, so Meal-Ticket is to take care of me while I think of how to restart the pack." Eith told Myrilla, wanting to stay here for the free food. Not like she had anywhere to go back to, plus, this place probably had a bunch of different types of food and meats to try. Maybe even some kinds she's never tried.
Swen looked up to Myrilla as she spoke, but pet Eith as he did so.
"I'll only hand her over to you if she's a bad girl. I'm sure once she isn't quite so hungry she'll be easier to work with." While the opportunity to not waste lots of money on this girl's food was favored, the man ... got an eerie sensation from the woman on the couch. And of course, Eith had shown she obviously wasn't human. The Prince would ask about that later.
"And I have a name, which is Swen. Unless you want me to address you simply as 'puppy' for now on, then please use my actual name periodically.""Tsk, fine." In truth, Myrilla was somewhat disappointed. She didn't have a familiar herself, and the Alpha would make a pretty good one...but, eh.
"I'll keep you to that promise, though Swen, hehe. If you ever need help training the mutt, do tell. I'll be sure to...drop in~"Before anyone else could say anything, Livia stood up at her desk, obviously displeased.
"If you are quite done, Myrilla, then wait in the meeting room. I'll discuss the details with them and then deal with whatever it is you want.""Fine, fine." Myrilla stood up, walking towards the door to the adjacent meeting room and taking note of Fia hiding behind the couch. Her eyes narrowed at the child, but said nothing. When she left the room, Livia returned to her seat, holding her forehead with her hand and sighing.
"Apologies, students. She is a...difficult woman. I had no idea someone she knew was involved with this or I would have handled this differently. It looks like you are unharmed though, which is good." Livia leaned forward in her chair.
"Do tell everything...I am curious as to what happened. Any trouble from Lord Kostis?"For that entire...whatever it was, Gwynn said pretty much nothing. She was content on letting Swen handle all of this. She took a seat on a couch, stretching, glad to finally be sitting on something a bit more comfortable.
Eith was still practically growling at Myrilla as she left, but inside she was glad to see an old friend here. She turned her attention to the beautiful blonde that apologized for the devilish woman that had just left. She wasn't very sure what to say. She could attempt the "flirthing" thing, but that back fired the last time she tried. For the best, she kept her mouth shut for the moment.
Swen filled Livia in on all the details, including the explanation that Lord Kostis had offered them an extra reward for handing Eith over as well. The magierprinz didn't include anything about Maoin and the puppy's arguement since it wasn't really a neccessary detail for the head of the academy.
Maoin scooted a little closer to her owner, a little nervous about their performance during the mission. Fia listened with curiousity, setting the books she was reading down as she absorbed the goings-on of the school.
"Well, I am glad to hear everything went well. It was probably a good idea not to hand Eith over..." So this Eith was just...hungry? Was that her reason for doing all of this. Livia couldn't help but to be reminded of a certain dragon.
"I must say though, I am impressed things went as well as they did. It would have just been easier to kill the creature instead of trying to diffuse the situation. All three of you did well." Livia leaned back in her chair, giving the three of them a friendly smile.
"Now, I am certain all of you are tired. Feel free to have the rest of the day off. Classes have already ended for the day, so keep that promise of yours, Sir Meal-Ticket." Livia teased.
At this, Gwynn stretched and hopped off the couch.
"Sounds like a good idea to me. Hey, Swen, nice workin' with ya. Next time though, try to work on your teamwork skills a bit and don't go shouting what you're doing in earshot of whatever it is we're fighting. I'm gonna go take Maoin home now though."Swen nodded.
"I'll work on that in the future. You have good instincts though, so you kept us together." Truthfully, the man hadn't noticed that the hellhound hadn't killed anyone, and was in a competely different idea of what they should be doing. At this point though, the Magierprinz lifted his hand up.
"If you want food, puppy, you should follow me." The man gave a quick bow to the headmistress, then departed from the room.