Fantasy Wherever the Wind Takes You

[Gary Sue]

His circumstances, gods bearing responsibility, abandoning their believers and non-believers all the same... He could tell that although Laila was remaining relatively silent on the matter, there was a lot to be said about the tension in the air. At least one of them was getting woefully uncomfortable by the conversation, and his inability to offer a more intricate opinion on this probably didn't help relieve things much. So he did all he could, and gave a slightly anxious look at Laila, just to realise she was looking right back at him all the same.

The two seemed to be on the same page more often than he'd figured. "Are...Hm...Do you think we'd be better off without...Religions and the holy realm setting our ideals?"

"A-Aah, another one of these... How can I... I'm certain religions should have little to do with the holy realm... Surely it's not all baseless beliefs, but who really decides what's holy and what isn't..? If you really try to pick it apart, wouldn't we align more with 'holy is good' because we bear a better affinity for the holy than for the 'dark arts'? The 'dark arts' themselves are inhumane and unnatural, but the fact they exist alone means they're no accident, either... I'm even less of a good person to get advice from on the matter because I'm the mute that can't cast spells to save his life too, I barely get how any of this works... Religion, magic, any of it. They must be loosely related though, I-I suppose..."

After realising he hadn't done much but internally rant, he blinked and gave a hesitant nod to Laila. "Well... Since it's all so subjective, we probably shouldn't mix 'our normal' for 'the normal'... If there's a place, anyhow, where undead naturally come to existence, then their 'holy' would be our 'dark', and vice versa... Aligning our religions and beliefs on the divine with what's deemed or proven to be 'holy' won't do anything but make us all even less prone to change... Which is-", truth be told, he flinched before he could finish that thought.

Having cringed slightly, he looked at Alina and exhaled deeply. "... exactly what religion seems to have done best... Laila is probably just a lucky exception, because for a shrine servant, she's barely brought this up before past a mention here or there.", around now, Reeve realised how different the two really were at their core. They did have a day of walking ahead of them, so all of these revelations would definitely keep him busy thinking about the situation of the duo.

Speaking of which- what about the duo? What would happen with Alina, and with paying back Laila by helping her through her quest? He still had to 'pay off' his debt, although he was sure that the ranger would even agree to just 'let him off' out of kindness, even though he had little services to offer on their recent adventure. "I guess we have to get back to Tomoe to find out. A part of me desperately wants it o be over, though... Some knight you are, urk."

 

[ShredKnives]

After realising he hadn't done much but internally rant, he blinked and gave a hesitant nod to Laila. "Well... Since it's all so subjective, we probably shouldn't mix 'our normal' for 'the normal'... If there's a place, anyhow, where undead naturally come to existence, then their 'holy' would be our 'dark', and vice versa... Aligning our religions and beliefs on the divine with what's deemed or proven to be 'holy' won't do anything but make us all even less prone to change... Which is-", truth be told, he flinched before he could finish that thought.

Some thoughts were running through his head, Laila could definitely identify it; however, even she was running a couple of blanks for how she should reply. Really! When it came to such grounded realities, things that had been designated her life and blood, it was hard to branch away from what she had known her whole life. Reeve, she didn't see him as a harbinger of any religion, for good reasons; it was the very concept of the dark forces and the holy forces that had essentially ceased his voice. What would happen if all of the dark arts simply disappeared? What would the holy magic become?

Having cringed slightly, he looked at Alina and exhaled deeply. "... exactly what religion seems to have done best... Laila is probably just a lucky exception, because for a shrine servant, she's barely brought this up before past a mention here or there.", around now, Reeve realised how different the two really were at their core. They did have a day of walking ahead of them, so all of these revelations would definitely keep him busy thinking about the situation of the duo.

Alina eventually cut off the thinking process of Laila, letting her assume for herself what Reeve's response was.

"Religion is a set of beliefs. It leans on your ability to believe and worship without evidence, with conflicting evidence, and with changing evidence. Ergo...It's entirely based around how willing you are to believe a falsehood. But that's not always a bad thing. Children's lies, so to speak. You would never tell an orphan what really happened to their mother, would you? So when would you? It's a difficult world, judging who and how deserves to hear their truth. Some people can't even handle a lie, an idea founded with a lack of ground, so why tell them the truth, a reality with unrelenting ground? If the gods arrive and they tell you that the ideologies you have followed, the rules you harbored so close to you, they all were just banter from a greedy prophet, what will you do then?"

"Religion should guide you on a path of good," Laila replied back sternly.

"And yet the people who lead the religion are on the path of self-good. Good is what makes your world go 'round."

"The point of belief was to have faith in something higher than us, to give us a sense of bigger purpose! That's how people lived, knowing they were more than just dots on a marble! And they are, because we make this world go 'round, don't we?"

"I missed these conversations, Laila. Feels just like 7 years ago, huh?"

"There aren't a lot of people who want to touch on the foundation that's made them who they are."

"They should start. Sometimes people need an overhaul from a childhood filled with mistakes."

Laila glanced back at Reeve. "Reeve, do you think a good person has belief in something? Even if it isn't above us, doesn't good come from what our faith lies in?"

"Or maybe the faith that led to doing good was just the result of rationalizing our desire to survive without harming those like us, a belief that's not even shared among all animals."

 

[Gary Sue]

Somehow, the two weren't quite fighting, yet there was tension in the air like they were about to. Reeve watched them quietly, observing the childish rivalry and grunting. "It's like they already know they'll be fighting if they talk over this, and yet they still choose to not let it go...", and he was probably right. That must have been what 'these conversations' referred to, and to be honest, Alina did have that 'stuck up bitch face' that Tomoe mentioned, or something around those lines...

He exhaled and turned back to the path they were following, humming lowly to himself before Laila addressed him again. And as she tried to turn the situation a bit more hopeful, Alina quickly retorted and shut her down with her cold, hard 'realism'. "I mean... L-Laila is technically right, faith can lead people to do good things... But it can also take over you and make you act stupidly."

Despite all the things he knew he shouldn't blame on the Abyssals, what was it if not sheer stupidity to cast these curses upon the weapon their future ruler would wield to protect them..? "A trial, just for the sake of making things harder for oneself... Foolish at best.", he grumbled and put his knuckles to his forehead, knocking it lightly as he tried to think. And the truth was, there wasn't much he could really add in a single nod or shake of his head. If anything, this was too complex an issue for him to discuss without Laila in his mind.

"One of them is looking at it sentimentally, and the other only logically... How were these two friends to begin with, they're polar opposites...", he huffed and shrugged his shoulders, giving his companion an awkward smile as he didn't want to hurt either of the two- both were right to an extent, and there wasn't any way he could side with both of them at once now, was there?

"Th-This will be a loooong walk..."

 

[ShredKnives]

The travel back to the Shrine of Tomoe was pretty simple, but it was definitely taken up by Laila and Alina just going at it. It went from the guidance of religion to the perspective of mindsets, the general idea of if people should be left alone, and at some point, it devolved into them arguing about if onion powder was better than garlic powder.

The good thing was that it probably made the trip a lot less boring.



Home, sweet home.

They arrived back at the shrine, with no real differences to be noted here. Refuge will be refuge.

"Here we are!"

"Fuck."

"What?"

"I forgot to get the Whale's Hair."

"Eh, it'll be okay! Right, Reeve?"

 

[Gary Sue]

"Th-That's the shrine, finally... My head's buzzing from all the chitchat, good gods...", he grumbled internally as he struggled to even damn near comprehend how the two's tongues hadn't even fallen off yet. By the time they arrived, Alina seemed to remember something. "Whale's Hair..? That's..."

A bit of reminiscing upon the horrors they'd seen earlier, and he remembered the destroyed sword in the pile of arms Alina had torn off. He shuddered, but turned his attention to Laila and nodded. "Unless it has some certain magic properties, it should be fine. I've my own sword right here.", he hoped to calm them down as he tapped the sheath of his blade, giving a hopeful smile and a thumbs up with the other hand, just to be sure.

If there's nothing else to mull over, maybe it'd be better to get Tomoe all caught up with all that's happened during their trip. Their revelation, Alina being alive and well herself, and... he wanted to find out what and how much Tomoe did know. They wouldn't have found the blond otherwise, after all. With the confidence he had, he walked ahead of the others and entered the shrine, looking around and furrowing his brows as he looked around. A cough or two to see if he could get anyone's attention, and he couldn't do much but slowly move around until he ran into Laila's mother again, presumably with the other two behind them.

 

[ShredKnives]

Alina was immediately caught in a trap!

"Ah, shit."

A circle of white light bound her arms behind her back, another circle at her ankles, and chains that shot from the trees and the sand wrapped around Alina's arms and legs and kept her standing perfectly still just mere moments after they had even stepped foot into the shrine.

Laila gasped, barely able to even back away alongside Reeve. "Alina?!"

"Alina?"

Tomoe! Dangling from the top of a tree branch from her legs just outside the shrine. She looked like she had been hanging there for some time.

She backflipped, landing perfectly on her feet as she eyed the trio with a gaze akin to curiosity and relief.

"Alina..." Tomoe whispered firstly, before her gaze shot at the two of them. "Why did the trap catch her?"

"I-I didn't even know you had traps for creatures of the dark arts..."

"Yes, and I'm wondering if you just lured an imposter-" Tomoe was interrupted as Alina impatiently snapped her fingers to get her attention, waving her hand and holding up a hand before Reeve and Laila could do anything.

"Dol'ueve, y'holi yi rtall, kresver 'un bu'reve da'ck couve'hains m'ein." And the trap dispelled in a snap of light. Alina rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh...Sorry, ma'am."

"It's fine, I can always make a new one. Reeve, Lilac, it's good to see you two again-" Tomoe oof'd as Laila threw her arms around Tomoe, hugging her mother tightly. Tomoe's hand instinctively rubbed over Laila's head, her eyes glancing over at Reeve and Alina.

"I suppose only one of you can start telling me what happened, no? Can I see the blade, I'm curious to see how well it did. It protected you well, I hope."

 

[Gary Sue]

The scene played out and despite his initial surprise at the trap springing up, he couldn't really say he was surprised by it all that much. "It seems almost too normal of Tomoe to have something up 'just in case'... Maybe that's why the shrine always felt safer to be in.", he huffed and shook his head, looking at Laila throw herself right at Tomoe as the two greeted one another, more so physically than verbally. He couldn't help but let that warm smile he was holding back take over, feeling any tension or confidence from before melting away.

There wasn't any need to be this 'determined' about getting the truth out of Tomoe. She wouldn't lie about it anyway, right? There was a lot of explaining to do, and Reeve could definitely not say much on the topic. But what he could do, was help with her second request. So he quietly drew his sword, holding it in his hands. Its glow had dimmed entirely, and it was like she never even blessed it before.

Although it no longer tried to reach out to anyone and beg for a blood sacrifice, it was still easy to feel that it had 'come to life', just like during the ritual, a short while ago. At least it should be easy, for those more magically adept. If Reeve hadn't suffered a migraine from it, he wouldn't be able to tell right now. "It looks and feels just like before. No blessings, no nothing... And it's not because it 'sucked it all up'. I just got scared and in an attempt to protect Laila from the shadows, I used it all too fast. We were lucky to make it out of there to begin with.",

A disappointed glance followed as he turned his head away from the lot and down at the ground, letting out a slightly tired exhale and sheathing his blade once again, had Tomoe finished inspecting it. He wanted to get her caught up with everything and to explain how Alina was even here in the first place, but he had a bit more than just enough reason to assume she already knew that, before they even returned.

So he furrowed his brows and made the same gesture that she showed him before they took off, a more suspicious look in his eyes as he quietly waited to see what she'd have to say about it. "... She'll get caught up, but this is bothering me. She'll be honest even later, but... I want to hear her answer right now, all too desperately. So... why did you tell me that, Tomoe?"

 

[ShredKnives]

There wasn't any need to be this 'determined' about getting the truth out of Tomoe. She wouldn't lie about it anyway, right? There was a lot of explaining to do, and Reeve could definitely not say much on the topic. But what he could do, was help with her second request. So he quietly drew his sword, holding it in his hands. Its glow had dimmed entirely, and it was like she never even blessed it before.

Tomoe eyed it closely, her gaze shooting at Alina. Uncomfortably, the half-vampire shifted her feet.

"What?"
"Verdina said she had you accounted for."
"Obviously, she lied."

"Cryptic little witch..." Tomoe commented as she bit her fingernail, eyes still moving left and right between the blade in a mix of surprise and observation. "Why don't you start, Alina? Lilac, go ahead and clean yourself up."

Alina eyed Reeve as she brought Tomoe up to date, as best as she could. For the most part, she didn't elaborate too much on how the rescue happened, only that Laila and Reeve looked "fucking horrible when they cut me out of the chain." Laila, once their hug had ended, was quick to follow up with what went on in the graveyard shift, albeit her tone got a little more squeamish as Tomoe's glare got stronger and stronger.

"You didn't tell me about the changes in the graveyard?"
"...No...I thought I could handle it..." Laila commented.
Tomoe grabbed Laila by the shoulder. "Listen, I know you believe yourself strong, but your safety should be above all else. Same for your friend. I only taught you one move because I believed it was the only one you needed."

Tomoe eyed Alina. "And I'm sick of Verdina throwing you into these death wish trials. I tell her over and over again-"
"Yeah, yeah, and you fought over it, too-"
"And her ears refuse to listen! Laila, give me our blade as well, let me look at it."

Laila did so.
Tomoe's eyes glossed over the blade like it was a precious jewel, her fingers carefully holding onto the blade as she rolled it, turned it, and tilted it from various angles.
...

"Did you find out who it was?"
"N-no...We ran."

Tomoe half-sighed in relief, gently taking Laila's scabbard and hoisting it on herself like it was the perfect companion. She patted Laila's head. "Good on you. You made the right choice under pressure."

So he furrowed his brows and made the same gesture that she showed him before they took off, a more suspicious look in his eyes as he quietly waited to see what she'd have to say about it.

Alina eyed Tomoe. "You made the strangely convenient choice to tell someone about our secret. What was that about, Koiyama?"
Tomoe raised her eyebrows. "When I brought his blade for appraisal, I didn't get any luck with any of the magic shops or the blacksmiths, so I went to Verdina instead."
"What, she scryed me and didn't wanna save me herself?"
"She couldn't decrypt anything about the sword's curses...But she saw that it was similar to your magic."
"Bull. Not a single Abyssal came by when I was chained down there."
"It has to do with the execution of the spell."
"Oh. Okay...And...?"
"Verdina thinks we're being watched."
Alina and Laila, naturally, eyed each other uncomfortably.
"And they're copying my spell delivery? For..."

"Us, too??" Laila asked.
Tomoe sighed. "...I don't know. It's a loose idea at best. Verdina was worried that if we were to come in to save you..."
"I would've been bait, huh. So equipping Reeve and Laila with the best gear you had was just about the only way to keep them safe or something?"
Laila rubbed her chin. "...No wonder you had us cover the blades with talismans..."
"Shit...So you two would've looked like nothing more than foreign knights paired together on an impromptu investigation..."
"Of which is considered normal to carry powerful artifacts as their weapons. Anything more, and...Well, we could've became a wanted target."
"Okay, but what about when they realize she's your daughter...?"

At some point, the conversation just became strictly between Tomoe and Alina, to the point that Tomoe's daughter had to step out. Laila was getting loopy from all this brain logic that was happening. She glanced at Reeve with an awkward smile. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm happy we even made it out...At least Tomoe decided to tell you in the end, I don't know what I would've done if I had just..."

Left Alina in the dust. Laila didn't want to finish that idea.

 

[Gary Sue]

Reeve did all he could. He quietly watched the conversation, exchanging glances between the three parties and grumbling as he saw the rabbithole went deeper and deeper. 'Koiyama' was an interesting way to call Tomoe, but probably nothing more than her last name. So he silently followed along, getting rather excited to hear Verdina had appraised his blade, but just like when she first returned with it... "It's not like anything could have changed the past three days we were gone for anyway. My sword was with me, and if she's just not familiar with that sort of curses, then... can't do much but hope."

All hairs on the knight's body rose though when Tomoe mentioned the prospect of them being watched. Just like Alina and Laila, he gave them an uncomfortable look and even a glance around the area, before he turned back to the group again. It wasn't long before they had to leave the other two be, quietly following alongside Laila and standing by her side, with crossed arms as he assessed the situation. It was confusing, it was a mess and it was definitely getting icky, to say the least.

When she smiled at him awkwardly, he thought to return it, but that would probably be doing her a disservice for all she had done. So instead, Reeve took a page out of Laila's book and albeit hesitantly, he raised a hand to pat her back and rub her shoulder. He wasn't used to being physical with anyone, but... it probably felt more natural to her. He could at least return the favor, and so he did, sighing and shaking his head as if asking her to move past that thought.

He moved further to the side and silently sat by the shrine's wooden stairs, patting right next to him to invite her on over. They couldn't do much right now but mull things over, or even better- relax. Maybe it was improper of him, a knight in shining armor, to want a break, but that's exactly what he did. If they could have it, he wasn't going to be stupid and turn it down. "In the end, we both made it out alive... But I have to get stronger. If you didn't pull your weight as much as you did, I would have dragged you down with me and gotten us both killed."

Flinching at the thought alone, he clenched his knee and huffed, biting his lip somewhat. "Tch. I will get stronger. But we must rest, first..."

 

[ShredKnives]

When she smiled at him awkwardly, he thought to return it, but that would probably be doing her a disservice for all she had done. So instead, Reeve took a page out of Laila's book and albeit hesitantly, he raised a hand to pat her back and rub her shoulder. He wasn't used to being physical with anyone, but... it probably felt more natural to her. He could at least return the favor, and so he did, sighing and shaking his head as if asking her to move past that thought.

Oh! She wasn't expecting it. Reeve had never came off as a person who made close contact, so having him suddenly being the one dealing it...

She chuckled sheepishly as she accepted the shoulder-rub with great gratitude. "Thanks, Reeve."

Naturally, she followed him while Alina and Tomoe spoke their hearts about what would come next; there wasn't much need to really indulge in their conversation. Hell. Verdina was just another name to Reeve, a name that only Laila knew briefly of.

She seated herself next to him, happy to let him have his break the same way she was going to have hers. She hummed to herself in thought as she noted, "Hey, we have small little bathhouse in the shrine; it's not natural like the onsens, but we can heat it up with magic and get it set up the same way," she invited.

Flinching at the thought alone, he clenched his knee and huffed, biting his lip somewhat.

She grinned, embracing him with open arms. "Don't worry. We've got a whole world ahead of us to teach us what'll come next. Besides, it's...A little thrilling, isn't it? Tackling on the evils of the underground earth. Too bad I won't be keeping the blade, though. Mom said I'd have to get my own if I want to keep practicing. Heirloom's too precious to be thrown out willy-nilly."

"...You know...They've been spitting out Verdina's name a lot. I don't know her that well, but she was Alina's mentor. Wicked White Witch of the West. I thought she was just some practiced high mage, but...Alina talks about her like an old hag that throws her into death traps. The only thing I really knew about her was her spell-casting. Some form of new magic she developed herself called...Rune Interpolation, where a magic can be extended and expanded across an entire field of land more efficiently...More effectively...And a bunch of other stuff. It had to be done through a magic script though, a memorized language that you heard Alina speak just now where the writing and the words are invoked by spell-casting. It's super tiring, but...I guess Alina figured out how to get past that."

She chuckled tiredly. "I can't do that. That's totally beyond modern magic. They say Verdina's home is shrouded in complete darkness, held indefinitely by that magic, so it's never been recorded properly on a map. That's rumors, though, I've never been there. I think...We can just relax for a little bit. There are friends and family here trying to resolve this, and they're strong people...Stronger than me."

"...I do wonder who that person on Arioon's list was...I think we should go back and ask her. She's probably still working the tavern."

 

[Gary Sue]

The invitation had him looking at her quietly for a few moments, before he simply smiled and nodded. "I haven't had the time t rest at a hot spring before, but... that sounds really relaxing. I'd like that, yeah.", he thought, yet all she heard was a light chuckle from him.

She was right though, this adventure was thrilling. But it was equally gruesome, and because of his circumstances, maybe it was a bit too much for him to handle right now, too. They did have a lot to learn, and the name she threw out after, he remembered from Tomoe too. "Verdina... If I talk to her, is there a chance she can get a better look at my sword if she has me along next time? Maybe she can tell me about the curse's effects or... anything. I have to start from somewhere."

Besides, if half of what Laila was saying was true, this Verdina person was a force to be reckoned. What she described didn't sound anything like magic at all, let alone 'modern' magic. Wherever this house was, Tomoe clearly knew. So they could always ask her for pointers when it came to discovering her Wicked White Witch friend.

And before Reeve's train of thought could finish, his friend couldn't help but wonder about Arioon. The thought alone was enough to get a tired sigh out of him, but they couldn't just leave this be where they were and forget all about it before moving on with their daily lives again. That's irresponsible and not like him, or her. So despite his clear exhaustion, he gave a slow nod and just smiled.

He wasn't too sure when she was talking about the bathhouse proposition, so he gave her a look, gestured his head towards the deeper part of the shrine, presumably where the rest of it was, and grinned. "If we're keeping busy like this, I might as well take the offer to unwind as soon as I can."

 

[ShredKnives]

And before Reeve's train of thought could finish, his friend couldn't help but wonder about Arioon. The thought alone was enough to get a tired sigh out of him, but they couldn't just leave this be where they were and forget all about it before moving on with their daily lives again. That's irresponsible and not like him, or her. So despite his clear exhaustion, he gave a slow nod and just smiled.

Heheh.

He wasn't too sure when she was talking about the bathhouse proposition, so he gave her a look, gestured his head towards the deeper part of the shrine, presumably where the rest of it was, and grinned. "If we're keeping busy like this, I might as well take the offer to unwind as soon as I can."

"Awesome! We've got two different bath houses, but they're kind of the size of a bath-room, so...They're separated by a wall, so we can just bathe at the same time...Though, obviously, conversation is gonna be a little difficult...So I'd say just relax!"

Laila grinned as she grabbed Reeve's hand. "C'mon! You seem like you're stoked to take a break, so let's get a move on before Alina starts getting aggressive about the next plan of the day."

 

[Gary Sue]

With a simple chuckle, he followed right along and let her lead them to the bath-house-rooms, standing outside and looking silently. He smiled, and so he looked at Laila, bowed his head slightly and then proceeded to enter one of the two. Once he had, he looked around rather awkwardly and figured this was probably the part where he took his clothes, sword, armor, and so on... off. It was a bit uncomfortable, seeing all of his armor and plating simply placed on the wooden bench, but even knights had to take their gear off at some point.

Speaking of which, he might need a good replacement or two for some of the gear on him, and the rest of it? "Probably needs a good bit of polishing, too.", he grumbled and began to pull his shirt off, looking quietly towards the entrance to the room with the steaming tub. It looked comfortable, and he could already feel his muscles relaxing just at the sight. He did a few stretches, placing a hand on his scar ridden shoulder and making sure to 'loosen up' as much as possible.

Not being an owl, it was hard to see behind him. Unlike what the dream he saw might have both himself and Laila believe, he had scars on his back, as he did his arm, in all the same spots where he had been very lightly wounded from his encounter with Zel. Maybe it was his mind trying to suppress the memories as best as it could, or the adrenaline just hadn't made him realise the impact of those hits at the time. And it's not like he had a reason to carry a mirror or use one either way, so he was completely oblivious to his body's condition. He wasn't anywhere nearly as 'marked' as Tomoe, by the gods, but he had his fair share of battle scars to prove.

And so, the exhausted knight continued with his stretches until eventually he was ready to go in, and he did just that. Laila would be able to tell from the sigh of pure relief and relaxation she heard when he presumably sank right into the tub. With his head pulled back and looking at the ceiling, he could already feel the pleasant warmth making his eyes heavy. "G-Good gods, this is great..."

...

"I... should probably visit hot springs more often."

 

[ShredKnives]

Laila had already gotten herself into the bathhouse, which probably meant that she basically tossed all her clothes on the floor and jumped straight into the tub, chuckling right as soon as she could hear the splashing from the other side.

"So uh, if you feel like responding...You can just knock once for 'yes,' twice for 'no'...Three times for 'I don't know...' and I guess four times for 'different question.'" Laila giggled as she shifted around in her bathtub.

...There were a few things brewing in her head, though, especially after the quest they had just undergone. Whatever Tomoe and Alina was unraveling was beyond Laila, but there was nothing wrong with the priestess making sure their heads were good in the short-term.

"Are you happy? I know there's kind of been a lot thrown at you...You seemed fine not being able to talk, but now that you and I met...You look a lot more frustrated. I guess, now that you have someone that...Has trouble reading you, it must be kind of a big hurdle out of the blue to try to communicate without...Well, a voice."

 

[Gary Sue]

"Ah right. She did say there's a very thin wall between us, so we're still able to 'talk' with one another.", that sure made conversation a lot easier, alongside the plan she proposed.

And so, she immediately started to hit hard with the questions. He hadn't really thought about it, but "... it's true, I guess. Laila's so much more talkative than any other client I had gotten before, that I want to have discussions and conversations with her more than I did in the past. I can't talk or explain things, and even 'miming' them across can be grueling... But..."

Knock.

"It's not like I can't talk to her any, either.", he followed his thoughts up with a fake snore, chuckling and letting out a sigh of relief as he remembered they still had that way of conversing. Although that would probably mean she doesn't get to sleep quite as much, and it'd be tougher to do camping outside in any occasion- he'd typically have to keep guard either way, as the one with the magic sword, right?

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

"I really wanna add more to that, because I don't... 'feel' happy, but. This is probably the happiest I have been in a good while. Maybe not right now now, but I feel less lost? I can't describe it. More 'in my element', sure."

 

[ShredKnives]

Knock.

She was extremely happy to hear that! She wasn't being an annoyance to him! That was good news.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

Alright! Alright...

"Are...Are you still thinking about...Under the graveyard? It...It must've been...Pretty gross, huh...?" Laila half-joked. "You got a little worried about whether or not I was an illusion, so...Oh, that was two questions...Um. You can just start with the first question."

 

[Gary Sue]

Knock.

It was more than he could muster. More violence than he had experienced in a long while, and a lot more danger while they were at it too. It definitely didn't feel like his average job, and if given the chance he'd avoid anything like it again. But he wasn't really thinking about all that now, it's not like he wanted to throw up at the thought anymore right..? Even if it  did make him queasy still.

Knock knock.

Then again, he hardly managed to rest and he felt completely out of it, hence why he wanted to take the chance for a break in the bathhouse. Hell, he'd even take a day or two completely off to sleep, sit quietly and do nothing else as compensation for how all of the graveyard cleanup went.

Knock... a hesitant pause before two more knocks followed. His reluctance probably spoke volumes on how conflicted it had him, and it was safe to assume he had a while before he got fully over it. Alongside some splashing around from him shifting in his position, he let out a somewhat frustrated huff and pulled his knees closer to himself, trying to peel his mind away from this.

Knock, knock, knock, knock. He didn't want to think about all Alina had to go through again.

 

[ShredKnives]

Knock.

Mm...That made sense to Laila.

Knock knock.

Mm? Laila could kinda see what Reeve was thinking.

Knock... a hesitant pause before two more knocks followed.

Okay, never mind. Reeve must've been feeling at a dilemma here, and Laila wasn't going to try to push on it. She wasn't exactly streamlined either, so it was better to just keep the thoughts and ideas out there as to avoid bottling everything. At the very least, they could remain honest.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

"Do...You think it'll be impossible to get rid of the curse you have?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Rather than a relatively immediate knock like before, silence was all she could hear for the next few minutes. "She's really letting it all out, huh..?", he grumbled and crossed his arms, quietly looking down at the still waters as he let himself gather his thoughts for a moment. It would be really nice if this curse could go away, but... it's not like it could be cured. He wouldn't try to get his hopes up and set his own expectations so high, that he could only be disappointed.

"They already said I wouldn't be able to cure myself of it. So unless some divine being blesses me with omnipotence, I doubt I'm getting rid of this at any point. But... that's alright. It's happened so long now, I'm not mad about it. Not anymore at least. It's out of my control and I'll just have to live this way."

And so, a somewhat defeated sigh sounded before a knock. Reeve was just silently looking down at his reflection, and although the way things were, was sad... he didn't care too much. All the same that Alina didn't seem to care about what all had happened to her- at least, that's the feeling she gave off to Reeve and maybe Laila, too.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

 

[ShredKnives]

Rather than a relatively immediate knock like before, silence was all she could hear for the next few minutes.

Patient...Patient...

He was taking an awfully long time to the point that Laila was questioning if he even heard her. Still, she could hear sloshing around as it seemed Reeve was in thought.

Kind of out of the blue, huh...?

She was pondering if she should apologize for asking a question that might've seemed too personal.

And so, a somewhat defeated sigh sounded before a knock. Reeve was just silently looking down at his reflection, and although the way things were, was sad... he didn't care too much. All the same that Alina didn't seem to care about what all had happened to her- at least, that's the feeling she gave off to Reeve and maybe Laila, too.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

Laila didn't like that, not at all.

Still, she continued.

"Did...You like talking to people, before you got cursed?"

 

[Gary Sue]

This question was... odd. He didn't ever think of talking as something he actively enjoyed or didn't enjoy doing, so how could he answer..? Even so, even though he had just agreed that it didn't matter and his ordeal didn't make him sad, he could feel his eyes watering somewhat before an unapologetic knock sounded.

Even thinking back to Zel... "... I used to talk a lot, yeah. I was a complete chatterbox, and I tried to keep others' spirits up. It was never like me to just be silent and stare, but... ironic, isn't it?", he grumbled and let out a shaky exhale, shifting around in the tub with furrowed brows and a troubled look on his face. So much as a sniffle could be heard before he splashed some water on his face, trying to snap out of it and to compose himself again.

"But looking at the bright side of things... I can talk with Laila still, if she can talk to me in my sleep. But I don't want to exploit her like that. It's just a bit of relief, knowing that even like this, I can still talk to someone."

Knock, knock, knock, knock. And this time, less harshly too, as if he somehow came to terms with it or something calmed him down and put him at ease, even though Laila wouldn't have had enough time to interject and help put his thoughts to rest properly.

 

[ShredKnives]

This question was... odd. He didn't ever think of talking as something he actively enjoyed or didn't enjoy doing, so how could he answer..? Even so, even though he had just agreed that it didn't matter and his ordeal didn't make him sad, he could feel his eyes watering somewhat before an unapologetic knock sounded.

That's...Good. Well, bad in terms of what happened, but...Reeve must've been a social guy before he got cursed. She didn't like the idea of people want to stay quiet all of the time, living in loneliness indefinitely. Solitude can change a man.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

That's good. He seemed less adamant this time around, so she was glad her question might've put some self-reflection for him.

Next question.

"Are you okay?"

 

[Gary Sue]

"... She's asked so much, and only now I figured most of it would be about me. Fucking idiot.", he let out an exasperated groan at none other than himself, grumbling and giving her question a bit of thought. That alone vouched enough for the triple knock that followed suit. He was trying his best, but to say he was succeeding would be a lie, and he'd rather not tell any.

Reeve silently sunk a bit deeper in the tub, stretching his legs out and trying to just unwind. He'd gotten all cramped up from how he'd pulled his legs closer to himself, and it was starting to get a bit bothersome. He couldn't hear any movement from her end, so he was assuming that she was pretty comfortable by now.

"Come think of it, we're relaxing in the bathhouse, while Alina and Tomoe are talking with one another over that misadventure. I wonder what they'll decide on next, but... it's not like I want to find out, either..."

...

"... I guess I really don't know if I'm okay or not."

 

[ShredKnives]

That alone vouched enough for the triple knock that followed suit.

Sounded about right...Laila wasn't sure if she was okay, either. She was getting by...One day at a time.

At least this bath was sorely needed. She wasn't sure the last time those clothes were washed. Or the sword. Or...Anything, actually. Sorry, Tomoe.

She hummed to herself. "That's okay. It's okay to not be okay. Talking is hard, so it helps to be honest with yourself, first and foremost. Don't feel bad if you feel...Hm...Weak, I guess. It happens to all of us."

She smiled, even knowing Reeve couldn't see it from through the wall. "That's what people are here for. To help get us by when times get tough."

"Do you feel like you're a strong person?"

 

[Gary Sue]

Everything that she was saying, he knew. He was well aware, and yet, something felt comforting about hearing it from someone else. From Laila of all people, who despite being as strong as she was, always gave off the impression that she was a careless goof. So it felt alright, to be comforted by the one person that he knew he could count on- while they worked together at least. It's not like they had made a life long pact or anything of the sort.

Speaking of which- the moment this quest of theirs was over, that would probably mean that they're going to go their separate paths too, wouldn't it? It's not like he could just ask Laila to suddenly pay for his services, and she wasn't going to be coughing up money out of thin air either. It was a bittersweet thought, and to think she even asked if he were strong afterwards...

Knock, knock.

"I don't even have to give it any thought. What knight gets queasy when he sees a corpse..? Back in the graveyard, I... it was pathetic. Tch."