His dreams that night were surprisingly vivid, more so than he had ever experienced or expected. He was… in his own home — his mother in the kitchen, his father in his office, and his brother in the living room. And everything seemed remarkably still. Quiet, even. He wandered the halls, peeking through doors at whatever the occupants inside might be doing, and… everything seemed to be at a standstill, frozen in a split second within the flow of time. An egg was mid-drop from his mother's hand, destined to never quite reach the waiting pan below. His father had flipped a pen into the air, now trapped in perpetuity, never rising yet never falling.

And his brother… just as clumsy as ever, had spilled a bowl of popcorn whilst sitting through one of his favorite animes. Crouching down, Naofumi gave one of the idle, floating kernels a poke, watching curiously as it shifted somewhat and promptly stopped once more. This was… possibly what life was like now, both for him and for them. Everything and everyone he knew back in Japan was essentially 'on hold' now, for who knows how long — he knew not how time might move between the 'here' and the 'there'. Perhaps things back home would be faster, or perhaps they would be slower. He might return to find that nothing had changed, or possibly that everything had changed.

It was a question to which he had no answer. Standing once more, he gave another look around, then steadily walked towards the one room he hadn't checked yet. Feet slowly guiding him down the hallway, he hadn't even noticed the pendulum of a clock halted mid-swing, nor the errant fly that now seemingly hovered in one single, solitary place in the air. Instead, his focus had been solely upon the door at the very end of the hallway.

His door, the one to his very own room. Slowly, he placed his hand upon the door knob, and then paused — no, hesitated. Naofumi merely stared at his own hand, a bead of sweat running down his brow. Am I nervous? Why am I nervous? This is just… my house. My family. My room. I should feel totally at ease right now, but…

But he didn't. With his hand very suddenly gripping the door knob, he slowly turned it, nudging the door open only to find that…

"It's… empty."


Naofumi didn't bother to mention his dream to Raphtalia. He himself wasn't sure what it was he had experienced, nor was he sure what meaning it might even have… or if he was even comfortable with said meaning. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about it — he had only been in this other world for a day, and already the anxieties and insecurities had started to amplify, about a home and past life that had simply moved on without him and forgotten he had ever existed. It continued to eat away at him, even in the midst of breakfast, a fact that certainly wasn't helped by how terribly bland it all tasted. Maybe a bit more salt? No, no… cayenne? And pepper?

He simply poked at an egg instead, drawing a frown from Raphtalia, who sat immediately to his left. "Naofumi? Is something wrong?"

Blinking, he quickly turned to face her. "Hm? N-No, it's… it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Were you thinking about something again?"

"Did I get quiet?" When she quickly nodded in response, he sighed, giving the egg another prod. "Sorry. I'm probably not being very good company right now."

"It's alright. Just being able to share a meal with you like this is rather nice." Placing several morsels onto a fork, she held it up to his mouth, giving a warm smile as she offered the utensil up to him. "Here, have a bite."

Unable to recall the last time he had been fed by someone else like this, Naofumi instead thought of how rude it might look if he refused… and how it might upset her. The alternative was a happy Raphtalia, an option that was much more agreeable to him, and so he simply opened his mouth and accepted, looking around the room once more whilst he idly chewed. It was… admittedly strange, to be in a dining room as large as this, with only him and Raphtalia present (aside from a handful of servants to bring fresh dishes and remove any old ones).

It had also taken a good deal of arguing on his part to even secure her a spot there — when they had been woken up for the morning, he had been promptly instructed that he was to report for breakfast, and then be taken out for the day for some assisted leveling. That, in and of itself, had been surprising. He had never truly expected Siltvelt to want to level him, let alone have them help, which naturally meant they had some ulterior motive. They failed to elaborate when asked, because of course they hadn't.

All of this had also been very clearly worded so as to only involve him. There had been no mention of Raphtalia, and it seemed that they indeed only viewed her as the very same 'plaything' that she viewed herself. It wasn't as if he was upset she was being purposely left out of things, but more that he was simply worried. He had seen how they had treated her already, given that he had been the one to treat her injuries, and the Genmu from the day before didn't seem terribly keen on her when she had been picked by him. If he was taken out for the day, and she had been left behind… he felt as if there was no guarantee she would still be there when he returned.

He very nearly lost his appetite at the thought, willing himself to swallow the same food he had been chewing over and over and over again for the past few moments. No, he had instead stated, rather loudly at that, that he would not do anything they asked of him unless he could bring her along. It was a demand that had drawn a few nervous glances from the guards, who had then hurried off to ask their superior, who had then hurried off to ask one of the council members.

They quickly agreed, once he began to pull rank and mention that he was the Shield Hero. Some concessions had to be made, of course — Raphtalia was not permitted to be within the same party as him once they had been arrived at the designated leveling area, though she would always remain within eyesight of him, an addendum he had to make sure to mention. Aside from that, however, they had nonetheless agreed to let her travel with him at all times, something which had greatly delighted her.

And… given how quickly she was going through plates, it seemed this was possibly one of the best meals she had ever had… or that she had been malnourished. He quietly hoped it was the former and not the latter. A fork had quickly arrived in front of his mouth once more, and he briefly gave it a look before opening his mouth again, able to catch Raphtalia beaming up at him out of the corner of his eyes. She appeared to watch him with a good deal of interest, ears flicking somewhat as she leaned closer and asked, "It's good, right?"

"Mm." Going through this bite much faster than the last, Naofumi quickly swallowed it down and gave her a sheepish grin. "It's… alright. I can think of a few things I'd do it make it better, probably."

Raphtalia gave him another curious look. "You know how to cook?"

"Mhm. Did it all the time back in my world, both for myself and my family."

"I see." She scooted a bit closer, her chair scraping along the floor as she tried to get near to him. "Naofumi, could you maybe cook for me some time?"

"Well… if they'll let me in the kitchen and give me the ingredients to do so, then I'd love to. I always did really like cooking for others." Picking up his own fork, he stared at his plate for a moment, eventually giving a potato—or, at least, what he assumed to be one—a quick jab. "Something about actually making it and seeing someone else enjoy it is just… nice. It's a good feeling."

"...Is that so?"

"Yep. So, if you liked this… I'm willing to bet I could make you something even better." Fork still in hand, he skewered a smattering of meats upon it, deciding to return the favor by hoisting it in front of her — it was an offer that she happily accepted with a quiet 'ahh' as she allowed him to give her a bite in kind. "If they let me use the kitchen, you just let me know whatever you might want, and I'll make it for you. I promise."

Her eyes lit up at the word 'promise', and she gave him several quick, fervent nods.

"Thought you might like that. How about we finish up, and… I guess we'll see whatever it is they have planned for me."

He hoped it wasn't anything too strenuous… and also quietly wondered if they would be opposed to him packing a lunch for the two of them.


As it turns out, they weren't, though he had wished they would have made some mention of the weather before they had left — it had started raining at some point before morning, a fact that he had completely missed out on, due in no small part to the lack of windows throughout much of the palace. Naturally, it had left much of the surrounding forest a horribly muddy mess, and his own clothes certainly weren't much protection against the elements. Somewhat thankfully, they had provided some weatherproofed cloaks—green for him and red for her—to both himself and Raphtalia, and while she was able to stay relatively dry beneath the canopy of a covered wagon, he wasn't so fortunate.

He was riding on the back of a filolial, after all, and not much cover was really present at all when one was astride a giant bird. It had even been his first encounter with one as well, with him quiet marveling about how similar it was to 'a chocobo', a comparison that drew confused looks from nearly all present. It was quickly forgotten, however, the moment he had climbed into the saddle and been hauled off into the depths of the forest. The closest true comparison he could even think of to his current situation were the ostrich races that sometimes happened in Australia, but surely none of them held a candle to this. The beast was simply stomping over all manner of smaller creatures, racking up experience points for him at a frightening rate, and the guards that had also been added to his party were giving their fair share as well.

By the time lunch had rolled around, Naofumi sat at level 28, an enormous gain for someone who had been at a mere level 1 only a few hours prior. It was something Raphtalia had marveled at with a quiet '...I'm only level 23', a statement that was promptly cut off by a bite of a sandwich he had packed away for her. He simply gave her a smile, glancing back to the menu floating before him as he went over his own stat and skill changes from the levels he had acquired, making comparison after comparison to try and evaluate his current sense of self. I don't really feel any stronger, but… I guess I am, if these stats are to be believed.

The breather was appreciated, even if it was mostly just so the filolials could all get some food and water. They were even surprisingly affectionate with him, something that had shocked several of the guards, yet in his mind, he had always been good with animals. So this was just… an extension of that, he supposed. There was also the matter of Raphtalia trying to get affectionate with him too, feeding him bits and pieces of a sandwich and giggling at him each and every time — he still wasn't quite sure what to make of their relationship or how things were between them, given that they truly hadn't even known each other for a day. Yet… he appreciated having at least one face he could trust along for the journey.

Another face abruptly tottered into view, suddenly blocking his shield's menus — the Genmu from the day before. "Sir Hero? How goes the progress?"

"O-Oh. Uh. Well. Really well, I suppose." A few taps upon the shield, and the menu dissipated, clearing his line of sight. "I'm at level 28 now, which is… you know, quite the jump from before."

"Indeed, indeed! We need you at your very best, after all."

"Very best for what, if you don't mind me asking? I was just sort of… told that I was going to be taken out for some level grinding. No real reason given." A piece of sandwich floated into his field of vision, causing him to glance out of the corner of his eye at a certain demi-human before he opened his mouth for her, allowing her to pop it into his mouth. His show of thanks was a pat on her head, and Naofumi quickly swallowed before continuing. "I mean, I figured there has to be some reason why all this time and effort would be spent on me."

"Very astute of you, very astute indeed." The old Genmu tapped his cane against a nearby tree a few times, glancing about before gazing back at Naofumi… and seemingly very purposely avoiding any looks in Raphtalia's direction. "You are the Shield Hero, after all. Champion of the people of Siltvelt. It is through you that we shall finally be able to enact true, lasting change within our nation!"

Naofumi stared a bit, suddenly feeling somewhat uncomfortable over the choice of words. Something about them sounded awfully final. "Um… 'change'?"

"Oh yes, yes! Dissidents have plagued us for years now, constantly struggling against the good we wish to bring about. But you! You! You can help us change all of that. You recall what my colleague mentioned the other day, correct? About a 'great sickness' looming over our fair kingdom?"

"...Vaguely." He snuck in a bit of water, still keeping his attention upon the council member. "Mind giving me a refresher?"

"Dissidents and detractors, all of them. Hiding in the shadows, claiming that we are the ones causing harm to the populace, and constantly working to undermine our efforts. Scum, the lot of them!" The Genmu angrily rapped his cane against that same tree, chipping a bit of bark in the process. "But with the you, the Shield Hero, we can bring them to justice! You shall be a force for good!"

"I… see." Naofumi remained equal parts skeptical and suspicious, and with good reason — there had been no mention of the Waves at all. None. The only real mention of a 'purpose' had been in these so-called 'dissidents'. You don't want me as a hero, you want me as an enforcer. A grunt. "So you want me to help out with that, and that's why you're helping me level?"

"But of course. The stronger you are, the quicker this whole set of affairs can be taken care of!"

...Uh huh. I bet you expect me to buy that too. "I understand. I, uh… also wanted to thank you. For letting Raphtalia come along, I mean."

Ears twitching at her own name, she had suddenly sat up straight and bowed her head as a show of thanks, though it made no difference — the Genmu still refused to look at her, and instead leaned down by Naofumi's ear. "Sir Hero, a moment of your time, if I may."

"Erm. Sure. I'll be back in a moment, Raphtalia."

Getting to his feet, he begrudgingly began to follow the doddering old demi-human away from the wagon and to what was presumably out of ear-shot of his companion, only to be asked the bluntest of questions: "What is that girl to you?"

He… didn't entirely understand, instead giving a blank stare and mumbling out a "W-What?"

"The concubine you picked not even a day ago. What is your relation to her?"

"You… you mean Raphtalia?"

"Bah!" The cane tapped against a nearby rock, and the Genmu was seemingly doing what he could to maintain his composure. "I care not for her name! All I ask is what she is to you. You seem to care for her a great deal, hm?"

"W-Well… yes, of course."

"I hear you caused a great deal of trouble this morning, just to see that she could remain with you. Do you wish to wed her or something?"

Balking, Naofumi gave another stare, his hands balling up into fists. "D-Do I… what?!"

"Do you wish to take her as a wife? It is a simple 'yes' or 'no' question, Sir Hero."

Fighting back a blush, he instead glanced at the ground, chewing on his lip somewhat. "It… hasn't even been a day, I don't know how I could possibly—"

"Hmph." Eyes narrowed, and with a speed certainly belied by what one would expect of a turtle demi-human, he leveled his cane squarely at Naofumi's chest, giving it a poke. "I advise you to keep your distance then, Sir Hero. Siltvelt ill needs its savior being distracted by someone as lowly as the likes of her. If she does not mean enough to you for you to claim her, then she is nothing."

His hands clenched ever tighter, and Naofumi well and truly struggled to keep from grinding his teeth, brusquely pushing the cane away from himself. "...How can you even say something like that?"

"I simply speak the truth, Sir Hero. She is nothing more than a concubine, meant to satisfy your every whim and pleasure. She lives to serve, and she lives because we still deem her useful enough to do so… a matter certainly not helped by her own troublesome conduct."

"Excuse me?" Taking steps to close the gap between himself and the demi-human, he felt his blood near to boiling, and he wanted so very dearly to put this old fool in his place — a shame his own lousy attack stat would hamper that. "You keep talking about her like she's just some… thing, to be used and discarded. You refuse to look at her, you sure as hell don't even bother to call her by name, even when I've used it right in front of you. You're doing everything you can to dehumanize her and just reduce her to… worthlessness."

"Because that's all she is."

Naofumi grimaced, his face contorting as he fought back a sneer. "...I don't very much like your tone of voice right now."

"Such is life in Siltvelt, Shield Hero. I suggest you get used to it."

With that, the Genmu waddled off once more, and Naofumi was left quietly trembling in his wake.

He suddenly didn't feel much like leveling anymore.


Thirty-four. Thirty-four levels in one day. It was a truly absurd amount of experience for just one person to gain in but a few hours, and yet he had done just that… with help, of course, though he wasn't in much of a mood to even acknowledge that right now. Between the dream the night before, as well as what the Genmu had said to him earlier, Naofumi was feeling rather… irate. His own sore muscles from his body having to rapidly acclimate to his skyrocketing stats weren't helping matters much either, but he certainly hoped that soaking in the bath might help somewhat.

...It was a long shot, really.

He slumped a bit, sliding deeper into the hot waters below, quietly wishing he could just make this malaise go away, and as much as his dream about his family had bothered him earlier in the morning, that had since been replaced by the leveling grind that had taken place not terribly long beforehand. The way that demi-human had talked about Raphtalia…

She is nothing more than a concubine, meant to satisfy your every whim and pleasure. She lives to serve, and she lives because we still deem her useful enough to do so.

Naofumi scowled a bit, blowing bubbles into the water as he fumed. Everyone—everyone—spoke as if she wasn't someone, but something — the fact that only he didn't do so was mildly infuriating. The guards, the council members, even Raphtalia herself… they all acted as if she was simply… nothing. That she existed solely for him, and him alone. That her continued existence was only barely permitted because she posed some potential usefulness to the 'great nation of Siltvelt'.

He snorted derisively at the thought. Yeah, sure is 'great' alright.

But… much as he was loathe to admit it, the Genmu had raised an important point.

What is that girl to you?

Leaning back against the sides of the bath, he shut his eyes, huffing as he mulled it over. "...I don't know."

What is Raphtalia to me? How are things between us? He well and truly didn't know. It still hadn't even been a day since he had first met her, almost purely by happenstance, and… he wasn't sure what to think of her. Or of themis there a 'them'? That just... makes us sound like a couple.

Raphtalia was… admittedly very pretty. Attractive, even, what with the way she moved with a gentle, reserved grace. And what of the way her eyes seemed to light up when she looked at him, or the sing-songy tendencies of her voice, or the way her ears and tail would curiously move about whilst he spoke? Not to mention her strength of will, to have gone through the treatment she had and still remain as upbeat as she seemed.

There were… lingering issues, of course. She seemed to have difficulty restraining herself at times, and seemed very keen on physical affection. It was an aspect of her that he was still getting accustomed to, even with how often they were together now. That, and… the self-esteem, though he supposed the lack of it was more worrisome. She well and truly seemed to think nothing of herself, a fact that Naofumi strongly felt was related solely to the abuse she had suffered.

But… it wasn't all bad. If he could spend enough time with her, then maybe he could help change that. Maybe she could start to see herself in a better way. And the thought of spending more time with her, even on its own, wasn't all that bad either. She was… nice. And sweet. And caring. And trustworthy.

Naofumi opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling as his mouth hung open. "I… like her?"

"Like who?"

"Gah!" Very nearly yelping in surprise, he snapped to attention, kicking up a fair bit of water as he tried to gain his bearings and peer through the haze of steam at the source. Someone stood in the doorway to the bath, but… based on the voice… "R-Raphtalia? Is… is that you?"

"Of course!" A few more steps brought her into focus, revealing that a simple towel was all that really concealed the rest of her body from him. It seemed she had also pinned up much of her hair, either to keep it from getting wet or to get it out of the way. Or both. "I thought you might like some company, given how you were acting earlier. You… seemed to be in a bit of a mood, and… I was worried."

"O-Oh. That's…" He paused, staring a bit at her, allowing the gears in his head to turn a bit more, and then— "Wait, why are you here?!"

She had already begun to wade into the waters of the bath, stopping mid-step to give him a confused look. "...What do you mean?"

"I mean the… the baths are usually split, right? Men and women? But I'm here, and… and so are you, and…" He was getting so painfully flustered, a fact he was keenly aware of himself. So much of this was beginning to feel like a repeat of the day before. In a vain attempt to defuse the situation, as well as to distract from his own stumbling, he nervously laughed. "Is it… is it hot in here, or is it just me?"

"Well, it is a bath, Naofumi. I'd certainly hope it's hot." A few more steps into the water then, though she seemed to purposely keep her towel in place as she moved towards him. "And ordinarily, yes, the baths are split. However, given that you convinced them to allow me to stay by your side no matter where you go, it seems that also extends to this as well."

"T-That's, um… that's… quite nice of them." It really is nice of them, though was a thought that he was more than content to simply keep to himself. "I just… wasn't expecting it, I guess, t-though… erm. I'm… naked, Raphtalia."

"And?" She gave him an impish grin, the water now up to her knees. "I don't mind."

"O-Oh."

Raphtalia quietly giggled in turn, drifting closer towards him until she was mere inches away. Slowly, gently, she placed a hand upon his bare chest, pushing him back against the side of the bath. "Yes, well… I'm here now. And don't worry, the towel is staying on. I know you're still not used to my presence, nor are you quite ready to fully… indulge yourself with me."

"D-Don't talk about yourself like that." The skin-on-skin contact had certainly caught him off guard, and if he wasn't flustered before, he definitely was now. She was… so warm. Warmer than the water, even. And… soft. But the touch she made didn't feel as if any sense of lust was behind it, nor was there a sense of 'want' of any sort. It simply felt… caring. Still very distinctly affectionate, but… "I hate that kind of talk."

"...Oh? Is that what has you in such a foul mood?"

His scowl at the waters below was all the answer she needed.

"I see. It was your talk with that old Genmu earlier, wasn't it?"

"...Maybe."

"I only caught a little bit of it, really. Did it truly bother you that much?"

"Yes," he barked, and then almost reflexively followed with a much softer statement. "Sorry. I just… hate hearing them talk about you like that, is all."

"Naofumi, it's fine. If anything, it… makes me very happy, knowing that you think of me so." She backed away from him somewhat, her expression softening as her eyes drifted up and down his body, a somewhat faint smile beginning to spread across her face. "...Turn around, please."

He gave her an almost vacant stare, seemingly confused by the request. "What?"

"I want to massage your muscles for you." Already grabbing him by the shoulders, she began to slowly move him about, and he certainly made no effort to fight it. "It'll likely help you feel better after the leveling you did today, as well as help you relax a bit. And, perhaps if you're feeling up to it, you can talk to me a bit more about what's eating away at you so much, hm?"

She's… awfully perceptive. "Why do all of this for me?"

"Because I want to. And because you were there for me last night." As her fingers lightly grazed against his bare back, she quietly tutted at him. "Goodness, the size of some of these knots… it's a wonder you can even move."

"Y-Yeah, well… probably the shield helping out with that, I guess."

"And now I can help with the rest. Try and relax for me, and speak if you wish. I won't pressure you to talk about what's on your mind… simply being here with you is enough for me."

Sighing, and resting his head upon his forearms as he leaned against the side, Naofumi simply let Raphtalia do as she wished, another sigh slipping out of him the moment she began to work on his shoulders. "Be honest, are you doing this because you're trying to be nice, or because you just wanted to feel my body?"

She giggled once more, her voice taking on a light, teasing tone. "Can't it be both?"

"Mm. I guess it could."

The next few moments passed in comfortable silence, Naofumi simply reclining against the side whilst Raphtalia's hands moved around his upper back, steadily working loose the kinks here and there. It was… admittedly rather enjoyable, to be treated to something like this, with just the two of them… and she did seem to earnestly care about him and his well being. Why else would she go through so much trouble for a simple back massage?

He huffed a bit, groaning as her hands pressed against a particularly sore spot, and then quietly mumbled, "I really do hate it, you know."

She made a sound out of curiosity, fingers running along the length of his shoulders. "Hate what?"

"Just… the way everyone treats you. The way they talk about you. It's awful. They talk as if you're nothing, act as if you're nothing. Like you're just some… nuisance. A pest." His voice dropped in volume a fair deal, now barely a whisper. "I hate it."

"And why do you hate it?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Isn't it obvious? You're reducing someone to a mere 'thing', as if they don't even matter to you. That they don't deserve to matter to you. It just seems so incredibly cruel to me, to do that to someone."

"Indentured servitude and slavery are both facts of life in this world, Naofumi. They simply happen. It's... something I had to accept for myself a while ago."

He grumbled, still staring straight ahead at a wall. "Doesn't mean I have to accept it. I mean, you had a life of your own before what happened to your family, right? Dreams of your own?"

She suddenly stopped, her voice tinged by hesitation. "I… suppose I did, yes. Why?"

"At what point did all of that suddenly not matter anymore?"

"...What?"

He glanced over his shoulder at her. "When you were younger, what did you want to do when you grew up?"

"I don't… I don't know." A frown, even as her hands began to drift away from his body. "I… can't really remember anymore. It's… difficult. I try to think back to that time, and things seem fuzzy to me. Like it's never quite clear. There's simply… bits and pieces, here and there."

"Like?" Turning about yet still leaning on the wall, Naofumi's attention was solely upon her, his arms hanging loosely at his side. "You seem to at least remember some things, like your old village. Did you… maybe have any friends there that you talked to about what your dreams were?"

"Oh. Well, yes. Um… there was Rifana-chan, and Keel-kun."

The sudden use of Japanese honorifics was rather perplexing, but he quickly chalked it up to his shield's auto-translate simply throwing the native language into something more familiar to him. "Tell me about them, then. Maybe it'll jog your memory."

"Perhaps." As if picking up on Naofumi's own body language, she moved a bit closer to him, quickly cozying up whilst he placed an arm around her. "Rifana-chan was… much more lady-like compared to me. She always seemed so much more graceful."

"Really? Kinda find that hard to believe."

"It's all true, really. Between the two of us, she was always the one talking about boys, or about settling down when she was older." A sudden flash of recognition seemed to run through her mind, her ears suddenly perking up as she turned towards him. "Naofumi, would you believe me if I told you that she always dreamt of getting to meet you one day?"

He stared, wide-eyed. "What? Seriously?"

"Mhm. Whenever we got to talking about stories and the like, she would inevitably bring up the legendary heroes, and how much she wanted to meet the Shield Hero. Though… she did also talk about how much she wanted to marry you…"

"...That's twice today now, that someone's brought up marriage to me."

"Oh?" Raphtalia leaned a bit closer, suddenly curious. "When was the other occasion?"

Naofumi could already feel his cheeks begin to burn at the thought. "I'd… rather not say. Sorry."

"That's alright. As I said earlier, I'm not going to force it out of you."

"And what about your other friend? Keel-kun, you said he was called?"

"Oh, right! Keel-kun was… well, we didn't really talk that much, at least not compared to Rifana-chan. But he was polite, and helpful. He and his father were always helping me or my family out. We… mostly went on our own little adventures, really. It was our way of spending time together."

So, you can at least remember your friends… but not your parents. Hrm. "So Rifana-chan was who you talked with, and Keel-kun was who you played with?"

"Well… I talked and played with both of them, but... yes. There was also Sadeena-oneechan, but… I don't remember much about her. She largely kept to herself."

"I see." A pause, and then he asked, "Where do you think they are now?"

Raphtalia grew quiet, leaning against him a little more. "I'm not sure. The last time I saw them was after my village had been attacked during a Wave, when we were packing up our things to leave. Rifana-chan and Keel-kun had both lost their parents to the monsters, but… the other villagers promised to take care of them, and… I haven't heard anything from them since. Do you… think they're okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm…" He sighed — as much as he hated potentially lying to her, he really didn't know how else to answer. "I'm sure they're fine. Hopefully you'll see them again some day, right? You could even introduce me to them. Rifana-chan would… probably love that, wouldn't she?"

"Yes… I'm sure she would. Though…" Another little laugh slipped out of her, and she placed a hand on his chest once more, tracing a shape of some sort against it with a finger. "She'd likely be horribly jealous of me, knowing that I met you and I've spent time with you. No doubt she'd imagine we were some sort of couple as well."

The mention caused him to pause, staring off a bit at the waters below, even as a few flower petals (added earlier by one of the many servants) idly floated past. He could still hear the Genmu's voice in his head, still endlessly asking what she was to him — and he still wasn't sure. He didn't know when he might be sure. Right now, she was simply… Raphtalia. And… perhaps that was enough.

At least for now.

"Earlier."

"...Eh?" Her ears fluttering somewhat, she gave a curious look as she gazed up at him. "What do you mean by 'earlier'?"

"The, uh… the other mention of marriage to me. It happened earlier. With the Genmu."

"Oh? The Genmu wishes to have your hand in marriage?"

Naofumi stared a bit, even with Raphtalia's barely-contained laughter echoing a bit throughout the bath. "That's not what I meant!"

"I know, Naofumi. I'm simply teasing." Her hand slowly traveled from his chest to his chin, one finger running along the length of his jawline as she barely concealed a smirk. "Who did he mean then?"

His mind suddenly drawing blanks, he just continued to look at her.

"Your face is getting so red… is it truly that embarrassing?"

How do I do this? How do I tell her? What the hell do I even say?

"Naofumi…? You're staring. Not that I don't mind, but… whatever it is, you don't have to tell me if you're struggling to talk about it this much."

He quickly shook his head. "N-No, it's… I want to, I just…"

"Just what?"

"It's…" Almost at a loss for what to even do next, he instead grabbed the hand she had placed upon his cheek, holding it in both of his. And then, with the most 'I am being completely serious' voice he could muster: "It was you."

She merely blinked, staring at him. "...What?"

"It was you. The… the marriage talk with the Genmu. He asked about you. What I thought of you, what I wanted to do with you, what…" Naofumi squeezed her hand a bit tighter, still horribly red in the face. "I mean it's still too early, we've barely known each other a day now maybe, and I'm not even sure how things like this work in Siltvelt, but—"

A finger upon his lips to silence him. "Naofumi, please. You're rambling. You're… saying the Genmu at lunch talked to you about the possibility of… you marrying me?"

"Y-Yes."

Raphtalia stared some more, her expression very nearly blank, and he could feel his own anxiety begin to shoot through the roof. She was no doubt thinking it over, thinking about the absurdity of a marriage to a man she barely even knew, possibly… possibly contemplating it? He certainly hadn't known her for that long, so it was still quite difficult to get a true feel for what she was thinking in a given moment, but… she just kept staring.

She cracked a grin.

And then a quiet laugh, backing away from him somewhat as she gave him an amused look. "Naofumi, you shouldn't joke about these things! If it were anyone else, they... might think you were being serious."

"Raphtalia, I am being serious!"

"Oh, come now. I'm… sure he simply meant someone else. Perhaps some girl from a noble family or something. It… It wouldn't do for the Shield Hero to wind up married to a simple slave."

"Raphtalia. Please."

The sudden shift in his tone quickly cut through whatever other ideas she had been thinking of, and she instead looked back at him, her expression softening. "...You… actually mean it, then."

"Yes, I mean it. They…" He huffed, seemingly exasperated, and leaned against the wall once more, staring up at the ceiling. "They know I care about you, you know. What with… how you're suddenly better than you were yesterday, and me fighting so much to make sure you could follow along earlier. I saw how they were treating you, what with the bruises and the cuts and… the everything else. And I was worried about you. About what might happen if I left you behind."

"You… care about me," she repeated, almost unbelieving. "...Why?"

"Because. Because you were the first friendly face I found in this world." A deep sigh, as he shut his eyes and sank a bit into the water. "You were the first one I met who didn't expect anything of me. You were just… there, and you needed help. And I wanted to help you. And… I-I don't know. I'm rambling again. I'm sorry."

"N-No, it's… I simply… didn't expect it, I suppose." She somewhat awkwardly held one arm with the other, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye every few seconds — almost as if she was suddenly self-conscious of her situation. Suddenly bashful around him. "...You care about me."

"Yeah. I do." Opening his eyes once more, he turned to face her, one hand held aloft as he spoke. "I mean… how could I not?"

Raphtalia hesitantly brought her gaze up to meet his, a sudden shade of pink upon her cheeks. "N-Naofumi, I don't… know if I deserve such treatment, really."

"Yes, you do. You're always trying to treat me well, what with—"

"Because it's what I was meant to do."

"No it's not! Enough of this, Raphtalia! Please!" Pushing off from his own spot, he made several movements through the water towards her, and quickly pulled her into an embrace. The act of it had already caused her to quietly yelp in surprise, yet he still held firm, his head resting upon her shoulder as he spoke. "All of this talk about how you're 'just this' or 'just that'... I'm tired of it. I don't want to hear it ever again. You're not just… whatever it is they keep telling you. You're more than that. You're… you. You're Raphtalia. And whatever it was you wanted to do with your life before this whole mess… we'll find it again, okay? I'll help you."

"N-Naofumi, what if… I don't know." She abruptly broke away, suddenly looking uncertain, and it wasn't as if he could really blame her either. "The council's not going to let you simply… waltz out of here with me in-hand. What are you going to do? Try and escape instead?"

"Yes! I've got every intention of doing just that, and I'm going to make sure that you can make it with me. Neither of us deserves to be here. You want to see Rifana-chan and Keel-kun again, right?"

Raphtalia feebly nodded, her ears wilting somewhat.

"Then come with me. We'll make it. I know we will. I've… got something I've been working on, since this morning. It's… not really guaranteed at all. And it'll be risky. But I'll make sure to keep you safe."

"Y-Yes… I know. You are the Shield Hero, after all."

"Right. And I care about you."

"You care about me," she said, a sudden grin upon her face.

"So. What do you say?" One hand held out to her once more, Naofumi's expression remained… hopeful, as to what her answer might be. "You want to get out of here someday?"

Softly giggling and with her ears perking up, Raphtalia lunged through the water at him, throwing her arms around him and rubbing her nose against his. "It's not as if I can deny you, Naofumi…"

He groaned somewhat, his own furious blush quickly returning with a vengeance… though he made no attempts to push her away after her sudden display of affection. "Are you… talking about the escape plan, or about me?"

She faintly grinned. "Yes."

"That doesn't answer the question, Raphtalia."

"Of course it does. I'll simply leave the interpretation up to you."

"Not helping."

Another quiet laugh from her. "You're still naked, Naofumi."

"Raphtalia…" He groaned again. "Don't ruin the moment, please."

"...Alright," she teased.

As he steadily drifted back towards the side of the bath, Raphtalia still fiercely clinging to him, he couldn't help but remark about how strange this all was, to already be this close to someone he still barely knew. And yet… it wasn't all that bad.

All that truly remained now was finishing the rest of his plan to get the both of them out, and then enacting it… and making sure she remained safe.

He vowed that much, at least.