Onwards towards the spooky place, I wonder if it could be relevant to the story, somehow?
Beta: Zaru
"You know, I try not to say things like this, but I wish I was smaller."
"Oh, why's that?"
"So I could cower behind you while we walk."
"Yeah, that's fair. We can hold hands if you want?"
"I really wanna say yes, but how about you just hold a finger so I don't break any of your bones when something spooky inevitably does a spooky thing?"
"That seems like a good compromise."
"Deal?"
"Deal."
Negotiations concluded, Tio stood up from where she was kneeling in front of Haru, and held out a single armored finger.
The place they'd found themselves transported to was a gloomy twilight forest not all that unlike the Shadow Forest they'd been in previously, just with much smaller trees hemming them in.
Strange trees, they looked like the kind you could stumble across in any old forest, but only if you didn't look too closely.
Because the closer you looked, the less depth and detail you would find, as if the branches hanging over their heads were just silhouettes that looked like solid objects.
The cobblestone pathway beneath their feet seemed real enough, even if he thought they seemed just a little too neatly arranged.
But that black gate was still swung open invitingly, and the mansion loomed against the candle-yellow horizon.
Someone had to take that first step, he supposed…
Someone.
Anyone.
… that someone was him, wasn't it?
As if to encourage the very first step he took, a light appeared, swinging gently upon a small lantern over the towering double doors.
Haruhiro made it three steps before even Tio's long arm was stretched awkwardly, and then the timid giantess began to shuffle quietly along behind him, ruby red eyes wide and nervous.
Haruhiro gave her finger a reassuring squeeze, idly noting that Tio's hands were actually smaller than he thought.
Well, she was a girl, so he supposed that maybe she had normal girl hands for an Ogre over seven feet tall.
Also, that the club of the Great Ape she was carrying with her free arm wasn't being held in a very practical manner. Really, she was more 'hugging' than 'wielding' the weapon, but he figured that was mostly his fault for offering to hold her hand like that.
Normally anything hugged by Tio risked being engulfed by cleavage, but Tio was side-hugging the weapon to avoid disaster.
He'd been too focused on calming and comforting Tio to really notice, but after things calmed down a bit, Haruhiro had slowly begun to remember that the only garment Tio was wearing above the waist were gauntlets. There had been a lot of boob pressed up against his stomach, and the embarrassment involved had allowed them to briefly forget… well, just about anything, at the time.
Their packs long lost in all the chaos, Haruhiro had simply offered the largest piece of clothing in his possession; his cloak. Even that almost wasn't enough, and Tio, while grateful, had been forced to improvise.
The result was… sensational.
That was the safest word he could come up with.
Tio had boobs almost the size of Haruhiro's entire rib cage; there was simply no way a cloak that concealed Haruhiro's upper body, and little else, would be big enough. The poor cloak had ended up wrapped once around Tio's front and tied at the back, a shabby, messy chest binding that struggled valiantly to keep the blonde's abundant assets contained.
Tio's overflowing caramel cleavage constantly threatened to bounce and jiggle its way to disaster, each step she took threatened to be one step too many.
Starting with her first step.
Thankfully, while holding his hand, Tio could comfortably walk about a half Tio-pace behind him, meaning that if he angled his head away from her Haruhiro could just barely manage to keep those bouncing globes out of sight, but certainly not out of mind.
Some tasks were just too high a hurdle.
Privately, Tio thought a flustered Haru was a great distraction from the spookiness around them, but she also thought it would be mean to tease him when he'd been so considerate of her, and thus kept her silence.
… Even if going topless would have been more comfortable for her to begin with, since modesty and giant-kin were distant acquaintances at best.
Poor Haru would melt like Yukio on a warm day if she said that out loud.
Luckily (?), despite the eerie nature of the place they were in, so far Tio's attire was the only dangerous thing they'd encountered as they walked, and while strange, Haruhiro couldn't honestly say he felt threatened by their new surroundings as they made their way through the open gate, past the black iron fence that stretched out as far as the eye could see.
Which wasn't very far at all, but Haruhiro was pretty sure it was a long fence.
As if on cue, Tio gave a little 'eep' and pressed against him from behind. Like the surface of a still, murky pond, the shadows cast upon the overhanging roof of the entryway rippled like water.
The woman who stepped forth to greet them was a maid, Haruhiro assumed from the outfit.
That was about all he could figure out, because whatever she was, it was far from human.
Fortunately for Haruhiro, the most common sort of 'inhuman' he was used to was 'inhumanly beautiful', so he was able to look at the woman before him with a comfortable level of self-consciousness and feeling of inadequacy.
What little skin the woman had on display was a smooth, bluish grey, and her glossy black hair was done up in a neat high ponytail, drawn up behind the white lacy head dress she wore.
Her uniform consisted mainly of a hip-hugging, floor-length black dress, and Haruhiro called it 'floor-length' because it was hard to tell where the dress ended and the floor began. A white apron tied at the back with a large white bow at the small of her back seemed to smoothly emphasize her curves, hugging her considerable bust in a way that made him wonder if it was sewn, or perhaps painted, onto her inky black dress.
Perhaps what made the apron stand out so much was that the white parts of her outfit- headdress, cuffs, collar and apron- were the only parts of her attire that were distinct. The rest of her seemed to blend smoothly into the deep shadows of the doorway, her slim arms only distinguishable due to her hands being clasped in front of her, against her apron.
Her eyes had no pupils and reminded him of Yukio; but where Yukio's eyes were the deep blue of a frozen lake, the woman before him had eyes like the moon on a starless night; unblinking pale orbs surrounded by a deep inky black.
Those eyes closed briefly as she daintily clasped the hem of her skirt- and that seemed to 'flow' rather than 'shift'- and offered a respectful, well-practiced curtsey.
When she spoke, her voice was soothing and unobtrusive, like the quiet rhythm of the low tide.
"Welcome to the Twilight Manor, honored guests." The woman offered with a polite smile.
"Thank you." Haruhiro said, and both Tio and the new woman blinked in surprise at how polite and calm he was, given the circumstances. "So, were you the one who called us here?"
"Forgive me, I was indeed the one who invited you here, but this place has a mind of its own, sometimes." The woman apologized. "t I truly did mean for it only to be an invitation, not, well… this."
Their conversation was cut off as Tio shook herself with a shiver, causing muddy water to splatter onto the stone beneath her. The woman's eyes went wide and Tio cringed, but-
"Oh my, you're hurt!" The woman exclaimed, a dainty hand going up to cover her mouth. "How rude of me to make you linger on the doorstep, please, come inside so we can get you patched up!" A faint ripple of movement that Haruhiro couldn't make out in the gloom, and the double doors swung open inwards.
"Err… not that I'm not grateful but we're kind of a mess, I don't wanna get…" Tio looked down at her formerly yellow dress- "muck on your nice clean floors." Or ape blood. Or Tio blood.
At least Haru hadn't bled on her.
Her boots were soggy. Soggy boots sucked.
"No, please do!" The woman blurted out with what they were pretty sure was enthusiasm. Their heads whipped her way and she froze, a warm purple blush spreading across her cheeks. "I-I mean, please don't worry about that!" She stammered awkwardly, squirming in place. "Your injuries are of far higher priority than a carpet that's easily cleaned."
Tio made to protest, but Haruhiro cut her off with a shake of his head. "We'll be more than happy to take you up on the offer, then."
… They both saw it at the same time, and suddenly, Tio felt Haruhiro's odd acceptance of the current circumstances made a lot more sense.
The woman had flinched, actually flinched, her full moon eyes widening for the briefest of seconds. It was hesitant, at first, but slowly, it grew harder and harder to hide, until finally a radiant, grateful smile had spread across the woman's lips.
And just like that, Haruhiro and Tio met each other's eyes and wordlessly agreed to put the questions on hold.
"Then once more, welcome to the Twilight Manor, honored guests. We shall do our best to make your stay a welcome one." She offered.
"Wait, hang on a sec we haven't gotten to the most important thing!" Tio burst out suddenly.
"W-we haven't!?" The poor maid cried out in alarm, flinching at the outburst.
"Nope nope!" Tio declared, placing her fists against her hips and thrusting her chest forward self-importantly.
Haruhiro didn't even try to ignore the bouncing that caused, he liked to think he knew his own limits. Even the otherworldly maid couldn't help but take notice, her eyes bouncing up and down with every shake of those soft tanned mountains.
"T-then…? I-if I've given cause for offense then I'm-"
Tio cut off the flustered woman with "I'm Tionishia, but you can call me Tio!" She grinned. "Nice to meetcha!"
"Oops." Haruhiro winced with a rueful grin. "My bad, I'm Haruhiro, or Haru, if you'd like."
It took the woman several moments to respond, gazing at them wide-eyed.
Haruhiro and Tio shared concerned looks as the woman stared stiffly.
"... Please, won't you tell us your name?" Tio gently urged.
"A-ah… forgive me, it has been…" The woman cut herself off with a shake of her head and a wistful smile. "No, never mind that. I am… no, I suppose my birth name is a bit… difficult to translate, if one listens only with their ears, but I have another, gifted to me long ago, that I much prefer."
While her guests were trying to make sense of her words, the maid offered them a heartfelt smile.
"Please, call me Shu'ni."
Tio and Haruhiro shared quick smiles before Haruhiro spoke up for the both of them and said.
"It's good to meet you, Shu'ni." He replied softly. "Lead the way."
"... Yes, of course." Shu'ni's smile grew a little brighter, and the shadows on the doorstep lightened just a little.
The first thing either of them noticed (but would probably never admit) was that Shu'ni had a cute butt and a dress that accentuated her wide hips just right. That, and her maid dress was more daringly cut than it first appeared; exposing the smooth, pale blue-gray skin of her upper back.
The second thing they noticed was the interior of the mansion, which was pretty cool too.
Okay, so they were both a little exhausted, and it was doing strange things to their thought processes.
Focussing on their new surroundings with the intensity of someone easily distracted doing their best not to seem or be easily distracted, the duo examined their surroundings.
The mansion foyer that Shu'ni led them into had even more space within it than the warehouse they'd been living in.
Opposite to them was a vast marble staircase, so wide that their entire party could have walked up it side-by-side. It branched off in two directions further up, and covering the bulk of the staircase, and the floors of the branching hallways on either side of them was a soft carpet of deep purple.
Dark metal lanterns lined the walls at a height comfortably above even Tio's head, and high above them was a truly massive chandelier made of some smoky dark glass.
This gave the halls a subtle, but not quite dim glow not at all dissimilar to the twilight forest surrounding the manor, but here, the impression was subtly different, despite the vast nature of the interior the lighting made everything seem cozy and intimate.
"Wow, it's so pretty in here," Tio said as she walked, head twisting this way and that as she tried to take in everything at once.
"It's well cared for, too." Haruhiro mentioned, taking note of the hallway furnishings. The hallway the maid had led them down was the leftmost hallway, decorated on one side with a variety of decorative vases and sculptures of… animals?
The other side of the hall was predominantly windows overlooking the front yard, windows taller than Iormu was long.
Windows also made of that same smoky glass that the chandelier was composed of, glass that was so well polished that he could see his own dim reflection even from the center of the huge hallway.
"... You are most kind." Shu'ni smiled back at him, and that was enough to seal Haruhiro's impression of her.
Tilting his head up to meet Tio's thoughtful ruby eyes told him that she had determined the same thing; that in this huge, lovingly maintained house, the only thing missing were the signs of anyone living in it.
True, it was a big mansion so it was entirely possible that they just hadn't seen any of the other inhabitants yet, and Shu'ni had used 'we', but… the feeling was hard to shake.
It was common sense that someone would own the mansion, and yet for a supposed maid not to make the slightest mention? Well, it wouldn't be surprising if the name Shu'ni had been 'gifted' was from the master of the house, but, once again, something didn't seem quite right.
More importantly, the others were still out there. Once Tio was properly cared for (their packs had been lost… somewhere, along with all their supplies, and Tio didn't have enough magical power to heal herself to that extent), they needed to figure out how to get back to the forest and find the others before it was too late.
Well, he could only hope that Tio having massacred the leader of the Red Apes and most of their elites would be enough to make the lesser monsters want to lay low.
"Once again, I must beg your forgiveness." Shu'ni began quietly. "I did not mean to force your journey to the mansion, but I did notice that you, Master Haru, did seem to be in some manner of distress. Please forgive my meddling."
"No, that's fine, the forest is pretty crazy right now. But how'd you 'notice' me in the first place?"
"You are most kind. As for how I noticed you, this mansion does not truly exist as part of Grimgar."
"Wait, are we in another world!?" Tio blurted out, though she seemed more excited then panicked.
"I suppose you could say that, and I suppose you couldn't." Shu'ni 'clarified'. "This space exists in the border between Grimgar and… somewhere else, though Grimgar is the only place I can properly reach. The forest specifically, as it is the location where this mansion originally linked to Grimgar. I was able to reach out to you, Master Haru, because there is something about you that is not 'a part of Grimgar' as well, though, what that may be, I'm afraid I don't know."
Haruhiro and Tio turned to each other as the realization hit.
… Haruhiro was from another world, so that must be what Shu'ni picked up on.
As for the rest of her explanation… maybe it was just because they were both exhausted, but...
"As expected." Haruhiro nodded towards Tio.
"Yeah, just like I thought." Tio smoothly applied, nodding back, before they turned to Shu'ni as one.
""I don't understand anything."" They both agreed.
They had managed to find a way across the ravine, about half an hour back.
It hadn't been a bridge, or anything like that, rather it had been a section where the cliffside on either end drew closer together; a wide overhang that her and Rachnera were both confident they could jump across.
A spider-silk safety line in Centorea's hands, Rachnera had scuttled down the cliff to check and see if the outcropping on either side would bear their weight should they attempt the leap.
Centorea was grateful that Rachnera had made no mention of who she really needed to check for, though it embarrassed her to admit, the beautiful spider-woman was so light that Centorea could heft her in one hand.
In comparison, she herself weighed as much as the average horse (that didn't mean she was heavy, she was a perfectly healthy weight for a Centaur woman!), while Rachnera, she'd discovered after tossing the Arachne during a spar, weighed only a little more than a human (at least the only human she'd lifted, which was Haru) despite her armored lower body.
But the overhang had appeared sturdy enough to bear their weight, and both she and Rachnera had easily made the jump.
Centorea had been forced to suppress the urge to shout for joy, as her hooves impacted the grass on the other side of that blasted ravine, finally the distance between herself and Haru had shrunk!
… So she had hoped, and was doing her best not to ponder if it might be otherwise.
While her sense of distance might have been less reliable when factoring in companions of other races, Centorea's sense of direction was without flaw; if Haru and Tio had been able to travel in a mostly northward direction, her and Rachnera should be to the southeast of them, and Iormu and Yukio even further east of that.
"Now that we're on the same side of the river as Haru and Tio," Centorea explained, having Rachnera hold one side of the map so that she could point- "it will be much easier to break free of the forest if we head directly northeast. As you can see, the forest is roughly in an oval shape, with the longer ends oriented east to west."
"Yeah, I didn't want to bring it up yesterday, but we had to go the long way, didn't we?" Rachnera grumbled, but it was a good-natured sound, crossing the river actually let her feel like they'd made some progress. "All these trees kind of look the same to me, so I have no idea how far we've gotten."
"Indeed, we were taking the longer path, but no longer." Centorea assured her, relief evident. "Now that we've crossed, we might actually end up camping at the forest's edge by nightfall, depending on how often we're… obstructed."
Neither of them mentioned that they'd barely been 'obstructed' at all, the day had passed to what they guessed was early evening (the level light in the forest hardly ever changed throughout the day), and the only wildlife encountered was a trio of hungry Red Apes around noon, easily dispatched by the powerful duo.
No, there was no sense dwelling on such things.
They had their path laid out before them, all they need do was follow it until it led them to their companions.
Anything, or anyone, that barred that path would find themselves trampled into the dirt and crushed under hoof.
And could consider themselves lucky for being let off so easily.
Though she was feeling a little ashamed to be engaged in such a light task while Haru and the others were quite possibly fighting for their lives, Yukio had reasoned that when her companions did break free of those awful woods and meet up with them on the river's edge, they would likely be hungry.
That fishing was also somewhat enjoyable had no bearing on what she felt was her responsibility.
Then again, normally when one fished, one would use a rod and some line, or perhaps a net or even spear.
Yukio had none of those, but a river was made up of water. Pleasantly cool water at that, which was why she was barefoot and knee-deep in said water, and why all the fish she'd caught so far were currently being kept cool, submerged in the blocks of ice she'd captured them within.
Iormu, meanwhile, was gathering watercress, and other edible plants Yukio was less familiar with, in large quantities and keeping them fresh in a submerged ice basin, mainly on behalf of their party's Centaur, who was unable to eat meat.
Indeed, she did feel just a little bad for being engaged in such a relaxing task while her party members were in danger, but it was not as if she could rectify that situation, or she would have already done so.
So she would greet them with a smile and a nice meal, and try not to make too much of a scene when the lump in her heart thawed, which it surely would the instant dear companions began to appear on the horizon.
Oh, speaking of companions!
Haru seemed familiar with her culture to some degree, while she didn't have much in the way of traditional ingredients, perhaps he'd appreciate sashimi?
The door Shu'ni led them to was made of some rich, dark brown wood, with a window of that smoky glass installed in it. Curiously, it was a rather tall door, enough that Tio could likely step in without ducking.
Of more interest to the two of them, though, was the warm, wet air that greeted them when Shu'ni opened the door.
Steam coming from the other door? Then… "Is this a change room?" Haru asked, peering in.
"Yes?" Shu'ni answered hesitantly. "It would not do to bring clothing into the baths, would it?"
Both her and Haru whipped their heads towards Tio as her excited gasp filled the air.
"Baths!?" Tio blurt out enthusiastically, gemstone eyes glimmering. "Ooh, ooh can we…." Tio's gaze fell down to her ruined attire, and she puffed her cheeks out glumly.
"Even though I wanna, we'll make a big mess if we go in like this." She huffed.
It was Shu'ni's turn to have her expression brighten, only for a moment before she smiled reassuringly up at the taller woman.
"While your consideration is most appreciated, there is a place for you to rinse off before entering, and even though your wounds are no longer open," Haru quirked an eyebrow, she'd sounded rather certain despite not actually checking, "They do need to be cleaned before they're bandaged."
"I guess…" Tio hedged, obviously willing to latch onto the excuse but not wanting to seem inconsiderate.
"Indeed, wouldn't it be a shame to have gone through what I can only assume was dreadful hardship, only to be bedridden by illness?"
"She's right you know." Haru grinned, throwing the maid a wink. "It really is for the best to get cleaned up, and that way we can stop messing up all the nice carpets."
Shu'ni had been nodding along dutifully to his words, but the way she paused and frowned when he mentioned making less of a mess was probably just his imagination.
"Okay okay, fine." Tio rolled her eyes with a smile. "I'll force myself to enjoy the nice warm bath."
"Wonderful." Shu'ni replied, clapping her hands together. "I keep the towels stocked in the cupboards on the right side, and there are robes hanging you may use afterwards. Don't worry about sizing, I'm sure you'll both find something suitable for you."
Shu'ni had just finished explaining something about a 'nozzle' for hot water; a closet for their weapons and a basket for their dirty clothing to leave by the door when Haruhiro spoke up.
"Alright Tio, I'll leave you to it for now, take your time and I'll switch with you afterwards."
"Huh?" Tio said, peering at him in confusion.
"Huh?" Shu'ni said, tilting her head to one side.
"Huh?" Haruhiro repeated, more on reflex than anything else.
…
...
"Nuh uh mister, you're gonna catch a cold if you sit around all soggy like that!" Tio scolded him.
"Err, is there another bathroom, by chance?" Haruhiro asked Shu'ni, suddenly nervous for reasons he couldn't explain.
"Ah, this one is the only one prepared." The maid declared tonelessly, refusing eye contact.
"I can wait." Haruhiro hurried to assure her.
"Nope." A grinning Tio said, taking the time to remind Haruhiro that she had a lot of reach and was faster than she looked.
Shu'ni smiled, curtseyed, and shut the door behind them.
'Okay Haru, you can do this. You bathed with a naked Cerea, you can bathe with a naked Tio- and now I'm worried about Cerea again-' Haruhiro, now firmly reminded that he was bad at giving himself pep talks, made sure the towel was properly wrapped around his waist and turned around.
Tio had happily gone ahead, towel in hand and not on body; Haruhiro knew that because when the happy giantess had flounced through the curtain leading to the bath itself, he'd caught a flutter of white out of the corner of his eye.
Obviously, his eyes had followed the motion before his mind could tell them not to, and been treated to the sight of Tio's enormous rear.
Which was, unsurprisingly, fantastic, aaaand now he was even feeling even more awkward about going into the next room.
Thus, Haruhiro decided to use his favorite tactic for overcoming hesitancy; commit before he could second-guess.
… He was getting better at that than he wanted to admit.
Haruhiro stepped through the curtain and into the bathing area to be greeted by warm, steamy air. Tio, sitting off to one side on a high, sturdy looking stool, with her back partially to him, was just upending a bucket of warm water over her head as Haruhiro's gaze fell upon her.
At first, Haruhiro was captivated, the warm water that flooded down Tio's body flattened her river of golden blonde hair against her back, and rivulets of moisture highlighted her vibrant tanned skin, but-
'Oh Tio, what have they done to you?' … Now he knew the other reason that Tio had been so careful to stay behind him while they walked.
Tio's slim but sturdy back, as well as her upper arms and shoulders were a canvas of bruises and torn flesh; the skin so thoroughly mauled it would be nearly impossible to tell what her skin color was supposed to be beneath all the wounds. Bitter feeling though it was, if it weren't for Tio's [Titanomachy] curse closing her wounds, even she would have… no, not the time for him to be thinking like that.
With Haruhiro unable to hide the sorrow in his gaze from her reflection, Tio let her head slump and her smile fall away.
Haruhiro sighed as he walked over to her, his smile kind, but understanding. There wasn't any time for him to feel awkward around his friend, no matter how naked and gorgeous she was.
Not if she was hurting, and likely in more ways than one.
Tio flinched a little in surprise as the young man stepped in behind her, gently gathering up her hair and draping it over her shoulder and out of the way.
Without comment, Haruhiro began to quietly wash her back with a wet cloth, carefully cleaning away the dried blood without agitating the cuts on Tio's back, well, as much as he could anyways.
Tio would wince and shiver occasionally, and Haruhiro's gaze would flick up to meet her expression in the mirror when she did, but otherwise, he went about his task in silence, soft smile firmly in place.
It took a few minutes, but gradually the tension left her body, Haruhiro was pleased to note.
It wasn't anything all that strange, he thought. While Tio was a powerful warrior in her own right, as she'd more than proved yet again, and she was probably used to taking a beating, though he was immensely grateful that didn't get proved nearly as often, she was still a woman, and a young one at that.
Tio liked being pretty, liked dressing and looking good. How she and the others managed to pull that off even on a battlefield was probably a miracle, and if he ever found out what god was responsible he was converting on the spot.
He keenly remembered how happy she had been when he complimented her looks (he should do that a little more often maybe, and not just for her), so it stood to reason she'd be uncomfortable being seen like this, even if, intellectually she probably understood that judging her appearance was the last thing on his mind.
"... How bad does it look, Haru?" Tio had finally mustered up the courage to ask.
"It looks like it hurts." Haruhiro said in response, meeting her eyes firmly to convey that no, he really wasn't just saying that. "Nothing Iormu won't be able to fix though, you'll be good as new in no time. Iormu's a miracle worker when it comes to healing."
Haruhiro leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"And you know, the way she talks sometimes I think 'miracle worker' is kind of literal."
Tio managed a giggle at that, and she had no idea how relieved the sound made him feel.
" Maybe she is... and it does. Hurt, I mean." Tio murmured back, offering a weak smile. "But it feels a lot better now that it's clean, so thanks."
"Any time, Tio."
"Oh good, I like having you wash my back."
"Me too- err…" Haruhiro trailed off awkwardly to find ruby eyes reflected in the mirror, twinkling mischievously.
"Ehehe~ too late now Haruuuu~"
Haruhiro's response was to roll his eyes with a chuckle. If teasing him made her feel better, it was worth it.
"And thank you, Haru. I mean it." Tio whispered softly.
"Yeah, you're welcome."
"K, now it's my turn to wash your back!"
"Sure, wait what!?"
"Ehehe~ Come to Tiiiioooo~"
"Come to think of it, isn't it pretty strange that there just happens to be a set of you-sized stuff and a set of me-sized stuff?" Tio said suddenly, tilting her head to one side as Haruhiro dumped the bucket over his head.
They'd switched out the larger stool Tio had been using for the smaller one that Haruhiro was now sitting on. Somehow, they were both fairly certain that Haruhiro's stool had been made with Tio in mind as well, normally bathroom stools were low to the ground, but the stool Haruhiro was sitting on was about chair-height.
Which coincidentally meant that if Tio kneeled behind him on the cushy bath mat they'd just happened to find that she was at a perfect height to wash Haruhiro's back.
"Huh, yeah I guess?" Haruhiro replied, not really paying attention and looking downwards.
… He'd managed to bull his way through washing Tio's back by focussing on the fact that she was hurt and needed help, but now his self-consciousness had caught up with him.
Which was why he hadn't noticed that Tio was feeling the same.
Communal baths were actually normal for her, but since she had been… well, it had been a while since she'd actually been into the bath with a member of the opposite sex, while they'd still been in Altana she'd bathed in the lake with Cerea and Yukio, but they'd avoided trying to convince Haru to bath with them all at once.
They wanted him to be more comfortable around him, but trying too much too soon would have the opposite effect.
"Hey, has Cerea ever washed your back?" The question came out before she could stop it.
Thankfully, it didn't kill the mood.
"Err, no, why?" After their little mishap the first time, Cerea had been careful to bring her longer brush, and he'd gotten used to cleaning himself quickly, so it wasn't like he needed… well, it would be nice, and things had changed for the better between them-
"Oops, looks like I'm stealing a first." Tio chirped, not looking all that sorry. "Naughty me."
… Did she have to put it like that?
… The grin suggested that yes, yes she did.
"Well, I'll make it up to her. Y'know, mixed baths were normal where I came from." Tio began, getting the cloth wet in the bucket of warm water.
Haru flinched a bit as she pressed it gently to his back, but thankfully, relaxed after a moment.
"That so?"
"Mhm, I'm pretty used to it, so it's honestly kinda strange to have things divided by gender like they were in Altana." Haru's back was pretty… interesting, she thought.
Sure, it was smaller and more slender than hers, but she was also a good two feet taller than him, give or take, and another species. But actually seeing it up close, she was reminded that Haru was a lot sturdier than he looked with clothes on, and his muscles were a lot more defined than hers.
Even by comparison, she probably had more muscle on her frame than he did, but Haru's back was still so… reassuring.
It felt nice, too, and at some point she'd ditched the towel and was just rubbing his back with her hands and it was getting kind of warm in here, actually how was it warm in here in the first place and how did Shu'ni have it ready ahead of time-
"Eep!" Tio said with a jolt, as the fact that she'd been blatantly feeling up Haru really clicked into place.
"Eep." Haruhiro agreed, staring at the floor and not at her, which didn't matter because there was a mirror and she could see his cheeks were just as red as hers.
"Teehee… a-all clean!" Tio squeaked, suddenly nervous and wishing not for the first time that day that she was small enough to hide behind Haru.
"Y-yeah."
"W-well let's hop into the bath!"
"Y-yeah."
This made things worse, rather than better; Tio had never really given it any thought, but when you had boobs as big as hers, they tended to float.
Tio had looked down in curiosity as Haruhiro tore his eyes away, and her knee-jerk response had unintentionally driven a nail into the coffin.
"Oh yeah, our boobs float."
Part of the reason she'd never given it any thought was because that was true for every other woman in the party, as well.
Haruhiro was once again reminded of the terrible dangers that mixed bathing held, the lesson he'd first begun to learn by Centorea's side.
… He hoped they were okay.
"Shu'ni seems nice." Tio said eventually, after the initial embarrassment had worn off. The bath they were sitting in was a large square, set into the floor itself and coincidentally (once again) having submerged seats that varied in size, allowing them to sit together both comfortably submerged to their ribs, despite the height difference.
"She does, doesn't she?"
"But she's all alone, isn't she, Haru?" Tio murmured forlornly "At least, I… I'm pretty sure that's why she seemed so happy to see us. Is that why you weren't suspicious of her?"
"... She's pretty easy to read." Haruhiro admitted eventually. "I'm not sure if she's a Liminal like you or what, but whatever the case, she's not very good at hiding her emotions. There's a lot that's weird here so it's hard to say, but I'm pretty sure what happened is that she noticed us somehow and called out to us because we were the first people she's seen in a long, long time."
Tio went still, and slowly, her eyes began to widen.
"H-Haru! Do you think, d-do you mean-!?"
Haruhiro nodded sadly.
"I do, Tio." He whispered. "Something about her reminds me of Iormu, but I… I don't think she's spent all her time sleeping. The mansion is too well cared for for that."
Tio whimpered, and stared at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
With a confidence he didn't know why he felt, Haruhiro reached up and put a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll figure something out, Tio. But first, let's get you bandaged up, and figure out how to track down the others."
"... K."
Without any ceremony they'd gotten out of the bath, and made their way to separate little cubbies in the change room.
Haruhiro wasn't really all that surprised to find that his gear was clean and waiting for him (he'd checked his dagger, and even the blade had been lightly polished), but Tio's dress that she wore beneath her armor must have been beyond saving; an unadorned but cute yellow dress that looked just her size was waiting for her instead. Just her size but quite low-cut, laced loosely up the front and exposing a healthy amount of cleavage, even the visible bandages did nothing to detract from her beauty. Tio seemed delighted, twirling in front of the mirror like a princess, displaying the ordinary sort of happiness of any girl who feels beautiful.
"Yeah, I'm just not gonna question it." Haruhiro decided after a moment, he still wasn't sure if he was more impressed or disturbed that everything had been arranged so… specifically, but if Tio was happy he supposed there was no harm done.
"Hey, Haru?" Tio's hesitant voice came from behind him.
"Yes, Tio?" He asked without turning his back, busy slipping his shirt on over his head.
"I was gonna tell you more about… you know, but I… sorry, it's still hard for me."
"It's okay Tio, take your time."
"I think I should tell the others too, so could you be there with me?" It sounded a little redundant when she put it like that, but he understood what she was trying to say.
"If you need me, I'm there."
"Thanks, Haru. I…" He'd decided not to comment on it, but it wasn't like he wasn't aware.
With slow, hesitant steps, Tio had made her way behind him as she spoke.
She had wanted to reach out to him.
She had wanted to do so in the bath.
… But even washing his back had been terrifying for her, and that was the other, less exciting reason it had taken so long.
Her gaze fell naturally down towards her outstretched hand, shaking where it hovered from the air, inches from his shoulder.
A hand that if she curled her fingers ever so slightly, she could swear she could still feel bone and flesh giving way beneath them.
A hand she couldn't trust to hold anything she wanted to keep safe.
"Remember how I said they banished me?" The words tumbled free as her outstretched hand remained empty. "They died, everyone died, the friends by my side, the people I wanted to protect, the enemies I was supposed to fight… everyone died but me, and it was just so awful and tragic that no one could believe that I alone survived without doing something terrible."
The hand shook, and a heavy thud filled the room as her knees gave out.
"But I didn't! I didn't do anything but try my hardest! I was so scared! I tried my best and it wasn't good enough, but no one cared that I was the only one left to hurt!" Tio covered her face with both hands as she screamed into them. "Why!? Why why why!? Please, Haru, I- nobody listened, nobody cared, all they did was punish me for still being alive! You have to believe me, I didn't do it!"
There was a muffled thud, and Tio's whole body trembled in disbelief as once again, she found Haru's warm arms wrapped around her and her head on his chest.
"I won't chase you away, Tio."
Tio's whole body shook as the quiet words reached her ears and cut through the haze of grief and pain.
"You can stay with me, stay with us for as long as you want."
"I-I-I-!?"
But it was his next words that ensnared her, completely and utterly, even as they set her free.
"Tio."
The words she'd wanted to hear more than anything.
"I believe you."
It must have been a long time that Haru spent holding her like that, but he didn't say a word.
Even though he must have been worried, even though Cerea, and Yukio, and Rachnera and Iormu were still out there, and could still be in danger.
But he hadn't said a word, and he'd just held her when she needed holding.
… Oh, she really was, wasn't she?
With one last sniffle, Tio scrubbed the last of the tears from her eyes, giggling when Haru lifted one arm off of her, fumbled behind himself, and offered her a small towel from one of the cubbies.
Turning her head but keeping it still pressed lightly against him, Tio wiped her face vigorously and carefully began to stand, mindful of her horn as Haruhiro let her slip up through his arm.
Pulling the towel down, Tio smiled brightly down at him, and Haruhiro sighed audibly because for the first time since they'd left the forest, the smile on her face wasn't struggling to remain in place. Sure, she had sounded cheerful and mischievous at times, but she had been trying too hard and they both knew it.
"Y'know, I was really looking forward to getting into the bath with you." Tio admitted innocently. "Naked bonding is my favorite kind of bonding, but in the end I… I only managed to wash your back because I committed before I could think it through."
Haruhiro chuckled, where had he heard that concept before?
"But I thought really hard about it." Tio mused calmly, one finger tapping her lower lip. "And I think I can do it, because they're soft so they won't hurt unless I try really hard."
"... They?"
"Hey Haru, look that way for a sec." Dutifully, Haruhiro turned his head away from her before he could consider why she was asking.
Yep, perfect.
Tio leaned down, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and pressed her lips against Haruhiro's cheek.
The cheek immediately began to warm under her lips, but Haruhiro, flustered though he was, knew better than to pull away even if he could remember how to move in the first place.
Not quite removing her lips from his cheek, Tio murmured against it.
"Yeah, it looks like I really do love you, after all. But I'm a little scared to touch more than this right now, so be patient for me, alright?"
Giggling bashfully as she twirled away, Tio swept out of the change room and left a stunned Haruhiro in her wake.
As the door swung shut, a warmly smiling Haruhiro brought a hand up to his cheek, still warm from Tio's lips against it.
"... Welcome back then, I guess."
It hadn't taken Shu'ni long to reappear after they left the bath house, though she did freeze up for a moment when they thanked her.
… After she'd recovered, she'd led them to a cozy but spacious lounge with a substantial fireplace filled with an oddly quiet fire burning merrily away.
Once seated, Tio had quickly lost her top and Haruhiro had quickly averted his gaze as Shu'ni sat beside the tanned beauty, and began to diligently and professionally bandage her wounds.
Tio had thanked her, and was carefully rotating her arms and twisting her body to make sure nothing was tugging or pinching.
Shu'ni was carefully repackaging the good sized first aid kit she'd spread out upon a table when she spoke up, not looking their way.
"Forgive me if it was presumptuous, but I've taken the liberty of calling out to your companions." She informed them. "While they were safe and in good health when I peered through, the situation in the forest is rather... chaotic and they are still separated into two groups, so I believe this to be the swiftest method of reuniting all of you."
"Nah, that's probably for the best so thanks, Shu'ni." Haruhiro replied, taking a sip of his tea.
"... I wonder how the others are gonna react." Tio wondered.
"Oh, I should let you know that it may take some time for the call to reach them. I have little practice reaching out towards the outside world." Shu'ni admitted hesitantly.
"That's fine, just try your best!" Tio encouraged.
Haruhiro thought it was pretty cute how fired up Shu'ni seemed, even if she wasn't particularly obvious about it; a quietly impassioned gaze and fists clenched in determination.
The maid with her dark wet hair kind of reminded Haruhiro Yukio, who he was also missing aaaand now he was gloomy again.
The air cracked and fell apart, and both Centorea and Rachnera flinched and whirled.
Before them was a yawning portal, and through it was a cobblestone pathway, leading towards-
"... He's there, isn't he?" Centorea sighed, guard dropping and shoulders slumping as she caught sight of the distant manor house.
"Something weird happened and Haru's not here." Rachnera pointed out, sighing and letting her own shoulder fall.
… It really was explanation enough, wasn't it?
"We should be on our guard, there's no telling what such strange magic could mean." Centorea reasoned, as if they both hadn't already decided to go through the strange portal created by the strange magic.
"Yeah, there's no way of knowing if there's a pretty girl involved that Haru's already charmed and befriended." Rachnera nodded agreeably.
Sharing another round of weary, but subtly relieved sighs, the two women stepped into the portal without a backwards glance.
Haruhiro had just made it out onto the porch with Tio close at his heels. Shu'ni had informed him that two people had just entered the forest, and would be arriving at the gates shortly.
Their eyes met, even at the distance, and everything was okay, just like that.
He watched her body shake with barely contained excitement, and he met the eyes of her companion, who gave him a three eyed wink and stepped aside as her companion's emotions boiled over.
"HARU!"
Rachnera's chuckles were lost beneath the sound of pounding hooves as Centorea took off at a gallop.
… Later, he'd privately admit that he was impressed she hadn't trampled him, but then there were arms around him and oh he couldn't breathe because of the huge amount of boob engulfing his face-
Haruhiro was granted the ability to breathe once more right at the point where the lack of air could have grown dangerous, and then it was stolen again as Centorea yanked him off his heels and mashed her lips against his.
Rachnera, who had just caught up, inched around the couple with an eyebrow raised. Cerea was putting so much aggressive, desperate passion into the kiss that it was almost like she was trying to devour poor Haru's lips with her own.
"… Who was the carnivore here, again?" Rachnera wondered aloud to no one in particular, crossing her arms beneath her pale bosom.
… Good for her, the silly blonde had had her pretty worried.
Speaking of blondes who were making her worry, what was with all the bandages sticking out from beneath Tio's dress?
"Are you okay, Tio?" She whispered in concern, unaware that the taller girl had only just worked up the courage to hug her.
Tio gave a small smile and nodded as she pulled Rachnera in, who gingerly returned the embrace after a brief delay. "Looks worse than it is, but I'll get Iormu to take a look when she gets here."
"Okay then, you do that." Rachnera relaxed, more relieved than she was willing to show. "While we're at it, where is here, who is she-" Shu'ni had just arrived, and had covered her eyes with her hands (but was peeking through her fingers) at Centorea who had deepened this kiss, and Haruhiro whose arms were flailing. "Nope, hold that thought."
Haru's arms had fallen limp when Rachnera called out.
"Hey Centorea, you know humans need to breathe, right?"
"Wha… Rachnera, what are you-" Centorea broke the kiss and turned a confused, blissfully blurred gaze her way.
Haruhiro slumped back, gasping for air, and probably would have fallen were Centorea not clinging to him so tightly.
"Oh! H-Haru!?"
"Missed you… too." He managed to rasp out as Centorea let him down, and he slumped against her bosom for a moment. "Hold still... a sec…"
Straightening up abruptly with a jerk of his head, Haruhiro smiled at the nervously fidgeting Centaur. His eyes returned back to the bandages around her arms, but Centorea quickly shook her head, and he relaxed.
"I'm really glad to see you, Cerea." Sharing a fond smile with the graceful blonde, Haruhiro turned and winked at the other newcomer. "You as well, Rachnée." He had taken one of Centorea's hands in his own, but held out the other for Rachnera.
After a moment of hesitation, Rachnera scuttled over and took his hand in her own, a small, but happy smile on her lips as Haruhiro gave her hand a squeeze.
"I'm glad to see you're alright." She murmured. "... Hang on, what did you just call me?"
"Rachnée?" Haruhiro repeated, with a tilt of his head. "It's a nickname… is it bad?"
"Hmm… no, I think I rather like it, and I don't mind if others call me that as well." She spoke up, having noticed Tio's hopeful look.
Tio pumped her fist in triumph, before hopping over to Centorea as Haruhiro stepped aside.
"Hey Cerea, I missed you!" Better prepared this time, and knowing Centorea was sturdy to begin with, she happily flung her arms around the neck of her fellow blonde.
"Oh, hello there, Tio, I'm happy to see you." Centorea smiled, returning the hug gently. "While I'm a bit concerned about all those bandages, if you're still cheerful then I suppose you must not be too badly off. And that dress looks quite lovely on you, I must say."
" Aww geez, thanks Cerea~! Shu'ni over there was the one who gave it to me, fits just right too! And not to worry, cuz I'm a-okay!" Tio reported, breaking the hug and giving a cheerful salute. That brought a wince from her though, and she rubbed her back ruefully as the others felt their guts lurch. "Owie~ okay, mostly okay, anyways."
"And it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Shu'ni." Centorea spoke up, giving a short, polite bow in Shu'ni's direction. "It seems my Master and my dear friend have been in your care, so allow me to offer you my heartfelt gratitude."
"No need to lower your head, my lady, I'm only a servant, though I do appreciate the gesture." Shu'ni replied, offering a polite bow that was noticeably lower. "Your Master and Miss Tio have been quite the charming guests."
Tio and Haruhiro shared a look, was it just them, or did Shu'ni have an easier time dealing with Centorea?
"Servant or not, it is only right to show the proper respect when offering one's gratitude." Centorea countered, and Shu'ni conceded the point with an easy nod. "On the topic of manners, I am Centorea Shianus, sworn into Master Haruhiro's service as his Knight. Call me Cerea, if it pleases you, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Moon-like eyes glittering brightly, Shu'ni dipped into an elegant, fluid curtsey.
"The pleasure is all mine, Cerea, and you are most welcome in these halls." Straightening briefly, she turned and offered the same to Rachnera.
"Rachnera Arachnera. Or Rachnée, if you'd like, though that's a new one as I'm sure you've heard." Rachnera smirked.
"A pleasure indeed, Miss Rachnée." Shu'ni replied. "While you're most welcome to come inside, I do believe the rest of your companions will be appearing any moment now."
"Oh, I see Haruhiro is travelling dimensions, or half-dimensions, as it were." Iormu lightly commented as the empty space in front of them cracked and fell open.
"... Haru-sama is there?" Yukio settled on after a heartbeats pause, whipping her head Iormu's way with an intense pressure in her glacial blue eyes.
"The odds are far greater than they should be." Iormu admitted. "Why else would a crack in space just happen to appear before us at the perfect height for us to comfortably enter, side by side?"
"Haru-sama is a magnet for strange women… strange events." Yukio corrected with admirable grace.
"And both help make things interesting, do they not?" Iormu chuckled from behind a raised hand. "Well then, shall we?"
Yukio nodded, and stepped through the portal by Iormu's side.
They'd found themselves in a dim forest, traversing across well kept cobblestone.
"The air is… strange." Yukio murmured, looking around in curiosity.
"You and I are a part of Grimgar in a way other races are not, what you're feeling is its absence, at least in part." Iormu told her. "Whatever place we find ourselves in is still connected to Grimgar, so there shouldn't be any repercussions, but if you start to feel faint for any reason, you must tell me at once, understood?"
Yukio nodded quickly in agreement.
It wasn't much longer before a 'strange feeling' began to take hold, they'd made their way towards the towering building on the horizon, close enough that it's dark mass no longer obscured the figures standing around the entryway to the colossal mansion.
At least for the moment though, Yukio had eyes for only one of those figures.
Jerking to a halt, Yukio swung out one arm wildly to grip onto Iormu for support as her knees went weak.
"Yukio!? Yukio, what is wrong, what are you feeling!?" Iormu leaned down, wrapping an arm around her back to support the panting ice maiden.
… The blushing ice maiden, the one whose breath was coming in in sweet, ragged sighs.
… Oh, well that explained that, Iormu had been worried for a moment.
"My chest feels very strange." Yukio dutifully reported. "My heart is going 'lub lub, lub lub'."
She tugged at the collar of her yukata, loosening the constraints of her plump blue bosom as it jiggled enticingly with her lightly heaving breath.
"I see, I see, that is concerning." Iormu nodded gravely, trying not to smile. "Tell me, did that feeling start when you caught sight of young Haruhiro?"
Yukio's head whipped up to stare at her in wide-eyed wonder as she gave a somewhat excessive nod.
With Yukio's eyes firmly on her, Iormu held out her hand to forestall their companions, who had noticed something was amiss and began to move their way.
"It is very uncomfortable." Yukio complained quietly. "How do I make it stop?"
"Hmm, it's difficult to say." Iormu mused with a frown, still trying not to laugh at how adorable the lovely ice maiden was being. "Look at Haruhiro again, please."
Unsurprisingly, Yukio didn't need any prompting, her gaze was already fixated by the time the word 'Haruhiro' was rolling of Iormu's lips.
"When you see him, what do you wish to do? Think carefully, this is very important."
"I wish to… run to him? I do not understand it, but he is there and I am here and I wish to correct that." Yukio declared, quietly but firmly.
"Ah, well then there's an easy solution." Iormu mildly replied, shifting her grip and giving the Yuki-Onna a light nudge forward. "When your heart is going… 'lub lub' was it? Then, my dear Yukio, whatever urge strikes you is what your heart wishes for you to do, more than anything."
Yukio's head whipped towards her almost violently, the question in her eyes louder than had she screamed it at the top of her lungs.
Iormu waved her onward with one hand.
"The best decision you can make is to follow it."
An exuberant gust of icy wind drowned out the sound of Iormu's delighted laughter as Yukio took off, faster than she'd ever seen the usually demure ice maiden ever move.
The voice was so uncharacteristically loud that Haruhiro almost didn't recognize it, at first.
"HARU, HARU!"
"... Yukio?" He murmured in disbelief as the happily yelling ice maiden bore down on him with astonishing speed.
Grinning from ear to ear, Centorea steered him forward and shoved him ahead.
"Don't keep a lady waiting Haru… oh, and brace yourself." Haru's gaze whipped from her back to the front, and his eyes went comically wide to find Yukio in midair and practically on top of him.
Haruhiro gave a little grunt as Yukio's slight weight bulled him over with sheer momentum, knocking him off his feet.
He braced for the impact of stone upon back, but he needn't have worried- a cool wind coiled itself lovingly around the both of them, and deposited him gently onto the ground with Yukio straddling him and excitedly babbling his name in her breathy voice as she held his cheeks in both her hands and gazed deeply into her eyes.
She went silent, merely staring intently as if she could learn everything she wanted to ask him from his eyes alone.
"... I missed you very much, Haru." The Yuki-Onna declared eventually, a joyous smile upon her face as she relaxed against him.
"... I missed you too, Yukio." He offered with a small smile.
Still holding cheeks with both hands, Yukio pursed her lips in thought and then nodded once.
"Oh my, how bold~" Someone very far away exclaimed as his face was lifted up and Yukio's face came down.
Yukio hummed in delight as their lips met, wasting no time in deepening her first ever kiss.
Her joy only escalated when Haru started kissing back, wrapping his arms around her waist as a distant part of her marvelled at how right the gesture felt.
Much to her chagrin, though, the perfectness of kissing Haru had not, it seemed, released her from the need to breathe, and Yukio was eventually forced to break the kiss.
"I do not know why I did that." Yukio admitted, glacial blue eyes still lost in Haruhiro's comforting hazel. "Perhaps I will understand if I do it again."
And so she did.
After Yukio had finished kissing him breathless, Iormu, who had quietly caught up to them, hugged them as well.
By 'them' Haruhiro meant all of them, Iormu had reeled in the entire party with her tail and gently drawn them together into a scaly group hug, using her arms as well for himself and Yukio.
They'd all kind of just wrapped their arms around whoever they could reach, and just kind of stayed there for a while, quietly reassuring themselves of each other's presence.
They were okay.
Everyone was okay.
Once they'd convinced themselves of that, they broke the hug and turned to the woman who had been waiting for them patiently, Shu'ni it seemed had turned her gaze away to offer some small measure of privacy, but when his eyes turned her way, Shu'ni offered a tender, almost motherly smile.
"Congratulations Master Haru, you've found what it is you've been seeking."
Haruhiro couldn't quite shake the feeling that those words carried more weight and meaning to them than he was immediately able to pick up on.
"Welcome one and all, to the Twilight Manor." Shu'ni offered with another of her graceful, strangely fluid curtsies. "Now, I imagine there are many questions you wish to ask, and I will certainly answer as best I am able, but might I invite you inside for some refreshments first, honoured guests? Please, feel at ease to partake of our hospitality and rest your wearied bodies for however long you may wish."
Everyone turned to Haruhiro immediately.
Conscious of how Shu'ni was looking his way without fully lifting her head, Haruhiro smiled to put her at ease.
"We've had a rough couple of days, so if you're offering we'd be really grateful." He looked straight ahead as he spoke, he could feel the girls all smiling fondly at him as Shu'ni's eyes widened with both shock and, he suspected, hope.
"You would?" It was little more than a whisper, even Centorea was straining to hear it.
"Actually, I think I'm the one who should be asking you, not the other way around.
Shu'ni smiled, and all the tension melted away from her body as she sighed, swaying in place.
… And when the tension melted away from her body, so did the right side of her upper body from head to waist, turning into a bubbly black that made Haruhiro imagine shadows boiling.
In time with Shu'ni's body falling apart, the endless twilight above their heads cracked and began to shake.
All eyes on him even though Shu'ni had one less, Haruhiro sighed and looked up at the sky.
… Why did he feel like this was his fault, somehow?
"Ah… forgive... me." Shu'ni apologized, somehow standing and speaking despite missing half her body. "I… did… have a re...quest, but my own offer was… unconditional."
She held up her remaining hand that seemed to be melting like wax, and pointed it in their direction.
As she did, the stone of the mansion cracked, but so too did the space behind them, opening into the largest portal yet and open to the Shadow Forest they'd left behind.
"P...please… escape this… place…" Shu'ni managed as her last arm fell apart and splashed across the stone in dark ichor.
Haruhiro shared a look with his party, unsurprised to find them smiling at him, both fond and expectant.
Shu'ni's remaining eye stared at them in puzzlement.
"Master Haru…? Pl-eAse h-rr...y. I cannot hold the… portal for… lllllllooong."
"Never mind that." Haruhiro shook his head. "How do we help you?"
He didn't understand how it worked at all, but his words shocked Shu'ni to such an extent that the darkness around the doorstep vanished, and Shu'ni was left there slumped on the ground, keeping herself up with only shaking hands as her 'dress' sprouted… tentacles and other shapes, squirming around wildly as if to mirror her confusion.
"Help… me? Y-you wish to… help… me?"
Haruhiro, rather than head towards the portal like she'd urged, came down and kneeled in front of her, putting his hands over hers.
"Please, if there's anything we can do for you, anything at all."
"... Oh…" Shu'ni gave a deep, shuddering sigh, proving herself similar to them in key ways yet again as she sniffled and her eyes begin to water.
"T-then please… you needn't stay long, you needn't visit unless you wish it but… please… claim this place as your own… please, please I beg you…"
The shaking of her arms grew in intensity as she finally gave voice to the wish that she'd held in her heart from the moment she'd first sensed Haruhiro.
"Please don't leave me all alone."
"I can't promise you I'll stay here all the time." Haruhiro told her, meeting her eyes intently. "But if you're okay with that, then I accept." Haruhiro glanced back at the other girls and chuckled ruefully. "Actually, we're kind of looking for a new home anyways, so I think you're doing us a favor more than the other way around.
With a breathy, echoing sigh Shu'ni stilled for the barest of instants.
"... Thank you, My Master."
It was like those four words had been whispered by the entire world around them; Haruhiro both heard and felt those words from every direction at once.
Every 'crack' save the portal behind them vanished as if it had never been there.
Shu'ni's body stopped its… squiggling and resumed the shape he was familiar with, as she slumped unconscious into his waiting arms.
… But she was smiling again, and that was enough for now.
As some of you may have guessed, the party now has a cute maid of their own!
And a permanent home, that's cool too I guess.
The mansion was always meant to be their mansion, the party now has their own base of operations, and it's in an extradimensional space, so it's probably never as far away as you might think.
Next chapter goes into more details about what the mansion really is, who and what Shu'ni is, and why a 'master' was so important. Some of you may have some ideas, so we'll see what you figure out.
Also, Iormu's here, and she'll actually be able to make sense of what Shu'ni is saying.
To get you pointed in the right direction though, I came up with Shu'ni's name by making a cute sounding contraction of Shub-Niggurath.
That's not who she is, of course, but I needed a thematically suitable name.
I decided not to go into too many details with Tio, just yet. She was hurting, exhausted and sad, an exposition dump would have easily come to look forced, I felt.
But we also had some floooooffff, Tio's prediction came true and her 'like' for Haru tipped into 'love', Cerea has her silly master back, and Yukio's heart went 'lub lub'. Now there's a little breathing room to work with.