Chrow was always so kind to me. He reminded me of Korva in so many ways. Sometimes I wondered if he was Heaven-sent to help me get over my grief for my late loved ones. Speaking of love…

"Man, that bandana sure looks sexy on you." Lilliandrei winked seductively at me and I sighed, rolling my eyes as usual. God, that man had no morals.

"Yeah, sure."

He fluttered his eyelashes and grasped my shoulders tightly, making me quiver. Why did he always have to make me feel uncomfortable like this? "Oh, you know it's true, greeny. You know."

I wanted to save my babblings on my beliefs for later, but still, I couldn't help it. "Look, Lil. I don't believe in homosexual relationships."

That shut him up.

We continued walking, with him being more fierce to our enemies than before for some reason. He stopped me after a skeleton archer fell and shot me a cold glare. "Love is love, Raoul. And I love you."

I didn't know what to say. The Church of Prontera had always brought me up to believe that Heaven was reserved for those that believed in and practiced the traditional value of heterosexuality. I wasn't exactly the best example of masculinity myself, but I was most certainly not as flamboyantly…gay as Lilliandrei was.

I had to respond eloquently, yet carefully. If I said the wrong thing he might hate me for life, but if I said something too nice he'd just turn around and kiss me. Not the kind of response I wanted.

"The Church may have screwed me over, Lilliandrei. But that doesn't change my mind. I was raised on my beliefs and I can't change them for you. I don't mind if you love me; just know that I will never love you back."

Lilliandrei looked hurt, but simply shrugged the issue off and we continued fighting. The enemies seemed progressively weaker as we made our way out of Payon Cave, until we at last collapsed on our knees outside the dark entrance.

And then, I met Ashana.

I heard a tapping of hard-soled boots and I followed the sound until my eyes met the slim figure of an attractive young female. She was dressed in traditional acolyte uniform, a wooden stave tucked in her belt. Her cloud-light lavender hair touched her shoulders just barely, curled up slightly at the ends. She wore a violet ribbon similar to mine, but tucking into her hair on the opposite side, as was traditional.

She stopped by my side and smiled down at me with her friendly eyes, then sat carefully and glanced over at Lilliandrei. He glared at her, probably protectively. He always acted that way with me, after all.

Her gaze returned to me and I smiled back. "So, are you going to be a Priest, or a Monk?" she asked me in a gentle voice, as soft and easy as her appearance.

"A Monk, most likely," I answered. "And you?"

"A Priestess. I'm going the path of full support. Do you that that's too stereotypical?" She seemed almost worried.

"What do you mean?"

She giggled, blinking her eyes cutely. "Oh, I mean, would that be too stereotypical for a girl? So many girls are portrayed as weak and never as fighters."

"Oh, of course not. If you wanna go that path, I'll support you all the way!" I made sure my voice was encouraging, but not too familiar. I could tell Lil was glaring daggers in her direction.

"My name is Ashana," she told me, extending her hand for me to take. I took it gently and shook it gently, then withdrawing my own hand and returning it to my side.

"I'm Raoul."

I helped Ashana with her training for a while, since Lilliandrei had to go and, thankfully, he went without a fight. She wasn't very strong, and had told me she had just graduated from Novicehood. As I explained that I was nearly a Monk she became very excited, telling me she hoped my test went well, and that I became a strong and faithful warrior. She was always so kind to me and even to everyone else. Ashana didn't like attacking the monsters we encountered. Instead she simply cast heal on the skeletons and zombies, turning her head as they fell.

Yet, I never thought of her as weak or overly dependant. She could more than hold her own in a fight, but she preferred not to, instead using her magic as much as possible. I admired her for that.

We took a brief break in which we exchanged our stories. It turned out that Ashana and I had been assigned the same journey to become acolytes. She'd been much more prepared, however, and had known how to play dead so perfectly that the aggressive monsters wouldn't touch her.

Ashana came off as an incredibly smart girl. She knew a lot more about Rune-Midgard than I had at that time, and she seemed so experienced for one that was, in truth, very inexperienced. She seemed to have a lot of willpower and a lot of caring for the wellbeing of others. It was an endearing feature, and probably what made me like Ashana so much. Then again, Chrow had the same personality, and Korva came fairly close.

When Ashana told me it was time she left and went back to her camp, I smiled and let her leave. I, myself, returned to Prontera. I felt I was ready for my test for Monkhood, and if I wasn't, no one was.

I carefully stepped out of the abbey, adjusting my hood carefully.

I was greeted by a loud whistle and a round of applause, plus a plethora of friendly faces.

Saku was the first to approach me. He clapped me on the shoulder with his gauntlet-coated hand, and gave me a wink and a thumbs-up of approval. He looked pretty nice in his new Knight's uniform, and I assume he thought I looked okay as well.

Lilliandrei, as I had expected, greeted me a little differently. He leaned over and planted a kiss on my cheek, plus a whispered "encouragement."

Ashana and Chrow both came forward and hugged me tightly, with Chrow ruffling my hair and giving me a peck on the opposite cheek. (Sometimes I even wondered if Chrow felt a little inclined toward the same sex, but let's save that story for another day.)

I adjusted my robe. It felt a bit awkward, the purple fabric a bit thin for my likings. Also, the lack of a shirt made me feel a little exposed, especially with my lack of muscle. The pants fit well, though, and I rather liked the belt. Luckily I got to keep my older boots.

However, the hood bothered me like nothing else. It never stood up the right way, and it fit oddly, as opposed to how it would fit anyone with the appropriate figure.

In any case, I was a Monk now.

I flashed a grin and cast my old warping spell, opening a portal to Prontera.