The trio of young adventurers made their way outdoors to West Ronfaure. They looked at the vast forest in a new light. They were free to roam where ever they pleased, no more following guards. The three of them looked at one another; each had a smile plastered on their face.
"Well come on lets go kill some bunnies and worms!" Waveren yelled as he selected his first target for slaughter.
"Please stay close together" Evalyne warned as she timidly hit a worm with her staff.
Posh, being the only melee class, had killed her prey much quicker than her two mage friends. "Come on you slow pokes lets kill another"
"Hey so of us have to gather mana" Waveren yelled
It went on like that for hours that day. The trio had moved to East Ronfaure and began to take on harder opponents such as pugils, beetles, and fungers. They even had a brush with a goblin that they barley escaped from the encounter with their lives.
"I swear your draining my mana faster than I can get it" Evalyne healed the worse of her friends' injuries then sat down to regain her lost mana.
"I'm sorry about that guys he snuck up on me" Posh was lying down in the grass her clothes were stained with a mixture of her own blood and the beastman's blood. "I reek of blood."
"At least you don't smell of burnt rabbit hair. We can wash up back at my place if you want." Waveren suggested.
"Altana, that's a great idea." Evalyne hopped up. She helped Posh to her feet because she was still sore.
Waveren and Evalyne helped support Posh as they limped back to Sandoria. Upon reaching the entrance the trio noticed several new recruits limping back to the safety of Sandoria's walls. A Hume ran past them with a train of three Orcs chasing after him, but the guards made short work of the beastmen.
The trio made their way to Waveren's house where they meet up with Nerevaw, Waveren's step brother. Nerevaw, unlike Waveren, was a Hume boy with short brown hair, though his bangs were so long they almost covered his eyes.
The younger boy came running up to the group. "Man what happened you guys look like you've been thru hell."
"You can say that…we meet up with a goblin" Waveren said as he and Evalyne eased Posh down on a bench so she could rest. "I'm going to wash up and change clothes. Nerevaw, behave yourself."
Nere watched his older step-brother ascend the stairs to his bedroom. He turned towards the older Mithras "So what was it like fighting beastmen. Are they as ugly as they say? Did you fight an Orc as well?"
"Calm down, will you. You're loud" Posh chided
"Sorry, I'm just so excited. I wanted to go out there with you today, but the guards say I'm too young. I'm only six months younger Waveren."
"Yes but they set the cut off date so that younger children won't go off and get themselves killed." Evalyne used her White Magic to make Posh more comfortable.
"And you children didn't just come home tails between your legs because you fought one Goblin." Nere teased.
Evalyne shot across the room and throttles him. Waveren had come down and pulled her away when Nere started to turn blue.
"What did I tell you about behaving Nere, and you wonder why Halver didn't let you become an adventurer right away. Posh I've run a bath for you and I've got you a change of clothes if you want."
"Thanks Wave, but I think I'll just change into my standard clothes. Come on Evey we can both bathe." Posh pulled Evalyne out of Waveren's arms.
"You mean t-together as in your both going to be in the same tub?" Waveren began to blush when he realized he still had Evalyne in his arms but now he was bright as a cherry.
"Mithras bathe with each other all the time, and yes Waveren we'll be in the same tub." Posh pushed Evalyne up the stairs before she could say a word.
OoOoOo
The girls entered Waveren's room and locked the door behind them. Posh immediately began to strip off her blood soaked clothes and tossed them on the floor. Evalyne was looking around the room. It had a bronze bed, a maple table and a flowerpot. There was also the large brass tub in the center of the room, a wash tub off to the side and a change of clothes. Evalyne picked up the tunic and help it up. It was obviously made for an Elvaan because it was several sizes too large for her.
"Come on Evey the water is nice and warm" Posh was already in the large tub and was sluggishly washing herself.
"That's ok Posh I'll wait. I think I will wash our clothes." Evalyne scooped up Posh's discarded cloths and sat near the wash tub.
"Mew Suit yourself, but the water will be cold by the time you bathe"
Evalyne had taken off the majority of her clothes and sat in her bra and underwear, scrubbing away at the soiled cloths. "I'll get Waveren to refill it for me, I'm sure he won't mind."
"You know, I've always wondered if Waveren's family was nobility or rich. He's the only recruit I know that owns his own house, and a large one at that." Posh pondered out loud. She leaned against the side of the tub. "What so you think Evey?"
"We own our own house complete with Moogle and everything." Evalyne went to hand Posh's not clean gi on the make-shift cloths line.
"Ours is a one roomed house and it was given to us when be became recruits, before that we had to rent a room at the inn." Posh ducked under the water to rinse out her long pink hair. She came back up to see Evalyne placing he last of their clothes on the line. "So what are you going to wear when Waveren comes up to refill the water?
Evalyne blushed "Uh I didn't think that far ahead. I just wanted clean clothes." She turned to Posh. "What am I gunna wear?"
Posh climbed out of the tub and started putting on her standard set of clothes. "What about your standard set?"
Evalyne shook her head "I washed em too"
Posh put her hands on her hips "We'll think of something"
OoOoOo
Waveren sat down at the table. He let his mind wander to everything and anything else except what was going on upstairs. He banged his head on the table. Over the past six months his thoughts had been drifting slowly to the gutter when he thought about his two best friends. He lifted his head and his eyes caught the portrait of his mother, whom had died in the Crystal War. He could barley remember his father, but his mother had always been a guiding light. I wish you were here to see me now mother.
"What was she like?" Nere sat near his step brother. Nere was adopted by Waveren's mother when he was very young and soon after she went to fight in the Crystal War. "Mother I mean, I don't remember her"
"She was kind and she always used to sing the song of the Crystal Warriors to us as a lullaby. Did you know she used to be a ninja?"
"She was, I never knew that"
"Yeah she would…"
"Waveren, Hey Wave" Posh came bounding down the stairs. "Evey needs some more hot water so she can bathe."
Waveren arched an eyebrow at her "I thought the two of you were going to bathe together?"
"Nah Evey wasn't game for sharing a tub in your house, any who she needs more water."
Waveren sighed and began to heat some water on the stove. "Why didn't she come down?"
"Oh she wanted to wash her clothes before she bathed."
"Oh, say Posh grab that other pitcher and help me fill up the tub." The duo slowly walked up the stairs. Waveren pushed the door open with his foot. He glanced around the room and found Eva wrapped in a towel shaking out some wet clothes. "Do you want me to dumb the old water out first Eva?"
"Umm me and Posh emptied it"
"Ok err I'll just fill the tub back up then." Waveren blushed and dumped the large pitcher into the tub. Posh then dumped her pitcher as well.
"Come on Wave lets leave Evey to her bathing." Posh skipped down the hall
I know this chapter was short. I'm not planning to go thru each and every thing we did when we were younger but figuring out stuff was a major part of becoming the adventurers we came to be. I also put a bit of Waveren and Nerevaw's background into this one.
