I am not sure an alert was sent out for last week's chapter; I certainly did not get one. So if you have not read "Begin of a Journey" yet, be sure to hop back and do that first.

The next day was filled with mostly eventless travel, though they went through a heavy downpour for most of it. Neither of the three cared much for that, though they all noticed the Malevolence it carried. Zaveid supplied that the dark force could influence the weather and bring forth illness, which was useful to know.

They also stumbled over more hellions; the non-human ones they all killed and ate while about half of the few former humans they met were spared and sent on their way. The hostile and aggressive other half went the same way as the rest, which left the siblings with some money and other possessions; among them was a sturdy backpack, which Velvet immediately used to store her things in. Laphi's storage-arte was anchored at its bottom and sealed when not in use, then the furs and feathers she took off their other catches were neatly stacked inside. She could sell those at the next marketplace.

Velvet spent a lot of time working with her domain, expanding and retracting it intentionally instead of instinctually. Laphi spent most of that day playing with artes or talking to Zaveid about the area; their traveling companion knew a great many things on that end, which kept Laphi entertained for quite a while and drew a smile from Velvet even though she was soaked. By the end of the day, just as the rain let up, Zaveid made a sideway turn and raised his hand. "Well then, it's time for us to part ways. I'll be around for that cooking Laphicet promised me sometime."

It was abrupt, but not unexpected. Velvet nodded and offered a smile to Zaveid. "I figured you'd leave soon. Good luck out there."

Laphi made an agreeing noise at that. "Yes. Thank you for talking to me, telling me all those things. It was fun."

"Glad to hear it. See ya!"

And with that, he began to walk away; Velvet and Laphicet both stayed where they were until he had made some distance, then they turned to each other with matching, lenient smiles. "He's odd," Laphi told his sister.

"I'll say."

They carried through the night after parting from Zaveid, making decent speed now that it was just the two Empyreans. A journey that would normally take four to five days by horse, they made in two, with one night spent resting up. Aside from interacting with the hellions and occasional travelers they encountered off the roads, Velvet had some more time to work with her old and new powers. She also learned that Malevolence was easy to manipulate for her, though this remained a mostly useless power unless she wanted to corrupt others intentionally; that, Velvet knew, was a self-defeating idea. Turning a human into a hellion or a seraph into a dragon made them stronger, so this power did not work as an offensive tool.

On the night before they entered the city, she took inventory. Before her sat a few leather pouches of her own making, as well as a knapsack she ended up putting together in addition to the backpack they pillaged. She made bone needles for sewing as well, but that was the extent of it for now; there were also the parts she harvested, but even then it remained meagre. Velvet knew this was because they traveled most of the time, but she still disliked her lack of preparation.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, we have plenty of time," Laphi chirped casually, still playing with a bunch of miniaturised arte-components. "You did a lot with what little time you had. We can go a little slower and then it will all work out. If only this stupid-"

He kept muttering about whatever he was trying to put together. Velvet raised an eyebrow and scooted up to her brother, but could not make any sense of the complicated patterns. "What is this supposed to be?"

"Stasis." One of the circles threw sparks and another began to deform, so he quickly made the whole structure disperse and sighed. "I wanted to adjust one pocket so it keeps all the food and ingredients fresh by putting them in stasis. Or maybe by cooling them down a lot, I have to test if that works first. But somehow it keeps failing, so I need to go over it some more."

"Huh, that would be useful." Velvet chuckled lightly over her brother's muttering and pulled him against her side. "Take a break, Laphi. We don't need it immediately. Actually, how do you even make that stuff so fast?"

"Hm?" He relaxed and nestled into her side like he always did. "Oh, I remember bits and pieces about all those useful artes the exorcists used. There was no time or interest to learn them all, but I picked up a bit to start from. It would take me years to build something as big and specialised as the Caelix, but that little pocket space we have is much easier." He paused and peeked up at her thoughtfully. "But maybe I should start teaching you some seraphic artes soon. That might be fun, too. You were always a good student for Arthur... then again, maybe that was because he let you swing a sword around."

Sadly, the playful glare she gave him only made him stick out his tongue at her. So instead, she shrugged and teased back a little. "Well, it seems my baby brother is a genius after all." And there he was pouting, to which she allowed herself a victorious grin.

"Ugh, I hate when people call me that. I haven't earned it." He kept quiet for a little while, but then rubbed his cheek against her shoulder. "Say, how is your other body doing?"

It was an interesting question all the same, so Velvet let herself be distracted and focussed on her draconic form; it had not yet done much of anything. Minkkubi lazily moved her wings and rotated her neck. She could even paddle now. "I have forelegs, but no hindlegs. No tail either. And I haven't actually grown yet, either." It was odd to her, considering the size of Innominat.

"Don't worry, you will grow in time. Right now Minkkubi is little more than a newborn, if even that much. Focus on growing the rest out first."

"Yeah, I will."

They spent the rest of the night cuddled together, dozing.

. .

. .

Morning started normally enough as both siblings got ready and on their way to Lastonbell, which they reached within the hour. A large wall greeted them and reached far into the distance, with watchtowers placed along its length. The road ended in a large gate, far ahead of them. There was no real queue at this time of day, so she could simply walk up to that same gate. Which was where her now recurring nemesis struck.

"Papers, please." The red-clad knight's face was invisible under his helmet, staring at Velvet as she stood there without having considered this. Of course she needed documentation, how could she make that stupid mistake again? When she stuttered for a few moments and Laphi already prepared to cast something, the knight made an understanding noise. "Ah, you don't have any, miss?"

Velvet was hesitant when she nodded, but strangely that just got her a nod from the knight. "Figures, we get a few of those most days." A gauntlet pointed toward a door to the right. "Simply walk through there and enter the second room to the left, we can have you registered there. It will take some time, though."

That was... convenient. Laphi lowered his hand while Velvet blinked away her confusion, then she nodded. "Thank you, sir. Um, if I may ask, why do you get so many people without papers?"

Seeing that there was no one else in line yet, the knight took the time to answer her, though not without a faint chuckle. "Well, miss, we can hardly march through every little village to register everyone. Don't have the manpower or the money, I hear. So they set it up to let people register themselves once they enter either Pendrago or Lastonbell, no harm if they aren't before that point. That's better than forcing people to leave their fields and travel here just to get their papers."

"Interesting," Laphi muttered at the side. "And a good way to prepare a census in a few years, when everyone not a newborn has been to the city at least once."

Velvet did not react to her brother's comment and nodded. "I see, that makes sense. Thank you for your time, sir."

"It was a pleasure, miss. Now off you go." She was waved aside and quickly strolled through the door she was told while a small caravan began to roll in.

As she made to enter the mostly empty room however, Laphi tapped her shoulder. "I'm going ahead," he told Velvet with a grin. "Have fun!" And off he was, before she could even think to protest.

. .

. .

Laphicet felt oddly excited, wandering the streets on his own; there was just so much going on that he did not even home in on the belltower immediately. He could see workers putting up the foundation for a building while others tore down a ruin right next to it; he figured it burned down. Shopkeepers traded and haggled already despite the early hour.

A merchant caravan moved past him after a while and his senses tingled. Looking up, Laphi found a seraph sitting on the foremost cart's roof, head turned his way. The man was dressed sharply with a green shirt under a black jacket, brown gloves, and a fancy top hat. His eyes remained hidden behind long, greenish white bangs; that did not stop him from giving Laphicet a nod in passing, which he returned after a moment. Now Laphi wanted a top hat. He just knew it would look great on him.

Shaking the short encounter from his head, he moved on; there were a few other seraphim about, those more dressed like the locals and giving him friendly waves when they noticed him. He waved back, then a gaggle of playing children ran right past him and caught his attention. He watched them for a moment, smiling at how easy they took their life but also sad he could not join. He was a malak, so they could not see him.

He was, however, not the only one staring at the group with longing. A girl, human girl, sat some distance away from the town square on a bench while wringing her hands in her light blue skirt. She could not be much older than he looked, twelve, maybe thirteen. She was petite, almost gangly and a little odd-looking even while her eyes followed the playing children around. Laphi made a few steps in her direction without even realising.

Her hair was the colour of spun gold, if shorter than those of the other girls around. That, too, was similar to Laphicet's own, if far stronger in its tone. A plain white blouse set a contrast to how pretty her hair looked. He could not put his finger on what about her caught his attention beside the looks she threw the other children. Either way, he could empathise with this girl; whatever stopped her from joining them, she did want to. He knew that feeling so, so well.

Almost without thinking, he wandered over and sat down on the same bench, right next to her. Maybe his presence would spend her some comfort, even if she did not know he was there. A few seconds passed in silence, but then the girl averted her gaze. First toward the ground, then toward the side where he sat, then up and... it remained right on his face. Laphi blinked, she talked to him: "Oh, I haven't seen you here before. Are you with one of the caravans?" He blinked again, then pointed at himself just to make sure. The girl nodded with a soft tilt of her head. "Yes, you. Is something wrong?"

Laphi shook his head. "No, no. Just surprised is all. I'm traveling with my sister, but she got held up elsewhere. Lastonbell is really great, there are just so many people!" Once he got over his stupor, he began to talk animatedly and motioned for their surroundings. "I've never seen such a big market before and I wanna go look at the belltower later, do you know how it works? Are there other interesting places to visit?"

The girl laughed quietly and a shy smile wormed its way onto her face. "You're weird," she told Laphicet earnestly before answering his questions: "I don't know how the belltower works, but there's lots of fun places around town. I can show you later if-" "Hey, look!"

The call came from the side and drew attention from both to another girl their age, who was pointing over to them. "Its Maggie talking to herself again!"

Laphi blinked once again while there was some sparse laughter. The girl by his side appeared confused at first, but then her eyes widened and returned to him. "You're...?"

Meanwhile, his gaze lay on the other children, who left another taunt or two before going back to playing on their own. A picture was starting to form and he turned back to the girl. "Maggie, was it?"

"Margaret, actually. So, you're... you're a seraph?" She fidgeted a little, trying not to meet his eyes but being too curious to avert her gaze entirely. Laphi nodded and she bunched up her skirts as her hands clawed into them. "Sorry, I didn't notice. I'm, well... no one believes me."

"So I saw. Could you tell the other children something from me?"

"Huh?"

"Tell them they either apologise for laughing at you, or I douse them."

"H-Huh?"

Laphi held her gaze evenly and began to produce a minor water arte. Not dangerous, just uncomfortable; it was a warm day after all. He let the circle spin over his palm. "Please tell them that. I don't like people who treat others badly."

"It's fine, really. I'm used to-" "Margaret. Please."

She shut up and fidgeted harder, but then got up and took a deep breath before wandering over. Laphi followed to where the other children were playing some kind of game with a straw ball, kicking it back and forth. Then it landed at Margaret's foot and they finally noticed her. She did not back down from the displeased looks and pointed to her side. "Um, he says-" "Yeah, yeah."

One of the boys rolled his eyes and talked over her, already moving to get their ball back. "We all know the story, they're really seraphim and you aren't cra-uuumph!" The rest was drowned out by the equivalent of several buckets of water emptying onto him from above. It splashed down to the ground all around the dark-haired boy, soaking his clothes and creating a small puddle all around him. Some splashes hit the surrounding children and left wet spots on their trousers and skirts, one girl squeaking in surprise.

Silence reigned among the children and even a few passing adults turned to watch the spectacle. Margaret solemnly pointed to where Laphicet stood again. "That's what he said. 'Either you apologise for laughing, or you get doused'."

Laphi was already setting up his arte again when the boy he picked next quickly bowed his head. "I'm sorry for not believing you, Maggie! And for laughing at you!"

Huh. He cancelled the arte, though a drop of water hit that boy's neck and he fearfully looked up before heaving a sigh of relief when nothing else happened. Others followed with the apologies, though one of the girls who refused to relent got an impromptu shower as well.

It took minutes to crush any doubt that Margaret was speaking to a seraph, which made him wonder just why none of the locals ever did anything like that. When he asked once they got back to sitting together, she fidgeted again. "It's, uh, they either said they didn't want to scare the others or I got them not to. I didn't think it would actually work when no one believed me before. Just because I said the sanctuary is empty..."She trailed off and sighed, then turned her gaze back to Laphicet. "Can you tell me more about your travels? I'd love to travel, but I need to help momma at the inn and we don't have the money for a teacher to learn swordfighting, either." She drooped quite a bit as she explained and Laphi understood.

"I get how you feel, I always wanted to travel too, but we only got to it not long ago. Lastonbell is our first stop."

"Oh."

She drooped further and Laphicet sighed, then gave her hand a quick pat. "I'm sorry I can't tell you much right now, but I'm sure we will come back here and then I'll tell you everything. And, hm. Hold on." He had already helped this girl out a lot, but Velvet was around and good with a blade. She could teach. Maybe.

Before he got to mention that however, someone cleared her throat. Speak of the devil; Velvet stood next to them with her arms crossed. "I heard rumours that a kind seraph gave someone a public bath. You wouldn't happen to know who that was, would you?"

Laphicet reacted immediately and in the only way he could: "Nope, haven't seen any seraphim around here." He turned to Margaret with a silly grin. "Have you?" She stared at him, but then shook her head shakily as she caught on. Velvet sighed at that.

"So it was you. We are going to have a talk about that later."

"Um, ma'am?" Margaret piped up and drew Velvet's attention from him; once she did, the girl continued with only the slightest bit of fear despite the fact Velvet was as imposing as always. "He was just trying to help me, because no one believed I can see seraphim." The stern expression softened immediately and he knew the immediate danger was over. Margaret followed up: "So you can see them, too?"

"I can. Why am I even surprised that I find him making friends already? I'm Velvet." She held out her hand with a smile and Margaret shook, giving her own name. "There aren't that many who can see the seraphim. You're a special girl, Margaret."

"I know. Momma says I'm blessed, but I dunno. You talk a little funny." The last part seemed to have just come out unintentionally, seeing how the girl grimaced; Laphicet just shrugged at that. He noticed people talking weirdly as well, so that was probably a shift in the language over time.

To distract from the slip, he poked his sister with another question: "Did it really go that fast?"

"Hm?" She needed a moment to realise he meant the registration, then shrugged. "Kind of. They didn't ask all that many question after I told them what happened to Aball, just what they needed to fill everything out and send me on my way." He almost grinned, but managed to keep his expression calm. That was a devious way of getting around difficult questions. No one would even check if there was a small village named Aball.

Margaret's eyed them curiously, but was distracted. "Your arm! Are you alright? There's an apothecary just down the street if you need medicine!" They both followed her wide-eyed gaze to the bandaged limb, wondering how to explain it. Velvet shook her head lightly.

"No need, but thank you for your concern. My arm is mostly healed up, but I got to like the look of these." She flexed the oddly formed skin a little and offered a winning smile, then pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "Anyway, we're new to the city. How about you show us around for some pocket money?"

"Of course!"

. .

. .

Finding Margaret had been great luck on Laphi's part. The girl quickly took a liking to Velvet, who had to admit to herself that the feeling was mutual. She was young and likely a late bloomer, considering how small and underdeveloped she still was. But she had a quick wit and keen eyes, helping Velvet to haggle with the merchants through clever comments from the side. Some decent sums changed hands for the furs and feathers she accumulated.

After the marketplace, they were shown around the barracks, the town's living quarter, various fabled spots like the belltower, the commercial district that held the actual shops and blacksmiths and others, and finally to her family's inn. Velvet had to admire her guide's self-control; there was not even a bit of sheepishness or smugness as she ushered them in the door with her sneaky self-advertising. Not that Velvet minded, she needed a place to stay anyway. Perhaps for a week or so, to explore the city a little. The money they took off hellions and what she got earlier should keep them afloat for a while.

As they entered, they were greeted by a middle-aged woman with a friendly smile and almost the same golden blonde hair as her daughter, if a few shades darker. Her figure was more womanly and a little plump, but Velvet figured that the simple brown dress she wore hid more muscle than fat. She greeted the new guest warmly. "Welcome to Randgriz Inn! I see you already met my daughter."

Velvet nodded, but Margaret was faster and pulled her mother aside to chatter at her excitedly. Smiling, she took a seat at the tavern portion to wait; seeing that the sun had yet to sink, the bar lay empty except for an elderly man who quietly drank his beer. It was a cozy taproom, decked out in wood and with a decent assortment of spirits in the rows at the back. It took a few minutes until mother and daughter joined her, with Laphi standing by Velvet's side. She watched them curiously and took note how both eyed the sword strapped to her hip. The mother thoughtfully, the daughter almost hungrily. It was a look she had seen on Margaret a few times so far, though sometimes it had felt more calculating.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the older woman started when Velvet rose to meet her. "I'm Cynthia Randgriz, the owner of this inn. Margaret tells me you are new in town and need a place to stay; I'm sure you're tired after everything that happened today."

"Velvet Crowe, a pleasure," she introduced herself in turn when Cynthia paused there; the older woman seemed to consider something. Velvet thought to leave it unadressed, but ultimately decided to poke whatever the issue was. "I can tell you're thinking of something else. What's the matter?"

This earned her another thoughtful look, then Cynthia turned to her daughter. "I think we need some more water. Be a dear and get some from the well, yes?"

"On it!" And off the girl was, with Laphi wandering after her curiously.

Velvet's attention went back to Cynthia, who was kneading her hands self-conciously but did not avert her gaze. "Well, I have to ask: that sword you carry, that is not just for show, yes? You are trained to use it?"

One eyebrow rose, but she nodded. Cynthia nodded back and slid her hands under the table where Velvet could no longer see them. "Well, I was hoping to offer you some... alternative payment for room and board." Things began to make sense now. "You see, my little girl always dreamed of traveling the world, but I just can't allow it if she doesn't even know how to defend herself. So if you could teach her a little, while you're here, that would be more than enough."

A smile blossomed on Velvet's face and she could not help but chuckle. "Out of curiousity, which of you two thought of that little deal? With what I saw of Margaret so far, she worked it out after seeing my sword for the first time."

Her comment brought a smile to the older woman as well, who nodded gently. "She was always a driven and smart girl," Cynthia praised. "I wish I could have sent her to Pendrago for schooling, but we just don't have the money." She did not say whether the girl came up with it, but Velvet took it that way and considered her answer.

It would be a bad trade for her, she knew that much; lessons in swordsmanship did not come cheap in any age, especially from someone competent. Something struck her curiousity, though. "What about the knight orders?" Which she only heard about earlier. "They do take women into their ranks, so why not send her there to learn?"

"I..." Cynthia fidgeted, but shook her head resolutely. "No. A thousand times no. You hear rumours, miss Crowe. People whisper that war is coming again, that Hyland will engage our troops again. I won't, I can't-" She stopped when Velvet held out a hand in understanding.

"I get what you mean. It was a stupid question, I should have guessed that." Of course a mother would not want to risk her child being sent to war. She leaned back and took in this woman. It was on her daughter's suggestion, but she was willing to go along with it. Someone who had little means to herself yet desired for her child to be happy. Yes, it would be a bad trade for Velvet, but did she really have to care about that?

Deep beneath the Meadow of Triumph, her draconic body opened its maw wide in a yawn and turned around to swim upside down for a change.

Velvet was an Empyrean now. She could do as she pleased. "You're willing to let her go if she learns?"

Cynthia averted her gaze for a moment, but then forced it back with clear conviction. "I heard some of the knights complain about their basic training and they're older than my Maggie. If she makes it through that, she earned it. No matter how much I'd rather keep her here."

Velvet considered her words for a moment, then she grinned and held out a hand. "You've got yourself a deal. I will stay here whenever I pass by in Lastonbell on my travels and take some time to teach your daughter every day. I'm not going to go easy on her and she will spend the time I'm away practicing what she learned." Her offered hand was taken and they shook. Were Velvet not herself good at reading people, she would have missed how relieved Cynthia was about her proposal being accepted. She received a faint yet honest smile.

Velvet left Cynthia there to wait for her daughter and to deliver the good news; meanwhile, she would head out once more to procure a few necessities. By herself, she mused how nice it felt to make people smile; that was a feeling she had long since forgotten. Perhaps she would appreciate having become a goddess after all.