Hello everyone out there!
So Magi belongs to Shinobu Ohtaka, my OC to me, there might be references to this world, music etc, spoilers for those who haven't read the manga this far and some spelling mistakes because I do the correcting stuff on my own and English is not my native language.
Even so, have a fun time reading!
Day 20: Living in Reim
Even though she had said that she had no trust in his inner clock Lenka was surprised how dead on time Muu visited in the morning, always half past eight, sometimes accompanied by Myron, Razol, Lolo or another member of the corps, sometimes alone to spent a few minutes at the breakfast table with Lenka and Miran. They sparred as well, sometimes with djinn equip, sometimes just with their swords. In her mind he was almost as good as Sharrkan and being that good meant he was insanely difficult to fight. Only with the help of her djinn she was able to win one mock battles out of five but with growing tendency.
He was a funny guy, caring and trying to make everyone happy, always there to try to stop a fight between Myron and Lolo just to get thrown into a wall or another brawl by accident. As a half-blood he wasn't as strong as the pure-bloods like Lolo but he always climbed out of the rubble with a wide smile to reassure the corps that nothing was broken or strained when they were all running towards him to ask if he was okay. Incredible loyal to Scheherazade, his family, friends and Reim. A golden Retriever. Or in this case a red one. She always wanted to grin when he raced towards an affray, shouting something about being nice to each other or not to damage the surroundings.
Almost two months had passed after Lenka and Miran had come to Reim and they had adapted to living with the corps, training, chatting and even found friends under the fighters, despite some of them were still wary of her, but that was fine with her as well. No need to befriend every single person in this universe.
One day it was solely Muu who knocked at the door, grinning so wide that he seemed to rival the sun in brightness.
"Good morning, Lenka. Have you planned something for today already?"
"I though of trying to start with Eligos again, I haven't found a way to equip her weapon yet," she answered while he sat down at the breakfast table. Miran smiled at him then concentrated on his porridge – he was building a tower – and Lenka continued to prepare something that seemed to be a snack for later.
"Just ask if you want something to eat as well."
The boy shook his head and mouthed 'don't.' Muu blinked and started to grin again.
"Thank you, but I've had breakfast already."
"Mr. Muu, did you need to eat porridge stuff to get this big?"
Lenka shot him a warning glare over her shoulder. Apparently they had been arguing over the porridge before he arrived.
"Sometimes," he answered, hoping not to get caught between the two factions. The blonde smiled thankful and nodded as Miran sighed and started to eat again. Muu chuckled then stood up and walked into the kitchen to see what exactly she was doing.
"Bread?"
"Sandwiches. Named after the earl of Sandwich."
"Is that so? Naming food after nobles..."
"There isn't something edible called Muu Alexius beside you yet. Only if you are a cannibal."
"I don't think a cannibal would manage to kill and cook me."
"They would need a big pot," Lenka chuckled and wrapped the sandwiches in a piece of cloth.
"Do you want to make me some for you as well? I have some ham and cheese left."
He shook his head then smiled sheepishly.
"I have free day today and wanted to ask if you were free as well. I could show you around the city or something like that."
Lenka blinked owlishly at him and almost dropped the sandwiches. Was there a hidden meaning to his words? Did he have a secret plan? Or maybe he innocently asked her without ulterior motives? Probably the last, she was sure that Muu wasn't that type of man...
"I'm sorry, if you are uncomfortable with it-"
"No, sorry, I was just thinking about what we could do," said the traveler with a hasty wave of her hand. She had been so immersed in her thoughts that she had completely ignored him and thus had been unable to see the growing discomfort in his face as she remained silent.
"I'd love to go to see the city with you, I mean, err..."
Luckily she wasn't the only one blushing by now. A loud clatter interrupted their awkward staring at everything but each other as Miran entered the kitchen to put his empty porridge bowl in the sink. She wondered when and where he had learned such a smirk, because it was a genuine, full grown, almost Sinbad-ish smirk he was wearing, a smirk that said 'I know what you're up to and want to see what you will do to keep me from knowing anything about it, he hee'.
"Don't worry about me, Marcus invited me over for dinner after training."
Marcus was one of the younger fanalis, maybe a year older than the boy who now gave her a quick hug, grabbed the package with the sandwiches then grinned at Muu.
"Have fun on your date, you two. I think I can find my way to the training grounds alone. Bye!"
And thus he left the two adults gaping wide at his bluntness. Lenka felt her blush deepen as she glanced up to the man next to her.
"I don't know where he got that impression-"
"I'm sorry for-"
She had never thought that she was able of stuttering awkwardly like a lovesick middle schooler but life surely had a few nasty surprises up it's sleeve. Muu scratched the back of his head.
"Shall we go as well?"
Lenka quickly thought of changing into something more appropriate then dropped the idea; it wasn't like he hadn't seen her in different states of being clothed already, thanks to her djinn equips, so she nodded and smiled at him.
"Okay."
And another first time, she was actually acting like a love-sick middle schooler, with all side effects: the blushing, the shy glances at the other and the awfully fast heartbeats. She had never experienced something this unsettling before and yet she was really giddy and happy that she finally did. She had been spared from romance and amorous affairs involving her and a member of the male species in her past world. The two boyfriends were more along the line of 'huh, you want me to go out with you? Okay. So what do we do? Bowling? Did you know that I can manage a strike with every throw?' Lenka-weirdness at it's best.
"Have you planned something?" Lenka asked after a few seconds in which they had walked away from her house. Muu grinned happily.
"I thought we could visit the arena this afternoon, heard Shambal's gladiator school has a new debutant. The crowd always gets more worked up when Reim's best sword fighter comes to watch. And I thought that you might want to talk with Shambal and Toto for a bit since you seemed close the day I met you."
She blinked surprised, caught between sighing at the thought of seeing a fight in the arena or smiling and thanking him for being so considerate then decided to go with the latter.
"Thanks, Muu. That's very nice."
"No problem, Lenka. I met Shambal yesterday and he told me that a new kid has arrived from Sindria and that Toto misses a good sparring."
She perked her ears up.
"Did you just say Sindria? It might be someone I now, especially when he starts as gladiator!"
Finally Alibaba is here! It took him so long!
You took your time as well, Lenka. We lost a week in Eligos' dungeon. More than three months passed since you left Sindria, Orobas reminded her. She nodded then sighed after quickly counting the time on her fingers.
"It's been a bit more than a year since I came to this world," she told Muu when noticing his curious glance. He smiled warmly at her then patted her back.
"Must be hard to be separated from your siblings this long."
"It really is, but I hope that time passes by differently in this and the other world, so they don't have to miss me as much as I do."
"You really love them, don't you?"
Lenka smiled ironically at him.
"Do you love Myron?"
He nodded.
"I do, even though she is straining sometimes."
"I bet she has a brocon. A brother-complex," she explained with a giggle as Muu frowned then smiled painfully.
"That seems to be a good explanation for her behavior. Look, we ave arrived."
The coliseum was as big as it was in her memory, but this time they didn't use the way down into the dungeon but rather climbed upstairs to a private balcony from which they could watch the whole sandy fighting ground. Lenka swallowed in anticipation. Hopefully this was really Alibaba who had come to Reim after all.
"Muu, please hold my hand."
He looked surprised but did as she asked him to do and winced as she squeezed tightly.
"I'm about to jump down and burn that creepy ape to crisps," she growled as they watched Alibaba getting smacked around by the giant Maurenian baboon. The crowd was cheering as if this was a really spectacle but Lenka was about to tear the whole place apart, melt it into a stinking puddle, burn it into cinders or crush it with her fists. Muu pulled her a bit further away from the railing and turned her face upwards with his free hand.
"You are not really a fan of fights in the arena. Sorry that I forgot that. We can go if it is too straining for you."
She could see the disappointment in his Rukh and shook her head while loosening her crushing grip on his poor fingers.
"It's not your fault. I'm just not comfortable with one of my friends getting beaten up by a giant scarred monkey. Especially not Alibaba."
Muu frowned a bit then let go of her hand.
"I see."
Lenka sighed and turned back to the pit.
"He's a crybaby and by far not as capable as the others. Mor is a fanalis and Aladdin... a freaking good mage. Alibaba was trying hard too meet their standards, especially when I joined them. We had the same fighting teacher in Sindria, and even though he is good he could only keep up with me when he tried hard. I believe he was comparing himself to me, which I think is ridiculous because I'm favored by the Rukh and he isn't. He's always doing his best and is still struggling – are those sickening people really screaming what I think they are screaming?"
Muu was instantly at her side again to hold her back as Garuda bit into Alibaba's arm. She was shaking violently and the marble railing cracked under her fingers.
"You fucking ape! I'll skin you alive and feed you to the hyenas if he dies!"
"Whoa, take it easy, Lenka, everything will be alright," Muu said and attempted to cover her eyes then quickly pulled his hand back; her skin was boiling hot and her fingers shimmered azure. Apparently she was subconsciously accessing her flame djinn's power in her fury.
"What is your favorite color?" he blurted out to get her attention away from the vicious sight. Lenka turned to him and tilted her head in confusion.
"That depends on how I feel. At the moment I would say purple. Why do you ask?"
"To keep you from jumping down and disemboweling Garuda," he answered honestly. She blinked then started to smile.
"That seems to work out well. Anything else you want to ask?"
"Would you like to eat something special afterwards?"
"You're working really quickly, aren't you?"
Muu smiled lazily and shrugged.
"That depends on what to gain. How big the prey is and my efforts to get it."
"Be careful, Muu. Sometimes the hunter becomes the hunted."
"Not unless the hunter makes a grave mistake."
"Mistakes can come fast, especially when the hunter gets careless, thinking he will succeed for sure."
"I am a good hunter. Carelessness is for beginners."
"Surely you are not a beginner," she grinned, crossed her arms and leaned with one shoulder against a pillar, well aware of the effect this particular pose had on her figure. Two could play that game. Tilting her head a tad more so that the sun caused her hair to shine like gold, batting her lashes, smiling a bit secretive, a promise of many more things he could get. Flirting with him was funny. Muu leaned against another pillar, mirrored her pose and smile.
"That's true."
Guys, get a room, Eligos chirped and wriggled her brows.
Solomon, Lenka, no! begged Orobas and the other djinn sighed. Gusion gagged him with a brownie.
Shut up and let her have some fun, Solomon knows when she will meet an acceptable guy again.
Lenka frowned at the comments of her djinn then walked back to the rail just to see Alibaba pierce the monkey's mouth with the broken spear of one of the decorative statues of soldiers.
"Yes! Go get that beast, Whinybaba!"
A shadow ghosted over Muu's features before he leaned against the railing again to see the blonde kid finish off Garuda, despite having a broken and bleeding arm then got distracted as Lenka jumped up and down in her excitement. His gaze lingered a bit longer on her chest area before he realized what he was doing and turned back to the boy. Solomon, he was becoming a teenager again. But his eyes returned to Lenka who was grinning wide at him, her cheeks flushed pink and her eyes sparkling so that they looked like fine gray steel.
"As much as I loathe people who like seeing others being tormented, I like seeing my friends win a fight."
"Is that so?"
"I wondered why the Rukh were making such a commotion, but now I know why," a soft voice stated dryly. The two dungeon capturers turned around to look at Scheherazade who entered the balcony, accompanied by at least ten soldiers. Muu bowed in front of the Magi while Lenka simply raised her right hand to her head and saluted.
"Lady Scheherazade."
The petite Magi sat down on a chair, the drop-shaped metal beads attached to her staff clinked together. She opened her eyes to blink at the traveler, her smile turning almost mischievously.
"It seemed your Rukh were the ones calling me here, Lenka."
"Maybe. A friend of mine just fought down there and I was about to jump into the battle as well. I don't like seeing my friends getting hurt when I could do something against that," she explained with a small smile and shrug then turned her head as she felt the Rukh stir again. The two kinds of magoi inside Alibaba swirled around each other then fused to create a bigger entity, like when you were making a cake and mixed dough into a single heterogeneous mass. The spectators cheered even louder, unable to see the flutter of the white birds around the winner.
"Finally."
Scheherazade raised a fine brow.
"You were waiting for that?"
"Like I said, he's a friend I care for," the reply came with another shrug.
"But there is another reason why the Rukh guided you here, didn't they? Don't worry about me, Lady Scheherazade. The more cryptic my hints the better for the future."
She nodded friendly at the Magi then waved at Muu.
"I'll go down into the dungeons to see if I can speak to him already. No doubt you'll find me later. Have a nice chat."
She heard Scheherazade chuckle as she left the balcony and rushed down the staircases to get to the dungeon under the coliseum then remembered that there were guards blocking the way downstairs. She stopped for a second, thinking about what to do when someone patted her shoulder.
"It's Lenka, isn't it?"
"Toto!" she grinned and hugged the other woman.
"Glad to see you again!"
"Where you watching our new disciple's fight?"
"I was, Alibaba is a close friend of mine. I was so surprised and happy to see him. Can I meet him, can I?"
Toto nodded.
"Toto will lead the way, she has to bring Master bandages anyway."
This time they took another way than on the day when she had been the one to fight, which led to a small infirmary. Toto knocked and let Lenka hold the door open so she could enter first. Alibaba was sitting on a bed with white sheets, his face almost as pale as them while Shambal bandaged his arm. The boy's brown-golden eyes widened in surprise.
"Lenka?"
The traveler nodded and grinned.
"Yeah, it's me. I've seen your fight against the creepy ape. You have gotten better. Almost really good. How's the wound?"
"I'm fine, thanks."
He looked down at his arm as Shambal knotted two stripes of cloth together then stood up to greet her.
"Here is the famous girl who graduated after a single fight. How are you and Miran, Miss Lenka?"
"We're fine, thanks. He's currently training with the corps while I was invited to watch a fight. I was surprised that it was Alibaba and overjoyed, though. He is going to be a good fighter."
She smiled at the other blonde who blushed happily at the words.
"Thanks, Lenka. So you know Shambal and Toto already?"
"And a few others I assume."
Shambal laughed and patted her shoulder.
"We'll leave for a few minutes so you can talk for a bit, right?"
"Thanks," the two dungeon capturers said in unison. Alibaba stared at her until the door fell shut before speaking.
"How have you been after you left Sindria? And why did you have to leave? Your letter explained not very much we were all very worried. Kougyoku wasn't really a source of information either, she started giggling at a certain point and refused to say more."
Lenka sighed and sat next to him.
"You maybe heard that Judar dropped by?"
Alibaba nodded with a frown.
"Sinbad said you left with him."
"I did, Judar bribed me with the only dungeon I couldn't refuse. I mean, what rotten luck, there are seventy-two dungeons and he had to pick Orias? I managed to get away without becoming his chosen king vessel and future person he would spent the most time with, though.
Did Sinbad tell you I'd betrayed him?"
"He actually didn't even but he seemed to be pretty mad that you left," he confirmed. "So you have conquered your third dungeon?"
"And a fourth on the way to Remano," Lenka confessed with a grin that caused him to scowl at her.
"Seriously? You get four djinn and I still haven't mastered Amon! How unfair's that?"
"I bet you will after a bit training with Shambal and the other Yambala. Did he tell you that I've graduated after only one fight as a gladiator?"
"You are so unfair!" Alibaba yelled and tried to hit her with his good hand. She giggled the pulled off the forearm protector to show him her scar.
"I got hurt as well, a dagger pierced me. Not as impressive as baboon teeth marks, though. Make sure they don't get infected or your arm will turn black and rot away in two days.
"I see you still have that odd humor of yours, even though your accent has gotten a lot better," he deadpanned. The traveler ruffled his hair in return, much to his embarrassment and anger.
"Please tell me what happened in Zagan! I've been dying for news about you lot. I guess Hakuryuu got him, didn't he?"
Alibaba nodded surprised then summed up the last months, from the dungeon capture and their teachers' fight against the black metal vessel users, the curse he and Sinbad got hit with and Ithnaan's death to the pirate crew and their leader they had defeated, Hakuryuu's silent disappearance and finally, the reason why he had been so late.
"One of the robbers talked about a poorly covered, fire breathing mermaid," Alibaba said with a suspicious grin. "Was that perhaps you?"
"I sank a few ships on my travel to Reim, yes," Lenka answered unmoved then told him her story. He was almost jumping in his excitement after she finished.
"So you have gotten into the fanalis corps? You are really amazing. Maybe you can introduce me to some of them!"
"Maybe," said Lenka then stood up as someone knocked at the door then Muu opened.
"Lenka? Are you done?"
She smiled then nodded and pointed with her hand at the two men.
"Alibaba, meet Muu Alexius, captain of the Reim fanalis corps. Muu, this is my good friend Alibaba Saluja, who trained under the same master as me back in Sindria."
Muu stepped inside to shake hands with the younger.
"I've seen your fight. It was pretty good."
"Thanks," Alibaba answered and blushed a little then seemed a bit confused as the fanalis stared at him a little longer then turned back to the woman.
"Shall we go then? There is a lot more I want to show you."
Oh, yes, please, Eligos wants to see more of you as well, the djinn drooled. Gusion facepalmed at her co-djinn's lecherous behavior.
… why. Why? Why are all of you perverts? Sans Miran.
Hey! The twins protested. Lenka smiled warmly at Muu and continued to ignore the yelling in the back of her head.
"Sure you will. Alibaba, I'll try to visit you soon. Rest a bit and then the arm won't rot off."
"... okay, bye," he answered and frowned as the other man placed his hand on Lenka's lower back to guide her outside then remembered he should have screamed at her for the comment on his arm. Too late.
Shambal and Toto were waiting for them to come out, the old Yambala instantly grinned as he saw the two dungeon capturers so close. Muu instantly took his hand from her back and shot the man a warning glare. Shambal chuckled into his mustache and turned to Lenka.
"So, lass, did you thought about fighting in the arena again? You could have a magnificent career, you know?"
She shook her head with disgust.
"Never again, Shambal. I'd rather conquer a dungeon with a wooden sword or play a stripping card game with Judar than to get back to being a gladiator. No offense, it might be the right thing fore some, but not for me."
"A pity. I won quite the sum with betting."
"Alibaba is good as well, as soon as he's healed up," she said, not noticing the flicker in Muu's eyes. The two Yambala did, Shambal chuckled again then went into the room, not without patting Muu's shoulder.
"You have a hard way, lad."
Both dungeon capturers stared at him in confusion and surprise as well as growing embarrassment. The blonde shrugged, old man getting senile, then hugged Toto.
"Nice to see you again. I will drop by the school soon to talk with Alibaba. There is a lot he has to inform me about."
"Bye! And good luck, you two," Toto grinned then followed Shambal inside. Lenka frowned then glanced at Muu.
"Do you know what she meant? Or Shambal? Do they know about Magnostadt?"
He shook his head, looking as confused as she felt but he was blushing slightly.
"No idea. Where do you know?"
"I know man things," she answered mysteriously as they climbed up the stairs.
"You don't make things easy. By the way, do you want to eat something?"
"As long as you find a sufficient place, yes," she answered and blinked in the blinding sunlight that waited for them outside the dungeon.
"I'm good with anything edible, thanks to travelling on my own without knowing how to cook properly. And thank you."
"For what?"
"For spending your day with me, of course. I'm sure that there are things you wanted to do but instead you showed me around so, yeah, thanks."
"It was a pleasure, but the day isn't over yet," Muu said with a wide grin.
"There are many things left I want to show you."
"Hey, no indecent offers in broad daylight," joked the blonde and nudged his arm while a squealing Eligos returned to Fangirl heaven.
"You are not Sinbad."
"Sinbad made you indecent offers?" he asked with a frown.
"A few, but I managed to turn him down every time. He isn't labeled the 'Ladykiller of the Seven Seas' for nothing, but I think I'm out of his league."
"And that Alibaba?"
Lenka rolled her eyes.
"He's too much of a sissy, he'll die before he get's his first girlfriend. I bet he is somehow afraid of me, deep down in his fragile heart he is scared of me and me bullying him. So scared he would never go against me as I know things that could make him squeal like a little girl in embarrassment."
She was unaware of Muu's steps becoming a bit lighter, his smile less forced and brighter after her statement.
Muu treated her to some local cuisine at one of the many food stalls on the broad streets in the city center before continuing to show her the sights beside the coliseum, thermae – the public baths the ancient Romans had as well, just that the ones here were not in ruins and well-visited –, pillars and arches in which the history of the Reim empire was carved in and a statue of the first dungeon capturer Scheherazade chose, Pernadius Alexius. He knew some funny and utterly ridiculous stories about his ancestor which left them both laughing so much that Lenka started to hiccup.
They had been having a great day, he even guided her to Miran's friend's house to fetch him home. It seemed that Marcus' mother, Inara, was fond of the boy, as he was another fanalis and a sweet child and asked her if he could visit more often. This bothered Lenka somehow, Miran had become a part of her extended family and she liked having him around.
And another thing made her think, the way Muu reacted to Alibaba. Was he jealous? And if so, why would he be? There was nothing between Alibaba and her, except her constant teasing and jibes. Was there more between Muu and her than she realized? Granted, he was handsome in a way that was entirely fanalis and yet completely his own. The tall, muscular frame, the aristocratic face with the slanted fanalis eyes that shone like rubies when he smiled, the absolutely gorgeous hair... she was turning into a fangirl. Or Eligos. Or rather, she had been a fangirl all the time but now her sanity was slowly but surely deteriorating.
"Lenka, you are spilling."
Miran broke her daze and handed her a towel to wipe away the egg mixture she needed for an omelet.
"Sorry, Miran."
Luckily she hadn't been drooling, that would have been really embarrassing.
"Seriously, what's on your mind? You've been like that since Muu left an hour ago," he chided then took the frying pan from her.
"I'll do the rest. You would just burn it. So, what's the problem?"
Lenka sighed and sat on a chair then leaned back against the wall so that she was balancing on two legs.
"Well, I think..."
She told him what Alibaba said about Hakuryuu and the dungeon conquest while eating dinner. Reading the adventure had been great, but knowing that she was part of this world and that she could get hurt or even die any day was a whole other thing. Training was for her to survive, eating something not a nuisance and the games she played were not computer games where she could always press a button to heal herself or sip a potion. No, in the game she played here a mistake couldn't be solved by loading the last saved data.
Miran shrugged then climbed on her lap to get hugged. He was growing bigger now, but was still a hand smaller than Aladdin when she had seen him before he departed to Zagan. Such an adorable child... Henry stopped hugging her when he was eight, a rebellious phase that Miran hopefully would never have. He should stay this size for the next months.
"You can visit them, right? To speak about their problems and such."
"As far as I know Hakuryuu will kill Alibaba in the future."
She had probably a year until that day, maybe a bit more time, but the more she thought about the day when the white and black kings and their Magi were going to fight was definitely drawing nearer. A way to prevent this disaster would be to keep Hakuryuu from falling into depravity, but for that she had to convince him and Judar to kill Gyokuen after he had settled his dispute with Kouen.
Lenka sighed again and leaned her head against the cool stone.
"I'm not sure what to do in the future. I have to change destiny, but how do I do that?"
"Going to sleep now and think tomorrow again," Miran suggested with a yawn and snuggled into her shoulder.
"That would be the best."
We are with you, Lenka, Orobas murmured gently and she felt the presence of her djinn wrap around her like a blanket.
Wherever you will go, we will be by your side.
The following day Scheherazade invited her over again, or rather ordered Lenka to move her ass to the temple of the Sacerdos Maxima, who obeyed as she already knew at the example of Sinbad how disastrous it could get if you got on a Magi's bad side. A servant led her into a spacious private room with several shelves, tapestries, frescoes and chandeliers where the petite blonde was waiting for her, sitting behind a rather huge desk on which scrolls were piled up to small mountains, very similar to Ja'far's office in Sindria, except that Scheherazade had to do the work all alone. A heavy task, even for a Magi.
Lenka bowed then waited for the other to look up, recognize and connote her to sit on a wooden chair. The Magi sighed then leaned back to watch her.
"You know that Magnostadt is threatening our borders?"
The traveler nodded earnestly.
"I do."
Scheherazade sighed again.
"That makes things easier, and by Solomon, Reim needs every help it can get. You don't know how much breath I have saved now by not having to explain things again."
"I have a rough impression," said Lenka with another nod.
"May I ask if you have received more intelligence from your spy?"
"Sadly he wasn't fulfilling his deeds well enough. I wanted you to meet my new agent before he departs in the evening."
In the same minute someone knocked and a boy with the same golden hair and lithe frame as Scheherazade entered, almost identical to her if not for the gender. His green-blue eyes were big and innocent when Titus Alexius beheld her then he remembered his instructions and bowed.
"Lady Scheherazade, you requested my presence?"
She nodded then touched her staff leaning at the table.
"Titus, this is Marlene-Karen Sensenmacher, quadruple dungeon capturer and currently training with Muu and Ignatius."
Titus' mouth formed an 'o' as he stared at her then his eyes started to sparkle with unasked questions.
"Marlene-Karen, this is Titus, clone of mine, adopted by the Alexius family."
He flinched when he was introduced so roughly but Lenka was grinning at him already. Titus was another character she had wanted to meet and she was happy that she had the opportunity before he would become a Magi.
"Nice to meet you, Titus. Please call me Lenka. I hope we can get along well."
"Lenka might become one of your contacts in the future as I might send her as ambassador to the east. You may share the information you will obtain with her as well."
Ambassador! How interesting. I wonder what else she has planned for you, Orobas mused and scanned the Magi through Lenka's eyes.
Hopefully I don't have to spy as well. I'm not very inconspicuous.
So we have noticed, his twin smiled while the boy bowed again.
"As you wish, my Lady."
"Titus, you should show her the gardens," Scheherazade said, or rather ordered. Lenka hummed in agree and stood up then smiled at the Magi.
"Your son looks just like you. You should be proud of what he will become one day."
Scheherazade's eyes flew open and she stared at the traveler who raised a finger to her lips.
"This is a request of mine for the future, a ray of hope in the darkness that will fall over the world."
"... are you probably gazing at the same scene as Yunan?"
"Maybe. Good luck with your work, my Lady."
She smiled brightly at Titus who blushed. Apparently he wasn't familiar with people smiling, or rather, females smiling at him. How adorable.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes, if you would please follow me."
The huge wooden door closed behind them and Lenka sighed as the tension in her shoulder disappeared. Talking with Magi who weren't Aladdin was always straining. Luckily Scheherazade was not as difficult as Judar. But she had yet to meet Yunan...
She noticed that Titus was staring at her and slightly tilted her head.
"Excuse me, were you asking me something? I was thinking... "
"The gardens are in this direction," he said and pointed along the hallway. The dungeon capturer nodded and followed him into the inner parts of the temple into the gardens which only the priests living here and Scheherazade's favorites could enter. Guards were bowing at their sight, something Lenka found extremely confusing, even though it was a gesture she should be familiar with. The palace guards in Sindria had bowed in front of her as well.
Titus sat down on a bench from where they could look over the whole site. She hummed contended and stretched her arms, admiring the shining of her metal vessels in the light as well as the water in a fountain.
"This is a beautiful spot. I'm sure you can spend hours here."
He nodded and fixate her biceps rings.
"Are those djinn metal vessels? I have yet to see more but those jewels you're wearing are probably all djinn containers, right?"
"They are, except the earrings. There are not many dungeon capturers – scratch that, there are quite a lot, but most of them are from the upper class. Kou has six vessel users and they all belong to the royal family. Two of them, Kougyoku and Hakuryuu are friends of mine, or so I could say. The vessel users of the Seven Seas alliance are all either kings or queens of their respective countries. And here in Reim they serve Scheherazade."
Titus nodded in agree.
"I know that much already. I was born to serve the empire after all."
"But it's important to know as much as you can about other countries as you might have to deal with them. I know quite a bit, feel free to ask."
That was apparently the wrong thing to say as Titus took this as invitation to rapidly fire questions at her.
"How is the outside world like? What kind of beings are living there? Have you seen rain? I want to see rain one day. And a storm! Storm clouds! Black storm clouds! Rainbows! And the sea! I really want to see the sea. Is it true that the water is salty? And if so, why is it salty? I really wonder about this."
Absolutely. Cute. His eyes were bright and sparkled and his cheeks were flushed. Titus was nearly jumping in anticipation and Lenka's inner fangirl demanded to keep him forever and ever after as he was just such a cutie and so innocent and absolutely adorable. He would make a good older brother for Miran. She grinned at him then raised her hands and the stream of questions stopped as he stared with wide eyes at her.
"One question after another, I have only one mouth to answer. So, the first was about the world outside? That's a tricky one.
The world is big. There are endless desert on the eastern continent, so hot your feet burn when you walk without shoes and the air creates mirages. Many travelers have died when they were unable to find an oasis or were robbed. There are many animals and plants there which are accustomed to the rough living conditions as it seldom rains. But there are large fields of ice in the high north as well, the sun never sets for half a year on the pole, and the other half year there is night. Then you can see the northern lights, turquoise and green and pink and blue veils up in the sky, fluttering and changing like curtains in the wind. The rain freezes and comes down as snow, white flakes that are cold and melt on warm skin. Snowstorms are not uncommon and can last for days until it piles so high up that you have to dig yourself free, which is extremely dangerous if you're cut off from air."
Can you do images, Orias?
Of course.
In the palms of her hands a small black hole appeared that slowly changed color until it showed a frozen plain. Orias took the pictures from her memories as she had seen a lot of documentaries with her younger siblings. Titus' amazed face was absolutely worth it and he continued to marvel as Gusion decided to control the water in the air to let it snow for him. And Lenka continued to tell him about the world outside, described the island vegetation of Sindria, the bustling streets of the desert cities, the vast ocean she had crossed and the dangers of her dungeons, but what interested him most was the daily life of people outside the temple walls, what they were doing and how they were acting. So she gave him a quick lecture of what to do and what not to do in public, hoping that he would not develop the same perverted quirks as Aladdin and would not act as spoiled as Judar.
She couldn't tell how many hours she had spent talking, describing and explaining – Titus' questions were becoming more and more abstract after a while so that she had to elaborate on them and remember her school knowledge as well. They were in the middle of a discussion about appropriate behavior after she had mentioned Aladdin studying in Magnostadt and his habit to feel people up, thus leading to her explaining the rules of interaction with girls, focusing especially on what not to do, when someone touched her shoulder. Lenka turned around and smiled at Muu.
"Hey. Were you looking for me?"
"Actually I was," he nodded then looked at the boy.
"Titus."
"Lord Muu," the answer came with a bow as Titus had jumped from the bench instantly. Lenka blinked at both of them then snapped her fingers.
"Alexius!"
They looked at her in confusion and she rolled her eyes.
"I just remembered that you have the same surname. How are you related? Are you perhaps brothers by now?"
Muu frowned and shor a glance at Titus who looked up to the big man with a similar expression.
"Cousins I would say, but I'm not very sure either."
"I don't have much information on this matter either," the mage agreed and shrugged apologetically.
"My apologies."
"Doesn't matter, I was just curious."
Lenka stood up as well and stretched herself then blinked a few times for the black blotches in her sight to disappear.
"I guess it's time to say farewell. Thank you very much for your knowledge, Miss Lenka."
Titus stretched his hand out for her to shake and yelped in surprise when she hugged him instead.
"Good luck, Titus, both with your job and the studies. I hope you will have a great time."
His Rukh started to tint slightly pink so she released him and raised her finger.
"Remember what I said about talking to people, preparing for tests and then you won't have bigger problems than the tasks given to you by Scheherazade. Don't try to be so obvious when snooping around, and try to plan your actions in beforehand and get yourself some plausible excuses. And take the next hour to get something to prevent sea-sickness."
Titus nodded earnestly.
"I will do my very best."
"Good boy."
Lenka gave him a peck on the cheek and petted his hair one last time.
"Greet my brother Aladdin when you see him."
He blushed bright pink then nodded furiously. Lenka hugged him again then waved as she left the gardens with Muu. After a few meters she noticed that he was almost burning a hole in her temple with his intense staring and tilted her head in confusion.
"I something the matter?"
"Nothing serious. You were very nice to him."
"Everyone deserves a happy life filled with kindness, no matter how short it is," she answered with a small smile.
"But not many can actually live like this. The wold is full of unfairness and crimes. I'm here to make sure that they won't take over."
He nodded in agree and brushed his hair back.
"I serve Lady Scheherazade to achieve the same, to make Reim a save place where people can live without worries. Titus will contribute to the peace of the empire."
"I've never questioned that, Muu. It's just... I feel a bit sorry for him. He's a good child, like Miran and my other younger friends, which I have mentally adopted pnto my family. It's a habit of mine. I like to take care of people like him, even though it doesn't look like that very often."
Muu smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You are a good person, Lenka."
She closed her eyes for a second and sighed deeply.
"Do you wish to be someone else sometimes?"
He shrugged then looked ahead before his expression became clouded.
"That's difficult. Sometimes I wish but them I'm glad for who I am and what I've become, or else I wouldn't have been able to change so many lives. To save them. Do you?"
Lenka sighed again.
"Yeah. Back home I almost constantly wished for that. It has gotten better since I got into the dungeon and started anew but here, in the maw of politics and conspiracies which is being a dungeon capturer of Reim it's hard to maintain my position."
And because he's getting close to you.
Gusion.
Titus reminds you of your past. A being who is used for greater good. But he will become a Magi, and you have been brought here.
But for what price?
The djinn shrouded herself in silence again.
"I agree with you. It's not easy for me either, even though I know Scheherazade since I was a boy. We fanalis are still a bit of social outcasts, even though the founding of the corps has changed much. They seem to look at my ancestor, my lineage and then at me. Sometimes I can still see their discomfort."
Lenka took his hand and squeezed his fingers a bit to give him comfort.
"I know. I experienced pretty much the same."
Muu hummed and squeezed back.
"Are you hungry? You've been talking to Titus for quite a long time."
"Actually I'm starving," she confessed with a cheeky grin.
"He was interested in everything and his questions would never come to an end. I pity his teachers already."
"I just hope he won't cause Lady Scheherazade more problems than we already have."
Oh, you have no idea, Muu.
My queen, may I remind you that you're still holding hands?
!... he won't let go. What should I do?! Oh my god people are staring at us! Oh Solomon, please let go please... wait, did he plan that? AAAAAAAHHH what should I do?!
… well done, my padawan, Gusion said to Orias who gave her a high five while grinning wide. Apparently they had watched Lenka's memories of Star Wars and learned quite a lot about plotting, scheming and manipulation as well as interesting references.
… Eligos, you owe me cookies. Again. And I know when you forget to put chocolate chip inside and then try to glue them on later. And I know that you were smelling the glue afterwards. I know everything. The force is with me.
Eligos doesn't know what you're talking about, the djinn chirped and giggled at the growing uneasiness of Lenka, the pleased smile on Muu's face and Orobas sharpening his claws with fierce determination. She absolutely loved the homely feeling of chaos around her. Maybe she should have become a spirit of chaos instead of tactics. But why was everyone borrowing favors from her? Shouldn't it be the other way round? She should have really applied for becoming a spirit of chaos and manipulation.
Da da da daa, chapter 20! Almost twice as long at the last chapter. All because you think the story is awesome! 75 favorites! Here, cookies for you! *Tries to give everyone a cookie*
So many reviews for chapter 19 again! I'm so happy! You are absolutely great! fantastic! *starts baking again*
Guest: Just wait, the story will continue for a few more months. I have great plans... great plans for sure... *evil cackle*
Eden: Thank you! Orobas is just so damn possessive of everyone he likes. At the moment his top priority is Lenka, followed by Miran and his twin. He just wants the best for them... or something like that. Being the overprotective big brother that he is...
Nemeria: I once read Attack on Titan after nightfall and couldn't sleep four hours afterwards... bad idea.
Yep, Eligos is bad at household chores but can make very interesting art projects. Her favorites are voodoo dolls and working with papier mâché as well as drawing with black markers on the faces of her sleeping friends. Many have woken up with obscene symbols, insults or games of tic tac toe on their cheeks the next morning...
You're right, people should freak out at her being from another world, but many hear her accent and think its just an expression for living very, very far away. If they would ask her to explain they would freak out for sure. And Eligos does her charming thing on them so that they won't grow suspicious.
I hope this is enough Titus for now. Such a cutie. His reactions to cats are the same as mine.
Miran is nine years old and about 1,45 m or 4'9". He's having growth spurts at the moment due to being fed well because Lenka can't cook and they are often eating out.
toolazytologin: I know! I told her that I didn't want to write a Twilight-triangle but what does she do? Argh! Her resolve not to fall in love is wavering... I'm beginning to feel like Orobas...
Fern: That's good, because the story will continue. I'm planning to write about 50 chapters. I'm almost at the middle... ambitious is an understatement. The story line is done so I just need to write the chapters... easier said than done now that I've abolished the word limit for the chapters... so many words to type...
Oh my, this is going to be huge. But thanks to your support Second Chance will be uploaded next Sunday again. Wait for it...
Yours,
TheMultipleMeExperience