(Falling) into the Dungeon
...
The entire room where a young girl stood was covered in the crimson liquid. The only things that were free from it was the girl's blue scarf and her golden hair. Somehow, in her carnage, she was able to keep them clean. That didn't go for her sword however. The borrowed Rapier in her hands clearly wasn't going to last the night, but that was fine with her. She didn't need it to do so. Walking out of the room, she ignored the blood that splattered onto her blue combat dress and whipped her face. The blond child was searching for something within the warehouse she'd been in. Or perhaps someone would be the accurate word for her to use.
This was a hassle. She wanted to go back into Orario, and assist her familia by fighting their current enemy. However, this was the smarter decision to make. If she were to rescue this boy like she promised, then he would train her. I need to learn his strength. That pure power... with it I'll be able to-! Taking in a breath, she forced herself to stop thinking. Were she to lose control here, then it'd endanger her ability to get stronger. I might accidentally kill his boy. That'd be unsatisfying.
Were she to be honest, she couldn't care less whether or not this kid lived. He was a means to an end. A useful; one however. So, she'd protect him as well as she could. In their limited interactions, he was... annoying. Taking Loki's advice, she tried to interact with the child, but all he did was ignore her. Only ever reading those books his father bought him. The few conversations they did have, he barely spoke. Just because he's weak doesn't mean he can be rude.
Nevertheless, she searched for him in the now dead warehouse. After a few minutes of searching, she found the young boy. Lying unconscious on the floor near the back, the girl feared she was too late. Running towards him, she shook him awake. Slowly, the black haired boy stirred and opened his eyes. Looking around, panic began to take hold before he recognized the girl sitting above him. "Ai..." His violet eyes trembled before he closed them and sat up. "I'm sorry."
The eleven year old Aiz Wallenstein sat stunned. Why would anyone apologize in this situation? She just saved his life, didn't she? So why did he still look scared and filled with guilt? "Are you alright?" She asked, not knowing what to do in this situation. He looked physically fine, no bruises and his clothes looked generally intact. Nothing more than the rare spot of dirt every now and then on his body. But, given his weak constitution, she didn't know if he was feeling badly in any other way.
"I'm fine..." The boy, Viole Keres, opened his eyes once more with a cringe. "Thank you for saving me, Ai. I didn't... I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."
"It was no trouble." She lied. "Come, let's get you out of here." Standing, she offered her hand to the boy who slowly took it. Hand in hand, they carefully walked out of the warehouse. She had to ignore every time he clenched her hand, as if she'd disappear from his side were he to let go. She thought about the difference between herself and the boy. He led a life of sheltered normalcy. Never leaving his village until this occasion and barely leaving his home according to his father. Of course he'd be scared and cling to her in this situation. Compared to her he... he's normal. "Don't be thankful. I only did this to earn your father's favor." She admitted. The blond didn't want his unnecessary praise. No, that wasn't right. I don't want to lie to him. Strange. Why'd she feel that way?
Even with her admission, even with the knowledge that he was nothing but a tool to her, he still squeezed her hand. "That's fine. Ai... as long as you're here for me I'll be fine." Her heart clenched hearing that. "Besides, you're cool like Dad. If anyone can learn from him, it's you." Even with this knowledge, he was still praising her?
"Keres-"
"Viole. Please." For a moment, the young boy cringed. As if being called by his family name inflicted some sort of pain to him. "No need to be so formal to the guy you just saved, you know?"
"...yes, Viole." Hiding her shock, Aiz led the boy out into the dark streets of Orario. Once they'd reached a street corner, the young boy let out a sigh before collapsing onto his bottom. For a moment, the blond child worried that she'd somehow missed a wound.
But, she had nothing to worry about. Because soon after the young boy began to laugh hysterically. "Pahahahaha! I-I really could have died there! Holy shit! But... you saved me." Turning his head, the two young children's eyes met. "Thank you, Ai." For the first time since she met him, he gave her a bright smile. His innocent violet eyes shone in the moonlight and the smile itself felt radiant.
Staring at him, the smile seemed to flip all of her conceptions of the child on their head. He was a brat who didn't know anything about this dangerous world. But that innocence... "Viole. I promise, from now on, if you ever need help I will be there. If there is anything that puts you in danger or you're ever scared I will save you. I promise, I will always save you!" Her voice lost control towards the end of her declaration and she began to shout. If it were any other hour, she'd be the center of stares. But at the moment, it was just Viole who looked at her.
His smile turned strangely wry as he held his hand up, waiting for the girl to help him up. Which she quickly did. "Then, I'll be counting on you, Ai." Aiz Wallenstein had a single goal in her life and it was the only reason why she came to the city of adventurers. It was the only reason she still lived. Her goal was why she needed the strongest Capped to train her. But, a small part of her was yelling in her mind. Kicking and shouting to add onto her desire, to give her another reason. Even if it was such a small thing in comparison. I promise to protect those eyes. Those eyes that are so different from mine. Hand in hand, the two of them walked back to The Loki Familia base. Every now and then, Aiz glanced at the boy. Every now and then, her chest swelled with a feeling she was too young to recognize.
Princess
It was that dream again. It's been an occasional dream that I had every now and then. It's much more... pleasant that the other recurring ones I have, so I don't mind it coming again. Even if a few things aren't exactly like how it happened. Dreams are strange, aren't they? Well... before I saw him again it was. Now, it's just a reminder that I failed. Why? Why did I have to fail? I promised him and yet, I couldn't do a single thing as... Now is not the time. Sitting up in my cot, I looked around to make sure I was the only one awake. Tione and Tiona were still fast asleep on the other side. I suppose I woke up early. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to rest once more, I silently made my way out of the tent.
Grabbing Desperate, I intended to make the best of my time and train. The moment I held my blade- Go up and check on him. A thought that I was forced to push down overcame me. It's happening again. I walked through the eighteenth floor, looking for a suitable place to to train. All the while attempting to keep my mind empty. And failing. His eyes... seeing them once again, I truly did... They look completely different. As if the light's gone. I did it again. Stop thinking of him.
Here I am, stuck on the eighteenth floor because half of my familas been inflicted with a numbing poison. Yet I keep thinking of someone who is completely fine. I need to get my priorities straight. But what if he's hurt right now. Another minotaur could be- Shaking my head, I gave myself a light hit on the head. "Focus." I'd finally reached a suitable place and began to swing my blade around. Hoping that it would keep my mind off of him. Yet, with each swing my mind flashed back to our training. It was fun being around him again in a relaxed sense. Ever since we've reunited he's treated me so formally... he hasn't called me Ai once. Maybe if Bell wasn't there he'd call me that... I should invite him for more training when I get back up there. Not that I wasn't happy to train Bell. He's a good kid. "I did it again."
Why is this happening? It wasn't until we met again that this began. Perhaps I'm simply anxious about him because of what happened. I know that there wasn't anything I could do, yet... I still let my friend down. I broke a promise. "I should ask Riveria about this." It's beginning to get in the way of my training. Mother is still my priority, I mustn't get distracted by that secondary goal. No matter how much it hurts to think of a friend like that.
Capped
Okay, maybe Welf is a cool guy. It's been a week since we've begun working together and he's an interesting person. Outside of his love of blacksmithing, he's generally relaxed and usually looks on the positive side of things. Something that we need in the group, seeing as Lily and I occupy the pessimistic side of the scale here and we outnumber Bell. A lot has happened in the last week other than Welf coming along. Bell awoke to a new skill, Argonaut, that could easily one shot monsters on the eleventh floor. Somehow, I was able to avoid getting jealous of Bell's new growth. Perhaps because of the new skill I have yet to awaken. Whatever that is.
"Alright then! Y'all ready?" Welf said, swinging a red red cloak around his neck and turning towards us. The red cloaks were all Salamander wool cloaks. It was practically necessary to go into the middle floors because of the amount of Hellhounds within the floors and thankfully Welf was able to make them for us. Everyone wore one around their neck, making it easier to wrap it around their entire body. I opted out of that, having the cloak hang around my shoulders. Was it dangerous? Sure. But I'm not going to put safety above wearing my Scarf. Not again. "You sure ya wanna wear it like that, Vi-Vi?"
"Yes, I am. And no to that last nickname. Try again." Sucking his teeth, the blacksmith tapped at his chin. For the last week he's been trying to find suitable nicknames for us. He had a few for Lily and Bell, but I had to shoot down every single one he threw at me. Why can't he just call me by my name? "But good job on the cloaks. I remember my dad telling me about having to use some shitty ones one time. But this feels amazing. I'm sure it'll protect us well."
Like a maiden, Welf's entire face became as red as his hair and he began scratching the back of his head. "O-Oh. Well Of course! I'm me, so of course they'd be amazing!" This was another thing I noticed about the blacksmith. He's weak to praise. Every time someone said something nice to him, he'd almost literally melt and he takes any and all advice to heart. He's a relatively chill person. Maybe Loki was right about trusting people. "Anyway! Y'all ready to go?"
The four of us were standing within a safe room in Floor twelve, the last of the early floors. After here, it's the middle floors and a whole new danger. These floors are so dangerous, in fact, that it is recommended that you come here in groups of at least three as only a truly experienced level two could go from here to floor eighteen alone. And Bell' just leveled up so that's not an option. A small part of me was nervous for this dive. It's our first time so deep and there are dangerous monsters that we've never seen or fought. But, at the same time, I couldn't wait. This dive could push me even further into the strength that I need. "Right, remember the plan then. Our fearless leader spent all night on it."
At Lily's jab, Bell blushed and shook his head. "I did not! Jeez Lily." My friend simply smiled at our leader's reaction. "Okay... quick refresh. Our goal is the fifteenth floor. Viole and I will be in the front, Welf'll be in the middle and Lily will be our backline. Alright?" The three of us nodded and I noticed that Bell looked at me with expedient eyes. As if asking if it was an alright plan. A simple thumbs up calms his nerves. "Alright guys, lets go!"
Almost immediately as soon as we hit the thirteenth floor, Bell was attacked by a wolf-like monster. A hellhound, black wolves that were capable of spewing fire spells, were our first new monster encounter. Before the wolf was able to land it's attack on Bell however, my fist flew towards it. As soon as it made contact, a small bit of black magic coated my fist and killed the monster. It was a new form of fighting I was attempting, only using magic as I needed to not fall into mind down. A necessity seeing as my physical strength was ... it could use some refinement.
The fight, however, wasn't over with just that. A small group of hounds quickly surrounded us as we got our bearings. "Sheesh, talk about a warm welcome!" With a snarky quip, Welf pulled out his broad sword and followed Bell and I into the fight. As I ran towards a small group of hounds, one of them spewed a fireball at me. Dodging to the side, I took advantage of the small moment of recovery and flew towards it. Swinging my leg towards it, I coated it in magic for a moment before decapitating the monster. The two wolves in its group both began to start up their magic. Taking advantage of it, I grabbed both of their mouths, forcing the magic to explode within them, killing them. Looking back, I saw that another hound was just about to pounce on me. Shi- Only for it to be killed by a bolt flying though its head. "Nice shot, Munkin."
"Call me that again and I'll shoot you next." Loading another bolt into her crossbow, Lily walked up to me and flashed me a smile. "You should check your back more often, Viole."
"No need if you've got my back."
"Hehe, well aren't you lucky~"
"Seriously? Could you two not flirt for two seconds?" We're not flirting Welf, we're friends. After taking a moment to pick up all of our monster crystals we moved to head out once more. Only for something to pop out of the round. It was small and was covered in white fur. Bright red eyes stared at us and it held a small weapon in its hand. "Oh shit, Bell! How'd you get there?"
"Wow, did you do something with your hair, Snow cone? You actually look attractive for once."
"Huh, didn't know that Bell had a twin."
"Agh, come on guys! Take this seriously, will you! And I look nothing like an Al-mi-raji!" In front of us stood three small white rabbit-like monsters with red eyes. They couldn't be taller than my knee and you'd think they were cute if they weren't monsters. I bet you could sell plushies of these to non-adventurers. Though that might be fucked up, seeing as these types of monsters likely killed hundreds of people.
"Relax Bell, I'm taking this seriously." I said to one of the monsters, earning an amusing groan that started our second brawl.
F-Rank
Okay, things aren't going well. We haven't even reached the end of this floor and we're already surrounded on all sides by at least a hundred monsters. At a certain point, the Raji's just continued coming out of the woodwork. Individually, even a child could kill one. But, once these little bastards were in a group, they were more dangerous to deal with than a minotaur. Add in the scattered Hellhounds here and there and we were in a world of trouble. Shit! I swear, you kill one of these dumb rabbits, another ten pop out! "Guys, over here!" Bell yelled as he cleared a path for us using Firebolt. Running after him, we ended up in a large room with three exits. Two of them leading deeper into the dungeon and a the third leading us out. It was our way out, finally. "Okay! Just hold out a bit longer and we'll be out of here!"
Was it a bit disappointing to leave before we hit our goal? Sure, but we wanted to fucking live. Falling into the center of the room, Bell, Welf and I all surrounded Lily and had our backs to her. Protecting her. "Bell, we don't have a lot of time here! I'm almost out of bolts and it's only a matter of time before someone here hits Mind Down." Swiping away another Raji, I realized she was right. We were never in the dungeon long enough to find out how many spells Welf can use before he falls unconscious and my strength also runs on a timer. Shit, what can we do? "Viole, when they cluster up, use Void Out with Bell's Firebolt to clear a path."
"Hey, you're a better leader than Boss." Welf said with a smirk, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
"Shut it Welf, not now!" Lily said what I thought. Now isn't the time! I noticed that the monsters were getting closer and closer so I began the chant for Void out, only to stop in surprise. The reason was because a party ran past us. "What the-" The monsters we were fighting seemed to completely ignore them and kept their attention on us. I wouldn't have thought about it for another moment if Lily hadn't yelled, "Dammit! They Pass Paraded us!" A large group of Hellhounds dove into the already large group of monsters we were fighting.
Shit! My dad told me a few stories about Pass parading. It's a practice often looked down upon in the dungeon but often used nonetheless. The act is where a party will be being chased by a horde of monsters and use another party that's already in a battle as agro. Basically dumping the monsters onto a random party and likely killing them. Surprisingly, Dad had countless stories about the practice happening to him. So much so that mom joked that the monsters simply knew he was a playboy. Whatever that's supposed to mean. Dad never seemed like that kind of guy. You know what? How about I focus right now! "Bell, get ready, alright?"
"Right! Fire-"
" Ignore the contradictions hidden within our souls! Void-"
"BOLT!/OUT!" Slamming my foot into the ground, a wall of black magic sword upwards and forwards like a geyser. Bell's fire magic traveled alongside the spewed magic like a canon, creating a large gap for us towards one of the room exits. Even if it led deeper into the dungeon, the four of us took the exit nonetheless without hesitation. Staying here was not an option and definitely would get us killed.
Running though, we ignored each of our labored breaths and continued. Shit, this isn't good! In front of us sat a bridge made of stone that led into another room of the dungeon. If we get stuck there it's over! We can't- "Keep going! They're right on our tails!" Bell's yell stopped my train of thought and forced me into a single option.
Once I crossed the bridge I waited for each of my party to meet me there. Once Lily ran through, I coated my hand in magic and dug my nails into the stone bridge. Just as the monsters began to come across the bridge, I followed my instincts. "Void Out, Claw!" Pulling my hand out of the bridge, the magic flew forwards in a claw like motion and destroyed the bridge and plunging the monsters deep into the dark unknown. As I stood up and relaxed my magic, my head panged. "Agh, not now."
"Viole?"
"I'm fine. Let's-" I was interrupted by growling coming from deeper into the cave. "Focus up!" And I just got rid of our only out. Dammit, dammit dammit! Running into the fight, we didn't notice the cave's slight rumbling. How could we? We were far too focused on surviving that we didn't notice the ceiling until it fell right on top of us.
E-Rank
My dad's an amazing person. He's extremely popular in our village, so much so that he has to turn down countless dinner invitations from all of our neighbors so we could have our own family dinners. Mom was popular in her own right, with most of the kids always surrounding her whenever she went out. At least, that's what Abby told me. I barely ever left the house, after all I was physically weak. I don't know why, but my entire life I've never had any real strength in me. I was easily injured and I was always a burden to any team of kids that had me in our games. So, I stopped going out.
I spent my days at home, reading or learning how to cook from the few recipe books we had at home. It was a better way to spend my time so I didn't let the constantly empty house bother me. The only times I ever left the home, was to do the few chores on the farm that Dad gave me. He always said it was a great way to slowly get stronger, but I knew he was just saying that to keep my hopes up. After all, the chores were always just moving a barrel, keeping things organized, or feeding the animals. Never anything with the farming equipment. I'm just a burden to my family. If I couldn't help them with their work, the least I could do was fill their empty stomachs.
I think I was pretty good at cooking. Of course I was complete shit at first, but after a few months, my Mom handed me a newly knitted apron and said with a smile "You've taken my place here! I have nothing to teach you."
"You never thought him anything though..." Seeing her elbow my father brought a smile to my face. I soon took up all the cooking within the home. One night, as my family were eating a freshly roasted chicken with potatoes, my father told us another one of his stories from his adventuring days. "I'll never forget it! I was surrounded on all sides by Minatours and Hellhounds. Damn muts wouldn't stop shooting me in my ass and I was just Pass paraded again."
"How do you still have new Pass Parade stories after all these years?" My mom asked him, looking genuinely surprised.
Abby let out a soft and gentle giggle from next to me. "Daddy's so unlucky!"
"You can say that again. I swear, it's like they were doing it on purpose! But, it didn't really matter. After all, I'm me. I refused to let my life end in that gods forsaken dungeon. I let my rage speak for itself!" Even though he said it with such a casual smile on his face, something about it stuck with me. As if a part of him was proud of that fact, and another hated it more than anything.
D-Rank
My eyes shot open and I found myself sitting up against a wall. What? Playing back my memories, I couldn't remember how I ended up in this situation. We were fighting monsters and then- The ceiling! No! "Lily!" Shooting up to my feet, I closed my eyes to stop the lightheaded feeling. "Bell? Welf!"
"Viole, we're here!" Opening my eyes, I saw Bell, Lily and Welf on the other side of the room. Welf was sitting and was being tended by Lily as Bell looked on. I walked over the Bell, who called me over, and as I did I put a hand on my head. It was then that I noticed a damp feeling just above my forehead and some bandages wrapped around. "Are you alright?"
"I'll live. Are you guys okay?"
"Peachy!" Welf said with a dumbass smirk as Lily finished wrapping some bandages around his leg. "Well, other than the fact that we're stuck here. Oh and my leg's broken. But hey, just another Tuesday."
"It's Friday." Smacking his leg, our Supporter corrected him before turning to me. "But... I have an idea." Bell nodded at her as I went to pick up our news member. Holy- He's heavy! "While what Sir Viole did was our best option to live, it also trapped us. If my memory of the map of this floor is right, then we'd have to wrap around the whole floor to go back upwards."
What now? I tried not to beat myself up too bad about putting us in this situation, nothing seemed good at the moment. If we go back out into the floor, then we'll be swarmed once again and as we are now... we'll die. "Well, what do you suggest then, Big Boss?" For once, Welf's joking tone actually helped me relax a bit. "And please don't tell me it includes using me as bait. I'd rather not do that... again." Just what have you been through?
"Nah, that'll only buy us so much time." A pathetic whimper coming from next to me made me let out a huff of amusement. "But in all seriousness, we should head down. There are always holes in the floors that can be used as skips to the next floor. If we use them, we'll be able to rush down to the eighteenth floor and-"
"Meet with my familia." Completing Lily's sentence, I was struck with pride for her well thought out plan. It's been two weeks since they left and they've been resting on the eighteenth floor for the past few days to recover from some sort of poison. I wouldn't know this if Loki didn't tell me that before we left. She must have told me in case something went wrong. I really do owe her that date, don't I? "Well, Bell? It's your call."
Gazing at each of us, he gave us a determined nod. "Yes. Let's go!" With Bell's help, we dragged to the first hole towards floor fourteen. As we did, my mind went back to my familia. Am I really going to rely on them again? On Aiz again? I know Loki said I could trust them but... can I really? Is Aiz really the girl who gave me this scarf? It would explain why she went so far to help me but... just trust Loki for once. She wasn't dad's goddess for twenty years without reason. Even if it leaves a bad taste in my mouth at the moment, I'll rely on them.
And so, we fell. And fell. And fell.
Each time we fell through the pits, it hurt. Both physically and mentally. This constant running from monsters and hiding made me feel like a coward. Made me feel like I was letting my friends down and this was all my fault somehow. No, it had to be. I'm sure if I wasn't here to drag them down then everything would have been fine. I'm dragging everyone down because I'm weak... I'm weak... Ugh, my head. My mind felt foggy and it almost felt like I was swimming in my own body. Maybe it's just the fatigue and threat of Mind Down coming down on me.
Dragging our bodies through the sixteenth floor, we were looking for the stairs. This was our only option at the moment, seeing as the next floor had a Monster Rex and didn't have any holes to jump into. Luckily for us, since my familia slew it on their way down, we didn't have anything to worry about as the monster won't respawn till tomorrow. "Shit..." Welf said as we walked. Pulling my head up, I watched as Three large Minatours began walking towards us. "This really ain't funny anymore!" Why? Are we really trapped again... because of me? This really... ha. Who am I kidding? This is fucking hilarious!
Rabbit
Are we really just this unlucky? Three minotaurs were standing before us and blocking our way towards the stairs. Our way out is right there and yet... I knew I wasn't ready to lead. Now isn't the time to think like that! Focus on keeping everyone safe! Pulling my knife out, I was about to let go of Welf when suddenly all of his weight was pushed onto me. "Huh?"
"Come on. A party of three? You could have at least brought an extra, now the date is all messed up!" Oh no. I recognized that tone of voice. Viole walked to meet the minotaurs, a jolly pep in his step. He's in nightmare rage! "Tsk, tsk! This is why you guys can't procreate normally! Now you're going to make Mama Dungeon disappointed!"
"V-Viole?"
Before Lily could walk up to him, he turned to her and shook his head. "Relax. I'll have these party poopers dead in a minute. I just hope I put on enough of a show not to bore you all!" Black magic surged onto his limbs and he flew towards the minotaur, kicking its face. "Oh, I needed that! C'mon boys and girls, don't let me down! I can do it too... I can kill them too! I can keep up too!" Following his kick, Viole grabbed the monster's horn, tore it off and shoved it into the monster's skull. Killing it.
"Incredible..." For nightmare rage to boost my friend's strength by this much. I was almost jealous. But, why did it do this to him? I hate seeing him like this. Once Viole killed the monster, he began falling from its positions, as he was using it as a foot hold. Unfortunately, this moment of weakness was used by the two remaining minotaurs. One of them grabbed him by his right arm and lifted him up. "Viole!" I was about to throw Welf on the ground to run to him and save him but-
But the sound of bones crushing and twisting stopped me. No! The red monster had twisted his arm in its palm, obliterating it as blood sprayed from beneath his magic. "Owie! But good job! Really shows that you're trying your best! Now, then-" Twisting his body around, his arm returned to its original position but now limp. Kicking the monster's face, Viole landed before launching himself back towards the monster that was still reeling. "Somebody needs to be punished!" Grabbing it by the arm, he threw the monster, making it collide with the dungeon ceiling. When it did, the ceiling began to cave in. Seeing the chance, he used the third minotaur's attack as a chance to counter and threw it towards the cave in just as it began. "Ha...haha...KYAHAHAHAHAHA! What now?! Was that really it? More! MORE! MORE!MORE!MORE! SHOW ME MORE! FIGHT ME MORE! I'LL FUCKING SHOW YOUUUUU! I'M NOT WEAAAAAK!"
Viole...Yelling at the top of his lungs, tears streamed down his tortured looking face. After a few labored breaths, Viole's entire body went limp and he fell onto the ground. "Holy- Viole!" All three of us ran towards his unconscious body. His arm was twisted, torn to bits from the inside out and covered in blood. "Lily-"
"I'm already on it!" Quickly, she began trying to bandage his arm, but he showed no signs of response. Mind down. Dammit! We need to get out of here, now! I'm not going to let my friend die!
AN: Good Morning Everyone. Once again, I apologize for being a little late. There isn't much to say for this update but I hope you all are having a great day. I hope you all enjoy this update and thank you for reading.
Mackenzeicmcmillan: Hello, I can understand why you think that'd be stupid. However, if I recall correctly I did point out that it would draw attention to you. wWat I was going for is that people will find him strange and not want to interact with him, choosing to ignore him. If you were walking around in the summer and you saw someone wearing a scarf, you'd find them strange right? That was what I was aiming for and I apologize if I caused a misunderstanding. I hope this clears it up and thank you for your review.
Incognito74: Thank you for enjoying it so far! As for Lily, I agree and disagree. I love her, how much attention I've been giving her in the fic makes that obvious, but she's currently tied with another chracter for my "best girl". It is nice to have a person of culture reading my fic and thank you for your kind reviews.