Author's note: Hey, it's been a while. In case you didn't know, I have been re-writing parts of this fic from the beginning and uploading them over at ao3 in /works/42201492. I will still post any new updates on both websites (tho I honestly prefer the archive), but if you want to re-read or refresh your memory I suggest you do it over there :)

Rushia was anxious.

She'd been sitting at the inn's corner table for the past half hour, and during that time people had arrived in increasingly larger numbers, to the point where the establishment was almost full now. It was getting to be dinnertime, and she regretted not having ordered a meal earlier. She could scarcely gather the courage to run away to her room now, without any food in her belly.

She peered into her empty juice cup. How long had it been since she'd been around this many living humans?

I miss teacher…

It was only when Rushia set off on her journey that she truly understood how important her teacher's presence had been. Sure, he didn't talk much and could be overly serious at times, but he had been her only companion for a long time, and the forest seemed much more empty and threatening without his presence. However, just as she was feeling lonely, Rushia remembered his words: the undead were always with her. Without a graveyard nearby though, talking to spirits was impossible unless she went to the underworld herself and, without the lich there to keep watch, she was afraid of just leaving her unconscious body in the forest.

If I can't go to them, could they come to me? She had pondered.

She could easily call for spirits in places where the connection between both worlds was thin. In the middle of the forest, though, that was next to impossible, or so her teacher had told her.

Well, I can at least try.

To the necromancer's surprise, she had found that she was actually able to call upon a spirit. It required much more effort than usual, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't summon more than two, but just seeing their cute round forms and getting to speak with them for a few minutes had lifted her mood considerably.

I've leveled up as a necromancer! She had smiled to herself then. Just a few days and she was already developing new techniques. She would be a whole new person by the time she saw her teacher again. Full of confidence now that she knew she could talk to her friends at any time, Rushia kept walking onwards.

And so, she eventually arrived in this city. She had sneaked into town the previous night using her magic and managed to luckily find an inn still open. The innkeeper had cast some doubtful looks at her, but fortunately didn't ask any questions, and she managed to safely pay for a room with her former teacher's money. "You're in luck, miss, it's the last one.", he had told her.

It was relieving, for she couldn't stomach a diet of only berries and fruits for much longer. Of course, it was at the same time quite nerve-wracking, and she had nearly fainted when she went outside earlier in the day and had been pushed into the immense crowd occupying the streets.

"Oh, miss, you're still here? You can order dinner now if you want!"

The lively voice that woke her up from her musings had come from the inn's waitress, a young girl who seemed to be always carrying food around. She was nice enough, but her energy and extroverted attitude felt oppressive to Rushia.

"Umm, y-yes."

"And what will you be ordering?"

Rushia looked at her with a blank stare. She had no idea what was even available. Her eyes moved to the waitress's arms.

"Um, that, please." She pointed to one of the trays the girl was carrying, which contained a series of vegetables and some meat Rushia didn't recognize.

"Thank you very much! I'll come back soon!"

The necromancer watched as the waitress walked to another customer, taking their order as well. It had been a simple interaction, but she still felt high-strung. Biting her nails, she considered calling for a spirit. Could she hide the floating presence? Actually, would the other customers even be able to see it?

"Party of three, then? You can sit here!"

The waitress' voice reached her once again. The table closest to her had just been occupied by a group of three women merrily chatting. Rushia sank into her chair. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to find out she was a necromancer.

I'll just eat and go back to my room. Maybe I can even visit the underworld…

"So, let me get this straight. Your grandfather left this boat in your care and you haven't checked on it for how long now?" Noel asked.

"You know, a few years. But it's sturdy, and the sailors at the port would never let anyone take to the sea with a boat that's not theirs." Marine replied casually, stuffing her mouth with the inn's fritters.

"And would you really take us to Hololive for free? It's quite far, you know."

"That's no problem! I've been wanting to get off this country for a while now. The destination doesn't really matter to me." Marine replied cheerfully. "Another beer please, miss!"

"I'll be there in a moment!" The waitress yelled in reply.

Noel frowned. The self-proclaimed pirate captain had already downed three beers, and it didn't look like she would be stopping any time soon. Her dismissive attitude also didn't put the knight at ease. Still, she had actually managed to get her and Flare a room and had even paid for their dinner, so she wasn't a total con artist.

"Will you be fine drinking like that, Miss Marine?" Flare asked. She too had ordered a drink, though her mug was still more than halfway full.

"Of course, of course! I'm no lightweight, I won't get drunk from just a few beers." Marine dismissed with a giggle.

You already look pretty drunk to me… Noel couldn't help but think.

"More importantly, I have a question."

"What is it?" Noel sighed.

"Where did you two come from? I would've remembered if I'd seen such a cute couple in this town before."

"We're not a couple!" exclaimed the knight, prompting looks from the other customers.

"Bahahaha! Sorry, sorry. 'Twas just a bit of teasing."

"Please refrain from it, then. The whole inn is staring at us now." Noel hissed. "Flare, you rebuke her too!"

"Eh?! A-ah. Noel's right, we're just friends." The half-elf's face was flushed red.

Is she getting drunk too? Noel questioned herself.

"Oh? I see, I see. I get it." smiled Marine.

"Get what?"

"Don't worry about it. In any case, you still haven't answered me. Where did you two come from?"

Noel provided an abridged version of the events that had led them there, omitting only her status as a knight, as she still didn't completely trust this strange woman. However, she had a sneaking suspicion that, even if she had laid everything bare, it wouldn't have mattered, for by the end of her retelling Marine looked like she could barely hold a rational thought.

"Now thatsh a cool story! But there's a problem with it."

"A… problem?" Noel frowned.

"None of it explains how those things got so big." Marine pointed her nearly empty mug to Noel.

"Huh?"

"In fact, that goes for both of you! What's up with those huge knockers! You're making me look bad over here, and I ain't small! Hey, you said you weren't a couple, right? Would you mind if I touched them?"

"Kno- Okay, I think she definitely has had one too many. Flare, help me take her upstairs."

"Hmm? Oh, sure."

Flare looks distracted. I'll have to ask her what's wrong when we get to our room. she thought.

"Don't worry!" uttered Marine. "Marine is the best pirate captain to ever grace the seas, she can get up by herself."

With that sudden third-person speech, she shot up from her seat.

"Woah, why is the ground moving…"

"I told you."

"I'm fine! I just got up too fast."

Noel rubbed her eyes in frustration. Maybe this had been a mistake after all.

"Wow, you're so cute. Wanna go to this lonely Marine's room?"

"Huh?! Listen, even if we're both girls, those kinds of jokes are too-"

Noel ceased her rebuke when she realized that Marine had her back turned. She wasn't talking to her. Instead, she had directed her inappropriate comment to a short girl with green hair sitting at the next table, who looked terrified.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry for her behavior. She just drank a bit too much, and…" Noel trailed off. The girl looked oddly familiar. The knight scanned her mind, but she couldn't remember having an acquaintance this young back in the capital, and no one in the village had had green hair.

Green hair?

A memory leaped to the front of her thoughts. The mysterious person at the village's graveyard, that one night. The happenings of the previous days had been so hectic she had completely forgotten about that event.

Could it be…

Noel stared at the customer, who was averting her eyes and looked like she would very much rather not be there.

"Noel? Marine looks like she's about to pass out." Flare warned, snapping the knight out of her trance.

Marine was wobbling her head, humming an odd melody.

"Right. In any case, sorry for the trouble." Noel bowed clumsily.

Surely not. It was dark back then. But…

She just couldn't pass up the chance. The image of the girl in the graveyard and her sudden disappearance had visited her dreams far too often. Even if she was mistaken, she'd rather be embarrassed now than endlessly wonder about it later.

"I'm sure this sounds odd, but were you perhaps at the graveyard of a village east of here a few weeks ago?"

The girl's eyes opened wide.

"Ah- I-I…"

"Oh, so you know each other! You should have told me so, miss Noel!" cheered Marine. Before anyone could react, she grabbed a chair and sat next to the stranger.

"May I ask your name, fair maiden?" Marine requested as she gently took the girl's hand. The situation would have almost been romantic if the so-called pirate captain didn't reek of alcohol.

"Wha- I, I'm Uruha Rushia..:" She replied, almost in a whisper.

"Rushia! A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. And what are you doing in this inn? I've never had the pleasure of seeing you before."

"I-I'm a traveling necromancer."

"Eh?"

Noel shot a look at Rushia. She was covering her mouth and anxiously checking her surroundings. It was a reaction appropriate for a little girl who had just slipped out her friend's secret, but what she had said had been anything but innocent.

"Oh Rushia, don't joke like that!" Marine let out a hearty laugh.

It looked like anything but a joke to Noel. As a knight, she had had special lessons on how to deal with necromancers. They were rarely seen, but the kingdom feared them, and for a good reason. They were considered a threat on par with the elusive and nearly extinct dragons for their ability to command whole armies of unrelenting undead. She had never expected to meet one in her lifetime, and especially not in the form of a young, innocent-looking girl. Noel noticed her hand had unconsciously moved to her mace.

A tap on her shoulder made her spin around.

"I really don't think you need to worry about her." A smiling Flare pointed to the table. Marine had gotten closer to Rushia, whose face was a mix of panic and embarrassment. It definitely didn't look like the expression of someone planning anything nefarious.

Still, Noel couldn't let it go. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Only a necromancer would be sneaking around in a cemetery during nighttime. And the girl had used magic to attack her.

"That's the girl I saw." She whispered in the half-elf's pointed ears. "I'm sure of it now. I think she might recognize me too."

"Well, isn't that good? You can ask her what she was doing in the village. I know it's been tormenting you."

"It's not good! She said she was a necromancer. Do you know how dangerous they can be?"

"I understand that, but look at her. She doesn't look like any evil mage I've ever heard of. Would someone like that even be at an inn?"

"She could be disguising herself. Or acting. Or both! Necromancers can't be treated lightly, Flare. They can raze a town to the ground on their own if they've trained enough."

"Well, let's try talking to her then. The elder used to say it's no use trying to read others' minds. There's no better way to find out someone's true intentions than a good conversation."

"But…"

"Who knows, maybe she is a good necromancer. Didn't you say people used to think elves were evil, too?

"That's different…But fine." Noel sighed and sat in front of Rushia.

"Ahem. Miss Rushia, was it?"

"Ah, yes."

"Are you really a necromancer?"

There was a long silence, only interrupted by Marine's hiccups. The room was gradually emptying as people finished their meals and either went home or to the tavern's rooms. Noel had noticed the waitress glancing at them more than once. She didn't want to cause a scene here, but she wouldn't have a choice if the girl tried to escape.

I might be a runaway knight, but I'm still a knight.

"I'm sorry!" Rushia cried out abruptly, bowing her head so far it almost hit the wooden table.

"Wha- why are you apologizing?" a confused Noel blurted out.

"You're the knight lady from the village, right? I'm sorry for having attacked you. I got really scared when you appeared…"

"So you really were the one I saw at the graveyard."

"Yes, but I swear I wasn't going to do anything bad! I just wanted to talk to the spirits there! I'm really really sorry for having bothered you!"

Noel could feel Rushia's nervousness as she spoke these words. Just like Flare said, she didn't look like someone who had evil plans. In fact, she looked afraid. Her words came out in a frail voice, and her legs had started shaking. Noel felt guilty, but her sense of justice couldn't just let this go.

"Even if you say that, necromancy is still…" Illegal was the word Noel almost said. Much like what she was doing.

Do I even have any right to talk to her like this? She wondered.

"Say, Rushia, what are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking? I don't know much about necromancers, but don't they typically live in forests?" Flare asked, pulling her chair to Rushia's table.

"Oh… Yes. It's a long story, but I'm traveling alone now."

Now? Does that mean there are more necromancers out there? The thought made Noel shudder.

"We're traveling too!" Flare smiled. "What's your destination?"

"I was told to go to the land of Hololive..."

"Hololive! That's where these two want to go, too!" Marine, who had had her eyes half-closed in a drunken stupor for a while now, suddenly shot up. "Do you want to come aboard?"

"Huh?! What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, Marine here has made us a deal. She said she would take us to Hololive free of charge if we work as her crew during the trip." Flare explained. "Still, what a coincidence, huh? To think you'd also be going there."

"Flare? You're not thinking…" Noel started.

"You should totally come as well, Rushia! I don't think I can stand looking at these two lovebirds for months all by my lonesome." Marine quipped.

"Wha- Is that okay? You heard I'm a necromancer, right?"

"Of course, of course! The more, the merrier!" the captain swung back and forth, a wide grin on her face.

"You aren't… disgusted by me?"

"Why would I be? You're just adorable!"

Marine opened her arms and jumped in for a hug, an attempt thwarted by Rushia as she quickly dodged the inebriated woman, who ended up with her head on the wall.

"Ow…"

"Pfft". the necromancer giggled. "Are you okay?"

"Hey! I just heard you laughing!" complained Marine, whose bruises were more emotional than physical.

Noel allowed herself to relax. It looked like Rushia had no intention of using her powers, at least at the moment. She felt apprehensive about letting a potentially dangerous necromancer roam free, but then again, she didn't have the authority to detain anyone in this city. Or anywhere, as a matter of fact.

There's no way we're traveling together, though.

The knight yawned. The hour was late and she was exhausted from both the long trip and the tension of having met two dubious individuals. She didn't have the will or mental fortitude to contest the decision to take Rushia with them, at least not at the moment. She would wait for tomorrow, when everyone's minds were clearer.

"I'm sorry everyone, but we'll be closing up soon! You'll have to finish any conversations in your rooms." The waitress's voice reached the group. As she looked around, Noel noticed nearly everyone had already left, and outside of a few solitary drinkers, they were the last customers in the restaurant. The announcement had been clearly meant for them, even if the waitress did not say so directly.

"We really should go now." advised Noel.

"Ehh, already?" Marine complained, but nonetheless stood up and slowly limped to the stairway, stopping only to yell the trio goodnight. Noel didn't envy her. She could only imagine the effects of her almost certain hangover would have her knocked out for most of the morning.

Flare turned to Rushia, who had also gotten on her feet.

"We're leaving tomorrow at midday. If you still want to go with us, meet us at the door then."

"I… I'll think about it." With these words, Rushia nearly ran upstairs.

Noel shot Flare a disapproving look but said nothing as they climbed up the steps to their own room.

"That Rushia girl seemed to have a lot on her mind." commented Flare.

"So she did."

Their room was standard for an inn. It was small, with most of its space occupied by a double bed covered with white sheets. An antiquated oil lamp burned at a nightstand, illuminating the corners of the bedroom where the light of the moon didn't reach.

Flare sat on the bed.

"Why do you distrust her so much?" she had softened the question as much as possible, but Noel still felt the accusation in it. "You saw how nervous she was. No matter how you look at it, she's just a little girl."

"You know what necromancy entails, right? It's considered forbidden magic for a reason. Even if she truly is how she looks, that doesn't change the fact she's doing something wrong."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Flare, I can't believe you'd ask that. How would you feel if she had done something to the village's deceased?"

Flare hesitated for a moment. "I don't think she would do that."

"We can't know that! You only met her less than an hour ago."

"Still, I don't believe it. Would she go so far as to apologize to you if she truly had bad intentions? I'm inclined to believe in her."

"You can't just trust everyone you see. It was the same thing with that Marine girl earlier."

"Marine… is definitely a weird one, yes, but it looks like she intends to keep her end of the deal."

"Flare…" Noel sighed and threw herself on the bed. "Where do you get that confidence?" she murmured.

"From you." the half-elf replied.

"What?"

"You were the one that taught me there's more to a person than their appearance. Much more, in fact. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be alone in my home, resenting every town guard as if they were the knights that took my parents."

Noel glanced at her companion. She was staring at the ground, and the knight couldn't quite see her expression from this angle. Her blonde hair, tied in a ponytail, fluttered down her back, golden locks illuminated by the pale moonlight. She had always thought her beautiful, even during their belligerent first meeting. While her reasons had been legitimate, Noel could only cringe whenever she recalled how she had chased Flare around the village, certain she was a criminal.

Was she doing the same now? Was she unfairly suspecting someone who had no ill will again?

"I…I'm willing to overlook the fact that Rushia is a necromancer. But I don't want her traveling with us."

"Why not? Give her a chance. We're going somewhere completely new. The more companions we have, the better." Flare stood up and opened their shared bag. Noel looked to the side as the half-elf put on her nightgown.

"In any case, I'm glad you're feeling better." It was a poor attempt at changing the subject, but the last thing the knight wanted was to get into a serious argument with Flare this early in their travels.

"Hmm? What do you mean?

"You seemed down when we were eating." It was Noel's turn to undress, and as she did she pondered if this would be the last time she took off her armor.

No, she decided, I may have to hide it now, but I still want to be seen as a knight.

"Was I?" Flare tilted her head.

"You know, when Marine was messing with us."

"Ah." The half-elf went silent for long enough to prompt Noel to look back at her. Their eyes met for just a moment before Flare spun around.

"Can you take my bow off?"

"Oh, sure."

Flare's hair was unruly and, in her own words, was always getting in the way, so she usually kept it tied up. Even Noel had only seen it let down a handful of times. As her fingers undid the knot that kept the hair bow in place, she could feel her face flushing.

Oh, come on. I only drank a sip of beer.

Flare ran her hands through her hair and stretched. She took light steps to the room's only window, which allowed for a decent view of the empty village's streets and a much better view of the luminous night sky.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" Flare waited until Noel was at her side to utter these words.

"It is. Though I think you could see it better from the village." Noel frowned.

"I think so too." Their hands found each other and entangled together, fingers intertwined.

Neither of them spoke a word for a long time. Noel didn't need to ask to know they were thinking of the same thing. The future was uncertain, and though Flare was the more positive out of the two, she was sure to have her doubts about this expedition. They still knew next to nothing about the place they were going to. The prospect of spending months at sea with no clue as to when they would arrive or if they would survive the trip was also appalling. Nonetheless, Noel knew their feelings on this were mutual.

An uncertain future together still bests the other option.

"Let's go to bed. It's been a long day, and tomorrow won't be any shorter." yawned Flare.

"You're right." The knight squeezed Flare's hand one final time before letting go.

"And Noel?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."