The echoes of quiet roars passed through my ears, engines. The passage of cars along their solemn journey to some far-off place. My gaze roamed over various figures. Their emotions seemed almost alien to my perception.

On rainy days they grumbled about the rain or held their faces tight as their umbrella shielded them. On a particularly sunny day there was a pair of two - siblings I believed - they lifted themselves from their seats and laughed their way through the crowded streets.

Slowly but surely a certain envy rose. My heart beat with such pangs of jealousy. Why? Why couldn't that be me? Could I not be given a companion to walk these sanitized halls, couldn't someone frown at my actions. Care enough to give me more than a cursory glance... please?

An envy born from the grief of a once abused privilege. No one had ever thanked god that they could walk, no one had ever given a singular thought more to the blessing of their feet. But I had. Everyday… sat in agony as I felt my legs atrophy further and further.

A hell of septic whites, where breath only came from the caustic air whose breeze brought an aura of rot. A deathly air that bred an even deathlier atmosphere.

My back arched as I tried to rise. I flicked my eyes over the room and the adjacent hallway, searching for any errant staff that might protest my movement. Yet nothing. Only empty halls of pure white.

A small smile found its way over my face. So… so very small. But a joy was a joy. And a smile was a smile. It was painful… oh so painful. My legs protested any and all movement, rotted as they were, but I persevered.

Cold tile tickled my bare toes. Slender things that seemed to atrophy all the way up to my calves. Everything hurts. It hurt so much. Even that small smile was wiped from my face as I grimaced in such pain.

No noise. Nothing. I didn't want to make a single peep. I snuck through the door and further down the hallway. Everything was quite empty, there might've been a janitor here, or a nurse there. But the doctors were scarce.
A meeting? Maybe.

Green grass framed by a harsh sidewalk. The automatic doors opened and left me bereft of that deathly stink. This venture brought me to the courtyard. There were a couple people but they just rolled around in their wheelchairs or even just sat in the various benches to enjoy the nice weather outside.

I didn't mind them, and they didn't mind me.

Harsh breaths left my mouth, each one of them brought me closer to the ground. I was only able to persevere for a singular second before my legs collapsed under me. My own body crumbled to the ground, only held by the sturdy frame of a great oak.

My vision flashed as the rough patch of dirt sunk into the edges of my toes. Grass tickled the tips of my fingers… I needed… I… I…

Each breath taken kept on getting harder and harder. Air wasn't being pulled into my body. I… I… My weak fist pounded at my heart. Trying to maybe… just maybe beat whatever the disruption was.

Dark. So dark… someone help… please.

My vision swam and the last I saw was the dark crimson of blood running down the edge of my fingers, taken from the pitiful swipe at my face… trying to grasp onto my neck.

Was this the end… I believe so.

I guess it was nice, feeling the touch of nature one final time. Unfettered by the septic white of a hospital.

Was that the end? Laid taut against the rough bark of some random tree, the dirt splayed through both my hands and feet. Each limb burdened by such enthusiastic pain. I had tried so hard… each avenue of recovery was taken, no matter the horrific pain it caused. Whether it was a chronic jolt of pain in each step.

Maybe it was a lifetime of decay inherited in one moment of pain. My eyes fluttered so heavily. So… so heavy. Heaven? Hell? Some kind of pure nothingness?
Green. So much green.

I twitched my fingers, took control of the previously lifeless digits. Grass fluttered between the crooks of each finger. The cold dirt faded to some form of grass and seed. Trees and roots. Bark that pressed heavily against my back.

Oh… that was my own body.

With what must've been a herculean effort my once heavy eyes found the strength to open fully. What greeted me was a paradise. A green so pure mixed with the foliage of a true forest. My throat pulsed with a hiccuped tear.

Heaven…? It must be heaven.

My head turned and turned and turned once more. I took in the breeze that fell against my oh' so sensitive bare skin. Once more I stood up.

I expected the pain of a thousand suns. Hammers to the brain as my body protested even the slightest movement. Yet… yet… there wasn't a single rush of pain. No burst of anything. My toes dug into the ground as my heels lifted into the air.
My nose took in the fresh forest smells. Everything - I gasped to myself - everything just felt so surreal. A beauty I never knew. A world unburdened by the chains of illness.

But like some burst of divine intervention, the rays of sun concentrated into a singular rock nearby. It highlighted the air so well that dust particles floated visibly in my eye. But most of all there was a note, neatly folded thrice into a brochure-like structure.

I picked it up… unfurled it.

xXx

Hello, Inari. Yes indeed, you have died. Peacefully and as natural as the sun. Just like the moon was fated to orbit around Earth, so too was your death preordained. Of no fault of yours, nor of the doctors performing miracles left and right.

You were to die in that hospital, hooked to countless machines and in the embrace of a mother that cared deeply for you… yet… and I must explore the consequences. You have defied that fate.
A mother ordained to be there, machines divinely placed. Yet none of that happened. A minor detail in the grand scheme of the universe. But… to subvert this one's predictions. I say that there is further use of you.

Leave that dreadful hospital of yours, journey the world. Let your fate be spun in such a different way. ENTERTAIN ME!
I have done the courtesy of treating the aches and illnesses of your body, your mind remains the same, as too has your personality. Feel free to doubt that statement all you want.

You will notice some other changes though. A little gift of mine that will make this all the more entertaining~

And one last note. You've not been sent alone. Whether they may be friend, ally, lover, even an enemy. That is up to your actions.

•Sincerely, a bored god

xXx

I threw the message into the ground the moment I finished reading it. There wasn't a malicious reason in mind, more that a flame had started, and wouldn't stop. It burnt the paper and the ground around it slightly.

Beyond that there wasn't a single singe. A burst of wind scattered the particles into the air, another case of divine intervention. Just as I was drawn to the paper so too was it erased from existence before my eyes.

There was something I had missed. Something so crucial and life changing and… and I had missed it. Bare feet croaked against the ground without pain, my legs burned with nothing but the joy of exhaustion.

I could walk! Involuntarily, tears fell from my eyes, and with them a silent prayer was cast towards that gods way. The god might have saved me only for entertainment, but just the fact that I could walk unfettered and unbothered by chronic pain and weakness was more than enough to make up for it.

A smile settled on my face. I doubted that it would fade for a long while.

I walked. A path was set divinely, just as my eyes were drawn to that paper, so too like that same paper had disappeared. Another path set for me.

A clear and weathered path packed into the ground. Around me trees grew sparse, their green leaves and changing colors grew fainter and fainter. Yet as I walked I found myself looking over the dress I had been given.
It wasn't the hospital gown I had grown so used to wearing, nor was it some modern style worn by those of my age. It was a dress-like thing. A short flowy skirt that highlighted my bare legs. And a loose fitting blouse, almost toga like. I frowned. My hands turned in my vision.

Different. They were different… not enough to be noticeable on first - not even second glance - but enough for me to notice.

I took a sharp breath, panic welled in my heart. A pounding sensation only stifled by the presence of the adam's apple placed firmly under my fingers.

A huffed breath, almost amused, ruffled the translucent piece of hair that blocked a fraction of my vision. I took one more step only to stop. Something screamed at me.

Danger.

I snarled. It wasn't by my own action, but something ingrained in my body. My arms curled along with my fingers revealing claws of unsharpened nails. My snarl bared teeth at the hunched green creature.

It looked like… I narrowed my eyes… like a tiny goblin. Something that a gritty illustration would show.

Ugly. That was the only thought in mind as I took in the entirety of its form. There was a rusty dagger in its hand, small, but still dangerous. Both my instincts and its snarl warned me ahead of time.

The goblin charged, waving the dagger around wildly.

'Strange…' I thought to myself. I felt no fear. My heart beat at a sedate pace, like this was the most natural thing in the world. Even then my body reacted automatically. I crouched down and allowed my hands to touch the dirt.

They curled into claws and threw the dirt in the eyes of the goblin.

A beat.
My claws - unburdened by dirt - sped past the creature's arm and gripped its neck. For a moment I found myself overwhelmed, staring into the hateful eyes of that creature. Yet when I felt a pressure of wind hurling towards me I no longer hesitated.

SNAP

I dropped the corpse and moved out of the slow reaction of the goblin. Even in its death its arm still moved. Only stopping after the momentum was spent.
The goblin overestimated its speed and sped past me. A snarl lit my face as everything turned red.

I… I… My breath grew rough, harsher and harsher until the air coming in didn't match the need of my body. I felt… I felt sick. Was my vision spinning? Was the ground always like that…?
Oh… OH… I was… was hyperventilating… can't… can't breath. I clutched at my neck, my knees fell to the ground. My clothes were dirty.
My body was burning… like molten rods of fire were burned through my back and into my nerves. It brought me to the ground, further and further until every part of my back was splayed on the ground. My knees clutched close while my fingers loosely held them together.

Someone was screaming… I looked around.

Oh… that was me. I'm screaming?

Then it happened. Warm arms clutched me close, a scent wafted through my nose. So comforting~ They gently pulled me into their lap. And once I was clutched closer; a hand pet my head.

It felt strong… warm… so… so… My eyes drifted this way and that. Trying to search for any semblance of normalcy. But all I found was the greenest patch of hair hung over my shoulders.

My eyes clutched closed as tight as I could.

"Control your breathing. In and out. In and out." She - and I now knew it was a she - guided me through a sort of meditation. An angelic voice whose sound brought nothing but music to my ears.

"Shh…" She soothed. And soon my struggling stopped. My arms fell limp in hers and my head lulled back into those warm and strong hands.

It was in those final moments of tumultuous sleep that her voice parsed one last question.

"Are you to be my partner… On this god's whim?"

Slowly, almost languidly, my eyes fluttered. Sunlight filtered through my eyes and brought my sight to the sky, tiny little bursts of blindness stuttered by the bluest sky.

I groaned. My voice quite parched. Yet all was forgotten, the pain of my eyes blinded by the sun, my parched throat, even the pain of my muscles as they screamed from exertion. My thoughts stuttered to a stop.

Green hair turned golden at the ends, with strands that almost.. Scratch that, definitely turned to these lion-like ears. A pair of brilliant green eyes that stared at me with such warmth and joined by a small gentle smile. Her gloved hands spread over my own hair. She pet them with such a gentle touch. That… I couldn't help the pur that came from my mouth as I pushed my head towards her. It was… was just so natural.
Yet that was forgotten. Something tickled at my nose, a small tail that curled against my head. She… my… my own? It curled with hers as she nuzzled our noses together.

I tried to part our bodies but my hands were small, weak. She tugged me closer and pressed me against her chest. My hands were these stubby messes, attached to arms that were shorter than even I was used to.

I wanted to laugh. The pieces had come together. But I didn't, slight tears came to the edges of my eyes, it burned slightly before the pain was gone. Replaced by a gentle soothing voice.

"Shh… you're safe, worry not."

Despite the shock, the sudden deluge of blood whose taint had spread over both my body and mind. I felt nothing but warmth. A gentle embrace that took care of all my woes.

She tucked me into the nook of her neck, her legs stretched and pulled us away from the ground. I watched as the ground became closer, then farther. The pattern repeated almost endlessly.

My hands went slack. She carried me further and further. Until the forest was far and away from us. The only sign of there even being a forest was the furthering treeline that passed behind us.

Eventually she let go of her grip. I looked around and found a weathered path that led to someplace beyond my vision.
She gently let me down and took hold of my hand. A tight grip that forced me to hold my hand high. She was so much taller than me. So much.
I glared. My eyes narrowed as something came into view. A giant tower held between smaller walls. A city? Was this where we were going?
My gaze fell upon the woman who had taken me as her charge. She smiled down and nodded.

The walls grew closer. Strangely enough my legs felt no sign of the intense exhaustion. It should've been there. Right? We were walking for so long so why didn't I feel anything?

Night filtered through my eyes. A strange silver glow from the singular moon lit the path before us. And soon enough we arrived. There were a pair of sleepy guards holding the small line.

Their conversation was beyond me. I was too tired - in mind - to care about the simple words they exchanged.

But I did catch the last words.
"Head straight to the guild, you'll be able to register in short order. Do it soon, they should be just closing right now."

She nodded. Her hand grasped mine even tighter and guided me hurriedly.
"Are we…?" My question was cut short by a nod of her head.
"Yes. We must hurry."
With swift movements I was in her arms again. My fists bunched her clothing and held on as she zoomed across the town.

Eventually we stopped. She spent just enough time in front of the building to coo at me. Her hand ruffling through the edges of my hair in such a pleasant manner. I purred a bit. It felt too good~

I must not have realized it. When I next looked I found myself staring at some employee. She wore this suit-like thing with a white shirt underneath. There were bags under her eyes that spoke of long nights spent working late shifts.

"Just in time. You came here to register for citizenship, yes?"

She nodded and sat in the chair offered.

"Yes."
"Can't offer that right now, temporary at best. But I can tell you of the ways to get full citizenship if that's what you want?"
She shook her head.
"I already know. I just need this for the night and coming weeks."
"Alright. Then fill out this paperwork and be quick, we close soon."
I looked down at the paper and it was in a language both unfamiliar and familiar. I narrowed my eyes trying to decipher the words but nothing came.

Giving up I stared off into space. Trying to just pass the time.
"We're done."

'We are?' I questioned silently.

"Good, hand them here."

She took the papers before guiding us to a private room.

"If everything's in order then it really only leaves the fee. I do need to do a quick check here and there but if you can hand over the fee this'll go much faster. I'm sure that you're… son-" She glared at me for some reason. "Might want to go to bed soon."

"Here"

Out of nowhere she produced a bag of money. The teller counted the amount then coughed slightly. She turned and left the room. Soon after she came back with some papers and a recommendation for an inn that would take us, especially this late.

It was after we were ushered out, our feet gently pattering against the stone floor, that I finally worked up the courage to ask something that had weighed so heavily on my mind.

"I want to ask something." My voice was low and shy.
She smiled warmly and crouched down next to me, bringing her directly to my eye level. Her hand parted my hair and pet me gently.

"I… I know that you're my partner - though I don't know why I know - but who are you… your name… as a person. Who are you?"

She smiled.

"Atalanta. A hunter."
I returned that smile, maybe even brighter.
"Inari. Your partner on this hunt."

I could still feel the weight of those words. Even now. A week had passed. Seven whole days living amongst this new world. People, culture. Everything was so different. And… and we lived under the same roof, the same bed.

I felt like the last point was so insignificant but to me… it wasn't. There was a certain weight, expectations forced upon me. And it wasn't just basic decency. No, that was expected and followed. It was this weighty gaze.

My body shuddered. It was the midst of winter and the cold breeze drifted through the almost closed window. I got up and closed it completely but it couldn't stop the slight dream of mine. Maybe I could just huddle next to a fire with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

I shook my head and propped myself up. The blankets were thrown askew and after I fully untangled myself from them, were placed back in their rightful order. I huffed a stray strand of hair from my face and dressed myself.

Atalanta stared at me. That same weighty gaze expected so much from me. Her form was perfect, that small smile of hers, the posture that never wavered, and clothes that seemed to smooth themselves down into perfection.

But her beauty brought no jealousy of mine own. The mirror played the perfect picture. My hair draped down in a golden waterfall, with roots of green whose breadth gave way to the lion ears of my own. And an equally golden tail that curled slightly at the edge.

My own body was a mimicry of hers, one bent into the male form. Except the feminine features still stayed, enough that I now realized the surprise on that woman's face earlier. When we went to register, she had seen the resemblance and assumed that I was Atalanta's daughter. I wasn't. No, what she and everyone else in the know now knew was that I was her son. And I may as well be with how closely we resembled each other.

The last few days could be split into equal segments. I would wake and eat with Atalanta. Then she would leave and I would stay here in boredom. Maybe she would bring a book or two back and I would fall into a habit of deciphering the words and phrases.

I hadn't made much progress, even now, but some words were easier. I was even able to construct a familiar alphabet.
Once hours had passed, either quickly or terribly slow, Atalanta would come back and soon after we would eat dinner and sleep once again.

Today was different. Amongst the stuffy bar, the food was nice and the atmosphere was as well as a bar could be. But when I was full, the bill paid for. I wasn't sent back up and into the room where I would wait for her return.

Instead Atalanta grabbed my hand.
"Come. I've something for you." She whispered into my ear. They flickered at the slight tickling of her breath. But she just giggled slightly at my pout.
"Something?"
She nodded and dragged me to the filled streets. It was a fantastical sight. People and inhumans walked amongst themselves. Short statured dwarves that held great beards, lithe elves who turned their noses at the general noise of the world. Even people like Atalanta and I that held various animal features.

There were bulls, cats, dogs, all sorts of varieties that went about their way. In all the chaos I hadn't noticed that we had already arrived at our destination.

Atalanta led me towards this tower. It wasn't as grand as the one in the middle of the city, but held on its own… It was as grand as any skyscraper.

Through the doors of the tower I found myself staring at sparkling weapons. Of all varieties, I could turn my head and find silver armor that glistened in the sun, and then swivel to dark cloaks and daggers hidden deeper. To swords whose very presence spoke of sharpness.

"Here." Atalanta pointed. A small indulgent smile on her lips.

"There?"

I pointed to the same shop. It was peculiar. Instead of the shiny weapons that littered each and every other shop that we had come across. This one seemed to be in tune with nature. A stone hall that led further.

It was there we stopped. Her hand pushed the door open. My nose rose with the scent of a thousand different vines and wood. Each of them lacquered with different oils and scents. Like one had piled on a forest of a thousand trees and greeneries into this small space.

My pupils dilated at the deluge of smells. I turned my nose to sniff, my claws to touch and feel. I was pulled from my reverie, through shelves and aisles. Past staffs and staves made by a master of their craft.

Upon the heavy wooden desk was an elf. Hiss ears were long, far longer than the elves of the street. He was a dignified sort, his brow raised with his confusion.

"A child. Yours?"

Atalanta did not deign to give the question an answer. Her nose upturned at the haughty atmosphere the elf brought and merely held her hand out for some item. One she had presumably ordered.
The elf snorted at the barbaric actions. He pulled his robes into a movable fashion and grabbed something from the back. It barely took a moment, his speed was something to fear.

"Why you of all people would need something so… barbaric… I cannot hope to know."
She frowned, her gaze turned from the bow hung in his hands to the pack of arrows strapped to the arrows string.

With a scowl Atalanta took the items. She flashed a pouch of currency and threw the required amount onto the desk. It bounced with a metallic clang.

Was it the gaze? The half hidden lust that he directed at our forms?
Atalanta gripped my hand. Tighter than I was used to. And with that we were off. The streets passed us by quite quickly and soon we reached some random place. Devoid of all people.

My legs didn't quite burn with exhaustion. No, I couldn't feel such shallow hindrances. But my brain was quite fractured. Disoriented if you will. From our quick departure, to the run through the streets. I hadn't a moment to organize my thoughts.

I frowned. My brows furrowed. The place around me was a sort of field. Targets were set purposefully while the slight breeze forced the grass to tickle at my ankles. I measured the difficulty of the targets.
Some were small and quite far, others were so large and close that it would take an idiot to miss them. Atalanta crouched in my view. And the puzzle pieces shaped together.

Her voice was low and stern. To warn me of the danger most likely.

"I cannot sway you from danger. I can coddle and force you into inaction. But I know you will stifle, there will be times I cannot protect you. Even in the confines of that tiny room."
She took a breath and set those hardened eyes upon the targets.

"But I can sharpen your skills so that you may yet live. Take the bow, steady your grip. And hunt. You have proclaimed yourself my partner. You will learn to hunt."

I took a breath. My motions followed, a breath in and my off hand brought the string towards my cheek. Hold. My eyes sharpened and aimed the arrow true. Out. And the tension was released. Each step was taken in less than a second.
The arrow flew true. It gained spin and dug deep into the target, yet my hands didn't budge, my arms didn't flare in excited celebration. No, they burrowed into the sheath of arrows and brought another one to the string.

In. Hold. Out.
The steps were repeated with robotic precision. And when the arrows ran dry, my feet burrowed into the ground, my arms pulled me closer to the sturdy object near. She ran a hand through my hair and whispered sweet congratulations into my ear.

I felt… the praise wasn't earned. Even as my ears flickered with pride. All I had done was mimic the stance she had seen me. But I could tell that my form was rough. Made for a body twice my stature. All I had accomplished was a false mimicry.
Just as my body mimicked her appearance. So too did my muscles take in her form and experience, yet it didn't have the pride to adjust to our own stance.

I pouted. My mouth taut with dissatisfaction. Even as Atalanta pet me gently into her arms. Her smile was teasing and proud.
"That is enough for today. Gather your arrows and we will be back in the morrow."
I said nothing more, knowing that I was not worthy of that praise, unsaid as it was. Instead I pushed myself from the warmth and bid her wishes.

Each arrow was carefully extracted from their burrowed targets. Put into the sheath once again and tucked under my arms once all had been gathered.
"Ready." I spoke.

"Good. Come, follow."
I did. Through fading streets of darkened evening. Dusk had settled over the minds of all, and the only people out were those with a mission. Whether that was towards their houses or the nearest pub, only time would tell.

Our destination grew closer in my eyes. Until the raucous atmosphere of the pub deafened my ears. And the once familiar bed covered my eyes with their warm embrace. Another hugged me close, settling her arms over my form and rocking me to sleep with a gentle lullaby.
A song in a tongue only spoken in the far reaches of the past.

Cold light burst in tufts of vision. I could see fine, as could Atalanta, if she was here I'd imagine. Yet the burst of vision given was something precious to others. Without the tunnels would be consumed by an ever encroaching darkness, a death wrought before the human eye could even begin to adjust.

Stares. Curious and uninterested, a spectrum from worried to disinterest crossed the gazes of those who passed me.

Dawn had barely set yet the city was awash with activity. Stallowners set their businesses into frame, young woman toed the market searching for deals, and adventurers cleared the first floor of the dungeon.

Corpses littered my view. Most of them were filled with scattered stabs that broke apart their bodies. But to the keen eye, one I found myself taking pride in, there were others. Ones carved into with a knife - some integral part of their being taken - and their bodies turning to a black smoke that wafted through the air with purpose.

Goblins. I found no other variation in the pattern. A goblin here, another there. Each corpse held the same ugly green skinned beast. That earlier disgust, whose pounding breathlessness still felt like yesterday, was gone. There was no hyperventilating over the blood of another being, no panic over the death of another.
Only a deep seated resolution that burned through my heart. I could no longer deny my instinct, my body was born- No. Created for this purpose. To brave the dangers of the night, to return and repeat this process once more. Again and again until my bravery ran dry, or the depths of my power failed me.

I turned the corner. Instead of the flurry of dead bodies, a hallway filled with the blood and guts of goblins brave enough to face the meat grinder that was the motivated adventurer. This area was a fork from any regular route. It meant that in front of me was the ugliest creature.
Two goblins. Their snarls seemed to come in a symphony of violence as they approached. And under the veil of darkness, for the first time, I took a real glance at the being in front of me. Giant bulging eyes, plump and green pigment all framed by a dwarven like body. In short, disgusting.

Involuntarily my face turned into a low snarl, my fingers curling into claws. An action that was so ingrained… so instinctual that I had to purposely bring my stance upright once more.

I took a steadying breath. The bow carried on my back was brought to bear an arrow nocked and ready to fly at a moment's notice. A beat. My body curved into a display of acrobatics, flying away from the snarling claw of the goblin.

I twisted my body in the air, and let loose. It flew with utmost accuracy. A mimicry of the sheer skill and precision I had seen Atalanta use. The goblin's head snapped back and as if the strings carrying its body had been cut. It fell to the ground with a loose keening cry.

My feet landed on the ground, dug into the stone to stop myself from sliding any further. I took another glance at the last goblin and let loose another arrow.
It was so… just so simple. A singular motion. In. Hold. Out. And another corpse fell to the ground. I took a deep breath. The smell of sweet blood wafted over my senses, I held down the vomit that threatened to burst from my mouth.

And with another steady breath I wrung my hands over the soft light that illuminated this little pocket of the dungeon.

I was trained. I was given instruction and a weapon to use. I wasn't invincible. By no measure was I. But that old mindset of mine, the fragile thoughts who flinched at the sight of the dead. I culled anything resembling them and let my knee fall to the ground.

The next came with it soon after. Then my feet gave out and put me into a startling Japanese-esque sitting position. I turned to the observer. She had golden eyes to match her golden hair. She sat silently at the edge of the corner and watched me.
Questions flittered through my mind. Had she been watching the whole time? Had she not? Why was she watching if she had? Did she want something from me?
I shook my head and gestured for her to sit next to me. She tilted her head, as if the gesture was so alien to her. Then, as if to fulfill an obligation, she sat in the same manner.

My shoulders relaxed, don't get me wrong. I still observed her. But she was my age, maybe a year or two older though that was subjective and could be completely wrong.

But the reason that I was able to relax, if just a tiny bit, was in those twinkling eyes of hers. She had this curiosity about her that only her eyes betrayed. They were this expressive mix that just didn't fit on that impassive frame.

"You." She murmured. "Are the same."
She stood up and took the arrows from the goblins. Like a peace offering she handed me the arrows after thoroughly examining them.

"You're strong."
She sized me up. From the tips of my ears to the toes of my boots, her gaze flickered from each before settling on my face.
I sighed. It didn't seem like she was going to introduce herself, content as she was to just watch me. "Who are you?" I finally breathed out.
Her eyes twinkled before she tilted her head. "Oh. Ais."

So innocent. So… naive?
I shook my head and gave her my name. "Inari." And with that final word the world just continued in its silence. Finally I gave up and observed her too. She wore cloths unsuited for battle but so did I. Even the sword on her waist was slightly hidden for some reason.

I know why.

"You're sneaking in here too, aren't you?"

"Nn…" She nodded.

I gave up and threw her a bone since she didn't seem to want to leave.
"Wanna come with me? It'll be easier with the two of us."
Another nod.