Four days had passed since her eleven year-old brother had been reported as a missing person; by all accounts, Vivine should have been left devastated. However, in spite of all the sympathy she was receiving from the Heim family and from her neighbors, the sixteen year-old teenager's observations of her brother's best friend left her unable to accept that he was forever gone.
Having been noticeably the worst one who had been dealing with Ren's absence, Bethany's recent return to sudden normalcy left not only Vivine curious, but the rest of the redhead farm girl's family as well— a growing suspicion that only grew, after the ten year-old girl's father requested Vivine to move into their spare guest room.
Under the assumption that her mental health would quickly deteriorate if left alone, Vivine had Bethany's uncle come to Maggiore Village to help transport her belongings to the Heim Farmhouse— receiving a bagful of coins, after selling her home to the village elder.
Once she'd settled down and placed her belongings into her drawers and closet, Vivine found comfort in spending time with Bethany— beginning to see her not only as a little sister, but as her only connection to Ren.
When the early morning sun rose on that new summer day, Bethany and Vivine were assigned by the farm girl's mother to tend to the harvested crops— preparing for harvest season in autumn, while Bethany's uncle was out selling their most recent crops.
Dawning a straw hat— just like the one Bethany had on top of her head full of long crimson hair— Vivine was on her knees beside the high-spirited ten year-old. Holding a pair of gardening shears in her gloved hands, Vivine slowly pruned the pepper plant in front of her— her brown eyes focused on Bethany, who was obvious to her curious side-eye stare.
"So, Beth; I noticed you went outside to check the mailbox as soon as you got up," Vivine calmly revealed with a suspecting smirk across her lips, and watched bemusingly as Bethany's pink eyes widened, and her lips tightened into a nervous look. "Is that something that's part of your usual chores, or are you expecting a letter from anyone in particular?"
Hearing the ten year-old suck while biting down anxiously on her bottom lip, Bethany paused as she visibly began thinking of an excuse to tell the knowing teenager, before feigning an innocent smile as she turned her head over her shoulder to look up into Vivine's disarming gaze.
"Oh! Uh, t-that," Bethany accidentally stuttered out, before letting out a forced chuckle. "Haha, ah! Uh…! I… I-I've sort of started getting into the habit of that, caussseeee… C-Cause of my parents!"
Suspending her disbelief, Vivine played into Bethany's obvious cover up by nodding her head with an understanding look across her reassuring face. "Ah, I see; you're doing them a service then, aren't you?"
"Eeyup, that's the idea…!" Bethany replied back with a large droplet of sweat beginning to trickle down her flustered cheeks. Awkwardly clearing her throat, the ten year-old's feigned smile dropped the moment she went back to distract herself with pruning the plant before her— still appearing visibly nervous, while humming aloud in an attempt to make herself seem less conspicuous.
'So… You're expecting a letter from him— that has to be it,' Vivine concluded, with her haunch being satisfied. Although she had been suspicious of her brother being still alive, the closure she felt from having her hopes validated brought the sixteen year-old a sense of concrete peace.
"… Do you think Ren will ever come back, sooner than later?" Vivine asked with a content, and hopeful voice, as she began shearing the dead leaves off of the picked-clean pepper plant.
Although Bethany was now suspicious that Vivine had discovered her unspoken secret, the farm girl still felt obligated to respond to her inquiry with the truth. So with a genuine soft-smile forming across her flustered face, Bethany's composure began to relax as she let out a quiet breath, before telling Vivine, "Ren's a reliable guy, soooo… I think he'll come back, as soon as he's able to!"
More than satisfied with the redhead's response, Vivine couldn't help but to begin picturing the moment her little brother would come marching home— all of the stories he'd tell them, after she would get done scolding him for leaving her without saying goodbye first.
"… I think so too."
Having come from a clan of goblins who had been completely self-sufficient, since their founding members first discovered the underground bunker within the heart of the Equipoise Forest, Amerika was completely out of touch with modern economics— the Old World loving goblin girl more familiar with euros and pound sterlings, then she was with the value of Pathway currency.
Previously under the assumption that whatever she and Ren were able to loot from the fifty-one bandits would be enough to fund their quest, it wasn't until the goblin girl arrived at the trading hub's marina did she discover just how expensive traveling truly was.
Stunned with her jaw dropped behind her bandage-wrapped face, Amerika stood with her arms loosely hanging by her side— her head tilted upwards at the large backboard hung up on the wall behind where the ticket booth worker was sitting.
'Ten bloody gold coins, per FUCKING ticket?! What the hell is this highway-bullshit-robbery?!' Amerika thought to herself; feeling outraged on the inside of her three foot-tall body, while outwardly appearing contemplative, and level-headed— pretending as though she really had the money to afford two tickets aboard the ferry she had been eyeing.
"Ma'am, are you interested in purchasing a ticket?" The well-dressed teenager standing behind the counter asked— subtly gesturing with a nod toward the growing line of travelers standing behind the trio.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Amerika casually waved her gloved hand dismissively at the annoyed ticket seller, and said aloud, "Nah mate— just checkin', was all," before turning around and signaling for Ren and Juliet to follow behind her.
Hearing the exasperated goblin groaning as they exited through the wooden doors of the Marina lobby, Ren made sure to walk at a pace that the blond six-year old could keep up with. "I'm assuming the two gold coins we got from the bank aren't going to cut it," Ren remarked, before quietly muttering under his breath, "Just like how I said it wouldn't…"
Scoffing half-playfully at the eleven year-old's sassy comment, Amerika led them down the wooden pier toward the rest of the harbor— the sounds of waves crashing along the support beams underneath drowned out by the cacophony of seals barking from a nearby rock.
"Yeah, yeah— whatever, mate…!" Amerika shot back with an eye roll, as she slowed down her pace to get closer to Ren while the three of them began ascending up the flight of stone steps leading them up the sloped hill. "It's not like we'd be able to set sail today— even if we bloody did have the money for it."
Upon hearing Amerika's remark, Juliet immediately felt a wave of guilt washing over her— causing her to lower her gaze, as she continued to make her way up the steps beside Ren. "… Please forgive me, ma'am."
Confused by the blond girl's saddened apology, Amerika whipped her head over her armor-padded shoulder to stare back at her ashamed expression through her tinted goggles.
"Wot?! Wot the 'ell are yew on 'bout, lass?!" Amerika asked with a bewildered voice, before having to turn her head back around as they stepped onto the large wooden platform leading them to the large farmer's market that was taking place over the massive seafront courtyard.
Feeling Ren's arm wrapping protectively behind her back, Juliet felt comforted by the gray-haired boy— even though he had only pulled her in closer to him to prevent her from getting lost amongst the crowded area.
"It's just… I-It's just that I know me being here isn't making it any easier for you two to afford those tickets," Juliet explained with an apologetic tone in her voice, while watching as Amerika began backing up towards Ren's otherside.
Taking active precautions to avoid having a repeat of the other night, Amerika reached down to take Ren's hand into hers— hooking her arm with his, and immediately feeling less claustrophobic the moment he felt him gently pulling her close to his armored body.
"Nah, mate— it ain't like that at all," Amerika reassured Juliet first and foremost, as she leaned her hood-covered head up against the side of Ren's arm. "Yew've been nothin' but sweet n' cooperative since we cleaned yew up. And besides: I'd be a bloody hypocrite if I held it against yew for being in need of help!"
Leaning forward past Ren's body to glance over at Amerika, Juliet felt relieved after listening to the goblin's reassuring words, and felt endearment as she watched the bandage-wrapped girl cuddle herself against the boy's arm.
"Thank you kindly for saying that, Miss Amerika; I'll keep being on my best behavior, and help however I can!" Juliet said with jovial resolve growing in her once meek voice, as she started to emulate the goblin girl by leaning her head curiously up against Ren's arm as well— finding the act of affection strange at first, but eventually learning to enjoy it by the time the trio made their way past the seafront courtyard, and took to the bustling streets of the shops and restaurants.
From there, Amerika used her free hand to take her PDA from her duffel bag, and zipped her bag up before slinging it back over her shoulder. Using her GPS, the tech-savvy goblin navigated them through the heavily-trafficked roads paved with smooth bricks, and cobblestone— eventually taking them through a white-wooden shutter door that led them through the entrance of "Cold Stone Coffee".
"Apologies in advance if this place is arse— there's only so much Mili's shite can do," Amerika said aloud in a half-playful voice, as the three of them walked into the chandelier-lit coffee house— light from the morning sun seeping through the shutter-blinds that were hung over the windows adjacent to the entrance itself.
Although it was dimly lit inside the black-marbled walls of the cafe— which in of themselves were sculpted to resemble the rocky walls of a cavern— the amount of mounted candles provided enough adequate light for non-nocturnal people to see through— meaning that Ren and Juliet had no issue finding the start of the line, leading up to the front counter that was on the opposite side of the front door.
Standing in behind a group of young women with voluminous and vibrant hairstyles, Ren's attention was slowly drawn to their lower-halves. '… What the hell?!' He thought to himself, upon realizing that all three women had the lower halves of a snake— each of them sporting their own colored scales that made them unique from one another in both design, and in size.
Furrowing his brows behind his tinted face-shield, Ren stared curiously at the way their lower halves would slither in smooth, wavy motions along the carpeted floor— mesmerizing him for a brief moment, before being snapped out of it the moment he felt Amerika and Juliet stepping forward with the two of them being in tow.
Feeling the goblin girl moving her head softly from his arm before tugging on his hand, Ren turned his head over his shoulder to stare down into her goggle-covered eyes.
""Lamia"— that's wot they're called, mate," Amerika whispered informingly behind her bandages— after sensing Ren's bewilderment, just from having been so physically close to him when he recoiled slightly.
"I see… Thank you," Ren whispered back as quietly as he could— knowing that only Amerika would hear him, with how sensitive her long ears were to sound.
'Does that mean lamias count as being species that're included within the "greater races"?' Ren silently wondered to himself, and began taking notice of the rest of the cafe's patrons. '… They're aren't any other humans in here— a lot of lamias though, I will say that.'
Moving up in-line, Ren began turning his attention to the decor— noticing the numerous hung tapestries along smooth sections of the candle-lit walls. 'Snakes… Lots of snakes… Oh, that one's got quite a bunch of snakes in lieu of hair— wonder if she's important to their culture,' Ren continued to wonder, after noticing just how often the large-breasted lamia with snakes for hair was illustrated on the various hung tapestries.
From the way Juliet didn't bat an eye, to how Amerika only brought up the lamias once while waiting in-line, Ren figured that two were more acquainted with seeing exotic races, compared to him. 'Wonder if anyone who's non-human ever tried buying property in Maggiore… Wonder if they'd even be able to?' Ren wondered to himself, before quickly coming to the conclusion that his village's mayor would more than likely not allow such a thing.
Once it was finally their turn to order from the chalkboard menu posted on the wall behind the front counter, the trio was greeted with a pink-haired lamia with red scales that were barely visible beneath the black apron she had wrapped around her waist.
"Fairest morning to you all! Thank you all so kindly for choosing to be here with us on this glorious day!" The lamia greeted with genuine optimism and modesty in her accented voice— slithering her forked tongue out between her smiling lips, as she picked up her quill before dabbing it in the bottle of black ink she kept beside her unrolled piece of parchment paper.
Allowing Ren and Juliet time to read the options on the menu, Amerika ordered first. "One slice of spanakopita, with two fried eggs on top— sunny side up— and a cup of coffee with half-and-half, with three cubes of sugar stirred… Please, n' thanks."
'… A WHAT?!' Ren immediately thought to himself, as he recoiled at the unfamiliarity of the word "spanakopita".
"Excellent choice, madam!" The pink-haired lamia acknowledged with sultry enthusiasm in her soft-spoken voice. Writing down the last of Amerika's order, the cashier's slit-pupils skipped over Ren in favor of the adorable six year-old that was looking back up at her with a shy smile.
'Why isn't "bacon and eggs" an option?! Why does almost everything on this whole goddamn menu look like made up words!?'
"And what shall I write down for your order, little one?" The lamia asked in a coddling voice, which immediately made Juliet blush and tighten her grip embarrassingly on the indecisive boy's arm.
"Ummm…! I-If it's okay with Miss Amerika, I would very much appreciate it if I could have a plate of strapatsada, with a glass of water please!" Juliet asked politely, while leaning forward to look over at the masked goblin for approval.
Smirking behind her bandages, Amerika nodded her head softly to reassure the shy little girl, before turning her head toward the smiling lamia. "Oi lass, mind throwin' in an order of koulouri thessalonikis on top wot we got so far? I feel like sharin' somethin' nice and warm with me new lil' mate over here!" Amerika asked generously, while feeling her smiling growing on its own the moment she saw the look of awe in Juliet's starry eyed gaze.
'Kou-lou-reee, thessa-lon-what the hell kind of language are they even speaking in?!'
"M-Miss Amerika…?! That's…! T-That's very kind of you to saye, ma'am!" Juliet complemented with a teary eyed smile that tugged away at the goblin girl's heartstrings. "W-Why are you being so nice to me?!"
Having not anticipated that Juliet would get choked up by such a simple gesture of kindness, Amerika panicked slightly as she reached over Ren's abdomen to pat the sniffling girl's small shoulder. "Oi, love, no need to cry, yeah?! Don't wanna get that pretty lil' face of yewrs all wet now, do we?!"
Instead of putting an end to Juliet's tears, Amerika felt a wave of embarrassment wash through her the moment the six year-old's sniffling suddenly escalated into sobs of joy. "Y-You r-really think I'm p-p-pretty?!" She blubbered out with a trembling smile, before beginning to bawl as she uttered out, "T-That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me…!"
Cringing behind her disguise while looking around the dimly-lit cafe, Amerika's cheeks began to grow a darker shade as she quickly noticed the confused looks they were receiving from the other patrons.
"Aw, bloody hell, kid— yew're causing a scene…!" Amerika muttered frantically under her breath, before finally letting go of Ren's arm in favor of swooping Juliet from him. "C-Come on, dearie; let's go find a booth to kick back in!" Amerika said with a nervous voice, while wrapping an arm behind Juliet's waist to lead her away from the line of concerned and sympathetic lamias.
Momentarily distracted by what had unfolded, Ren had his head turned over his armored shoulder to watch as Amerika took the crying child over to a vacant booth, where she proceeded to turn Juliet toward her to quietly console her.
Just as the blond girl leaped up to wrap her arms around the uncomfortable looking goblin girl who hadn't expected that either, Ren heard the lamia on the other side of the counter before him sigh.
"My heart goes out to the children of this cruel city, young man," the pink-haired lamia said in a melancholic voice— prompting Ren to turn his head back around to see her staring toward where Amerika was awkwardly returning Juliet's heartfelt hug.
Furrowing his brows with a grim look in his dusty rose eyes, Ren lowered his helmet-covered head down slightly— pausing, before hesitatingly asking her, "Why's that?"
Flicking her pupils away from the two girls, the lamia stared perplexingly at Ren's armored face-visor— her green eyes attempting to find his own gaze, beneath the horizontal metal frame and black-tinted shield concealing his uncomfortable facial expression.
"Sire, forgive me if I overstep any boundaries when asking this, but…" The fair-skinned lamia trailed off with a hint of caution in her voice, and appeared momentarily worried before building up the courage to ask him, "Is it…? Is it fair for me to assume that you aren't quite familiar with the way of life in Floré?"
'She's acting like I'm going to retaliate against her for asking me that… That alone speaks volumes,' Ren thought somberly to himself, while feeling sympathetic for how suddenly the polite lamia felt unsafe in his presence.
"You'd be correct about your assumption: I've only previously heard of Floré, in regards to it being a major trading hub for Pathway— that's all," Ren explained in his usual flat voice, and noticed the lamia's expression softening as he added, "It's beautiful here, but… I have a feeling that there's a seedy underbelly to this city… And I think that I'm not the only one who sees that either."
Unbeknownst to Ren, the lamia and several other "subhuman" races amongst the cafe were becoming visibly paranoid and afraid— constantly checking over their shoulders, as to ensure that no one that shouldn't be overhearing the boy's outspoken accusations of the kingdom's prized port city was present.
If lamias could sweat, the anxious cashier before him would have been drenched. Nervously flicking her forked tongue repeatedly in-and-out past her parted lips, the pink-haired monster girl tapped the tip of her quill nervously against the parchment paper that had their order written on it.
"Sire, I…! I-I beg of you to please not press the matter any further while in here," the pink-haired lamia pleaded in a quiet voice— letting out a low whining sound, before letting out an elongated breath as she whispered, "We do wish h for any trouble to fall upon us, from the guards…"
Realizing that the situation in Floré was worse than when he discovered from Juliet just how common it was for brothels in the city to exploit children, Ren decided to respect the pink-haired lamia's wishes by not pressing the matter any further.
Instead, the young boy changed the subject back to deciding what he wanted to order for himself. "So, uh… Is an "omleta" similar to an "omelet"? Because if it is, I'll have one of those with a cup of coffee— two shots of creamer, and two cubes of sugar. Please," Ren told the relieved cashier— remembering his manners at the very end of his request, as he took out his coin bag in preparation to pay.
"Ah, an omelet? I've heard sailors and merchants alike ask that same question before: if an omelet is similar to what an omleta is," the pink-haired lamia mused, while still being slightly on edge— even after Ren made it apparent he wasn't going to bring back the topic of Floré's unspoken corruption. "An omleta is more similar to a frittata than anything else, sire; but you have my word that it's a delicious choice that you shall not regret ordering!"
Obligated to give the young lamia the benefit of the doubt, Ren thanked the cashier for her help while giving her three silver coins, and a few bronze ones to cover the cost of their breakfast— insisting that she keep the change, as he turned around to make his way toward the booth Amerika and Juliet were occupying.
Scooting over past where Amerika was sitting, so as to remain as hidden from the public eye as he could, Ren unsealed his helmet before pulling it off of his head— the intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods causing him to let out a small gasp, as he placed the intricate headwear down on the part of the table that was up against the rocky-marble wall beside them.
Being served their beverages shortly after he sat down, Juliet took a sip of her water to soothe her throat— her small hands clasped around the clear glass cup, as her blue eyes fixated on the way Ren gingerly brought the ceramic cup of piping hot coffee up to his lips.
Asking him politely why he was trying to conceal his face, Ren set the cup down on the table before explaining to Juliet that he was technically a missing child that's been recently reported. "I'm currently on an important quest with Amerika; it's imperative to keep as low of a profile as possible."
"Oh, I see… Does that mean your real name is-"
"-Yeah, it is— but please don't say it aloud," Ren interrupted Juliet, before she could let slip the name he told her to mention later on— when she would arrive at the Heim farmhouse to seek pseudo adoption.
Nodding her head with resolve in her blue eyes, Juliet gave Ren a reassuring look as she told him quietly, "Your secret is safe with me, Goblin Slayer…!"
"Speakin' of secrets," Amerika segued quietly with a hint of nervousness in her accented voice— the lower-half of her light-green face exposed, as she turned to face Juliet with an uneasy, toothy grin. "Since we're friends now, love… I suppose it's only right that yew know wot I actually am…"
"… Just… T-Try not to scream, alright…?" Amerika requested, before letting out a reluctant groan as she slowly placed her own cup of coffee down on the edge of the table— freeing up her gloved hands, so that she could slip her tinted goggles off of her hooded-head.
Watching with her eyes growing wider with each piece of her disguise that was being unraveled, by the time Amerika had pulled her cowl down and had her bandages coiled up in between her and Ren, Juliet had her hands up to her mouth with a look of shock on her face.
Interpreting the six year-old's speechless response as verification that what she did was a mistake, Amerika let out a cynical chuckle as she momentarily looked over to the side to meet Ren's uncomfortable gaze.
Without having to say a word to him, the goblin girl slowly turned her attention back forward— across the table, to where Juliet was slowly dropping her hands from her mouth to reveal her gaping mouth. Sarcastically throwing her arms out while leaning in— similar to how a showman would do, at the end of their performance— Amerika did some jazz hands before dropping her shoulders, and letting her small arms land on top of the cushioned bench.
"Well…? Wotcha thinkin', love…?" Amerika asked uncomfortably— feigning a smile, while already expecting to be met with either a shrill scream from Juliet, or awkward silence.
"I… I've never seen a goblin before," the blond girl replied meekly, and immediately caused Amerika to become visibly baffled as her opened lips slowly grew into a fascinated smile. "Are all goblin women as beautiful as you…?!"
Muffling an amused chortle as he struggled to hide his grin, Ren looked over to stare teasingly at Amerika, who was left absolutely stunned with her yellow eyes widened and her cheeks growing a deep shade of dark-green.
"I…?! Uhhh…?! I-I don't…?!" Amerika stammered out with a flustered voice— scrambling to formulate a coherent sentence, as she felt her heart throbbing in her chest while Ren continued to to get a rise out of her bashful reaction.
Eventually the innocent moment had passed, with the topic of their discussion transitioning over toward formulating their next step of action. By the time their food arrived at their table booth, Amerika laid down the two goals that they needed to accomplish, in order to set sail across the Adria Sea to reach their next stop in towards their destination: Rubicon.
In order to finish their business in Floré, they would need to amass a small fortune to not only fund their traveling expenses, but to hire a reputable group of adventurers to escort Juliet to the Heim Family Farm.
When proposing that they raid Heaven's Dawn the same way they violently retook the Equipoise Bunker from the band of bandits who kick started their quest in the first place, Ren's idea was shut down by Amerika. "It's one thing to blow the heads off of a bunch of tax-evadin' bastards; it's another thing completely to rob an law-abiding bitch, whose rakin' in a shite-load of coin for His Majesty."
Moments away from processing an excavation project that would require more time than she felt comfortable spending digging through the Earth to acquire precious resources to sell, it was then that Juliet brought up an idea that she had yet to understand why it wasn't mentioned yet.
"Goblin Slayer, why not just go to the Adventurer's Guild's office, and do a quest for some money?" Juliet proposed with a genuinely confused look on her face, which left Ren and Amerika both dumbstruck. "I mean… Isn't that what adventurers usually do for a living? Go on adventures?"
"I mean… Yew wouldn't be wrong with that assumption, love," Amerika mused half-jokingly, while raising an elbow up to rest it on the edge of the table, as she turned to look up at Ren with a worried smile across her face. "Wot do yew say, mate? Think yew can handle that on yewr own?"
Seconds away from asking why Amerika had worded that question to imply that she wasn't going to be there to assist him, it was then that the goblin girl quickly darted her eyes in Juliet's direction— as though to silently give him the reason why she would have to stay behind.
It would have been a lie if Ren told himself that the idea of walking into a branch of the Adventurer's Guild to get assigned a quest he'd have to see completed wasn't nerve-wracking.
However, the adventurous part of him that yearned for that lifestyle excited the eleven year-old; sparking a sudden jolt in his heart, as he vividly recalled the satisfaction he got from slaying both the bandits, and the tribe of wolves.
"… I'll make it quick."