Within the ensuite connected to his room, Julius leans over the running sink, his hands clutching the marble counter as he stares into the mirror just centimeters away.
He had only slept for several hours, kept up by his thoughts until they grew too unbearable. Julius turned his head as his fingers glided through the hair on the back of his head, part of the inspections he was performing on himself.
[Julius]: "A map of the world that doesn't belong to me. Surrounded by people that talk about and show displays of magic like its nothing. Animal people casually existing... And this--"
looking down at the counter, set aside just next to his hand, was an empty journal he had found in his rooms desk, accompanied by a fountain pen and and a small jar of its corresponding ink.
The book was peeled half way open, and scribbled in huge, dark and shaky ink, was text in Julius's handwriting that read: "I AM ALIVE. I AM HUMAN".
However, instead of english, the only language he knew, the writing he had scrawled onto the middle of the pages mere minutes prior were made up of strange symbols and letters he had never seen before.
[Julius]: "--I can read and write in a language I've never even seen or heard of before. Up until now, I've been subconsciously understanding everything as english. Do the others even speak english, or can I understand the spoken language as well?"
He takes a step back, resuming the inspection of the back of his head, using his fingers to slide over it once, twice, enough times to make absolutely sure of his suspicions.
[Julius]: "This too... I had some nausea when I woke up in Cataphrania, but ever since then, I've felt so full of energy. Normally, I would have collapsed at least six times now with the activity I've been pushing myself with."
He holds his bangs back with a hand, showing his full face to the mirror, revealing the circular, discolored burn scars around the right side of his hairline, looking as if they had been healed for years now.
[Julius]: "Yet the other injuries on my body are still here. Maybe just the life threatening one? It's the only explanation... Could it be... Somehow, That..."
"The cancer is gone?"
---
Simultaneously, in the manor's main office, Muriel shifts in her luxurious chair, which realistically is more of a throne, finalizing the paperwork on her desk. She loomed over the parchment with a furrowed brow, rubbing her temple with her gloved hand.
Muriel's desk was only lightly decorated aside from a framed picture of Lisa, Lawrence and Lucille all posed together, one in which, very surprisingly, Lawrence was smiling.
Sat carefully just beside the picture, was a small clear vase, housing a vibrant chrysanthemum flower, its health despite lacking any water or soil suggesting it were created by Lawrence's sorcery.
After reading over one of the countless contracts in her hand, she exhales an exasperated sigh of exhaustion.
[Muriel]: "Gahh~, jeez, why did I agree to all this. That capital woman definitely tricked me."
Visions flash in Muriel's head of the white-haired finance advisor King Elric had sent to her manor, remembering the one sided conversation with her that mostly involved Muriel applying for time off, agreeing to finish her entire months worth of paperwork before leaving.
Memories such as Muriel enthusiastically stating: "Mmhm! Of course I'll do it all! You can count on me!"-- though in reality, she had barely been paying attention.
[Muriel]: "Tch, at this rate, I'll be locked up in here all night. Request to escort twenty four sheep through Cataphrania's residential district... Seriously?!"
A loud knock startles her from her work, taking short time to stack the parchment together into a pile.
[Muriel]: "Who is it?"
[Lucille]: "May I enter?"
[Muriel]: "You may."
Setting her elbows down on the table, Muriel watches excitedly as Lucille quietly cracks open the door, slipping inside before locking it behind her.
[Muriel]: "is everything alright dear? It's rather late."
Lucille takes a shallow bow, her hands stacked modestly in front of her.
[Lucille]: "I've concluded my investigation."
[Muriel]: "Ah~, you have?! That's great! And what are your thoughts?"
She straightens back up from the bow, stood opposite Muriel across the desk.
[Lucille]: "I believe Julius poses no threat to our manor or to your status. He does just seem to be a lost traveler."
[Muriel]: "Mmh... I'm glad. That really puts my mind at ease, Lucille, thank you."
Lucille bows once more, her face lacking any strong expression until now, showing vague interest.
[Lucille]: "Actually, I think it may be of use to keep him around. His situation and anomaly of being mana-less is strange. He seems to know a lot of weird things that could potentially prove beneficial to you. Even if not, I hate to admit that he would make a good butler here. Plus, Lisa seems to have taken a liking to him. I suspect Lawrence has as well."
[Muriel]: "If you think so dear, then we can keep him around for a while. Sorry to have kept you up for this silly task."
[Lucille]: "Mmh, its nothing. I'm usually up late anyway."
[Muriel]: "Still having those nightmares?"
Lucille ducks her head to the side, trusting her messy bangs to cover her face.
[Lucille]: "Mmh."
[Muriel]: "Sweetheart... I told you, if there's anything at all I can do-"
[Lucille]: "I've tried everything. I'm sure I'll get over it eventually."
Muriel leans back in her chair, resting her cheek against her palm, a concerned look on her face, wanting to help despite Lucille's stubbornness.
[Muriel]: "Hmm... If you say so, just... Take it easy, okay dear?"
[Lucille]: "I will. Thank you, Muriel."
[Muriel]: "Get some sleep. If need be, you can rest on the cart in the morning."
Lucille forms a soft smile, humming agreeingly before turning on one heel, closing the door behind her just as silent as she opened it the first time.
Muriel sighs as the rooms once again fills with silence, rubbing her forehead, fatigued from her duties.
[Muriel]: "Where was I? Right... Damn sheep..."
---
The splashing sounds of water finally stop with a squeak as Julius shuts the tap, gently returning the pen and journal to their spot on the desk before falling back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
[Julius]: "There's something comforting about this place. I miss home, but if my illness is really gone somehow, then I should make the most of it while I'm here. I wonder how far away Casper Town is... I think getting a breath of fresh air from the manor and seeing other places would be good for me, a distraction, perhaps?."
He rolls over to his side, starring at the flower resting on his bedside table. The moonlight intruding through the frosted windows shine ethereal colors off of its petals.
[Julius]: "I should ask for a vase to put that in. I wonder--"
He picks up the flower, slowly spinning it, inspecting its delicate shape. He is reminded of the conversation he shared with Lawrence after the duel, about the possibility of Julius being a master of mana manipulation.
[Julius]: "--Will I ever be able to do something like this? Lawrence told me if I ever adapted to the mana here, I'd never be able to go home. The idea of being capable of magic, sorcery they call it, is incredibly cool to me, but even more so, I want to go home, give mom peace of mind... Man, talk about cruel..."
Setting the flower back down, Julius covers his eyes with his arm, sinking further into the mattress as he tries to fall asleep again. This attempt however, is proven to be much easier than his last several, as if the reality of his cancer being healed, however true it may be, had put his thoughts at ease.
---
Julius awoke to several loud thuds on his door, shooting upright from the startling knocks. He looked around, his eyes settling on a large grandfather clock next to his desk, effortlessly reading its time-- 4:54 AM.
[Lisa]: "If you don't open up, I'm gonna come in there and-"
The door swings open, cutting her off and revealing Julius still in his yukata, rubbing his baggy eyes.
His vision was still a little hazy, and after some squinting, had managed to make out another pile of clothes in Lisa's hands.
[Julius]: "I'd hate to know what you would have just done to wake me up."
[Lisa]: "Well, if you weren't so boring, you could have."
[Julius]: "I'll pass. Whatcha got there? More clothes?"
Lisa nods enthusiastically, shoving them towards his face with a gleaming smile.
[Lisa]: "What you're wearing is fine, but only when you're at home, so it'll look impolite, you'll definitely need to change if we're going out."
[Julius]: "O-Oh, of course. And... What exactly is polite?"
[Lisa]: "Aren't you old enough to figure that out? This is a hakama, but still make sure to wear your haori over it."
Julius accepts the new clothes into his arms, offering a grateful smile to Lisa, who had reciprocated it as usual.
[Lisa]: "Go put it on, mom said we're leaving in an hour. Oh! Actually, would it be okay if you go check to see if Lucee and Lawrence are up yet? I've still gotta change."
[Julius]: "Eh? Wait, I uh... I don't actually know where they're rooms are yet."
[Lisa]: "Just take a right once you're down the stairs, both of them sleep down that hall. You really can't miss it, their names are engraved on the doors."
[Julius]: "Down the... Right, okay."
[Lisa]: "Mmhm! Meet you downstairs when we leave, cant wait! Heehee~."
[Julius]: "Mh, see you."
Lisa waved as she hopped away back to her room in the other hall, leaving Julius to change into his own new fittings. Stood in front of the mirror, Julius removed his yukata, folding it neatly in a pile on his desk, and quickly slipping into the clothes Lisa had given him.
The lower half was black, while the top half, which tucked into the waistband, was white. It hugged his body tighter than the previous set he wore, and once topped with the haori, definitely looked more professional.
[Julius]: "Feels like I'm in an anime, wearing this. How embarrassing to say..."
Julius left his room, his door softly clicking shut behind him. He padded silently through the halls, descending the stairs.
The manor was quite this early in the morning, and the soft light had only just started to pour through the windows, dimly lighting his path.
[Julius]: "Then turn... Right. Names on the doors."
Door after door, Julius could already feel himself getting lost in the manors repetitive interior, as if designed to be purposely confusing.
He walks until he sees an etching on one of the doors, the words 'Lucille' carved into it.
[Julius]: "Thank goodness, I went the right way. Will it be alright if I just... Knock?"
His knocks were far more polite than Lisa's, soft and simple, three times. The silence that stretched on afterwards had him believe that his knocks went unheard, preparing to try again before the door swung inwards in an instant, leaving his hand floating awkwardly mid-air.
[Julius]: "Ah-, w-woah!"
Lucille stood in the now open doorway, rubbing her eye with a fist, groaning after being woken up. This was the first time Julius had seen her without the maid dress, instead in simple, all blue pajamas. her hair was tousled from sleep, and she had to blink a few times to see who had knocked.
The room behind her was dark, lit only by the open door, which revealed the messy sheets of her bed, the various books scattered around her room, and piles of clothes that she never wore. The chaotic state of her room almost drew his attention away from her, filling him with an impulse to offer cleaning it.
Instead, she drew his attention, and his breath-- She stood still for a long moment, having just woken up and still drowsy, yet her eyes sparkled with un-reflected light, her lips dry, but still soft and pink.
The moment was short lived, and as soon as her eyes adjusted to see that it was Julius in front of her, she shot upright in surprise, a blush quickly seizing her cheeks from being seen in her sleeping attire.
[Julius]: "I uh, I was told to wake- GH!"
His smile and sentence were both cut short as she hit him in the stomach, leaving him hunched over clutching his abdomen as she pushed past him.
[Lucille]: "The hell are you looking at!? I'm gonna shower. DON'T follow me, creep."
[Julius]: "Aghck-- She's feisty in the morning."
The pain didn't stop him from smiling, still happy to have seen her wearing something different for a change-- though, it still took a while of leaning against the wall to recover.
He stared into her room for a while, the door still wide open before shutting it.
[Julius]: "There's barely enough room to walk in there. For a maid, her room sure is messy. Jeez Lucille, I'll have to beg you to let me clean up when we get back."
Moving on down the hall, a few rooms down, Julius spots another engraved door, this time for Lawrence. He stands outside it for a few seconds before leaning in to knock.
Before his fist even makes contact with the door, it flies open.
[Lawrence]: "No need to check on me."
[Julius]: "WAH!"
He bounces back on one foot after being startled, holding both hands towards the doorway, afraid of being hit a second time as he held his eyes shut tight.
Lawrence is already fitted in his butler uniform, and looks at Julius confused, tilting his head at the outstretched palms. He raises both of his own hands, connecting them with Julius's in a high five manner.
[Lawrence]: "Clap."
He opens his eyes, puzzled.
[Julius]: "Clap?"
[Lawrence]: "Lisa often high fives me after training. Is that not what you were offering?"
[Julius]: "I um... yeah, lets go with that, heh."
Julius eases up, standing back upright enough to see past the butler, noting just how much more tidy his room was compared to Lucille's; However, it was completely littered with books, all seemingly to do with horticulture or gardening.
[Lawrence]: "Excellent. Shall we go?"
[Julius]: "Mh! Lead the way."
Lawrence and Julius walk slowly back to the manor's lobby, stepping into the light filtering in through its large circular window, the multiple hues of stained glass coloring its glow in radiant rays.
Just in time as they arrive in the designated meeting spot, Lisa slides down the stair railing, landing with an exaggerated twirl, clearly performed to show off her white and pink dress, the cherry on top being a large, pink ribbon tied in a bow on her back.
[Lisa]: "Tadaa~!"
Lawrence claps for her, Which Julius slowly joins in on with a half smile.
[Julius]: "Eheheh."
Behind Julius, lurking in the shadows, emits a soft jingling of metal pendants. He turned to face it, yet the sound remained behind. Turning a second time, Yuri jumps out with both hands clawed.
[Yuri]: "RAH!"
[Julius]: "GYAH!"
Yuri breaks into a hysteric laugh as Julius falls back, and would have landed on the ground if it weren't for Lawrence grabbing the back of his collar first.
[Julius]: "Hah~... What's with everyone scaring me today?"
Yuri Shrugs with a smirk.
[Yuri]: "Eh, don't know nothin' about that, but I did it because it was hilarious. Lighten up a bit, I promise I wont do it again... Today."
[Julius]: "Right... That's not exactly reassuring."
The groups attention is drawn by a faint clicking noise repeating down the hall where Julius and Lawrence had come from, the silhouette of a maid forming as she approaches.
Her high heels tapped sharply on the tile as she stepped into the lobby's light. She was once again dressed in her usual maid outfit, frills and all.
[Lisa]: "Lucee!"
Lisa ran up and crashed into her, her arms wrapping tightly around Lucille's waist, to which she responds with a light smile, ruffling Lisa's hair.
[Lisa]: "Gah! My hair! I spent so long on it!"
[Lucille]: "Heh. I'll do it for you in the carriage later."
[Lisa]: "Really?! You're the best, Lucee!"
Lisa stepped back from Lucille, remaining close by her side as she looked over the group.
[Lisa]: "Where's mom?"
Julius looked around with everyone else, noticing the lack of Muriel.
[Yuri]: "Wasn't she the one that insisted we all get up this early? Bet she's still asleep."
[Julius]: "Should we look for her?"
"Looking for me?"
Startled, the group turned their attention to the top of the stairs where the voice had come from, watching as the giant door at the top slowly opened, emitting a blinding light.
[Lisa]: "Mom?"
The outline of Muriel was visible from the searing light, standing tall with her hands on her hips. She wore a red kimono, with a black fur trim, very similar to the one she wore a day prior, practically the exact same, as if she had no time to plan an outfit.
She slowly graced down a few steps, her hair blowing as if in the wind despite being inside. She wore her black tinted shades that covered her eyes, perhaps to shield herself from her own intro.
[Yuri]: "Gah, where is that light coming from? Too bright! And how is your hair doing that?!"
[Muriel]: "That's just the Astoria beauty, my dear!"
Almost as quick as it started, the light, which had actually just been the sun shining through Muriel's office window at just the right angle, rose too high to maintain its blinding effect any longer, breaking her illusion.
Muriel sighed, looking down at the group who all shared the same disbelieving look on their faces.
[Muriel]: "Well, that entrance was short lived... You can stop now, hun."
Their attention was drawn to Lawrence, who had been sitting on the railing, blowing a hand fan at her for the wind effect.
[Lawrence]: "Mh!"
[Yuri]: "Hah?"
[Muriel]: "Good to see no one is late. Julius! I see you're wearing the clothes I had Lisa deliver, ahhh~ they look so good!"
Julius chuckled nervously, throwing up a dismissive wave. Muriel joined the rest of them on the lobby floor, signaling to follow her out the front door.
[Muriel]: "Is everything packed and ready, Yuri?"
[Yuri]: "Yup! The carriage is waiting just outside. I even made sure to feed Rauthen an extra yummy meal this morning for the heavy lifting he's doin'."
[Muriel]: "Hurrah!"
She shoves the front doors open, flooding the room with a strong draft as the manor's paved front yard comes into view.
Just as Yuri mentioned, there was a large transport carriage waiting just out front, hooked up to Rauthen, who chirped excitedly upon spotting them.
Yuri held open the engraved door of the carriage as the group stepped inside. Julius looked up at the large cart, much larger and more lavish than the one he had arrived in.
[Julius]: "It's huge. Can Ruathen really move this thing all on his own?"
[Yuri]: "Not used to it? The last one you rode in was mine, just for cargo work really. And don't underestimate a drake! You'd be a little more scared of them if you knew what they could really do."
The eerie comment made him shiver, gulping before stepping inside after Muriel. The inside was lined with seats along each wall, comfy red plush cushions that everyone had already settled into.
Every two seats was a small table that dipped towards the center of the carriage, and Julius slowly walked down the middle until sitting down next to Lisa, passing Lucille on the way, who holds venomous eye contact with him.
Yuri sat at the drivers mantle, where a large window allowed an open view of the front, as well as being a point of easy communication from Yuri into the back.
He signaled Rauthen to start the commute, the whole cart rumbling as it begins to move, quickly relaxing into a surprisingly smooth ride.
[Lisa]: "Whatta you think? Comfy, right?"
[Julius]: "Yeah, it's really squishy actually."
He held a hand between them, pushing on the red plush to test its sponginess, which engulfed his fingers on the way down.
[Muriel]: "Good, huh? Costs a fortune, too. The silk on the outside comes from a special breed of spider. Weaver Queens. Massive, at least as big as this very carriage."
Muriel leaned back against the seat across from Julius next to Lawrence, her arms stretched out by her side over the backing of the seats as she spoke with a smug grin, still wearing her sunglasses.
[Julius]: "A spider that big?!"
[Muriel]: "Mmhm. Ooo, maybe we'll run into one on our way there!"
[Julius]: "Wait, what?!"
[Yuri]: "Not even native to Meriddia. Stop scaring the boy."
[Muriel]: "Bleh~"
She stuck her tongue out at Yuri as Lisa patted Julius on the back, getting him to breathe out a relieved sigh that he wouldn't be running into such a creature on this trip.
[Muriel]: "Okay, fine, I'll stop now, fufu~. Also, Lisa. What happened to your hair?"
[Lisa]: "Oh! It's all messy cause of Lucille! Who promised she'd fix it for me!"
[Lucille]: "I never promised anything."
Lucille pouts as she's suddenly pointed out. Muriel stifles a laugh behind her gloved hand, and Lisa crosses her arms in feign anger.
[Lucille]: "Alright, alright. Come here."
[Lisa]: "Yay!"
Lucille pats her knees, inviting Lisa to come and sit in front of her so she could fix her hair up. Lisa sat on the wood with her back to the maid, who started to braid her hair.
[Julius]: "Is there a reason you're still wearing your sunglasses, Muriel?"
She snapped upright, suddenly worried.
[Muriel]: "Huh?! I um, well... No! I mean, nope, no particular reason."
[Lisa]: "But wearing shades inside is poor manners! You're always saying!"
[Muriel]: "Well, honey, that's the thing, people can change, very important lesson."
She held her pointer finger up as if making a solid argument, acting completely out of character.
[Yuri]: "Lisa, please remove your mothers shades."
[Muriel]: "What?! You can't do that!"
[Lisa]: "Hyah!"
Before Muriel could protest, her daughter had already lunged at her, fighting to reach for her sunglasses. Muriel swatted at her, but failed against her daughters nimble movements.
[Lisa]: "There! What are you being so persistent about!? Huh?"
Holding the shades far behind her away from Muriel grasp, the group all lean around Lisa to see Muriel's eyes, which could now be seen in full.
Muriel's eyes had very dark bags under them, her now fatigued look shocking the group.
[Muriel]: "I-... I stayed up all night doing paper wo~rk!"
Muriel bursts into an exaggerated bawling fit. Crying her eyes out despite there being very little tears.
[Lisa]: "It's not that serious, mom. You look fine."
[Muriel]: "Fine?! Look at my eyes! No amount of makeup could fix these bags!"
Lawrence tensed up beside her, his fists clenching which produce a cracking noise, drawing everyone's attention to him.
Julius was shocked at his expression, the first time Lawrence looked genuinely angry, even though he was clearly suppressing it
[Lawrence]: "I thought I told you not to get caught up in work and get plenty of sleep last night..."
[Muriel]: "H-Hah~?"
Lisa, who was still on her mother holding the shades away, looked at Lawrence the same way as Muriel, both terrified.
The two go from fighting each other to holding each other in fear as Lawrence burst into a scolding tone.
[Lawrence]: "AS YOUR CARETAKER, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT I ENSURE YOU GET A GOOD NIGHTS REST, ESPECIALLY BEFORE A LONG TRIP SUCH AS THIS!!!"
[Muriel]: "GAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
[Lisa]: "WAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
---
The cart ride was long and chaotic, and eventually Julius had fallen asleep with his head on the table, resting on his arms-- But it wasn't just him, almost the whole group had fallen asleep after such a long trip.
Muriel was first to pass out, a short while after Lawrence's lecture about her bad sleeping habits, and had insisted he let her use his lap as a pillow, in which she instantly agreed, mostly out of fear of another scolding.
Lisa was snoring her way into dreamland beside Julius, somehow not waking anyone in the process, and had been seated completely upright aside from her head that was leaned back against the cushion, her mouth wide open.
Lucille was curled up in her seat, lying with her head on the armrest. Lawrence was the only one awake beside Yuri who had been steering, until they reached an abrupt halt.
The door flung open, Yuri silently stepping inside and observing that most of the group had fallen asleep.
[Yuri]: "Hmmm..."
He reached behind his large coat, pulling out a megaphone, clearing his throat before switching it on.
[Yuri]: "WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!"
[Julius]: "GAH!"
[Lisa]: "WYAAHHHH! H-HUH!?"
Everyone except Lawrence, who had shielded Muriel's ears before Yuri shouted, shot up at the sudden deafening noise.
Lucille glared at him intensely, and he rubbed his neck, nervously chuckling.
[Yuri]: "Heheh, sorry... Couldn't help myself. We've arrived at Casper Town. We can no longer traverse by cart, so time to get walking."
Everyone groaned as they got out of their seats, Muriel slowly lifting her head, drowsy and confused.
Walking past Yuri to leave the carriage, each person landed a revenge bump to his head with their fist, starting with Lisa.
They all continue the action that Lisa had started, and when Lucille began to thrust her whole arm down, he ducked and covered his head.
[Yuri]: "Gyahh!"
[Lucille]: "Hmph!"
After narrowly missing, she stormed off, leaving Julius the last to leave. Yuri looked up at him, seeing him smile as he slowly brings down a gentle fist, more of a pat than a bump, getting Yuri to chuckle.
After stepping through the setting sunlight out of the carriage, Julius is expecting a bustling town like Cataphrania, but obviously on a much smaller scale-- Instead, his smile falters as he steps down from the carts.
As everyone else unpacks their stuff, Julius finds himself in a small village, completely devoid of all life, run down and crumbled.
The buildings that surrounded the cart could be more accurately described as ruins, missing walls, floors, some lacking entire stories and all equally overgrown with roots and vines.
Muriel, noticing his confusion, speaks up, tossing a bag at him which he fumbles to catch.
[Muriel]: "Not what you were expecting?"
[Julius]: "Um... I thought we were going to a town."
[Muriel]: "This is a town, dear."
[Julius]: "But..."
Muriel chuckled, picking up another bag, handing it to Lawrence to carry.
[Muriel]: "Just playing with you, dear. We're here to visit a close friend of mine that I went to school with. She runs an orphanage out in the forest a little walk from here."
[Julius]: "But... What happened here?"
[Muriel]: "This town used to be entirely inhabited by demi-humans a long time ago. Once Cataphrania crowned its new king, a law was passed allowing demi-humans to live inside the kingdom. After that, everyone here pretty much just up and left."
[Julius]: "Were demi-humans not allowed in the kingdom at one point?"
Muriel nodded, humming as she took Lisa's bag from the carriage. She signaled for Julius to follow her as the group headed off, even Rauthen being unhooked and tagging along.
[Julius]: "Is it really okay to just leave the cart here?"
[Muriel]: "Fufu~, who's around to steal it?"
[Julius]: "Mh-Mmh... I guess you're right."
[Muriel]: "As for your question, yes. Lets just say the previous king had his opinions, however biased they were. That's monarchy for you. But that was a long, long time ago now."
Julius listened intently as Lawrence guided the group through heavy foliage. Lisa held close to Lucille's side ahead of Julius, Muriel and Yuri on each side of Julius as he focused on not tripping over the thick roots that bulged from the ground.
[Julius]: "And... Why is your friend here still if everyone moved to the capital."
[Muriel]: "The orphanage was founded by her grandfather, who entrusted it to her in his will when he died. He refused to leave the home he built with his own hands when everyone else did, and so when his granddaughter took up ownership, she carried on his stubborn dream. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it once we're there, she's a bit of a talker."
[Julius]: "That's... Really sweet... I wonder what she's like."
[Lawrence]: "We're here."
Julius perks up once they've finally arrived after a whole days trip. The light is blinding through the tree line where it opens up, and holding his hand over his forehead to ease his eyes, he trips over a root and stumbles out into the field.
[Julius]: "Gah!"
Lisa and Lucille stifle a laugh as Yuri helps him up with a groan.
[Yuri]: "Watch your step, it's like a minefield out here."
Now upright again, Julius brushes the leaves and dirt off his hakama, and lifts his head, finding himself in an open field, surrounded by a large, spiked fence.
In the middle, was a colossal, stone building that only merely blocked out the sun at its highest point. It was brutalist in architecture. The sign carved deeply into its front reading: 'Aethervestille Orphanage'.
[Lisa]: "You okay, Julee?"
[Julius]: "Y-Yeah, I think so."
[Lisa]: "Mh!"
[Muriel]: "Hah~, it's always such a nostalgia trip to visit here. I remember when she first inherited this place, and it was so run down. Granted, it still is, but it has a sort of... Charm now."
The double doors ahead of them softly creak open, and a figure emerges, walking slowly towards them, the sight of a new face captivating Julius.
The closer she got, the more of her features could be made out.
She was tall, taller than Julius. She wore a black dress, with a white apron down the front. She walked demurely with her hands in her lap.
The woman had long blonde hair, with long side locks and done up in twin buns. She had asymmetrical bangs, with a gap on the right side above her eye.
She had deep blue eyes, and... Fox ears, that drooped down past them. She stopped in front of the group, performing a deep bow, revealing her fluffy tail that matched the ears.
[Muriel]: "Tohru."
[Tohru]: "Mew-Mew... We've been waiting for you all day. Oh! Where are my manners..."
"Welcome... to the Aethervestille Orphanage!"
---