I made my way to the location that the Hero and I had discussed previously. I had little desire to be late for such things, and I had nothing left to do in the capitol until the end of the day. 

  While the average wealth of the people around me seemed to go up, the closer I got to my destination, the types of shops remained no more extravagant than the ones I had already passed. That is to say, they still painted the brick walls in over gaudy colors and kept rather large window displays, but the quality of the items was rather average.

  I arrived at a large round plaza, with a fountain in the center. From my position, I saw the open-air seating of some cafes, the benches surrounding the fountain, and a variety of other shops and restaurants. The place was filled with families and couples and the occasional larger group, but many of the seats remained open. I didn't mind the atmosphere, it spoke of a peaceful life for those present.

  I moved towards the fountain and took a seat at one of the open benches before turning towards my small companion. The serpent on my shoulder had not dropped his current look of suspicion ever since I explained the nature of the group we were meeting. Even now, he stared at me as if anticipating a more precise explanation of what I intended to do going forward.

  "Relax old friend, I don't plan to have harm befall the young Hero. For once, you and I will enjoy the life of your average explorer, if a bit more well connected. Besides, if you really wanted to, you could always return to that shop."

  The small serpent visibly shuddered at the idea of returning to the shop before returning a doubt-filled gaze to me.

  "What, you don't think we'll actually get to live normal lives?" I asked the winged serpent, to which it nodded it's head slowly. "Well, I can understand that. Truthfully, I don't know what we'll be doing. We could end up as no more than common grunts in the army for all I know. I have left a lot of stuff to chance this time." I held that message for a moment before changing the subject. "Well, enough about me. How have you acclimated to your current circumstance?"

  The winged serpent pondered my question before lifting one of its wings in what resembled a So So gesture. I wanted to question him further about how he'd been since I last saw him. But before I could, he pointed his tail towards the opposite side of the fountain, where a group of five stood looking around for something or someone.

  "Look alive, my friend, It's showtime." I displayed the words for a brief moment before making my way around the rather large fountain.

  "I told you he wouldn't show up. Guy probably had a bet on himself, took his winnings, and ran." Said a deep male voice with thinly veiled irritation.

  "He said he'd be here." Said a high pitched voice softly.

  "Well, he's not. We should probably leave soon." Said a rather haughty, feminine voice impatiently.

  "We can't, we just got here." Said the high pitched voice.

  "Do we even need this guy?" Said a second, more jovial, male voice quizzically.

  "We needed someone with experience in the outside world. None of us have ever been far from the capitol." Said a soft female voice in a similar tone to an instructor. 

  "I doubt that this guy meets that qualification." Said the first man, disdainfully.

  "Don't say that. You haven't even met him yet." Said the high pitched voice reproachfully.

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  I approached the group of people while listening to the conversation they were having. Taking note of the appearance of each.

  The owner of the deeper voice was a tall, muscular man, no older than 20 in a sleeveless grey shirt and black pants, likely all meant to be worn beneath armor. His sunkissed skin did little to hide the scars on his arms and shoulders. He had a face that was somewhat square, matching his large frame well. While his stormy grey eyes seemed twisted into a perpetual glare aimed at his environment. All topped off with dirty blond hair in a simple crew cut. 

  The owner of the haughty voice was a tall woman around 20 to 23 years of age with an hourglass figure who wore a black dress with purple trim, fit perfectly to her body, and an overly big, pointed hat. Her skin was fair without a blemish, her blond hair falling to around mid-back was straight and stylish. She had a sharp chin and high cheekbones with small blue eyes that barely hid an acute understanding of the environment.

  The owner of the jovial voice was a man of average height that looked about 18 years old. He wore a mix of leather and cloth in dark brown and green with plenty of belts, pockets, and pouches. Around his neck was a light grey scarf that obscured the end of his chin. He appeared to be of eastern descent with black hair tied into a topknot, black eyes slanted slightly upward, a small, pointed nose and sharp cheeks. 

  The soft voice belonged to a woman of average height, about 19 years old, in a white nuns habit that obscured her body. Her hair was covered entirely, leaving it's color and style a mystery to me. Her larger eyes were a deep shade of brown like the ironwood of my spear. While her face was rounded, unlike the angular features of the rest.

  The final individual, the entire reason I was here, the owner of the high pitched voice, the Hero. She was a short girl who looked about 15 years of age, I knew that wasn't possible from my understanding of the summoning spell, it would never bring someone younger than 17. Never. 

  She wore a set of clothing that could be described in one word, simple. Basic grey shirt and pants that suggested she hadn't had much opportunity to shop for anything other than the clothing supplied to guard recruits. Her light brown hair was tied in a single braid, draped over her shoulder, complimenting her pale skin. Her large round eyes were a light brown, and her face was rather slim. 

  All in all, a younger me would have found each of them attractive in their own ways. 

  "My friend, would you be so kind as to grab their attention?" I showed the message to the serpent on my shoulder. He glared at me for a second before flapping his scaled wings and flying off towards the group a small distance from us.

  "I'm sure he's here, we just have to... Uhh, hi. What are you, little one?" The Hero's plea to spend more time looking for me was interrupted by the serpent flying into the center of the group and catching her attention. In response to her question, the serpent lifted it's tail and extended it towards my approaching figure.

  "Good afternoon, dear Hero. It's a pleasure to meet with you again."

  The short girl's face seemed to light up, less at my arrival, and more at the fact that she had been correct in waiting. The responses of the other's were more diluted and varied. The tall man seemed to be upset by me, while the other man regarded me with curiosity. The tall woman didn't appear to register my arrival, but her eyes seemed to examine me in a calculated manner. The nun had the most controlled reaction, merely giving a slight bow in my direction but showing no other response to my approach. 

  "See. I told you he'd be here." The Hero said to those around her while gesturing at me.

  "Are you sure it's the same guy? He hasn't taken off the mask." The tall guy said in a low tone, most likely assuming I could not hear him. "Oy, take off the mask and show your face." He continued in a louder, more commanding tone. 

  "I am afraid I am unable to do that. I am under the effects of a curse, and to show my face would be a death sentence. Regardless, it is a pleasure to meet all of you. Please call me, Mask."

  The tall man seemed to want to say something in response to my claims before the haughty woman intervened. 

  "I've never heard of someone going by what they were. How quaint." She said with an air of superiority.

  "Wait. You seriously can't take off the mask? Like, at all?" Said the jovial man.

  "No, I cannot." I displayed the message for all to see. "I apologize if this produces an issue."

  "All of us have stories to tell, and all of us have burdens that we carry." The nun seemed to be attempting some proverb that was visibly lost on those present. Seeing the lack of comprehension from those around her, she sighed and continued speaking. "I don't think we should fault him for hiding his face, even if some of us doubt his reason." The second half of her statement seemed entirely directed at the taller man.

  "Thank you, miss."  I waited a moment before I presented a new message to the group in front of me. "Are we proceeding with introductions out here, or do you all wish to go somewhere more private?"