“One and two… One and two… One and two and three!”

Dama joyful chants echoed through his cabin. His eyes focused on Giona, who stood before him, holding her right hand. The rustic wooden floor beneath them served as their dance floor.

He guided Giona with gentle movements, the dance steps becoming a therapeutic routine. The soft glow of the fireplace cast a warm ambiance over the room as they swayed and twirled to the counting. The atmosphere was nothing but pure bliss.

Mumu and Nina sat in front of the fireplace, intently watching the cauldron within. Periodically, Mumu would take a wooden spoon Dama carved and stir the boiling stew for morning breakfast.

Back with the dancing duo, Giona's eyes mirrored determination, her steps synchronized with Dama's guidance. Each movement carried a purpose beyond the dance itself. They were steps towards recovery, a therapeutic process for her weakened leg muscles.

Nearing the end of their routine, Giona's legs caught on each other, causing her to stumble. Dama though, with a swift gesture, caught Giona and pulled her to him.

“Oh boy… You okay Giona? I feel like that's enough for today, you did great!”

Giona looked up from his chest with a grateful smile. “Th… Thank you… Dama.”

“Aw! Look at you! Your speech is improving!” Dama chuckled in amazement while patting Giona on the head. “Speaking of, it's about time we start practicing. Once we’re done, we’ll eat breakfast!”

Firmly holding Giona’s hand, Dama led her to the bed and helped her sit down. Now grabbing a piece of paper filled to the brim with practice questions, he sat down beside her.

“Ah, alright Giona! You should know the deal by now. I’ll ask you some questions, and you answer them to the best of your ability, k?”

“Y… Y-Yes!” Giona responded. She straightened her posture, curled her hands into fists at neck height, and her eyes sparkled with a glint of curious interest.

Dama smiled, happy to see Giona’s determination to improve. “Great! Then let’s start, shall we? First question: What is your name?”

Giona pointed to herself, “Giona.”

“Indeed, that may have been too easy though. Hmmm… How about this next, can you count to ten for me?”

Giona tilted her head with her index finger on her chin, a gesture she copied from watching Dama over the past year. She contemplated the question before trying her best to answer. “O… One… Two, three… F-Four… Sssssix…?”

“Ahaha… You skipped five, but don’t worry! Keep going, what’s after six?”

“Mmmmmm… Six, s-sev… Seven… Eight, uh… Um, ah! Nine and ten!”

“Good job Giona! That’s right!” Dama exclaimed, radiating with a sense of pride in Giona. Pride that paled in comparison to Giona’s own as she smiled at Dama’s praise, eager for more.

“Alright, before we move on to the next question, we’ll quickly review one through ten.” Dama said as he positioned the paper in front of them to allow both of them to see. Finally, he placed his thumb near a line of numbers with their names below them. “Right here, would you like to say them aloud together?”

“Mhm!” Giona eagerly nodded her head.

“Good. You start then.”

Giona scooted closer to Dama, their shoulders almost touching as she leaned over to see. With a deep breath, she began, "One."

Dama followed along, his voice a beacon of encouragement and pride. "Mhm, One."

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"Two," Giona continued.

"Two," Dama repeated.

And so they went on. With each passing number, Giona’s pronunciation and confidence improved. When they reached ten, Dama couldn't help but smile at Giona's beaming face.

“Good job! Next, if today is Monday, what day is tomorrow?”

“Chu… Chewsday?”

“Correct, kinda… What you’re looking for is ‘Tuesday’, but you still got it right!”

Realizing her mistake, Giona tried to mimic Dama’s articulation. “Tues… Tuuuue… Tuuues-day?

“Mhm! Thirdly, what’s your favorite color?”

“Green! Hehee!” Giona immediately answered while ruffling Dama’s light green hair.

Chuckling himself, Dama continued. “Hehe, green’s my favorite too. Now, what is your favorite thing to do?”

“Re-Reading!” Giona ecstatically exclaimed, only to rub her cheek in contemplation. “Um, Tales of… of… of Cata-lism!”

“Close! Tales of THE CataCLYsm, but don't worry, that took me a bit to get the hang of when I was younger too. Alright, final question! What makes you happy?”

Giona simply tilted her head in confusion. “Happy? What… Is happy?”

“Oh, well, it's an emotion, like what we talked about yesterday.”

“Emotion…”

“Yeah, like sadness, happiness, and anger. I do have to mention, emotions can be a powerful influence, you can't let them control you. For example, anger can easily become hatred, something that benefits no one. Happiness in particular feels like a soothing warmth in your body. What comes to your mind when you think of that?”

“Warmth?” Giona murmured, resting her left hand on her chest. Trying to connect Dama's explanation with a previous experience, memories of all the times a rising warmth started to bubble within her chest flashed before her eyes. A warmth that was the complete opposite of the coldness she felt alone in her cell.

Throughout every memory, Dama was right there. It only took a second, but the answer was obvious, and she couldn't be any more confident.

Giona wrapped her arms around Dama, pushing him down onto the bed. “Dama!” She exclaimed, feeling the warmth of his embrace.

“Eh!? Wha-!? Is something the matter?” Dama inquired, his face becoming slightly flushed at the sudden hug.

Giona looked up from his chest confused. She thought her answer was clear, but it seemed she had to repeat herself, clearer this time. “Dama… Dama m-makes I… No… Makes me… Happy.”

“Is… Is t-that so?” Dama stuttered out, averting his gaze from not only her gaze, but also her noticeable cleavage, peeking from just beneath the shirt he lent her. “I-I’m happy to hear that’s the case, haha…”

Trying to distract himself, Dama started reminiscing about Giona’s progress for the past year. “I can’t believe it has already been a year since I met Giona. To think when I first found her, she was in such a dreadful state. Now, the color of her olive-toned skin has returned, almost every bruise and injury has all but disappeared, her literature skills are improving at a fast rate, she has even gained a healthy amount of weight…”

Being unable to control the urge to take another peek, Dama’s face reddened even further. “I’m glad she’s showing signs of recovery now, but to think she’d grow like this… Combined with her lack of personal space sometimes, it’s really starting to get to me…”

Noticing Dama’s reddening face, Giona’s curiosity was piqued. “Red… Hot.” She said as both her hands cupped each side of Dama’s face, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“G-G-Giona?”

“Hmmmmmmm, no… Very warm… Your face is very warm, Dama.”

“O-Oh, that? Well, I uh… See…”

“Warmth… Dama?” Giona crawled up to be face-to-face with Dama. “Do… Do I make you feel warm? Do I make you feel… Happy?”

Dama’s entire face practically started to glow a bright red in response to the question. Trying to give an answer, the only things that came out of his mouth were incoherent stutters.

While Giona calmly waited for an answer, Dama’s perspective was the total opposite. His heart was basically beating out of his chest, his head starting to get woozy as he continued to stutter.

Until a knock at the door that is. Three soft knocks reverberated through the cabin, prompting everyone to turn towards the front door.

Mentally breathing a sigh of relief, Dama would then panic once more as he saw Mumu head for the door. “M-MUMU! Wait!” He shouted as he slipped from underneath Giona. “Who is it?”

“It's me, Dama dear!” Tsubasa's unmistakable voice sounded from beyond the front door.

Opening the front door, Dama greeted his grandmother figure whilst out of breath. “G-Granny Tsu?”

Tsubasa's fluffy ears and tail perked up at Dama’s face. “Hm? Your face is beet red Dama. Are you coming down with a fever?”

“Eh? N-N-Nevermind that, I’m fine… What brings you up here, alone for that matter? It’s dangerous.”

“Oh come now, I may be old, but I’m still a beastmen. We keep our youth way longer than humans, though we do have similar life spans…” Tsubasa grasped her chin before waving off the thought. “Anyways, you don’t have to worry about me. Reason I came up here was to come fetch you for something urgent. Both you, Mumu and Nina.”

“Something urgent? Did something happen in Enohay?”

“No, nothing has gone awry down in that lil’ old valley. Believe it or not, the urgency lies beyond the confines of Enohay Valley,” Tsubasa announced, pointing southward towards the rising sun. “In Briarwood Village.”

-

(Chapter 25) Giona's Steady Recovery a Year Later: Part 2