"I would help you pack your things, but, you know." Nin shrugged at me and Paps whilst one of his women held onto him. I wasn't quite sure what to think of it if I was honest. Those two were close one moment and then the other they were distant. And now, they were back to the way before. Maybe that is just how relationships are, I guess.

I know I have fallen out with Paps on several occasions only to start messing with him again. They must've had an argument that I did not see or hear. Or maybe one of them was putting up a front. It seems odd that the lightning-user would go from an enraged storm to a gentle and frequently cooing rumble.

"Well, aaas lang aaas we caaan see eaaach ather aaagaaain!" I sarcastically tell him while throwing a rude gesture his way. Sticking close to Paps while also occasionally looking outside whenever I could. It had been a short while since we started moving again and now we were back. Back in the land of the wind-people where our home was too.

Albeit, deep under theirs.

"No money?" Paps asked as he likely tried to see if he could strike a deal. But, I doubted that he would be able to get any deal done. The people of this airship hated us and they had made it clear over and over. Unless Paps was able to go after one who buckled easily, then we'd get nowhere.

Then, I had a blue-focused idea, "Psst, Paps." I whispered as I got closer to him.

"Not now." he tried to tell me while pushing me back slightly.

"Blue-hair!" I tell him after getting my mouth around his paw, just as the woman ran off.

"Good luck with that, Lari hates you two." Nin scoffed before he went after his toy. I briefly heard her giggle and his footsteps before it became quiet in this room. A rundown little room we had been forced into once the oxfuinei had come aboard. And, by no fault of our own was this place messy.

"If we haaave aaany chaaance, Paps, it is with her." I tell him, egging him on towards my idea as I stepped closer to the door. Smiling at his agitated breath before he started leading the way towards a singing woman. And soon we were greeted with the sight of blue-hair whipping about alongside little tails. Well, to them they might've been little, to me they would fit my backside just fine.

And before we could even start speaking, we were approached by her, "Shouldn't you two be going?" she asked us with closed eyes, a smile and a head that did not look down.

"What's going on?"

"Yeah, keep dancing!"

The children moaned as they slowly began to come near us. They may have not understood why everyone hated us, but they did emulate the adults. The nervous and anxious ones, that is. Only like one or two of these children tried to act tough.

"Money, please." Paps bluntly asked Larishazza as she seemed to recoil.

"Money?" she repeated before her lip buzzed to life with a laugh. Some of the children copied her but a lot also did nothing.

"Yes. Help daughter." Paps told her as he pointed at me.

"Ms Larishazza, they asked nicely!" one of the children then said. A little girl who could not have been more than a couple of years even by the measurements of her own kind.

"N-No, we can't." Larishazza tried to tell them as her voice began to break apart.

"You helped our parents!" another said and I began to put on a fake sad face. I clutched my stomach and held my arm. Pretending I was both sick and hungry.

"See! They need help!"

"Please!" a bunch of the children then said together as a pro-Us faction formed.

"No! Our parents don't like them!" one child countered with.

"I don't like you but it doesn't mean others shouldn't!" another said as they pointed at them.

"That's because you're stupid!" the offended one shot back with before a shouting match started.

"Alright everyone, quiet please!" Larishazza said as she spoke up and let some magic flow. A gesture of power that asserted her authority clearly to the children and us in turn.

"Pleaaase help..." I weakly groaned to her while I leaned on Paps.

"Fine!" Larishazza groaned before she shivered her head up to the ceiling. A forced smile on her face as she snatched us both into her grip and dragged us onwards. And soon, we were presented before the ramp off the ship before she disappeared. And, we waited for it to both open and for her to come back.

"Thaaanks!" I let out with a wry smirk as a glare came to her features.

"Don't! I'm only doing this for them!" she said with an aggressive jab against my chest. One that sent me stumbling and brought Paps forward protectively. I was in no danger right now, but he was always like that. Always looking out for me even if I did not need it.

When I did, though, I was very appreciative of his efforts and strength. There were just some things I could not handle on my own and having him there reassured me. I was a good shot, sure, but sometimes I just wasn't good enough. I needed someone to cover me as I would them.

So maybe, I should move away from the whole slavery business. Being in a profession that sells people did not make you many friends. Especially when you frequently made use of manipulative tactics to get extra produce. Reputation was a scary thing at times.

Not that we were a particularly out-there duo. Back in our home city, maybe, amongst people with similar attitudes to life as we. But out here, it was a rare thing indeed to be surrounded by so many who knew our faces. To despise them as well...

"We've aaarrived." I let out when a sudden thud fills the airship. Then, just after, another thud comes about along with a wave of other noises. And once the ramp was properly down, we were ushered out roughly. Nearly tripping up in the process as it was that rough!

"Alright, alright, bank or a cashpoint... Where are you...?" Larishazza muttered as she dragged us about. My pride wanted me to interfere but my mind knew full well I couldn't. I had no bullets or balls designed to kill a magic user. To not even start with the lack of a gun, and to make it worse, I didn't have my gun!

Speaking of my missing tool, one that I loved so dearly as it was mine. One I fashioned myself and steadily built up over time. We really would need to head on over to Suhurlodst and hope we could get our things... I was not looking forward to learning the body of another rifle or musket anytime soon!

"Over there." Paps then pointed out to our carrier who quickly sped over to it. Surprising many around us and soon below us as she quickly began to leap great distances.

"HEY! NO JUMPING AROUND LIKE THAT!" a security guard chastised as Larishazza came to a halt near the machine. She did not acknowledge the warning at all and just stuck her finger into the machine.

"OW!" I would then squeal out once a heavy box hit my head. Paps would go over me and growl while I nursed my growing bruise.

"Now, get out of my sight." Larishazza ordered before she flared her aura out. Something that left me and Paps shivering in fear as well as scaring off everyone around us. And, if I wasn't so scared, I might have laughed at the sight. Of angry guards storming towards a half-naked woman and then running off...

"Fine." Paps said to her dismissively as he picked the money and me up. Quickly shoving my way out of his grip and moving out of the airport with him. It was nothing like that other town we went to. The one I got all those trophies from.

The trophies I had to leave behind for a plethora of reasons. But, the main reason was just that they had all been destroyed... Yeah, I get the oxfuinei hated us but did they really need to do that? Those were precious paps-daught memories!

"Whaaat da we facus an?" I asked Paps as we left the rather simple airport. Hopping up onto the brick-rimmed grass patches and getting down every now and then. Something I carried on with until actual roads started forming.

"Travel." he tells me simply before he sneaks a map into his hands. Something he had an easy time doing as our size made us slip under their line of sight quite easily. Probably one of the few advantages we hwardgon had up here on the surface. Or, rather, near-surface as was so often the case with the wind-people.

"Thaaat entaaails aaa lat af things, Paps." I reminded him as he unfolded the map. My eyes were quick to catch onto the signs detailing a blacksmiths quarter. But he was focused more so on the area with the coaches, wagons and other things. This wasn't a particularly advanced town by the looks of it.

Especially when one looked back at the airport as it was just a frame really. It had all the essentials, sure, but it was nothing like that other town. Even the buildings showed more signs of hands-on maintenance. But if this was because of it being a small town at the edge of the continent or a ravineer town was up for debate.

"They no leave." Paps then pointed out as he brought my eyes to the skies with his words. And he was indeed correct, the airship Nin and that stole had not left. They must be getting supplies then because Vadei was making little exceptions in her travel plan. She was not budging on what she wanted to do.

And perhaps as a sign of her plan, there were quite a few set-up stalls manned by oxfuinei. Familiar but still bizarre goods were displayed on most of them and much of it had foreign influence. In a way, it reminded me of what that Einervaene woman drew. If slightly different to some extent, but, the influences were all here.

Speaking of those influences, maybe I could find and buy or steal a certain gun part? The lightning-people made very interesting rifles that shot their rounds far faster than any other. They even had largely non-magical guns that shot heated orbs at you. Maybe I could put them onto my own musket?

You know, modify it a little so it could either shoot these orbs or super-charge the normal rounds. I could think of many, many advantages that would offer me. I would save money as I would not need custom-made anti-magic rounds as much. As, well, the bullets and balls would be charged with magic as they exit the barrel...

"Heiya!" Paps barked whilst I was getting lost in my thoughts. Apparently, we had arrived at one of the shops that had caught Paps' eye. At first, I thought it was a travelling supplies shop, but going in made it clear it was a second-hand goods place. Not sure why we would be here, though, everything would be awful!

"Ah, hello! We don't get many of your kind around here often, can I help at all?" the eager, balding owner or something asked as he slowly stood up and came over. The amount his face contorted might've tricked you into believing he was elderly or something...

"Travel stuff." was all Paps had to say to him as his gaze hardened. Yet, despite our size, Paps' confidence and sternness managed to shake the man's resolve.

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"Anything in particular...?" he'd ask before the silence convinced him of an unspoken answer, "Right, bit of everything." he then spoke with a clap of his hands. And off he went, giving Paps a tour of the place while I found myself lingering about. I would pick up some items and inspect them before inspecting the shop.

I would not have called it a particularly big one, but it did have its blind spots. However, just walking out of here with something would not be a boringly easy task as there was a bell. A bell that would go off if I went through that door. And that door was right in front of the counter so staff would chase us.

One was even sneaking peaks at me!

And, in turn, that would lead to the guards coming after us if we were unlucky. But, I was willing to bet the guards would not care about some petty theft at a second-hand goods shop. Yet, my cockiness would soon dissipate when I saw something in particular on display. It was a small circular device made of dull, grey metal.

"Aaa music plaaayer?" I would ask no one but my own excitement as I picked it up. Smiling intently as I discovered that it even had a pair of earphones connected to it. Not cheaply wired or connected ones either, fancy magi-tech ones I could just keep in my ears without holding the device. Now, if only we had someone who had the kind of music I was looking for...

"Who in all of the mountains is Serelv Preslav?" someone asked with a roll of their eyes as they walked into the shop. The ringing of the doorbell did not even come close to the attention grabber that was that name, however.

"I have no clue, none at all, but that hairy little midget was certainly enraged when we said we ain't heard of them!" the friend of the other man said with a scoff. Something that at first made me angry before I grasped the implications of what he had just said.

"PAPS!" I would then suddenly screech with girlish excitement as I suddenly began to hop up and down. Tightly holding onto the music player while that name went through my head over and over. Serelv Preslav... The sexiest hunk of hwardgon to ever grace the mortal world with a voice that could have only been divinely gifted!

"What!?" Paps would at first say with worry all over his face. But, when he saw the device in my hand and my expression, he groaned. He knew full well what I was thinking and it made what I was about to do even easier.

I held the device close to him and put on my best pleading expression, "Paaappy... Yau knaw haw yau lave me sa, sa, sa much...?" I began with while making my voice sweeter.

"No." he instantly groaned out despite the twitch his eye just made. He loved it when I called him by his old nickname as I guess his mind was stuck in the past.

"But, Paaappy, it haaas been sa stressful aaas af laaate aaand I dan't knaw if I caaan cape with it..." I told him with fake tears as I began to emulate something my younger self might've done. Then, I let my grin grow to absurd proportions as he bought every word and brought me close. His firm arms hugged me tightly and I could feel the thoughts rumble in his throat.

"Fine, one." he then said to me with a smile as he put some money in my hand. His other hand patting me out the door before he handed money over to the member of staff. And soon I could see none of it as I was fanatically looking about for any signs of a music shop. One that sold the music of the crush I have had since that first concert of his I saw!

Then, I heard it, some of the lyrics to one of Serelv's songs, "Great First Mother, my head burns, burns, burns! From my heart, it comes! All the way to my soul! It was a girl, girl, girl, girl! She's gonna set me aflame! So hot will she burn me that I can go on no more!" his sweet voice sang with a distinct echo to it. He wasn't here in person, but this was still enough to set me off. And I would run off squealing to the man running a small stall.

"Naw, whaaat we gat 'ere?" the hwardgon man running the stand asked me as I lost myself in the music. Dancing about before the stall and living out my fantasies in my head before I came back to my senses. An electric squeal came out of me as I jumped up onto the stall.

"HAW MAAANY CAAAN I GET!?" I excitedly demanded as I slammed my money before him. Quickly presenting the music device as well just so he knew what kind of input I needed. And even as I caught him flashing that salesman's smirk, I did nothing to prepare myself.

"I dan't think yau cauld even aaaffard ane..." he told me with a dismissive shrug that just killed me.

"Eh...?" I let out in disbelief as my hands suddenly became protective of the money and music player. I soon began to shake my head rapidly as I tried to figure out what was going on. I knew, but for some reason I just could not get it out of my head.

"Came baaack when yau gat the right aaamaunt." he told me as he waved me away while looking down on me. Something that snapped me back to reality and made it clear as day what was happening.

I then snorted in rage when I saw a price tag on one of his Serelv discs, "Nat enaugh, huh?" I would ask as I circled around to where he was. Growling at a steady rate before cracking my knuckles.

"HEIYA!" Paps would then bark out, something that caught me by surprise. And I would move away from the swindler with my eyes facing the ground.

"Keep thaaat little runt an aaa leaaash!" the salesman mocked before he started to laugh. And then, I smiled as I watched Paps suddenly move forward. I had no problems with the word, but Paps? No, he had a lot of problems with the word 'runt.'

"What did you just call my daughter you brittle-pined punk?" he would snort out to the salesman in our native tongue before suddenly punching the stall. Something that frightened the man as his fist had gone straight through the wooden boards making up its shell.

"N-Nathing..."

"That's what I thought," Paps said at first before he suddenly slammed the salesman's nose downwards into his own stall. Barely holding back a fit of laughter as Paps snatched up a bunch of music before dumping it in my hands. He would then take the money back as well, but now I had so much more music than I could have bought anyway!

Such a win!

"Runt-raiser!" the salesman then barked out in pain as he held his bleeding nose. Something that made me stop and smile as Paps suddenly turned around again.

"I don't think I quite made my point clear, do you?" he asked him aggressively before he sped around to then drag him off of his chair. And to the sound of another Serelv song, Paps brutally beat the salesman up. I tried to enjoy the song but the sound of bones breaking made it hard to enjoy it.

"Oy, what's going on here!?" a human guard asked as he came up to the stall. A glare likely on his face as he went around to kick Paps off of the salesman. And going by his lack of care towards the assault that hwardgon had just faced... We might be able to get out of this with no trouble!

"Nothing." Paps gruffly answered as he walked away from the scene of the crime. His normal demeanour had returned as he put his arm around me. We walked away and I was very amused to hear our native swears be directed at the apathetic guard.

"Yau caaan laasen up, yau knaw?" I pointed out to Paps as his protective hold kept me from distancing myself. He did not listen to me, though, instead, he brought me to a fountain and sat me down on it. A soft look in his eyes as he looked right into mine. He even cupped one of my cheeks lovingly while I just felt awkward about this.

"Not a runt." he would say in the tongue of the wind-people while shaking his head. I would slowly nod as I realised it was another case of this... Of where he projected his own offence onto me in order to coddle me.

"I'm fine, Paps, reaaally." I try to tell him while moving away, but his grip was too strong.

"You strong. Heiya is strong girl. Not runt." he told me as tears began to form?

"Aaagaaain, I'm fine." I say before he pulled me in close.

"My Heiya. Strong girl." he repeated as he began to sniffle. Something that made me sigh as his overreaction reminded me of the truth of the matter. I was indeed the runt of his children, one who had quite a few problems at birth. It did not bother me at all but it bothered him a lot.

Maybe more so now given how I was the only family he had left. All my brothers and sisters, his sons and daughters had died at one point or another. So had Ma, they were all gone. So I guess he did not like being reminded of how frail I supposedly was.

Yet, thinking of my lost family did indeed sour my mood, not that it affected me negatively for long. As the moment he saw my frown he suddenly shot his head up and looked for something. And, once he found it, he dragged my gaze up towards that place in question. It was a sweet shop of some description.

"Treat?" he asked me with an uncharacteristically bubbly voice, the kind of voice you used on a toddler...

But, I wasn't going to turn down sweets or that, "Sure..." I said, wanting to get this little thing of his over with. I wanted to get onto listening to my newly acquired music. Well, it wasn't actually newly acquired, I had gods know how many copies of every single Serelv song back home. At each of our homes in fact, from the most modest safe house to the main place itself.

Again, I wasn't complaining, I quite welcomed the fact I could listen to quality music again! No other piece of music I have heard ever really came close to Serelv! I have tried listening to Tobaballian stuff, that was just depressing and the wind-people stuff was too grandiose! It always tried to have a bigger meaning about heroism or something...

Not Serelv, though, it was always personal and under-the-earth, perfect for a young hwardgon woman like me! He sang about issues I could grasp with a voice so sweet it would leave your mouth broken. And that was to say nothing about his looks which were so good I could burn myself on them. His finely kept spines, his solid face, those full lips...

They all just came together to make the single-most perfect singer out there!

"Oh, hello! How can the Sweet Basin serve you today?" a waitress asked as she began to guide us to a table. Not that I was paying much attention, I was too busy looking at the cases. Admiring each image of Serevl I had and getting weaker and weaker as time went on by. He was just so handsome!

"What want, Heiya?" Paps would ask at first before he had to get more direct. A finger of his soon jabbed my nose and brought me back to reality. Much to the amusement of the waitress who clearly understood what I was doing. Something that made my face burn before I suddenly buried my head.

"I dan't caaare." I shrieked in embarrassment with a groan as I sought the protection Serevl's faces could give me. My darkening cheeks could be hidden behind all kinds of material. Unfortunately, however, I could not keep her laughs from going into my ears. I could not stop my mind from bouncing them about like a child with a new ball.

"Two milkshake." Paps then told the waitress with a firm chink ending her laughter.

"Of course, what flavour?"

"Heiya?" Paps asked as he shook my arm. Something I reacted with hostility towards as it might reveal my embarrassed face.

"I dan't caaare!" I repeat as my fingers and toes curled together tightly.

"You choose." Paps told the waitress as he also likely bore two holes into my head with his concerned gaze.

"Of course, I'll be back when I can!" she answers before skipping away with a giggle in her mouth. And, when she was gone, I slowly brought my head up and tidied up my music. Initially, I moved to put a disc into my music player before Paps stopped me.

"Alright?" he asked as his hand kept a firm grip on my music player. I tried to pry his fingers off of it but he kept a firm grip that would not budge. I'd probably need a crowbar or something to get it off of him.

"I'm fine, reaaally." I tell him while impatiently tapping the back of his hand.

"You talk to me? You can." he needlessly clarified as his hand switched over and grabbed mine. The rough fur on his paws rubbed against my softer fur shortly after.

"Haw maaany times da I need ta repeaaat myself...?" I groaned out before my head collapsed onto the table.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you safe." he said with a small, rare smile.

"I knaw, I knaw..." I admitted with a smile of my own as he did indeed do that. He did keep me safe and make me feel safe. But, I still wouldn't mind him easing up a little. He very much became a burden to my life with his overprotective attitude.

"Thank you for waiting, here you go!" the waitress declared as she came back. A wide smile on her face as she looked down at my scowl. I growled a little at her before she left. And a straw was soon in my mouth as I needed to distract myself for the moment.

"Sa... Whaaat is the plaaan, aaanywaaay?" I asked Paps once I had stopped draining my milkshake away. Holding back the urge to react to a brain freeze in the meantime.

"We go home." Paps answered before he took a sip from his drink. His mouth made harsh slaps after he tasted it. He then shivered with a slight gag before he went back at it. I could not tell if he hated it or if it was just too sweet for him or something.

"Whaaat aaabaut aur stuff!? The stuff we haaad ta leaaave behind!?" I pointed out as I suddenly became worried for my musket. I put too much effort into that thing to just abandon it to whatever fate the wind-people had in store for it. Something that was likely not worthy of the history and quality of that gun...

"Mail it." Paps pointed out with a shrug and my panic disappeared. It was really that simple, huh... And now that he mentioned it... We had lost stuff there before that the Suhurlodstians were quite happy to send back to us...

"Akaaay... Where will we be gaing...?"

"Real home. Time for rest." he mumbled as he suddenly gagged some more. And going by how his nose took on a slightly different colour, he had sneezed a bit out. That made me giggle a little while he cleaned it with his sleeve.

"Fine by me." I admit with a relieved sigh, quite happy with that plan. We go back to our main home and just live life slow for a bit. No more kidnappings or dangerous shipment runs. And, of course, we could be nice and comfortable in our own lands.

However, I can't say we'd be enjoying the people all too much. Both of us were kind of recluse by nature. We didn't really interact with anyone beyond the basics. And, well, I was fine with it like that.

Couldn't exactly enjoy the feeling of a gun taking down a beast or rumbling in your arms while chatting. Their voices would just get in the way and it would stop you from praising the gun. After all, it was doing so much work for you that it just deserved a lot of it. You could not do that with others, they'd be mocking your praise the entire time.

So it was just better to do it on your own or at worst, at a distance from another. Which often became the case when hunting, as, well, you often tried to steal another persons kill. Not that such a thing was possible, at least, not until they tried to take your game in a quick snatch-and-grab. But, frankly, that was often more enjoyable than hunting, shooting the sneaky little thief...

"Guns still needed..." Paps muttered as he finished his milkshake. He sounded like he was choking and I quickly finished off mine. Grabbing up my stuff before following him out the door and trailing behind him as we walked elsewhere.

"Try nat ta buy the cheaaap anes." I told him as I shivered at the memories of cheap, temporary guns we had bought before.

"Wind-people good. Stuff quality." Paps said back with a dismissive wave before we reached the blacksmiths quarter. And as if the gods were on my side, we walked in on a building burning down with the street blocked up.

"Really now?" I asked him as we stood before the dying inferno. They may have not had water magic, but they did have some means to manipulate water here.