The entire room is coordinated in white and blue. It seems that the seamstress, a goblin who sews here, is doing very well. The old ugly furniture has been replaced by white oak wood furniture adorned with hand-cut blue ornaments. Shelves that were previously stuffed with sprawling dresses are now filled with transparent decorative vases alternating with books. The floor is made of blue topaz, and Maria doesn't even have to bend down to see that it is a very meticulous work, all sealed with ice stones that are very hard to come by. Perhaps a gift from the winter sorceress herself for the dresses. Maria doesn't remember being here; pulling the lord out of the estate was always difficult, so she usually asked the goblin to come to them.
"Does it fit you?" Maria asks.
The fox in white canvas twirls around and doesn't look particularly thrilled. "Min don't like white, it gets dirty." The redhead grumbles and tries to wriggle out of the dress. But before Maria can stop her, the goblin returns.
"What! Stop it immediately!" Goblin exclaims and stomps loudly. Startled, the redhead jumps and turns to the petite woman who angrily strides toward her. Despite her height, every step sounds as if an elephant is passing; long black hair in a ponytail slaps against the ground, and short red dresses lick the floor. "If you ruin it, you'll pay for it!" She continues to rage. The fox can only muster a pleading look for help towards Maria.
With a sigh, Maria rubs the bridge of her nose. "This is just for you to try the material and see how it might look..."
"Oh," the fox blurts out and immediately apologizes to the goblin. However, the apology doesn't seem to have softened her in any way.
"If you weren't here with Miss Maria, I'd kick you out immediately," she grumbles and lifts redheads tail, which the fox doesn't like. Startled, she accidentally hits the dwarf in the face.
"This is going to be a long time..." Maria takes a book from a nearby shelf and sits down in one of the armchairs.
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Maria closes the book as she reflects on it. It's been a while since she could just sit quietly and read something. Although the story was short, it took her a little over two hours. However, with the sounds coming from the other room, where the two have moved to avoid disturbing others who might come, Maria couldn't fully enjoy the peaceful reading.
She stands up and goes to return the book to where she took it. On her way, she locks eyes with Nara. However, Maria pays her no further attention and, once she completes the task she set for herself, sits back down. This time, she picks up a magazine lying on the table. It's not about anything interesting, but it might serve its purpose.
"Listen..." Nara speaks up, seemingly on purpose, having kept her eyes on Maria the entire time. However, Maria ignores her and pretends to be engrossed in the magazine. Nara, being too foolish to grasp the real reason for not getting a response, tries again, "Um... Maria?"
The raven-haired woman sighs and slaps the magazine on her lap. "What part of me not wanting to talk to you does your stupid head not understand?" she questions.
The blonde looks at her confusedly. "Isn't it over already? Mr. Heinry and Alf-"
"Master," Maria corrects her, "is the least you should use when addressing him."
"Master Henry and Master Alfonse are talking fine, and it occurred to me that you might know the reason behind why I treated little Master Alfonse badly. Do you care about it?" She asks as if the answer wasn't clear.
Maria rolls her eyes and leans back on the couch. "If you leave me alone afterward, then go ahead."
The blonde hesitates for a moment, as if contemplating, but eventually starts speaking, even though Maria would prefer if she stayed silent.
"It all started before I became a spirit..."
**************** Nara **********************
Seventeen years ago, Nara worked on one of the village farms. It was a very peaceful village in the middle of nowhere, hidden in the forest from the surrounding world.
"Simon, could you fetch some wood from the shed?" asks a young dark-haired boy, around the same age as Nara.
"That storm probably soaked everything, I guess..." Nara mutters, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't someone here boast about how well it was built and could withstand even a storm?" she sarcastically inquires.
"I definitely didn't mention a storm, but I really thought it could handle it." He grumbles and puffs on almost extinguished flames. "So, if you could-"
"I'm going, I'm going," she replies, waving her hand to hush him. "But if something eats me-"
"Don't worry, if something does try to, just scream, and I'll be there in a flash!" he assures her, winking. Nara nods with a smile and puts a whistle around her neck. She grabs a hand-knit dark basket and heads into the woods.
On the way, she picks up a few herbs and puts them in the pocket of her dress. It's getting dark, and the clouds hint at another incoming storm. She should hurry to get home before the werewolves start transforming. She takes the same pocket and retrieves the key, unlocking the shed.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" A painful scream echoes from the darkness of the shelter. Nara freezes in place, could a monster have gotten in here? But that's impossible; Alec checked right after the storm ended, and there was nothing here. It's also too early for werewolves, and nobody should be transforming in their shed. Another scream, accompanied by loud sobbing, snaps Nara back to reality. In the shed, there's a woman giving birth.
She immediately grabs one of the lanterns hanging beside the door, lights it with a quick puff, and opens the curtain. When she does, she sees two eyes staring back at her. She was right.
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"Wh-who..." the woman tries to ask, but before she can say more, her eyes painfully squeeze shut.
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"Heinry!" Nara calls urgently. "Alfie!" she shouts while searching through the bushes.
"Simon, did you find them?" Alec asks, running his hand through his dark hair. "Of course not," he answers himself when he doesn't spot either of the children. "Damn it."
"Is she awake?" Nara asks without turning around.
"No, not yet," he replies quickly and bends down, probably trying to see if they did not left any trace in here.
Nara grabs her head, her voice trembling. "Damn it, I promised her I'd watch over them."
Alec leans down to her and takes hold of her shaking hands. "It'll be okay-"
"It won't!" she interrupts him. "If those two die just because instead of watching them we went off to-"
"No, the boys are fine. No blood anywhere, and the full moon hasn't come yet," he reassures her.
"You're looking for these two?" A rough voice interrupts them as a man approaches them with slow steps. They've never seen him before. His long black hair contrasts with his almost bluish-white skin. Judging by the worn armor he wears, he's likely a rogue soldier. He tosses a bag at their feet, and when Nara opens it, she finds the boys inside. "Those two goblins were hanging around the dragon rock," he informs them and turns to leave. Once she's sure the boys are alive and well, it's too late to thank the man.
"Don't say a word about this to your mom!" Alec orders the boys, and they both nod. Apparently, the man scared them enough that they don't want to think about it anymore. Alfonse reaches out his arms, and Alec lifts him up. Nara takes Heinry's hand, and they all slowly head back to the farm.
"Did he do anything to you?" Nara asks Heinry, who just shakes his head in disagreement. "Then why were you in the bag? Where were you even going? And why?" She presses more impatiently now, but Heinry remains silent, staring at the ground. She stops and leans down to him. "Will you tell me what happened?" she asks again. Heinry just keeps his gaze fixed on the ground.
"If he doesn't want to talk, let him be," Alec speaks up from the front. "We can ask tomorrow after they've had a good night's sleep."
The next morning, Heinry told us that they were playing outside hide-and-seek. His brother broke the rules and chased after a wild rabbit. Heinry went to find him, and when they were attacked by a wolf, the man saved them
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"Say aaaa..." Nara instructs, and Alfonse complies. She puts a spoonful of porridge into his mouth, and he simply grimaces. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad," she pouts.
"Simon, do you want help with something?" Their mother asks from the other side of the room.
"No, Mrs. Mai, please stay lying down, you know you shouldn't get up much." Nara replies and tries to coax Alfonse into opening his mouth. "Come on... You have to eat something." The blonde continues to insist. However, the child refuses to cooperate in any way, turning his head to avoid another spoonful.
"Let me try," Mai says with a hoarse voice, sitting on the floor across from her son. Her pale, sickly skin is painful to look at. Once black hair as coal, now gray as ash. After giving birth, she becomes weaker and weaker with each passing month, and Alec and Nara don't know what to do. The doctor prescribed a special herbal tea that should delay her death until they find a cure. "Can you open your mouth for mommy?" She asks, and Alfonse obediently does so.
"I really don't understand why he won't eat from me," Nara complains.
"He'll have to get used to it..." Mai responds simply, handing Nara an empty bowl. She looks at it with sadness in her eyes. Her raspy breath doesn't sound good at all, indicating that she's struggling even by sitting with them.
"Mai-" Nara begins, but before she can finish what she wants to say, Mai interrupts her with a disapproving shake of her head. "He'll get used to it, don't worry." Nara reassures the woman in front of her, and even though she smiles, but her eyes are not smiling.
A loud bang resounds, and shortly after, the door swings wide open. Alec stands in the doorway with horror in his eyes. "What's hap-" Nara starts, but she immediately realizes what's going on.
"Rogues, there's no time for questions, hide somewhere immediately!" He shouts and rushes to the cupboard, grabbing one of the old swords, "get into the cellar, they won't find you there! And no matter what happens... Don't come out!" He orders and runs out of the house.
Nara quickly slams the door and grabs Alfonse. "Heinry!" She calls, and the boy quickly comes over. Nara takes him by the hand and leads them to the cupboard, pulls back a false wall, and sits the boys inside. "Not a word." She commands and looks at Heinry; even at his young age, he knows very well that if he doesn't obey, something bad will happen.
Nara pulls the wall back just enough so that they could push it themselves if something were to happen to her or Alec.
"Mai, can you please-" She doesn't even finish the sentence; the woman is leaning against the wall, barely breathing. "No, no, no..." Nara repeats to herself and grabs the woman's face; she is deadly cold, and her breath is even slower. The shock from the entire situation is probably the final blow for her. "Come on, Mai!" She calls urgently and tries to warm her cheeks with fiery magic; the woman only opens her eyes a little.
"Hide..." It's the only thing that comes out of her. A blow hits the door, but Nara is so frightened that she doesn't even hear it, and Mai pushes her away with her last strength. Another blow follows, and a painful scream echoes. A stream of red blood starts flowing from under the door.
Terrified, Nara clenches her jaw, throws a blanket over Mai, and rushes to hide in the nook behind the stove. The door flies wide open, and a head rolls into the room. Nara muffles her scream and prays that the boys won't witness this.
Two men enter the room, surveying the scene. "Looks good in here," says the tall, fuller man with a dark beard. "Perfect for those monsters," adds the other, eerily resembling the first.
It doesn't take them long to notice Mai. They both smile and uncover her. "We won't get anything from her; she doesn't even look like a fire witch, probably a werewolf bitch" remarks the first man, bending down towards her. "She's half-dead." He glances at his probable brother.
"Maybe for meat...?" suggests the second man, bending down to touch her face. "Wait, this is..." He turns her head, examining her ears. "Looks like a human."
"What would a human be doing here? Aren't all of them in Millelia estate?" asks the confused second man.
"It doesn't matter; do you know how much we can sell her blood and meat for?!" the first man exclaims enthusiastically.
"She's half-dead; it won't be much of anything," argues the second.
"Even if you were to dissect a human corpse, you could only afford a house in the middle tier for their bones," the second man continues. "So that tip was right." He joyfully jumps up. "I'll tell the boss!" he exclaims and runs out of the house.
"Ugh," grumbles the remaining man. "Anyway, we won't get much out of this." He mumbles to himself and leans towards her neck, inhaling her scent. "For someone who's almost dead, you smell beautiful..." He caresses her thighs with his hand, "there is a lot of meat as well, maybe no one would be angry if I took some,", a loud cry comes from the cupboard, it is just for a second, but it didn't miss his ears. "Well, well..." He hums towards the cupboard and smiles. He stands up and slowly walks towards the source of the sound, too absorbed in the cupboard to notice that someone is approaching from behind. On the way, she picks up the dagger the man dropped, tightly gripping it. His hands heat up, causing intense pain, but she must ignore it. The man opens the cupboard, reaching for the stone wall, and as soon as he stretches towards it, Nara thrusts the dagger into his throat. His body starts burning, she tosses the man aside, and bends down to the same spot, quickly pushing the panel aside.
Heinry is sitting, his face dry and tense, while Alfons's face is full of tears and snot, likely slipped out of Heinry's grasp. "Come on," she extends her hand to them, and Alfonse jumps into her arms, while Heinry grabs her dress, and they all escape through the window. She doesn't even look Mai's way.