“Oh yeah! She does have the same stand out features as yer sister! What’s goin' on?” Findir’s tail curled up as he narrowed his eyes at the old woman.
Syrinx’s eyes drifted away in silence before she opened her mouth. “... She was an orphan I met five years ago. When I first saw her, she was being teased by other children in front of the orphanage because she didn’t have a tail. She lost it and her parents in an accident, and she didn’t have any living relatives to take care of her. I never had any children of my own, and I was content with living by myself until I leave this plane peacefully, but when I saw her… I couldn’t help myself.” She smiled dryly.
“Is she Cybele’s reincarnation? Do people here believe in that concept?” Ryder asked.
“Her personality is quite the opposite of my sister’s, so I doubt that’s the case.” She chuckled. “It was a coincidence that she looked like Cybele. Initially, I felt guilty for adopting her only to fulfill my deep-seated regret for being unable to save my sister. But, seeing how happy she was to have a home and someone to take care of her, that feeling went away. I raised her as if she was my real granddaughter, and I told her stories about Cybele and Attis.
Because of her unpleasant experience in the orphanage, she clung onto the idea of being the one breaking the curse. If she could pull it off, no one would look down on her anymore. Since my sisters and I were too occupied with the troubles of our lives, and their descendants didn't show great interest in breaking the curse, I… encouraged Aoede. For that, I apologize, Mr. Ryder. I know it may trouble you during the breaking of the curse, but I couldn’t say no outright.
“It’s fine, Ms. Miuzika. She did pass my test. As long as she doesn’t disobey me when we deal with the knight, things will be fine.”
“It's a kind thing that ya did, Ms. Miuzika, fer givin’ an orphaned child a lovin’ home. People may have selfish reasons for doin’ thin's, but it’s their actions that count, and that child will no doubt appreciate what ya did fer her.” The musician smiled.
“Thank you, dearies.” The old woman nodded solemnly before lifting her head with a bright smile. “Now, do you three have time to tell me about your adventures? You’re welcome to stay for lunch and dinner.”
“Uhm…” Ryder glanced at Brown and Findir, both of whom nodded their heads. “Sure.”
And so, the trio spent the rest of their day retelling the stories they encountered on their journeys. They also helped out Syrinx preparing the meals. Aoede left her room when it was time to eat. Despite the cat-man’s best effort to chat with another fellow musician, she was so consumed by the practice of the song that she treated everyone as though they were invisible, her grandmother included. The old woman didn’t mind though, as she was absorbed in the gang’s tales. Of course, she tried to ask about Ryder’s hometown, and he declined with an apology, as always. As day turned to night, it was time for the trio to depart.
“...Once I tested the Knight’s capabilities in the morning, Findir here will come by after lunch to see if you have memorized the song. If you do, he’ll take you to us, and we’ll go break the curse. Lastly, you must do everything I say without question and delay, or else I can’t guarantee your safety. Any questions?” The rider glanced at the cat-girl.
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“Nope!” Aoede declared.
“Good. See you tomorrow.”
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all again for taking up this request. May the Goddess bless you.” The old woman bowed her head.
“You’re welcomed, Ms. Miuzika. We’re glad we could help out. Have a good night.”
“Yep! Ya just need to wait fer ar good news, Ms. Miuzika! Sleep well!”
“Rest well, Ms. Miuzika, Aoede. We’ll take our leave now.”
They bade goodbye and left. Before heading back to their lodging, Ryder and Brown checked up on Green. He informed them the gentlemen had tried to come close, but he spook them away. The dragon was then told to meet up at the front gate tomorrow morning, in case those two crooks decided to enact another evil plan during the night.
Suddenly, a faint chill was sent down their spines, and all of them immediately stared in the direction of the jungle. The few citizens who were walking down the street were unfazed, as if they didn’t sense anything was wrong.
“What was that?” The rider questioned.
“It’s likely the entity Purple informed me yesterday.”
He turned to the earth dragon. “What entity? Why didn’t you tell me Purple contacted you yesterday?”
“I didn’t want to distract you from the quest, and I thought it wasn’t something we should be worrying about. As Purple hadn’t said anything about it since yesterday, I believe that is still the case.”
“Did he say anything else about the entity?”
“Only that it’s hiding in the jungle, and it’s waking up. That is all.”
“Uh-huh. I doubt it’s something good if it sends a chill down my spine. We should notify the Guild about this in case no one else sensed it. Let’s go.” Ryder turned on his heels and was ready to leave.
Green abruptly growled in a slightly pleading manner, though his eyes looked away. Air blew through the teenager’s nose resignedly as he turned back to stare at his companion. The dragon growled again, but still insisted on looking away.
“You know, despite the fact that you’re a plant dragon, you seem to know very little of the floras that exist in this world.”
“He’s still young in dragon’s age-” Brown was cut off by her rider’s hand.
“I know he can only recreate plants he had personally seen before. I was being sarcastic.” The human crouched down so he was on the same eye-level as his scaly companion. “What should you do when you ask someone for something?”
Green, still looking away, fiddled his toes as his vines gently tugged on his rider’s fingers.
Ryder resisted the tugging. “It’s your attitude that I’m having a problem with. If you had tried to think out of the box instead of finding a less unpleasant way to stuff your nose, you would’ve recalled a certain fruit we came across before. So, while I didn’t say I won’t pat or hug you until you figure out a solution, I’m not giving it to you if you’re going to act like this.”
The young dragon groaned and pouted, but his rider didn’t give in. Thus, he made eye contact with his humanoid companion and whimpered.
“That’s more like it.” The teenager grinned and hugged his partner. Green eagerly dove his head into his rider’s embrace, allowing his rider to pat him and scratch him. “And you said you can last more than a day without me by your side.” Ryder chuckled and rubbed the bottom of the dragon’s neck with his draconic arm, causing the dragon to purr as his tail slammed repeatedly on the ground.
A few minutes later, the human gave his companion a last pat before heading to the Guild. Each of the Guild branches always opened for the whole day, which was crucial for adventurers who had emergencies to seek help or report about them. Once the Guild was informed of the situation and gave a vague promise to investigate the issue, Ryder and Brown headed back to their beds and slept.