Humans were both fascinating creatures, and also exceedingly vain. Arras had to wonder, what even was the point of all of this? Like, did they need all of this to survive? Or was it just a matter of enjoyment? What could possibly be the purpose of a meal place... THIS large?

The seats definitely weren't made for creatures of Arras and Illia's sizes, just another reason for him to learn a metamorphosis spell he supposed, but now was not the time to do so.

"So... What did you want us to do here?" Arras questioned after a few seconds. "Lunch! I'm sure our... Guards, are perfectly willing to accommodate, right...?" There was a dangerous glint to that tone, Arras didn't even know she had it in her. Thomas hesitated, but then nodded. Yes, they were all in on the current mental link, They were currently receiving heaping piles of fluff straight to the brain.

The current seating arrangements were as followed, Obviously, Arras and Illia next to each other, and they were lying down on the table. Meanwhile Thomas and the other four humans-who he now knew as Millia, Mattias, Liam, and Ethan sitting on the actual chairs built for the place.

Frankly, despite the wrong proportions, Arras was quite satisfied with the environment of the place. It sort of... Mimicked the forest in a way, like you could easily tell nothing here was real but it still had that sort of natural feel to it that made him feel at ease. A real stark contrast to the rest of the town which all just felt unnatural to him. If there was a place he'd visit more often with Illia given she'd expressed an interest in it, then it'd probably be this place.

Eventually, a different human walked up to the group and said something to the group. Arras didn't quite, well, understand them, but that was fine! He got the general gist of what they had asked via mental connections and... Some of it was from... Illia...?

"Illia, do you know their language?"

"...Yes? I'm sorry did you not know that?"

"I-how would I?!"

"Well how did you never pick up on that when we lived with humans for a month?"

"What would you two like to order?" Mattias raised an eyebrow in their general direction, to which Illia gave it a moment of thought...

"A salad for me, Jika sauce if they have it. Arras? Would you like meat fruit or vegetables? Or all of them?"

"I... Meat, I guess?"

What were these strange terms being tossed around?

"Wonderful, a medium rare steak for Arras then if you will?"

Arras turned his gaze to Illia with absolute confusion, was she casting some sort of spell? Was this a chant or something?

"Arras you're looking at me like I just told you that your whole life is a lie, everything alright?"

"Are you really the Illia that I know?"

"Pff, what kind of question is that? Of course I am silly."

"No Jika sauce, anything else?" Mattias butted in again.

"Nah, just the salad then. Thank you."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

"Lighten up Arras! If you're gonna live among more civilized humans you'd have to have figured this all out sooner or later. Lucky you, you've got me as a guide!"

"Y'know this is a lot more entertaining then I thought it'd be." Thomas mused out loud, to which three out of four of the other humans present nodded in agreement. All except for Millia, who was quickly proving to be the smart one.

Illia's beak twisted upwards in a smile, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Shut it."

"W-wha?"

"Not you Arras."

...

Another marvel of humanity that Arras found to be somewhat interesting, turns out they were actually somewhat good at preparing food? Ah hell that was a complete understatement, this was divine. This had truly been something unexpected for Arras, on demand food, which also tasted better than anything he'd ever found or scrounged up. Maybe staying in a place like this for the remainder of his life wouldn't be so bad...

"Arras, you good there?" Illia tapped Arras on the back somewhat concerned, given he was currently frozen mid bite into a steak half the size of himself, it was a fair amount of well, concern.

"Hm? Yes, I'm fine, just wondering if I really lived my life without knowing that something like this existed up until now."

"Really? It's an outdoor restaurant that has you hooked on civilized life?"

"Is that what you call this place?" He finally started to chew. "I wouldn't say it's... SPECIFICALLY this "restaurant" but just, sort of everything minus the buildings?"

Illia choked on some sort of fruit she'd pecked at a moment earlier at Arras's answer. Arras looked at her concerned for a moment, but she coughed a moment later. "You know, with how stoic you usually are I didn't really expect you to like much stuff around here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" His endorphins were just buzzing right about now half way through this delectable meal. He was a little bit more well, tolerable of shenanigans, so to speak at the moment.

"I guess I just never really envisioned you lounging in the sun like this, you know?"

Arras tilted his head at her again, but Illia just waved a wing and dismissed it. "Don't worry about it, it's just something I found interesting."

Another few bites, and he was almost done. If this was what he got for following Illia around, Arras found himself suddenly wanting to spend even more time around her.

"How about you spend a bit less time locked away studying today, and we can go around town. I'll get you acquainted with life in this place, so that our friends here don't have to worry about it, sound good?"

"That s-"

"Scuse me, but it might not be a good idea for Arras to-"

Illia promptly turned away from Arras, he was somewhat glad she did. There was a lingering feeling of doom in their line of sight.

"A good idea for him to what?"

Thomas sighed, saying one thing with his mind and one with his mouth.

"Clingy bird."

"That's right."

Arras continued to glance between the two of them... Even more so than before, Arras wanted to learn this language. What had Illia said "that's right" too? Being clingy? What was being clingy anyways? Or was it what the human had said? Had they said the same thing mentally and verbally? He wasn't sure. He wanted to be sure.

...

"So, out of these things, which sounds best to you? Stores, bakery, massage... Actually, maybe not that last one. I don't think you'd much like it."

"Why's that?" Arras looked up and back to see Illia on Millia's shoulder, she seemingly had picked her favorite out of the five.

"...Well you probably would like the end result, but I don't think you're a fan of hands being all over you? Actually now that I think about it they probably don't even have people with the right skills to do it anyways... Just forget I said anything alright?"

"Where do you even come from to be expecting stuff like this?" Liam raised an eyebrow in Illia's direction.

"...I don't wanna talk about it."

Thomas shrugged and put a hand on Liam's shoulder. "We've all got our secrets to keep, don't worry about it."

"Actually, I should ask, what kind of establishments do exist around here?" Illia turned her genuine attention to one of the humans present for the first time in awhile, curiously tilting her head as she asked.

"Hm, it's a quiet town on the edge of the outer Grand Forest, so to be honest it's a little off the map. We don't have much here, but it's a good life. If you're looking to treat your..." They considered their next words carefully. "Friend, to a good day, I doubt there's much they'd really enjoy here in town. They're good natured, but I somehow don't believe they'll care for a manicure. If you're looking to spend some quality time with them here's an idea, introduce yourself to the Baron, and go do some reading."

"...Really?"

"That sounds good to me, to be honest." Arras interjected himself into the conversation. He felt a little bit odd being the subject of attention without actually doing anything, so he saw fit to not let it drag on any longer.

"We'll be able to leave ya alone if you're in the lords manor anyways." Thomas added on after a few seconds.

"Alrighty then!" Illia flapped her wings twice, before looking around yet again. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

...

So, unfortunately for Illia, a small amount of... Intermediary work was left unmentioned. One did not simply walk in unannounced to a noble's manor. They would have to wait. But, wait they did. Waited a little longer... Waited a little bit more, cut the humans out of her spell, waited just a little longer, turned her focus to Arras...

"So... Arras, you're doing okay, right?"

"Hm? Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason just, worried about you, you know?"

"Isn't it a little silly to be more worried about me rather than yourself? I'm much better with offensive magic than you."

"That's... Not what I meant."

"...Oh."

Illia amended her original question. "Are you okay, emotionally?

Arras didn't answer for a few seconds, this question felt a bit more serious and he felt it deserved more contemplation. "I... Guess? There's not much to think about is there? You either keep moving or life drowns you slowly and painfully. There's not much time to be sad, but if you were asking for my honest answer... I suppose I'm not exactly sure how to feel." Arras huffed and readjusted himself.

"It's been awful yet wonderful at the same time. I'm learning new things and I'm being exposed to new experiences. Whether they're good or bad, I'm not quite sure yet. Some things are better here then they were in the forest, yet also worse at the same time." He paused for a moment. "Oh also, books and restaurants are awesome." He decided to finish it off on a more positive note.

"So... I'm okay, that's the best answer I can give you. Thanks for asking though, I appreciate your concern. So... I guess I should ask, are YOU okay, emotionally?"

Illia paused for a bit, that was a question she hadn't asked herself. She'd been so much more concerned about Arras then herself all day... That was new, she didn't think she'd ever thought of another person that way... Then again, she'd only ever REALLY known family, and Arras. But the point stood still.

"Can... Can I be honest with you?"

"Of course, why wouldn't you be able to?"

"You're right, why wouldn't I?" She shook her head side to side, readjusting much the same way Arras had against her moments ago. "I'm... No, not really. I've been running from a lot for awhile now. I know I'd tell you that I'd be there to listen if you had a similar problem but... I don't think I'm ready to talk about it."

"I won't pry but..."

"I know you won't, thanks." She leaned a bit further against him. "By the way. I know you saved me, physically and all, but life wasn't all that great even ignoring my wounds back then. I just wanna say, if I hadn't met you I don't think I would've gone on much longer anyways. So thanks, really."

"Mhm..." Arras mumbled back, he was of course glad to have been there, but he didn't really know what to say.

"Heh, I'm sorry, I just keep dragging the mood down don't I? Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. You're with me aren't you?"

"Of course. Don't worry about it."

...

A few minutes later, the man himself was finally available. Thomas and his group were dismissed, leaving Illia Arras and Pennsworth in the room. Once again, Illia was the one to create a link.

"So you're Baron Pennsworth?" Illia got right to the point.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"Yes, a pleasure to meet you... Mrs. Illia."

"Illia is what my friends call me." She responded rather coldly. "You can call me Illiana Veile."

Is this really the Illia I know?

Arras specifically chose to block that thought as he nervously glanced at Illia, who, despite her small stature, felt quite a bit more intimidating then she had a moment ago. Which was weird, cause Arras was quite certain he was a great deal stronger in terms of magical power. What was this strange aura he was feeling?

If you were there watching, you might swear you saw the Baron's eyes twitch for just a moment. If she noticed it, Illia didn't make mention of it though.

"Veile, hm...?"

"Is there a problem Baron?"

"No, I suppose I was merely surprised for a moment. What would one of your family happen to be doing in such an outback province?"

"What ever could you mean by that? I've no longer any relation to that family, it's simply my name."

Her tone just sounded so much... Different...? Arras felt out of his depth.

The man's eyes practically scanned Illia, whom did not so much as budge even a millimeter.

"Very well, for what reason do I have the pleasure of meeting the companion of my most recent hire?"

"A hire, hm? Are these the pretenses we're going to work under?"

"Excuse me? What could you mean, Mrs. Veile?"

"If you're familiar with the name Veile, I'm quite certain you're also more than familiar with their practices. Let us not pretend falsehoods, you are well aware of how I was taught."

"Hm, very well. Might you be inclined to make this a party of two so we may discuss further matters?"

"No, Arras will be here to listen to exactly what pertains to him."

"...Very well."

The aforementioned fox was completely flabbergasted, where in the world had this come from?! He'd never heard Illia speak like this before, she sounded so lifeless, cold, unfeeling...

"Well? Are you going to merely have us remain on the floor? Or is your noble title simply that, a title?"

For the first time, the mask that Arras hadn't even noticed up until now finally slipped, his face before which had felt distinctly emotionless compared to the one he wore now was finally replaced with a wry smile.

"Oh heavens no Mrs. Veile. Please, follow after me."

...

Despite being laughably misshapen for the position, Illia simply fluttered onto the chair and sat. Arras didn't get it, but Pennsworth continued to treat her the same way he had before despite not even being able to see her.

"Before we begin, understand that Arras has already informed me of the contents of his contract. Please do not believe you could even hope to mislead me."

"Of course not, I wouldn't dare Mrs. Veile."

"Very well, as things stand, the only true contract put into place is Arras's loyalty to our fine kingdom. Outside of that rather nebulous little clause, he has absolutely no obligations to fulfill, nor will he have any more by the end of this conference without his express permission and understanding."

Pennsworth continued to sit and smile. He nodded once curtly, and allowed Illia to continue.

"I am here to come to an agreement on behalf of Arras-" Illia turned to face Arras, looking directly into his eyes. She was waiting for something... But what could... Oh, of course, he realized almost immediately.

Arras nodded, and Illia continued. She had simply wanted his agreement with her statement. "I, and you, for our continued being within your estate. Whether this will involve further contracts can be agreed upon by all involved parties. Do you understand?"

He nodded again.

"Wonderful. Then allow us to begin. I have been informed that in return for lodgings, you intend to have Arras bolster your reputation within a seasonal nobles gathering?"

"You have been informed correctly Mrs. Veile. It was Arras himself who proposed these terms."

"Hm, and you believe him to be an experienced participant in the art of negotiations?"

He wisely did not answer.

"Therefore, we shall be renegotiating. I will now inform you of our initial offer. First, Arras is to be granted a plot of land at least a third of the size of your own manor entirely under his own jurisdiction. Second, any and all of Arras's expenses are to be paid for by you. Third, Arras will be allowed to pick out books of his own choosing of up to nine at a time to bring off the grounds of your manor. Fourth. Arras is to obey an order from you once per month that does not conflict with any standing contracts that he may have, or force him into a situation which would involve exorbitant physical violence. This will stand for six months at minimum, or if one party decides so, the contract may end before the maximum term of two years."

The baron leaned forwards, wrapping his hands together and setting them against the desk. Frankly, he'd been expecting something more oppressive from an Ashwing supposedly raised in the Veile family. It was a question unasked, but he had the feeling Illia knew he'd thought it anyways.

What's your game here bird?

"While I am grateful for the offer, these terms seem to be almost entirely beneficial for your party if I am not wrong? An order merely once per month? In return for exclusive land within my estate as well as unlimited access to funding?" He didn't even bother mentioning the books, that was a rather negligible issue.

"Oh, is that so? Then I'm sure I have a better offer for you." Arras felt scared as she said that, there was an underlying tone of menace present in her voice...

"If you would rather have more benefits to yourself, I'm sure the terms of this contract will be far more pleasing. First, Arras is to be granted the freedom of modifications to your manor in order to create a comfortable place of rest. Second, Arras is to be granted direct access to the funding of your estate and the ability to appoint access to other individuals he deems fit provided these two privileges are not used with direct malicious intent against the estate. Third. For the establishment of this contract to take place, Arras must have his contract nulled with the kingdom. Fourth, Arras is to follow orders from you that are not directly within conflict of his own interests, or in any way obstruct his actions. This will stand for six months at minimum, or if one party decides so, the contract may end before the maximum term of two years."

Utter silence.

"I'm sure this is far more pleasing Baron Pennsworth, after all, no extra land within your estate will be taken, you as a representative of the kingdom are perfectly capable of nulling a contract of loyalty, and you retain the ability to give orders at any time!"

"...Very well, let us work off of the first."

...

This was just a world that he apparently didn't understand, At a certain point, it all just blended into jargon and gibberish that he had no hope of recognizing. At the end of the day, there was one finalized contract. Given it was Illia herself who had made the thing for him... He was a bit more willing to undertake it. It was basically the first offer she'd given, just less infinite money involved.

After that whole debacle was over... Arras breathed a sigh of relief. Well, he certainly wasn't relieved with another grating restriction against his being, but it was mostly fine... In other news, he almost didn't want to be in the manor anymore with the look he'd seen on the Baron's face buuuut... Books!

"So you want to read... Basics of transformation magic chapters eleven to twenty...?"

"Yup! I need to learn how to do a metamorphosis spell, and so far this book has been very helpful."

"Well, alright, why not? We can learn together."

He still had no idea how she'd switched from her previous state to this so easily. Just moments ago she had been lifeless, now she was chipper and upbeat? How did that make sense?

"Alright, I don't see why not." He was initially going to tease her, but after that earlier display he just didn't feel like it.

...

The day passed pretty quickly, and begrudgingly Arras and Illia ended up staying the night in the manor. Pennsworth didn't exactly have a place to give them on the spot so... That's how things ended up. Arras practiced, got further minute by minute, Illia yawned, fell asleep as he continued to work himself. And eventually he too slipped into unconsciousness.

By morning, they were "escorted' to a very plain piece of land. Arras was told he could do whatever and well... Whatever he did! In much the same fashion as the building of his den mere weeks earlier, Arras got to work. It actually progressed much faster than it had the last time, as he now found himself working with much more magical power when compared to before. The earth was easier to loosen, and after having done this same process once before he was quite speedy. Illia was apparently out and about, grabbing things for the finished product, which was just fine with Arras.

Hours blended into hours, the den was dug out, various objects were brought, a whole lot of stuff Arras could only describe, like a fuzzy surface, structures similar to the beds he knew but far softer, a perch, oh well he did know what that specific thing was he supposed. But just things in that general vein. After that came the books, Illia returned with two in tow, and that was how they spent a fair majority of their day. After, they had gotten lunch as Illia called it.

Things blended into routine over the days, wake, practice, wake Illia, go out, explore, socialize, eat, exercise, because that was an actual necessity now that they weren't expected to be doing actual work on the daily, do some reading, practice some more, sleep... Again, again, and each day there was steady progress. Arras could name more and more people in town, control his magic further, he improved by the day... And by the tenth, well, Illia stepped outside to a slightly more surprising sight.

A shorter humanoid figure was standing above the entrance to the den, familiar red fur covering most of their body, pointed ears on their head. Moments later, said figure deformed into a blob of movement which eventually coalesced into a collapsed Arras. Collapsed in the sense that they were dead tired, not, physically broken or anything.

"Oh, hello Illia... I... Think it worked...? Still need to make some minor changes but... Hey...! Only took me nine days!"

Illia could not believe he'd actually done it in a little more then a week. She fully expected it to be down to the wire, if it was even completed at all.

"You're ridiculous you know that?"

----------------------------------------

Bestiary

Jika Root

An extremely strange and difficult to grow plant. It is a plant which is somehow a semi-solid. Because of that aforementioned deviancy, these plants are extremely difficult to harvest. They grow fine enough without intervention, but if one attempts to pull these plants from the ground they simply break apart uselessly. This does spread their seed around the world though, which ends up with wild Jika Root being extremely common.

In order to properly harvest this fruit, one must carve out the ground around it and slowly chisel away at the earth surrounding it. They go for rather high prices due to their difficulty to properly prepare, as well as their unique taste which usually hooks those who taste it.

The most common form of Jika Root within culinary preparations is as a sauce. This fruit has a naturally high shelf life and is exceptionally easy to mash for, obvious reasons.