“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay in bed for another hour?”

Tomas shivered as Kat’s finger trailed across his shoulder. He smiled a little, shaking his head. “I’m going to take a look around the city. Wanna come?”

“Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to be a woman out there?” Kat grumbled, pulling the bed-sheets against her chest. “Every single person I talk to is just slobbering over me like I’m meat.” A deep sigh. “And there’s nothing to do.”

“What do you mean, nothing? We’ve barely seen the city.”

“These people call sitting around and taking drinks in a stale room without music ‘fun’.” She groaned. “The music is slow and boring, and yeah, sure, the alcohol packs a punch, but drinking in a quiet room is just sad drinking, not happy drinking. And everything is so fucking sloooooow.”

“It certainly feels like the city is… quieter than what we had in our world.” Tomas nodded. “But isn’t it better that way? Could you imagine maidens just going wild? Actually, pause, I read about maidens going wild. They called it a civil war.”

“So what, because four out of every five people out there can punch holes through solid rock, the rest of us can’t get some nice music going on?” She was pouting now, crossing her arms dejectedly and rolling to the side. “I miss May’s phone. She had a couple good songs.”

“Come, please? At least walking will do you good.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I’ll take the nap option, bed’s comfy.”

“I still don’t understand how the extrovert is the one choosing to stay indoors.” Tomas said.

“That’s because you’re more fun than the rest of this over-sized town.”

Tomas flushed a little, sharing her laugh and nodding along, turning to leave before she could tease him further.

“Remember to get back so we can continue where we left off!” She called after him.

“I suspect her family will be a very large one.”

Freya’s voice rang out, startling Tomas. The Elf had been leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and dressed with something far more casual than what she usually wore. The dress was modest and simple, light green, reaching all the way to her calves, the hem and edges were adorned with small flowers. She glanced at him as he fought to put on the shirt, expression bemused.

“Don’t think Kat’s the kind of person that’d want children.”

“And you?”

He froze a little, chuckling nervously. “It feels a bit too early for that kind of decision.”

“Perhaps.”

Tomas led the way, with Freya close behind. The Elf had been, so far, the only maiden he owned. But it certainly didn’t feel like she was his property, which was a welcome thing for him. The maiden was respectful and deferential, but it felt more like having a wise adviser at his side than a slave. And that impression was exactly why Tomas felt a little out of balance seeing her with the dress.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, no, just… is that new?”

“This?” She glanced down at the white floral garment. “Miss Hyung helped me mend it.” With a slight shift in the skirt, Tomas spotted the hunting knife strapped to her thigh. “Now that summer is coming, it felt appropriate.”

“Huh.” Tomas nodded, rubbing the back of his neck a little. “It looks nice.”

Freya bowed her head slightly. “Thank you.” She didn’t smile, keeping her expression mostly neutral. But Tomas got the distinct impression her mood had improved a little.

Not feeling particularly sure of his destination, Tomas took to the streets as he tried to figure out if there was anything he should be looking for. The city was not like those on earth, the streets were always wide, the houses and buildings either cobbled together into a larger structure or well apart from one another. Though it would’ve given the city a feeling of being planned beforehand if one tried to look at it from above, from the street, it looked more like people took personal space quite seriously.

“It’s for safety.”

“What?”

“The street.” Freya spoke up. “The larger the city, the likelier it is a maiden might go feral somewhere within the city itself. And many maidens have powers that can cause damage in a wide area.“ A little pause. “Additionally, sometimes even normal maidens can have accidents. The extra space makes it less likely to affect many things at once.”

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“What would happen if you had an accident?”

“I wouldn’t.”

“But what if you did?”

“I wouldn’t.” She smirked ever so slightly.

Tomas pouted a little, marching down the street. “I guess it also helps to avoid crowds getting too cramped. Wouldn’t want a maiden panicking.”

“That as well.”

With a little nod, he kept glancing around, trying to figure out where they were relative to the city. The fortress loomed to the right, so that had to mean they were moving closer to the prettier parts. Sure enough, their steps soon took them through buildings that had been built with an almost ornamental flair to their exterior. Though prettier, they also felt older. Some of them had motifs to the flourish, most were based around plants, but there was one building in particular that looked entirely out of place.

The building was burnt up and torn down. Half in ruins but clearly having been left in such a state intentionally. There was little Tomas could readily recognize about it other than the thing looked to be away from the main streets. “Wonder what this was.”

“A temple.”

He glanced over at Freya. The Elf had an odd look in her eyes. “Temple to what?”

“To gods that are no longer welcome in the kingdom.”

“Huh. How did that happen?”

Freya approached the ruined structure, looking at it closely. “The rebellion was said to have started because of the temples and their beliefs.”

“Were you alive back then?”

“I was young back then, working on a small farm in a small village that no longer exists. I never did know anything about the rebellion or the battles.” Her hand slowly caressed the burnt wood. “To maidens like me, the only thing we knew was that both sides blamed the believers of the thousand armed God. The kingdom has since made… examples, of anyone known for following the faith.”

“Guess it’s a touchy subject.”

“I did not share their faith, if that is what worries you.”

“Just… I guess it’s the feeling that this isn’t something I have any right to comment on.”

“Perhaps. It would not be my place to decide that for you, however.” Freya said, shaking her head. “I also know you probably have many questions about the religion itself.”

“I mean, who wouldn’t?”

With a sigh, she gave him a flat look and continued walking. “You’ll have to find someone else to ask, then.”

“What, you don’t know anything about them?”

“I grew up in an isolated farmland at the edge of the kingdom. It took me a long time to realize many of the things I’d been taught about the world were false.” Her shoulders slumped. “And I’ve never found someone who knew of them to properly ask.”

“I’m guessing what you heard was a bit outlandish?”

“Indeed.” She nodded. “The wildest of the claims being that they sacrificed humans.”

“And that would be… outlandish, right?”

Freya startled, staring at Tomas with wide eyes. “Is human sacrifice something normal in your world?”

“No, no, it’s just that there’d been a civilization that did that, once. It’s long gone, now.”

She eyed him as if there was some doubt on the claim. “To answer, yes, it is outlandish. Had such a group of people been killing humans, the kingdom would have eradicated them long before they set roots.”

“I guess that’s reassuring.”

They continued their walk, slowly making their way back towards the main streets, meandering their way through the various houses. Some of the smaller ones had small gardens behind them. The sense Tomas got out of it was a sense of security. Freya seemed to slow down each time she approached one such garden, looking at them with an expression that seemed both critical and full of longing.

“You know, we could make a short excursion out of the city.” Tomas declared.

“And what about she who lusts? Surely she’d tie you to the bed rather than let you leave for days at a time.”

Freya chuckled lightly when Tomas’ face lit up with a slight blush.

“Do not worry, I was thinking back to my own garden.” She smiled slightly. “Just something to look forward to once you’ve chosen a place to settle.”

“Oh.” Tomas blinked a little, slowly, then rapidly. “Oh!” He coughed, cheeks reddening a little. “I… huh, um… I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“Of course you haven’t.” She wasn’t chiding him, her tone was soft, merely an acknowledgment. “And now you have the opportunity to do so.”

The scream drew both of them to look at one of the shops further up the road.

A young maiden had been knocked over, falling onto the street. She had mousy ears and a terrified expression plastered across her face as another maiden dressed in leather armor glared her way. Both maidens were frozen in place, the larger of the two stood while keeping the shop door open for a woman. There were no words, comments, or threats, merely silence as she followed into the shop and closed the door behind her.

Meanwhile, the mousy maiden began to fumble back to her feet.

“Can I help you?”

Tomas had approached, offering a hand for the maiden to take. There was a quiet complaint from Freya, but he just took the hand of the downed maiden and helped her up to her feet. The girl stared up at him in surprise, blinking slowly until she caught her wits.

“Th-thank you, sir.” She bowed quickly.

“Don’t mention it.”

He’d been just about ready to turn away when a new voice drew his attention.

“Has my little mouse caused you any problems, young man?”

It was soft, smooth like silk, sultry with a smoky cadence. The sound sent a shiver through Tomas, one leaving a warmth through him that, for a moment, drew his thoughts to Kat and the bed and how quickly he could make his way back. Instead of running, however, he turned to look at the woman who’d spoken.

And she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.