Aya got up with a late start to her day and climbed out of bed with a yawn. She blinked slowly and soon without intending to, stared at a nearby wall to zone out. It only took a few minutes before the sizzling of breakfast caught her attention enough to jolt her out of her thoughts.
Breakfast? That meant…
Aya bolted out of bed, racing towards the kitchen to confirm what she knew. Mars was cooking breakfast and she was determined not to miss it.
She burst out of her room, startling Mars who hid it well as she flipped pancakes in a non-stick pan over a hot stove.
“Where’s the fire?” Mars chuckled at the sight of Aya’s disheveled appearance. She looked the girl up and down, scanning for any sign of a problem.
“Aya are you alright?” Mars asked in concern, Aya had a dazed expression on her face as if she had zoned out the moment she stepped into the kitchen. Mars narrowed her brow and turned down the heat to approach the other girl.
“Aya.” She called again, resting a concerned hand on the brunette’s shoulders.
“I’m fine, just didn’t want to miss breakfast.”
Mars gave a small smile in response to her words, Aya could be so sweet. She turned her eyes back to the piping hot stack of pancakes and lifted one of the plates to present to her friend.
“I’ll get the syrup in a bit,” Mars said.
Aya gripped the sides of the plate and went to take a seat at the table.
“Aya,” Mars called, the brown haired girl spun around, “Don’t worry about last night. There’s no need to feel guilty about overplaying.”
Aya rested the plate on the table and sat down.
“Pshh, what do you mean, I don’t...feel guilty.” Aya said, cautiously moving the plate with the tips of her fingers.
Mars smirks.
“If you’re going to keep pouting I’m only going to say try not to miss meal times, or just let me know if you do. If we’re going to be living together we can’t be walking on eggshells.” Mars said.
“I just feel bad about it.”
“Don’t, I was just worried you had passed out.” Mars said, frying another stack of pancakes. She noticed Aya resting her head on the table.
“Has that ever happened before?”
“Mmhmm, it happened to me.” Mars said. “Grinding for days, I didn’t have anyone checking in on me.”
“That’s awful.”
“That’s life without any real friends.” Mars said. She turned around to face Aya whose brown eyes stared in concern for her. “I don’t want that to happen to you.”
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Yvlena woke up beside Dylan who was busing himself plucking the blades of grass that grew along the lake bed. The young man noticed her stirring and scrambled to her side.
“Oh, Yvlena. I didn’t expect you to fall asleep after eating.” He said rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. He held a hand out to help her up from the comfortable grass.
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Yvlena blinked, forcing herself to focus. That was the second time a character had mentioned her sleeping, did elves not sleep as often as humans did in the game?
“Thank you.” Yvlena said, shaking herself. She was supposed to lead this quest and didn’t want to look unsure beside Dylan.
“Are you alright?” Dylan asked.
“Yeah I’m fine, I just had a weird dream. You know how it is.” Yvlena said. She winced a bit, realizing she didn’t know if the NPC could dream or if they even knew what the concept entailed.
“I know what you mean,” Dylan said, resting his hands on his waist with a pensive expression. “I get the strangest dreams sometimes, sad ones too.” he admitted.
“What kind of dreams?”
“Sometimes I dream the Miasma’s gone, though I guess now that’s becoming a reality,” he laughed. His expression saddened again. “Sometimes I dream Twyla came back.” he muttered.
Yvlena gazed at his solemn expression, she rested a hand on his shoulder, then pulled him into a hug. Only a moment after she felt Dylan’s arms wrap around her shoulders in reciprocation. He allowed himself to lean in and take comfort in her embrace.
“I’m sure wherever she is, she’s okay.” Yvlena said.
“Thank you,” Dylan said. “You know I’ve only ever gotten hugs from my mom.” he said shyly as they pulled apart.
“Cherish her while you can.”
Dylan nodded, sensing the graveness in Yvlena’s tone. She looked away from him, Dylan wanted to say something more but the words ended up caught in his throat.
“Alright everyone, let’s go!” she said, rousing her summons from their play. She looked back at Dylan who now stared on with a contemplative expression.
‘I guess I gave him a lot to think about.’ Yvlena thought. “Come on Dylan, the temple is up next, we need to stop by before we get to the Outskirts and then the Outpost.”
“R-Right!” Dylan said walking towards the path with Yvlena and her summons. The girl spoke to them like one would children, even though Dylan knew they were pretty powerful. He wondered how she became a summoner, but knew he wouldn’t be able to understand even if she explained it.
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The Depths didn’t seem as hostile as it was when Yvlena had first visited. Sunlight streamed through the thick canopy of leaves making the elf consider cutting down some of the overgrown trees. That was an idea to explore later.
‘It would help the light shine through much better but at least I don’t need a torch anymore.’
She braced herself for an attack, even with the Miasma gone they were still in one of the more dangerous areas in the Bloom Forest with a NPC that wasn’t quite on her level and even willing to thrust himself into danger.
‘And I need to kill a boar for Laurent.’ Yvlena thought.
“Wow.” Dylan gasped, marveling at the greenery all around him. Yvlena watched him spin around, whistling at the vastness of the forest. “It just keeps going on doesn’t it?” he said in awe.
“It really does. The temple’s up ahead, keep your eyes peeled, there are wolves lurking around.” Yvlena warned. “You run towards a wolf like that again, and I’ll smack you!”
Dylan stood rigid at the sound of her warning, recalling how he dashed forward into danger before Yvlena could stop him.
“I was only trying to prove myself.” he whined.
“I’d rather have you safe.” She sighed. Her next point was interrupted by a growl, she looked ahead, sensing a danger she could not see was up ahead. It would most likely be a fox or a wolf but her inability to see it made her anxious.
“Sprite, Rabbit Knight keep your eyes open, there’s something just around the corner.” Yvlena said, Kuti held on to her leg, prompting Yvlena to pick the doll up with care. She placed Kuti on her shoulders, like a child at a show needing a height boost.
Dylan held his sword close, gluing himself to Yvlena’s side, they inched forward through the poorly lit woods.
The elf continued to hear the faint growling of a forest creature.
‘Where is this thing?’
“Ahhhhhhh!” Dylan screamed behind her, bushes rustled behind them and soon they were cornered by two snarling foxes circling them, at any moment they could lunge at the party, setting them all on edge.
Dylan gulped, brandishing his sword. So far his only victory had been against the lesser creatures of the Bloom Meadow. His hand quivered as he stared into the amber eyes of the hostile animal.
“Dylan,” Yvlena called. He took a moment to break eye contact with the enemy to look into her eyes. “You’re not alone.”