In Traslund, Day 2

In the morning, they convened in the tavern to eat a breakfast of porridge.

Contrary to how they had left her the previous night, Henrietta seemed much more cheerful.

“This is really good, although normally it's a bit sweeter,” she explained.

Mibu nodded, “Your cooks probably put more honey in yours.”

Henrietta nodded, “You're probably right,” then ate another bite.

After finishing breakfast, Henrietta explained, “I'd like to go shopping at the pe-...at the normal people stores today.”

I guess that's less offensive than calling it 'peasant', so some progress, Kris sighed.

She grabbed Mibu's hand again, pulling her onwards as the rest followed after.

It wasn't long before she stopped at a clothing store. “I should procure some more regular clothes.”

Then went inside, and began shopping, Henrietta holding clothes up to Mibu to inspect them.

Kris whispered to Celica, “Has your opinion changed of her?”

Celica blushed, “Maybe a little. She...” she looked down, “...I don't think she enjoys her situation that much.”

Kris made a grimace. I feel bad for her...at least she's enjoying this, though.

She was currently smiling as she went to go try on some clothes while Mibu watched.

After a while, she seemed satisfied with a selection of several dresses. They were all fairly plain (although nice by commoner standards) and she even wore one out of the shop.

“Where else do you go?” Henrietta asked (Gilmer following behind her holding up a stack of dresses).

Mibu thought a moment, “Oh! We go to the blacksmith a lot.”

“Of course, it's normal for everyone to have weapons,” Henrietta nodded.

I think that's just Adventurer's...I guess regular townspeople might have weapons for hunting or protection, though.

They followed after as Mibu found the nearest blacksmith (not too difficult just by following the sound of a hammer on anvil).

Inside, Henrietta was entranced by all the weapons on the wall. “There's so many! How do you know if they're good or not?”

Mibu tried explaining, “Well, it depends on the material. Like steel is better than iron, plus your skills affect the type of weapon...” she kept explaining, with Henrietta hanging on every word.

Paddy was looking at some of the axes, while Celica looked at their small selection of jewelry.

While he was watching them, he was tapped on the shoulder. “Son, could you hold these a moment?” Gilmer asked, holding out the dresses.

Kris took them, curious as to why.

Gilmer grabbed a rapier off the wall, then proceeded to start flourishing it around.

“Wow...” Kris simply said. “You seem pretty handy with that.”

Gilmer smiled, looking a bit proud. “I was actually an Adventurer when I was younger. I eventually...grew tired of that life...”

Before Kris could ask anything further, Henrietta came over. “Gilmer!? That was amazing!”

Gilmer smiled at her, “Thanks, my lady. Just couldn't resist a chance to test if my old skills were still there,” he explained, putting the rapier back.

Henrietta grabbed it back off the shelf, “We're buying this.”

Gilmer shook his head, “That's okay, you don't need to buy me one, I still have my old one stored somewhere at home.”

Henrietta shook her head, “No, it's for me. I'm going to have you teach me how to use it.”

Gilmer was confused, “What reason do you need to learn the sword, my lady?”

“For self-defense. My mother keeps a dagger on herself for that purpose.”

Gilmer held his head and sighed, “That's...your mother...” he shook his head, “...at least get a dagger and not a sword.”

Henrietta shook her head, “But you know how to use this, so you can teach me.”

Gilmer gave up in defeat, “As you say, my lady.”

Henrietta went up to purchase it, then wrapped the belt holding the sheathe around her waist. “Now I fit in.”

Gilmer cautioned her, “Please don't try to use it before I teach you, your parents will kill me if you hurt yourself...”

Henrietta blushed and nodded. “Okay.”

They then went outside, and after walking around, found an open market area, where stalls aplenty had every conceivable product being sold.

“Let's browse around here!” Henrietta said.

They spent the next couple hours browsing the stalls. Kris's party bought a few things (mainly some handheld food to snack on) while Gilmer was being weighed down by a larger and larger stack of things to carry.

At the moment, Paddy, Celica, and Kris were snacking on some potato croquettes, a nice hot snack in the cool weather.

“These are so good,” Celica said.

Paddy nodded, “We need to get these more often.”

Suddenly, Gilmer came up, recognizable not by his face but they by the stack of merchandise he was holding. “My lady!? Henrietta!?” he was calling.

“What's wrong?” Kris asked.

Gilmer turned sideways. “Ah, Mister Kris. Have you seen Henrietta? I dropped some items a while back and she wandered off while I was re-stacking them.”

Kris looked over to where he thought she was, but she wasn't there. Neither was Mibu. “I think she and Mibu wandered off, I'll go get them.”

Gilmer nodded.

Kris walked down the row of stalls but didn't see them. He started turning up and walking down the next, but didn't see them again.

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After going a couple more, he noticed the tell-tale sign of Mibu's ears walking towards him in the crowd. “Mibu?”

Mibu went on her tippy-toes, and saw Kris. They waded over to each other.

“Kris, have you seen Henrietta?” Mibu asked, slightly worried.

Kris's stomach dropped. “We thought she was with you...”

Mibu started looking more worried, “She was, but she wandered off while we were looking at some jewelry.”

Dammit, we had one job, and we screwed up! “We better start looking, let's meet up at the fountain in the middle of the market if we find her.”

Mibu nodded, and they separated.

Henrietta's heart was racing as she grabbed her newly purchased sword.

She had slipped away quietly, trying to buy some bracelets for the three girls as a peace offering and apology. However, as she went to put away her purse, someone behind her had tried to steal it. She had managed to hold onto it, but instead she had been dragged into an alley by the side of the market.

The would-be thieves were two burly men, tall and muscular, with a few scars on them.

“Oi, look, she can't even hold her sword right,” the bald one said with a laugh.

The other seemed more worried. “You numbskull, why did you grab the woman? We just wanted her purse,” said the mustachioed man.

The bald one shook his finger, “Did you see what's on her purse? That was a House seal. She's a noble daughter.”

The mustachioed one smiled, “Haha, you're a genius!” he said, clapping the bald man's head. He turned to Henrietta, “Eyy, lass, you a virgin perchance?”

Henrietta glowed red in anger, “What!? Are you going to have your way with me? I'll...I'll stab you!” she said.

The two men laughed, “Haha, of course not. I like me some beastkin women anyway,” the bald man said.

The mustachioed one nodded, “We'll be able to buy the whole brothel after this! No, you'll just fetch a higher price at the slaver if you are one.”

Slaver!? They're going to sell me off?

She started backing away as the bald one produced a rope. “Come easy, now, we don't want to damage our merchandise.”

As they got close, the bald one suddenly fell forward, eyes rolled in the back of his head. Where he had been standing, Kris was now standing, holding his sword (still sheathed).

“Need to train unarmed,” he mumbled.

The mustachioed man took out a dagger, “You bastard! I'll slice you up.”

In a flash, Kris had slammed the end of the sheathe into his gut, causing him to recoil over, coughing up blood.

Kris went over and knelt down next to Henrietta. “Are you alright?”

Henrietta cried while hugging him. “Sorry...”

“You don't need to be sorry...” he tried to comfort her, patting her on the back.

“I'm...utheless...” she blubbered out.

A small crowd had formed around them, and someone shouted, “I'll get a guard!”

Suddenly Mibu came up, running over and kneeling as well. “Thank goodness. Are you okay?”

Henrietta nodded, “Krith safed me...” she kept crying, now hugging Mibu.

Mibu patted her on the head. “It's okay now...”

After spending a couple minutes calming her down, they re-sheathed her sword, then talked to the guards that appeared. After Henrietta explained what had happened, they took away the two men in shackles.

Once they were gone, they walked back out to the fountain. Mibu had found the others earlier and told them to meet there, and everyone was waiting.

“My lady...” Gilmer said, rushing over to her (the stack of purchases stacked on the ground).

“Gilmer, I'm sorry...” she said.

Gilmer shook his head. “You're safe, that's all that matters.” He looked over at the others, “Let's head back to the inn for the day.”

While it was around dinner time, when they got back to the inn, they went straight to their rooms. Kris's party snacked on some of the food they had brought, everybody in a somber mood after the afternoon's events.

“Kris...” Mibu said, walking over to him while he was leaning against the bed.

“Mibu, I'm not really in the mood...”

Mibu shook her head. “I'm not either, I just want to hug you,” she explained, hugging him tightly.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

Paddy was the closest to it, so she went over and opened it.

Henrietta was outside, wearing a pajama dress, and holding a bag. “Ermm...may I come in for a moment?”

Paddy let her in, and closed the door after.

Henrietta stood there for a moment, blushing, then bowed and held out the bag. “Please take this as an apology.”

Paddy grabbed the bag, then opened it, holding out the bracelets. They were all made of thin, silver interlocked chains.

Mibu came up and grabbed one. “Is this for us?”

Henrietta nodded. “I wanted to get them as apology for my...behavior during this trip. I bought them right before those...awful men grabbed me.”

Mibu smiled and put hers on, as did Paddy. “Thank you.”

Henrietta smiled at Paddy. She then turned to Celica.

Celica sighed, walking over and taking one too. “Apology accepted. Just please mind what you say in the future.”

Henrietta nodded. “I will. That brings me to my second request.” She walked over to Kris, then bowed in front of him, “Please have s-...sex with me!”

The three girls started at her, while Kris's eyes went wide and he leaned back a bit in shock.

His mind started racing, Where is this coming from? She went from super-innocent to asking for sex? Wait....is this because of earlier? “Henrietta, you don't need to do that just to thank me. Our job was to protect you, and that was what I was doing.”

Henrietta shook her head, “No. I mean...I was planning on doing this since last night, you saving me just made it easier,” she smiled with a blush.

Kris grabbed his head, This is way too off. She's really pretty, but I don't know if I feel comfortable with this. He looked over at his partners, who were all making various faces at him. “Uh...where is this coming from, though? We only met a couple days ago.” Although, I guess that hasn't stopped me in the past.

Henrietta nodded. “I understand it may be a bit absurd, but...watching you four the past days, this seems like such a more interesting life than staying cooped up in some estate. If I have sex with you, that's means I'm part of the group, right?”

Kris wasn't sure what to say, his three partners all nodded. Is that really the critera!?

Henrietta continued, “And I don't think the issue is men, I think it's just my father and mother.”

Kris shrugged, “There are other people like that too.”

“Maybe, but not you all. If I am half as happy as Mibu seems to be with you, I think I'd faint from giddiness.”

Mibu blushed and held her cheeks with a smile.

Henrietta continued, “You see? Running away with you all is the best option for me.”

Kris nodded. I understand now, but this still feels a bit troublesome...“Uh...let me talk to the others for a moment.”

Henrietta nodded and backed away a bit. “I understand.”

Kris motioned to the others to huddle on the other side of the room. “Ummm...”

Mibu jumped in, “We should bring her in. She's super cute! And I think she'll be better off with us than her own family.”

Celica shook her head, “Maybe she's getting better, but we shouldn't involve ourselves with nobles. I don't want Kris being executed for defiling a noble's daughter if they somehow find out, they won't care if she's the one who initiated.”

Paddy seemed thoughtful. “I'm a little worried she won't be able to keep up with us. Our missions can be dangerous, and she would probably be more a hindrance than a help.”

Kris went into thinking mode. Mibu is probably right, but so it Celica. I doubt her parents would just let her run away without doing anything. Paddy's point is the most poignant though, we are a group of Adventurer's. Unless she stayed at home all the time, which would defeat her whole purpose for joining us...

Mibu asked, “What about your Kris? What do you want?”

Kris closed his eyes. What would the harem-seeking me want? “If I had to say...adding a cute noble's daughter to the pack sounds fun.”

Mibu and Paddy giggled, while Celica smiled and sighed.

“I guess you're still you,” Celica said.

Kris gave her a kiss, causing her to blush.

“Don't focus on me right now...”

Kris nodded, then looked over at Henrietta, who blushed and looked away. Walking over, he said, “Sorry, but I don't think that's a good idea right now.”

“You won't have sex with me? Am I not pretty?” she asked, looking down at herself.

Kris blushed, “No, you're pretty, but...you said you're trying to join us, right? Not just have sex?”

The three other girls behind Kris all nodded.

Henrietta looked down, “Yes...but why not? What is the issue?”

Celica jumped in, “We can't have Kris getting in trouble for being with a noble's daughter.”

“My parents wouldn't-” she started, before biting her lips, probably realizing her parents would do something.

“And secondly, you aren't cut out to be an Adventurer,” Kris said.

Paddy nodded, “It's a dangerous life.”

Henrietta nodded. “I understand that! I'd rather a dangerous life then one cooped up in a manor.”

Mibu looked down, sad. “Henrietta, I really like you, but I don't think it's a good idea right now.”

Henrietta teared up a bit. “P-please...I'll do anything...”

Kris walked over, “We said 'right now'...”

Henrietta's face went through several emotions. “Wha-what do you mean?”

Celica explained, “If you convince your parents to let you go, and there won't be a problem, then it should be fine.”

Paddy added, “If you can get a skill up to 10...maybe two, then you should be able to join us in missions.”

Henrietta beamed, going up and hugging Paddy, then Celica (who seemed a bit taken aback), then Mibu.

She then hesitated, then walked up to Kris. “I know we can't have sex right now, but...can I at least have a kiss? For motivation?”

He looked at the others, who all nodded (even Celica). Henrietta was waiting, eyes closed, so he bent down and kissed her.

It was a tame kiss (by his standards), really just a peck on the lips, but Henrietta seemed to glow like the sun, holding her cheeks.

She looked over at the other girls, “I see what you mean.” She then rushed out the door.

Celica sighed, “I know it's weird for me to say this, but why are you so popular with women? I mean, I know you're great, and so do Mibu and Paddy, but other girls shouldn't be this crazy over you.”

Paddy shook her head, “I don't think all women are. Corinne and Misty see him a lot and neither have made a move.”

Mibu hugged Kris tightly, “It's normal for women to seek out a good mate.”

Kris sighed, “This again...” then kissed Mibu's head. “I just like you all, that's all it is.”

They all blushed, then mobbed Kris onto the bed.