Meanwhile, over in Riverbridge...

Aliyah's reception was a bit different than her brother's reception in Azeria. The split in hierarchy meant that she gave her report to Captain Pasu, and she did not get thrown a private feast. She did, however, receive words of advice from the tengu before being sent to explore the city.

The older woman eyed her as she said, "While not to my taste, I understand your form and figure to be attractive to most bipeds, and your clothing does little to obscure it. I don't know what your experiences are, but you can't have had full sapience for long and you will receive a lot of attention from those seeking certain entertainments. So a little advice for you; you will likely find Moriko's family accommodating, given your connection to her. I think you will want to go meet them first. Should you later want to consider being 'entertained', select a tavern and talk to the barkeep; you want to request only light drinks before letting people buy you food and drinks. I think you will find no need to spend any coin to be well-fed during your stay if you don't want to."

"I see," Aliyah replied thoughtfully, "that is an interesting idea. I think I would like to meet Mistress Moriko's parents. And I will certainly keep that other idea in mind." Her memories of her life as a normal rabbit were vague at best, but she'd had at least one mating season. So she was no stranger to mating, but the way that sapient people went about such things seemed much different. The familial bonds ran much deeper for one thing. Aliyah felt no strong attachment to the memories of her children and wasn't even certain how many of them were alive. The memories of time racing with her brother stood out strongly in comparison, though as far as she could tell they were unusual in even that much. But even those were still weaker than the memories and bonds that had been formed since Mistress Kazue had awoken their minds.

Aliyah memorized the directions that Pasu gave her and then left the guards' quarters. She took her time making her way to the alchemist's shop and examined the city around her. From her experiences in the dungeon, it resembled the towns that had been built in the lowest levels. The warrens and mushroom forests had buildings, but the style and arrangement were specific to those areas. She now saw the more general pattern that followed from here to those deep towns. Given what she knew of stories, Aliyah could only imagine that most cities and towns followed similar patterns.

What she did not have to imagine was how much attention she was getting. When she'd been talking with the guards, she had assumed the looks she'd gotten had been mostly curiosity as few if any would have seen an usagisune before, given how recently her tribe had come into existence. And that was certainly true to an extent, Pasu's words made her more aware of just where gazes were wandering. While most of them started with her ears, few eyes stayed focused on them.

The question is, did she mind? The knowledge and awareness that had been imbued along with her sapience suggested that some would mind at least. But what she knew of Mistress Moriko suggested this was far from universal. A smile slowly crept onto her lips as she decided she didn't mind. At least, not the looks that admired without lingering too long.

Her knowledge of what had transpired between Mistress Moriko and a foreign noble suggested that not all people were so well-behaved. In a way it made her think of how some groups of visitors needed a harsh lesson or two about being respectful to even the bodies of the dungeon's inhabitants. Respect was the key concept all around.

She couldn't say she fully understood the conflict that had created the Puritasi, but between them and what she knew of Fuyuko's background, it seemed to her that respect in any form was found far less often in Trionea than it was in Kuiccihan. That seemed like an interesting philosophical discussion to have with Horace someday. Not that she always understood his 'ooks', but if nothing else he'd probably have a book for her to read.

When she entered the alchemist shop, Aliyah kept out of the way and browsed until there was a break in customers at the counter. There were four people at the counter, and she couldn't help but notice that while the young man seemed unable to keep from looking at her frequently, the older man looked more like he was almost ignoring her existence. A vague instinct made her approach the older of the two half-elven women. "Mistress Kaoru? My name is Aliyah, and I am from the Azeria Dungeon. Captain Pasu suggested that I might want to find lodging with you if possible."

The woman smiled cheerfully. "Oh! We haven't had a visitor from the dungeon before!" Then her expression froze. "Wait. You're from the dungeon and you saw the guard captain as your first stop. Is something wrong?"

Oops, Aliyah hadn't thought about this aspect of the conversation. And there were travelers here. She deliberately widened her eyes briefly and placed a finger on her lips before saying out loud, "Nothing of importance, Master Mordecai and Mistress Kazue simply wanted to arrange some training and sent me as a messenger. My tribe is recently evolved, and the run here was a chance for me to really push myself."

Kaoru gave a slight nod as she forced her expression to relax. "That's good to hear. Hainako, why don't you show your sister's friend to our house and get her settled in? And Galan, you can stay right here."

Good, the woman had taken her hint. Aliyah wasn't certain if she had been unnoticed by the customers behind her, but she was fairly certain she didn't want rumors spreading through such a major hub of transportation. Or at least not send them flying too fast and far. "Thank you. I look forward to getting to know Mistress Moriko's family."

Kaoru nodded as Hainako came around the counter. "I look forward to talking with you as well. But please, drop the 'mistress' with us, just call me Kaoru."

That was going to be hard for Aliyah as they were all related to Mistress Moriko, but she would try. "I will do my best. It's a hard habit to break."

She spent the next few hours talking with Hainako and learning about both Moriko's history and her family. The stories about a younger Moriko's escapades were very entertaining, and she made a mental note to ask Mistress Moriko about those stories when she returned to the dungeon with Mistress Kazue's avatar.

Jhaeros was the next to return from the store as he needed to get dinner started. Kaoru and Galan returned together a little before dinner was ready. Sitting down to eat dinner with Moriko's family was wonderful and she was happy to answer all the questions about the dungeon that they had. However, after dinner, it was time for a more serious discussion.

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"So what is actually happening at the dungeon?" Jhaeros asked.

"Well, I'd like to begin by saying that Master Mordecai and Mistress Kazue are confident that they have everything under control. They are asking for some additional assistance in case they are wrong, but they do not believe that there is a threat beyond what they can handle." The family did not seem to find this very comforting, but they also did not interrupt.

"It seems that this group called the Puritasi has launched a second attack on us. I was sent out before we had verified the numbers, but the kobold tribe had sent a message saying it was a little over two hundred troops. The cores intend to play along with what appears to be an attempt to infiltrate before they launch their attack and use that as a chance to divide their forces. They are asking for a patrol from Riverbridge and one from Azeria to come in behind the invaders and complete a pincer attack if needed. But that is a last resort, as they do not have the protections that inhabitants do."

Kaoru asked, "What do you know of Moriko? Is she okay?"

"As of when I left, Mistress Moriko and Mistress Kazue's avatar were doing well on their journey. They are currently journeying along the coast, and have been requested to not rush home and to continue their travels," Aliyah replied.

The family had relaxed again, and now Aliyah went into more detail about what they knew and the dungeon's plans. With, of course, the expectation that the family keep this under wraps for a few days, to make sure that no word could leak out. She didn't have any idea how it could, but that concern had been specified to her with regards to Riverbridge. The Azeria clan had far fewer visitors than Riverbridge did.

She spent the night there, and the next day Aliyah went exploring the town some more, including stopping by the temple and paying her respects to Master Traxalim. He too was updated on the events of the dungeon in private.

Eventually, she did follow Pasu's suggestion and selected a tavern to see what the city might have to offer. The selection of people interested in possibly entertaining her was rather nice, but none of them hit an emotional note that felt like she wanted to share this sort-of-first with them.

Until a mug of mead and a shot glass were placed down by an orc who said, "One of Moriko's favorite combinations."

Aliyah eyed the drinks that were definitely not what she had requested to be served, then looked to the orc without touching them. "I take it you know Mistress Moriko, mister ... ?" She left the question hanging as he hadn't given his name.

He nodded briefly. "Yes. I haven't spoke with her since spring and, well, I was wondering how she's doing. Just, is she happy?" She just looked at him with a raised brow for a moment, and the orc suddenly blushed. "Er, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yambul."

"Hmm." She didn't recognize the name, but she wasn't exactly privy to all of Moriko's life before she and Mordecai had joined Kazue. "Well Yambul, why don't you have a seat? I'm Aliyah." He didn't look like that was new information to him, which wasn't much of a surprise since he seemed to know who she was. Once he was seated she said, "I can say she's definitely happy. She's been enjoying a trip with Mistress Kazue's avatar, she's met Kuiccihan's royalty a few times now and enjoyed the experience, and from what I have heard it seems she's been looking forward to sparring with Master Mordecai after they get back, as she has some new tricks she wants to show him. Though I suspect that part will wait for a couple of days, I think they'll be a bit occupied with other activities at first."

Yambul's small smile was difficult for her to interpret. A bit of happy, a bit of sad, perhaps wistful? The man sighed and rubbed at his forehead. "It figures that it'd take the combination of an immortal warrior-mage and a kitsune to satisfy that woman." He sounded amused at least.

"I take it you are one of her former lovers?" Aliyah asked while she toyed with the cups in front of her.

"Kind of obvious I guess," Yambul replied, "but yeah. I saw her and Kazue when they were here a few months ago, but I didn't want to approach them. It just felt awkward, you know? She looked happy, but I just wanted to talk to someone who knew more about her life now. It's not like I was even her only lover in Riverbridge, but I consider her a friend too. I just, well, after the sudden marriage thing, I don't really know where we stand."

"Mm," she said thoughtfully, "I doubt she'd be unhappy to have you visit the dungeon while she's there. Master Mordecai and Mistress Kazue wouldn't be bothered either. Though it would help if you had another reason to be there. I don't suppose you are a warrior or something?"

"Er, no, I'm afraid not. I'm a cobbler by trade, though I can get by in a few related crafts." Yambul looked a bit embarrassed at that.

"Well, you might prefer Mistress Kazue's path in that case." Aliyah bit her low lip briefly. The orc was sweet, but she doubted Moriko would spend much time with someone who didn't also know how to be more passionate. "Though maybe we should give you another reason to visit as well." She suddenly downed the shot and followed it with the mead as a chaser and then gave the confused-looking man a slow smile. "Did you know that this form is based on kitsune bodies? And I am curious Yambul, just what would you do with an innocent young kitsune, who was just ever so eager to find out what all the fuss was about?" As she asked Aliyah crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward toward him.

The change in how he looked at her was gratifying, and his smile was quite different than the one she'd seen on his face before. "That seems like the sort of thing better demonstrated than talked about. Perhaps we should find someplace more private?"

His demonstration was quite thorough and it left Aliyah quite satisfied with her newfound understanding of what all the 'fuss' was about. However, she also found herself a touch sore in the morning. When he rose to get ready for work, she watched him with quiet contentment for a while. He didn't seem to know quite what to say or ask now, but she fortunately had no hangups about being blunt on the subject if needed. "Yambul," she said, "I would like to meet you again tonight. And perhaps every night until it is time for me to leave, depending on how things go. But I will leave, and I am not likely to leave the dungeon territory very often. So if you want to see me again, you will need to come to me."

He gave her a small nod, "That makes sense I guess. And I would like to see you again tonight. You can even just stay here if you want, I don't mind."

"I'll consider it, but I want to check in with Moriko's parents first at least. But there is one other matter you should be aware of." How to put this, hmm. "As I am very certain you noticed, I don't have the same protective tattoo you do, and I have no intention of getting one. I am rather inclined to let chance decide that for me. I have no particular drive to have children, but there is a certain satisfaction in the idea of bringing more life into the dungeon. This brings up another consideration if you choose to visit me. Any child of mine will be born as another inhabitant, bound and loyal much as I am. If that bothers you, then you should keep the tattoo."

The philosophical conversation that this fueled had to wait until that evening, as Yambul had work to do. A decision one way or another had not been made by the time she left for home several days later, and no promises had been made either. Closer to the opposite, as she had no intention of not exploring at least a bit in the meantime.

Still, she was open to the idea of forming a stronger bond eventually, but she required a bit more out of him first. He had to show he was willing to put in the effort to delve rather than expecting her to meet him at the surface, convince her that he understood what her life was like, and he had to be able to interact with Mistress Moriko without weirdness.

That wouldn't guarantee anything of course. She still had much to learn and think about, but that was the minimum she expected out of him before she'd consider any sort of longer-term commitment. And he did seem to be considering the idea at least.