After being introduced to a dozen or more people in the coalition, he knew he would struggle to remember all of their names. And they were all just a small segment of the coalition’s membership within a particular faction led by Hoghdar. There were even larger factions full of people operating elsewhere.

He came to learn that the coalition acted in a semi-decentralized manner. This allowed different factions to exist independently of each other for a lot of small to medium tasks while still maintaining a figurehead for high-level tasks and directives.

The faction he ended up being recruited into was for newer members primarily. It meant neither he nor Lar were expected to be out on the front lines carrying out the most important tasks that needed to be fulfilled which he was perfectly fine with. He could spend the next few months or years training, laying low, and trying to learn more about the world and be quite happy with that.

But in the meantime, he wanted to see Della so he chose to wander through the recently opened streets and head for The Drunken Pony with the intent to see her again. She was probably worried about him since he had left in a rush the other day. He didn’t like that but it wasn’t like he could go see her earlier when the streets were locked down. Due to the queen having a spy watching him at the inn the other day, there was a high likelihood that they’d have another person watching the inn so he had to take appropriate measures to not get caught or put her or her family in danger with him being there.

When he arrived, he chose to go into more of the back streets and use a hood to conceal his face. He eventually made it to the back of The Drunken Pony where there weren’t any other observers around. Since he knew Della would come out every now and then to put out various washed materials to dry outside, he figured he would try to catch her if and when she came out.

He waited for hours and she never came outside. A yawn escaped his lips every now and then. The backstreet remained mostly empty but every so often, someone would come walking down and possibly wonder why he was just standing there.

But patience had its way of rewarding people. The door to the back of the inn opened finally and the red-headed Della strolled out completely unaware of his presence. SDhe brought out an armful of dirty bedsheets to be washed and dried.

He whistled causing her to look over towards his direction. With a simple wave and a hand to pull down the hood obscuring his face, she came rushing to him.

Her arms went around his back. He embraced her and felt glad to see that she was doing well.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” she said. “You left in such a hurry the other day.”

“My companion I told you about was in a bit of a problematic situation to say the least which required me to go out and help them. But everything’s fine now for the most part.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Is perhaps your companion with you? I’ve been wanting to meet them.”

He looked behind his shoulder and saw Lar right around the corner observing them. He gestured for her to approach. She hadn’t met Lar yet although he had told her briefly about her.

Lar slowly approached and she chose to crouch down with a wide-brimmed smile. Della ran her hands along her furry back causing her to purr. “Aw, she’s so cute. You’re so lucky to have such a companion.”

Lar appeared intoxicated as she kept petting her and scratching behind her ears.

“You know,” Della continued to say, “I did see a white cat wandering around the inn every now and then so you had plenty of opportunities to come out and say hello to me.”

“I’m a little shy,” Lar said.

“As if,” he replied.

She stood back up and came to appreciate his furry companion by all appearances. However, while he wanted to continue such talks, he thought it important to redirect things to matters of import that concerned him. “Della, since we’ve been gone from the inn, has anyone tried making contact with you such as the queen’s knights or other strange people?”

She put a finger to her lip briefly. “Yes in fact one of her knights came by a day after you had left. They questioned me, my entire family, and all of our patrons asking about you specifically. I told them harmless information and specifically avoided mentioning any of the things you’ve told me about that are better left unsaid.”

“They didn’t threaten you or anything like that did they?”

She shook her head. “They weren’t overly antagonistic if that’s what you’re asking. My father made sure to speak to them about how much he disliked you and admittedly he had some not-so-kind words to say about you which probably helped them view us as less of a problem.”

Her father’s disdain of him came to good use. The knights would come to understand that their relationship was slim and not at all tight lessening their suspicions about them. Della at least still needed to be on guard however. They would likely still be spied on and monitored by the queen’s lackeys.

For that reason, he felt sad when he had to say his next words to her. “I’m sorry Della, but I believe it’s no longer safe for us to see each other. As things are now, I imagine you and your family will be safe but if you were to be caught seeing me after all of what has transpired, I fear they will cause you and your family grave harm or use you against me. I can’t in good conscience allow that to happen.”

His words noticeably upset her. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt the one who had shown him nothing but kindness since he reached Liall. But he would feel even worse if seeing her would cause her grave harm.

“I understand,” she said. “But I’m sure we can come up with something. I don’t want for us to not see each other again even knowing the risks. We could still meet at locations far away from here and only see each other a limited amount of times once everything calms down.”

Should I allow her to take on that risk? It would be simple for him to strike her desire down and suggest that he would not be willing to see her anymore. He could be the one to deny her request forever ending this blossoming relationship. But for whatever reason, his heart told him no.

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“Are you willing to take that risk?” he asked.

“I am. I realize the dangers and I’ve thought a lot about them. I want to keep seeing you even if it’s hard to do so. We’ll figure something out, I know we will.”

“What do you think Lar? Have any thoughts?”

She pondered on that question. “Well, I have my own thoughts about it but you two should probably figure it out yourselves.” Now you decide to not voice your opinion? For an opinionated companion, she was being surprisingly silent when asked that question.

“As long as you’re aware of the dangers and—” Before he could finish the sentence, she had thrown her arms around him and given him a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m so glad you’re alright with it.” Her face was elated by his decision to allow them to keep seeing each other. “Oh and just so you know,” she said lifting her index finger towards the sky. “I thought of a name for you.”

“Really? Well, you might as well tell me but just know that whatever you choose, I’m sticking with it.”

She frowned. “You made it so difficult for me because of that. So anyways, here I go, your name shall be…” The pause she utilized gave this moment an intensity he hadn’t expected. She even smiled noticing his anticipation by dragging it along. “Kiran!”

Kiran. The name was pleasant to his ear.

“It’s supposed to mean light,” she said beaming practically of light herself. “Do you like it?”

“I do. Kiran shall be my name from now on.”

He had been living in this world as a nameless man. Now he possessed a name to refer to himself as. It was a change he thought positively of.

“I should probably get back to work but when and where should we meet again?”

He thought quickly about it. “How about we go to that garden we visited before right around the same time. We can meet two days from now.”

“Let’s do it.” She began to make her way back towards the back entrance to the inn. She waved goodbye and he already felt disappointed they couldn’t be together for longer.

Lar looked up at him from below. “Now that we’re done with this matter,” his companion went on to say, “you and I need to have a conversation.”

“About what?”

“Matters that concern both of us.”

He could only begin to wonder what exactly she had in mind. So he chose to leave the back area of the inn and carefully motion through the streets casually and wary of any potential pursuers.

They reached another dark alleyway and Lar for whatever reason changed forms as they were in the alley’s darkness. “Now that your mind is a little less clouded over that woman, it’s time we get straight to it.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“It’s about you. Or your inability to focus. Since we’ve been in Liall you’ve been all over the place. It’s time to take things seriously not just for yourself but for me as well.”

“I’m not sure what the issue is and why we had to stop to have this conversation in this stingy ol’ place.”

“Because I’ve been patient with you for a while now but my patience is beginning to grow thin. Now that you’re part of the Human Familiar Coalition, you need to focus your efforts there. You can see this woman on the side as you so please, but besides that, you’ve got to take your training seriously and be willing to excel during whatever tasks they throw at you eventually.”

He crossed his arms and leaned his back against the darkened alley wall. “I was planning on doing that anyway.”

“I get it. You just want to do whatever it is you feel like. But my life is on the line too you know. And I didn’t agree to form a soul bond with you just so you could act aimlessly.”

“What would you have me do differently then?”

“Focus and act with clear goals in mind. Your first and primary goal is to reclaim your memories, yes?”

“Sure it is, but I don’t know where to even begin with accomplishing that.”

“Great so we need to focus on figuring that out. And one immediate way we do that is for you to get access to resources and one of the most important resources to achieve would be gathering knowledge. The Human Familiar Coalition has people in it that can likely help you in this regard but you’re not going to meet with those people unless you prove your worth. That means training hard and picking up things fast for a while until they assign us big tasks to solve. Once we’ve shown their leadership that we’re a valuable asset, they’re going to be throwing resources or knowledge at you like candy and that’ll get you closer to your ultimate goal.”

“You’re quite concerned about what I want. But what is it that you want?”

“What I want is as I just laid out for you. And the truth is, I want whatever makes you stronger because a stronger you, means a stronger me.”

“So it’s all really about you then?” he said half-jokingly.

Even though Lar kind of looked ridiculous whenever they were in their human form nakedly standing before him, their expression and stature were quite serious. “All familiars recognize the danger of being in Liall and those who ally with them. I’ve tried to warn you many times but you seem to possess an inability to listen. The queen clearly knows about you and unless you’re willing to treat this place as it is, you’re going to end up dead one of these days.”

“Calm down.”

“Do not tell me to calm down.” She approached him and pressed their chest against his. “You think everything’s going to be alright for you, but it won’t be, especially if you keep on as you are. Heed to my words human. Or you’re likely to lose your head.”

This side of Lar had come from a place of fear. She had every right to be fearful admittedly. He had heard of the cruelty of the queen and how she treats familiars and those who are friends or allies to them. It was not a fate any would want. But was he to live in fear as Lar did and submit to it? He didn’t want to live that way. He wanted to carry on as he had been previously to some extent.

“I will choose to not live in fear,” he said. “But I do take your concerns seriously.” Lar pulled away and turned their naked back to him. The strands of white hair from her head fell halfway down her backside. “We’ll focus on getting stronger in the meantime. That way if we’re ever assaulted again, we’ll be better prepared. I’ll also aim to work my way up so I can get knowledge on gaining back my memories and how I ought to go about it.”

“I’m glad you’ve regained some of your past determination. I too want to know of your past and desire you to grow in strength. So let’s not get too distracted from now on.”

“Alright,” he said. Sometimes compromises needed to be made, and he was willing to make good on it since they were partners.

Lar was undoubtedly a more focused person than him, however. She pursued her goals and limited anything outside of them. She had worked hard to make connections with this coalition while he lazed about working at an inn or strutted about to wander around Liall. If she wanted a more focused Kiran, then she perhaps deserved it especially now with the increased danger aimed directly towards them.

Liall truthfully speaking was a deceiving place whether observed outside or within. Its designated areas outside of certain areas were beautiful and nice on the eyes. Its beauty gave off a sense of peace distracting the darker side of the city that existed inside it.

If they wanted to confront the dangers of Liall, they had no choice but to get stronger. And for now, at least, the Human Familiar Coalition appeared to be the solution to this concerning problem and a potential path to leading him to figure out the strange circumstances that led him to this world in his condition.