So, let me get this straight. I have been isekaid to a fantasy world, as a bloody dungeon core, of all things, where humans didn’t exist, but some came with me? Is that what’s happening? Are they here because of me? Wait, why am I assuming that? What if I’m here because of them? Are they even from Earth? They must be, right? Because of the Voice in my sleep? And why the hell am I a dungeon core? This lot are still human! Not that I’m jealous, its just weird. I already prefer my new existence. Whew! Existential crises averted. Panic attack over missing family can happen soon.
“They are,” Alyssa sighed, pointing at the group of injured humans, “In all their mundane, complicated, hypocritical, weak glory.”
This time it was Selaria’s turn to frown.
“How do you kn-“
Before she could finish, however, a male voice posed an interruption with a satisfied-sounding remark.
“Oh, so that’s what they’re called.”
She looked, along with Selaria, who sighed for some reason, up towards the voice.
Floating down from a branch in a tree was a male looking Selaria.
Well, perhaps that was rude. Generalisation and all that.
They weren’t too alike, but he appeared similar enough to make a distinct connection, with the slight difference in height noticeable, but not very outstanding. Where Selaria was quite lithe and almost designed for beauty, the male, while still exorbitantly more pretty than most humans, was on the muscular side, and seemed more designed for activity than grace, though both looked held in equally high standard.
His voice, too, was smooth and without inflection, as if perfectly crafted for its role.
“You have claimed that one, then?” he asked, a knowing smile and raised eyebrow directed towards Selaria, who puffed up in glory.
“Yep! And she is not at all mundane, compared to those humans!”
Alyssa nodded in agreement as the man directed his gaze towards her, eyes glowing a gentle blue.
“Hmmm...I can see that. How interesting! This is going to get exciting, isn’t it, Lyrakien?”
Selaria didn’t reply, but seemed to take offense at his stare, as she flew in front of Alyssa and darted about erratically to...try and distract him?
“Gah, stop looking prematurely or I’ll consider it cheating!”
As she said ‘cheating’ the man seemed to grimace, and his eyes lost that blue glow before he shrugged.
“Fine, fine. Keep your secrets, though it seems you already have some of mine, through her,” he said, somewhat bitterly.
“Don’t try that tactic. Her knowledge is now mine, as I claimed her first. You know this!” she retorted.
He rolled his eyes as Alyssa tried to keep up with the conversation. Her, claimed?
“Me, claimed? What? Them, too?” she asked, pointing to the unconscious humans.
Selaria sighed, again, turning around with an exasperated look. She began fluttering her wings, sending small motes of starlight flickering for several seconds.
“Come with me and I’ll explain. And don’t worry about those humans, if you were going to. He is far too much of a goody-two-shoes to let them get so much as a scratch.”
And with that, she flew off, at a gentle pace, in a seemingly random direction.
Alyssa could only blink, spare a glance for the weirdest scene she’d ever seen, wave at the tiny man, and then jog after the Lyrakien, her mind playing catch-up and once more overflowing with questions along the way.
She eventually caught up, and they both slowed to walking pace, but kept on moving. She couldn’t tell if they were going anywhere specific – it wasn’t back to her Core. As far as she could see or hear, it was just forest.
Before she could ask anything, though, Selaria spoke, an unusual hint of embarrassment in her voice.
“So, I should have told you when we met about 20 minutes ago, but I've claimed you. It doesn’t mean anything weird! It’s just a quirk of our society and I was so caught up in your strange wonders that I sort of forgot to mention it...”
Their society? So he was of the same species? But he said ‘Lyrakien’, so not the exact same? It’d be weird for her to call another hu- Kitsune, ‘Kitsune’.
“It’s...fine, I think? I don’t really know what it means so I can’t...say? But if its truly not weird, that’s a good first step,” Alyssa reassured her.
She really had no idea what to think; she was beginning to suspect that framing everything in human terms (or cultural/societal, thinking back to the mana transfer) and such would lead to some problematic assumptions, so she made a mental note to keep herself in check. Out of the box thinking would probably be king for a good while.
Noted.
A small blush resided on Selaria’s cheeks, as she kept her focus ahead of them.
“Its, ah, a little embarrassing, but I’ve never had to explain it to what I’ve claimed before...they’re never sentient... or sapient...” she trailed off, but Alyssa remained quiet.
“Um, so, Azata society is just a tiny bit chaotic and spontaneous, and one thing many of us value is knowledge and information. So, it has been that for...forever, at our gatherings, we share and trade what we’ve learnt, and what we ‘claim’ is used as examples and proof.”
So, it’s show and tell but for an entire culture? And I’m the show. And she’s the tell. Huh.
“That sounds quite fun, honestly. Is it competitive?” Alyssa asked, curious.
Selaria shook her head in response, hair simultaneously obeying and disobeying physics as it shimmered, but remained to protect her modesty.
“Not one bit. It is too honourable. Yes, it is very slightly egotistical, but not competitive. One cannot sabotage or spy on another’s findings before they are presented. Well, its not like these are concrete rules; we Azata wouldn’t be able to abide by a ‘close your eyes for 10 seconds’ rule if our life depended on it. But it is just wrong, so we don’t do it. He wasn’t either, really, but...” Selaria trailed off.
“But?” Alyssa prompted.
“But... I’m a Lyrakien. We are few, and compared to the other Azata, the least impressive in most areas. We often contribute the least. And, I think, with you...” Selaria trailed off once more.
“With me, you might contribute more, so you were protective?” Alyssa finished for her.
“That’s right,” Selaria confirmed with a nod.
“Then, I’ll be happy to make myself as interesting as possible. I am most definitely the opposite of mundane, I know that much,” Alyssa spoke confidently. After her show in her Shrine, she thought she deserved at least that.
Selaria produced a small smile, which was positively tiny on her.
“Thank you. I do hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? It’s not as if I have anything to do. Besides figure out my existence, find out why I'm here, why humans are here, find my family, learn about magic and mana...” she frowned. That was quite a lot to do.
Noted.
“Well, regardless, other than my family-“
“Family?! Can I claim them too?!” Selaria interrupted, all signs of her previous melancholy missing.
“-None of them are pressing. And I suppose so. But I doubt we will find them. If they are here. Actually, going to this show and tell of yours might be really good for me, too,” Alyssa thought aloud.
If she could go to one of these gatherings, which probably meant meeting a bunch of other Azata, she could ask around and gather information. Perhaps she was even worth something, as knowledge?
“Show and tell? Mmm...”
Selaria looked at her, repeating the words and seemingly tasting them on her lips. She began to giggle, which then blossomed into a bright, bubbly laugh.
“Yes, yes I suppose that is accurate! Ahahaha! What a perfectly silly thing to call them! Kids sitting around in a disorderly circle, oh it is truly sublime!”
Alyssa found herself giggling along, the infectious nature of Selaria’s voice and laugh almost supernatural in its potency.
Although, Alyssa had to wonder, how did she know what that meant? It surely wasn’t a worldwide thing, let alone transplanetary.
“You know what show and tell is?” Alyssa asked, slightly confused.
“Oh, no, I just- ah. Hehe...”
Selaria started giggling again, this time as she gazed at Alyssa.
“You haven’t figured it out yet?” Selaria asked, trying to hold back another burst of laughter.
“Figured what out yet?”
“Oh, hahaha, this is too good! I wonder if this is how the Fae feel all the time! Ah, don’t worry about it. You’ll get it soon.”
“That makes me worry about it even more! Am I being tricked? What do fairies have to do with it?!” Alyssa desperately asked.
Her only response was yet more giggling, which was apparently too exhausting to do while flying, as Selaria fluttered over and landed on her head, leaning against her left ear as she walked.
“My rates are quite expensive as a taxi service, just so you’re aware,” Alyssa said, glancing up.
“Yeah yeah, I’ll pay you, promise!”
“With what? There’s no way you have money on you.”
“Money hasn’t existed for... A really long time! And no clothing is more comfortable, anyway, so I’m glad. Plus, I’m beautiful, so who cares?”
Alyssa paused. Knowing people, that would only make them care more, though for reasons she didn't want to say aloud.
“...While true, that doesn’t mean you need to be an exhibitionist.”
An outraged gasp sounded into her ear, tickling it lightly. It flicked involuntarily, and she felt Selaria lean against her right ear instead.
“I am not! And don’t even suggest I am like one of those scandalous Gancanagh’s! They are all nothing but trouble, and I am nothing like them! Nothing at all!”
“What on Earth is a Gancanagh? Should I be worried about them?”
A sigh was her response, as one of Selaria’s wings drooped against her ear.
“No, not really. They’re a type of Azata, like me. They go around seducing people willy-nilly, then when successful, try the next person,” she explained, finishing with a muttered, “Earth is a strange name for a planet.”
How did she know Earth was the name of...?
“Let me guess, you fell into ones graces, had the time of your life, then got dumped and swore never to date a boy ever again,” Alyssa guessed at the common enough story.
“Ugh. Please don’t remind me. Never again! And I haven’t, mind you. Other Lyrakien aren’t interested, though,” Selaria replied wistfully.
“Why not?”
“They’re stupid.”
“O-oh.”
They left it at that, and the supposedly not so stupid Lyrakien seemed content to remain resting atop her head. Neither of them knew where they were going, but it didn’t seem to be much of an issue, so she was left to ponder a few things in her eager imagination.
Alyssa had her guesses, but she was assuming many things, especially as only the most blurry picture had begun to form of the single society she had had contact with in this world so far. If it really had one, by her standards. Again, out of the box thinking.
So it was mostly speculation, but it didn’t seem like there was much of a civilisation.
Or, at the very least, Azata didn’t have one. Selaria so far had only spoken of gatherings, and honestly, she couldn’t imagine the small sample size of two Azata caring enough, for long enough, to even create a home to live in. Selaria had mentioned they were almost incapable of following rules, after all.
She also thought that, if you were to find a completely new living being, your first thought would be to take it back to town and show it around, or at least consider how it might fare among other people, but nothing of the sort had been mentioned.
That was a slightly biased assumption, perhaps. She often thought of what she would do in a reverse isekai situation - for example, an Elf turning up in her garden - and sheltering them was usually her first thought. Because humans were humans. People were people. Society was rough for an outsider. She wouldn’t want to imagine what it would be like for an actual Outsider.
Which is why she wasn’t quite sure what to think of it. Perhaps they had a tribal-like society? Periodic gatherings would suggest so, right?
“Hey, when do the gatherings happen?”
“They happen when they happen, of course.”
That was utterly unhelpful.
“Okay...but when? There’s no way they’re random, right?” she asked.
Though as soon as the words had left her mouth, she realised that may be exactly what it was.
“Well, of course it is! How else do you expect us to organise it? We Azata don’t even know the word,” Selaria responded, a proud note in her tone.
Alyssa sighed. Probably don’t even know the word ‘civilisation’, either. Did books exist here? She hoped so. Find a nice library to hole up in and just read for days. Weeks. As a Dungeon Core, she could probably do that, now.
“So how do you know when they start?”
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After asking that, she got the distinct feeling that she was being looked at like some strange creature. Which she was, but still.
“We just do?” Selaria half-asked, seeming confused.
And that was that. There was a good chance she was simply getting ahead of herself. Well, no, more than a good chance. She just was. No real harm in it, but still. It might be good to avoid assuming too much, especially when she knew so little. But it was just so fun to think about...
Nevertheless, she continued on, sticking to walking and taking it all in. There was very little difference to Earth, though, or anything of real note, besides the few animals that looked strangely familiar and oddly different at the same time, like that oversized rabbit/hare she could see.
It was almost disappointingly mundane, if a good thing, in the sense that they weren’t threatened by some nightmarish monster every step. There were the same trees and vegetation she was used to... Actually, no, she had spied a few vicious looking things that definitely did not belong in a temperate climate, but Selaria never alerted her to anything, so she assumed all was well.
And, to be fair, it was, until her ears picked up something unexpected. Conversation. A crowd. Lots and lots of people.
She slowed, this time actually focusing her newfound ability on the direction and distance – it was about a 1000 metres in their current direction, mostly, and the amount of people...too many to count.
Wow, I’m awesome. Not even an hour and I’m already superhuman.
It didn’t seem like there was anything terrible going on with this group, and they were definitely human. And apparently very confused.
“Alyssa? Your ears perked up quite suddenly. Something caught your attention?” Selaria asked, slowing down with her.
“...You could say that. More humans. Lots,” Alyssa stressed.
This information caused the Lyrakien to shoot off her head with a start.
“Lots?! Maybe I could...but no, if there are so many, they’d have been noticed...”
“If you were thinking of claiming them, I think they’d be a little too many to handle. And I assume there will be a lot of other Azata already with some, which is to say, they’ll be even more mundane by the time your gathering comes along.”
“Oh, that’s a great point! I see no need to bother myself with yet more people, then. Unless I’m needed, of course! I don’t solely exist to claim things. Absolutely not!”
Alyssa hoped Selaria was more certain about that than she sounded, but...
“But I still want to investigate!” the Lyrakien declared.
“Well, me too. I do wish to search...however small the chance is,” Alyssa quietly agreed.
“You never know! Luck has favoured you with that body of yours, it could strike twice!” Selaria encouraged.
“Here’s hoping,” she replied, none too hopeful.
Under completely normal circumstances (which would mean she wouldn’t be isekaid in the first place, so it was probably a moot point), she would happily have sought the safety of this type of crowd. In her current situation, however... And what she could hear, it was probably a bad idea to show herself. It could very easily turn into a mass panic and with a crowd, that was not a good mix. Plus, what if someone attacked her? Worse, what if some...weird people got some...weird ideas?
No, she couldn’t show herself or let Selaria be seen, though the chances of her being able to control the latter seemed slim.
“Selaria, do you know any magic that could conceal us?” Alyssa asked as she continued towards the humans, unable to see them yet.
“Of course not! What do you think I am, a Quasit?! I will not suffer to skulk around and spy on things like some demon! Why would you want to conceal me, anyway, I’m perfect!” she fiercely replied, indignation clear on her small face.
“That is precisely why. I, at least, know humans, so I would rather we not be seen, but I still want to learn what is going on. I don’t have any bad or evil reason to do so, and I am certainly not a demon. I am just wary.”
“Hmph. That remains to be seen, you might be some Demon Lord I’ve never heard of!”
“If I was, you’d already be in my thrall, so don’t worry too much about it.”
The Lyrakiens’ face moved between shock, horror, worry, and then a pout all in the span of a second, which was incredibly amusing and adorable to witness.
“Why did I claim you, again?”
“Because I’m perfect, of course!” Alyssa replied, accurately imitating Selaria’s speech and mannerisms, which were revived with a bright smile.
“Exactly! Oh, very well. No flying into a ruckus of unknown things,” she acquiesced, the muttered in a respectful pose and tone, “Shirral Vrillshar, please avert your gaze for a while.”
Alyssa raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment, as it sounded and looked suspiciously like a prayer, if a bit suspect in its contents.
Yet another tidbit comes out of Pandora’s box. Or maybe I’m simply inside of it, now.
With that sorted, they headed slowly, quietly, closer, which allowed Alyssa to better focus upon the contents of the many, myriad conversations and discussions occurring within the group, many of which were actually not in English and she was struggling to tune them out.
The ones that were distinguishable in English, however, were understandable. In a literal sense.
“How are we supposed to...?”
“Please someone tell me this is all a dream.”
“Where the hell are we, then?!”
“Does anyone remember that voice...?”
“I want to go home.”
At that last one, she bit her lip. It was from a child. In fact, as she listened further, there were many kids and children here, but from what she could make out from all the ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’ comments, they seemed to be with at least one parent. She wondered why that was; not a single one she could hear was asking where their parent was, so assuming that families arrived together...
Caused her to frown.
Because she did not appear with the rest of her family. Her parents. Perhaps they instead appeared at the nearest location? Or was she too old? Or because of her ‘lucky’ new body?
She shook her head. No use dwelling on that, for now. Families arrived together in some cases, that’s what mattered. So, was it controlled? It had to be, surely.
Although, with all these different languages, there’s no way these people were all together at the time it occurred, so it was both chaotic and controlled? Controlled chaos. Did an Azata do this? Her early thought of fairy-ness seemed kind of accurate, so far.
She remembered another sentence from last night as she walked and listened, intently scanning for any sign of disturbance, then glanced at Selaria, the miniature galaxy herself, fluttering alongside excitedly.
No chance.
That was when an odd, strange comment sent a small sheen of sweat running down her forehead. Apparently, she made sweat glands for herself.
“Hey...am I hallucinating? What is this...thing? Can anyone else see it?”
“See what? You goin’ mental again, Mark?”
“Probably. We all are. But no, look! Right here!”
“You take some of that weird shit before this happened and it’s just kicking in or something?”
“Oh, shut up! Gimme the benefit of the whatever, especially after we’ve been fucked off to who knows where and when!”
“Fine, fine, calm down, what’s it look like then?”
“It’s, uh, like a...like a menu. In, like, a video game?”
“The fuck? What’s on it?”
“Uh...me. Stuff bout me I think? Got my name, age...all the usual shit you’d see on an id, but also some other gamey stuff. Like stats.”
“You must be completely off your fucking rocker. When did it supposedly appear, then?”
“Few minutes ago. I think I was thinking about menus cus...wait, why was I...?”
The next reply came a few moments later, and filled Alyssa with curiosity, on top of the mild fear.
“Whoa...what the fuck, you weren’t kidding! Its right here! Got my name, height, weight...what is all this other crap? Intelligence? Seven? The fuck? What’s yours?”
“Eight. Hah. Who’s the rocker now, eh?”
“Oh, fuck off. What about the other shit?”
She stopped focusing on that. They just began to argue about their supposed stats. Besides, their rather loud conversation had spread, and by now most of everyone was talking about it.
Well, talking was a bit broad. Half of them freaked out, half of them thought they had been drugged by the government, another half were excited, and yet another half didn’t care to look.
That was a lot of halves, but to her ears, that’s essentially how it sounded.
It also seemed to be the consensus that thinking ‘menu’ was the trigger.
For Alyssa, though...
...
Nothing.
Because, of course.
“Selaria, does anything happen when you think ‘menu’?”
“Huh? No, why? Am I being served up?” she joked.
“Yes, premium starter,” Alyssa teased, “No, really, it’s just, the humans are all talking like they can see something in front of them that displays their...statistics? Things like their strength. In numerical format.”
Selaria gave her a mock glare in response.
“And I assume you don’t, so who’s the mundane one now, huh? Jokes aside, to me, that sounds insane. Things like that can’t just be quantified into a basic number, especially for such a vague name. What does strength mean? Muscle mass? Ability to hold more weight? How hard you can hit something? All of the above?”
“Apparently, all of the above. I am listening and...it seems it has definitions for some of the stuff it shows. Also, it shows mana-“
“There is no way it shows mana as a number, surely! I will have to call you a liar if it is.”
“-as a bar, instead of a number, and likewise for stamina. Neither have much definition, nor connection to anything else.”
“Oh. Well then. At least this thing is making some sense. Does it let you do anything, or is it just a display about you as a person?”
“Well, without seeing it myself, I can’t be sure, but it sounds as if its just a display. There’s nothing to change, but it’s possible that’s because they haven’t grown yet in any way,” Alyssa theorised.
“Hmmm... Grown? Humans grow?” Selaria asked, sounding very confused.
Alyssa gave her a weird look.
“...Yes, they do...did you not?”
“Nope! I was born like this. In every way. These humans sound like Dragons and other animals,” she paused, “And plants. Outsiders, like me, don’t grow or age. Well, Dragons do a bit of both but they’re super weird in lots of ways,” Selaria explained.
“Well, I think you’re super weird in lots of ways, too,” Alyssa responded, half a mind to defend dragons that she’d never met. Dragons were dragons! You couldn’t just offend them.
“Rude! You’re the weirdest thing I have ever met!” Selaria shot back.
Alyssa snorted, but could only really agree.
“Anyway, back to the humans. I want to get a spy on them visually, so let’s try and head closer without being caught.”
“I’m still not sure why we should remain unseen, but alright...”
Considering the anti-stealth nature of the Lyrakien, she wasn’t really surprised. It felt like she almost needed to be seen somewhat, or she’d fade away into nothingness. She hoped that was just a figment of her imagination.
For now, there weren’t any new discoveries made by the humans. A few of them tested out different keywords, some of which made her cringe in recognition, but nothing seemed to stick, unless they kept it secret.
The excitement, good and bad, over the menu, had died down a fair bit before the duo reached a point where they began to spot a few people in the distance. Quite a close distance considering the dense shrubbery and she immediately ducked down to cover herself. Selaria thankfully followed suit, landing on a huge leaf.
As Alyssa peeked out to look, she saw that, while they were roughly scattered amongst the trees, the huge group had formed a sort of large circle that people tended to in crowds. Though no one had stepped up to lead or organise anywhere, she could tell that they had grouped themselves by ethnicity, and presumably language. It made sense, after all; in such a weird, unknown situation, people gravitated towards familiarity. Just like immigrants living around or near other immigrants. Thanks for that bit of lingering information, human geography.
“So? See anything important?” Selaria asked, impatience in her tone.
Alyssa ducked back behind the shrubbery at Selaria’s question.
“Sort of. They’ve grouped themselves according to ethnicity, but no one has taken charge yet. Largely, they seem to be between various states of extreme panic, delusion and denial, with some experiencing excitement, joy and anticipation. Far as I can see, it doesn’t differ between group,” she reported.
“Well, that’s some nice data gathering, but one question. What’s an ‘ethnicity’?”
Alyssa paused, her earlier thoughts about a lack of civilisation coming to mind. Were they perhaps all centred around one corner of the globe? Assuming it was a globe and they weren’t on some mystical, flat plane. She shook her head slightly.
Getting ahead of myself again.
“Ethnicity is...well, humans are all one species, but contain many different races inside of them. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, of course; we Azata are the same. Azata is the species, Lyrakien is my race. That other one back there was a Thyrlien.”
“Well, your races seem slightly differently defined than ours...but anyway, ethnicity is sort of like race. Except that, while race is usually based off biology, ethnicity is based off culture and expression, and can be broadly linked to nations.”
Selaria had been attentively listening with a thoughtful expression, right up until the final word, where she dropped into deep contemplation and wore quite a mighty frown.
“Nations...nations... I know that word....mmm... Long ago...? There were nations... Or just one? How long...? Too long...hm. Strange! Why don’t I remember? Must have been really long ago! Anyway, I think I understand. So I could be different to other Lyrakien, if I lived somewhere else with a different...what’s the word? Culture? Feels familiar too...” she trailed off, almost falling once more into contemplation, so Alyssa responded quickly, finding the sudden change unsettling.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How do you know all this stuff? I am used to learning new things from my claimees, but nothing so in depth as this.”
Alyssa hummed, a thought then causing her to grin.
“I’ll tell you if you tell me about the thing i haven’t figured out yet.”
Selaria almost snickered, but then gasped in shock.
“My claimee is trying to...to trade with me?! It’s not supposed to work like that! Agh...I bet you’ve already been corrupted by some other Azata!” she accused.
Alyssa gave her a blank look in return.
“You know you’ve been giving me a bunch of information all this time, right? And you agreed to help me in exchange for whatever you learn?”
“Well, yes, but that was that and this is this! Hmph. You are far too smart. Next time, I will simply claim a pebble. And no, I won’t tell you, its far too funny,” Selaria snickered once again.
Alyssa could only roll her eyes in response.
As she tuned back into humanity, she was starting to hear what she expected – it seemed little, more defined groups had become to form, with leaders, either a single or couple, standing up to take charge. Also, the largest group was Chinese, with English speaking peoples being the next in size. As she could only understand this group, it was who she focused on – everything else was gained by listening to where voices were directed toward and from, and she was always distinctly aware of who was talking, even when the language was unfamiliar.
Eyesight was proving quite useless, with all the dense foliage. Which was quite lovely, by the way. At least, she thought so. It had always sat well with her, being in a forest, but now it seemed to resonate a little more with her soul. Or her core. Or both! It was as if she were being wrapped up in a comfy blanket, or squished by a soft cloud.
Was it because it was a forest specifically, or because it was a natural surrounding, with no ugly, human touch in sight?
She frowned, as it seemed it wouldn’t remain so for long. We – humans – had a habit of exploitation. Did her shrine not count, then? It’s a building framed after human creation, after all. Perhaps it was different because she made it, and is no longer human? Or just because it was a shrine.
A small burst of light directly in front of her eyes brought her out of her frown, but then sent her into another one as she realised where it came from.
“What was that? We are trying to remain stealthy, you know.”
“Magic, of course. And I’m bored. I have to do something while sitting here! I can’t even listen to whatever they’re all saying, because my ears aren’t as good as yours, and you aren’t saying anything, because you’re in your head!” Selaria complained.
“Well, I was thinking! This is a lot of information. And weirdness. Like you, you’re weird!” Alyssa complained back.
“Says you! And if there’s so much juicy knowledge to behold, then tell it to me! I’m smart! I can help!” Selaria begged.
Alyssa narrowed her eyes, then sighed in defeat. That wasn’t a bad idea, really.
“Fine! That’s actually a good idea. So, basically-“
Footsteps.
Very near.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Snap!
“Hey, Papa! It’s a Fairy! And f- fo- fox girl? Foxy girl! Look!” a young boy’s voice, with a mild German accent, happily shouted in excitement, barely 10 metres away.
Alyssa froze and slowly turned towards him, her throat suddenly very dry. She saw the boy holding hands with an older man, presumably the father, and woman, presumably the mother. Each of them were dressed in pyjamas, which looked a little strange in the environment. Though, there was a lot of that going around.
The two parents looked about as shocked as she was, their wide eyes and open mouths more than likely mirroring hers right now.
The first to respond, however, was Selaria.
She fluttered upwards from her leaf, floated a bit of the way towards the newcomers, and spoke to the boy.
“Hey! I am not a fairy! I know I look like one, but I’m not! It’s rude to assume so! I haven’t even thrown a hunk of ice at you, yet!”
The boy looked positively overcome with joy and excitement, his face the opposite of someone who had just been reprimanded, and very slightly threatened. The parents and Alyssa, on the other hand, were still frozen like deer in headlights, but the mother seemed to latch on to one word in particular.
“Yet...?” she asked absently, with a slightly thicker German accent.
“Ah...not that I will!” Selaria assured her in a mildly embarrassed tone, “Because I’m not a fairy. And because I can’t conjure ice! It’s, um, just a saying! And not a threat. Hehe.”
To Alyssa’s compete and total surprise, not, the parents were not at all reassured.
Selaria began to fidget under their almost fearful gaze, which was good for Alyssa – they weren’t staring at her. Yet.
“Not... fairy? Then, what?” the boy asked, all curiosity and no hesitation.
Selaria brightened, straightened, and glistened, all at once. Although she didn’t repeat her galaxy introduction with Alyssa, she did send a few sparkles glittering everywhere.
“A Lyrakien Azata, of course!” she said, with her trademark, triumphant, proud tone.
The boy simply looked confused, then concentrated really hard.
“Lyra...lyraki-en...aza-ta? Ly-rakien... Azata. Lyrakien Azata?”
It was mostly perfect, ignoring the accent. Alyssa was quite impressed, honestly. He looked very young.
“That’s right! Well done! That was quite impressive, young man!”
The boy beamed back up at her, a silly, large, innocent grin.
“So, is foxy girl...foxy girl?”
Everyone looked at Alyssa.
She froze even further and wished she was cold enough to become an actual ice cube and be hurled by a fairy.
Selaria either didn’t notice or didn’t care, as she answered anyway.
“Hmmm...she calls herself a Kitsune.”
“Kit-su..nay?”
“Close enough!”
The father seemed to show a hint of recognition in his eyes.
“A Kitsune...? What...? Are there more...?”
Again, Selaria answered for her.
“First I’ve ever met! Which is good, because she’s really weird, and if I met more of her, I would probably become a knowledge demon!”
The boy giggled for some reason, while the parents simply remained uncomprehending.
Alyssa had to literally slap herself out of her trance, and get a handle on her fear.
Why am I so scared, anyway? They’re just people. I was never like this before. Look, they’re as scared as I am! Wait, am I the spider in this situation, or are they?
Taking a really deep breath, Alyssa stood from her crouched position, and walked over, calmly. Calmly, until she glanced down at her appearance. For she had not taken into account, or felt at all, how ruined it would be after running through a dense forest.
The bottom half of her long, red skirt was entirely caked in dirt, twigs, and leaves. Her sandals and socks were simply...invisible, compared to the ground beneath. A quick shake of her tail revealed nothing on there, thankfully. She had kind of forgotten about it...
“See? She is really weird.”
Alyssa’s eyebrow twitched.
“Be quiet! You’re weirder than I am! Stop giving me a horrible first impression!”
Selaria quite obviously and overtly looked down at Alyssa’s dirty appearance and simply smirked, whilst the boy continued to giggle.
“Oh, shut up.”
A melodious laugh, and happy fluttering of wings, was her only response.
She turned to the family, with the parents still looking just as stupefied, if not more, and the boy repeatedly giggling along with Selaria, as if infected.
She took another deep breath and pushed away her instinctual fear, instead drawing on another instinct.
She pinched the hem of her skirt either side and lifted it up as she simultaneously dipped down into a seamless curtsey, the act totally at odds with her flustered, dishevelled appearance.
Alyssa wasn’t entirely sure where this instinct came from, but she wasn’t about to complain.
“Greetings. My name is Alyssa Feyrun. I am a Kitsune, and a Shrine Maiden. I heard all of you, and came to investigate. We were spying, but someone drew attention. You all just appeared here, I presume?” she introduced herself, stated her reason for being here, and asked an important question all in one, uninterrupted go.
She was quite pleased with herself. Even if she didn’t know quite how she did it.