Prelinsa was discharged from the hospital on a cold morning a couple of days later, escorted by Missus B. and a human female Silvermoon representative. She was given some decent clothes – a sweater and a comfy pair of pants, which were way nicer than the street rags and the hospital gown. For the first time, she got a good look at the Silvermoon city of Cydonia, as she exited from the hospital, walked down a street, and out onto a large avenue with broad sidewalks. It was a strange mixture of nature and city, with groves of snow-dusted trees and tall, glassy buildings that rivaled those of Central Kalmia. Some of the buildings themselves were covered in plants which grew out on balconies, making them resemble gigantic trees – albeit fairly leafless due to the winter weather.
The noises surrounding Prelinsa were definitely those of a city, but the fragrant smell of pine trees and the organic smell of people walking by blended in with the artificial scents of electric cars, bikes, and trams riding by. A boxy delivery robot rolled by on six wheels. Prelinsa found herself briefly feeling disoriented, as she was used to the relative monotony of North Realm’s slums.
There were also some funny pillars over the avenue that supported very long structures high off the ground, which stretched in both directions down the avenue and out of sight. Some stairs and a lift led up to two platforms, one on each side of the avenue. Suddenly, a weird train zoomed in from the right, hanging from the structure. It stopped at one of the platforms, people quickly alighting and boarding its cars. Prelinsa blinked and stared, never having seen anything like it before.
“The folks who brought me here told me that’s a monorail,” Missus B. said, noticing Prelinsa’s confusion. “Called it one of the prides of the city. They even had me ride on one ta get ta the hospital. And kiddo, let me tell ya, it was real fast!”
She made a gesture with her fist for emphasis, then made a face as she recalled the experience. She scratched the back of her head.
“Real cramped in there too, tho… could’a used more leg’n’tail room, ya feel me? I was sweating like a rainstorm in there! Felt bad for everyone next’a me.”
Prelinsa nodded, snorting as she imagined Missus B. drenched in sweat while crammed into such a packed crowd. It was a silly image, but something she could picture perfectly. Meanwhile, the monorail’s doors closed, and it continued on its way, quickly accelerating as it overtook the cars on the ground and disappeared from sight.
“…Is the whole city like this?” Prelinsa asked. The heavy stimulation was new for her, but it wasn’t bad.
“This is the Downtown District of Cydonia. It’s one of the busiest parts of the city,” the representative finally spoke. “But you’ll be staying in a much quieter place.”
A car stopped in front of them, its electric motor winding down. It was nice looking, with sleek curves. “That’s our ride,” the representative said, opening the door and gesturing Prelinsa and Missus B. in. “Please, get in.”
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The car was pretty comfortable, and rode smoothly. The seats were designed with tailed people in mind, and had funny-shaped backs to accommodate them. As they traveled, the noise outside decreased, as did the amount of vehicles. The buildings remained on the tall side, however. According to the representative, they were entering a residential district.
They stopped in front of a big apartment building. The representative stepped out of the car first, opening the door for them. “Follow me,” she said, leading them onto the sidewalk and along a pathway towards the building, which was lined with trees that were currently devoid of leaves due to the winter. Prelinsa looked up at the building. Its front face was almost completely covered in ivy, with windows and balconies peeking out. It looked weird and Prelinsa wondered how the plants stayed on like that. She could see a sign out front, which she read slowly and carefully. It read “Bridgewell Apartments” with “121 Main Street” below it in smaller text.
The lobby was fairly compact, and had a minimalist aesthetic and clean lines. It was much warmer than outside – warm enough that there were some tropical and deciduous plants around, including a number of small quince trees in pots. A couple even had some out-of-season fruits growing. Prelinsa and Missus B. followed the representative to the front desk, where she and the receptionist spoke about reservations and room assignments.
“The two of you will be staying in apartment 27F. Here are your keys,” the representative said, handing one to Prelinsa and two to Missus B. They were plastic cards, with the name of the building and the room number printed on them. “House Silvermoon will pay for replacements if you lose them, but even so, please try not to.”
Prelinsa looked the card over quizzically. “How does this work?” she asked.
“The door has a box with a red light on it. Just hold the card against the light, and it will unlock the door. You should also take these.”
The representative handed Prelinsa and Missus B. each a smartphone.
“House Silvermoon will use these to contact you. Please keep them charged and carry them on you at all times,” she said. “You can also use them to ask us questions, or contact us if you run into trouble. As long as you have them, we will know where you are, and can send people to your aid quickly. If the signal is lost, we will immediately send people to your last known location.”
Missus B. pocketed her key cards and looked the smartphone over. “You’re using this to spy on us,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes. Please do not hold it against us. Until we have more formal documentation for the two of you, it would be a problem for us if you were to run into trouble. This is because legally speaking, House Silvermoon trespassed into House Crimsonstar’s territory and kidnapped you, so anything bad that happens to you could give them reasons to try and take you back to the North Realm. We will of course do our best to prevent that from happening, but we must still take precautions to be safe. I hope you understand.”
“Mmm. Legal shit,” Missus B. muttered. “Well, I don’t like it, but I understand. Ya got all that, right Prelinsa?”
Prelinsa nodded.
“Thank you. We are also sending each of you an allowance for the time being. You can buy goods using your phones, either online or in stores. If you don’t have any more questions, I will guide you to your room now.”
“I don’t think we’ve got any for now. Prelinsa?”
Prelinsa shook her head.
“Then follow me.” The representative led the way down the hallway. A yellow security robot passed them by from the other direction, stepping along on its four legs. It was followed some distance back by a young couple of men chatting, holding hands, and looking very close.
The representative pressed the elevator buttons. “Incidentally, Prelinsa,” she added, “the Matriarch wishes to speak with you privately, after giving her speech in a week’s time. I wasn’t informed what for, only that it’s a matter of high importance.”
Prelinsa tilted her head.
“The Matriarch’s time is valuable. Please show up on time and be on your best behavior.”
“I will.” Prelinsa silently wondered if this was about learning magic.
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Prelinsa washed her face off in the bathroom sink, looking herself in the mirror. It had been a while since she last got a look this clearly at herself. Her fox ear stuck out from the right side of her head like a bird’s wing – as with Marianne’s, it was definitely big for a pokkit ear. With only a human ear on the opposite side, it really did give her head an imbalanced appearance. Two pale, ice-blue eyes with vertically slitted pupils stared back at her – her father’s color, and her mother’s countenance. Prelinsa had been told before that her default expression made her seem a bit overly serious and unapproachable, and it was probably true, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that. She bundled up her unruly blonde hair into a ponytail to get it out of the way, failing to get all of it and leaving a decent fringe still covering her forehead. It was good enough.
She stepped out into her bedroom and onto the balcony, which gave a great view of the Cydonian skyline and its many parks. It was a bright and cloudless day outside, and she felt restless being cooped indoors. Missus B. wasn’t around either, so there was nobody to talk to. She headed back in, put on a jacket and shoes, and took the elevator downstairs to the lobby, admiring some of the plants as she exited the building. The neighborhood was on the quiet side, since most people were at work or school, and it felt very open and spacious. The air had a nice, fresh, piney scent to it. Prelinsa decided to follow the scent where it was strongest, walking down the sidewalk and turning a corner.
Eventually, the scent led her to a friendly looking neighborhood park. An elderly couple was sitting on a bench, and a group of sporty-looking elvish men were playing with a throwing disk. One of them missed a catch and the disk startled a nearby flock of pigeons, their wingbeats creating a wave of fluttering as they took to the air.
A pair of human teenage boys were doing some drawings, while sitting on a bench nearby. One of them pointed at Prelinsa and whispered to the other. Prelinsa could easily hear him though.
“See? See? Even when they’re a half, pokkit tails still come out from the butt, where the tailbone is!” He said. “You’re an idiot. Why would they come out from the lower back? Halves aren’t that different from other pokkits.”
“Okay, fine! We’ll just retcon that for the next issue,” the other grumbled, erasing something on a sketchpad.
Prelinsa continued following the scent to the center of the park, where there was an especially big tree, so massive that she reckoned a few people would be needed to encircle its trunk with their arms. It was surrounded by a protective barrier with signs that cautioned people to keep out.
A few signs seemed to describe what the tree was. Prelinsa took some time to read them. She couldn’t understand some of the words, but apparently the tree was planted when the city was founded, and wasn’t even close to reaching its full size yet. There were others like it in other parks around the city. She stared up at the tree, which was already taller than a lot of buildings she’d seen.
“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” A familiar voice asked.
Prelinsa turned to see a familiar green-haired elf, wearing blue and white priestess robes.
“Rona! I’m glad to see you’re alright.”
“Likewise, Prelinsa.”
The two of them hugged in greetings.
“Felt like taking a walk?” Prelinsa asked, pulling back.
“Mhm. I presume you did as well?”
“Yeah. I’m staying in the area and I felt uncomfortable just staying indoors.”
Rona nodded. “I feel the same way. I like going outdoors regularly, even if it’s a bit chilly like today.”
“Well, I didn’t expect to meet you here of all places.”
Rona smiled. “I actually live in this neighborhood. For now, I’ve decided to rest up and recover after… that happened.”
Prelinsa nodded. “Right. That makes sense.”
“Mommy, why are that girl’s ears different?” A small pokkit child suddenly asked loudly, pointing at Prelinsa.
“Shh! You can’t say things like that, Henry, it’s rude,” his mother whispered. “I’m so sorry about that,” she hastily said to Prelinsa, clearly embarrassed.
Prelinsa waved it off, forcing a smile. “It’s alright, I get that one a lot. It’s because my mom’s a pokkit and my dad’s a human.”
“But my dad’s also a human and-”
“Henry, you shouldn’t bother the girl. Come on, let’s go.” The mother hurriedly dragged him away. Prelinsa watched them leave on a sour note, having been reminded of her own parents. Sighing, she scratched the back of her head. It felt kinda wrong to be jealous of a kid for still having a mom and dad.
Rona rested a hand gently on Prelinsa’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Even so.”
Prelinsa turned to face Rona, forcing another smile. “Well… thanks. I mean it.”
Rona smiled back, empathetically. “Do you want to get something to eat? It’s almost lunchtime, and I find that good food helps when I’m feeling down.”
“Uh, sure. Where should we go?”
“I know a good place – follow me. We can also catch up with each other’s happenings.”
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“You’re right, this smoothie is good. I like how it’s not too sweet.”
“It’s one of my favorites in the area.”
The two of them had stopped by a diner called The Friendly Fox. The interior was quite traditional in contrast to the modern exterior, with wood paneling and furniture, and stained glass light fixtures that gave off a slightly dim glow. The service was traditional too, with no automated checkouts or robot assistants – only people serving customers and running the registers. As it was midday, the establishment was full of workers and students taking their lunch breaks.
“…Oh, how do you read this one, by the way?” Prelinsa pointed to an entry on the menu. “Mil… milfiyool?”
“Mille-feuille. But ‘mil-foy’ is a bit easier to say.”
“Oh.” Prelinsa frowned. “That’s weird.”
“It’s a West Realm dessert.”
“Well, the West Realm has weird names for things.”
Rona giggled softly at that.
Suddenly, the two of them heard a commotion and looked over. A party with an elvish woman and an ailuran man was angrily berating a couple of staff members.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“You! I ordered spaghetti with meatballs! Where are my fucking meatballs?! I want to speak to your manager! Right now!” The elf hollered, stamping her foot.
“We’re gonna sue this establishment for bad service!” The ailuran added.
“Please, calm down-” one of the staff members began anxiously.
“No, I will not calm down! You stupid bitch, you can’t even serve a customer right!”
The elf grabbed a plate of food from the table and hurled it at the staff member, showering her in spaghetti and tomato sauce. Prelinsa and Rona promptly both stood up from their seats, as did some other people. Some hurriedly decided to leave the building and watch from outside. On the other hand, Rona quickly rushed over to the staff member.
“Are you alright?” She asked gently.
The staff member nodded, visibly shaken.
“Stay out of this, you little twerp!” The ailuran yelled at Rona.
Rona looked up at the two adults, a mix of pity and defiance on her face. She shook her head. “No, I won’t,” she said. “You both need to calm down and get help. Please. There are therapists who can-”
The older elf grabbed a glass of water and splashed Rona with it, making her flinch and shut her eyes. “Stop pitying me! What kind of elf are you, wearing those priest clothes and acting like some kind of saint?! Elves these days are disgusting! You all need to remember the good old days of war!”
“Hey! Stop that!” Prelinsa snapped, stepping towards the violent customers. She pointed her finger at them. “Rona’s a way better person than you! You’re the disgusting ones, acting like this over some stupid meatballs!”
Her confrontational approach didn’t help matters. “Don’t tell me what to do!” The elf screamed, throwing a bottle of ketchup at Prelinsa. Prelinsa batted it to the side, getting some sauce on her forearm.
“Someone call the police!” Someone shouted.
“Cut that out!” Other staff members approached and tried to intervene. The ailuran man let out a roar and shifted into a large, burly lion, his clothes disappearing into some kind of bracelet. In response, one of the staff shifted into a bear and tried to wrestle him to the floor, the two of them crashing through a table and chairs and scattering items everywhere. People screamed and took cover behind whatever they could. Rona hurriedly guided the distressed staff member behind a counter.
“RAAAARRGH!”
Prelinsa yelled and charged, swinging her right fist at the elf’s side. The elf blocked and swung back, but Prelinsa stepped backwards, evading with room to spare. Trying to close the gap, the elf lunged forward and kicked at Prelinsa. It was an opening – Prelinsa sidestepped, grabbed the elf’s leg, and pulled to the side hard, causing both of them to crash to the ground and go sprawling.
Prelinsa got back up first, hoping that was the end of it. But the elf got back up, glared at her, and ran at Prelinsa again with another scream. There was plenty of time to react. Prelinsa dove low, tackling the elf by the shins and causing her to unceremoniously faceplant into the floor as they both slid through spilled pasta and tomato sauce. The small half-pokkit quickly scrambled to her feet once more. The elf stumbled back up more slowly, her nose now bleeding from her fall. She pointed at Prelinsa with one hand, while holding her nose with the other.
“You! You one-eared bitch-fox!” She screamed. “How dare you do something so underhanded! This is why all you pokkits need to be turned back into slaves! I’ll sue you! I’ll call the police and have you arrested for assault!”
Meanwhile, a staff member and another customer rushed over to hold her back. She kicked and screamed, but wasn’t able to break free.
“Good luck with that,” Prelinsa commented.
A yell and a roar from behind her grabbed her attention, and she turned to see the aggressive lion ailuran break free from the bear’s grip and charge towards her. He looked strong, but was slow – definitely slower than Vincent. Prelinsa sidestepped him, grabbing a chair and flipping it upside-down to use as an improvised weapon and shield. The lion crashed through another table and came to a stop.
“You hurt my girlfriend, you little shit!” He yelled, turning to face her and the staff from whom he’d escaped. “You’re gonna pay for that!”
“Come on, man! Are you really doing this to a kid?” The bear asked. “Kid, get outta the way, he’s dangerous!” He added.
“Don’t fuck with me!” The lion roared and jumped towards Prelinsa and the staff.
“Look out!” Someone cried out.
Prelinsa’s sharp eyes quickly judged the distance and speed. Before anyone else could act, she let out a war cry, lunged forward with her entire body weight, and rammed the chair legs-first into the lion’s head, using the seat cushion as a shock absorber for herself. But being massively outweighed, the force of the impact caused her to tumble backwards into the bear behind her, causing them all to fall over into a big pile.
“Owww!” The lion clutched his face, rolling in pain as he shifted back into his humanoid form.
Prelinsa blinked a few times, then let out a sigh of relief. “Uh, I’m really sorry about that,” she said, quickly getting off of the bear. He waved it off with his paw, as he too shifted back.
“Nah, you’re good,” he said, getting up. “You did real good, actually. I should be the one sorry for not stopping him.”
He approached the downed lion to keep watch on him.
“Great job, kid!” A customer shouted, applauding. A number of other people joined in the cheers, to which Prelinsa felt a bit tingly inside. It was a good feeling.
“Rona! Rona, are you okay?” She called out, scanning around for the elf priestess. Meanwhile, other people started helping each other pick up the pieces.
“I should be the one asking you that!” Rona called back from behind the counter, running over, her hair still dripping with water. She checked Prelinsa’s head, then grasped one of her arms, looking it over over worriedly. “Why did you do something so reckless? You could’ve gotten yourself seriously hurt.”
“They weren’t so tough compared to people in the slums,” Prelinsa mumbled.
Rona muttered some incantations as she healed a scrape on Prelinsa’s elbow. “…Even so, you shouldn’t put yourself in harm’s way. That’s what law enforcement is for.”
Prelinsa frowned. “So, what do you want me to do? Do nothing while someone is making a big mess of things? And you got involved, too. How could I just leave you there?”
Rona exhaled, taking a moment to collect her words. “…You’re right. You didn’t do anything wrong by trying to help. That was hypocritical of me,” she admitted. “I’m just… worried about you. We only first met recently, and I still remember the condition you were in. So I suppose I still see you as a patient. I apologize.”
“I, uh-” Prelinsa was about to argue, but thought better of it. It really wasn’t long ago that she was still coughing up blood. “Okay, fine. I guess I understand that. But are you okay? You got splashed, and that woman said some pretty bad things.”
“I’m alright. Insults like that don’t easily bother me. It’s a bit late, but thank you for helping.”
Suddenly, the door swung open, causing a bell to ring. The police had arrived – a human, a lycan, and a wheeled security robot. They looked around, surveying the carnage.
“Seems we arrived a bit late,” the human officer commented, as they moved in to arrest the disruptive customers.
“Come on, you!” The lycan said gruffly to the lion-ailuran, pulling his arms back and handcuffing them.
They were followed into The Friendly Fox by a very distressed looking pokkit woman, and a Silvermoon representative with the familiar black mask over his eyes. The pokkit looked around, pulling her ears down low with her hands. “Ohhhh, my gods. I can’t even right now. The one day I’m out, this happens,” she moaned.
“Miss Rowan. If it is any consolation, I will request House Silvermoon’s assistance in compensating you for the damages to your restaurant. Including any lost business days,” the representative reassured her.
He then swiftly made his way through the mess and stopped in front of Prelinsa and Rona, putting his hands behind his back. His expression was difficult to read under the mask.
“Uh. I hope I’m not in trouble,” Prelinsa said, a bit nervously.
“That will depend on what happened,” the representative replied neutrally.
“It’s not her fault. She was just trying to help,” Rona piped up.
“I appreciate your feedback,” the representative said to Rona. He turned to Prelinsa.
“Prelinsa. Since you are under our watch for the time being, House Silvermoon will take part in the investigation from here. I hope for your cooperation so that we can settle this matter swiftly. We have also notified your guardian, Missus Brunswick.”
Prelinsa just nodded meekly.
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“My gods, Prelinsa,” Missus B. muttered, wiping some sauce from Prelinsa’s hair with a hand towel. “What’re ya doing, getting into a fight as soon as ya leave the hospital… I know the medicine’s been working wonders on ya, but sheesh.”
“Sorry, Missus B.”
“Don’t ya sorry me! Be sorry for yourself!” Missus B. cleaned even more aggressively, causing Prelinsa to shut her eyes. “Did ya like the hospital so much that you’re trying ta return there? I heard ya used fighting words, too. Don’t go around making things worse now!”
Prelinsa’s ear drooped. Missus B.’s expression softened.
“I will say though, your heart was in the right place. As stupid as it was, ya did good trying to help people in need.” She ruffled Prelinsa’s hair, smiling. “I’m sure Marianne would be real upset, but also very proud.”
She patted Prelinsa’s shoulder.
“Pardon me,” Rona said, approaching the two of them.
“Well, who’s the shorty, now?” Missus B. asked.
Prelinsa redid her ponytail, which had been undone while Missus B. was cleaning her hair.
“My name is Rona. I’m a friend of Prelinsa’s,” Rona said, not looking bothered by Missus B’s comment on her height.
“We met on the slaver ship,” Prelinsa explained. “She was locked up with me. I might not have made it without her healing magic. Rona, this is Missus Brunswick. I told you about her before.”
“Ah, just call me Missus B.” Missus B. offered Rona a handshake, which she accepted. “It’s a pleasure to meet ya, Rona. And thank you for taking care of Prelinsa. So, what was it that ya wanted?”
“The investigators had some more questions for Prelinsa. But if you’re busy, you can take your time.”
“Nah, we were just finishing up,” Missus B. replied. “Oh! Prelinsa, before ya go, I’ve got some good news,” she continued, pulling out some papers. “While I was out, I officially became your legal guardian! At least, while we’re here in the East Realm. So now you’re Prelinsa Brunswick. Or Prelinsa B. I gather that today’s been a rough one for ya, so I hope this helps cheer ya up.”
Prelinsa beamed from ear to ear, and hugged Missus B. tightly.
“Whoa, now! Your clothes are still covered in sauce!”