Achitha wasn’t certain what she’d been expecting to see Iden do. Granted, they were around the same age, but Achitha was too used to being praised and put on a pedestal for her strength to consider that someone who hadn’t been professionally trained could also have similar amounts of power. But Iden was, well… she was…

  Absolutely crazy. She bounced off the walls like some sort of maniac with energy that knew no bounds, her concept of strength traveling to her legs as she slammed her foot down on a snake’s skull, crushing it the moment she made contact. She was almost too fast to watch properly, jumping back and forth like a quick dart as she came face to face with a basilisk three times her size. Achitha was prepared to step in, being resistant to all poisons and such, but it really did look like Iden didn’t need her help at all. Or at least, not yet. Because Iden was immediately on the snake’s back, crushing its thick tail with her heel before wrapping an arm around its neck, squeezing the snake’s head into a chokehold as she pressed it against a wall, shattering its infrastructure completely.

  “Wow! I’ve been in this dungeon before, but I’ve never tried to solo it almost all by myself! Achitha, aren’t you going to do anything?” Iden smiled, a bit too hyper in comparison to having easily killed the four snakes that had ambushed them without much warning. But… she did remind her of someone. Someone else who was also kind of… crazy. A certain blond-haired freak, if you will.

  “Uh. I think I’ll do more when you need me to. Right now, this trial is for you, so we should see how far you can get on your own without me, first,” Achitha clarified, Iden’s smile brightening as she wiped off some of the purple basilisk blood that was on her arm, brushing it off until it only left a wide stain on her skin.

  “Okay, perfect! I’m sure we’ll make a great team! What concepts do you have?”

  She seemed so cheery, walking over to join Achitha so they could walk together, her smile toning down into something softer now that she wasn’t in the middle of fighting. It made Achitha feel a bit more at ease, so she responded honestly, “I have the concepts of illness and poison.”

  “What?! Illness and poison?! That’s so cool, how’d you manage that?” Iden asked eagerly, so curious and desperate for any kind of knowledge she could get her hands on. She really did remind Achitha so much of Feather… the woman could tell she’d been raised by him. Iden was more upfront and honest when she wanted to know something compared to the other, who would often try to subtly stand next to her and read over her shoulder whenever she was writing down the facts she’d observed in her journal without verbally asking. Feather had more pride than Iden, but still, both of them were rather cute like this.

  “Well, poisons have always been a special interest of mine, and when I was little, I was surrounded by a lot of sick people. I guess they just developed because of that,” she smiled, Iden looking amazed at the statements before she offered another question.

  “But I thought you were a noble! Wouldn’t you be removed from the sick people?”

  “Nope. It’s because I was sick, too,” Achitha answered, not phased when a snake slithered out of a hole in the wall, which was instinctively sliced in half with her blade. But the two kept walking, and Achitha continued her story pleasantly. “My grandfather, who used to be the head of my family, was found to have been plotting against the Queen of our planet, Queen Nadia. This was before she became the head of the Central Domain Alliance, but she was still an important figure, and my grandfather tried to stage an assassination attempt. Apparently, a lot of my other family members were also involved, which would surely make anyone think my entire family was done for, right?” she smiled, Iden watching her closely after moving to grab a snake by its head, bashing its face in before it could even move to bite her.

  “Right! So what happened next?”

  “Oh, well, Ruba cursed us,” Achitha answered, Iden’s eyes widening a bit as she took that in.

  “No way!! Like a real, actual curse?!”

  “Yes, a very real one,” she smiled, continuing to walk along with the chipper woman in a very good mood. Achitha liked people like Feather and Iden, who were bright-eyed and curious about everything. It was refreshing. “It cursed my entire family to be bedridden with an incurable disease. This included myself, even though I was only four years old at the time. We were allowed to keep our estate and all of our servants, and since the illness wasn’t contagious, only the nobles in our household got sick. My grandfather and grandmother both ended up passing away from this disease, as did my two uncles. My mother, who’d conceived me with a man she hadn’t yet married, as well as one of my older cousins on one of my uncle’s sides, were the only ones left alive when I awakened with the concept of illness.”

  “So then you healed them? Did you heal them and save the day and restore your family’s honor?!” Iden suggested brightly, Achitha laughing slightly as she shook her head.

  “No, not quite. I don’t have the ability to heal people. If someone is sick, I cannot reverse it. I can make people sick, but I’d need a healer around to reverse the effects. But, what I can do, and what I did for my family,” she smiled, Iden strung on to her every word, “was give them illness immunity. In other words, it wouldn’t cure them, but it would stop the illness from getting worse. And remember that this was a curse crafted by Ruba, her grand empirical highness, so it wasn’t a typical illness. Because the moment I gave them immunity, the curse was lifted, and Ruba then decided that my mother, cousin, and myself would be free to keep our titles and said that I would be welcome to train under Queen Nadia at any time. That’s how I was recruited. Shortly after, I became very fond of poison, so I explored a lot with them until I became immune to them as well.”

  “Ohhh wow. So you’re like your family’s savior!” Iden grinned, before another giant snake suddenly reared its face in the dark cave, illuminated by her lantern as she let the ginger take a dive at it.

  Iden really was impressive. Three concepts… stamina, speed, and strength… those were the kinds of concepts Achitha wished she could have. Illness and poison were useful, she supposed, but sometimes they ostracized her. She felt drawn to things that were sickly… things that were deadly or dying… things that were rotten on the inside. With her earliest memories being of walking around in a deserted castle where her entire family was sick and being taken care of by servants who barely wanted to talk to her, with her body aching and her fluids running and nausea constantly creeping up her throat… she felt most at home when she was somewhere a little dirty. And Achitha had a photographic memory, so she was good at memorizing things. She’d memorized as many different types of poisons she could and could create any of them from her skin on command. All of this was safe, familiar. What other people saw as something they’d rather not touch, Achitha was drawn to its deadly properties so that she could nullify them and turn them into something useful. But Iden…

  Swift, barely traceable with the human eye as she jumped to the ceiling fueled by all the magical strength in her legs, pushing herself off to land a forceful punch against the basilisk's skull, crushing it straight into the ground while the rocks turned into a crater underneath her overwhelming power. A quick spin kick to the snake to her side, denting its stomach into nearly two separate pieces as it writhed on the ground before she killed it with a simple stomp on its face… jutting herself around the room to wrap her legs around the closest snake’s head, snapping its body into pieces with her thighs as bones popped and cracked. Now that was something Achitha thought was cool.

  “You’re so impressive,” she complimented, the woman’s manic grin calming down the moment she was complimented, before it morphed into something more elated and excited as she bounced right back over.

  “Really? Thank you so much!! I can’t wait until things get more difficult so we can fight together!!” Iden smiled, completely joyful in every word and movement as Achitha watched her.

  She was like a puppy wagging her tail… another difference from Feather. They both looked rather manic when they were fighting, like they were getting extreme amounts of joy and adrenaline from being able to kill things. But when praised, Feather had a tendency to act what Achitha would call cat-like. He would look very satisfied and proud, brush up against you for a quick minute, before he’d praise himself as well and walk away, satisfied with what he got before moving on to do his own thing. Achitha had never tried it before, but she didn’t think he liked getting too much attention from others. He liked getting his ego boosted, but he didn’t crave it, being far more of an independent person. But Iden looked like she could run off praise if you let her, and she craved connection more than the other man. She looked like someone who got really attached to other people if they were nice to her, compared to Feather, who probably didn’t develop trust in others that way. And, continuing to walk along with her, Achitha was getting rather curious…

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  “So, ah, what exactly is your relationship to Feather?” she asked genuinely, Iden’s pale freckled cheeks turning a crimson red before Achitha felt the need to clarify herself. “Ah, sorry, I know you have feelings for him. But beyond that, I think the two of you act like family, so I was wondering if there was anything more to it.”

  “Oh! Ahahahah, well… oh my, I guess I can talk about him with you if you like, hehe…” Iden laughed with a voice entirely strained and giddy, Achitha observing that with a curious look.

  “Sure. Go ahead.”

  “Ahhh, okay okay, well! To start with, I should of course say that Feather is absolutely brilliant! He’s saved my life so many times, who wouldn’t fall in love with him after all that?!” she squeed, hands going to cup her cheeks as she kept moving around with all her pent up energy. “I first met him when I was nine years old, when I got lost in another town! But then he found me, comforted me so sweetly and got me to stop crying, let me ride on his shoulders so I could be super tall, and then helped me find my family!! Ahh I know he only views me as his little sister, and he probably always will, but I can’t help but admire him so much!! I want to be with him, you know?!” she turned to the dark-skinned woman with her green eyes gleaming with a passion Achitha couldn’t quite understand, feeling a bit hesitant on how to process those intense lines as she nodded along. “Oh gosh, haven’t you ever been in love with anyone before, Achitha?! Ahh it fills up your entire body, it’s all you can think about!! It’s such a great feeling, I love being in love!! Even if Feather never returns my feelings, that’s okay, because I just want to be a big part of his life anyways!! I want to be there for him, to nurse him back to health when he’s unwell, and eeeeee, it’s so embarrassing, I can’t say anything more or I might physically explode heheheh!!” she giggled, cheeks a bright pink as she jumped up and down in her place.

  She was so energetic. Achitha really did appreciate this type of person, but perhaps she shouldn’t have chosen this topic. Because when Iden turned back to look at her, eyes big and bright and a sparkling green, gazing at her devotedly like she was expecting some sort of response with equal enthusiasm, Achitha wasn’t sure what to give her. “Ah… that does sound lovely, I think. Personally, I’ve never been in love with anyone before. I find your perspective to be very enlightening, thank you for… for sharing,” she blinked, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable when Iden’s cheery face shifted into shock.

  Had she… said something wrong? She knew she didn’t exactly think like everyone else did when it came to romance, but having Iden look at her like she’d just admitted to eating her twin brother in the womb on purpose was kind of uncomfortable. The ginger looked so confused and taken aback, immediately pulling on her arm while giving Achitha an earnest stare. “What do you mean you’ve never fallen in love?! How old are you?!”

  “...I’m four-hundred and seventy-eight,” she blinked slowly, Iden’s concerned stare starting to make her feel more like an alien. Was this really such a big deal?

  “Ah… but how can you be older than me and not have fallen in love before?” Iden wavered, lower lip trembling like she’d heard something truly sad as Achitha looked down at her.

  “I’m not sure… it’s not like I’m against it, I just haven’t met anyone I’d want to spend the rest of my life with,” she answered slowly, not able to help but feel like she was walking on eggshells as Iden stared at her.

  “Really? But you’re older than me! And I already knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Feather when I was only ten!”

  “Ah, well… everybody’s different, I’m sure. No need to get worked up about two different people having two different experiences,” Achitha spoke calmly, level-headed as she always was before Iden finally leaned away from her.

  “Mm, I guess you’re right. Maybe you just haven’t found the right person. I guess I’m lucky, because I met my right person right away, hehe!” Iden suddenly cheered up, brightness returning to her face as she turned to smile at Achitha. “And I guess you’re not so weird. Feather doesn’t talk about his feelings much, but I don’t think he’s ever had feelings for anyone, either, and he’s older than us, too.”

  “Oh… wait, really?” Achitha’s face snapped up, immediately intrigued by that statement as Iden kept walking.

  “Yeah! My parents have asked him about it before, but he always says he’s not interested in romance! Isn’t that weird?”

  “Ah… I suppose,” Achitha spoke, barely managing to process that simple line.

  But wasn’t Feather supposed to have fallen in love with Cirrus? Or, even if he hadn’t right now, he was destined to eventually… Achitha had always figured he’d be well versed in that. And it wasn’t like she didn’t want to fall in love with someone or get married, she did. She wanted to devote herself solely to one person. But she didn’t want it in the same way others did. Achitha could see the differences in the way Iden talked about Feather versus herself clear as day. The other was amazed with everything to do with the man she was in love with, wanting to be close to him and be a big part of his life. Iden was infatuated with him, wanting to spend time with him, wanting to touch him. But Achitha just wanted consistency. She wanted someone to be there when she woke up, but she didn’t want to obsess over them. She wanted someone to be there when she ate dinner that she could talk to and listen to, but she didn’t want to get touched too much or be the biggest part of their life. She wanted someone to be with her because they felt safe and cared for, not because they felt lust or infatuation. She wanted someone reliable and steadfast, not someone clingy and emotional. But no one she’d ever met understood that very well. Maybe Achitha just wasn’t a romantic person. Or maybe if she… talked about it with Feather? Would he understand?

  Though she zoned back in when Iden started talking again, smiling happily at Achitha as they delved deeper into the maze of the snake’s lair. “But anyways, don’t worry about it! If you want, I can help you look for good people who might be your type! Is there anything you look for in a person?”

  “...I’m not entirely sure. I feel like I’d have to get to know them first.”

  “Oh, really?” Iden blinked, looking a bit confused at that statement. “Huh. I guess that makes sense. Usually I can tell if I’d be good friends with someone based on their vibes or our first few conversations. You’re not like that?”

  “...no.”

  “Do you have trust issues?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Achitha winced, feeling more prickly uncomfortable feelings twisting in her stomach as she kept moving along. “I just don’t believe you can know a person well enough to decide if you’re compatible or not based on only a few interactions. It takes longer for me.”

  “Woah! How long?” Iden pressed, Achitha turning to give her a quizzical stare.

  Was she being made fun of? She didn’t think so. Iden didn’t look like she was trying to poke fun at her for the way she thought. But still, she didn’t like the feeling of being interrogated just because she thought about things a little differently than other people. So she turned her head to the side, continuing to press on as she quipped back, rather coldly, “A few years. Now, we should focus on your—”

  “WHAT?! Years?!” Iden exploded, voice loud and uncontainable as Achitha turned back to her, about to snap. She wanted to say, yes, years. Was there a problem with that? Was that somehow offensive? But when she turned and looked at the other woman, all she saw was a face that looked genuinely upset. And Achitha didn’t know how to respond when Iden went and grabbed onto her arms, looking completely miserable as she whined, “But I don’t want to wait years to be your friend! Ah, you can ask me a bunch of questions right now to get to know me better if you want! I want to be your friend as soon as possible!”

  “...”

  “Ah?! Is that not okay?” Iden paled, suddenly panicking under Achitha’s intense stare. “Ah, okay, well… if Feather lets me in on your journey with him, we’ll probably know each other for a few years… I’ll work hard and earn our friendship, I promise! I’ll be your best friend! I’ll be such a good friend, the greatest! I’ll be with you through thick and thin, drought and harvest, ups and downs!! Just watch, I’ll—!!”

  “Okay. That’s fine,” Achitha interrupted, a small, begrudgingly fond smile wrapping itself around her features as she reached up and ruffled Iden’s flaming ginger hair. “Do your best. I’m sure we’ll be great friends someday if you just give me a little time.”

  And… ah. Achitha was suddenly very glad she’d said that. Iden seemed to be glowing, trembling in her spot as she folded into herself, before her body almost exploded and she was jumping up and down, throwing herself at Achitha for a tight embrace with a giddy grin. “OKAY!!!!! I’ll be the best and most loyal friend ever, and then we’ll go on perilous quests together and our trust will be tested and we’ll come out on top because we’re amazing!! Just like this time, right?” she smiled, pushing herself off the taller woman with a toothy grin before she began wandering back down the tunnel. “Ahahahah, c’mere snakes!! I’m gonna getcha!! C’mere, snakey snakey snakey…!!”

  …did that girl just say whatever came to her mind without thinking it through? Half of what she’d just promised had to be nonsense, right? They barely knew each other, why would she already start babbling things about droughts or harvests or their trust being tested? Ah… this was weird. Achitha didn’t know how to feel about it, but she was rather curious. Iden seemed like a very happy person, and it wasn’t like she didn’t like her company so far… it was always nice to be around a person who was so different from herself so that she could get a fresh point of view. Achitha wasn’t sure if they’d end up that close by the end of things, but… well, who knows? The future wasn’t set in stone, anyway. She’d go along with whatever happened. She’d like to ask Iden a few questions about her strength concept anyway, to see if she could get any advice on how to develop it herself. Achitha wasn’t opposed to being friends at all. It didn’t really take her years to make friends anyway, she’d only said that to try to cut off the conversation… but being friends with Iden didn’t actually sound all that hard. Just a little time… just a little time, and who knows where things would go?