II
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Arc II Chapter 6
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12th Anima Lunar VIII AAC 753
“...” Aurora cuddled her doll, playing the meek girl with near perfection. Her cover was impeccable. She had eavesdropped on them, monitoring them continuously. Lambert. Iris. Rudolf. Michael. Arwing. Nelaeryn.
Her timid eyes scanned the crowd of strangers. Six people in total. Four armed, two unarmed. Four men, two women. They were unlikely to present a major threat. That was quite obvious. A single glance told her as much. Their relaxed posture, their behaviour, their voices, their expressions betrayed them. They wore their hearts up their sleeves.
Two people stood in front of her, close by, a man and a woman. Lambert and Iris, respectively. Short brown hair in the bloom of late youth, the man carried a sword hanging around his waist, sheathed in a scabbard. The man confronted her with a weak smile, yet his olive eyes betrayed his lack of sincerity. Maroon strands covered the woman’s face, but it was her rosewood eyes, her shimmering irises in particular, that caught her attention.
Her eyes exuded a familiar aura. The woman was clearly a practitioner of magic. Clad in an ostentatious robe, her hands held a staff, a wooden staff by a crowed by a ruby crystal and a variety of ornate symbols unknown to her. The jewel harboured the subtle touch of mana and lingering aether. Their presence was weak, but traces of them were noticeable to her trained eye. The staff was not just a simple wooden stick. It served as a catalyst, supposedly to facilitate magic.
Two men, inconspicuous in appearance, guarded the rear, watching the surrounding area. Rudolf and Michael. One man was armed with a spear, the other with a sword. They did not mind her much, nor did she them. A man and a woman drove the cart. Arwing and Nelaeryn. They proved to be enigmatic figures, difficult to discern, illusive in nature like spectres, hidden from the sight of the world by their long white coats with their faces obscured by their hoods except for a handful of forlorn strands of snow white hair. She was unable to gauge the elven duo at all.
The two mysterious travellers resisted her prying gaze, which was annoying, but unavoidable. The two were only two out of six. The rest of the group displayed no hostile behaviour. Quite the contrary, surprise was written all over their faces. Surprise, accompanied by glimmers of what could be called sympathy and genuine pity.
“...” Aurora smirked in secret. How fortunate. Apparently, luck was on her side. Sympathy and empathy were exactly what she needed. The man named Lambert seemed promising in particular. Not only was he the apparent leader of these ‘adventurers’, but he also exhibited feelings of empathy. Genuine concern clouded his eyes. This was her chance.
Aurora hugged her doll in fear. “Are you mean people?”
“...” The man named Lambert scratched his head. The man laughed, trying to defend himself against her accusations.“I’m used to being called many things, but mean? That’s new. A bit greedy here and there, but mean? Not really. Rest assured, we’re nice people. You can trust us.”
Unconvinced, Aurora crossed her arms, adopting a defensive posture. “That’s what all meanies would say.”
“What?” The man blinked in disbelief, confused by her reaction.
“Hmpf, meanies lie. That’s why I don’t believe you.” Aurora pouted. “You’re strangers.”
“...” The man named Lambert was left dumbfounded. “Come on, don’t be ridiculous, girl. Don’t be absurd. You’re making us look like the bad guys here.”
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“...” Aurora refused to respond, her pout defiant.
“...” Lambert sighed in exasperation, trying his best to placate her, yet he evidently failed. “As said, girl, you can trust us. We don’t mean you any harm.”
“Hmpf, and why should I believe strangers like you?” Aurora puffed her cheeks.
The man named Lambert sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Girls these days ... Seriously, why does everything have to be complicated these days ...” In his moment of desperation, Lambert turned his attention to his companion, begging for her help. “Iris, we’re nice people, aren’t we? We’re the friendliest adventurers you can find in the entirety of Freyburg and vicinity, right?” The meaning of his look was clear. You’re a woman. Help me!
“...” Iris deployed a benign smile, assisting Lambert to the best of her abilities. “Lambert is right, little one, we’re friendly adventurers. We mean you no harm. You can trust us, promised.”
Lambert nodded in agreement. “See, just what I said, are you now convinced, girl?”
“Not really, but you appear to be friendly people.” Aurora and her doll remained sceptical. “I guess, I can trust you for the time being, but my doll and I’ll keep an eye on you. We’ll observe you. You’re still suspicious strangers.”
“...” Lambert arched an eyebrow, but he quickly mustered his brightest smile. “Well, you’re free to keep an eye on us, girl, that’s fine. Being cautious is a useful skill to have. Especially, among adventurers. You can never be sure enough in this day and age, but I’m glad we’ve found some common ground. So what’s your name, girl? I’m sure you must have a name, mustn’t you?”
...
...
...
“My name?” Aurora tilted her head, startled by his request.
“Yes, your name.” Lambert nodded.
...
...
...
“Hmm ...” Aurora was thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and thinking. Her headsie was thinking really, really hard. Promised.
“Well, ... I ... don’t know.” Aurora lowered her gaze in shame.
“What?” Lambert nearly fell over.
“What?”
“What?”
“What?”
“What?”
“What?” A chorus agreed with him.
“Are you telling me you don’t know your name?” Lambert took time to process.
“I ... don’t ...” Aurora shook her head, her eyes downcast. “When I try to remember, my headsie feels all dizzy ...”
“Are you seriously trying to tell us that you have amnesia, or what?” Nelaeryn snorted. “Come on, that is the oldest trick in existence. Can people not be a bit more creative these days ...”
“Ouch.” The elf flinched after taking a sudden by Awing.
“...” Nelaeryn grumbled, “Hey, Arwing, what was this for?”
“...” Arwing narrowed her eyes. “Nelaeryn, you know exactly what this was for. What did I tell you about improving relationships? I told you stop aggravating our allies!”
“...” Lambert merely rolled his eyes, ignoring their domestic elven duo and their usual squabbles.
Petty quarrels aside, Lambert returned his attention to their favourite amnesiac girl, her. “I see, so you don’t remember your name. That’s quite problematic in many ways. Do you perhaps remember how you landed here in the middle of the forest? Any ideas? Any memories?” He hoped for the best, yet his hopes were crushed brutally.
“Not really.” Aurora shook her head vigorously, while hugging her doll tightly. “Everything in my mind feels so fuzzy. I only remember waking up here and meeting you.”
“...” Lambert fell silent, sunk in thought. “That’s troublesome indeed.”
“What’re we going to do with her, Lambert?” Iris cut in. “We can’t leave her just like this. The forest is a dangerous place! The girl needs our help.”
“Right ...” Lambert agreed, his attention focused on her. “Hmm, I guess we’ve no choice but to help her. We’ll take her in for the time being. Our supplies are plenty, and I doubt that one girl more or less will impact our mission much. Lady Arwing, what’s your opinion?”
All eyes were directed at Arwing, even a pair of radiant, adorable puppy eyes.
All the attention made Arwing feel uncomfortable. “Well, I am just a simple scholar, Lambert, so I tend to defer to your better judgement, but I think ... that taking the girl in should be fine ... As you said, one human child more or less does not matter ...”
“...” Lambert nodded, satisfied. “Good decision, I agree. Then it’s decided, the girl will stay with us ... Hey, wait a moment ... Where did she go?” Lambert panicked, his eyes scanning his surroundings. That was her opportunity.
Sneaking past Lambert and Iris, Aurora climbed up the cart to take her new seat. Much to everyone’s surprise, she chose Arwing’s lap.
Flashing a radiant smile, Aurora dangled her feetsies in the air. “I and my doll are going to stay here with Sister Arwing~. I like her?.”
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...
...
“...” Lambert blinked, profoundly petrified, just as everyone else.
Arwing panicked, meanwhile, blushing. Her face was redder than red. A human girl was sitting on her lap. What was she supposed to do? Her academic studies had never prepared her for this eventuality. Help!
“...” Aurora and her doll beamed with mischievous glee. Her infiltration had succeeded, and none of them were any the wiser.
Lady Arwing Thassaig and Lord Nelaeryn Liatháin
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