Open - Stopping the kidnappers | Page 2

Whatever reaction Mizuki expected from the girl standing next to her, she didn't expect to suddenly receive another hug. The Felis blinked before she began to blush fiercely, unsure how to react as her tail went stiff behind her and her ears went straight up, Mizuki standing there somewhat awkwardly as she tried to figure out what to do. Return the hug? Gently push Kaede away? Mizuki didn't have anything against Kaede and it wasn't like she was touch averse but she wasn't entirely used to people hugging so enthusiastically when they didn't even know each other so well, so she wasn't sure if she should just accept it or remind Kaede that they weren't quite that close just yet. The fact that it was in itself not an unpleasant sensation wasn't making it any easier to decide... Although when Kaede touched her ears the Felis let out a small sound, twitching as the blush adorning her cheeks became even fiercer. Fortunately Kaede let go after that, leaving Mizuki blushing and unsure how to react to the sudden affectionate behaviour. The Felis shook her head and hastened after Kaede as the other woman began to walk away, trying to just ignore it for now as Kaede spoke about what to do next.

"That is a very kind offer. So far I've been having my character disappear when I log out, but if you're willing to let me use one of the beds I might try out whether there's a difference between that and letting my character sleep freely." Mizuki frowned slightly in thought as she put one hand under her chin and grabbed her upper arm with the other. "Well... I wouldn't want to inconvenience you any further, so maybe we should push them apart so we both have some space to ourselves?" Truth be told Mizuki didn't think she'd be entirely comfortable sleeping directly next to someone just yet, at least not someone who she had only known for less than a day. No matter how friendly she was. "But I would be grateful if you showed me what information you have gathered so far. While the Hunting mastery is very convenient for finding something once you've got a trail it's not so good if you don't know where to start. You might have a point with my outfit, although less for its appearance but for its effectiveness." She looked down at her outfit, which still was what she was given at the start of the game. "Having some extra protection is going to become more important down the line, since the only reason I wasn't wounded this time around was because only one of the bandits got a proper shot at me and I happened to be able to avoid them." Not counting the healed scrapes and cuts on her hands, anyway... "But I'd have to buy those myself. I don't want to impose any more on you than letting me use the spare bed you've got available."

Mizuki walked along with Kaede until suddenly the girl rushed off, at which point the Felis blinked and stared, unsure what was happening. The village should be safe, but since Kaede rushed off into an alley maybe she saw someone suspicious in there... "Kaede?" She called out even as she went after the woman. Kaede turned out to be quite fast, however, as when Mizuki reached the alley she couldn't see the woman anywhere, even with her Investigation mode activated. The only thing she found were traces of someone jumping against the wall, some dust slowly falling down as Mizuki looked up. It was only when her ears twitched at the sound of something behind her that Mizuki realized that someone had been sneaking up behind her, and by that time it was already too late as two arms wrapped around her waist and... Someone began to nibble on her ears.

The reaction was nearly instantaneous as Mizuki's blush returned full force, her tail slapping against Kaede's legs as it moved from side to side in a combination of alarm and the sensations suddenly flying down from Mizuki's ear through her body. The Felis first went stiff in shock before trembling, struggling against the arms restricting her movements even as she let out a soft mewling sound. She was painfully aware that her ears were surprisingly sensitive, but having someone nibble on them so affectionately was having an effect beyond what Mizuki could reasonably have anticipated, as she found it difficult to get angry as other sensations were demanding her attention. She looked behind her to see that it was Kaede, the Felis startled at her companion suddenly assaulting her like this. "K-Kaede?! Wh-what are you-" She shook her head to get her ear away from Kaede's mouth, then squirmed her arms underneath Kaede's to pull them apart, her breathing heavier than before as she glared at Kaede over her shoulder. "What are you doing?!" She squirmed herself free, then turned around so she had Kaede within her line of sight even as she covered her ears protectively. "C-could you not do that? That's... that's..." She hesitated, not sure what to call it since normally the ears weren't that sensitive but still... She took a deep breath, still protecting her sensitive ears, her tail now high behind her to help emphasize her defensive stance. "Back on Earth that could have been called sexual assault, so I'd really rather you didn't do that out of nowhere. These ears appear to be... a lot more sensitive than normal..." She took another deep breath. "At least ask first next time, all right?"

A part of her knew that she should have been a lot more assertive on this, but she found that she didn't want to actually get that angry at Kaede. She was shocked and upset, but she was clinging to the hope that it was just a prank with Kaede having gone a bit too far and that she hadn't just agreed to share a room with someone who'd freely molest others regardless of whether she had reason to believe that they'd like it.

The fact that it had been quite the sensation was making it difficult for her to really get angry as well. Startling as it was, it seemed that either Felis had an extra erogenous area or Mizuki just had a strange reaction to having different ears. Which might be why she hadn't told Kaede not to do it again, just to ask her first next time.
@Kaede Hoshi

 

_____The moment Mizuki got free from Kaedé's hold she would raise her hands up and smile, a small laugh after the girl’s reply to everything that happened. She was just so cute, and the fact she did not tell her off for doing it meant maybe there was some potential to have more fun with the girl, that of course would be asked for before acting as it would seem this girl was more of a third date type of gal. Moving her hands down slowly as Kaedé turned to start walking so Kizuki could keep a closer eye on her before she spoke up.

”Sorry about that, when I see cute things I love to act on catching them and teasing. If you want me to dial it down or ask I will, I’ll make sure to keep my distance otherwise so you can watch out for me. Most times when I’m about to cause some trouble I smile like this…”

_____Kaedé would turn to start walking backwards as she showed Ueno her early warning sign. Mouth slowly turning into a small devious grin before she spun back around waving her hands during the action. Recalling what else the girl had said before Kaedé caused her trouble she figured some called for a reply.

”Sleeping beside cute girls is never trouble to me, I rather enjoy the idea of being so close to them and getting trusted enough to do such. The clothing would be no skin off my back, I have a friend who makes outfits for no real charge and even does real world things like maid outfits and suits.”

_____Kaedé would look over her shoulder with a smile before arriving at a small house near the edge of the village walls. Standing outside was Kira and Sora playing around before they noticed the two other girls and rushed over. Sora would try to tackle Ueno while Kira rushed to hug Kaedé and started to thank her over and over until Kaedé lightly pulled her tail to get her to blush and back up a bit. Sora turning to see the actions before reaching to try and block Ueno’s eyes.

”Kaedé is about to kiss big sis no looking! It’s rude!”

_____Both Kaedé and Kira would laugh before Sora turned and puffed her cheeks at the two of them. Soon after she would stop and rush to hug the two girls before pulling them both along, Kaedé waving for Mizuki to follow them into the small house. It was nothing special, and rather small then one would expect even for a village house. To the left and right side of the entry hallway was two bedrooms, one looked like Sora’s room and the other had a map and information likely leading to assume it was where Kaedé slept.

_____Further down the hall was the bathroom to the left and a small living space, and to the right was the kitchen area. Sora would run into her room and start playing with toys before Kira gave Kaedé a light kiss on the cheek and whispered something into the girl’s ear before going to play with her little sister. Kaedé would walk into her room and start moving the beds apart. It was bland outside the map, Kaedé kept most her things elsewhere to make sure Sora did not find them.

”It’s not much but it is something outside a tent I guess. Me and Kira have an agreement that as long as I help out around the place and watch Sora every now and then I’m allowed to stay here.”

_____Moving the beds just a bit more before they had a good three feet between them and Kaedé smiled happily before going over to the map. Hands pulling out the string around the area the two had been and looking over it. Most of the green strings seemed to lead to Stokbon while red strings leaded around the area of brisshal and at spots marked as villages. Looking it over Kaedé could only sigh lightly.

”A lot of work still to be done and some I'm not if they are just rumored or real spots they kept kids before moving them to the sell spot I assume is in Stokbon…”
@Ueno Mizuki

 

Mizuki was somewhat surprised when Kaede just laughed, with her hands up to show that she wasn't planning to do anything else with them. The girl really didn't seem to think that there might be anything wrong with what she did, or otherwise she thought it better to act confident and not show any guilt. Either way, Mizuki wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. If it was the former then Kaede didn't intend to do anything wrong, but might not always be aware of where the lines were. If it was the latter Mizuki was dealing with a somewhat less savoury type of individual... Or one who simply never had been able to get away with what she did. Looking at Kaede's cheerful smile Mizuki wanted to believe that it was the former, and that Kaede just hadn't realized that it might not be proper to jump someone from behind and begin nibbling their ear if you hadn't know each other for that long. Not even if that someone happened to be cute (Mizuki was somewhat caught off guard by that as well: she wasn't used to being called cute, thanks to her tall stature).

"...Do you do that often? Just... jumping someone from behind?" She followed Kaede, still guarding her ears protectively and keeping a close eye on the woman. Considering the suddenness of the previous assault and the fact that Mizuki was still a bit shocked she wasn't going to give Kaede the opportunity to try again. "W-well, I get teasing, but that was... a bit more than just teasing, in my book. Even if you weren't aware that Felis ears are more sensitive than a human's..." She shook her head, trying to get her thoughts back into order. Although the idea of telling Kaede to just stop or be ready for more had her blushing again, if not as fiercely as before. "Uhm... I see." She watched the devilish smile on Kaede's face, slowly lowering her hands as she trusted Kaede to not actually do it again. However that still left the question.

On Earth Mizuki had lived a life without a lot of romance or parties. An introvert who was more focused on her studies and making sure she'd succeed in life, she hadn't been completely foreign to the idea but her dalliances had been few and far between. She hadn't met someone who was this open about it, and she wasn't entirely sure if she approved or disapproved. On one hand she did something intimate without asking or warning (Mizuki could still feel a certain warmth inside of her: why WERE her ears so sensitive?), which would be called poor impulse control on Earth and something to work on. On the other hand... She had seen how upset Kaede was when Sora was taken away by the bandits, how passionate she was when rescuing the girl, and how happy and cheerful she had been afterwards. Kaede seemed like a very caring and energetic person, and from another perspective the molestation had more been a result of a straightforward and playful nature. Mizuki wasn't going to condone surprising her like that when they hadn't known each other for that long, but she had to admit that she had a certain fondness of straightforwardness, honesty and the ability to take things in stride, someone who wasn't worn down by life but instead thrived.

While thinking about it Mizuki listened to Kaede talking about other things. The mention of being trusted to sleep next to someone made Mizuki feel a stab of guilt before she reminded herself that Kaede had jumped her like that, and that maybe the distrust wasn't actually undeserved. Still, it seemed Kaede did actually put importance into trust... and if she really hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it she didn't have to distrust Kaede so much as to be aware of what Kaede thought was acceptable and what not and make clear where she herself would want the line drawn. After that came the comment about the maid outfits, which made Mizuki think back to when Kaede had mentioned that back in the forest as well. What was with this girl and maid outfits? Some kind of kink?

"I... see..." She coughed. "Well, u-uhm... If you don't do anything without asking, I-I wouldn't object to keeping the beds as they are..." She scratched her cheek: from her perspective she was wading in unknown waters. "As long as you ask and respect my answer I won't mind if you do ask... At least for now..." She coughed, honestly feeling very awkward at this point but soldiering on. "I'm not too experienced with such frankness, but... I came to this world to experience another aspect of life, so... Maybe I'll be more open to... surprises... once I've become more familiar with you." Mizuki wouldn't ever say that she regretted her own life, but if there was the opportunity to experience more than one life why wouldn't you take it? And since the second life she wanted to experience was that where she interacted more with others, she should take the opportunity to explore the more playful side of life as well.

Once they arrived at the house Mizuki was once more caught off guard as Sora tackle hugged her, the adult Felis standing her ground as the younger Felis ran into her, trying to make sure Sora didn't actually hurt herself in the process. Mizuki was soft enough that she wasn't like a wall, but that didn't mean she was discomfort-proof. She watched as Kaede and Kari greeted each other a bit more intimately, Mizuki patting Sora on the head before suddenly the younger Felis covered her eyes, the wolfish Felis frowning before also chuckling at the child's behaviour. Children could be pretty cute at times, especially if they weren't aware of what they were doing that was so cute.

Following the three into the house Mizuki looked around, not wanting to be impolite but curious to what the house of someone living in Terrasphere was like. The only home she'd seen before now was that of the baker in Honeyhome, so her curiosity hadn't been sated just yet. Aside from the size it would look normal to anyone who hadn't lived on Earth, but as someone from Earth Mizuki still found it interesting to see how the house was designed without anything like electricity. There wasn't such a thing as digital here, anything that on Earth would have been digital was here at best powered by magic or just didn't exist at all. It was a strange experience: Mizuki was fully used to a life with modern science, so this really felt like stepping into another world, even more so than the world outside because this was supposed to be the same yet was so different.

Shaking the feeling of wonder Mizuki followed Kaede into the room after Kira had left them, coughing when Kaede began pushing the beds apart. "You don't have to if you'd prefer it as it is." However she didn't actually stop Kaede, since she herself wasn't completely sure which state she preferred. Instead she turned to the map, studying it until Kaede joined her and began to explain what she knew so far. Looking at the threads laid out on the map Mizuki frowned.

"If this map is correct we're either dealing with a large group which can afford to cover such a large area, or a small group with access to some powerful magic. In any one location they'd have to remain small to not get caught, but the more they would move about to catch children in such large areas the easier it'd be for someone to notice. Travellers would notice that every time they arrived somewhere children would start disappearing, and eventually people would connect the dots. But you're probably right that the actual selling happens in Stokbon: while it's hard to remain unnoticed in a large city it's easy to remain uncaught. Too many ways of obscuring , altering or falsifying information, and people rarely believe rumours." Her frown deepened. "But if that is the case then the only real clue we've got is in Stokbon, so one of us at least would have to go there..." She growled softly. "We should have brought at least one of those bandits back with us. They could have given us more information, depending on how big a part they are of it. The mage most likely would know at least something, but they might escape now that we prioritized bringing all the children we found back."
@Kaede Hoshi

 

”Not all girl’s, only the real cute ones that I want to test to see if maybe there is a chance for something more outside being close friends. The fact you did not call me a pervert or yell at me to stay away leads me to think such chances are real with you. So much better than asking and risking the chance of getting a ‘maybe’ type of reply.”

_____Kaedé would not chose to reply to the first asked question until they had been looking at the map and after Mizuki’s overthinking. To Kaedé she just saw places to check, rumors to find, and kids to save. There was very little planning in her mind and if she ever chose to do such it was all on the dime. Mostly because thinking and Kaedé never got along that well to begin with since she was a little kid. Walking over to one of the beds and falling down over it she yawned lightly before moving to face Mizuki.

”Don’t worry so much about the details. Take it a step at a time and see where things end up. Though I really need to get this off my chest it’s somewhat a shame you over think things, such a hot body and you likely never got to have a real fun night because you tried to think of who was the right one and not trial and error.~”

_____Kaedé would smile from the bed as she rolled onto her back and set her pillow to prop up her back as she laid watching the girl with a smile and mostly enjoying the view. She was not trying to hide it and to be honest Kaedé was hoping to be called out on it so she could raise her hands in defeat.

”Permission to touch your tail!”

_____Kaedé would grin happily as she hopped off the bed and walked over waving her hands to match Mizuki’s tail movements, she only just took notice to how fluffy it was and really wanted to touch it and almost as much as she wanted to get the girl’s three sizes or do other things. But like the girl said, Kaedé would have to be warmed up to before she could go asking for any sort of larger things with the girl.

_____It would not be long before Kira rushed into the room breathing heavily and causing Kaedé to turn focus to the girl. Sora rushed in under the girl’s arm and tried to push Kaedé towards the doorway where Kira was trying to catch her breath. ”Bad people followed you back, they being mean to grandpaps!” Kaedé's expression grew cold as she started to march towards the door. Kira moving to block the girl in as best she could.

”Kaedé don’t… They aren't as small of a group this time and if you show up they will know the kids are here in town...”

”You think I can just fucking let them hurt the old man! Nine or one hundred of those fuckers I’ll kick every last one of their asses for causing trouble, much more since they hurt you and Sora now unless you want to get stripped Kira move out of my way.”

_____Kaedé was not such a fan of using her words to get the girl to drop her guard but she only saw that as the choice. Watching Kira turn red before Kaedé bolted past into the living area and reached under the coach to get out her better Naginata before running out the door. If Mizuki tried to follow Kira would reach for the girl’s arm trying her best not to cry. It was hard on the girl to stand idol but she had to think of Sora no doubt.

”Don’t let Kaedé do anything reckless… She gets red in her eyes and after that nothing stops her warpath…”

_____Kira would let go and Mizuki would see what the girl meant as beyond the door there was already bandits bleeding from deep cuts leading back towards the center of town. A blur rushing towards a different bandit before they got a deep cut and fell down. Kaedé was enraged.
@Ueno Mizuki

 

Mizuki had never realized she was so weak to compliments until someone just kept bombarding her with them. The Felis shook her head as she kept her eyes on the map, not wanting to look Kaede in the eyes when her face was still red and her ears kept twitching and going stiff. She was now beginning to actually feel bad for having made her in-game appearance a bit different from her actual appearance: while she had used her actual appearance as the base she had made Mizuki a bit more exotic (it was the main reason she ended up as a Felis) but now she somewhat felt like she was deceiving Kaede with an appearance which actually wasn't her own... But in Terrasphere it was... Mizuki shook her head again, not sure what to think but beginning to feel conflicted. However she couldn't just not give Kaede an answer at all, so she tried to answer what she could. "I saw how passionate you were about saving Sora and the other children, and even if I think that you were too hasty and forward you didn't actually go beyond playing... I didn't want to get too hostile with someone who does actually care so much about others just because they're more forward than I'm used to." It was the truth, essentially: Mizuki was pretty sure that Kaede was really a good person, so she didn't want to get angry at her especially since she did actually stop instead of pushing for more after Mizuki managed to free herself. "As for chances... I did say I want to experience all kinds of things in this world."

When Kaede told her not to mind the details too much Mizuki's frown deepened. While she did want to enjoy her time in this world she couldn't help but think that acting too carefree about breaking up this slave trade would be irresponsible. Proper planning was vital to increasing your success and making sure that success would go smoothly. "The faster we manage to break up the slave trade the less the children will have to suffer. I think that in this case the details are pretty important." What Kaede said next once more brought that wave of guilt, as Mizuki really felt like she was giving the wrong impression here. Shaking her head a third time the Felis took a deep breath before replying. "I might sometimes overthink things, but for the most part I was just busy with other things. And..." She vaguely indicated her body with a wave of her hand. "This body may be based off of what I look like on Earth, but... I do admit to maybe making it a bit more impressive. It's also why I chose the Felis race: I thought it would be more interesting." She glanced up at Kaede before bringing her eyes back down to the map. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy with what I look like back on Earth. I didn't come to this world to escape my life on Earth. I just thought that this would be an interesting opportunity, and while I did use my own appearance as a base... I did think it might be nice to also use this opportunity to look like myself, but maybe a bit more impressively." Same height, same base structure, and honestly aside from the hair, the Felis traits and the slightly bigger curves Mizuki was basically just a younger version of Akemi. However it was still a difference, and Mizuki didn't like the feeling that she was lying somehow.

"You might be right that I missed some opportunities, but I think I did so because of valid reasons, not just because I was afraid to choose." She did have a good job, good health, people she got along with and overall a good life, so it wasn't like she was just a disaster trying to escape from reality. Mizuki wondered if she wasn't saying too much, if maybe she shouldn't be providing so much information to Kaede when, despite how well she was getting along with the woman, they'd only known each other for today. She hadn't said anything that would allow Kaede to figure out who she was in real life even if Kaede by pure coincidence happened to be someone Akemi knew well (which she REALLY doubted: since she had noted that she behaved differently in the game it wasn't impossible for Kaede to be the same, but she didn't think anyone she knew played Terrasphere), but she was still talking a lot more about her real life on Earth than she would have expected herself to.

"Well, uhm... I guess if you want." She said in response to Kaede's enthusiastic question. Her tail wasn't as sensitive as her ears, so as long as Kaede's hand didn't stray too far to the base it shouldn't be too much to let the woman enjoy herself. Mizuki had to admit that she did like the way her tail had turned out: it was very fluffy, as she herself had tested on her first day logged in. It was the very first time that she let someone else pet it though, so the sensation had her cheeks go a faint red again even as Mizuki herself remained focused on the map. Kaede seemed to be fine with just moving in the moment, but Mizuki wanted to memorize the contents of the map clearly so she would know where to go or what to do. Although she still thought it better if they went to Stokbon if that was where the centre of the slave trade could be find.

When Kira and Sora rushed into the room Mizuki looked up in surprise, her tail twisting its way out of Kaede's hands as she felt a rush of panic at being seen having someone pet her tail. However it looked like the two other Felis weren't really in the position to care about that, as they seemed to be in a panic about something. When it was made clear that there was a bunch of bandits in town and that they were bothering the old man Mizuki's expression grew both surprised, then grim. However it turned back to surprised when Kaede immediately tried to get out, the wolfish Felis watching Kaede and Kari with a frown as it seemed like Kaede was getting very worked up over all of this. Maybe a bit too much, as she even threatened to basically humiliate Kari if she didn't step aside. Of course they were in a private place so it wasn't as bad as if Kaede threatened to do it out in the open, but still... Mizuki nodded when Kari asked her to keep an eye on Kaede. "I'll try... Although if there's that many bandits in town there should be bandits or something to help deal with them." Mizuki had a hard time believing that the town had no defences against an entire group of bandits just walking in like it was nothing. It was one thing if you weren't equipped to deal with actual raiders, but bandits for the most part were just a bunch of armoured thugs. Not the most experienced fighters and usually with bad morale and teamwork.

Rushing out Mizuki saw that Kaede had already begun fighting, which meant that she would have to think of a way to help and fast. Dragging Kaede out would be too difficult and wouldn't actually help, as the bandits would just get the both of them (Mizuki didn't think Kaede was going to cooperate, which would slow the both of them down if Mizuki tried to get her out against her will). Getting support wasn't a viable option either, since she didn't actually know where the guards were (if they had such a thing here: did they really have no defences against something as simple as bandits?) and she didn't think Kaede would last long enough on her own against a big group. Fast and nimble as the girl was, she still was only one person and there was a limit to how much you could do on your own against sheer numbers.

With no other option left to her Mizuki muttered something bad under her breath before she followed Kaede into the fight, punching a bandit who was in between her and the girl0 at this point (luckily he was paying more attention to the little berserker rampaging about) while shouting out to Kaede. "Kaede! Let's stick together at least!" She hoped that Kaede would listen: if the two of them worked together they might at least fare better than if they worked on their own, but if Kaede was too angry... Mizuki didn't think she would last any longer than Kaede, probably even shorter, but at this point she couldn't really do much but do her best, managing to dodge a bandit's dagger by a hair's breadth before returning fire with a kick to the stomach, sending the bandit onto the ground wheezing and gasping, clutching his stomach and looking like he could vomit at any moment.
@Kaede Hoshi

 

_____Kaedé was far lost in her own anger to exactly hear the words spoken to her. As far as Kaedé knew about at the moment someone was causing trouble for the village she was in and hurting someone she actually got along with that was older than her and a male. Weapon slowly twirling to rig of the leftover blood so far before Kaedé rushed to impae a bandit’s heart and flip them over herself as she kept moving on her war path. No village was allowed ot it seemed leaving Kaedé no real reason to settle down as she grinded to a halt in the town square with the old man coughing blood and covered in cuts.

_____Several bandits kept hitting the man and worse attacking his daughter who mostly aided him. Temper moved into critical as Kaedé inhaled sharply and shouted with everything she had for every bandit in the town to hear.

”IF YOU WANT THE KIDS YOU HAVE TO GET THE LOCATION FROM ME MOTHER FUCKERS!!!!”

_____Kaedé got the attention she wanted as the bandits stopped attacking the other two and turned all eyes to Kaedé. Hands moving her weapon around her frame as Kaedé took a few steps back with a wild grin on her face and started backing up slowly until they started to run forward and she turned to start leading the groups away from the area. Hopefully the other villagers would help the old man and girl but for now Kaedé had to focus on keeping their focus until she reached the area needed.

_____Slowly down enough for one of the bandits to get a clean cut along her hand before she picked up her speed and wove her body to the right to avoid a different attacker. She was not going to have such a easy time as Kaedé ducked down and slide across the ground under someone’s leg and had to discard her weapon, she was gambling hard now as her frame bounced over a different bandit and she got back to running with all the groups on her tail.

_____That was when Kaedé’s risk turned out to start helping out as she jumped over seemingly nothing but as the first bandit crossed the line and was slung into the air along with a few others in a net it seemed the area was rigged with traps and Kaedé was decently aware of where to go. Her body gliding across the ground and reaching an arm to trigger another trip wire at waist level before a pit opened in front of the group trapping a few more.

_____The area did not seem like it needed the traps but as Kaedé resumed weaving around the area she eventually arrived at a small clearing with a house in the center. Head tilting slightly as a arrow sailed to pin the last bandit to a tree by his shoulder. Turning with rage in her eyes to the last one to follow her this far as she growled lightly before grinning happily and exhaling loudly.

”I almost got caught seven times there ha-ha. SORRY I TRIGGERED ALL YOUR TRAPS ELA!”

_____Kaedé would yell the second part of her words as the door to the house opened and a cloaked figured marched out and punched Kaedé square in the jaw sending the girl to the ground with a light thud. Kaedé would just hold her jaw as she jumped back up to her feet and got hit again back to the ground by the figure who growled and marched back to their house leaving Kaedé to her own laughter and the bandit’s cussing.

”Well I did not think that gamble would cause that much of a reaction… guess I need to go say sorry to the old man… I did not want him to get hurt…”

_____Kaedé would start walking back the way she had came, hands reaching to trigger second traps to further trap each group so they did not get out before knights came or got called out to pick them up. To be honest Kaedé expected the group not to so much care for their own but seeing so man caught, it seemed the gamble was worth it.
@Ueno Mizuki

 

Mizuki cursed again inwardly when it turned out that Kaede really was just that angry that she wasn't listening, as the girl gave no sign of even having heard the Felis as instead she just kept charging onwards. Mizuki was honestly somewhat impressed at how the girl was taking down one bandit after another, but she still didn't think this was going to end well if Kaede didn't calm down and realize that one against an entire group was crazy. Maybe the higher levelled players might be able to pull it off, but while Kaede was definitely a more advanced player than Mizuki herself the Felis didn't think that Kaede was a top level player. As she herself had admitted when they were dealing with the bandits out in the forest, she knew how to use her weapon but she wasn't some kind of master with it. Being better than Mizuki right now mostly just meant you weren't a complete newcomer in the game, so that wasn't necessarily a vote of confidence beyond being capable.

However she didn't have much of a choice here. If Kaede wasn't listening she could bemoan her fate all she wanted, but that wouldn't change the fact that Kaede wasn't listening. Instead she would have to see what she could do to help out. The bandits had to be taken care of one way or another: even beyond anything else they had to make it clear to criminals that they couldn't actually just wander into a village and do whatever they wanted without any consequences. That was more important than just catching these bandits: if those with malicious intent saw that there wasn't any real punishment to wreaking havoc in the village these bandits weren't going to be the only ones, since NPC or PC Mizuki was pretty sure that the biggest deterrent to criminal activity was the believe that you couldn't get away with it. If that belief was challenged it'd be real bad news.

For now Kaede was taking care of all the bandits on the way and attracting all of them as well, so Mizuki didn't really have to do much but follow and keep an eye out in case a bandit appeared from an unexpected angle. Even if Kaede was causing a ruckus that didn't mean it was guaranteed that every single bandit out there was going to blindly run towards her. Although Kaede yelling loudly enough for Mizuki to wish that she had her ears covered should help attract most of them... Mizuki saw what might have pushed Kaede even further into her rage after Kaede had already begun to run away with most of the bandits, leaving the old man and the daughter on the ground wounded. Mizuki rushed over to them to see if they were all right, but honestly she couldn't do much for them since she didn't have any bandages and wasn't a healer either. She could get Kari, since Kaede had said that she had the same type of magic as her little sister Sora, and Sora had been capable of healing through song...

Whatever Mizuki wanted to do would have to wait since it seemed that not every single bandit had decided to chase after Kaede. Maybe they thought their companions could take care of the girl, maybe they were just greedy and wanted to cause more havoc while the ball of anger was leading their friends around. Maybe they thought that it was better if they got themselves a hostage. Regardless of the reason Mizuki rose back to her feet and put up her fists when she saw that about half a dozen bandits were now approaching her, and they didn't look very amused. The villagers were staying at a distance, which on one hand was good so they wouldn't get involved but on the other was bad since Mizuki would have liked for them to look after the old man and his daughter while she tried to take care of the bandits... something which she wasn't completely sure she could.

The fight in the forest had affirmed to her that she was capable of taking care of bandits, but she was reliant on surprise attacks and hit and run tactics. There were six of them now, and she couldn't run away because they'd just turn on the old man. Mizuki began to move away from the old man, but also approaching the bandits slowly so they couldn't just ignore her and head for the easier prey. She racked her brain trying to think of how to deal with this. How would she fight and defeat six bandits at once? She was also worried about Kaede, but honestly at this point she couldn't just drop what she was doing and go check on the girl. And she didn't have much time left to think either, since the bandits weren't exactly being hesitant in their aggression.

The decision of what to do was taken out of Mizuki's hands when one of the bandits stabbed at her with a spear. Mizuki stepped out of the way, but found that one of the other bandits was now swinging a short sword at where she had dodged towards. Mizuki jumped backwards to avoid that, but found that another bandit was also charging her with a spear now, so she had to step to the side again... but that once again left her open for another bandit to step in and try to hit her while she was still dodging the first attack.

The situation was quickly getting out of hand as the six bandits relentlessly chased Mizuki around. She kept dodging and moving backwards, but they were trying to encircle her so she couldn't move away so she had to move fast which meant that she didn't have much time to do much else because the bandits kept moving closer. She was already receiving some wounds, a scrape where the spear had just grazed her arm or a slice along her side where a dagger had nearly dug into her midriff. Mizuki frowned as the pain made it harder of her to think properly, especially since she kept receiving small wounds as each dodge became more and more of a close save. The bandits were pouring on the pressure and the pain was building up as well. Mizuki growled as one of the spears dug into the flesh of her palm and she pulled away but another bandit hit her on the side of her head and while she was dazed another bandit stepped forward and she could see his sword moving as if in slow motion and she didn't think she could dodge it in time...

All the anger of what was happening, the frustration of being unable to fight back, the stress of having to dodge so desperately, the pain that was flowing from the numerous small wounds, finally made Mizuki snap when she saw the attack that would either wound her fatally or incapacitate moving towards her. Snarling like a beast she suddenly lashed out, her fist smashing into the attacking bandit's surprised face with enough force to throw him backwards. The other bandits tried to attack as well, but Mizuki dropped to the ground and then charged into the legs of one of them, the man flailing and stumbling as he fell over while Mizuki grabbed one of the other's legs and pulled hard, that one falling over as well but being less fortunate than the first as his head smashed into the ground with a loud crack. Still snarling Mizuki ignored the dagger that dug into her back as she instead returned the favour with a studded knuckle sandwich into the offending bandit's crotch, the bandit immediately forgetting about anything like attacking Mizuki as suddenly his entire world became a special realm of hell, focused on the purest form of pain.

The last two bandits stepped backwards as it seemed their opponent had snapped and was just attacking without any hesitation, Mizuki behaving almost as aggressively as Kaede as she pulled out the dagger and threw it at the two bandits before charging straight at them. One of them had a spear and the other had a sword, and the one with the spear tried to stab the approaching Felis while the other prepared the follow up strike. However suddenly Mizuki was in the air, having leapt, and the one with the spear suddenly had a knee planted firmly in his face which drove him all the way into the ground, the nose shattering and the skull cracking as all of Mizuki's weight ended up on that man's poor face.

Only one bandit remaining here, and he slashed towards Mizuki. Mizuki growled as she jumped straight forward, blocking the attack with her arm even as the steel bit into her flesh. Grabbing the bandit by the throat she growled louder at him before smashing him into the ground, grabbing his hair at the back of his head and repeatedly smashing his head into the ground until the ground underneath was bloody. Dropping the unconscious bandit Mizuki turned the first three, of which only one had actually been knocked out. The remaining two were getting up, but not fast enough as Mizuki was already on top of them, grabbing their heads and smashing them together before dropping them as well.

Breathing heavily and growling Mizuki stumbled away from the bandits, now that she no longer had a clear target to attack feeling the wounds and the pain a lot more clearly. Her expression was nearly feral as she sat down, growling and snarling as she only slowly began to calm down...

By the time Kaede returned from trapping the bandits that followed her Mizuki was coherent again, although she was mostly swearing and breathing through clenched teeth, having laid down on the ground as the red mist that had covered her eyes had disappeared and the pain really was doing a number on her. The villagers in the meantime were taking care of the old man and the daughter, but it seemed like Mizuki's little rampage had made them somewhat reluctant to approach her, wounded and in pain or not.

"God dammit that hurts like a bitch... Fuckers deserved to get their heads smashed in... Ouch." It was the first time Mizuki actually felt this much pain, she could barely move the arm she had used to block the sword. The sword hadn't managed to go through the bone, but it had still bitten her deep, and she was trying to stop the bleeding with her other hand and some cloth she ripped from the bottom of her starting gear.
@Kaede Hoshi

 

_____Kaedé did not know what had happened while she was outside the village but seeing Mizuki she rushed over to the girl’s side with a fully worried expression across her face. Hands reaching to the girl but stopping short, fingers curling back as she moved them away not wanting to hurt the girl or impose she would take advantage of her in the current state. She could not help her even if she wanted to try, she was just a fast person and nothing else. Seeing Kira and Sora start to rush over Kaedé could only sigh in relief.

”Well there goes me asking if maybe we could bathe together before going to bed. Be more careful next time won’t you, I can’t tease a girl if she goes and gets this hurt without feeling guilty or abusing her state.”

_____Kaedé spoke to try and make light or ease the girl’s temper and make her bashful maybe. But if Mizuki looked into Kaedé's eyes she could see likely that Kaedé was beating herself up for not thinking to double back around and get all the bandits, or try and make sure someone did not follow and get hurt because of her actions. What was the point of being a hero if someone else got hurt while you ran or did something somewhere else. Kira wasted no time starting a chant to heal Mizuki while Sora did her best to copy the chant and help the old man and his daughter.

”When I said make sure Kaedé was not reckless I did not mean go and be reckless yourself… And you Kaedé I will be giving a very stern lecture to for running off and getting someone else hurt AGAIN!”

”Unless you lecture me while in bed naked with me I won’t listen you know that much by now.”

_____Again Kaedé was trying to avoid the reality as Kira shot dagger eyes to the seemingly care free girl as she sat with her hands behind her head beside Mizuki and closed her eyes to stop anyone from reading the worry in them. She had a long way to go before she could call herself a hero, and it seemed every time she tried to see if she improved it only made her want to try less and less each time. Maybe she was just better off living a peaceful life day by day.
@Ueno Mizuki

 

Mizuki opened her eyes when she heard Kaede's voice, having some trouble focusing on what the girl was exactly saying as the pain was shooting through her from all over her body. She was really regretting putting the settings to Realistic right now: she was sure that if she had been more reasonable and put it on Simulated she wouldn't be contemplating chopping off her arm so it would stop hurting so much... She knew it was a bad idea, and that it would only make matters worse, but the pain was so bad that she was having trouble realizing that as most of her mind was more occupied with the strong desire of getting rid of the pain. It was a good thing that she was an adult woman, otherwise she'd probably be crying by now. As it was she just clenched her teeth and hissed, trying to move as little as possible because every time she moved another wound was exposed and sent another dagger of pain straight into her body.

"Not... now..." She managed to force out, glaring at Kaede as it wasn't really possible for her to put on a friendly expression right now. Hearing more people arrive she tried to see who it was, feeling relief when she saw that it was Kira and Sora. A great relief indeed, because right now Mizuki could really use some healing. She wasn't sure if she actually had received enough wounds for it to be fatal, but she'd rather not find out. Instead she let out a pained sigh when Kira began her work. The healing came with a soothing sensation, so at least Mizuki could now begun to breathe more easily, letting her desperate lungs fill with air even as she felt the restorative magics flow through her body, a peculiar sensation arising from her wounds as first the bleeding was halted, and they began to shrink as flesh, muscle, skin and nerves were repaired.

"Didn't... have a choice." Mizuki winced, then took another deep breath. The immediate threat was gone and the healing was doing a good job in alleviating her pain, so she wanted to make sure she didn't create a misunderstanding here. Another deep breath and she spoke again, although her voice was still a bit unstable and shaky. "Not... Kaede's fault Kira. Too many bandits... can't expect her to be able to take care of all of them." She looked over at the old man and his daughter. "Kaede lured most of them away... To save those two. You can't blame her... for some bandits not chasing her. She can try to be bait... but she can't force them to bite. Those six... wanted to keep assaulting the villagers. Couldn't let them do that, so... I did what I could to stop them."

Testing the arm which didn't have a cut all the way to the bone Mizuki found that she could move, so she raised it to place her hand on Kaede's leg. "You were being too reckless, but... You weren't wrong in your actions. I'm going to be fine, and I did what I could while you did what you could. Also, she didn't get me hurt. I followed... of my own volition. You may have asked me, but I still chose to help myself. I'd prefer if you didn't insinuate that my actions are controlled by Kaede's... even if what I did was in reaction to her."

Mizuki was feeling light-headed, the healing helping her out but not actually granting her crystal clarity. At least her breathing was now going back to stable, the Felis feeling a lot better now that she at least could just let her airflow resume as normal. She was already beginning to feel a lot better, since while she had received many wounds there hadn't been a lot of deep wounds. Honestly the only wounds that had cut deep were the ones in the palm of her hand and the one on her forearm. If Mizuki was more used to receiving so much pain she probably wouldn't even have been forced to lie down to try and bear it. She tried to push herself up, but after that provoked a stab of pain that even Kira's healing couldn't surprise she decided to just lie there and wait until the healer was done with her work. "Still... I admit this hurts a lot more than I thought it would. Thanks for the healing Kira."

Mizuki really hoped that there wouldn't be another fight today. Even if Kira was doing a very good job in patching her up the Felis was feeling worn out after such a bloody fight. She wasn't even entirely sure what had happened near the end. She had been feeling pressured, and angry, and stressed, and the pain had been rising up in her like a wave of heat. And then she just felt like she had lost control, the details blurry but remembering how she assaulted the bandits with little skill, just moving too fast for them and ignoring their attacks while hitting them as hard as she could. Had the Berserk mastery caused that? It was the only reasonable explanation, since that was pretty much what you'd expect from a mastery which turns your anger into strength. To lose control and just fight like a beast. It had probably saved her life, since she hadn't been able to think of a way to deal with the six bandits, but it still was a bit frightening.

"How did you deal with the others anyway? With so many of them you couldn't actually have defeated all of them, and even if you did it would've taken longer than that. No offence meant." Mizuki was honestly curious, because there had been a lot more bandits following Kaede than the six she herself had to deal with. "I do hope you didn't just make them run in circles and then ran back." She tried to joke, since she still wanted to make sure that Kira wasn't actually blaming Kaede for what happened to her. Mizuki had been able to notice the worry in Kaede's eyes, or at least had been able to realize it once the pain was no longer making it hard to think straight. She didn't want Kaede to feel guilty over doing the right thing, even if she could've been more careful while doing said right thing.
@Kaede Hoshi

 

_____Even if Mizuki was not trying to be mean Kaedé puffed her cheeks up at the mention she could not have beat them all so quickly, she also figured it was likely true to assume such since she also had not wounds. Opening her eyes and taking a few moments to scratch behind her head with a light yawn to show she was not exactly as bothered as she was under the surface before filling them in on the truth.

”I went and got Ela to help out, cost me a near arrow to the face and two punches but all the bandits are now trapped in her territory of the forest and if they got out I doubt she will let them stay alive.”

_____Kira looked extremely worried as Kaedé rubbed her jaw still a bit sore. Ela had not exactly got along with anyone since her father and brother got killed and the girl chose to hold up in the forest and would attack anyone who tried to get near the girl. Poor Sora had almost fallen into a few traps trying to bring the girl some candy so Kira did not exactly like Ela for how she was currently.

”Kaedé you are still to reckless going there, you know darn well Ela does not want people around her and risked your life… but thank you…” - ”Is this enough of a thank you to get to see you in the bath tonight? Ouch… deserve that one but still serious here…”

_____Kira would hit Kaedé two different times for her comments. A light smile on the girl’s face was enough for Kaedé though as she noticed Sora running over having done her part and tried to hug Kaedé who happily allowed the girl. Kira on the other hand looked decently shocked for some reason as Kaedé moved to see what was behind her before noticing Ela and moving Sora to hint the girl to go back to her sister seeing Ela had her bow drawn and aimed at Kaedé.

”Now-now Ela…”

_____Kaedé did not have much chance to say another word before the arrow was sent only a small gap from her own ear, hair getting a slight cut as Kaedé turned to watch the arrow somehow curve upward with the wind and find itself in the hands of one last bandit trying to get a shot at Mizuki and Kaedé. Before Kaedé could turn back to thank Ela she was already gone leaving Kaedé to puff her cheeks up.

”I swear I will get her three sizes if it is the last thing I do!” - ”If anyone can do it it’s big sis Kaedé!” - ”Don’t encourage her Sora…”

_____Kaedé would sigh out of disappointment before settling back down and Sora rushed over to sit on the girl’s lap with a eager smile and a slightly exhausted slouch. Kira seemed a bit sad about it but when Sora tried to use Kaedé as a pillow Kira took the girl and lifted her up and started to walk away talking in a whisper to the young kid leaving Kaedé and Mizuki alone. The other people started to clear out also as Kaedé relaxed her head.

”Sometimes you can’t just plan or think something through. You have to work with what you have, while other times it is needed or smarter. Overall not sure why I fully said that ha-ha. Shall we get you back to a bed to help sleep off most the remaining issues? You can use me as a walker and get all hands if you need the support, I won’t mind.”

_____Kaedé would playfully grin at Mizuki before moving to help get her arm around the girl and support her up. She would not seem to have much other motive as she did her best to keep the girl steady footed and started walking. She also did not seem to much bothered by anything Mizuki tried if the girl did. Kaedé was honestly expecting something and if nothing happen during the trip she would only puff her cheeks up before crashing into her own bed and rolling to her back with a slight yawn.
@Ueno Mizuki

 

Mizuki raised her eyebrows as Kaede explained that there apparently was someone who had helped trap all the bandits, but she wasn't sure if she should ask how that ended up with Kaede also almost getting shot at and actually getting punched twice. If Kaede thought that this woman was both willing and capable of killing all the bandits should they try to escape it must be an intimidating person. Whether that made Mizuki more interested in meeting them or less she wasn't entirely sure, but for now she'd just leave the matter be and focus on the stuff right in front of her.

"Let's count ourselves fortunate that we ended up luring the bandits to a village with so many traps available. Unless you planned it all Kaede, in which case I must apologize for thinking you were being reckless." Truth be told Mizuki didn't think Kaede had exactly planned out to trap the bandits this way, but since everything had worked out she did want to apologize for thinking that Kaede wasn't thinking straight when she rushed out of there. From what she'd seen Kaede was a very passionate person, so when she went to save the old man she thought it had been completely impulsive, and poorly thought out. She had to give credit were credit was due, and where she would've been more careful Kaede had in the end gotten the desired results, and it seemed like the worst damage was, ironically, inflicted on Mizuki due to her own incompetence.

"If she doesn't want people around I guess it's better if I don't meet her then..." Mizuki watched as Kira and Kaede fooled around, although she wondered if it counted as fooling around if Kaede really was serious. With Sora also returning from her own work Mizuki pushed herself up into a sitting position, or at least supporting herself with her elbows. Although when she noticed Kira's shocked expression she furrowed her brow in puzzlement, only when she looked around in time to see an arrow whistle straight past Kaede's face realizing what the girl might be shocked about. Following the path of the arrow she blinked as it turned out that there had still been a bandit left, and that one had decided that it was better to at least get revenge on the girls who had captured all his comrades before getting the hell out of there. Unfortunately it looked like this Ela person had decided to show up in time to notice the bandit, and had decided that even if she felt justified in punching Kaede she wasn't going to let some bandit actually shoot her.

While Kaede commented on the three sizes Mizuki tried to wipe away some cold sweat. Ela had saved them, but that little interaction had shown her that they still could've gotten seriously hurt... er... more hurt. Fortune was fortune and she wasn't going to refuse help if it was freely given, but she still had to suppress a surge of panic as she realized how Ela had turned a potential disaster into merely a close shave. Shaking her head Mizuki tried to focus on Kaede and Kira to help distract herself. "I believe that if someone punches you and nearly shoots you twice within the same hour it might be prudent to consider them unlikely to accept your advances." When Kaede had jumped Mizuki the Felis had fended her off but had managed to avoid getting angry. She didn't think Ela would be as forgiving.

With the last issue of the day seemingly settled Mizuki let herself fall back down on the ground, looking up at the sky as her thoughts whirled around in her head. The threat of the bandits was worrying, but it seemed that they had managed to capture a large group, and maybe they'd be able to trace it back to the entire slave trade. It was a very large undertaking for what accounted to one adventurer and one novice adventurer, but it was better than nothing, especially since it wasn't like Mizuki had any real responsibilities to neglect in this world. Whatever she decided to do was what she would do. It was an interesting form of freedom offered by Terrasphere, and she wondered if there were actually people who lived that life on Earth or if it really was something only achievable in a virtual reality, where however subtle the game would make life easier.

"I admit that I would have been slower to act, which might have caused the old man and his daughter to be even more hurt. I prefer thinking things through, but you definitely made the better decision here, managing to trap them all like that." Mizuki smiled as Kaede suggested getting all touchy feeling, in fact going so far as to chuckle. Kaede was in some ways really just refreshingly forward and to the point. Mizuki was also pretty sure that she knew what the right answer was to the suggestion. "Well if you're so kind as to offer it would be impolite of me to refuse."

Accepting Kaede's help for getting up Mizuki winced as while Kira had done excellent work she still felt sore, and not all of the wounds had been completely healed. Enough that she could move without issue, but she'd definitely benefit from Kaede's suggestion to rest and recover the rest of the way. She wrapped her arm around Kaede just as the woman did with her, although in an attempt to appease what she thought was Kaede's intentions Mizuki placed her hand on Kaede's hip rather than her side. Furthermore, Mizuki's cheeks went red as she leaned on Kaede and lightly curled her tail around one of Kaede's legs. While she thought she had a good guess for what Kaede wanted, Mizuki herself was still a bit too nervous to go much further than these rather light and innocent touches, although she was unsure just how intimate it would be considered amongst Felis to curl your tail around another's leg. Going by her own feelings it was already touchy feely enough. "Shame about that bath though." She managed to joke, her ears twitching as she tried her best to somehow simultaneously lean on Kaede for support and still walk on her own strength.

Once they were back and Kaede laid down on her own bed Mizuki did the same for the reserve bed that would now act as hers, sighing in relief that she could finally lay down on something soft. "I honestly did not expect this day to go as it did, but... all in all I don't think it's been a bad day. Although it would've been a lot better without all the bandits."
@Kaede Hoshi

 

_____Kaedé would laugh faintly at the girl’s light touching, though the tail was a nice touch as Kaedé smiled happily most of the walk because of that. When they got back home and they both had been laid down Kaedé just laughed a bit more at how the girl wanted to go without the bandits, a slight devious grin on Kaedé's face as she rolled to face the girl before talking again.

”Well think of it this way, if there was no bandits we would not have met, and if we had under a normal day encounter by about now I would be trying to see how much you could drink or take before you made a mess.~”

_____Kaedé would smile happily as she waved her hands recalling the feeling of the girl’s tail before she rolled back onto her back and stretched a bit across her not as large bed, it would be a bit tricky to get used to but she did not mind it if Mizuki got a place to rest. Kaedé herself wanted to try and mess with the girl some more but as she recalled her agreement to ask before acting she could only buff her cheeks and rolled herself under the blankets.

”It is a real shame about the baths! They aren't fun unless you get to wash someone else and play around and blame it on the soup!”

_____No regret in saying her mind as she flipped over to face the girl while moving the sheets to cover herself a bit better. After a moment of movement she would set her cloths on the floor, sure she still had her undergarment on but that would be left unknown as she smiled and wiggled herself into her spot a bit more.

”If sleeping in a new place is scary feel free to sleep in my bed, but I will not be held responsible for what I do in my sleep! Also tomorrow we need to go get you new cloths!” Kaedé would smile before starting to allow herself to drift off to sleep unless Mizuki wanted to chat more or something else.
@Ueno Mizuki

 

Mizuki was lying face up on her bed, her hands on her stomach and her head on the pillow so she'd be comfortable. Which also meant that the only thing she needed to do to face Kaede was turn her head to the side, watching Kaede with those heterochromatic eyes. With Kaede continuing her playful commentary Mizuki gave her a small smile.

"While that is true I would like to remind you that even with today going as it did you still ended up feeling me up without warning, and going by what you've said so far I'm pretty confident that by now you'd be practically pushing me into the baths if it wasn't for me thinking I could handle six bandits by myself without getting injured." She chuckled, playing it off as silly rather than her actually nearly getting killed. In hindsight it had really been silly of her. "Here you are, heroically luring them all into a trap, and I just walk into six bandits and instead of doing the smart thing and trying to lure them away as well I actually attack them. Some careful planner I am."

Mizuki watched as Kaede rolled herself under the blankets, than stared back up at the ceiling. She hadn't actually noticed that Kaede's bed was a bit smaller than her own, so instead she was more thinking about how long it would take for her wounds to heal. Without Kira's help she was pretty sure it'd have taken all night or even a good chunk of the next day... Hell, maybe she would've just died. With Kira's help, however, she was pretty confident that a night's sleep should put her back in a healthy state. Maybe not full health, but good enough that as long as she didn't do anything else insanely reckless she should be fine.

"Well, in the end nobody died and we saved the village, so I'll count it as a success nonetheless." She then sharpened her ears as Kaede talked from under the blankets, a blush reappearing on Mizuki's cheeks as she nodded, even though Kaede couldn't see it. "Yeah... Well... We could go to the baths tomorrow. It's not like they'll be gone after today, and it is kind of my fault that we can't do it today so I'd feel bad if that resulted in not doing it at all." She grinned sheepishly, a bit shyly. "Besides, it'd be an interesting experience, and I did come to this world for experiences, didn't I?" She tried to say it casually, even shrugging her shoulders, but the way that her tail was moving from side to side between her legs (Mizuki had learned that if you had as large and bushy a tail as her own you couldn't really lay down comfortably without moving your legs a bit to the side for at least SOME space) might have tipped Kaede off.

"I think I'll be able to manage... And I think I need this night for healing, not for enthusiastic exploration." She frowned as she thought about something, then considered it a bit more. Maybe it was a bit too much, but on the other hand she didn't think it would do any harm... If there was no real downside the question was whether she herself found it worth doing, and after some more internal deliberation she decided that she had little reason not to do it. A little bit of pain wasn't going to stop her, especially since after what she had already experienced before the aches she still felt were very easily bearable. "I'm still not sure if I need new clothes... But if we have nothing else to do I guess there'd be no harm in at least looking around a bit. No maid costumes though." Suppressing a wince as she stood up Mizuki swung her legs over the edge of the bed away from Kaede, then turned around and placed her hands on the side of the bed. "I just hope this won't make too much sound." With some effort and gritted teeth she pushed her bed back against Kaede's, ignoring the pain from her partially healed wounds. There was some creaking and screeching of wood on wood involved, but all in all Mizuki thought she had managed it without bothering anyone else in the house.

"I have no reason to distrust you, and since I myself want to be more open with people there's no reason to keep the beds apart, is there?" She shrugged again, then followed Kaede's example by getting back into her own bed, covering herself with the blankets so she could remove her clothes (she had already removed her boots before getting into bed the first time around), placing the torn and cut pieces of fabric (they weren't a complete loss just yet but Kaede did have a point that she could use some new clothes, which weren't cut up and bloody) next to her bed before making herself more comfortable underneath the blankets. Moving the beds back together had reminded her of how exhausted she actually was, so after removing her clothes she was about ready to fall asleep. "No maid outfits though." Was the last thing she said, rather drowsily, before actually falling into a slumber, her curiosity about what it would be like to fall asleep while still in the game overruled by exhaustion and tiredness. Under normal circumstances she would have wondered if she'd automatically be logged out, or if she would actually wake up the next morning inside the game. Previous tests had confirmed that the time in the game progressed at the same speed as the time on Earth, so if she had a good night's rest here it should be the same for her actual body... Wasn't sleep mostly a function of the brain anyway? Would it actually matter whether she slept while connected or not, as long as her brain did all the stuff it usually did while she slept? All questions she could have asked, otherwise, and instead she just fell away into the darkness of unconsciousness.
@Kaede Hoshi