Private - The Wise King of the Forest | Page 7

It almost felt like the flames, which surrounded her like a strangely cold blanket, were welcoming her as she came into the center to see something vile and crude at best. She'd expected somehow that things would be at least somewhat like this, but there was an extensiveness to the number of corpses that made her shiver. The man clad in ebony was impossible to recognize for the elf, however- his build, to her, didn't quite look like Seto. But with only women's bodies notable from her perception, where could the man in question be?

As the demon howled and wandered away, passing her without a glance or a word, Solaria rushed towards the center, to the last body- only for it to seemingly disappear, a door taking its place. The door, a similar tanned wood to the glistening armor of the horrifying fellow a moment earlier, had a scent that felt familiar, if not calming. Her hand touched its frame, moving to run a finger across the carefully written words.

For some reason, despite her fear, she was smiling. Smiling with tears in her eyes.

"Ryo...suke..." Her lips formed the word with an odd amount of apprehension. This type of timidity was unlike her. What would Seto say- or even worse, the man she seemed still stuck on, who came first to her mind from the scent of the door's slowly opening hinges? She shook off her fear, opening the door and walking in with a brisk pace.

This was the land of Seto Kurama. Her memories weren't needed here...Only her conscious and heart.

 

Opening the wooden oak like door, revealed a white magical portal that took the form of the door from behind, stepping through the portal. there would be a bright flash for a few seconds before she would find herself in a modern room as in a room in the real world.
​

Finding herself obivously in a modern room for a girl, the room was of japanese origin with the room style that of Washitsu, a traditonal japanese room with Shoji style sliding doors along with traditonal hardwood floors with Tatami straw mats to cover over much of the hardwood floors. In the room itself was a simple arragement of items to belong to a japanese bedroom, a pink dresser and plastic cabinet for storage, in the middle was a simple wooden table with extender with sitting cushions on each of the table for people to sit at. On the other side was a metal filing cabinet for documents with a desk and laptop sitting on top of it turned off. Beyind Sols on the back wall was a long twin size pink covered bed. Unlike the last time around, Sola If she tried to walk around, she would be able to only walk a few feet from where she spawned since unknowingly to her, this was all what remined of this memory she was looking at or watching from a certain point of view.

A few moments would go by silently before finally Sola would hear the voice of an older japanese woman calling out, her words were in Japanese obivously but somehow for some magical reason or something Sola could understand the language as well as she could as If they were speaking english. "Michiko Sweety! it looks like you got mail from Ryosuke! Lucky you!" Not even a few seconds and there was an abuance of excitment coming from another female voice down the hall whom Sola couldn't see of course. This exciting voice found itself to where the other voice orintated from before it spoke itself. "Thanks mom! I haven't seen Ryosuke in such a long time! I wonder how my future husband is doing! He's so considerate and romantic! writing me a love letter, ohhh I just can't wait to read it!" The more elder voice out of the conversation didn't hesitate to speak agin, reacting to the younger, more femine voice with happiness and excitment herself. "Well what are you waiting for sweetie? Goto your room and read your saucy love letter from your husband to be, Go on! You can tell ol mom later!" The younger, femine voice didn't answer at first, only her girly giggling was heard at first but her excitment took over again as she spook to her mother. "OK SEE YA LATER MOM!" The voice shouted out towards the other happily, the running footsteps of the young, femine voice started to become louder and louder until, coming from the right, into the room came Michiko, a tall, skinny yet curvey Japanese girl with fair skin, almost that of a caucasian person from the west, large blue eyes, long dirty blonde wavy hair with a large navy blue bow tie in her hair. Lastly as far as wardrobe went, she was wearing a sleeved white Sundress that went to her knee's that didn't show any cleaverage or excess of skin.

Giggling like the exciting girl she was, she ran into her room, runing through Sola as If she wasn't their and leaped onto bed, grabbing her pillow from the one side of the bed, she laid it down on the side before laying her head on it. Getting all comfy like, she carefully opened the letter, revealing a letter. At first she was excited and giggling as she began reading the letter but the deeper she got into the letter, the giggling and excitment stopped in the tone of her voice. By the time she got to the end, she was crying as it It had started raining and her entire body was shaking as If she had became cold. For the next minutes that could probably feel like an hour to Sola, Michiko threw her face into her pillow crying, hoping the content of the letter was wrong or a stupid joke. After about ten minutes of constant crying, pulling herself from the pillow, Michiko looked around the room, taking in the scenery emotionless like a machine before pulling herself from the bed and walked out of the room, dissappearing from view. What came next in the next minute was the horrifiying sound of a gunshot going off in the background with a crying mother taking it's place afterwards, meanwhile the letter sat on the bed for Sola to read If she so desired. If she didn't the dame wooden door from before would appear her, only this time when she got near, she would hear explosions and gunfire going off somewhere behind the door.

​

Hidden: Michiko's Letter

THEME
Touching the letter, one could tell the letter was written a consirable time ago by the letter's color no longer being white and despite the fresh tears of Michiko on the letter, there seemed to be old, dried up spots where tears had touched the letter from long ago, Michiko was obivously not the first person to cry over reading this.


Dear Michiko,

It's.....been a long time since I've seen you or written you and....am truely sorry for that, I want you to know that I do miss you too but.....you deserve to know the truth.....for why....you haven't seen me in such a long time, almost six months now.......If your reading this than....I have made an important choice in my life which may alter our lives forever. Since we were little children Michiko,
since that fateful day where you choose to protect me from those bullies who picked on me for being different, I've always seen you as my best friend, someone I could never hope to replace nor would I, even now as you read this.. Through the years since that day, since we were essentially toddlers all the way to almost being adults now, our relationship had never broke or changed, we always stayed strong together, our friendship never broke and no matter the odds, we always managed to figure out a way to stay together.

When my parents told me six months ago that me and you were to be married off in an arranged marriage that broken before we were even born, I honestly didn't know what to think, you know as well as I do that my mother has always tried to control my life in every aspect to be the perfect son yet I never lived upto her expectations, taking after my father. When my mother told me of my arranged marriage with you, she made me feel like our relationship was artifical, not fake per say, more on the lines everything we ever did in the last seventeen years was all planned by our parents, I don't know honestly, the more I think of it, the more angry I become at....everything...I mean was that fateful day planned by our parents? Are all our memories together fake? I don't know anymore but I had decided some time ago I needed toget away from my controlling mother.

If your still reading this than I've done the worst thing possible for both me, you and our families, I have dishonured myself, you and our family's names.......Despite the protest of our parents...well besides my father who's always believed in me and helped me when ever he could, I.....I choose to run away from my
responsiblility's to my family and to you, I
had broke our arranged marriage to be next summor and fled Oyama, I choose to enlist in the military, in the Defense Force in an effort to escape our parent's hold on me, That....that was six months ago....Now am serving a tour in Iraq under the UN. I have taken the cowards way out, perhaps dying here, doing some good deeds for the people who need protection from Tryannits and killers, will grant me some honor in death but I don't don't know for you Michiko.

Michiko.....I want you to know that I love you, I've always have loved you as someone who's has always been apart of my family and that.....that will never change. I cannot even hope to understand the pain you are in right now, I've always known you always loved me romantically since were kids and when we were told we were to be married, that had made you the happiest I had ever seen in my entire life. At first I was fine with it even though I didn't feel the same way, I was willing to let that go If it meant you were happy since your happiness always mattered to me yet when you needed me most......I broke your heart and casted you to the side as well as our families. Am so sorry Michiko, am so sorry.....I wish there was another way, I really do...Damm it all. I know for what I did, I know you could never forgive me, how...how could you? I am a horrible person. Michiko am sorry, dammit I really am. Even If you never forgive which is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life, when ever you need it, I will be there for you when you need it most, I promise you.

I have to go now, to face death at every moment for this is my punishment for breaking your heart and dishonoring myself and our families, when I get out If..I even make it out, I promise I'll be there for you when you need it even If I know you never forgive me for what I've done to you.

......Ryosuke Hiroka, Oyama's Black Wolve​

 

That she was seeing memories of someone she could never know was rather peculiar to Solaria as she remained calmly in the mind of her friend. 'Michiko' was a fairly cute girl, and almost familiar in some way- but what had caught her attention, once again, was the name 'Ryosuke' that continually came into light.

She was able to peek over Michiko's shoulder as she read the letter that made her cry. It was clear that this was one of those so called 'dear john' letters. It felt like a suicide note, yet at the same time, was clearly a letter only of leaving and loss. She felt herself tearing with Michiko, as if she herself was experiencing it.

"I don't know who she is, but I'm guessing he found her special based on this. Ryosuke...is that Seto? But I still don't understand the betrayal he spoke of. But better yet...If he loved her anyway, why would he break off their marriage? Was he hoping to set one up himself, for his own heart?"

She fell to her spectral knees on the floor near the bed on which the girl cried. "I can't tell how long I've been here, but I also don't really understand any of what I'm seeing. Was that flaming city...A time when he was a soldier? Was that what it meant?"

 

From the hailing of bullets to the explosion coming from the door, opening such wooden door that stood before her would once again reveal portal behind the frame in the form of a white portal of the magic variety. Stepping through the portal, there would be another bright flash again for a few moments before it would die down, Sola would find herself in the middle of a modern combat engagement in the desert on the outskirts of city. In the distance laid a huge highway going to and from a modern city with many burnt out and destroyed vehicles, military and civilian alike. Among the side of the roads in ditches to burn out builds and vehicles hid civilians who hadn't managed to get out of the city. Near Sola's position sat a heavily damaged, Type 10 main battle tank sitting on the main road, The sand kicked up quickly when the Type 10 main battle tank fired off it's 120mm Rheinmetall main gun at an enemy T-72 in the distance, destroying it completely. A few secons later, three men crawled out of the Commander's Conoply on the top with the last soldier staying in the Conoply, lock and loading the 55 calibur machine gun. As soon as it was cocked back, the Commander began firing off the machine gun in bursts in an effort to keep the enemy ground at bay from their position. "COME ON! HIROKA MOVE YOUR ASS! GET THAT ENGINE FIXED ASAP! COME ON WELL COVER YOU!" From the top of the turrent, Sola could make out the Japanese words of the Commander yet understood them as english as before as the Commander shouted to the soldier that ran through her, to the back of the Type 10 main battle tank where black smoking was coming out of the engine's vent, the other soldier dashed behind a large rock, took out his M4 Carbine, jammed a magzine into's magzine feeder, took aim down his M4' Carbine's scope and fired off a few rounds, taking down an enemy insurgent through the head. The soldier named Hiroka fell to his knee's as he dashed to behind the enemy tank and removed the metal vent from it's frame that was protecting the engine. Putting on his gloves, he opened his portable toolbox, taking a monkey wrench out, he began removing a damaged valve, ignoring the bullets that parried off the metal plates of the Tank only inches from him. Even though it was only a dozen seconds at most, the time of the day changed, as If she was watching a movie and fast forwarding it. By this time, it was near dusk, the three soldiers were still at their post, only now they were extremely tired, beaten and bloodied."THERE TOO MANY OF THEM!.......AM OUT!"The soldier taking cover behind a large rock on the side of the highway called out to the Commander, taking note of their position about to be overun by the enemy and the fact he was out of ammunition with his M4 Carbine.

"HOLD THIS POSITION DAMMIT ! WERE THE LAST ONES LEFT OF THE DEFENSE LINE! IF WE FALL BACK NOW THESE BASTARDS WILL HAVE A CLEAR WAY INTO THE CITY! DAMMIT WHERE THE HELL IS THE REST OF THE UN FORCES AT?"

The Tank Commander yelled at the soldier in cover while stating why they couldn't fall back despite the fact they were about to be overun. There was still civilians near their position stil hiding and preying for their lives. Hiroka was hard at work on the engine but even he was having a hard time at his job, under pressure from his squad, getting shot at and knowing his ability to fix this engine could mean the life or death of his entire squad and the civilians that took shelter near them. Than out of nowehere, Hiiroka heard the crying of little boy with the corpse of his bloodied mother out in the open, without thinking he dropped his tools, grabbed his Mineabea 9mm pistol out of his holster and sprinited across the highway, nearly getting shot multiple times in the process. His squad looked on in horror as they watched Hiroka abandon his position

"HIROKA! WHAT THE HELL YOU DOING?"

Exposing himself from the conoply, The Commander yelled out to Hiroka before taking a bullet to the side of his head, killing him. His other squadmate confused raised his head out of his position in an effort to see where Hiroka was going only ended up with him being killed off too. Within moments of the death of his squad,his Type 10 main battle tank was hit by something, knocking it out completely from the fight. Dashing as fast as he could to the child with his 9mm in hand, as soon as he got close to the boy, an explosion went off behind the boy, throwing Hiroka and the boy back from the explosion. Yet again time spun up again as If Sola was watching a movie.​

​

Now night, the ground where Sola stood laid silent from before, whatever engagement happened earlier was now gone, the only thing that remained was the corpses of those who died including Hiroka's squad, their tank, and the many enemy soldiers they managed to kill in the distance which was extensive but where was Hiroka? In the distance where the highway led. The modern city stood destroyed and the building still standing were burning in the background. Amongst the flames near Sola stood a boy looking at the corpse of the deceased child that laid where Hiroka ran too. Then a moment later Sola would hear coughing, looking around eventually she would find the man known as Hiroka laying up against the ruins of a destroyed wall of a building. Lying there dying, bloodied and crippled, he stared at the stars of the night sky before tears began running down from his eyes and down his cheeks to his shrapnel filled jacket filled and the ground where there was blood.

​

"Even in my last moment, I Am sorry Michiko. This is the fate I deserve now."

​

After Hiroka's words were spoken, the same wooden door spawned yet again near the Type 10 Tank, this time the word "LAST" was written on the middle of the door.

​

 

She'd gone through the massive magic portal with a sense of confusion still in her bloodstream. There were too many people involved, and too many pieces to put together. She wasn't used to taking a game seriously, but it felt like she wasn't just in someone's game mind. Was this Seto's real life? Was this his actual past?

"Hiroka...It must be his last name," She mumbled, watching bullets fly and wanting to cry over being unable to lend aid at the side of the stranger, blurred faces and more notable ones strangely blending together. Too many bangs, too many bright lights- there was just too much stimuli on a battlefield for the young woman, she couldn't quite feel able to keep up.

She was feeling faint as she dealt with the explosive heat. She heard last words of many strangers, but the most notable was likely the man who spoke of Michiko once more. She hugged his crippled, fading existence close to her, or tried to despite her astral self.

She wasn't sure what was going on, or why he was dying in his mind. There were a lot of things she couldn't be certain about, really. But there was one thing she knew as she tried to hold him close.

Solaria was going to protect him. She wasn't sure how, but she was confident in doing so. Even if it cost her everything, she would protect him. Regularly, she'd stay by his side to fight alongside him to keep him alive...And outside battle, she would keep working on making him smile and try to get a laugh out of him yet, if only to protect his heart.

 

Stepping through the wooden door one last time, Sola would find herself in a dark room with no walls or doors, only pure darkness around her, it would be wise If she didn't wonder too far from what was infront of her in the distance. The floor was also made of pure darkness, nothing could be seen but the outlines of water that took form upto her knee's. In that so called distance infront of her, she would lay her eyes on the very thing she had probably wanted to see in the first place.

​

There it was in the distance, there was a large, bronze like cage with a horrifying face of a monster of such size cramped into the cage. Infront of the cage itself sat Seto with his arms and legs crossed. He was clearly mediatating or something of the sort for surely he couldn't sleep infront of such a beast? The monster's glowing red eyes stared at Sola in the distance as If it had always known she was there. "Come, step closer and remove this pitiful seal on my prision. Releasing me will all burdens." The horrifying monster spoke in such a demonic voice that sounded familiar yet when it spook, it was like it knew Sola was there, forcing it's words to scratch itself into her mind and hopefully do it's bidding. After a few moments, Seto raised his head and opened his eyes and stared at the demonic monster in the cage yet his voice was different, more like a real life voice than a game voice.

"No I don't think so, I don't know what you are demon but I won't allow myself to fall so low to release you from your prision and release you as well as this Seto from his burdans. As long as you live, the burdan will always be there no matter what you say or do but you already know that don't you demon?"

The demon laughed hard before going to speak again.

"Hmph you were always the smartest out of the two trapped here with me but perhaps there is a brightside, perhaps your brother will find the truth within the rtuth If he become wise enough but that is is enough talk for one day, It seems we are being watched from somewhere."​

The moment the demon finished speaking, a small white circular portal opened near her with the dark waters flowing into it and it was only growing in size, it would eventually in a few minutes at the most engulf this area in which Sola was at at the moment. She could stay for a bit longer or she jump into the portal, most likely back into the game world instead of the jarred mind of a destroyed person.

​

 

Even Solaria knew when she shouldn't be somewhere, and as the demon seemed to be finishing off its speech, to brothers she couldn't comprehend all too well, she rushed through the portal to escape the chasm of the man's mind in hopes of processing what she'd seen, every bit of it.

Waking up on the wagon had been a shock to her. That she was unharmed and in her own body was both bemusing and startling in its own way. She looked around almost in a panic, trying to make heads or tails of both where she was and what she'd been doing before that trip- a trip that could mean any number of things in the grand scheme of the world.

"I...feel like someone just made me do drugs," She mumbled. The constant change of events and the regular uncertainty of her visions had clouded her thoughts, zigzagging around her brain like a parasite seeking where the best meal might be in her skull. Her head ached, her mind racing.

She half regretted what she'd just done...But only half.

"All that did was assure me of what I need to do," Solaria mumbled. She hugged Seto into her as he lay still resting, or so he seemed. "I can't fight that thing as I am...But I can't leave him alone either. So...I'll stand by him and watch over him, for the time being...And try to find a way to at least keep him smiling, even if it's as a jester for the time being."

 

Christina nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard Sola jump up and begin talking to her, the darn girl caought Christina off, it almost gave her a heart attack to say the at the least. With her right hand on her chest where her heart was located, she sighed in relief it was only Sola but still dammit! She still scared the living crap out of her! Making a fist with her right hand, she tapped Sola's head to hopefully get the message across her mind to not do that again. after it was all said and done, Christina did pull herself in closer as Sola began explaining her experience within Seto's mind. "Drugs? what are those?"She muttered loudly while listening to Sola, she had no idea what the hell she was talking about at first, To Christina it must have been some sort of food or something. She shoke her head, trying her best to focus on sola's words instead. She rolled her eyes though when Sola didn't say much, just telling her she knew what she had to do than she went to hugging him yet again, that sight caused her to giggle again a tad. "You sure you don't LIKE LIKE him? You been all over him and even went into his mind hehe." After a few moments of giggling to get it out of her system, Christina returned to her normal regular behavior before seapking again to show she was serious.

"So how was it? How was it invading the mind of another person? You told me you were now even more sure what you had to do but did you even understand anything you saw? I can't imangine seeing such unknown things as easy for anyone to process. Am sure Lord Kurama's mind isn't the purest of minds despite his intentions. Anyway were almost to Dawngrave now! Just a little more Sola than I can take my shoes off! Ooohhh I can't wait!"

From behind them both came out a long yan following a cuss word from Seto. His eyes flashed open revealing himself laying on her dress and in his arms, his eyebrows raised in confusion, not understanding what was happening right now. "Umm....Is there a reason your hugging me?....fuck it, ugh I don't care right now." Gently pushing himself away from Sola, he pushed his chest forward while raising his arms behind his back as he strectched. Afterwards he snapped his neck to the right than to the left before facing the girls with a pleasent experssion on his face. "That last nap was incrediable, I haven't slept like that in months. Am good to kick some ass again." Christina's eyes widened in awe, Seto's words just mind screwed her . "He sleeps well when his mind is invaded?" She didn't say it outloud but she certainly thought it loudly in her mind.


​

 

With a timid laughter, she smiled when her forehead got a light tap for scaring her companion. But really, who wouldn't jump after what she just witnessed and went through? Suddenly being back in the real world- or rather, the world that wasn't someone's mind- it was a bit of adjustment after all that chaos and gunfire.

"Sorry for scaring you. I guess it was my reacting to being a bit scared myself." Some people wouldn't believe that Solaria scared easily, but she generally did. She was always trying to keep herself looking strong for the sake of others. As part of her martyr complex, she'd always thought she was 'protecting people' by acting confident she could do more than she could, regularly biting off more than she could chew and knowing full well she was ruining herself with it.

But who cared? If it was seemingly helpful to someone, she'd always choose that option. In sad truth, it was likely very easy to manipulate Solaria just because of this.

While she tried not to wake Seto with her voice, she did respond to Christina's curiosity. "It was...Interesting. I admit, it was pretty hard to understand. I kept going from memory to memory, it was constant chaos and honestly half the time I was shaking in my boots. But...At the same time, it was kind of like a puzzle. Certain things went together and made sense over time. If what I managed to make out of it was accurate...Well, it'd confuse you if I tried to explain, but let's just say his internal war started long before the demon came into the picture."

Obviously, she couldn't tell Christina about his 'real name' or the 'real world'. There were many things in that which didn't quite fit the norm for the citizens of Terra. It was best not to harm her mind. But, there was one thing she could say.

"What's weird is...While most of his fragmented memories...The people and such couldn't tell I was there, normally...But certain parts, such as that demon...It seemed like they knew I was watching."

She fumbled a bit as her words cut short, Seto moving in her arms and pushing his way out of her grasp. "Sorry, you just looked like you'd be comfortable to hold onto. Plus, it'd be bad if you hit your head on something, right? So holding you still seemed smarter at the time."

Naturally, she wouldn't bother to tell him what she knew, at least not now. Not until they were alone, without Christina to confuse...And without her being quite so confused herself. "Say, Christina, are we almost there?"

 

Seto stared at Sola weirdly, confused why she would even both to hold him in her lap, they barely even knew each other. Whatever it was, he didn't think much of it, shrugging, he took his place to the side of the wagon, laying his arms on the top of the wooden plank guards as a cushions, he sat his head as he stared out across the tree line just as Sola asked Christina If they were almost there. Even though Sola couldn't know since she was still new to the area, from what he could judge from past experiences, he believed they were less than a half an hour away from Dawngrave from their current position. That was a welcome site for him, he needed a break from all this, some Ale would do him good....When did he become a drinker? He wondered, Ryosuke never drank in real life really despite everything that had happened to him before, he didn't think a video game would get someone to start drinking but here he was doing it often. He also put into account he also did things far more stressful and dangerous than his real life occupation which was simply teaching others how to drive down a mountain pass. Thinking of it no longer, he closed his eyes as he waited for the ride Dawngrave to be over.

Chirstina turned quickly to face Sola with both of her arms on her waist and her head tilted slightly as she pouted slightly in dissapointment. "You know Sola, I just told you We were almost there! You need to listen better girl hmph. Anyway am not sure completely since am going off memory completely. Unlike Lord Kurama, remember this is the first time I've really let the village for any lengthy period of time. I hope my mom and everyone ok. What do you plan on doing once were done? You going to leave the village and leave me hanging? I imagine Lord Kurama is probably going to goto the Inn to drink a little like he usually does before taking on another quest or leaving for some noble thing."
She sat in her seat waiting in anticipation from Sola, Seto laid where he was, seemingly ignoring the two energized girls despite the one of them talking about him, too much shit happened today for him to care about such trivial things, people could think whatever they wanted for all he cared for now.​

 

She was a bit dismal as the man seemed to ignore them, but could understand it for the time and opted to take some girl time instead, since so far, Christina was rather interesting to talk to anyway. Though aware the woman was not like them- she was not a player, and knew nothing of the other world- Christina was already a friend in her eyes, considering all she'd already done for Solaria.

"Sorry 'bout that, I guess I was a bit dazed for a bit." Laughing timidly, the elf adjusted her dress and opted to scooch closer to the woman's side. The words that came from Christina's lips made her want to hug the girl, and she did just that without thinking, though very lightly. "I was originally going to ask to hang out with you more, actually. You've taught me a lot, but I was hoping to learn even more from you if I could. But...I admit, I'm a bit worried leaving Seto to himself, too. But like you told me...He's a grown man. It's just in my nature to want to watch his health."

She turned back for a moment, glancing at the man at hand. Surely he knew his limits with alcohol, right? He was mostly healthy now, or as much as he could be under the circumstances, but she still had her fair share of concerns. Her gaze returned to the woman leading the wagon, however. "Besides, if you can show me more of the area, I might get to meet even more people I'll want to take care of, you know? Wouldn't it be good if we could help more people get healthier together?"

 

Listening as Sola apologized for not listening to her eariler, Christina wasn't for forgiving one so easily but she had been through enough with Sola for one day to let it slide today, she was a tad amazed Sola felt the same way, wanting to spend time with her more. She was mostly serious what she said but she would need "breaks" from Sola so she wouldn't go nuts, Sola just had a way of driving people nuts somehow. When Sola was finished laughing, scooting her butt closer to her own, Christina's eye rolled up, looking at the sky while her left index finger sat on her lip pondering about something that was on her mind."Soooooooooo......yeah"
Christina hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I've been wondering.....what's a drug? Is that some sort of food you eat? and whats a nurse?I heard you mentioned it some time today, is like that some sort of baby or something? You say alot of weird stuff you know? Your the opposite of Lord Kurama, he doesn't really talk much at all in comparision."​

Sola didn't answer, not right away at least, instead turning her back to look at Seto to worry about him or something? Christina really didn't get Sola's thing for Seto, sure Sola told her she cared for him due to what happened today but damm she cared for him like a girlfriend or something like that! Thinking like that caused Christina to blush sligthly until Sola spoke again about learning from her to learn more about healing and the area.

"Am not really the person to ask Sola, I can teach you a couple things I guess in healing but my mom been around since Dawngrave was founded, she's nearly a master of healing. I can't really help pick out locations in the area for you, I think Lord Kurama would be better off showing you since he's been coming to my home for months with Lady Alia, he would know the in and out of this entire area by now probably.​

In the back of the wagon, there was little chuckle, obivously it had to come from Seto, who else would it be? Christina thought as she laid her feet up and removed her blue hood from her head, allowing her wild, light brown hair to fall down on the wagon's back planks that helped make up the wagon itself.

"Hmph am not doing anything today or possibily to next week after this, once we get back, am going to the Inn, having some rum than speaking the next week on the beach like I planned until I was interuppted this morning. You two can do whatever you want, it matters little to me."

Christina pouted as she rolled her eyes after hearing Seto talk like that to them! How he ruin their fun! She didn't mean any harm by volunteering his services.
​

 

Solaria laughed nervously as she was asked about her plethora of 'strange words' as a resident of the world would call it. It'd be hard to lie about the words she saw as normal, but she had a way to give a half-truth that might make sense. "Well, my mom was weak-bodied, you see. To her, being forced to take medicinal potions and the like and constantly needing to be nursed to health was normal. I guess because she was trying to entertain herself, she used to change the words a lot...'potions' became 'drugs' because she was dragging herself along with them, and 'nurse' was what she used to call me because I always tried to help her heal up when she wasn't feeling well."

Sure, they were still normal words where Solaria came from, but her reasoning was true as well. Her mother had said many times that she was just dragging herself forward with the drugs she had to take to stay healthy, and often teased her worry-wart daughter for being her miniature nurse at the time. In fact, that had always been part of how she chose her path.

"Since mom passed, I guess I just kind of keep using them to remember her."

A soft giggle escaped her. It was a while since she'd actually thought of her mother quite so in depth, or at least a while since she purposely did so. Usually, her memories of her mother came at the less desirable moments lately- times such as a test or when her brother was upset by something. "I bet your mother is a great teacher, but I'd still like to learn from you. Besides, won't it be a bonus for you that way too? Teaching people can be a great way to better learn things you're trying to learn."

She listened to Seto's word with merely a huff, keeping Christina as her focus until she spoke up one more time. "I'm jealous you get to go to the beach, but I'm gonna make you promise not to overexert while you're there. A week might not be enough to recover completely from today, particularly enough to be in a usually hot environment with excessive exercise." She thought for a moment about how to threaten it into him, giggling a bit more stupidly than usual.

"Keep an eye on your hydration or I'll find a way to find out you're not well and force the water down your throat if I must."

 

Sola started talking but the more she talked, the more Christina became confused and after a minute wanted to escape, even hiding behind Seto if need be, it became evident to all but maybe Sola as Christina contiuned to have this nervous, fake smile on her face. She honestly just wanted her to stop talking and thankfully Seto understood when he did what he usually did best. Seto eyes Sola at the edge of his eyes, being just as confused as Christina was apparently with that priceless look on her face. Pushing himself off the side of the wagon, he turned to face Sola before smacking her in the back of the head while his eyes remained closed and as if steam was coming out of his nose from the anger and fustration he was trying to hold it in. "What in the hell are you mumbling about woman? Speak in damm ENGLISH would you? Geeze." Letting off an angry sigh, he swung his arms over the back planks that made the back of the wagon and looked up towards Christina and her light brown hair.

"Ignore this woman, she's still clearly on drugs evident by telling a story even I couldn't understand to extent. Now Christina listened closely and especially you too woman. Now Drugs are a special yet very powerful hebs combined together to heal something specifically, they are excellent at healing however making "Drugs" from herbs is very tiring, required skill and many rare herbs. As for a nurse, thats simple, imangine a white mage such as yourself, now a nurse is essentially a white mage or a healer that looks after the people there caring for so it can be another term If you will for healer if you wish."​

Christina face immediately brightened up, whatever confusion she had was now gone. "Thank you Lord Kurama for explainging it to me, everything is cystal clear now!" She then turned back to Sola with her eyebrows raised and her right arms raised halfway in the air, towards the bottom of her head. "Why couldn't you explain it like he did? Sola sometimes simple is easy you know?" Right now, Christina wished Sola would take her advice she had just given to her in the hopes she wouldn't do it again to anyone else. Again Christina like Sola but boy was she strange as a mythical creature at times, making no sense at times or doing things that are just unusual like caring for Seto when she barley even knew him, it be fine If she was that way since she had knew him for months now well to a extent but Sola knew him not even a day and was caring for him like a lover. Christina sighed a little more, remembering that Sola told her she wanted to learn from her rather than her mother, that very statement caused a headache in her mind! WHY? she thought? Why would she give up the prospect of learning from a master to learn from her? At this point she couldn't tell if Sola was joking or not, she had to be for her sanity! How was Seto dealing with this? she wondered, looking back Seto was laying down with his arms folded behind his back and his legs indian style. She was going to ask him but his eyes were closed again, she figured he was sleeping again.​

"Sola I really hope your joking right? Why would you want me when you could learn from a master of our craft? It's like your handicapping yourself on purpose when someone like Lord Kurama could use those advanced healing abilities but nope, you want to play with me instead? ok fine."​

Seto was still laying down by the time Sola spoke of the beach and that he needed more rest than a week but came next was unexpecting. Out from the giggling came out a threat? The first moment he was confused by her words but after his brain had time to process what she had said, he simply smirked back at the woman and the sky.

"Oh really now? Is that a threat woman? Well If you care so much for my hydration, how about you use certain body parts on your body to keep me hydrated hmm?" Christina froze in place, looking at the both of them after Seto just spoke some words she never thought possible would come out of his mouth. "Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh??!!" Her entire face turned red, nodding her head back and forth and closing her eyes, she picked up a rock where the feet rester was and threw it at Seto's head before smacking the back of Sola's head. Turning around to face the front of the wagon again, she shoke her head again, trying to get those thoughts from her mind, when she opened her eyes, she saw Dawngrave in the distance.
"Oh look.....Dawngrave in the distance, well be there in like ten minutes or something....ehehe."
She nervously laughed afterwards.
​

 

"Easy. I couldn't think of a different explanation, because that's the only one I knew." She laughed a bit, though rubbed her head as she was slapped, lips forming a pout as she huffed, turning her face away rather comically from both of them. She wasn't actually that upset- but she could tell she was being teased, and to some extent, it hit home. After all, she'd just said some pretty personal stuff...And even if it hadn't been helpful, it was a pretty big memory for her!

Unfortunately, though perhaps it was a good thing, Solaria was far from able to stay remotely angry about it. Though she'd been the type at points to hold a grudge, this particular time was not one of them. Besides, her mother told her the value of a grudge was nil. Considering it was because of her memories of her mother she was upset at all, it was best to take that into consideration, too.

"Simple may be the best thing sometimes...But learning from you is probably easier than from a master for that reason, don't you think? At least until I'm even near your level, a master might just be too advanced for me. Besides, I actually find it easier to pay attention to a friend than a teacher usually."

She tried to remember the last time she did well in a class where a friend hadn't had to re-explain the teacher's lesson to her, and found she couldn't. The books were usually far easier to comprehend than her teachers ever had been, a sign that she either just had bad teachers or people that knew her were better at explaining in ways she understood. "Though, I could try learning from a book too. Masters might have some really useful ones to read, huh?"

Shaking it off, she enjoyed their conversation once more, trying to learn to speak a little less just by staying silent for a while. Every little thing said to her, despite her seeming to not logically respond, was stored carefully in her mind like a filing system. Or it was, until Christina's reaction to Seto's words left her trying desperately not to giggle, a hand over her mouth to try to keep herself as close to 'sane' as she could from his attempt at humor.

Sadly for Seto, he'd woken a beast again with that joke. "Hmph, I will if I must. I'll force-feed you all the water you need mouth to mouth if I really have to. Food too if I find out you're not eating properly. You should be careful what you wish for or it might just happen, Seto." Glancing back at him, she grinned with a mix of confidence and entertainment, eyes slightly dimmed because of internally entertaining herself with a video of the concept in her head. To rid it, she kept an eye on Christina, who very clearly tried to change the subject- but with a very good method.

"So this is it, huh? It's my first time here...I'll make sure not to get separated from you guys. I'll make a mental map while we're en route, though, so hopefully I can be helpful on my own in the future."