#unless it's someone i have talked about before introducing them; like leona or caecus

[fvaleraye]

Unexpected Reunions

ayyyyyy, another Scintillam chapter! This time, we introduce another of our protags, who happens to be a uh... old friend of Leona’s. whom she bumps into again in one of ur typical fantasy towns after a few months apart ASDFLKJN oh yeah, and we also finally get to learn the name of the continent they’re on, so there’s that too-

hope y’all enjoy reading  ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

The road was long, most were. Magna Terra was not exactly a small continent. There were often miles upon miles between towns. So much space spanning the entirety of the continent, and most of it was empty. There were only so many people who lived there, they only needed so much of the space. They would expand their towns at times, yes, but rarely would they need to go out and make new ones. Though, it would probably make travel easier if they did. A few of the more industrious cities, however, name the Iron City and the Bronze City, have started to make an effort to make such things easier, by placing little checkpoints and resting stops for stagecoaches and carriages along the main roads and trade routes. Though that project was still in its very early stages. And carriages were generally not available to the general public yet, as most of your average people had little reason to travel so far.

For adventurers however, who traveled near and far for a living, it was a colossal pain the ass.

Leona bemoaned not having the funds for the stagecoach to the next town. She would have, if she were travelling alone, but carrying Great Beasts incurred a rather exorbitant extra fee depending on the size of them. Which... was sort of understandable, given that one person and a Great Wolf would leave no room for other passengers, but she still felt cheated. At least she had Artemis to carry her some of the distance, but both of them would have preferred at least a short rest for their weary legs. They had left the Great Forests behind them hours ago, and had stepped out into the Great Plains, the most open natural expanse in the land. The sun shined brightly down on the ocean of grass, while the winds stirring the expansive greenery, not a tree in front of them for miles. But the nearest town was thankfully within reach. Maybe not within sight, but within reach. They would ideally reach it before they both passed out from exhaustion. The human was much closer to that point than her animal companion. Great Beasts typically had amazing stamina. Their pace was slow, but steady. Better to keep up a slow pace and get to the destination later than to try and rush there and risk passing out before you can get there. The exhausted knight started to perk up a bit as the first roof came into view over the horizon.

"Oh thank whatever gods are listening, there's Springford..." She said, sounding as tired as she felt. "Oooooh I can't wait to get into a real fucking bed, good gods..." She leaned over, and gave her great steed a big hug, burying her face in her fur. "... not that you aren't comfy, Arte, but... just... bed..."

The wolf just gave a little huff. It wasn't obvious if it was one of agreement, but if one knew about her track record of breaking beds she tried to sleep on, they could probably make a guess. She was still just as eager for some rest, though.

As the two started getting closer to the town, it was easy to tell that it wasn't exactly a big town. It was barely big enough to be considered a town, honestly. It was small, and they could see it in its entirety from the little hill they were coming down from. Most of the buildings were houses, there were some shops and a single inn on the edges of the town, all of wooden construction, with some of the bigger buildings having stone foundations, and one could see a few farms not far, fenced roads leading back and forth between them. A sign on one of the crossroads leading up to the town pointed to the east, with the sign reading "lake". That was probably where they got most of their their water, and most likely some fish. There was also a well in the town square, as well. It reminded the knight of her old childhood village, to be quite honest. The only things missing were the trees in every direction and the old runestones. ... she missed that old village... She missed a lot of things. But, for now, they were at their stop. The Outlands were another week's journey from here, so they had to rest, resupply, and gear up while they could. They would stay for a day or two... or three.

The duo approached the inn first, of course. It was a sizable building, and it had a fair bit more stone construction than most of the other buildings, but it was still primarily wood. A sign over the door, swaying and creaking gently in the wind, read "The Mossy Stone Inn". Not the most creative name, but they had seen worse. Leona stepped down from Artemis' back, and gave her a few pats on the head and scratches behind the ear. "You stay out here, I'll get us set up, yeah?" She gave her a little smooch on the nose, prompting the wolf to let out a sneeze. "Be right back."

She pushed the doors open and stepped inside, chainmail clinking against iron plate meshing with wood creaking as she strode to the bar. She quickly got herself seated, giving the bartender a small glance, prompting him to come over.

"What can I getcha?" He said, his voice mild, if a bit gravely.

"Is the innkeeper... uh, in?"

"Oh, she's out of town, I'm taking care of the inn stuff right now."

"Ah, okay." She gave a small sigh, before reaching into her pockets. "You got an empty room...?"

"A couple, actually." He replied, giving a welcoming little smile.

She glanced around for a moment, before letting out another sigh, and drawing her gaze back to the bartender. "... do you take Great Wolves?"

There was a bit of a silence, as he stared at her, then at the stairs leading up to the rooms, and then back to her. Eventually, an answer came. "... how big's it?"

She pointed at the window behind her, where the animal in question was clearly visible.

He just let out a sigh. "... s'long as it doesn't break anythin', it can come in."

"I promise she'll be on her best behavior."

He grabbed a glass, and poured a bit of... what was probably rum into it, before sliding it over to a patron at the far end of the counter. "Thirty gold per night."

"... that's a little steep isn't it...?"

"We charge extra for animals."

"... that's fair. I guess." She gave one last sigh, and stepped back out of the inn. She gave a glare behind her as the door shut. "... who doesn't charge extra for animals..." She took the wolf by her snout for a moment, gently pulling her head down to eye level. "Okay Arte, you need to be on your best behavior, okay? If you break anything, I'm gonna get in trouble." A small grimace came across her face. "... so, no sleeping on the bed."

Artemis just nodded. She knew the drill by now. She was a smart wolf.

"Okay, good girl..." She let out a tired huff. "Lets go take a fucking nap..."

---------------------------------------------------------------

The girls stayed in their room for a good few hours, enough that the afternoon had nearly passed, and the sun was beginning to set over the fields. It wasn't the comfiest bed she had ever slept in, but it was better than another night camping. As much as she felt at home camping in the woods, a warm bed, clean sheets, and soft blankets were still greatly appreciated every once in a while. The Great Wolf couldn't really share the sentiment, as the forests were quite literally her home, she did seem to prefer the warmth of an inn after long treks like this. Leona pushed herself out of her bed, giving a sleepy glance around the room as she tried to finish waking up from her nap. She let out a big yawn, running a hand through her messy bedhead. Her eyes eventually fell on the door. "... need to... get some food n'... water... n' other shit for the rest of the trip, before this fuckin'... inn... bleeds me fuckin' dry..." She mumbled, taking a moment to step into the bathroom and splash a little bit of water on her face. Just needed to wake herself up a bit more. Her companion was still sleeping soundly on the floor. She would leave her be for now. If either of them got into any trouble, the other would be able to tell. Benefits of the special little bond they shared. She stepped out of the room, dressed a little more casually than when she came in. Just a normal brown cotton shirt, some baggy pants, and a pair of boots. The bartender gave her a small glance as she came down the stairs.

"... look like you just crawled outta bed." He observed, currently cleaning a glass.

"I did." She replied, giving him a tired glare. She just stepped out into the town, wincing as the setting sun beating down harshly on her tired eyes. She started to glance around the town, looking for a sign or... something that would point her in the direction of the nearest shop. As she did though, her gaze caught something... unusual, on the roof of the inn. There was a person sitting on top of the roof. Writing in a journal. She squinted at them from the ground, trying to get a better look at them. Something in her clicked as she looked at them. "... 's that who I think it is...?" She mumbled, before going around the back of the inn. There weren't necessarily stairs up there, but apparently whoever was up there brought a ladder. Helpful. She slowly climbed up, one hand over the other, and, once she found her balance on the roof, walked over to the front of the roof where the other person was. She sat down next to them, legs dangling over the side, and gave them a small tap on the shoulder. It made them jump, and let out a little squeak, nearly fumbling their journal over the edge in their surprise.

"... is that you, Velda?" The knight asked, her expression showing hints of confusion, and pleasant surprise.

"... Leona...?" She replied, quietly, shakily setting down her journal. She was quite pale, and had an athletic, lithe build, black hair mostly tied up in a blue bandanna covering most of her head, her bangs spilling out the front, and a braided ponytail coming out the back. She had a small pair of glasses on her face, covering eyes that were a deep blue, and... strangely slitted. She fidgeted with the bottom of her tunic, which was blue and embroidered with white silk in so many intricate patterns, mostly flowers, with her sleeves tied up just above her elbows. Black gloves went up to her shoulders. She also had a pair of tall, knee height brown boots, and black shorts that ended just above her knees. She had a quiver at her hip, and a lovingly carved bow over her shoulder.

"Yeah!" She took the other girls hand, and gave a wide smile. "Oh man, Velda, it's been so long! How've you been???"

Velda shrank a bit under Leaon's enthusiasm. "O-oh, y'know... a-around." She said, her tone quiet and sheepish.

Without another moment's hesitation, she wrapped her arms around her in a great big embrace, making the other look, and feel, rather small and... twig-like, compared to her knightly build. She tensed up in the hug, but didn't make any moves to actually dissuade her from continuing. After a moment, she released her, and gave her a good look over. "You look great! Where'd you get those clothes? They look pretty, and... eeeellllvish...?"

"Y-yeah, they're elvish clothes." She replied, starting to straighten out said clothes, now that they were a bit ruffled from the hug. "It's. Very comfortable."

"I bet!" She let out a sigh, and leaned back onto the roof, setting her hands behind her head. She briefly patted the roof, inviting the other to lay down as well. She did so, after a moment. "How've you been?"

"Okay. You?"

"Could be better, just got done with the week long walk here from Rosevale, gonna make the next week long walk to Crystalbarrow..."

"... that's a lot of walking."

She gave a little laugh. "... and you still don't do a lot of talking."

"... I'm sorry..." She mumbled, meekly. “I-I haven’t talked to anybody in a... a-a bit...”

"N-no! It's fine! You talk however much or however little you need to!" Silence settled for a moment, the sounds of the townsfolk going about their evenings being the only things breaking it. Even the wind had quieted down to a whisper. The knight was the first to officially break it, of course. "... so was I right? Are you an elf?"

The answer didn't come for a few moments, but it did come. "... no." She took a slow, deep breath, and let out an equally deep sigh. "Checked with the elven scholars a few weeks ago, and there's... no records of any kind of elf that's really. Like me. A-and they said that I don't have the... the same kind of... spark... as an elf... so I... c-can't be one..." She slowly took the bandanna from her head, letting her hair flow out, and her... rather pointed ears show. "So... back to square one." She gave another sigh, before glancing over at the other. "... at least they gave me these clothes... that was nice of them..."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, V."

"... yeah..."

Silence fell over the roof again. Leona's eyes turned towards the sky, while Velda's were fixed firmly on her own fidgeting hands. Surprisingly, the archer was the one to break the silence this time.

"... h-hey, Leona...?"

"... hm?"

She opened her mouth to speak, showing of the little fangs that lined it, but it took a few moments for anything to come out. "... are... a-are we still... g-good...?"

There wasn't an answer, at first. She took her eyes off the sky, and turned them to the other. She fidgeted and shrank her her gaze, but she returned it, anxious as it may be. Then she gave a soft smile, slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and gently pulled her closer. "... yeah..." She said, her tone soft. Content. "... I think we're good..."

The archer was tense at first, of course, but she quickly loosened up a bit, and curled up closer to the knight. She wrapped her arms around her, and the other pulled her closer with her other free arm in return. "... I'm sorry I didn't go with you before..."

"It's okay... you had your own stuff to deal with."

"... I'm... I'm uh... actually headed to the Outlands, and... C-crystalbarrow is uh... a-actually on the way to where I'm headed..."

"Oh? Where you going?"

"... a-a cave, that uh... I've heard. M-might. Have some stuff that could help me find the information I'm looking for."

"I see... we'll, I'm just heading to Crystalbarrow to talk to an old friend of my dad's. I can go with you into this cave, if you want."

"... thank you..."

"Hey, it's no problem."

The two laid there on the roof, eyes on the darkening skies, or each other. It had been quite a while since they were like this. So close. Together. After a moment, Leona decided to speak up again. "Hey, I uh... I got a room in this inn. Only one bed, but... it's. Uh. Got room." She started to blush more and more as she went on. "And I'm sure you can get in the window, with your ladder."

"... you wanna cheat the innkeeper by sneaking me into your room instead of paying for another person?"

"He's the one cheating me with his prices." She retorted, giving a huff. "And I don't wanna cheat anybody, I just want to spend the night with you, and... um. Y'know."

"...?"

"You know."

"Mmmmmm...?"

"I-I just want you in my b-bed with me, okay? I... I haven't seen you in. M-months. I missed you. Okay?"

Velda considered her words for a moment, a sly little smile on her face, but no less blush. "... I think that sounds nice..."

The two smiled, and the knight scooped the archer up in her arms, giving her a little smooch on the cheek, and... started to. Scooch towards the edge???

"I- wh- Leona what are you doing???"

"Uuuuuh, getting down...?"

"You're going to break your fucking legs, take the ladder you maniac-"

"It's not that tall!"

"LADDER."

"Okay! Fine! Jeez!" With a disgruntled huff, she stood up, girl still firmly in her arms, and started to walk back towards the ladder. Why she thought it would be a good idea to jump from the roof of the inn was anybody's guess. Probably a heat of the moment thing. She set her down when they were by the ladder, and she climbed down to the bottom, while her new guest climbed through the window into her room. She probably would have climbed in with her, but the window was just a smidgen to small for her. She didn't want to get stuck. That would be really awkward. She made her way back to her room rather quickly, not even bothering giving the innkeeper the time of day as she passed by again. By the time she got back, her new guest was busy petting Artemis, who had evidently woken up while she was gone.

"-you are! You're the best girl Arte, yes you are!" She said, in a baby-talk voice, giving her all sorts of pets and scritches. Artemis was clearly not amused by the baby-talk, but she was letting her have her fun.

She just gave a small laugh at the sight. "I see you and Arte still get along great."

"Yeah! I-I'm glad we do! Arte's the only... the only animal wh-who uh... y'know... likes me..."

She gave a sigh in response to the last statement, and nodded. Yeah, for whatever reason, Velda was just... never big with animals. They usually avoided her altogether, some even growled at her, even if they were perfectly tame. The only ones that really liked her were Great Beasts. They assumed it was because of her... weird spark.

She stood up after a moment, giving the wolf one more little pat as she did, and flopped right onto the bed. "This is a nice room."

"Yeah, not worth thirty gold a night though."

Her expression shifted to a shocked grimace. "Oh- really? Thirty gold??? I mean, it might be worth... like, fifty silver a night, but thirty gold??? Jeez..."

"Yyyyyyyep."

"I suddenly no longer feel guilt for sneaking in here." She said, with a smirk.

"Good." She replied, with a little chuckle. She stepped over to the bed, and laid down next to the other. There we go.

"... it's been a bit since we've been in a bed together, huh..." She had a certain... tone, to her voice.

"Yeah, it really has..." She didn't seem to notice the others. Tone. Or pretended she didn't.

"... soooooo..." She slid closer, getting her slender arms around the knight. Her knight. "What were you thinkin' when you said you wanted me in your bed...?"

"I j-just wanted to. Y'know. Cuddle, V."

"Suuuuurrrrrrrre..."

"Why does your head need to be in the gutter."

"I think a better question is, why isn't yours~? It’s pretty fun in the gutter~"

Before another word could be spoken, Leona just. Quickly rolled right off the side of the bed and into the floor with a dull thud. Well then. "Ow- fuck-"

Velda snickered as she sat up and looked at her from the edge of the bed, sprawled out on the floor. Eventually she burst into a little fit of giggles, taking a moment to rein it in so she could speak again. "C-calm down Le, I'm just fucking with you."

"pLEASE DON'T WORD IT LIKE THAT-"

She just started to snicker again. "C-c'mon Leona, like you said when we first got together, what is a girlfriend if not someone to tease mercilessly~?"

“I never teased you that hard-” She let out a small groan as she started to sit up, face still red as a beet. "Why do you gotta be like this?"

"... only with you, Le." She said, smiling. And blushing. "Only got the nerve to be like this with you. Because I'm comfortable around you. I've known you for... ever. And. I love you."

"... I love you too, V."

"Now!" She flopped back onto her back, rolled over to the side of the bed she was on before, and patted it. "Get back up here, and we can catch up. I'm sure we've both been up to a lot since we last talked... and I promise I won't make you throw yourself from the bed again."

"You better not." With a sigh, she got to her feet, and back onto the bed. There wasn't a whole lot of room. But there was enough for the two of them. "... gonna get you back for that..."

"Sure you w-will...”

“... sooooo... you first, what've you been up to? Besides the elf thing?"

"... well..."