Dinner had long since ended, and I’m still sitting around in my room waiting for Penelope to leave the bathroom. It’s been over an hour and I’m starting to get a little worried. What was going on in there?

Normally I would just leave her to hang out in the bathroom. That’s not my business. Today, though, I feel like everything is explicitly my business. I hope my paranoia doesn’t piss Penelope off too much, but I’d rather piss her off than miss something important. I quietly excuse myself from my room, making my way towards the outhouse. If nothing else, I should knock on the door and see if she's okay. When I get close, I’m about to tap on the door when I hear Penelope speak.

"I know. I'm sorry."

She’s very, very quiet, but my hearing is pretty damn good. Who is she talking to? No one else is in there. Very carefully, very quietly, I sidle up to the door and start to listen. After a short pause, Penelope continues.

"It's not fair for either of us. I'm sorry."

Another pause.

"You know I can't do that."

A shorter pause, this time.

"Because I don't want to die. We both know that's what would happen."

...

"Yes, I know. I know! I'm sorry."

She sighed, shakily. I think she might have been crying.

"Look, I can't do any of the things you requested. It's too risky. Maybe someday, but not now."

One last pause.

"Sorry. I know. Look, I... I need to stop talking to you now, okay? I'm going to go before someone comes looking for me."

Too late for that. I hear her stand up, not leaving me a lot of time to process that conversation. First impression, though? Suspicious as fuck. Remus had said my paranoia serves my team well, and I’m not going to ignore it here. I wait, arms crossed, for her to finish her business and open up the door. She jumps back, startled, as I stand there, giving her a serious look. If need be, I’m ready to pounce.

"Penelope. Who were you talking to?" I ask.

She goes white, swallowing dry.

"W-what? Vita, I was just in the bathroom, why would—"

"I heard you talking to yourself. There's no one in there except you and the slime. Were you talking to the slime? Are you the slime?"

"Vita," Penelope says, holding up a placating hand. "Please calm down. I am Penelope. I just... can you keep this a secret?"

I scowl.

"...Sure. What?"

"I was talking to my fiancé."

Slowly, she reaches into her shirt and pulls out a small necklace. Attached at the end is a tiny bauble, diamond-shaped, that gleams like Remus's sword. Metal.

"It's a resonance enchantment,” she explains. “Very expensive, usually restricted to military applications. It was my engagement present."

I frown. That... sounded plausible. But I’m not convinced.

"Okay, but why were you saying all kinds of weird shit? Is your fiancé asking you to do things that he knows will get you killed?"

She frowns at that.

"That's... personal."

"At the moment, this being personal is irrelevant. Remus told me to watch you. I heard you talking about dying. That makes it my job and my business."

"It does not make it your job or your business!"

"Agree to disagree. I want to talk to your fiancé to make sure you're not bullshitting me."

"Watcher's eyes," she swears. "Vita, please do not tell him anything about hunters or hunting or what we did on our hunt or... any of this! Okay?"

I frown. Something was up here, and that something was bad. Yet if it’s not the slime… is it my business? Do I care? Not right now, I think. It’s one thing to be concerned for my teammate’s health, it’s another thing to use that as an excuse to get into her personal business. If I make sure the whole story isn’t bullshit, I guess I can let it slide.

"Okay I guess. Fire it up."

Penelope grabs the tiny diamond of metal and focuses for a moment, before eventually a male voice emits from the little necklace.

"Why, Penelope! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Hello again, Johann," Penelope snaps. "I know I'm calling you after just hanging up, but someone I know has demanded to speak with you."

"Oh?" Johann answers, his voice pleasant and professional. "Well then, who else do I have the pleasure of speaking to today?"

Well that sounds like a real fiancé, I guess. Unless Penelope is a secret kynamancer or something, but that seems like too much paranoia even for all this.

"Hey. I'm Vita. Sorry to bother you, I just needed to confirm something. Have a pleasant evening."

"No trouble. Have a pleasant evening yourself."

Penelope takes her hand off the stone, and the magic ends. She hides the necklace back in her cleavage, scowling.

"There. Happy? Now please promise me you won't tell anyone else about this! This is a secret!"

"I'm pretty sure that keeping a secret that might get somebody killed means I can slap you," I comment offhandedly.

Penelope has the decency to blush, looking away.

"...Fine. I'll apologize about that again too. I'm sorry. Now promise me you won't mention Johann to anyone? Please?"

"I promise to keep your fiancé to myself," I say solemnly.

There's a pause. She gives me an odd look while my brain catches up with my mouth.

"I-I mean, I promise to keep t-the secret of your fiancé to myself! Not your... not that!"

She snorts, moving to walk past me and return to the guild.

"Good enough."

"Sorry for being so invasive," I murmur, following after her. "I really don't want to be the person that could have stopped the mind control slimes and fucked it up."

Penelope shudders.

"I don't think you have to worry about that. I... suppose it is quite the disturbing thought, though. But, ah, where is this ‘mind control’ thing coming from, exactly…?"

"It can't just be a simple parasite," I say frankly. "It's too strong. It started off strong for a parasite and it’s been growing stronger and stronger at a crazy speed. It has to be smart or maybe have a talent or... something. I can't believe it's just sitting in there and not doing anything."

"Yes. That... makes a disturbing amount of sense. Whatever your talent is, the whole team trusts your calls now. I just hope Remus is all right."

"Where is Remus, anyway?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. He just gave me orders and scampered off to who knows where."

She scowls, clearly quite irritated.

"Anyway,” she continues, “we could probably rope Orville into starting your magic practice now, if you like. He's likely just practicing by himself this time of day."

"Oooh! Magic!"

I perk up immediately, the melancholy of moments ago completely vanished. Penelope chuckles.

"Goodness, you're excited."

"Of course I'm excited!" I announce. "Everybody wants magic! That's the dream, you know? To be a natural mage? It's a one-way ticket from the slums to luxury!"

"Well you're not going to be a natural mage. You're going to have to learn it the hard way."

"Well I know that," I say, conveniently leaving out that I am, in fact, a natural mage. "Nobody dreams to be a learned mage because nobody where I come from can be a learned mage. Except Rowan I guess. Anybody might be natural but nobody's gonna teach some street rat, you know? Since I can get a teacher, though..."

"...You're excited," Penelope finishes. "Understandable. Magic is certainly powerful and fascinating. If you're looking to be an efficient hunter, however, it may not be the best path."

"Huh? How so?"

"I am, without boasting, one of the most powerful mages you'll ever meet," Penelope says smugly. "My very existence turned our hunt from impractical to easy. But I had to be escorted the entire way. I was in constant danger. Remus, meanwhile, could probably have strolled through that forest by himself. Masters of the physical form exert their power in a way quite like magic, but that power comes from their body. They are stronger, tougher, faster than any normal human. As a result, I would argue they are much more self-sufficient, especially in combat."

Huh. That sounds pretty awesome. It was also practical; I have to get close to soul-slorp things. Being strong, tough, and fast seemed like an ideal way to get close without dying.

"...Can I be super strong and fast and also have magic?" I ask.

Penelope laughs.

"Well, you can try, but there's only so much time in the world. Magic might and martial might are very different sets of skills; if you want to learn both of them, you can, but you'll inevitably be worse at both than if you had specialized. It tends to be a poor choice, unless you have a specific fighting style in mind like Orville."

"Orville does both?"

"He does, yes. Quite competently, I'll admit, but you yourself said he was the weakest on the team, didn't you?"

I nod. That makes sense. Well shoot, now I don’t know what I want to do! Who is the Vita of the future? How does she live? How does she fight?

In a world without the restrictions on animancy, I imagine myself as a queen of swarms, commanding hordes of zombies and skeletons to strip the horrible wilderness bare. Overwhelming the monsters of the forest with sheer numbers, I keep Skyhope safe. I am a hero, growing stronger and stronger until anything that threatens my family is dust.

Such hopes are absurd, however. I can never be that as long as I live here. Swarms of undead would be caught. Perhaps a small group of elite forces, though…? Revenants kept their power. Instead of a queen, I could be an overlord, cultivating powerful allies by binding them to me on their deathbeds. ...No. That, too, is a fantasy. It would also be terrifying. The way Revenants love me is so welcome it terrifies me. I don’t like remembering the deep satisfaction of ordering Grig around. Doing that to people should be a matter of absolute necessity, not a matter of course.

So two other paths before me seem more natural. I can be a necromagus, learning magic to compliment my natural skills. The idea of torching the forest with fireballs has no small level of visceral satisfaction, but the path of mastering magic will also unlock a greater understanding of what I am. Both fighting from relative safety behind my team and the general utility of knowing how to craft spells are also very appealing to me.

The last path I see is that of a reaper, rushing around the battlefield and gorging souls like it’s gone out of style. I want to move like Lyn and Remus move, to master the art of speed. I want to be able to fight on my terms, fleeing bad engagements and overwhelming ones that favor me. Fighting up close is dangerous, but it will happen at some point no matter what. I may as well be ready for it.

I don’t know if I can decide between those things, though. I can’t go without the self-sufficiency of being physically talented. I need to focus on physical training. It's just too important to ignore. That being said, I can't ignore magic either. It's less important, but it's still important. I should, at minimum, understand the principles of magic well enough to defend myself better against it. Learning to cast on top of that would be awesome, and doing so might help me figure out more of my natural magic talent as well. If I don’t become the best fighter in the world because of that, that’s okay.

"I know you said it’s not the best idea, but I feel like I should work on everything, at least for now. I still want to learn magic. I feel like it’d just be dumb not to at least understand the basics."

"We'd best go see Orville, then, before he gets too busy. I suppose, since I'm stuck with you, I could also help."

I chuckle.

"Thanks, Penelope."

"Of course, Vita. Sorry again for all the trouble. You deserve better than this."

I frown. That struck me as an odd thing to say.

"Nobody 'deserves' anything. The world is uncaring, unfair, and equally uninterested in everyone."

Her smile drops as well, a haunted flicker passing behind her eyes.

"...While I suspect you're right, it's polite to nod along to the expression, isn't it?"

I shrug.

"Yeah, well, despite the rapidly increasing number of nobles I seem to be talking to, I've never once been accused of being polite."

She titters at that, and I let my smile return. Bantering with Penelope. I never thought I’d see the day. That’s not even the most impressive surprise today, because soon?

I’m going to learn magic.