“Good job,” Captain Bargas congratulates Stephanie, and she silently nods her head.

I figured they would actually open the letters to confirm that they were correct,” I stretch, and yawn before turning to leave.

“Oh I had hoped that you would be successful,” Marion sighs after I have walked away from the table, “I had even bet with Bargas that you would.”

“Who says I wasn’t?” I ask while inspecting the small cut on my finger.

“I hate that that little plant requires blood,” Shiva complains distastefully.

“Do tell me how you were then?” Marion sounds interested and tilts her head.

I look at the nearly empty field, now that the rest of the groups are out on their final event, and I catch a glimpse of Stephanie walking into the barracks. I reach into my pouch, pull the rolled piece of paper out and place it into a surprised Marion’s hand before I turn and start to head out of the gate. “One should never assume,” I call over my shoulder, “It is an easy way to fool oneself.”

“What should we do now,” I ask, “It will be a couple of hours before it is dinner time.”

“Let’s go for a walk through the bazaar and see if there is anything interesting,” Shiva yawns.

“We were just there.”

“But we didn’t even look around,” She pouts.

“We need to pick up a few supplies any way, but only to look at anything else,” I sigh, “We won’t be paid well until we actually get some patrols in properly.”

…

…

…

“Oh look there she is,” Shiva excitedly grabs my attention as I mark paper off of my small list.

“Who?” I look around the full street.

“Gah open your eyes, she is standing by her door sweeping again,” Shiva complains sounding irritated.

I look at the store fronts, and scan down them quickly until my gaze lands on Maya at the end of the row. “Did you last contractor ever tell you just how much of a pain you can be?” I ask while sighing.

“Every day,” she responds proudly, “Now go talk to her, it has been a while and you told her that you would stop in on occasion.”

“It’s been what around two weeks, that’s not that long and we have been busy.”

“Two weeks is a while, and I thought you were supposed to be helping with the little one,” she accuses me.

“I don’t know what everyone actually expects me to do,” I sigh.

“Just go, or else,” She threatens me.

“Or else what?” I stupidly shoot back.

“Remember that time you woke up at your 'sisters' door in hea-,” She begins to say.

“No such thing ever happened,” I quickly cut her off as my heart starts to race at the tantalizing images of pink flesh, and roaming fingers her words provoke. I then sigh in defeat, “Fine I’ll go talk to her.”

“That’s a good princess,” Shiva says triumphantly as I walk down the street.

As I get close Maya looks up and catches sight of me and she flashes a smile in my direction. “Hello, how are you on this fine day?” She asks when I am closer.

“Well enough,” I shrug, only to be reminded of the bruise on my shoulder, “And you?”

“Quite well,” she nods and then continues excitedly, “I have just received a letter that the Mae clan Queen will be visiting the city during Solstheim and that she wants me to make a dress for her.”

“Congratulations,” I nod my head to her, “Which ones are the Mae again?”

“The ones that their Queen doesn’t want to kill you,” Shiva sighs, “In fact she and her followers are fighting quite hard to make sure that you and others like you are given equal rights and chances. One would think that you would at least learn and remember who your allies are.”

“There are far too many clans, and it is more useful to remember the ones to avoid at all costs.”

“Oh by the way you have impeccable timing,” Maya says as if she just remembered something, “Sumi was excited to meet you and she just came in about twenty minutes ago.” She gently grabs my hand, starts to walk into the store, before stopping and turning back blushing slightly, “Of course that is if you have the time and want to meet her.”

“That would be fine,” I tell her and she smiles before pulling me through her store back into her home.

“Sumi, we have a guest” she calls out as we step into the room from before.

“Just a moment child,” a soft voice answers from above us and is followed by equally soft footsteps.

“Have a seat,” Maya waves her hand to the room before asking, “Tea or coffee?”

“Tea is fine,” I tell her while sitting down on a small love seat. She heads off through a small door and after a moment the sound of banging pots follows.

After a small amount of time a beautiful woman with red hair steps off of the stairs and looks at me with surprise on her face. She quickly regains her composure and bows, “Welcome to our home, I am Emilia.”

“Thank you, I am Lily,” I nod to her as she walks over and takes a seat across from me. I take a look at her and I can see a lot of similar features in her face that Maya has, and there is something that I can’t quite seem to place about her. “She feels strangely…familiar,” I comment to Shiva.

“Ah Sumi,” Maya walks back into the room with a tray in her hands, “This is girl I was telling you about.”

“I gathered that,” Emilia flashes a slight smile, before asking, “Did you finish cleaning the store?”

“M-most of it,” Maya sheepishly looks away.

“Ah I know what it is, add a set of priestess robes to her and she was the woman in Crystal’s shop,” Shiva declares.

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t feel like what it is,” I sigh as something on the corner of my memory bugs me.

“Well you can join us for tea after you finish up,” Emilia scolds Maya with a playful tone, “It won’t take you more than ten minutes.”

“Fine,” Maya mumbles before heading back to the store.

Emilia pours two cups of tea from the kettle and passes one to me before picking up her own and taking a sip from it. I follow suit and as I am sipping from my cup she calmly says, “It has been some time hasn’t it, Ranarre Cin?”

I nearly choke on my tea as she says my old call name, and I can feel my stomach drop as panic begins to set in, “D-did I kill her mate, and not her? Is that why Maya hasn’t mentioned a father?”

“Calm down and take a breath,” Shiva tries to sooth me, “Perhaps she was just a spectator in a crowd during one of your more public jobs. I know that you have seen the looks you have gotten so just shake this off as well since she might just be making a guess.”

I look out of the corner of my eye to the door estimating the amount of time it will take to get out of it and ask as calmly as I can, “Have we met?”

“Oh so you don’t remember,” she says sadly, “I suppose that was seven years ago now though.”

As she says this the image of a priestess with much shorter hair and tears streaming down her face as she asks to be let go comes to mind, and the scars on my back start to burn.

“Yo-you’re,” I choke out as my throat dries up.

“Yes,” she continues smiling slightly, “You saved me and more importantly you saved my daughters, and for that I owe you my everything.”

“You can’t tell anybody,” I interrupt her suddenly and she looks surprised.

“You are a hero though,” she tilts her head in obvious confusion, “You deserve to be recognized.”

I can’t help but to laugh dryly then I bitterly spit out, “You watched me mercilessly slaughter my partners that night and you still call me a hero. You don't even know what I did to cover my tracks as well. You were just lucky that I decided that I was done, half a year earlier and I might have acted differently.”

“That’s not being calm, you are still panicking,” Shiva sounds concerned.

“Hmm,” Emilia tilts her head and then she smiles to me, “I’m not sure that is the truth. You didn’t even hesitate to stop them, and you told me who to talk to too help us as well. If you were really just done, as you say, I don’t think that you would have done that.” I look at her skeptically, and she continues, “And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and to give you my blessing.”

“What am I supposed to make of these people?” I feel conflicted and start to plot the fastest escape route i can. In the pause while I am looking back towards the hallway leading to the store, she moves over to the seat next to me, “eh?”

“May Almeteresia bless you, in love and happiness,” She solemnly declares and kisses me on the forehead. As she leans in I catch the faint scent of incense and something else that I can't quite place.

“Wonderful,” Shiva sighs, “I didn’t realize that she was one of hers.”

“I, what?” I ask reacting far too slowly.

“I am a High Priestess to, technically, your Goddess,” She laughs, “So my blessing carries a lot of weight you know.”

“I don’t worship any of the Gods,” I deny as her scent mixes with the teas.

“You don’t have to, and I think that one day the you will, for all that seek love will eventually find themselves under the care of Almeteresia.”

“I’m not quite sure,” I begin and before I can continue she places her index finger on my lips.

“I have one more thing to talk to you about quickly, I understand that you kissed my daughter,” as she says this her smile becomes far more predatory and no longer reaches her eyes.

“I-it was just on the cheek,” I try to explain feeling my stomach sinking even farther.

“Now I understand that it may be a standard Succubus practice to do so, and you were clearly raised by them” she tilts my head up by placing her finger on my chin. “But my daughter is a bit more sensitive to such dealings, even if she says otherwise. You were the first person to give her a kiss that wasn’t a family member, and she has been obviously thinking about it quite a bit, and I have just one warning to you even if you are my savior. If you break my baby girl’s heart I will do everything in my power to make you quite unhappy. Do we have an understanding?” I nod my head and she smiles again, “Good, and as long as you remember that, I will remember to not speak of our past dealings.”

“I’m starting to think that maybe Maya isn’t the one that ran off all of those suitors,” Shiva offers her thoughts, and about that time the door to the store opens. Maya walks back into the room and Emilia stands back up and goes back to her original seat.

“Indeed,” I agree.

Before Maya moves over to us she quickly reaches up and wraps a small string onto a hook and I trace it and it goes to a small bell nearby. Maya then sits down next to me and sighs comfortably as she picks up her cup, “So what do you think?”

“She is a lovely understanding young woman,” Emilia compliments me.

…

…

…

After over an hour I am completely frazzled with Emilia's every teasing statement, especially after Talia joined us. So when the bell rings I flinch at the sound.

“Ah I have a customer,” Maya stands up and looks back to the store.

“I should head home,” I stand as well, “It is my turn to cook and I should get started soon.”

“I will see you out then,” Emilia follows our movement and Talia hurries back up the stairs.

“You should at least say goodbye,” Maya calls after her, before she turns and walks down the hallway. I follow her and Emilia follows after me. Maya says “Hello how may I help you?”

“I’m looking for a night gown, I had heard that you sell some quite cute ones,” as I round the corner I recognize the voice and I see Iris turn around. When she spots me she just gets this irritating knowing smile on her face, “Oh my what a coincidence.”

“Hmm you two know each other?” Maya asks over her shoulder.

“We are housemates,” Iris continues smiling in that same way and I start to seriously doubt her reason for coming here.

“Your gods have a cruel sense of humor,” I complain Emilia as a headache begins to set in just above my brow, and she just laughs as the others walk towards the side of the store while talking to each other.