FSE

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Bang. Bang. Bang.

An abrupt sound cast me out of my sleep. I stumble upright, shaking as I plant my feet on the ground. Looking around I see I'm still in the storeroom, and the bloodied coat was still there, and still unclean. I only slept for a little bit, right?

Bang. Bang. Bang.

There it was again. Practically inebriated, I stumbled out of the storeroom. My pupils shrivel as I wince, the morning light behind the curtains of the shop felt like a punch to the eyes. Outside the panned window at the front door, a figure continued their banging knocks.

I hobble closer to the door, conscious still hazy. Hands fumbling, I open the handle.

"Hiiiiii~" the one and only screechy voice squealed. I didn't even fully open the door, yet she was already chipper.

Despite how lively the voice was, it was like nails on a chalkboard in my tired state. Poking my head out of the door, I look out. It takes me a couple of seconds and blinks, but I finally manage to see what is in front of me. Evelyn. And to my surprise, she wasn't wearing the hat.

"Did you just wake up?" she asked, her voice filled with a teasing lilt. She was smiling brightly as she held the mage staff in her hands.

I fully open the door and rub one of my eyes. "What time is it?"

Her ears fluttered as she peered inside the shop. "About sunrise. Did Felicity get here yet?"

I glanced back into the empty shop, still trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. "I don't think so?"

Evelyn laughed, her ivory teeth glistening in the morning light. She leaned in close, white snout and whiskers nearly brushing against my face, she asked, "Mind if I come in~?"

Stepping aside, I allowed the eager opossum to dart into the potion shop. Her energetic footsteps echoed through the building, filling the space with a lively rhythm.

She turned to me, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "I guess it's just you and me~."

In an attempt to shake off the sleep that still clings to me, I groggily wipe my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" I ask mid yawn.

She playfully bites her lip and I feel her tail brush against my leg. "How about you lay me out on every inch of this place. Let's make an absolute mess."

I refuse to respond to that, only keeping silent and staring at her.

"Worth a shot," she mutters with a groan and a smirk. "It means, just some good ol' one one-on-one time with a friend I haven't seen in..." She started counting with her fingers. "A couple of years now."

"It has been some time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah... it has," Evelyn replied. She pauses for a moment, and I notice that she is looking me up and down intensely. "Uhm... You know, Lawrence. I know it's been a while, but have you always been so pale? You've been going outside right?"

"Pale?" I look down at my hands, examining my skin. She was right. I didn't notice it before, but I am looking a little pale. I remember Felicity saying the same thing the other night.

Evelyn places a hand on my shoulder. "You better be eating well."

Those words alone made my stomach growl. I stared at her with a tired, blank face. She responded with a head tilt. "Want some breakfast?

Evelyn scooted closer to me with her hands behind her back, clutching her staff. She bent over slightly. "Watcha got?"

I look over to the storeroom and then back at her. "Whatever I can find, I guess."

"You don't eat potions? Do you?" she asked with a skeptical side-eye.

Even with my grogginess, I can't help but stifle a laugh. "No, I eat food like everybody else."

Walking past me, Evelyn lays her staff on the front counter. "How about I help you?!" she turns around and asks me expectantly.

"When did you learn how to cook?" I stretch and try my best to stifle a yawn. "I remember you always asked me to make stuff for you way back when."

"Magic isn't the only thing I'm proficient in~" She winks.

I try not to read between the lines of her words and shuffle into the storeroom. "Well c'mon," I say while waving over the opossum.

She clambers into the cramped room and hastily stands next to me. Looking around the room, her eyes slide across every cabinet and shelf. "I don't think I've ever been back here." Her head tilted. "Then again, I think I've only been in this place, like, once."

I furrow my brow, trying to think back to the time she was talking about, but nothing comes to mind. "When was that?" I inquire, already engrossed in my search for ingredients.

"I think when you first opened it. Remember how you invited everybody?"

I pause, thoughts slipping into the past. How could I forget that?! My first day opening up the shop, I hosted a party. And I forgot?! Everyone was there! "Of course, I remember... Just a bit hazy is all."

"Yeah, well-" She paused the moment her eyes glanced over a certain shelf. Rushing toward the shelf, she picked up a jar full of pieces of shining white-silver metal. "Iridium?!" she exclaimed, sticking her snout up to the jar. "How did you get so much of it?! This stuff is so rare!"

Walking over to her, I take the jar out of her hands and look at it for myself. She is indeed correct, this is the iridium jar. Even a sliver of this stuff is a core ingredient in high-tier potions. "I guess I made a bunch of it through transmutation. Well... when I still had the stone."

I guess she noticed my expression sour as her own shifted from excitement to worry. "Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."

"No, no, it's okay," I wear a fragile smile. I try to change the subject. "How do you know about this stuff anyway? Like you said, it's really rare."

It seemed that she understood what I was trying to do, but she played along. "Oh!... Well, we lace some of our wands with it back at the academy! It speeds up the cast time of some spells." Her voice was beguilingly chipper.

Despite my attempts of trying to change the subject, my mind clung to it. I cast my gaze around, trying to forget about the stone. Thinking about it won't do me any favors right now especially as my stomach is roaring at me for a meal. I notice a barrel stuffed in the corner of the storeroom.

"How do you feel about oatmeal?" I ask Evelyn without averting my gaze from the barrel.

"You have oatmeal?"

I walk over to the barrel and open the lid. The oats inside are in good condition, still retaining their toasted, sweet aroma. "We can make some."

She walks next to me, looking into the barrel. "Yeah! That sounds good."

"Get some bowls," I ask while I look around the cupboard for a clean cup. "They should be on the upper shelf near the brewing stations."

Nodding, the opossum follows my instructions and heads off. I shift my focus to the shelves, scanning for a clean cup. Among the assortment, I find cups filled with potion residue and other unidentifiable substances. Even Amelia's cup from yesterday is there, but none appear clean enough for use.

"I guess I'll finally have to start cleaning my dishes," I mutter to myself, the thought of such an easy and menial task prompting a sigh. Taking the cup that held Amelia's drink from last night, I locate a cleansing potion. Pouring its contents into the cup, I swirl it around for a bit before disposing of the dirty liquid in a waste bucket.

Next, I find a shelf full of an assortment of flasks harboring clear fluids. I squint my eyes, trying to discern which ones held clean water.

"Here's the bowls!" Evelyn exclaims. She walks to my side holding a stack of bowls.

I swish around some of the flasks until I find the ones holding water. I place three flasks on the counter. "Alright, next we need a pot."

Evelyn nods, placing the bowls beside the flasks of water.

Funnily enough, I realize I don't have a traditional pot. However, in one of the corners of the storeroom resides a metallic cauldron situated above a small stone furnace. Despite its traditional purpose for mixing different potions for combined effects, it will have to do as a cooking apparatus for now.

"This'll have to do," I say as I look into the cauldron, making sure it's clean enough for use.

"What's next?"

"Can you pour those flasks of water in it? I'll go scoop some of the oats."

She silently agrees and walks over to the water flasks. I myself, with clean cup in hand, walk over to the barrel full of oats in the other corner of the room. Taking one scoop, I go back to the cauldron and pour it in. I did this several times until the cauldron had a decent amount of oats inside of it.

Evelyn pours the water into the oat-filled cauldron. Taking up a nearby spoon, I stir the oats and water, allowing it to become a slushy mixture. Now all that is required is some heat.

The opossum, already knowing where this is going, crouches down near the stone furnace the cauldron sits on. "Allow me," she says as she points a finger at the furnace. A meager flame spurts out of her clawed fingertip, lighting the furnace in a quick blaze.

I find myself shocked for a moment. "Could you always cast without your staff?" I say as I wave the spoon in my hand, mimicking the flick of a wand.

She wags her finger, causing the flame to go out. "Only for minor utility spells. Never really use it though unless it's for simple tasks like this." She stands to her feet and leans toward me. "Any higher grade spell and I might lose my hand," she playfully whispers with a giggle.

Didn't know it worked like that. "I guess we just wait now," I say as I look down at the heating-up cauldron.

"Do we really need this much oatmeal?" Evelyn asks looking down into the thing with me.

"Well, I want to make some for Felicity and Amelia. Especially Felicity, I know she has an appetite."

Evelyn's eyes widen for a bit and her ears perked up. "Oh! How's Amelia doing? Did she make it home well last night? After the whole thing that happened."

I almost forgot to mention it to her. "She's actually up in my room sleeping right now."

Her eyes widen further as I realize how misleading my wording was. "You guys didn't!" she exclaimed with a sly grin.

I smirk at her remark. "No, Evelyn, no I did not. I couldn't finish the potion I made last night, so she had to stay the night."

She raised her eyebrow. "Is that right?"

Subconsciously, my brow furrows and I toss the skeptic the spoon. "Stir the oatmeal for a bit, I need to get some sugar."

Snatching it out of the air, Evelyn happily nods and starts stirring the contents of the now-bubbling cauldron.

Walking toward a cupboard, I pick up a small vial of white sugar. "Here, catch." I throw the vial toward Evelyn, who surprisingly catches it.

"Sooooo," she started while pouring the sugar into the cauldron. "Can I ask you about something?"

I walk toward her and stand by her side, inspecting her cauldron-stirring technique. "Depends on what it is."

"May I ask about what happened, you know, during the 'incident'?" Evelyn pauses, her voice carrying a note of hesitation. "But if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. I don't want to pry. But I really want to help."

A deep breath fills my lungs almost involuntarily. A weary "Sure" slips from my lips, the word heavy with reluctance. I attempt to keep my tone light, but the weight of the situation casts a somber shadow over my words.

"How do you feel about it?"

I pause, curious about where this conversation is headed.

Her ears turn in my direction. Hearing my hesitation, she speaks up. "I mean, like, how are you coping with something like that?"

"Well damn," I solemnly mutter. "I-" My words hitch in my throat. "I don't know."

Her gaze remains fixed on the cauldron she's stirring, but I can see a warm smile growing on the side of her face. "Want to talk to me about it?"

I try to think of what to say. "I-" I pause, my words get caught in my throat again. "I'm not sure... It's all still kind of... raw, you know?"

"You don't need to have all the answers right now," she assures me gently. "From what I've seen, even though it's been a while, you've always had this..." She pulls the spoon out of the cauldron and waves it around. "This tendency to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."

I did, didn't I? I softly chuckle as I think back to my past.

She turned her attention back toward the cauldron. "With something this heavy, it's better to split the load, ya know?"

"That's why I asked you for help."

Turning her head, she looked at me with a slightly annoyed glance. "Not like that dummy. I mean emotionally."

"Emotionally?" I repeat, caught off guard by her straightforwardness.

She resumes her oatmeal churning, long pink tail swaying rhythmically behind her. "Yes, emotions, everyone has them. You're not exempt."

Maybe talking about it won't be so bad. I take a deep breath, trying to sort out my thoughts. "I just... I just feel so lost. It happened so fast, and... and-" My mouth fails me as I stutter.

"Slow down, sweetie, I'm not going anywhere," she giggles while brushing her tail against my side.

I catch myself stammering and inhale. Looking down at my palms, I sort out my thoughts. "Thinking you know someone, believing they were your friend, and then one day, they show up and tear out your heart. It's like... like everything you thought was real just wasn't."

Her warm, prehensile tail wraps around one of my open palms as if she is trying to hold my hand. I look over to Evelyn. She is still focused on the oatmeal but I can tell she is smiling. The gesture causes me to crack a small smile of my own.

She glances at me for a moment. "I'd offer you a hand, but..." she nods her head toward the cauldron "mine are kind of full."

"I-" Pausing briefly, I return the gesture, gently clasping her tail in my hand. "Thank you, Evelyn."

"Just know, no matter what happens or who betrays you, you've got people looking out for you. I don't know what we were back then, but now, I'm here for you. So don't be scared to talk about your feelings sometimes. You'll thank yourself later, I promise!" Evelyn's voice is tender, offering reassurance and comfort with a genuine warmth in her tone.

As her words wash over me, I'm taken aback. Her usual lustful demeanor is no longer present, only a tender and almost motherly feeling oozed from her words. I almost forgot that there is a wise mage under her usual heap of horny remarks. This makes my smile grow a little larger.

Her pink tail slipped out of my grasp as it curled to her side. She takes the oatmeal-covered spoon out of the cauldron and sticks it in her mouth. "Anyway," she began, her voice back to being light and playful as she removed the spoon from her mouth, "Breakfast is ready, Potion Master~" She gently tapped the utensil against my forehead with a smile.

I could feel my face twist and insides cringe as she said that stupid name. How does she still remember that?

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Me and Evelyn both snap toward the source of the loud noise. It sounds like someone is at the front door. Must be Felicity.

I start walking for the door. "That's probably the big girl herself. Mind turning down the heat in the furnace? I'll be right back."

"Be quick~" Despite my back being turned as I leave the storeroom, I could tell she winked while saying that.

As I scampered toward the front door, I could see a familiar silhouette out of the paned window. A big tall shadow with pointy ears waited for me on the other side. I could even see a bushy tail waving around.

Opening the front door, my suspicions were immediately affirmed. There stood Felicity, wearing one of her guard uniforms, haphazardly buttoned and untucked. The large vixen peered down at me with her half-lidded brown eyes and a tired face. "Am I late?" she asked.

I step to the side, allowing her access inside. "Morning to you too, Felicity. We got breakfast inside."

She walks inside with a yawn, white-tipped tail twitching at my words. "We?"

I start walking toward the storeroom with the fox following directly beside me. "Evelyn made it here first, we made oatmeal."

Her fluffy ears perk up and swivel toward me. "Really?"

"Yep!" Evelyn spoke out, poking her fuzzy, white snout out of the storeroom.

"Hey, Evelyn," Felicity says with a weak, fatigued wave.

The opossum cheerfully waved back.

Felicity and I both walked into the now very cramped storeroom. I was almost bumping from shoulder to shoulder as the vixen and jill crowded me.

The fox twitched her nose, sniffing the air. "That smells good!" she exclaimed, practically yelling.

I nudge her shoulder, which is already practically bumping against mine. "Keep it down, Amelia is sleeping upstairs."

"What?" She looked at me, confused. "Why is she sleeping in your room?"

"Lawrence took her to bed last night~" Evelyn teased.

"You guys didn't!" Felicity roared as she looked deep into my eyes with her brown orbs, demanding an explanation.

I sigh in defeat. The once wise mage handing out nuggets of advice is now back to her usual antics. "Nothing happened. She wasn't doing too well last night so she crashed here."

She gave me a skeptical look, then immediately got swept back into the scent of freshly made oatmeal. Her eyes softened as they locked onto the cauldron.

"Hungry?" Evelyn asks, noticing Felicity's look.

"Yeah, I came here right as I woke up, didn't eat anything yet."

Since the oatmeal is about done, it should be good to eat now. But not in this cramped room, I can't even move two inches without bumping into someone's shoulder. "Give me a second," I say as I shuffle out of the storeroom. In the main lobby of the shop, I spot a decently sized square table. I usually use it to display potions when the shop is open, but it's empty right now. Perfect for dining.

Poking my head into the storeroom to look for any chairs, I notice Felicity already helping herself to the food. Using the spoon Evelyn had, the vixen was hunched over the cauldron taking hasty scoops of the oatmeal. Evelyn weakly tries to pull her away, but her efforts are futile, the fox is like a stone wall.

"Hey!" I scream into the room.

Felicity's ears perked up and whipped her head toward me. Her pupils dilated as she saw me. She tried saying something, probably an apology, but her full mouth made it incoherent.

"Quit eating the food and help me set up the table," I say to the voracious vixen.

Halting her gobbling, she straightened up and nodded, as if nothing happened. She mumbled something incoherent again before swallowing.

I looked around the storeroom, searching for any chairs or seats we could use for the table. I notice the stool Amelia was sitting on last night. While it wasn't top-tier comfort, it would do perfectly. I walk over and start picking it up. As I tug and pull, I notice that I am struggling to pick up the wooden stool. Why is this thing so heavy? Must be tired or something.

In fruit of my efforts, I finally managed to hoist the thing over my shoulder.

"Doin' alright there?" Felicity asked while watching me struggle. She was carrying a similar stool under her arm.

"Y-Yeah-" I heaved, carrying the stool out of the store room.

The effort I exude just to move a simple stool is a little concerning. Maybe all the potion shop managing made my muscles weak. Finally, I make it to the table and slowly place the stool on the ground.

Felicity slams the stool she was holding next to mine with a thud. "God, it looks like you just got back from a dungeon crawl or something.

"I'm-" Before I could respond, the weakness in my wrists wriggled throughout my palms, accompanied by a weird feeling crawling up my spine. My legs stammered before catching myself from falling. A light feeling envelops my head, causing me to brace against the table with one hand. My consciousness almost slips as my vision distorts into a blur of colors. The world around me began to spin.

Then as soon as the feeling started, it went away in seconds. My vision coming back as well as the dizziness practically evaporating. I straighten myself and take a deep breath.

"Woah! Hey! You okay there?" Felicity exclaimed as she gently put a hand on my back. "You're looking a little wobbly."

I don't even know what happened myself. I turn my gaze toward Felicity, who has a slightly concerned look in her brown eyes. "I-" I pause to take a deep breath and stabilize myself. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Everything okay out here?" Evelyn asked placing another stool next to the table. After placing the seat down, she turned to look at me.

"Yeah," I put a hand to my head. "Everything's okay." I pause for a couple of seconds, unsure how to process what just happened. It was almost as if nothing happened since it happened so fast, but I almost just passed out again. I look between Felicity and Evelyn and give them a reassuring smile. "Just still tired." At least I didn't black out like the last couple of times.

"You sure you want to head over to my estate?" Evelyn asked as she sat on the stool she brought in. "I don't want you to pass out or anything on the way there."

"I agree," Felicity nodded and crossed her arms "With what happened to you that night, I say you should still be in bed."

"I'm fine." I roll my eyes and smile. "Thanks, mom," I say sarcastically.

Felicity laughed at my remark. "You know I like it when you call me that."

Evelyn giggled softly, resting her elbows on her lap and delicately leaning her chin into the cradle of her palms. "Well, I used to like it when he called me snookums whenever he-"

I raise a palm in front of her snout. "Stop."

Felicity snickers. "Snookums?" she asked as she sat on the stool she placed down. "Never heard about this. And here I thought mommy was weird."

A sly grin grew across the opossum's face. "Well, I thought snookums was sweet~"

That is much worse than Potion Master. I sigh and raise a hand to my head, trying to cover the modicum of shame that still clings to me from the past. "Let's just eat."

"Fine by me, snookums," Felicity shrugged with a final laugh.

I find myself involuntarily rolling my eyes at the remark. "God."

"Oh!" Evelyn perked up, furry ears fluttering. "What about Amelia? Can't let her miss out on some nice breakfast."

My eyes widen as I realize I almost forgot about the rat sleeping in my bed. "I'll go wake her up. I'll be right back. Finish setting up the table."

"You got it, snookums~" Felicity replies, holding back another burst of laughter.

I try not to sigh and march toward the storeroom. After clambering up the stairs and walking through the hallway, I make it to the closed door of my room. Leaning close, I listen to the other side. Snoring. Amelia must still be sleeping.

With a quiet creak, I peered inside. The morning sun lit the room with a warm light, adding an almost golden hue to the floor and walls. I turn my eyes to the bed to see the source of the snoring. On the mattress lay Amelia. She was sleeping in a very odd position. Practically folding over herself, she lay on her stomach while one of her arms was craned over her head. Her body was twisted and her tail strewn about haphazardly. Needless to say, she was out.

Slowly stepping into the room, the wooden floorboards squeaked beneath me with each step. Upon reaching the bed, I notice that her appraisal glasses were on the floor. Must have fell off during her sleep. Picking up the things, I turn my attention to the still snoring Amelia. Her gray fur is fluffed and ruffled, her ears are flopped at the sides of her head, and there is a string of drool dripping out of her open mouth. Being this close to her and inside the room, the snores were incredibly loud. And despite her bizarre sleeping position, she looked very comfortable.

I notice that she wasn't wearing her shoes. I looked around before spotting the leather footwear strewn about on the ground at the back of the bed. Even in her stupor, she was polite enough to remove her shoes when going to bed.

Despite how comfortable she looks, breakfast isn't getting any hotter.

Feeling slightly bad, I gently tap the rat's shoulder. No reaction, just more snoring. I tap a little harder. Nothing. I give her a full-blown nudge. Nothing but snores. Despite her unresponsiveness to my attempts to wake her up, she began mumbling something. While the words were practically incoherent, I swore she said my name.

Now grasping one of her shoulders, I shake. While the shaking was kept at a minimum, I put enough effort to wake her up. As soon as I did, the loud snores stopped and the rat groggily pried her eyes open. She looked confused and dazed while still in her precarious position.

Her sleepy eyes slowly looked around the room before landing on me. "Morning Lawrence..." she said with a drawn out yawn. Once her yawn ended, he paused. Her eyes widened and stared at me. Then, in a split second, she sat up, eyes almost bugging out of her head. "Lawrence?!" she shouts.

"Morning," I reply "sleep well?"

She looks around the room again, almost as if she didn't know where she was. Her red eyes looked down at herself then slowly slid up to me, a shocked expression slowly made its way onto her face. "W-We d-didn't!?"

I chuff and shake my head. "No, we didn't." I put my free hand on her shoulder. "But we have breakfast ready downstairs."

Noticing the drool that matted the fur near her mouth, Amelia wiped at her face. "W-We?" she asked, still trying to rub the stuff out.

"Felicity and Evelyn are here. We planned to meet here before heading out to the train station." I notice I was still holding her glasses. "Oh, and you dropped these."

It took her a moment to realize I was holding out her glasses as she was still preoccupied with rubbing the drool out of her fur. Once she did realize, she meekly took them out of my hand with a faint squeak and put them on. "Thank you..." she muttered.

I offer her a hand. "Best head down before the food gets cold, yeah?"

Looking between me and my extended palm, the rat stammers. She doesn't manage to say anything complete, but only shyly grasps my hand. I hoist her out of the bed. She stumbles for a moment before finding her footing. I notice her pink tail thrashing about behind her.

"T-Thank you," she murmurs, hand clinging tight to mine.

We stare at each other. Moreso Amelia is staring at me than vice versa. Her gaze slowly shifts down to our holding hands. I feel her palms getting sweaty as she tightens her grip. Then, in a burst of energy, her pupils dilate, ears perk up, and she lets go. She looks like she is in a daze with her wide eyes and twitching nose.

"Sorry! I'll be going downstairs now!" she declares while practically sprinting out of the room. She didn't even grab her shoes, just bolting straight for the door, pink tail trailing behind her.

"Don't trip on your way down," I respond with a laugh.

I hear the quick pitter-patter of her bare feet reaching the stairwell, and then consecutive creaks of wood mark her descent to the storeroom.

Now that Amelia is officially awake, we would still need another chair for the table. Conveniently, out of the corner of my eye, I spot a chair. It looks like it has gone unused and collected some dust, but it'll do. At least it isn't another stool.

Walking to the chair, I start to pick it up. That is until my wrists and fingers ache. The new-found weight of the chair makes me stop. It's not unbearable, but it certainly feels oddly hefty for a chair. Very similar to the stool downstairs. What's going on here? Why are all these chairs all of a sudden so heavy? Or maybe... it's me.

Curious, I look around the room and find a lone bottle full of green liquid resting on a nearby shelf. I try and pick it up. Yet, the same thing happens. It feels much heavier than it should be. I pick up the flask and hold it. My arm wobbles and my wrist aches as I continue holding it up, almost like I'm lifting weights. I place it back on the shelf with a sigh.

That can't be good. With how I struggle to pick up mundane everyday items, it's as if I'm getting weaker. I look down at my palm. My skin looks slightly sallow and pale. Now that really can't be good.

I churn my thoughts trying to think why. Perhaps I'm still weary after the whole run-in with Djura. No, that doesn't seem likely. The amount of time that has passed along with the use of a healing potion should've negated physical debilitations by now. Maybe the missing stone in my chest is the reason. Possible, but not entirely probable. What if I actually-

"Hey! Hurry up slow-poke, food's gettin' cold!" Felicity roars from downstairs, breaking up my thoughts. "If you're not gonna make it, I'm going to eat it all!"

I heard a chuckle accompanying the vixen's demands. "She already ate half of the oatmeal! Please be quick!" Evelyn's bubbly voice chimed in.

Rubbing my sore wrists, I respond, "Yeah, yeah. Be right down!"

Even if I feel a little weaker, It's not impeding anything major right now. I bet some nice breakfast will help. I also shouldn't mention this to the others, they'll probably flip a lid and be even more concerned than they already are. Felicity might just pop a vein with stress.

I walk over to the chair and struggle to pick it up. Despite my weak arms, I manage to hoist it over my shoulder like a heavy sack of grain. With careful, measured steps, I make it out of my room and downstairs.

"Is it all gone?" I ask while walking out of the backroom with strained breaths.

Felicity shrugged as she sat on a stool. "Yeah, sorry. All gone."

I could tell she was fucking with me by the tone of her voice. A quick glance at the table confirmed my suspicion. On the wood sat four bowls full of steaming oatmeal. Evelyn, Felicity, and Amelia all sat on stools looking at me while I approached. I placed the chair next to Felicity and caught my breath.

Felicity eyes me as I tiredly sit down. She eyes the chair I brought and says, "You took a while up there, you alright?" Accompanying her comment, she slides me my bowl of oatmeal, along with a spoon.

"I'm fine," I say while clearing my throat.

I pull the steaming bowl closer to me. Looking around, I notice Evelyn and Amelia sitting next to each other across the table. With the familiar faces around me, it feels like I'm at a dinner table with family. Deja vu.

"Should we say grace or can we eat now?" Felicity asks, looking between everyone at the table.

A tired laugh escapes my lips. "Yeah, dig in."

"Don't eat it all in one gulp," Evelyn teases her.

I hear Amelia giggle at the comment.

Without even saying anything the vixen starts downing her food. With quick movements, the spoon dives into the bowl and then immediately to her mouth. Evelyn and Amelia both had a bit more table manners while eating, both taking much more dainty and calm bites.

I might as well dig in too.

With the first scoop entering my mouth, I let the oatmeal sit on my tongue before swallowing. Not bad. It tastes sweet but keeps its oaty, toast-like flavor. Some cinnamon would have been a nice complement though. Could probably do that next time.

Besides the sounds of clattering wooden spoons and a voracious fox filling the room, no one said a word. In the silence, and between bites, I look around the table. Evelyn, humming between each spoonful, seemed content with her work on the oatmeal. Amelia also looked like she was enjoying herself, not a trace of the teleportation fatigue lingered as she continued to eat her food. Felicity, needless to say, enjoyed it. I'm amazed she hasn't finished her bowl yet with how fast she was chowing it down.

All this camaraderie slowly drags my mind back toward Djura. Fuck. I can't even eat without feeling my chest hurt. It still feels like that knife is still in my chest, just wriggling around, getting deeper and deeper until...

"Hey," Felicity asks as I feel her hand gently land on my shoulder. "You're looking all mopey."

Glancing up, I look toward her face. She's smiling warmly, but a hint of concern could be seen by her slightly flattened ears. I stammer, words failing me as I try to respond

Looking at the other members at the table, A pang of guilt wriggles throughout me. This isn't their problem, yet I'm practically dragging everyone with me. "Hey, uh, I don't want to keep repeating myself," I say while clearing my throat. "But if you guys don't want to come with me, you don't. This is my fault, I don't want to rope everyone into this."

Felicity looks immediately taken aback at my words. "You're fault?! What, getting backstabbed by an old friend is your fault?"

I look down at my bowl, the steam from the oatmeal rising to meet my face. "Okay, wrong choice of words. It's just... my problem, not anyone else's. I shouldn't have even asked you guys to join me." I look between Felicity and Evelyn. "I haven't seen you guys in years and I'm asking this much. It feels like... like I'm using you or something."

I hear a heavy sigh across the table and lift my gaze to meet Evelyn's intent stare. She takes a moment, as if weighing her words carefully, before finally speaking. "Lawrence, sweetie, we're not here out of obligation. We're here because we want to help you." She looks into my eyes, the blue hues of her iris shine in the morning sun as it flitters through the windows. A tender smile lays on her face. "Remember this morning? You've got people looking out for you."

Felicity glances at the opossum, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "What happened this morning?"

She winks directly at me. "Just had a li'l pep talk." She chuckled. "Nothing crazy."

The fox shakes her head and then looks at me. "Well, yeah, she has a point. I'm concerned about you, Lawrence. Seeing you go through this alone makes me..." Her ears droop. "I don't know... mad? I'm not letting you do this by yourself."

The sheer yet unintentional sweetness of the comment causes me to smile. "Wow, Felicity," I say, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She stammers and coughs, her previously droopy ears perking straight up. "Uh, yeah." She shifts her attention back to her bowl of oatmeal. "Just... uh... please don't get hurt anymore." She paused for a moment. "Please."

I pat her shoulder then remove my hand. "I won't. I promise."

Picking up her spoon, the vixen started prodding at the oatmeal she was once ravaging. "I'm just concerned... Like really concerned."

Evelyn chuckled across the table. "You and me both. I'd be lying if you didn't give me a scare after what you said about Djura."

"Me too!" A booming voice resounded across the table. I look over to see Amelia, standing up with her hands on the table. Her determined yet flushed expression was practically glued to me. She was so quiet I almost forgot she was at the table.

As silence settled upon the flustered rat, only the heavy huffs of her breaths could be heard. Me, Felicity, and Evelyn all stare at her with confused faces.

Evelyn lowers the spoon of oatmeal she was about to eat. "Uh-"

Amelia's stance, once resolute, started to wobble. She glanced at all of us then immediately sat down with her hands on her lap. She kept her gaze locked onto her bowl of oatmeal. "Uh... Uhm... I'm sorry. I-I just... I'm concerned too."

This is becoming quite the breakfast to remember.

I stammer as well before my tongue finally decides to comply with my words. "Thank you, Amelia."

She didn't respond, just staring down at her bowl. An awkward silence fell on our breakfast not long after I said that. The three slowly resumed eating as the clacking of wooden spoons filled the room.

Still feeling slightly guilty, I cut the silence again. "Well, what about your position in the guard?" I ask as I point my spoon to Felicity. "And your role as a professor?" I shift the spoon to Evelyn. "I don't want you guys getting fired because of me."

Felicity doesn't even remove her eyes from the meal. "Don't worry about the guard, they let me do whatever with my rank. And besides, it's been way too boring lately."

Evelyn shrugs and puts on a sly look. "Lily can cover for me. To be honest, while I'm the better mage, she's the better teacher."

"Well, yeah but..." I pause as the fox, opossum, and rat all stare at me. They don't say anything, but the looks on their faces say it all. Genuine concern. I crack a smile in response and look down at my bowl. "Thanks, guys... really."

---

"Thank you, Cooper!" Evelyn screams as she waves at the carriage rolling away.

I myself wave at the carriage as it blends in with the city traffic, all but disappearing from view as it goes down the cobbled road. Looking around, we were dropped off on the side of a busy street. Humans and beast kin alike clambered in and out of buildings. Parties of adventurers held bags of spoils or were preparing for a quest by going down to the market. Artisans and merchants tried peddling to all as they showed off their wares.

Felicity looks around the busy city. "This is as close as we can get to the station by carriage." She glanced at Amelia for a moment before returning her attention to the streets.

The rat dipped her head in apology. "S-Sorry."

I gently pat her on the back. "Don't be. I'm not letting you get sick by teleporting again. One ill rat is quite the handful."

She looks at me and mumbles. "P-Please don't remind me."

"It's alright," Evelyn interjects as she shoves herself between me and Amelia. "I personally enjoy the carriage talk." She slings one hand around my shoulder and her other around Amelia's. "By the way, Lawrence. I forgot to mention but what's with the bag?" She nods down to the small messenger bag that is slung around my side.

Clutching the sick, I could feel the bottles and vials inside clink together. "Well, it's always good to have some potions on you. Never know what might happen."

"Yeah?" the opossum prods. "Whatever happened to the giant thing you wore on your back when we were still a thing."

"The rucksack? Yeah, I still have it."

"If you wanted potions why not bring that thing then? It's big enough to hold as many as you want."

I shrug. "It's a bit... too big."

Honestly, if I could bring the rucksack, I would. Leaving the city without my stone isn't the safest idea, especially with a certain hyena lurking god knows where. However, the overbearing weakness in my limbs from this morning still persists, even after a full breakfast. The weight of the rucksack alone would crush me in this state, so an adequately sized bag would have to do for now.

I feel bad for not letting them know about this condition, but it's probably for the best. I don't even know what it really is myself, and I wouldn't want to make everyone even more worried than they already probably are now. At least until I figure out what it is.

"Watcha got in there anyway?" Evelyn asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. She lifts the lid of the satchel and peers inside from over my shoulder.

The shining glass of several bottles covered with corks emit from inside. Some housed crimson red liquid while others had dark green concoctions. "Hmmm," I ponder while looking over the potions. "Well, I have some-"

Felicity walks by and slaps Eveyln on the back of her head. "We can talk on the train. C'mon, or we'll miss it."

I reluctantly nod. Despite the fact that the fox was right, I wanted to talk about the potions.

Me, Evelyn, and Amelia start walking with Felicity toward the station. The masses of people only seemed to get more dense as we got closer to our destination. Despite this, Felicity's big, bushy, white-tipped tail practically acted as a beacon amid the sea of people. Without it, we would probably get swept away immediately.

Walking a little more, we made it to the central part of the city. Echoing throughout the streets was a cocktail of noises. Crowds conversed, people laughed, arguments were held. Musicians sang and played ballads while magicians dazzled crowds with tricks and glamour. Peppered at the side of buildings and roads were several tents and tables. Hosting them were various types of merchants displaying their goods. They varied from human, beast, and even lizard.

I look to Felicity, her face strict and unphased, focusing solely on our destination. Evelyn was just as focused, but instead of a reserved expression, she was smiling and humming giddily. Amelia, however, was fascinated by her surroundings. Her head whipped around, taking in every sight she could see.

Felicity chuckles and glances at Amelia. "Never been to this part of the city?"

"Only when I was a kid, it's amazing how busy this place is!" Amelia enthusiastically responds. "There's so many people."

"Yeah, this is one of the more busier times," I chime in.

"Just watch your back," Evelyn says. "Keep a good eye on your pockets."

"Yeah and don't go into any alleyways," Felicity adds. "And watch out for the hecklers." She starts smirking and nods toward one of the tents lining the side of the street. "Like that."

In the distance where Felicity nodded, I could see a kobold in red robes waving at us under one of the many tents. His vibrant choice of clothes as well as his frantic waving made him stand out from the other shopkeepers. He was practically jumping up and down.

"You!" the kobold artisan blurts while pointing directly at our party. "Yes! Group with big fox! Come!" Despite the noisy nature of the area, his shrill voice practically pierced the air and my ears. He presented and waved around various trinkets and baubles, in an attempt to entice us to walk over.

Felicity puts an arm around the rat. "Don't even look at them. You'll lose money just by looking at their stuff."

"B-but, the stuff he has looks so cool," she meekly protests.

I nod in agreement. "Trust her, they'll-"

I pause as I notice the kobold whip out bags of herbs and powders. Even from this distance, I could see that they are potion ingredients. I recognize some of it. Maybe it wouldn't hurt just to get a closer look.

"Hey... uh... I'll catch up with you guys I just wanna go look at something," I say as I stop walking.

The three stop as well and look at me. Felicity has her eyebrow raised skeptically while Evelyn tilts her head. Amelia looks a little more clueless than the two but still has a hint of curiosity.

"What exactly are you going to look at," Felicity asks.

I smile nervously. "Just, uh, seen something I like. Potion stuff."

"Oh! Can I look too!?" Amelia excitedly asks.

Felicity grumbles and her expression softens while she looks between me and Amelia. "Alright, you two go ogle at whatever while me and Evelyn go get the tickets." She slaps the opossum on the back.

"Aw, but I wanted to look too..." Evelyn manages to say before being dragged off with Felicity to the station.

Amelia watches as the two disappear into the crowd then looks back toward me. "So what do you want to look at!" Her excited expression starts to turn more nervous. "W-Well... you know... what did you have in mind."

"I point toward the kobold who is still smiling and waving at us. "That little guy had something that looked neat."

"Neat?"

I nod as we start walking toward the kobold. "Some herbs that caught my eye is all. We'll catch up with the other two right after I take a peak."

"N-no rush!" she stammers.

"Still, it shouldn't take l-"

"Customers! Yes! Please, please look!" the loud lizard cuts me off as soon as we were in talking rage. "What caught your eye? Hmm?"

I squat down to get at eye level with the little guy and point toward the burlap sack filled with plants, herbs, and other colorful vegetation. "Those."

Amelia crouched down and looked at what I was pointing at intently. She didn't say anything, only looking as the kobold picked up the bag and presented it to us.

"You and girlfriend like plants?!" The kobold exclaimed. "I have best plants! Best plants in Hemwick!"

"Best plants?" I question.

"Girlfriend?!" Amelia questions.

"Yes yes! Best plants! Used by many for plant-like things! Look!" The lizard smirks while practically shoving the bag in my face.

I pluck out a red petal and look at it closely, appraising its quality. "Where did you get these?"

Amelia starts mumbling, her words barely audible. "We're not dating! We're just-"

The kobold shakes his head vigorously. "My methods are secret! Can't let competition know!"

"Here, Amelia, look at this," I say as I present her the petal.

The rat, red as a beat, stops mumbling and clears her throat. She shakily takes the plant out of my hand and looks at it. Her embarrassed face turns more focused as she looks closer at it. She fiddles her appraisal glasses up and down, trying to discern what it is.

Her focus turns into confusion as she looks toward me with a tilted head. "Lawrence, this plant doesn't seem very much like anything, just a common leaf. Why would-"

The kobold swipes it out of her hand and stuffs the petal back into the sack. "Hush! Plant is very best! You have to buy!"

"How much for the whole sack?" I ask the screaming reptile.

He stops yelling and puts a hand on his chin. "Very rare, very hard to get plant, very very expensive." A little grin slowly grows on his face. "But for you friend, two gold!"

"Two gold?!" Amelia exclaims, flabbergasted. "Lawrence! This is-"

"Deal," I say as I reach into my messenger bag and pull out a sack of coins. Pulling out two gold coins, I hand them to the kobold, who excitedly swipes them from my hand.

Amelia still looks shaken, the confusion on her face only intensifying. "Lawrence! What- Why-"

The kobold starts giggling while stashing the gold into a nearby bag. He throws me the sack of herbs and I catch it.

"Thank you," I say as I stand and start walking away.

"I should be thanking you," the little reptile, his giggles turning into fading laughter as we depart.

Amelia follows closely behind me as we walk into the crowd. "Lawrence, why did you waste two gold on common plants?" she questions, sounding horribly confused. "I think you just got scammed!"

I look at her with a smirk. "What makes you say that?"

"W-Well, my glasses didn't pick up anything special, it just seemed like a basic leaf."

"Look at this," I say as I pluck a petal out of the sack and present it to her. "To most alchemists, and to your glasses, these plants are practically worthless."

Still confused, the rat nods.

I wave the petal around. "However, when combining this with a growth potion, its effects start getting... weird."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when used with a growth potion, it allows you to add in another component. This component will be merged in the plants caused by the growth potion."

Amelia stays quiet for a couple of seconds. "I'm a little confused," she says after a moment.

"What happens when you use a basic growth potion?" I ask.

She tilts her upward in thought. "Well, it causes plants and roots to burst out of the point of impact... right?"

"Right. Now with this herb, and let's say for example the new component is..." I gesture my hand in thought. "Is let's say iron or some metal. Then when using the growth potion, the roots and plants that burst out will be made of that metal. Get it?"

Amelia snaps her head to look at me, surprised as the realization sets in. "Really?! I have never known that! I've never even heard of that."

"Yep. And believe it or not, these plants are pretty rare. Their inconspicuous nature lets them go unnoticed by even the best Alchemists. That's why most people don't even know about it."

She stares at the plant in my hand. "How much would they usually go for, well if the person knows how valuable it is?"

Good question, due to its rare and basically undocumented nature, nobody would really sell these. "Probably, like..." I stare at the bag in thought. "Four hundred gold for this whole sack."

Amelia halts in her tracks after I say that, eyes wide. She only starts walking again after a couple of people bump into her due to her sudden stop. "And you got it for only two gold!" she exclaims.

"Yep. Quite the steal in my opinion," I respond while chuckling.

"How do you even know about this?!"

I put the petal in the bag with the rest of the herbs. "It's been a while, but I am still the potion master."

Right after I said that I realize how lame that sounds.

---

"Took you two long enough!" Felicity yells as we approach the station.

She is waving her arms in the air, trying to get our attention as well as drawing looks from onlookers. I notice Evelyn is talking to a man in a booth, probably the teller.

It doesn't take long until we are face to face with the vixen. "What'd you two get?" Felicity questions. "Food? Because I'm getting pretty hungry."

"With all the oatmeal you had this morning and you're still hungry?" I scoff.

"Big gal's gotta eat," she teases.

"We didn't get any food," I reach into the messenger bag and bring out the burlap sack full of herbs and plants. "But check this out, super rare herbs for only two gold."

Felicity cranes down and sniffs the bag. "You should've got food."

I roll my eyes and put the sack back into the messenger bag. "Get the tickets yet?"

"Right here!" Evelyn chimes in as she approaches the three of us, waving around four tickets in her hands. "It's leaving soon so we should be quick."

I nod and get closer to Evelyn. "Yeah, I think this is my first time on a train."

The opossum nodded. "Yeah? I've gone a couple of times it's pretty cool."

"Well," Felicity added, "I've been a couple of times as well, they're still pretty new." A smug expression grew on her face as she inhaled, ready for a rant. "Well actually, the guard has issued a heavily armored version and I was one of the first..."

Something behind Felicity caught my attention as she continued talking. A fair amount of distance away, a figure in a black robe stood still amid the ever-moving masses. It almost looked like they were staring directly at me. Due to the hood, I couldn't see their face, but something didn't feel right about them.

They just stood menacingly, until they started to walk. Slowly they approached, weaving through the crowd.

"Hey," Felicity says while flicking my forehead. "Spacing out over there?"

I snap my eyes to Felicity and then back to the hooded figure. But it wasn't there, only the masses of walking people. It was as if they disappeared. I dart my eyes around trying to locate them, but to no avail.

Felicity started snapping her fingers. "Hey! You passing out on us again?"

"Are you okay Lawrence?" Amelia questions as she puts her hand on my shoulder.

I break my search and look back toward the vixen, her ears were pointing straight up. "No," I clear my throat. "No, I'm good, just thought I saw something is all. Let's just get to the train."

"Follow me!" Evelyn says as she starts marching away.

I follow her to the giant hunk of metal on wheels, the other two following closely behind me. We all quickly clambered inside one of the cars with a hoard of other people. I was practically shoved inside by another mob all rushing inside. Now I was shoulder to shoulder with Felicity and Amelia as we all followed Evelyn. Not only was it cramped, but it was loud. It was a symphony of voices talking, conversing, and yelling.

"So where exactly are we going to sit?" Amelia asked with strained breaths, almost being squished by all the other people.

"I got us some high-class rooms, they're up here somewhere," Evelyn replied, scanning each booth and looking back at the tickets in her hand.

"The military trains weren't this cramped," Felicity says, looking very uncomfortable. She had it worse due to her size as she also had to crane her neck down lest her head be constantly bumping into the ceiling.

"Here it is!" Evelyn exclaimed as she opened up one of the doors to a side booth.

The four of us clamber in. Within the booth were two long, cushioned seats both facing each other. Each looked like they could hold three people, more than enough room for all of us. On the wall of the booth, opposite the door, was a paned window.

"I call the window seat!" I yell as I rush toward the desired space.

"Calm down," Felicity chuckles enthusiastically as she looks around the small cabin. "I guess it's just us in here."

Right as I sit down, two other people enter the booth. They were two beastwomen. A black and brown rabbit and a lithe fox with a smooth white coat. It seems like we are not the only ones who reserved the booth.

They both look at us and smile with luggage in their hands.

"Hello!" The rabbit says while waving. "I guess we are booth buddies for this trip!"

"Nice to meet you," I respond with a wave of my own.

"A little cramped, no?" Felicity says, her enthusiasm all but vanished, and her stern composure returned.

I squint my eyes and give Felicity a look that says "don't be rude".

She returns the look with one that says "don't tell me what to do".

"Uh yeah," the lithe fox starts, "it is really busy today."

"Do you mind if we sit right here?" the rabbit chimes in, pointing at the seats right next to mine.

Felicity's expression turns from stern to annoyed. "Actually-"

"Yeah sure," I say while scooching a little closer to the window.

I could practically hear Evelyn smirk a little.

"Thank you so much," the rabbit says while sitting next to me and placing her luggage on the ground.

The small fox remains silent while sitting next to the rabbit, but smiles at me.

Evelyn, Felicity, and Amelia all sit on the opposite seat. Their faces looked less than savory, besides Evelyn, she had a big grin on her long snout while glancing over at Felicity periodically. But as soon as the ruckus outside of our booth calmed down and everyone found their seats, the shrieking whistle of the train sounded.

I involuntary jump at the sound, not expecting something so loud. As soon as the whistle ended, the engine of the train roared and we began to move.

The rabbit giggles to herself. "Is this your first time on a train?" she asks.

"Oh, uh, yeah," I respond while turning my gaze from the window to her. "I guess it is my first time on a train."

"If you get motion sick, you could hold onto my arm," the bunny says chipperly, extending a hand.

Felicity chuffed sharply.

"Oh, no I'm alright," I say with a laugh. "Thank you for the offer."

I look over to see the large vixen practically steaming with a reserved rage. Her feelings weren't exactly obvious, as they were underneath a stone-cold expression, but I knew her for long enough that I could tell she was pissed. Probably fuming from the rabbit's bold move.

Surprised, I also see Amelia look displeased, not to the extent of Felicity, but still. She was sitting closest to the window on her side and was looking outside with a grumpy look. Evelyn was the only one who seemed to be enjoying this, but not for the reasons one might think, as whenever Felicity got angry, it looked like the opossum might burst into a fit of laughter.

"So," Felicity says, her words holding a cold bite, "Where are you two headed."

The white fox, almost surprised at the comment, looks down to the ground and mumbles something inaudible. She's almost as shy as Amelia.

The rabbit laughed at her friend's bashfulness, her large ears fluttered as she did. "What she's trying to say is that we are going to North Farron."

Felicity's rage simmered slightly and gave way to genuine curiosity at what the rabbit said. "Really? That's pretty far."

"Isn't that a little dangerous too? I heard that tensions are rising between North and West Farron." Evelyn says, also seeming a tad curious.

The rabbit lets out an uneasy laugh. "Yeah, we know. That's actually why we're going down there." She slings her arm around the white fox, pulling the shy vixen closer. "We may not look it, but we're sisters." She stops before giggling. "Well adopted, obviously. Our family is still there and we're trying to get them out before anything bad happens."

Amelia's focus was removed from the window and now onto the two beastwomen. "Oh my... I'm sorry to hear that," she says.

The rabbit shakes her head. "Don't be-"

A knocking erupted from our booth door, interrupting the conversation. The noise caused all of our heads to snap toward the source.

"Tickets please," A gruff voice said on the other side before opening the door. An old human, the inspector, shuffled inside and looked over everyone in the booth. He held an ink stamp in his hand that slightly dripped some of the black liquid.

The two other beastwomen almost look pale. A tension in the air around them forms as they stare at the man as he enters.

Evelyn swiftly hands the man all four of our tickets. "Here you go, for us four," she says while pointing to everyone in our party.

The inspector slowly takes the tickets and looks at them closely. After confirming their legitimacy, he stamps each one and then gives them back to Evelyn. "Now for you two," he says while turning his gaze to the rabbit and fox.

The two were practically frozen, even the once shy vixen now sat straight up, looking at her sister with wide, worried eyes. Her blue pupils shone with uncertainty.

The old man cleared his throat, and he presented his hand. "Ma'am? Tickets?" he questioned, sounding slightly more strict.

The rabbit made an awkward laugh and then looked around her pockets in an attempt to find some tickets. She locked eyes with me, her gaze was desperate as if pleading for help. Despite her look, she still tried to hold some form of a smile, though it looked like it was going to crack any second.

The inspector now looked suspicious and started walking a little closer to the two. "If you don't have tickets," he says as his voice begins to rise. "I'm throwing you two off at the-"

"I'm sorry sir!" I interject. "They're with us, but it seems like we misplaced the tickets." I try to laugh to lighten the mood, but it comes out as an awkward stifle.

The rabbit and fox's eyes wide at my words, Suprise painted across their faces.

The old man's gaze swaps from the two to me. He raised a skeptical eyebrow. I glance toward Amelia, Evelyn, and Felicity as a silent cry for help. Their looks were as confused as mine.

Evelyn clears her throat, "Yeah, we bought six tickets. I'm so sorry we lost two."

Our responses seemed to quell the growing tension in the booth. The old man takes some steps back and silently asses the situation. He grumbles to himself while looking at the rabbit and fox. "Alright, that's unfortunate but they'll need to pay for new tickets at the next stop."

"Of course, thank you," I reply, relieved a little.

As the inspector moves on and closes the booth door behind him, the two immediately breathe sighs of relief.

"Oh my god," the rabbit starts while frantically grabbing my hand with both of hers. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

The lithe, white vixen also mumbles a sea of "thank yous"

"Stowaways?" Felicity interjects, her tone stiff as ice.

I look over at her only to see that her face mimics her words. I could almost feel the chill of the icy gaze she cast on the two unfortunate beastwomen. While not exactly mad, her grim expression was all she needed to portray her thoughts.

The rabbit coughs and stutters a little before taking a deep breath. "Yeah," she says while somberly looking at the ground. "I-" she pauses. "I don't have an excuse."

The white vixen pats and rubs her sister's back. "We... We don't really have much money," she says while still trying to comfort her sister.

"So, you sneak into trains?" Felicity questions.

"Felicity!" Evelyn utters while slapping the big fox on the shoulder, a sign of disapproval.

"We don't want to, it's just really hard trying to travel across the entire country," the rabbit says while picking her head up, yet her long ears are now drooping, almost covering her eyes.

"That must be really stressful," Amelia says.

I can't help but feel a pang of pity for the two. If what they're saying is true, then that's pretty fucked. "Here," I say as I reach into my bag and hand them a couple of gold coins. "This should cover the cost of the tickets at the next stop."

A begrudged sigh escapes Felicity's muzzle accompanied by an eye roll. "Lawrence, don't-" Felicity couldn't even disapprove of my actions before she promptly got a silent but physical reprimand from Evelyn.

The rabbit stares at my hand, unmoving. If I hadn't known better, I think she'd be in shock. "I c-can't accept this," she says, tone faltering.

"Please," I insist while putting the coins in her hand.

The rabbit keeps stuttering. "W-We d-didn't even exchange names yet! I couldn't-"

"Lawrence," I say while extending my hand.

She stares at my hand before shaking it. "Yuria," she says, sounding a little more excited. "This is Anri." She points to the white fox.

I smile and point toward the others. "That's Amelia."

The rat gives a slight wave.

"That's Evelyn."

"Hello!" the opossum says with a more enthusiastic wave.

"And that's Felicity."

The fox offers no wave or remark, only a stern, almost grumpy look is all she gives.

"We don't know how to thank you!" Anri exclaims, dipping her head so far, that her fluffy white ears flop in front of her.

"I could think of something," Yuria says with a sly tone, resting a hand on top of mine along with a promiscuous lip bite. "If you meet me in-"

"No," Felicity interjects. Her icy cold emotionless tone sends chills down my spine accompanied by her staring daggers into the poor rabbit.

"S-Sorry," Yuria apologizes as she clears her throat and removes her hand.

I offer a lighthearted laugh. "Don't worry about it, really."

Anri looks like tears are welling up in her eyes and Yuria's expression seems like it is going to burst with happiness.

"Seriously it was nothing," I say trying to calm the two emotional beastwomen down. "We still have quite the ride before our next stop, so tell us about Farron."

---

Our party all steps off the train as it comes to a halt at our station. Well, it was less of a stepping and more of a shoving as a whole sea of people tried to jam themselves out of the car. Luckily, the ever-reliable Felicity held on tight to my arm as well as Amelia's and dragged us away from the ferocious crowd. Evelyn didn't seem to have a problem navigating, she weaved through the crowd with such grace that it was almost impressive.

"Thanks, Felicity," I say while dusting myself off.

Amelia caught her breath from the rush. "Yeah... thank you..." she said with huffs.

"You're welcome," Felicity says with a little pep in her tone. I'm surprised that her once stone demeanor and grumpiness all but evaporated when we got out of the car. Maybe she doesn't like trains.

"Lawrence!" A familiar rabbit cried out from the hoard.

Well, speaking of. "Hey Yuria!" I respond with a wave as she approaches, Anri directly behind her. "Did you get the tickets?"

"Yeah," she says with another deep bow. "I just want to thank you again for all this."

Felicity's stone demeanor seems to return. "Don't mention it," she says, words having an almost identical stone-like quality as her demeanor.

"Are you going back onto the train? For North Farron, right?" I ask.

"Yeah," Anri replies with a nod. "Thank you again."

A blaring whistle sounded throughout the station, signaling its soon departure.

"Well, that's our queue," Yuria declares while quickly running toward the car we just exited from. Anri followed directly behind her with just as much haste. "We hope to see you again! Lawrence!" the rabbit cries out before the train doors close and it chugs off to the next station.

Me, Amelia, and Evelyn all wave at the train as it exits. I notice a significant lack of waving from Felicity.

"They were nice," Evelyn says as she stops waving.

Amelia nods. "Yeah, hopefully, they can get their family out of North Farron."

"I can't believe you gave them money," Felicity says with a sigh, putting two fingers in between her squinted eyes. "You probably just got hustled."

"I doubt it," I giggle with a shrug.

The vixen looks up to the sky while covering the sun with her hand. "Let's just get to this estate, it's already mid-day."

"Have a look," Evelyn says while pointing at the near horizon.

We look past the train tracks to see a large, castle-like structure sitting proudly in the distance. Its walls were tall and made of stone. Is that really the estate?

Felicity whistles. "Holy shit, Evelyn. That's some place you got!"

Amelia looks just as surprised. "I-It's huge!"

"Like it~" the opossum giggles.

I finish gawking and look toward the proud Evelyn. "Let's just hope your mom can help us find the stone."

She stiffens up a little and her proud expression fades into one that reflects more of an uncertain look. "About that," she says with a weird laugh.

"What do you mean 'about that'?!" Felicity exclaims while poking the opossum on the chest.

I am as equally befuddled as the fox. "I thought you said she can read souls?!"

Evelyn waves her hands dismissively. "No! No! She can." She clears her throat. "I just kinda, sorta, maybe forgot to say something."

"And what's that?" Amelia chimes in, just as curious as me and Felicity.

It looks like Evelyn starts sweating a little as her ears nervously flutter. "Welllll... The thing about my mom is that she is kind of... ummmm... how do I put this... traditional?"

"What do you mean?" Felicity asks, getting more impatient.

"Well, you see," Evelyn takes a deep breath and pauses. She looks at me directly in my eyes. "Lawrence, we're going to have to get married."