The smaller of the cloaked pair turned as the door opened, confident in their partners abipity to handle Hiro and focused on the unexpected interference. Whoever stepped out from behind the opening doorway was met with hostility from the moment the door swung wide. Leading with a shoulder rush that pushed the door wide amd hard, clipping Aeriths shoulder by surprise, the knife was in the smaller assailants hand in a deft strike to the stomach. 6 inches of cold and slimy steel met soft flesh as the two fell to the floor, their free hand clasping over Aeriths mouth to prevent them from calling out for others.

While the wound itself was not fatal it was beyond painful, a horrible burning sensation accompanied the wound as the poison began its work. A non-lethal coating of a fast acting numbing toxin was quickly robbing the strength from Aeriths body.
The Smaller assailant held the blade firm and waited for the sound of Hiro hitting the ground behind her.

@Ryofu@FamishedPants@BrokenPromise@Zelosse

---

As the door had begun to move open, Aerith had dropped the two smaller chairs just a tiny bit in front of her and to the side so she could better move the door. As it were, even these two smaller children's chairs would bee a tad bulky to carry through a doorway one-armed. Yet as the girl grabbed a chair and looked ahead...she momentarily froze. The tension she got from seeing Hiro standing there struck a chord....felt like it has been back in Suttling's Basin, that poorer area where they had been....ah. The memories of before rushed back in again, her body kicking into an adrenaline-fueled state in a heartbeat. Perhaps it was the trauma that was leaving her too sensitive to things, or perhaps it was her mind jumping to a conclusion too fast without thinking. Regardless, as the small-statured assassin without warning leapt in with a shoulder-check Aerith was at least in a fight-or-flight response at the time.

Her shoulder being clipped, Aerith opened her mouth wide to let out the first bit of a loud, audible scream as she chair she had picked up was dropped to the ground in front of her as her body was forced to turn. Only those in the house would really hear the bit of a scream, as soon the 6 inches of cold-cutting steel had already cut into her stomach as she was pushed to the floor. But even as the hand tried to cover her mouth and the poison began to take effect, Aerith responded with an adrenaline-fueled struggle in return. Using what added strength that hormone her body had imbibed (even temporarily) itself with, she bit the Assassin's hand as hard as she could as hormone and the trauma of her first death roiled hot in her mind.

Strength of will pushed the weakening body as much as possible in this case, her jaw like an iron vice-grip seeking to make her assailant pay, even as Aerith's arms attempted to grab the assailant's neck out of haste to try to throttle them. Yet the pain from whatever was on that knife burned in her body, searing like white hot iron in her veins, unimaginably so if she hadn't already had the more gruesome and intensely vivid memories of gruesomely dying before. The sheer fact it reminded Aerith of that first "death" only seemed to steel her and her actions even more, even though just on an instinctual and physical level. This being said it was a sensation that would still stand out no matter what, even in her adrenaline-fueled and swiftly being poisoned state.

This all being noted, she would perhaps only last a brief time on her own in all of this between the poison and trained assassin sitting on her, her survival instincts perhaps being the one thing keeping her at least attempting to fight back for the moment.

The two captains listened to the foreigners talk, not speaking until they had all said their part.

”There seems to be a misunderstanding.” Crunch didn't look very amused with anyone's suggested actions. ” These documents do not make you legal citizens of Lugnica. What you've been given is some identification that proves that you aren't allied with the bandits. That's it. You're foreigners with just enough documentation to prevent the guards from throwing you in jail.”

Mono pointed at Ashton. ”If I wanted control over you fucking worms, I have ways of doing it that don't involve becoming your father.”

”Furthermore, you don't meet any of the required criteria to work under Mono. He is one of the finest captains, and you'd have to a knight to work under him at the very least.” Crunch leaned forward and placed a hand on the desk in front of her. ”In order to become a knight, you need to pass a grueling physical and mental exam, as well as demonstrate extreme competence. Before that, you'd need to become a soldier, which requires owning and maintaining your own equipment. You also need citizenship, which isn't something that's being offered in this city while these bandits run around.”

”And what's this shit about needing your trust? You earn one's admiration before you get what you want. I'm not going to give a bunch of fucking foreigners fucking swords that they can run through my fucking back!”

”Your reason for appearing here is still a mystery to us. Until we can figure that out, it would be best if you stayed as far away from anything that has to do with the country.” She eyed Chieko. ”Becoming an adventurer is certainly an option, but you'll need to buy your own equipment. Working for a reputable guild is recommended, but you might have difficulty joining one without any collateral to offer. If you are going to become traditional adventurers, just be careful. There are people out there who would be willing to lead an adventurer to a grim end just to loot their belongings.”

”As for you...” Mono turned to face Yuuki. ”Whatever sort of curse that's on you, we don't understand it, and neither do you.” Mono reached for a tea cup that was sitting on the desk. ”Even if Crunch says you check out, there's the possibility that you could just spontaneously transform into a devil beast, or your father could take control of your body directly and cause chaos. There's no fucking way you're going to work hand in hand with the city guard like you're any normal runt. There's something very wrong with you, and even a dungeon might not be a safe place to keep you.”

”It's actually a very complicated situation.” Crunch folded her arms. ”It's evident you can be trusted. But your father, we have no idea what he's done to you, or what his plans are. But the fact that you're here is undoubtedly his doing.”

---

The cloaked figure lowered her head. ”I see” She rolled her eyes up to look at Hiro. ”Then there's only one thing left to test...” The woman reached into her robe and pulled out a banded club. It was a crude weapon to be sure. The band going around the club was a spiral rather than multiple rows of bands. The steel was distorted and had an inconsistent shape. Scorch marks ran up and down the length of the weapon. It was quite evident that this wasn't the work of a trained smith. But such thoughts quickly fled from Hiro's mind when his opponent charged. The club was resting on her shoulder, but could be swung in a moment's notice.

Hiro was startled, to say the least. But really, what had he expected? Some sort of cryptic question session? Well. . . kinda. But that was clearly not going to be the case. It still bothered him that this hooded figure knew who he was. Who could have leaked that? Was it the people that he had split from just a short while earlier? Or was it Fritzi? Trying to do something to him. Test? Or maybe it was the people that brought him into this world. They couldn’t have just dumped him onto this world for no reason. Maybe something was waiting for him.

This all jumped through his mind in an instant. In that fleeting moment, Hiro lowered his stance and shifted his position to give him the widest range of responses. At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flit of movement. The tiny figure had charged inside. H-hayai They were fast! But he didn't loose sight of his opponent. When she swung her club down on him, Nobuhiro slightly lifted the chair, angling and diverting the blow away before sliding across the ground and into a position that gave him a better view of the whole situation.

The attack might have been deflected, but the stranger had no intention of waisting her attack's momentum. Having her arm pitched off to her right put her in position for another attack. The taller woman dropped to one knee and swung at Hiro. like a professional ball player hitting a low flying ball. This caused the club to fly under the chair Hiro was holding.

S-shit! Lucky for him, the smaller figure had decided to make a move elsewhere, leaving him in a one on one duel. This was his favorite place to be. In response to the club rushing at him, he threw the chair at his opponent, discarding it completely. He used the momentum to push himself back out of range of the club before dashing forward once more, hoping to catch his opponent with a gut shot while they were tangled up in the chair.

The chair caught Hiro's opponent at the right moment, and they staggered backwards while trying to stand up again. This increased the distance Hiro had to move before following through with his attack. Before he could close the distance, the chair erupted into flames. Hiro shielded his face from the heat on reflex. Moments later, the chair fell to the ground in several smoldering pieces. The woman's hood had fallen back, revealing her face. She didn't seem bothered that Hiro knew her identity. Perhapse she knew it would make little difference if she killed him. She flexed her fingers before coiling them around the club again. ”I was not expecting someone who could fight back. That makes this more interesting.” There was a small cut above her brow, negligible damage to a true fighter. ”How many lives have you ended, Hiro?” The woman circled the boxer, but made no attempt to attack.

How many. . . . lives had he taken? That was a. . . difficult question to answer. Hiro had never intentionally killed someone, but sometimes in the heat of a fight, you don’t hold back. There was indeed at least one person who had died from his fists. But now was not the time to think about this. He was grateful that this question had given him a moment to steady himself after the chair had combusted. Now, he had to think. He had to plan. He had to do more than just react. That cut could bleed into his opponents eye. That would give him an advantage. They would either have in unintentional flinch when the blood leaked into her eye, or in time it would obscure her vision. These are all advantages to be had.

”I don’t think it matters in the long run, now does it?”

He had to keep them distracted until he had his strategy planned out. He was, for obvious reasons, not the most practiced in facing an enemy with a weapon. It was just lucky that this club was not a bladed weapon, or he may very well have frozen up, remembering his previous ‘death’.

The woman shrugged. “I suppose not.“ She strode towards Hiro, pulling her robe off of her shoulders as she did so. She wasn't charging, nor was she moving slowly enough that he would be able to easily retreat while facing her. The distance between them was closing. She pulled her arms out of her cloak, one at a time, always keeping a hand on her club. “Who's going to die next, that's always a more interesting question.” Once her cloak was off, Hiro could see the rags she was wearing underneath. She looked no different than the vagrants who had killed him last time. The woman was still holding her cloak firmly in one hand, and her club in the other. “We should answer that as soon as possible.” The woman couldn't have been standing more than maybe ten feet away from Hiro when she hurled the robe into the air. It expanded and entirely concealed the woman from view, but only momentarily. “Goa!“ Next the woman lunged forward and swung her club through her robes. Only this time, there was a long blade around the end of it. The woman had heated up the metal band around the club, which made it soft enough to unravel from the club. It was essentially a molten whip, and it was hot enough to burn away her robe in seconds.

Of course it was obvious to Hiro that the robe in the air was a diversion. As such, the moment the robe left her hand, Hiro shot forward. It was obscuring her view just as much as him, and if he had guessed correctly, she would be on the offensive. He was right. Now, he was definitely not expecting the molten blade that extended from the edge of the club, but it was a moot point if he got close enough. And get close enough he did. Before he cut his momentum, he reached very near. His assailant’s outstretched hand was about on par with his body before he jerked his elbow onto her grip, hoping to dislodge the weapon. This was the game plan. A weapon was a non factor as long as he was inside its effective range. It was like fighting someone with a longer reach than him. He just had to be in the minute area where he was effective and she was not.

Whether he actually got her to drop the weapon or not as also irrelevant, because at this point he was on the rush. In one fluid move he fired off that elbow, and using the momentum rocketed off an uppercut, trying to knock her lights out in one move.

And in his home world, that might have been the end of it. Hiro was not just some random boxer. He had a title, he had a championship belt, he had all of the things that a master of an art should have. This was not the first person he had ever fought, and it likely wouldn't be the last. Hiro had done battle with people way above his weight class before, and won.

But none of them possessed magic.

“Goa!“

He passed his opponent's outstretched sword hand, but held behind her was a hand coated in fire. In an instant, the boxer was bathed in flames. But Hiro was well trained, and had already committed to his actions. Despite the searing heat, he managed to deliver a blow to his opponent. But with the flames caressing his body, there was no way for him to see exactly where he was punching. But he hit something that caused the flames to stop. By this point, he had burns of varying degrees all over the upper half of his body, and burns on his chest that went almost deep enough to burn away his muscles.

”Gkkk!” It sounded like his opponent. By the sound of it she was still standing. It took Hiro some time to open his eyes again, but he could see she was standing in front of him. ”Gkkk!” She was still holding her club, with the band now hardened into some strange sculpture, and her other hand was on her throat. ”Gkkk!” She looked very angry, but was backing away from Hiro. She was having difficulty standing up straight.

His body was wracked with pain and his eyes were having a hard time focusing. Fuck. It hurt. It hurt so bad. He had never had an injury that hurt this much. His muscles were spasming and his breathing was ragged. He couldn’t stop. He charged without end. A flurry of blows flew at his attackers face and torso. An onslaught of punches. He didn’t know when his body would give out on him, so he had ensure that even after he had no more strength, his attacker wouldn’t be able or willing to continue this fight.

”Jiwald”

This one word was whispered during his charge, giving him just a bit more energy. A bit more power. It wouldn’t heal him of his injuries, but it just might give him the time to finish this fight.

Hiro's attacker had a pretty serious throat injury if her inability to speak was anything to go by, and was forced to drop her weapon and defend herself with just one hand. She turned her body sideways in an attempt to brush aside some of Hiro's attacks. But they still found their mark. The right side of her lower jaw, her left temple, her stomach, Before long her head and torso were covered in dark colored bruises. But there was only so much energy Hiro's spell could grant to his body. He eventually wore himself down to the point where she was able to take hold of his shirt and rock her head into his, butting Hiro's face with the top of her skull. The two seemed to bounce away from each other, with Hiro stumbling and falling onto his back. The assassin didn't fair much better, sinking onto her hand and knees. With one hand on her throat, she coughed and splattered blood over the lawn. Both fighters struggled to return to their feet, but were unable to stand up again. Was the fight over?

Eh? Did they have like, a problem with each other or something? Somewhere along the way, others were climbing aboard the ‘guard joining’ gang as well, and Yuuki scratched his head about how awkward things suddenly went near the end there. With a half-sigh, he rummaged through is pack and came out with two pieces of strawberry Hi-Chew.

“Now, now,” he said, “Fighting’s bad and shit, and we’re all more or less in it together, so just eat something sweet and don’t say things you don’t mean.” One was offered to Chieko and another was tossed towards Flame, before Yuuki went back to sipping his hot tea, waiting for Mono and Crunch’s answers.

Turns out, it was less than favorable.

The blue-eyed youth let out a sigh, before offering a half-smile. “Yeah, figured it’d be that way. Would prefer if you didn’t toss me in a dungeon though. Cultists like dark and isolated places, right? Probably wouldn’t work too well with their designs ‘n shit.”

He paused, then chugged down the last dregs of tea.

“Alright, basically these dudes are free to go though, yeah? Only I need to stick around?”

Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks

Ashton said to Flame, "Maybe we should..."

The latter shook his head as he took Kimura's strawberry chew anyway. "Ashton, no. We are not going to apologize. She did give us mean looks; haven't you been looking?"

Then Mono and Captain Crunch refused them; it turned out the two boys had overplayed their hand, or wrongfully thought they had one in the first place. This left them back at square one, only they risked death from starvation instead of death from being ran through. That, and Kimura was still going to be locked up in a secure cell, if the two guessed right.

This was bad, but Ashton surprisingly rebounded first and said to Flame, "Now, will you apologize to the young lady? We can't afford to piss off everyone we meet, especially in these circumstances."

To avoid having to apologize to Chieko, Flame offered an alternative, saying, "I have another idea; let's go to those Warrior Monks and beg for forgiveness and help -" He froze as Ashton gave him a death glare, one that he had only very rarely seen. "Yeah, that's hypocritical advice. But I am not kneeling or grovelling, okay? Just a short bow and a plea for forgiveness."

Ashton nodded. "All right, and if she refuses, I am on your side and we'll follow your advice."

Flame then turned to Chieko, swallowing a gulp of air, before giving a low bow and saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please forgive me for calling you mean! Now let's work together in order to survive, okay?"

Ashton, meanwhile, has turned to Kimura again, saying, "What exactly does your backpack contain, Yuuki? If it has food, water, and if possible, jewelry, we may have what we need to survive. And of course, we'll pay you back once we have something of value!"

@Crusader Lord@ryofu

Inn front of the cleaning house

With the blade deep in the Aeriths chest it was hard to believe there would be any resistance. It was rare for the little murderer to drop her guard but the sound of fighting behind her drew eyes, and her curiosity at the fate of this Hiro person was at its peak. As it just so happened the helpless victim was not so helpless, and the pain of teeth on flesh was an excruciating surprise. No stranger to pain, the assailant stifled their yelp of surprise and turned to glare at Aerith.
Eyes of the deepest crimson stared down with a cold fire of utmost hate as the knife lodged in their stomach twisted, eliciting a gasp that freed the hand from its painful imprisonment in Aeriths filthy mouth. The fight was on in full behind them but now it didn't matter.

Nothing but this moment mattered as pride and hate swirled behind the piercing glare.

"You should have laid down, like the bitch you are."

The voice was even and dispassionate despite her soft tone, only adding to the intensity of her stare as the assailant reached beneath the cloak and bashed down hard into the foreigners face with the hilt of the dagger. Again and again the little killer smashed down until the rage fled her veins as the battle behind her concluded, much to her shock, in a tie.

Not bothering to speak to Aerith, their face was bruised around their right eye, the assailant spat upon Aeriths chest and yanked the dagger free before rushing to their partners side. With them out of the fight it was wisest to leave, before other pesky folks arrived to investigate the noise.

"Into the wagon!"

”Gkkk!” The woman was unable to stand, but with the girl's help, she was able to stumble over to the cart before collapsing inside it. They left her club, neither of them were concerned enough to take it. With their partner in the wooden cart, the smaller assassin grasped the front end and pulled with all their might. Given their diminutive size the task was a challenge but thankfully the cart rolled off in haste, moments later disappearing from sight behind a corner without even a glance at Hiro as they departed.

---

@ZekariVoblis@Rune_Alchemist

Clinic
Mirt, arm entwined with the injured ‘hostess’ from the Darkened Honey establishment, offered an apologetic smile to the carefree and adorable fox girl and diligently ignored the ‘old married couple’ comment as a harmless jab. After all, Anyon was nearly half his age and still had the spring in their step of youth, whereas Mirt likely had the appearance of a skeleton with skin still on its bones.

“Aren’t you sweet.” His smile was genuine as his pace failed to slow, heading towards the hospital at the Hostesses instruction. “Anyon, play nice.” No doubt the volatile tempered young woman would have her words to say about being called old. Never one to let an insult pass it seemed obvious there would be conflict.
Business came before pleasure, sadly, as Mirt excused himself and aproched Donovan’s clinic.

“Hello?” he hailed as he approached Donovan and Aer. “”I seek a man by the name of Donovan, with a request from Mistress Beladona.”
Not wanting to be rude, Mirt merely held onto the hostesses arm as they awaited for a response.

Donovan looked Between Mirt and the woman he was holding onto. ”That'd be me.” The giant took a knee and examined the woman. ”This'll take some time to heal.” He turned to look at Mirt. ”Been a busy day. My help had other arrangements today. I can heal both of you, but it ain't gunna happen quickly.” He fret his brow. ”If ya don't mind me asking, how did it happen? Did the bandits do this to ya?”

The hostess looked away, embarrassed and ashamed. Mirt chimed in what he had been told by the Owner to spare the girls feelings on the subject. “For my own part, the injuries were sustained by a rather large dog. For the young lady it was a gentleman involved with, as I am told, a gambling den of some sort. Mistress Beladona tells me you have experience with this sort of trouble?”

”Is that who she is? Lotta girls who work for her show up here. None of them say anythin' though. Too scared to come forward. I'd just assumed it was the bandits.” The giant placed his hands together and sighed. ”But I see a connection now. Periodically I get some prizefighters braggin' about their found riches. They ain't tell me anythin' about the girls involved though.” He shook his massive head. ”Belrigger is the name of the guy who sends them here. I don't know where they're stationed, but you could probably talk to one of them if you'd like. They come here all the time.”

“I have my doubts that they would be open mouthed on the wherabouts of their establishment. Are you positive none have come through here and mentioned a location in passing?”

As if it was an afterthought, Mirt retrieved the small letter he had taken from the unfortunate guest at the Darkened Honey and passed it Donovan to inspect. The letter itself was nothing out of the ordinary, just documents for a delivery order of some kind, but there was a wax seal displaying a crest. One Mirt could not recognize.

”Larchmond ?” The giant picked up the tiny letter in his massive hand. ”Lad's got some warehouses in the golden quarter. There's lots of money there too. Wouldn't surprise me if that's where they're playin' this.”

Taking back the letter with a bow, Mirt deposited it back into his robes for safe keeping. If it was an order for a shipment of something then that meant they were expecting company and supplies. Everything in the letter seemed to be food and drink to be collected from a separate supplier. Why order large stocks of perishables to a warehouse..

“Tell me, sir. Have you the name of a Merchant who could lend me a hand?”

”A merchant?” The giant looked up at Mie. ”Only ones I know of are Fritzi and Mie over there. She seems like the adventurous sort. I'd try asking her before you talk to anyone else.”

“Thank you for your help on this matter. Please, take care of the young ladies injuries with all haste.”

Donovan gave Mirt a nod and walked Beladona into his Clinic. ”Afraid talkin’ about your mistress is gunna have to wait.”

"Then I’ll check back at a later time." Aer gave the monk a nod before departing.

Mirt bowed for a third time, bending so low the tip of his beard brushed against the ground and rose to his full height with a smile, turning to find the fox girl Mie.

“Excuse me, Miss? How would you like to earn some coin for a days work.”

@Ryofu@FamishedPants@BrokenPromise@Zelosse

---

"So, you gonna be a little bitch like the others too, sis? Haha. Look at her squirm, Edward!"

"I'd think so! She's just a little girl, John, just like a little flea under the family's skin~ How silly to think she could amount to much of anyth-"

It was in that moment she found the the meal box in her hands, and in that moment it also connected with the elder boy's head with a horrendous "CRACK". He merely looked back at her once more where he had been sitting on her, keeping her body (but not her arms) pinned to the ground. His face was stuck in a sort of disbelieving daze, before his body slumped over to the floor in a small heap. As she and her other elder twin brother watched for a second of having to take it in, some blood began to leak out onto the floor where the box had hit him.

Her other elder twin brother looked at her then, initially surprised....but his look shifted to a sense of genuine horror as she began to stand up. The metal box was still in her trembling right hand, some crimson coating one of the sharp corners of it, dripping a bit onto the wooden attic floor. Her face, twisted in a look of fury.

"I...am no one's.....bitch!" Aerith said aloud with venom and a victorious fury as she heard the cart clacking away down the street, spitting in the direction her assailant had left after this. A light grin was on her face, the thrill of having survived this shit instead of dying this time filling her chest...well, she was not dying yet at least. She'd have fought to the bitter end if she had to, just to make this little assassin pay for every damn inch that dagger had cut into her stomach.

Adrenaline pushed her as she forced herself to sit up against the doorway, instinctively pressing her two hands very hard against the dagger wound in her stomach area. Thank whatever gods were in her old world that she'd taken a first aid and survival class to get out of sharing a cooking class with that half-sister of hers. Heh....ah. But she was not out of the woods, not by a long shot. The poison was not going to instantly go away or cease to be dangerous, but without more in her system via the dagger she could at least keep herself awake and such like this. Albeit, standing on her own would be...likely impossible for her right now. Then again, some feeling was still left in her legs down to the toes, but not much. Crap.

"Fritzi! Alistair! Get over here, because we've been attacked!" Aerith shouted with all her might, as she turned her head into the house to call out to the others.

Dammit. Fritzi had been in that place earlier, that damned place where that damned mob had....had done things she could not ever forget in her wildest dreams. Why would coming here with her have been any safer? But....maybe it wasn't Fritzi who called in a hit on them here, hmm? There was even that slim chance of such a thought being truth. But for now, she was calling to the others so they'd be in the know. Aerith then used her hand quickly to tear off a bit of cloth at the bottom of her dress, wadding it up and jamming it onto her wound before again applying pressure to said wound with her two hands.

The girl grit her teeth as the pain came back a bit, though if the poison was helping anything with that numbing feeling it was this to some minor extent at least. Maybe. She had no idea, truly, but if that little assassin came back she'd show them who the real "bitch" was. Aerith then looked over at where Hiro seemed to be lying on the ground...burnt to a terrible crisp in ways. Before she could open her mouth, however, Aerith felt another sharp pain. Ah...it hurt to speak, much less shout at that....but she had to. She didn't...she didn't know if Hiro was in a state to do much but lie there on the ground at the moment.

At least she hadn't had her chest stabbed, but hell was her right eye sore as hell as the face area around it hurt like hell. But...at least the pain was helping keep her conscious right now too. Not that she wasn't a bit dizzy, but she wasn't going to give up either right now. On anyone. Not on Hiro here, not on Chieko if the other girl was still alive, not on Irene and Vasilis who had saved them and unknowingly been saved as well from a terrible fate. Not on herself most of all.

"Hiro...Hiro! Ack!.....Can you move at all?" Aerith said, eeking out a loud enough voice to call out where Hiro could hear her if he was in a state to do such.

Wisp was chained to the metal pole in the middle of the hero district while Aki stood close by him brokenly from what had happened the last few minutes. Why did it feel so much like it did when her parents dissapeared. The feeling of uselessness, the pain inside her heart didn't die down so easily. She gazed at Wisp his eyes and arm when he mentioned something about being stuck but she simply gazed down towards the ground while keeping quiet. She coudln't think clearly anymore. She was lost in feelings.

The monotone cute voice did startle Aki for a second as her bestie Chieko came running up to the performer. Before Aki could say anything she was being choked ny two small hills in her face. She muffled some things as she frustratingly waved her arms aroumd. Her face popped out from between her arms, her eyes red as beets as she stared up at Chieko her face. The girl asked Aki to show her around the city now she was done with her business. Aki sniffled softly as she suddenly began crying quite loudly. She placed her face against Chieko her chest again as she cried for just a few short seconds. After she was done she softly told Chieko what happened quite sobbingly.



Aki started crying for a few more seconds before trying to hug Chieko somewhst harder and more. Atleast she had friends to comfort her. When Aki was done she softly wiggled herself out of Chieko her arms. With her hands close to her chest she looked up to Chieko seemingly put to ease quite more then before.



Aki stepped over to Wisp and put her hand close to the chain holding the two cuffs together. She didn't want to hit Wisp with her great accuracy. She closed her eyes tightly as she looked away.



Multiple gusts of wind gushed over the area as Aki slowly cut the chains with her magic. With her third use the chain was cut in two leaving the cuff on Wisp his arm. Aki hesitatingly looked at him as she asked.



Aki ran over to Chieko her side again and grabbed hold of one of her arms hugging it in sweet manner. While smiling somewhat at Wisp.

Hero's District, Priestella
death count 1

---

Chieko was already halfway out the door by the time Yuuki made his offer of a Hi-Chew. When Flame made his apology - Chieko simply grimaced. Now...she could have accepted their apology. That'd be what a nice person would do here. Unfortunately for them, Chieko had no desire to be nice right now.

"...hmph." Chieko simply scoffed, ignoring them as she rubbed Aki's head. She had better things to do than linger here. "I have a date with Aki-chan. Go play soldier or something." Maybe Yuuki wasn't so bad, but she didn't want to stick around. She wanted to find Hiro and Aerith and figure out what she was going to do from here on out. Wasn't like she had anywhere to go...no money either. Oof...well, as long as she had Aki that would be fine.

"E-eh?" Aki's trembling voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Chieko hands trembled as she held the smaller girl by the shoulders. Crying?! Why was Aki crying!? Who did she need to beat up? Mono? Mono was mean to Aki-Chan?...okay beat up later. No way was she good enough to beat up that guy yet. "It's okay, okay, Aki-Chan. Big sis won't let anything happen to you." She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, nuzzling the top of her head with her own until the small energetic girl let go of her. Chieko's shoulders slumped, blissfully watching Aki walk over to Wisp and free the cat from his handcuffs. Well, she didn't really care about Mono or what he wanted anyways. Besides, bullying smol cute adorable things should be a crime! A crime! Soon enough Aki had freed them however, and was now clinging adorably to her own arm.

"...Wisp." Chieko greeted the cat person with a neutral expression and a quiet voice, though quickly turned her attention back to the girl clinging to her arm. "Aki-chan, was that magic?" She asked, curiously. Maybe she should find Aer and ask her about adventurer training.


Golden Quarter

---

"...Tsk, no fun." Mie pouted slightly as she was for the most part, entirely ignored. "Oh well. I'll take the sweet compliment even if its entirely untrue, heh." Quickly turning her pout into a grin, Mie watched Mirt curiously. These were not your average travelers at all, and that extremely interested Mie for multiple reasons, not just for alleviating her boredom. The smelled of trouble, or rather, fun as she might better say. Even caused the fur on her tail to stand up slightly - a sure sign of a good time to be had.

"Heh, you however, look like no fun at all." She said to Anyon before running off after Mirt and Donovan, at least to the door of his establishment. She wanted to get a full idea of what was going on here, after all. Those injuries looked pretty bad, too. From what she could overhear, something about some prize fighting. Underground fighting ring? Mie's ears twitched at the thought. Hum. A new source of potentially untapped income. Useful. A name too, Larchmond. He had some warehouses in the Golden quarter. Now this was sounding like an incredibly lucrative, if risky business. By the time Mirt and Donovan exited, she was a few steps away back on the street.

"Money? Now that is something I am always interested in." She smirked, tail swishing back and forth idly. "But tell me...how much profit are we talking, hm? I'm incredibly busy, after all...and you look like the type to get me into a lot of trouble, heh. Not that I mind. This little fox can handle herself." Well, even if he wasn't going to ask she was going to insert herself into this situation whether they wanted her too or not. "And the names Mie. Calling me 'Miss' makes me feel like that old hag over there."

Little happened that either of the captains cared to get involved in. So they remained silent while the back and forth continued. Once the two girls left, Mono turned to face Yuuki. ”That is correct.” He turned to look at Ashton and Flame. ”Though it seems like they're so needy they won't leave without the shirt off your back.”

Crunch stretched. ”Well, if we're done here, I'm going to continue enjoying that 'me' time before I get dragged into something else.” She rubbed her shoulder. ”You'd better remember this. I don't want to hear anything out of you when it's your turn to help.”

”Of course. I look forward to repaying you.”

When Crunch approached the door, she could hear what sounded like a wind spell being cast over and over, followed by some nondescript chatter. It caused her to hesitate, but she opened the door and looked at the three gathered by the railing.”What's going on out here?”

---

Fritzi immediately came down the stairs. ”What happened!?” There was a bucket on her foot, and somehow the head of her mop wound up on her head. ”All-star? We have to make sure Hero and airy are all right!” Fritzi yanked the mop off her head before rushing outside, her bucket foot clunking the entire way. Fritzi got outside just as Aerith started talking to hiro. With a grunt, she kicked the bucket off of her foot and dropped to her knees beside the boxer. She examined his torso, careful not to touch him. ”He's alive, but some of these burns have charred his skin black!” She put one of her hands in her mouth as she continued to observe Hiro. Fritzi's eyes were shaking all over the place. ”If only All-star knew healing magic...” She sighed before thrusting her hands into her lap. ”All-star, pour some water on him.” She sprinted to her feet and ran behind the house. ”Don't pick him up! his skin is too tender. You'll strip his flesh right off of his body if you try!” A few seconds later, she returned with a very small cart. It wasn't as big as the one the assassins had, but it was big enough to carry a person or two. She dropped it off while running back inside. ”I'm going to grab the bed sheet so that we can lift him, make sure Airy's okay too!”

Yuuki half-chuckled, not wanting to offend either side. "Yeah, does look like it, huh?"

Turning to Ashton after the request was made, he shrugged vaguely at the brunette's request. Paying back on an 'if' was rather sketchy, after all, and Yuuki wasn't so eager to part with his own stuff right on the fly. Though he hadn't thought to bring any valuables outside of his phone with him, he didn't think of anything in his pack as just things he could give away either. And if things were going to turn out like he expected them to...well, it wasn't all that likely that money would be more valuable than Japanese snacks to begin with.

"Uh...weren't you gonna go to Dr. Donovan after this?" he jerked his head in the general direction of that man. "Think he's got food and water covered there...and I don't have jewels on me either, so..."

Flame frowned, went back to where Ashton was, and said, "See? That Japanese girl is not a nice person."

Ashton nodded as he listened to both Yuuki and Mono and said, "Oh, right! Hopefully we can retrace our steps and stick to the main roads while it's light out. Let's go, Flame."

The brown-haired boy then took Flame's wrist and dragged him outside, knowing that the latter might not be able to resist being nasty to Chieko. Nevertheless, Ashton noted Captain Crunch talking to the girl, Aki, and a suddenly free Wisp, and decided not to be there when the inevitable chase scene began.

Instead, the two boyfriends began to make their way back to the Donovan clinic, with Flame asking Ashton, "So, can't wait to learn the basics of Demi-Human biology?"

The smile from Ashton spoke volumes about everything. "Oh, yes! This is going to count as free practice for my medical degree! And you, want to experiment with exotic herbs?"

Flame frowned, "You make me look like a druggie." A pause and a smile. "But yes; it seems new horizons await us all."

"Heh!" Ashton smiled, "Whatever happens, we're going to find our own path, blaze our own destiny!"

The passive demeanor had faded somewhat, now Ashton was expressing infectious optimism as he walked. He then said to Flame, "That said, there is still a mystery behind this somewhere. Keep your guard up and don't get distracted by petty arguments."

Flame turned to Ashton as they went closer and closer to Doctor Donovan's place, assuming they had been given the directions. "Petty arguments aside, that girl burns with ambition, as we do. She's also a mean-spirited, selfish, and prideful brat... Who nevertheless has the drive to get the importance and power that she wants. And my actions have opened a breach with her early." A pause. "Not that I don't regret it, but I get what you mean; we shouldn't make too many enemies."

Ashton nodded as they finally arrived to where Doctor Donovan was supposed to be, noticing the Warrior Monks that Flame had apologized to earlier. Grinning in mischief, showing his teeth, the young man said to Flame, "Hey, look, here are your friends!"

---

Inevitability is a word many almost seem to treat as taboo, as there aren't enough people who can simply face the fact that they aren't able to change everything. Or at the very least, they aren't able to admit it, despite knowing in their mind it is the true all the same. Of course, Alistair Archibald is not one such person. You see, for him, Inevitability was one of his favorite words. Because the young Archibald was not like all the other riff-raff that stumbled from their day-to-day interactions with no clue. No, he was so much better than that. A man who could stand above the others and laugh at the helplessness they so desperately tried to conceal.

Because for Alistair Archibald, the word "inevitability" was always a good thing. It described him, after all. The fact that he would become the best at whatever he decided to do was "inevitable". The fact that he was destined for greatness was "inevitable". But the most important inevitability was that this house was going to be clean when Alistair Archibald had finished with it.

Yes, it would have only been a matter of time...

But the word "inevitable" never did imply any sort of haste. Only that things were guaranteed.

So while Alistair Archibald was indeed a bit upset with the sudden commotion that started while he was so expertly cleaning up the house, he knew that regardless of what happened, it would inevitably get done. Still, there was yelling and whatnot. It was probably serious enough he should go check it out, especially since he was requested by name.

Attacked? We're being attacked now? How bothersome. This can't be some dumb coincidence, either.

Alistair arrived with Fritzi, to a scene he wasn't quite expecting when he chose to go help other clean. In fact, you could say he was trying to avoid it. Seeing Aerith wounded, and also taking notice of what Fritzi said about Hiro, it was only made more apparent that this was some planned attack.

Damnit, is it impossible to play it safe here?

He was more annoyed than anything. While one could not say Alistair had any strong personal attachment towards anybody here, he still felt a smaller bond towards those who came from his own world. And for people to so blatantly attack them in broad daylight, that was unforgivable. The audacity of these assholes would not go unpunished, once he was in a state he could deliver it.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, the young man kneeled next to Aerith and looked her over. Not being a doctor, Alistair had limited experience in treating wounds. But the place the knife had struck did stand out. "I certainly can't call myself a doctor, but keeping pressure on that wound is probably the best move you can do until we see someone who is," he told Aerith, standing up as Fritzi quickly ducked behind the house. "Try not to move too much, until we're ready."

Getting up, Alistair made his way towards the injured Hiro. He had been told to douse Hiro in water, but the burns looked rather severe. Again, he was not a medical professional, but something did not sound right. He could've sworn he heard that such an action was not ideal in the treatment of the individual suffering huge burns and he didn't want to be the reason this young man died if he could help it. "I think you're going to just have to suffer for a while, I'm afraid there is nothing we can do yet," he told the young man despite it appearing that he wasn't conscious.

So for now, Alistair awaited Fritzi.

@Rune_Alchemist

Mirt stroked his significant beard in contemplation. Without any previous knowledge of currency exchanged in number in this specific circumstance there was simply no way to know how much the fox woman would make if they played their part right. Which meant it was time for some simple but effective misinformation giving that should placate the greedy merchant.

"I believe this particular establishment, based on its influence, could land you a months wages within a few hours if you bet right. I am a man of faith and so need very little coin but for food and drink, so you are welcome to collect your spoils as you see fit."

Offering one of his trademark bows, easily bending so low his forehead nearly touched the pavement, Mirt kept his expression positive and enthusiastic while avoiding any look of guilt he might have had about the fib. Of course there was a good chance she could make that kind of money but it even sounded like a lie. Though that could just have been his morality getting in the way. Smiling at the light hearted jab at Anyon, the old monk merely waved the insult away as if that could clear the air.

"Come now, she is still in the prime of youth and if you want to make your coin where we're going I suggest you cheer her on. You would likely know the area better than an outsider like me so if you please, I would have you accompany me to this 'golden quarter'."

In Alistair's home world, pouring water on someone with such severe burns was a bad idea. It invited a lot of unwanted bacteria, and if the water was cold enough, it could cause even greater damage to burned flesh. Alistair had no knowledge of medical practices in this world, but he was going to trust his gut instead of the word of a woman he only recently became acquainted with.

”Got it!” Fritzi came charging out of the doorway with a bed sheet and a few towels. ”Airy! Use these to keep pressure on the wound!” She tossed the towels to Aerith before laying out the bed sheet. ”Nice and easy with Hero...” With Alistair's help, they were able to slide their hands over his unburned back and transport him over to the bed sheet. ”Let's just get them into the cart and roll them over to Donovan's okay?” It wasn't like Alistair could argue. He didn't have any better ideas.

---

Wisp was quite eager to conceal the fact that he had just been freed. It didn't really do him any good to show that he had been released after all. If they found out, he'd be chained here with Aki. So he pressed his wrists against the bars and moved his body in the way, howling, pretending to still be attached to the bars. Wisp cried for freedom, and she moved her eyes onto Aki and Chieko. His ruse seemed to fool the captain, ”You two should probably leave.” And with that, she walked off.

”Sit tight.” Mono was speaking to yuuki, but looking at the closed door. ”I have a feeling our next guest is about to arrive.”

---

Alistair and Fritzi did their best to deliver Hiro and Aerith in a timely fashion. They both held a handle of the cart to offset the amount of weight each of them had to carry. While Fritzi wanted to take off running towards the clinic, a smooth ride was just as important as haste in this situation. Alistair would not let the cart move faster than he felt was safe.

”Doctor Donovan!” Fritzi called out, but there was no answer. At this time, there were no natives presently in the area, but Flame and Ashton had arrived just moments ago. ”His cart is still here, he must be inside!” The wide doors to the clinic meant that the people they were carting would fit inside rather easily. Ashton knew a bit about medicine, so naturally he and Flame followed the cart carrying the wounded.

Aside from maybe Fritzi, none of the other five had actually seen the inside of the clinic. The entire place was just one giant room, sanctioned off into smaller rooms with hanging curtains. Some crates were set up to act as a front counter, and there were a few chairs scattered around the room. There were no other furnishings, such was to be expected of a poor doctor in a racially charged city. ”Sometimes he works by himself. Best not to disturb him. Let's see if there's an empty room for the wounded.” Fritzi was not as eager to press forth now. But they had to find Donovan, and she was sure he was still here.

They moved deeper inside the clinic. The dizzying array of corridors were not the easiest to navigate. It didn't help that all of the candles were inside the rooms of patients, and just barely shined into the “hallways” they were travailing down. The temptation might have been to charge into one of these rooms, but who knew what kind of illnesses lingered behind the curtains. If the blood and bile stains on the drapes were anything to go by, there were quite a few. ”Here!” Fritzi had discovered an empty room with two tables, perfect for their wounded allies. ”Alright, Let's get Hero up first, then Airy. It's all we can do until Donovan shows up.” Moving Hiro was pretty easy with four people, though Alistair could have sworn his weight doubled since they moved him last time. ”Did Hero eat a truck full of appas before coming here or what? Heh!” She chuckled nervously. ”Hey All-star, you look a little pale. I guess I'm not the only one who's a little winded after moving him huh?” Fritzi was visibly sweating. The room was a little humid, but it wasn't quite enough to trigger that type of reaction. But Fritzi wasn't the only one displaying these symptoms. Everyone in the room had pale skin and was sweating. ”Um?” After a brief pause, Fritzi picked up the candle and held it level with her nose. ”Hey, these candles kind of make me dizzy when I smell them. How about you guys? Do they make you dizzy?” Candles or not, everyone else was also feeling a bit of something. The clinic was getting increasingly humid, and standing soon became too difficult for the foreigners. One by one, Ashton, Flame, and Alistair sunk to the ground. Aerith and Hiro would have a harder time breathing, if they were even awake at this point. ”Not good, not good...” Demi-humans were superior to humans in a lot of ways, and that would explain Fritzi's higher tolerance towards whatever was poisoning everyone. She walked towards the mouth of the room and put her thumb over the candle wick, plunging everyone into darkness. ”Donovan! What are you doing?!?!” That was the last thing everyone heard before drifting off to sleep.

---

"Well, do you know them or not?" Aer fret her brow at Yuuki. He appeared to be standing behind Aer with Ashton and Wisp. They were also in the Golden Quarter again.

”We'll check up on you guys in a bit, Irine just has to write some reports.” Vasilis gave Chieko a thumbs up before walking off with the mentioned noble.

Aer aproched the other foreigners, who were standing between Donovan's Clinic cart and the shop Fritzi was working. "If you don't have your papers in order, you should consider joining up with me. Otherwise, all you have to do is run into the wrong guard to get into trouble."

”You'll get into trouble with them just for being born the wrong race!” Fritzi lowered a pair of shoes into a bag and pushed them towards Hiro. ”Besides, cleaning houses with me would be a lot more fun! Don't you think, Noble?”

”Alternatively...” Donovan opened his arms. ”Ya always welcome to come to work in my clinic. Get shorthanded a lot these days with the bandit attacks.”

Chieko and Yuuki were a bit perplexed. They were in the Hero's district when they witnessed the entire world freeze, as if time had stopped. After blinking, they found themselves here.

Everyone who entered the clinic would remember falling unconscious, and woke up where they were feeling drowsy. When Aerith and Hiro looked at their wounds, they could see that they had fully healed. Or perhaps it was more correct to say that those wounds hadn't happened yet.

Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks

Ashton and Flame remembered the feeling of being poisoned, assuming that was what killed them a second time. They also remembered Fritzi's last words, which implicated Doctor Donovan but not so completely they can just make accusations like that. So Ashton quickly ran up to Flame to grab the other boy's upper arm as the latter's face twisted in sudden rage, whispering to him, "We don't have any proof; don't act suspicious."

Then, to keep up apperances, he said somewhat loudly, "Flame! I'm glad to see you again!"

He then whirled back to Aer and said, "Yeah, I think they were kidnapped too; anyway, Aer, meet Flame, my, uhh... special partner. Flame, meet Aer; she's an adventuress."

Flame nodded curtly, all the while thinking up a plan in order to save the entire group's lives this time around - Even that mean Japanese Girl, although he was certain she didn't actually die. He would then turn to Alistair and say to the blonde in a low voice, almost a whisper but not quite, "Alistair, I don't know how you feel right now, but we're going to need someone with leadership skills to get us through this. We need someone to gather those with useful skills or... Well-honed bodies and rope the entire group into picking the same solution - Which I believe is getting official permits."

The redhead wasn't blind; he had seen Hiro and Aerith's burnt and wounded bodies as well as heard Doctor Donovan's presumed treachery. So that left signing up with Mono - or trying to - as the only viable option. Even if it meant handing over Yuuki - Ashton's new Shota friend - to the authorities to be locked up in 'honorable confinement'. At the very least, staying as a unified group would help them deal with new perils.

Ashton, meanwhile, walked up to Aer, and said in a hopefully discreet whisper, "So, while my partner is trying to talk the entire group into coming with you, I have to ask: How do you know this Doctor? He seems like a nice guy."

---

Poison. That was all that Aerith could think would be a reason for her to have died, again, and looking at the others it was obvious to her that (maybe???) some of them remembered something too? Had they even all died in the first place? A chill ran down the length of her spine once more, as memories of the "first" still haunted her even now. At least this time hadn't been as....violent, but this also proved a theory to her as well. They had died more than once here, and if the trend kept up (and wasn't some stock of lives) there was no potential to escape any of this by.....dying. Then again, to ponder if this no-hypothesis was true or not was not on her list of things to do personally. Even now the feeling of the stab wound, and holding that cloth on it Fritzi gave her with pressure, was so vivid to her the feeling was struggling to fade from her and her body. All she did remember, though was what at this point she assumed the others might remember who were there.

Getting sleepy, the room being humid and hot, and then Fritzi yelling about Donovan somehow before it all went black...

However, there was one potential silver lining that Aerith held onto. She, Hiro, and Chieko had overcome the "first round" as it were. They had used what they knew to stop the worst happening to them. But....was this possible to organize for one big group? Other than the brief familiarity she had with Hiro and Chieko, which she was most attached to here so far, she knew none of these other people. Even Alistair, who had helped get her and Hiro onto the cart to try to get them help, was an unknown to an extent to her. That meant...potentially smaller groups forming perhaps? To Aerith that felt like a safer thing, rather than any arguing potentially over leadership if all of them from Earth here began talking to each other.

To this end, Aerith put down the money to pay Fritzi, then pocketed any remainder. She then reached out to grab Hiro and Chieko's hands, bags with their clothes looped onto her arms. Though not as strong as Hiro had been in that other fight, Aerith's grip was...like a vicegrip really. Tight, the tension in her body unable to be hidden, though her face wore a mask of polite embarrassment, as if she seemed to behave like she'd remembered something.

"Ah! A few of us perhaps need to talk for a minute. Hiro, Chieko....ah, and Alistair! Please come over here real quick, ok?" Aerith said, her words flowing so naturally that....it was potentially kind of jarring as compared to what her grip was communicating to Hiro and Chieko. Aerith even gave a very brief, solid, steely glare into Alistair's eyes alone as she mentioned the boy (unseen to Fritzi behind her at least she hoped) that communicated a very strong impression of 'get over here with us right now, we need to talk'.

As it were, they needed to not bring this up among everyone. She had no idea if anyone here was a blabbermouth, and at that if anyone reacted too strangely to all of this......she was afraid that what little information they now knew might become too useless in part. Of course she couldn't think as if she could control everyone. That would be asking to be both a control freak and a fool. But if the other two she had come here with, and maybe Alistair if he came over to their small "pow-wow" she was forming to the side and out of earshot, could form a small information network that might be good. Maybe.

It was somewhat of a desperate plan, perhaps one fueled by a fear of death and the bitterness seeping into her about things. Frustrations about avoiding death only to swiftly succumb to another attempt soon after...they too perhaps came into the picture. Maybe those words from the smaller assassin who had stabbed her in the gut were still resonating with her even.

Regardless of whatever was behind her actions at this time, this idea was one she hoped would allow them to actually form a proper plan for "this time". Even if for a smaller, and more manageable, group of people. Then maybe they could help the others organize, if this even remotely worked.

Because of course, it could all blow up in her face and they'd die right here again.

And here they were again.

He hadn’t froze this time. No it was the world itself that had frozen, and then reverted when he blinked. Yuuki placed a hand against his chest, as if trying to summon up some sort of phantom pain, but ultimately, he came up with nothing. Did he die so fast he didn’t notice? Or was there a different trigger this time? Blue eyes flickered towards the small group that one of the girls was forming, before narrowing slightly.

Yeah, he understood what had happened now. And it was certainly tiring. He had only relived this day twice, but even then, the mental cost was beginning to bear down upon him, even more so than the pack strapped onto him. No interval. No break. No sense of safety. Nothing at all. He closed his eyes, counted to ten, and then said to Aer, “I don’t know them at all, but it certainly seems like they know each other very well, hm?”

Tired. Too tired to even feel that cold terror spread through his core again, at how easy it appeared to be, brushing against death.
“Sorry if it sounds like I’m rushing you, but could you just go ahead with me, and have, say, Wisp, lead the others to the guards station afterwards? I think the sooner I get this done, the better, honestly, Miss Pacifica.”

He knew what end awaited him on that particular route, after all, and though it wasn't turning out to be the best possible route...Yuuki knew that it was a route that didn't end up in death or alienation.

Hero's District, Priestella
Death count: 1
Reset Count: 2

---

One instant she had been outside with Wisp and Aki, the next she was back with the others.

What happened? Time had seemed to freeze, and with a blink she was brought back to an earlier point in the day when she had met everyone else and had made the decision to go with Aer to get identification. Did she die? She didn't think she did. Chieko frowned. Then what had happened? Did the reset not happen just because of death? Her death? Everyone's death? Someone else's death, then? Ashton and Flame were busy conversing with Aer and trying to get someone to be a...'leader'. Hmph, well, she wasn't going with anyone they picked.

"...ow." Chieko was bought out of her thoughts by the feeling of someone trying to crush her hand. She cast a glance over to Aerith. Was she trying to break her hand? Because it sure felt like it. She'd might have said something too, but that look Aerith had wasn't...well, it seemed like something had happened on their end. The death grip on her hand supported that fact, at least.

She was torn. She didn't want to say no to Aerith and Hiro. They were nice to her, but obviously something bad had happened and she really wanted that identification. It had gone well last time, hadn't it? Everything taken care of nice and neatly. Mono may have been a jackass, but he seemed reasonable. Mostly. Maybe she could convince Aerith and Hiro to come with them this time.

Ah, where was Aki at when she needed a comfort hug? Making decisions was always easier when she had a little sister to hug.

"Uhm...Aerith do you always try to kill things by crushing their hand?" Chieko replied quietly. "I...don't know what happened but we were safe." She cast a glance over to Aer and Yuuki. Oof, this hurt a lot. Not the hand crushing. Emotionally. "Uhm...maybe you should come with us?" She pulled her scarf over her mouth again before pulling her hand out of Aerith's grip. She hated this.

"W-wait I'm going with you..." She moved back over to Aer and Yuuki, hoping the others followed. She was going to get that identification, and then she was going to go to the adventurer's guild and find some training. She wasn't going to be this weak forever, and when she was a proper hero, she wasn't going to let something like this happen.

---

He remembered. The scorching pain of flames on his flesh. The grit of burned wound rubbing against itself while he fought. He remembered. Pain. But also, a stalemate. He didn't win. He hadn't expected it. Who in their right mind would guess that a magic flamethrower would fire at them. No one, that's who. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that he hadn't won that fight. It was. . . . frustrating. He was so sure in his victory, but it was not enough.

An now, he found himself back on this street. Back with the same people as before. Back having the same conversation. Did he die again? He couldn't remember. The last thing he remembered was blacking out. He supposed it was likely he had died if that was the case. Hmmm. Then there was a decision to be made. His heart was grim, but his face was still impassive. His mind raced. What was he going to do. There was absolutely a safer option than the one he took last time. Maybe if he stayed at the clinic no one would try to kill him. Maybe Fritzi was really the cause of all of this. The paths were open before him. One led to an inferno. The others were still dark and unknown. He felt the phantom pain of the flames across his body. Fuck. It hurt. He never wanted to suffer through that kind of pain again.

It was then, that he was called over. Aerith. She clearly also remembered. She was trying to get things sorted out. Hiro hoped that she would be able to plan around the fact that his decision was already made.

Hiro heard Chieko mention going with her group. That was probably a good option. Still, he smiled and patted her head before she turned and left.

"It's good you've found a path that keeps you safe. Keep an eye out for your friends."

He watched her leave before turning to Aerith. His eyes were set and his gaze was firm.

"This might sound strange, but I'm going with Fritzi again. I won't lose this time. It's something I have to face."

In one movement after that, he went over the Fritzi and informed her of his decision to come with her. For him it was once more, for her, it was the first time. Still, Hiro wanted to face that inferno again. He knew how this path would go, and he would face it.