Helga sat there with the elderly with over half and hour. Her ears twitched as she indulged in a conversation and witnessed a story being told by a woman with long, braided grey hair with wrinkles that covered most of her face. It was a story about her nephew, and how he would constantly tangle his shoelaces on purpose for he still did not know how to properly tie shoelaces. A few giggles escaped the witch's mouth, and she accepted the cup of warm water offered to her by the women.

As the loud crowd began to die down, it made way for the music that was being played by young poor folk in corners of the street. It caught Helga's attention almost immediately. Some were playing the lute, others tambourines, and the youngest of poor children using buckets as drums in attempt to make some money. Helga was distracted by the music which in her ears were pure art. Her attention left the elderly women, now focused on the beautiful sounds that the mysterious instruments made. Questions flooded her mind. How? What? Why? What marvelous inventions.... She was puzzled by the fact that not really anyone stopped to donate anything to the poor producing such beautiful sounds. And with that, she excused herself from the gathering and got a closer look of the old, rusted instruments. As the tunes of the instruments lowered, the witch clapped continuously for an encore. She even dared to tap strangers on their backs and guide them to the music she thought was wonderful, but frowns filled her face when the folk nudged her off as if she was an annoying fly. She blinked in disbelief at the ignorance of people, sighing softly as she went on her own to distribute a fair amount of six silver coins for each player on the street. She even encouraged the poor individuals to join one another and perform together in hopes that perhaps society would pay attention to them then. No results, even with the combined music. Helga ended up apologizing to the struggling young people for wasting their time, but asked them to continue playing until nightfall, and that she would pay them each half hour they played. With the combination of the diverse music that played loudly, Helga's feet began to instinctively tap along with the rhythm, joining them by snapping her fingers softly.

Soon, her hips began to sway side to side with the rhythm as well. Her smile made the players expand a grin of pride for there was at least someone that cared to stop by; someone beautiful who appeared to be rich. Helga now appeared to be dancing along with the music, stepping front to back and side to side. She moved gracefully in front of the "band", removing her cloak and revealing her luxurious puffy hair and beautifully structured face. The nymph spun elegantly, her hips kicking to one side for a moment. And before she knew it, she had attracted the attention of a few townsfolk who walked by and stopped to stare. Nonetheless the witch danced, singing in an ancient language, a tune that matched the music. More people surrounded the small performance at the sound and sight of the nymph. As they flipped golden coins into the small, torn pouches, Helga interrupted them by dragging a few people in with her to join her in her dance. She spun around a little girl, then pulled in a mother and danced the same steps of her. She didn't hesitate to bring the men watching her, giving them polite bows and grabbing their arms where they were forced to dance. The witch even made the elder women dance in her small circle of dancing people.

"Once you get a better understanding of your environment, you're bound to naturally live a lot longer than most." Ossiana said with a smile. "We'll find it."

~

Wiezen let out a sigh as he tied the strings to the lightly glossy appearing pair of shoes. They were the same ones that he had retrieved from Helga's house, though now they had been cleaned and finally polished after all of the time they had spent scathed by dirt and minor scratch marks along the surface. The feeling of the black socks that he wore were still irritant to his feet, but he found no use in complaining to himself about it since he already had them on. The shoes however, seemed to still expand to fit the size of his feet perfectly, and though they were as uncomfortable as they had always been, he felt familiar with how they felt. Deciding then in there that he would leave his other clothes here for the night, he returned to the bathroom mirror and began to "tidy" himself up.He still had never really gotten used to the human side of dressing, so he just went with what suited him the most. He combed some of his pitch black hair to the side neatly and buttoned up the first few button from the bottom of the wrinkle free white overcoat that he found was called a blazer. It had a black lapel that matched the black tie that he had worn with a light grey formal shirt and similar colored pants. His pale blue eyes seemed have been more complimented with the colors that he had chosen. He checked his bandages and made sure they were secure before finally heading out of the room, closing the door behind him. He went down the stairs of the inn and was slightly puzzled by the looks of surprise on the faces of some of innkeeper as well as many others there when he caught their eye. Some of the women that were coming in to stay for the night, travelers he would assume, seemed to be drawn to him, greeting him and wanting to indulge in conversation. A few of them even had either partners or husbands with them, and they seemed to be cut from the picture completely. He gave them a kind smile and greeted them all politely with a bow before leaving the inn, not wanting to be rude. As he left, he had to remind himself of where Kelsa had told him their meeting point would be before actually starting on his way. Naturally, he shoved his hand down into his pocket while going on his way.

Enricho: (Returned the smile that Ossiana gave him) I guess we will

Helga had made most of the townsfolk join in her dance, the center of the village now being clustered with dancing people that followed along Helga’s steps. The witch spun around, teasingly lowering herself on the ground while dragging her fingertips against her soft skin. She took a couple moments to dance with as many people as she could, greeting the strangers with smiles and getting to know them better. She returned to the simple steps for people to follow along, but this time the townsfolk got in partners to follow her steps. Helga’s partner was a short, older man with grey hair and tan skin. She greeted him with a politeful bow, taking his wrinkly hand in hers and proceeding with her dance. The elder she danced with seemed to be more energetic than ever. He felt… Stronger. As if youth had been injected into his veins as soon as she took the witch’s hand. He looked up at the beautiful witch, her eyes glimmering with a radiant smile. The sight of her made him feel no longer weak or sick. He felt rejuvenated. And so did everyone that touched hands with the nymph. Indeed, the witch released some of her magic into each individual she danced with, secretly curing future and current diseases they had. Secretly sending luck to each one. Secretly sending her full support and love, healing their wounds and scars through the simple touch of her soft hand.

Ossiana nodded in agreement, looking around at their surroundings. "Okay let's see...I marked a few of the trees around the area so it would be easier for me to back track to a few areas around here. We'll get the seaweed and the vines first since the leaves are going to be the easiest to gather."

~
It didn't take long for Wiezen to get to the meeting point that he and Kelsa had agreed upon, though it took longer than it should have. On his way there, his attention had been drawn to a set of lightweight hunter's armor that was on display. He had seen it before when he had passed by, but now that he was almost a official hunter, it seemed to have more of an interest attraction to it now. He marveled at how it seemed to gleam in the thin beams of moonlight that struck it through the glass window that it was held behind. But the more he stared at it, the more he began to think about finding a smith that could assist him in making his own armor. After all, he knew more about how magic worked just a swell as the types of things that lurked. He'd had more than his share of experiences. But soon, his attention was drawn back to him having to be somewhere and he carried along, not paying attention to much of anything else around him. When he reached the center of the town, he looked around for a moment, scratching the back of his head, his eyes scanning the area for the person he had went there to meet with.

"Jeez, if this is your version of "not too tidy" then I don't think I'd mind actually seeing you go all the way with it Barefoot." Kelsa's voice spoke humorously from behind him while she approached. "I almost didn't think that was actually you. Though I suppose that would be something nifty to wear for our performances perhaps."

"Well technically you can't call me barefoot since I have these stupid shoes.....on..." Wiezen had been in the middle of talking while turning around to greet her, but slowly finished his sentence when she came into his field of view. His expression was definitely one of surprise, and he was admittedly stunned by her appearance.

Kelsa's pale blonde yet radiant hair was parted, the strands that were once straight now hanging in curls a little passed her shoulders. Her hazel eyes held a vague glimmer to them that had a more focused color to them thanks to the frilly white shirt that she wore that was pair with a simple pair of black tights that, against her intentions of course, revealed the curves that her usual cloak wouldn't have. The few freckles along her cheeks that hadn't been that noticeable before now flourished against her skin. Her right hand was placed on her hip, while the left held two grilled shrimp and fruit kebabs that she had gotten for them as a thoughtful snack. Her arm extended out for him to take one of them. "So, you ready for your pat on the back for playing a big part in changing lives?'

Wiezen only could give a nod at first, but then furrowed his brow lightly as he politely took what she offered. "And you'd think that you tried to tell me "not too tidy". You're one to talk.."

"What? This isn't fancy or anything, these are just normal clothes!" Kelsa exclaimed. "And besides, I've finally been able to put something on that was worth the while. After all, I had to dress for the occasion." She added with a shrug while taking a bite from her kebab.

Wiezen scratched his head. "Well...did you find what you were looking for? Or rather, what you went to go pick up?" He asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as soon as he remembered it.

"Hm? Mhhmm!" Kelsa nodded quickly as she chewed and motioned for him to follow. "But we'll get to that later. It's better when you get all curious about it, makes for more of a surprise. We have a lot of stuff to talk about too."

Enricho: Alright. Just tell me where I should start looking

"Well for safety's sake, I made the tracking marks in a sort of pattern on the trees for directional purposes in case you ever got lost or something. Also to keep up with where things are located. They look something like this--" Her tail whipped abruptly and her stinger struck the bark of a tree in two swift and sharp motions that created a deep "V" shape within it. "It's sort of like an arrow. If it's like this, then this is pointing back in the direction of our burrow. If it's pointed left, then we'd actually be heading south, because judging by how the sun set, north is that way." She said, pointing to their right. "Which means that we are coming from the west right now, and the east would be in front of us. Since we're going to be heading southeast, we'll reach the marsh that we're looking for so just look for the arrows that are pointing in an in between direction.'

Enricho: Alright, got it. We should be able to finish soon this way

And so the people continued to dance in the center of town, following Helga’s movements as the music sped up. She began to clap along with the rhythm, giggling softly at the dance moves the children had to offer. She was having fun, something she hadn't experienced in a while. Dancing seemed to make her smile more often. She took the small arms of a child and leaned down a bit to reach him, swaying side to side with the little boy who struggled to keep up with her. As the music reached a certain part, Helga returned to singing the same ancient phrase again and again, enchanting the ears of who heard her.

"My thoughts exactly." Ossiana said cheerfully as she lead him through one of the routes that she had explored. "Oh, there's one. Which means it should be this way. Hm...I wonder if I could become a map maker...psh, I'd be the best!"

~

Wiezen raised an eyebrow at what she had said. He could admit that he was indeed curious about what she had gone so far out of the way to retrieve, but he was even more curious as to why she was such an open person. If there was something that he had noticed, it was that she spoke as if she had nothing to hide at all. And once he got around to thinking about it, he himself had picked up the habit. Maybe it was because he no longer had anything holding him at bay, nothing that weighed on his mind like an anchor. Perhaps it was due to him feeling more...free. Something he was sure of now was wondering what their conversation would be pertaining to. "Well I wouldn't be being truthful if I said that I wasn't looking forward to it." He admitted, taking his first few bites of his food in thought.

"Heh, trust me, I think you're going to love it." Kelsa said with a small grin. "Well, you better. I went through a lot of trouble trying to get it." She says.

The dancing crowd continued until the stores around them began to close and save everything for the next day. People said goodbye to the witch before they left, asking for her name and how perhaps they could meet sometime again. Helga waved goodbye at the little children that followed their mothers, then helped the elder women pack up their stands. When she turned to view the musicians, all of them were stunned at how much money they had all made. The townsfolk had even gifted them with food! They made enough to last each one of them for at least a month. And with that, they all turned to the nymph and bowed to her, one of the male taking her hand and placing a kiss on her palm. Helga shook her head softly, denying their praises. Instead she leaned down and placed a kiss on each of their foreheads, wishing them the best of luck and thanking them for making her night.

Soon the witch found herself walking through the now empty streets, buying a few last minute items and making her way home.

"There." Kelsa pointed to one of the few restaurants that were still open. "I sorta got to speak with the manager the other day and hehe, surprise surprise, his wife and daughter were listening our music." She said, grinning at their success. "In fact, they loved our barrel bottom performance so much that we managed to get invited here. And not only that, but they were genuinely generous enough to give us a chance to perform here!" She gave him a pat on the shoulder. "They offered us free food for the night, but I kindly declined because it was too much. Which means that it's my treat tonight, because if it weren't for you I doubt that we'd be here."

Wiezen scratched his head again, something that had really become a habit. "Come now, I think you're giving me a bit more credit than I dese--"

"Nah ah ah ah!" Kelsa cut him off, going behind to push him towards the doors of the restaurant. "It's my treat, and you're being waaay to humble for me to just let you act as if you didn't play any part of this so just shut up and get ready to enjoy yourself!" She pushed him to the doors and opened the one on the left before shoving him inside lightly.

"All I'm saying is that--"

"Nope. Shush." Kelsa cut him off again while dragging him towards one of the tables. "You put in just as much effort as me so don't go off and try putting me on some sort of stepping stool top!"

Wiezen let out a groan and tried speeding up his pace of walking so that he wasn't being pushed anymore. "Alright alright, you win...sheesh."

Helga smiled to herself with a small blush as she walked back home, the basket that she carried now filled with a few items. She exited the town and arrived into the woods, humming to herself and even dancing to her singing as she walked barefooted. She felt... refreshed. Happy. Relief. The witch stared up into the starry night, her radiant smile brighter than the stars themselves. She held a faint glow to her fair skin, her orange hair curlier than it had ever been. Her emerald eyes held the shimmer of dew in the greenest of grasses among fields. She looked... Beautiful. Not only physically. A different kind of beautiful. She felt beautiful.

The lustrous nymph walked up the stairs of her porch, undoing her forcefield and unlocking the wooden door. Before she entered, she caught a glimpse of the ashes and remaining of her mailbox. With magic, she undid the damage and brought back the mailbox at its original state, filled with flowers and cards. She chuckled before taking the flowers and decorating the outside of her house with them again. Through the entrance the witch walked, closing the door behind her and setting her cloak on a hanger. She poured herself a glass of wine and headed upstairs, relaxed now that her clones had taken care of her children and that they were now fast asleep. Helga headed toward her room, inhaling the familiar rose aroma. She set her basket on the side and released a long happy sigh as she sat down. Boy did her feet ache from all the dancing. She reached into her basket and pulled out a small book she bought. She had gotten her hands on multiple of them. But the book she pulled out was one in particular, it was titled The Art Behind Dance. She flipped through the pages and realized on how much she missed out on. There were so many forms of dancing! Ballet, pole dancing, jazz, bachata, ballroom, zumba, so many to choose from! She was determined to learn each one of them.

It didn't take for the table that Kelsa had chosen for them to be filled with plate after plate of appetizers and entrees. Wiezen was borderline forced to try each one of them as they came to the table, though he didn't really mind it at all. If anything, he ended up realizing that we felt like he could eat an entire cow plus more. And the food was really good, even the smallest things tasting like minuscule portions of heaven. He began to take it as an opportunity to learn some new dishes to to try and experiment with himself.

"See, I told you it was good! It's chewy but it sort of melts on your tongue at the same time. It tastes sort of like beef with a small tangy taste." Kelsa covered her mouth as she spoke as to not be rude and have her chewed food showing in her mouth.

Wiezen began to focus more on the taste of the dish and furrowed his brow in thought. "Lemon, pepper, a hinge of salt probably mixed with diced herbal leaves for natural flavor, thyme, tarragon, and that small spice to the tongue is rosemary." He paused for a moment as the flavors settled into his taste buds. "Lathered lightly in a sweet sauce of a hint of honey, a little taste of liquor, and...mustard?"

Kelsa blinked in surprise a few times and stared at him. "You're kidding! H-how the hell did you--no way, you just made that up!"

Wiezen lifted his eyebrow. "Flavors don't lie, and neither does my taste in worthy food."

Kelsa furrowed her brow this time before taking up a bowl of soup into her hand along with a spoon. "Here try this then--" She leaned across the table and shoved a spoon full into his mouth.

Wiezen was taken off guard when he found a spoon being shoved into his mouth against his will, but he thought for a moment before speaking. "I've never had a soup that mixed a minor amount of coconut shavings within it. It has some delicate spices like paprika, onion power, dried basil, the shrimp included were soaked in garlic. Three cheeses were melted into this soup as well: cheddar, manchego, and port salut." And it was delicious, though he would've made the suggestion that they used ricotta instead of cheddar.

Kelsa began to laugh a little. "You're just full of surprises aren't you....like really, is that really the ingredients in this stuff?"

Wiezen nodded. "Precisely. I've had a few years of experience.." And by a few years, he meant thousands.

Enricho: You have the talent to become many things, Oss. And map making is definitely one of them

Helga stood up and walked toward her giant mirror, the book still in her hands as she flipped a page, reading the instructions and steps. During her trip, she had gotten herself a new record player and a new device called a camera, so learning a few dance moves were very convenient. The witch read the history behind pole dancing, imitating the pictures below and doing a good job on doing so. A smile expanded across her face, and she quickly looked up at the mirror to catch a glimpse of herself. But then her heart almost stopped when she witnessed in her reflection a dark figure standing right behind her. A gasp escaped her lips and she rapidly turned around to face the eerie creature, the long black hair blocking her face again. Helga took a step back and gulped, the book she held in her hands dropping to the floor. The creature released a loud, bone-chilling screech as it lunged forward at the nymph, the witch succeeding in dodging her attacker. Helga summoned her crystal sword, but just as she was about to swing it, the creature creepily crawled on all fours, grabbing onto Helga and throwing her across the room, shattering the mirror into small pieces. Helga groaned in pain, her eyes landing on the figure that crawled toward her, her voice hoarse and bloodcurdling.

"Did you reeeaaaaally thought you could get rid of meeeee?"

Helga crawled backwards, panting heavily as the figure got closer. But she retrieved her sword and swung her sword against the figure who had no reaction of pain. Instead Helga watched how it glitched, her ugly, scary-looking face being revealed for a split second before the black hair covered it again.

"Did you reeeeaaallly think… That you’re strooooonger than me?! POOOOWERFUL?! You think you filled that void within you with “loove” and “friieeendshiiiip”??? Hah… HAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Ohhhh, you are mistaken… For the only thing that lives within you is meeeeee…."

The eerie figure swung her elongated arm, throwing Helga against the wall. It laughed maniacally, creeping toward her, its nails clawing the carpet.

"I am the only thing that will ever fill that vooooid!!!"

Helga blocked another attack with her sword, growling as blood streamed down her neck from the shards of glass stuck to it. The only sounds for the next few minutes were the sounds of clashing steel and snarls. Helga’s sword went through the creature several times, yet none seemed to affect it. The figure lunged itself at Helga, gripping at her neck where she had finally pinned the nymph down. The witch hissed in pain, coughing as the nails that held her down pierced through her flesh, burning along the skin. A long, serpent-forked tongue slid through the dirty black hair, venom trickling down the tip. The figure forced Helga’s mouth open, shoving its tongue down her throat and injecting its green venom into her. Helga choked and shook side to side, clamping her teeth together and biting at the creature’s tongue. The figure snarled, jerking backward as Helga regained enough strength to stand up. The nymph left her sword to the side and used magic instead, disappearing into the air and reappearing behind the monster, wrapping her arms around its neck in attempt to choke her. Helga failed miserably when she realized that the individual she held glitched her way out of the situation. She and the creature stared at one another, face to face. The witch panted heavily, but all she received from her counterpart was an evil chuckle.

Helga: Y-You’re wrong….

"Am IIII? You have no hope in redemptionnnnn….. You are and WILL ALWAYS be the oooone to blaameeee…. Nooooo oooooneeee will looooove youuuuuu…. Even your kids when they grow up, they will forever hate youuuuuu…. But come now, let me iiiin Quaaaaartzzz… I can make thingss betteerrrrr…. Nooo ooonee will everrr breeaaak youuur heaaarrt agaaiiin….."

Helga: NO!

The witch shouted and sent a wave of magic, the creature flying against the wall and denting it with its weight. Before it could recover, Helga chanted a spell and made roots from the ground raise, coiling them around the monster to hold her down. And even though she broke free from it, more roots came to be and wrap around her. It was a never ending process. Helga walked over to the struggling figure, snarls of agitation filling the room. The witch summoned her sword once more, this time allowing the blade to burst into flames. She raised the weapon over the creature’s head, her eyes twitching as she did so. The figure below the roots lifted its chin at the nymph, the black hair falling behind her ears, her same face reflecting Helga’s, only a bit more scarred and jagged. Its face formed an enraged frown, shaking in anger as she spoke.

"I HATE YOU!!!!"

Helga stopped herself from beheading the figure, taking a step back at her words. Her lips quivered as tears stung her eyes that stared at her own reflection.

Helga: ….But I... I don’t…. I don’t hate myself anymore. I don’t hate you.

The figure’s pupils widened at her words, her trembling coming to a stop as she stared at the graceful nymph. Helga dropped her sword and held her own hands, tapping her fingers lightly against one another. The voice that came from the trapped monster seemed more vulnerable now.

"W-what are you doing?!"

Helga: I choose to love than to hate myself…. I forgive thee. I forgive myself… For all the things I’ve done…. Things that I truly regret. I choose to be happy now…. I have my children. All five of them. They are the happiness I live off of. I…. I’ve learned to love myself before I love anyone else, whether the love is unrequited or not... *chuckles softly, a light blush staining her cheeks* I don’t hate myself anymore…. I love myself and so should you....

With her last words, the creature roared in pain, seemingly shrinking as it tugged roughly at the roots, tearing them apart in attempt to reach Helga. But Helga did her the favor to walk closer to her, kneeling down and waiting until the creature was weak enough to undo her spell and make the roots return to their original state. The creature seemed to be choking, gasping for air as its skin began to melt and peel. Helga suddenly leaned forward and hugged the eerie creature, embracing her one last cry of agony before the figure bursted into flames that did not harm the nymph. The flames continued for a while, memories of Helga at her weakest state being shown through the fire. Once the flames died down, all that was left were rose petals.

And there Helga sat on her knees, panting softly as she stared at the still petals. She swallowed before releasing a soft sigh, standing on her feet and fixing the broken mirror with some magic. She slowly made her way to the bathroom in attempt to heal herself with some herbs and potions.

Ossiana's ears perked. "You think so?" She asked, a small blush coming to her face. "But you, what do you want to do?"

~

Through their meal, Wiezen and Kelsa began to build a long conversation between one another while they sat under the lights of the restaurant. The sound of laughter was shared between the two, and a few of the chefs had been called over by Kelsa, for she became exceptionally curious and wanted to see if Wiezen's analysis on the variety of foods that she had gotten him to taste and give his thoughts on were true. And to her liking, she was astounded when she found out that they were.

"So, now on to the subject of our music." Kelsa said while wiping her mouth with a napkin. "That Ball that I told you of a few days ago, its nearing now as we speak." She said, her head turning slightly to watch as their plates were taken up. Her attention returned to Wiezen. "It's really going to be quite the journey, and for the most part, I think I've gotten most of what would be needed to last the way, plus more to last in case the trip's for nothing." She said. "So, after tomorrow, I'm going to be heading off so I can make it in time."

Wiezen paused and looked at her as the last of their plates were being taken from the table. "After tomorrow..." The corners of his lips tipped into a frown, but one small enough to go nearly unnoticeable.

"Yeah, after tomorrow." Kelsa said with a smile. "Which brings me to the thing that you've been awaiting so patiently." She says while setting enough gold on the table to pay off all that they had and standing up from her chair. "Come on, I left it somewhere safe for the time being."

Wiezen stood up as well, generously leaving a few extra gold coins before following her to the doors of the restaurant and out into the night.

Enricho: As of this moment, I only have one goal. Make you as happy as possible

Helga winced as she plucked the small shards off her neck and applied a dip of the herb water. She finished it with some healing potion which truly did the trick. Afterwards, a long sigh escaped her lips as she looked at herself in the bathroom's mirror and brushed her hair. She slipped into her night gown and stretched, making her way back into the room.

She "poofed" herself into her children's room moments after, staring down at the crib to view the four sleepy babies. She giggled and decided to take Wiezen Jr. with her to bed. With magic she teleported back in her room with her baby. Wiezen Jr. woke up for a moment, his ears perked in alarm. But as soon as he realized it was Mama Helgy, he was out like a light again.

Ossiana blushed at his words and chuckled a little, her tail curling itself. She reached out her hand and took his into hers, though she remained silence for a moment. "That's always been a goal for me...to make you happy. Keep you happy." She smiled. "Because you know I love you."

Enricho: And you know I love you as well. That is why I make it my goal to keep you as happy as you make me

"Awww," Ossiana cooed, her blush deepening a little. "Now no one could say that you're a hopeless romantic" She said humorously with a light laugh.

The mother laid down on her bed, holding Wiezen Jr. closely in her arms. She covered herself with the warm blankets and gently rocked the infant side to side. Jr. perked his ears once more, yawning in delight and snuggling close against her mother’s big breasts. She chuckled softly and stroked his furry head.

Helga: You’re my favorite child to spoil, you know that? *giggles* You look so much like your father, my little one. So handsome and grumpy. And hairy! You're my little werewolf!~ *winks down at him*

She tickled Jr.’s belly softly, receiving a giggle and a soft blush. He certainly was two different babies. In public he was more conservative and grumpy, but alone with either of his parents, he was a spoiled little boy, especially with his mother. Sometimes he preferred to be an only child to have all the love for himself, he loooooved attention. And so did his siblings. Helga continued to tickle him lightly, making weird faces down at him. She blew “farts” on his tummy, twitching her ears in glee at his baby giggles. The mother received a small kiss from her infant, and she embraced him in a big hug, chuckling softly along with him. She cradled him closely and scratched the back of his ears, making another yawn come out of his small lips. Helga stared down at him with a smile of pride, singing a low lullaby that soon made him fall asleep.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away..."

Enricho: Good (Returns a smile, but remembers what they were doing) Well, we should continue keeping an eye out for the vines

"You mean these?" Ossiana tail held up numerous of loops of normal vines over her head. "Well, even so we still have the other ones to find as well." She saw the next mark on the tree. "That's mark number two...once we see the forth one then we'll know that we're close."

Enricho: Good (Continues to walk alongside her)

Wiezen Jr. yawned once more, slowly falling into a deep sleep. Helga finished her lullaby by humming, keeping her son warm in her arms. She soon too closed her eyes, a yawn escaping her plump lips. She smiled gracefully and exhaled softly, resting her head against the comfortable pillow. And there she fell into a light sleep, snoring softly.

After gathering nearly everything they needed in just one small hour, Ossiana headed back towards the burrow with her lover, most of what she wrapped up within a bundle. "See? That wasn't so hard now was it love?"

Enricho: Of course not. It was rather simple

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Flynn was still in his room with Franziska. He had just returned from buying a meal and a few female clothing. He settled the bags on the bed where Franziska laid.

Flynn: How long are you going to keep this up for? You know, like not wanting to go anywhere or do anything and making me do it for you.

Franziska: I don't know, Flynn
Nithloraul: Oh, you really want her to just stop moping around, I see. You here her, missie. Stop acting like a rape victim and- Oh, right

Flynn: That's not what I meant. *sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed* And no one asked you. What I'm trying to say is that sitting around here won't help... I just want you to... Well... Return to being yourself I guess? I'm just trying to help.

Franziska: I know..... But I just don't know when or how that will happen, Flynn

Flynn: ...So that's really it? ...Is there anything I can do to possibly... I don't know, help?

Franziska: I don't know, Flynn

Ossiana gave a soft smile. "It was only easy because you catch on quick. Well, with some things at least." She added jokingly at the end with a small giggle.

~

Meanwhile, Wiezen found himself waking up in the middle of the night, but in a bed this time. He blinked slowly and looked around sleepily before he finally recognized the room that he was in as the one that he had settled his things in at the inn before he had left for the night to meet Kelsa. Sitting up, he felt something smooth brush across his hand, only to cringe at the sound of shattering that came after it. He looked over to the side of the bed to realize that it was a bottle of alcohol that had been emptied. Everything began to flood back into mind, causing him to glance over to the other side of the bed with a small smirk before turning back to the bottle. He stared at it for a moment, debating whether or not he should clean it up at the moment, but decided on going back to sleep.

Enricho: Only to things that count. Besides, I had your help after all

Zealia had also gotten up in the middle of the night when she searched blindly in her crib for Wiezen Jr. To rest on. She whimpered a bit, looking over at sleeping Elijah. She huffed and crawled out of her crib, hopping to the carpet and sniffing around for a familiar scent, exiting her room and soon coming upon her mother's.

***

Flynn: oooooookay then... I'll just sit here for now...

Franziska: (Remains quiet, as she sits on the bed)
(As they sit in silence, a scream can be heard from outside)

"While that's true, I'm still going to give you the props that you deserve for even wanting to come with me in the first place when you could have been relaxing yourself. Speaking of which, you deserve to be rewarded for that as well. I-If you'd like, I could massage your feet in warm water until you fall asleep."

Enricho: No need to worry about it, Oss. I don't need a reward. Just your company is enough of a reward

The little girl found herself wandering into her mother's room, a frown coming upon her small lips when she witnessed her mother cuddling with only Wiezen Jr., spoiling him. A growl mixed with a whimper escaped her, and she quickly ran with her stubby feet and crawled up the bed to be part of the cuddles. She wiggled herself in between Helga's arm to get over her body and climb up her head, making herself comfortable with a small sigh. She glared at Jr. From her spot in slightly jealously, brushing her mother's hair with her nails.

***

Flynn jolted from the spot he was sitting on.

Flynn: W-What was that!?

Franziska: (Before she could answer Flynn's question, she made her way out of the room and the inn to see what the sound came from)
(In the center of town rested a massive pile of what looked like flesh. It seemed to be shiny with some sort of strange substance, with the substance appearing to be breathing)

Flynn gasped when he witness Franziska run down the stairs, and he quickly chased after her out the inn. But when he saw the massive pile of flesh, he grimaced and took a step back.

Flynn: Eww! What is that?!

Guards: (Surrounded the strange creature, keeping the town's people away from it) Stay back! Everyone stay back! Don't get closer to this thing
(As the guards kept their back to the creature, the shiny substance around the creature hardened into a sort of crystal-like object. As it did, the crystals shot forward, impaling some of the guards through the heart and head, killing all of the guards around it instantly. Before the townspeople could scream and run, the creature sent crystals through the ground, as cracks were made in the earth, and impaled many of the people form the ground up, killing a few as the townspeople began to run from the creature)

Nithloraul: (It's eye shot open, twitching violently as the tentacles in it began to swing around violently) Ahh, Dhothist has finally woken up

Flynn: Uh-oh....

He had immediately grabbed Franziska by the hand and dragged her back inside of the inn, pulling her back up the stairs to get away from the creature and near safety.

(As Flynn made his way inside the in, the creature used it's crystals to chase after them, cracks coming from the ground as it did so, before smashing through the walls of the inn, as it chased towards them)
Franziska: Flynn, it's chasing us!

Flynn ignored Franziska as he just dashed with her back into the room.

Flynn: Whatever you do, don't look back, just keep running!

He dragged her as fast as he could, then immediately shut the doors behind him and panted heavily, trying to block whatever was on the other side by leaning against the door. He then panted some more and his eye wandered around to look for Nithoraul.

Flynn: You! What the hell is that?!

Nithloraul: Oh, that's one of the Servants of God
Franziska: That's one of the Servants? What is it doing killing people
Nithloraul: Sacrifice. God wishes for sacrifices of human blood. The Servants are the ones who perform the sacrifices, but they can only be awoken to make the sacrifices if some other human wakes them. Whoever that may be, I don't know
(As he talks, another crystal shatters the door and makes it's way into the room, trying to impale the two)

Flynn: Sacrifice?! What kind of bulls-

He was cut off as the door was shattered to pieces, and he quickly moved out of the way and grabbed Franziska by the waist to push her inside the bathroom and close the door so that she could be safe in there while he dealt with the crystals in the room.