A girl worth fighting for [Closed/Ridley]

[Esperia]

How long had it been since she entered this world? Despite Shira's best efforts to encourage her, it was difficult to say whether it had worked or not. For the fox girl who went under the identity of Esperia life had seemingly been frozen ever since the disappearance of her lover. There was no meaning for her in this world without Rebecca, and the fact that several weeks had passed without any sight of her, had started to slowly influence the girl. Perhaps it explained why she was still at such a low level, despite the fact they had all been trapped within Elder Tale for such an extended period already. However, it was on this particular day, an early morning whose weather resembled the autumn season, that a certain event unfolded that had slowly stirred the embers of hope within the girl, and caused her world to finally be filled with liveliness once more. It all began during the time she was taking an idle walk through the streets of Londinium, and while she was able to find shelter easily enough thanks to Shira's kindness, it didn't change the fact that she was still rather single-minded on her search for Rebecca.

She had been walking along the streets leading into a small plaza where adventurers tended to gather before their trips, when a certain conversation reached her ears. A trio of humans was gathered near a tree, and while they looked rather strong, it wasn't them she was interested in. It was the conversation they were having that intrigued her. The group was talking about how they had recently visited a village belonging to the people of the land, another term for the natural inhabitants of this world. It was within this village that they had a rather unusual encounter. A pretty girl, an adventurer like them had been found ill near the outskirts of the settlement, and while that itself might had been little reason for Esperia's concern, it was when they started talking about her appearance and name that Esperia snapped into almost a shout.

"Where?! Where is this village located?!"

The trio seemed slightly startled, but were kind enough to reveal the information about the village's location to her. They did warn her to remain careful, because a recent influx of bandits and raiders had left the area in a slightly dangerous condition, and while the Wardens were able to keep the main road, and the outskirts of the village free from their presence, it was most certain that if she strayed from the main path, that she would soon encounter those dangerous individuals.

She had heard the rumors before, of an odd group who were commonly called 'Heretics'. They were a vicious type of magic users whose abilities spread a taint, a wicked corruption that threatened to influence both mind and body, and while early on it was like a simple poison, extended exposure was surely lead to a state worse than death. Still even those dreadful rumors didn't linger in her mind for long, because at long last she had a clue: The adventurer's name was Lemmyl.

Lemmyl, it was the name Rebecca was going to pick for her character, and with the knowledge that usernames were unique, and that they were most likely somehow trapped within the world of Elder Tale... made it almost certain that this person was in fact Rebecca. She had gathered the meager supplies she possessed, and after leaving a message for Shira, departed for the village. Fortunately the village wasn't that far from Londinium, and with the main road both traversed frequently by adventurers, and kept secure by the Wardens of the people of the land, the girl had found herself a way to reach the village. Of course it was the only way for her to take, since she was mainly a healer so any form of combat usually required someone else to assist her.

A gentle sigh escaped the girl's lips when she arrived at the outskirts of the village, clutching a firm hold of her staff before approaching some of the villagers that were tending the fields nearby. It appeared one of them had noticed her, a young man who was clad in a farmer's outfit and smiled invitingly at her.

"Welcome to our humble village, is there anything I can help you with 'Miss Adventurer'?"

For a moment Esperia's eyes drifted toward the stranger, and for a moment she couldn't help how this person felt different from how she imagined people of the land to be. Adventurers once told her they were like the NPC of this world, so when they acted so realistic and seemingly 'alive' it caught her a bit off-guard. Soon focusing her thoughts back onto the situation, the girl spoke in a soft tone.

"I heard there's an adventurer in your care right now, would you perhaps be kind enough to tell me where I can find her? She might be a really precious someone I been looking for."

The farmer nodded his head lightly at her explanation, seemingly thinking for a second when he finally raised his hand into the direction of the buildings further ahead.

"Your best bet is to find Ridley- I mean Warden Ridley, she's currently stationed in the village. She should be able to tell you more, you shouldn't be able to miss her. She's the cutest little thing you'll find in this village."

The man's cheeks flushed up lightly, scratching his cheek in embarrassment while Esperia bowed in gratitude and made her way toward the settlement. She was so close, so close to finding the one she had been looking for. However, with the farmer's lack of description on terms of Ridley, Esperia soon found herself in the town square, her eyes looking around in an attempt to find the cutest girl around.

"Umm... Miss Ridley?"

Hesitatingly the girl tried to raise her voice, all in the hope of drawing the warden's attention. She had to find Rebecca at all costs!

---
WC: 1007
Note: Cutest little thing in town~ Ridley sure is a popular girl~

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[attr="class","titled2"]A GIRL WORTH FIGHTING FOR

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[attr="class","post2"]DISCLAIMER: Some of this thread will involve the actions of an NPC portraying a character I have yet to create. However, it has been deemed necessary that she be invoved, nonetheless. In light of this, I feel like it would not be right to claim AP on anything written from this NPC's perspective, and thus all content from said perspective will be colored blue throughout the thread and will not be applied to the final word count.

Moon Dance Village. The place had certainly changed a lot over the years. It hadn't grown much, but the place seemed...busier, livelier than before. Had it really only been four years? Four years since that fateful day that changed everything for Ridley Arkwright? Four years since she was whisked away from her home and given sanctuary courtesy of Stratford City? Four years since her parents, and many of her friends, were stolen from her by a band of Heretics? Four years since she swore revenge on every last one of their kind?

Now that Ridley was a Warden Cadet, she had found herself back in her home village a lot in the last few months. Her superiors had deemed it best to include her in the patrols that wandered the village and its surroundings, since she would be most familiar with the area. The same was happening with a lot of the new Wardens who had ended up in Stratford thanks to the kindness and consideration of the Heretics. Despite this, however, she would still find herself pleasantly surprised at how well the village was doing in recent times. The fields were bountiful, the streets were being well-maintained, and the people seemed altogether content with life. She was happy for them. Even if she could no longer count herself among its citizens, she was proud of her former home.

She was currently wandering around the main plaza that sat in the generally central area of the village, doing a little people-watching while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Her eyes fell on a group of children playing with what appeared to be an elastic, red ball the size of the smallest child's head. They bounced it back and forth to each other, laughing almost maniacally at it came towards them, some shying away from it as it approached, barely knocking it away with flailing arms and legs. One of the older-looking children kicked the ball as it came towards him, sending it veering off to the side. It caught a little more air than expected and sailed across the plaza, right towards Ridley. Had she not been observing their little game, it might of beamed her right in the side of the head. Instead, however, she raised her hands and caught the ball almost effortlessly. In her hands, the ball was a lot lighter than it looked. She looked back at the children, the one who had kicked it looking quite taken aback at having nearly indirectly assaulted a Warden. She smiled and walked toward them, coming to the midpoint of the plaza before tossing it back. The boy caught the ball, still wide eyed, and Ridley waved, smiling and nodding her head. "Let's keep the kicking to a minimum, hm?" The boy relaxed, the look of relief plain on his face, and nodded.

Ridley then turned and continued on her route through the center of town. If she was being honest, at the moment the ball had come sailing towards her, she had a hard time not heading the ball back towards them in an attempt to keep the game going. However, such childish actions were "unbecoming of an young lady," and even more so of a Warden...in training...on duty. The life of a Warden was a trying one, indeed. Still, that's not to say Ridley was such a serious, uptight person now that she was a Warden. In fact, she found herself being teased by her comrades for being such a "little kid" for often than not. But the fact remained that she was still only fifteen. She was learning to be a mature, responsible person, but it's not like that could happen in a single day. Besides, that was just plain boring.

As Ridley's patrol continued, the number of interesting things dwindled to zero, and she had still not seen anything worth reporting once she returned to the Wardens' temporary barracks in the village. Not that she was hoping to find anything, of course. She just wished there was some way to make walking around a village for hours at a time a little more exciting. Just a little.

As she reached the edge of the plaza, however, something in the slight breeze caught her ears. It was a voice, something that, on its own, was pretty unimportant, but it was what the voice was saying that caught her attention. Someone was calling her name. Again, nothing out of the ordinary on its own, but the owner of the voice had bothered to add the title of "Miss" to it. This was what specifically caught her attention, since no one in the village ever called her "Miss Ridley". Everyone knew her as a Warden by now, and would therefore address her as Cadet Ridley or Cadet Arkwright, or simply ma'am. Turning, she focused her listening for any more call-outs, trying to decipher its location of origin. Finally, the was able to determine that it was coming from the part of the plaza closest to the village's entrance. Unable to ignore the fact that someone was obviously looking for her--she didn't know of any other Ridley's in town, at least--she made her way toward the source.

Upon arriving, she found what she was looking for almost immediately. Even without the obviously nervous calls of her name--the volume of the girl's voice carried surprisingly well despite how low it was--the girl Ridley now had her eyes fixed on was too unfamiliar, and looked way too uncertain of her surroundings. Definitely a newcomer to the village. A wandering Lander, perhaps. Or could this be an Adventurer?

Ridley hadn't seen many Adventurers since their arrival into this world, but she knew of a couple. One in particular who had been working up a treaty with the head of the village to put Moon Dance "on the map" in terms of Adventurers and their activities. She had yet to meet any personally, however, but knew that they meant well with their presence here. Most of them anyway. In light of this observation, she approached the girl cautiously. She was a black-haired Foxtail, something Ridley made a mental note of as the first good sign. Was she biased? Probably. But Foxtails were awesome and she wasn't afraid to brag about it. At least not to herself. She was also a bit taller than Ridley, and most likely older, as well. As she approached her, she instinctively placed a hand on the hilt of her primary weapon, a standard long sword, which rested at her back just above her backside, her secondary, a standard rapier, resting on her hip.

"Umm, I believe I'm the only Ridley to be found in this village," she said clearly, trying to sound as professional as possible. "What can I do for you?"

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[Esperia]

If there was one thing that had improved a little for Esperia ever since she entered this world, then it must had been her hearing. It was a little bit odd, but compared to normally she felt like she could hear details a little bit better than normally. For example, in the real world she would have never been able to notice someone approaching her, at least until it was too late. However, this time she could easily hear the approaching footsteps, her eyes cast upon the approaching Warden. It was a girl like her, one that was seemingly a few years younger than herself, at least judging from her appearance. It was a little bit reassuring, but that didn't mean she could relax. In the end compared to her simple wooden staff this girl was quite armed, as expected of a Warden. However, it was quite difficult to truly consider a girl like her 'intimidating', for Esperia felt she was more likely to squeal in excitement and try to snuggle the girl, than to be pressured by her. Perhaps it was because she had a weakness for cute stuff? Rebecca did love to nag her about the fact she had a insane collection of plushies at her disposal.

"I apologize for bothering you while you're most likely on duty, but I was told to seek you out. My name is Esperia, an adventurer from Londinium."

It felt a little bit awkward to introduce herself like that. Obviously she couldn't use her real name, or talk about the real world, but to think she'd use this fictional name, this name of her identity within Elder Tale was a little bit embarrassing. However, despite her attempt to remain polite and respectful of the Warden there was a certain urgency in her thoughts. She didn't have time for all this chatter, she wanted to confirm if Rebecca was inside this village. For a moment she averted her gaze again, a bad habit the girl had whenever she was nervous. How was she going to explain her situation? Would this Warden consider her suspicious if she mentioned she wanted to see Rebecca? Then again, what was there to be considered suspicious about her wanting to see her lover? Then again, to tell a stranger about her relationship with Rebecca was a little bit embarrassing. Not that she'd be able to hide it very well with how love-struck she tended to be around the girl.

"I believe an adventurer is left in your care, a certain girl who is called Lemmyl. I have reasons to believe that she's a very important person to me, and if possible I would like to meet her."

What was she hesitating for? Was there a reason for her to act so proper and reserved, especially with Lemmyl's presence so close to her? Only a little bit longer, a tiny bit more effort and she could be reunited with her. There was no trying, it was either do or don't do, like a certain dwarf once told her when she was inside Londinium.

"Ever since the apocalypse- I mean the event where adventurers emerged within this world she has been missing. No matter how much I searched for her, she was nowhere to be found, and knowing her she would never have abandoned me. That's why I assumed something must have happened to her."

Hopefully her explanation was going well, but now was the difficult part. She was most likely going to need to explain her connection to Lemmyl, and there was no way she could just call Rebecca a 'friend' while keeping a straight face. In the end the moment that followed would have made her relationship quite clear. The girl's hands, for they had been freed after she had put away her staff, were now twirling her fingertips against each other, her cheeks flushing up into a light crimson color. She had no idea how Rebecca could be so open about it to strangers, or rather maybe it was she herself who was merely really bashful about it. Then again, she did consider Rebecca her first and only true love, so it was natural for her to be embarrassed about it.

"Could I please see my g-g-g-girlfriend."

Congratulations Elise, you succeeded in embarrassing yourself! Feeling her thoughts berate herself at how embarrassed she had been, the girl could have almost fainted at the spot, if not for her determination to find this 'Lemmyl'. She was certain about it, Rebecca was inside this village, and that meant she wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon!

There was too much at stake for her to have not gone to this village, or to obtain the courage to explain her situation and relationship to this Warden. She loved Rebecca, she genuinely did and every moment she spend away from her felt akin to a torture. Sure her body was alive, but with Rebecca missing it had felt like her heart had entered some sort of emotional winter sleep. However, this was all a thing of the past now. Here was her chance to find Rebecca, to be reunited with her once more and turn the nightmare that was called Elder Tale, into a blissful dream she could spend alongside the girl.

Of course little did she know about the circumstances that had left Rebecca inside this village for so long. What possible reason could she have had, for being unable to leave this settlement and find her? Was she imprisoned? Na, that was most unlikely. Sure she might had been a bit of a troublemaker, at times but she was far from a delinquent or a criminal. Then again, the rumors did say something about Lemmyl. If she recalled right then mentioned she was ill, and that the people of the land were tending to her. What could this possibly mean? So many questions, and it seemed that at this point only Ridley was the one who possessed the answers she needed.

---
WC: 1002

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[attr="class","titled2"]A GIRL WORTH FIGHTING FOR

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[attr="class","post2"]Ridley listened carefully as the girl introduced herself, confirming her assumptions that she was indeed an Adventurer. Apparently, the girl had come all the way from Londinium, a feat she found quite impressive since the girl looked no worse for wear after just a long journey. However, she was unsure of what types of transportation these Adventurers might have at their disposal, so the journey itself could have been as simple as thinking about Moon Dance Village and magically appearing there, for all she knew. Ridley remained silent and watchful of the girl, having nothing to add to her introduction other than to nod. She could welcome her to Moon Dance and do the whole formal greeting thing, but this girl seemed to be getting more nervous with every passing second, so Ridley felt it best to just let her say what she needed to say, and leave the formalities for later. If at all.

What the girl said next caught her attention, and she felt her grip on her weapon tighten ever so slightly as a reflex. She knew of this other Adventure that this Esperia spoke of. It was a young Wolfhair who had been attacked by a small group of Heretics not three days ago. The girl was found one morning by a Warden patrol, after which she was immediately brought to the village for treatment. Further analysis of the girl's condition revealed that she had been poisoned in some way, and it was soon after that her identity as an Adventurer was discovered as well. The village's healers could find nothing to counteract the poison, and no matter how many spells were used on her, the girl's HP never rose above one percent. The girl had eventually awoken, but her weakened state left little more than a vegetable. Ridley couldn't bare to witness the girl's torture. It wasn't the pain that seemed to cause her such grief, if there even was any, but instead it seemed to be the inability to do anything at all. Being at such low health without ever being able to heal was a torture that Ridley couldn't possibly comprehend. When Landers' HP fell to zero, they were finished for good. But she knew that if an Adventurer were to "die," then they would be revived at a cathedral in Londinium. She had learned this from her superiors since Adventurers who had taken on the skills of Wardens would sometimes assist in missions led by Lander Wardens, as a sort of warning not to overexert herself and to let the Adventurers handle the bigger problems. Knowing this much, the Landers saw nothing that could be done other than, as shameful and dark as it sounded, let the girl's health fall below that one percent. However, it seemed to refuse to do so, no matter how long she lay there. Perhaps this was the effect of the poison, after all.

Ridley's mind snapped back to the matter at hand, her instincts telling her to be wary of this Esperia, for now. She wasn't sure why she wanted to the see the younger Adventurer, but she wasn't willing to take any chances. After all, as far as she could tell, the girl was a mage, just as the Heretics were. What type of mage was unclear to her, since her use of the Interface was still quite lacking, despite part of her training being the improvement of its use. Therefore, the only information she had to go on were this girl's claims and a wooden staff, one of which alerted to trouble and the other not doing much to convince her otherwise.

The girl then began to speak of what the Adventurers had deemed the "Apocalypse". Ridley failed to see what was so apocalyptic about it, since nearly nothing about the world had changed other the arrival of the Adventurers. But this was what they were calling it, and it had begun to catch on, particularly in the mixed company of Lander and Adventurer. Apparently the girl she spoke of had been missing since the event, something that Ridley found herself sympathizing with. She knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. For Ridley, however, it was different: she knew her parents were dead. But this girl...she had no way of being sure of what had become of her friend. And whether or not the girl Ridley knew was the same girl, she felt that the possibility was at least pretty good.

Esperia's next comment both confused her even further and touched her. Her girlfriend? she questioned to herself. Careful now, Ridley. That's a mighty big claim, but if she is a Heretic, then who knows what she might do or say to get to that girl. This was a difficult matter to decipher. She thought to simply bring her to the barracks and let the ranking officer there deal with her, but no one would be there at this hour, and Ridley wasn't sure where to find said officer right now, anyway. Besides, one more thing troubled her. Why was this girl specifically looking for her? She hadn't considered this fact until just a moment ago, but it seemed odd that she would seek out one Warden out of all the Wardens in town--the only Cadet Warden among them, for that matter--and that the girl knew her name in the first place. Now that she was thinking about it, she wanted to know more about where this girl had gotten her information. May as well take her somewhere they could get a little more information while she was at it.

"I guess I can take you to where she's being taken care of," she said to Esperia, nodding and turning away, waiting for the girl to begin following her. She would seek the information she wanted on the way, rather than waste what might be precious time standing around in the plaza. "But first, what made you seek me out specifically?"

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[Esperia]

If it wasn't for the urgency of her desire to see Lemmyl, then she would have most likely shown one of the brightest smiles when Ridley expressed her intentions to show her where Lemmyl was. It made her really happy, because it was the very hope she had been searching for, ever since she was stuck inside this world. For a moment the girl simply followed in Ridley's footsteps when finally the question was made. What was it that had caused Esperia to specifically seek out Ridley? It was rather fortunate that she was able to answer that question with a certain easiness. In the end she had no reason to lie or hide something simple like the fact that a farmer of the village had told her to seek out this Warden.

"I traveled along the main road, mostly because as a Druid my offensive capacities are lacking, and with the rumors of troubles brewing in the woods off the main-road I tried my best to stick to the path. As a result I crossed plenty of adventurers and landers on the way, one of them was a farmer tending the soil at his farm over there."

The girl raised a hand, pointing into the direction she had walked from earlier. Ridley would most certainly be able to see the farm in the distance, and if she knew the villagers well enough, likely know that there were indeed farmers living over there. Her gaze remained focused on Ridley, and even if she held a slight desire to look around the village, her concern to find out if the rumor surrounding Rebecca's presence within this village was true.

"A young man mentioned your name. I tried to explain my situation to him, and he suggested I'd seek out the Wardens, and then continued to add onto the suggestion by saying I should seek out a certain person called Ridley. Albeit his description was really vague. 'Seek out the cutest little thing in town and you'll find Ridley'."

For a moment she tried to increase her pace a little, stepping beside Ridley, her gaze drifting along the girl's features before her lips curled up into a cheerful smile.

"However, I can see why he'd say something like that. I bet your quite popular with the boys."

Humming softly at the last bit the girl felt a little giggle escape her lips, before her expression darkened with a hint of gloom and sorrow in it. The comment she just made really sounded like something Rebecca might have said to tease her. Honestly it was a little bit painful, and while the memories of Rebecca gave her the strength to remain confident, it didn't exactly ease her emotional suffering.

"I guess that's something she would have said. She did love to tease me with silly compliments like that. I myself can't handle them, it makes me all flustered and embarrassed."

Yet, while she was following Ridley, Esperia couldn't help but think about the reason why Rebecca had remained inside the village for so long. The longer she was talking to Ridley, the more strongly her speculation surrounding Rebecca being ill, appeared to be becoming the truth. Of course there was no use at blindly guessing. It would be only a matter of time before she'd reunite with Lemmyl. Until then she would remain patient.

"She really is a handful sometimes. Loves to cause trouble, is so cheerful and upbeat I can almost not follow her pace. She also tends to be rather protective of me, so when she wasn't anywhere near me during the Apocalypse I knew all too well something must had happened. It was unlike her to leave me behind. And in this foreign world... she's the only one I have."

The last words were said with a hint of loneliness. Those days she spend on her own in Londinium made her truly realize how precious Rebecca's existence into her life was. Certainly she was a troublemaker, but the times she saved her outranked any type of problem she might cause. Not to mention she was so sweet and caring for her, and while her affectionate nature might had embarrassed her a little, it also made her feel really warm and happy. To her, life held no meaning without Rebecca. It was simply something she couldn't comprehend. There was nobody who could replace that bond, that relationship they had forged over those years.

"I'm sorry for sounding so gloomy. I... Never really got used to being without her. I guess I really am akin to a spoiled little princess without her knight around."

That sounded like a pretty correct description of her and Rebecca. A spoiled little princess and her beautiful strong knight. In the end there weren't many who would dare to endanger their own lives to save another. Certainly, the way this world worked now made it seem like death was a trivial matter, but it didn't change the fact that in the real world they were bound by the same rules Landers were inside this realm.

"But I'm grateful for your assistance Miss Ridley. To me she means everything in the world, so to finally be reunited with her is like life itself being given a meaning again. However, I'll have to admit I'm a bit worried about why she is inside this village. I firmly believe she wouldn't do anything wrong, so I doubt she's locked away. But the rumors were really vague about her reason for being inside this village. They only mentioned her name and appearance, alongside the fact she was being tended to inside this village."

Hopefully she could finally get the answers that would calm her down. Perhaps she had merely been infected by Elise's nap habit and decided to take a nap in an unoccupied bed in the village. Now she thought about it--- a cute girl like Ridley certainly could share her bed---

No Elise, don't be unfaithful in your lover's time of need.

1003 Words
Tags: @ridley

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[attr="class","post2"]Ridley honestly wasn't all that surprised by Esperia's explanation of why she had been specifically looking for her, instead of any other Warden or even the Warden Captain posted in the village. She knew this young farmer of which she spoke, and at the mention of him, Ridley felt herself tense up ever so slightly. "Why am I not surprised?" she mumbled to herself. Sighing, she looked over at Esperia. "Sorry about that. That's Donnel, a country bumpkin by every definition of the word, and someone who seems to have taken a little more than a liking to me." She felt her cheeks go red at the last bit of her statement, but this was in no way due to flattery. In fact, the way Donnel fawned over her daily had grown quite tiring and more than a little embarrassing. Some of the other Wardens had even begun to tease her whenever they passed by him, saying things like "Why don't you go talk to your boyfriend?" She had grown quite wary of the whole ordeal, and hearing Esperia mention him now wasn't helping in the slightest.

"Anyway," she continued as they turned down a wide road as the base of an incline. "Unfortunately, I don't know much about the girl other than how she arrived here. Donnel just likes to send people my way. Probably hoping I'll thank him for it or something, but it's really more of a bother than anything." She snapped her gaze up to Esperia and scratched the back of her head nervously. "I mean, that's not to say your presence is a bother, of course! He just puts way too much pressure on me without realizing it. Sometimes I just wish I had the courage to tell him I'm not interested." Sighing again, Ridley's shoulders sagged in defeat as she shook her head. Confronting Donnel was, of course, the only way to solve the problem. She simply didn't want to hurt him. He was a nice kid and all, maybe a little old for her tastes, but in the end, she just didn't see much in him. The poor guy was oblivious to this fact, however, no matter how many hints to tried to give him. That was a matter for another day, however.

As they neared their destination, Ridley listened as Esperia told her about the girl she was searching for. From the sound of it, these two were really close and cared for each other a lot, and as the conversation went on, Ridley could sense the loneliness in her voice. When the girl apologized for sounding so down after a considerable pause, she waved it off with a smile. "Don't worry about it. It sounds like you really care for this girl, so I can understand how being away from her for so long without any way of contacting her could be so tough." Hearing that the girl was a Druid and not a Heretic had set her at ease, if only a little. Since her skill with the Interface was so lacking, she still couldn't be entirely sure, but the way Esperia spoke of this girl was almost too...realistic. Of course, the best deceivers would have no trouble tricking someone into believing this story, especially with someone as young and impressionable as herself. Ridley didn't want to think of herself as gullible, but she had to admit that, despite the face she was still being cautious, she was beginning to trust Esperia more and more.

Ridley smilled up at Esperia as the girl thanked her for her assistance. When she mentioned that she was worried about why the girl was here, it dawned on her that she hadn't told Esperia that little detail yet. She quickly became nervous again, unsure if she should tell her now or if she should wait. If she was a Heretic, then she would already know about the poison. But then again, she could still be lying. This was all very puzzling for the young Foxtail. She decided to wait until they reached the place where the girl was being cared for and let the officials there handle the situation. They wouldn't allow her to pass without confirming that she wasn't a Heretic, or at least that she wasn't in league with them. "Don't mention it, she finally replied, smiling again. "We're almost there now."

They turned down one more side street before coming to a small house, the door to which was closed and guarded by one of Ridley's comrades. Ridley approached the guard and explained the situation, after which he stepped aside and allowed Ridley to enter the house. She opened the door and beckoned for Esperia to follow. "Cailen here says it's okay for you to come in. We're gonna go talk to the Captain, and then you should be able to see if the girl here is the one you are looking for." She smiled to Esperia and entered the house, turning to hold the door open for the guest. Ridley now started to really hope that she wasn't making a mistake here. So far, Esperia had yet to mention the girl's name once. And if she was leading this Esperia straight to her prey, she would never forgive herself for what happened to Lemmyl next.

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[Esperia]

It didn't take long for Esperia to get a grasp on the situation. It appeared Ridley was one of the Wardens stationed at this village, and wardens were pretty much the same like the police officers back in their world. Peacekeepers could have been a good term to identify them as. For a moment the girl's ears twitched lightly, slowly flopping forwards to mimic the look of a scolded puppy. Was she being a nuisance to Ridley? Fortunately her thought was soon corrected when Ridley explained herself, and the girl couldn't help but nod her head lightly in sympathy. Back in the real world she had her fair share of people trying to get closer to her. While she already scored fairly high on the cuteness factor, it wasn't unheard of for people to try to get closer to her, all in the hope of getting to bask in the spotlight the girl had unwillingly taken. It was such a bother, to have people fawning over her, or to approach her with such obvious ulterior motives. All she had wanted was to stay with Rebecca, one of the few people she could truly be herself with, someone she could trust and depend on.

When they arrived at a small house, seemingly properly guarded by some people Ridley was familiar with, Esperia couldn't help but feel herself growing a little bit more worried. What could have possibly happened to Rebecca, that it would require her to remain within such custody? Of course her unrest wasn't made any better when Ridley revealed her intention to let Esperia speak to her superior. It was a natural thing to do, in the end the chain of command was an important thing to follow, no matter what world or society one lived in. She nodded her head gently, following after Ridley while her mind tried to comprehend the situation she was in.

She was told that she would be able to see Rebecca, and then was taken to a place with a visible presence of Wardens. Now she was even about to talk to the Captain of the Wardens what meant only one thing. Whatever had happened to Rebecca, it was likely quite serious...

What in the world could have happened to you Becky...

For a moment the girl remained silent, her gaze solemnly drifting around to look at her surroundings until she was to be introduced to the Captain. In the end it would be rude for her to ignore the protocols that were in place within this village, and if she wanted to see Rebecca it was clear that she would have to cooperate with the Wardens. At a time like this the girl truly wished she had taken a class capable of mindreading instead of a simple pharmacist. She was way too confused, way too many questions haunted her mind, and now she was getting worried about what might had happened to Rebecca. If only she'd finally see the girl, so her concerns could be solved, and she could finally be reunited with her. Perhaps this captain she was going to meet would have the answers she needed.

"Is the Captain you mentioned here, Miss Ridley?"

---
534 Words
Notes:
Shorter post to help move things along a little.
Tags: @ridley

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[attr="class","post2"]Inside the house, a number of people could be seen moving about and performing various tasks, all in an attempt to care for Lemmyl. Ridley nodded to a few of them as she led Esperia through the small dwelling. They soon reached the back part of the house, where two rooms could be seen, adjacent to one another. Ridley led Esperia to hte door on the left, her eyes falling on the one next to it for a second before knocking. The knock was answered by a muffled voice prompting them to enter. Ridley opened the door and stepped inside. "Captain, I have someone who wishes to see the Adventurer," she announced without hesitation. The captain looked up from a document he was reading and gave her a puzzled look.

"Really, now?" he asked in a cautious voice. "And who might this be?" In response, Ridley stepped to the side to reveal Esperia's presence. The captain simply stared at the girl for a few seconds before raising a hand out in front of him. Ridley was quick to realize that he was likely accessing his interface. After another second or two, he nodded. "A Druid, huh? Still, can't hurt to be cautious." The captain looked over to Ridley once more. "Do you trust this girl, Arkwright?"

Ridley was caught off guard by the question. To think that she captain cared enough about her judgement of the situation to ask if she trusted Esperia enough to allow her to see Lemmyl was quite shocking. She stammered a bit, but was able to answer after a few seconds. "Sir, I think we can trust her. However, if you think it best, I can keep an eye on her." Ridley felt like this last bit was a little obvious. She was sure the captain intended to let Esperia into Lemmyl's room alone. Still, the captain nodded and seemed to consider her statement.

"I think that would be for the best. You're the closest person to Lemmyl in this entire village. I know in my gut that you wouldn't let anything happen to her. If you feel like this Adventurer can be trusted and isn't in league with the Heretics in any way, then she has my permission to see her. I'll leave it in your hands from here, Arkwright."

Ridley once more found herself surprised, only managing to salute the captain after several seconds and then turning to Esperia. She led the girl back out into the main part of the house and to the next door. "Okay, Miss Esperia, you can go in. I can't let you go alone, of course." Saying this, she opened the door. The room was dim compared to the rest of the house, and Ridley had to let her eyes adjust before she was able to see the form that lay on the best near the opposite wall. "Lemmyl, you have a visitor." With this, she stepped inside and approached the girl. She then turned back to Esperia and nodded, hoping with all her being that she was making the right choice here.

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[Esperia]

It was rather fortunate that Ridley had been at her side, for the conversation the girl had made with the captain of the Wardens had allowed her to finally see Rebecca. A light bow of gratitude was made by Esperia in return to those words spoken by the captain, and soon they were back on the move. This time it was but a short walk toward the main part of the house, a small dimly lit room and while it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, it didn't take even a second for her to recognize the figure that was laying on the bed at the opposite side. Yes, despite the fact that it was so dark the shape of the figure was exactly the same one of her fiancé, and that wasn't a mere coincidence. In the end the two of them had chosen to make their characters look as closely to their real selves as possible. Still, it had been quite a shock for Esperia... Rebecca had always been a rather energetic girl, and even when she was ill she tried to be the embodiment of cheerfulness, so to see the girl so weakened and vulnerable caused tears to appear in her eyes, lightly resting her staff against the wall while she approached the bed.

"Becky?"

A whisper that was only hearable to Ridley thanks to their close distance, was made by the girl as she slowly approached the bed. She had decided to sit at the edge of the bed, in the hope of getting a closer look at the girl's face. Of course she didn't need any confirmation, but the moment she saw the girl's face she knew right away this was Rebecca. Slowly she raised a hand, a gentle brush against the girl's cheek accompanied by her soft voice.

"Can you hear me Becky? It's me Elise..."

Tears started to flow more freely while she noticed the odd nature of Rebecca's health bar. It remained to stay at 1 percent, and some icon resembling Miasma corruption shown itself next to it. She was poisoned... How in the world could someone have done something so cruel to her lover? Rebecca wasn't the type to do something evil, so this was clearly an act done out of malice.

"I'm sorry, you must be confused... I'm not sure what people of this world think about us, but as you can likely assume we weren't always the 'Adventurers' of this world. Her real name is Rebecca Lancaster, and mine is Elise Von Eisenberg, but please just continue to call us Esperia and Lemmyl."

She paused for a moment, a hand raised toward the girl's neck, and silently she tried to notice something. She had remained motionless for a bit, when finally she spoke in a gentle tone.

"Her breathing is weak, what might be related to her weakened condition. I'm not certain, but the interface seems to tell me it might be related to Miasma Corruption. I believe there are treatments against that. Did the village try to use it?"

Of course they likely would have tried to use such a medicine. Especially since there was an adventurer who had created a spray to counter the corruption. Part of her really hoped to hear Rebecca's voice, but at the same time she prayed the girl would be unconscious, she couldn't bear the idea of Rebecca suffering so much. She remained silent, waiting for Ridley to respond to her question when she finally mused softly.

"I guess it's a good thing she kept nagging me about taking my studies serious. As someone who has been dealing with medicine for years I could likely think of an antidote. The problem is... If a regular cure doesn't work, the only solution would be to develop a medicine that makes her resistant to it."

She paused for a moment, turning to look toward Ridley.

"It's likely the poison is in her body... If we were to figure out the base of this poison, then we could gather the necessary herbs to produce a medicine that would allow her body to create a resistance toward the poison, basically allowing her to destroy it herself."

However, at that moment the girl's expression turned into one of grief once more.

"But even then, I heard the woods around the village are too dangerous for a druid to search for the herbs... And yet I can't bear to see her suffering like that."

And then suddenly she could have sworn she felt something shift beneath her hand. Was it Lemmyl being awake? Or was she merely stirring in her slumber? Whatever the case had been, it really took her a lot of effort not to break out in sobs at seeing Rebecca in such a poor state.

---
WC: 805