Work Text:
“Hah…Hah…Hah…”
Not long has passed since the trio set foot on their journey to collect the Moonlight Shards and restore their senses.
“Can we rest for a bit, Yuna? I don’t think I can defend you with all of this…”
An arduous journey across all of Ritania and maybe even further beyond, filled with dangerous foes and even more dangerous allies.
“Heh heh. Sorry that you have to carry all of that…”
…So maybe it was a good idea to at least bring some extra bags when they left Reingar to hold the shards.
_____________________________
“I finally got some meat back on my bones and you two already subjected me to unpaid labor!? This is unfair! This is injustice!! I DEMAND – Mmmph!?”
“Can you be quiet!? Just because you’re deaf doesn’t mean the rest of the world are!”
Another night settled down by the campfire. Another night of Tamarinne and Karin bickering like two bitter rivals. It’s like that every night now, so that doesn’t bother Yuna much.
What really bothers her, though, is how they’ve made progress slower than she thought.
“…” She ponders deeply as she stares at the shard the length of her arm in her hand.
“Hey, you’ve done looking at that giant shard yet? I broke my back carrying that thing all the way here!”
“…”
“What do you mean we’re not even past three percent of the estimated amount!? You sure you got the numbers right!?”
“…”
“Aaaaaaagggghhhh, going with you guys was a mistake! I can’t spend years of my beautiful youth looking for crystals like an overworked miner!”
“…”
“…H-hey, I didn’t mean that! I still liked going away from the woods with you and Karin! P-please don’t cry!”
“Ta~ma~rinne~?” Karin asks sweetly, her blade peeking out of the cover with a violent glow.
“Aaah! You know what, I’m going to fly back to that village to ste – I mean, get some bags! Alrightseeyoulater –”
KABAM!
The siren vanishes at the speed of sound.
“Hmph. She sure has a lot left in her.”
“…”
“…You’re not staring at me now, right? Yuna?”
It’s extra awkward for the two of them right now, as Tuna recharges for the night there’s almost no way for them to communicate.
All except –
“Hm? Yuna? Are you walking towards me? Are you mad at – Wahey! That tickles!”
Yuna writes something on Karin’s belly using her finger.
“Why…can’t…you…two…get…along? ...Oh, so you really are a bit mad at me.”
“…” Karin feels a slight shiver down her spine.
“*sigh* Sorry about that. But… I’m not sure if I can ever get along with her. She’s always so loud and whiny! I know that she’s excited to finally go out of the woods, but every time I tried to tell her to quiet down it literally fell on deaf ears! I don’t want her to call in more trouble than it already is!”
“…”
“…Yuna?”
Suddenly, something heavy rests on Karin’s chest.
“…You’re sleepy huh? Yeah, I’m tired too.”
“Jeez, I went away for a minute and you two are already making out?”
“WAH – Hmm! When did you came back, you dumb siren!?”
“Just now. Be quiet.” whispered a disgruntled Tamarinne as she ties up her sack full of crystals. “You’re not going to make me carry all of this, don’t you?”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now come over here and sleep.”
“…”
“…Hello?”
“Excuse me? What did you say?”
“I said, just come over here and sleep with us –”
“And just leave all this crystals here up for grabs? Are you nuts!?” – Tamarinne almost broke the silence – “I’ll be here and guard these, you two can just go to sleep and cradle each other’s hair or whatever, alright?”
“Just roll the sack over here you – *sigh* Fine. Have it your way.”
“…Hmph. I’m more of a nocturnal person anyway.”
“…Hey, Tama.”
“Hmm~? What is it?”
“Just now… How did you “talk” with Yuna without Tuna?”
“Oh, you should see how expressive she can be. Like, she doesn’t even need sign language or anything, her face can tell a story on its own.”
“…You’re never going to retire that joke, aren’t you?”
“Why would I? Pffthahaha – Oops!”
“*sigh* Good night, Tama.”
“…”
Tamarinne lowers her smile.
She silently watches the two girls sleep besides the fire while she huddles under a nearby tree.
I’ve been through this before, she thinks to herself. Back in the forest every now and then she’d dive in to a campfire and silence everyone there so she can enjoy a little warm sleep and help herself to something that’s not wild fruits for once.
So now that there’s a warm fire literally within her reach, without any danger of being hunted…
Why does she still choose to sleep far away from it?
I can’t tell what feeling is this… This sucks.
“…Good night.”
________________________________
Morning rises, and Tamarinne is the first to wake.
“…Ugh… I hate the sunlight.”
Then she notices someone eating the trunk Karin’s sleeping on.
“WHAT THE – HEY! WAKE UP!”
“WAAAAAAHHH!” Tamarinne’s shout blew the three of them back by a whole yard, and the tree eater’s the first to speak up.
“Wait! I don’t mean any harm! I’m just really hungry!” she cries.
“Hey! Check if she has eaten any of our food yet!”
“Let’s see… Hmm…That’s not it… Huh. Doesn’t seem like she ate any of it.”
“What!? You sure about that, you blind bat?”
“Don’t worry, I haven’t ate any of your food yet! It’s just that… um… I saw some mushroom growing on the trunk, and I was really really hungry, and –”
“Alright, we get it. At least tell us who you are.”
“…I’m Yufine.” the girl quietly replies.
“…I’m sorry? Hey, what did she say? I can’t read her lips at all.”
“She says her name is Yufine. Yu-fi-ne.”
“Ooooh. Hey, aren’t you a Dragon?”
“Oh! I guess you can tell from my tail…”
“And another thing, what happened to you? You look like a hobo.”
“Tamarinne!”
“What? I’m just saying what it is! I can see almost half of her body through her tattered clothes! Here, have my cloak and cover yourself!”
“…Thank you…” the Dragon responds in an even quieter voice.
“Look, you don’t have to be so embarrassed, okay? I haven’t lost my legs yet!” Karin reassures. “Just sit down and we’ll share some breakfast with you.”
“…Okay. But…Why are you patting my tail?”
“Ah! That’s your tail!?”
“Pfft – Hahaha! Still not used to it, I see. Come on, let’s wake Yuna up.”
“Huh? She’s still asleep?”
“Beats me.”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“How’s the eggs, Yufine?”
“It was… great. Thank you.”
“That’s nice to hear. I hope I didn’t overdone it again.”
“So you use this thing here to talk to people, Yuna?”
“Mm-hmm. It can also shoot lasers out of it. I can even make a small light show if you want!”
“So, Yufine, how did you end up here? I thought the home of the Dragons are all the way… there.” said Karin, her hands flailing gesturely at a random direction.
“About that… I can’t really remember for some reason. The moment I woke up, I was already here. It was scary at first not knowing where I am at first… but luckily I met Garo.”
“Oh, isn’t he the bartender from that Three Sisiers’ Merchant Guild tavern?”
“Yeah, he’s really kind to me! He even let me stay and give me money to buy food! I’m not sure how much worse I’d end up if he didn’t help me out.”
“Even worse than what you look like right now?”
“Haha… Yeah. The truth is… I kinda forgot my way back to the tavern as well. And I couldn’t catch any carriage to go back either, since I’m all out of money.”
“How about we give you some?” Yuna said, putting a small handful of Gold in Yufine’s hand.
“Wait, Yuna!?”
“What? R-Really? I can’t accept this!”
“Come ooooooooon~, don’t be shy. We can’t let you roam around eating tree barks looking like a wild beast. Besides, we still got this girl here paying for us! Isn’t that right, Karin?”
“…”
“…Thank you… THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! I’LL PAY YOU BACK WHEN WE MEET AGAIN, I PROMISE!” Yufine tearfully embraces the trio, endlessly thankful for their help.
“OkayokayowowowowowOWOWOW YOU’RE BREAKING MY BACK! YOU’RE BREAKING MY BACK – SOMEBODY HELP!”
“Haha… Dragons are also known for their strength, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
…and might have broken several of their bones in the process.
_______________________________________
“Uuuuuuuggggghhhhhhh… I feel like a crumpled piece of papeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr…”
After guiding Yufine to the carriages and part ways with her, the three walked (or more accurately, limped) to the nearest market in Levulin.
“Owwwwww… And I still have this huge sack of crystals to carry, too…”
“I hope we don’t have to do a lot of running anytime soon, haha. Wait here for a moment.” Yuna runs off for a moment, and returns with some steamed buns in her hand. “Want some?”
“Uuugggghhh…Thank you…”
“Thanks Yuna – Ow! Fresh out of the broiler, huh.”
Tamarinne shamelessly devours the bun as if it’s still her first proper meal outside of the woods.
But something lingers on Karin’s mind.
“That Yufine… I still feel something’s off with her…” she whispers.
“Hmm? Karin, something wrong?”
“Oh! It’s nothing, haha. It’s probably just me being paranoid like usual again. It’s just that – I don’t think there was anything growing on the trunk I was sleeping on yesterday…”
“…”
“…Hey, Karin? I don’t know if I should say this, but…”
Tamarinne swallows.
“…Yufine’s eggs this morning was underdone. Like, almost raw.”
“Really?”
“…WHAT!? Why didn’t you tell me!?”
“To tell the truth, I’m a bit skeptical about Yufine too. You know, like I would with any stranger. But –”
“But what!? What if she was lying about the whole thing just to steal our money!?”
“Karin, listen to me. Ever since I lost my hearing I had to pay attention to everything. Their lips, their expressions, their movements,… everything I could learn about them to know what they’re thinking. To see if they’re threatening to me, if they’re really being friendly to me or are just faking it.
And I can tell you, right now, that she isn’t lying. Feel free to chastise me however you want if I’m wrong.”
“…You…What?”
“I agree with her. I don’t know why she’d lie about something trivial like that… But I know she doesn’t mean anything unwell. Although… there’s something strangely familiar with her…”
“What? You two met before at the tavern?”
“No, not that. It’s more like –”
“What!? What happened to you!?” a distant shout interrupted the conversation.
“I don’t know man! That girl ate half of my carriage before she ran into the woods!”
That was all they need to hear. The three girls ran straight to the commotion without a word.
Apparently a group of people ran back from the trail. None of them were harmed, but they’re all pale as a ghost. Some were so horrified that started crying profusely.
“Sir, what happened?”
“Hey! You three went with that girl just now right? Your friend ate my carriage and almost devoured everyone else with her! Thank the Goddess she left us alone!”
“Did it happen far away from here?”
“No, just a couple hundred meters – Hey!”
ZOOOOOOMM!
“Thank you so much! We’ll take care of her from here!”
“Tamarinne, keep that bag of crystals somewhere safe for me!”
“Hey, wait! Why did you leave me with this!?”
“You! You know how much my prized carriage is worth!? And my horses that ran away too! You’re gonna have to pay back every last cent of it!”
“Okay, okay, I’ll pay you back, I promise! Now can you please hold on to this for me!?”
“Let me help with that.” A pair of knights walked up to them.
“Huh – Wait a minute!”
“Y-You’re…”
_________________________________
“Hahhh…! Hahhh…! Hahhh – Oof!”
THUD!
“Karin! Are you okay?”
“A wooden tire huh… Guess we’re here.”
A pile of wood stands in their way. Fell any further and Karin could’ve impaled herself on one of the wooden planks.
“Aaaahh, which way did she go? Yufine? Yufine!”
“Yufine! Where are you!”
“Come back here! We’ll give you something to eat!”
“YUFIIIIINNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEE! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?!?!?”
Not a sound returned.
“…Hahhh…Hahhh…It’s no use…”
“How did she got so far already? We’ll never be able to find her at this rate!”
“Yuna, were you saying that something about her feels familiar…?”
“It was… How do I describe this – her “vibe” that’s familiar…? Kinda like what I felt when I hear Tamarinne sing…”
“You don’t mean… that Dark energy from the crystal?”
“Wait… Would that explain her appetite? Maybe she lost her sense of taste just like us!? …Nonono, that feels too coincidental!”
“We’ll see about that later. But if you can sense the Dark energy from her…”
Karin suddenly adopts a readying stance.
“…maybe I can sense it as well.”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Focus, Karin.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Keep a clear mind.
Your eyes may be ruined… but you’re in no shortage of ways to find your enemies.
Hear their footsteps. Smell their scent. Feel the change in the air.
And best of all… your Light.
Spread it out. Don’t keep it contained within that sheath. Let it find the darkness…
…and guide your hand to tear through it.
.
.
.
.
Auntie…
…are you trying to sneak away again?
Oh my, improving so quickly already?
…No, just a hunch.
Haha! That hunch is also a valuable weapon. Sometimes, you just need a little of that sixth sense to help you out.
…*chuckles* Thanks, aunt Celine.
…
She already left, didn’t she.
.
.
.
.
.
“Concentrate.”
Breathe in. Breathe out.
“Let the light… guide the way.”
Beautiful, golden rays once again pours endlessly from Karin’s blade, covering a massive area around her with light. But this time it’s different.
This time… she can almost feel every single ray hitting a surface.
“!”
A blemish.
“She’s over there! About 300 meters!”
“Woah… That’s incredible, Karin!”
“Thank you! But we have to move quickly! She’s already getting further away!”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hungry…
Hungry…
I’m so hungry…
Must eat something…
Anything…
So hungry…
“…Yufine? Yufine!”
“There! I saw that bush moving!”
…People? But people are not food…
…But I’m so hungry…
…I must eat…
“Yufine! There you are! You know how much we – AAAAAHHHH! What are you eating!?” Yuna was shocked beyond words.
The messy but well-behaved Dragon girl that they met just a few moments ago, is now crawling on all fours, frantically shoving dirt and grass into her mouth.
“Spit it out right now! You can’t eat that!”
“But Yuna…I’m so hungry…I have to eat something…” Yufine’s voice trembles, hollow yet desperate. “I don’t care if it’s dirt… I don’t care if it’s a tree… They all taste the same anyway… I have to fill my stomach somehow…”
“So I was right… You did lost your sense of taste! Did you came into contact with a Moonlight Shard recently?”
“I don’t know what that is…But don’t worry…It will go away soon…You won’t have to see me like this again…”
“No, Yufine. You have to go with us. Right now.”
Karin immediately reaches for Yufine’s hand –
“Wait, don’t touch me –”
BANG!
The violent reaction between the two opposite energies knocked both sides back.
“Ow! Yuna, are you okay!?”
“………………Ah…”
A sharp exhale from the other side.
“…Ahahahahaha…”
A worrying laughter.
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
A really worrying laughter.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“Hey! Finally settled things with that damn coachman, how is everything – Oh.”
Tamarinne came too late. Or rather, she came just in time.
To see the true form of a Dragon.
“GRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Dark purple scales grow from her skin, covering her entire body.
Her limbs grows larger and larger with every snap and crackle, her hands and feet morphs into sharp claws.
A pair of wings, hideous and torn, painfully protrudes from her back.
“It hurts…It hurts so much…”
There’s nothing they can do to stop it.
“Grrk…Grr…Grr…”
Either they flee right now… or be flattened.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!
____________________________________
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The three girls’ terrified screaming is miniscule to the roar of the awakened Dragon.
“Quick! Yuna, call down your Meteor Cannon!”
“I’m trying! It’s been so long since I used it, it went into energy conservation mode!”
“Are you kidding me right now!? What’s up with your crappy technology!?”
“Just buy me two minutes!”
“Fine! At least those two I met earlier looks like they can help!”
“Wait, who exactly did you meet –”
“Yuna! Long time no see!” A very familiar voice calls out.
It wasn’t just two random knights that Tamarinne met.
By an obscene stroke of luck, those two knights happen to be Iseria Arisphodel and Cermia Ranka, an Heir and a high-ranking member of the Order of the Sword.
“Iseria!? Cermia!? What are you two doing here!?”
“Just going on a little post-festival patrol in Levulin, that’s all!”
“Cermia, you and I both know that’s not the full reason –”
“IT’S JUST A LITTLE TETSUDO RACE, OKAY!? Jeez, I can’t have a little festival fun with you…”
“Oh, you must be Carrot’s sister, right? Every month she’d ask me to send a letter for her big sister. Now I think I know what was in those letters…” Karin recollects, followed by Iseria.
“And I was the one that read those letters after she threw them away.”
“Hey, you’re not supposed to read those! …Wait, why were we here again –”
GGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!
“OH RIGHT THE DRAGON –”
CRUSH!
The dragons shook the forest with a single step.
RUMBLE!
Its appetite unfulfilled, it bends down and swoops a dozen trees into its mouth.
CRUNCH CRUNCH
It wasn’t enough. The dragon continues to stomp and flail around as it devours more and more trees.
CRUSH! RUMBLE!
RRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRR! GGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOAAAARRRRR!
“Aaaaahhhh! That thing’s so loud I think I can even hear it!”
“Yuna, what happened!? Why is there a Dragon in Ritania!?”
“She’s our friend! She probably came here through a Chaos Gate, and now she’s on a rampage! Can you buy me some time so that I can deal with her?”
“How much do you need?”
“Just 90 seconds!”
“…Alright, let’s see if we can do it. Zeaon!”
A colossal Guardian descends from the sky.
“What do you ask of me?”
“Can you hold down that Dragon while we try to calm it down?”
“Understood.”
Zeaon runs forward to pin the Dragon down –
“Hup!”
THUD!
But the Dragon continues to struggle and scream.
ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!
“Stop resisting!”
“Full Bloom!”
From the sky, two giant swords descends, impaling the Dragon’s wings.
GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR!
“Don’t hurt her!”
Yet it still isn’t enough. Not even a minute has passed and their largest abilities to contain the beast has already been used.
“She is just not going to shut up unless we kill her, huh!?”
“Tamarinne!”
“WHAT!?”
“Give me your hand!” To the surprise of both sides, Karin reaches her hand out.
“What, are you going to give me a slap on the wrist for what I said!?”
“You want her to shut up, right!? Then do it!”
“…Wait.” Tamarinne understands the plan immediately, but – “Are you asking me to silence this colossal!? Even with our light-dark harmony thingy!?”
“Just give it a try! Do you have any better ideas!?”
SLAM!
The Dragon brought its claws down with an earth-shattering impact.
“Waaaaahhhhhh! Fine! Go to the head – on your right!”
50 seconds left.
SLAM! RUMBLE!
“You two! Watch out!”
FWWOOOOOOSSSSHHHH!
Cermia’s flames burned away the falling trees in an instant.
“Phew. At least I’m still of some use here.”
“What are you two doing?”
“Don’t worry, Karin here has a brilliant idea to help subdue this giant Dragon with my silence!”
“…I just had a feeling it’ll work.”
“…”
“…You WHAT –”
RRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!
“Alright – Threetwoone GO!”
Karin slammed Tamarinne’s hand onto the Dragon, and –
“…”
“…Nothing happened?”
GGGGGGGRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!
SLAM! SLAM!
“The Dragon still hasn’t worn down yet!”
“Keep her down! We’re almost there!”
“Dammit… Karin, this isn’t working at all! Neither you and I have enough power to do this!”
“It will work, don’t worry! We just have to focus a little bit more!”
Focus.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
“Right! Just gotta breathe in… breathe out! Breathe in… breathe out!”
But still nothing happened. Not even her blade gives off even a faint glow.
“Karin! We have to get out of here! This is not working!”
RRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!
The giant claws come sweeping down -
“WATCH OUT!”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“…”
“…Wake up! Karin, wake up!”
“…Mmm…What happened…?
“We got swept away pretty far from that hit. Damn, my wings hurt…”
“…Tamarinne? Is that you lying on top of me?”
“No, that’s Cermia. She took that hit for you.”
“What…? Is she okay –”
A warm liquid touches her fingers.
Oh no.
“Cermia!? Cermia! I’m so sorry! CERMIA!?”
“Don’t worry, she’s still alive. That’s quite some blood from her mouth though… Sit still.”
The siren sings again. The kind of soothing melody that one would expect a creature of the night like her to use and lure victims, not heal them.
“…If you could just focus back then with me –”
“Karin.”
She has never sounded more disappointed in her life.
“You were having trouble breathing.”
“…”
“…Let me continue.”
“Wait. How much time do we have left?”
“I’d say…”
From afar, Yuna has started to fly up to the sky.
“…about 10 seconds.”
“…I see.”
“You better feel lucky. You two flew and broke a tree this time and yet you’re still moving your limbs.”
“…I guess I’m kinda used to it.”
“…”
Now she’s even more disappointed.
“That was a terrible joke.”
“PLEASE COME BACK TO YOUR SENSES, YUFINE!”
A small, robotic voice can be heard as a dozen light cannons in the air charge up all at once –
“Move, Zeaon!”
KABOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
Massive light explosions run across the body of the Dragon.
GRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRR!
It finally shrunk.
“…I thought you said not to hurt her?”
“Hehehe…”
______________________________________
Later that afternoon, at a nearby inn…
“*yawn* Hmm, what are we doing here?” Cermia awakes from her rest first.
“You’re awake. We’ll stay here for the night until everyone fully recover.”
“Aye-aye. I could’ve sworn I was bleeding out a lot though…”
“You’re welcome.” Tamarinne, on the opposite corner of the room, shouts.
“Oh hey, you’re here. How’s your friends?”
“Yuna didn't need to rest much, so she went out with Karin just a moment ago to get something for Yufine. She’s still asleep over here.”
“Oh, I see –”
“ “Oh but you should stay here to look after her cause you can heal with your singing and stuff” Oh shut up. Those two are definitely taking their time being lovey-dovey and holding hands and having a great time and I’m just a third wheel. Yup, I’m fine with this. I’ve always been fine with this. I’m fine with sleeping four feet away from them. It’s fine. I’m fine.” Tamarinne curls up and mumbles to herself.
“…Ahaha…”
“…My apologies. Tamarinne, can I ask something?” said Iseria.
“What.”
“This may be rude, but is Yuna mute? She seems to communicate exclusively using her drone.”
“Yeah… And your friend Karin seems like she’s blind as well. What happened to you guys?”
“Well that’s –”
“Hey guys we’re back!” Karin kicks the door open.
“Hmph. Speak of the devil.”
“Hmm? Tamarinne, is something wrong?”
“Nothing.” she pouts.
Yuna walks up to her, holding a bag of treats.
“Here, we got some caramel flan for you.”
“…I hate caramel though.”
“Really? Karin said you seemed to like it though. You had some back at Reingar, right?”
Right, that was the only thing I ate before I was strapped onto that machine.
“…”
“Oh well… Guess I’ll eat it with the others…”
“Give me that.”
Tamarinne reaches for the bag, takes out three small flan cups and have a large spoonful of flan, all in a second before curling back up again.
“……………That idiot…” she grumbles under her breath.
“Hehe. You look cute when you pout like that.”
‘Hey! Don’t mess with my hair!” said Tamarinne, as she curls up even further in, her ears burning red. “…How am I supposed to be mad at you when you look at me like that? It’s not fair!”
“Wait… You’re… still mad at me?” Yuna’s smile immediately disappears.
“No, it’s not about that experiment, don’t worry!”
“Then what is it?”
“…”
The redness has spread all the way to her face.
“…Because you and Karin got really close recently…”
“…”
“…Pfffthahahaha! Sorry, sorry, I understand.”
Tamarinne whines.
“I guess I relied on her quite a lot when we were trying to find you. Sorry if you got a little jealous, I still just considers Karin to be my best friend. Like you!”
“…Mmmph…”
“Alright, how’s this for making up?”
Yuna lays down to the bed next to where Tamarinne sits.
“How about you watch me when I sleep for tonight so no one will kidnap me?”
“…Pfft – What, you serious? You? Getting kidnapped? They'll be riddled with holes before they can even lay a finger on you.”
“Well, if they don't kidnap me, they might steal the crystals instead!”
“Alright, alright. You’re terrible at convincing people. I don’t suppose I can sleep with you if I get tired~?
“Of course, make yourself at home! Why sleep sitting on a chair anyway, this bed is way comfier!”
“*chuckles* Alright, you said it.”
.
“I’m really sorry for your injuries. I should’ve heard the attack coming and reacted, but I was too stubborn.”
“Hahaha, don’t worry about that! I’m all fixed up anyway! You’re starting to sound a lot like Iseria over here.”
A cold glare is thrown back at her as a response.
“Um…Anyway! What happened to you three?”
“…An accident happened with the Moonlight Shard, to keep it brief.”
“Are you referring to the shards you collected over there?”
“…Yes. We need them to restore our lost senses. My sight, Yuna’s voice, Tamarinne’s hearing, and Yufine’s –”
“*GASP!*”
Just when her name is mentioned, Yufine bolts up from her bed in a cold sweat.
“Hah…Hah…Hah…”
“Yufine! You’re awake!”
“…Yuna? Why am I – Oh no. Oh no, nonononononono! I have to go! I have to go home!”
“Everyone! Stop her from getting out!”
“Let me go! Garo and everyone else must be worried sick for me! I have to go back now!”
“No! We can’t let you go when your condition isn’t cured!”
“LET ME GO! I WANNA GO HOME!”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You want to go to Levulin?
That’s right, Merurin! There’s all kinds of delicious food there!
Are you sure you’ll be safe on your own, Yufine?
Of course I am, Garo! I’m strong enough to take care of all the bad guys now!
*chuckle* Then take this. It should be enough to cover your travels and leave you with plenty to eat.
Thank you so much, Garo! I’ll be off now!
See you later, Yufine! Remember to buy something for us!
Don’t worry! I will!
.
.
.
.
.
Lalalalalala~
Mmmmmm, I can’t wait! Just imagine all kinds of food I could taste is making me drool already!
Lalalala – Woah!
.
Owww…I tripped on something…
…Did I swallow a rock or something? Oh well, I hope it’s not anything poisonous!
Ah! There’s the carriages!
.
.
.
.
.
Finally I’ve arrived! Ooooohhhhhhhh man I can’t take this anymore! I’m starving!
Twelve skewers please!
Here you go!
Two full platters!
Comin’ right up, kid!
Give me all the tastiest pastries you have!
Oh-ho-ho, I like your appetite!
.
.
.
Hmmm…
Why don’t I feel like I’ve eaten anything yet?
And why does all the food tastes so… bland?
Must be because I ate too much too fast, that’s all. I should slow down a little bit.
But I’m so hungry…
Mister! Can I have two roasted scorpions?
I thought you’d never ask! Enjoy!
One extra large parfait, please…
Don’t be so gloomy! Here you go!
.
.
.
.
Something’s wrong.
I still can’t taste anything at all…
And yet I’m still hungry…
Maybe one more bite will fix it…
.
.
.
.
…H-Hello mister…
Ah! You’re back! What can I – Wahey! What happened to you!?
…What do you mean?
You’re all skin and bones! You’re pale like a ghost! And your eyes – they’re deep purple!
…I’m just hungry…Give me two…Ah…Wait…I’m…all out of money?
Sorry kid, can’t give you anything for free.
But… I was… How am I supposed to – Gah!
Hey kid! Are you okay!?
Gah…Hah…Hah…Hah…
Hey! Someone help! There’s a kid collapsing on the streets!
Hungry…must…eat…something…
No! Come back here!
Hey miss? You look hungry. Do you want a candy?
Give it… to me…
Here you go! Say “Please”!
GIVE IT TO ME!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hah…Hah…Hah…Hah…
I’ve made it… They stopped chasing me…
…
That kid…I must’ve scared him so badly…
I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…
I don’t know what’s happening to me…
…
But I’m so hungry…
I’m so hungry…
I have to eat something…
I’m so cold…I’m so hungry…
I’m so cold…I’m so hungry…
.
.
.
.
.
.
“…And then you found us.”
“…”
“Right, we did heard some reports of a hungry purple beast… That was you, wasn’t it?”
“…”
“Yufine. Would you kindly come with us? We’ll find a way to turn you back to normal, but we’ll need your help as well.”
“…”
“…I want to go home…” The words barely escape her mouth.
“Yufine, we understand that you want to go home, but you’ll be a serious danger to everyone –”
“No…! *sniffle* *sob* I don’t wanna go anywhere! I wanna go home… *sob* I wanna sleep on my bed… I want to tell Garo… *sniffle* Tell him that I’m sorry… That I’m sorry for… Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh…”
.
.
.
.
For a whole minute, she cried.
Out of guilt, of fear, and of exhaustion.
It was heartbreaking to watch, let alone say anything.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh… I wanna go home…”
"Yufine..."
“…*sigh* Good thing I’m deaf. Hey Yufine.”
“What – What is it –”
“Chill out.”
“Wait, Tama –”
DING!
“…………Ah…”
Tamarinne ‘silences’ Yufine with a touch of her finger.
“…So this is the ‘silence’ you were talking about?”
“A controlled portion of it. I’d normally turn them into more like a shadow, but it’s my first time doing this.”
“…”
“…Huh, might’ve dulled her emotions a bit too strong –”
“*gasp* What happened!? It felt like I was falling into an icy lake…”
“Alright, cool. Listen.” Tamarinne puts both her hands firmly on Yufine’s shoulder. “I get it. You feel terrible, tormented, even. Something transformed you into a monster. You just wanna go home, go to sleep, and hope that this is all just a terrible nightmare, and that by next morning you’ll be better again. Am I right?”
“…”
Yufine slowly nods her head.
“You see all of this?” She spreads her wings and bares her fangs. “I was a Human once.”
Her words shocked not only Yufine, but both knights as well.
“You were… a Human?”
“Tamarinne…I didn’t know…”
“…That’s harsh.”
“I got used to it. Anyway, you’re not alone in this, Yufine. But I want you to understand this. If you go home right now, no one will be able to stop you in time. You’ll just cause destruction everywhere. And what’s worse –”
“Garo and the sisters will be in danger because of me.”
Tears already start forming in Yufine’s eyes.
“Heyheyhey, don’t cry just yet! *sigh* So, can you come with us? We’ll make sure you won’t hurt anyone else.”
“…But…What if one day I hurt you guys too?”
“That won’t happen. I’ll make sure of it.”
“By my honor as the Knight of White Flowers, I will protect you.”
“Don’t worry, Yufine! I haven’t even called Kazran just yet!”
“We’ll even make sure you’ll have something other than trees to eat. How’s that sound?”
“…”
“…I…I’m not…”
“Hey, I told you not to –”
“…*sob* Thank you… Thank you so much…Waaaaahhhhhh…”
“*sigh* You’re welcome.”
“Awww, no need to thank us! Now give us a hug!”
Unable to hold her happiness any longer, Yufine leaps out of her bed –
CRASH!
“Oooowwwwwww…It still hurts…”
“Is this… what a Dragon’s strength is like?”
“And she’s malnourished as well…”
“Yuna…Why…”
“Hehehe… Sorry…”
“I can’t thank you enough! Please take good care of me!” Yufine’s tail wags for the first time in months.
“Alright… Please let us breathe…”
“Right, Karin. You were saying something – Ow! – about Moonlight Shards, right?”
“What about it, Iseria?”
“I need all of you to come with me.”
What she said next will take them to a land far more dangerous than any of them could’ve known at the time.
“Do you guys remember Ludwig?”