"Hahaha! I'm just a poor adventurer, My Lady!"
The young girl shook her head, "That's not possible, only Prince or Princesses are beautiful."
"Hahaha! who told you that?" the young man asked.
"Stories!" she yelled.
"Do you like stories?" he asked.
"Yes, I love hearing stories. Especially those with princes and heroes, my Mumma knows many of them!" she said excitedly while there was still snot and tears smothered on her face.
The young man nodded and after that, he took out a piece of cloth and wiped her face.
"My Lord, You don't have to do that," the woman said in a panic.
The young man ignored her and after cleaning the young girl's face said, "See now you look like a princess too!"
"Really?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Of course, why would I lie?" he said while shrugging.
Then he looked at her and asked, "So beautiful princess, why were the 'Ogres' hitting your mother?"
The girl became crestfallen and while sniffing said, "We sell flowers here. I requested him to buy some flowers because he looked like a prince from those stories, who helped others in need."
*Grrrr!~*
Her stomach growled due to hunger and her mother's eyes also became moist.
"We haven't eaten anything since yesterday. So, I wanted to earn some money for us. But my hands were dirty and his clothes..."
She couldn't say anything further and choked on her voice, as tears started pouring from her cheeks.
*Sigh!~*
After sighing, he wiped her tears again and said, "Am I not more good-looking than him?"
The girl wiped her nose, using the dirty sleeves of her frock and in a nasal voice said, "In front of you, he was like a slightly better-looking pig!"
Her mother glared at her with slight anger.
"Hahahahaha!"
The young man laughed and then said, "So, won't this princess sell me a flower for good luck?"
The girl panicked and after fishing out the best flower, from the ruined ones, she offered him a flower that was similar to a rose.
He happily accepted the flower and tucked it in his cloak's pocket over his chest.
Then he fished out 10 silver coins from his wallet and gave them to her with a gentle smile.
The young girl's eyes were wide open. She didn't even remember when was the last time she had seen so many silver coins at once.
Her mother also panicked and said, "N-no My Lord, a flower is for 2 copper coins."
"You're paying too much!" she yelped.
"Of course not! A flower given by a beautiful princess is priceless," he said while patting the young girl's head.
The woman's eyes became moist and she thanked him repeatedly.
The young girl gleefully looked at the young man and said, "Thanks ..."
"Satvik, my name is Satvik," he said.
"Thanks, Satvik Bhaiya!" she yelled and gave him another hug.
Then she realized and looked at his left flank with concern and hesitantly reached out, to look for his left arm under the cloak.
He laughed and said, "Don't worry about this. I was fighting an evil witch and she ran away due to fear."
"This is nothing, you should have seen her running away," he said.
She nodded and questioned him with curiosity, "Was this witch ugly, like in the stories?"
"Hahaha! Sometimes people might be beautiful from the outside, but they are ugly from the inside," he said while laughing.
She didn't get what he was trying to say but she nodded anyway.
Then he stood up and gave her a bow and said, "So Princess Sneha, I hope we meet again!"
The duo nodded and gave him a courtesy bow while thanking him again and again.
A pair of indigo eyes were also watching them the whole time, from a distance.
______________________
[Bhaiya we don't have any money left right?]
Aria asked telepathically, while they were walking towards their Inn.
(Sorry, I just couldn't let her suffer)
He replied telepathically.
[You did the right thing, Bhaiya, I guess]
Aria said while trying to stay positive.
(Don't worry, we still have some money left for tomorrow's food and we have a place to sleep.)
(Our good Karma would definitely be rewarded in the future. You'll see!)
He said to her. He was sure he and Aria could easily earn several silver coins a day.
Their teamwork has improved a lot over the past two months.
[By the way Bhaiya, what is a 'Loli'?]
She questioned him. This was the first time she had heard this term.
(Loli's are a bundle of innocence and 'Moe' and it's everyone's duty, to protect their smile)
He replied instantly.
[You're weird. You know that, right?]
She replied hesitantly.
(Let's head back to the Inn, I'm tired)
He said and started rushing towards their destination, ignoring Aria's comment.
____________________
Satvik was sitting on a bench and it was already evening.
Earlier when he returned to his Inn, he was thrown out. The reason is Aria.
Tamers were not allowed to bring in their monsters and pets no matter what the size, inside the Inn.
The Inns had 'stables' for these monsters and after paying an extra charge, the tamer could leave their pets and monsters there. However, the stable owner couldn't guarantee their safety.
He couldn't leave Aria out of his sight, so now the rent he had already paid was forfeited in the name of a fine, for lying and ruining the bedroom.
They didn't have much money left, he needed money for food and so he decided to spend the night on this wooden bench.
He just needed to wait for the dungeon to open and he could easily start making money, so two nights under a starry roof won't be that hard.
(But karma sure is a bitch. I thought helping them would reward us in some way or the other.)
He complained telepathically to his familiar.
[I'm sorry Bhaiya, because of me you were thrown out]
Aria said she was feeling down.
(It's fine, dum-dum. We won't be attacked by monsters inside these walls. So we can rest easy.)
(Additionally, we won't be lucky every time, to spend the night within the closed walls and a roof.)
(In the future we might have to spend an endless nights, by making a temporary camp in the open and covering each other's backs.)
(I guess we can start training now, for that as well. You sleep, I'm on the first watch, then we'll change our shift)
He said, trying his best to find out something positive about this decision and to lift Aria's mood.
[Hmmm]
She replied.
"Satvik Bhaiya?"
Satvik heard a voice he knew very well and looked in the direction from where it came.
There he saw Sneha and her mother carrying bread and some vegetables.
They were now wearing clean clothes and with now their vigor returned, Satvik realized that the mother was a busty Milfs while the young girl was like an innocent angel.
"Yo Princess!" he exclaimed.
"Bhaiya, why are you here at this time?" she asked with concern.
A dry laugh escaped his lips, "Actually...."
He narrated the whole ordeal and both of them heard his story.
Then Sneha looked at her mother with pleading eyes in response to which her mother nodded with a gentle smile.
The Sneha with a grin said, "Bhaiya, you can stay with us!"
"Eeh!" he was surprised by her and then looked at Sneha's mother and questioned.
"Are you sure Mrs...?"
He already knew her name but can't just call out, like he already knew their names. They both were beast-kins so they were not followers of Ashanti.
"My name is Heena and I would be happy to return the kindness you have shown us, My Lord," she said with a gentle smile.
'Holy-shiet! That smile will be the death of me,' he thought to himself.
Satvik smiled and then said, "I'll be grateful!"
"Yes! Let's go, Bhaiya!"
Sneha yelled and pulled Satvik's arm to guide him to their abode.
They both lived in a small house near the north gate of the city. This part of the city was mostly occupied by servants and laborers.
When he entered their home it was quite simple. Although they lacked furniture and the interior had several wear and tear, it was a warm place.
Then Sneha was introduced to Aria and the girl pounced on a poor tigress and started calling her 'Pussy Cat.'
Aria looked at Satvik to save her but he told her to try to play with the little wolf, they were mentally similar in age.
Once the food was served, Heena continuously apologized to them.
She was ashamed of the fact that she couldn't serve their savior anything except a bland veg soup and crude bread.
Although, what amount Satvik had given them earlier could have easily brought them meat.
But she decided to save as much as possible until they can get a fixed source of income.
Satvik went ahead and praised her cooking and told her that after eating street food for the past couple of meals, a simple warm soup was good for his stomach.
Then Sneha fell asleep on her bed while using Aria as a body pillow.
Heena offered Satvik to use her room and she could sleep with her daughter and her beloved 'Pussy Cat.'
Satvik agreed and it had already been more than an hour since they all went to the bed.
Then Satvik felt a light rustle on his bed and when he opened his eyes, Heena was on top of him and looking into his obsidian eyes with her slightly glowing sky-blue gems.
"Hahaha! I'm just a poor adventurer, My Lady!"
The young girl shook her head, "That's not possible, only Prince or Princesses are beautiful."
"Hahaha! who told you that?" the young man asked.
"Stories!" she yelled.
"Do you like stories?" he asked.
"Yes, I love hearing stories. Especially those with princes and heroes, my Mumma knows many of them!" she said excitedly while there was still snot and tears smothered on her face.
The young man nodded and after that, he took out a piece of cloth and wiped her face.
"My Lord, You don't have to do that," the woman said in a panic.
The young man ignored her and after cleaning the young girl's face said, "See now you look like a princess too!"
"Really?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Of course, why would I lie?" he said while shrugging.
Then he looked at her and asked, "So beautiful princess, why were the 'Ogres' hitting your mother?"
The girl became crestfallen and while sniffing said, "We sell flowers here. I requested him to buy some flowers because he looked like a prince from those stories, who helped others in need."
*Grrrr!~*
Her stomach growled due to hunger and her mother's eyes also became moist.
"We haven't eaten anything since yesterday. So, I wanted to earn some money for us. But my hands were dirty and his clothes..."
She couldn't say anything further and choked on her voice, as tears started pouring from her cheeks.
*Sigh!~*
After sighing, he wiped her tears again and said, "Am I not more good-looking than him?"
The girl wiped her nose, using the dirty sleeves of her frock and in a nasal voice said, "In front of you, he was like a slightly better-looking pig!"
Her mother glared at her with slight anger.
"Hahahahaha!"
The young man laughed and then said, "So, won't this princess sell me a flower for good luck?"
The girl panicked and after fishing out the best flower, from the ruined ones, she offered him a flower that was similar to a rose.
He happily accepted the flower and tucked it in his cloak's pocket over his chest.
Then he fished out 10 silver coins from his wallet and gave them to her with a gentle smile.
The young girl's eyes were wide open. She didn't even remember when was the last time she had seen so many silver coins at once.
Her mother also panicked and said, "N-no My Lord, a flower is for 2 copper coins."
"You're paying too much!" she yelped.
"Of course not! A flower given by a beautiful princess is priceless," he said while patting the young girl's head.
The woman's eyes became moist and she thanked him repeatedly.
The young girl gleefully looked at the young man and said, "Thanks ..."
"Satvik, my name is Satvik," he said.
"Thanks, Satvik Bhaiya!" she yelled and gave him another hug.
Then she realized and looked at his left flank with concern and hesitantly reached out, to look for his left arm under the cloak.
He laughed and said, "Don't worry about this. I was fighting an evil witch and she ran away due to fear."
"This is nothing, you should have seen her running away," he said.
She nodded and questioned him with curiosity, "Was this witch ugly, like in the stories?"
"Hahaha! Sometimes people might be beautiful from the outside, but they are ugly from the inside," he said while laughing.
She didn't get what he was trying to say but she nodded anyway.
Then he stood up and gave her a bow and said, "So Princess Sneha, I hope we meet again!"
The duo nodded and gave him a courtesy bow while thanking him again and again.
A pair of indigo eyes were also watching them the whole time, from a distance.
______________________
[Bhaiya we don't have any money left right?]
Aria asked telepathically, while they were walking towards their Inn.
(Sorry, I just couldn't let her suffer)
He replied telepathically.
[You did the right thing, Bhaiya, I guess]
Aria said while trying to stay positive.
(Don't worry, we still have some money left for tomorrow's food and we have a place to sleep.)
(Our good Karma would definitely be rewarded in the future. You'll see!)
He said to her. He was sure he and Aria could easily earn several silver coins a day.
Their teamwork has improved a lot over the past two months.
[By the way Bhaiya, what is a 'Loli'?]
She questioned him. This was the first time she had heard this term.
(Loli's are a bundle of innocence and 'Moe' and it's everyone's duty, to protect their smile)
He replied instantly.
[You're weird. You know that, right?]
She replied hesitantly.
(Let's head back to the Inn, I'm tired)
He said and started rushing towards their destination, ignoring Aria's comment.
____________________
Satvik was sitting on a bench and it was already evening.
Earlier when he returned to his Inn, he was thrown out. The reason is Aria.
Tamers were not allowed to bring in their monsters and pets no matter what the size, inside the Inn.
The Inns had 'stables' for these monsters and after paying an extra charge, the tamer could leave their pets and monsters there. However, the stable owner couldn't guarantee their safety.
He couldn't leave Aria out of his sight, so now the rent he had already paid was forfeited in the name of a fine, for lying and ruining the bedroom.
They didn't have much money left, he needed money for food and so he decided to spend the night on this wooden bench.
He just needed to wait for the dungeon to open and he could easily start making money, so two nights under a starry roof won't be that hard.
(But karma sure is a bitch. I thought helping them would reward us in some way or the other.)
He complained telepathically to his familiar.
[I'm sorry Bhaiya, because of me you were thrown out]
Aria said she was feeling down.
(It's fine, dum-dum. We won't be attacked by monsters inside these walls. So we can rest easy.)
(Additionally, we won't be lucky every time, to spend the night within the closed walls and a roof.)
(In the future we might have to spend an endless nights, by making a temporary camp in the open and covering each other's backs.)
(I guess we can start training now, for that as well. You sleep, I'm on the first watch, then we'll change our shift)
He said, trying his best to find out something positive about this decision and to lift Aria's mood.
[Hmmm]
She replied.
"Satvik Bhaiya?"
Satvik heard a voice he knew very well and looked in the direction from where it came.
There he saw Sneha and her mother carrying bread and some vegetables.
They were now wearing clean clothes and with now their vigor returned, Satvik realized that the mother was a busty Milfs while the young girl was like an innocent angel.
"Yo Princess!" he exclaimed.
"Bhaiya, why are you here at this time?" she asked with concern.
A dry laugh escaped his lips, "Actually...."
He narrated the whole ordeal and both of them heard his story.
Then Sneha looked at her mother with pleading eyes in response to which her mother nodded with a gentle smile.
The Sneha with a grin said, "Bhaiya, you can stay with us!"
"Eeh!" he was surprised by her and then looked at Sneha's mother and questioned.
"Are you sure Mrs...?"
He already knew her name but can't just call out, like he already knew their names. They both were beast-kins so they were not followers of Ashanti.
"My name is Heena and I would be happy to return the kindness you have shown us, My Lord," she said with a gentle smile.
'Holy-shiet! That smile will be the death of me,' he thought to himself.
Satvik smiled and then said, "I'll be grateful!"
"Yes! Let's go, Bhaiya!"
Sneha yelled and pulled Satvik's arm to guide him to their abode.
They both lived in a small house near the north gate of the city. This part of the city was mostly occupied by servants and laborers.
When he entered their home it was quite simple. Although they lacked furniture and the interior had several wear and tear, it was a warm place.
Then Sneha was introduced to Aria and the girl pounced on a poor tigress and started calling her 'Pussy Cat.'
Aria looked at Satvik to save her but he told her to try to play with the little wolf, they were mentally similar in age.
Once the food was served, Heena continuously apologized to them.
She was ashamed of the fact that she couldn't serve their savior anything except a bland veg soup and crude bread.
Although, what amount Satvik had given them earlier could have easily brought them meat.
But she decided to save as much as possible until they can get a fixed source of income.
Satvik went ahead and praised her cooking and told her that after eating street food for the past couple of meals, a simple warm soup was good for his stomach.
Then Sneha fell asleep on her bed while using Aria as a body pillow.
Heena offered Satvik to use her room and she could sleep with her daughter and her beloved 'Pussy Cat.'
Satvik agreed and it had already been more than an hour since they all went to the bed.
Then Satvik felt a light rustle on his bed and when he opened his eyes, Heena was on top of him and looking into his obsidian eyes with her slightly glowing sky-blue gems.
