“Well.” Peter grunted as he pushed himself off his knees with little issue after squeezing out of the hole in the wall he was led through, “That’s a novel sensation.”Traya, curiously, looked over her shoulder as she leaned forward to brush off her dress around the knees, “What is?”In answer, Peter blushed and scratched at his arm, “Ah… well, it’s a little embarrassing… but I feel obligated to answer since you asked.” “Oh, well, if it’s embarrassing…” Traya said, then, o the end of the alleyway they stood in, “This way to the city proper.” “Right.” Peter followed the younger woman, “And, well. To me it is, though…” “Though?” She asked, stopping at the edge of the alleyeeking around.The street was, for the moment, mostly abandoned; Peter assumed ‘work hours’ so, likely, not a lot of people milling about. If they were walking dowreet it was likely a ‘Point A to Point B’ situation. She again brushed off her dress at the knees in an attempt to look and not like she had very briefly been crawling in the dirt. “Though… I’m not sure any of what used to embarrass me matters. Different world, different cultural values about embarrassment.” Peter mused, blushing, “Ah, sorry. I was a bit of a bookworm back ‘home’.” He sighed, muttering to himself “I guess… I ’t even say ‘home’ anymore really.” With a shake of his head, he tinued, “Back to the point: I wasn’t very fit when I was younger, and as I got older my knees and other joints were rather unreliable. Crawling through a hole like that would have been impossible for me before, due to the bad joints and rge size. But now…” “This… isn’t what you looked like iher world?” Traya asked, turning fully to face him and blinking. She also seemed to get rather close to him, as if to do a close-up iion of his fabsp; “Hair color, skin color… sure. But I didn’t have purple eyes before, and I was never in this good a shape.” Peter took a step babsp; “So… you weren’t a half-elven.” Traya asked.Peter subsciously ran his fingers over his slightly-tipped ears, “Mhm, no.” He shook his head, “Elves, and other things, like magic itself was… stories. Myths and legends. Not real.” “I assure you, it’s very real.” Traya nodded, “And you should be careful.” “About sidering it all stories and the like when it’s real?” Peter asked.Traya shook her head, “No, that’s easy enough to prove, after all. Athyr energy is everywhere and most people attuo a. It’s rare to find someone who ’t attu all.” She expined, leaving the alleyway and motioning for him to follow. “Who are we hiding from?” He asked.She blushed, “I… didn’t want ao think we were in the alleyway for… um.” “OH.” Peter flushed, hissing softly, “I hadn’t even thought of that. Crap.” “I don’t want to reflect badly upon the Church Luminous, after all.” She nodded in agreement.

  Right. Of course. The Church’s reputation is what’s more important here. Not yours.Peter snarked, blowing a breath out, “So. What’s the upper limit of attu?” “Two is most on. Three with natural talent or study.” Traya expined, “I’ve heard stories of rare prodigies that could attuo four elements.” “Four, you say?” Peter grinned, “Air, Earth, Fire, and Water?” “How did you know?” She asked.Peter did his best to wipe the grin from his face before she saw, practig his pok—Cadre face, “Makes sehose are what my world calls the ‘cssical’ elements. “Amazing.” She whispered, “We call Air or Sky, Earth, and Water, or the Sea the ‘Three Pilrs’ and they are regarded as powerful gods in The Family.” “I’m guessing The Family is all the differeies?” Peter asked. “Yes. All nine of them.” Traya nodded.

  ?Ugh, here we go…? came his ‘mother’’s aone — which had him fighting to smirk lest his secret be revealed to Traya.

  She frowned, “Well. There is a dekth but… Shepherd d’Zaier forbids we speak of them oemple grounds.”“Which we are, in faot currently on…” Peter pointed out, “Wait, dekth?” “That is… true.” She admitted, leaning in to whisper, “The dekth is a goddess. She is Chaos inate and patron of demons.” “No.” Peter gasped, feigning shock, recalling the Chaos Goddess’ appearanbsp; “Yes!” Traya nodded emphatically.

  ?You ass~?Peter could hear Na’at rolling her eyes.

  “But she’s not evil…” Traya looked around as if worried Na’at would smite her, “Demons are… they aren’t an evil race.” She frowned, “I don’t know how demons are in your world…” “Myth and legends, again.” Peter nodded, “Though those who held certain beliefs thought demons were responsible for tempting people to act ‘evil’ or ‘bad’. Plenty of stories of people selling their souls for power, fame, love, stuff like that.”Traya looked absolutely aghast, “I have never heard of such racism before!” “Again… myth and legend. Lots of people didn’t think they were real.” Peter reminded her, “Holy, the only se ra our p is… us: humans.” “Right. You said you didn’t even have elves.” She nodded.Peter nodded, “Yeah. Just humans, no magiothing. I mean, we didn’t even know ods existed. We just had the faith they did.” “Really? Yods were silent?” Traya asked, shocked. “There are those that would say they were spoken to, but not me personally.” Peter shrugged.

  ?So how’s that w for you now??

  Jury is still out~Peter wondered if he could mentally stick out his tongue.

  ?If it really bothers you…?

  I… really don’t know. It’s o have someone else’s voi my head besides my own… but privacy.Peter shrugged, though only because had looked away; he did not wao think he was not all there. I don’t want to be rude but we talk about all this ter, I don’t wao think I’m talking to myself or spag out.

  ?Like now?? Na’at asked, ?Which is my mistake, sorry, kiddo?

  “—tr!… Peytr?” Traya had stopped and looked back at him and, when he had not said anything, she had turned around and put herself in his way as he was still walking and just staring into the 'middle distance'.

  Peter almost bumped into her before Na’at’s words shook him from his subsind to his scious and he finally ‘saw’ her again and stopped, his soft-soled shoes skidding along the stone, “I’m really sorry, I got lost in thought.”

  She pouted, putting her fists on her hips, and huffed a little, “I had said that it was so iing to hear about another world.” Traya whispered as she led Peter down the simple paved street; He noticed it was not cobblestone, asphalt, or brick, but rge stone sbs.

  crete?He wohough smiling at Traya he shrugged, “I dunno how ‘useful’ I am to your curiosity then, Miss Traya. I was just… kinda average there. I didly stand out in anything.” He admitted. “Oh, no no, Sir Kharl, I didn’t mean anything like that!” Traya held a worried look on her face, causier to sigh and put a hand on her shoulder. “Miss Traya…” He paused, “Traya. Please. It’s just Peter, okay? There’s no need for you to call me Sir Kharl, or Mister Kharl, or Mister anything.” He paused, “And seeing as you’re my Aide… no ‘master’ either, please.” He smiled, “Remember, I said I’d be better off with a friend. Not a minion.”

  “V-Very well.” She nodded.Peter removed his hand, “Oh dear… I hope I didn’t just… do something taboo…” He frowned. “Um… No? You just spoke to me… oh, do you mean toug m—“ She coughed, “Toug my shoulder?”She had realized what ‘toug me’ might sound like and luckily cut herself off before she said it.“Like I said. New world, new culture, so on and so on.” Peter admitted, “I really don’t want to actally offend someone because of a misuanding.”

  ?Right. If yonna offend someone, do it on purpose!?

  Peter felt his eye twitbsp; Keep that up; I’m gonna ‘demote’ you from ‘mom’ to ‘shoulder devil’, oh Patron of Demonkind…

  ?You say that like it’s actually an insult.? Na’at snickered.

  As the pair (and eavesdropper) walked dowreet, Peter was silently thinking for a long moment, taking in the sights before him.The road they were on was a simple one, lined with shops that looked to have sed floors, at the very least. “Do people live above their workpces?” He asked. “Some do. Usually, those who own the business. Ahey hire generally lives elsewhere.” “Huh. Makes sense.” He raya looked to him, “May I ask a question, Mis… Peytr?” “Certainly.”“I’ve noticed you… pause. And your face … well you look like you're talking but you aren’t moving your lips.” Traya muttered, tapping the side of her head, “Are you, um…” “I’d quote a story from my world but I think ‘we’re all a little mad’ might scare you.” Peter snickered. “Oh, no. No! I thought, perhaps, you were speaking to a goddess.” Traya admitted. “Oohh.” Peter nodded, chewing on his lip in thought, “Have you before?” “Once or twice, yes. The Goddess of Light came to me when I was feeling particurly low, and worried… she was such a fort to me.” “That must have been hough likely… mh.” Peter paused, “I guess it wouldn’t be ‘scary’ if it’s known to happen to anyone. And not just those in charge of the deity’s faith.”“Truth told, I was a little shocked the first time it happened. But she told me not to worry, I wasn’t alone and would soon be meeting someone who would help me with what I was worried about.” “May I ask what you were worried about?” Peter asked politely. “Ennalyssa.” Traya whispered.Peter frowhoughtfully as they walked, hands at his side — he was not sure what to do with them since his pants didn’t have pockets and he felt ‘unarmed’ without his wallet and phone. At least the clothes were fy. “Did I say something wrong?” Traya asked.Shaking his head Peter looked to her, “Not at all. I’m just… well I’ve only been here for a whole, what…” “Dek minutes, maybe.” Traya nodded, “And you did… um… make arance.” “ly the sort of ‘first impression’ I wao make.” Peter tried to chuckle, but it was an obviously unfortable ohat told Traya he was trying to make light of the event, not her.“But it was… quite unfettable… I’d say.” Traya blushed.Peter coughed, “Tell me about Ennalyssa? Why were… are?… you worried about her?” “Oh.” Traya bit her bottom lip, chewing, “Are, yes. Well, do you mean besides the obvious?” “Yes. Besides the ten— aheh— almost-eleven-year-old girl set to be the ‘chosen warrior of the Goddess of Light’ against a ‘great and terrible evil’. Yes.” Peter coughed.Traya snorted a badly hidden ugh at Peter’s ‘self-corre’, “There are… things I see being done, or not dohat… bother me.” She admitted, “When I’ve spoken to Shepherd Vaunn and Shepherd d’Zaier…”

  I just imagine what one of those two would say… which I hate because I just met the both of them.Peter snarked mentally.

  “Shepherd Vaunn said he would look into things and see what he could do.” She wrung her hands in front of her, “When I brought my s to Shepherd d’Zaier, however… he told me it was none of my business. As an Applit to the Order of cilors I had her the experience or position to question things.”

  There it is.He hoped his ‘Cadre face' was gettier.

  “He reminded me that he, ultimately, was the one making decisions for Ennalyssa’s training and education and that by questioning it I was questioning him.” Traya squirmed a little, like her back hurt, rolling her shoulders while also rubbing one hand over the inside of her forearm.

  … Not even an hour here… and already feel the hate starting to simmer.

  ?What do you io do?? Na’at asked.

  Peter put a hand on Traya’s shoulder, “I don’t know what I do, Traya, but I will do all I to help Ennalyssa. And you.” “I couldn’t ask you to…” “You don’t have to, Traya.” Peter said simply, “I just will; granted, I have to learn how to navigate this world first but…”

  It was at this moment that Peter’s stomach squirmed and grumbled, earning a ugh from Traya, putting her hand over his as it y on her shoulder, “How about we navigate you to some food?” She asked, “We’re close to my favorite baker.” “Ohh baked goods~” Peter grinned, “Lead the way, Traya. Thank you.”Traya smiled and motioned down a side street, “This way, then.”

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