The Little Princess [Closed]

The journey to the small hack would be quiet. The only disruptions they'd have to deal with now and then was the typical Expiate officer roaming about, but it was nothing they wouldn't be able to evade. By the time they arrived to the shack, it was late night. The lights were off and the door was locked.

"I remember Lise doing something," Remi said.

Raising up a hand and touching a light blue amulet she had on her neck, Remi wrote down a Cartic mark. The door would glow as it absorbed into the wood. The two would hear a clink and the door would open.

"Come inside," Remi said. The place was dark, though the faint embers of the coals in the fireplace were still glowing.

Approaching it, Remi looked at Valen. "It looks like someone was here recently. Should we be...concerned?"

Valen was a little surprised when he saw Remi perform cartic magic, but said nothing. The girl was also oddly observant. He quietly closed the door behind him and pinched his chin between his index and thumb in thought. The coals were still burning so the fire either died out on its own a little over half an hour ago, or someone had just put them out within the last half hour. The door was locked so there was a chance somebody had just left after putting out the fireplace. Or....

"Fable."

"Chapter Three," his shadow responded. "After finding the lonely child, the wanderer enters an empty cabin. But the coals glow from the fresh presence of flames. Something is amiss, and the wanderer must settle the curiousy."

"Guard Remi. And don't you dare mess with her," Valen said pointedly. "I'm going to take a look around."

"Fine fine, little soldier," the incantus grumbled. Valen's shadow slid across the floor and flowed into Remi's shadow like water pouring into a puddle. Valen turned and started his inspection of the shack.

Remi flinched at Fable absorbing into her shadow. She gave a small scowl.

"I don't think I like you in my shadow, now that I think of it," she said. "Do you always need to stick to someone's shadow?"

While she had never been wary of the Incantus before, the same couldn't be said after the little puppet play he had put on earlier, and the little girl was slightly on edge as a result.

As Valen moved further into the hut, he would see even more signs of recent activity. A bunch of pots, pans, and dishes were in the sink. An apron was draped over a chair in an unwieldy fashion suggesting someone had just tossed it onto there from a distance. Heading upstairs, he'd see more clothes and a faint light coming from a door ajar at the end of the hallway. If he peeked inside, he'd see a bedroom and a girl that looked about 15 to 16 years old sprawled on the bed and snoring. She wasn't in sleeping attire, but rather what appeared to be traveling attire including a yellow jumper with short legs over a white blouse and armor corset. The girl had vibrant orange-red hair in a bob cut and at her sides were a long shotgun rifle and two golden battle axes.

The girl was snoring pretty loudly and her mouth trailed spit on the sides as she gulped in air in her sleep.

Like a gofer popping from the ground, Remi's shadow stretched up against the nearest wall in the clear shape of her.

"Oh not particularly," Fable hummed whimsically. "See, my kind can take on a number of appearances that suit our needs. Most though prefer to stick to a favorite form. Me, I adore being a shadow. See, the truth is I actually adore humans. When I find an interesting one, I just want to get to know them. And from my perspective, nothing is more intimate to a person then their own shadow."

.....

Valen was taken aback a little to find a person here. Now that he did though, his concern was that he had just performed breaking and entering with a small child. Did that woman call this a safehouse before? Perhaps this is someone else seeking shelter for the night. But why would they sleep in their armor and weapons?

Well... regardless, it won't due to not make their presence here known, regardless. He walked up to the sleeping figure cleared his throat before carefully tapping her shoulder.

"That's creepy," Remi said disapprovingly, her expression taking on the same disdain Liseran often did. Perhaps the librarian-like mage was rubbing off on her.

Remi would sigh and move over to the armchair, which she climbed into and leaned against in boredom. She looked at Fable for a moment, before asking, "How did you and Valen make a contract then?"

***

Upon tapping the girl, Valen see her shake her head.

"Mmm, not now Lisey! I want to sleep more! Five more minutes..."

She'd turn on her side, opening an eye and, seeing someone she didn't expect, she'd scream.

"Gaaah! Intruder!" she cried as she scrambled onto her feet and pointed her shotgun at him. "STAY WHERE YOU OR ARE I SHOOT!"

"Ooooh, now that was a fun little chapter," Fable hummed. "But that you ask the writer, you see. All I can say is, he didn't have any choice."

~~~

Valen stepped back and raised his arms in surrender.

"Calm down, calm down! I'm just seeking shelter for the night! Someone brought us here before."

Remi arched her eyebrow incredulously at Fable's answer, but before she could press further, she heard screaming from upstairs.

"Valen!?" Remi said as she hopped off the chair.

She'd start rushing upstairs.

***

"Oh, and I'm just supposed to believe that!?" the red-haired girl demanded, her blue eyes glaring at him. The barrel of her musket continued to point at him. "There's a thing people do when they want to gain entrance properly into a house! Hm! What's it called again? Oh, I dunno, KNOCKING!??"

"Valen, are you okay!?" Remi said as she rushed upstairs and entered the doorway.

The red-haired girl's eyes shifted to the doorway and was about to aim at the door when she realized it was a child. Her anger would shift to surprise, and her gun barrel would lower.

"Remi?" the girl asked.

Remi peered into the room and, upon seeing the armed inhabitant, lit up.

"Rory!" Remi said.

The girl named Rory was about to leap from the bed and rush to the girl, but quickly remembered Valen was there. Glaring back at him, she propped her rifle again.

"What are you doing here, Remi?" she said. "And who's this man? Did he hurt you? Is he one of those child-kidnapping vampires I've been hearing about? He sure looks like it! Tell me and I'll blow his face off!"

There was a guttural, primal anger in the girl's voice which suggested she might not have been the most stable in terms of temper. Remi, however, quickly rushed in front of Valen waving her arms.

"No, no, no! It's not like that! Valen's a good guy!" Remi said. "He saved me along with Lise the first night! And when I was outside today, he found me again!"

Rory looked at Valen suspiciously, but Remi clasped her hands and looked at her imploringly.

"I promise he's good," she urged. "He and Lise are friends, too!"

Rory's eyes narrowed, hesitant for a moment, but soon lowered her gun and relaxed.

"If you say so..." she said. "But that still doesn't explain what you're both doing here. You especially, Remi! How are you out of the haven?"

And then at Valen, "And why did you know where she was?"

"V-Vampire?" Valen grumbled in an undertone. Fable can be heard snickering nearby. Valen shut his eyes and lowered his hands. "I didn't. I was on the road two town over when I heard word of some odd events happening in the capital. I thought I should return to check on things. This one suddenly went off on its own and I followed it to find Remi."

Valen was pointing at his shadow against the wall to Rory's right, which was waving at her.

"A Walpurgis..." Rory murmured.

She'd look at Valen and exhale. "I'll believe you...for now," she said. And then raising a finger, "But if you so much as hurt Remi or I hear you plan to hurt Liseran, I'll have you know I can behead running targets."

She was glaring at Valen when Remi hugged the girl's legs and shook her head. Opening one eye, she said, "Please don't hurt Valen, Rory. He's good! He's a hero!"

"If you say so, dear," Rory said, shifting to a bright smile a little too disturbingly fast. "Now I want to hear everything that happened. Have you two eaten? If so I'll grab us some food."

"Oooh! Do you have raspberry sandwiches?"

"I'll check"

***

Everyone would gather in the kitchen and Remi would explain to Rory why exactly she left the Haven. Pouring everyone a tankard of water, Rory voiced her concern.

"It is odd Lise isn't back yet," she said. "I did hear about a commotion at the academy. I wonder if that means her dad..."

"Her dad what?"

Rory shook her head and offered a reassuring smile. "It's nothing, Remi. I'm sure Liseran's just fine. But you should know better than to run off! You're lucky your spooky friend here got to you in time."

"I guess Valen does look a little scary," Remi giggled. And then, looking at Valen apologetically, "But I still think you look cool, don't worry!"

Rory's gaze still held suspicion, and with crossed arms, she mentioned, "So from what I'm getting you're the help Liseran was talking about for finding Remi's mom. I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Lorelei Veiller. Rory, for short. Liseran's my cousin."

"Rory's part of the Grimm Guild, Valen," Remi said enthusiastically. "Isn't that cool?"

Rory kept her arms crossed. "So what have you been up to exactly? Liseran's complained she hasn't gotten any feedback from you in weeks. I take it you don't have any news about Remi's mother have you?"

"Playing the role of detective is not a simple one," Valen shrugged. "In order to follow tracks, whatever left them must've already left. I just have to keep going until I happen to catch up or I figure out where she's going. Narratively, it would've been redundant to keep mentioning every little thing if it doesn't seem to lead anything. Besides...."

Valen's gaze shifted to the side.

"I couldn't remember the address to send a message to."

Valen's shadow who helped itself to sandwhiches was chuckling off to the side.