Songquest (Angel of Chaos)

[Anonymous]

Kasumi’s eyes widened as Felina produced a whole array of herbs, most of which she’d never seen before. The smell was overwhelming, a mixture of exotic spices and heavy aromas that made her feel oddly sleepy if she breathed in too deep. She finished slicing the melon and offered the fleshy chunks to Art and Felina.

Art gobbled his pieces up in a flash, and wiped his dribbling mouth with a filthy sleeve. Kasumi ate her slices more slowly and listened to Fekina in obvious fascination. Kasumi’s education was pretty limited, having come from a small village where people didn’t venture any further past the forest; she had picked up most of her knowledge from travelling. Bits and bobs, some useful, other bits not. But everything she learned, she quietly tucked away into a corner of her mind, in case there was ever a need for it.

Mind like an elephant, she thought, smiling.

Kasumi was even more astonished as Felina’s bruise disappeared before her very eyes. If Felina stayed around for a bit, which she sorely hoped was the case, then she wanted Felina to teach her more about herbs.

“You promised to sing to me!�

“I…� She loosened herself from Art’s grip, attempted to suppress the shaking that had suddenly sprung up. She caught Felina’s look, and noted how sad the cat woman also was. Felina really shouldn’t have been dragged into all this, Kasumi thought to herself. “I…I’m sorry, not today.�

“Why?!� He demanded, glaring at Felina as if it were her fault. Art made such a comical figure, the tiny little boy…well, OK, half Kasumi’s height, with a mop of brown hair and a scowl upon his face. His hands were on his hips in such a defensive pose.

“I guess...I just don’t feel well.� Kasumi had lowered her face, so her hair shielded her eyes, like a curtain. She had a sad smile, which Art had never seen before.

Realising that perhaps he was on dangerous ground, the boy sniffed and put on a casual air, as if he didn’t care. “Fine. Hey…you didn’t have that flower before?�

“What?� Kasumi frowned distractedly, before her attention was fixed upon the beautiful red rose in a buttonhole of her dress. “Oh, this. Someone bumped into me earlier, and thought it was mine, but they disappeared before I could say it wasn’t.�

She removed it from her buttonhole, and twirled it in her hand. “Isn’t it pretty?�

Closing her eyes, she held the rose up to her nose and breathed in deeply, the sweet scent of the flower. It reminded her of the woodlands, of the blood red flowers that choked the great oak trees with their thorns. She thought of green glades, of beauty for beauty’s sake, and of all the wonderful songs she’d sung in her short lifetime. The air was so heavy, as heavy as her thoughts, but still, she smiled. All she wanted to do was to rest her head, to sleep, to forget it all…

To Art, it appeared that Kasumi had just collapsed. Eyes wide in shock, Art leapt up and grabbed Kasumi’s shoulders, shaking her, but to no avail. “Ohmigod ohmigod, kitty!! What’s happened to her!?�

---

The white dove flapped it’s wings sporadically, and screeched, causing such a racket in it’s tiny little cage. Jerking awake, the cloaked figure yawned, and was about to tell the bird to shut up, when she remembered everything she had to do.

She had been lying against the rough bark of an oak tree, far away from the main hubbub of the town. It was late afternoon, almost evening. The sun would be setting soon. The dove had given her the sign. That meant the Kasumi girl had finally taken the rose bait. That stupid girl, the cloaked figure thought. Making me wait all day!!

Leaping up, she gathered her belongings, and went over the plan again. Abduct the girl, keep her under the induced sleep and take her to the headquarters by moonlight. She hadn’t cared nor questioned the next stage, which was presumably related to the girl’s voice. All she wanted was the other half of her payment.

Following the dove, she made her way through the throng. Soon, soon…

((Hehe I’m not really bothered about what happens to the cloaked girl! ^_^ And sorry for a long post, just got really into it!))

[Anonymous]

Felina accepted the slice of melon and bit into it with her small fangs, its sweet taste rolling down her tongue and mouth. Her mind immediately begaon racing with possibilities to enhance the flavor of this melon.

Felina was glad the message got through to Kasumi, and she was also relieved that she refused to sing to the boy. Who knew what would happen if Kasumi would attempt to sing to the boy with her normal voice?

Felina's voice was hardly perfect; her's had a thin, almoust bouncy accent that clearly marked her as an inhabitant of the Yoreiq Isles. She then began to wonder if Kasumi had any other lineage in her bloodline.

What other races had enchanting voices like hers?

Well, there were the merfolk, but Kasumi looked nothing like one. Then there were the sirens, but that race was one of malice, lust, and betrayal, and Kasumi had none of those qualities. The last race Felina could think of was that of the fey...faeries, pixies, dryads, nymphs, and at least one subrace of elves. That seemed the most likely candidate.

She snapped out of her thoughts when the boy made mention of a flower Kasumi had. When Kasumi responded that the flower wasn't hers, Felina turned around to look at it. She recognized its shape and color, and her face suddenly went very pale. She rose to stop Kasumi, but it was too late; Kasumi had already sniffed it. She watched in horror as Kasumi collapsed.

When the boy asked Felina what happened to her, Felina seized the flower, plugging her nostrils as she did. "She's out cold," she explained, eying the flower. "This is a Slumber Rose. Don't smell it. Its sweet aroma will put whoever smells it into a deep sleep for a very long time."

Felina went to her pack and put the rose in one of the empty containers; it might become useful later. Having dealt with situations like this before, she knew the exact remedy for counteracting the effects of a Slumber Rose.

She went straight to work. She reached into her pack and pulled out containers of spearmint, Lynker root, jasmine, Fijen seeds, chamomille, and pure hornet's honey. She also pulled out a small grinding mill, a cup, her waterskin, and an infuser ball. Working at a fast and efficient rate, Felina ground all of the herbs into a fine powder, then put that powder into the infuser. She then stuck the infuser into the cup and poured the water and honey into it. She stirred the infuser in the mixture until the water and honey turned a pinkish amber color, and the scent of all those herbs was thick in the air. She took the infuser ball out, and her work was completed.

Felina remembered that the flower wasn't Kasumi's, and that it was given to her by someone. This might have been an attempt to kidnap Kasumi. As an extra precaution, she took a few Tangleroot seeds out of her pack. She buried about seven of these large seeds around the three of them in a large circle, but after she was done, the ground looked exactly the same as she found it. Whoever dared to try and cross it would be met with vines ensnaring the victim where they were.

This was all done in less than three minutes.

Felina then went up to the sleeping Kasumi with the remedy ready. Propping Kasumi's head in Felina's lap, Felina gently opened up Kasumi's mouth and slowly trickled the mixture into it. In a few seconds, the bitter flavor, along with the stirring properties of the Lynker root, would wake Kasumi.

[Anonymous]

“This is a Slumber Rose. Don't smell it. Its sweet aroma will put whoever smells it into a deep sleep for a very long time.�

“What the hell?!?� Art’s face creased in disbelief.

His eyes followed Felina, watching her handle the flower as if it were a deadly explosive. Art wanted to take a closer look at the flower. He wanted to hold it in his hands, to twirl it around, and maybe…to see what it smelled like. He wanted to pull each petal out, to shred a leaf, and to see how sharp the thorns were. He wanted to do all these things, but the frustration of knowing that Felina wouldn’t let him was enough to make him annoyed.

“What are you doing?� He kept on asking, nagging, but Felina was ignoring him so instead, he went to sit beside Kasumi, and prodded her gently every now and then. As he did so, he murmured dully, “Kas, Kas, Kas.�

Just as Felina was burying the seeds, a figure burst out of the crowd, making a beeline for where they were. Above the person, fluttered a pure white dove. They were twenty metres away, perhaps, so Art didn’t notice them. No, his attention was focused upon the tantalising flower that was out of his reach.

“I hope Mr Payne comes back soon,� he muttered to himself. Since Mr Payne had hired Kasumi, the store vendor only came back as the stalls were closing, which was round about now.

Kasumi had promised him some golden apples if he didn’t put any of the money in his pocket, and on remembering that, his face turned a guilty tinge of pink. Quietly, he removed the few gold pieces and dropped them back into the money pot.

---

As she came into view of the place where Kasumi lay sleeping, the cloaked figure suddenly stopped. This was more than she’d bargained for. A…an outsider who was pouring something into Kasumi’s mouth, and a mangy little kid seemed to be guarding her.

Great. Why did the job always have to get complicated!!?

Eyes narrowed, she was too experienced to wander blindly in. No, she couldn’t take her chances, that these were any old people. Shifting slightly, her hand closed around a bottle of amnesia potion, something from her bag of magic tricks that had become exceedingly useful in the past.

She clicked her tongue, and the dove fluttered away to a nearby perch.

Collecting herself, the figure made as if to walk past the stall, but as she drew closer, she accidentally on purpose shoved a man into the vicinity of the stall.

“Oh, my bad!� She exclaimed, smiling sweetly, as vines blossomed up from the ground, locking onto the unfortunate target.

“Hey!!� He yelled, but she made no move to help him.

Testing the ground, she found the area around the man to be safe, and proceeded to walk forwards with a confident swagger. The stranger’s eyes flashed, and she clicked her knuckles. The bottle of amnesia potion was itching to be used. Now this was show time.

[Anonymous]

Felina had just finished giving the last drop of the remedy to the unconscious Kasumi when a white-cloaked stranger appeared and was making a bee line straight toward them. She hoped the tangleroot would work, but the stranger shoved someone else into it. She watched as the vines wrapped around the man. Now what?

In the confusion that followed, it took the next coulple of seconds for Felina to come up with a daring experiment. In a flash, she grabbed the Slumber Rose, a Fijen seed, and a Tangleroot seed. The Fijen seed helped powderize the other two herbs as well as enhance their capabilities as she ground the three up in her hand. Holding her breath, she threw the newly formed powder at the stranger.

What followed next could only be described as a sort of miracle. The powder turned into a massive wall of red vines that emanated the same sweet scent as the Slumber Flower. The vines wrapped themselves tightly around the white-cloaked stranger, ensnaring her arms, legs, body, and head.

[Anonymous]

She hadn’t expected any resistance at all from those two. The boy didn’t even seem to know what was happening- he was too busy being transfixed by the vines that had suddenly sprouted from the ground. The other woman, cat girl, now she was going to be one hell of a problem.

The cloaked figure barely had time to respond to the canopy of dust that was thrown at her. All she could do, was to shield herself from the powder with her cloak, before the vines locked their tendrils around her arms and legs, and any other part of her body that moved.

“Kra’jit!� She swore quietly, eyes narrowed and fists curled up in malice.

Not one to cause too much of a scene, she kept her breath held, hoping that the powder would’ve dispelled enough for her to make a move. The last thing she wanted was to face interrogation after being knocked out. Now that really would be being impaled on her own sword.

The bottle of amnesia potion was inches away from her hand. If only…she could get it closer. But then, another thought came to her mind, which set the cogs in motion for a substitute plan. She gritted her teeth, and whistled harshly through her teeth. Her dove would respond soon enough.

---

Kasumi began to stir, just as the confusion started. Yawning sleepily, she wanted to rub her eyes ever so much, but her arms just felt so heavy and so dead. A low moan escaped her lips, and her eyelids, after a few crinkles, became unstuck enough to allow a chink of light to get through.

“Uuurgh.�

Art, who had sprung up as soon as the man had become encased in vines, sprang out of his stupefied gaping and pounded over to where Kasumi lay.

“Kas, Kas, you haven’t stopped moving for good!� He then dropped down and hugged her tightly, much to her surprise.

“Art, thank you…I don’t understand though, whaaaa?� She turned her head blearily to the shouts that were coming from somewhere way, way too close for her liking. The shouts of a man, and of a woman sounded like pounding upon her eardrums. “Urgh, what…happened to me?�

“Kas, you just collapsed,� Art said, in wonder. “And then kitty ran around mixing all these stinking plants and then she made a trap and then a man fell into it and vines, bloody vines grew from the ground and then it looked like someone was going to attack us and…�

Kasumi’s eyes widened and she sat up, but she still felt weak and immensely drained. The headache must’ve been from the herbs. Kasumi wanted to thank Felina for what she’d done, but Felina seemed to be preoccupied elsewhere and she could only just sit there and watch, being too weak to move.

[Anonymous]

Felina heard Kasumi waking up. But she realized that this woman must be after Kasumi for whatever reason, so Kasumi was still in danger. She then saw the woman struggling to reach for something...a bottle. Felina once again recognized the liquid that was in it; it was amnesia potion. So the woman wanted to erase Kasumi's memories. Now that was going too far!

When the woman whistled, Felina sprung into action while still holding her breath. With her catlike reflexes, she tore the bottle off of the woman's person. She looked up in time to see a white dove barreling towards her at breakneck speed. With her other hand, she took her sheathed hunting knife off her belt and made a thrusting action at the bird. The resulting thrust made the sheathe fly off of the knife at high speed, much like an arrow. The sheath hit the dove square in its chest and sent it flying backward a good thirty feet before the dove fell to the ground.

Dropping the knife, Felina plugged her nostrils and masked her face, then uncorked the bottle. She then said to the still-ensnared woman, "A taste of your own medicine." She then splashed the amnesia potion all over the woman's face. She didn't want her coming after them again.

[Anonymous]

The cloaked figure screeched in rage as this…bitch shot her beloved bird square in the chest. She was so angry that she knew she would take out this person too, once she got free. That dove had been her companion since she’d first started taking out jobs like this, damn, that bitch would pay dearly!

---

Kasumi came closer to the woman, who was struggling intensely against her bindings. She recognised this woman from earlier on, and Kasumi felt sad at how transformed this woman had become. The woman’s eyes were wide with rage, and in a whisper, Kasumi asked, “You were after me?�

The woman locked eyes on Kasumi, and whispered, “burn in hell, I’m not the only one they’ll send--� before Kasumi was shoved out of the way by Art, so Felina could douse the woman in the potion.

A tiny little boy, he had more than enough strength to send her stumbling. This said much about how weak she was feeling.

“Kas, you need to get out of here,� Art murmured, giving her a gentle shove towards the stall. Kasumi kept on glancing at the woman, whose struggles were growing weaker and weaker as the potion began to work. There was brief pity in Kasumi’s eyes. She had a longing to run back and help the woman, but, reality checked in.

What in the name of the gods was going on?!

“You…you presumed too much,� Kasumi said weakly to Felina. “She could’ve told us something.� This was broken by dry coughing. Reaching into her rucksack, she pulled out a water bottle, and took a few spluttered sips. Her voice, when she next spoke, seemed less raspy. “I…I need to find Mr Payne and to tell him that I’m going to have to stop working for him.�

“Don’t be silly,� Art cried. He scuttled over to the place where the money was kept and pulled out some paper, and a stub of a pencil. Brandishing the materials in front of her, he said, “Write him a note. I can’t read. Or write. Therefore you or kitty will have to do it…can I call you kitty?�

He turned to Felina, with a pleading look in his face.

[Anonymous]

Felina realized her error and just let the bottle drop to the ground with a soft clang. Yes, this woman could have told them something. Yet she seemed like a martyr of sorts; kind of like one of those "accomplish the mission or die trying" types. It seemed clear that she was hellbent on catching Kasumi. But why? Clearly, there was someone pulling the strings on this little set-up. And that old hag that stole Kasumi's vioce may have involvement in it as well.

"I...I'm sorry, Kasumi," she said, her eyes filled with regret and her cat-ears drooping. "This woman may have told us something. But I was so caught up in trying to defend you that I didn't even realize it...can you forgive me?"

While awaiting a response, the boy asked her if he can call her "kitty." Felina didn't know whether to take that as an act of innocence or just an insult. Suddenly, something dawned on Felina.

"Oh my! I'm sorry! I completely forgot to tell you my name. How rude of me," Felina said, more to Kasumi than the boy. "Call me Felina."

[Anonymous]

“Of course I forgive you,� Kasumi said warmly. Even though she believed in innocent until proven guilty, there was more than a likely chance that the woman really did have malicious intentions. She had now stopped struggling against the vines, and her head had slumped forwards. Kasumi still sincerely hoped that she would be alright. “What’s done is done.�

When he piped up, she had half a mind to chide Art again for his rudeness, even though it was the job of his mother. She knew that he was too headstrong to listen to anyone really, so the best she could do was to shake her head gently at the boy.

“Call me Felina.�

“Oh, that’s such a beautiful name,� Kasumi said, breaking out in a radiant smile. It had an exotic tropical lilt to it, which seemed to suit the stranger. And finally, she’d been spared the awkwardness of having to ask herself! After all the things that had happened, Kasumi could picture a rather awkward conversation involving staring at the ground and mumblings.

Art, on the other hand, wasn’t impressed. “Sounds like feline. Hey, you guys ‘feline’ good? Feline…feeling, geddit?�

Kasumi glanced at Felina. She’d had a week to get used to the boy’s rudeness, but she wasn’t sure how Felina would take it.

“Oi! Set me free from these blasted vines!!� A cry shook her, and reminded her that the man was still trapped.

[Anonymous]

Felina felt rather pleased when Kasumi referred to her name as beautiful. But when the boy decided to be rude and use her name in a joke, Felina pouted and narrowed her eyes. She turned to the boy.

"Now you listen to me," Felina chided. "While my name does mean 'feline', it doesn't give you any right to make jokes about it. That's just mean. How do you think you'll get around in the world by being mean like that?"

Her mild scolding was broken by a yell. Oh yes, she had forgotten that someone else had gotten caught in her trap! She hurried over to the unfortunate victim. "I'm so sorry! I was just trying to protect someone! I never expected someone else to get caught in my trap," she cried. She snapped her fingers, and just like that, the vines that entangled the victim withered and disappeared. The tangleroot seeds were now useless. "Are you okay?"

[Anonymous]

Art stuck his tongue out, and blew a raspberry at Felina’s back as she went to set the man free. Kasumi was glad that the topic of her voice had lost the limelight, for unless she was on stage singing, she was generally an extremely shy person.

“Hmph,� the man grunted, dusting himself as he was set free. “It’s no wonder the town of Ketra is crumbling now, down to the likes of ruffians like you! All three of you’ll be hearing from my lawyers veeeery soon.�

And with that, he stomped off, much to Kasumi and Art’s astonishment.

“I think…that’s our cue to leave this town,� Kasumi said a little hesitantly.

She felt slightly down, that she would have to leave after a week, as there were a few other places she’d liked to have visited. But…this sadness was overshadowed and pale in comparison to the hurt, the loss of her voice had brought on. She wouldn’t let anyone know how she was feeling, such was her nature. She’d try her best to hide these sad thoughts, and simply focus on the good things in her life, which, if she thought about, were plenty. Even if it took some convincing.

“Jeez, you’ve brought nothing but trouble since you arrived, Kas,� Art said cheerfully. “My life’s way more interesting now.�

Kasumi beamed, and finished her note to Mr Payne the stall owner, with a flourish. “Sorry, but I have to leave town early. It’s been a pleasure working for you and best of luck for the future. May the gods be with you, Kasumi Tempest. How does that sound?�

[Anonymous]

Felina simply ignored the young boy's farting noise, mentally deeming him as impossible to reason with.

She, too, was left in astonishment as the man left with threats to call in his lawyers...whatever those were, but they didn't sound nice. "I think it's safe to say that," she responded to Katsumi's comment of leaving. She then went about gathering her belongings and carefully putting them into her pack. Then, she picked up her hunting knife and looked for its sheathe. How it wound up fifteen feet away from her instead of further was beyond her, but she paid no mind to it as she picked up and placed her knife in it. She strapped it to her side and slung her pack on her back.

After hearing Kasumi's note that was to be left to the shopkeeper, she smiled, bearing her tiny fangs. "It has a nice ring to it," she said. Then, after a pause, "Shall we get going?"

[Anonymous]

“Yes, yes, of course,� Kasumi said, still sorry that Felina had been dragged into all of her mess.

Her belongings were bundled together underneath the stall. Lifting the cloth, she retrieved her rucksack and her quarterstaff, a weapon she rarely used. Her primary usage of the stick was for walking, rather than for fighting. Sliding the knife she’d used to cut the melon back into its sheath, she tucked it into her bag and was set, ready to go.

“Guess I’m ready,� she said, casting her eyes once more over her surroundings.

The sun was dipping low, skimming the horizon and casting everything in a warm fiery light. The shadows were growing long, and soon it would be evening. Kasumi suddenly realised how hungry she was, but kept quiet. No doubt they should leave as soon as possible, so she could worry about other things later.

“Oh, wait a moment, what about…� She pointed at the woman, who was still lying in the cage of vines, limp.

[Anonymous]

Felina looked at the woman, who was still lying limp in the red vines entangling her. "Oh, that's right," she said. She snapped her fingers, and the vines withered away, leaving the woman lying on the ground, still out cold. "She might not remember what she was doing. That was an amnesia potion she had that I used on her. She might have intended the use of it on you. I'm sure that she might make a good replacement for you." Her face was filled with regret as she spoke those words

"We should get going," she added, cheering up slightly. "The quickest way out is through the west gate."

She turned around, but looked back to make sure Kasumi with her.

[Anonymous]

“OK,� Kasumi said, and slung her bag over her shoulder. She tucked in the collar of her cloak, fastened her brooch and then picked up her quarterstaff. “Goodbye Ketra then.�

“Eh, you’re going already?� Art, who had briefly wandered off, reappeared right now. Kasumi felt slightly relieved; she’d been looking around to see where he was so she could say goodbye to the boy.

“Yes, I’m afraid,� Kasumi said, nodding. “I think I may have caused some trouble whilst being here, so I think it’s best that I leave.�

He stared at her, a little sorrowfully. “Awww man. You still promised to sing to me.�

“I…I…� But she got no further.

Just then, the man who’d been caught by the vines, a middleweight fellow, came charging back, with his “lawyers� in tow- two other surly men who cracked their knuckles menacingly.

“Uh…� She grabbed Art’s hand and ran, calling to Felina to move faster. Must get to the Gate...otherwise they were in deep trouble.

[Anonymous]

Felina's face grew pale when the man returned with his...what were they called, lawyers? Whatever lawyers were, those two sure didn't look nice. But she didn't bother to think of exactly what they did. The only thought on Felina's mind was to run, run, RUN!

She darted out of the stall, following Kasumi out to the gate. She hadn't even gotten about thirty feet when she heard the men cry out behind her. She slowed down and looked back, and nearly fell to the ground laughing when she saw it.

"GAH! NOT AGAIN!"

It seemed that not all of her Tangleroot seeds had gone off in the fight earlier.

Without a second thought, she raced out, catching up to Kasumi and the boy in record time. She adjusted her pace to match theirs, all while heaving a sigh of relief. They still had to lose sight of the men to be truly free of their wrath, but that would be easy enough now that the men were ensnared.

Then Felina looked at the rude boy. "Is he coming with us?" she asked, a hint of disdain in her voice.

[Anonymous]

Kasumi didn’t hear the seeds go off, no, she was too busy running for her dear life and cringing at all the trouble she’d inadvertently caused. If she had a choice between standing out or being the wallflower in the background, she always took the latter option, unless she was on the stage. There, her passion would blossom, and she’d ride along on the sweet melodies that she might never hear again. It was a sad thought.

Art had slowed down to gape at the men, so Kasumi ended up tugging him along, rather unsuccessfully.

“Where’s…oh, there you are,� she said, with a hint of relief, when Felina caught up. Gosh, they’d only known each other for what…a few hours at most. Nothing brought people together more than a life threatening crisis, that was something she’d found.

Kasumi dropped to Felina’s pace, relaxing a little.

“Think they’d mind if I turned back and nicked their things?�

“Yes, Art, I think they would, very much,� Kasumi said, with a touch of austerity in her voice.

She did wonder what kind of a mother the boy had. Thinking back to when they’d first met, Kasumi reflected over how much more turbulent the boy had been. He’d been romping around, near her stall, annoying all the other owners by stealing things every now and then. She’d been on her knees, sorting out a crate of new produce- oranges, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, apples and the like, when he’d crept up to take something from her stall. She’d started humming a tune absentmindedly, and when she popped her head back up, the boy was stood there with his mouth wide open, and a number of blueberries clutched in his guilty hand.

He hadn’t changed much in a week, but it was a start. She smiled, thinking that what he really needed was a big sister figure to look up to. If she’d stayed longer, perhaps she could’ve done something for the boy.

“Is he coming with us?�

Felina’s voice broke through her thoughts.

Kasumi glanced at Art, and let go of his hand. “I’m sorry, maybe it’s best if you stay here. After all, this is your home, and all your friends and family live here.�

“Awwww!!� He pouted, folding his arms. “I can’t believe you’re saying this. It’s because of that cat woman isn’t it?! She’s put a spell on you or something!�

“What, don’t be silly,� Kasumi said, chiding him gently.

“Please, please, please!� He kept on saying that all the way to the gate, with his lip jutted out and pitiful eyes that pleaded silently.

“I don’t know,� Kasmi murmured. “What would your mother say?�

“She wouldn’t care, she wouldn’t even realise I’d gone,� he said dismissively. Kasumi hadn’t heard much about his mother, but from her expression, Art’s mother seemed to be…well…she didn’t seem to see the world on the same level other people did.

“Oh Arthur,� Kasumi said.

“Don’t use my full name!! Pleeeeeeeeeease???�

[Anonymous]

Felina's right ear twitched as soon as she heard the boy accuse her of "casting a spell" on Kasumi. Now while some of her herbs and spices did have magical properties in them, she didn't know any magic whatsoever. She just shook her head in despair; if he were to come along, she would never hear the end of it.

When she heard the boy's comment about his mother, she started to sort out why this boy was rambunctious and rude in the first place. Maybe he had a poor upbringing? Or maybe his mother didn't like him? Or perhaps she had a job that took time away from him?

Or maybe it was all three?

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the boy's name...Arthur. A strange name indeed. Clearly, he didn't like the name. Though she didn't believe in being mean, Felina supposed she could use it if things got too out of hand with him.

She then heard several snapping noises behind her. She spun around and saw the source with her keen eyesight; apparently, the men were stronger than she thought, for they had broken free of the tangleroot trap and were now heading right for them!

"Oh, no...They're on us again! Run for it! I'll meet back up with you!" Felina cried. She half-unslung her pack and quickly rummaged through it. She pulled out another Fijen seed and several black pepper seeds. She crushed them in her hand and let loose a large smokescreen of black pepper just before they got within twenty feet of her. She then caught up with Kasumi and Arthur. "That ought to hold them."

When the men came in contact with the smokescreen, their vision was clouded and they fell to the ground in a hilarious sneezing fit.

[Anonymous]

“Art, I’m sure your mother would miss you very much if you left,� Kasumi said, but not with much conviction. Talking about parents invariably cast a gloom over her sweet face; it hadn’t been without pain when Kasumi had left her own home. They were always running away from something, when would the day come that she would finally stop?

“Hmph,� he snorted. “You just want to sell me out for--�

“Oh, no...They’re on us again! Run for it! I’ll meet back up with you!�

“Not again!� Kasumi cried, shocked at the audacity and relentlessness of the men. She felt a little bit put-off, because this really wasn’t their fault, and her slight annoyance was conveyed by the pink tinge of her cheeks and her upturned mouth. “But we said sorry.�

“Idiot,� Art said. “Just because you said sorry doesn’t mean they’re going to forgive you. Kas, you’re too naïve, and that’s why you need me to go with you to stop yourself from getting into more bother.�

She wasn’t listening; her attention was captured by all the things Felina had managed to conjure up from her bag of herbs. It really was amazing, the things you could do with plants.

They rounded a corner, and came to a wall. To their left sprawled a labyrinth of buildings packed ever so closely together. All of them were at least three storeys high, so the narrow streets were cast in perpetual gloom. It was less busy here- the only people who moved around were locals, stringing washing lines and exchanging chitchat with their neighbours.

“Oh, I think we’ve gone the wrong way,� Kasumi said.

“You think? Come on, follow me, I know the correct way to the West Gate,� Art said, puffing his chest out. “See, you still need me.�

Kasumi glanced at Felina, wondering if her new friend wanted to follow Art or not. Kasumi trusted the boy, but she wasn’t so sure about how they felt towards each other. Art seemed to be doing his best to aggravate the situation, almost as if he were upset that Kasumi had found a new friend.

“Do you want to follow him, or would you rather stay and fight, in case the smoke doesn’t work?�

[Anonymous]

When asked this, Felina considered the options. That smokescreen would last quite a while, giving them a good opportunity to escape from the guys' sight. But this Arthur fellow was very rude, almost as if he was angry at Felina for befriending Kasumi. Well, they say that you can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink. He seemed stubborn like that. But eventually, Arthur might come to accept Felina, just as many others did in the past.

"Well, that smokescreen will last maybe five minutes, but those guys will still be sneezing for another five minutes after that," Felina said. "So, yes, I will follow him." For now, she thought the last part to himself.