Perspective - Arisu (Alice) Yumeno
When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to a wooden roof above me, even if it was the third time in a row I saw it. It really hadn't sunken in yet that I was no longer in Dalmasca. That I was safe in Hingashi. From where I was laying, I reached up, as if my hand would have pressed against some sort of barrier, a barrier that would shatter and the illusion around me would fade. But there was no barrier, no illusion, and my hand fell limply above my head to rest atop my ears.
After another moment of silence, I found enough strength to roll out of my bed and walk over to the dresser where my work clothes were waiting. Beyond the undershirt, robes were rather easy to put on, saving me the trouble of having to stick my tall ears through small neck holes. Yet it, still felt so surreal to be wearing them, and as my hands tied the sash, my memory drifted to just four days ago.
It was in a dusty alleyway, in some port city in Dalmasca that I never was able to properly get the name out of. Without any sense of navigation, I found myself in that dead end, my way out sealed by a by a group of soldiers wearing the black and red colours of Garlemald and with their weapons drawn. Though I could not see their faces due to their metal helmets, I could feel their bodies emanating murderous intent. What parts of their uniform were cloth were singed and burned away, but they seemed to be too angry to care about the damage at this point. I took a stance and tried to remember that strange feeling when I had first shaken them off, hoping for that miracle to occur once more.
In a way, there was a miracle. From behind them, I could hear a voice calling out to them almost mockingly.
"Now now gentlemen, there is a more elegant and civilized way to handle all of this."
The soldiers turned around, and through a small gap I was able to get a glimpse of a small woman, a Lalafell. She wore robes similar to a few of the merchants who I had seen at the docks. And despite the the drawn weapons and vicious auras, she still walked closer without any sense of fear or urgency. A few of the soldiers started to at each other, unsure of how to proceed.
Then tiny woman seemed to freeze, flickering for a moment, then vanished. I watched the soldiers in front of tense up as if on high alert, unsure what was happening. But I could sense something, as strange an unfamiliar manipulation of Mist was at play. Thin lines of white seemed to trace across the soldier's black uniforms for just a moment. Then, the woman then appeared in front of me, smiling up to me as the group behind crumbled silently and fell to the floor, as if the flame of their life had suddenly been snuffed out.
"Don't worry girl. They're just asleep," the woman said to me, putting a single finger up to her lips and winking. It was hard to believe her, seeing how the soldiers had collapsed, but I could only nod my head in fear. "As for you. That was a mighty impressive fireball you managed to make. And without using any sort of focus no less. That is quite a gift."
I flinched in surprise, barely squeaking out a "T-thank you." Apparently, she had been watching my initial altercation with those soldiers, and the miracle I had performed. In my fear, I had somehow lit a fire above some of them, in the confusion was able to escape, only to find myself trapped in the alleyway where I was now.
"Well, I suggest you get a move on," the woman continued, pointing her thumb behind her with a wide grin. "Go home before these ruffians wake up from their involuntary nap."
Slowly, I shook my head. I had no home, and thankfully the woman picked up on that, and shook her head in turn.
"I was afraid of that. Come along then. I've been looking for an assistant for my shop, and if you have no where to go, at least an honest job and a roof over your head while you sleep ought to be a good deal for you, right?"
I could only stare at her in response. She wasn't the first person to offer me shelter, and thankfully my instincts were sharp enough to turn down those offers, quickly finding out what kind of business I would be put in. And it seemed like the other woman had magically understood that as well.
"Oh, lovely. So those folk tried to recruit you for that, huh. Well, I do wish you'd trust me. But if you can't..."
Finally, that smile on the woman's face eased up as she shrugged, turning around and walking out of the alleyway. She stepped on top of the soldiers who were asleep, treating them no better than the rest of the debris that lined the alley. I hesitated for a moment, my mind agonizing over whether to trust this small strange woman. My instincts before never failed me, and now they were telling me to follow her. My legs seemed to have enough strength to move again, and it was easier to catch up on the account of the difference in height, and as we got back onto the main road, I was standing by her side.
"Good on ya, girl," the woman said, still looking down the road as she spoke to me. "By the way, they call me...Obizu Hanasaka. What about you?"
I shook my head again, whispering, "...I...I...since I left..."
"Right, right, I get it, I get it." Miss Obizu stopped in her tracks and looked up to me. "How about this. I can give you a name, especially since you'll be working with me."
Slowly, I nodded my head. "...okay."
Miss Obizu turned to face me, looking at me with a proud smile. "Arisu Yumeno. Remember it well."
...and I did remember it well. From there, we boarded a ship to Hingashi, and now...here I was in her herb shop. I checked my sash several times, unsure if I had really gotten it right the first time before giving up and heading downstairs.
Miss Obizu was already in the middle of the shop, using a broom that was taller than her, yet still managing to efficiently sweep the floors with it. Despite my attempts to move as silently as possible, Miss Obizu seemed to easily sense my presence, turning around and carrying the broom over her shoulders and walked towards me.
"Ah, Arisu. Good. Can you finish sweeping this up? I need to go to the backroom and organize something."
Without waiting for me to respond, she handed me the broom and walked briskly past me towards the back room.
"Y-yes, Miss Obizu," I replied, keeping my eyes on her as she got to the doorway of the backroom where she paused and turned her head to look back at me.
"Oh, by the way. I'm expecting someone to arrive with a delivery. She's a the daughter of a friend of mine."
I nodded, replying with, "Right. Right." I expected her to give me a more detailed description of who I was to be waiting for, but instead Miss Obizu had disappeared into the backroom. With no desire to argue, I started to finish the sweeping, gathering the dust into a corner before using the dustpan to carry the clumps into the bin.
As if on cue, a knock came through the front door of the shop, followed by a woman's voice.
"Obizu-obaa-sama? Tadaimasu...? Obizu-obaa-sama?"
I could recognize that the woman was asking for Miss Obizu, but the rest was in a language I could not understand. It sounded similar to Hingan, but...not quite. Or perhaps it was Hingan. Regardless, I had no other recourse than to answer the door. Setting aside the broom, I walked up and took a breath, then opened the door, doing my best to give a cheerful greeting.
"H-hello?"
Out of habit, I had looked straight ahead, only to see the front of the shop across the street. Of course, I had gotten used to seeing another Viera, and had to look downwards. There I saw a woman with long white hair and white horns, wearing what looked to be very rugged traveling gear. While I did my best to smile at her, she responded by looking up to me with a frightening grin.
"Fuuu~n. I noticed the 'Now Hiring' sign had been taken down," the woman saig, starting to chuckle. "Ufufu... are you Obizu-sama's new assistant?"
"Y-yes!" I replied, suddenly remembering that a greeting in Higashi including a certain bowing gesture. Shaking slightly, I managed to bow while introducing myself. "A-arisu Yumeno ...h-how can I help you?"
As I stood up, I could see the other woman's eyes more clearly, and they had a faint white glow that seemed to burn into me. There was sense of amusement that I could read in her expression, but it quickly faded as she spoke up polite.
"Is Obizu-sama here?"
"Y-yes! She's expecting you, please come i-"
I nervously stepped aside and gestured for the woman to enter, but my voice was cut off by Miss Obizu who shouted eagerly as she approached.
"Ah, little Fuyuhime! How did your trip go?"
Miss Obizu's pace quickened as she got to the door, and the woman, apparently named 'Fuyuhime', knelt and gave Miss Obizu a brief hug before entering the shop. As I closed the door behind her, I had noticed she was carrying a large bag on her back, which she unslung and set onto a nearby table to start unloading it.
"As expected," Miss Fuyuhime replied. "I got you the usual amount, and so far, the denaturing of the aether in the mountains seems to have stopped, though I will still have to caution that..."
"Yes, yes, I understand. After all, no point in harvesting so many now if means none to harvest tomorrow."
I was standing behind Miss Obizu who had cut off Miss Fuyuhime, both of us looking at the bundles of herbs that were carefully placed onto the table. The petals were plain white, and the stems thin and wiry, but I could sense in them a certain concentration of Mist. But the rest, whatever Miss Fuyuhime was talking about, about denaturing and of aether, was completely incomprehensible.
Miss Obizu reached out to one of the bundles of herbs, lightly rolling the stems between her fingers. "Good, good...all very high quality stuff," Miss Obizu said, smiling and nodding, then looked up to Miss Fuyuhime. "Now, how busy are you this morning?"
"This morning? Just one class to teach, but it is still in a while" Miss Fuyuhime replied. I tilted my head in surprise. This Fuyuhime was both a teacher and gatherer.
"Well, if you have time, join me for a drink," Miss Obizu responded as she started to carefully place the herbs into a glass jar. "What would you like?"
"Some of the diluted sake?"
Seeing how busy Miss Obizu was, I stepped away, believing that this was a task that I could do. I knew enough to know what sake was, and where it was stored, but before I could get a few steps away, I felt a tug at my arm. Looking down, I saw that somehow, despite the distance, Miss Obizu had caught up to me and was holding me fast by my sleeve.
"I got this, Arisu," Miss Obizu said, winking at me with a chuckle. "Take seat and join Fuyuhime, okay?"
I wasn't going to argue, though I found myself a bit worried as I walked to the table where Miss Fuyuhime was seated at. Up to this point, I felt that I had been doing a good job as an assistant, albeit for only three days. A few moments late, Miss Obizu returned, carrying a tray with three cups and pot in it. It was clearly not a setup for sake, and I looked to Miss Fuyuhime who seemed happy to see the dark liquid being poured into the cup, even if it wasn't sake. Utterly confused, I looked again to Miss Obizu who simply winked at me as she poured the mysterious drink into the two other cups, placing one of them in front of me.
"Ah...Thank you..." Miss Fuyuhime sighed, and I watched her pick up one of the cups and blow across it before taking a sip. Hesitantly, I reached out for the cup that was placed in front of me. I could feel the warmth of it quickly flowing through my hand as I carried the cup to my lips, mimicking the soft blowing of the white-haired woman before trying to sip from it myself. A strong bitter flavor struck me, followed by a smooth and sweet one, as if I had taken a bite from a fruit.
Silently, I marveled at whatever drink this was, and found myself slowly relaxing because of it. Then Miss Fuyuhime spoke up, looking down into the table.
"So...what has been moving?"
I tilted my head. What was moving? The statement was so vague, and looked to Miss Obizu hoping for an explanation.
"For the most part...nothing. The general consensus all around has been to do nothing. No one is willing to make a move."
"That's a surprise. Even after all that we've done, there's always going to be someone foolish enough who wants to take advantage of the chaos."
"Yes, and the usual suspects still do, but...too many things are in flux."
I looked between the tiny Miss Obizu and the pale Miss Fuyuhime, my confusion growing with each word. Chaos? Movement? Advantage? I had figured that Miss Obizu was more than was she seemed, and by the way Miss Fuyuhime seemed to be so familiar, she must have been similar, but this beyond what I had expected. Then, realization hit me, and I whispered a single word:
"...Garlemald...?"
Simultaneously, Miss Obizu and Miss Fuyuhime put a finger to their lips, looked at me, and smiled. A gesture to be quiet, not a gesture that I was incorrect. My shoulders hunched anxiously. Even in the Skatay Range, news of the Emperor Varis' death and the resultant civil quickly reached us. Why Miss Obizu and Miss Fuyuhime were talking about it baffled me and I could only try to drink from my cup in an attempt to calm down as the two other women continued to converse.
Miss Fuyuhime was the first to resume. "Still, not like whatever was already in motion hasn't necessarily stopped."
"Actually, a lot has," Miss Obizu retorted, prompting the first expression outside of amusement I had seen out of Miss Fuyuhime. "Most operations were suspended. The ones that kept going were...smaller projects."
"Including yours?"
"Maybe." Miss Obizu replied, winking. "As always, I try to do what I can to help, even if it is only one person at a time."
I saw Miss Fuyuhime slowly turn her head to me and that frightening grin had returned as her white eyes looked into mine. Suddenly, it all made sense. Why Miss Obizu was following me around in that port, why she had saved me from the Garlean soldiers, why she had brought me to Hingashi.
"Well, it seems like Obizu-sama has quite a story from her last expedition," Miss Fuyuhime said, still looking at me.
"Another time, I have to open the shop soon. And you have your classes to teach too, right?" Miss Obizu replied, putting the empty cups onto the tray and picking them up. I followed suit, standing up from the table and running over to make sure all the other jars and shelves were stocked for the day.
Miss Fuyuhime followed after me, picking up her empty bag and slinging it over her shoulder, saying, "True for today, but as I said, this semester I have a little less, fewer magi this time around."
"Oh, is that so? Could you perhaps squeeze in a little one-on-one tutoring?" Miss Obizu replied from the the backroom. I froze in place, a finger on the last jar I was inspecting, slowly turning my head to the doorway of the backroom where Miss Obizu was peeking out with a grin. "Arisu has a bit of a gift, and I think you are the best to nurture it."
My eyes went wide in shock, trembling as I looked to the front door of the shop where Miss Fuyuhime was already midway out the door.
"Ufufu...sou ka, Obizu-sama?" Miss Fuyuhime replied, a thin grin forming on her lips as she looked to me. "I will make some time for her, then. And again, Arisu-san...a pleasure to meet you..."
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