"You can take me…to Vex?"
This lady really knows where Vex is and she can take me to him?! Oh, I want to scream "yes, please!" so badly!...but what if she's trying to play a trick on me?
Even worse, what if she is connected to that woman I hate? Is she here to take me back…back as a slave?
"Hmm? What's wrong, Lily? You seem a little lost there…"
Miss Joanne expresses her concern as she takes note of Lily's abrupt thousand-yard stare. The sound of Joanne's voice takes a moment to reach her, but once it eventually does, Lily's awareness restabilizes.
"It's nothing–Lily's all fine!"
"Are you…sure?"
"I know that face when I see it–she is contemplating whether she can trust me. Isn't that right, Lily?"
"?!"
She figured Lily out so quickly?!
"See that? Looks like I hit the mark. Though please be assured that you are wholeheartedly wanted to be seen. Vex was willing to accompany me on my quest, so this is the least I can do to return the favor. Of course, if you'd rather stay here, that's completely valid…however, I don't think that man would feel too happy about me returning to him empty-handed."
Flenn twirls her finger around her long drooping ear, her face slightly down as she drifts her eyes to the side.
"...Lily appreciates your kind offer very much, but I cannot say 'yes'. You only told Lily that you can take her to Vex, but never where he is. If you are not trying to trick me and if you knew where he was, then wouldn't you just say it?"
"Fraus. Isn't that the country he's been trying to get to, but has been unable to due to insufficient funds?"
Still twirling her ear without wavering, Flenn responds to Lily without any sign of hesitation. Flenn's abrupt, nonchalant response contrasted Lily's gaping mouth.
"Fr-Fraus?!"
"Does that sound familiar to you? Or perhaps I'm wrong…"
Fraus…Fraus…Fraus…that name…for some reason–!
My child, can you hear me?
That voice! Miss Goddess?!
Forget not what I told you, my dear. Fraus is the name of the neighboring country that possesses the very next crystal you seek. Lily, do not let this opportune moment pass by–consider it your blessing from me. Fear not, as I will not lead you astray. Do you still have faith?
Yes, Lily does!
Then it's now up to you to demonstrate it. You may not trust a stranger like Flenn completely, but it's not about trusting her–rather, your Goddess. Please continue forward with this in mind.
"Okay, I will do it!"
"?"
Lily's sudden outburst confuses Flenn and Joanne.
"Lily, I am very concerned about you, sweetie. You've zoned out quite a bit–perhaps it is better for you to take a nap. Maybe we could travel to Fraus together within the next three weeks. Oh, I know! Remember that special yacht you girls snuck off to last night–without permission? We can go see that again, as promised–"
"No thanks, Miss Joanne. Lily will go to Fraus with Miss Flenn right away. I'm sure of it!"
"Hmm, you do sound like your mind is made up. Well, if you insist, go ahead…but I can't help but feel a bit uneasy seeing you travel alone without an adult you know."
"The only adult Lily really knows is Vex though; I don't really know you either…"
"Y-yes, that is true; the both of us here are relatively unknown to you, aren't we?"
Joanne, doing her best to soften the blow of Lily's innocent bluntness, bites her lip, slightly wincing.
"Then how about I, Lily's new best friend, go with her, mom?"
Oh yeah, Lily forgot about Jan for a moment. She stayed behind in the living room for a while…ah, she has sweet crumbs on her face. Jan looks so silly! If we go together, Lily won't ever get bored.
"Jan, you really want to go too?"
"It should be fine, right mom? Lily and I can finally have our special girls playdate, and we can lookout for each other as best friends should! Besides, we have some relatives in Fraus, so we can see them too."
"That is true…wow, I can't think of any other objections. I feel assured, though we need to check whether it's okay for both you girls to go with Miss Flenn here–"
"That's perfectly fine with me. I want Lily to feel as comfortable as possible, and a friend tagging along should accomplish that. I've got a special yacht arranged for us to ride across the sea to Fraus in no time–it'll be so much fun!"
Clap!
"Then that settles it! I'll stay behind to take care of boring adult responsibilities, so please tell me about your adventure together later. Let's go pack upstairs, shall we?"
"Okay!"
In a burst of energy, no doubt partially due to the sugary treats, Jan races up the stairs, Joanne slowly trailing after her. Flenn shakes her head softly, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well then, she is certainly an energetic kid, isn't she?"
"Yeah, but she still could never outrun Lily, hehe."
"You felines sure are agile on your feet, that's for sure. Anyway, I will be waiting for you two outside. Once we get going, we can't stop, so don't forget anything, okay?"
"Okay, Lily won't forget!"
Vex, I'll see you soon in Fraus. I may even find the next crystal on my way to you, making you jealous–then you'll never sneak off without Lily again!
From the depths of her dress pockets, Lily withdraws the two crystals she has obtained painstakingly. Together in hand, their respective green and cyan colors sparkle brightly.
"I'll get stronger, I promise, mommy!"
___________________________________
"Squeen! Squeen!"
Steady….steady…
"Squeen! Squeen!"
Sniff, ahh, Lily's nose can smell it!
Lily sneaks forward, doing everything within her to not drool.
Almost there…just a little more and–
"Lily! How much longer do I have to stand here–my legs are itchy!"
"Squee?"
Oh no!
"Shhh, Jan! You said that you can trap the bird in a forcefield easily, so Lily is counting on you for just a few more seconds!"
"Yeah, I said that…but it only works if I stay still. I didn't expect to feel so itchy all of a sudden, you know!"
"Squee? Squee?"
This is bad, very very bad. That bird will notice us soon; Lily must hurry!
Lily gets closer to her desired position: on top of the yacht's hardtop, prepping to pounce on the sea bird resting on the deck rail. Jan stands adjacent on the deck, holding her hands out awkwardly as she trembles slightly.
Just a little closer…
"..."
"Squeee…?"
Feeling a threatening aura of a predator at last, the sea bird spins its head around and looks upward–straight into the eyes of a cat who is licking her lips.
"!!!!"
Now!
"NYAAH!"
Lily launches from above, right towards the guardrail the sea bird is perched on. With only a split second more to react, the bird attempts to fly away…
"SQUEEE?!!! SQUEEE! SQUEE–"
THUD!
CHOMP!
…only to bump into an invisible ceiling and land into the grasp of Lily's fangs. Lily rapidly shakes her head, ensuring that the sea bird no longer has to feel what awaits it next.
"Pppt! Look, I've caught it, Jan! You can move now!"
"Phew!"
Jan rests from her awkward stance and gives her legs the scratch that they were yearning for. Lily walks over to Jan, her prized dead bird in tow.
"See? Lily told you that she could catch this bird! Do you believe Lily now?"
"Yeah yeah, you won the bet. Although, does it really count since I helped you?"
"Lily could have done it without your curse–it was just to make sure I didn't accidentally jump past the rails into the sea. If we were on land, then I could really show you!"
"Oh Lily, there's no need to go that far. I believe your story now…so you really did that sort of thing after all."
"Uh-huh, yep! It was rough at first, and a little scary, but Lily managed to defeat those bad birds and eat their tasty bodies. And it's all thanks to my hero, Vex!"
"Wow, your hero sounds more and more amazing. It'd be cool to meet him one day!"
"But you already have, remember?"
"Really? I only recall seeing a boring and grumpy old guy; there's no way it's him."
"Don't say that Jan–he's not that old."
The two girls giggle uncontrollably before gradually winding down to the sound of the peaceful sea. Without saying a word, they walk up to the rail together, resting upon it.
"The waves look so beautiful…"
"Right? Is this your first time, Jan?"
"My first time on a cruise or watching the ocean waves? Either way, nope, not at all…well, not exactly. I've never done this with a friend before…"
"Jan…do you feel lonely?"
"....do I really seem that way?"
"Was that a rude question? Lily's sorry, I didn't mean to–"
"It's okay, I'm not offended at all. I'm just so used to being around my mom and the other adults that she knows. Actually, I used to have a few friends at the temple in Fraus before we moved. I miss those times…"
"What about school? Did you make any friends there?"
"School? I used to go to an academy, but my mom hired a private tutor for me after I asked. I didn't like any of the students there; I could tell that they were only treating me special because of my mom's wealth. But you? You never brought it up once or tried to take advantage of me despite being encouraged to do so as our guests. Thank you, Lily."
"It's nothing much, Jan. I'm thankful for you and your mother and how nice you treated Vex and me!"
"It's been a pleasure! Say, how about you? Do you have any other friends?"
"...several months ago, I did. We used to play together all the time, and our parents got along until…until I was taken away as a slave…"
"!"
Jan, fearing that she unintentionally stepped on an emotional landmine, quickly covered her mouth.
"Oh no no no, I'm so sorry! I didn't know about that! Let's just move on and forget about–"
"Lily used to feel empty and sad all the time, but ever since Vex saved Lily, I became hopeful and less sad. Lily is much stronger than before, and I will become strong enough to see my mother and old friends again!"
With a whelming sense of pride, Lily shouts out into the sea, refusing to look away from its face. Jan, witnessing such a display firsthand, can't help but be in awe.
"Lily…you look really amazing. I want to be like you!"
"Really? Then…"
Lily rips a wing of the sea bird and offers it to Jan, she looks confused and slightly disgusted.
"Lily? What are you–"
"You said that you wanted to be like me, right? This is how we cat demi-humans eat. Don't worry, it's delicious!...I think. I never tried this bird before, but we can do it together as friends!"
"Uhh…thanks, but no thanks. I'm not hungry right now…"
"Ehh? Then I guess you'll have to settle for being yourself for now!"
"I guess so. Maybe for the best, heh."
Lily shrugs, taking the wing she offered and gulps it down. Despite cringing, Jan watches her friend with a warm smile as they both look out towards the ocean, viewing its contents.
Lily looks over her shoulder towards the cockpit behind her. Inside, Flenn and a pilot are both talking to a holographic projection of an indistinguishable figure.
"Hmm? Lily, have you noticed something?"
"Un-uh, it's nothing…"
"Were you looking at Miss Flenn? You were, weren't you? She's a bit strange, but all adults are pretty much. She's very kind, isn't she? I'm not used to being treated like this–usually my mom is the one who does it!"
"That's true…she is nice."
Miss Flenn has been chatting for a while. I wonder what she could be talking about? It must be boring stuff adults are forced to listen to.
Lily feels bad for them. Poor Vex…