The air was cool but not uncomfortable, the dew still hung on the grass in the fields. Kano sat on the bench of their cart and marveled at how gorgeous the sun was, its golden rays touching upon the land. It reminded him of a certain golden haired beauty and a grin spread across his face, unbidden.
"Ah, to be young and in love. Anyway, how much more training do you have?" Bill leaned back against the cart as their mule plodded along down the small road, though road was a gross compliment to the dirt trail they were on.
"Just four more weeks. Then Advanced training. I managed to get lucky and they are making me an MP. So I will be Lost in the woods for another 20 weeks. Fort Leonard Wood. They call it Lost in the Woods. It's an Army post and my dad has been there a few times. He's a colonel, well Lieutenant Colonel. Commands a battery of artillery so he is always in the field and if he retires will have no future in the civilian world. So I chose something that will help down the line if I get out."
"A police officer. Good choice. Hmm, you should focus on that for a bit. Take it from me, things get confusing when you bounce back and forth. Sometimes, I would even act like I was in the opposite world at times. I was a royal physician 400 years ago, and I was running from the Inquistion on Earth, got myself burned at the stake when I tried to tell them off and that I was the Royal physician to a king they had never heard of. Imagine my embarrassment. I'm just saying. Finish things before switching back. Helps to keep the mind clear. Lose less friends that way too."
They rode on in silence for a few minutes as Kano digested what his teacher said. It made sense. He himself had almost slipped up one morning when he called his bunk mate Bill at one point. He had managed to explain it way as cousin of his was named Bill whom was younger and woke with the dawn. As he thought of his time in the barracks, his mind wandered back to Tiffany and the wonderful time they had at the July 4th Celebration. He had even managed to get a few of their friends to join in for a picture, which he cropped to show just him and her. Having sent it to her only right before he crossed back to Chelandria, he was unsure of her reaction yet, but he was pretty certain it was going to be positive.
Soon, Kano noticed that the little smoke trails in the air were getting closer and he could see the Academy Village up close. It looked a lot like the game, except for the much better graphics, of course. 'Really being here sure beats 4k.'
"Good, pull us up to the tavern. I'll go inside and see if anyone needs assistance, you take care of the mule."
"Yeah, yeah."
"And remember, no talking. We can't speak in town."
Kano nodded and made a zipping motion across his face as he pulled the brake lever on the cart. It would not take long for him to tie the mule up and feed her. As he stepped down from the cart, his eyes caught a flash of auburn locks. Unable to stop himself, he looked to catch the face that it belonged to and found a rare gem of a young woman. Feeling eyes upon herself, she looked as well and their gazes met. A slight blush bloomed on her cheeks as she took in the handsome young man next to a cart, not even noticing his black robes and breeches. Kano felt a slight redness as well as he gave her a dazzling yet abashed smile. He was pleasantly surprised when she returned it before giving him a little nod before turning away and hurrying off to finish whatever errands she had. A small chuckle bounced out of him as he finished feeding the mule while gazing after her. Her peasant clothes and bonnet fitting her rather nicely in his eyes. It was nice to see such a sight, especially here in Chelandria. A good looking woman was always a splendid thing to hot blooded young man.
"Hey! You're supposed to be dead!" The voice of a shocked female pulled him from his duties. On the road before him was a familiar sight. An olive skinned athletic woman was standing in the middle of the street and pointing straight at him. He stopped short and looked her over before recognizing she was the monk whom had placed a beating upon him not seven months prior. Kano was about to retort, but he remembered what his mentor told him. He was going to be a plague doctor, and he was not allowed to talk... but a sly wink was surely okay as he also gave her a devilish smile. Slowly he walked toward the now defensive woman and stood before her. Her toned muscles were taught as she prepared to attack him once again. Standing behind her, he noticed her same companions, the rogue, paladin, and priestess.
He gave a small smile and nod to the cute red headed priestess and slowly sank to his knees before the raven haired monk. Of course, his eyes followed each and every curve of her body as he did so. 'Might as well enjoy the view, seeing as I'm about to die again.' Once he settled on his calves, he relaxed and closed his eyes, letting the acceptance of Death take him. It was a lesson he thought would be harder to learn, but now that it was here, he found it was quite easy. A serene calm flowed outward as his breathing relaxed.
'What is this?! Why is he giving in so easy?!' The raven haired beauty dropped her guard, stunned as she glared at the man in front of her. He was more filled in now, filled in where she felt he needed to at least. She could not stop staring at his arms which he held out to his sides in a T shape, the biceps that could only be gained through hard work. His face was more full too, nowhere near the gaunt figure he had cut before. But, what had stopped her short the most were his eyes. She had caught a glimpse of them before they closed. No longer did she see the insanity and rage that was there before, only a strange calm, an almost enveloping sense of safety.
"Li na?" a masculine voice sounded behind her. Li na turned her head and looked at the man in plate armour and gave him a confused look.
"What?!" she yelled in frustration. "I'm busy!" Her heart skipped a beat as she forced her blush down that she did not even realize had occurred. The red haired priestess giggled and covered her mouth with her hand and sleeve of her billowing robe. "Oh, what now?! What's so funny?"
"Your face, Li na. Why is it red? Are you 'desiring' a 'battle' with him?" the cute priestess teased.
Even Kano caught the little tease in her voice. The barest hint of a smirk touched the corner of his lips. The priestess noticed it and giggled again. "I think he would like that as well. Maybe he enjoys the touch of you?"
The monk Li na shook with anger and embarrassment as she turned back to the kneeling Kano. However, before she could say anything, another figure stepped forward. The dark clothing and bird like mask easily identifying him as the village doctor. He placed his hand on Kano's shoulder and settled down next to him, mirroring his pose.
"Li na, this is his assistant I believe, we should go." The walking tank stated snidely, the disgust evident in his voice. "Who knows what foul things they have touched."
The monk looked at the doctor and then to the handsome young man next to him. Neither of them doing anything aggressive in nature. She slowly, almost begrudgingly stepped away with a grunt of displeasure. The paladin and the monk continued on their way, the rogue stopped next to the priestess whom was still staring at the pair kneeling in the street. Seeing the rogue waiting, she smiled and turned to follow the others as well. She giggled again before speaking, "I think we should keep an eye out for this one. His aura is strange. Not demonic. Not good, but not evil either. Just, dark."
The pair sat there, kneeling for a few minutes until Bill started coughing again. Kano immediately snapped to and grabbed the old man, not letting him hit the dirt filled street. He was waved away as the old man continued coughing.
"You're lucky, boy. Nobody has need right now. Go grab the provisions and I'll wait here in the cart. Tonight, go back and finish you're training. Get that out of the way, otherwise, you might lose focus bouncing around. Be a good task too, see how many weeks you can get out of one nights sleep. Try to get it down to an hour or less."
Kano nodded as his mentor repeated himself. He was begining to suspect that the old man was not telling him something.