"You're okay!", I heard Savina cry while being faceplanted in the dirt.
"Yeah...", I replied in a muffled voice.
A feeling of regret and apologies came through my bond with Azalea.
Evidently, I have come to a few realizations after this moment.
First, the [Body Double] technique is technically a form of teleportation but is very very limited in its applications. I had to wait until the Omukade's mouth was right above us and the lady binder was screaming the whole time. There's probably a work around to make it so not limited but I don't know enough about majimonsters or techniques to do anything about it...yet. I'm pretty sure I'll learn something about this at the academy.
Second, that this was the first time I have ever done any form of teleportation and it absolutely sucked. It felt like...the same sensation I'd get when my foot would fall asleep, but felt in cascading waves numbering in the thousands and all over my body. One would think the entire process would be like blinking, nope, I was concious the whole time and it sucked.
This was also the first time Azalea has ever taken additional people with her when she did it, so that might have been why it was so... unpleasant. There is the possibility that the other ways of teleportation suck significantly less, but I have no idea.
Lastly, and most importantly...I hate having people sitting on top of me. We didn't manifest all at once, we came out one at a time and currently, the binders I had just saved were sitting on top of me and not moving for some reason.
"We're alive? We're alive!", I heard the man yell in jubilation.
"Hahahahah! Yes we are Honeyhound!", the lady say in reply.
What followed was several deep breaths and sudden movement on my back. If I had to guess, they were married couple and we're now making out on top of me. Freaking love birds.
[Normiesexplode!], I heard Voxea suddenly say in my head with indignation.
[What's a normie]?
[Something to explode]!
[...Sure].
"Hey, we're alive so can you two get off me now?", I asked tired and exasperated.
"Mmpfh, hmm? Oh! Sorry, sorry, sorry!", I heard the lady binder say before she and her friend moved off my back. Azalea and Savina moved over to help get up and clean off some of the dust and dirt on me. As they were helping me, I noticed that Savina has this reddish look to her face and subtle traces of embarrassment. I guess the couple's sudden display of affection must've shocked her.
"Bleh. Sorry for the rough landing and all, you two alright?", I asked the couple after cleaning myself up a bit more.
"Yes. Thank you for saving us! We owe you our lives", the man and woman said as they bowed in thanks to us.
"My name's Louis Lobaine, a merchant binder", he said with a smile after getting up from the bow.
"And I'm Cynthia Lobaine, also a binder and his beloved wife", the woman said with pride. After saying that, she wrapped her arms around one of Louis' and she began to snuggle against him.
[Too...cute...must...not... explode]!
"Well then, my name's Silvia and the girl who is currently too red to talk is Savina", I said bluntly while gesturing to my friend's blushing face.
"N-nice to meet you", Savina said with a rigid wave and aforementioned red face. Apparently she gets second hand embarrassed from romantic gestures...or was that something she picked up from Nera? Things to ask later.
"So, what brings you two to Equinox Valley"?
"Well as I said, the two of us are merchants, and we came to sell our wares!", Louis said jovially.
"As well as settle down and start a family!", Cynthia followed up.
A loud rumbling roar echoed through the valley. The four of us turned to see the Omukade raising its head in triumph, before turning around and exiting the valley's mouth...only to bury itself underground a while away and forming an impromptu hill nearby.
"Well...I guess just to settle down and start a family then", Louis said awkwardly.
[Is that going to be a problem later?], I asked Voxea.
[Not unless someone wakes it up again].