A reunited family celebrates the father's return while Dimas keeps to himself a short distance away.
[Got an ability that can help me, good. Learned how to use it, also good. It takes a toll on my body, bad. A single use got me sort of tired, also bad. Worse still, I don't know how many uses my body can take at a time or the negative effects of overusing it.]
Dimas sits down and begins to pull blades of grass from the ground.
[Guess that means I'll have to train... a lot… again.]
The small breeze steals the grass from his open palm.
[If I have to go to school too, not much would be different. Except for the different world, of course.]
"Hey! Dimas!" Lilee yells. "Come over here!"
[I just sat down…]
Dimas stands up and heads towards the family.
Lilee's father steps forward. "Thank you for rescuing me. If there's anything I can do to repay you, please let me know."
"You can't repay me but Lilee can. I want her to travel with me." Dimas says.
The whole family is surprised by his request.
He continues. "I was originally going to ask you but I think Lilee is the best choice."
"Why do you want her to travel with you?" Lilee's father asks.
"I'm going to be fighting in the tournaments. A healer will be useful."
All eyes fall on Lilee. At first she stays quiet, taking a moment to digest Dimas's words.
"Yes! I'm in!" Lilee exclaims.
"Are you sure?" Lilee's mother asks.
"Yeah!" Lilee answers.
Her excitement causes her to hop a little. No one in her family has ever seen her this happy. Both her mother and her father look at each other and nod.
"If that's what you want, you have our full support." Lilee's father puts a hand on Dimas's shoulder. "Please take good care of her."
A twinkling noise can be heard coming from inside the house.
"That's probably the guards calling." Lilee's mother heads inside with the little sister in tow.
"They're probably going to need some information on the bandits." Lilee's father disappears into the house.
Dimas and Lilee are left alone outside, Lilee still hopping from excitement.
"You really believe I'm the best choice!" Lilee asks.
"Yeah. No one's going to kidnap you. Your dad would attract too much attention." Dimas replies.
Lilee stops hopping. "That's it?"
"You also stuck to my plan."
"Nothing else?" Lilee looks at him expectantly.
"You were willing to break someone's nose?" Dimas answers, confused.
"Oh..." Lilee looks down.
Clueless as ever, Dimas can't tell what Lilee was waiting to hear. She wanted him to say something along the lines of 'I see great potential in you'.
It occurs to Lilee that she just agreed to traveling with a stranger. Sure, he rescued her father and nearly died because of it but all she knew about Dimas was his name.
"I know I said I'll travel with you but I need to know more about you. It doesn't feel right leaving with a guy I just met." Lilee says.
Dimas nods. "At least you're not completely naive. However, you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you"
"Cross my heart." Lilee traces a cross over her heart with her forefinger.
[Good enough, I guess.]
Dimas takes her by the arm and leads her away from the cabin. Once he's certain that no one can hear them, he begins.
"When I said that I wasn't from around here, I meant that I wasn't from this world. Back in my world, people aren't born with Brío and don't have anything like Brío Arts. Those kinds of things only exist in fiction."
Lilee crosses her arms. "Let's say I believe that you are from another world, what are you doing here?"
"A deity sent me here. He told me that if I wanted to go back to my world, I needed to win the tournaments."
"Why?"
"Didn't really get to ask a lot of questions before he sent me here. My best guess would be boredom. He's the one that gave me the ability I have."
[That's the truth, for the most part.]
Lilee doesn't say anything. Her gaze fixated on Dimas.
"Okay, I believe you. Honestly, it would explain how weird you are." Lilee laughs.
[I'm the weird one?]
Lilee continues. "I mean, who doesn't know about Brío, Crild, the tournaments, or Alastor? Not to mention the way you dress-"
"I get it. Remember, not a word to anyone." Dimas interrupts her.
"You don't have to worry, I did cross my heart."
It doesn't do much to reassure Dimas.
"Can you tell me more about your life back in your world?" Lilee asks eagerly. Her eyes filled with curiosity.
"There's not much to say. My life basically revolved around school and fighting."
"Fighting tournaments?"
"Yeah but they're nothing like the one's here."
"Oh… What was your town like?"
"It was a small town in the middle of the desert."
"Huh… What about friends?"
"Didn't have any."
Lilee begins to realize how closed Dimas is to the rest of the world. The sort of person who can't appreciate a flower's beauty because they focus on its thorns. In the cave, however, she saw him open up a little. Just enough for her to see the troubled child that lies within.
"That's okay. I don't have any friends either." Lilee takes Dimas by the hand. "Since we're going to be in a team, let's become friends."
"S-Sure." Dimas answers as he slowly pulls his hand away.
Dimas isn't sure why but Lilee's words and actions leave him with an odd feeling. It's not an unpleasant one. A part of him wishes he hadn't pulled his hand away.
A warbling noise ends the touching moment. Nearby a yellow tinted screen appears, although transparent distorts the area behind it. Dimas moves in front of Lilee.
Alastor steps out of the screen. He looks directly at the duo and says, "I require answers."