{Caitlyn}
While Liri discussed things with the Elders, Caitlyn wanted to take a moment to check back in with the people she'd saved before meeting the ven.
Her family.
Walking through the prison's halls, she kept her head low, mostly, as she checked the cells to see where they were.
Others didn't refer to it as such. They called it their home, their new town. Caitlyn didn't care to pretend like that was the case. A prison was all this place was to her. One she hoped would be temporary, now that the elves potentially had such a powerful new ally.
Eventually, she found them. Her older brother, little sister, and her father were all down in the cafeteria, about to have lunch.
For a moment, all of her concerns regarding the eradication of her people vanished.
They were here, safe and sound.
She couldn't see them like this, though. She was naked.
Caitlyn went back to her old cell and grabbed some clothes before finally walking down to greet them.
On the way, she caught the eyes of some of the other elves nearby. As one of the main figures trying to help people escape Diosia, she was well-known, but Caitlyn didn't really care about that too much.
As her family saw her approaching, she saw the surprise on their faces and smiled.
"CAIT!" Her sister called out before running from the table and crashing into her. Laughing, Caitlyn returned the embrace.
She would prefer to be back at Diosia, without any humans there to bother them, but it was good to be back.
---
"So, you're saying a woman showed up and saved you? And, this woman can kill Inquisitors?" Her father asked as they paced through the prison's halls. Caitlyn's brother walked by her side, as did her sister whose hand she was holding at the moment.
"That woman is strong, father," Caitlyn replied. "I've seen her in action. She could change everything."
For some reason, her father then threw a slightly anxious look her way.
"Are you truly already thinking of heading back to Diosia? So soon?"
"Of course," Caitlyn replied. "The humans won't wait until we've gotten our rest, gathered our energy, and heard the world answer our prayers. Even though we've escaped, there are still elves back home. Shouldn't we do our best to save them?"
"It would be wonderful if we could, but... Cait," her brother spoke up, "it isn't like victory happens often for us. At some point, you just have to take what you can get."
"What?" Caitlyn walked ahead of her father and her brother then, letting go of her sister's hand for a moment. "What are you saying? Our objective is to take back Diosia. That is all that matters, isn't it?"
"Doesn't survival matter more?" Her father countered.
"And, this is survival?" Caitlyn asked, gesturing at their surroundings. "This is just finding a place to hide and rot in!"
"Caitlyn... Don't you think you should take a moment to think about all this?" He asked then.
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't even said a word about how you're doing, yet. How you've been. Personally. Everything, since you came back, has just been 'Diosia this', 'Diosia that'. You're here, alive, which is more than many can say, and all you want is to go back out again? Does that make sense? I have to be honest with you, it sounds less like you want to defend yourself from humanity and more like you want to strike back at them."
"Is that so bad?" She asked. "You say that like they don't deserve it."
"No, no," he responded, "but, maybe you should take a day or two to make sure you can strike back in the first place? Make sure you're not getting yourself killed, maybe?"
"Y-You just don't get it, hold on, come."
She gestured for them to follow her.
[They haven't seen what I've seen. I just need Liri to show them what she can do. Then, they'll get it! This isn't a time to be sitting around in contemplation. If I had my way, we'd be marching there right now!]
---
{Liri}
Naturally, as Liri walked out onto the courtyard led by the Elders, many of the elves at the prison took interest in what was happening.
Among their curious expressions were a few snickers that Liri guessed were due to her maid outfit but, well, it couldn't be helped.
Besides, this outfit was surprisingly comfy.
"Such a strange place," Arisa commented as she walked by Liri's side. "And the people look so tiny. I didn't know elves were this much smaller than my kind."
"I wonder if those people who kicked each other's butts over me would have the same kind of reaction if they were here."
"Possibly," Arisa replied with a chuckle.
"Here," one of the Elders said, pulling Liri's attention to them. Siran, the oldest of the three Elders, gestured at a dummy and Liri realized then that they'd ended up at some sort of training area. "Is this enough for you to show us what you can do?"
"Yeah," Liri replied, smiling brightly. "Just take a step back and watch."
"What's going on?" An elf asked as a small audience began to form.
"Dunno, but that girl, is she an elf?"
"I don't think so. And, why is she dressed like that? Isn't she embarrassed?"
Liri tried her best to tune them out as she spoke the Mantra for Nature's Fury.
She wanted to make the best first impression that she could.
"Juvin melnir, na coran."
Upon speaking those words, a suit of wooden armor appeared covering Liri's body from her neck to her feet. Of course, it appeared under her maid outfit, but the armor was still noticeable enough to where the elves were shocked.
"She can use Hymns!?" An elf asked, and even more elves began to gather around them.
Disregarding them for now, Liri walked up to the dummy and pulled back a fist.
She breathed in and breathed out, aiming at the dummy's body.
Then, with one punch that carried all of the strength in her body, Liri punched the object at its center.
The dummy exploded. Bits of it went flying in every direction. Liri kept her eyes on its torso though, which soared across the courtyard before crashing into the fence surrounding the prison.
The crowd, which had previously been chattering curiously, had been thrown into silence.
The Elders all stood behind Liri with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
Liri just smiled, giving them a thumbs-up.
"So, what do you think?" She asked before Siran fainted.
---
"With this kind of strength, there are many options available to you. But, Liri... What exactly is it that you want to do with this power?" Siran asked her that night, as she sat beside a bonfire.
Almost every other elf at the settlement was there, standing around, waiting to hear her speak. Among them were Caitlyn and Arisa, both sitting by Liri's side.
Yeah, the display she'd put on had certainly caught their attention. The question Siran asked did make Liri wonder, though, what her priorities should have been.
[What do I want?] She wondered. [Well, I was sent to this world to 'save' it. The method Alteria wants is for me to have as many children as possible. But, will that really be enough to restore balance to nature?]
"... What humanity is doing is a problem," Liri said. "But, even as strong as I am, I can't take them on alone. So... If it's possible, I'd like to focus on saving people, more so than killing people. It's not that I have some aversion to ending lives or anything, after what they've done, I have nothing against killing humans. But, trying to wage war on them doesn't feel realistic."
[Besides, if Alteria gave me this much power and still didn't even suggest fighting as a way to save the world, it has to be for a reason. Maybe the God-King is just that strong...]
"You are selling yourself short!" Caitlyn stated as the fire crackled away. "With what you've shown that you can do, at the very least we should consider re-taking Diosia!"
"Caitlyn," Elder Olmon said, "Liri likely knows her own strength better than anyone else does. If she says such a thing would not be possible, then how can we argue against that?"
"Then, what are we supposed to do?" She asked, raising her voice. "Stay here forever? Let the elves still at Diosia die?"
"... Maybe we could do something about that last part," Liri suggested. "But, taking the town back in its entirety. I don't think that's happening. A huge part of why I was able to win before was because they weren't aware of what I could do. Now that they know, if we were to fight them all, it wouldn't look the same."
Caitlyn was clearly frustrated, but, seeing that most of the others weren't in agreement with her, she settled down a little.
"Fine. Saving the elves at Diosia, then. Can we at least do that?"
"Maybe," Liri replied. "It certainly would be easier than fighting everyone. I don't think I'm too cut out for thinking of plans, though," Liri stated with an awkward laugh.
"In that case, let us contemplate the matter. And, we will get back to you tomorrow," Elder Olmon said. "Does that sound good?"
"Sure."
With that being said, the impromptu meeting concluded. There was, understandably, a new excitement spreading throughout the elves. Liri hoped she'd be able to live up to these new expectations being created.
"You can stay here," an elf told them, leading them to an unused cell. "The bathrooms are on the first floor, by the end of the hall. If you want some food, just head down to the cafeteria. We mostly only have seafood, though."
"It's fine. Thanks."
Liri and Arisa were left alone then. Caitlyn had gone to speak with her family, saying she'd see the two of them tomorrow.
[... What a long day.]
Liri sighed, as she took off her clothes and went through some drawers nearby.
As she did, a pair of hands snaked around her body.
"W-What?" Liri yelped.
"You can't just disrobe in front of me like that and expect me not to do anything," Arisa whispered into her ear. "Besides, I would like to apologize."
"... Huh?" Liri turned toward her friend. "What do you mean?"
With a slightly sad smile, Arisa looked into her eyes.
"I was useless today." Before Liri could say anything, she kept going. "You don't have to pretend like I wasn't. I know I was. But... Maybe, if it's possible, I could help you relax a little. At the very least, I'd like to do that."