I slowly pulled the street through the carriage, using these last few moments to enjoy the scenery of Hyphen, which, with the lack of people, was relatively lackluster compared to what it usually is, but it still had some of its charms.
"Mom, why are we leaving?" Asked Chloe curiously as she sat atop Michelle's lap while observing the surroundings.
"Because something bad will happen, and if we stay, we'll get caught up in the bad stuff. You don't want bad things to happen to you, do you?" Replied Michelle softly with a motherly smile as she looked down at Chloe and lightly rubbed her head while she aggressively shook her head.
"No! I don't want bad things to happen to me." Said Chloe firmly with a frown, causing Michelle to chuckle from her cuteness before teasing her.
"Ho, only you? What about your own mother? Do you not care what happens to me?" Asked Michelle with a sad, teasing expression as she covered her eyes, pretending as if she was crying, which easily fooled Chloe.
"Eh, n-no! I-I don't want bad things to happen to you, Momma or Alex!" Declared Chloe quickly in concern as she hugged Michelle, trying to cheer her up, while Alexander smirked at her teasing.
"Hehe, I'm glad to hear that, Chloe; I'm sure Alexander is as well, aren't you?" Said Michelle with a lovely smile as she planted kisses all over Chloe's face before looking at Alexander, who lightly nodded.
"Yes. Who wouldn't be honored to know someone as amazing as Chloe was worried about you?" Replied Alexander with a faint smirk, his words causing Chlow to nod happily while Michelle rolled her eyes with a smile.
"So, will we return once the bad things are over?" Asked Chloe lightly as she turned around and faced forward while sitting on Michelle's lap.
"N-No, most likely not, Dear. the bad thing is super bad, and we most likely won't ever return to Hyphen." Replied Michelle softly with a look of pity as she tenderly rubbed Chloe, who slumped and hung her head in sadness.
"Awe, really? I'm never going to see my friends then." Said Chloe softly with a saddened expression as she looked towards the ground, causing Michelle to bite her lip and sigh.
"Haa, I-I'm sorry, Dear, but there's nothing we can do." Stated Michelle as she tried to soothe the sniffling Chloe with tender rubs.
'Haa, I don't really wish to leave either, Chloe.' Mused Alexander lightly as he glanced back at Chloe before sighing and shaking his head.
While walking down the road, I felt the ground beneath my feet subtly tremble, just a faint tremble, and it happened only once but still served as a sign that we would be forced to cut these final moments even shorter than before.
'Yep, there it is, my heart; it's finally warning me of danger.' Thought Alexander as he picked up speed, going from casual walking to a light jog speed, garnering Michelle's attention.
"Umm, Alexander?" Asked Michelle in concern as she avoided saying anything to make Chloe worry while gazing at Alexander, who understood her thoughts.
"Everything is fine." Replied Alexander calmly as he winked at Michelle, who slowly nodded before returning to soothing Chloe.
The warning my heart was giving me was only slight and was not of much concern right now, so I truthfully wasn't worried since by the time it got to the point where I should be worried, we would be long gone, though, it was better to not stick around and test my luck.
"My luck seems incredibly high, but there is a ceiling for everything." Muttered Alexander lightly as he jogged down the street, heading for the city gate, only to suddenly come to a halt when he noticed a familiar person walking down the street.
"Eh, Cath?" Said Alexander in slight surprise as he stopped and stared at the back of Cath, whose white tail suddenly stood upright while her ears twitched before she turned around.
"Eh, Alexander? You're still here?" Asked Cath lightly as she eyed Alexander and the large carriage he was pulling.
"Well, for now, we're in the process of leaving, but what I want to know is, why are you still here? I spoke with Jackal two days ago, and he said he would take you with him; did something happen with him?" Asked Alexander curiously as he glanced at Cath, who was approaching him, only to furrow his brows in concern.
"Hmph, that horny man, yes, he did visit my residence, yet do you know what he said?" Asked Cath in annoyance as she stood to the side with her arms folded and aggressively stomped her foot, causing Alexander to smile wryly.
"Let me guess; he would only take you with him if you agreed to go on a date?" Replied Alexander lightly with a knowing smile while Cath snorted and shook her head.
"No! He wanted a one-night stand! That horny bastard!" Stated Cath with a huff of annoyance as she grumbled under her breath while Alexander awkwardly chuckled.
"Hehe, w-well, Jackal is quite horny, but I'm pretty sure he was joking around; he's a pretty good guy, and he seems to actually care about you, so I doubt he was being serious. Well, maybe a little." Remarked Alexander softly as he rubbed his head while watching Cath's tail aggressively sway.
"Haa, I know; I've known that horny man for quite some time; he was just messing around, though I've got no doubt he would've pulled stunts during the trip. However, the reason I refused him was that he was already taking care of his family, and I didn't want to add to his burden; the outside world isn't the safest, and I didn't want to make it more difficult for him, so I intended to travel using Stable Moving…." Said Cath lightly as she shook her head and calmed down, only to sigh towards the end.
"…However, by the time I went to Stable Moving, every carriage was already gone, even the ones they used to transfer people to different cities. By that point, I decided to bite the bullet and find Jackal; he was a friend, so although he wouldn't force me, I wouldn't mind compensating him with my body, though he had already left. With no other options, I decided to just test my luck and asked several people if I could accompany them, and well, it seemed my age had finally caught up to me since my body wasn't enough to tempt them, and I didn't really have anything else to offer other than that. I only had one and a quarter silvers to my name, my bills weren't cheap, and my job wasn't exactly lucrative by any means." Stated Cath in a depressed tone as she placed her hands on her hips and sighed while her ears and tail hung downwards.
"Had?" Asked Alexander with a raised eyebrow, his words causing Cath to nod while grumbling under her breath.
"Yeah, had. Given my desperation, I ended up managing to join a shady group, and I didn't even get out of the inner city before they stole all of my belongings, though I suppose I should be thankful I wasn't raped or killed. Now, I just decided to say fuck it and walk to the next closest city with my trusty dagger for self-protection. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll become a sex slave to Orcs instead of Goblins. I heard being a sex slave to Orcs is similar to being a maid; all you must do is cater to their needs and bear their children, and you'll live a rather good life in their settlements." Said Cath with a small dagger and a forced expression as she eyed Alexander while radiating an aura of someone who has already given up on life.
"Oh my." Muttered Michelle in pity as she looked at Cath, who sheathed her small dagger.
"Now then, if you'll excuse me, Alexander. I need to start training in my maid services. Yes, Master Orc." Declared Cath lightly as she looked at Alexander before turning and bowing to an imaginary orc, causing him to sigh while rubbing his face.
Shaking my head, I set the reins down and approached Cath, only to pick her up before turning around and placing her right beside Michelle.
"Eh, Alexa-"
"Nope. Shut up, Cath, I'm taking you with us." Said Alexander sternly; he didn't even look back and merely grabbed the reins of the carriage before pulling once more.
"Haa, thank you. Just know, if bandits, Orcs, or Goblins attack, you can use me as a meat shield." Said Cath with a soft smile while looking at Alexander, whose face constantly twitched at her words.
"Haa, can you not be so pessimistic, Cath?" Asked Alexander with a sigh of annoyance as he approached the city gate in the distance.
"I'm not being pessimistic; I'm just being realistic; there is a good chance I'll die on this journey, so I should be mentally prepared for it." Stated Cath solemnly as she glanced at Alexander, who merely shook his head in silence while Michelle suddenly grabbed her head before forcing Cath into her ample chest.
"It's going to be all right, young one; everything will be fine." Said Michelle softly as he soothed Cath, who closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth provided by the two watermelons.
"Eh, I never have asked, but how old are you, Michelle?" Asked Alexander curiously as he glanced at Michelle, who pouted before replying.
"221." Said Michelle, her answer causing Alexander to tilt his head in confusion.
'What the? I-I have so many more questions about her marriage now.' Mused Alexander lightly as he shook his head.