"If you're not sure, I'll just save the conversation for a later day." Said Alexander lightly with a shake of his head as he suddenly stood up and stretched a little bit before exiting the room, causing Kurama to do the same.
"Just tell me, okay? We may not know each other that well, but you're Lavender's disciple… And lover, the least I could do to honor my best friend would be to help you." Stated Kurama softly as she quickly caught up to Alexander and grabbed his hand, prompting him to turn around with a raised eyebrow.
"Haa, okay, though it's nothing crazy; I'm just in a rough spot money-wise, and I was hop–" Replied Alexander with a slight sigh as he shook his head and cleared his throat, though he couldn't finish as Kurama suddenly handed him a sack of coins.
"Oh, it's just money? Why didn't you say so earlier? Money is the last thing I'm worried about." Remarked Kurama with a raised eyebrow as she outstretched her arm while holding a sack full of coins before Alexander, whose eyes faintly glowed.
I wasn't going to accept her offer since that's not why I came here, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I used [Heroes Gaze] to look at the coins inside the sack; however, what I saw were several coins I'd never seen before. The coins had a silver tint to them, but compared to the matt silver coins, these specific coins were much more glossy, not to mention slightly bigger.
"U-Um, are those possibly platinum coins?" Asked Alexander lightly as he glanced at the sack before looking at Kurama, who tilted her head in confusion before nodding.
"Yes, as an alchemist, I've hundreds of platinum coins, although, believe it or not, given my profession, I burn through money like no other; the amount in this sack would hardly last me two years." Replied Kurama with a wry smile as she jiggled the sack, causing coins hitting each other to echo through the room.
While it might've been very tempting to take that sack off her hands, I hadn't reached that point; I hadn't reached low enough to the point where I'd take money from my Master's friend, so in the end, I simply pushed the sack back to Kurama, who seemed confused by my actions.
"I appreciate it, Kurama, but you didn't let me finish speaking earlier. I'm struggling money-wise, so that's why I came here to ask the best way to sell these potions. Master was an alchemist just like you, and having lived with her for nearly seventeen years, I've learned a thing or two about alchemy." Stated Alexander with a faint smile while shaking his head, causing Kurama to to tilt her head in confusion before she raised an eyebrow in surprise as she grabbed the vial of golden water he handed her.
Now, I might've been bending the truth a little bit; I didn't learn all that much about alchemy from Master even though I spent a lot of time with her, though that's because I never really held a passion for alchemy like she did.
'Her passion for alchemy was one of the things I loved so much about her as well.' Mused Alexander with a faint smile as he glanced to the right, looking at a picture of Lavender, before shaking his head and shifting his focus to Kurama, who had just consumed his potion.
"Hmm, not only is it a very good potion, but it also tastes amazing, that's quite rare. I know Lavender is an amazing alchemist, but I've got some doubts she could impart enough skill into someone in only sixteen years for them to create such a good potion." Remarked Kurama with a slightly surprised expression as she smacked her lips, only for her to open her eyes and skeptically look at Alexander, who lightly chuckled.
"Hehe, thanks for the compliment, Kurama. However, yes, I did make these potions; they weren't that hard for me; it's just the ingredients that are pretty rare." Stated Alexander with a faint smile as he glanced at Kurama before reaching into his space pouch, only to hand her three more potions.
"Well, I'll be damned, you've got an incredible talent for alchemy, boy; Lavender must've been drilling her teaching into you forcefully, huh?" Asked Kurama with a whistle of awe as she held the three potions before glancing at Alexander with a faint smirk, causing him to wryly chuckle, though he didn't elaborate.
"So, I had initially thought about selling them to alchemy shops, but then I remembered you existed, so I was just wondering if you could possibly give me some tips on what I should do with them. Master taught me a lot of things, but she did a terrible job of telling me about the world." Replied Alexader curiously as he looked at Kurama, who faintly nodded before storing the vials in her pouch.
"Oh, that's all you wished to ask? That's also easy; just let me deal with it. I'll have these potions sold within two days, so you can come pick up your money then." Said Kurama with a nod as she dismissively waved her hand at Alexander, causing him to slightly widen his eyes.
"Eh, are you sure, Kurama? The last thing I want to do right now is add more things to your plate." Asked Alexander softly as he suspiciously as he eyed Kurama, who calmly shook her head.
"Heh, I can see why Lavender would like you so much; she's always been fond of kind and thoughtful men; you being handsome was just the cherry on top. However, you worry too much, boy. I may be depressed and furious, but I'm a grown woman, and I can handle emotional turmoil; besides, selling your potions would be equivalent to me taking an extra step when walking up the stairs. I wouldn't even notice it." Stated Kurama with a faint smile as she gave Alexander a once over before furrowing her brows and shaking her head while dismissively waving her hand, causing him to nod slowly.
"I understand; also, sorry if I offended you; I didn't mean it like that. I was just concerned for you, that's all." Said Alexander apologetically as he lightly nodded, causing Kurama to faintly chuckle before shaking her head.
"No worries, Alex; I can tell you were just concerned for my well-being. I find that to be quite sweet, actually." Remarked Kurama softly with a faint smile as she stepped closer to Alexander, staring deeply into his eyes while gently placing her hand on his cheek, causing him to faintly blush.
"T-Thanks for everything, but I-I've got to return home; I don't want my lover to get worried. B-Bye Kurama, I-I'll visit you tomorrow; also, sorry for being the bearer of bad news." Stated Alexander with a slight blush as he quickly distanced himself from Kurama while approaching the room with the teleportation pad, causing her to nod.
"Fufufu, take this then; it'll allow you to directly visit my office." Said Kurama softly with a faint smirk as she began using her smoking pipe while tossing a small, black rock at Alexander.
Catching the rock, I gave it a weird look before storing it in my space pouch.
"Thanks, Kurama; see you later." Said Alexander with a slight smile as he waved at Kurama before quickly closing the door, only for a faint flash of light to emit from several small cracks.
"Heh, you really found one hell of a man, Lavender; not only is he compassionate, but he's also young and handsome. I'm quite proud of you; it seems waiting over 2,000 years was more than worth it. I only wish you got to enjoy it some more." Muttered Kurama with a faint smile as she spoke to seemingly no one while a tear streamed down her face.
"However, I'll do my best to look after him. I hope you don't mind; we're friends, after all." Added Kurama with a slight chuckle as she sat down, only her laughter to morph into the sound of sobbing.
"W-Why, Lavender? Why did you have to die?" Said Kurama as she quietly sobbed, her tears staining her beautiful face.
___
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"Is it just me, or does Master's friends seem a little weird?" Muttered Alexander lightly as he exited the Mage Guild, walking through the streets of Cassandra while heading back to the Inn.
Softly sighing, I stopped thinking about that and just headed home; after recalling Master's death, I just wished to spend time with Yuki, Talis, and Michelle. After several minutes, I finally returned to the Inn, and when I entered the room, I sighed in relief to see that everything was perfectly how I remembered.
Chloe and Talis were playing, Michelle and Yuki were speaking, and Lazuli was silently sitting on the couch by herself, causing me to sigh slightly while I removed my jacket.
"Yo, I'm back." Said Alexander with a faint smile as he tossed his jacket into his and Yuki's room before approaching her and Michelle, giving them deep kisses.
Giving Michelle's breasts a slight squeeze, I received a slight smack on my hand, causing me to chuckle while I just gave Yuki, who was looking at me eagerly, a bland look.
"Nope, you'll enjoy it, and no sexual things when Chloe is present." Said Alexander lightly as he eyed Yuki, who pouted, causing him to roll his eyes while he gave her another kiss.
Leaving those two, I approached Lazuli, and, feeling a little bold, I laid on the couch with my head resting on her lap, which garnered some reaction from her.
"Do you not like this?" Asked Alexander curiously as he glanced at Lazuli, who shook her head after a few moments of silence, causing him to faintly smirk while he closed his eyes.
"Hmm, sleeping?" Muttered Lazuli as she glanced at Alexander, only to slowly place her hand on his head while gently stroking his head.