I still can't believe what had just happened… we just bypassed the guards, entering the town but I couldn't shake the feelings off what just happened off my chest. I glanced over at Maia to check on her, and though I'd like to say she was unfazed by it, since that was what her face was showing, I'm not entirely sure if that was the case. A few meters after we got in however, Maia had stopped walking, so I did the same. I looked at her as I was about to ask why, and noticed she had a pretty annoyed expression for some reason. She was looking forward, so I shifted my attention towards whatever she was looking at, and that's when I had finally noticed her.
Leaning against a pole, there was a girl who didn't look older than Maia, but also didn't look younger than me, so I assumed she was slightly older than me. Wavy long blonde hair kept loose, blue eyes as the sky, porcelain skin, and dressed relatively light, yet almost elegantly. She was wearing a light blue dress, and the moment she also noticed us, she stood straight and started waving her hand while walking towards us.
"Oh, Maia!!"
She was probably the furthest thing from my type, yet I couldn't stop looking at her. Every fiber of my being wanted to keep looking at her for some reason. My breathing was getting heavier, and my mind was getting hazy. Confused by what was happening to me, and who that person was, as she approached, I asked Maia the only thing that came to mind.
"Who's that, Maia?"
"Remember that friend I mentioned a while back? That's Her…"
So she was that one friend that had helped her a lot… What should I even say? I honestly can't really think of anything at the moment, but it seemed like that didn't matter, because I wasn't given the time to properly think about anything regardless. As she had finally reached us, I decided to do the most obvious thing within context, and introduce myself, doing so as politely as possible, trying to put on a good impression for myself.
"So you're the friend Maia had mentioned so much already? Words cannot describe my gratitude towards you, for helping my dear sister. My name is… Cael. Nice to meet you."
How was that?! Man, I didn't look like I'm trying too hard, did I?! I didn't even say my last name… but I don't know what she thinks about us, so I don't want to risk it after what just happened…
Though looking back, I don't think that hiding our last name mattered in that situation, since my hair and Maia's eyes were anything but hidden. Nonetheless
I was getting pretty anxious there for a second. Why? Because after my introduction, there was a good 5 seconds span of time of pure silence. She simply looked at me with a smile in that span of time, then without a single word, she crouched just enough to be on my eye level, and started playing with my cheeks as if I was some kind of stray dog.
Huh? W-what's wrong with this girl girl?! What's going on?? What is this? Why, why am I being petted right now?!
Was my introduction so captivating that she felt the urge to jump all over me?! … I don't think that's the case. Then why?! I have no idea. But this was a problem. Because even though I had tried to make a good impression of myself and seem kinda cool I guess you could say, it was all in vain now that I was blushing like an anime girl getting a confession from her crush in the back of the school after class for fucks sake!
Lucky for me however, she came to a stop just a few moments later. Honestly, I think I might've started blushing to the point where I'd overheat had she kept going.
"I'm so glad to finally meet you. Maia always talks about her cute little brother, so I couldn't wait to finally meet you."
Are you just going to act like you didn't just assault me?!
"R-right…"
"It's nice to meet you, Cael. My name is… Luna."
Maia sighed as she took the lead and started walking, with Luna matching her pace and me walking behind both of them shortly after. There was something weird about this girl. I don't know what it was though, but I couldn't take my eyes off her. And her name resounded within my head almost in a loop, as if it was getting autosaved or something like that, to make sure I'd never forget it.
Ah, now that I think about it, her assault completely distracted me from what had just happened earlier. I don't even feel anxious about it anymore, and it seems like Maia isn't thinking about it anymore either. Did she do it on purpose…?
I don't know. But there was something different about her. Her mere presence alone had managed to not only lighten up the mood exponentially, albeit ignoring the fact that Maia doesn't seem pleased to see her on the exterior at least. But just like the sun melting away the cold ice on our planet, she melted away all of my worries for the time being, and completely took over my head.
"Though I have to say, you 2 sure stand out, huh?"
Snapped back to reality by her comment, still walking a few steps behind her and Maia, I looked around us and quickly realized what she meant. There weren't many people around yet, most likely due to the early time. However, the few people that were around, be it the stall owners selling their fresh vegetables, people just passing by, kids with their friends, or just workers opening up their stores… They all had one thing in common. And that was the pungent glare that they all shot towards us. By now the rumors of the gate incident were starting to spread already, which was kinda impressive honestly considering it had only been roughly 5 minutes since it happened. Regardless, the people were clearly not happy to see us. I wasn't really bothered or worried about it, but there was something that kept me from relaxing.
I don't think Maia is bothered by it either, but what about Luna…
As if sensing what I was thinking, both of them came to an abrupt stop in their walk, which made me bump into maia's back and fall to the ground since I didn't notice. Both of them turned around at the same time, sharing an almost smug grin on their faces before Maia spoke.
"Cael, you don't have to worry about this idiot."
"I'll ignore the idiot comment for now, but Maia is right, Cael. I assumed you didn't say your last name earlier because you weren't sure if I was aware, though I can't really give you credit for it when your hair and Maia's eyes were in full view. Regardless, I'll say it so you can stay at ease. I know who you are, and I'm not bothered by it. Even if what your family had done is true, which I doubt, It's not a problem. Because you 2 didn't do anything that would make you deserve the harsh treatment you receive, nor these unjustified hateful glares. That's why, Cael…"
She paused her sentence as she extended her arm out to me, helping me get up, and it was at that moment that I had realized. My body and mind had forgotten about the weight of my clothes- no… I don't think that's accurate actually. I don't think neither of them had forgotten, but in order to try and put up a cool face in front of Luna, and to be able to walk alongside her (though I did still walk behind both her and Maia) they simply ignored all of the pain and exhaustion, and forced themselves to keep working as naturally as possible.
"Arghh!"
The instant I had gotten back up on both feet, both my body and mind were snapped back to reality. All of the pent up exhaustion not just from our walk, but also from the earlier unfortunate event had bursted out at the same time, completely overwhelming me.
"… you shouldn't worry about me when you're this much worse off."
Oh man… I look anything but cool right now…
As I took a glance at her warm smile, I started to lose balance, bumping into her as a result. However, she didn't push me away. I could feel her warmth all throughout my body as she held me tight, probably so I wouldn't fall in that state.
"See? You're a total mess... Seriously now, what are we going to do with you?"
Though she was seemingly complaining, I couldn't sense a single hint of discomfort or annoyance in her voice. It was so scarily calming, that I could feel my eyes betraying me, and struggling to stay open.
"It's alright, Cael. The place we're going to eat breakfast at is still pretty far. Me and Maia will get you there safe and sound. So you can rest now."
'So you can rest now'… huh? I feel like I've heard something similar from someone else before… but I can't remember… This really was… a weird encounter.
The moment I finished my thought, I had also fallen asleep, standing up and while Luna held me.