Chapter 5

Acerol wasn't sure of why she had decided to stay in Foral, but she had a good feeling and her master told her to trust in her instincts. Besides she had her fill of large cities for the time being and Foral certainly served the purpose of being a good place to hide out until the situation at home died down.

She looked outside her window as she washed the dishes that had been piling up in the kitchen sink. From the open window she could smell the fresh air and listen to the pleasant sound of the running river. It was a nice, pleasant, and quiet site, she was glad she had spent the money her master gave her to renovate and furnish this house. It didn't cost her as much as she expected either, the landowner had given her a surprisingly good price on the place and even referred to workers she'd need to fix the place up.

After putting the dishes in a drainer to dry she sat on her couch with a cup of coffee in hand. She took a sip and then carefully put it on a coaster. Her drink set to the side to cool a little, she began to continue reading the book she had started the previous night.

Acerol had splurged a little, she admitted, with the coffee and large steak she had planned to have for diner. They were both luxuries around these parts, but she could afford to treat herself. She still had some money left over and the jobs she had doing would be what supplemented her lifestyle. Mercenary work was dangerous but there was always plenty of work to be done and it was a decent source of income.

Speaking of jobs, she'd have to stop by that tavern later. It was quiet place and the people there didn't bother her or treat her like child unlike the other establishments of Foral. It was also a chance to run into Soul again. Levin and their culture interested her, but he didn't act like the Levins she had run into before. He interested her and it had also been a while since she had run into another magician. Magicians became a rather sparse breed as you traveled north through Ukias. Though she'd have to make sure she didn't run into that witch he lived with. Fortunately, the witch was actually quite the shut in from what she had heard.

Acerol picked up the cup carefully and smelled the brew. It was good quality coffee, something that she had been able to get from a merchant, that was best drunk black. Slowly taking a nice long sip, she enjoyed the bitter yet deep taste of the roast.

This was proving to be very pleasant day.

Then there was sudden knocking at her door. That was strange. She hadn't expected guests.

She checked herself in the nearby mirror quickly. She wore a plain shirt and a pair of shorts, the same clothes she had worn to sleep the previous night. Also, her hair was still a mess from rolling around in bed the previous night. It was honestly too much of a pain to fix it when she hadn't even planning on leaving the house. Whatever, she was presentable enough, though her brother and parents would certainly have things to say about her appearance if they were here.

Acerol set her book down on table and went to open the door. "Welco-," she slammed forced the door shut and braced herself against it. For a moment she hoped that it was just her imagination running wild and that was not a witch she had seen knocking on her door. The resumed knocking on the door however told her that it was not. She gulped before she hesitantly cracked it open and poked her head out.

"Um… welcome." she said cautiously as she looked at the small crowd that gathered on her front porch. There on her porch was a witch, Ottie and Soul behind her, and a strangely dressed Eastern looking woman. "What do you want?"

"To talk. I was wondering if we could impose on you a little," the witch said.

"For what?" Acerol eventually ventured.

"Ottie's having her first Shinset and I was wondering if we could use your place," the witch explained.

Ottie seemed to be at that age Shinset and Acerol knew there would be major repercussions with refusing a request from a witch. "Please take off your shoes," she requested as she opened the door for them. She would have no choice but to play the gracious host.

Once she had let the witch in, Acerol quickly took stock of each guest as they entered her house. Ottie and Soul she knew, though the Levin was now wearing a new set of clothes and a pointed hat. She was going to talk to him about that later.

Once she had let the witch in, Acerol quickly took stock of each guest as they entered her house. Ottie and Soul she knew, though the Levin was now wearing a new set of clothes and a pointed hat. She was going to talk to him about that later.

Really the only other person she didn't know about, other than the witch, was the strangely dressed Eastern looking woman whose long black hair reached past her elbows to her chest. Like Acerol herself she couldn't have been from around the area.

She was tall and an imposing sight yet also elegant in her movements. Her figure, her stature, everything about her led to her being a very mature and attractive looking woman.

Acerol couldn't help but feel a bit jealous at her figure.

Once the woman entered the house, she would turn to Acerol and suddenly bow to her. Acerol performed the best greeting she knew, a curtsy which was a bit difficult to perform in a pair of shorts. Thankfully the woman looked satisfied with it at least.

After removing their shoes and walking into the house, the group of unexpected guests all sat around the living room. There was only one couch, so Soul had to sit cross legged on the floor.

After counting the number of heads in the living room, Acerol went into the kitchen. She dug through the cupboard, took out a large filter, and poured a copious amount of the coffee beans she had ground up beforehand into it. She then placed it on top of a large siphon. Normally this siphon was used for her potions and other experiments, but it was only thing large enough to hold enough coffee for all her guests. Besides she was sure she cleaned it… probably. Picking up a large a kettle of water, that she had boiled and kept warm with a fire glyph set into a section of the countertop, she slowly and carefully poured the water onto the filter.

With the coffee brewing she went back into her cupboard and took out a plate. She then poured on top of it a small pile of cookies that she had tried making the other day. They couldn't be sold at a proper bakery, but they tasted fine, at least in her opinion. It wasn't like she had any other snacks available.

Acerol walked back into the living room to find the guests quietly talking among themselves. She set the plate of cookies on the table and sat on the floor across from Soul.

Ottie reached toward the plate of cookies but was immediately stopped by Eirwen. "What do we say to our host first?" the witch asked the young girl

"Thank you," Ottie would say to Acerol before eating the cookies. She seemed to enjoy considering she took several off the plate before leaning back onto the couch. As she ate she suddenly leaned in close to the magician and began to sniff at her body.

"Ottie's bad with faces. She prefers to remember people through smell," Soul explained.

"Alright then… so about this Shinset?" Acerol asked

It took a bit more explaining for Acerol to understand the situation; mostly from Soul and Raiko, as Eirwen seemed more occupied with messing with Ottie. Seeing that there was no other reason for their visit, particularly one that involved her past experience with another witch, Acerol was comfortable enough to make a few inquiries.

"I'm surprised that Ottie's a Wolfkin," Acerol would comment as she looked at Ottie's ears. The girl had taken off her hat while Soul had been explaining the situation.

"It's not something we want the people in town to know, it's why we thought the Shinset should be done here," Soul explained.

Acerol nodded in agreement. Kin or not Ottie seemed perfectly harmless but getting everyone else in town to understand that would be an issue. It would be difficult for her to interact with the people and that was assuming they didn't try to chase her out of town, capture her to sell as an exotic species, or harvest her for her organs. "Still, there's plenty of isolated areas by the river. Why my place?"

"We have to wait for the afternoon anyway and it was the perfect chance to greet our new neighbor," Eirwen chimed in before continuing to play hand games with Ottie.

"So yea... sorry," Soul replied apologetically. He took a cookie off the plate, bit into it, and paused. He glanced at her briefly before popping the rest of it into his mouth and swallowing. Acerol had a feeling he wouldn't be eating another one.

"Still I'm surprised there's an exorcist willing to do a Shinset for a Kin," she commented.

"I'm a shrine priestess first," Raiko explained as she finished her fourth cookie. She ate surprisingly fast yet did it with grace. "It is our job to commune with the spiritual world in addition to exorcising hostile spirits."

"What's a shrine priestess doing in Foral anyway?" Soul asked.

"As part of my commencement as an official priestess I made a commitment to open a branch shrine and bring in faith from a foreign continent. This town didn't have any other churches or shrines, so I thought I'd have no competition," she replied.

"Except the reason for that is that people here aren't very pious." Soul commented

"I learned that in a difficult fashion."

"So the exorcisms were just so you could make money to eat," Acerol replied bluntly

"Indeed"

"First one actually," Raiko grumbled.

There was a very awkward silence in the room, apart from the sound of Ottie's laughter behind them

"Couldn't you leave?" Soul asked tentatively

"Not until I've gathered enough faith." Once again, more awkward silence.

"I'm surprised you know the Common tongue," Acerol asked trying to change the subject. It was commonly used in Ukias, but most people probably wouldn't understand it outside the continent. The priestess also had a formal way of speaking that was quite familiar to the magician for some reason

"I had acquired a tutor for your tongue before I arrived here. Apparently, this is how the nobles in the south spoke."

That explained it. Acerol glanced at Soul and examined the clothes he was wearing. She grinned when she noticed the hat he tried to hide behind his back.

"Nice outfit Soul."

"Eirwen made it for me," he replied curtly.

"I especially like the hat." Acerol's grinned mischeviously. "It's really nice isn't it?" she asked Raiko

"It gives him a certain… presence."

"Exactly it tells people that he's a magician." Raiko nodded in agreement. Acerol was happy to find someone who agreed with her. She was also quite curious by the way Soul's ears tensed upwards as he looked at her, annoyed. Levin ears were surprisingly expressive.

"Why did your face and eye color change?" Soul shot back. "Been meaning to ask you about that"

"Glamour on my glasses," the large lenses of her spectacles had a glamour spell attached to them. Glamours were essentially illusions created through magic and they were most effective when attached to a physical object rather cast on the body directly. They didn't so much as change the physical appearance but rather they how people perceived things. However, because it only affected perception, once someone was aware of the true appearance underneath then the glamour would no longer work.

Without her glasses her eyes were a bright blue and she was quite pretty lady in her opinion.

"Why would you do that?" Soul asked

"Fashion. Though now I days I just use it to look plain."

Natives of Foral, like Felix, were surprisingly tanned for people living in the North, which contrasted with the light complexion of her skin. That in combination with the color of her hair and eyes set her apart from the locals. Her small stature didn't help either. Even back at home she was treated like a child due to how short and thin she was, and it only got worse with how large some of the people here were.

It became so much of a problem that she decided to only wear her magician's robes anytime she went into town. It didn't work. They didn't recognize the magician's robes and had only assumed she had been trying to dress up. That only made them dote on her even more or, in some cases, be treated as someone they could easily exploit.

So, the next step in her master plan to get the locals to stop bothering her was to start telling them her age anytime the topic was close to coming up. Word of that got around, but someone that had made things even worse. Not only were there still people treating her like a child, but many men, and some women, had actually begun flirting with her. Apparently, they had considered her quite attractive with her and learning her age only gave them the approval they needed to court her.

Then one night on her way home a man had tried to drag her into a back alley. His intent had been very clear at the time, so she had answered his aggression with a healthy serving of fire to his face. She had left him breathing and reported him to the town guards, but that event had been the last straw and was what made her resort to using a glamour.

By making herself look plain it had decreased the amount of times she would be approached. When that wasn't enough then a show of her magic usually did the trick to chase them away. Granted that came with its own set of problems, but she'd much rather deal with the constant stares and whispers behind her back.

Looking at the priestess, Acerol wondered if she was having similar issues. She wasn't a local like her and she certainly stood with her jet-black hair and the Eastern accent in her voice. However, she was taller then she was and surprisingly muscular judging by what part of her arms she could see under her robes. There was also this presence of that she exerted that was serious and a bit intimidating. It was something Acerol would have to ask the priestess about later. If she could figure out how to emulate her then she might start looking like the adult that she actually was.

"Wise," Raiko commented while Acerol was looking at her. "Though I would suggest you avoid the Eastern district of this town. It's dangerous there, especially for a child."

"I'm seventeen!" Acerol shouted. Even back home that meant she was an adult, much less Foral!

Raiko and Soul's shock were immediately apparent on their faces. Damn it, why was the Levin of all people giving her that look? He was an entire head shorter than she was!

"My age really?" Raiko responded. "You're even smaller than most people in Kana," she observed

"You're both a year older than I am," Soul commented. That didn't reassure Acerol at all.

"The coffee should be done by now." Acerol quickly stood up and headed to the kitchen. She needed to cool down. After throwing the used filter away she deftly poured an equal amount of coffee into five empty cups, including her own. Then came the small cups of milk and sugar to be put on the side. Sugar was a a bit expensive here but since there was a witch in her house… She poured a bit more coffee into Eirwen's cup.

Putting the cups onto a tray, she brought them back to living room and set them carefully on the table in front of each of her guests.

It was quite well received, Acerol saw as she sat back down. Their looks of appreciation had mostly calmed her down and she would be fine as long no one breached the topic of age, height, or anything involving her measurements.

"This is delicious," Raiko commented between sips. She seemed to prefer her coffee with a bit of milk

"Is this Lowen dark roast?" Eirwen asked as she began to wipe the coffee stains off of Ottie's mouth. Just sugar for the witch while Ottie piled hers with both.

"It is actually," Acerol replied gleefully. Coffee was one of her greatest pleasures and she didn't expect to find another enthusiast around here. "How did you know?" Even she had difficulty guessing the coffee bean from blind taste alone.

"You pick it up after a few decades," the witch responded slyly.

"Is something wrong?" Raiko would ask Soul. It was then that Acerol noticed that he hadn't drank from his cup yet. He had only been staring at it that entire time.

"Soul hates coffee," Eirwen explained while Ottie nodded knowingly. "Hates the stuff, refuses to touch it"

"It's too bitter," Soul replied apologetically as he handed the cup to Raiko who had already drained her own cup. She received his quite enthusiastically while Acerol filled his cup with some hot water.

"Sorry don't really have much else to drink."

"It's fine," Soul responded as he started rummaging through the many pockets of his robe. "I think I brought some tea with me." Instead of a pack of tea however he took out a cube covered in a strange set of magical sigils and a seal. He looked at in his hand for one second before he immediately threw it onto the floor.

"Soul what's wro- WAIT LET ME GO!" Ottie began shouting as Soul suddenly grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and threw her behind the couch with him.

"Why is that thing here!?" he would shout out from where he had taken cover. Acerol could hear Ottie grunt as she struggled to get out Soul's grasp.

"My experiment's done so I'd figure you could keep it," Eirwen responded calmly. "You mind letting go of Ottie, I think you're choking her"

Soul didn't have much choice as Ottie pushed the Levin off her, stood back up, and sat back in her original spot in a huff. Her hair was disheveled and she didn't even try to hide the malice in her face.

Acerol picked up the cube and looked at it. She began to toss it in the air which she noticed caused Soul to flinch anytime it landed on her hand. "What is it?" she asked the witch. It seemed harmless enough.

"It's a dimensional pocket meant for storage that's been repurposed to also contain and amplify spells," Eirwen explained. "There's nothing in it right now so its harmless," she said to Soul trying to reassure him.

Eventually he left his hiding spot behind the couch though he kept a good distance away from the cube. "You can have it back," he replied to Eirwen. "Damn thing nearly buried me with that-," he paused and glanced at Ottie who was still mad at him, "bear."

"As long as you point the seal away from you and don't use it in enclosed spaces it should be fine. But if you don't want it," Eirwen gestured Acerol to hand it back

Acerol looked out Eirwen's outstretched hand then back at the cube. "Could I borrow it?" she asked to everyone's surprise. The magician's curiosity had won out over her fear of the witch. It was a very interesting tool and she was already thinking of a few ways she could use it.

"Happily. Consider it a house-warming present. It's simple enough. Just put in a spell in the back end then pull off the seal when you want to use it"

"Thanks." Acerol smiled. She was going to have fun with it, she just knew it.

"Just be careful with that thing," Soul said cautiously as Acerol walked toward an indiscreet door next to the corner of her fireplace. She opened it and entered her atelier.