...
I'm trapped.
Trapped in a hug of death. That boy, Rei...he grabbed me. The merchants are just...LAUGHING!
"Meowbo... I missed ya! Where'd you go?!?! I thought... *Sniff*
I thought the hydra came back!!"
"... You're crying."
"... Am not."
Childish fools. How pathetically childish. Huhuhu, keep embarrassing yourselves in front of me and the merchants. Soon, I will leave this pla-
...Wait a second.
...
Did... *GASP!* Did they run away immediately after noticing I left?? Wasn't Rei supposed to wait for the merchant?
...They missed me!
"MY~ Rosiel! Rosie-dear!!! MWAH! It's been so long!! Has village life helped any?"
"MMH, please, let go of me, Miss Andel! I'm no longer a child anymore!"
"Pfft, of COURSE you aren't. How could I forget."
Rosiel... If I recall, Rei and Roy called her the boy-girl. She was disguising herself like a boy to train, and Roy's dad, Mr. Aldis, pulled her aside and taught her separately with her more feminine body in mind...or something? She's never approached me before- ah! Look! Even now she just blushes like a school girl and shies away from even making eye contact! How offensive! Unless...Mrehehe.
I would offer you my paw-pad as an apology if I wasn't stuck within a vice-grip, child, but I cannot reciprocate your feelings. Mainly because you blushing over a cat means that you are a weirdo.
"Stop squirming, Meowbo...if I letchu go, you might try to run awa-err. Y-You might get kidnapped again!"
Ah. HE KNEW! Yet he...
"MRAH! Lemme go! My name's NYOT Meowbo! It's Cainya- err, wait. The-The Eldyer named me ORPHYEUS!"
"...Orphyeus? Wa- YOU CAN TALK?! Like, PROPERLY?? Woah! My cat's so COOL!"
"NYOT Orphyeus- ORPHYEUS!"
"...Huh?"
"My name's Orphyeus, you're making it syound lame!"
"...Pfft. Hahaha! Meowbo, you're funny. We need to have you take speech lessons!"
"So...this cat, belongs to you?"
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"Of course he does!"
"Hell nyo I don't!"
"Meowbo, you're not even 1-years old yet! If you can talk, you should know that it doesn't make sense to let a baby wander around alone...that would be weird! Who would agr-"
"MRAAHH! I DON'T CARE! I WANNA GO! Adventure, Adventure, Adventure! I don't wanna be stuck here! I'm tired of being trapped in suffocating places!"
...
...Eh? 'Suffocating places'? 'Trapped'? Why do I...?
...Mrah... my head hurts.
"I understand."
...?
"Rosie? You understand Meowbo?"
Rei clutches me tighter after hearing the boy-girl talk. Honestly, he has attachment issues.
"Mm. Being suffocated feels like being in prison. Prison feels like your freedom has been stripped away. Nobody would like that, right?"
Her eyes soften for a moment as she stops talking - presumably lost in thought. Rei, the insensitive clod, shoves his face into hers as if wondering what she's staring at, surprising her.
The smallest merchant, who now is back to holding her scary stuffed animal is once again, giggles and begins talking. I vaguely see the elf giving a questionable stare towards me.
"Hehehe, aww, you guys! I was just telling little Orphy that I'll repay him by teaching him a certain space magic! One that anyone can learn! How about learning under me during my stay here, and-"
"Reina, stop meddling. They're children."
"Mm? So? I started young. These two were about to go off on an adventure if we hadn't showed up~ 'Sides, it's safe, right grandpa Reagan?"
"...Well. On one hand, Andel is correct to worry. They must get their...ah. neither have parents."
"..."
"..."
"Hohoho! Forgive me children. O-On the OTHER hand, if you've the desire to learn, I suppose starting young is better than starting old! So long as Miss Reina doesn't go overboard and teach you the advanced application of it, being researched in the institutions of magic at the moment. That stuff shouldn't be attempted at your non-existent skill level."
Rosiel was visibly excited. Her eyes twinkled with childish delight at the thought of being able to learn magic. It looks as if she didn't expect to learn magic so soon.
...
...And she WON'T GET TO!
"NYO! Nyo, Nyo, Nyo! This can't be cyalled repyaymyent then! That's not fair! I need somethying myore! I SYAVED you guys! ME, nyot them!"
"...'Saved you'? Meowbo, you saved them?"
"Orphy... don't you want your friends to learn as well?"
"Did THEY save you?!"
"... Hehe, no, but-"
"The world is unfyorgiving. Those that hyelp others, rise. Those that myooch off of others for nyothing, nyever learn. The best time for syuffering is early in life."
"... I see. So, what you're telling me, is..."
"MRAH! Don't you have EARS?! I did all the work, but they gyet to have a part of my reward?? NYO! Myake- them- WORK for it!!"
"...Hehe, okay~ I'll make them pay me off for the spell through chores. Better?"
"......Yes."
Hmph, I will not allow others to mooch off'a my rewards! Do your own good deeds, you childish fools!
"Meowbo...um, Miss Rei...na."
"Yes Rei-Ah! Our names! How could I have forgotten! Such an adorable coincidence, how about I call you little Rei?"
"Haha...ha. Yes. Uhm, I heard you mention 'repaying' Meowbo. And Meowb-err, 'Orphy', is complaining about saving you. What happened?"
Good question! That's my Rei! Mwehehehe, I watch as his eyes go wide with terror and shock as Reina regales my exploits to both he and Rosie-NO!!
Ah! NO! D- Don't tell them about the black thing!
*Crrrack* *Crrrack* *CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAA-*
AH! Shut up already if you aren't gonna hatch! Gosh, why do I get the feeling that you just want attention!
"Meowbo...you saved them from...from monsters...?"
"Yes, he was very brave~ I must stock up on that unique black mandrake he has on him."
"Hoho, These folk always have some brand-new rarity in their homes whenever our backs are turned.
"...Now that I think about it... I did hear a bunch of villagers talk about their stuff going missin-"
"MRAH!"
Y-You fools! SHUSH! You'll expose me!
I pull the two over, whispering so only they can hear...yes. There's no possible way that the merchants are only pretending not to hear me right now. They're dummies who thought the Demon King was a kind person.
"Mrah, do you thyink you two can g-go off on a jyourney a-and NOT be prepyared?? T-The monsters out there a-are VICYIOUS. Bu-Bunnies...with MUSCLES! Scary one-eyed goblins, and-and worse! You hafta be better prepared. Otherwise, you'll get EATEN!"
"But Meowbo, stealing is wrong."
"Not from fyamily and-and villagers! That's forgivable, espyescially if it saves your life! The black scryeaming thing was-w-was just left unattended! A-And look! It SAVED them! T-That makes me right!"
"...I dunno. I think we should tell everyb-"
"Nyo! I-If you do, they'll use that as an excyuse to nyever let us go free! They... They'll force us to build that FYENCE all our lives!"
"Why us too?!"
"THINK about it, did any of them REALLY want you both to leave??"
"...May-Maybe? Pro...bably...not..."
"Mmh, Sari's mom yelled at me to wait for the merchants, but I bet she was gonna convince them to fail me and not let me become a bodyguard. I lost sight of yoa, Meowbo, and took off. Even so..."
"MRAH! DO whatever you want then! Hmph! That just myeans you two would nyever cut it as advyenturers!"
I grasp the egg tightly, as their faces turn red. Don't like it? Too bad!
"We can survive better than a cat!"
"Yeah! Meowbo, you-"
"Prove it thyen!"
"...eh?"
I am not dumb. Now that I have been caught by these two, stealth tactics are pointless. And with these merchants being blabbermouths, soon the whole village will be enemies. That being the case...then, mwehehe...
I need hostages.
"When we get back, let'see who finds the best stuff for an adventurer's journey! If you byoth can't nab some goo- oops. Pfft, you're too wimpy for that~ Nyahaha~ then you can make a list of stuff to bring instead. If it's wyorse than what I have on me, then you have to follow my orders as Pyarty leader!"
