While Leomi stretches to fight a tree barehanded, I work on adjusting a scanning construct that will detect the location of metals. It should give her a warning in case of ambushes.

I've lost all hope of beating her hand to hands, it just isn't doable for me without using the perception construct which would make training a bit pointless since it's about the form, not dodging because that's all I can do when she beats me as soon as she gets a grip on me.

I strip the scanning construct to the bare minimum and limit the range to a sphere of five meters in radius. It won't be able to pierce through thick walls but it'll also be invisible.

I give up on making the construct detect sharp objects, it's possible but the scanning construct isn't built to make these kinds of distinctions so it burns too much energy and turns the field of detection visible.

“I think I'm done.” I tell her.

I reach out to the jay on her shoulder and send the lentil shaped scanning construct over to it. Leomi nods and closes her eyes, focusing entirely on the merging of the unstructured flow bird and the construct.

“You should keep it activated at all times, it will only burn about two or three portions a day.” I inform her.

“I don't even know if it'll work yet.” She grumbles.

“Flow can manipulate itself, there shouldn't be any problems if your intent is coherent and unambiguous as long as the jay is connected to your mind like it is.” I explain. “It might take a few tries.”

Just as I warn her, the jay flickers and loses most of its energy. Leomi shakes her head and gives it more flow. I don't comment when she returns to kicking and punching the tree, considering she'll figure it out eventually.

I make my way inside and light a fire to start heating the deer stew we had at lunch. I then pick up one of the longswords resting against the wall to start training grip changes with a heavier and longer weapon than I'm used to.

The goal isn't to teach myself to handle swords but to learn to quickly find the center of gravity of a weapon and how to manipulate it. It's the best I can do to train myself to wield a liangi right now.

I slash upward and entirely let go of the longsword once it reaches the peak of its arc. It seems to hang in the air for a moment with my palm just a centimeter away from the handle.

As it starts falling, I pull my hand back and strike the pommel with my palm. The sword flies straight into a wooden window flap and sticks there. I hear the blade vibrate while I shake my hand from the pain of the move.

That hurt, and you made a small hole. My bad, I thought it would look cool. It wouldn't do much damage without an armor-piercing construct. I walk up to the longsword and pull it out of the flap.

I once again swing upward and let go of the handle at the apex, letting the weapon hang in mid-air for a brief moment while I slip my thumb under the pommel to keep it in place while the blade falls.

Instead of switching to a backhanded grip like I normally would by further altering the angle of the longsword in the air, I stop once the weapon is horizontal and lower my hand in sync with it during its fall.

I seize the handle again once it's at waist-level and grin, satisfied. From this position, I can make a quick stab, shallow slash, or block. The move is a double-feint that would only work on those who have already seen me change grips to fake them out or create an opening by switching things up.

It isn't really useful for anything else considering I'm wasting quite a bit of time by delaying the moment I seize the weapon again to trick my opponent but, sometimes, slow is the way to beat fast. I keep training, happy about how much dexterous I've become.

Once the pot of food is hot, I take it off the fire and set the table. I walk outside to call Leomi but I don't find her in the 'courtyard'. I hear steps on the left side of the house so I go around the corner. She's using the staff I bought to probe the bushes, searching for something.

“What are you doing?” I ask, trying not to sound too worried.

“Looking for the parasite.” She replies calmly. “It won't be inside the house, but you wouldn't put something that dangerous very far from us or easily accessible.”

“It isn't there.” I truthfully tell her because it's not where she's looking.

“Okay.” Leomi says with a nod.

She pulls the staff out of the bush but merely moves to start searching another bush. I groan. She isn't going to give up this easily. As I walk up to her, Leomi stops to face me with a prying look in her eyes.

“Why?” I ask, confused and worried.

“Because it's dangerous.” She tells me flatly. “If you get caught with it or use it then it'll be the beginning of the end, one way or another.”

“I thought we agreed it might be necessary to save my life.” I tentatively say.

“We didn't.” Leomi denies. “It is possible that it might but neither of us knows.”

“I can't let you kill it.” I declare with a firm voice.

“I won't. I'm making sure you will have no choice but to discuss it with me if events develop in that direction.” She quietly explains.

“You want to Littlenap it.” Liz quips.

“It is not a child.” Leomi utters with difficulty. On the contrary.

“I won't let you.” I tell her, taking a step back towards the house as a threat.

“You can't beat me right now.” She replies sadly, drawing fifty portions from her reserve.

I close my fist, angry that she would go so far. Yet, she remains where she is without moving, apparently waiting for my decision. Is it a lie that she won't kill it? She thinks she's protecting us after all. She suddenly pulls the golden energy floating around her back in her reserve.

“It's not that I don't trust you but that I fear what Rykz pheromones can do.” Leomi speaks up, breaking the tense silence. “I will back down if you can assure me that it will not influence you.”

“...” I open my mouth but no sounds come out.

I've felt the pull to reunite more than once. While I'm aware of a few times where it was out of withdrawal, I can't guarantee my impulse will always be my own or that I'll be able to resist it in a moment of weakness.

“It's not that I don't trust you but that I don't trust you about the Rykz.” I finally say, returning her harsh words. It'll be preferable to entrust the Little one to her than lie, have her confiscate it, or fight, but that's only if I can trust her.

“I swear I won't willfully harm it, I'll merely feed it and keep it contained.” Leomi tells me without hesitation.

“If I am to entrust the Little one to you, you'll have to keep it near you at all times. It considers you family of a kind.” I inform her in a hard voice.

Leomi flinches at the revelation but, while her expression is uneasy, she does not seem disgusted. I wait for her to agree. It takes her a while to realize that I am but she eventually nods.

“You'll treat it like you would a wild wolf you're trying to tame. It might be a bit rowdy but all you have to do is stomp on it until it settles down.” I tell her.

A flicker goes through her traits but I can't quite discern if it's eagerness or interest. Neither would surprise me much from her if the subject wasn't a Rykz creation.

“Don't forget to be nice to it afterward, I won't agree if you can't make the effort to accept it.” I continue.

“Why would I?” Leomi asks spitefully. “It hurt you.”

“To prove you love us for who we are regardless of how monstrous our body becomes.” Elizabeth utters harshly. “Unless you plan to sever our ties if I have to resort to merging with the Little one to delay my death?” I question rhetorically.

As expected, Leomi frowns like she's offended I would even ask. I wouldn't believe her even if she said 'yes' considering how well she treated Elizabeth even when they stood as enemies or after she discovered the truth of the parasite.

“How am I meant to keep it in my tent as I go to war?” She questions.

“Are you telling me it'll be difficult for you?” I return, raising an eyebrow at her attempted diversion.

“It would be safer to keep it inside a guarded pit, no one will find out if I arrange food to be thrown in.” Leomi suggests, changing tactic.

“Yvonne will help you take care of it.” I utter with finality. “If this is how you plan to treat the Little one, my last resort, I don't understand why you thought this could ever go your way.” She closes her fists tight and hangs her head down.

“I don't have a plan.” Leomi admits, sounding pained and lost. “I don't have a solution, only a lead that could take years you don't have to work out.”

“It's okay, kitten.” I say soothingly.

I approach to hug her. I pull her as tightly as I can against my chest. It hurts to be unable to truly hold her, more than the ghostly pang in my left side that reminds me of what she took from me.

I feel guilty that I can't rid myself of this resentment but it isn't something I can help. What is especially ironic is that Leomi is one of the most important reasons why I need the Little one and wouldn't allow myself to slowly wither to death.

“I don't want you to die. I don't want you to drift away.” Leomi whimpers, her face buried in my hair. “It feels like you'll fade away no matter what I do.”

“We have time, here, on the road, at war.” I reassure her, it's all I can say without lying to her. Leomi weakly returns my hug.

“What do I feed it?” She asks. “How much water? How frequently?”

“You can give it pretty much anything, the quantity depends on how active it is but it'll need more if it isn't planted.” I explain.

While I don't want to split up with the Little one, Leomi is right in that it would be rather problematic for me to drag it wherever I go and unsafe not to. It is also reassuring to have her as a safeguard between me and the parasite. I think the hope that this will help her get over her hangups is what convinces me.

We drift together in a slow dance that lasts until she quiets down. I then lead her to the thick brambles where I hid the Little one. The jay tries to take off from Leomi's shoulder but she stops it by scratching its neck, which doesn't seem like it should be possible but... apparently it is.

I keep my eyes on her face as she peers through the bush's shadows to find the Little one. It takes her a few tens of seconds, which is a while longer than I thought it would but then again this is the first time she sees the parasite.

Her traits tense as her expression grows heavy but she shows no sign of disgust at the brown flesh and its protruding string-like muscles. I signal the Little one that there's no danger. It returns a feeling of worry and timidity but still shifts in the soil to show more of itself.

Leomi inspects it with occasional shivers for a few minutes. Unfortunately, her decision at the end is to split from me and heads back to the house. It disappoints me that she remained silent and didn't even attempt to approach it but I decide to stick around instead of trying to talk her into doing something she clearly isn't ready for.

I kneel by the Little Princess and stroke its flat but expansive biceps that looks entirely unlike a human's. It extends its tendrils to wrap them around my arm, reaching all the way up to my shoulder.

It then lifts itself up, communicating its desire to be with me. I bring the Little one close to me, allowing it to nest between my arm and belly. We exchange emotions through the signaling construct to share our hopes and loneliness.

Merely a minute passes before I hear steps approaching. I frown and Liz prepares to punch Leomi if she came to spoil the understanding we reached or separate us. I stare, stunned, as she slips under a thick layer of brambles with our last smoked ham.

“It's too much.” I mutter as the Little one reaches out with its nail-less fingers.

“I won't give it everything.” She replies, sounding as awkward as I am surprised.

I dazedly watch her take a dagger out and cut a thick piece of boar meat. I extend my arm out with the parasite, whose fingers are already glistening from its saliva. Leomi briefly shakes her head and puts the food in the hole.

The treacherous Little one immediately abandons me to jump down atop of it and pulls soils back on itself. I stand there like an idiot as I try to figure out how Leomi's mind functions.

“The plants are dying.” She speaks up, glancing around.

“Not much to do about that.” I tell her. “It seeks out nutrients with its tendrils, you won't be able to restrain that instinct.”

“Did it try to break out of the chest when you transported it?” She asks.

“No, but I kept it fed.” I respond.

While she watches it eat with an inscrutable look on her face, I use the signaling construct to impress on the Little one that Leomi is a sister that will bring prey and that she is very strong. It returns an impatient acknowledgment, hinting without much subtlety that those facts are self-evident.

“Don't you mouth off at me, Little one.” I berate with a groan.

“Did it?” Leomi asks intently before making a grimace. She seems to think I'm tricking her.

“This signaling construct allows us to communicate, it was making fun of me because it seems to think you'll obviously take care of it.” I explain.

“I will.” She reaffirms. “Can you teach me? I could try to...” She trails off, her expression growing dark as she likely realizes she won't succeed doing something the Rykz couldn't.

“I can't, no.” I reply anyway. “Even if this wasn't a Rykz secret, the list they gave me isn't comprehensive enough for anything more than a basic exchange.”

Besides, I would rather let the two get to know each other through touch since the Little one isn't exactly chatty but is quite affectionate... when it isn't trying to eat everything in reach.

“Avoid its fingers when it exudes that saliva, it'll eventually melt your flesh off.” I warn.

“I have no intention of touching it, and neither should you.” Leomi utters flatly.

“The Little one is young and gets lonely at times.” I comment.

Leomi presses her lips together but doesn't reply, gaze fixed on the parasite. I take it as a good sign, the mere fact she's so accepting is incredible even if she's only doing this to protect me for now.

She's proven multiple times she can be cruel to me, this morning being the latest example, but I know her well enough to be certain she wouldn't be that way with anyone else. I just hope the Little one will qualify to soften her heart.

Leomi is perfectly capable to control herself, she loses it with me at times because she has my unconditional love. It isn't so much that she allows herself but that the temptation is there so it can't always be resisted.

“The food is getting cold.” I tell her.

She startles and rips her eyes away from the Little one. I hold my hand out and bring the pale Leomi out of the brambles. We walk inside the house. She puts the ham away while I heat up the food.

She serves herself a small plate of stew, likely not very hungry after seeing the symbiont. It reassures me that she accepts a second serving once the food in her stomach stimulates her hunger.

“I plan to depart in the next few days.” I tell her. This day convinced me that we're both ready to move forward, that it's been the case for a while now.

“Not to Castle Lance?” Leomi asks tensely.

“I have to pass by Meria to check up on my project and also acquire your engagement 'ring'.” I explain.

I mention Meria first so as to plant the false idea that I'll obtain what I'll give her there. There isn't much purpose to misleading her other than to make sure that what I'm planning is a surprise.

“You will not get around the vow while I'm not there to watch you.” Leomi utters with a commanding tone and a serious look in her light gray eyes. “No cheating.” She adds to hammer it in.

“No cheating.” I agree with a slight smile at how important this is to her. “Neither will you.”

“Of course not.” She responds offhandedly.

I do have to admit she's much more trustworthy than we are when it comes to things like these. Not that she has to worry, there are no loopholes this time. I swallow my longing for Celyz and guilt about what I did before they can show on my face.

“You'll need a sparring partner.” She casually notes. Too casually, it's another effort to get me involved with more of these pesky humans.

“Who do you have in mind?” I ask.

“The two Urnan half-siblings.” She replies instantly.

“Roisia and...” I pause to search my memory. “Rolan?” I ask hesitantly.

“Rowland, but close.” Leomi corrects with a slight smile. “You could at least remember those you traumatize.”

“Pff, he looked fine last time I saw him.” I dismiss.

“He does have an impressive musculature.” She concurs teasingly, clearly misunderstanding to make me jealous.

“That's not going to work.” I counter and stick my tongue out.

“His bare chest has no doubt charmed innumerable girls.” Leomi presses, faking a dreamy look in her eyes. “He's skillful and talented enough to teach if you feel like it, not to mention somewhat unpredictable with that axe he's recently taken to as a secondary weapon. Just make sure to work him enough he'll sweat and take his shirt off, that's half the fun.”

I tremble and close my fist around my spoon, squeezing until the wood cracks and it shatters. I glare at her but she keeps eating and finishes her bowl like she didn't say anything wrong.

Leomi gives us her spoon once she's done, which I accept because it's as close of a kiss we'll accept with how mad we are... and Jess is still hungry. Don't use me as an excuse, and you can't be properly jealous on an angry stomach. I'm not jealous at all.

You're so jealous you can't correctly think twisted. Sister! Just eat, she can't handle looking at us like this which is why she isn't. We listen intently to Leomi who is washing the dishes as we angrily devour the stew.

She knocks the pot, bowl, and ladle together enough times to barely prove that our silence is causing her to make nervous slips. We decide to wait. Once we're done, she immediately takes our bowl without locking gazes.

It doesn't take her long to clean everything up and run out of excuses to avoid us. She soon walks around our chair to embrace us from behind and kiss our forehead with an apologetic expression. Ignore her. No forgiveness!

“My jay.” Leomi whispers while she gently arranges our messy strands of hair.

“Hmph.” Liz snorts.

“Jessica?” She asks worriedly.

“If he's so skilled and good-looking, why do you need me?” I attack with a pout. Sister, ignore her! “Go away!”

“Elizabeth, I was joking.” Leomi explains, kissing our left cheek but avoiding the scar she usually seeks out.

“It wasn't funny.” I mutter.

“It wasn't.” She agrees, nudging our ear with her nose. “How about we go to bed? I want to spoil you.”

“How much?” Elizabeth can't help but ask. See, you can't resist either! But, she said she wants to spoil us... It's a trick to make us forget! Oh? Ah!

“Very, very much.” Leomi assures us.

She pulls our chair back and prepares to pick us up in her arms. I make a mean grin and slide off on the other side, leaving her completely hanging. I slip into my old room to change clothes before returning to the main room without giving her a single glance.

That'll teach her. Although... getting spoiled a lot would have been really nice. No, sister, we must resist this ploy to spoil us! As we slip inside the blankets with our back turned to our devious kitten, the sneaking suspicion that there is a problem with our reasoning and priorities dawns on us. Unfortunately, it's too late.