“Knowing when to take your breaks is important to maintain readiness.” - Stefan Horst, Captain of the Horst’s Hellraisers mercenary company, circa 13 FP.

“No offense, but I don’t see all that much change,” noted Erycea to Ze’phane a day after Aideen helped the half-orcish woman with her transition. Indeed, as Erycea said, outwardly, there wasn’t all that much difference to be observed from the half-orc, other than perhaps how her hairstyle looked more fitting for some reason despite the minimal changes to her face. “If anything, what I notice the most is the change in the way you smell. It’s a bit more… grassy? Not quite fragrant, but more refreshing, sort of.”

“That’s actually something I’ve heard a lot from other therians I’ve met when I was still in the plains,” noted Ze’phane with some interest. “That our women apparently smells grassy and refreshing to them, I mean. Guess that’s more confirmation that things are working as they should be,” she added with a wide grin on her face. “Besides, it's not like my kind has that much difference between males and females.”

“Fair point, I guess. I do get mistaken as a boy often by people who don't already know me,” noted Erycea with an understanding nod. “Most people often can’t really tell whether a therian is a man or a woman either, barring a certain few. Even amongst our own kind we usually have issues telling people from other breeds apart, unless there’s some obvious differences.”

“I think it’s mostly just humans who have that issue, big sis,” said Alycea from where she lounged beside them. The mercenaries had little to do during their extra week of stay so they mostly relaxed in the city in their own ways. Some just rested more, while others developed an interest in the budding city and went around to chat people up or take a look at things. “Most everyone else got it right on the spot.”

“Probably due to how they have so much difference between their men and women, I guess,” replied Ze’phane with a shrug of her shoulders. “It doesn’t help that many of the humans I have seen so far liked to further amplify that difference in all sorts of ways, like making some things only for men or for women and so on.”

“I always felt it to be a rather dumb thing myself, but at least it’s not too prevalent in some places,” replied Erycea with a shake of her head. “The idea that humans have can sometimes baffle me. Did you know that some particularly bad ones had said that a woman’s place is in the kitchen or on the bed and nowhere else? Said that while mom was around, no less.”

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“While the Lady Captain was around? Oof. I doubt that ended in a pretty way,” replied Ze’phane as she cringed away at the thought. The years of working together with the mercenaries had taught the half-orc many things, and one of the foremost lessons was that nobody offended Elfriede unless they don’t value their life highly. “Did they survive the experience?”

“They did, though they probably wished they hadn’t,” replied Alycea with a bit of a laugh. “Mom got a bit creative with them. Hearing what they said must have really pissed her off. She doesn’t get creative with people unless they piss her off.”

“Well, I guess that will teach them to mind their mouth holes while in public, at least,” said Ze’phane with an amused shake of her head. “That said, I have to admit that while I did not expect much from a city that’s still being built and is populated by people who don’t necessarily need to eat, I find myself growing fond of the sort of food they have around here. They have some of the best fruits and bread I have ever tasted in my life here.”

“Probably the ambient mana density around here. It’s very thick, thicker than anywhere I’ve been to,” replied Erycea with a nod. “I’ve heard some people theorize that higher ambient mana density supposedly makes crops and fruits grow better, so it wouldn't be too odd for it to make them taste better too. I’m not even big on bread and fruits but I find the ones here oddly filling, whereas usually I’d still be craving for some meat if I just had bread and fruits to eat.”

“Must be the mana, then. You definitely go after dad a lot more. I still remember you eating up that whole chicken in one go when we were kids,” said Alycea with a chuckle.

“Hey, now, I was hungry back then! How did you remember that anyway? You were like five at that time at most!” shot Erycea back while Ze’phane chuckled at their antics. For all that the two sisters were mostly not blood-related, they definitely treated each other better than many siblings out there, which was something she always found interesting.

“I have a good memory!” shot Alycea back as she avoided the cushion Erycea playfully threw at her.

Ze’phane just shook her head as she watched the two sisters playfully brawl with each other using cushions as their weapons. The way they relaxed so completely was perhaps also helped by how Paradise felt like a cozy and comfortable place to live in, despite its location in the middle of the Forest of Despair.

While the city looked rough and simple at first glance, the Unliving that inhabited the place actually paid quite a bit of attention to their comforts. Enchanted items were commonplace, likely brought along with them as they founded the place, whereas good food was also abundant. Apparently the joy of eating was one of the things that the unliving was most reluctant to part with, even if they could subsist purely on mana, especially in a place with such a rich ambient mana.

Even some of the more active members amongst the mercenaries found a way to stretch their muscles, by helping out with the frequent beast incursions the city faced. The beasts that did come was not even a threat to the city itself, and similarly the mercenaries mostly found them to be a good way to relieve stress and get themselves a bit of a workout.

All in all, the week went by quickly and uneventfully for them.