Chapter 313: A Retelling of a Meeting

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~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~

~~~(Time: 11:48 AM)~~~

The food that I brought back for everyone has gone fast. Sally and Jasmine are the ones that ate the most. Their appetites are something to be feared. "Most would say it's unnatural for people to eat the way you two do..." Hailey speaks what I'm thinking. Sally doesn't give her words a second thought and spreads herself out on the couch. Relaxing after a hot meal.

Jasmine gives Hailey an annoyed look, one mixed with a sense of calling Hailey a hypocrite. "Oh shut up, you've eaten the same way I have on occasion from how hungry you were. Not to mention Emerald, why doesn't she get any flak?" Ahh, the green striped tiger cub. A legacy-grade magical beast. I almost forgot about her. I'm betting she's grown since the last I saw her.

Emerald peaks her head up from the plate on the floor and stares at Jasmine. Emerald eats her food like a wild animal, but she has the perfect excuse. She is technically a wild animal. "Real classy, Jasmine. Directing blame on an adolescent animal. Comparing yourself to her should say everything." Their banter is something that I find a little funny.

It's similar to the banter that Hailey and I used to have, and the thought of it brings back some fond memories. "Geez, Hailey! What crawled up your ass!? I'm just trying to eat here, and you're attacking me about how fast I consume food!?" Jasmine takes it up a notch, and this is starting to sound like an argument. Hailey raises her hands in mock defeat and with a smile.

She's got the reaction she wanted, and now she's going to leave it alone. Hailey has been doing this since we were kids. "Alright, alright... I'll drop it. I just thought you might want to look a little better considering the situation..." She alludes to the fact that I'm Slayer Zern, The Son of Arch-Angel Michael. It's funny to her cause Jasmine doesn't know that's me yet. 

Jasmine gives a very confused look. She thinks she's among friends. She is, but she wouldn't think that if she knew who I was. Since she is a devoted follower of the church, she'd act differently around me. "You're really weird sometimes, Hailey... You say the vaguest and obscurest things and at the weirdest and most random times..." Hailey and I share that trait.

In fact, I learned it from her. She is my big sister, after all. All the ways I learned to mess with people I learned from her. "Emerald, come here." The tiger cub obeys Hailey and immediately makes its way to her. She leaps into her lap and sits down, staring into her eyes. "We're going to be staying here for a while, so if you need to use the bathroom, tell me." Ahh, yes. Don't want crap everywhere.

~~~(POV: Jasmine)~~~

~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~

~~~(Time: 11:56 AM)~~~

Hailey suddenly jumping on my case like that is something I'm getting used to. She's like the sister I never had, and that's great most of the time... The other part of the time, it's the worst. "Cera, when are we going to start making plans for crossing the border?" Hailey takes her attention off me and shifts it on Cera. Getting right down to business on why we're here.

Cera sighs and folds his arms, completely ignoring her question. Hailey's reaction is something I've not seen before. She gets frustrated, but not in a way that she would with a problem or a disgusting guy making advances. More like how one would get frustrated when not taken seriously. "How about we talk tomorrow? Let's all just relax for the night." The dismissiveness upsets Hailey.

This is amazing! I've never seen someone push Hailey's buttons so easily. "Sally... Are Hailey and Cera like this all the time?" While Hailey tries to get something from Cera, I ask Sally if she knows anything about what's going on. She's seen them together the most, and she'd know more since she knows Cera better than I do. She grins at me and moves a little closer to whisper.

She checks to make sure Hailey and Cera aren't paying attention to what she's about to say, and she waves for me to move in a little closer. "Hailey is sensitive when it comes to Cera. She feels inferior to him and tries to compensate for it any way she can." Her whispers are so low that I can barely hear her. That explains a little of what I'm seeing.

I never thought an older sibling could act that way to a younger sibling. It must be because Cera is a man, and she's a woman. Some sort of natural conflict there or something. "That doesn't explain why it's so easy for Cera to set her off, though..." She finishes her own explanation leaving room for more information to be learned and added.

I look at the way Sally looks at Cera, and it's a way that I've never seen an ex-slave look at a man. She's in total and absolute love with him. "Mind if I ask you something?" She turns her head and nods at me. "What did he do to make you look at him like that..." She isn't offended or upset in any way by the question. She understands where I'm coming from since we have similar pasts. 

~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~

~~~(Location: Temporary Home, Border City)~~~

~~~(Time: 12:02 PM)~~~

She must be wondering what I used to wonder. Would someone ever love me enough to see past the damaged part of me? "Cera came into my life like a bolt of lightning... One day, I was working in an inn that he was staying at. When I brought him some food her ordered, he stunk so bad from battles that I gagged and made fun of him..." She's on the edge of her seat.

That day, it's the greatest day of my life. "Instead of doing what he should've done, which is get mad. She smiled and laughed along with me..." Her reaction tells me everything. A normal person wouldn't laugh along with you. "He explained to me that he got done with some hard journey and fighting beasts." There was no time for him to clean up. That was the worst he's ever smelled. 

My eyes rest on the relaxed Cera and the growing anger of Hailey. "The next day, he asked me if I wanted to come with him... Come with him on all his journeys and be his adventuring partner..." I remember the conversation as if it was yesterday. I'm paraphrasing right now, but this is the general topic of what was said. He was so sweet and sincere...

Jasmine is waiting for more of the story, but I don't know if I should continue. "Well... What did he say that convinced you to go with him?" I'll never forget the words he said to me. No one has ever said something to me like that before in my entire life up to that point. Even now, it brings a few tears to my eyes. That was the day I started to believe in a chance of love again.

She's gripping my hand and is staring into my eyes. "He said it was because I made him laugh. That I was totally honest even though it was an accident I said that." Her eyes flash... Something that I might've had. "He asked me to meet him by the city gates that day if I was interested. I took a leap of faith, and it's the best thing that's happened to me." She's almost crying now.

She looks back over to Hailey and Cera too, and a small smile appears on her face. "So there are good ones out there... I never thought I'd see one myself... You're a lucky girl, Sally... I hope you never lose him or forget that..." The world isn't as dark as she thinks it is. I used to be like her, but I see the world differently. Once she finds someone, everything will change for her.

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A/N: Below this line, I'll be keeping Cera's player information. That way, I won't have to place it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up.

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.193]

[Exp: 3/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)]

[Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660]

[Mana aura control: 6/100%]

[Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000]

[Stat Points: 30] [Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory] [Dice of Wayland (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir's Whistle (Divine)] [Sally's Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 4x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [Slash Lvl.77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun]