The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 7

Avani was kept extremely busy over the next several days, between her normal duties as Acting Princess, her farm chores, and the added pressures of planning for her mission and for the defense of the town with Arthur, Forte, and Volkanon. What little free time she did have she seemed to spend improving her skills, both combat and smithing. The few occasions that I saw her over the next week or so, she looked strained and exhausted, yet she kept going, always with a cheerful smile and a kind word for everyone she met.

And no matter how busy she was, she still took time to help those in need. She visited Doug at least once a day as long as he remained in the clinic, as well as after he returned home, taking him his favorite foods to cheer him up. She also took meals to Blossom, as well as continuing to bring meals to both Dylas and me as usual. She even helped Blossom out at the store, helping the elderly woman with any heavy lifting whenever she stopped by with a meal or to purchase supplies.

She also made a point of participating in the festivals that arose during her preparations, correctly surmising that it would boost everyone's spirits to see her smiling face as she presided over the celebrations. Meanwhile, Dylas and I kept up our clandestine training, improving our skills as rapidly we could, pushing ourselves to our limits and beyond.

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Very early one morning, nearly a week after the confrontation with the soldier, Dylas showed up, his armor and weapons in hand. He informed me that Avani was preparing to leave that very morning to begin to scope out the terrain for any sign of the research facility. I groggily dressed and grabbed my own gear, and we hurried over to Avani's rooms, where we found her packing a bag with food and other supplies.

She looked up as we walked in, saying, "Oh, hey, guys. You're certainly up early. I was going to come and say farewell as soon as I was ready to go."

"What, so you could catch us unprepared and leave us behind?" Dylas said, angrily, dropping his gear and facing her.

"That's not.... Well, all right, maybe that was why," she said, setting her bag down on the table. "Listen to me, both of you. I have to do this. I gave my word to Venti. But neither of you are obligated to join me on my quest. And I can't ask you to risk yourselves like that."

Dylas walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Now you listen to me," he said firmly. "You made a promise and you need to keep it. Plus naturally you want to protect the town. That's cool, I respect that. But I'm coming with you, whether you ask me to or not. Not because I feel obligated, but because I want to—I want to protect the town, too. And... well, it's natural to want to protect those you care about, isn't it? You can't expect me to just sit around and do nothing when everyone and everything I care about is in danger. You would never do that—you know you wouldn't. So don't even think that I would."

"Dylas...." she said looking up at him with a surprised face.

"Besides," he added, "Leon and I have been training pretty hard this past week. I think you'll find we've come a long ways. Don't you think so, Leon?"

"Yes, I feel that we have both improved quite a bit," I replied.

Avani looked at me and frowned thoughtfully. "Dylas I can see taking... maybe. But you, Leon... I don't know. You're not as strong, nor have you been in town long enough to have developed ties to it like Dylas and I have. I can't see placing you in danger like this, although I confess it would be nice to have a magic-user along."

I raised an eyebrow at her and replied, "You doubt me? I may not have been here very long, yet I already feel attached to this town and many of its residents. And I've been friends with Venti longer than anyone alive, don't forget. Besides, it would be insufferably dull to stay behind and let the two of you have all the fun," I added with a grin.

Avani stared keenly at me for a minute, then she relaxed, saying with a laugh, "Okay then. You both can come with me. But keep this in mind—if you get into trouble, you are to cast Escape to get your hide out of there pronto. If either of you gets yourself killed, I'll never forgive you."

She grabbed her bag of food and dropped it into her refrigerator, then turned to us and said, "Well, if you're coming with me, I'd better see to improving your equipment. So I'll delay one more day. Spend the extra time preparing yourselves—from the look of it, neither of you even thought to bring food, let alone medical or camping supplies. Come back here around 17:00 or so, and we'll see what I can do with your weapons and armor."

"I'll, uh... I'll handle the food, since I'm not a bad cook," Dylas said, turning towards the door. "If it won't be in your way, I'll just leave my gear here. Help yourself to it if you need any of it for your smithing, okay?"

She nodded, then as he started to leave, she grabbed his arm and pulled him down for a kiss. "H-hey!" he protested, turning red.

"Just saying thanks," she replied with a grin.

"Well... I hope you don't thank everyone like that," he grumbled.

"Of course not!" she said, looking slightly aggravated as she gave him a push towards the door.

"And I'll gather first aid supplies and camping gear," I added with a laugh at Dylas's embarrassment and chagrin as he left.

"Thank you, Leon," she replied. "That would be great. You can look through the supplies I already have here to see what else is needed."

"What—no kiss for me?" I asked her teasingly as she turned to head towards her smithy and crafting room.

She turned and looked at me with laughter in her eyes, saying, "And if I gave you one, what would you do with it?" Then she turned and ran lightly up the stairs without waiting for my reply—which was just as well, as I had none.