Marilyn adjusted the soft white shirt over her body. It was big and covered her almost like a dress, leaving only part of her thighs and legs exposed. Her eyes searched around the camp; a large strange object was parked near them.

The look of it was rather strange to her, but she soon noticed what appeared to be wheels. Is it a carriage? Where are the horses though? As she thought to herself, soon an appetizing scent entered her nose and drew her gaze toward her mysterious savior as he stood by the fire. A loud grumble escaped out of her as she focused on the pot over the flames.

“Don’t worry it’s about done,” Dante said as he heard the sounds of a hungry stomach behind him.

“Uhm… thank you,” was all she could muster out as she lowered her face. She still wasn’t sure how to interact with this person. In fact, she’d never seen someone like them before and the way they spoke was also strange. Marilyn had her suspicions of who they might be, but she wasn’t sure how she should approach the topic, besides there were other things on her mind as well.

That accent, is she British? Dante pondered as he heard her speak, but she’s an inhabitant of this world, isn’t she? I really need answers, this stuff isn’t adding up at all. Unbeknownst to the two, they both had questions waiting to be answered though they were unsure when they should ask.

“Here,” he passed her the bowl, full of soup like contents and exuded heat, “it’s a fish stew, it’s still hot so be careful.”

She nodded her head as she took the bowl. Marilyn raised a spoonful and puckered her lips, then gently blew on the steamy food.

It’s good she has an appetite. As he thought that he decided now might be a good chance to converse.

“I’m Dante by the way, Dante Santos.” He said.

She stopped blowing and replied to his words, “I am Marilyn, of Karmartha.” she finally placed the spoon in her mouth after she spoke, “Hm!” Her eyes widened as the flavor filled her mouth. She quickly grabbed another spoonful, however, “Ah!” she screamed out as she put the hot stew in her mouth. Heavy breathes of air entered and left her mouth rapidly as her eyes became watery.

“I told you it was hot,” Dante laughed to himself as he saw her exasperated appearance.

“Don’t laugh…” she pouted, “It just tasted so good. I forgot to blow on it.”

“It is really?”

“Em, Hm!” she nodded back with a smile on her face, as he saw her expression, Dante couldn’t help but smile back in return.

“Well, I’m glad to hear it.”

 

---

 

“You sure you aren’t going to eat too?” as Marilyn finished the fish stew, she asked her mysterious stranger.

“Don’t worry I ate earlier; besides I have questions I wanted to ask you,” Dante replied back. She really is like a totally different person compared to earlier, He thought, now might be a good time to get some answers.

“Uhm, I also have somethings I would like to ask as well.” I’ve been wondering about this since I had that vision, now might be my chance to ask.

The two strangers readied themselves to finally confront their curiosities.

“Do you mind if I go first? The truth is this has been bothering me since I woke up. No, even longer…” As she spoke her gaze focused intensely on Dante.

“I see… then by all means,” Dante said. She did go through something pretty traumatic back there, I’m sure she has serious concerns of her own. Dante confirmed to himself as he awaited her question.

“Then…” she paused for a second, her silver eyes peered right into his face, “You’re…you’re a man, aren’t you?!” her intense gaze soon turned to a wide-eyed stare as she leaned in closer to Dante.

“Um, Yes… I’m a man…” Dante answered back, his mind trying to make sense of why that was even a question.

“I knew it!” she shrieked as she continued, “A man! A real, living man right before my eyes!”

“Um… was that what was bothering you?”

“Very much so!” Marilyn shouted back, “I mean, a man, too think I was saved by one. I mean I read the old texts and saw the artworks, but to think I would be in the presence of a real one!”

“Wait I don’t understand, you’ve never met any men before?” Dante posed the question as he tried to make sense of her ramblings.

“Nay! Of course not!”

“Why though?”

“Because for thousands of years, all of Edythe has only ever been populated by women.”

Those last words left him completely speechless. A world… that hasn’t had a single man around for thousands of years?!

“Oops, sorry I got a little excited,” seeing his expression Marilyn calmed herself down, “are you alright?”

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine,” Dante replied, “It’s just, it’s hard to believe there aren’t any men in this world.”

“Is it?” Marilyn responded, “To be quite honest, you being here in front of me, is hard to believe.” her eyes scanned all over Dante as she spoke, “If I told Lacey or Kayla about you, they’d-” Marilyn’s words suddenly stopped as she recalled the persons whose names she just called.

“Lacey? Kayla? are they-” Dante’s words paused as he saw streams of tears running down the face of the girl before him. “Hey… is something wrong.”

“La-Lacey!” Marilyn suddenly got up and shouted, “Kayla!”

“Hey!” Dante said as her sudden outburst surprised him.

“I wasn’t the only one you found right!” she darted her head around the campsite, “You found them too right, they were right with me! You save them too right!”

“Calm down, you were the only one I saw in the water,” Dante stood and tried to approach her.

“Then we have to find them!” she shouted back, as the tears overflowed even more, “They could be out there hurt or dying! I beg of you!”

“Listen, we can’t-” Dante’s words of reason were cut short.

“I can’t just leave them, I can’t!” she rushed up to Dante with your desperate expression, “Please! I don’t, I don’t… want to lose them,” she lowered her head, tears dripped to the ground below, “I can’t do it alone, I’m not strong enough, please, …!” her body slowly dropped down.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Dante gently embraced her as she fell to her knees, “we’ll find your friends,” as his palm rested on her head he continued, “so don’t do anything reckless, I need you to help me, okay?”

“O…kay?” with a sniffle she asked, “what… does that mean?”

“It means alright,” as he finished explaining, she gave a slight nod and agreed while leaning more into his chest. I didn’t realize before, but she’s so soft and warm. Dante thought to himself as he gazed down at the pink-haired beauty.

It’s my first time being held by a man, yet it’s strangely comforting. With those thoughts in her mind, the two remained together for a little while longer.

 

---

 

“Have you calmed down?” Dante asked as the too adjusted themselves from the embrace.

“Yes, thank you and I’m sorry, that was unbecoming of me.” Her eyes were still red from the tears as she looked up at him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dante flashed her smile and in return, she wiped away her remaining tears and smiled back. “We’ll talk about finding your friends in the morning, for now, get some rest.”

Marilyn wanted to oppose but she knew searching now wouldn’t accomplish anything, in fact, they might just end up in more danger. The two however were interrupted by the rustle of brushes, and they quickly turned to the noise’s origin.

A pair of red eyes appeared from the darkness.

“A beast?!’ as she said that Dante moved in front of her and placed his arm before her.

Guess I wasn’t imagining after all. Slowly but surely the creature came out, its white fur was very much visible from the shadows.

“You again, huh,” as Dante said that Marilyn looked at him with a bewildered expression. Soon the creature entered the camp.

“Is that a quilhound?”

“Quill-hound?” Dante asked her.

“Yes, one of the most common beasts of this area,” her gaze turned back to the wolf-like creature, “normally they hunt in packs and I’ve never seen one with white fur.”

“Really?”

“They usually have brown or dark grey fur and bright yellow eyes.”

“Then it must be an albino,” Dante said as he looked at the beast which stopped approaching.

“It might still be a juvenile, adults are much larger than this, but it seems really skinny though.”

Wait they get bigger than this?! After he heard that revelation, Dante didn’t want to encounter any more of them. “It must have been abandoned by its pack and had trouble hunting because of its albinism,” Dante said.

The white quilhound continued to stare intently at them. Dante cautiously moved to a container near the ground. He grabbed it and turned his attention to the animal.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry this isn’t our first meeting,” Dante spoke as he crept over to it. It stepped back a few paces as he approached, but soon he raised his head as the contents of the container filled its noise. Dante threw the unused severed fish parts toward the white quilhound.

“Go on, that’s what you wanted right boy,” he spoke softly as he backed off, “they’re all yours.” It quickly chowed down on the fish pieces and the few remaining ones it grabbed in its jaws and dashed back into the woods. “Well, looks like he was satisfied with that,” Dante said as he breathed out a sigh. Good thing he wasn’t aggressive like last time.

“Incredible…” the word left Marilyn’s mouth as she stared at Dante, “I’ve never seen anyone willing approach one without weapons or armor.”

“R-really?”

As the two adjusted to each other. This first meeting between man and woman within Edythe, after so long, would be the spark that would ignite the flames of adventure, love, despair, and heroics yet to come.