After a cliché dress-up session and a cliché encounter on the street, we finally made it to our destination.

I think the guild skewered my expectations of buildings of this world because this one looked rather plain in comparison. I guess everywhere can’t be encrusted with gilded gold.

That’s not to downplay it. The building looked quite nice, in fact. It had a nice wooden and stone exterior that seemed to just draw you in. The door itself was carved with a beautiful scene of the open sea. Big windows allowed the energy of the building to flow outside.  Plaster above the door was a sign carved with attractive-looking calligraphy.

‘Not that it’s helpful…I need to learn how to read ASAP. That being said, I’m pretty sure this is an inn or maybe a tavern. The cliches and tropes are having a field day today.’

Master pushed open the creaky door, and my nose was introduced to several different aromas. The inside gave off a vibe of warm, smug, homeyness. I felt like I could just curl up and sleep forever in it. 

“Welcome to the Anemoni Inn!” The lady at the front desk projected. “How can- wait is that you Murua?”  

She did a double-take, flashing a big smile at Master.

“H-hey there Ms. Moni, it's been a while,” Master replied shakily as we walked towards the desk. 

As we approached, took a look at the lady manning the inn. The first thing that caught my eye was her hair. It was long and stringy and colorful. It encompassed her body, moving around with what seemed to be a mind of its own. 

‘Wait the Anemoni…she’s totally a sea anemone person, isn’t she?’ 

But her hair wasn’t the only thing that stuck out about Ms. Moni. She was a rather large lady, in several ways. She was even taller than Kn’Ave, who was the tallest person in my group. And from the looks at it, if this world had gyms, Ms. Moni didn’t just hit them. She strangled them, tortured them, killed them, and brought them back, just to do the same thing all over. In simpler terms, Ms. Moni was swole. 

So, as any sane person would have, I made use of my meager height and hid behind my master.

“Heh. A while is an understatement. And I told you to call me Aunt Moni!” she thundered. 

She reached across the table and smacked Master upside the head. 

‘Ouch. That had to hurt.’

Master took the hit gracefully, allowing the buff lady to continue.

“When she told me you were back in town, I figured you were just going to forget to come like usual. Hell, I started to think that you were avoiding me.”  Ms. Moni continued. “ Haha! That’s a funny thought. If it were actually true, I would’ve had to really set you straight.” 

She cracked her knuckles to emphasize her point.

“Hahaha… what? Me avoiding you? W-why would I do that?” Master sputtered.

‘Oh Master, I feel bad for you…but I think Mayari would say you’re losing cool points. Not that I would be any different in your situation.’

“But I was wrong. What a pleasant surprise…Oh look, and you even brought Kna’Ve and Lil’ Ari.”

“Hi, Aunt Moni,” they greeted in unison. 

“And who’s that hiding behind you?” Ms. Moni’s eyes slanted. “Come out!”

“Yes ma’am!” I replied, speeding to the front, placing myself in front of my master.

“Well aren’t you a cutie,” she grumbled, then looked up to Master. “Who’s this Murua?”

“This is Maua. My pupil slash protege.”

“Pupil? You would never- wait…HAHA! Uni finally got you huh? Ha!”

“Haaah…yeah,” Master admitted.

“Well, that’s good. You needed a break,” Ms. Moni said, directing her eyes on me again. “That being said, she’s going to be so mad that she left.”

“So she’s not here then? Phew. It would’ve been a hassle if she was.”

“On that, we agree. But yeah, she left a little under ten minutes ago. She said was too quiet today, so she was going to go look for more excitement.”

“Yeah, that sounds just like her.” Master nodded.

The two began to catch up, and Kn’Ave joined in on their conversation.

‘Who’s she?’ A thought floated through my brain.

“You’re wondering who is this she they’re referring to is aren’t you?” A whisper tickled my ears.

“GYAH!” I screamed.

“Ehehe. What a cute scream,” giggled Mayari. “But you were wondering, right?”

‘I forgot this girl is deceptively perceptive…and she’s super stealthy too. I didn’t feel her slide up next to me at all.’

Putting aside my thoughts, I nodded to her question.

“She would refer to Tikta. An absolute cuteness freak, even more than me. If she saw you she might just kidnap you and take you home, drooling the whole entire time. I would advise you to avoid her at all cost.”

“Yikes. Why do I feel like there was supposed to be a but a at the end of that sentence?” I asked.

“Because there was,” Mayari confirmed. ”I would warn you to steer clear of her, but that probably won't be possible.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because she’s kind of your master’s mom? As well as my grandma. Also, she’s really unpredictable and a complete slacker. She can appear almost anywhere at any time.”

“Huh? But I thought that Mrs. Dashuri was her mom?”

“Uh-huh, that’s right. Unnie and Tiki are married.” Mayari nodded sagely.

“Ah okay, so she’s a child from another relationship. That makes sense.”

“No, she’s their shared biological daughter.”

‘What? How does she have two moms? Is that even possible? Biologically speaking? I don’t think so…but then again, I’m not on Earth anymore. Two moms…huh. If Ms. Azalea could’ve been my second mom, I don’t think it would’ve been bad at all. Anyone would do over that scumbag, but I think she would have been perfect.’

“Then-” I started.

“It can be a bit confusing at first, so how about I explain it while we eat?” Master interrupted.

I guess at some point, the other conversation ended and she started listening to ours.

“The food here is to die for…  almost literally in my case,” she said. “Ahem! Anyways, it’s easier to understand stuff when you’re not starving. So, without further ado, let’s go.”

Recieving no time to respond, I was dragged toward the dining area.

Lulla

At this point, I'm convince these girls are never going to eat. RIP. Anyways, hi guys! I hope you're doing well today. On last chapter I got a several suggestions on what artwork I should make. However, all of them were too good. So thus I decided. Instead of picking one...I'll just make them all. So the poll that is here isn't to choose which one you would want me make, but rather which one you would want to see first. Off topic...but with this chapter, I have eclipsed the word count of my other story. This time it took three months instead of nine. That was pretty bad...but I'm enjoying writing this one exponentially more so look forward to new chapters! And as always, thanks for reading!