If you're sad, work.

"...And if there is no motive as to care for anything that happens, than following the comcept that hope only exists because we have something to fear in despair, there is also no reason not to purposefully care for something." Aki finished explaining to the priest in front of him his own version of nilism. The man wrote with such speed and fervor you'd think the paper should have caught fire at this point, but it somehow (magic) was still completely intact.

"...Genius, complete and uter genius!" The man started low, but he was like a rock fan in a concert by the end of the sentence. "I have finally completed my thesis! I can finally become a bishop of knowledge, and it's all thanks to you friend. How can i repay you?" The forty something man caught both Aki's hands in his, tears could be seem in his eyes.

"Keep doing your work, father. Helping you help others is more good than i can hope to make by myself. Remenber our talk though, no tree stands alone, find someone you can truly trust your back to, someone to call family and keep around, not just those children you help." Explained Aki while looking in his eyes with deep concern and seriousness. "Next time we meet, and we will, i hope to find a beautiful woman by your side in the city of the sages as we discuss your dream about the great library." He said while getting one hand behind the scalp of the taller man and the other in his shoulder and hugging him. "Man are to smile as they say goodbye Arnold, and the newest bishop is looked up by many. Show them why." Separating from the man who now smiled, Aki smiled back and went out of the university.

It was quite hard to tell who was the priest between the two with how the conversation went, but Aki was just passing by this city when he heard of this crazy priest and he simply couldn't help but plant the seed for his future educational system.

Getting back to the inn she and her team were staying while in the city during twilight, it didn't take more than a minute for our protagonist to be ready to leave, but she had to wait for her team mates. That took more than a few hours.

With the vampire and the demon were preparing their things before return (erasing evidence), Aki was just waiting in the bar of the relatively cheap inn while listening to the bard on stage play. Even Aki was better than him though, and the audience seemed to agree, since some even decided to boo him out. The man quickly went away with a black expression on his face. He was experienced enough on this to know that if he stayed a pay cut would not be the only thing he'd receive.

Because of that, there was only the sound of drunken man in the air for a while. Aki wasn't very bored though, she'd been playing with the barman. If she could take ten shots of the house's special, her tab was cleared. She was at the ninth when a bored looking beauty entered the tavern. Asiatic features, no make up, black silky hair in a shor pony tail, actually around 160 cm, big boobs, standart traveling gear, a bow, quiver and sword. Everyone shut up for a bit, their attention entirely focused on the misterous woman, the barman serving Aki her tenth jug included.

"HAHAHAHAHA..." A bousterous laugh cut the silence when the man spiled half a tankard of mead in his pants. "I liked your drink quite a bit, but i'm not gulping that one down too!" Said Aki while ignoring everyone's stares. The barman wasn't born with the ability to live in his world tough, so he was completely red with embarassment and anger. He'd have kicked Aki out, but when the people all around, including the new arrival, all started to laugh at him, the man decided he wasn't paid enough for this and ran away even faster than the bard.

In a moment, the misterious beauty was forgotten and the man and woman drinking all started to make dirty jokes.

By whim or fate, the woman actually went towards Aki. "Is this sit taken?" She asked with a melodious voice while signing to the stoll next to her. She gently shook her head and gulped down her mead.

"Can i help you with something?" She weakly asked her. "Because i don't think you came to this stool to get to the barman." She stated while montioning with her palm to the empty counter.

"Not really. I just want someone to talk to, and you are the only one who doesn't look dead drunk during the eleventh bell." She said with a nudge of her head towards the rest of the inn patrons.

"Lucky you, i'm a great conversation partner. My ability to pretend i'm paying attention to something boring can pass through most women and teachers." She said with a smile directed at her. That did get a giggle out of her though.

"I will make sure to call your attention if i notice than. What do you think would be more interesting to talk about than, clothes, hair, men..." The woman rolled her eyes and started thinking about topics that might be considered boring.

"Talking about men doesn't seem like a bad idea. Don't really have any experience with them on the romantic side though, so i will unfortunatly truly listen to you if you have something to tell." Aki interrupted her and pointed to the tankard. "Not like i have anything better to do anyway." The woman chuckled.

"Well, i don't know how a girl like you has avoided it, but i must say it is quite good. The sex, not the romance. Most men suck at both if you don't take the lead, but the latter is much harder, so it's not worth it. You think someone would see me get one of those wine bottles?" She explained while eying a bottle that was there just for show.

"I have no idea why people like white wine, but if you really must, here, have some." Aki said and took a bottle and glass cup out of her inventory. That made the woman widen her eyes.

"Was that an item box? You're a mage?" She asked with a bit of alarm.

"Yeah, i'm just depressed and without much energy at the moment. No, I'm not interested in hunting you. I already put up a minor illusion, so neither of then noticed your alarm or can read our lips. You have plenty of options here, so relax. The first one is drinking with me and running away when we pretend to go to my room after you get 'tipsy' enough." Aki said while putting her hand on the woman's shoulder and momentarily looking into her eyes before brushing her clothes like there was something there and passing her a half filled wine glass while making sure to touch their hands together. That got her a strange look, but the lady didn't actually seem to mind. "You can actually come with me, one of the few people around who is too sad to fuck your brains out and sell you out after that." She said with a wink before gently looking between her hands, which played with her tankard, and the beauty. "Or you can just go out right now and act like i gross you out for trying to flirt with you." Aki said with a shrugh while turning her body to face the gorgeus specimen a bit more.

The not-actually-that-mysterious woman was surprised and frowned a bit, but then she gulped down half the licor on the offered glass.

"I will at least take the drink before making a decision. You can say something that will offend me at any time after all~." She said in a sing-song voice while doing similar actions to her.

"Well, it's one of the few licors i have that are for other people to actually drink, so at least i'm happy to know that it can make a beauty endure me for a bit more." Aki said with a giggle. She suddenly got a serious look though. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be a princess, would you?"

The woman was kind of surprised, but she calmly arched a brown and sipped her drink before answering. "What if i was?"

"You just have this air of elegance and importance around you, plus princess pussy would be a very good reason for the number of man around to keep increasing so much." Aki nodded and gave a look as if she'd just recited a budist scripture from a chinese novel. The woman burst out in a bell like laughter from that though.

"That sure is one way to put it." She said while trying to hide her smile.

"Laughing at your problems is important, you know? Nevermind that your's could probably stop a rampanging beast, if you can't remenber what living is like, than you will know only survival without meaning." Aki explained with one of her best smiles before putting some grape juice for herself and gulping it down and proceeding to hit the tankard against the face of an aproaching man, breaking it and knocking the man back a bit. "Can't you guys see the ladie is busy and accompanied? Should i show you all my famous killing technique, 'Shoving head into arse'? After enough practise, it can even make it so your pain receptors are the only part of your spine that actually work after i'm done with you!" Aki said in a angry tone while looking coldly at the man in front of her.

"YOU..." One of the man tried to dash towards Aki, but he stopped mere centimeters away as a needle thin rapier was pressed against his crotch. One move and he'd be penetrated.

"Have the most beautiful voice you've ever heard, but that isn't a good reason to approach and scream at me, is it? I was just making a toast and your friend hit his face against my tankard, why do you look like i was the one that hit him? What would you have done if there was still licor in it? how do you plan to compensate me?" Aki said in a monotome while pressing the blade with a bit more strenght after each sentence. Until it drew a drop of blood, followed by the man loosing control of his blader. "And now you pee in my blade! The nerve!" Aki said, just a bit of anger in her voice, before raising the tip of the blade with a flick of the wrist and pointing it at the man's apple. "This has gone too far. I will give you and your friends a ten second advantage so others don't call me unfair, but after that... GO!" Aki ordered and the five man ran like their lifes depended on it. One of then actually almost fell because of the pee on the ground, but another held his arm and they all kept running.

Heating the blade in her hand till it was glowing, Aki then swang the blade a bit and stored it again before bowing slightly to the crowd, who laughed and clapped, and to the woman by her side.

"Milady, I'm most embarrased by such shamefull display, even leaving behind such foulness... I shall excort you to your lodgings imediatly!" Aki said while acting like a knight, receiving a small smile from the woman, who gave her hand, which she gently took and used to guide her to the room while followed by various cheers.

"I think this has been the most fun i've had since... Since i've ran away from..."

"Let's not think of why your life will be much better now that you met me, and focus on how much better it will be." Aki said as she interrupted her sad look while placing his hand on her shoulder and smiling at her.

"Certainly." Said the woman while weakly smiling before nodding.

"Now, this may surprise you, but i'm not actually human." Said Aki after nodding a bit.

"I figured as much. A Half elf? A rare species of beast kin?" Nodded the princess. Discrimination was still a thing after all, so a powerfull wizard incognito could very well just adjust their appearance. Truth be told, she was actually very curious about how this person looked like.

"Well, I had to adjust my appearance a bit to fit in, so don't judge me if i'm too ugly." Said Aki before she started morphing into his not so normal looks. The nose and face got a bit sharper, the hair turned white, the pupils red, the lips fuller, the bust grew a bit, the height got smaller, fangs were visible as she opened her pink mouth and passed her little tongue through them. "Tell me if i look too horrible, i'm not..." Aki meakly started.

"You're gorgeus and cute. There's your compliments, now, what do you plan to do with me?" Said the woman in a serious tone while interrupting the vampire who was about the same size as her now.

"Well, i intend to invite you to come with me and my team to the drow empire of the west. You can become a political guest at the capital or come to my dungeon city and become a guest. You will have to work in both enviroments, sure, but in my city is just as safe as the capital and you would have an actual job and position, which grants you more than enough merit to receive protection against some sects. You have about have an hour to decide, since that's how long it will take for my team to come, and they will actualy report you to the empress." Aki said with a mild smile while walking towards a wodden chair in the room and taking out a book. "Feel free to sit whereever and ask whatever." She said while gesturing a lot with one hand and holding the book with the other.