Lessons

Arjuna and Alanis sat at a campfire resting. The sun started to slowly set as the pops and cracks of the campfire along with the sound of chatter around the campfire could be heard.

Arjuna and Alanis sat on a fallen log holding mugs of hot water and plates full of food. They had managed to salvage all that they could from the fallen merchant carriages, though most of them were burnt up, they had managed to gather a few resources and supplies.

The guards exhausted after fighting for the entire day, gathered around the campfire laughing and cheering. Sure they had lost many of their comrades in the fight, but for now, they were alive and would celebrate their victory, there was a time for mourning when they got out of this forest alive.

Arjuna looked at the red sky, little shimmers of light could be seen in the sky, the stars started to slowly emerge and a cold wind started to pick up in the middle of the forest. The smell of smoke and cooking meat filled the air.

Arjuna turned to look at Alanis, he was a bit confused. Alanis had spent most of the time staring at the girl in the caravan group they had attempted to save.

Arjuna wasn't sure of her background, but looking at the butler following her around and the respect the guards gave for her along with the crest of two large oak trees carved into the side of the wagon. Arjuna had an inkling that she had a slightly important background.

That, Arjuna thought was just obvious, but it seems Alanis was staring at Kei for a different reason. She muttered in a confused voice

"Why are they gathering around her?"

Arjuna asked quietly

"what's gathering around her?"

Alanis turned to Arjuna

"think about it," she said taking a stick and moving the glowing embers of the fireplace.

"Why did we come here to help them in the first place? a wind spirit told us about it, now that I think about it, most spirits would never do something like that unless they formed a contract with the person."

Arjuna took a big bite of the meat skewer in his hand. It wasn't as good as the food Jason made, but it was still good.

"So?" he said while chewing his food "does that mean one of them has a contract with that spirit?"

Alanis shook her head

"no, a contract is a bond between a human and a spirit, if it were there, I would have seen it easily."

"Which means?" Arjuna asked confused at what Alanis was trying to say.

Alanis nodded her head towards Kei,

"There are more than a dozen spirits around her, they aren't communicating with her or anything, though it seems they try, they are just floating around her like guardian spirits."

Arjuna turned his gaze to Rei. Her white and lavender hair shone in the light of the campfire. She was talking to a guard, it seems she was thanking them as she lowered her head slightly and the guard got flustered and hurriedly tried to make her raise her head.

The guard left to the rest of the group of guards who raised their mugs laughing at his encounter with the young miss. Rei watched the guard leave with a smile on her face, she turned to see Arjuna's gaze on her.

Their eyes met, Rei's cheeks turned bright red and she quickly averted her eyes. But only for a moment, she looked back at Arjuna a few seconds later with determination in her eyes. So the two had an intense staring contest which neither of them wanting to admit defeat.

Arjuna was really staring off into what he thought was empty space, lost in thought thinking about what Alanis said while Rei's expression turned more and more embarrassed.

Arjuna had just recently learned about spirits along with a small outline of their classes, he couldn't see the spirits but he trusted that they were there. He was slightly jealous of elves, if they were able to see spirits, it would be extremely convenient in many cases.

Alanis smacked the back of Arjuna's head with an annoyed expression.

"it's rude to stare," she said crossly

Arjuna rubbed the back of his head, Rei had inadvertently won the staring contest but didn't really understand what happened. The hooded figure sitting next to Mister Arjuna though the dark hood seemed to give Rei a glare. Two gleaming green eyes shone from the hood giving Rei a look she had never seen directed at her before.

"Miss Rei" a voice called out from behind her

Rei turned to see her trusted butler and childhood caretaker Hisoka walk over to her. His treasured butler suit was dirty and muddy from the work that all of them had to do. Cuts and bruises covered his arms and legs, which broke Rei's heart. A person of Hisoka's age shouldn't be in this sort of environment, they should be resting back in the city.

But for some reason, Hisoka had insisted to continue serving even as her father offered him retirement and a place to spend the rest of his days in.

Her father, Rei's thoughts started to fly to a place she didn't want to be. Her father... her mother...

"Miss Rei? Miss Rei? can you hear me?"

Rei snapped out of her trance looking up at Hisoka's worried face as he bent down to inspect her face. Seeing Rei look back at him, he let out a warm and gentle smile.

"Thank goodness, I was worried that something terrible had happened to you"

A sad smile passed over Rei's face looking at Hisoka in his torn butler suit.

" I should be the one worried Hisoka"

Hisoka let out a soft smile and stood up patting off the ash from the fire of the shoulders of her dress.

"do not worry about me miss, these old bones still have plenty of strength"

Rei looked at Hisoka's hand which was nervously rubbing the coat hangings together from his two fingers.

Her father had often told her that when Hisoka was lying you could see by if he was rubbing his coattails with his fingers.

Rei looked at Hisoka and said in a forced smile

"yes, of course, Hisoka, you are truly the most reliable one out of my family"

"you are too kind, now miss I have placed your meal in the carriage, please eat it while it is still hot"

Rei nodded and climbed into the carriage under the held of Hisoka. Once Hisoka had made sure that she was eating, he walked over to the campfire where Arjuna and Alanis were sitting at.

"Is this seat empty?" He asked pointing to a small stump right across Arjuna and Alanis.

Arjuna took another big bite of the skewer

"no, go right ahead mister Hisoka"

Hisoka let out a chuckle

"please call me Hisoka, you are our saviors, why should we make you address us with terms of respect?"

Arjuna let out a light laugh and set aside the plate of food in his hands. He looked at Hisoka with an intelligent gleam in his eyes.

"I assume you came here for a reason?"

Hisoka nodded, he sat down and folded his hands as he stared into the campfire. His eyes turned sad as he thought for a few moments.

"Mr. Arjuna, what I am about to tell you is something very personal to both me and Miss Rei, we barely know you, or as a matter of fact, even trust you. But I come to you, both in a mix of desperation and hope."

Arjuna sat up, his eyes flashing with interest. Now he hadn't played any games before, except for the small ones that his master had shown him. He hadn't really existed until a few months ago, but even he knew that this was the start of something like a quest.

Hisoka continued looking around to make sure that none of the guards were eavesdropping.

"We come from a noble family far in the east called the Clarinton family. The Clarinton family are just barons, only a few ranks higher than the lowest. But even then, the struggle for power remains prevalent. My master and mistress were victims of such struggles, they were good people, and they lead the family well, but my master's brother became greedy and assassinated both of them. I could only watch helplessly as they both collapsed at the dinner table from some horrendous poison."

Hisoka looked up at both Arjuna and Alanis

"the Clarington family was taken over by my master's brother and he had consolidated his power so that no attempts can be made to overthrow him at the moment. In an attempt to get rid of any loose ends, he has sent the former head of the household's only child on a long and arduous journey to the city of twilight, a city at the very southern border of the Nightshade empire to make the journey a large number of guards and supplies are needed, those of which we were deprived of."

Arjuna looked over at the girl eating in the carriage.

"oh, I see," he said softly to himself