Ice Girl

"Food Is done!" Immediately stuffing the food in their mouth. After what seemed like an eternity, they were finally able to eat.

Chewing on it, Uni felt his tongue melting to the taste.

"This food is so good!" Continuing to stuff food down their throat.

"How did you make this?! Didn't you only heat it up? Were fish always this good?" Lvle appreciated Uni's reaction to his cooking as he smiled, pulling out a little pouch from his pocket.

"This is what I used to season it, and that's what you're tasting."

"Whoa, cool. Your ability to make this taste so good with few resources only makes this better."

Lvle had to turn his face because all the compliments made him blush. "You're probably the only person to tell me something like that."

"How come? I'm sure someone else recognizes your greatness."

Lvle chuckled a bit, "You'd be surprised. Ever since I was young, whenever there was something I was good at, nobody ever cared because everyone else had something better than what I had. So I was never really acknowledged for my talents until you came."

"So I thank you." Uni didn't know what to say and was kinda dazed. Lvle noticed this and said, "Sorry for springing all that onto you. I didn't mean to overwhelm you."

Snapping Out of his daze, Uni said, "Don't apologize for that. I'm sorry you had to experience that in the past. Still, besides me, I'm sure there will be others who recognize and appreciate your skills."

"Uh, Thanks, Uni." Afterward, the air around them got very awkward, as they didn't know what to say.

Sensing the awkwardness, Lvle got up and tried to change the subject. "Where should we set up camp?"

Getting up as well, Uni Looked all around him and saw a better place than where they already were.

"Why don't we just stay here for the night?" Lvle thought about it for a moment but ultimately ruled it out.

"Although I see where you're coming from, if we stay here, it could be perilous even if it's for the night."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, I already explained how great of an item this is, and it's just out here in the woods right next to one of the most popular cities. There's no way we are the only ones to discover it."

Uni understood Lvle logic and agreed that they should leave this area. "Ok, you're right. We should leave, but I think we should also stay close to the river."

"Alright, that's the plan. Let's go."

-----

They had been walking for about an hour when they settled on a place to stay. Noticing the sun come out, Uni and Lvle felt the fatigue caught up with them after such a long and eventful day.

They both sat up against trees with no beds, and it was almost instantly lights out for them.

-----

In the early morning, the big burly man and the little girl were standing outside what looked like a gate.

The little girl was wearing these really beat-up clothes, making her seem enslaved. Bending down next to her, the man handed her a holographic map. "This is where you will be going. Receive the item and come right back, and I swear to God that your family is done if you dare eat it."

Shivering with dread, the little girl could barely speak, "I-i-i-i s-s-s-swear I won't e-e-e-eat it."

The man laughed at how much the girl was stuttering, "HAHA, so fucking pathetic, make your trip brief."

In response, the little girl immediately ran in the direction of the Apple.

As soon as she left, another man came up next to the burly man, "Boss, why not go with her? What if she runs off with the Apple?"

The Boss grinned at the question, "She has no choice. I have her family as a hostage, and even if she didn't care for her family, there's no way she would survive out there on her own." The Boss chuckled as he thought about the Famous Apple of Morana being his in a matter of hours.

-----

*Grunt*

*Grunt*

Waking during mid-day, the sun was shining bright on Lvle and Uni. With them waking at nearly identical times, the heat was killing them.

Huffing and panting, They were eager to get on with their journey to Klosa. "Let's head out before this heat melts us." Lvle said.

"Yeah, let's move fast."

There was hardly any air in the wind, and it left Uni wondering if they should go back to the Apple Of Morana to get some cool breezes, but that's when they bumped into a little girl.

Once they ran into her, they both felt this cold presence around her, similar to the tree earlier.

They noticed how beautiful this little girl was, but they also noted that she seemed very frightened by them.

Uni tried to approach the girl, but it didn't work.

"Um, are you ok little girl? Did you lose your parents?" This only resulted in the girl running away from them, terrified.

Once she left, the cold air she brought with her lingered for a moment before disappearing as well.

Uni turned to Lvle seemingly for answers, but he didn't have much to say. "I could only chalk it up to her being homeless. And although the situation is unfortunate, it's the same for many others who choose to live in Klosa, It's costly, and that's probably what she and possibly her family is going through."

Uni could almost entirely sympathize with her situation because of how terrible that orphanage was. If you are homeless, you have to struggle to find food every day. Still, at least in the orphanage, there was a roof and food.

"Hopefully she finds a home one day." After that, Uni turned to leave, but Lvle was standing still. Confused, Uni questioned him, "What are you doing? Let's go."

He was dubious before he spoke as if he shouldn't reveal this information.

"Well, I think I have a place she could stay."