Iona, Part 1

"Sasha was sleeping peacefully on the bed, and Iona watched after her. Iona had carefully helped Sasha out of her shoes and pulled the sheet over her. Iona decided to sit next to the bed until Healer of Worlds returned. She watched the woman sleep. She usually viewed Sasha as a scary yet stunning goddess, but the goddess looked innocent and peaceful while she slept.

After a few minutes of admiring the beauty of the woman who saved her, Healer walked in.

"Hey, Iona, I'm sorry for springing Sasha on you like this."

Iona promptly stood up and went to greet him. She knew Healer and Sasha were together, but her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. In her home world, her violet hair, matching eyes, modest chest, and slim waist made men and women alike gawk at her as she passed. Iona was envious of Sasha; she was everything Iona liked about her body but better, plus she had a strong hero at her side. 

Iona approached Healer and hugged him quickly, ensuring the total amount of her chest pressed against his.

"Welcome back; I am happy to take care of her. I am just glad you both returned safely."

She pulled away from the hug and turned her head slightly to hide her flushed cheeks. Healer cleared his throat, trying to cover up his rosy face. 

"Ah, well, of course. I appreciate your help retrieving the supplies and women prisoners. You have been a reliable asset for us, and I'm happy to have you on the team.

After hearing his words, Iona had mixed emotions. She was happy to receive the praise but wished he saw her as more than a helpful ally. She decided that was okay for now and excused herself from Healer and Sasha's home.

Iona wanted to help the new women who had arrived at the dimension. She went to their temporary living area, an ample space covered in tents and cots. Iona walked around to each girl individually and created a list of things that needed to be done. A few minutes into her rounds, a young girl started to follow her. Iona noticed the girl's shiny blonde hair and piercing green eyes. After a couple more steps, she turned to the girl and crouched down to her level.

"Hello, little one, what is your name?"

"Nessa is called Nessa, miss."

"Hi Nessa, I am Iona. Do you want to help me?"

Nessa nodded her head fervently. Iona smiled and handed the young girl the list she had created.

"Go find Kreli. He's a short man with blonde hair like yours. Give him the list and say it is for Iona and the girls. He will help you find everything."

"Yes, ma'am, Nessa means Miss Iona. Nessa will." She bowed and ran off. Iona stood in amazement for a second after seeing the blonde tail swishing under the girl's skirt. She turned around and started a new list while awaiting Nessa's return.

Iona was happy with Nessa's prompt work. She had only talked to a handful of girls before Nessa handed out the requested items. Iona and Nessa shared a smile as they both returned to work. The cycle continued for over an hour: Iona would hand a list to Nessa, Nessa would get the items from Kreli and hand them out, and Iona would make a new list. 

Iona finally reached the last girl and wrote down her request. When Nessa approached her, Iona suggested they go to Kreli together. She was curious about the girl and where she came from.

"So Nessa, in my world, there aren't girls with tails. I apologize for being rude, but I am curious about your world."

Nessa held Iona's hand as they walked to the men organizing the supplies.

"You aren't rude, Miss Iona; you are a very nice lady." Iona tried to hide her cringe as she was called a lady, but she understood the girl didn't mean anything by it.

"Nessa is from a small village in the mountains. Nessa has heard people talk about planets and universes, but Nessa doesn't understand what they mean."

"That's okay, Nessa. Honestly, I don't understand either."

Nessa nods and smiles before continuing, "Nessa remembers her village a little, the Grand Fox; there were a lot of hot springs. People from all over came to sit in the water. Most of them were nice but one day very mean men came. They took Nessa's mommy and sisters. When they saw Nessa, they said she would be very beautiful and expensive one day."

Iona's grip on Nessa's hand tightened. To be forced into such an evil world at a young age must have been horrible. She wasn't sure what to say and let the girl keep talking.

"Nessa's sisters and mommy were taken away after a little while. Nessa has been alone for a long time. Nessa hoped that her family was here, but they were not."

"I am so sorry, Nessa." Iona took a breath and built up the courage to continue. "I am alone here, too. My mom died when I was little, and I had to leave the rest of my family behind. I have a nice house that Mister Healer made for me. Would you like to stay there with me?"

The young girl looked up to Iona with tears in her eyes, but her tail under her skirt wagged furiously. 

"Nessa would like that a lot. You remind Nessa of her sister Naomi. She had purple hair, too."

Iona tried to ignore the use of past tense verbs when Nessa referred to her sister. She was going to talk to Healer about locating the girl's family as soon as possible, but they had just reached Kreli, so she put those thoughts away for the time being. 

Kreli took their list and started to prepare the final batch of goods for the girls. Even though he wasn't much bigger than Nessa, he had a powerful presence that Iona admired. All it took was one look at him, and she was ready to follow his command. With his excellent leadership, the raid on the warehouses went smoothly.

After a few short minutes, Nessa and Iona were on their way back to the camp. This time, Nessa asked Iona about her world.

"Well, it was massive. After I finished High School, I moved to one of the best universities in the world. It was very far away from where I lived with my dad. I was just a normal girl living a normal life, but one day, Healer brought me here. He told me some evil people called the Preservers were after me. For a while, it was just me, Healer, and Sasha. But Healer is a good man; he wants to help as many people as possible, so I want to help him save people too."

"Nessa wants to help Iona, so Nessa will help Healer too."

Iona smiled at Nessa and rubbed her head, messing up her hair. A pair of fox ears emerged from the ruffled hair.

"Nessa tried to hide her tail and ears. When they saw them, the evil men gave her nasty looks, but Nessa is safe here."

"Yes, you are. Now, let's get these supplies to the last people so we can get you to bed. It has been a long day."