Chapter Text
Beyond Anxiety and Trust
Chapter One – A Waiting Maid
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She is my bright light
She saved me from the darkness
I worry for her
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It was another day for the Household of Flum Apricot, the Adventurer of the West District Guild and former member of the Hero’s Party. At the same time it wasn’t just another day. That was the case for Milkit, the maid of the house. The bandaged girl was tending to the garden in the yard, and she was rather proud of how far it had come along. She figured she would probably start growing some vegetables, so she can have more ingredients for the future meals she would present to her Master and the other members of the household.
Unfortunately, while she was tending to her garden, she would look in the direction that her Master, Flum Apricot, would be returning from. She knew her Master’s general schedule, so she knew her Master ordinarily wouldn’t be returning at this time. Knowing that did little to suppress her anxiety, especially after what just happened.
It had only been a day since they returned from Sheol Village. It was there that Milkit had nearly lost her beloved Master. Thankfully, Milkit was able to save her Master from becoming part of the large body count that filled Sheol Village. Likewise, her Master protected her in turn, and they were able to achieve victory over Satils Francois and Origin. With the death of Satils’, Milkit finally gained closure on the darkest chapter of her previous life as a slave. That day also marked the destruction of the Necromancy Project which was a major blow to the Church of Origin.
Despite all this good news, Milkit couldn’t help but become more worried for her Master’s wellbeing. Even with Eterna, Gadhio, Ottilie, and possibly Nekt as allies, she knew her Master was still only one sixteen year old girl facing insurmountable odds. The thought of what her Master may have to deal with next gave Milkit chills.
Milkit was hoping that her Master would take the day off to take a breather. She would treat her master to the most delectable meals she could cook, so her Master would be able to relax and recover from her most recent near death experience. Unfortunately, that wasn’t meant to be. As soon as they woke up, Flum told Milkit that she needed to meet with Gadhio at the guild.
As much as Milkit wished to raise an objection, she didn’t. She knew her Master had her reasons for doing this, so Milkit made her Master the tastiest breakfast she could cook, and she wished her luck on her next job.
A few hours had passed since then, and it was almost time for lunch. Milkit figured she should probably prepare food for Eterna and Ink. She has been so worried about her Master that she hadn’t considered what to make for lunch today. Nor was she paying attention to who else was in the yard.
“She’s not going to be back for a while you know.” The blunt but honest words from the resident Timeless Witch, Eterna Rinebow, caused Milkit’s thoughts to jump out of the clouds. She was an eccentric girl of immense power and intellect. Despite appearing not much older than Milkit or her Master, she was far older than both of them combined.
Milkit looked over the Eterna in surprise. Due to Eterna’s constant experimenting, working on her tea project, and taking care of Ink, it was kind of unusual to see Eterna outside. Regardless, Milkit knew she had a duty to the household and the other residents besides her Master.
“I’m so sorry, Ms. Eterna.” Milkit bowed her head, “I’ll prepare lunch for you and Ink right away.”
Eterna had her hands on her hips as she bluntly told Milkit, “As much as I would usually be looking forward to that, that’s not why I’m here.”
“Oh um …” Milkit hesitantly asked, “Were you worried about me?”
Eterna answered, “Not just me. So was Ink.”
“Um … I’m sorry for making both of you worry about me.” Milkit bowed her head again, “There’s no need for you to concern yourself over me.”
“I beg to differ.” Eterna pointed out, “Considering how you almost got yourself killed saving Flum and now with you looking like a sad puppy when she’s out on a job, I think we have plenty of reason to worry.”
“…” Milkit wasn’t able to come up with anything to say. All she could do was look down. Verbal combat wasn’t something she’s ever had a chance to learn before.
Eterna sighed as she gestured, Milkit to follow her, “Come on in, Milkit. You’ve done enough with the garden for now. Let’s talk inside.” Milkit simply nodded and complied with Eterna’s request.
When they were inside the house, Eterna and Milkit sat on opposite side of the table as Eterna said, “I know you’ve been anxious about Flum coming back home before, but you usually save that until the evening.”
Milkit did her best to look Eterna in the eyes as she answered, “After what happened in Sheol, things are different now. Origin wants Master. Parts of him wants her dead and other parts want her alive.”
“You’re not wrong.” Eterna conceded, “Things are probably gonna get rough now. But do you want to know something?”
Milkit leaned forward, “Yes.”
Eterna told her, “Despite that Flum has a job to do. She’s gonna power through, and she’s with Gadhio. Those two make a good team.”
Milkit acknowledged, “They do. Master should be fine if he’s helping her.”
“Besides,” Eterna pointed out, “If they need help, I’ll be there.”
“I know.” Milkit simply stated, “I’m still worried. Master, she …” Eterna waited patiently for Milkit to finish her sentence, “She has a lot to do. Too much.”
Eterna sighed, “After being on the mountains for decades, I can’t really say I’m some kind of expert on this type of thing. All I can do is be blunt. Would you be okay with that?”
Milkit nodded, “I’m fine with that, Ms. Eterna.”
“First off, you have every reason to be worried.” Eterna acknowledged, “When Satils captured Flum, I was worried we wouldn’t be able to save her. Honestly, I was actually quite impressed with how you put your life on the line to save Flum even though you had no means to fight back.”
“That’s because,” A light blush formed on Milkit’s visible cheek, but she said the following without hesitation, “living in a world without my Master is much scarier than anything else.”
“I figured as much.” Eterna spoke with complete sincerity, “Many people can say things like that, but very few can live up to those words. Knowing that, it is easy to see how you make Flum so happy.”
“I … Well …” Milkit fidgeted, “I’m happy I make Master happy just like she’s happy when I’m happy.”
Eterna was rather amused, “Glad to see that it comes full circle for you two.”
“…” A slight smiled formed on Milkit’s face as she wordless nodded.
Eterna stated, “I’m sure we’ll have to deal with something from the Church sooner rather than later. While I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t be worried about it, keeping it to yourself isn’t gonna help you either.”
“Hmm?” Milkit wasn’t entirely sure what Eterna wanted her to do.
As if sensing that she needed to spell it out for the bandaged maid Eterna told her, “Talk to Flum about it, and be honest with her. You know that is what Flum wants from you right?”
“Yes.” Milkit stated, “I’ve been honest with Master, and I know she wants me to be, but I’m worried I might be a burden to her.”
Eterna bluntly told Milkit, “You’ll be a burden to her if you don’t tell her.”
Milkit looked up, “What do you mean, Ms. Eterna?”
Eterna pointed out, “Flum is more observant than you might think. She’ll see something is bothering you, and she’ll ask you. If you try to lie to her, you’ll upset her, and that’ll distract her. You don’t want her to be distracted in a fight.”
This caused Milkit to think back to a few days ago when she couldn’t sleep. Her Master noticed she wasn’t looking well, and she lied to her Master, so she wouldn’t worry. She knew her Master didn’t quite believe her, but nothing came of that. Considering the situation and what happened with Satils, Milkit knew she’d upset her Master if she did the same thing again. She did not want that, but she was still afraid to be a burden to her Master.
Eterna noticed Milkit’s hesitation as she asked, “You trust Flum, right?”
Without hesitation, Milkit replied, “Of course.”
Eterna then asked, “Do you trust me?”
Milkit answered, “You never gave me a reason not to, Ms. Eterna. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me. You’ve saved my life too.”
“The gratitude is appreciated.” Eterna stood up, “But I have an idea. Could you stand up and step away from the table please?”
“Certainly.” Milkit did as she was requested.
Eterna walked around the table so she could be on the same side as Milkit before requesting, “Could you turn around?”
“Okay.” Milkit turned around with her back to Eterna.
They silently stood there for a few moments. Milkit wasn’t sure what Eterna was trying to prove, but she remained silent until Eterna broke the silence, “Do you feel nervous with me standing behind you?”
“No.” Milkit replied, “I’m more confused on what this is supposed to do.”
“It’s done the job.” The sound of Eterna’s voice indicated she was standing closer to Milkit. “You see.” Eterna poked Milkit in the back which caused Milkit to stiffen up before relaxing again. “Someone’s back is their most vulnerable part. You can’t see behind your back ...” Eterna paused before correcting herself, “Most people can’t.” Eterna stepped back and told Milkit, “Fall backwards please.”
“Okay.” Milkit fell back and Eterna caught her with ease. As Eterna held Milkit, she told her, “You can stand up again.”
“...” As Milkit stood up, she didn’t seem sure how to respond to this. The blank look on Milkit’s face said it all.
“Okay um …” Eterna took a moment, “Did you fall back because you felt like you were ordered to or did you …” Eterna decided to rephrase the question, “Did you think I was going to hurt you?”
“No.” Milkit shook her head, “I didn’t think you would let me get hurt.”
“Exactly. You had no trouble having your back face me.” Eterna explained, “When I was little, my parents told me how if you could show someone your back and not be worried about what they’ll do, you trust them. That’s because you are at your most vulnerable when your back is to a person. Do you understand?”
“I think so … Hmm …” Milkit thought back to all the times she saw Flum’s back or how everyone in the house had no issue showing each other their backs without any worry. She asked, “Are you saying that we all trust each other?”
Eterna stated, “That is the conclusion I was going for, yes. To make this more obvious, could you picture Flum allowing Dein to see her back?”
Milkit reflexively replied, “No!”
“Correct.” Eterna stated, “That’s one of the biggest differences between Flum and Dein. Flum would never sell us out to save herself. Dein sold out all the men who were loyal to him to save his own skin. Do you get the point I’m trying to make?”
“Yes.” Milkit stated, “The thought of having my back face people like the Slave Merchant or Satils scares me, but I don’t feel that way with Master.”
Eterna asked, “How do you feel?”
Milkit hugged herself, “Safe and secure.”
Eterna teasingly replied, “I’m sure Flum would love to hear you say that.”
“…” Milkit face became as red as a tomato. Eterna was amused as she could see Milkit’s blush though her bandages.
“You trust Flum, and Flum trusts you.” Eterna laid it out, “Flum wants you to be honest with her about your feels. If you’re feeling upset, she wants to know. My parents told me that talking to people helps you feel better.”
Milkit asked, “Is that why you talk to Ink so much?”
For a brief moment, Eterna’s voice sounded a little bashful as she answered, “A little …” Eterna cleared her throat to regain her composure, “Anyway, you have to understand that Flum is doing her best, so the two of you can live a peaceful life in the future. Right?”
Milkit nodded, “I understand that, and I will support Master anyway I can.”
“You are.” Eterna assured her, “Knowing you’re here waiting for her gives Flum all the motivation she needs to keep moving forward. You are someone that makes her happy. Happier than I’ve ever known her.”
That last comment caused Milkit to feel curious. While Flum had shared some details with her, and she heard a few things here and there, her knowledge of Flum’s time in the Hero Party with Eterna and Gadhio was limited.
Milkit asked, “If you don’t mind me asking was Master miserable when she was part of the ‘Hero’s Party’?”
“No. Not exactly.” Eterna thought back to the six months they were in the group, “Things actually started off pretty well. She quickly became friends with Cyrill, and the two were inseparable during their time off.”
“I … I see …” Milkit muttered.
Eterna then stated, “Personally, I appreciated how Flum was rather smart and curious. I’m not exactly a teacher, but she kind of became my student. She was willing to learn about everything I had to say about herbs and other things.” Eterna pointed to Milkit’s bandages, “As you saw for yourself, the things I taught her must’ve stuck.”
Milkit couldn’t help but reflexively touch her bandaged face before telling Eterna, “Master told me that she was grateful and appreciated you and Mr. Gadhio.”
Eterna seemed happy as she told Milkit, “Well the three of us did get along the best. Part of the reason I quit was due to how things were less fun after that …” Eterna stopped herself briefly before reluctantly finishing with a hint of venom in her voice, “That no-good, virgin punk Jean kicked Flum out of the group.”
‘Jean’. The name of a man Milkit has never met, but the mere mention of his name caused her to feel chills crawl up her spine. Milkit could see even mentioning his name made Eterna sick not that she could blame her. While Milkit has seen cruelty before, it baffled her to know someone who was supposed to be a ‘Hero’ could enjoy being cruel to someone as kind as her Master.
While Eterna remained composed, that sense of bitterness remained in her voice, “Even before I found out Jean sold Flum into slavery, he was a prime example of someone I’d never trust my back to. He’d insult people, and he thought he was all superior simply because of his status as a Noble and a Sage. I couldn’t stand him. Ironically, Flum’s cooking and ability to make him the tea he liked was enough to make him bearable. He was too blind to even understand that much.” Eterna sighed, “Anyway, I think I’ve rambled on enough. Do you get it now?”
“Yes.” Milkit then stated, “I actually do feel a little better now.”
“Good.” Eterna stated “You’ll feel even better after you talk to Flum.”
“You’re probably right.” Milkit conceded.
“I am right.” Eterna was fully confident. “Anyway, you can take lunchtime off. My cooking might not be as good as yours, but it’ll do the job. You can handle dinner, so you can focus on giving Flum a good meal to look forward to when she gets back.”
“Thank you, Ms. Eterna.” Milkit graciously replied.
“No need for thanks.” Eterna than requested, “Can you get Ink for me? I’m sure she’s lonely in her room right now.”
Milkit complied, “Certainly, Ms. Eterna.”
As Milkit made her way to the stairs, Eterna spoke up again, “By the way.”
Milkit stopped, “Yes?”
Eterna reminded her, “Ink and I are here for you as well. Remember that.”
Milkit nodded, “I will.” Milkit couldn’t help but smile knowing Eterna was right.