Heritors of Hereafter

Book 1: Hearts of Pride

By: Thomas A. Hawk

Edited By: dashboardgecko

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Monster Hunter, nor do I own Capcom. If I did I would probably be doing something else with my time instead of writing fanfics. All the characters that appear in this story belong to me unless otherwise stated.

Chapter 6: Day Off

"Psst. Pssst."

"Zzz… Snrk—muh?"

"WAKE UP!"

Corvus grunted in shock as a weight thumped down onto his chest, rousing him from his slumber. He grumbled and pushed himself upright, rubbing sleep from his eyes and stifling a yawn before his hands found their way to the object that slid into his lap. His eyelids snapped open as he recognized the feel of worn leather strips over an iron grip, and his eyes slowly trailed down towards the worn practice sword in his grasp.

"Oh no."

"Gooood morning, li'l bro! Ready for some drills?" Mila sang cheerfully, resting another practice sword over her shoulder. She was dressed in her casual wear, with her long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail. "I let you off the hook last time since it was storming, but today we've got clear skies, so no excuses!"

"When are the skies here ever 'clear'?" Corvus mumbled in response, twisting left and right to pop his back. His sister just gave him a pointed look, and with a short sigh he threw the covers off and climbed out of bed. A quick glance to the clock on the nightstand showed it wasn't even eight in the morning yet. He felt a moment of panic that left almost as soon as it arrived—Sunday was his day off, right. Everyone in the Guild got at least one day off per week. Of course, Corvus wasn't allowed the luxury of sleeping in with a sibling like Mila. She always insisted on dragging him out of bed at least once a week for this. He was just glad she was courteous enough to not do it the mornings he had work. "Best we normally get is cloudy with a chance of rain, rain, and more rain."

"Almost like we live in the city of rain! Go figure. C'mon bucko, up and at 'em!" she urged, ruffling his hair with a short laugh and stepping towards the door. "Get dressed and meet me out back in ten minutes!"

"Ugh… I'll be there in nine."

Wiping a hand down his face the surveyor quickly went about pulling an outfit together from the articles of clothing thrown about the room. He'd come home rather late the night before, and he'd stayed up even later. These most recent hunt reports were… perplexing to say the least, and he'd kept himself awake trying to make more sense of them all. No less than six reports had come in detailing a hunter or hunters that blatantly broke Guild carving and reward regulations, and who didn't even try to hide it. During the first couple reports he'd followed up on he just figured the hunters were ignorant louts that didn't read their Hunter's Notes… but more infractions kept coming in. The other surveyors were getting these reports as well—Dominic told him the day before that he had four separate reports all detailing the same kind of thing, and that was on the lower end of the spectrum. Ricard had ten.

One thing did remain consistent with the investigations, and that was the mention of these supposed 'vouchers' that apparently made the hunters think they were exempt from the law. A few hunters had brought theirs to the Guild, feeling suspicious about an event that seemingly just happened out of the blue... but as far as Corvus could tell, they didn't actually seem fake. They even bore a wax seal stamped with the Guild's shield insignia, and if there was one thing everyone knew it was that the Guild had some incredibly intricate and detailed seal presses. Almost needlessly so, in fact.

He shook his head. The whole situation reeked of fraud, but until he looked into the evidence more he'd just be left scratching his head in confusion.

After garbing himself in a simple tunic, blue pants, and his boots, Corvus hurried down the stairs with practice sword in hand. He cautiously peered into the kitchen, sighing in relief when he saw his father wasn't there—Wes did usually leave early on Sundays to pick up on the after-church crowds, didn't he? Regardless it saved him another bothersome conversation he didn't feel like having. He made his way across the kitchen towards the back door and stepped out into the wide alley space behind their house. It was about twenty-five feet wide, and two narrower alleys at the far left and near right corners extended a couple hundred feet up and down to connect to the streets, creating a relatively enclosed space that kept the sounds from echoing far and making people think a real fight was happening. Mila glanced up as he stepped out, shooting the surveyor a quick grin.

"Nine and a half, li'l bro."

"Yeah yeah… let's just get this started. I'd like to finish up before old man Hendricks starts screaming at us this time."

"Good thing most of the neighbors who care are at church then! Not like there's much else for old people to do anyways."

The siblings set out taking practice swings for several minutes, Mila's blade flashing through the air in a blur of steel while Corvus' moved at a markedly slower pace with a heavier whoosh. The rounded tip of the practice blade scraped against the cobblestone underfoot as he took a particularly wide upwards swing, as though attempting to slam some invisible adversary up into the air. He let the blade's momentum carry his arm over himself, turning sharply as the blade clanged against the ground behind him. Mila snickered as she saw him do so, making him pause for a moment after standing back up.

"What?"

"Just wondering when you're going to quit goofing around! Nobody worth their salt would get hit by that. Way too slow, and you telegraph yourself so much! Not to mention leaving yourself wide open by putting your blade behind you at the start and end of the swing."

"Well, that's because it's a power swing. Meant to break through guards or knock a sucker flat."

"I might believe that if you weren't doing it constantly."

"And you DON'T?"

"I only do crazy swings like that when I'm hunting. Human opponents are a lot different from giant animals, y'know! Can't exactly fight one the same way you fight the other," she explained, lightly slapping the flat of her practice sword against her palm. "That's why I always always always tell you sword fighting is about precision over power. The strongest blow is the one that lands! Keep your blade in front of you, make shorter movements with your arms, keep in control and use your wrist more. The sword should feel like a part of you, not a metal stick for you to slam around like a maniac!"

"But slamming it around like a maniac is fun," he snarked, earning a short laugh from his sister. "We both know I can get away with it anyways, considering my trump card and all."

"Oh sure, the mighty trump card you can't rely on. Going Hyper leaves your arm stuck in a sling for what, days at the least? So while your trump card is buried in the deck, you'll have to learn to make do with the hand you're dealt! Kapeesh?"

"Alright, alright…"

"And practice more thrusts!"

"Thrusts are boring. There's no flair to just sticking your arm out."

"I disagree, but more importantly you shouldn't be thinking about looking good during a fight."

"Are you really the one who should be lecturing me about looking good in battle? Falia tells some mighty fascinating stories about your needlessly dramatic displays out on the hunting grounds."

"I can get away with it because I don't think about it. I can't help that I'm just naturally awesome!" she said with a haughty smirk.

"Uh huh. Well, I suppose Sable is a thrusting weapon, so it can't hurt to use it accordingly."

"There ya go."

Another fifteen minutes passed as the two worked through steady sequences of swings, slashes, and stabs, with Mila once again insisting that he try and mimic some of her movements after several minutes. Once she was satisfied with his form, the worst part came—the usual sparring match.

The clanging of blades echoed up into the air of the wide alley as Corvus and Mila rapidly exchanged swings. Corvus let out a short huff as he retreated a few steps following the seventh exchange, twirling the dull practice sword as a drop of sweat ran down the side of his face. His sister gave him a bemused grin and began to casually stride to his left, a movement Corvus mirrored with a far greater amount of caution. He was already panting from the effort, while Mila hadn't even broken a sweat. Once they had nearly passed by one another, Corvus let out a fierce shout and swung his blade towards her side. Mila ducked low while simultaneously pushing her blade upwards, pushing Corvus' blade over herself while she deftly skirted under the swing, spun once, and lightly whapped the side of his calf with the flat of her blade, earning a short yelp from Corvus.

Though his leg stung underneath his boot, Corvus pressed the attack again, swiping downwards-diagonally towards the huntress. Mila reacted by leaning out of the way of the strike, and circling around to his side when he attempted to follow up from the other direction. Corvus turned sharply and swung at her again, his blade whooshing through the air, only to be met with emptiness when she ducked underneath the strike. His arm lingered above his head from the momentum of the previous swing, but after a second he swung the blade straight down towards her. The huntress once again easily dodged past the attack—she'd crouched there during the entire wind up as though she were anticipating it. The huntress leapt up and hopped to the side as Corvus' blade impacted the cobblestone with a sharp ring, and before the surveyor's eyes could follow her he felt two quick thwaps on either side of his chest. He stumbled back with a hiss, clutching at one of the spots with his free hand.

"Okay, that'll do it for today!" Mila said, clinking the tip of her practice sword on the ground next to her. "Don't lose your cool li'l bro, you start to get sloppy when you do that."

"I don't think it's so much me being sloppy… as it is you being impossible to hit," he grunted in reply, rubbing at the spot she had struck while lowering his sword arm and huffing to catch his breath. "Pretty sure these 'training sessions' stopped being useful… around the same time you learned how to phase in and out of reality."

"Psh! Lunar Star Slash is a little too intense for a sparring match—just like your Hyper Powers. Wouldn't do my big sister instinct any good to cut you to ribbons. While these sessions might not be the best way to show it, I actually enjoy having a little brother very much!"

"Yeah, yeah… tough love, I get it. Still don't see how these are helpful though."

"Maybe you don't see it, but I can tell you're getting better," she smiled, stepping forward and planting a hand on his head. "I know you can be a great sword fighter. You just gotta match all that power you have with a little more precision! ANd maybe get in a little more practice when you have the time," Mila continued, ruffling his hair again and making him grunt before lightly batting her hand away.

"Alright, point taken," he chuckled, holding the grip of the practice sword out towards her. "It wouldn't do an Adler any good to be less than great, so I suppose I'll follow your lead, Sis."

"Good thing I'm quite the lead to follow then!" she grinned, plucking the blade from his grasp. "Okay, get yourself cleaned up and we can go grab a bite to eat. My treat!"

"So long as it's a café we go to. I've been to enough taverns this week already."

"Sure! I could go for some tea anyways."

After the two got themselves ready the siblings set out side by side for the Cup of Jho. As the weather was still overcast (when wasn't it?) Corvus chose to wear one of his worn down spare coats over his usual attire. The left sleeve was brand new in comparison to the rest of the outfit though.

As for Mila, she had thrown on her loud burgundy longcoat, the back of which had a white bird embroidered with wings outstretched, as well as seven falling feathers trailing down the tails. That was easily her favorite article of clothing, due in no small part to the difficulty she went through to have it made by Dante.

Corvus had met the man once or twice—Dante was an odd fellow who only did business with people who 'earned' passwords he gave out as a quest reward, which despite immediately limiting his clientele to hunters, probably wouldn't hurt business too badly if he didn't have a tendency to only request the most needlessly challenging and annoying quests possible. The one he had sent Mila on required no fewer than ten of these weird electric slug things slain to curb out a massive surge in the population that was threatening the ecosystem and several villages nearby the Frozen Seaway, and as if that wasn't bad enough, a named Kushala Daora just happened to be in the area and completely escaped the Guild's notice. But, Mila had slain the required amount of thunder worms, and escaped her second encounter with the dreaded 'Tempest' unscathed.

All that trouble just for a flashy coat made by a white-haired smartass. Dante wasn't the only odd one.

"So, think you've had a good first week, Mister Surveyor?" Mila smirked, resting her umbrella over her shoulder. Unlike Corvus' preference for hooded coats, she avoided covering her hair up; she also saw a dual purpose in having a blade concealed within the shaft as well. Nobody could say that she didn't take the whole 'Blade Princess' thing seriously.

"I've had more successes than not… but what could you expect?" he laughed with a proud tone. "Viper's lucky to have me on the team. But… I will admit, these last couple reports have been puzzling."

"Oh? The cleverest surveyor in Ran Fos is puzzled? It must be an unsolvable case!"

"Ha ha ha. These reports keep detailing hunters breaking reward and carving regulations, and each one I've confronted mentions some kinda voucher that entitles them to bonuses."

"Wait, you mean the kitchen skill vouchers?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's a Guild promotion for hunters. They started it earlier this week—almost every tavern in Ran Fos is in on it."

"A Guild promotion? That can't be the case. We've been getting swarmed with suspicious hunt reports because of these things. Every surveyor I've talked to has to deal with this mess. None of us have been told about a promotion, or anything of the sort."

"So… the Guild doesn't know about its own promotion then?"

"It's not a promotion!"

"Sounds an awful lot like a promotion to me," Mila shrugged as they rounded a corner and continued on towards the café, skirting through the only-moderately crowded streets with relative ease. "The seals are all pretty official-lookin' if you ask me."

"And I get that, really, but—wait. How do you even know all this?"

"Cuz I've been taking part in the promotion too? In case you didn't notice, badaboom, I'm a hunter." Corvus' eyed widened as the prospect of having to fine his own sister came to mind, though Mila kept talking. "'Course, I haven't actually used any of my vouchers though."

"You… you didn't? Why not?" Corvus asked, only to grin a moment later. "Aha, I think I get it. You knew something felt fishy about the whole thing, and you were holding onto the vouchers to hand off to me to look into it more."

"Ehhh…I mean, sure! Yeah! Let's go with that."

"You completely forgot you had them."

"Forgot is such a strong word…" she grinned sheepishly, earning a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head from her brother.

"Every day I understand better why Falia carries spare equipment for you. Guess it's a good thing you have a habit of forgetfulness this time around, else this might've actually come around to bite you."

"I do not have a habit. Some things just slip my mind is all. Kinda easy to do when I have the ability to tell you there's exactly forty-three—wait, forty-four people on the road around us right now, and that there's a couple banging on the second floor of the house we just walked past!" A devilish grin split her lips as her eyes flicked up towards a window to the left. "Niiice."

"Sis," he sighed after a long pause between them, planting a hand on her shoulder, "you're the reason I don't bring girls home anymore."

"Oh get over it, it was one time."

"One time too many!"

Brother and sister continued along the grey streets of Ran Fos until they arrived at the café, and Mila left her umbrella-sword behind the counter with Rena. The Cup of Jho was fairly busy, which wasn't much of a surprise considering the hour, but they were able to find a seat without much trouble. Joann came to take their orders, and the two continued to converse while ignoring the occasional looks average civilians and a few hunters shot over to their table—more specifically, towards Mila. Corvus was positive there wasn't a single person in Ran Fos that didn't know who she was given her reputation, and given what Falia had said this extended well beyond just the rainy city. Plenty of renowned hunters had cult followings, and his sister was no different. People across the country knew her face and her name, just like the rest of the Four Faces and other noteworthy figures in the world of hunting. Falia jokingly referred to the huntress' as the 'Mila Fanclub', though that name wasn't very far off from the truth. Mila always enjoyed talking herself up to anyone dumb enough to believe they should try and do so themselves, and Corvus usually just tapped his fingers and waited for it to end. Thankfully it seemed like no one was stepping forwards today.

"…and Iggy and I both pull back since, y'know, the whole point was for Eli to show his stuff, and the Qurupeco was already worn ragged, so why not? He darts in, races up the side of the tree, jumps… and lands his face right into its snout while it was trying to call for help!" the huntress laughed, mimicking the story she was telling with little finger movements. "Then the bird starts honking like crazy and running around back and forth, Eli's panicking and yelling his face off right into its nose, we're all dying of laughter, and then can you guess what happened?"

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell—"

"A Royal Ludroth jumped out of the nearby pool and just bodyslams the Qurupeco! Poor thing deflated like a whoopie cushion, and it shot Elliot out of its snout hard enough that he flew over our heads and into a tree with that big ol' Snakebee nest, like BAM!" Corvus winced when Mila slammed a fist into her open palm. "So he's got spinning Kut-ku's overhead after that, but then the nest falls right on top of him, and the bees are obviously miffed that their house just came crashing down, so—"

"Gods above, what else did that poor kid go through on this hunt?" the surveyor groaned, shaking his head. "For that matter, how did he even pass his exam? Every story you tell me that involves this kid has him getting the shit kicked out of him at every turn."

"Language! And for the record, Elliot's not bad. Just… not as good as he could be. Plenty of hunters are like that."

"Oh please, when Maki of all people says Eli makes failure look like an art form, something has to be going horribly wrong."

"Give him a break, he's trying his hardest! I think it's really charming."

"Heh. We'll see how charming it is when he gets himself killed. Just admit it, that guy is not cut out to be a hunter."

"I think he is," Mila remarked with a tilt of her head. "Elliot's a dreamer, and I know better than anyone that if you keep aiming high, you'll get there. He just needs a helping hand."

Corvus just shook his head and scoffed. Of course Mila had a point, even if he loathed to admit it. He still remembered long ago back when their mother was still alive, and before Mila had awakened her Aura Sense. She was sick with something practically every other day and could barely even walk down the stairs on her own. Their parents had to work tirelessly just to get all the medication she needed. She was about as weak as weak got. It was nearly impossible to believe that sickly child had turned into someone badass enough to go toe-to-toe with nature's biggest monstrosities and not even break a sweat in the process. Maybe she thought she saw a bit of that in Elliot too.

Regardless, Corvus thought he was a piss poor hunter and that Mila was wasting her time with a lovesick Slagtoth like him, but he knew he couldn't convince her who or what to waste her time on anyways.

Joann returned with their food after a few more minutes passed—a large plate of sausage and pancakes accompanied by a mug of coffee for Corvus, while Mila had a portion of egg, mixed berries, toast, and of course a cup of her favorite cinnamon sweet tea. She always insisted on eating healthy to maintain her figure… but that just meant more syrup for him to drown his breakfast in.

"So, what kinda work stories do ya got for me, anyways?" she asked, popping a berry into her mouth. "I'd like to hear it! I'm always the one telling you about my hunts after all. How about how you got slugged?'

"Oh, that? Can't promise it was quite as exciting as what you're used to. Asshole tried to swipe extra dash juice from a Royal Ludroth but let his knife slip by mistake, so he broke both sacks. Did a real good job pissing off the Enzo Brewery since they had a claim on the juice, and when I started to corner one of the guys he came out swinging. Got me once, but I gave back just as good as I got. Beat the snot outta him and his buddy, made sure they knew just who it was dispensing the law around here."

"That's my bro!" she grinned, lifting a hand for him to high-five her. He couldn't really tell if he felt guilty for so easily getting away with that fib, or if he should tell his sister that she was being gullible again. As their palms smacked, he decided that perhaps it would be best—and by 'best' he meant 'funnier'—to let her believe whatever he said. "So, illegal dash juice production, huh?"

"Actually it's not the production that's illegal, it's stealing the ingredients. People can brew up whatever they want at home, and so long as it isn't meant to blow up in the middle of a town or city, the Guild won't take issue with it. If they did, Alchemy school hunters like Isaac would not be able to do half of what they'd want. These guys took like eight hunts' worth. That's the problem."

"I see... I never got the deal with dash juice though. I know you and Dad love that stuff, but it just never does it for me."

"That's because you don't need extra energy. You probably aren't even human, Sis," Corvus teased, shoveling a fork-full of pancake into his mouth. "Anyone that can sprint three laps around the city and not be out of breath cannot be of this Earth."

"Or, it's because I wake up early to work out every day, I tussle with big ol' beasties every couple days, and I don't keep a massive stash of sweets under my bed. Tubby."

"Hey, at least my stash is tasteful, Miss 'I sleep on a collection of adult graphic novels'."

"Oh, you sneaky little butt! Well, what can I say. I like the art. The other content just happens to be fantastic for—"

"Sis! T.M.I."

"I wouldn't complain if you wanted to borrow one, y'know," she grinned, and at that moment Corvus realized he probably should have kept his mouth shut. Embarrassing Mila was about as likely as poogies were to fly. "I get hit on enough to know how guys your age can be. It's perfectly natural! And given your spotty-at-best record with flirting… well, I can't blame you for wanting an outlet."

"Okay, that's a low blow. Look, I don't want to read any of your—"

"Especially since Falia and I already might've, uh, 'borrowed' some of your gummies. Just a bag or ten."

"You WHAT?!"

After finishing up their meal and leaving zenni to pay the bill Mila and Corvus departed the Cup of Jho, only the find that once more a steady drizzle had begun. The huntress unfurled her umbrella while Corvus pulled his beaked hood up and over his head, and they continued along towards whatever destination they had next… the precise topic of their next conversation.

"Yeah, old man Riversteel said he'd need another couple days with the upgrades before Homura would be ready for pick up," she sighed, placing her free hand on her hip. "But oh man, I cannot wait to see the sheen on that baby when she's ready!"

"Right… and which one was Homura again?"

"The longsword! Got the orange and black scale scabbard? Officially called a Centenarian Dagger? C'mon, I spent months getting enough Rathalos parts to make her!"

"…Doesn't ring a bell. But it's called a dagger? I thought longswords were like six feet long at least."

"It's a big dagger."

"Obviously."

"I can't believe you forgot her name though!"

"Can you really blame me? You've got enough swords to arm your own private militia."

Mila let out a sassy huff at his remark, shaking her head as they walked along in an aimless wander. Eventually they found themselves striding into the wide open central market space, where nearly a dozen caravans had parked into a series of segmented rings to allow customers ease of access to each one. The crowds here had swelled up considerably compared to the streets elsewhere—many hunters and civilians alike appreciated the chance to browse wares local merchants might not have, and trade tycoons often had exotic merchandise you couldn't obtain anywhere else in Maglea. Seeing all the caravans did bring a thought to the surveyor's mind.

"Say, Mila. Do you remember the pencils Mom liked to draw with?"

"Those pricy Yukumese ones? What about 'em?"

"Can you help me find some? I've been thinking about a drawing I'd like to start for a while now, and… well, it'd be nice to feel like she's guiding my hand for it."

"…Yeah, I can do that," she smiled, patting his shoulder before they strode into the market.

The death of their mother a decade prior had certainly left its mark on all of them. Their father had practically shut down for a while just to cope with the loss, and just as he shut down Mila stepped up as a caretaker for both of them, like a light in the dark. As for Corvus… Mila had always been especially close to their father, and in that same way he had been especially close to Sabrina. Even now he recalled when, as a young child, he shadowed her around the house, watched her turn a sheet of paper into another artistic wonder, inspired him to do great things with his mind. Young Mila had hardly been the shining beacon of inspiration she was now, so the one who had helped Corvus through his careful and withdrawn early life had been their mother. The reason he was the man he was now was because of all she had done for him. To put how important she had been to him to words was nigh-undoable. That she'd been taken so suddenly, so unfairly, just…

Corvus shook his head. Their mother was gone, and while he had accepted that reality he still cursed the circumstances, the failures of those who could have prevented it. But, he and Mila both carried something of their mother's now. For her, it was the blue blade Sapphire. For him, it was all the artistic talent and skill he had learned and developed, all the materials she had left him… and a drive to give back to others. In his own way, at least.

The siblings carried on with their search, looking left and right at the various wares contained within the carriages. It was a technological marvel, really, how these wagons could seemingly 'unfold' into merchant stalls in minutes. Were it not for the links between each segment, and the long wooden roofs constructed to keep the rain from pouring down onto the sellers and their merchandise, Corvus might have figured these could pass for genuine shops in another part of the world. Smiths worked on weapons while wyverians traded commodities with hunters and other merchants… some stores were even manned by Hybrids showing off their control over elemental magic. One garbed in pale, rubbery cloaks, with eyes covered by bandages and skin so pale he could see the veins underneath clearly, even made a gem shine with a bright electric blue hue just by holding it, earning some applause from a small crowd that was gathered around.

"Creepy…" he mumbled when they were well out of earshot, though Mila still sharply bumped him with her elbow and shot him a look.

"Was he doing anything wrong?"

"Well, no, but—"

"Exactly. Don't judge."

Corvus grumbled to himself, but otherwise held his tongue. He didn't have anything against Hybrids, per se… he certainly had no reason to dislike them. That didn't mean he wasn't nervous around them though. Being monster-turned-people with super strength and the ability to manipulate powerful elements was bad enough, but they were known to be very aggressive. Plenty of incidents out in the wild occurred when hunters had a run-in with one that wasn't feeling particularly neighborly… more often than not the hunters didn't come back from those run-ins. And sure, stereotyping was bad and all, but considering the occasional horror story of a normally-nice Hybrid lashing out when pushed a bit too far, he dreaded the thought of having to potentially follow up on an inconsistent hunt report submitted by one. If ordinary hunters sometimes came out swinging, what was the chance a Hybrid might try to roast him alive? Something about them made his arm twinge uncomfortably.

Almost in direct contrast, he knew Mila thought Hybrids weren't scary—far from it, actually. She thought they were cool. They showed just how wild nature could be, she always said… though she also had far more experience with them than Corvus did. Their father had been close friends with a pair of Barioth Hybrid twins known as Frost and Snow back in his younger days, both of whom he called upon to help train Mila during her years as an apprentice. Snow was actually one of the nicest Hybrids Corvus had ever met, a sentiment most people shared; she was a vital part in the Hybrid equality movement, even moreso than some of the elder dragon Hybrids. Meanwhile Frost was… terrifying. The two of them could not have been more different. Yet, Mila had never once been anything less than thrilled to get to know Hybrids and befriend them, as was the case with Makiyuma. It was like she'd adopted a pet when she brought him back from the Misty Peaks. She always got a little huffy when someone badmouthed them for no reason.

Eventually the two happened upon a caravan with a merchant carrying art supplies, and Corvus found the pencils he'd been looking for. He still winced upon seeing the price; art was painful in its own ways. After dropping most of the zenni he had been carrying on them, though, he noticed that Mila had strayed off to the right to converse with a young woman seated nearby a non-collapsed 'living' carriage. She was rather short compared to his sister, likely several years younger, though her build suggested she was a hunter. She had silver eyes and shorter aqua blue hair (likely dyed) that she kept out of her face with a cloth headband. Mila glanced towards him as he stepped over, smiling broadly before wrapping an arm around his shoulders and quite literally pulling him into the conversation.

"So like I was saying, this is my little brother Corvus! He's something of an artist himself!"

"Yeah, I remember you mentioned him last time we met," the huntress replied, smiling lightly and turning her gaze towards him. "Your description was spot-on though! He's even got the funny little bird beak in his hair. It's a pleasure to finally meet though! I'm Infamy."

"What funny little…? I mean—ahem. The pleasure is all mine, Infa—" His initially flirty tone cut off, and he paused with a raised eyebrow. "Wait. Infamy? That's… that's your name? Not a nickname or something?"

"Nah, my real name's Cecilia, but that's boring compared to Infamy. Don't worry, I get asked that a lot. You should see the looks Whiskey and Rookie get."

"Ooh, are they around? And Nier? We have GOT to catch up over drinks! Last time was so much fun!"

"Oh, definitely! They're out looking for quests right now. I just thought it'd be a good time to doodle." It was then that Corvus noticed the sketch pad on her lap, the open page thoroughly covered with various scribbles and sketches of random passerby and whatnot. What he could see looked pretty good…

"Mind if I took a look? It's not often I meet a lovely lady with a talent for fine culture," he grinned, and while Infamy raised an eyebrow at him, she shrugged and held to pad out for him.

"Go right ahead. Just uh… don't look towards the back. That stuff isn't meant for public display."

"You sure? Lots of this looks really great, actually…" he muttered, taking the pad and slowly flipping through the pages while scanning the sketches. Many were of hunters or merchants or Felynes… and the attention to detail was something else. He could have sworn he had seen this style somewhere before. "What could be so bad about—"

Mila caught his wrist before he made it too far back though. "Maybe you should respect the lady's privacy, hmm?" she insisted with a low tone and a… weird smile that convinced Corvus to hand the pad back a moment later without further question.

"Looks really good!" he laughed with a slightly awkward tone before composing himself. "I'd show you some of mine, but I left my bag at home. Maybe some other time? Over coffee, perhaps? Or a nice dinner for two?"

"Hmm… I don't think Nier would like that much," she frowned, glancing up in thought. "He gets jealous sometimes. I wouldn't mind taking a look sometime though! The caravan will be in Ran Fos for a week or so, so stop by any time!"

Curses. Guess I'll need another approach… "I'll definitely swing around when I get the chance."

"Awesome! Looking forward to it. Now I hate to sound like I'm shooing you both off, but I just realized its been like three hours since the others left," Infamy noted with concern, glancing at her watch as she closed her sketch pad. "I should probably go find them before someone's boot ends up somewhere boots probably shouldn't be. Oh! But before I forget…"

She gestured for them to wait a moment, then hurried into her carriage, emerging after a minute or two carrying a large sealed envelope. She handed it off to Mila, who thoughtfully frowned for a couple moments before her eyes lit up in realization. "Is this that 'thing' I commissioned?" Mila asked, lifting her eyebrows as though saying 'you know exactly what I'm talking about'. Infamy nodded, then waved to the both of them.

"See you two around!"

Corvus shot his sister a curious glance as Infamy scurried off to find her friends, but the huntress simply smiled and began to walk along, the envelope tucked under her arm.

"So… gonna tell me what you got there?"

"Nope! Buuut, if someone decides to try snooping around where they shouldn't be again, maybe they'll find out."

"What does that even—oh, dammit, Mila! Really?!"

"Language!"

Author Notes: Sorry this one's a day late, everyone! I spent the weekend attending a convention and by the time I got back, I was just too bushed to open my computer. I've also learned that apparently there's some kinda mess going on with fanfiction's profiles and Critics United (whom I've never even heard of before this whole mess started), but I'm fairly certain mine is untouched if any of you are worried about that.

I had particular fun with this chapter because I got to develop both characters through the observations and comparisons drawn by only one of them. In having Corvus describe what Mila is like, it's possible to glean from his dialogue what he's like too. I thought this was an interesting way to highlight their similarities and differences, as well as continue developing backstory for both of them... and just to have some fun writing two siblings hanging out together. Family is nice like that.

We're also formally getting into the first arc of the story, the Kitchen Voucher arc! I always thought the idea of getting additional 'skills' from eating food was kinda silly, so I'm using our introductory arc to poke some fun at game mechanics. Nothing too serious. That'll come later!

Lastly, Infamy is an OC of Ming, the artist I've commissioned for all the character drawings lately. I included her character as an additional little 'thank you' for doing such great work. I didn't really write up the plot of Heritors to account for OCs in important roles, but if any of you want an OC to appear in my story, I think that it can be arranged. Just ask! But back to the topic at hand, Ming's also recently completed the commission for Falia! Just replace the /dot/s with periods and the link below should work just fine. Take a gander!

drive /dot/ google /dot/ com/open?id=1le7_JwTqPC_UWWUu_ovdtk53oEgJia2d

So, that does it for me! Let me know what you liked or disliked in the reviews, faithful reader! I don't need essays or anything, just a quick little comment will do.