( go see EyesOfAmethyst for her side of the story! Also, I know this is kinda late, but PLEASE DO NOT COPY ANY OF MY CHARACTERS SUCH AS CLAY, ELIAS. IT TAKES ME A LOT OF TIME TO THINK OF THEIR BACKSTORY OR THEIR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. BASICALLY JUST PLEASE DO NOT COPY ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. If you do I swear I'll hunt you down and feed you too a leopard. XD I'm just kidding. But seriously. Please do not copy my characters)

"Liam, stop moving and let me hurt you!" I growl as Liam avoids yet another one of my punches. "Uh, tempting but no." He responded, ducking when I went to hit him. After I made the deal with Elias, he put Liam in front of me and told me too fight him. Liam being the gentleman he is (which is cool I guess) didn't fight back and instead just kinda danced around too avoid me. "You can do it Brother Liam!" Lael cheered from his seat next too the table. Elias was leaning on the wall, observing the fight with empty eyes. I swear his inability to show emotion is the weirdest/creepiest thing I've ever seen.

"Ok, what am I even supposed to be doing?!" I demand, deciding to stop the mad avoiding punches dance. "I am trying to see how you fight against another person. However, it seems Liam Lover does not want to corporate." Elias answered. Liam rubbed his head. "Sir, it doesn't seem very fair of me too fight Aira. I've been training for five years, and besides that, I don't really want too hurt her." "The whole point of fighting is that someone gets hurt. It doesn't matter if you don't want to hurt her, this is training." Elias said, voice emotionless as ever. Liam pursed his lips and hesitated. Just then, Clay came in, opening the door with a loud bang. "Clay August. What is the meaning of this?" Elias asked. "Sorry Sir, but it looks like there's a fight breaking out in the plaza. Two traders got into an argument and it looks like it'll get psychical pretty soon." Elias immediately got up after hearing Clay's words. "Aira Heart, we shall continue this another time. Liam Lover come with me. Lael Beck get back too your duties. And Clay August, do not cause a common with Aira Heart." He ordered and went out the door, Liam following behind him. Lael sprung back upstairs to go back too whatever he needed to do, leaving me alone with Clay. Oh goodie.

Clay opened his mouth to speak but I just shoved past him and left the guard tower. I was not in the mood to deal with him. I wandered around for awhile before deciding to go to the bakery and see Sally. She had come around to Dixie's house a few times with bread or something and I liked her. But I still wondered what the whole thing is with the weird sounds that come from upstairs and the mysterious pouch Clay gave her. "Hey Sally." I greeted as I came into the bakery.

"Oh hi Aira. Where's Amethyst? You two are always together."

"Amethyst forced me too get out of the house. She went to go hang out with Meli."

"Oh. Well, I would offer to hang out with you, but I have to make a delivery." She said gesturing to a white pastry box.

"I could do it for you if you want." I offer.

"No thanks, this delivery is really easy but the people I'm delivering it too live right next too the trade market so I was planning on buying some stuff while I was there. Actually, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can you take care of the bakery while I'm gone? I don't think anyone will come since today's been a slow day, but I don't want to take any chances. I can give you a gold coin for doing this for me."

"Oh ok, I can do that." I say.

"Great. Ok, I'll be gone for maybe two hours. Maybe less." She said, picking up the pastry box. "If anyone comes in, just give them what they want and tell them that I'll just put it on a tab for them. Thanks for doing this." She put her hand on the door handle and then stopped and looked at me. "Hey Aira. If you hear anything upstairs, just ignore it. It's just the cat. Don't go upstairs at all, ok?" "Uh ok?" I say confused. Looking relieved, she nodded and then opened the door and left.

After twenty boring minutes of just standing around, I hear a hacking sound upstairs. Intrigued, I begin moving towards the stairs before remembering Sally's warning. Don't go upstairs at all. Disappointed, I go back to standing behind the counter. The hacking sound stopped after a bit but then resumed fifteen minutes later. It doesn't sound like a cat. I think, shooting another look up the stairs. Actually, I haven't even seen a cat. That's weird. If it was a cat, wouldn't it have come down by now? Well the cat doesn't have to come down, it's a cat. Maybe it's a shy cat? Ugh, I'm thinking way too much into this. "Hey cat! You up there?!" I yell up the stairs.

The hacking stopped abruptly and then started up again, only this time it was slightly muffled. As if someone had covered their mouth to stop the sound and failed. More interested then ever I just decided to go upstairs. I felt bad for not following Sally's request, but if it really was a cat it sounded like it was dying. I climbed the stairs and followed the noise too a closed door at the end of the hallway. I tried the handle on the door only to discover it was locked. Hhhmmm. Maybe there's a key around here. . . After some searching around in Sally's room (I didn't move anything, just kinda patted some pillows) I picked up a pillow and a key feel out of the cover. Snatching up the key I sprinted back over too the door and stuck the key in the lock. Turning it, I heard the "click" which meant that it was now open. I was about to go in when I stopped and began to think about what I was doing.

For all I know, there could be some kind of monster behind this door, or something really disturbing. Maybe this is the room they kept and tortured their victims. I shake my head. Oh my god. I am SO stupid. It's just a cat. In this room is a cat. I begin to open the door when I hear the jingle of the door opening downstairs. Panicked, I book it back downstairs. A girl my age was staring out the window and looked up when I made my wild leap down the stairs. She was wearing a black shirt, green vest, brown pants and brown boots. She had neon green hair held up in a high ponytail, dark brown skin, and violet eyes. I bend over and panted, winded from my mad dash. "What (pant) do (pant) ugh, hold- hold on."

I hold up a finger and choke in a few more breathes. "O- ok I'm good. What can I help you with?" The girl regarded me for awhile before answering. "I'd like a slice of custard pie." "Right, uh ok." I go over too the display case and try to figure out which of the six pies was custard. As I did this the girl stared at me some more, her lips pressed together in a thin line.

"Your one of the new girls in this town, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's me."

"So I'm guessing you're Aira?"

"You guessed correctly. How'd you know?"

"Easy. You don't seem to be the type to blush." She said, crossing her arms. "Or to be interested in guys in general."

"Eh?" I look up from the pie I was examining.

"Out of the two girls, I heard that one of them blushes a lot whenever one of the guards or Lord Chase talks too them. You don't look like the type of girl who really cares about things like that, so I assumed your Aira."

"Huh. Didn't know I looked that way."

"It's your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Yes. Your eyes say "Back off, I'm not a damsel in distress."

"Oh cool. Amethyst says sometimes my eyes say, "If you mess with me I'll break your body."

The girl snorted a laugh. "Well, I don't doubt that." I pick up another pie and recognize it as custard. Thankfully the pie was already in slices so all I had to do was put a slice in one of the smaller white pastry boxes that were by the display case. "Here you go." I say handing it too her. "Don't worry about paying, Sally said she'll just put it on a tab." "Thanks." She said taking the box. "By the way, my name's Avery." "Nice too meet you Avery." Avery turned to go but then stopped and looked back at me, nose crinkled.

"You know, you don't really seem to be the type of person who wears dresses. Do you want to borrow some of my clothes?"

"Really? I can borrow some?"

"Yeah sure. But in return. . . You have to let me take this pie for free." She said with a small smirk.

"Aren't I already letting you do that?" I ask, crossing my arms and leaning on the wall.

"I mean don't tell Sally I was here. That way I'll get the pie totally free."

"Mmmmmmm. . ." I thought for a second. I didn't like lying to Sally, but I really couldn't stand wearing anymore dresses. "Ok fine, you got a deal."

"Good." Avery said and smiled. "I'll drop the clothes off at Dixie's house later. See ya Aira." She turned and did a lazy wave as she walked out. Later on when Sally came back I just told her that no one came in. She shrugged and gave me a gold coin and said thanks. I left afterwards and went back to Dixie's house. At Dixie's house, Amethyst was in the living room playing a game of chess with Dixie. "Hey Am." I greet and close the door. "Hey Ari. Anything interesting happen today?" She asks and moves one of her rooks forward. "Eh not really," I say, taking off my shoes. "Oh, I punched Elias." "Elias? What did he do?" Dixie asked, moving a knight piece. "He asked me too." "Seriously?" Amethyst said, slightly surprised.

"Yeah. It was weird. What'd you do today?"

"Oh, I saw a girl turn into wolf. She was attacked by a griffin, but don't worry she's alright."

"Hm. Do I wanna know that story?"

"Uh, depends." She said as she examined the board.

"Can you give me the short version then?"

"Ok. Basically Evan brought her in, she's a witch by the way, she was hurt and Meli used that magic potion too heal her. Then she turned into a wolf. Apparently the animal people all grouped together here are called Kemonomimi."

"Hm. Sounds like you had an interesting day." I comment and walk past them. Before I pass them completely, I stop and take a look at the chessboard. "Knight takes rook." "Wha- oh come on!" Amethyst interrupted herself when Dixie took her rook and replaced it with her knight. I chuckle and head upstairs. Today was a good day. But there are still a lot of things I need to figure out.