This is more of an art than anything else. You must try, and try, and try.

And you will get better at it.

LoG, 18

Nalina didn't know where she was. Neither what Light it was, nor the time of The Light. The memories were pointy shards of the mirror staring back at her, giving Nalina mere fragments of what had happened. The firm hands that carried her and the dense forest closing over her ... Almost utterly silent steps and ... The fresh odour of pine trees.

The only thing Nalina knew was that she was safe. She hadn't felt that secure for a long time.

When she opened her eyes again, her hand reached out to brush soft linens underneath her.

She also touched someone's round naked buttock. Redness swarmed all over Nalina's face, and she pulled her hand away as fast as she could.

"Hello! Who taught you manners? Stop grabbing my ass!" a squeaky, unpleasant female voice said. "It's not enough you usurped my bed and denied me the night of corporal delights; you want to feel me up too!"

Nalina jumped up, which made her whole body hurt. She was now staring at the naked, busty girl with pronounced, beautiful buttocks who was lying beside her.

The girl appeared to be Nalina's age. Her skin was caramel coloured, and she had pleasing facial features, but her triangular chin gave away hatred. The girl's eyes were vague, multi-coloured. Her hair was boyishly short, multi-coloured as well: it almost seemed that every strand was lit differently.

There were red, yellow, purple, blue and green hairs.

Nalina had never seen something like that before. The numerous colours reminded Nalina of The Viewstone. She barely refrained from telling this to an unknown girl.

Small pieces of unspecified animal bones pierced the girl's nose and her lower lip. On her left cheek, there was a carefully traced drawing of a fox.

"Always the same with him," the strange girl continued, not talking to anyone in particular. She stood up and stretched in front of Nalina, long enough for Nalina to see that the girl coloured her pubic hairs in the same way. "Must he pick up every poor damsel in distress he comes upon?"

Then she jumped on the ground, and Nalina looked after her frightfully, only then realising that she was on the upper floor of a small room.

To the right of the bed was a huge wooden table. Nalina thought with sadness about her desk in her bedroom, in The Mushroom. Nalina wondered when she would sit at it again.

As far as she could see, the variety of papers cluttered the desk: from the carefully drawn sketches to the recklessly doodled maps. Below the table, there was a wastebasket packed with crumpled paper balls. On it, there was an open ink bottle. The coal-black liquid was boldly dripping on wooden flooring. Most of the drawers were opened and turned upside down, and Nalina shuddered to look at all that mess. She instinctively wished to close it all up and clean it.

The wall was covered with the most extraordinary tools. Nalina didn't dare to imagine what their use might be nor she could have assumed it. Above Nalina's head was a circular window through which she could see the whiteness of The Vault. A potted carnivorous plant hung from the ceiling, gnashing its teeth.

Where am I? She asked herself in wonder.

Nalina looked down the ladder to the lower part of the room and saw that the girl was getting dressed fast, grabbing clothes from one chair. She was now wearing grey linen trousers with ample pockets and a leather belt with bone knives. The girl was just pushing her trousers into deep dark-brown goatskin boots, after having carefully tied her shoelaces.

"Where are you ... fucking ... shirt ..." she cursed, talking to herself. Then she caught sight of it on a pile of brochures and began to put it on.

Nalina's eyes widened to that scene. Everywhere she looked, from the floor to the ceiling, the room was covered in books. Some volumes were carefully stacked one over another and others were carelessly scattered around. The only place that wasn't drowning in leather-bound volumes was a comfortable colossal velvet armchair.

Whoever reads in here ... How can they find a book they want in this mess? Nalina wondered. Her natural curiosity stood in the way of her uncertainty and fear. Nalina wanted to discover more about the people who were staying here.

The girl was finishing equipping herself. She carelessly placed the leather jacket over her back and put soft gloves on her hands. In the end, she completed her repertoire with an unusual bone-framed glasses, which Nalina had never seen before. The girl glanced at Nalina for a moment through the spectacles. Then she raised them to the forehead and left them in her hair like some fashionable decorative accessory.

"They ... What are they for?" Nalina asked shyly.

"They help me spot things in the distance," the girl retorted briefly, walking around the room. She finally settled in a comfortable armchair, crossing her legs, and spun in circles like a child. "Well? You're not gonna lie around for the entire Light, are you? Get down!" she ordered Nalina impatiently.

"Yes, um ... Sorry ... I ... I'll be right down," Nalina replied in a mild tone, unaccustomed to such addressing. She was eager to meet the expectations of the girl who had greatly impressed her with her spontaneity.

Nalina realised she was wearing a grey-coloured nightgown that clung to her body. She blushed, wondering where her clothes were. Nalina checked over her already yellow bruises on the thighs.

Someone had put calendula on them for faster healing and to prevent inflammation. Thankfulness ran through Nalina's mind, and she began to align the bedding before going down the ladder.

"Are you for real? You are making the bed? Oh, just leave it as it was. Anyway, when The Dark comes, he and I will lie there again, fuck each other and disorder everything," the strange girl said nonchalantly. "Jump down, come on."

"My legs hurt," Nalina whispered, slowly coming down the ladder.

"Pff, I think this is the first time I see someone using this ladder. It is more of a decorative element. Suit yourself." the girl's voice became milder. "By the way, I'm Fox."

"I ..." a thought ran through Nalina's head.

Perhaps it's not the best idea to reveal my identity to the person I've just met.

She shut her mouth. Recent events had taught Nalina not to give away her trust so lightly.

"You won't say, huh? Smart girl. You're not the sealed-mouth dimwit you seem to be. You know what? Actually, I don't even care who you are," Fox got up from the armchair and stretched. "I'll never see you again anyway," she yawned and walked towards another chair burdened with clothes. "Put this on," Fox said roughly and threw a grey shirt identical to hers, black linen trousers and slightly shallower, softer skin boots to Nalina.

"And ... What about ... My stuff?" Nalina stuttered, barely daring to ask anything because of Fox's business-like tone.

Not even my underwear is mine.

"He's outside, combing the area. He'll bring you everything he finds, don't fret," Fox flared.

Nalina thought she discerned a glimpse of anger and jealousy in the girl's voice. "Thank you for the clothes and ... Thank you for changing me into the nightgown," Nalina murmured, trying to get on Fox's good side.

I did nothing to her; she doesn't have to treat me that way.

Fox didn't say a word, looking downwards persistently.

The doors of the room suddenly opened.

Nalina instinctively turned her back to them. She did manage to put pants and boots on, but the upper part of her body was still completely naked. Nalina hurried to cover her breast with the grey shirt Fox gave her, blushing.

"Well well, look who finally woke up." said the familiar soft voice humorously, but also with relief. "And ... it's not Fox who you need to thank for that," the male voice then took a mischievous turn which irked Nalina for some reason.

When the last button was locked in its place, Nalina abruptly turned to face the man who had entered the room.

Yet again, she met the same dark-grey, unreadable irises she remembered to have been carefully bent above her with worry. They spread gently and in those ashen, blurred depths, a mischievous sparkle flashed for a moment, which corresponded to the warmth in her brown eyes.

The owner of those eyes was of the same height as Nalina was. As he was standing just in front of her, their noses almost touched. Nalina pulled away clumsily, with haste, but not before she noticed that he had full, sensual lips.

The man wore the same dark-grey linen trousers as Fox. The rest of his "uniform," as Nalina had already called it in her head, was identical in colour. His legs were clad in tall tight boots. Over his shirt, instead of a short narrow jacket, he wore a knee-length, unbuttoned dark-grey coat. A dark-grey scarf with a clearly drawn black triangle adorned his neck, and leather gloves rested on his fists.

Just like Fox, he had placed his bone-framed glasses on his head in a mass of a messy, dark-brown, curly hair that sprang on all sides. The man didn't seem to be trying to tame it at all. "Has anyone ordered tea?" He said with a smile and dropped the tray on a wooden table.

Nalina had not previously noticed it; it was hidden between the books to that extent.

The tea had an exquisite aroma of mint leaves, forcing Nalina's nostrils to flare open. She was thrilled to see there was also dry fruit on the platter. Nalina's stomach twisted in a knot, demanding to be filled up.

How long did I sleep for?

Fox nonchalantly walked past her, slightly pushing her aside and jumped into the young man's arms, wrapping both her legs around his waist.

He passionately returned a kiss she engaged him in.

"My Prince," Fox meowed in a completely different, cuddly tone. "I missed you the last Dark." The girl put her index finger in her mouth, sucked on it and moistened it. Then she passed it over his lips, to which he silently moaned.

"Not now, Fox," he whispered into her ear loud enough that Nalina could hear him. "Be a good girl as I know you are and stay calm. Patience is a virtue."

"I know you want me. Now," Fox challenged him, clutching him harder and harder with her legs, rubbing herself against his crotch area which was becoming more and prominent.

He let out a throaty laugh. "I want you too, but right now I have to think with my upper head," he whispered and lowered her to the floor.

Fox sighed, disappointed. "You're no fun. I'll be outside. Byyyeeee!" Fox waved, swinging all five of her fingers in a brief salute.

It was the swinging of her butt the man gazed at, before Fox closed the door behind her. "Well ..." he laughed. "It's nice when a man is welcomed so warmly, don't you agree, sweetheart? I hope you both slept nicely, and that Fox didn't cheat on me with you. According to what I saw the previous Light ... You surpass me in both length and girth. Although, I don't know how good your technique is."

Nalina needed time to figure out what he was talking about. When the meaning of his words reached her brain, Nalina blushed.

He knows about Anilan. He saw me transform and fight.

The man burst into laughter at her red cheeks. Nalina frowned. "Sorry," he winked at her. "It was stronger than me. I see you don't want to talk about it. Please, sit down," he pointed to a large leather armchair in which Fox was nesting a while before. "As a sign of good faith, I give you the second most comfortable place in my room. I've already given you the first one." he waved towards the bed.

Then the man got up and pulled a wooden table closer to the recliner. "Sugar?"

Nalina merely nodded. Her usual wordiness had abandoned her, and the princess knew perfectly well why. Nalina was still reading and testing him, and he wasn't entirely clear to her. His teasing words and his gentleman-like actions didn't agree with one another.

Nalina didn't understand what kind of person this man was; the man who was sitting nonchalantly opposite her on a tiny stool and pouring her tea into a small cup. He behaved as if they had been friends for ages even though they had just met. His body position and tone of his voice calmed her. Nalina decided to trust him for now.

"You must be hungry. There was no more toast in the pantry, so I brought dry fruit. Later, for The Second Meal, there is some smoked venison," he carried on with the conversation, bantering cheerfully, bringing tea and fruit closer to Nalina.

Nalina opened her mouth to ask him who he was and where she was, but he was faster: "Oh, no you don't. Food first, story later," he said with a benevolent smile. He observed her while Nalina, starved, gorged on pieces of fruit. They disappeared in mere seconds.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought he is enjoying watching me eat, Nalina scoffed.

"You were quite hungry," he laughed.

Nalina finally took a breath and announced: "Could I have some more, please?"

They were the first words she directed to him, and he bent forward on a stool laughing while his eyes were glimmering. "She speaks! Such a miracle. Of course you can, sweetheart."

The man returned with another tray and placed himself in front of Nalina without taking a smile from his face.

She was under the impression he behaved toward her the way one would treat a little girl. That didn't stop her from enjoying his attention.

"That was delicious!" Nalina exclaimed when she finished the second portion of the fruit.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you," Nalina whispered back. She realised how loudly she was chewing. She shyly crossed her hands on her lap.

"I suppose you now want answers to many boring, routine questions. Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here? Am I right?"

His manner of expression puzzled Nalina. Where she was direct and cordial, he was humorous and ambiguous. As if he could somehow turn everything into a joke. The voice didn't help. He sounded like a boy; he could say anything, and Nalina could not figure out whether he was joking or speaking seriously.

She followed suit and jested: "Yeah, you said it all. I don't even have to speak."

"Let me enumerate the answers to those to you, then," he smiled. "I am The Prince of The Mountain. You are on my airship."