The Arid Sanctuary And The Nautilus Prince

Even worse, she had to face the village people again as she walked down the road with him. His towering size trumped everyone in the area.

Ciriri carried her five radishes and silently walked into the door. Triton had to bend down slightly to even clear the entryway.

"Sorry if it"s a bit small, I didn"t feel it was worth it to buy a full house for just myself." Ciriri excused as she set the radishes on the kitchen counter.

"I think it"s perfect and comfortable. The minimalistic style suits you." Triton complimented as he found a spot on the floor.

Making himself comfortable on a floor pillow, Ciriri placed a tea cup next to him on the floor table.

As she turned to start her kettle for tea, she caught a glimpse of the street outside from her window. People were trying to peek in from afar, surely curious about what Ciriri has to do with the large Animal Royal.

Her face betrayed her as she attempted to pay it no mind.

"Something the matter? Are you still bothered by the reaction from your Village compatriots?" Triton asked, leaning forward.

"I just know that life for me is going to get a bit more troublesome from here on out…"

"How so? Is my presence here really that bothering? These people have seen a Royal before, right?"

"Some have but, this is Western Village. A sleepy town where nothing happens. Usually, royals would go to Vallou. The city." Ciriri placed a basket of bread on the table then.

"Vallou. I"ve heard of this place from my father. He had set up a trade agreement there years ago."

"He did! How old is he now?" Ciriri was astonished to learn about the king"s vast age. This earned a chuckle from Triton.

"Ah, my father is well on his way to a thousand years now! A bit slow in his stride these days and he"s aware of his old age. It saddened me to receive the quest from him, knowing that as soon as I take the throne… he would soon die."

A tense quiet befell the home. The only sound for a moment was the quickly bubbling water inside the enamel kettle.

"He has done a lot for the kingdom, for sure! I am grateful for him taking the step to build relationships with humans! If he were to pa.s.s on soon after my reign, he will be remembered fondly."

"It sounds like your father raised a very caring son then." Ciriri said with a warm smile.

Before Ciriri could even see Triton"s soft surprised reaction, the kettle began the whistle. Quickly turning the heat off and pouring hot water in a pot, she presented a tray adorned with sugar and milk as well.

"I know you said you only eat meat but I hope you at least drink tea." Ciriri offered as she poured a small serving of tea into his cup.

"I do, and I humbly thank you for your hospitality. You truly don"t have to do all of this. You"ve already offered your home to me."

"Don"t be silly." Ciriri scoffed with a smile as she poured her own cup of tea.

Adding two spoonfuls of sugar and a dash of milk, Ciriri took the time to gingerly enjoy the first sip. The black tea leaves she bought we"re still in good condition and the beverage was comforting.

The look on Triton"s face mirrored Ciriri"s as he indulged in his offered cup as well.

"This is wonderful! Where did you get this kind of tea?" Triton asked in his usual excited voice.

"U-uh, just down the street. The tea shop sells this for cheap…"

Ciriri didn"t know how else to tell him it was basic and cheap tea anyone could buy. The fact Triton was enjoying it made Ciriri want to giggle.

"Basic black tea, huh? I"ve never had it before."

"Ehh?! What kind of tea do you normally drink?"

"Green tea is regular where I"m from. We also use the powder and leaves to make confections."

That made sense seeing as he was from the Sea after all.

"Green tea is pretty common here as well. If I knew that, I would"ve offered that instead of black tea."

"Pay it no mind, I"m really enjoying this." Triton rea.s.sured as he continued to sip from his cup.

Bringing his cup down from his face, Ciriri took the time to notice the sharp teeth lined in his mouth. Truly a predator of the ocean.

"Is there any more?"

"U-uh, sure! Are you hungry? I have stew from yesterday leftover. It has beef in it."

"I would love some! How will I ever repay you for all of your hospitality?"

Ciriri could only smile at Triton"s gushing personality. He was truly grateful for all of Ciriri"s help and it showed.

The night pa.s.sed on calmly. Turning to the late hours of the night, a forgotten bottle of Happote Rice Wine was opened to enjoy.

Ciriri quickly found out that Triton was a lightweight and sleepy drunk. His head dipping in and out of consciousness every so often. She found it comical when his large sh.e.l.l connected to his head would idly b.u.mp into the wall.

Leaving him to list carelessly on the floor table, Ciriri carefully pulled the spare duvet from under her bed.

She turned back to Triton and pat him a couple of times on the back, earning a rather comical snort from the nautilus.

"Hey, let"s get you in bed okay?"

"Mmmmmnngghhhhhffffff-"

How regal of him. He sounded like a grade schooler not wanting to wake up for studies.

"Come on! Up and at em" Triton!" Ciriri pushed as she attempted to grab onto one of his arms.

Slowly but surely, the large prince stood on his own feet. Swaying a bit before looking at the two beds; he then diverted his attention to Ciriri.

They locked eyes for a few seconds. Ciriri couldn"t help but notice even in the dead of night, Triton"s blue eyes seemed to glow. As if bioluminescence fueled them. They were heavy lidded and dark.

Ciriri quickly looked away from Triton"s peering gaze. Patting his arm a couple of times, she lead him to her own bed pushing him down on the mattress.

"You giving me your bed? Why?" The stone gravel tone of Triton"s voice shot through Ciriri. She didn"t know why, but she was blushing.

"You drank too much, you stupid prince. You need somewhere comfortable to sleep. I happen to really like the duvet so get some sleep." Ciriri explained before throwing a thick blanket over Triton"s large body.

It seemed her mattress was just big enough to hold all of him for the night. She didn"t hear any more retaliation as the soft snores began to sound from the pillow.

Ciriri huffed a soft smile before retiring to her own sleeping area. Fluffing the pillow a couple of times, she found sleep came quickly under the help of the sweet alcohol.



If there was one thing Ciriri truly prided herself on, it was she never suffered from hangovers. Opening her eyes to the bright sun peeking through her curtains, she milked a hearty stretch before sitting up from the duvet.

Looking over, she noticed Triton was nowhere to be found. The bed was neatly made with the tea cups and drinking saucers placed in the sink. The empty bottle of alcohol was placed neatly by the entrance of the home for disposal.

"Well, at least he picked up after himself before leaving…" Ciriri softly said.

She felt sad. They had spent a good night together; drinking and talking to one another. Other than Rin, it had been so long since she had just spent time with someone.

Maybe someone in the village had seen where he had gone. Perhaps… he would come back to Western Village one day.

Huffing the solemn feeling away, she hopped out of the duvet. She had to remember that he was on an important quest of his own. Due to be king, no less! It"s not like she was ent.i.tled to constant attention to someone as regal as that!

Shutting the thick curtains to the windows, she removed the nightshirt in preparation to bathe. Standing in her basic white bra and panty ensemble, she started to fill her small tub with warmed water connected to her home.

Removing her bra, she tossed it in the small basket next to the tub for washing. Just as she looped her thumbs under the sides of her panties, the doork.n.o.b jostled.

Ciriri almost didn"t hear it but as she turned around, Triton hadn"t even noticed Ciriri yet. Busying himself with closing and locking the door behind him, he was holding a wrapped package in his large arm.

Then they locked eyes.

Ciriri was standing half naked next to the tub of hot water, underwear almost halfway down her thighs. A strangled and choked scream forced its way through her throat as Triton"s eyes slowly grew in size after realizing his mistake.

"G-g-g-geeeEEETT OOOUTTT!!!!!!" Ciriri snapped. Throwing her arms around her chest, she squatted down in order to cover as much as possible.

Freaking out, Triton flushed his whole body against the front door with a wail of his own.

"I"M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE MY INTRUSION!"

"GET OUT!! GET OUT!! GET OOUTTT!!" Ciriri started to throw any random items she could get her hands on at Triton in a rabid fit.

Frantically fumbling at the door lock, Triton exited the house quickly and shut the door just as fast as he opened it.

Standing at full attention outside Ciriri"s home, Triton noticed the stares he garnered from various onlookers. The package he brought was still nestled in his arms.

Thinking back to Ciriri"s rather modest reaction and cute figure, a small blush crept up on his cheeks. Sure, he was poking fun at her yesterday with all of his flirty teasing but…

This was a bit different, he thought.



Both of them sat on adjacent sides of the floor table. Hands on their knees in a standoff off sincerity.

Taking a deep breath, Triton lifted his gaze to look at Ciriri head on. The deep blush on her face deepened as she quickly looked away from him.

"I am truly sorry if I have embarra.s.sed you. It was not my intention to intrude on a rather… personal moment."

"I-I just didn"t know you were coming back…" Ciriri said quietly.

"Hmm?"

Triton leaned in to try and hear her better. Ciriri leaned back in turn, still a bit fl.u.s.tered from the event. Her hair towel wrapped around her head untwisted and fell onto the floor from the sudden movement.

"I said… I thought you were gone for good. You know, to do your quest…"

"Ahh, well I couldn"t rightly leave your home without a parting gift right?" Triton then moved to bring the wrapped package from his side to the top of the table.

"What is this?"

"Well, I figured you wouldn"t mind so I helped myself to one of the radishes we brought back from the well."

This garnered a very unamused look from Ciriri.

"W-well you know! I"m broke and all and I had to do something! Anyways, with the money I earned selling it, I bought us breakfast from the local butcher."

Ciriri"s ears instantly perked up at the mention of the butcher shop. Not only was it the primary source for everyone"s meat foodstuffs, but they also served very delicious croquettes and meat buns.

Triton being a carnivore, she figured he bought something with a lot of beef in it.

"Ahh really?! What did you get? Beef bun? Chicken croquette?" Her mouth was watering and the embarra.s.sing mood of before was lost.

"Even better! Behold!"

Unwrapping the string around the package, Triton quickly opened the box to show a pair of tightly packed lunch boxes. The main course of the set was three pieces of fried chicken dipped in breadcrumbs. The sides included cooked rice with a nori furikake blend. To top it all off, a mix of cooked and seasoned vegetables filled a corner.

Even though it was a rather basic lunchbox, the well presented and visually pleasing food lifted the all over mood of the house.

"He called it a "karaage lunch". I"ve never seen it before but he said it was made with chicken which is my favorite." Triton said motioning to his proud purchase. "The butcher was elated that I bought from him and threw in extra chicken cutlets for me. Most likely because he knew of my royal standings."

"Extra…" Ciriri looked down into the boxes with wide eyes and an empty stomach. "You really went through all of this trouble for us?"

"It"s the least I could do for someone who opens their home to me. Come on, let"s eat!"

"Y-yes! Thank you for the food!"

In a matter of minutes, the lunch boxes were devoured. While Ciriri practically inhaled her box, a good portion was left in Triton"s plate. Mainly the vegetables went untouched and only a couple bites of the rice were eaten.

"Are you not hungry?" Ciriri asked placing her empty box back in the package it came in.

"Ahh, well I only bought these because I knew humans were omnivores. I only eat meat and can"t get nourishment from things like rice and vegetation." Triton explained, also putting his half eaten box back in the container.

"Ahh~ so… you"re saying you got these because…" Ciriri"s brain seemed to stop her words before she could realize what she was eluding to.

The blush was already rising when she saw Triton smile at her unfinished sentence.

"That"s right, I got them because of you!"

Triton maintained his smile as Ciriri looked down to her used fork resting on a napkin. The room was quiet for a while.

"When you leave… will you leave Happote too? You have a year right?" The question caught Triton off guard. Ciriri kept her head down as she asked her question.

"U-uh well, you know… I would rather not leave the isle… there"s bound to be something here I can present to my father." Triton answered as clearly as he could. His light fidgeting gave away how nervous he was as well.

"I see…" Ciriri looked towards an adjacent window, away from Triton. Her face was red but not from embarra.s.sment. It was faint but Triton saw the tears in her eyes forming.

"Ciriri…"

"This is so stupid! This whole thing is the stupidest thing to happen to me!" She snapped. Burying her face in her hands she hid her tears the best she could from the ever worrying Prince.

"At first… at first it was silly. Someone like you, the predicament you"re in… it"s something out of a book. I wanted to distance myself from you. But, as we talked and spent time together…"

Triton"s worried face fell to a more understanding smile as Ciriri cried her woes.

"It"s so stupid… the time we spent together is only hours but…I don"t want it to end." She said the last bit as a strained whisper. Leaning her body forward to rest her forehead on the table to silently sob.

The playful teasing, the tea, the radishes, the wine, the lunch boxes…

In only twelve hours, he had made an impact on her she felt would last forever. But she knew he had to leave.

She had just hoped he would visit or stick around more.

"Ciriri…look at me."

The soft voice was a bit calming to her. Alas, her face had turned a rather unbecoming shade of red. Still fighting tears back, she sniffled as she met Triton"s gaze.

"You should come with me."

"I can"t…" she whispered sadly.

"I think you can. You"re not a slave to the shop."

"I can"t just abandon Rin." Ciriri sadly said as she dropped her head back on the tabletop.

Triton took the time to huff out a grunt before rising to his feet.

"Ciriri. You must know, I feel the same way."

Ciriri shot her head up to look at Triton. Her wide eyes were p.r.i.c.ked with small tears on the sides.

"We are two different species but I felt an instant connection the moment I met you. To be honest, I thought you despised me especially after this morning…"

Ciriri quickly averted her gaze with a sheepish blush at the reminder of her unintentional strip show.

"However, hearing you pour your heart to me just now, I will fight to keep you by my side. I want you to come with me." Triton kneeled back down to grasp the sides of Ciriri"s face.

She gasped lightly at the touch as Triton guided her gaze to his. The light blue eyes glimmered in contrast to her dark brown ones.

"You feel it too, don"t you?"

She didn"t say anything as the long held tears finally fell down her cheeks.

Bringing a hand up to cover one of Triton"s, they sat in silence. The mutual feeling of friendship stirring in the small home.



"Ehhh?!! You"re leaving?!" Rin was carrying a couple of bags from shopping when she ran into Ciriri and Triton.

Explaining her situation to Rin, she was visibly nervous and guilty at the same time. Triton, on the other hand, was giddy at the prospect of having a new friend travel along side him.

"I-I want to go with Triton… I love working for you but, I want to see Happote too." Ciriri stammered.

Rin"s stance of her hand on her hip with bags looped on her arms looked silly with her stern face. However, she wasn"t looking at Ciriri, she was directing her gaze at Triton.

"What did you do to her? She"s a fragile soul in need of true friends, not battle compatriots."

"I"ve done nothing to her! We spent the night together and realized we were a great match, friendship wise." Triton gushed, his stance confidant paired with a wide smile.

"Spent the night, huh? Ehhh, Ciriri! You"re blossoming already?!" Rin"s mood changed quickly as she misinterpreted Triton"s words.

Both Ciriri and Triton blew into a blush at Rin"s lewd accusation.

"N-no! No that"s not what he meant! Nothing like that…happened.." Ciriri defended herself.

"I am a respectable n.o.ble of the Sea, I would never force myself onto a lady under the influence of alcohol!"

This only made Rin squeal louder.

"Ohhhh you got drunk with the Prince! And nothing happened?! Ciriri, you have the resilience of a G.o.d!"

"Please, Miss Rin! Spare me!" Ciriri buried her head in her hands again.

"In any case Ciriri, I"d hate to see you go. You"re my best employee."

"She"s your only employee…" Triton"s quip earned him a jab in the ribs from Ciriri.

"But, I"m also your friend too. If you feel you have to go, then I"ll let you. But I know you"ll come back one day so bring me lots and lots of good trinkets, ok?!"

Flashing her usual beaming smile, Rin twirled her finger in a small circular motion before sharply pointing it at Triton.

"And I expect you to take care of her when you"re out there! She"s a tough one but if you"re together, you have to be able to protect her too!"

Triton was surprised at the request but quickly gave Rin an equally broad smile. Slamming a fist into his chest, he sealed his promise.

"I"ll do whatever I have to to keep her safe. You won"t have to worry about her as long as she"s with me!"

"Hmm, as long as we"re clear on that." Rin then turned to Ciriri. "If you desire, I have your final pay ready for you. I know you didn"t work but I felt guilty taking all of it so I split it 80/20!"

Both Ciriri and Triton"s faces dropped to the blunt admittance of the horrible pay cut. Money was money after all.

"T-thank you, Miss Rin. You"re always looking out for me." Ciriri said, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

Not picking up on the atmosphere, Rin flashed her signature wink before giggling.

"I"ll be just fine running the store by myself! But if you come back and I have a new employee you"re not allowed to be jealous!"

"I"ll do my best not to be. Thank you, Miss Rin." Ciriri said with a sincere look on her face.

"Oh you know I"d die for you! Now go! Go and travel around Happote. With your super item finding skills, I doubt you"ll go without food and money long. I"m rooting for you!"

Triton offered a deep bow in grat.i.tude next to a gushing Ciriri.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity. I appreciate you letting Ciriri go on peaceful terms."

"This isn"t a civil war peace treaty agreement, jeeze calm down you h.o.r.n.y prince."

Triton visibly stiffened from the insult before standing back up. The look of defeat on his face.

"The variety store on the edge of town sells solid adventure garb. I"m sure you"ll find something worthy of the long trek. Pack light though. Carrying a lot and walking long distances will kill you." Rin explained to Ciriri.

"Thank you Miss Rin. I"ll be leaving after I pack what I need. I know it"s sudden but… I feel I have to do this."

Ciriri didn"t see the small hand rest on her shoulder until she looked up from the ground. Rin"s well meaning smile filled her vision, giving her a splendid feeling of ease.

"You don"t have to explain. Sometimes, things like this happen. I"m just happy it"s happening to you."



"Gear?"

"Check!"

"Protection?"

Ciriri clasped the small dagger to the weapon holster on her thigh. The juxtaposition of a soft looking girl carrying such a weapon made Triton gush a bit.

"Check!"

"Canteen?"

"Eh?"

There was a long pause in the middle of Ciriri"s home as they both stared at each other.

She had forgotten about a water bottle? Something very important for adventurers and the basis of all life on Earth?

"Ahh~ well, I"ll just buy one on our way out of town then! I don"t have a spare one in my home!"

"That"ll have to do!" Triton"s booming yet commanding voice was comical in this event.

"This is kind of surreal, you know. I"d like to think of myself as a realist but me just up and leaving my home like this…" Ciriri rambled as she fiddled with the belt on her shorts.

"Having second thoughts already?" It sounded like a worried question but the look on Triton"s face was one of certainty.

Ciriri quickly shook her head before offering a broad smile to Triton. His smug aura dwindled to her pure smile.

"I"m as ready as I"ll ever be! Let"s go travel Happote!" Ciriri cheered as she pumped a fist into the air.

"Yeah! For the good of the Kingdom! For the good of the Sea!" Triton jumped up, chanting a victory mantra from his kingdom.

Clearly not understanding but letting him revel in the moment, Ciriri silently smiled.

The sun was high in the sky when Ciriri and Triton exited the house. Locking the door, she hid the key under a rock next to a bush.

"I already told Rin to come pick up my house key so no one breaks in. People here are nice so I don"t really expect burglary."Ciriri explained as she adjusted her gear.

"That is rea.s.suring. You are lucky to have a friend like her."

As the pair walked to the edge of the village, many noticed Ciriri was in different dress than usual.

With her head held high, she continued to walk until they reached the general store on the edge of town.

"I"ll be out in a second, I"m just going to get a basic canteen." Ciriri said, already halfway through the store entrance.

"I"ll be here!" Triton said with a smile.

The store was basic, with the items neatly lined up on their shelves. Finding the canteens, Ciriri picked a simple on with a clip. Easy to hang on her hip or back.

"This"ll do. Cheap too, can"t beat that." Ciriri was proud of her find.

"I heard he"s from the Sea!"

Ciriri"s ears perked up as the store clerks were chatting idly to themselves. Maybe they didn"t see her walk in or knew who was in their store but it was obvious they were talking about Triton.

"He"s pretty handsome, I know he"s a fish and all but I can"t argue with that face."

"Yeah but did you see who he walked in with? That blasted girl!"

"Who? Ciriri? I heard he spent the night at her house last night."

"Who"d you hear that from?"

"Are you kidding!? Everyone in town saw him walking into her house."

"They probably got rowdy last night, you think? I always knew she was a nasty girl."

Ciriri was fuming with anger. For them to talk about her like this behind her back…

Taking the canteen to the counter, she met face to face with the gossiping women. The second they looked up to greet her, they froze on the spot.

"Oh! Ciriri, welcome!"

Ciriri stayed silent.

Getting the hint, she was quickly checked out, the canteen and change in her hands.

The woman tried to hand her the receipt after her purchase with a solemn smile.

"Keep it. I"m leaving town anyways."

"O-ok…have a good d"

"Go to h.e.l.l."

She surprised herself in that moment. Both of the store clerks shot her a dumbfounded look before looking down to the floor in guilt. They knew they were in the wrong but Ciriri left the store before she could regret what she said.

Triton was waiting for Ciriri with open arms before noticing the tears welling up in her eyes again.

"Ciriri wh"

"Let"s get out of here, Triton." She tried so hard to hide her broken voice, almost to the verge of tears for the millionth time today.

"As you wish, my friend. Come, let"s get somewhere safe before nightfall."

With a hand on her shoulder, she slowly slipped it off as he looked inside the store. She was so happy before she walked in.

A quick glimpse of the store clerks avoiding his gaze told him all he needed to know.

Ciriri had an amazing talent that the rest of her village goers didn"t appreciate. She was ridiculed behind her back and never made any friends.

In the short time of knowing her, Ciriri was a kind and hard working girl. Someone who did things selflessly and diligently.

Prince Triton would protect Ciriri"s smile at all costs.