Propriety

With Kaia leaving with Tarou, Cairn invariably found himself alone with the gently smiling Cardinal Benedictus.

"What did you want to discuss?" asked Cairn, doing his best to maintain a confident facade despite feeling like a mouse before a cat.

Adopting a notably amused smile, Cardinal Benedictus mused, "Nothing like what you're imagining, I assure you."

"Well...that's good?" replied Cairn, feeling more at ease but not lowering his guard.

Exhaling a faint chuckle, Cardinal Benedictus clarified, "With your ability to see through the nature of all things, I'm sure you took a look at Bishop Pierce's status, correct? I'll spare you the details, but so long as he is willing, you need not fear my...propensities."

"Then what's this about?" asked Cairn, deciding to get to the heart of the matter.

"Kai'ankh seems like a very honest girl, so I'm sure she told you about the oracle we received from Lady Restia, the one about you being capable of restoration or destruction," said Cardinal Benedictus. "To that end, I have a request to make of you..."

"Let's hear it..." replied Cairn, brows creased and a slightly annoyed look marring his face.

"It's about my daughter, Sera..." muttered Cardinal Benedictus, opening her eyes ever so slightly to reveal luminous blue eyes set with pure white pupils.

"Generally speaking, it is impossible for a member of the Church who has already taken their vows to sire a child or become pregnant," revealed the Cardinal, "In rare cases, however, a child will be born between two high-ranking members of the Church. Most of these children become members of the Grand Inquisition, protecting the Church and its secrets. Among the ones that don't...there are exceptionally rare instances where they receive special Classes. In my daughter's case, she received the most remarkable Class of all, one that has only appeared three times in the nine-thousand-year history of the Church..."

"Saintess?" guessed Cairn, causing Cardinal Benedictus to pause briefly, a somewhat awkward smile adorning her face as she replied, "Indeed..." in a faint tone.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" asked Cairn. "Putting two and two together, I'm guessing she's waiting for us at the Capital?"

"Your intelligence belies your wisdom..." muttered Cardinal Benedictus, regaining her smile as she added, "Yes, Sera is currently awaiting you at the Capital. As for my request...I ask that you treat her with consideration and do not refuse when she petitions to join your Party. That girl has lived her entire life believing it is her purpose to accompany the Champion and save the world. Now that a Champion has appeared...I fear she may have developed certain...illusions."

"Exactly how old is your daughter...?" asked Cairn, feeling uneasy about the direction of the conversation.

Fortunately for Cairn, who anticipated Sera to be a minor, Cardinal Benedictus revealed, "She turns 37 on the 13th of Taureau, the Seventh Month of the Plainaire Calendar."

Feeling relieved, Cairn shrugged casually, stating, "Well, as long as she isn't overly unhinged and doesn't try to order me around, having an extra healer wouldn't hurt."

"Then I can rest easy," sighed Cardinal Benedictus, smiling gently as she stated, "Sera may be a little zealous, but she's not a troublemaker. I'm certain she will be a great aide to you and your Party."

"Then, if there's nothing else, I'm gonna jet," said Cairn, thumbing toward the door. "No offense, but you're one scary woman."

"I certainly can be," mused Cardinal Benedictus. Then, with her hand over her chest, deforming her ample bosom, she customarily appended, "May the Light of the Goddess guide us..."

"Hopefully, nowhere too dangerous..." replied Cairn, turning on his heels and waving his hand as he departed. He felt like an idiot for waving to a blind person. Fortunately, just as he felt the urge to smack himself in the forehead, Cardinal Benedictus raised her hand, reciprocating the gesture with a smile...

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Failing to find Kaia in the barracks, Cairn briefly considered going to look for her but ultimately decided against it after noticing she was 93m away, moving around rapidly with the [Auto-Resurrection] buff applied. She was clearly in the middle of sparring with another one of the Neophytes, so he decided to use the opportunity to decompress in the bath before anyone else showed up.

"Huwaaaaaah..."

Sinking into the comfortably hot water, a contented sigh emanated from Cairn's throat as he began to reflect on the past couple of days and what he wanted to do in the future. At this point, he was fairly certain he wasn't trapped in some kind of immersive scientific experiment, so he needed to start seriously thinking about what to do with the life and opportunity he had been given.

With the previous Champion performing feats such as unifying the North and establishing the first human Kingdom, Cairn had some big shoes to fill. Of course, he didn't have to compare himself to Alfred, but unless he could shed the status of 'Champion,' others would invariably compare his feats and achievements to his predecessor.

Opening his Quest Menu, mentally selecting the tab denoting Incomplete Quests, Cairn gave them a once over before asking aloud, "Isn't giving me ten years to enter the Tower of Ascension effectively telling me not to lay my roots in this world? And how am I supposed to convince nine others to abandon everything to accompany me?"

As he wasn't expecting a response, Cairn was pleasantly surprised when a window with a microphone icon appeared before him, the delicate voice of a woman asking, "Do you 'want' to lay your roots in this world?"

"Are there better prospects waiting for me in your Garden...?" asked Cairn.

"That depends on you," replied the voice, presumably belonging to Restia. "I can't give you any specifics, but the world you're in, Plainaire, does not have to be the end of your journey. Phenomenal opportunities await those who venture into the Tower. However, if you would rather stay outside and make Plainaire your home, you have my blessing. Just keep in mind that if you treat my children poorly, that adorable little Goddess of yours will not be able to spare you from my wrath..."

"Are you talking about Gaia?" asked Cairn. Unfortunately, the moment he finished speaking, the chat window closed. He assumed this was because Restia no longer felt like talking, but the reality was far more sobering...

Emerging from the entrance to the changing room, Asim, accompanied by Kaia and Tristan, called out, bellowing, "Ah, Brother Cairn! You really were here! Allow us to join you~!" in a friendly tone.

Resisting the urge to groan aloud, Cairn sank into the water until he was lying against the bottom of the tub. A few moments later, the feet of the trio broke the water at his sides, Asim and Tristan entering to his right and Kaia submerging her lower half to his left.

Though he was tempted to stay underwater, a very real possibility thanks to [Air Filter] allowing him to breathe in any environment, Cairn eventually resurfaced around thirty seconds after he had submerged. When he did, all three Neophytes stared at him in silence until Asim took it upon himself to ask, "Has our arrival troubled you, Brother Cairn?"

"Yeah, but only because I'm not used to bathing with others..." replied Cairn, his voice lazy as he stared ahead with unfocused eyes. He knew he was the odd one out in the situation, so while he found the concept of communal bathing bizarre, bordering on deviant, he didn't disparage it directly.

"Hmmm...I see..." said Asim, caressing his chin thoughtfully. He wanted to do something to alleviate Cairn's discomfort, but nothing came to mind. It was customary for unmarried men and women to bathe together in all but Elven society. For everyone else, it was viewed as a means to break down social walls and decrease the probability of people developing repressive and violent tendencies. The practice originated with the Felidae, but after decades of research proving its merits, it eventually became the standard for all but the Elves.

"Then allow me to help you..." said Kaia, cementing Cairn's deadpan by positioning herself in front of him. Then, just as she had in the Dungeon, she sat atop his shins, meeting his gaze without a hint of fear or shame.

"..."

After holding Kaia's gaze for nearly a minute, causing an awkward tension to build, Cairn tentatively inquired, "What are you expecting me to do?" in a flat monotone.

Shaking her head, Kaia firmly asserted, "Nothing. I just want you to look at me and not be ashamed. We are companions who have vowed to travel and face innumerable trials together. The only barriers between us should be the boundaries established by marriage..."

Nodding in affirmation, Asim appended, "Our intrepid younger Sister is correct! I could understand your apprehensions if we were someone you fancied, but as friends and colleagues, we should be able to sit shoulder-to-shoulder and enjoy ourselves without worry! Now, come, my Brother! Let this senior of yours wash your back...!"

Staring at the white cloth in the smiling Lionel's hand, Cairn felt an almost overwhelming urge to roll his half-lidded eyes. Instead, he looked to Kaia, holding her resolute gaze for several seconds before allowing his eyes to wander down, following the black twine sporting her identification totem and the crystalline figure he had given her.

("They're bigger than I thought...") noted Cairn, feeling a combination of forced indifference and mild befuddlement. He had never seen a pair of genuine fur-covered breasts before, so his brain was sending him mixed signals. It was like his neurons wanted to 'activate,' but the uncanniness of the situation just left him feeling...confused.

"See? It's not a big deal," said Kaia, emphasizing her point by reaching up to cup her breasts. "They might be covered in fur, but they're functionally the same as any other pair of breasts. You shouldn't feel ashamed to look at them. After all, the only thing that makes a pair of breasts special is the person they're connected to. We don't have that kind of relationship, so if you're curious, just ask."

Though he was tempted to ask her to clarify what she was talking about, Cairn just smiled and replied, "I'll keep that in mind..."

Seeing through Cairn's facade, Kaia exhaled an audibly frustrated sigh, a pouty expression marring her face as she extended her hands, palms up, and said, "Give me your hands..."

"I'd rather not," replied Cairn, adopting a frown of his own as he added, "Look, I get what you're saying, and I'm not saying it's bad or that you're wrong. Just give me some time, okay? You know better than anyone how 'new' this is for me..."

Realizing she might have overstepped her bounds, Kaia's ears drooped, her bravado fading. She didn't intend to pressure Cairn or make him feel like he was being forced to conform to her expectations. She just didn't like the feeling of 'distance' he insisted on maintaining between them...

Believing he had also crossed the line, somehow, Cairn attempted to smooth things over by extending his hand to caress Kaia's head. He was pretty sure that she had just tried to get him to feel her up, so it seemed like a fairly innocuous middle ground. What he didn't know was that this was that, for a Karakut, the act of petting the space between their super sensitive ears was far more intimate.

Feeling equal parts exasperated and frustrated by Cairn's actions, Kaia became even sulkier than before, puffing out her cheeks with moisture building in the corners of her eyes as she muttered something only she could hear...

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(A/N: Culture shock can go both ways (O 3 O)...)