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Lily had a few things she needed to do while Mia slept. First she used some of the rope Mia had been tied with to bind the unconscious Beth. Next, she had to figure out what to do with Tommy's body. She didn't have any way to bury him, so she settled on dragging him out into the woods. Hauling a dead body made her sick, especially since she was the one who killed him. A few days ago, I couldn't imagine hurting anyone, yet now I'm a killer. That was another in a long line of things she would have to talk about with Mia. Would there be repercussions for killing a bandit? She wouldn't feel comfortable if her position as a champion of a goddess let her run around and kill people. Mia was afraid of her when she found out who and what she was, so she needed to find out what her status actually meant. Until then, she decided would focus on the task at hand. She removed Tommy's sword and inventory and dumped him a small cave at the forest's edge. Dealing with Beth was more tricky, but she carefully transferred her into the forest, taking care not to injure her further. She removed her weapon too, but left behind her inventory and the small dagger the thug had carried with her. Carrying two adults in the dark was tricky, despite the torchlight and her improved vision, and she was a little tired, but she needed to keep watch for the rest of the night.

There was no moon out, so Lily spent her time gazing at the stars flickering in the night's sky. She had been a city girl, the light pollution making it impossible for her to stargaze back on Earth, but one of her favorite memories of her parents was them all vacationing in the country, her father carrying her up to the roof of the small cabin they stayed at to stargaze together. She never had the time or money to use one of the telescopes in the city's observatory (hardly the only thing she had to make do without as an orphan), but now she had the chance to look at the tapestry above with her own eyes. The sight of the countless stars looking down on her filled her heart with awe, and in that moment she was glad that this world had no great cities with brightly lit towers to block the view, for she intended to do this often. How many people back on Earth never get a chance to see this she wondered, and the thought of Earth made her realize something else.

For as long as the human species has existed, they looked to the stars and questioned if they were alone in the universe. Well, now she had proof that they were not, the first human ever to look at the starry sky of another planet. She wondered how many of the lights above had planets like Earth and Teras of their own, filled with life.

"I wonder if one of the stars I see is the Sun?" she asked the darkness, but the heaven above gave no answer. The thought reminded her of her past life and her dead parents, and she whispered, a single tear running down her cheek:

"Mom and dad, wherever you are, don't worry about me, I am gonna be just fine."

The sun was out in its full splendor when Lily decided to wake Mia up. The smaller girl was sleeping serenely, and Lily wondered how she could look so pretty after everything she'd been through.

I really am falling for her, aren't I? Which is stupid, because I hardly know her. Is she even into girls? What does this world think about that sort of thing?Goddess knows Earth wasn't always the most accepting place for a gay gal like me. Besides, if I make a move on her, she might think she is forced to accept or I would leave, which would kill her and I don't want to take advantage of her like that. It's for the best that I take it slow and see where we go from here. We are gonna be spending time together anyway, no need to rush anything.

She gave the sleeping beauty one more look, before gently shaking her and saying:

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead!"

Mia opened her eyes slowly, and smiled as she saw Lily standing over her. The taller girl looked even cuter in the morning light and Mia let out a sigh.

I like her a lot, but the whole situation is very awkward. I don't even know if she is into girls, and she is completely new to this world. She is a champion of a goddess, Dahlia at that, and she doesn't know all the implications of that. If I make a move on her, people will say I took advantage of her inexperience. I could live with others thinking that, but I don't want Lily to think I am only helping her to get into her divine pants. No it's best that I tread carefully.

She pushed the lecherous thoughts aside and asked:

"Thanks for waking me up, what's the plan for today?"

"I thought I would leave that up to you. You are familiar with the world, unlike me, and you said you could drive this thing," Lily answered, gesturing at the carriage.

"That's true. Our best bet is to drive back to my hometown of Lundin. The brigands captured me yesterday, so it can't be that far considering how slow they were going. There is a temple of Dahlia in Lundin as well, and they can officially proclaim you as a champion there," Mia answered while sitting up. "Until then, you shouldn't mention your status to anyone else," she added, and Lily nodded.

"Makes sense, you will have to explain a lot of stuff to me before we get there. But before any of that, I was planning on washing myself in the nearby stream, and then catching some sleep. This new body is awesome, but it has its limits too, " Lily said, before giving Mia a questioning look:"Wanna join?"

"A wash sounds great, but I don't have any other clothes," Mia said, looking down sadly on the rags she was wearing.

"My inventory is not here."

"No big deal, I have some spare clothes. I am a little taller than you, but that shouldn't be a problem," Lily said cheerfully, reaching for her inventory.

"The goddess gave you those items, I am not sure I should be wearing them," Mia said, but Lily quickly shot her protests down:

"They are mine now, and I don't think Dahlia will mind if I use them to help a cute girl in need."

Seeing that Lily wasn't taking no for an answer, Mia conceded: "Okay, if you think it's fine. Let me at least teach you how to use the inventory properly, in exchange."

She then proceeded to explain how Lily could place one hand over the inventory bag, think of the specific item she wanted to get, and it would appear inside. It was more efficient and easier than reaching inside blindly and then trying to think of an item. Lily gave it a try, and sure enough a pair of shits appeared in the bag. She gave one to Mia, and then repeated the process for the rest of the clothes they'd need.

The girls exited the carriage, and Lily suggested that Mia go first while she tied back the trunks late Tommy had used as a distraction. Mia agreed and went into the underbrush, towards the stream. The luggage wasn't heavy and there was enough rope to tie it back onto the carriage, so the work went smoothly. Lily briefly considered opening the trunks to see what's inside, but she didn't want to get in more trouble by rummaging through stuff that was most likely stolen. She also thought about checking in on the place she left Beth and Tommy's body, but she wasn't sure she had the time, and she wasn't all that worried about the old woman anyway. Judging from the effects the binding had on Mia, even if she woke up she would be in any shape to fight. Just as she finished tying the final trunk back, she heard movement in the bush, and soon saw Mia stepping out onto the road. The green shirt and brown pants gave her a rugged look that went well with the determined look on her face. Lily was glad to see the girl look more confident, though she doubted Mia would forget the terrible events of the previous day any time soon. The petite girl walked up and said in a voice that was far more cheerful than before:

"I really needed that. Your turn now."

Lily nodded and started moving, but before she could leave she felt Mia grab her hand. She spun around but before she could say anything, Mia spoke up:

"Thank you again, you are so very kind. I was very lucky to meet you."

Her emerald eyes gleamed in the glory of the dawn, and Lily was taken aback by the beauty. Her whole body and soul was asking, begging her to embrace and kiss Mia right then and there, but her cautious mind said no. She let the moment pass, instead giving Mia a smile as she pulled her hand away.

"Don't mention it, I am glad that I could help someone who needed it, especially when they are so beautiful," Lily said, smiling. She spun on her heel again, and made her way towards the stream, leaving the blushing Mia behind.

Getting out of the armor and feeling the slight breeze on her skin felt liberating, and Lily deeply enjoyed her bath. She didn't want to linger though, so she quickly put on some fresh clothes and made her way back. She saw Mia feeding the horse, which reminded her of her own hunger, so she pulled out a couple of sandwiches."

She gave two to Mia, before asking:

"I was wondering if food can go bad inside the inventory?"

"Thanks for the food. No, time doesn't pass inside, so items in storage keep their condition. It's very convenient," Mia explained.

"You really don't have to thank me for everything. We are in this together now," Lily said, before taking a bite of her food.

"Okay, I'm just not used to kind people like you," Mia admitted, and Lily chuckled.

"We'll see how kind you think I am when I pester you with a hundred questions about everything, later on," Lily said, grinning. "But first I need to get some sleep. Are we ready to go?"

"Yep, you just jump in the back, and let old Mia here take the reins," Mia said with a smile of her own.

"Aye aye, captain," Lily replied, giving Mia a cheeky salute before making her way inside. As she laid down on the bench, she could hear Mia climbing into the driver's seat and giving commands to the horse. Soon, they were moving, and Lily quickly fell asleep to the rhythmic sound of hooves hitting the dirt road.