World 1.2

Looking left, Yuri sees the silhouettes of two, no three, horses and their riders. She steps off the path so they can pass unimpeded, but contrary to her expectations, they come to a halt.

At the lead is a white horse. Its rider is a man wearing light armor. His wild red hair looks like fire, and the matching scruff along his chin makes Yuri think of embers.

"Prohi!" He calls, and the two riders behind him stop also. He looks down at Yuri- a tiny girl (having never grown past fourteen despite being nineteen now) in pants and a shirt- neither of which look durable at all. Her hair is short and brown and looks very thick and fluffy.

Atop his horse, he looks like a giant from Yuri's perspective, and she imagines herself to be a mouse.

He speaks in a language she doesn’t understand, but his tone is kind.

But, not knowing what he's saying, Yuri can only stare dumbly.

There’s a second of silence, broken when one of the other riders, with long blond hair tied in a braid and kept under a pointed hat, dismounts their horse.

They- or, as she comes to realize, he- says something to the redhead. His tone seems exasperated. The first man retorts, but the second cuts him off by putting a slender hand up in front of his face.

Then he turns and-

Oh.

Oh, he's coming towards me?Should I run, then?

Yuri dismisses the thought. She doesn’t have time to run anyway, as the blond man kneels before her and takes his hat off. He croons something, in the way a parent might talk to a very young child, and if she wasn’t so used to people mistaking her for a child, Yuri would almost be offended. Almost.

He smiles and stretches his free hand outward, palm up, and a dim blue light pulses around it.

Recognizing the gesture as a request (for lack of a better word), Yuri inches closer and slowly, with all the caution of a stray cat, gives him her hand.

"Me vera su versia." He says. There’s another pause, and then...

"Mm. That should work. Are you able to understand our language now, girl?"

Baffled and awestruck, Yuri nods slowly.

The apparent wizard releases her hand and Yuri lets it fall to her side.

"Good," he says. "My name is Circulus, but you can call me Circ."

Circ gestures behind himself to the pouting redheaded man. "This big guy is Lura. He doesn’t bite, I promise, he's just not good with kids."

The third rider, a cloaked figure, puts their hood down.

"That quiet one is Settus, or just Set, if you like."

Set brushes aside a lock of black hair and tucks it into his ponytail. He waves, though his expression is completely neutral.

"My name is Yuri- just Yuri," Yuri says, not comfortable sharing her family name with complete strangers. "It's my pleasure to meet you all."

Lura claps his hands but remains on his horse. "With that taken care of, I'll repeat my question. Child, are you lost?"

Yuri wrings her hands nervously. Her palms are starting to feel sweaty. "Errr...something like that," she answers at length (because it's not like she can just tell them she's apparently traveling the multiverse now). "Could you tell me where I am, and, maybe, where the nearest town is from here?"

Circ gives her a strange look, but answers the question regardless. "We're in the country of Florobus, and conveniently, near the capital city of Arcport." He returns to stand beside his horse. "Say, as we happen to be heading there ourselves, would you like to join us?"

"Oh no, that's okay," Yuri responds instinctively, "I can walk myself."

Larus looks concerned. "Are you sure? I'd feel bad leaving a kid like you to walk even the rest of this way to Arcport."

It would be smart to concede and go with these men. Logically, Yuri knows this.

"Thank you for worrying, but I promise I'll be okay."

But Yuri is also stubborn and insistent on "not burdening" anyone, and since she'd already accidentally started making her bed, she figures she should lie in it.

(And even if her legs hate her tomorrow for it, she argues she needs the exercise- and also she's maybe too good at persevering through her pain.)

"Nope." Circ says simply, and Yuri finds herself being lifted off the ground in an aura of blue. She yelps in surprise. "Minors are incapable of making such important choices," Circ continues. "So be an obedient child and let us help."

An unfamiliar voice- it must be Set- speaks up. "Do you really want to add kidnapping to your records, Circ?"

Having been taught from a young age to comply if she were ever kidnapped (until someone came to save her, that is), Yuri doesn’t even bother struggling against Circ's magic as she is placed into the front of the saddle.

"I am bringing a lost child to the authorities- they can’t arrest me for that," Circ retorts as he begins clambering into his saddle.

"But I'm not a child..." Yuri huffs as they get moving. None of the three men seem to hear her though, so she sighs, resigns herself to her fate, and clutches the horn of the saddle.

Well now, this is a great welcome to your first dimension, Andromeda quips in the back of her mind. Yuri stifles a surprised gasp as the star spirit continues. Heheh, don't worry- I've just retreated to your mind, is all. Can't have you looking like you're talking to yourself, right?

I suppose so...

Besides, accidentally-intentional kidnapping aside, these guys don't feel malevolent. You'll be fine.