Their first night of camping was yet to be over, and Audrey had just woken up from her sleep to the sudden brush of cold air against her cheeks. Opening her eyes, she noticed a pair of feet walking out of their tent in a rush. Still a little groggy from having just woken up, she took a moment to stay still and then tried looking around to find what was happening.

'Where are those two?' Both Roxanne and Rudeia were missing from their spot in the tent. Drawing not only suspicion but also a hint of jealousy. 'Don't tell me that they started dating after all.'

Sneaking away from the group in the dead of night, what other conclusion could she have drawn? The couple was missing, and since they'd waited until everyone else was asleep, there was no room for debate left to be had in Audrey's mind.

Getting up to chase after them, she slipped out of the tent and shifted into her beast form. As a fox, she looked for a moment, and to her surprise, she saw Freya returning to her tent, followed soon after by Custer. Her mind flinched at the sight, and her body went stiff. Not moving even a single step, she narrowed her gaze and stared at their tents angrily.

'What were these two doing?' She asked herself, but with Rudy and Roxanne gone as well, she couldn't waste too much time trying to find an answer.

Departing from the campsite and led by her sharp nose, she moved through a bundle of trees that stood just a few steps behind their tents. Hiding in the bushes, she moved slowly to mask her footsteps. Upon reaching the couple, eventually, she moved the leaves in front of her eyes and quietly watched the duo.

"Roxanne, I–"

"Rudy… Why now?" Visibly disturbed, Roxanne squeezed her arms and turned her head away from their leader. "Can we not do this again? I'm sorry for running away last time, but you should know not to ask me again."

"I just wanted to apologize for what I did." Hearing his apology, Roxanne squinted and lifted her head. "I shouldn't have done what I did. The buying of the slave and all that, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking right, I guess, so please just give me a chance to regain your trust."

Roxanne's tense expression eased a little, but even so, she was far from ready to forgive him.

"Fine, I guess I'll give you a chance, but that doesn't mean I have to accept your feelings for me. I'm just allowing you to gain my trust again, that's it." Puckering her lips, she took a step back while a smile took over Rudy's lips.

One was uncertain, the other simply glad that he'd been given another chance. However, what Roxanne didn't realize was that this was another way for the hero to try to make some room for himself in her heart. Starting from a clean slate, his chances were far greater than without making this apology, but now came the real test–convincing Roxanne to be his girlfriend before this journey came to an end.

"We should head back now." Snapping him out of his head, Roxanne motioned for him to follow her on their way back.

Running ahead of the duo, Audrey decided to get back in her spot before they started wondering where she'd gone. On her way back, however, she couldn't help but feel a severe burn in her heart. Anger was one thing, but what she was feeling was pure, unfiltered hatred. Not towards Roxanne or Rudy, but the situation itself.

Her stepmother was sneaking off with a man who was just around her age, and the man whom she had a secret crush on was actively chasing a girl who didn't love him back. In the meantime, her attempts to get with him were ignored, even pushed back on–even though it was clear at this point that Rudy was at least attracted to her physically. But then why?

'Is something wrong with me?' She thought to herself, trying to remember her reflection in the mirror. A round-faced demi-human with bright orange hair, rosy cheeks, and big eyes, she'd been complimented for them all the time, and many a man would've loved to have her. 'Am I just not his type?'

Twisting her nose as she lay down inside the tent, she held the image of Roxanne's body in her mind. Sure, the healer had bigger breasts and a more neutral charm, but beyond that, how was she any more unique than her? Perhaps it was her semi-mature allure, while Audrey herself was more skittish.

'Is it the personality?' Loving and caring as Roxanne was, her personality was fitting of a healer, but at the time somewhat crude, given her propensity to speak harshly to people she didn't like or had a feud with. 'What's wrong with me then?'

That thought ate away at the young fox, making her tear up in bed, and as the two returned to the tent, she covered her face under the blanket and cried herself to sleep without so much as a crying hiss.

Rudy, on the other hand, was gleaming with joy. A smile was plastered across his face, and he couldn't put it down even if he tried. Roxanne had given him a chance to prove himself worthy of her trust again, and that was enough of a start to give him hope that he could make her his girlfriend.

Roxanne herself, however, was struggling to sort her emotions. On one hand, she felt like it was right to allow Rudy another chance, but on the other, she suspected that it might give him the wrong impression, given his recent actions.

A hero who acted without thinking was far from ideal, but a hero who slumped in self-inflicted misery was even worse to have as a leader, and perhaps that was why Roxanne couldn't help but forgive him. Another chance, the very last perhaps. He deserved it, or so she thought, but whether he did or not remains to be seen.

For now, it was time to sleep, as come morning, there was a lot of ground for their group to cover.

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