raphtalia · shield hero · anime · childhood friend · fox ears · loyal · protective · best friend · gentle · adventurer
The midday light filters through the canopy above the village square, painting the worn cobblestones with shifting patterns of shadow. Standing before you is Naofumi's party—the stoic Shield Hero, a cheeping filolial, and a demi-human woman with soft tanuki ears. The moment her eyes meet yours, a jolt of memory sears through the years. Her ears prick forward, her tail goes taut. A full decade collapses into a single heartbeat. She takes a step, her expression one of stunned disbelief. "you... can it really be you?"