Melissa Penworth/Relationships

## The Foresters

### *Jason Stormbreaker*

Melissa was wary of the infamous Forester leader after her first encounter with him, knowing nothing but the rumors and news of his actions since the Foresters first appeared. In his presence, she felt small and intimidated, yet did her best to stand up for herself when she was captured by the Foresters. He allowed her to join the Foresters, but under the express promise that failure meant she would be used as a bargaining chip or ransom. He expressed that he wanted her to fail.

Over the months, the tension between the pair lessened, and Melissa regularly joined in sparring practice with Jason to get better at her swordsmanship. They maintained their usual relationship of thief and leader, though Jason has admitted he's curious to see what Melissa may be capable of when putting her ideals ahead.

By the time of Withered Spirits, a shift came in their relationship. Melissa's presence seemed to weaken the walls Jason put up around his emotions, and two were growing closer as friends as a result. Melissa learned about Jason's traumatic past regarding the Bloodless Massacre and what transpired before. Now understanding the depths of his feelings, Melissa opened herself up to him, showing she felt no hate for his actions. They promised to help each other realize their end goals and work together to make Virdis a better place for all.

### *Jet Fyrewalker*

Melissa and Jet hated each other since first meeting, both coming from different social backgrounds and having polarizing views of their histories. The tension at the start grew between them, bickering openly and even getting into physical altercations.

When Melissa and Jet confronted Marlo the Alchemist, they were forced to work together (especially since they were also linked together). The forced predicament allowed the two to settle their differences and gain a newfound respect for each other, however minor it was.

They have been on friendly terms with each other, occasionally throwing in a quick lighthearted jab or two.

### *Sadie Mailet*

Due to her lack of social interactions outside of royalty, Melissa only had one friend she could depend on. Sadie was a treasured friend inside the castle that made up for the mundane cycle of events, often participating in the Audino's love of gossip. Melissa's interactions with Sadie have given her a finer appreciation with the castle staff, often speaking casually with the help despite being considered inappropriate.

She can depend on Sadie when in a crisis, as she turned to her friend for support upon announcing her plans to run away.

Melissa was shocked to find out Sadie was actually the Forester's mole feeding intel back to them. She learned that Sadie wasn't too thrilled about working for the royal family and that she was viewed as a spoiled princess. She questioned if their friendship was a lie, but Sadie reassured her upon their reunion that she warmed up to the princess and enjoyed her company, which made the work a little more bearable.

### *Marie*

Melissa was wary upon meeting her new wily roommate for the first time, finding her advances to be troubling and inappropriate. Melissa expressed genuine fear whenever the implication of Marie was brought up, such as when she assumed Marie was the one who changed her out of her clothes after her test with Jet.

As time passed, the two grew closer as friends, though Melissa still rejects Marie's advances. She feels comfortable around Marie, seeing her as an older sister she can go to for support when troubled. Melissa has even taken part in some of Marie's antics, like making suggestive comments about men they spy on. She admires Marie for how shameless she is about expressing her true self, something she wasn't allowed to do as the Verde Princess.

### *Pandora Day*

Upon meeting Pandora, Melissa considered her to be a deranged maniac and believed her ramblings about being an evil overlord who planned to take over the world.

As she became more integrated into Fort Lucus, Melissa warmed up to Pandora and took amusement from her quirky antics. She often brushes off Pandora's claims of world domination and just goes along with it for her own sanity. She gets roped into helping her roommate with experiments, such as her training exercises and assisting with the sky slayers (airplanes). Regardless of whatever antics she gets dragged into, Melissa values Pandora's idealistic optimism and friendship.