Asahina looked at the hand held out for her. She felt nervous. All the time spent training in the academy could only do so much to prepare her for this, for real combat. She took a deep breath and took Alem's hand. His horse was far less anxious with her near, she could at the very least take solace in no longer appearing a monster to even base animals. Seated behind Alem, she lightly took hold of him to keep balance. "I'm ready to do this. Let's go."

Once the blond woman had vanished across the sun-bleached rooftops Asahina spoke up in a quiet whisper. "She seemed to really... like you." She said, not quite sure how to express the rather lustful tone that she heard. She always envied those that could express themselves so easily, finding the right words and having the courage to speak them...

"Alem, are you um, married?" She asked suddenly. It was hard to believe that someone as capable as him could be single. Though perhaps now wasn't the right time to bring it up. Asahina's cheeks flushed red. "N-nevermind, that's irrelevant, isn't it?" She remained silent, and listened to the rhythmic stomping of his horse. 

Soon they arrived to the palace. She wished she could have seen the building under better circumstances, because it was beautifully built. As they had been told, there was a severe lack of security at the moment that left the structure vulnerable. They used a secret entrance in the west to get in, though she had to wonder if they even needed to use it. Their contact was in place as planned, and he led them further inside. Multiple times they stopped to avoid patrols, she bet the blond woman found their clumsy stealth amusing.

Turning a corner she found herself walking down into the depths of the palace. The walls became claustrophobic, and light from the sun no longer lit up the surroundings. It reminded her of the tank she had been trapped in. "We are looking for the Princess, right? Please tell me she's here." She said, her voice uneasy as her breathing became heavier. She wanted to spend as little time here as possible.