The sun burned almost too bright high above the streets of Vuoto – something that had become increasingly normal for the small town, yet within the regions of the Darkling Domains it was a change that was too drastic for the inhabitants not to notice. It was a change that had touched everyone from the richest merchants to the lowest beggars on the street – even what appeared to be a teenage boy, begging for food on the street had felt the impact of the sudden change. 
Scarlet felt the stress on her body from not having had any substance for nearly two days: she felt weak and tired – her muscles ached as she slowly made her way through the streets of Vuoto, hoping that she could find something to eat, either through a kind stranger or, if she had to; steal a loaf of bread.
She hadn’t stayed at this particular town for long – in fact it was only her third day as a citizen of this strange town. She had been on the road for many years now, never stayed in one place more than a few weeks and through her travels she had somehow made her way into the Darkling Domains. She had mostly survived since her escape from the facility by stealing and begging on the streets, though as the social environments had slowly changed with the changes in daylight, so had the kindness of the inhabitants of the realms: She had found herself forced to steal more often, and through the hardships of life she had become rather good at it after having discovered the benefits of her different skills – mainly that of her physical appearance and lightness of her body that made her easily blend in with the environment and stay unnoticed for most parts, though her remarkably red hair had caused her a few problems over the years. 
This walk down her stream of memories had drawn her attention away from her goal: she was on the hunt for something to eat. She switched direction so that her path led her down one of the narrower streets of the town that would ultimately lead unto the main road. Having only spend a few days in this strange town, she still found it easy to memorize the different pathways that existed within the jurisdiction of the city – having even discovered a few good hideouts and shortcuts that could definitely come in handy in a future time of need. 
It didn’t take her long to make her way into the main road that was bathed in the burning light from the sun and when she stepped out of the shadow-filled alleyway she immediately felt the strange heat fill the air she breathed – and she was definitely not alone: On both sides of the main road the merchants were lazily surviving the heat, hardly caring much for making a profit in this strange weather. A grin formed on her face as she panned her vision around the scenery in front of her: there was definitely some possibilities for success, she reckoned.

[color=ed145b][i]You know, if you wanted to you could get by so much easier if you would just accept me…[/i][/color] The voice inside of her mind spoke slowly, the wicked smile in the tone made it visible for Scarlet to imagine. 
“Shut it” she growled out loud, something that had become more or less like a habit of hers since she had ‘it’ implanted in her: somehow a vocal expression helped her better than to get into a mental argument with the parasite inside of her head. “I don’t want you here, I don’t care about anything you say,” she added in a lower tone. “Why can’t you just disappear and leave me alone?”
[color=ed145b][i] If only I could…[i][/color] the voice responded, this time in a much lower tone than before.
“Yea, well at least leave me alone…”
She didn’t give Regere another chance to reply as she launched herself from the alleyway, using her small and light body to quickly make her way towards one of the bigger merchant-stands in the street: a stand owned by a big middle-aged man whose big grey beard almost seemed to melt together with his long hair. He was dressed in fine white clothes that barely covered his large stomach and his naturally brown skin was covered in sweat, yet he didn’t smell like the rest: he was clearly a wealthy man – someone who wouldn’t miss a few gold coins from his large pockets. It didn’t take her long to make her way into the shadow of the building the merchant was standing next to. Luckily for her he was busy with a pair of customers and this gave her enough time to sneak up behind him and lifting a few coins from his deep pocket – sometimes having such a small physique did have its benefits, if she was to be completely honest. 
Scarlet disappeared from the main road before anyone had taken notice of her, the thrill of the ‘hunt’ still pulsing through her veins as she turned down another corner into one of the smaller, yet still a busy roads in the town. As she turned around the corner the grin was back Scarlet’s face from earlier, the weight of the coins in her hand told her that she for once wouldn’t go hungry to bed.
However many hours had passed and Scarlet was still wondering around the town of Vuoto, her confident walk that she had adopted after her afternoon success had now decayed into that of a vulnerable and uncertain child. While she had indeed been successful in stealing a few coins from the merchant, she had been less successful in actually spending them – after all if you haven’t had the luck of having any money to spend, would you really know how to spend them? For Scarlet this was very much the case: whenever she had found an inn that served food she would instantly feel a sense of unease and nervousness when she was about to enter – would she seem odd? Would she stand out too much? 
Scarlet let out a deep sigh, she really shouldn’t let this worry her as there was undouble nothing to fear. She stopped in her tracks before she shook her head and ran her right hand through her stunningly red hair. “Get yourself together, Scarlet” she mumbled to herself before she scanned her surroundings: it was the normal Darkling-architecture that to Scarlet held and eerie feeling to it, almost as if it was meant to keep people inside than to make them feel at home. What caught her eyes, however, was a building that didn’t really say much and had a sign that said ‘The Dappled Haunt’ right across the road from her. It didn’t look to be a luxurious place, but nor did it look like a bad place. It just looked… welcoming, somehow.
The doorbell sang its short song as Scarlet slowly opened the door and stepped into the warmth of the interior that held the smell of food, liquor and sweat. She slowly made her way through the somewhat crowded room, noting the various different individuals that each went about their business at the different tables, but she didn’t hold anyone’s gaze. Instead she tried to seem as small as possible as she made her way up towards the bar, trying to keep her thoughts in line and preparing herself mentally to what she should say when she arrived at the counter.