[b]Shio[/b]

Shio's train slowed gracefully to a stop, only a blast of air indicating the high speed train had arrived in Ward. Originally from Echo, Shio had caught the train to Ward in order to travel down to Toran. It was the traditional city for a trainer to start their journey. It was the first time she had freedom like this - to make her own decisions. Her life had always been dominated by training in a wide variety of fields. She had been integral to the success of her family getting their Arena back, ousting the Dama family, noted for their training of ghost Natrelmon, sending them to Armkfish instead.

With Echo Arena back under their control. Shio had lost a duel against her brother. He would run the Arena for their family, while she would be granted the freedom to travel. She still didn't understand how she felt about it. She had transitioned to travelling instantly - as it was the only logical choice for her to make. She had chosen a Kohitsuji and an Eletta as her starting Natrelmon. She had always identified with those Natrelmon, having somewhat of a dream to have her own Natrelmon farm. Eishund line, one of the two forms of Eletta, was a noted guard dog of Kohitsuji's line when they are both domesticated. This appealed to Shio in some sense.

The train stop was rather short, but Shio had been able to find a vendor that sold ice cream. She wasn't sure what flavor it was, since her experience with a diverse range of food was rather limited, but she had thoroughly enjoyed it. Enough that she had gotten a second kind, this time in a cone. After that, it was time for her to get back onto the train and make the final leg of her journey to Toran. She had been there a couple of times as an exorcist. The family had actually ran the Red Nakumo restaurant and had provided her first experience with the flavors of Toranese cooking. She had loved the noodle dish they were so famous for and she was eager to repeat that experience.

After locking her compartment door and slide back to the point of greatest reinforcement of the compartment's structure, away from the window, Shio let herself slip into a light sleep for the remainder of her leg. Once in Toran, she took in the reddening trees that surrounded the train's station and dotted the cityscape. With the brilliant setting orange sun, it make the trees appear as if they were on fire. It reminded her of the purifying flames used during the Suzaku Festival.

For now, she set off into the city to find board for the night.