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“Are you sure you wouldn't want me to come with you?” Veronica asked excitedly.

“Hey Teacher!” Veronica called. “Can I show Tirnea around town?” Serena stopped in her tracks for a moment, and put a hand to her chin.

“Very well,” Serena said. “We are likely to find more if we split up, anyways. We will meet back in front of the tower when we are done. If I am not back by sunset, then I want you to proceed without me. I will get myself out of trouble. If [i]you[/i] are not back by sunset…”

Serena cracked her knuckles with a tense, deep breath.

“Then I will be very cross with whoever is responsible… Make sure to have fun, you two.” Serena gave a quick wave before she left.

“Well then,” Veronica said as she waved back. “What were you looking for, specifically? Trade’s Orbit sells a lot of general goods, but Siderite stocks enchanted weapons and such, and Stardust is a good place to go for clothing. If you want to get something to eat too, there’s a big tavern called Harvest Moon that gets produce straight from the farms, and there’s this Tour de Rouge-style cafe that I thought was really nice before I left for The Choir.” The knightess paused for a moment.

“I’m probably going a bit fast,” Veronica realized. “But you’ll probably find what you need there, right? There’s a more general marketplace, but it’s more of a hassle to shop there if you ask me.”

[hr]

Serena frowned as she made her way throughout the city. She honestly doubted that she would find much of note yet; the fop would likely make himself known when he pleased. It was a decent excuse to find herself something to eat and drink, at least.

Though Serena understood the Crescent Sun’s fanatical devotion to destroying demons far better than most, she could not help but find this culture… offputting. A half-breed like herself simply could not exist here, especially one so foreign.

But this was the place where she had met Veronica for the first time, so perhaps she could admit it some sort of sentimental value.

She spotted some sort of inn or another. Serena had eventually learned how to read Abbalic, but something about the way they wrote around here threw her off. She found it better to ignore it unless she had to.

Serena spotted someone coming out the door. Someone short. Something about her eyes… was she Foji? Maybe not quite. All her gear gave Serena the impression that she had a good head on her shoulders, maybe even knew something. It looked like she had business to attend to, though.

“Oi,” Serena said. “Do you know if the food in there is any good? I do not come here very often.”

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Rebecca just kind of shrugged as Calieo continued being brash. She’d gotten used to it by this point. The researcher had to wonder if this person even knew the river existed in the first place, let alone that she might need help crossing it. The idea that they might need to spend another two days getting over there wasn’t exactly ideal, though.

Then Chambala asked her why she was over here.

That was fine. She’d rehearsed this like a million times, what did it matter if she phoned it in on her espionage course? She had this down.
“Well,” Rebecca explained. “I work a lot with one of the sages from the Twilight Fields. They keep good records and know their stuff when it comes to magic, so I kinda study under her. She’s friends with one of the spiritualists around here, and she wanted me to deliver a parcel for her, so that’s what’s got me over here now.”

It had a grain of truth to it at least. But Rebecca held back a sigh; she needed to change the subject if she wanted to avoid any follow-up questions.

“Speaking of which” Rebecca said as she turned her attention to Calieo. “Hey Miss Sunshine, what brings you all the way out here?”

A worthwhile question, at least. If she was from the mountains or Twilight Fields, like her name suggested she might be, then why wasn’t she looking for her artifact over there? Even Rebecca’s own surveys hadn’t turned up anything as important as that.

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[center][h3]???[/h3]
[b][i]Capitol City: The Bazaar[/i][/b][/center]

The agent that Jumper had found was an older woman. Well into her sixties, with wrinkled skin and a glistening white head of hair that went down to her shoulders. Her robes were faded, but very ornate, capped off with a long, beautiful rosary of yellow and blue agate beads that looped around her neck, mingling with a necklace showcasing an impressive number of demon fangs. A sword sat in a scabbard hung around her waist, though she was accompanied by a pair of knights wielding halberds, the blades obviously modeled after the crescent moon.

As she made her way throughout the city, it became apparent that she was of a rather high status. Citizens would notice her robes and rosary and get out of her way, usually followed by a ceremonial greeting. May the heavens light her path indeed.

She eventually came to the central tower that overlooked the city. The guards at the courtyard gate stood aside when the trio approached. spears held in an upright, dignified manner.