Josephine rubbed her temples before the mirror of her inn.  Vale was such a huge kingdom and, once she had arrived, it had seemed even larger.  Truth be told, her sense of direction was not her strong suit and she had very few ideas of where to go to begin with.  After leaving her master's home, most of her time was spent rooting out places vulnerable to Grimm or that had seen spikes in activity.  Vacuo was a rather easy job - they were everywhere, the towns were more disorganized, but their vulnerability had built a hardiness among her people.  Vale had a different problem - everywhere she tried to look, it seemed the Church had its fingers in the affair of hunting.  It was present in Vacuo, but not nearly so pervasive as it was here.

She found herself in a ramshackle town, only distinguishable from the slums of Vacuo for its hospitality and greener landscapes.  Vale was gorgeous, Josephine knew, but traveling it alone was strange.  She had never left Vacuo without her mentor, and even then it was usually by cover of night. The people here seemed rather content, even cheerful.  Did they know that their lack of reinforced fences and security was endangering them all?  Were they unbothered by it?  Did they resign to accept their fate and enjoy their days, or were they simply ignorant?  It didn't feel natural, but hardly mattered seeing as Josephine wasn't here to shatter anybody's confidence or happiness by doomsaying about the Grimm.  They were just beasts, and they could be slain.  True, they had a tendency to appear more often in places of evil or unrest, but it was already evident to her that the Church closely monitored those kinds of places.

The moon shone brightly over the inn as she fastened her light blue cloak over her shoulders and pulled her hood over her head.  One hand resting on the hilt of her sword, Orphan's Rancor, as she departed.  There would be time for sleeping later, she rested earlier in the day.  The woman passed her horse at the stables and decided to leave him fastened there.  It drew a lot of attention, galloping around in the dead of night, and she wasn't looking to cause a ruckus if it wasn't necessary.  She just wanted to see if there really were any signs of Grimm in this area.  Since leaving Vacuo, she hadn't had a chance to really sink her teeth into one, so to speak.  She strode with purpose, leaving her hood over her head as she wove through the streets of the small town, wanting to be sure that the night life was as quiet as the day was peaceful.  It seemed to be, though the number of guards even at night was nothing impressive.  It wasn't until she was approaching one of the roads out that a rather tired-looking man looked her over and furrowed his brow.

"Ay, where d'ya think you're going?" He asked groggily, crossing his arms, "'S dangerous out there this time o' night.  Could have all sorts of shady characters walking about.  Y'know, like you?"  The man gave a small chuckle, waving his hand, "No, but seriously, can't have you leaving without a real good reason, for your own safety, yeah?"

Josephine sighed.  [i]My own safety?  Get some perspective...[/i] She thought to herself, rolling her eyes under her hood, "I understand.  But I can handle myself well enough, sir, if you could just move."

The man staggered for a moment, "Oh, miss," He seemed to realize suddenly, despite the effeminate color of her clothing.  "I'm sorry. It's kinda dark and it's just been a long day."  His attempt at covering his surprise left Josephine feeling less than impressed and a little red.

She shrugged and opened her cloak slightly to reveal her blade on her hip, "Again, I think I'll be okay, sir.  Now, please move?"  She requested one more time, remaining as polite as she could.

He shook his head, "Can't do it.  There's Grimms and thieves and all the bad stuff comes out; I'm sure you're just fine with a sword, but unless you're a proper Huntsman, I can't let ya through."  She rolled her eyes, 'proper Huntsman.' What a stupid concept.  Really, and such an inconvenience too.  Muttering something unintelligible under her breath, Josephine snapped her fingers.

"Of course, sir, sorry for bothering you.  Have a safe night," She said as she passed him, apparently unseen, and left the city.  He watched as her figure walked away, defeated.  Once she was certain he wouldn't see her anymore, Josephine broke the illusion and her knee gently hit the grass.  "Really, not energy I was looking to expend tonight..."  She muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she caught her breath.  At least it wasn't anything too complex - the man was tired and she didn't need to make a detailed version of herself to fool him.  Drawing Orphan's Rancor from its sheath at her hip, she headed for the woods nearby, pointless though it felt.