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She was floating. But it was not a comfortable sensation, not even close. She was cold, wet, shivering. Suffocating. A desperate inhalation spread the icy water through her nose into her lungs, freezing her airways, drowning her. She opened her eyes in shock, intuitively reaching forward and up. Thankfully for her, the body of water she lied in was a shallow thing, and she broke the surface easily, gasping and spluttering pitifully. It took a few good minutes of coughing, hacking, and even beating her own chest to get the water out of her. Quite the effort for such a small amount of water, but at least she was alive. The relief at being alive brought her to a sudden start, and to her embarrassment nearly caused her to slip. Frowning, Ann-Katrin clambered out of what she now saw was a [i]fountain[/i]. She had almost drowned in a [i]fountain![/i] Only being done in by a spoonful of water or by a [i]puddle[/i] might have been more humiliating. Possible it may be, but ridiculous nonetheless. She then sat down and wiped off her face, breathing through her confusion until she was at least semi-coherent.

As Kat absentmindedly wrung out her hair, still perched on the fountain’s edge, she observed her surroundings, noting the alien-yet-familiar look of the location. Several buildings sported names in languages she could at least guess at by sight, but others were [i]definitely[/i] not something that existed on Earth. That coupled with her distinct memory of having died led Ann to believe this was an afterlife of sorts. She only hoped that her body back in Germany was still there, so her parents and siblings could at least have [i]something[/i] to mourn. She hugged herself tightly and sniffled a bit as she thought of the family she lost, the people she would never see again. Or, if this was the one and only afterlife, hopefully [i]wouldn’t[/i] see for a long while. Katrin pushed the beginnings of an overwhelming grief and self-pity firmly to a corner of her mind with a determined breath. She then stood up, still dripping and shaking as she stood in the middle of a city square which was strangely empty, as if everything and everyone purposefully steered clear of it. The few passers-by she noticed quickly averted their gazes and scurried away as soon as they caught her looking.

Ann pursued her lips in thought, then made her way to the most ostentatious building. The sign on the building proclaimed, [b]“Welcome to Rengoku,”[/b] and Katrin was puzzled at how she understood the writing, even though the script was something like a bizarre and distorted amalgamation of braille and one of those ancient inscriptions, like old Persian maybe? A historian or a linguist may have taken their time to study the writing more fully, but Ann simply entered the building, met the pretty shape-shifting librarian, filled out a form, and was promptly thrown out. She was still reeling from the knowledge, skills, and a single but clear memory imparted to her when she noticed her new apparel. A dagger was sheathed on each of her hips, a curiously comforting addition to her black trousers and belt. A light brown leather breastplate rested over her long-sleeved black shirt but under her jeans jacket and a dark grey silk scarf dotted by small red and white flowers.

Ann-Katrin realized that the added weight of the [i]literal[/i] weapons and armour should feel odd at the very least, however she was instead utterly confident that although she had never been ambidextrous, she could use both daggers expertly. A rather confusing insight into her newly gained abilities when she didn’t remember ever handling anything bladed except for a kitchen knife. Apparently, the bespectacled man had made her into a warrior…? Though if that one memory was anything to go by, her abilities were mostly suited to thieving, spying, or assassinating. And that was a notion she did [i]not[/i] want to consider closely. After all, Ann-Katrin Bennewitz was still herself, she still had her own soul, mind, and body. Right?
 
With that disturbing thought quickly repressed, Kat wandered around, miserably wet, until she managed to find a small inn run by a woman who may very well have secretly been an angel. After taking a day or two to recover, gather her bearings, and explore the town a bit, Katrin repaid the woman’s goodwill by gifting her the scarf she wore. [i]No[/i], she needn’t have done it, and [i]yes[/i], she could have sold if for a profit instead, but how could she possibly let such graciousness go unpaid? After that, she managed to get a part-time job as a clerk, intending to work her way up to an accountant or some such. Though, as she soon found out, hunting monsters was more lucrative, and perhaps the best option for a new-comer, as apparently strangers such as her weren’t well trusted. The fact that she was obviously armed only added to the sentiment, and never-mind the poor state of her equipment.
 
Besides her almost daily four hours of mindless work at a small shop, Katrin found other, more engaging ways of spending time. She helped with the occasional horned rabbit infestation at a farm or a garden. Catching those little buggers was certainly harder then it sounded – as well as potentially lethal if the coward killer bunnies got too scared – but her new reflexes and skills (not to mention the other hunters, pitchfork-equipped farmers, and shovel-swinging gardeners) helped Kat get out of the encounters relatively unscathed. Ann even went so far as to use some hip-hop routines to perform at the markets and earn some more Pana for the effort – the dance [i]was[/i] meant for the streets after all. Once Katrin got over the initial embarrassment of doing what she considered a variant of begging, she had quite the fun with it, occasionally spicing things up with a flip, twist, cartwheel, or split. With her newly gained skills, she could even juggle her two daggers, perfectly pinching the blades between her fingers each time, never injuring herself or anyone else in her performance.
 
Today she was out there on the market yet again, in the middle of her performance, thankfully not getting shooed away by anyone, earning her livelihood as usual. Most people passed by without even a glance, but some stopped for a while, clapping politely or throwing a coin at her – she caught each such payment swiftly and promptly stashed it into one of her pockets. During a short break in her activities, she heard a pair passing by, arguing loudly and clearly about treasure and skeletons and the ruins to the south. Ann wiped some sweat off her brow with a shirt sleeve. She tracked the woman and man with her gaze, intrigued by the possibility of riches but also extremely wary of getting involved in something so risky, especially when she was still practically clueless. Nevertheless, she bowed to the few observers, left “her” premises, and followed the pair, instinctively light-footed and quiet in her pursuit. It was but a few minutes when their conflict suddenly but inevitably escalated to the point of them separating, the male heading off south in a fit, while the woman started browsing wares rather nonchalantly. Worried for the male, even though he probably was an impulsive and single-minded idiot, Katrin sprinted after him.

[color=8A2BE2]“Sir? Sir, please wait,”[/color] she shouted after him as she ran south, hoping to outpace him. He hadn’t got much of a head-start, so Kat was soon enough jogging at his side. [color=8A2BE2]“Sir, please, wait,”[/color] she repeated, slightly breathless. Ann then stepped in front of him, her hands raised in the air so he wouldn’t suspect any foul play, ready to step back in case he managed to stumble into her despite her loudly announcing her presence. 

[color=8A2BE2]“I couldn’t help but over-hear your argument with a companion of yours. It concerned a treasure at the old castle ruins to the south, correct? Well, I [i]might[/i] be interested in such a venture, so would you perhaps tell me more?”[/color] Katrin flashed the male a charming grin, hoping to lessen his sour mood so as to get the desired information.