[h2]Lillia Avemaria[/h2]

Today had gotten off to a poor start: her intent had been to get to the meeting point [i]before[/i] the others to at least talk with Arinne more normally... and object to the completely unnecessary invocation of the contract. Really, did she think so little of their friendship that it was necessary? All she had to do was but ask, and the other prodigy would have been at her surface with as many of the maids as were currently free to be borrowed from their duties.

But she had mistakenly thought that they would be meeting in Arinne's [i]home[/i], not thinking to double check the meeting point, and it was only upon her arrival there that Maria had been able to get her attention long enough to alter their course! Now instead of being [i]early,[/i] she was going to arrive late... what a poor first impression for someone of her lineage to set...

The number of strangers in the room as Lillia burst in, trailed by a tall and elegant maid that--both through his powers and experience--Paul would know harboured a truly shocking number of sharp implements.

"I-I'm terribly sorry for my lateness," she said, somewhat out of breath, "Lillia Avemaria, reporting." She even gave a little curtsy at that, before the white-haired girl attempted to [i]not[/i] attract any more attention: sidling up to beside Saturday and picking a biscuit herself, with Maria positioning herself by the door. 

At least Saturday was as adorable as ever...