[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/6842e791-fdfd-4d2d-b45f-b8c347f4e655.png[/img][/center][color=crimson]"You don’t need to explain your companion’s behavior,"[/color] Eleonor said as Akiko tried to justify Rose’s rudeness. [color=crimson]"I’m sure you don’t have any intention of stirring trouble, do you? After all, I don’t think you plan to extend your stay here indefinitely,"[/color] she added, with the same radiant smile as always. After laying down a not-so-concealed threat in the most casual manner possible, she said, [color=crimson]"Don’t worry with pleasantries either. I’m not on duty right now so, at the moment, I’m a simple citizen of the Imperium much like you. We are all born equal under the eyes of the Imperator. Now, let’s go before the lunch gets cold. You too, Lorelei."[/color] While the redhead led the way back to the mansion, after dismissing the soldiers that came with Lorelei, Akiko would have the chance to peer deeply into her mind. The sights waiting for her were many, complex and shattered like a scrambled jigsaw puzzle. A happy and fulling childhood, the shock of being betrayed by her twin sister, the gruelling life beginning of her life in the Imperium’s Military, and the feeling of finding home once again with her new unit and then… A trap during the invasion of a foreign land, another betrayal, the commander she trusted her life on forcing himself on her, a child she never asked for… a gift, a jewel as red as freshly drawn blood, a void, endless lives being taken, and lastly… something peering back at Akiko herself from within the turmoil hidden behind Eleonor’s lively facade. [i][color=crimson]"Gotcha!"[/color][/i] Eleonor—or was it [url=https://img2.gelbooru.com//images/6f/e3/6fe34e92f68ae5cf02fa34e71c4b5943.png]someone else[/url] inside her mind?—thought as a dark smirk found its way to her angelic face. [i]"Beware ye who stares at the abyss. You never know when it might wink right back at you."[/i] [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/7c6c1895-bd62-4a04-8baa-bb805f116687.png [/img][/center][color=9932cc]"Cool! It seems like you found a hotshot right off the bat didn’t we?"[/color] Sherry joked as Lin and Maria joined them at the roof. [color=9932cc]"I guess that I agree with chief here. We better find a safe spot before we can get to the details of this situation."[/color] [color=9932cc]"We are passing explorers so don’t wanna disturb the peace around here more than we need to, right?"[/color] she said, looking at Lin and Caprice, before looking around to see if she couldn’t spot a place that looked more inviting but the foreign scenery washed out in dim, crimson moonlight really wasn’t helping. [color=9932cc]"Maybe… should we wait until it’s morning? I can’t see a thing in this darkness,"[/color] she said innocently, which was only good to get a chuckle out of their current host. [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/115b9797-661e-4685-93d0-565497eca030.png[/img][/center][color=900020]"Well, if that’s what you want, you’re gonna have to wait a lot. We may have a moon, I don’t think I’ve seen the sun rise in the whole time I’ve been here,"[/color] Maria said in a nonchalant manner after letting out a chuckle. [color=900020]"That said, I do like your style, girls, it’s good cautious, especially when you find your way into a world where dreams come to rot."[/color] [color=900020]"Let’s get going, I know of a nice place nearby. I trust you don’t have a problem with talking over drinks, do you?"[/color] Maria said as she jumped from the building they were standing to a nearby crypt, and then, continued to hop from roof to roof until she made her way out of the fairly large cemetery—expecting the newbies to do the same—before anything bigger came after them. A little while later, they would find themselves in a shabby-looking tavern, in an equally shabby-looking village, which happened to be a few minutes away from the dilapidated cemetery. [color=900020]"To answer your question from earlier, before anything else,"[/color] Maria said, as she nursed a glass of a clear drink which had a washed off red coloration—just like everything else in this world—while sitting at a table right by the foggy glass windows. [color=900020]"The reason you were lucky that I found you is because pretty much anyone else who’s still alive would use you as bait to make a quick cash. I, on the other hand, prefer long time investments, if you know what I mean,"[/color] she said as she gestured them to go forward and order something right as a [url=https://i.imgur.com/Ap5jyah.jpg?1] red-haired barmaid[/url] who looked to be around Caprice and Sherry’s age, but considerably less well-nourished, brought a plate of fried peppers and onions to their table.