[color=turquoise][h1][center] Talia Heigen-Schwertz [/center][/h1][/color]
[h2][center] Foreigner's District, Fuyuki City [/center][/h2]

[hr]
[i]It hurt. 

Every single motion she made hurt.

Pain raced across her body, tears welled up in her eyes.

Why? Why did it have to hurt so much, to carry the pain, the expectations, the wish that they all cried out for, every regret she could hear. Looking into her father's eyes granted no answer. 

There was no mercy to be found in this place. But hidden behind that cold mask of a magus, thin pinpricks of pity could be seen. 

Nothing of value cannot be gained without equal exchange. Pay for our dream with pain and effort, and soon, one day.

We too, might become like stars.[/i]
[hr]

[color=turquoise]"Oho? You look absolutely dashing in that outfit Rider."[/color]

Looking up from an uninteresting magazine, Talia Heigen-Schwertz scanned the entirety of Rider's body, as if there would be some flaw her servant could have made. An utterly foolish notion, but one could never cautious, not even in mundane tasks such as shopping.

If there were any objections to Rider's choice in garments, nothing about her so much as gave a hint as to any. Like a polished pillar of marble, her regal and refined demeanor deflected any probing gaze. It was, however, unfortunate that to many, it only served to make her seem as though she were a particularly precocious child.

The appearance of youth was something to be proud of, yet, it carried with it it's own problems. Something that served as a sore sticking point for Talia. Regardless, propriety was something to be upheld. And Talia was nothing if not a proper lady.

[color=turquoise]"Very well, let us depart now Rider. Our business here is concluded, and we have much more to do before the sun falls."[/color]

Hopping off the bench situated near the dressing room, she gave nary a glimpse behind her, fully expecting her servant to follow after her.

[color=turquoise]"It is good to see that you know how to dress yourself up. It would have been disappointing to see such a renown conqueror fail to triumph in the battlefield known as 'fashion'."[/color]

[@Aoko Aozaki]