[center][h2]Anne Mayer[/h2][h3]Aventon — Hunter's Lodge[/h3][/center]
The look of someone who believed in her. The feeling it gave Anne was as addictive as any drug, and all the more terrifying for it. For the sake of this girl, for the sake of this village, she would cut down any number of enemies—but even so, there might still be those who suffered. No matter how many times she won, war wasn't a realm in which a single woman could realistically protect everyone.

[i]But this time—[/i]

[i]Maybe this time, it'll be different.[/i]

The Knight told herself that with a desperation and longing even she wasn't fully conscious of.

[i]This time, I'll protect them all.[/i]

At the very least her words seemed to have given Millie a little more strength, though her request sent a small shiver of dread racing down Anne's spine. Was she going to ask about her father? It she posed the question directly, it'd be hard to change the topic without making the answer all too obvious. After a moment's hesitation, though, the swordswoman gave a nod of assent, and braced herself for the worst.

"...Dreams?" She blinked, a little surprised as well as relieved. "I'm not an expert on those. Maybe I can take a guess, though, if you'll tell me a little more. What kind of scary stuff was this lady talking about?" It could be just a coincidence, but if the girl with a connection to the Goddess had received any kind of vision, then that had to be investigated. Precognitives, prophets: Anne had heard of things like that before, even if most of the time it sounded like mere superstition.

Unfortunately, before she could get a full answer, an echoing wail blew through the room and assailed both of their ears. Anne looked up, immediately tense, one hand dropping to hover near the hilt of one of her swords. "Hold on a moment," she told Millie. "I'm just going to check outside." It was inadvisable to leave the girl over what could easily be some kind of diversionary tactic, but Anne still made her way to the door and hazarded a quick peek outside, her eyes flashing to and fro for any sign of continued disturbance.

Just one scream. Probably not a full-scale attack, which meant either some random mishap, or... Another 'unexpected guest' had appeared.

[@PKMNB0Y]