---

"Ah, Apple huh. Well yeah it adds malic acid flavor." Akari replied to Jazdia in a positive gesture.

Akari put in the chopped and peeled potatoes first and stirred the pot gently once the meats were cooked. As Jazdia brought those apples for her, she peeled some and cut some into nice pieces. Akari checked the stew again after some careful waiting to check if the potatoes had softened. She added the vegetables first before the fruit since apples were easier to cook than the available prepared vegetables. Once the vegetables are good, Akari finally put in the apple and let it stir slowly until the condiments thickened the stew.

"Everyone ready your bowl, the dinner is ready." Akari gestured to everyone.

"That packing condiment seems interesting." She continued, but that phrase could only be heard by herself and nearby people.

---

Fia stood by almost spacing out as everyone else busied themselves in preparing camp in the newly arrived clearing. The air was crisp, fresh even compared to the venomous mists that contaminated their earlier meeting place. The the leaves rustling softly and the sound of water trickling over the rocks of the nearby creek, had one not known better, these lands hardly seemed cursed. The break in the canopy helped the stars shine through, bringing in a longing light that was absent with the moon.
It was rather late and as Fia merely listened to the soft commotions around her, she was almost sleeping where she stood. Her eyes flew open as Vesemir called for introductions. This was to be expected to take place sooner or later. Fia already had the chance to at least catch some of the name of those she traveled with. Four days through the forest paths with little in actually activity didn’t give them much option to do anything else. At least now Fia knew the names of everyone else minus their employer. A party made up almost entirely of elves, it was to be expected in the elven land. More so since these cursed lands specifically hold much history from a time before modern freedoms. Assuming that old elf Fia was acquainted with knew what he was talking about.
“If we are worried about the ethereal, then maybe we should harness our own unearthly power ourselves. Fighting fire with fire. You could say that I am uniquely equipped to return that very fire.” said Fia. Despite the tiredness in her voice, she kept a nigh cheery lift in her speech as she joined the others. She held one hand to her chest, while the other pinched the frill of her dress. She bent her knees slightly lowering herself, crossing one leg behind the other. Her head bowed forward. “My name is Fia. It is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintance, darlings. I look forward to uncovering the hidden truths with you. And if I’m allowed to be a little selfish, find myself further power that might be hiding.”
Fia stood straight, letting her dress fall. The warm hearty smell of the stew the Nippon ninja and the elven archer started to waft. Now with hunger competing with exhaustion, Fia awaited for the stew to finish simmering. Late as it was, the stew was made in record time, and the warm scent drifting across the cool air was heavenly. A simple stew, perhaps, but out in the wilderness, especially after the encounter with a dragon and its minions, was a worthwhile meal.
“I might be alone, but I would hope to encounter the dragon again. You could say it is one of my selfish wishes. When else would I have such an opportunity to uncover the hidden potential within its body. It’s not like the dragons of fairy tales, so much about them could still be lies. But to me, that doesn’t matter. It’s my thrill.” said Fia. She sat down on one of the main boulders that lay halfway buried in the soft ground, her eyes drifting towards the others. A bowl of stew now in her hands courtesy of Akari.
“I suppose in the meantime, I could indulge in…” her voice was already soft enough to only be heard by herself, but it trailed off quieter beyond any hope of catching. Vesemir had his goals, and Fia was very interested in helping him reach them. The artifacts and history that lay dormant for so many centuries was about to be uncovered. An exciting prospect. For Fia, there was even more available, if the two emeralds from the treents she acquired was a hint. Not a week into their journey and they encountered djinn not often if at all seen outside the twilight lands. So far, the dragon was a crowning jewel. But in the interim, she considered herself fortunate to be traveling with a powerful crucible knight, and a spunky little snek.
“I don’t think I have any questions not already asked. But I hope that we do get closer as we journey on. Trust is going to be important, deary.”

---

"A Miko?" Akari said to herself and nearby party member if they can heard her low volume of voice.

Akari rarely sees fellow country folk. With her body comparison, the young Miko had clearly just arrived in a foreign nation. Temples follow rigorous diets, making them appear smaller and thinnier. Akari is familiar with it from her previous diets as a ninja, staring at her is like staring at a previous version of herself. She was also smaller and thinnier than her current stacked, taller and healthy medium frame, for living independent and as an adventurer for years. Based on her current condition, the young Miko appears to be abandoned or separated from her group. Akari filled the bowl with a stew before approaching her. Akari's appearance suggested that young Miko may recognized her especially how she wears and carrying a familiar weapon, yet she nonetheless handed her a bowl of stew for hospitality.

"No, we are currently resting for the night. You must be tired. Why don't you have a sit, take this bowl of stew and tell us what happened?" Akari answered the young Miko politely and with warmth smile.

“If we are worried about the ethereal, then maybe we should harness our own unearthly power ourselves. Fighting fire with fire. You could say that I am uniquely equipped to return that very fire.”

@Randomness

"Madam, that's exactly our goal now!" Vesemir said, looking even more beaming than before. "Alkautsar holds very limited records from the ancient days, but thankfully I managed to find the important bits; That was after Serensiel's death, the new Government led by Theriadore created a tool to combat ethereal beings. I could only hazard a guess that such adversaries were abundant post great-war, or were developed to aid the effort to claim the land. Unfortunately, it seemed the latter was abandoned and the former was unsuccessful. To what degree, I do not know, but I am very sure the vault holds the answer, or even the prototype itself.

"let us just hope that dragon doesn't guard the old library too." shrugged Mr. Elc. "But I am curious, Vesemir, if there is an option not to seek a confrontation with Vildared'saca, would you take it? You seem a bit too immersed in the prospect of taking down the ancient dragon."

The scholar shook his head and spoke assuringly. "I would not take any unnecessary risk that may endanger my crew. But what you call immersed, Mr. Elc, is preparedness."

The masked elf nods. Did the diplomatic answer satisfy him? To the initiated, they could see that Mr. Elc was fishing for a certain answer to measure the scholar's intention and resoluteness to that cause. And such ambiguous answers were the bane for an interrogator like him.

“I might be alone, but I would hope to encounter the dragon again. You could say it is one of my selfish wishes. When else would I have such an opportunity to uncover the hidden potential within its body. It’s not like the dragons of fairy tales, so much about them could still be lies. But to me, that doesn’t matter. It’s my thrill.”

The sorceress said. This time it earned her a slightly concerned look from Jazdia, but she uttered no word, and instead, sipped her tea and then looked to the dark horizon, mulling over the words 'trust' and 'closeness', and to what extent a camaraderie could be forged. Only Mr. Elc was willing to offer his view on that statement.

"I will not judge you solely based on your words, Madam Fia, but there are secrets in this world that are better left undiscovered and forgotten. And in this Land of Twilight, the power derived from such secrets often comes with a terrible price."

The appearance of a teenage foreigner suddenly grabbed everyone's attention. Mr. Elc was the first to assume a combat position, while Jazdia stopped sipping her tea and had her eyes fixed on their newcomer. Meanwhile, Vesmir and Eblana looked at the anomaly curiously.

This encounter was a bit too random to look to be what it was; a foreigner stumbled upon a colorful party, in the middle of a haunted and dangerous forest, at midnight, just a few hours after a legendary dragon showed up. But The so-called ninja was the one willing to look past the incongruity and offer her some hospitality.

"Did you two hire another adventurer?" Whispered Mr. Elc to Vesemir and Eblana. Meanwhile the ninja could be seen scooping a portion of stew for the girl.

"I have no idea about this one." answered the scholar.

Jazdia too could not be asked to scan this newcomer, being low on mana. So for the time being, the task of determining whether their guest was a real breathing human or another projection created by the Land of Twilight itself was left to Akari, who offered her a small talk, and the so-called Miko seemed a way too articulate for a wayward spirit.

But you could never be too careful. Let's hear what the Miko had to say.
@Akari@13org

"Before anything, I guess introductions are in order. My name is Miwa Shirakawa, the current Miko from the Shirakawa temple. I volunteered to escort a group of scholars to the Land of Twilight but unfortunately... They proved to be much less competent than I anticipated and ended up running away after encountering a few mutant dogs and the huge dragon flying in the distance..."

@13org

When Miwa started talking, the masked ranger released his grip on his sword, and gradually the tension dissipated as she introduced herself and her situation. When her story arrived at the part where a scholar was mentioned, Vesmir intriguingly walked toward her and replied the courtesy with another Eastern-style bow.

"Greetings, Miwa. I am Vesemir, the leader of this group. Another scholar you say? I do not know your former employer personally, but I hope you will pardon my colleague. As for us, we just escaped from a very tight situation ourselves. We had an encounter with the dragon you mentioned earlier, and suffice to say it gave us quite a hindrance. So I hope you too could pardon the lack of immediate hospitality. Please rest, and enjoy a little bit of what we have."

There was a conversation about what to do next with the new guest. Had it been left to his advisors to decide, the plan would have been to have one of them escort Miwa to the border, but the Miko had another idea

"I can assure you I won't be a burden. I am more than capable of taking care of myself and I am sure my skills will be of use in keeping your group safe. I do not require any payment and should you decide my presence was helpful, all I ask is for a donation to be made and sent to the Shirakawa Temple in Nippon along with a small letter with your endorsement."

There was a small pause, then a hearty laughter coming from the old elf. He spent a moment studying this miko, and the long weapon she used spoke quite a fair amount of her claim.

"Should you be interested, I would be glad to tell you a bit about the Shirakawa temple, it's history and the reason for a Miko of a temple known to only have one Miko per generation to be so far away from her homeland. Over a bowl of stew and a place to rest, of course."

Miwa added, just when Vesemir turned his back on her. For a moment it seemed as if Vesemir did not take her seriously. But Mr Elc could attest that the old elf was very intrigued with the proposal, and would even sweeten the deal.

"Well, you hear that? Would be glad to have more hands in this enterprise!"

"Whatever you say, boss. But I agree, the more people we have, the better. The girl seemed able to handle herself."

"Ha! Ain't that right?!"

The decision was quick, and Vesemir took no time to fetch a pouch of coins from his burden beast and tapped Mr. Elc's shoulder as he passed --as if indirectly telling him that he just hit a jackpot. It was supposed to be the payment for the transportation earlier, but since the coachman was presumably either dead or eaten by the Land's creature, the funds were better off allocated to hire more hands, more capable hands, according to his assessment.

"Miwa, I will pay for your service and your story in full," he said as he handed the gold coins. "Welcome to the crew!"

---

As congratulating the young Miko, she patted her and gave her a warmth smile. She then went back to the serving pot. Filled her bowl, good thing there is an extra that supposed to be for the coachman. Grab a spoonful and put her on her mouth. While eating, she filling up the pot again with ingredients as she is aware from her non-human party members. The snake girl and the dragon-kin knight surely have more portion needed. Regarding how good the two we're, the young kunoichi doesn't mind to fill up their stomach not just one pot but two or more.

"And once again, Vesmir secured another hireling into the fold, as effortlessly as picking a feather in the market." remarked the Jazdia, still sitting near the fireplace.

"Mmmm, that's just Doctor Vesmir alright," replied Eblana with a smirk. The elven healer sat next to her, enjoying their dinner. The big pot was still half-empty, simmering by the campfire, but it seemed the Ninja felt it was not enough to feed the rest of the party. When she prepared another pot, Jazdia admired her thoughtfulness, but at the same time, she felt something was not quite right.

"That's probably improper of me, but I envy those who come to this land not because they have to. Treating the most dangerous venture like a stroll in a park."

Hard to measure what Jazdia's intention was with that statement. It was spoken with no emotion, not even a hint of sarcasm. The elf's eyes wandered again, and her mind was taken aback by a flood of moments that had long passed, none of which were unhappy.

"I thought this was just an everyday for the rangers like you, Miss Jazdia."

"For those who know where to wander and which path they have to choose, that may be true," replied the elf. Still reeling back a surge of emotion. "But my paths were always duplictious."

"How many times have you visited this place, if you don’t mind me asking?"

"I was here thirty-two years ago, and again at twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten, and five years ago. So yes, you could say it was like a stroll, until today at least." Jazdia offered a smile but did not elaborate on the reason for her regular visit. Eblana, too, was considerate enough not to ask; it was apparent from the get-go that they were not planned to be a happy one, not even out of scholarly reason like Vesemir and her often partake, and not even for financial gain or curiosity like most people in the party.

Gradually, Eblana could understand what her earlier statement meant. She could only hope that Jazdia would find what she was looking for.



Fifty years ago, at the very place they were now, a team of six was here, resting, planning, thinking. Jazdia was one of them, and she remembered the day like it was yesterday.

Their Commander would be there, under that apple tree, poring over a map in eerie silence. He just had a heated argument with his second-in-command, Faldiar, who wanted to skip the rest and send the main team rather than a few scouts.

"They are heading to Dagorlad! Dagorlad, Commander Darien, there is no doubt that we can do nothing once they reach the border, and the more minutes we dawdle here, the closer they are!"

The commander's answer was vague, but his answers were reasonable words mixed with a thin accusation of insubordination. The pressure was enormous that day. A very important dignitary was killed days ago, and days of traveling in a quiet forest did little to dispel the feeling of shame and incompetence. The fact that their pursuit had been unfruitful wasn't helping either. The assassins were elusive, as if they knew this forest like the back of their hand. Or someone, a damned insider was guiding them.

Faldiar and the rest of the team wanted nothing but to clear their name and reputation as quickly as possible, and the assassins were their ticket to not only that, but also to save their nation's pride and good standing with Castediar. They were young, and straightforward, and Jazdia too wasn't thinking too differently that day. Despite the differences, they placed their faith in their commander and believed he had the same zeal to bring those assassins into the light.

It was their first mistake.

"Jazdia? What do you think?" One of the rangers, who went by the name Seron approached. "About the plan, of course... Hmm, you look sick! Faldiar, you need to take better care of your beloved! Right Jaz? Well... at least... You didn't have to suffer like... us."

When Jazdia looked up, what stood in front of her was a ranger with a disfigured face. His helmet was crumpled, and a broken icy spear lodged in one of his eye sockets. The mangled ranger peared down, grinning with what was left of his torn jaw, rotten blood dripped down from the broken hilt, dripping into Jazdia's teacup.

"Why do you have to live and we all die?"


Jazdia awoke from what seemed to be a deep delirium with a heavy headache. Her heartbeat raced as she looked around, and the shadows were gone; her current party was still here.

---

Fia smiled at the unease her selfish desires had caused. She really couldn’t blame any of them, the elves especially. They had a closer encounter to the unknown forces that now occupied the twilight lands, even if only from their ancestry. Fia was one to push her limits. Limits that many others were well to do be wary of. There was a lot of give and take. One could only get so far by taking alone.
“You know, you are not the first to tell me that, my dear Mr. Elc.” said Fia, “I know this older elf who has told me time and again the dangers of seeking the power best left hidden in the annals of the past. Well, you can at least not fault the dreams of a young girl.”
Fia’s attention was drawn to the tree line as the rustling underbrush and creaking branches unveiled a young woman of foreign, yet familiar attire. She carried herself with esteem despite the clear unease in her voice. She was clearly lost and was grasping at any line of support she could. Given the dangers the party themselves had recently faced, the young woman should consider herself lucky.
It was when Akari approached with food in hand and a warm greeting did the woman’s attire strike Fia. Her introduction and origin also confirmed it. Or at least, the two were from very similar home lands. Miko and ninja. Unusual terms that only had one connection in Fia’s mind. That connection was the eastern lands, beyond the seas of the Westernant coast. Two find two of them here, in a land not only sacred to the elves, but otherwise restricted to all was very coincidental. But Fia did not feel the need to speak up about it. The girl was human, or at least was not of the twilight lands. Of that Fia could be sure. SO she had no reason to doubt her story. It wasn’t like Fia could fact check the young woman either.
Fia placed her empty bowl softly in the partially crushed grass at her feet. She stood up dusting off her the skirt of her dress and turned to face the new arrival proper. She bowed slightly to mimic what Vesemir had done. “For your first venture as a missionary, you have really drawn the short straw, haven’t you, darling? As commendable as you are rebuilding your temple’s legacy, do not forgo the reward. You’ll find that having money on hand makes life that much easier. Though…” Fia paused. She had assumed everyone present had received a letter of invitation, a sort of round about way of hiring potential team mates. But for some like Jazdia, it was more of an obligation.
“I guess regardless of how we ended up here, we might as well make the best of it. These lands might be stuck in the past, but we need to go forward, yeah? More and more people from around the world has started to reach out, and the world is getting smaller. I look forward to working with you, dear Miwa. I’ve never heard of the temple of Shearing Cow, uh? Oh my. I’m sorry, could you repeat the name of your temple?”

Rezello

---

Introductions were underway, interspersed with discussion about their next goal: delving into the Laisle Grand Library in search of a tome and a vault of artifacts. Under different circumstances, it could pass as a relatively simple ruins plundering mission; familiar territory. Based on what they had encountered so far, however, merely getting there would likely be complicated by the cursed forest, and if Theriadore was as accomplished an artificer as Vesemir made him out to be, a vault of his artifacts would certainly be well-defended.

All the more reason to take advantage of what tranquility they had while they still could. Retrieving a bowl and a long-handled spoon from a mess kit in his pack, Rezello served himself a helping of the stew Akari had started, taking a seat on a fallen log nearby. Lifting a spoonful to his mask, its articulated lower jaw shifted such that its mouth opened and shut in unison with Rezello’s as he began his meal. Getting used to eating and drinking with the mask on had taken Rezello some time, but after nine years it had become as natural for him as if it hadn’t been there at all.

He paused mid-spoonful as an unexpected guest entered the camp. Akari was the first to react, apparently recognizing something about the newcomer as she invited her to join the rest of them. From the sound of her story, it seemed another group was trying to make their way into the forest - with a particular emphasis on ‘was’. While a band of scholars fleeing in the face of danger was by itself understandable, abandoning the one escort they had hired while doing so was not only cowardly, but stupid - after all, there was nothing guaranteeing they wouldn’t encounter more foes during their retreat. A problem that was no longer Miwa’s responsibility, in any case.

Miwa finished explaining her situation, offering to join their expedition, an opportunity Vesemir was quick to capitalize on. Giving her a pouch of coin similar to those he had used to pay the rest of them, he welcomed her to the party. With the tension relieved, Rezello continued eating while Akari began to prepare a second pot of stew. Conversation continued with the calmed atmosphere; while Miwa expanded on her background in the Far East - the same “faraway land” Akari hailed from, evidently - Rezello acquired a second helping of stew, this time making his way towards the nearby river, gazing across it into the darkness of the forest beyond.

Perhaps something in the library would hold some clue towards the answers he sought, hidden among the tomes and records.

After a moment, he returned to his previous seat, finishing his meal.

@13org

Jazdia smiled back, but she seemed too drowsy to say anything. Meanwhile, Vesemir listened earnestly to the point that he managed to scribe some information and details in his notebook without losing much eye contact with Miwa.

"Wars fought and won, soldiers and their deeds fade and forgotten." Vesemir hummed. "Such is the way in many civilizations."

"That's very noble of you to keep the legacy of your temple alive. I know a race that collectively seeks to sever their connection to their old legacy," the old elf paused, glancing around before shaking his head as if trying to gather his thoughts. "They feel ashamed of it; they want to bury their past, letting it crumble and decay. Don't be like the elves in that Regard, Dear Miwa."

Vesemir's ranting made Mr. Elc, who stood within earshot, shrug and sigh exasperatedly. It seemed the scholar had brought up a controversial subject that had been intensively discussed several times, but no one in the party bothered to engage in it anymore.

And Miwa too, didn't seem too keen on digging up the topic that involved the nation that had provided her an asylum. Or was she?


@Randomness
While Vesemir and Miwa busied themself introducing each other histories with a pinch of politics on it, Mr. Elc could be seen slightly troubled by Fia's enigmatic smile.

“You know, you are not the first to tell me that, my dear Mr. Elc.” said Fia, “I know this older elf who has told me time and again the dangers of seeking the power best left hidden in the annals of the past. Well, you can at least not fault the dreams of a young girl.”

"I am sorry, it's not my intention to tell you what to do," he fretted. "That's simply advice to live by. We elves often live long enough to witness the outcomes of the decisions we made in our youth. This forest is filled with treachery, and it can lure you in when you are at your most vulnerable."

The conversation ended with the Sorceress' attention now fully shifted to the newcomer.

The night grew late, and the campfire was bright. Eblana, Jazdia, and Vesemir had already fallen asleep, lulled by the warmth and tranquility of the place, untroubled by hunger, who wouldn't?

Mr Elc volunteered to be the first watcher. He would be taking shifts with Stepan, who preferred to spend the quarter of the night smoking his pipe and just enjoying the vibe. For members of the party, the chats went on for a while, stories told, but at some point, they had to be told for another night, for the night was getting colder and the energy needed to be replenished for the journey ahead.

So their first day in the inner part of the Land slipped away, as each morning dawned bright and fair. Jazdia had already awoke even before the sun was dawning on the eastern horizon. She did earn adequate sleep, but the fatigue was far from being driven away completely.

Feeling that a breakfast would aid her better than continuing to sleep, the elf boiled a kettle of tea and prepared some marmalade sandwiches, which she promptly shared with Mr. Elc; the stacks served on a small saucer, accompanied by a cup of tea from her portable teaset.

"So, I guess we didn't have any Ent ravaging our camp last night," she said, handing the cup to him as the masked elf lifted a lower part of his mask and kept the rest settled on his nose.

"No... we, don't, thanks to me and Stepan, you all could sleep safe and sound," he replied, trying to hide a grin by munching the second sandwich. Jazdia could only respond with a weak smile, and the elf quickly realized that the remark might be a bit tasteless.

After some awkward silence, he began.

"Twas the nightmares, isn't it?"

Jazdia sipped her tea and sighed.

"Yes, it's getting worse..."

Upon reflection, the changes in Jazdia's appearance had become increasingly noticeable. Although they seemed minor at first glance, he remembered that when they first met, her hair was a vibrant golden blonde, and her eyes were a striking ocean blue. Now, he noticed that the edges of her hair were beginning to bleach, and circular red patterns had appeared in her eyes.

"Hey, chin up!" He said, raising his cup to offer more than just sympathy. "It's just a few dozen leagues to go."

"Yay..." The elf's voice was tinged with dry sarcasm, and Mr Elc noticed that. He remembered Jazdia had once shared with him that the Great Library might hold the secret that could cure her ailment, but today, he noticed that the confidence had started to wane. But of course, the woman was an expert in hiding her thoughts when she needed to. A smile quickly appeared on her lips, followed by another gibe, and Mr. Elc saw no other option but to play along.

"Damp and dusty ruins await us then."

"And more devourers."

"My favourite..."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's wake Vesemir up!"

The masked elf shrugged. "You do, it milady. I am too occupied with my marmalade sandwich, very scrumptious, nom! Just what I need after ending my guard duty! Nom! Thank you very much, much appreciated! I hope you made enough of them for everyone... No? That's a shame..."

____

Day 5
05:33 AM
Land of Twilight, Digenrana Glade

@13org

"Ah, the sourjourner girl," said Jazdia, ending their banter by taking out the last porcelain cup from her teaset box and placing it on top of a crate they had repurposed as a makeshift table.

"Morning," the elven woman greeted back with a smile before inching toward the crate to pour the tea and place it at the other side of the table. The tea was darker-colored, with an additional scent of bergamot. "Help yourself. The leaves are not from the Far East, but I think Nusantaran is quite on par."

"And some sandwich," added Mr. Elc, "Before they all run out. I've told Miss Jazdia that she made too few of them."

The elven woman glared at him before returning to Miwa, pausing as the metal spear-umbrella --which she had been using nonchalantly as a walking stick-- caught her attention. (The protrusion on the rim was just an inch away from poking Miwa's head, and the sight of it, combined with the girl trudging around with heels as long and as pointy as a pair of ice picks made her grimace inwardly)

"Say, why don't you put aside your umbrella for a bit?"

---

“Oh, thank you, darling. Don’t mind if I do.” Fia suddenly appeared behind the others. She was behind Jazdia, and reached towards a sandwich as it was sat on the table. Fia used Jazdia’s posture as a means of balance bringing her hand back with her new found marmalade treasure. Fia stood back up straight, raising one arm in the air as she stretched, bringing the other with the sandwich to her mouth.
“I’ll also have some of that tea, dear. When you get the chance.” Fia walked next to Jazdia this time, dragging over a small box to work as her seat. Settled at the table with everyone else, Fia looked at Mr. Elc, then Jazdia, and finally Miwa. She smiled as the still waking east lander was barely standing with warm tea just within her reach.
“I wonder if our dear Miwa will still be able to stand if you were to deprive her of her walking cane. The dawn is young, and many of the others still slumber. I certainly won’t question if you wish to sleep a little longer.”

Luckily, the size of Jazdia's teapot was proportional to the small cup that came with it, so there should be enough tea for Fia. There was only one problem, however. "Well, that's my last cup..." the elven ranger shrugged.

"Hold on, I will get you something." Mr. Elc said, winking at Fia before walking toward the supply crates, fetching something that had to be a metal tankard. Not the best container to hold a tea, but that was their only option.

Concerning Miwa and her conundrum, an impartial smile escaped her, but her eyes looked at Fia and the sourjourner searchingly. "I am sorry, you may forget what I said earlier."

---

Once some people keep appearing on the campfire. It was her turn to appear. Exiting from her and Miwa's tent, she is stupidly beautiful on her own, with her naturally long hair down in a classical length and just wearing her black suit underdress along with black shorts with bare naked legs. Stretched nearby her tent and decided to approach the people who were already awake gathered along with her ninjato.

"Ohay-... Good morning, everyone." Akari greeted them and sat beside Miwa while keeping her sheathed blade.