Warm light from the hearth bled across the tavern, turning the low ceiling into a haze of amber and smoke. Yumi sat at the edge of a scarred wooden table, both hands wrapped around a mug that was definitely emptier than she remembered it being a moment ago.

A soft giggle escaped her lips. Her eyes widened in surprise, as if the sound startled her as much as anyone else.

"I feel a bit... funny," she whispered, her words just a little slower than usual. She tipped the mug, frowned when nothing came out, then laughed again and set it down with exaggerated care.

Around her, voices blended together — stories of close calls, victories and losses — but she listened with a small, unfixed smile, nodding along even when the words slipped past her. Every so often, she'd lean forward, chin in her palm, as if the effort of staying upright had become a fascinating challenge.

"I juss cann believe ish already been a year," she slurred suddenly, the thought spilling out before she could catch it. She blinked in surprise, like she was trying to figure out who had just spoken. She giggled again when she realized it was her, embarrassment blooming in her cheeks. A waitress came by and placed a fresh mug before her, which prompted an enthusiastic cheer from the huntress, who quickly drank a hearty swig.

"Man, thish shtuff ish good," she continued. Her gaze drifted to the fire, the flickering lights reflecting in her eyes. Her smile softened as her gaze grew distant and thoughtful. "Sho much has happened thish year." She started counting on her fingers. "Firsht I died, thenn I woke up inn a foresht. I met shome people and did...shomething? I dunn really 'member that part." She frowned and tilted her head as she tried to remember what happened. After a moment, she shook her head. "Ah, it'll comme back to me. And then we had all that bizniss inn Nann Gaauu. Man, that wash shomething elsh, huh?" Her eyes widened a bit and she let out a low whistle as she reminisced on that particular event.

A group of people laughed nearby. Despite not knowing what about, Yumi joined in, a bit louder than she meant to, her shoulders shaking as she ducked her head and hid her face behind her arm.

She raised her mug again in a clumsy little toast, nearly knocking it against the table.

"Here'sh to shurviving another year!" she declared, her blue eyes shining brightly. "And to the neksht year being..." her nose wrinkled a bit as she searched for the right words, "um...lesh terrifying. Or at leasht terrifying in a fun way! Oh! And to not dying again!"

With a little too much confidence, she quaffed a generous mouthful, only to cough into her sleeve and laugh at herself a heartbeat later. As she burst into giggles again, she rested her chin against her hand as if the world had become delightfully unsteady.

If there was ever a solution to never stopping nightmares, it was to drink yourself to sleep, right? That was Ruby's goal, get so drunk she would wake up days later, finally enjoying a good night's sleep. She picked up her mug from the bar and looked at the mellow looking drink. She sighed, knowing very well that it was a terrible idea, but she just wanted to sleep through one lousy night.

Ruby looked up from her beer and searched for a spot to sit down. None of them looked inviting, bunch of drunkards. Her red glowing eyes scanned the room, hoping to find a nice looking chair, table or bed... but it was all the same stuff. That was until she spotted the scythe. It was a nice looking one, not as great as hers, but nice all around. If she was going to enjoy someone's company, it had to be someone who had the same taste in weapons.

Not to mention, it seemed it was a girl about her age also. Perfect. Ruby walked over to the table, set her mug down and sat down. She didn't know if she had to ask permission or not, but she was already there. Her crimson eyes looked at Yumi, nodded and then looked away. This place was still strange to her.

Before she had just been told to take some sweets to her sweet grandma. Nothing out of the ordinary. Until she got to grandma's house. If it hadn't been so dark, if she had seen the stains on the walls if she would've ran away as soon as she heard the voice and the growls. She had been too naive. After having every second of her death ingrained in her head forever, she woke up in this strange world. Only to realize there were a lot more like HIM.

If it weren't for the small group she had formed a band with, she would've probably gone insane already. At least, she found someone like her, even though she looked a bit drunk.

"Nice, scythe. Are you and adventurer?" Ruby said with a tone so relaxed, it felt heavy. "I have one myself, more for slashing and tearing than cutting."

Yumi blinked at the girl who had just plopped down across from her, crimson eyes scanning her like a spotlight. Then, tipsy and unfazed, she giggled, loud, bright, and completely uncoordinated.

"I... uh... yeah!" she slurred slightly, raising her mug a little higher in a clumsy salute. "I'm an advenshurer, that'sh me! Well," her voice lowered to a loud whisper, "I guessh I'm moore of a huntresh, allthough not the kind that huntsh deersh an'shit." She laughed again, nearly tipping the mug over.

Her gaze immediately drifted to Ruby’s scythe, her eyes practically twinkling in the firelight. "Whoooooaaaaaaa!" She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "This issssshhh sshhooo coooooool! Look at the curve! The grip! The edge! How long did it take you to, you know, get used to swinging something like this?!"

She paused, taking a big, sloppy quaff from her mug, foam brushing her lips, then set it down with a satisfied sigh. "I... I kind of picked up a shcythe because of thish shhow I watched where... wait..." She hiccuped softly and froze, cheeks flushing bright red. "I forgot. You donn't have the internetsh here." She giggled in embarassment.

"But sherioushly!" She leaned forward again, waving a hand at the weapon like it was a sparkling treasure. "Yoursh ish amashing! I mean, jusht look at it! The weight, the balansh, the... all of it! Man, aren't schythes freakin' shweet?!"

Yumi paused for a moment to finish off the last bit of ale in her mug — which was only her second — before flagging a nearby waitress. "Neksht roundsh on me!" she exclaimed with an exaggerated gesture across the table at Ruby. She beamed brightly and extended a hand for Ruby to shake, giggling slightly as she tried to hold it steady. "My namesh Yumi. Aoi Yumi. And I think we're gunna be besht friendsh!"

"It is pretty impressive, isn't it? I haven't named it yet, but it feels like a she for some reason." Ruby drank from her mug and set it down, leaning forward on the table. "The secret to swining it around with ease, is anger." She smiled with a soft growl coming from her chest.

"I just think about what I hate the most. I put their stupid mutt face on the target and swing, with all my might. At first I would get really tired, but now, I barely even break a sweat." She leans back on her chair and smiles as if watching something in front of her. "I could still hear the howl of my first victim. They thought they were so tough with their big claws and teeth and out of instinct I just grabbed this scythe and slashed it down. It was beautiful." She picked her mug up and chugged the entire thing down before setting down on the table.

"What's an internesh?" Ruby's eyes rested on Yumi's. "You watched a show on that? Is it a town?"