Charlotte giggled at the somewhat odd name, thinking about how fitting it was for someone who looked the way that he did. Adorned almost fully in black; Shadow and Shalquoir seemed to have that in common. She wondered how the boy would react if she expressed that opinion out loud, knowing his disdain for the crow woman. And why wouldn't he? Shalquoir's manner towards him was just weird. Perhaps she was allergic to cats. Her train of thought started to get away from her as she stared at Shadow with a distant look in her eyes.
"Maybe she just needs to get to know you Shadow." She spoke without thinking, instantly regretting as the first thought that popped into her head was now out in the open. "Oh, please ignore me. I don't know what I'm talking about some times." She slowly picked away at her own meal; a refreshing salad with extra cherry tomatoes. She prodded a tomato with her fork, popping it in her mouth as she swung around on her stool. After she finished swallowing her bite, she stood up and smiled at Shadow.
"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Shadow! Don't let Shalquoir give you a bad impression of this guild. Everyone here is very kind and I'm sure you'll feel right at home. Come on, I want to introduce you to someone." Charlotte completely missed the expression of guilt and sadness plastered across her new friends face. She was in such a good mood about meeting a new friend. She gestured for Shadow to follow and walked over to where Makoto was sitting with Cinia, Linia and Yuni and wrapped her best friend up in a large hug.
"Ooh, Makoto you ladies man. Flirting with these three beautiful ladies and you didn't invite me?" Makoto struggled under her crushing embrace, going red in the face at the idea of him trying to court anyone. "You just want them all to yourself, don't you?"
"It's not like that!" Makoto became truly flustered, pulling himself away from Charlotte and burying his face in his hands. He'd probably start crying if he wasn't in front of all these people. Charlotte, noticing that she'd upset him, stepped over and wrapped her arms gently around him once more.
"There there, I was only teasing. Besides, I can't just let you be with anyone. I've gotta make sure that when you find a girl, she's absolutely perfect for you."
You're perfect for me. Was what he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. Charlotte stepped away from his friend, grabbing hold of Shadow's hand again.
"Don't be shy! Everyone, this is Shadow! I've kidnapped him as my teammate." She introduced the new cat bow to Cinia, Linia and Makoto. She didn't know who the other girl was, but she was with them so she was most likely a friend.
The young man that entered with his sword was slightly older than Shalquoir had expected to be. Not to mention he was armed with a very impressive weapon. The hunter wasn't one to judge, so she dismissed any thoughts of the sword being stolen. It was none of her business and not relevant to her mission. When the boy realised what Shalquoir might be there for, he began to panic and spout what sounded like nonsense. Shalquoir aimed her hook arm towards the children, displaying their poor state of life.
"Open your eyes, boy. Even if I was here to take your little gang, would I be wrong to do so? I know your type. You've taken the world head on for a few years and gotten very lucky. Do you think that entitles you to take responsibility over these children? They're reliant on you. You, of all people. You, who is barely old enough to look after themselves, is taking the responsibility of looking after a group of kids?" Shalquoir lowered her arms and took a step forward towards Lance, staring him down through her mask. "Don't they deserve better? You probably felt that you had no choice, but that is a selfish thought. There are orphanages in this town, I am sure. They might not be the best place to live, but it's surely better than the street. If you had any decency, they would be there right now. Instead you decided that you'd be a hero and look after them yourself? I'd laugh at the thought if it wasn't so incredibly sad." Her words were harsh, but Shalquoir wasn't about to sit here and let a delusional child lead a group of kids to an early grave. His intentions were kind, but that wasn't an acceptable excuse for Shalquoir.
Before the boy could respond, a child spoke to him about what Shalquoir was here for. The hunter wasn't sure how he would respond, especially after she'd been so harsh to him. Would he put that sword of his to use? Shalquoir was surprised to see that he put his weapon down and took out an old photo, content to go with her. Shalquoir stood silently as he asked for her to listen to his story or fight him. After a long pause, she folded her arms across her chest and spoke sternly.
"You and the children are coming with me. You will apologise to the baker, and then I'll see what I feel like doing with you afterwards. Regardless of your fate, the children are coming back to the guild with me where they can be properly taken care of. You're not in a position to be asking for duels. Besides, I fight monsters, not children." She gestured for the children to follow her, but they looked to their leader for confirmation. "I don't care about your story. Your past only defines your future if you allow it to. So make a decision; seeing as they now look up to you. You can keep trying to play hero, or you can think about what's really best for these children. You want to give them a home? Then let me take them to the guild. Not that I particularly care to see your face around the hall, but there's room for you to. Maybe the next time we meet, I'll take you up on your little duel." Shalquoir walked away from the alleyway, intending to head back to the baker. Whether or not Lance followed was up to him.
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