News of a certain hotel room being raided during the night had spread throughout the entirety of Symphotia town.

The next morning, at the scene of the crime, many experts and city watch analysts were busy scanning the suite.

"Who owned this place for the night?"

"It seems like she is the same person who saved that one train from being hijacked two days prior..."

"Okay, and where is she?"

"I don't know sir, the receptionist said she had already paid for 'Collateral Damage' in advance..."

"Damn, I sure hope she's not dead... But do we have any clue of what went down during the attack?"

"There's a broken window out back by the kitchen... It seems like the victim had escaped through there, sir!"

"From this high up-!? I wouldn't expect any less from someone who stopped a train hijacking alone..."

"Perhaps she latched onto the street lamp and lowered herself down, sir."

"Right, enough with speculations! Let's try to find something useful we can use to track the people who instigated this!"

"We're trying, sir... There is very little evidence... But it seems like most of the evidence is already cleaned up..."

"Damnit... Just who are we dealing with here-!? How can they clean up such a mess so fast before the District Watch arrived-!?"

"Could it be Vespelian Special Forces at work again?"

"Shit."

Among the team of busy and stressed out investigators and experts, a bored-looking girl wearing a top hat slouched down.

She checked carefully on the weird cartridge that was under the rug by the archway leading into the kitchen.

"Well, isn't this a surprise~"

Through the elevated townscape's misty fog, all that could be heard were the subtle sounds of distant factories.

Western Noblility District.

Lady Iris' Mansion.

"You're that courier... Right? Hey, wait- Are you sure you're okay?"

"Just let me in... It's something about the delivery..."

She brushed the guard aside, walking through the checkpoint.

Pacing into the inner courtyard where many decorated hedges present, she would spot the gardener, Caspian, nearby.

Slowly approaching him who was busy trimming the hedges, she shifted in her feet on purpose to alert the person at hand.

"Oh! Scared me there... Back so soon? It's good to s-"

He turned around to greet Vixella happily soon stopped as he noticed something different about her.

The fine delivery clothes that she usually wore were now dirty, ripped, and torn to shreds.

There were also bloodstains here and there, but it didn't seem to be that of her own.

This indeed did reveal some parts of Vixella's bare skin to a certain extent, causing Caspian to gawk helplessly.

She then began tracing Caspian's eyes to eventually land the view on herself before slowly looking back up at him.

"Oh... Sorry... Shit, I..."

Caspian who snapped back to reality opened his eyes wide as he quickly apologized.

"...?"

Vixella tilted her head in confusion.

"Ahem... What happened...?"

Caspian recomposed himself and asked back with a serious tone.

"Long story short, I was chased around till morning by some people who were after the package."

"Eh, you haven't been shot anywhere, have you...? Surely you need a bath and some new clothes... Hmm stay here, I'll be back..."

Caspian nodded a few times and gesturing here to wait before walking off.

"Can you bring some extra pellets?"

"Yeah! Just wait here!"

Vixella nodded and watched him run into the household before walking away from the place.

Touring the garden, she walked past the fountain and took a turn upon some cobblestone steps that led up to a pavilion.

She leaned down against the pavilion's seat and rampart, sighing as she took a slight breath before closing her eyes.

"Now if I only had some tea."

"Tea? Was it now?"

Floyd approached from the pathway, seemingly calm despite seeing Vixella in her current state.

"Too bad I don't drink tea, it was just a figure of speech."

"Seems like our famed 'Courier Six' has gotten herself into some trouble?"

"I'll let Caspian tell you about it... I'm too tired right now-"

"We... We're here!"

Caspian halted to a stop alongside Martha as they both gasped for breath.

"Aah? What's with the hurry?"

Vixella wryly looked at them as she made her way down the pavilion steps alongside Floyd.

Martha who was holding the bulky box of medical supplies in her arms heaved heavily.

"I thought Caspian said that you needed medical attention...!? So we came running......?"

A CENTURY LATER

(Steamy Transition Music)

"Why are you here with me anyway?"

Vixella glanced over at Caspian who sat looking a bit unsettled beside her.

"Martha told me to entertain you... Until she makes up some sort of excuse..."

Caspian who took glances here and there fumbled around with his fingers.

"Aah... What? I won't get mad so you can just go back and tell her there's no need for that!"

Vixella gestured over her shoulder out of the door but Caspian wasn't looking her way to see that.

"No! She means like... Uhm..."

Caspian knew exactly what Martha meant, but he just didn't dare to say it.

"Guess I'll be thankful here cause it has sure been a while since I had gone swimming in such a big bathtub."

Vixella spoke casually before she propelled away from the water's ledge and swam away happily.

"Eeeh...!? How can she be so calm...!?"

Caspian who sat awkwardly in the corner of the tub with his head as red as a tomato cowered up and sunk while bubbling.

Much to Caspian's expectations of being left alone shamefully, Vixella popped her head out of the water just in front of him.

"Hey, don't get so gloomy all of a sudden."

"Wha...!? And you as well... Don't get so close all of a sudden..."

Caspian gulped as he couldn't help but try eye her body through the vivid bathwater.

Vixella noticed a slight shudder in the water's surface before glancing down casually.

"Not bad... Though Alexei's still bigger."

"So you already have a partner...? Ahem... Seems like I'll be heading out first then... Please enjoy---!?"

Caspian's eyes grew wide in panic upon feeling that his right leg couldn't be pulled out of the water.

He glanced over his shoulder to see that Vixella had firmly held his leg in place.

"Weren't you going to entertain me?"

Despite the casual face she put on, Caspian could sense her hunger.

He had never once expected that Vixella would be such an 'Alpha Predator'.

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"Please go easy on me..."

Caspian gulped as he was pulled back into the bath.

SLASH.

Martha stood by the exit doors of the bath as she prayed to herself.

"Caspian... I shall pray for your success-"

The doors then suddenly slid open with a slam, causing Martha to jump as she nearly fell backward.

"EEEHHH...!?"

"Martha? Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course... But where is Caspian..."

Vixella stood there looking a bit worried with a towel wrapped around herself.

"Seems like he wasn't up for the entertaining part so he passed out in the bath... I rested him down in the changing room..."

"Wha...!? That guy passed out while entertaining you-!?"

Martha, both in shock and weird thoughts, clapped her red cheeks as she fumbled about.

"Yeah, big time."

"Caspian, I'm sorry... I didn't know she was this much of a beast..."

Martha knelt and prayed apologetically like a good nun.

"Since you're trying so hard... I'll just head back to HQ and tell them that the package was lost then."

"Wait...! No more excuses...! I'm sorry that I put you in grave danger...!"

Martha bowed and lowered her head, squinting her eyes as she was about to cry from the guilt that welled up.

"No need for drama... Apology accepted! Just tell me what this' all about, alright...?"

Vixella then patted Martha on the head, implying to her that it's all okay with a bright smile.

"Eh...? You're not mad?"

She looked up, bewildered at Vixella who was softly scruffing her hair like how one would treat children.

"We all have reasons to lie! Though maybe you should've trusted the courier assigned to you, at least."

Vixella gestured towards herself and chuckled to ease up the tension.

Martha sniffed and brushed away a slight tear as she seemed to somewhat calm down.

"Yes... It's because the package was really important... And if someone knew about the contents..."

"Aah, if I knew about that then I wouldn't have handed the package over to them..."

When Vixella said so, an expected yet non-mutual silence came between the two of them.

"Wait... You... Simply... Handed it over...?"

"Well, I--- YES THEY EVEN HELD ME AT GUNPOINT AND THREATENED TO DO DISGUSTING THINGS TO ME...!"

"Oh... It's all my fault... I'm so sorry for putting you in such circumstances... No wonder your clothes were all ripped like that..."

"Yeah, I was lucky to get away...", Vixella averted her eyes, "So... Go ahead and tell me all about it then? I might try to get it back."

"Huh...? You're going to get the package back?"

"Hey, you know our company's motto... Don't you? Strider Mail, we always deliver... And recover...? I made up that last part."

"Yes... But first, let us get you some new clothes... Please follow me, this way... I shall tell you on the way..."

"Alright-"

"WAAAH-!? Monster-!!"

Martha screamed out as she flinched, pivoting away while pointing down behind Vixella.

"Dragon-!? No... It's just you..."

Vixella who heard the word 'monster' leaped back into full-alert but eventually lowered her guard upon realizing what it was.

"Calm down, Martha... Hey, uhh- Floyd should be back with the pellets soon... Ugh..."

The half-dead Caspian struggled to speak from the ground, looking up with his drained face that was smeared with a nosebleed.

"You still alive...? Aah... You bled throughout the whole thing... But it wasn't half bad, was it now?"

Vixella glanced over her shoulder and down at Caspian who weakly raised a thumbsup.

"And just whose fault is that now..."

He chuckled slightly before rolling over on his back, not noticing that a certain something had rolled out of the way.

"Is the monster gone...?"

Martha's face that hid behind her hands were slowly opening up as she turned back around.

Vixella grinned devilishly as she quickly dashed behind Martha to reassure her by grasping her shoulders.

"Yeah, don't worry! It was just Caspian crawling on the ground..."

The Martha who opened her eyes then saw it.

Caspian's tower that was still strung up high-

"Might wanna cover that up though."

Vixella whistled as she also glanced downward.

"Huh, what...?"

Caspian then slowly stood up while scratching his head, shifting his view to stop at a certain thing sticking out below.

"NooOoooOOoooOOOoooo!!"

There was then a loud slap followed by the sound of someone tumbling down to the ground.

A while later, Vixella followed Martha into Lady Iris' bedroom before sitting down by the comfy bed.

"Hey... Martha? Is Caspian going to be okay?"

"Ahem! Who? ...Which dress do you prefer?"

Completely ignoring the question, Martha's face twitched slightly before she happily brandished many dresses from the closet.

Vixella shifted herself away on the bed for a moment as she clasped her hands and began praying.

"Caspian my friend, I shall pray for your recovery..."

"What... Did... You just say...? Pray for who...?"

Martha's face twitched even harder upon hearing a certain someone's name.

"Aah... How about something that isn't a dress? I want something that I can easily move around in..."

Vixella quickly changed the topic.

"Of course! Lucky for you, Lady Iris also has a few occasions where she doesn't wear dresses."

After putting the clothes on with the help of Martha.

"It suits you well."

Martha who stood behind as shown in the reflection of the mirror complimented her.

"Really? I think I look pretty bland though."

Vixella twisted left and right as she inspected herself through the mirror.

Fastening the six buttons of the black trousers and the strings behind the frilly linings, Vixella tucked in the sleeves of the blouse.

Sliding on the Strider-Mail insignia pin, she was now once again ready to go back out to finish the job that she had failed to do.

"My statement still stands."

Martha replied earnestly.

Knocking sounds soon came by as both of them turned to face the door leading out of the bedroom.

"Floyd has the pellets and he's waiting for you in the courtyard."

"Perfect timing, I was just done putting on some new clothes."

"Oh, uhh... Can I come in and... See?"

"Sure, but Martha's in here-"

"Yeah... Uh... I'll just go back to fixing the garden... Bye!"

Rumbling footsteps could then be heard dashing away from the opposite side of the door.

Vixella then firmly turned around to face Martha with a confident grin while adjusting her collar.

"Well then, I guess it's time for this Courier Six to go get that package back!"